Renaissance Comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Renaissance Comparison - Essay Example Although the very term renascence was brought into currency in the 19th century by the Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt, the origins of this movement could be traced as earlier as the beginning of the 14th century. Actually the European Renaissance began in Central Italy, namely in Tuscany centering in the cities of Siena and Florence. This movement had further a considerable impact in the city of Venice where the remains of ancient Roman and Greek cultures had been brought together and provided Renaissance humanist scholars with new texts. Consequently the Renaissance had a significant impact on Rome, which was decorated with numerous structures in the new mode of all’antico, later was rebuilt by sixteenth-century humanist popes. The Italian Renaissance reached its peak in the mid-16th century as the country began to be permanently invaded by various foreign armies. Nevertheless, the ideals and ideas of the Italian Renaissance survived these calamities and even spread into th e rest of European countries, initiating the English Renaissance and Northern Renaissance as a whole. To define the Renaissance in the northern part of the continent the term Northern Renaissance is used. Furthermore this term often refers to the Renaissance in the countries of Old World outside Italy.

Evolution of Human Figure in Sculpture Essay Example for Free

Evolution of Human Figure in Sculpture Essay Depiction of human figures have dramatically changed through time. It was in sculpture that human physical dimensions were visibly illustrated. There have been many variations of the human body shown from the prehistoric to the modern period. In this research, three sculpture namely: statute of Gilgamesh, the Moschophoros and the statue of Augustus of Prima Porta will be used to trace the progression of the human body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gilgamesh was   the main character in the Epic of Gilgamesh wherein he was portrayed as half god and half human. His personality was the representation of all the virtues of humans. In the statue, Gilgamesh was shown holding a lion in a headlock position wherein his arm was protected by the â€Å"chain-mail robe† (Gilmore â€Å"Ancient Sumeria). Meanwhile, the other hand was gripping a snake.   These portrayals symbolized Gilgameshs warrior and royal status. The body was irregularly depicted because of the   disproportion of the upper and lower body.   The torso seemed intentionally elongated making the waist line looked low. However, since the statue is an example of a Gargantuan statue, they type of perspective would make a difference in the alteration of the figures proportions (Gilmore â€Å"Ancient Sumeria).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Calf-bearer or the Moschoporos is the interpretation of a Greek specifically a rich Attican who was about to sacrifice a calf as an offering to the goddess Athena. The figure was clothed with a thin cloak that outlined the structure of the body resulting to a partially nude sculpture. The animal was put around the figures shoulders with his hands clutched on the hooves. More so, muscular details were evident in the abdomen area. Many details were present on the face of the human figure. The curls of his hair took the shape of pearls or corals that framed his forehead while a closed small mouth with a curved beard and â€Å"deep-set eyes† accented the whole face (Atlantis International â€Å"The Acropolis Museum†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The statue of Augustus of Prima Porta signified Augustus military supremacy. Historically, the statue was believed to be created as a sign of the commemoration of the triumph of the Romans against the Parthians. Unlike other Roman leaders, Augustus was   depicted as a mere man and not the traditional deified god (Ramage â€Å"Historical Reflection on the Statue †). The head of the statue contained details that were very recognizable such as the broad head with a Primaporta styled hair, full close mouth, keen ridged eyebrows, smooth round chin and   pointed nose highlighted. The breastplate with intricate graphical details and the hand in an upright position signified his authority. Meanwhile, the presence of the robe suggested the godliness of Augustus and the cupid riding a dolphin emphasized the divinity of the â€Å"founder of Venus and Italy namely the Julian family to Aeneas† (Ramage â€Å"Description of the Statueà ¢â‚¬ ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Among the three sculpture, the Roman portrait of Augustus was the most defined in terms of human form. It exactly depicted the human characteristics from top to bottom. The statue of Gilgamesh and the Calf-bearer have some distortions in the body image making it look disfigured. In the statue of Augustus, it had a sense of movement while the statue of Gilgamesh and the Calf-bearer appeared stiff. Also, the Gilgamesh lacked the three-dimensionality because of the awkward position of the legs and arms while the Calf-bearer compared to the former achieved more proportion because of the smooth construction of the muscles in the body. It is evident that from the Archaic period to the time of the Romans, human figure developed from a god-like depiction like the Gilgamesh to a more real person represented by Augustus. However, the concept of the sanctity of gods and goddesses were prevalent in the three sculptures. Overall, the sculptures showed the progress in depicting the human body from being disproportionate to a perfect formation of the shape and movement of the whole body. Works Cited Glimore, Tom. â€Å"Ancient Sumeria.†1999. T Byron G Publishing. 27 March 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.anticipation.info/texte/gilmore/Tom  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   %20Gilmore/www.tomgilmore.com/sumeria.htm. Ramage. â€Å"Description of the Statue.† (October 2005). The Statue of Augustus of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prima Porta   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://web.mit.edu/21h.402/www/primaporta/description/. Ramage. â€Å"Historical Reflection on the Statue.† (October 2005). The Statue of Augustus of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prima Porta http://web.mit.edu/21h.402/www/primaporta/context/reflection/. â€Å"The Acropolis Museum.† (2006). Atlantis International.   27 March 2008     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://madeinatlantis.com/athens/acropolis_museum.htm.

Effect of Occupational Noise Pollution on Workers

Effect of Occupational Noise Pollution on Workers Noise pollution CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background Noise means unpleasant sound that gives a disturbing and annoying effect to the listener. Noise pollution is any unwanted, disturbing, or harmful sound that impairs or interferes with hearing, causes stress, hampers concentration and work efficiency, or causes accident. Noise can block, distort, change or interfere with the meaning of a message in both human and electronic communication (Wikipedia, 2009). Agricultures workers are one of the highest contributors in the rate of noise pollution among all occupation. Any person who is exposed to an excessive noise pollution in long period may suffer hearing loss. The amount of damaged caused by noise depends on the total amount received over time. The degree of risk is affected by the intensity (loudness) and the frequency (pitch) of the noise, as well as the duration and pattern of exposure and the individual susceptibility to hearing impairment (CCOH, 2009). The increased spread of hearing loss from high frequencies through low frequencies with age and noise exposure is common for this population. Hearing loss of farmers is very characteristic of a sensor neural, bilateral sloping configuration resulting from both noise and aging. When age group data were compared to the hearing sensitivity values of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), all farmer populations, age 20-60, showed more dramatically hearing loss than the comparison group. This also was true when the data were compared to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 1990 data. Physical ear discomfort to noise exposure starts from sound pressure level of 80-100 decibels (dB). A continuous noise level of 85 dB can result in hearing damage as well as create other various negative effects on health (League for the Hard of hearing, 2002). Noise induced hearing loss occurs gradually and without pain. Noise is often recorded as decibels dB (A) t o approximate how the human ears respond to noise. In Malaysia, noise exposure in work place is legislated under the Factories and Machinery Act (Noise Exposure) Regulation 1989, and Occupational and Safety Health Act (OSHA) 1994. This regulation makes it mandatory for noise level and workers exposure to noise is measured, assessed, and controlled. Malaysian permissible exposure level (PEL) refers to the limit of exposure that must not be exceeded by any employee over a specified time limit. These limits denote concentration levels above which exposure to chemicals hazardous to health must be controlled. To protect against chronic health effects of chemicals, the limits set are eight hours time-weighted average values. Excursions above the eight-hour time weighted average limit is allowed as long as it does not exceed three times this set limit. The farm tractor has a central role in field operations and often in stockyards and buildings too. It pulls lifts, powers and supports; it provides personal transport and shelter from the weather. It is often the main status symbol of the agricultural enterprise; this is why tractors are styled (like cars), why they are loved by enthusiasts (like steam railway engines), and why individual farmers often praise and are faithful to one particular make. Two aspects of tractor noise cause concern: the environmental noise heard by bystanders, either fellow road users or local residents, and the potentially harmful noise to which the operator is subjected. Environmental noise was the subject of a formal OECD test. In the 1960s the Institute harmonized details of the test procedure by comparing measurements in all European test stations. Noise screens for engines were successfully developed, but the dominant environmental noise arises from exhausts, where a balance must be found between silencer effectiveness and power loss. A separate study of the annoyance caused by farm noise of all kinds rated the tractor as much less annoying than axed plant such as grain driers. Objectives The study is focused on highlight that prolong to high level of occupational noise which can affect the hearing ability to agricultures worker who are using tractors and machines. To characterize noise exposure profile among agricultures workers at Seksyen Kejuruteraan Ladang, Taman Pertanian Universiti,Universiti Putra Malaysia. To evaluate safety practices among workers. Significant of study The purpose of this study is to determine and observe if the noise from heavy machine, agriculture machine, industry machine and agricultures tools that are related to noise can contribute to the incidence of hearing loss. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Noise Noise is a word often used to mean unpleasant sound that the listener does not want to hear, although there are no physical characteristics distinguishing noise from wanted sound (Plog et. al., 2002). Noise means unpleasant sound that give a disturbing and an annoying effect to the listener. Noise pollution is any unwanted, disturbing, or harmful sound that impairs or interferes with hearing, causes stress, hampers concentration and work efficiency, or causes accident). Noise can block, distort, change or interfere with the meaning of a message in both human and electronic communication (Wikipedia, 2009). Noise environments of the type and severity associated with combustion engines and other noises arising from mechanisms or animals may have the following principle effects on the person exposed. The noise may be annoying to varying degrees, from being just objectionable to being unbearable. The performance may be affected due to a lowering of concentration, fatigue caused by longer exposed, rhythm disturbance, interference with sound cues associated with the work or interference with worker-to-worker communication in a team. Damage to hearing noise may be caused by noise; the character and to a lesser extent, the mechanism of this damage is now being understood. Both temporary and permanent components of hearing threshold shift are possible (Matthews, 1968). Noise is unwanted electrical or electromagnetic energy that degrades the quality of signals and data. Noise occurs in digital and analog systems, and can affect files and communications of all types, including text, programs, images, audio, and telemetry. In a hard-wired circuit such as a telephone-line-based Internet hookup, external noise is picked up from appliances in the vicinity, from electrical transformers, from the atmosphere, and even from outer space. Normally this noise is of little or no consequence. However, during severe thunderstorms, or in locations were many electrical appliances are in use, external noise can affect communications. In an Internet hookup it slows down the data transfer rate, because the system must adjust its speed to match conditions on the line. In a voice telephone conversation, noise rarely sounds like anything other than a faint hissing or rushing. Noise is a more significant problem in wireless systems than in hard-wired systems. In general, noise originating from outside the system is inversely proportional to the frequency, and directly proportional to the wavelength. At a low frequency such as 300 kHz, atmospheric and electrical noise are much more severe than at a high frequency like 300 megahertz. Noise generated inside wireless receivers, known as internal noise, is less dependent on frequency. Engineers are more concerned about internal noise at high frequencies than at low frequencies, because the less external noise there is, the more significant the internal noise becomes. Communications engineers are constantly striving to develop better ways to deal with noise. The traditional method has been to minimize the signal bandwidth to the greatest possible extent. The less spectrum space a signal occupies, the less noise is passed through the receiving circuitry. However, reducing the bandwidth limits the maximum speed of the data that can be delivered. Another, more recently developed scheme for minimizing the effects of noise is called digital signal processing (digital signal processing). Using fiber optics, a technology far less susceptible to noise, is another approach (Techtarget, 2010). Noise Pollution generally refers to unwanted sound produced by human activities unwanted in that it interferes with communication, work, rest, recreation, or sleep. Unlike other forms of pollution, such as air, water, and hazardous materials, noise does not remain long in the environment. However, while its effects are immediate in terms of annoyance, they are cumulative in terms of temporary or permanent hearing loss. Society has attempted to regulate noise since the early days of the Romans, who by decree prohibited the movement of chariots in the streets at night. In the United States, communities since colonial days have enacted ordinances against excessive noise, primarily in response to complaints from residents. It was not until the late 1960s, however, that the federal government officially recognized noise as a pollutant and began to support noise research and regulation. Federal laws against noise pollution included the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, especially sections concerning environmental impact statements; the Noise Pollution and Abatement Act of 1970; and the Noise Control Act of 1972, which appointed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to coordinate federal research and activities in noise control. Charged with developing federal noise-emission standards, identifying major sources of noise, and determining appropriate noise levels that would not infringe on public health and welfare, the EPA produced its so-called Levels Document, now the standard reference in the field of environmental noise assessment. In the document, the EPA established an equivalent sound level (Leq) and a day–night equivalent level (Ldn) as measures and descriptors for noise exposure. Soon thereafter, most federal agencies adopted either the Leq, Ldn, or both, including levels compatible with different land uses. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses Ldn as the noise descriptor in assessing land-use compatibility with various levels of aircraft noise. In 1978 the research findings of Theodore J. Schultz provided support for Ldn as the descriptor for environmental noise. Analyzing social surveys, Schultz found a correlation between Ldn and people who were highly annoyed by noise in their ne ighborhoods. The Schultz curve, expressing this correlation, became a basis for noise standards. As part of its effort to identify major noise sources in the United States, the EPA set about determining the degree to which noise standards could contribute to noise reduction. During the 1970s, EPA-sponsored research on major noise sources led to regulation of the products that most affected the public, including medium and heavy trucks, portable air compressors, garbage trucks, buses, and motorcycles. Missing from the list was aircraft, which was considered the responsibility of the FAA. During the administration of President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the power of the EPA and its Office of Noise Abatement and Control was curtailed and most of its noise regulations rescinded. Even so, efforts continued to curb noise pollution. The Department of Transportation maintains standards for highways, mass transit, and railroads, as well as aircraft. The environmental review process, mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, remains the single most effective deterrent to noise pollution (Answer, 2010). Noise exposure Noise is one of the most important environment factors, which affects the workers health and efficiency. Noise can increase the overall workload of operators during a specific task and can affect the performance. As the result, noise affects workers health directly and indirectly (Parsons, 2000). Exposure to intense noise has been shown to damage the human hearing process and noise has been labeled as the most pervasive hazardous agent in the workplace (Milz et al., 2008). Among these effects are weariness, backhoe, nervousness, nausea, careless, etc (TÃ ¶r, 1989; Anonymous, 2002; Ekerbicer and Saltik, 2008). According to McBride et. al (2003), it is known that people working in agricultural facilities are exposed to some noise sources, but the risk appeared in the people who have been exposed to noise for many years have not been fully characterized yet. The reduction in the hearing loss does not decrease below 1000Hz (Akyildiz, 2000). It was showed that noise induced hearing loss increase up to 7dB in the first 10 years at 1000 Hz and 100 dB (A), and then gradually increases to 12 dB losses for exposure time of 40 years. The hearing loss is about 30 dB for first ten years exposure at 4000 Hz and 100 dB (A). It is clear that at 100 dB (A), the ear is much more sensitive to 4000 Hz compared to 1000 Hz. Maximum sound pressure level for 8 h/day exposure is accepted to be 85 dB at frequencies higher than 1000 Hz. At levels lower than this value, the risk of noise becomes the least (Grandjean, 1988). Lonsbury and Martin (2004) states that the beginning region of impairment involves the sensitive mid-frequency range, primarily of impairment involves the sensitive mid-frequency range, primarily between 3 and 6 kHz, and the corresponding impairment is classically described as the 4-kHZ notch. This particular pattern of appears regardless of the noise exposure environment. Sumer et al. (2006) explains that, there is a tendency of reducing daily noise exposure to below 90 dBA for an 8-h shift, and hence exposure level of 85 dBA is informally acknowledged to be the informal threshold sound pressure level. Therefore it is crucial to keep sound pressure levels within safety limits to avoid health related disturbances and work related inefficiencies. Sanders and McCormick (1992) explained that the ear is more sensitive to noise at frequencies over 2000 Hz and the sensitivity increase with age. Miyakita and Ueda (1997) wanted to determine the number of persons exposed to loss of hearing at levels above 40 dB at a frequency of 4 Hz; and as a result, estimated that 360,000 people working in agricultural facilities in Japan impaired their hearing abilities. This feature makes the agriculture their second biggest sector after the construction sector, which causes the loss of hearing abilities. Hearing loss from noise exposure Exposure to occupational noise has been linked to variety of physical effects such as work absenteeism and stress. The most profound effect of prolonged exposure to noise is the noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL is an irreversible sensory-neural hearing impairment caused by prolonged exposure to noise. NIHL causes communication interference that can substantially affect social integration and the quality of life. The development of NIHL depends on exposure time, intensity, frequency, type of noise, and the use of personal protective equipment (Ismail et al, unpublished). Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a well and long recognized occupational hazard but methods of influencing attitudes towards noise hazard and prevention of hearing loss as a result a poor (World Health Organization, 1997). Although the effects of noise on hearing are not precisely defined and uncertainties remain, there is sufficient information to permit development of predictive indices of the hazardous effects of noise on human hearing sensitivity. The effects of noise on hearing may be divided into three categories which are acoustic trauma, noise-induced temporary threshold shift (NITTS) and noise-induced permanent threshold shift (NIPTS). Acoustic Trauma (immediate organic damage to the ear from excessive sound energy) is restricted to the effects of a single exposure or relatively few exposures at high sound levels. Extremely intense sound reaching the structures in the inner ear may exceed the physiologic limits of those structures producing a complete breakdown and disruption of the organ of Corti. Some degree of permanent hearing loss usually results from acoustic trauma. The precipitating episode is frequently dramatic so the person involved has no difficulty in specifying the onset of the resulting hearing problem. Noise-Induced Temporary Threshold Shift (NITTS) results in an elevation of hearing levels such as loss of hearing sensitivity, following shift the hearing loss is reversible. In Noise-induced Permanent Threshold Shift (NIPTS) the hearing loss is nonreversible; it remains throughout the lifetime of the affected person. There is no possibility of further recovery. Permanent threshold shift may result from acoustic trauma or may be produced by the cumulative effect of repeated noise exposure over periods of many years. The majority of those persons experiencing permanent hearing losses from noise sustain such losses from long periods of repeated noise exposure. Hearing ability decreases as age progresses. Age has been identified as one of the individual risk factors for sensory neural hearing loss (SNHL) among forest workers who handled chainsaws. Hearing loss induced among elderly miners in Romania was more pronounced compared to younger miners. The mean hearing threshold level (HTL) for the 40- 46 age group workers produced a decrease in HTL at frequencies 4, 6 and 8 kHz. Age is positively associated to hearing loss among metal processing factory workers in Brazil, with prevalence ratio of 4.02 for workers older than 40 years old (Ismail et. al, unpublished). Animals studies have shown that these chemicals interact synergistically with noise or potentiate its effect on auditory system. Workers exposed to chemicals have significantly poorer pure-tone thresholds compare to those not expose (Morata et al., 2003). Lonsbury and Martin (2004) gave audiogram results that show audiometric patterns of hearing levels from patients in beginning stages of noise induced hearing loss and examples were given for males and females exposed to noise in different environments including industrial noise. Hearing loss was not observed at frequencies below 1000 Hz and was sharpest above 2000 Hz for a male industrial worker. Patients working in different sectors showed that the hearing loss might not be observed below 2000 Hz in different work environments while others might experience hearing loss at about 1000 Hz. The sensitivity is also affected by gender and the number of years worked in a particular environment. Occupational health hazard of noise In Malaysia, noise exposure in the workplace is legislated under the Factories and Machinery Act (Noise Exposure) Regulation 1989, and the Occupational and Safety and Health Act 1994. These regulations make mandatory for noise levels and workers exposure to noise to be measured, assessed and controlled (Leong, 2005). International Labor Organization (ILO) accepts 85 dBA as warning limit and 90 dBA as danger limit for continuous work for 8 h. A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level of 85 dBA results in temporary hearing losses and 90 dBA increases the blood pressure, accelerates the pulse and breathing, decreases brain liquid pressure, causes tension in muscles, and withdrawal of blood in the skin (Sabanci and Uz, 1984). Lonsbury and Martin (2004) gave audiogram results that show audiometric patterns of hearing levels from patients in beginning stages of noise induced hearing loss and examples were given for males and females exposed to noise in different environment including industrial noise. Hearing loss was not observed at frequencies below 1000 Hz and was the sharpest above 2000 Hz for male industrial worker. Patients working in different sectors showed that the hearing loss might not be observed below 2000 Hz in different work environments while others might experience hearing loss at about 1000 Hz. The sensitivity is also affected by gender and the number of years worked in a particular environment. According to Dewangan et al. (2005), the exposure to noise may have both immediate and long-term effects on hearing of the tractor drivers and other farm workers. High noise levels can cause headaches; dizziness; nervousness and stress; sleeping problems; and loss of concentration. Noise can also increase human error, contributing to accidents by masking audible alarms, verbal messages, etc.; harder to process complex information for difficult task; and harder to monitor and interpret unusual events, by narrowing the span of attention. Although this kind of the damage is quite difficult to measure, it is always present and can manifest: in the gastro enteric tract with an increase in acid secretion; in the nervous system with states of fatigue and depressions; in the psyche, with insomnia and headaches (Febo et al., 1983). Jansen (2003) observed that sounds in the range or 70-90 dB cause tiny blood vessels in the toes, fingers, skin and abdominal organs to contract. This narrowing of small blood vessels can reduce blood flow to affected body parts by as much as one-half. Studies have indicated that workers exposed to high levels of industrial noise for 5-30 years have increased blood pressure and statistically significant increases in risk for hypertension, compared to workers in control areas (Passchier and Vermeer, 1993). Sensor neural hearing loss has been common complaint among farmers seen by rural otolaryngologist (Gregg, 1972). Farmers to be among the most hearing impaired workers and most expect to experience significant hearing loss by age 50 (Mahon, 1988). Occupational noise limit In the light of scientific data which shows the negative effects of noise on human health, new legal regulations were made in order to eliminate these effects. One of these regulations is Noise Control Regulation. In this regulation, it is stated that beside the intensity of the noise, the exposure duration in noisy medium can be effective on human health. Therefore it is emphasized that working hours should be determined according to sound pressure level (Aybek et al., 2007). Duration of exposure is also a consideration as well as the frequency content and A-weighting curve is used in practical applications denoted by dB(A) and 85-90 dB(A) have been proposed to be limiting values for 8 hours exposures (Parson, 2000). The effect is more profound to certain frequencies of noise (Parson, 2000). The farmers worked on average 14 hours a day and their exposure was 86 decibels on A-weighted scale (dB (A)) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (8HR TWA). Except for breakfast and lunch breaks, the farmers had nearly continuous noise exposure that exceeded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) action level of 85 dB (A) (Milz et al., 2008). Legislation, effective since June, 1976, limits the maximum noise level at the driver to 90 dB (A) for all tractors sold in UK (Talamo, 1979). In Malaysia, to protect the workers from excessive exposure to noise, the hearing conservation program was introduced under the Factories and Machinery (Noise Exposure) Regulation 1989. Under this regulations, workers are protected from excessive noise exposure and reducing the risk of NIHL. According to the Factories and Machinery (Noise Exposure) Regulation 1989, for the permissible exposure limit, the employee shall not be exposed to noise level exceeding equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level of 90 dB(A) or exceeding the limits specified in the First Schedule or exceeding daily dose of unity. No employee shall be exposed to noise level exceeding 115 dB (A) at anytime. The 85 dB (A) is adopted as a criterion for action (action level). When the action level is reached or exceeded, it necessitates (NIOSH, 2006). According to the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the recommended exposure limit (REL) for occupational noise exposure is 85 dB (A) time weighted average (TWA). Exposures at or above this level are considered as hazardous. They differed from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) which uses 90 dB (A) TWA. The rationale is to offer greater protection to noise-exposed workers, citing research that indicates an 8% excess risk of hearing loss at the 85 dB (A) TWA limit as opposed to 25% at 90 dB(A). The TWA is the averaging of different exposure levels during an exposure period. The REL for an 8-hr work shift is a TWA of 85 dB (A) using a 3-decibel (dB) exchange rate. The Malaysian Noise Exposure Regulation 1989 adopted a 5 dB exchange rate (OSHA, 2006). In the last 10 years, a considerable number of laws and rules regarding the control of noise in the working environment, also involving the agricultural sector, have come into force. The main purpose of the individual laws and rules were different, but all emphasized the hazard of noise for workers, and consequently the need to control and, if necessary, to reduce the relevant levels. In the European Union, and specifically in Italy, some of them held an important role. For agricultural machinery, the EN 1553 represents a particular reference, while specially for tractors, the EC 74/150 (environmental noise) and EC 77/311 (drivers ear noise) Directives were issued in the 1970s (Domenico and Matteo, 2000). Tractors and machines Agricultural and forestry tractors operate both as vehicles and as engines which provide power on the farm and in the forest. With respect to the noise which they emit, it is generally accepted that use as vehicles has the greater impact on the population at large. Hence the type of the test used to asses noise emission is equivalent to that used for other road vehicles, in which sound pressure level at a bystander position is measured under specified drive-past conditions, as opposed to the measurement of sound power, which is used for lawn-mowers and various items in construction equipment (Stayner, 1988). Parallel to the development in technology, the use of machines in mechanization processes of agricultural production has brought about the factors such as noise, vibration, gas , etc. which affect the working environment of users and inspectors of those machines (Aybek et al., 2007). In order to increase the work success of the machines and to provide the users with safety and comfort these machines must be designed with respect to the human characteristics (Lijedahl et al., 1996). The machines used in agricultural operations such as tractors, combines, shellers, elevators, driers, etc. exposed noise of high level. More hearing loss is encountered among people who work in agricultural facilities than other jobs (Baker, 2002). The mechanization of agriculture; including the use of the internal combustion engine, greatly increased the noise exposure of the US farm population (Matthew, 1968). Equipment manufactured prior to the institution of noise reduction features is often still in use on US farms, as demonstrates by the New York Farm Family Health and hazard Surveillance Program (Beckett et al., 2000). The majority of noise exposure seemed to come from mechanical equipment (Dennis et al., 1995). The mechanization of agriculture, and in particular the large-scale employment of the internal combustion engine, has led to a serious increase during the last few decades of farm workers to noise. For the most damaging environment, noise measurements were made on tractors (Matthews, 1968). Noise isolating enclosure for tractor drivers have the same conflicting performance requirements as hearing defenders in that they are required to exclude harmful noise and yet allow the passage of important information. The tractors drivers and his counterpart in industry may depend on acoustical signals for warnings of danger and for maneuvering instructions when he is working to close limits or when hitching implements to the three point linkage. Other external sounds may be important for example, the tone generated by a component such as a fan may be the most important source of feedback to the driver of machine performance. A change in noise produced also vital where it is associated with the operation of a safety device such as an overload clutch or with the failure of the component. Many tractors in use on farms, however, have a much higher noise level and since tractors have a long life it will be many years before they are phased out (Talamo, 1979). The management of very old tractors is uneconomical. They may be dangerous on the roads, unsafe for the driver and for other vehicles, mainly due to deterioration in performance. Very often the operators are exposed to unfavorable climatic and working conditions (noise, vibrations, etc.), and they are therefore subject to a higher level of stress and to a higher risk of accident or occupational disease. Despite the limit of technical obsolescence of agricultural tractors being commonly fixed at 10 yr (corresponding to an optimum of 1000 working hours per year) a large number of older machines are still in use in Italy. Repair and maintenance operations are frequently neglected on these vehicles, because the farmer does not consider the relevant cost appropriate (Domenico and Matteo, 2000). Hearing protectors In many noise environments it is not practical, economical, or feasible to reduce noise levels at the ear of a listener to within acceptable limits using engineering controls. In these situations, an acceptable noise level may be achieved with the use of personal either single or in combination. The widespread attention given to noise as a pollutant has stimulated the use of hearing protectors in industry as well as around the home and in recreational and in sports activities. This chapter describes the types of ear protectors, characteristics of ear protectors which influence their effectiveness and acceptance, other practical considerations for users of ear protectors, and estimations of the hearing protection which provide. Various types of ear protectors likes earplugs, earmuffs, ear cups on hardhat, ear cups on welding mask, communication headsets and helmets. Although an ear protector can reduce effectively the ambient sound at the ear of the wearer, factors other than hearing protection may actually determine its suitability and acceptability (Nixon, 1979). According to Domenico and Matteo (2000), the function of a hearing protection device (HPD) is to cover or to fill the ears so that the noise reaching the ear drum is attenuated. It is important to emphasize that the HPDs should not be the sole or primary means by which the worker noise exposures are reduced. HPDs should be used only when engineering controls and work practices are not feasible for reducing noise exposures. This seems to be the typical situation for very old and worn tractors. Nevertheless, the degree of attenuation that a HPD provides is dependent on the technical characteristics of the HPD and generally on a range of other factors, such as the wearing time, the motivation and training of the worker. The use of HPDs has been practiced since the 1950s; the first standards to measure their attenuation were issued about 40 years ago. All of them are finalized to obtain an index, in order to define the attenuation of the HPD: noise reduction rating (NRR) and single numbe r rating (SNR) are those more frequently considered. Wearing time is also an important parameter since it can decrease the effective protection provided by a HPD. For example, if a HPD with an NRR of 20 dB is not worn for as little as 30 min in an 8 h work shift, its effective NRR is reduced by 5 dB (Berger, 1980). It is in fact taken into account that wearers may be prone to remove and replace some HPDs more than others, depending on various factors such as comfort, ease of donning and removal, and the interference of the protector with the auditory communications. Many types of H

The Themes of Euripides Medea :: Euripides Medea Essays

The Themes of Medea    Medea, a play by the Greek playwright Euripides, explores the Greek-barbarian dichotomy through the character of Medea, a princess from the "barbarian", or non-Greek, land of Colchis.   Throughout the play, it becomes evident to the reader that Medea is no ordinary woman by Greek standards.   Central to the whole plot is Medea's barbarian origins and how they are related to her actions.   In this paper, I am attempting to answer questions such as how Medea behaves like a female, how she acts heroically from a male point of view, why she killed her children, if she could have achieved her goal without killing them, if the murder was motivated by her barbarian origins, and how she deals with the pain of killing her children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As an introduction to the play, the status of women in Greek society should be briefly discussed.   In general, women had very few rights.   In the eyes of men, the main purposes of women in Greek society were to do housework such as cooking and cleaning, and bear children.   They could not vote, own property, or choose a husband, and had to be represented by men in all legal proceedings.   In some ways, these Greek women were almost like slaves.   There is a definite relationship between this subordination of women and what transpires in the play.   Jason decides that he wants to divorce Medea and marry the princess of Corinth, casting Medea aside as if they had never been married.   This sort of activity was acceptable by Greek standards, and shows the subordinate status of the woman, who had no say in any matter like this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though some of Medea's actions were not typical of the average Greek woman, she still had attitudes and emotions common among women. For instance, Medea speaks out against women's status in society, proclaiming that they have no choice of whom to marry, and that a man can rid themselves of a woman to get another whenever he wants, but a woman always has to "keep [her] eyes on one alone." (231-247)   Though it is improbable that women went around openly saying things of this nature, it is likely that this attitude was shared by most or all Greek women.   Later in the play, Medea debates with herself over whether or not to kill her children: "Poor heart, let them go, have pity upon the

Moneyball: Billy Beane Masculinity Essay

In an ever-increasing technological world, we are presented with many different concepts of what it is to be a ‘man’. Television, film and other forms of new media in particular are no strangers to the depiction of a variety of masculine stereotypes. However, since the popularisation of film in the late 1930’s, there has been one male stereotype that has been most commonly portrayed; the alpha male. One such character that this stereotype encapsulates is Moneyball’s (2011) Billy Beane, portrayed by Brad Pitt. Based on a true story, Moneyball, directed by Bennet Miller, depicts the Oakland Athletics’ 2002 Major League Baseball season, and the struggles of manager Billy Beane to take a low-budget team to success. The director’s discerning choices of narrative, symbolic and technical elements help to compose the alpha male stereotype that Billy conforms to. These elements give viewers an invited reading of Billy as an authoritative manager, who b ehaves and treats others with superiority, yet acts with a sense of individuality both around others and in a work environment, and openly shows emotion. Through Billy’s body language and mannerisms, and dialogue, the director consistently foregrounds Billy’s superior behaviour around others. As a result of Billy’s body language and mannerisms, we come to understand that due to his lack of relationships he cannot relate to players and thus treats them with a sense of inferiority. For instance, Billy always acts dominantly when in conversation, chewing tobacco, mimicking and talking over others and rarely sitting to display this authority. This body language is most evident when Art Howe, the team coach, attempts to intimidate him while negotiating his contract; Billy brushes him off despite Art clearly presenting the better argument. From there Billy proceeds to a scout meeting where he chews tobacco and indicates to Peter Brand when he is allowed to speak, with a snap of his fingers. This clearly demonstrates his use of body language around others to exercise his dominance. Bennet Miller further uses Billy’s dialogue to foreground his superior attitude and treatment of others. Billy rarely concedes to anyone, being particularly frank and straightforward, sure in his belief that he doesn’t have to explain himself to others. A  strong example of this is when Billy advises Peter Brand that, â€Å"It’s a problem you think we need to explain ourselves. Don’t. To anyone.† This mentality further reflects his display of superior behaviour and treatment of others, however, Billy remains quite individualistic both around others and at work. Bennet Miller uses the technical elements of lighting and camera work, and the narrative element of the plot to emphasise the individualistic orientation of Billy, both socially and at work. In spite of his behaviour and body language, throughout the movie Billy is portrayed as an individualist with few notable or intimate relationships. In many ways not only is Billy an individualist in the social sense but also in a work perspective, going against the grain of what baseball managers have done for the last 80 years; essentially he is a trailblazer. When we are first presented with Billy, we see him alone in a dark room lamenting the Oakland A’s playoff loss from the previous season. Through the use of lighting in this one shot we are presented with a recurring idea for Brad Pitt’s character, the haunting memories of loss and failure. Throughout the film we come to realize that the use of limited lighting and close up shots are used to highlight Billy’s social isolation. Furthermore, the underlying narrative is used to extend this idea, this time however in a work sense. The focal point of this movie is not baseball, but rather the way in which Billy defies the way in which players were picked for baseball teams. Instead of selecting players solely on their technique and precision, Billy opts to select players based on statistical merit. This important plot point is the basis for Billy’s determined approach to work; he works in a unique way, and is therefore considered by many to be ‘individual’ from other baseball managers. It takes great courage to defy what is widely accepted, and this action not only reinforces Billy’s alpha male status, but also reveals much about his discourse, especially his use of emotion, something uncommon to his stereotype. The elements of narrative and dialogue are effectively used by the director to underline Billy’s use of emotion, something uncommon of the alpha male  stereotype. With new depictions of masculinity rising due to technology, it has become accepted for more ‘manly’ stereotypes to show emotion. Billy is often seen throughout the film displaying his anger, frustration or satisfaction. The director’s use of narrative gives several examples of such sentiment: Billy throwing his tape away after hearing the A’s lose, upturning a table after a disagreement with the scouts and celebrating with a fist pump when he learns of his success in signing Ricardo Rincon. We grow to learn throughout the film that Billy didn’t play, and doesn’t coach baseball for the money, but rather for the satisfaction of winning. In fact, it is his deep emotional connection to failure, insecurity and lost potential that causes Billy to openly show sentiment. The director’s use of dialogue is key in understanding Billy’s overall discourse and in particular his use of emotion. An example of this effective use of dialogue is when Billy discusses the Oakland A’s 20-game winning streak with Peter Brand, â€Å"I’ve been in this game for a long time. I’m not in it for a record.† This suggests that Billy’s alpha male stereotype is more complex than it first seems, instead of being solely focused on the glory that can come with baseball, Billy shows us that satisfaction taken from exceeding expectations is most often greater. For many, emotion is not a characteristic commonly exhibited by an alpha male, yet Mill er manages to successfully weave this trait into Billy Beane. Bennet Miller has created a three-dimensional character in Billy Beane, who, while fitting the alpha male stereotype, adds emotion to a masculine depiction generally averse to showing sentiment. The invited reading created for Billy is that of a manager who acts with a sense of superiority around others, yet one who acts individually and openly shows emotion. Miller has achieved this invited reading through the selective use of narrative, symbolic and technical elements, including Billy’s dialogue, the film’s plot, and the use of lighting and camera angles. Ultimately, the film’s ability to present a common masculine stereotype and then challenge the discourse that defines this stereotype, positions viewers to realise that emotion is not an affliction of a male personality, rather it is something that defines the character of a ‘man’.

The Role of Ict in Enhancing Education in Developing Countries

Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 The Role of ICT in Enhancing Education in Developing Countries: Findings from an Evaluation of The Intel Teach Essentials Course in India, Turkey, and Chile Daniel Light Education Development Center This paper presents findings from case studies of the introduction of the Intel ® Teach Essentials Course—a professional development program focused on integrating information and communication technologies (ICT) into project-based learning—into six schools in Chile, India, and Turkey. We describe four common dimensions of change in learning environments that emerged across the countries: changes in teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes; changes in how students engage with content; changes in relationships among students, teachers, and parents; and changes in the use of ICT tools to promote students’ learning. Three of these dimensions relate to shifts in pedagogical paradigms that appear to be prerequisites to effectively using ICT to support students’ learning. Our findings indicate that these shifts must not just occur at the teacher level, but must take hold throughout the educational system and must accompany sustained investment in infrastructure, human resources, curricular frameworks, and assessment. Key Words: ICT, developing countries, education reform I. Introduction Understanding how technology fits into the complex realities of classrooms has been a critical factor in creating real change in schools in the industrialized nations (Cuban, 1993; Honey, McMillan Culp, & Carrigg, 2000; Somekh et al. 2003), yet little is known about educational technology projects in the classrooms of the developing world. This paper examines the influence of an information and communication technologies (ICT)-focused professional development program—the Intel ® Teach Essentials Course—on classroom learning environments in six schools in Chile, India, and Turkey. Over the years, program evaluations have found that teachers across a variety of countries value their experience in the Essentials Course and report using ICT and/or making changes in their teaching practice following the program (Light, McMillan Culp, Menon, & Shulman, 2006; Light, Menon, & Shulman, 2007). However, the evaluations have also suggested that the ways in which teachers in different countries follow up vary, depending largely on factors in their school contexts. The research presented in this paper sought to examine more deeply the nature of the changes that schools in different contexts have made to integrate ICT and student-centered practices and how these changes affect the classroom (Light, Polin, & Strother, 2009). In all three countries, we found that the educators we interviewed and observed felt they had been able to implement new ICT activities and teaching approaches with their students after the Course. We also identified a consistent set of programs and policies that, combined with the motivation and skills of educators, enabled these schools to innovate. We selected the six schools in the study (two from each country) which key local stakeholders—the training agencies, the ministries of education, and the Intel Education Managers—considered to be â€Å"good examples† of using the Essentials Course to create school-level change within their national Light 1 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 contexts. In pursuit of the ideals established by their ministries, the teachers and administrators in these schools are attempting to transform the instructional strategies and the educational tools they use. Although each country is unique and each school is at a different starting place, all are moving toward more student-centered, project-based, and ICT-rich classroom learning activities. Across the diversity of their situations, educators in each school connected the ideas and tools offered in the Essentials Course with their own needs. From our case studies of the six schools, we identified four common dimensions of changes that are emerging to support more project-based and ICT-rich activities in the classroom: changes in teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes; changes in how students engage with content; changes in relationships among students, teachers, and parents; and changes in the use of ICT tools to promote students’ learning. Three of these dimensions of change that emerged across schools are pedagogical in nature, supporting the idea that an appropriate pedagogical context is key to successful ICT integration. II. Theoretical Perspective When effectively integrated into a high-quality learning environment, researchers have demonstrated that ICT can help deepen students’ content knowledge, engage them in constructing their own knowledge, and support the development of complex thinking skills (Kozma, 2005; Kulik, 2003; Webb & Cox, 2004). However, ICT alone cannot create this kind of teaching and learning environment. Teachers must know how to structure lessons, select resources, guide activities, and support this learning process; many traditionally-trained teachers are not prepared to take on these tasks. As Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) point out, to use technology effectively, the pedagogical paradigm needs to shift toward more student-centered learning. This shift is not trivial or easily accomplished, particularly in countries with teacher-centered educational traditions. The literature suggests that four broad sets of changes should accompany the integration of ICT and the move toward a constructivist model of teaching and learning. 1. Changes in teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes: The literature on education reform highlights the importance of changing teachers’ beliefs and attitudes to create long-term sustainable change (Fullan, 1993). Many studies on ICT integration find that projects fall short of expectations because the educators continue working within a traditional vision of rote learning (Gersten, Chard, & Baker, 2000; Honey & Moeller, 1990; Teacher Foundation, 2005). Teachers need to believe that new approaches to teaching are effective and will make a difference for their students in order for them to continue using new approaches. Teachers’ understanding and commitment are particularly important to sustain changes in areas such as project-based learning or student-centered techniques, which require core changes to a teacher’s instructional practice (Gersten et al. , 2000). 2. Changes in how students engage with content: Research in the learning sciences has established that constructivist theories of learning provide a more reliable understanding of how humans learn than previous behaviorist frameworks (Bransford et al. , 2000). Studies have identified a variety of constructivist learning strategies (e. . , students work in collaborative groups or students create products that represent what they are learning) that can change the way students interact with the content (Windschitl, 2002). The introduction of ICT into schools and project-based approaches should change how students interact with the content through new types of learning activities. 3. Changes in relationships among teachers, student s, and parents: Recent studies suggest that, specifically, a supportive and cooperative relationship with the teacher can be very important Light 2 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 for learning (Marzano, 2007). Research in many different countries has found that the introduction of technology into learning environments changes teachers’ and students’ roles and relationships (Hennessy, Deaney, & Ruthven, 2003; Kozma & McGhee, 2003). 4. Changes in the use of ICT tools to promote students’ learning: The ICT integration in developing country classrooms is challenging (Akbaba-Altun, 2006; Comenius, 2008; Grant, Ross, Weiping, & Potter, 2005; Light & Rockman, 2008; Somekh et al. 2003; Vyasulu Reddi & Sinha, 2003). A number of factors—such as teacher knowledge, time, access to ICT tools, and the alignment of ICT use with pedagogical goals—appear to help teachers integrate ICT and to support students’ increased use of ICT tools for learning (Light & Manso, 2006; Perez et al. , 2003). III. Overview of the Three National Contexts A. India Of the three countries, India is perhaps the country that has most recently begun reforms to promote new teaching approaches and ICT. Across India’s decentralized education system, national and state leaders face big challenges in their efforts to support an education system that must reach so many students (Cheney, Ruzzi, & Muralidharan, 2005; PROBE Team, 1999). Efforts to shift curricula from behaviorist approaches to learning to a constructivist approach that emphasizes the personal experiences of learners are recent (India—National Council of Educational Research and Training, 2006; Pandley, 2007). A growing number of policies support ICT integration, but one expert review (Vyasulu & Sinha, 2003) found that there is still great variation in implementation of these policies and access to ICT is still limited for most students. Although there is variation by state, the duration of the standard school day is five hours, divided into 35-minute lessons. The class sizes tend to be large; the classes we visited ranged from 45 to 60 students. Indian teachers are expected to cover a lot of content, and the textbook often becomes the center of the learning process (PROBE Team, 1999; Rampal, 2002). The state curriculum varies, but in Maharashtra State, for example, the students have a very full schedule by the upper grades and study 11 compulsory subjects. B. Chile Since 1990, successive Chilean governments have pursued a consistent reform effort to modernize teaching and learning, improve and expand school infrastructure, promote student-centered curricula, institute full-day schooling, develop a national examination, invest heavily in teacher professional development, and integrate ICT into schools (Cox, 2004; Ferrer, 2004; Valenzuela, Labarrera, & Rodriguez, 2008). The Chilean school day is eight hours, with the amount of time students spend in core areas (math, language, and science) twice that spent on other disciplines, and there is reserved time for students to engage in enrichment activities or project-based learning experiences. Class periods are typically 50 minutes, with two-hour classes in core content areas. Every school is required to have a Unidad Tecnica Pedagogica (UTP—the Technical Pedagogical Unit) that provides pedagogical support to improve teachers’ practice. Chile also has an ICT program, Enlaces (Links) that, by 2007, had provided hardware, software, and connectivity to 94% of schools in Chile and trained 110,000 teachers (Cancino & Donoso Diaz, 2004; Chile—Ministerio de Educacion, 2008). Thus, most schools have a certain level of ICT infrastructure available in computer labs. Light 3 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 C. Turkey Turkey has been instituting educational reforms to modernize and expand its school system and align it with European Union norms since the late 1990s (Baki & Gokcek, 2005). The reforms include the expansion of compulsory education, efforts to decrease class size, introduction of a new curricular approach and materials, the use of ICT, and efforts to provide teachers with professional development. Announced in 2005, the new curriculum draws upon constructivist pedagogical principles and the theory of multiple intelligences and promotes more student-centered techniques— such as individual and group work—to encourage students to explore and develop skills (Gomleksiz, 2005). As Phase 1 of the Basic Education Program, 1998–2003, the government distributed thousands of computers to schools (Akbaba-Altun, 2006), and many schools now have labs. Turkey is moving toward full-day schooling, but many schools—including the two we visited—still have two, five-hour shifts because they cannot otherwise meet their communities’ demand. The demand for schools also means that Turkey has not yet reduced class size to 30 students. Nationally, the average primary school class size is 38. 6 students (Otaran, Sayn, Guven, Gurkaynak, & Satakul, 2003) but in the schools we observed classes ranged from 50 to 60 students. IV. Overview of the Essentials Course The core goal of the Essentials Course is to prepare teachers to integrate ICT across the curricula as a tool for learning and to design and implement inquiry-driven, project-based learning activities. The Essentials Course involves teachers in a process of developing a complete unit plan that utilizes a project-based approach, engages students in a variety of ICT activities, and organizes learning around an â€Å"essential question† that guides students’ inquiry and exploration of a given topic. Teachers are encouraged to designate time in their unit plans for students to use ICT to conduct research and to create a final product to share their research findings. The Essentials Course also discusses crucial factors for creating high-quality, issues in student-centered learning environments (e. g. , classroom management issues with technology), and approaches to assessing students’ technology products. During the unit plan development process, teachers expand their technical skills and prepare to implement their units back in the classroom. This is a vital feature of the Essentials Course, as it allows teachers to experience and evaluate the new teaching approaches (Guskey, 2002). In addition to Web resources, the Essentials Course uses commonly available software, primarily word processing software and presentation software, to support students in creating presentations, Web pages, brochures, reports, and newsletters. Figure 1: Core Components of the Intel Teach Essentials Course Content Linking ICT use to deeper learning Essential Questions or curricular framing questions Project-based approaches Student created products Internet resources Group work Holistic assessment strategies Structural Features 40 to 60 hour training Focus on commonly available software Teachers create a sample unit plan Teachers learn by doing Trainer is in the same school Emphasis on building communities of trained teachers Light 4 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 Intel, in collaboration with ministries of education worldwide, has offered the Essentials Course to more than 6 million teachers in 45 countries. The collaborative approach to course delivery is important. Although the core messages and goals of the program do not change, Intel works with the ministries and local educational experts to adapt Essentials Course materials to fit local needs; a local agency in each country implements the Course. In Chile, the ministry created a network of universities throughout the country that offers the Course in their regions, and the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago oversees the network. In India, the non-profit Learning Links Foundation oversees the program in the participating states. In Turkey, the Ministry of National Education (MNE) oversees the program, and trainers are based at the provincial education directorates and in larger towns. In this study, we used an instrumental case study approach (Stake, 1995) to examine how successful schools and teachers have been able to integrate ICT and new teaching strategies into their classrooms. This approach allowed us to work directly with schools that have been making changes, talk with teachers about the aspects of the Essentials Course that are useful to their practice, and develop an understanding of what teachers are actually able to do in typical schools in each country. During a two- to four-day site visit at each of the six schools, we interviewed school leaders, the Essentials Senior Trainer (ST) or Master Teacher (MT), technology-using teachers, students, and representatives of students’ parents whenever possible. As shown in Table 1, classroom observations of both typical classrooms and students engaged in the computer lab or ICT activities complemented the interviews. Table 1: Data Collected India Mumbai School Interviews Observations Focus groups Interviews Observations Focus groups Interviews Observations Focus groups Interviews Observations Focus groups Interviews Observations Focus groups Interviews Observations Focus groups 2 school leaders; 5 teachers 5 classes 14 parents; 37 students; 12 teachers 4 school leaders; 3 teachers 5 classes 3 parents; 5 students 2 school leaders; 3 teachers 4 classes 7 students 3 school leaders; 2 teachers 3 classes 5 students 2 school leaders; 8 teachers 3 classes 3 parents; 5 students 5 school leaders; 7 teachers 5 classes 5 arents; 19 students Village School Chile Santiago School Village School Turkey Ankara School Village School Light 5 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 As noted, to identify a sample of exemplary schools, we gained input from local stakeholders. We requested that the local training agency, the ministries, and the Intel Education Managers in each country comp ile a list of schools. We asked that they exclude schools with privileged access to resources, technology, or funds. Success was defined by the local stakeholders to represent what they felt would be reasonable expectations for schools and teachers in their country. From the list of schools, the research team made a final selection of two schools in each country. To carry out the fieldwork, we collaborated with local partners. In Chile, we worked with researchers from the Centro Costadigital at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, and in Turkey, we teamed with GLOKAL Research Consulting. Unfortunately, the arrangements for a local research partner in India fell through. V. Sites A. India We selected a private school in a middle-class neighborhood of Mumbai and a government school in a Gujarati village. The Mumbai school, with 2,000 students, is an English-medium private school from pre-K to Grade 10 and the village school is a Grade 1 to 8 Gujarati-medium public school with 309 students. In the Mumbai school, every classroom has a computer connected to a TV, there are two computer laboratories each with 60 computers, and there is a computer in the library. The labs have broadband Internet. The Gujarati village school has a lab with 14 computers and a computer on a wheeled table with an LCD projector. The lab is connected to the Internet through a dial-up modem. B. Chile We selected a government-subsidized private school in a lower middle class neighborhood of Santiago Chile and a small municipal school in a rural town. The private school has 2,500 students from pre-K to Grade 12, and the municipal school serves 97 students from pre-K to Grade 8. The private school has five ICT labs, some with as many as 20 computers. The municipal school has a lab with 15 computers, plus four laptops, a digital camera, a TV, a printer, two LCD projectors, and a wireless network. C. Turkey We selected two public schools that serve students from K to Grade 8. One school, in an outlying neighborhood of Ankara, serves 2,300 students. The second school, located in a small provincial capital on the Anatolian Plateau, serves 1,410 neighborhood children and has a population of female boarding students from villages in the province. The school in Ankara has one computer laboratory with 21 computers, 15 classrooms have a computer, and there are 350 Classmate PCs donated by Intel. The lab has broadband Internet and a wireless hub. The Anatolian school has three computer labs with 15 computers each, and five or six teachers also have a computer in their classrooms. The labs have wireless connectivity. VI. Findings: Three Common Themes The Essentials Course was not the only source of information or support for the new student-centered practices and ICT-based activities we observed in these schools, as all three ministries of education are engaged in reform with various changes such as new curricula, new standards, and new in-service Light 6 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 training programs. Education reform is a long and complex process that needs to be supported with multiple strategies, and our findings suggest that the Essentials Course can be one part of that puzzle. A. Changes in Teachers’ Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitudes Because all schools in the study were considered successful, we explored what teachers had changed in their own practice. In the interviews, we asked teachers to discuss what they had learned from the Essentials Course that was useful for their classroom practice. Three themes emerged across all six schools as the teachers spoke about what they found to be valuable for their teaching: (a) their beliefs about how students learn were shifting; (b) they had a deeper understanding of new teaching strategies; and (c) they had improved their knowledge of how to use ICT as a learning tool, as well as strengthening their ICT skills. a. Teachers’ beliefs shifted to a constructivist paradigm of teaching and learning. Teachers expressed a growing belief that students can learn through exploration and discovery. The Essentials Course and, more importantly, the experience of implementing a project-based or ICT-rich learning activity appear to influence teachers’ understanding of how children learn. The interviews suggested the teachers began to value learning as different from memorization and to see that students can learn by exploring content, conducting research, and applying knowledge to real problems. For example, a Chilean history teacher remarked upon the difference from the traditional approaches of having students memorize information: â€Å"By following a question, the students acquire a lot f content through research. † In all six schools, teachers also expressed their belief that students learn more than just content with projects and Internet research. Many teachers recounted what they did â€Å"before† and â€Å"after Intel,† and their descriptions consistently included how students â€Å"learn more deeply,† â€Å"have more confidence,† and â€Å"are more motivated† by the new ways of learning. They reported that students were developing skills and attitudes such as self-assurance, curiosity, collaboration and teamwork skills, presentation skills, and organizational skills. In appreciating how effective group work had been, a teacher in Turkey reported that, â€Å"Before Intel, students did not do teamwork. [†¦] In Turkey—kids want to learn from teachers, now they have to do research on their own and can learn more deeply. Otherwise students aren’t motivated to learn. † A second Turkish teacher commented that students â€Å"were sharing ideas and thoughts with each other† and learning to â€Å"trust themselves. † B. Teachers deepened their understanding of student-centered practices. Teachers reported improving their skills with innovative teaching practices. Although some countries had more experience than others, across the board, nearly all the teachers we interviewed valued project-based approaches and reported doing projects with their students. Teachers had very clear ideas about how project-based approaches can support student learning by allowing students to explore content as they respond to a research question or problem posed by the teacher. They felt the project approaches made the content more relevant to students and required greater intellectual effort for students to find and synthesize information, which led to students learning and retaining more information. At schools in Turkey and India, principals and teachers credited the Essentials Course with helping them learn how to do projects for the first time. In Turkey, teachers told us the Course helped them better utilize the project ideas offered in their new national curricula. One school in India had been experimenting with projects prior to participation in the Essentials Course, but the teachers reported that this professional development experience gave them a solid template and a set of strategies for Light 7 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 project-based approaches. In Chile, teachers told us that the Course helped them learn about inquirydriven project-based strategies in addition to the problem-based approach supported by their ministry. While teachers from all three countries agreed that the Essentials Course supported their use of student-centered practices, each country’s context and educational goals influenced which topics were of most interest to teachers. For example, while all the teachers spoke about using group work and collaborative learning, the teachers in Turkey were very excited about the collaboration strategies presented in the Essentials Course. Turkey’s traditional approach to teaching is lecturebased and emphasizes individual student activities, and teachers reported that they did not have any previous experience with collaborative learning. Group work and collaboration are, however, part of the new Turkish curriculum and reform efforts and teachers expressed appreciation for how the two programs supported each other. The curriculum contains many group activities, and the Essentials Course offers strategies to facilitate group work, as well as follow-up support to practice these strategies with coaching from their MT. In India, teachers found the â€Å"Essential Questions† strategy to be compelling. Essential Questions (e. g. , â€Å"Why do we need others? †) are intriguing, open-ended questions that organize a project and are an effective way to encourage students to think deeply and to provide them with a meaningful context for learning (Wiggins & McTighe, 2001). The Indian curriculum is very demanding and the school day is crowded, so teachers felt that they could not easily integrate project work into every class. While they could not do projects during the class period, they were, however, exploring the use of questioning strategies to push students’ critical thinking and to allow students to share their perspectives and formulate their own conceptual understandings of the content. For example, one teacher asked her students what they thought the impacts of British Colonial policies were on the farmers, and a social studies teacher asked students what they valued about their community. Teachers felt that asking for student input was a significant change. As one teacher commented, they no longer just â€Å"stand and teach,† but facilitate iscussions and encourage children to share their knowledge. The teachers we visited felt the open-ended questions and ensuing dialogue between teachers and students might be the foundation of a new relationship between teachers and students. One of the schools in Chile, which already had a lot of experience with ICT and projects, focused on the use of rubric assessments presented in the Essentials Course. The principal noted that teachers were facing increasing challenges in assessing students’ work as the school moved toward complex, technology-rich student products such as presentations and websites. Through these products, students master more than just content and teachers wanted to value all aspects of students’ learning. They considered the rubrics—designed to capture the range of skills, attitudes, and content that students develop—as a key way to address these challenges. The teachers were also using rubrics to put students more directly in control of their learning process; students know from the beginning which aspects of the content teachers will evaluate. C. Teachers improved their ICT knowledge and skills. Teachers reported that they had developed the skills needed to initiate or increase the use of ICT with students. Most of the teachers in India and Turkey reported little ICT experience before Essentials, whereas most Chilean teachers had previous trainings and experience using ICT. Regardless of their experience with ICT, all teachers we interviewed who took the Essentials Course reported they increased their knowledge of how to use ICT as an educational tool. For teachers with no prior experience, the Course helped them acquire basic skills. However, all of the teachers commented on Light 8 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 how the Course helped them see ICT as a pedagogical tool. The strategy of having teachers design a model unit of their own choice appears to allow teachers to work on skills and areas that are new and challenging for them. VII. Changes in How Students Engage with Content The introduction of ICT into schools and the use of project-based approaches and Internet research have changed how students interact with the content in a number of ways. In the site visits, teachers and students spoke about three types of new learning activities that would, according to the literature, contribute to a constructivist learning environment: (a) learning through projects; (b) conducting Internet research; and (c) connecting school content to students’ lives (Windschitl, 2002). A. Project-based work gave students a chance to collaborate, use multiple resources, and direct their own learning. In all the schools, student projects were fundamental to bringing student-centered instructional strategies into the classrooms. The Essentials-trained teachers we interviewed spoke of doing projects with their students. Despite variations among project designs, a few core features emerged. In almost every site, projects gave students chances to work collaboratively and challenged them to take on new roles and responsibilities; students worked in groups and often had to coordinate efforts to complete the projects. Also, all of the projects described included research and culminated in a final product that required students to synthesize and share what they learned. For example, in the Gujarati village, the students did a project about water use and irrigation. They visited local experts, surveyed the community, collected data, and researched solutions. As a result of the students’ examination of drip irrigation, and their proposal of how farmers could use this new strategy, the village converted to drip irrigation. Again, the teachers in India could not fit the project into the class time, so students did a lot of the work before and after school. The municipal school in Chile did a multi-grade project on insects in which the younger grades collected bugs and wrote reports and the older grades helped them create a website. B. Independent Internet research gave students autonomy and a chance to develop and share their own perspectives. Internet research was a constant theme in these schools. Teachers, students, and parents all spoke about having students do Internet research for homework and as part of the projects. Teachers often asked students to bring in additional information on topics in the textbook (e. . , in a Turkish project students researched systems of the human body). Or, teachers asked students to research additional topics or themes (e. g. , after a lesson on farmers under the British Empire, a history teacher in India asked students to research the condition of Indian farmers today). C. Connecting school content to students’ lives made learning more meaningful to students. We found that many of the projec ts teachers designed connected students’ school work to their home life and the community more broadly. In a very simple sense, the increased use of practices such as open-ended questions and group work allowed students to share the perspectives and knowledge they bring from home. For example, a teacher in India asked her students what they had eaten for breakfast and then used this as the start of a nutrition lesson, and a Turkish teacher had his first grade students discuss how an animated story related to their own families and lives. Light 9 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 Yet many of the project topics also engaged students in examining real-world issues or concerns that gave them an opportunity to connect â€Å"school learning† with the real world and allowed them to develop their own opinions and perspectives about the issues. For example, the Indian village that did the irrigation project mentioned above also did projects on clean water and public health. Other projects were less ambitious, but still meaningful, such as the Chilean school where students collected stories and images from the community to publish in a booklet for their families. Our interviews ith parents in the Indian and Turkish sites also supported the perception that students were becoming a source of new information for their families. Parents credited their children’s increased use of Internet research with providing them with current information to which they would not otherwise have had access. Students are generally more excited by information they find themsel ves than the contents of a textbook, and parents reported that their children were rushing home, eager to share what they had discovered. VIII. Changes in Relationships among Teachers, Students, and Parents In keeping with the new activities and roles for students, the teachers and students in the schools we visited reported that they were transforming how they interact. The changes in teaching practices in these schools are part of a broader change in relationships within the school and between the school and the community. The educators and students described changes in the ways they collaborate with each other that grew out of the new teaching practices (e. g. , project-based approaches, open-ended questions), integrating ICT into the schools (e. g. Internet research or presentations), or both. We noticed that teachers, students, and parents reported changes in three sets of relationships: (a) among the students; (b) between students and teachers; and (c) between the school, the parents, and sometimes the community. A. Projects and ICT activities fostered collaborative relationships among students. Many of the teachers and parents interviewed said that students were developing a rang e of social and interpersonal skills that they attributed to the projects and the new roles that students were taking on. As noted, students in every school were taking on new responsibilities as they worked on projects—leading teams, conducting research, writing reports, debating with peers, and making presentations to peers, teachers, and parents. A Chilean fifth grade teacher explained how her students were developing the skills and maturity to work as a team, even across grade levels, because of the collaborative techniques she learned in the Essentials Course. Some of the parents also commented on their children’s maturity and responsibility. A Turkish father noticed a change in his daughter’s attitudes since doing the â€Å"Intel projects. † He observed that before teachers participated in the Essentials Course, his daughter did not share her things with anyone. After her teachers participated in the Course, his daughter began to share more with friends and she enjoyed working in teams. The father also said that, as a result of her involvement in projects and team work, his daughter completed her school assignments independently at home and no longer asked him for help. B. New teaching strategies allowed teachers to develop more collaborative and interactive relationships with their students. The teachers reported that, as their teaching practices changed, their relationships with their students also became more open and supportive. Teachers began to allow more intellectual discussions between themselves and their students, and students were more willing to approach teachers and share concerns and opinions. The teachers and parents in Mumbai were, perhaps, the most eloquent. One group of teachers commented that, as children, they had been afraid of their teachers and they Light 10 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 were happy that their students no longer â€Å"fear the teacher† but gladly ask questions and give opinions. The students we interviewed echoed these sentiments. A group of high school students from the school in Santiago, Chile explained that a good teacher is one who encourages students to disagree when they have a well-reasoned argument. A student from Mumbai shared a similar perspective: â€Å"I like that whenever I do a report I can include my own critical opinion—it is not just cut and paste. And I can learn many things outside of the textbook. † C. Innovating with projects and ICT strengthened the relationships between the school, parents, and the community. The parents we interviewed were excited by the introduction of community-focused projects and student research, and they expressed pride in what the schools were doing for their children with technology. A group of parents in India praised their school â€Å"because of the new technology, [the school] is innovative. They have very high performance, but it is not just academics-oriented. † In the four public schools we visited, parents and the community had also initiated efforts to bring additional ICT resources to the schools by donating equipment or paying for improved Internet connections. However, the parents also remarked on the new teaching practices and what these changes mean for their children. All of the parents we interviewed commented on how the school was developing the whole child since the project work was supporting teamwork, independence, and self–confidence. Parents in India and Turkey highlighted their children’s growing confidence and independence to do research or make public presentations, and they also noted the caring relationships between students and teachers. IX. Changes in the Use of ICT Tools to Promote Students’ Learning A core aim of the Essentials Course and a central objective for the ministries in Chile, Turkey, and India is to encourage the use of ICT as a learning aid for students. Although the administrators and teachers we interviewed in all six schools told us they wished they could do more, to the extent permitted by resources, space, and time, students were using ICT for learning activities. PowerPoint presentations and Internet research were, by far, the most common ICT tools that students used. All six schools promoted student use of ICT, but each adopted different strategies to realize its goals. In Turkey and India, with short school days and tight schedules, the teachers had to strategically make time—either by working outside of class, or rationing access—for students to complete their ICT projects. For example, the teachers at the Anatolian school in Turkey told us that they meet as a team each semester to decide which classes will do long-term projects to ensure every student gets a chance each year. The Chilean teachers had more flexibility to schedule lab time during school hours, although they also did afterschool activities. Perhaps the clearest change is that, in all six schools, teachers gave students Internet research activities for homework. For instance, a math teacher in India assigned students to calculate average rainfall in different parts of the world using online databases, and a Chilean history teacher had students analyze online photos for life conditions in 1900s Chile. X. Conclusion This paper presents the findings from our fieldwork that describe the nature of the changes taking place in the classrooms in these six schools as they integrate ICT activities. Since the governments point to these schools as positive examples, their experiences can help contribute to an understanding Light 11 Journal of Education for International Development 4:2 December 2009 of the process of integrating ICT into the schools of developing countries. While some educators we observed are more skilled than others, and some changes in practice are just emerging, all six schools are making changes beyond just the use of new tools. They are developing: new beliefs about learning and new practices, new ways to engage with content, changing relationships, and new ICT tools for learning. That three of the four common dimensions of change are pedagogical shifts, and that they are changes in pedagogy that are supported by the ICT, illustrate the paradigm shift required for effective ICT integration (Bransford et al. , 1999; Hepp et al. , 2004). These findings illustrate the complex sets of changes that have to occur for ICT to be deeply and meaningfully used to support student learning. This would explain why technology integration is so difficult to achieve but also points the way forward. Our findings suggest that necessary changes are much broader than just the introduction of a new tool or one new ractice. Instead, change begins by deeply reshaping life in the classrooms—from educators’ beliefs about learning to the relationships that make up the school community. In each context, the teachers found points of engagement between the model of ICT use and teaching in the Essentials Course and the possibilities and limits of their context. For Indian teac hers, it was most feasible to integrate aspects of the teaching model (i. e. , open-ended questions) into their classroom and the ICT into after-class time. In Turkey, schools brought ICT activities into scheduled lab time and group work into their class activities. And, Chilean teachers used holistic assessment strategies and inquiry-based projects in class because their school day provides a block of time for projects. But, the responsibility for change cannot rest solely on the shoulders of the teachers; bringing about these changes is a long-term, incremental process. Effective reform requires sustained investment and support along multiple dimensions of the educational system, including physical and technical infrastructure, human resources, curricular frameworks, standards, and assessment. 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TOEFL Grammar and Structure Practice Quiz

TOEFL Grammar and Structure Practice Quiz This quiz is for in-class use and does not have the answers provided. Take the interactive version of the TOEFL Grammar Practice Quiz for correct answers and results. Fill In The Blank 1. _____ his illness, John continued to play rugby. DespiteAlthoughEven though 2. After many peace corps teachers return to the States, ___________ professional English teachers. often they becomethey often becomeand often become 3. _______ that the American Indian crossed a land bridge into North America from what is now Russia. It is consideredIt is thoughtIt was thought 4. None of the students _____ a car. hashavehave got 5. _______ the Depression, individual stock ownership was common in the United States. It was duringBy the time ofBecause 6. Never before _____ as rapidly, as during the last three decades. communications have developedhave communications developedhave developed communications 7. It is not yet clearly understood _________ cause obesity. why eating too many hamburgers canwhy can eating too many hamburgerseating too many hamburgers can 8. The Eiffel Tower is ________ the Leaning Tower of Pisa. as popular a tourist attraction thanas popular a tourist attraction asas more popular a tourist attraction as 9. While most New Yorkers believe in ghosts, ______ do not. are a few whothere are a few whichthere are a few that 10. With his first painting Le Temple du Mordu, George Lesereaux _______ to establish himself as a master of pointillism. couldwith abilitywas able 11. ______ Chinese is more difficult to learn than English. It is certain thatCertain it is thatCertainly is 12. Thinker and poet, ___________ the Brinker prize for his poem Alexander in 1976. Claude Pinocchio was awardedwas awarded Claude Pinocchiowas awarded to Claude Pinocchio 13. Research now proves that eating fish and chips is healthier than _______ when eating hamburgers.eating hamburgers.to eat hamburgers. 14. It was ______ Johnny finally gave up. such difficult thatso difficult thatso a difficult test that 15. __________, I would have returned it immediately. If I knew that you wanted to read itI had known that you wanted to read itHad I known that you wanted to read it 16. In the 1990s, _________ its premium position in the world economy. the USA returnedthe USA returned tothe USA returning 17. ___________ in a home where two parents work is a difficult task indeed. Children brought upTo bring up childrenBringing up children 18. There has not yet been any decision made _______ will represent the country at the Olympics concerned athletes chosenas to which athletesthose athletes 19. _____________, Shakespeare was also a prolific writer of sonnets. Noting for his playsFamous playsNoted for his plays 20. The Concorde, which is ______________ jet, can reach New York from London is approximately 2 and 1/2 hours. fastest in the worldthe fastest of the worldthe worlds fastest 21. Scientists _____________ the existence of nano-technology capable of computation at the atomic level. newly have developedhave recently developedhave still developed 22. ___________ is portrayed in Hermann Hesses Steppenwolf. Man searching his soulA man searched his soulA man in search of his soul 23. Despite ____________, Jack continued to lose weight. he increased his food intakeincreasing food intakeincreased food intake 24. Singer and entertainer, ____________ for his beautiful and expressive voice. was Frank Sinatra famousfamous was Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra was famous 25. It is not only important to be on time, __________ courteous when replying to colleagues. but also is it important beingbut is it also important to bebut it is also important to be 26. __________ was this check written? To whoWhomTo whom 27. Children attending private schools ____________ being slightly spoiled. are often accused ofoften accusedare often accused from 28. Diets based on only one basic food element ____________ no diet at all. can be as ineffective thancan be as ineffective ascan be so ineffective than 29. ________________ that James Franklin made his stunning debut. It was LionsIt was in LionsLions it was 30. Considering human history, it ______________ using mass communications. has recently been that manis only recently that man has begunonly recently is that man has begun 31. That test was _________________ . such difficult that I almost failedas difficult that I almost failedso difficult that I almost failed 32. Within Tuscany ___________ Matthew Spender. is written fromwas written fromwas written by More Resources Free Online TOEFL Study GuidesTOEFL Vocabulary Practice QuizTOEFL Grammar Practice Quiz