EVOLUTION Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EVOLUTION - Term Paper Example The creation theory of evolution theorized that the infinite life forms in the Earth were created by God. Moreover, the creation theory is of the opinion that all life forms have remained unchanged since creation. Consequently, much of the 17th and 18th century biology in Europe focused on the description of animals and plants with no explanation on how they came to being. Carolus Linnaeus is hailed as a first class scientist who developed the classification system for identifying living things. To this end, Linnaeus identified animals and plants based on modes of reproduction and physical appearance. Evidently, Linnaeus used the binomial nomenclature system in naming the plants and animals. Consequently, the Latin concept of genus and species was developed. However, the late 18th century saw the emergence of new evolutionary concepts that suggested that life forms were not fixed. George Louis Leclerc (Comte de Buffon) a French naturalist and mathematician, was credited with stating that living things changed in the course of time (Loxton, 2010). Incidentally, he theorized that these changes were attributed to environmental influences. Leclerc believed the Earth’s age was over 6,000 years and estimated it be at least 75,000 years (Loxton, 2010). Moreover, Buffon theorized that humans were related to the apes. In addition, he is credited with cl aiming that species could achieve change in the course of generations. To this end, Buffon is envisaged as a man who advocated for the explanation of living things through natural laws, as opposed to theological doctrines. Jeane Baptiste Chevalier de Lamarck is the pioneer evolutionist who publicly revealed his theories on the processes that led to biological change. However, his theories have been construed as a great misconception. Evidently, Lamarck theorized that microscopic organisms came into being through spontaneity from inanimate materials. As a result, the organisms evolved or

The Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Film - Essay Example Adopting a light-hearted tone, Marker takes the unique approach of editing various video clips together, without adhering to time frame, and putting them together to describe the memories of the fictional Sandor Krasna, whose letters are read by a female narrator whose identity we never find out. Resnais’ Nuit et Brouillard, on the other hand, is based on the very real and macabre events of Holocaust. With most of the focus on the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp, the documentary which was filmed ten years after the Holocaust ended (1955), lays bare the atrocities committed therein. The male narrator simply relates the series of events that start from the rounding up of the people who were being sent to the concentration camps. The tone of the movie is, of course, very somber and serious throughout. In his movie, Chris Marker tries to explore how human memory works and how time and place have an effect on everything that later becomes history. It is an attempt on his part to take an interest in the banalities of life and, through them, try to explain human nature. The tone of the movie remains quite philosophical; though a lot of people are put off by it and they claim that Marker has ruined what could have otherwise been a great travelogue by using this tone, I disagree. The script of the movie, which are the letters read by the narrator, is crisp, innovative and it helps in driving the point home: the subjectivity of human memory and how we perceive time. It is a very unique approach and I agree that it is not palatable to everyone; however, it is unfair on the part of the critics to call it a work of pseudo-intellectualism. In Nuit et Brouillard, the script is very objective and it portrays the suffering of the prisoners of concentration camps in Nazi Germany. There are no personal observations made by the narrator; he recounts the events as and when

Riordan Manufacturing Team Building Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Team Building Essay Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer employing 550 people with projected annual earnings of $46 million. The company is wholly owned by Riordan Industries, a Fortune 1000 enterprise with revenues in excess of $1 billion. Its products include plastic beverage containers produced at its plant in Albany, Georgia, custom plastic parts produced at its plant in Pontiac, Michigan, and plastic fan parts produced at its facilities in Hangzhou, China. The companys research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose. Riordans major customers are automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers and bottlers, and appliance manufacturers. As you can see Riordan is a large company with offices worldwide and communication and travel can be a major expense for the company especially when implementing new lines and technology at one of their facilities. Future statements made by Riordan, We will maintain an innovative and team oriented working environment. By assuring that our employees are well informed and properly supported, we will provide a climate focused on the long term viability of our company. We must be focused in achieving and maintaining reasonable profitability to assure that the financial and human capital is available for sustained growth. As Riordan moves forward with their mission statements the cost of implementing new technology and training employees to operate and manage these new systems costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. The companys most recent expansion took place in 2014 when it opened its operations in China. At that time, the entire fan manufacturing operation was moved from Michigan to China and the Pontiac, MI facility was retooled for the manufacture of custom plastic parts. During the first quarter of the  expansion travel costs alone just for the training of the ongoing systems integration project surpassed one hundred thousand dollars. We know that Riordan will always be on the forefront of applying new technology and systems to keep up with market trends in the future. This is why implementing the creation, deployment, and support of effective interactive distance learning and communication systems to improve business, is crucial to the ongoing success of the company. The CADE system will reduce thousands of dollars of travel expenses directly related to the training required with each new system at all of the company’s facilities. Developing a distance learning system that will allow Riordan to provide effective training through teleconferencing from their headquarters in San Jose CA to facilities all over the world will reduce expenses by millions of dollars over the long term. The Need for Training and Communication The cornerstone of a competitive organization is its highly trained workforce. In today’s market, product life-cycles are shorter, more complex. The available time for training is greatly reduced. Many companies are downsizing and the responsibilities of those that remain are increased, jobs are consolidated. Corporate communication and training needs have never been more important Time becomes one of the most limited resources. Regardless of the industry, many of these issues are very much the same: (Velocedge Inc, 2014). High cost and increased difficulty of travel Inability to reach all employees anywhere, anytime High cost of training, continuing education Lack of qualified instructors or presenters Time it takes to get a message to all employees Expensive to develop effective training and communication programs Loss of productivity when employees take off work for travel, training, or meetings Difficulty in transferring knowledge throughout the organization The CADE System The Communications And Distance Education (CADE) system is designed to  facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. Interactive Satellite Delivery During an interactive broadcast, the instructor or presenter can ask multiple choice, true/false, yes/no, numeric, and multiple selection questions and participants can respond with either wireless remote controls in a classroom setting or through a personal computer. The PC at each remote location collects participant responses from the wireless remotes and transmits them back to the presenter over an intranet or Internet connection. Participants may also speak with the presenter, using voice over IP, PBX, or standard telephone line, and everyone in the broadcast can listen to that conversation. Interactive Web Delivery With CADE eTutor, interactive training and communication programs can be delivered over the Internet/Intranet. It provides the same capabilities of the satellite delivery system, as well as a few extra features, in a desktop version using highly compressed audio and video over IP. Capture All Interaction Participant responses are captured, time-stamped, and stored in a web-based learning management system. In addition to capturing the satellite based information, the CADE system also supports web based training, classroom, paper based, and is fully SCORM compliant. All data in the CADE system is created, managed, and accessed through this web-based portal to the database. CADE System Components The CADE system is comprised of a number of software applications. These applications include: Studio Control System The instructor or presenters interface Virtual Classroom The remote site control program eTutor The web-based interactive delivery system Learning Management Web The web-based learning management system New System Flow Diagram for CADE System at Riordan Manufacturing The new CADE is a free standing system that has virtually no effect or interaction with any of the present Information systems or processes currently in use by Riordan Manufacturing. The CADE system is designed to facilitate live, interactive programs over a satellite, Internet, or streaming video network as well as capture those programs for later playback. CADE is primarily a software based product but it represents a new paradigm in software development, utilizing an effective integration of world-class software components and Internet technologies in an adaptive architecture. To keep pace with todays rapidly changing world, CADE was designed to incorporate change as quickly as an organization realizes the need for change. Corporate management faces many issues that can keep an organization from being as competitive and profitable as it needs to be CADE wont be one of them. As a new or better technology solution is identified, an idea to improve a feature, or a new function desired, that change can be easily incorporated into the CADE products keeping your system continually up to date, meeting each new requirement, and keeping your investment protected. Satellite -Live -On-demand -Prerecorded Interactive Web Training Audio/Video -Live -Prerecorded Web Courses SCORM Classroom Video On Demand Desktop Classroom CADE Advantages to Riordan Interactive Distance Learning Even though there is a lot of talk about distance education, over 90% of all formal training continues to use classroom delivery. The major cost driver of training is delivery. Satellite or web based, Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) provides the benefits of classroom without the large cost. (Velocedge Inc, 2014). . Faster Deliver to more people in less time, Concept to delivery time in hours or days, Cut classroom delivery time in half, Deliver to entire target population in one broadcast Cheaper Fewer experts needed to deliver message, Deliver to more people with less cost, Low cost to develop and deliver content, Incalculable cost savings: time off work, travel, per diem, etc. Better Over 25% improvement in student retention, Most consistent message delivery, one voice Standardized design , Utilize only the most qualified instructors, Provides detailed tracking and reporting (Velocedge Inc, 2014). Presently Riordan’s first quarter number’s pertaining to the General Administrative line item is over budget one hundred thousand dollars due to travel and per diem expenses related to emergency training of the new systems that have been added. By incorporating the new CADE system to provide long distance training this will eliminate any additional over budget expenses caused by the new systems and also provide low cost long distance training for any future systems that are put in use by the company. The new CADE system will reduce company expenses in many ways: reducing or eliminating travel and per diem costs, reducing course development costs, reducing the number of trainers, reducing the time off work, reducing the time to develop a course, and many other ways. Pricing is based on the number of remote sites you have and the Presentation Studio System that is specified. However, the cost is a fraction of what you are spending now to train your employees. References Velocedge Inc. (2014). velocity and knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/ Learn.net. (2014). The CADE System. Retrieved from http://www.velocedge.com/CADEnew/Products/index.htm

Catcher In Rye: Obsession On Childhood

Catcher In Rye: Obsession On Childhood In the novel The in the Rye, J.D. Salinger creates a fictional character, Holden, who refuses to grow up and preserve his innocence because he is obsessed on childhood. Holden chooses to be stuck between the innocent world of childhood and the complex world of adulthood. For instance, Holden detailed his two siblings, Allie and Phoebe, as if he idolizes them because of their youth. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles in his life because he cant accept the responsibilities and consequences tied to adulthood. Holden Caulfield is a 16-year old boy who refuses to accept the responsibilities of an adult. So, Holden refuses to grow up and act matured. For example, in the beginning of the novel the readers were informed about Holdens expulsion from Pencey Prep School. However, Holden is more afraid of what his parents reaction will be and afraid of facing the consequences of his expulsion. So, he refuses to go home and confront his parents. He says, I didnt want to go home or anything till they got it and thoroughly digested it and all (51). This shows the immature side of Holden. Instead of explaining to his family why he flunked school, he chooses not to because he thought that his mother will be hysterical to him, My mother gets very hysterical (51). Asides from being immature, Holden is also afraid of talking to people close to him because he is afraid of something inappropriate theyll say about him. This explains his lack of interaction with Jane Gallagher, the girl Holden spent with one summer, the only reason why I didnt do it [calling Jane] was because I wasnt in the mood (63). His lack of interaction with the people he knew makes him interact with the people he doesnt know. Like when he talked to a cab driver about the ducks in the lagoon and ask where they go during winter, You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? (60). Even though its a nonsense question, he still asked the driver about the ducks. He thinks that the cab driver, or any random people, would not judge him which gives him the courage to talk randomly and to lie to random people. Holden lies most of the time to get someones attention. This is one way Holden shows transition towards adulthood. Even if Holden chooses to stay in the world of innocence, his thoughts and actions show some transition to adulthood. For example in chapter 13 when the elevator boy offers Holden a prostitute girl, he says yes and acts like he had slept with someone else before. However he says that he is still a virgin , If you want to know the truth, Im a virgin (92), and when he comes pretty close to doing it with a girl and she says stop he stops, she keeps telling you to stop, The problem with me is, I stop (92). This shows a transition of Holdens sexual desire; however, he struggles dealing with it. Another example of Holden is stuck between the childhood and adulthood world is when he is in the lavender room. When he sees the three ladies at the next table, he gives them an old eye a little bit (69). When Holden finally meet them, he told them that he just saw Gary Cooper, the movie star, on the other side of the floor (74). His actions show that he is trying to impress the three ladies like an adult man by giving them old eye glances and impressing them by lying. At the end of the chapter, after hanging out with the three girls, they left Holden with the bill to pay, I think they shouldve at least offered to pay for the drinks they had before I joined them (75). Due to his innocence and being a trying hard social climber, he ends up being the stupid one and easy to trick with. Another example is Holdens concern towards the ducks in the lagoon. He says I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go. I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered of some guy came in a truck and took them to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away (13). The ducks symbolizes Holden. He is wondering where hes going to go in his life especially when things get icy and frozen. He is wondering if there will be some one to guide him or if he will just fly away. The lagoon, on the other hand, symbolizes his life. In Chapter 20, when he finds the lagoon he says it was pretty frozen and partly not frozen (154). The transition of lake from frozen to not frozen is like Holdens transition from childhood to adulthood. The frozen part shows that Holden hates changes. For instance, when Holden is in the Museum of Natural History he says that he likes the museum because it never changes, the only thing that change is you, Nobodyd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you (121). Just like his obsession, he doesnt want to change and stays as a child to preserve his innocence. He sees his siblings as his inspiration for his obsession. Throughout the novel, Holden always describes his sibling as nice, responsible, smart children. This gives the reader another reason of Holdens obsession of preserving his innocence. He sees innocence through his siblings. In chapter 5, Holden describes Allie, his dead little brother, as fifty times as intelligent (38) than him. He exaggerates that Allies is so smart. In chapter 10, Holden describes Phoebe as a little kid so pretty and smart (67). He also convinces the readers that the readers would like her (67). This shows a reason why he wanted to stay like a child is to be like by everyone. Holden convinces the reader that both of his siblings are smart and everyone likes them. In Chapter 23, Holdens mother gave Phoebe a goodnight kiss and said goodnight to her. All of a sudden, Holden started to cry, Then, all of a sudden, I started to cry (179). This gives the readers an idea that one reason why he wanted to preserve innocence is he wanted to feel to be love and to feel the car e of his love ones especially from his mother that he never felt before. He idolizes Allie and Phoebe because his parents give them so much attention, love and care. For Allie, they always visit his grave, my parents go out quite frequently and stick a bunch of flowers on old Allies grave (155), and because Holden have a lousy childhood (1), he his jealous of his siblings because they get the attention, care, and love from their parents that hes been longing for so long. However, his treatment towards his siblings, and children, doesnt influence his jealousy. In fact, he wanted to be the catcher in the rye to protect them from adulthood. Due to Holdens obsession in preserving innocence, Holden chooses to be the catcher in the rye (173). He wanted to catch the children, who are playing in a field of rye, from falling off the cliff. The field of rye symbolizes the childhood world, a world that is full of children playing, while the cliff symbolizes adulthood. Holden doesnt want the children to struggle in life, like he is dealing with. He wanted children to stay children and preserve their innocence because he doesnt want them to fall in the corrupted and complicated world of adulthood. In chapter 25, Holden tries to erase the Fuck you word written in the wall of an elementary school, but I rubbed it out anyway, though. (201). Holden tries to protect the children from reading the swear word that could poison their mind. The red hunting hat is another symbolism of innocence in the novel. Holden always wear the red hunting hat to protect himself from the hunter, the society. He gave the hunting hat to Phoebe, she took of f my red hunting hat the one I gave her (207), to protect her from the society. He wanted Phoebe to have her innocence as long as she needed it. Erasing the swear on the wall and protecting Phoebe from the society are Holdens ways of protecting the children from jumping off the cliff. However, at the end of the novel, Holden learns to let go of his obsession. When Holden and Phoebe visit the zoo, they see a carrousel which Holden usually ride when he was younger. But this time Holden decided not ride the carrousel, instead, he decided to seat down and watch Phoebe ride the carrousel, I went over and sat down on this bench, and she went and got on the carrousel (221). This shows that finally Holden let go of his childish desire of preserving the innocence and being a child as long as he could be. Holden also stops his ambition of being the catcher in the rye when he sees the children reaching out for the gold ring in the carrousel. He says if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, that fall off (211). This shows that Holden finally given up from saving the kids from falling to adulthood. The gold ring symbolizes adulthood, which Holden didnt do anything to stop the children from reaching it. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is obsessed in preserving his innocence. Holden cannot accept the responsibilities and consequences associated with adulthood. He tries to run away from the people he knew and focuses his attentions to the people he did not know. Holden is stuck between the world of innocence and the world of adulthood. Without even noticing it, he tries to act and think like an adult. Holden is also jealous of his two little siblings because they get most of the attention, care, and love of their parents that he has never felt before. He wanted to preserve his innocence to feel the love from his parents that he has been longing for so long. Due to his obsession of preserving his innocence, he wishes to be the catcher in the rye to protect the children from falling off the cliff. He finds the adult world corrupted and poisonous. However, in the end of the novel, Holden finally let go of his obsession and decided to act as an adult. Even though he struggles in his life and finds adulthood complicates, corrupted, and poisonous he decided to come out of his box to evolve, explore, and experience what the world could offer.

World War I: The Failure of The Schlieffen Plan Essays -- von Schlieff

In 1914, the war to end all wars began; it would later become known as World War 1. Every major power in Europe became involved in it at some point. What all these powers had were individual war plans which stated how they would rise above their enemies and claim victory. Unfortunately for some, not all of these plans were created equally. Unlike the other powers of Europe, Germany had created only one plan known as the Schlieffen Plan. The Schlieffen Plan had been created to be used as the perfect tool to winning a war, unfortunately the plan had been born from the arrogance of Alfred von Schlieffen and later altered by Helmuth von Moltke. Due to how the Schlieffen Plan was both created and altered, both von Schlieffen and von Moltke were doomed to bring Germany only failure in a multi-front war. In 1888, Kaiser Wilhelm II ascended to the throne of the German Empire and began a new era of foreign affair policies for Germany. Two years later, in 1890, Wilhelm dismissed the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck had united the various nineteenth century German Kingdoms and created the German Empire of the late nineteenth century. Bismarck had also helped to forge various alliances throughout Europe in order to maintain the German political and military position favorable with numbers. In less than two decades time, Wilhelm had essentially destroyed most of the alliance systems Bismarck had created and put Germany in a position where it was both allied with the weaker major powers of Europe and at a disadvantage when it came to numbers. Wilhelm went from having France, the enemy of Germany in the nineteenth century, isolated to having Germany nearly isolated politically and surrounded by enemies. In 1904, the altered d... ... attrition, 1870-1916. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kennedy, Paul M. 1979. The War plans of the great powers, 1880-1914. London: Allen & Unwin. Ritter, Gerhard. 1979. The Schlieffen plan: critique of a myth. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Bodleian Libray. â€Å"Entente Cordiale.† Last Accessed October 6. 2011. http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/projects/entente/entente.html Fawcett, Bill. 2006. How to lose a battle: foolish plans and great military blunders. New York: Harper. Mombauer, Annika. 2001. Helmuth von Moltke and the origins of the First World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ousby, Ian. 2002. The road to Verdun: World War I's most momentous battle and the folly of nationalism. New York: Doubleday. Shapiro, Seymour, and Gerhard Ritter. 1959. "The Schlieffen Plan". Military Affairs. 23 (2): 107-108.

Things They Carried Essay: Rebirth of a Spirit :: Things They Carried Essays

Rebirth of a Spirit in The Things They Carried Speaking of courage is a story found in Tim O ' Brien's The Things They Carried about a solider named Norman Bowker who has returned home from the Vietnam War. As Bowker circles the town's "source of pride" he comes to realize that the town that he left so many years ago will never be the same. While his life was paused by the war, theirs weren't. He also comes to understand that while the people he once knew have changed that he has also changed. He has been consumed by a war and it will forever alter his being. When Norman Bowker returns to his hometown after the war things seem to have moved on without him. It seems that while his life was put on pause, his friends and family had moved on to their lives. His simple wish is for the past to be the present once again. He speaks of his friends Max Arnold and Sally Kramer. Now, Max was dead and Bowker refers to him as an idea. He talks of how things would be different if Max was around to listen to all his stories and how Max would have enjoyed them. The irony is that Max is gone. At one time Bowker had carried a picture of Sally in his wallet. He talked of how he would stop and talk to her when he saw her while driving. He decided that he might impress her with his knowledge that he had acquired during the war such as his ability to predict the time at any point during the day within 10 minutes. He repeatedly said "if she was to listen". Just like the others she did not want to think about the war, it was in the past. Page 143 makes a clear po int that "The town could not talk, and would not listen.. It (the town) did not know shit about shit, and did not care to know". As Bowker continues what seems to be a trip back to what is reality he circles the town lake nearly 13 times. This lake is the life of the town and is very symbolic in itself. On one side of the lake the houses are "modern, with big porches and picture windows facing the water" on the opposite side the houses were described as "handsome, though less expensive and on a smaller scale".

Relating Philosophy to Pedagogy Essay

Within any early childhood education (ECE) setting the pedagogy of the educators will have great impact on the programmes and philosophies which the children within that setting will be influenced by. Teachers have a responsibility to build and maintain authentic, open, reciprocal relationships with children, families and the community (Gailer, 2010). This is not only an integral part of the early childhood curriculum Te Whariki which has relationships as one of its four foundation principles (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996) but also part of the teaching standards and ethics. As a teacher I relish in the chance to build relationships with many different children, all unique in their culture, strengths, ideas and way of being. The importance I place on relationships sits well with both Vygotsky’s and Bronfenbrenner’s sociocultural theories. Vygotsky emphasised the importance of the people surrounding a child, seeing them crucial for supporting and enhancing the child’s development. Bronfenbrenner extended this into a model of contextual factors, using ideas about five kinds of contexts surrounding the individual child including their micro- and meso-systems where the interactions of their day-to-day realities occur (Drewery & Bird, 2004). These theories have been vital in the development of New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, and so my understandings of these and with my personal philosophy I hope to have the skills to be able to build respectful reciprocal relationships with all learners. Building these relationships however is not as easy as people outside of the profession often assume. Appendix 2 shows Suzie Gailer’s (2010) article on being professional, the article discusses how professional integrity of practice is reliant on teachers having a particular set of values, respect, authenticity, empowerment and transparency. The image of the child is culturally constructed and linked to our time and place in history, the image I have as a teacher today of children is very different to that of which I was viewed as a child. My image of the child has altered as I have gained both practical and theoretical teaching experience. In my first practicums I did not necessarily know what to expect about building initial relationships with children but as I have gained knowledge I now know that children can be trusted to build these relationships in timeframes which are right for them. Te Whariki (MoE, 1996) presents the image of children as competent learners and communicators and I now uphold this image in my teaching practice and as a parent (Appendices 3, 4 & 5), along with the values of respect which I have articulated through the following of Magda Gerber’s work. From my own relatively limited practical experience and theoretical knowledge I can relate to the notion of Edwards & Nuttall (2005) where â€Å"the pedagogy, or ‘the act of teaching’, is not only mediated by educators’ understandings about the children, learning, and the curriculum; their understandings about the social settings in which they work, their personal experiences beyond the workplace and their engagement with the centre’s wider community all have a role in determining the educator’s actions† (p. 36). My own underlying beliefs, values and philosophies all impact on my teaching style and, although often unconsciously, on the way I relate to individuals. Commitment to reflective practice, the personal philosophy I have articulated and the desire for professional development will aid me in holding true to a pedagogy which is responsive in time as well as to individuals. This pedagogy with its identified aspects of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation is influenced by my values and experiences and I attempt to explain and reflect upon these in this essay. The main assessment process I use is ‘Learning Stories’, an approach developed by Dr. Margaret Carr. Learning stories show a snapshot of a learning experience which has been shared with the child or children involved and are a record of the interests and strengths of the child. Research shows that learning is more effective when it is derived from interests, encouraging motivation and the sense of confidence that comes from working within one’s own strengths. The learning story framework is based on the belief that developing good learning dispositions is the most important skill in early childhood and this fits well with my values of respect and having the Te Whariki image of the child, a confident, competent learner and communicator. The foundations of learning stories are the dispositions found in Te Whariki and in my own learning stories these are highlighted, showing fellow educators, parents and whanau how I work to support children’s learning in all aspects of the programme and curriculum (Appendices 4, 6 & 7). Upholding this image of children in practice is however met with challenges. Woodrow (1999) describes how there are resulting constructions of childhood based on how individuals experienced childhood, on cultural artefacts and on professional knowledge, Ellen Pifer (2000) also describes these conflicting images in her book Demon or Doll (Appendix 8) which has truly opened my mind to ways of seeing individuals. Other teaching professionals may hold different images of children such as the child as innocent or as an embryo adult and this will impact on the way they act around and towards children. Having a commitment towards reflective practice and regularly evaluating my personal pedagogy will allow me to deal with these challenges, giving me the skills to explain my viewpoint and understand that of others so that the best possible outcome is achieved. To undertake such assessment it is important to build a relationship with the children and these reciprocal relationships are another key part of my philosophy. This value has changed with my experience and theoretical knowledge, in my initial practicum I was unsure about how to go about building relationships that are both respectful and reciprocal (Appendices 9 & 10) but my confidence in this has, and will continue, to grow (Appendix 11). I believe that building a reciprocal relationship means sharing aspects of my life with children and not expecting them to reveal themselves without the favour being returned. I have a huge passion towards animals and I have shared this with the children on my last two practicums by taking along my guinea pigs (Appendix 12). The children feel aspects of empowerment and trust as I allow them to be intimately involved with a very important part of my personal life. Building such relationships prior to undertaking assessment highlights the spiral nature of teaching and the aspects of pedagogies. Taking the guinea pigs to the centre required planning and careful implementation, including discussion with staff and families to ensure cultural needs were met. Some cultures do not agree with the keeping of animals as pets and in order to uphold the respectful image of the child and relationships with the family and community I needed to accept and respect this belief. The centre policies and legislation also play a role in planning and implementation, health and hygiene regulations needed to be considered for this activity and for others many different policies will come into play. For further assessment and planning the involvement of colleagues and whanau in the learning stories and other documentation would play a vital role in the continuation of the interest but unfortunately the short nature of the practicum did not allow for this. Cultural needs and matches weight heavily in the planning and implementation stages of my pedagogy. This is linked to all the values in my philosophy; relationships, respect and equity. These values mean that I believe in focussing on skills and talents rather than on deficiencies to create learning environments, for example respecting that crying is a valid attempt at communication and can be a qualified learning experience (Appendix 11). Nyland (2004) describes how the participation rights and contexts of infants’ knowledge can be overlooked in childcare settings. On-line discussions with fellow students regarding this reading give support to the idea that disrespectful environments adversely affect the identity and participation of children. What happens in an environment when an identity is missing altogether and children are faced with images of white middle class able bodied members of society? What message is that giving to these children and their families? You don’t belong? You are not a real member of our society? We don’t value you? The environments we plan for the children speak volumes about how we view society and the people we respect and value (Ellis, R. , Fuamatu, P. Perry Smith, A. M. Moodle; September 2011). During planning I therefore need to think ahead about resources which reflect the cultures within the setting and the community. This can be achieved through communication with other educators in the setting, parents, and other members of the community such as kaumatua or the local priest. Planning for social occasions is also important to me as I feel they link the ECE setting with the wider community and social values. This includes events such as Mother’s and Father’s day (Appendix 13) as well as cultural occasions such as the Lantern Festival, Diwali and Pasifika events. Although during such planning I am mindful of the goals and learning outcomes which Te Whariki and the teaching standards present I also constantly remind myself of the holistic nature in which the learning will occur. Lawrence (2004) describes the shift in thinking and programme planning in ECE settings over the past two decades, from keeping children busy to planning cycles and then Te Whariki. Lawrence clarifies that although the word planning is still used; it is not in the traditional sense of the word but rather can be seen as â€Å"reflectively responding to children’s thinking (p. 16). † An example in her rticle shows how the learning experience of children can be very different to that pre-planned or expected by the teacher (Appendix 14). A challenge presents itself where teachers have been trained and had experience in times where different planning programmes were utilised, disagreeing views and beliefs can lead to conflict within teaching teams and a dedicat ion to reflective practice is required by all parties if favourable outcomes are to be reached. This reflective practice is a vital part of the evaluation process of my pedagogy. What worked? What didn’t work? Where do I go from here? Schon (2002) described how the entire process of reflection-in-action, where our knowing is in our action, is central to the skill practitioners have in dealing with situations of uncertainty, instability and uniqueness as well as valuing conflict. Holding true to a value where children are respected as individuals and valued for their own unique set of skills, uncertain and unique situations are inevitable in the day-to-day practice of an ECE setting. With the set of reflective skills I now possess I hope to be able to turn these situations of uncertainty into ones of learning, for both myself and children involved. With continuing professional development and an ever increasing amount of practical experience I feel I am in good stead to continue my career as an early childhood educator and support the children within my influence to grow up in line with the aspirations of Te Whariki, â€Å"competent and confident learners and communicators †¦ a valued contribution to society†.