Tuesday, July 13, 2010

What I learned from Teachers' College and my practicums

From Teachers' College:
- Busywork is the cornerstone of education. If you need to keep the students in the classroom for four hours because the regulations say so, giving them useless busy work is essential.
- Reflective exercises and assignments are a life-saver when you don't really have anything to talk about/assign.
- It is possible to reflect on a reflection assignment. No, there is no irony or circle-jerking tautology in this.
- While the student teachers might get outraged at the notion that teachers are not allowed to fail students anymore, they will not blink an eye at the mutual understanding that all student teachers will receive As and will graduate Teachers' College. (unless they fuck up their practicums)
- If there is absolutely no filler left (not even reflection), put on some YouTube video somehow related to education and talk about that.
- While student teachers are required to affirm that they're in the profession because they like to teach/they want to give back to the community/they want to be inspirational figures, it is understood by everyone that the vast majority are in it for the salary and the benefits.
- A corollary to the point immediately above: a student teacher should never ever admit that she/he went to Teachers' College because she/he didn't have any other options after receiving a bachelor or master's.
- You will remember why you've hated groupwork back in high school.
- You will learn that the saying "those who can't, teach" has many additional layers of meaning in Teachers' College.
- The best instructors in Teachers' College are the ones who are the most cynical about the profession.

So as not to leave on an entirely gloomy note, here's what I learned about teaching, myself, and children from my practicums:
- The first time you walk to the board and start a lesson you will feel sick.
- They (the students) can see, hear, and smell fear.
- You might feel like a fraud in front of the board, but as long as you wear a shirt and tie (skirt and blouse, etc.) and don't show fear they will take you seriously.
- Learn their names ASAP (at least first names, preferably last names) - it will be your greatest weapon.
- There are two things that students love, from age 12 to age 18: a good story, and candy. NEVER underestimate the motivating power of candy.
- Develop a sense of humour. Learn to laugh at yourself first and foremost, learn that it's ok to poke fun at your students from time to time as well. Figure out who the class joker is and use him/her to best advantage!
- Another powerful weapon in the teacher's arsenal is the seating plan. Even the merest threat of moving the students around is enough to shush them up for a lesson.
- Group work is heaven-sent for teachers! Even if nothing productive comes out of it, you still managed to waste a whole class.
- Be prepared to change your plan for the day on the spot. Maybe it'll take the whole lesson to cover what you thought should take only 5 minutes. Maybe there's an assembly that you completely forgot about. Maybe someone was sick in the class. Maybe you forgot about some religious holiday and now half the class is absent.
- Learn to talk loudly without shouting. Learn when to talk, and when to shut up.
- Learn to respect your students. They might be functionally illiterate, flighty, surly, opinionated, easily distracted, dense, slow, and a host of other things, but they're still people, and they still have potential and self-worth. Plus it will make your job easier too!


Tip of the Week: Using Economy of Language in Your Teaching

Pick of the Week: Executive Function Books & Curricula

Executive function is a set of mental processes that help us organize, make plans, focus our attention, remember things, and juggle multiple tasks. This week, you can SAVE 15%* on any of our books on executive function in students with autism. Use use our promo code EXECFXN at check-out!

Executive Function Books

Unstuck & On Target is a robust classroom-based curriculum book that helps educators and service providers teach executive function skills to high-functioning students with autism through ready-to-use lessons, materials lists, and intervention tips that reinforce lessons throughout the school day. Topics touched upon include flexibility vocabulary, coping strategies, setting goals, and flexibility in friendship. Lessons will target specific skills, free up the instructor’s time, fit easily into any curriculum, ensure generalization to strengthen home-school connection, and best of all, make learning fun and engaging for students in the classroom! The guide also comes with an accompanying CD-ROM that contains printable game cards, student worksheets, and other materials for each lesson.

Solving Executive Function Challenges is a practical resource for parents, teachers, and therapists helping high-functioning students with autism improve on their executive function skills. To be used with or without the curriculum Unstuck & On Target, this book contains strategies to teach EF skills, including setting and achieving goals and being flexible, as well as ideas for accommodations and actions to address common problems, such as keeping positive, avoiding overload, and coping.

Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents explains how executive function processes develop and why they play such a key role in children’s behavior and school performance. With more than 24 reproducible checklists, questionnaires, planning sheets, and assessment tools, this manual provides step-by-step guidelines and practical tools to promote executive skill development by implementing environmental modifications, individualized instruction, coaching, and whole-class interventions.

  • Graphs to help you see and track progress on your goals
  • Lined note paper
  • Weekly and daily to-do lists
  • Space to make note of all day events

Tip of the Week: Sticking to Your Intervention

Recently I received a phone call from Barbara, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who was displaying inappropriate behaviors on the train during his commute to school. We had put an intervention in place that had been successful for two months. But Barbara reported that it wasn’t working as well anymore, and the inappropriate behaviors were increasing in both intensity and frequency.

Barbara was concerned and fearful that her son’s behaviors could put him in danger. As we began discussing each incident in detail, it became clear that Barbara and her son’s other caretakers had unintentionally stopped following the intervention. A strong intervention will have multiple components, so straying from the intervention is quite common for both parents and teachers (including myself). It’s important to try to address it before it happens to help ensure long term success for your learner.

There are two simple strategies you can implement to help everyone stick to your intervention.

  1. Close up of woman writing in plannerWrite it down. Some parents I work with choose to print out the steps for their child’s intervention and place them near their computer or in their wallet so they see it on a regular basis. Having access to a reminder of the steps can be an essential part to ensuring success. For example, one of the steps in Barbara’s son’s intervention was access to his favorite comic books with new comic books available every 7-10 days. Barbara put a recurring reminder in her phone that was scheduled to appear every 7 days. Having the visual reminder helped Barbara and her husband stay on schedule with replacing the comic books in their son’s travel backpack, as well as stay on track with all the steps involved in the intervention.
  2. Check in on a scheduled basis. Barbara and I have set up monthly conference calls for the two of us and any other adults that supervise her son on the train. Each call lasts about 30 minutes and focuses specifically on maintaining the intervention, promoting independence, and systematically reducing the supports her son requires. Depending upon the behavior, you may need to check in more or less frequently.

Barbara’s son has now gone eight months without experiencing any increases in the inappropriate behaviors he once displayed. Because Barbara has instituted the two strategies above, we have also been able to systematically reduce the number of prompts and the frequency of reinforcement so that her son is coming closer and closer to independence.

**Name and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the identities of my clients.


European Bluegrass Festival Calendar

European Bluegrass Music AssociationThe European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) has a very comprehensive European festival schedule online on their new website. The listing provides information regarding each concert, including the date, location, name of the event, appropriate website or email link, and additional comments about the event. Listings are provided through the end of calendar year 2008.

In addition to the listing of events, the site also has a thorough guide for US bands interested in touring Europe. The guide includes information regarding venues, travel logistics, lodging, traveling with instruments, merchandise sales, and tips on the various cultural differences you might encounter.

If you’re in Europe, or considering a summer vacation there, and would like to take in a bluegrass festival or concert, be sure to consult their listing of events.

If you think you’d like to take your band to Europe on a performance tour, this guide should provide valuable information.


4D Vision Gym

Vision and Learning Disabilities Treatment

Vision and Learning
Vision is a Major Piece of the Education Puzzle

It is estimated that approximately 80% of learning is visual.
When skewed information enters the visual system, the brain tries to “make sense of it,” often in an inefficient, or inaccurate way. Vision and learning issues can cause reading difficulties like poor concentration, low reading comprehension, letter reversals, skipping lines or letters, losing one’s place, words blurring or moving on the page, and the feeling that reading takes longer than it should.

Strong, well-coordinated visual-perceptual skills are necessary for processing the information that enters through the eyes. Proper coordination of visual skills and efficient processing of visual information are essential for optimal performance in reading, writing, social studies, science, math, arts, and music. Vision Therapy will help you succeed in these areas throughout your academic career.

Take this Vision Quiz to learn how much you really know about vision.

Please read our articles for more information.

Vision and Learning Disabilities Treatment
If your child exhibits any of the following behaviors, he or she may be suffering from a problem with convergence and/or adequate visual function and/or visual perception. These visual problems can contribute to learning disabilities or, in some cases, can be mistaken or misdiagnosed as learning disabilities.

Your child . . .

Seems bright, but struggles with reading.
Fatigues quickly when reading, with frequent signs of frustration.
Is unable to sit still; cannot stay on task for any length of time.
Reverses words, numbers or letters.
Has difficulty remembering spelling words.
Is disorganized and frustrated when studying visual information.
Frequently loses his place, skips words or whole lines of text.
Has poor reading comprehension.
Has difficulty copying from the board or a book, has sloppy handwriting.
Medication or tutoring has not been successful in improving school performance.
Has been labeled LD (learning disabilities), ADD, ADHD, or dyslexic.
See more Vision Quizes at Vision Checklists

What is the treatment strategy when it is determined that a defect in visual function is present?

When indicated, a personalized and interactive Vision Therapy program can be administered under supervision. Each program is individualized to meet a child’s specific visual needs. This type of therapy is short-term and goal-oriented.

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Financial services firms miss out on £130bn opportunity

Financial services firms miss out on £130bn opportunity

Women are being put off investment planning by poor financial services marketing and disengaged financial advisers resulting in the industry missing out of £133bn of extra cash, research has revealed.

According to research consultancy Kantar’s new Winning over Women study, financial institutions have been overlooking female customers’ needs at every major step of the customer journey, from advertising to the advice relationship.

This has resulted in women feeling less confident about approaching financial advice, investing more into stocks and shares, and contributing more to their pensions.

Kantar's research used a variety of survey methodologies which can be found in the report, including social media analysis of more than 600,000 online conversations, and more than 30,000 interviews with women.

Bart Michels, UK country leader for Kantar, said: “Financial institutions are focusing their efforts on the confident, rather than the competent.

"In failing to develop client experiences rooted in men and women’s fundamentally different perspectives on finance, financial services institutions are missing a very significant business opportunity.”

The research found the reduced level of female engagement, together with women’s lower level of confidence, has depressed saving rates among women, even though data shows by 2020, 53 per cent of the UK's millionaires will be female.

According to the study:

  • 65 per cent of women vs 55 per cent of men self-identified as having ‘low confidence’.
  • 20 per cent of both men and women self-identified as having ‘medium confidence’.
  • 15 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men self-identified as having ‘high confidence’.

As a result of this lack of engagement with women, Kantar's research suggested UK financial institutions are missing a potential £133bn investment opportunity.

The report said: "Were financial institutions more engaging to women, and able to support women in increasing their confidence levels for saving and investing to the next decile, an incremental £133bn would potentially be redirected to savings and investments."

However, this additional money needs to be invested more diversely.

The study found the lack of engagement and confidence shown by women has resulted in much lower amounts of savings, and a heavy bias towards cash.

Kantar's research also revealed behavioural patterns between men and women when it comes to other aspects of personal finance, such as banking transactions, lending and mortgage borrowing.

According to the survey, satisfied female clients are twice as likely as men to recommend their bank based on recent transactions.

The study stated: "Women are more responsible borrowers than men, taking a more conservative approach to the barriers on the journey to homeownership, such as deposit requirements, monthly affordability and extra costs."

During a panel session held by Kantar, in association with sister newspaper the Financial Times today (11 October), Emma Nobbs, head of customer on-boarding and engagement at Aviva, highlighted the irony that fewer women than men have life cover, despite approximately 50 per cent of women in Kantar's research claiming their family is their greatest source of happiness.

David Wheldon, chief marketing officer for RBS, said while financial services generally has not caught up with their female customers, or reflect where women are today, he said RBS was working to deliver against women's financial needs, using relevant content, various channels and using relevant experiences in its propositions and campaigns.


Angélica Carrillo

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Angélica Carrillo
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Lou, never a dull moment.

eating food on stage, forgetting lyrics and admitting it during a concert, eating oranges at award shows, being in the bathroom when they win an award, i could go on and on but really fame hasnt changed them


Glendora Unified School District

Engaging record numbers for LCAP: easily & meaningfully

about a 0 minute read

California’s LCAP, or Local Control Accountability Plan, is part of California’s system for funding public education. The system first came into effect in 2013-14. Under this system, all California districts are able to have more control over their budgets, but in exchange are required to prepare a plan that describes in detail how districts assess their needs, engage with community members and identify goals along state priority areas. The meaningful engagement of parents, pupils and other stakeholders is critical to the district’s locally controlled budget process. Districts are required to engage parents and a long list of other stakeholders in decisions about how to allocate funds. It is the “accountability” portion of the LCAP.

Two years after creating their first LCAP, many school districts in California still struggle to get representative participation across all stakeholder groups. In addition, the exhaustive workload have many district resources stretched way too far. This was the case for Glendora Unified School District. Determined to get more representative participation Glendora’s Superintendent turned to Thoughtexchange to help ease the burden of LCAP.

"A lot of times in meetings, the loudest voice is the one that gets heard, or it is the person who’s angry that shows up at the meeting to speak. The big plus with Thoughtexchange is that you get everybody’s voice instead of just the loudest voice, and you get to hear what people appreciate."DR. ROBERT VOORS, SUPERINTENDENT


Granite ceramics

Granite tiles cladding of facade surfaces means placement of granite ceramics to flexible aluminium or stainless steel substructure with visible or hidden panel supports. Thermal insulation, such as rock wool and breathable waterproof foil, is usually placed between granite panels and supporting structure of the building. Space between granite plates and thermal insulation is filled with air.

Granite is a special type of material, which is extremely resistant to weather conditions, impacts and aggressive conditions. It can be produced in various shapes and dimensions, depending on the individual requests of the customer and investor.

Since they are available in various textures, colours and sizes, granite panels allow use of modern architectural solutions. Key characteristics of granite ceramics are stability and preservation of original features, but it also gives a building the exclusive look over many years of use.


Enriching Materials For Body, Mind and Spirit

Labyrinth (June 2018)
Your Path to Self Discovery

CDN Retail:$28.99
Product Code:9780738756615
Author:Christie, Tony
Vendor: Llewellyn Worldwide

The labyrinth is an ancient symbol that has been a source of wonder, wisdom, healing, and enlightenment. In this book, spiritual teacher Tony Christie shares powerful techniques for exploring the healing energy and wisdom of the labyrinth. Discover how to work with labyrinths to quiet your mind and cultivate a sense of balance. Gain insight and answers for the issues that matter most to you. Use the labyrinth as a safe container for letting go of the worries and troubles that weigh down the mind. With the right guidance and intention, every step you take in a labyrinth can bring you greater understanding of your life's purpose and your place in the world.


The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy

The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy

by Anthony Gottlieb. 244 pages.

Following his first book The Dream of Reason, which covered Western philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance, this outlines the next major developmental flowering from the 1630s to the eve of the French revolution encompassing Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Liebniz and Hume.  Mostly amateurs with minimal connections to university they explored the implications of the new science, often through active involvement, and challenged traditional teachings and attitudes. They raised questions relevant to us today about the advance of science and what it means for us, our understanding of ourselves and our ideas about God.  They also raised important questions about how we should best be governed.

Although they were pushing forwards they were of their time and Gottlieb sets them in historical context so we may understand them properly. All were involved in challenging the powerful hold of religion while being constrained by their own circumstances and convictions.  How much any of them believed in God is uncertain but they could not explore very far without taking life threatening risks.  The last British execution for blasphemy was 14 years before Hume’s birth in 1711.  The likelihood of severe punishment for freethinkers was receding during his lifetime but still a possibility. Gottlieb outlines and critiques their arguments, praising where due but also showing where they went wrong in their reasoning.

Descartes, Gottlieb says, compromised his work by designing proofs of the existence of God which weakened his philosophy and failed to win over the theologians who condemned his work throughout the 17th century for not making the mind sufficiently independent of the body.  He is criticised for failing to live up to his own aim of scepticism.  Descartes saw his metaphysics as a prelude to finding out about the world and much of his life was spent in practical scientific exploration – mostly superseded although modern applied mathematics is largely based on his invention of analytic geometry.  For Gottlieb, Descartes’ main legacy in philosophy is the idea of a world of matter out there and a ‘private garden’ of one’s own images, thoughts and impressions which raises the question of how we can live in both worlds at once.

Hobbes rational attitude to miracles and prophecy and his position on materialism which included maintaining that everything is physical including God took him into heretical territory although he didn’t regard himself as an atheist. He suggested a new way to see government where he started not from utopianism but by imagining a lawless world in the face of which life would be “nasty, brutish and short“(pg 39) and concluded that subjugation to a sovereign authority was the solution.  He lived through the English civil war – a chaotic and terrifying time that likely influenced his pessimism and somewhat despotic solution.  His theory of state did however insist on the consent of the governed and the rule of law and he is now seen as a pioneer of modern political philosophy.

Most of the philosophers discussed here stayed safe by keeping their ideas obscure or putting them in the mouth of a ‘friend’ with whom they would not necessarily agree.  Spinoza however made no attempt to disguise his heretical ideas and attack on conventional religion.  Consequently he was excommunicated and made an outlaw from his family and community. Nonetheless he believed in the importance and certainty of God, a conclusion reached through sophisticated reasoning in his Ethics. He was supported in continuing his philosophical writing by admirers and pupils, and he maintained an active interest in the world of science.  He remained an outcast after his death and was only rediscovered in the late 18th century by thinkers who wanted to make a religion out of nature, equating God with nature, although this was not Spinoza’s position.  His philosophy aimed for peace of mind through self knowledge, and divine bliss.

Locke’s earlier working life encompassed medicine, monetary policy, diplomacy and government, and also gardening which made him in German eyes (according to Gottlieb) beyond the pale – being too down to earth and commonsensical.  He in turn had a distaste for the intellectual life and “learned gibberish” (pg 121). His main message was that we must think for ourselves and not trust received wisdom, because others are often wrong.  Consequently he was seen as a defender of the right to rebel although he would have been shocked by how his work was used to justify rebellions against British colonialism. His writings were key in helping to erase the medieval world view in spite of Oxford trying to ban his work.  He argued against an idea espoused by many contemporaries that moral principles and religious truths were inborn, implanted by God, since they require exercise of the mind. His close connections with the Royal Society are apparent in their motto ‘Take nobody’s word for it’.

Leibniz aimed to build a complete system of the world, to explain everything. Gottlieb portrays him as an endearing eccentric who sometimes confused his own mind with God’s. If he couldn’t think of a good reason why God would do something he assumed God couldn’t either. This led him into believing we are in the best all possible worlds for why would God make any other and his attitude was lampooned by Voltaire in his character of Dr Pangloss.  Leibniz was a prodigious intelligence and polymath. He made many significant inventions and ideas for advancement in several fields.  Unfortunately much was left unfinished and remains unpublished.  He didn’t produce a magnum opus yet some of his ideas have proved invaluable such as infinitesimal calculus and binary arithmetic.

Hume came first in a 2009 poll of philosophers asked to pick the dead thinker with whom they most identified. Gottlieb suggests he is admired for his brilliantly unsettling writing, his endorsement of naturalism and his gentle manner of challenging cherished beliefs and modesty. His exploration of mind led him to distinguish between ‘relations of ideas’ such as mathematics where definitive proofs can be discovered; and ‘matters of fact’ that lead to inferences based on experience that could have been otherwise. He suggested our actions are mostly guided by the latter, relying more on instinct and habit than deductive reasoning and that we are closer in wisdom to animals, who also employ some level of experimental reasoning, than God.  He trod lightly into delicate territory but Gottlieb suggests he was less concerned to evade persecution than to avoid offending his devout sister and mother, and many clergy friends.  He preferred to let people read between the lines, or not.

In summary Gottlieb suggests instead of ‘Enlightenment’ it should be really be called ‘The Age of Trying to be More Reasonable’ in the face of intellectual orthodoxy, tradition and religious dogma. The thinkers in this book fought for scientific progress, against the power of religious authority, for toleration of dissent and moves towards democracy.  It was interesting to learn of the range of their activities beyond philosophy and I particularly appreciated Gottlieb setting them in their own time and place – highlighting how we can be trapped inside our own current paradigm in spite of our efforts to escape it. This is a very witty and engaging read, elegantly compressing a vast range of ideas and developments in thought about ourselves and our world. He plans a third volume that will continue the story with Kant.  I hope it isn’t another 16 years before that is published!


Wednesday, 9 August 2017

Lets Discuss the Ear

Let's Discuss the Ear
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘ ear’? Probably your mum cleaning earwax with a cotton bud. Maybe listening to a boring lecture. I will discuss about how the ear picks sound and responds to it.
As someone creates sound, the ear picks the sound waves which travels through the ear canal located in the outer ear. When the sound reaches the middle ear which houses the eardrum, the eardrum vibrates and modifies the sound. The sound waves depart the middle ear and enters the inner ear. The inner ear is closest to the brain and contains the vestibulocochlear nerve shaped like a snail’s shell. It is also referred to as the cochlea which transmits the sound to the cranium or more commonly known as the brain.
In conclusion, everyone somehow uses their ear to listen or accessorize. Isn't it amazing that the ear is really so fascinating from the ear canal to the brain. Thank you for taking your time to read about the ear, but before you stop, can you think of other ways of using your ears?

By Rishaad

1 comment:


101 Wedding Plan

Tips about Wedding Plan

How To Make Soup In Five Easy Steps

Wanting to cook well is something many want to do, but the process you go through to be a grand chef can be overwhelming. Luckily, you can take cooking one technique at a time, so continue reading this article to learn some tips to help you take your meals from ordinary to extraordinary!

Do you feel like you’re wasting money when you throw away a piece of moldy fruit? Have you ever been tempted to cut the rotten bits out of a piece of fruit and eat the rest? It is not possible to save rotting fruit. After a certain point, the fruit may become moldy, though you may not be able to tell by looking at it. Consuming the fruit could make you very ill.

Cooking vegetables quickly improves their overall quality. The longer you cook vegetables, the less flavor and nutrition they have. You have an added bonus, because these certain techniques make vegetables healthier in general. The key to improving your vegetables is learning how you can cook them in the minimum amount of time.

It is important to keep your items fresh, so always store your perishable items, sugars, flours, etc, in sealed, airtight bins. Airtight containers will keep your foods safe from bugs, and allow them to stay fresh longer because they are not exposed to air. You buy them pretty much anywhere and they are a beneficial asset.

Read nutrition labels when you buy foods. There are many common supplies in cooking that contain unhealthy ingredients that are hidden. You need to see to it that the ingredients are not high in sugar or sodium because both may cause complications to your health if consumed in large quantities.

Whatever reason for becoming a good cook, knowing how to cook will always prove beneficial. Eating with family and friends is a custom that transcends place and culture. If you follow these ideas, you can begin on a journey of becoming a cook, and everyone’s favorite person at dinner parties.


PNC Aspire

Aspire is a digital learning tool that aids users, specifically PNC mass-affluent customers, with bridging the gap between short-term spending habits and long-term financial management. Because Aspire is primarily a learning experience, our group focused on maintaining the motivation and sustaining engagement of customers using our tool.

Kate Martin (left); Gillan Johnson (center); Amanda Johnson (right) after presentation at PNC headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Getting Started with Aspire

Finding value and motivation in online, financial management is one of the biggest reasons why people have trouble envisioning their future, and strategically saving for it. Aspire shows customers how long-term goals, such as saving for a child's college education, can be a less daunting task than it needs to be. We achieve this through drawing parallels between their daily spending habits and their long-term savings plan
for college.

Using the Aspire Goal Planning Tool

manageable goals, connecting other individuals involved in the process such as their children or spouse, and rewarding their incremental achievements.

Thinking about a goal that ends 10 or 20 years down the line, especially one you have to plan financially for, is incredibly challenging for many people. However, Aspire takes the approach of breaking smaller tasks down incrementally, so that saving for something like college or retirement seems achievable no matter what stage of the process you are in. Through our designed, digital experience, we motivate customers by helping them set

Saving for College: Our Paradigm Case

Saving for college is one of the most common long-term financial goals that people have. It's also one that incorporates many different people within and outside a family. However, the current financial planning landscape does not afford these interactions and joint decisions to exist within their platforms. Aspire focuses on collaboration in long-term goals as a primary source of engagement and motivation for users.

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Assessing the Stakeholder Landscape

One of the first exercises we did while brainstorming our concept was mapping out the stakeholders and services involved in financial planning. This helped us to visualize the relationships of different people, their interactions, and how we could leverage their skills and motivations.

Our Design Approach

With user learning and growth as our primary goal for the Aspire tool, we chunked the user experience incrementally so that as customers progress through a long-term goal, they gain skills, knowledge, and confidence. We incorporated several learning theories and scaffolding techniques into our journey map.

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Applying Learning Theories

As learner experience design was the main guiding principle of our concept, we synthesized various learning theories developed by designers, anthropologists, and psychologists such as Julie Dirksen, Susan Ambrose, and Bernice McCarthy. This synthesis acted as our model of development throughout the various stages of our project, including research, ideation, prototyping, and rendering of our final product.

1Project Prompt McCarthy Model-01.jpg

Mapping the User Experience

For several weeks, we focused on the customer's journey through the Aspire tool. With our main focuses of engagement, motivation, and overall enjoyment, we mapped out all the possible interactions that a customer might encounter within the Aspire tool, constantly reaffirming that interest and value would not be lost.

Developing a Visual Language

Visual and written language, particularly in a banking setting where trust is essential, were incredibly crucial components to our project. We spent several days developing color palettes, testing dialogue and written feedback that Aspire would provide to its users, and setting a trustworthy yet approachable typeface for our platform.

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• Constructing Knowledge in E-learning

    Constructivism is an age old concept of pedagogy but constructivist learning has recently been defined, studied and implemented in the field of learning. No two learners are exactly the same. Each learner is different, with different orientations and different way of interpreting his/her environment. This difference plays a major role in their learning process. Two people may observe a situation, may have very different perspectives, interpret it in different ways and imbibe completely different learning. This exactly what constructivism is. People build knowledge on their past experiences and these experiences can be varied. Therefore, it is learner centric and we wouldn’t be wrong if we say that it’s very much a concept of andragogy.

    Learning process is constant and constructivism is a learning theory that helps the learner develop practical skills. One of the most common area where the constructivist learning theory is implemented is management science. All concepts in management are:

    • taught holistically and not in smaller chunks
    • taught in relation to other concepts
    • case based study material helping learners develop the problem solving ability
    • have multiple solutions to a problem so through the process learners encounter new knowledge and new solutions
    • have team based learning activities; so learners are a part of a bigger group

    All these characteristics also define the theory of constructivism. Management students are also expected to go research or write a dissertation on any chosen topic. This task integrates all the past learning and hence is a good assessment of their skills.

    Constructivism and ID

    All the characteristics of the constructivist learning approach make it the most effective teaching learning theory. However, it has limited applicability in the present e-learning instructional design scenario. Modern day instruction is designed keeping the learner at the core. Mostly courseware is self-paced and interactive but they lack instructor inputs as is one of the characteristics in constructivism. Secondly, since we are talking about construction of knowledge and problem solving practical skills, it is very difficult to assess through close ended questionnaires. Thirdly, customizing content for each learner according to their learning styles also poses a problem in implementing this learning theory in e-learning.

    The best way to apply the constructivist learning theory in e-learning courses is through blended learning. The assessment of knowledge gained from the training course can be assessment by a combination of self paced assessments and instructor led/team discussions. This will also serve the purpose of reinforcing learning objects and will help the learners create new knowledge by sharing in the experiences of fellow learners or the instructor and will retain this created knowledge for a longer duration.

    Since constructivism heavily relies on reflection of experiences for creating knowledge, it can be helpful to provide learners with open ended job aid handouts for further reading and reflection. Lastly, a case based approach where learners are given a feel of a real world situation and asked to come up with solutions would be an ideal assessment.

    Assessment of learners on an LMS when using these methods is next to impossible reason being difficulty in customization of content. Such assessments will always lack objectivity hence the involvement of a facilitator is mandatory.

    Though, constructivism is only a few decades old, it is already the subject of great research potential in educational psychology. It has already been applied in schools and colleges that have discarded the old lecture (one-way) method and adopted a more interactive (two-way) approach towards teaching. Therefore it is only a matter of time when this learning theory will be applicable in elearning with extraordinary results.

  • Instruction Design Theories

    Every field or science, when conceptualized, builds on the models and theories dedicated to that particular field. General extrapolations are merely documented for the first time by the means of theories (or models). Theories (and models) can be referred to as general guidelines that aid in solving problems occurring in a particular field. They try to provide a holistic view of a situation so that a convoluted problem can be broken down and each aspect can be analyzed in isolation to reach to a summative logical conclusion with cause and effect relationships taken into consideration.

    However, one-size-fits-all is never the case with areas where human intervention is inevitable and so is also the case with instructional design. The discussed theories are merely general predictors and are susceptible to modification any time. All theories that will be discussed have the same underlying perception though, that pedagogy is all in one; the art, craft and science of teaching. Its success heavily depends on how well content is presented, to ensure maximum comprehension and retention.

    We will discuss the relevant theories that led to the shaping up of instructional design in this article and some significant and most commonly applied models in the next.

    1. Behaviourism

    It all began with Pavlov’s experiment of classical conditioning. This Russian psychologist performed an experiment on a dog by conditioning it to an external stimulus, the bell, which was always followed by the dog’s food which inturn caused the dog to salivate. This happened a few times and the conditioning was deemed complete when the dog salivated at the sound of the bell alone.

    The Dog and the Bell

    Other researchers like Thorndike (1874-1949) and Watson (1878-1958) also began conditioning experiments studying animal behavior and Watson then took it to the next level by experimenting with conditioning of human behavior.

    It was BF Skinner (1904-1990) who devised a theory that dealt with the changes in observable behavior. He stressed on voluntary behavior than mere conditioned reflexes and he called it operant conditioning. For example, a reward for exceptional performance at work will reinforce hard work for the same outcome by the employee; the fear of punishment will refrain an employee from committing an ethical or illegal task in his company.

    2. Cognitivism

    Cognitivist learning theories were a development on the behaviourism school of thought. It ruled out the very basic postulate of behavioural theories that humans can be conditioned in any desired way, not taking into account the processes that go on in the human mind. It opined that humans are rational and have a considerable part to play in when learning takes place. It stressed on mental processes like the problem solving ability, emotions and natural reflexes should also be taken into consideration. The best way to differentiate between the two schools is that behaviourism considers external behaviour and cognitivism considers internal processes.

    Cognitivism took over behaviourism gradually from the 1950s to 1970s. The influence of cognitivism on instructional design is quite evident because of due importance given to clearly chunking content for better comprehension, and extensive use of graphics and mnemonics.

    Some noteworthy theories of cognitivism are:

    • David Merrill (1983): the Component Display Theory
    • Reigeluth (1983): Elaboration Theory
    • Gagne, Briggs and Wagner (1988): Events of instruction

    3. Constructivism

    Each learner is unique and that’s exactly what constructivists say. Learners construct new knowledge on the facts already known to them. Therefore, where behaviourism and cognitivism are objective and can predict the outcome (behaviourally or cognitively) of instruction to a certain extent, the same may not be true for constructivism. How the outcome will be depends on the learner themselves, their past experiences and past knowledge. It is rather open-ended and each outcome is unique in nature. It is often argued that constructivism is a learning theory and not a theory of instruction.

    Constructivists stress that a set predictor of instruction (like the previous thought schools) and how learning should take place will bind the learner to specific notions and will restrict him/her to think out-of-the-box to create new knowledge.


Ideas to write a concept paper about

This makes your proposal easy-to-understand. Write each section at a time. How to be a lifeguard. How to keep your clothes looking new. How to learn a foreign language. How to photograph butterflies with your phone. How to pay for college.

Sometimes explains both cause and effect. How-to essays are fun to write and easy if you already feel you are an expert on a particular topic. How to keep in shape during college. How to travel inexpensively overseas. Definitions or Concepts In order to write a Definition or Concept essay, you will need to think about the different parts or aspects of your subject.

Make sure to do an extensive research about business ideas and concepts. How to use Google Maps. In addition to providing guidance for implementation of a program, a concept paper could also discuss best practices, philosophies and other related issues that the writer believes action should be taken on in the near future.

150 Topics for Essays That Explain

If necessary, reiterate your important positions. When you pinpoint the concept, it helps for limiting the possibilities of your research, otherwise the research might feel overwhelming and infinite. Concept examples include fear, authorship, unemployment, education, etc.

How To Do you know how to do something? How to start an insect collection. Parts of that concept, or aspects of it. It also always helps if you choose a subject that you are familiar with or interested in researching on.

How to take better photographs. What effects do cell phones have on teenagers? How to prevent yourself from getting sick. If your audience has some knowledge, your job is to add new things into the discussion.

How does it happen?

Sponsored Research

Your body part includes cause and effect, definitions, and the comparison of examples for helping your audience understand your chosen concept. Would you like to teach other people how to do it?

Usually, a concept paper discusses a controversial topic which could be interpreted in various ways. As you define something, you often are arguing how we should define something or how people ought to see a concept. Although this sort of writing is not written as an argument, these essays do usually involve your opinion.

What Are Some Ideas for a Concept Paper?

You can vary the way you write this topic depending on who your audience is. What is beauty or friendship or self-confidence? How to take care of a wound to prevent infection. How to train for a marathon.

A concept paper is an in-depth analysis of that discusses a thought, idea or theory. Sep 23,  · Topics for Essays That Explain. Updated on June 4, Virginia Kearney.

What Are Some Topics for a Concept Paper?

In order to write a Definition or Concept essay, you will need to think about the different parts or aspects Reviews: Alternatively, brainstorm by writing the word in the middle of your paper, and connect other related words to it and them.

As you develop your angle, think about the concept's background, features, characteristics, and parts. Concept papers are often used for research projects, and their topics are usually research based. However, they can be on any topic that the writer knows extensively, as the topic needs to be discussed in detail.

A concept proposal focuses on ideas, theories, and hypothesis. They are called the ‘what ifs’. What Is the Difference between Concept Paper and Project Proposal? How to Write a Business Concept Proposal. Writing a business concept proposal requires thorough research and unmatched skills.

However, here are the steps on how to write .

Ideas to write a concept paper about
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A pastor’s life

Do you Display God’s Splendor?

Our Light is Christ and we are called to display Him!

Are you and your church known for your negatives or positives?

Does Jesus control your church?

Or, do you or others think you do?

What characterizes leadership in the church? It follows pretty much the same concepts as those stated above with the addition of being godly, faithful, and Fruitful for our Lord’s glory. The best example is found in John, chapter ten, where Jesus is called our “Good Shepherd” (See the Bible study on this passage at www.intothyword.organd preach on it!). The Christian Leader is a Shepherd, the person whose job it was to guard and care for the sheep—in this case, indicating God’s people. Just as the actual sheepherder who owned the sheep had a vested interest in them and would do all it took to protect them, as his family’s livelihood depended on them, God anoints such leaders for His people. In contrast, a hired person had no vested interest and as soon as danger would come, they would scram (Gen. 31:39; Num. 27:15-23; 1 Sam. 17:34-37; 2 Sam. 5:2; Psalm 78:71-72; Isa. 63:11; Jer. 3:15; Ezek. 34:1-24; John 10:1-21).

We shepherd others through our relationship with Jesus Christ! Why do we have a responsibility to be watchful and aware of people who would fleece and hurt the people in our churches? How can we do this better?

Schaeffer on Why God Came Into The World

Schaeffer on Why God Came Into The World.

Schaeffer on Why God Came Into The World

We’re excited to share a handful of Christmas related articles, as well as guest posts from some of our authors, in the coming weeks as we prepare to celebrate Christmas! We’re kicking off with some words from Francis Schaeffer on Why God Came Into the World. Enjoy!

What is the condition of your church?

God is in unity and in perfect love, He calls us to be so in community to identity with His purpose, plan, and call to have a proper concept of God and work collectively as a church as we are the body of Christ. To do so, we must increase in faith and thinking so Christ is all and working in and through us all (John 14:10; 1 Cor. 1:10-13; 12:25; Gal. 5:20; Eph. 4:12-16).

Is there a posture of prayer? With the focus upon God and His way and concerns (Psalm 121:1; 123:1; 123:1; Matt. 26:39; Mark 7:34; John 11:41).

Is there “Complete unity?” God calls us as leaders of His Church to carry out His plans and accomplish His mission of reproducing communities of Christ-formed authentic disciples. We do this by equipping our people to know and teach Christ’s redemptive reign as missionaries sent by God, to be real and visibly live and proclaim Christ’s Kingdom to the world.

Our infighting and often bitter divisions destroy churches and create an extreme bad witness. When we do not, our un-forgiveness becomes malice and actually grieves the Holy Spirit! We should be clear on this. A healthy Christian is one who puts aside the malicious traits of an evil, sinful nature, and embraces others in love. What comes out of love is the release of our feelings of betrayal and hurt. The Christian is called to model kindness, love, empathy, and compassion; out of these, forgiveness will flow. God wants us to get with it, to wake up, and seize the wonders and opportunities He gives us. An unforgiving attitude, and its ugly rotten fruits, will choke us off from His wonders (John 13:34-35; 15:13-17; 17:1-26; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 John 2:10; 3:14-16)!

We pass on the example of our relationship to Christ as His display. When we act in good character and live rightly as His representatives, we prove His name. When we act in the flesh, we prove the world and show our disobedience and disrespect, even profaning His Name. The call to make every effort indicates that we are to pay close attention to Christ and take the spiritual initiative and be productive with our faith and lives! Always be willing to acknowledge the difference between what is counterfeit and what is true Truth and be willing to repent and seek forgiveness when you are wrong! True Christianity and its practice never retires or becomes counter-productive (John 16:33; 21:18-19; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Pet. 1:12-21).

God hates unfaithfulness, betrayal, treachery, disloyalty, deceit, disobedience, faithlessness, contempt and evil, and pride and dysfunction—which is treason against our Holy Lord. Thus, He deals more harshly with those who are apostate—who know the Truth and yet reject it or fight against Him—more than with those who are pagans and fight against Him, as He justly should (Psalm 41:9; Matt. 26:25; Luke 9:5; 10:11; John 13:18)

We have to see the glorious position that is given to us by what Christ has done for us. Then, we will see the joy (James 1:2-4) and then the hope (Heb. 6:18-19) that we have. God’s purity gives us who are not pure an undeserved gift of grace by His love. This is given even though our sinful nature is very much alive and in play. Then, we see that our Lord God is pure and we are sin. However, we have to also see that what we may think is love is not; the will of our hearts may think that we can do as we please since we are in Christ, but that definition of love is simply wrong. This is not love; it is annoying noise, a form of relativism, perhaps even evil. Such thinking and behavior equal a life that is meaningless and produces little to no fruit or real, effectual love.


Thinking about emotion

What is cognition? What is emotion? How are they related? And why do we have so much trouble defining words which we, collectively as human beings and the creators of language, made up in the first place?

The relationship between cognition and emotion has fascinated important thinkers within the Western intellectual tradition. Historically, emotion and cognition have been viewed as largely separate. In the past two decades, however, a growing body of work has pointed to the interdependence between the two …

Because of the inherent difficulty in providing clear definitions for both cognition and emotion, they will not be further defined here … A key conclusion from this review and from other current discussions of the relationship between cognition and emotion is that it is probably counterproductive to try to separate them. Instead, current thinking emphasizes their interdependence in ways that challenge a simple division of labor into separate cognitive and emotional domains.

Cognition and emotion | Scholarpedia


Browsing: Samira Yaghooty

This article examines the prospect of replacing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers with technology in Iran. It has adopted the approach of Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) to analyze the data collected from interviews with 10 EFL experts in Iran. The four layers of CLA do suggest that it is unlikely that technology will replace EFL teachers in Iran by 2030. Iran, being a hierarchical, collectivist, and restrained society with a normative cultural orientation and preference for avoiding uncertainty, will be reluctant to accept technological innovation so quickly which would replace EFL teachers. Further research covering a time frame beyond 2030 would be needed.

Keywords: Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English Language Teaching (ELT), and technology

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Popular Dataset repositories on web

“The best way to Learn data science is to apply data science”

Machine learning is a very powerful tool which if used for good can bring good to humanity. In the process of building any machine learning system the core part of the process is to collect data , as Machine learning algorithms are data driven and with the rise of Deep Learning , the data collection part has become much more important. Modern Deep Learning architectures requires huge amount of quality data to fed into them. So getting quality data is the base on which the performance of any Machine Learning system depends. Getting data for a very specific problem can sometimes become hard but for many problems pre-cooked data is already available .

There are many opensource data repository’s present on Web , the goal of this article is to list some of the most popular data repository

If you have started learning data science or machine learning chances are you have already heard this name .Kaggle is one the most popular place in the space of data science and machine learning , many organizations put their dataset publicly available on kaggle for various purpose it might be a machine learning competition or they want EDA on that data. Kaggle is not just for getting data but much more than that but for starters its a really good place to get data for any specific problem.

This is a open data repository of various problems related to industries , medical ,climate etc. This data repository belongs to Indian Government .This is a very interesting place to find good quality data for problems related to India or specific to it.

This is the US Government version of above mentioned repository. Many such other countries also collect data and make them open for public use , for this you can try variations of data.gov.***  .

Amazon Web Services (aws)  dataset

This resource does not provide data set for all sectors but rather they  are very specific in  providing data. The biggest advantage of getting data from aws is they provide huge amount of data which can go form MB (MegaBytes)all the way to PB(PetaBytes).

This is not a regular data repository but rather a kind of social network of data scientist’s .Here they not only share data but also communicate their findings , people collaborate on Dataworld. This is a perfect place for any enthusiast data scientist.

Google Dataset

This resource is some what similar to Aws ,as they also don’t provide data set for a wide spectrum of audience but rather they focus on very specific type of data set mostly related to its own problem statements.

UCI Machine Learning Repository

This is clearly the most famous, big and old repository present on the web .This repository contains dataset from very old to new and also the  problem statements covered by these datasets is huge, this includes form climate, health , industries etc.

Twitter has opensource some of its tweets data , twitter sentimental analysis is one the most popular problem which is constantly being tackled using twitter’s data. This resource is also very specific in providing dataset same as AWS and Google dataset.

kdnuggets is itself is not an data repository but it contains a huge list of specific dataset which ranges from health care to accidents etc. This is a very good place if you are looking for a specific data set.

Github host tons of dataset uploaded by users as part of their project repository but looking for specific dataset on github can be really time taking as the data set are not available in a centralized manner.

Machine Learning subreddit

This is a community driven platform and also a very good place for any machine learning enthusiast.The subreddit contains huge amount of resources which includes research papers, dataset ,problem statements etc.

Common Crawl

This is a perfect place for large amount of dataset .Dataset present on this platform is available in more than 30+ languages which can go up in size upto PetaBytes. On Common Crawl you can get either raw data or pre-processed .

The Above mentioned resources are only handful of resources , having good quality data can significantly affect the performance of your ML system .So go ahead and check out above repositories ,some also includes tutorials to use their dataset. Good Luck.

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Bojana Randall Bojana Randall Artisan
Morris Plains, NJ 07950
8622268302 home page:

Bojana Randall

Morris Plains, NJ

About Bojana Randall

Bojana’s innate inclination towards art coupled with her adjustment to a new country, culture, and language in the early 1980’s created a lifelong pursuit for a communication method which transcends such boundaries. She focused on art throughout her educational journey, ultimately graduating from William Paterson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, curatorial experience, time abroad in eastern China, and both solo and museum exhibitions under her belt while maintaining her job as a tattoo artist.

Ascending from 12-inch sculptures in high school to 12-feet in college, Bojana’s micro/macrocosmic ideas are reflected throughout her body of work. To gain a comprehensive picture of the universe, her exploration of dualities continues to be a fundamental aspect of her art. In part, this is expressed by decades of gravitation towards abstract expressionistic and minimalistic styles and refining their marriage.

After graduating in 2003, Bojana became a freelance graphic and web designer, married, had a baby, and opened her own art gallery and gift shop where she also made jewelry. Through her failures as an entrepreneur, she became an asset to institutions like the Riverdale Art Center and Riverdale Artists Cooperative where she served as President on the Executive Board. Her 2010 divorce was a catalyst for change and led her down yet another entrepreneurial path where she obtained board certification for permanent cosmetics, tattooing eyebrows and eyeliner on individuals who lost certain features due to cancer treatment and other health problems.

During this time, Bojana continued to make art and exhibit her work, partnering with Gallery Within and other intrastate businesses. Her sales and collection of awards from local venues and online competitions increased resulting in more frequent exhibitions and initiated the crossing of state lines. Over the past two years, Bojana’s artwork has been shown in Switzerland, Miami, and New York, and “She is Violin” (2010) was sought as cover art for a UK novel.

Bojana’s dual nature found a balance in the Horizons (2009), Around the Bend (2015), and 999 Butterflies (2018) art series which reflect her lifelong attraction to acrylics and mixed media elements such as sand, hair, and crystals, while teetering on the line of minimalism and expressionism. The edges of her canvases and fiberboard panels have been a crucial element in the last decade, usually incorporating her signature marks like the single colored edge, the wrap around stroke of color, and the contrast edge; her way of crossing the boundaries, both physically and metaphorically, and bridging the divide between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art.

Artist Statement

If I could describe my work in one word and the purpose of it all, I would say hope. The hope that I, you, we, could get through it; the light at the end of the tunnel; the idea that tomorrow is another day and we could try again… Hope. Perhaps it’s my optimism or idealism which deludes my mind, but I wouldn’t trade this perspective for another. Hope makes the world go ‘round, and I would rather contribute to its revolution than sink into the darkness.

Tied for first place is communication. The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text. Herein lies art and its relevance to me. During a time when I couldn’t communicate with anyone because English was my foreign language, I drew pictures or used my body to interact. The pee-pee dance is universal, peeps. So is some abstract art. I became aware by age seven that visual imagery can rise above fences like language, race, and creed and they can connect and equalize us. Art can unite people and that was beyond beautiful to me.

I use line, shape, color, texture, balance, and contrast (among a seemingly endless list of elements and principles) to convey a message… usually one of hope. I spill my heart on the canvas but use my mind to organize it in such a way that others can understand where I’m coming from without a spoken or written word. There’s magic in that! I fought for decades to achieve this balance and I have finally arrived.

You’re probably wondering when I’ll start talking about my artistic process, but I have been all along. Behind every work of art are immeasurable hours of thought, discussion, contemplation, sketching, and working out the details over and over in my mind until the idea has been refined and aged like fine wine. This is 90% of the process. Then, and only then, does anything happen on canvas. Just because a painting says “2018” doesn’t mean that’s the date of conception. Like babies need developmental time before birth, so does art.

As far as materials, the remaining 10% of the process, I lean towards acrylics because of their speedy drying time, flexibly, and compatibility with other materials. I often incorporate textures like sand, thread, and hair. The textures bear childhood memories and become embedded in the art because they are of monumental personal significance. I like to use wire for similar reasons as thread, usually depicting the mending or binding of something. Like words, these materials each have multiple contextual meanings.

The surfaces on which I paint vary depending on what I’m trying to achieve. Canvases represent planes and I use the edges to signify the intersection of these planes when appropriate. How I treat the edges is everything. MDF offers more flexibility with shape and I treat it as molded canvas. Both are essentially portals and are intended to offer a perspective similar to that of looking through a window. Rarely are they just “surfaces”.

Size is not as relevant as proportion. Sometimes a 24x24 inch surface is true to size, but when I use a tiny brush, 24x24 becomes a macrocosm. And when I use a four-inch brush, it is to paint a microcosm… as if seeing something through a microscope. Weather I’m painting on a coaster or a wall is of little consequence.

The materials are merely a means to an end. As I find more applicable resources, I would use whatever is most appropriate to convey the message. Ultimately, isn’t that what matters?

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Property Injunctions & Asset Protection

Advice to protect your property and assets

Property Injunctions & Asset Protection

Sometimes, as a consequence of a dispute, one party will attempt to prevent the other from receiving a share of an asset or all of the assets held within the relationship.

If you face this situation, Clancy & Triado can take urgent action on your behalf to protect your assets until an orderly property settlement is achieved. This can be done with actions that include registering caveats on real estate, and seeking injunctions and restraining Orders from the Family Court to prevent the sale or dissipation of other assets such as businesses, bank accounts, superannuation entitlements, trusts and other investments.

We can also take action to ensure you retain control of your assets and that they are not transferred or on-sold to a family member or third party.

In the event that you are involved in a dispute that puts your assests at risk, it is essential to seek immediate legal advice.


A newsletter about finance, economics, markets, and technology

The European Union may not survive the euro

By Marshall Auerback

This post first appeared on Truthdig

The euro is “celebrating” its 20th anniversary this month, but they aren’t popping corks across the continent. Except, perhaps, with the notable exception of delusional Eurocrats such as Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, who argued: “The euro has become a symbol of unity, sovereignty and stability. It has delivered prosperity and protection to our citizens…”

Some prosperity!

Why not simply attempt to devalue the euro?

The economist Servaas Storm has quantified the impact:

What Is GDP in China?

By Michael Pettis

This post first appeared on China Financial Markets at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and has been cross-posted with the permission of the author.

The Chinese economy is not growing at 6.5 percent. It is probably growing by less than half of that. Not everyone agrees that the rate is that low, of course, but there is nonetheless a running debate about what is really happening in the Chinese economy and whether or not the country’s reported GDP growth is accurate.

The reason for the widespread skepticism is the disconnect between the official data and perceptions on the ground. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s economic growth in every quarter last year exceeded 6.5 percent. While that is much lower than the heady growth rates China has experienced for most of the past forty years, it is still, by most measures, a very brisk rate of growth.

This isn’t what you’d expect to hear from an economy growing at more than 6.5 percent. So what does it mean exactly to say that China’s GDP is growing at that pace? It turns out that there are three completely different sets of problems that affect how China’s GDP growth statistics should be interpreted. Analysts must keep these three problems straight and make sure that they don’t confuse matters by conflating these separate issues.

What Does GDP Measure?

The first set of problems relates to the meaning of GDP itself. This challenge affects not just China but the rest of the world as well. This is especially true for advanced economies with substantial technology and service sectors that employ technology whose value may be substantially understated by an inability to count it accurately.

GDP is typically assumed to measure the creation of real economic value. If a country’s GDP rises by 5 percent over the course of a year, for example, this is interpreted to mean that the amount of wealth the country produced in the last year is 5 percent greater than in the previous year. In other words, it would be assumed that the country’s ability to service debt would have increased by 5 percent, which means roughly the same thing.

But there is no way to truly measure a country’s creation of real economic value, as GDP is just a proxy for whatever it is thought to measure. Economists have agreed which measurements go into calculating GDP, and the resulting sum is referred to as a country’s aggregate GDP, or the value of everything produced locally in that economy.

Of course, not all value-creating activities are counted when GDP is measured. For instance, if you teach your friend Spanish for free, you add to the wealth of the economy, but you do not add to GDP. By contrast, if he does pay you, the country’s GDP does increase by the amount of money you are paid, even though you are adding exactly the same value to the economy itself whether he pays you or not. In addition, not all measured activity actually creates value: building a bridge to nowhere, for example, creates exactly the same increase in GDP as building a much-needed bridge.

No proxy of economic value is perfect, of course, but there are real questions about whether GDP is imperfect to the point of being useless as a proxy. Does GDP really do a good job of capturing all the value creation in an economy? While this is a serious problem everywhere, it may be even more of a problem in China because of the huge amount of investment in nonproductive activities that is counted in China’s GDP data even though this investment does not add to the country’s wealth or its debt-servicing capacity.

How Accurate Are China’s GDP Statistics?

The second set of problems has to do with how carefully and faithfully Chinese statisticians at the National Bureau of Statistics are calculating the agreed-upon elements that go into measuring GDP. Do they tend to collect the data in the way that introduces mistakes that are systematically biased (upward, to show higher than actual GDP, I would assume)? Or are they actually lying to please their political bosses?

I am pretty sure that China’s economic data collection is distorted in ways that smooth out volatility, but otherwise I assume, at least until very recently, that the National Bureau of Statistics has followed generally accepted rules for calculating GDP more or less correctly. I don’t have a high level of confidence in my assumption though: as I pointed out earlier, it is hard to find any sector of the Chinese economy that is behaving the way you’d expect a country growing at more than 6.5 percent to behave. Furthermore, especially in recent years, it has been hard to reconcile other economic proxies with the GDP numbers. (See, for example, this article by Johns Hopkins University economists Bob Barbera and Yinghao Hu, which itself refers to a satellite imaging study.)

What is more, people whose work I greatly respect, like Anne Stevenson-Yang of J Capital, seem very much to doubt the data and argue that China’s actual growth rate is much lower than the posted numbers, largely because the data is falsified at some level of the collection process. But whatever the case may be, if there is indeed a substantial discrepancy between what the statisticians actually measure and what they are claiming to measure, it is very hard to make predictions about how long the overstatement will continue and how much of an adjustment it will eventually undergo.

Is GDP Measured as an Output or an Input?

The third set of problems with GDP occurs in a very limited number of cases globally (today, China is the main example). But the implications are much greater. This has to do with whether GDP is even being used as a proxy for economic activity. In China, reported GDP does not tell observers about the economy’s performance; rather, it tells people how rapidly Beijing thinks it can impose the necessary adjustments on the Chinese economy. This is because GDP means something different in China than it does in most other major economies.

In any economic system, GDP is supposed to be a measure of output, and in most countries that is exactly what it measures, however messily. The economy does what it does, in other words, and at the end of a given time period, statisticians measure the things economists agree to include in the relevant calculations, and they express the change over time as the scale of GDP growth for that period.

This is not what happens in China, where GDP is actually an input determined annually as the country’s GDP growth target. The growth target of a given time period is decided well ahead of time, and to achieve it, various entities, including local governments, engage in the requisite amount of activity, usually funded by debt. As long as China has debt capacity, and as long as it can postpone the writing down of nonproductive assets, Beijing can achieve any growth target it desires.

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Triskelion Magazine Rack

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A striking yet practical geometric magazine rack designed by Gerardo Mari, Triskelion is made by laser cutting and bending varnished aluminum sheets, creating three pockets for storing magazines and documents that seem to fold upon themselves.Based on an ancient Celtic symbol consisting of three legs or lines radiating from a center, Triskelion's three modules also incline slightly, so the magazines find their natural equilibrium to the center, making them easier to put in and and take out. Perfect for home or office.


AT WINTER'S END by Robert Silverberg
Kirkus Star

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Writer/editor Silverberg has finally done it: produced a long, absorbing, far-future saga with substantial characters and a plot that adds up. For 700,000 years, ""death-stars"" from space have rained upon the Earth, destroying the ancient civilizations and creating a glacial climate. Now, as the bombardment ends and the land warms, various tribes of humans emerge from their protective ""cocoons"" to reclaim the world. One such tribe--led by stern, wise Koshmar, and stirred by the young, inquisitive Hresh--is determined to find the fabled ancient city of Vengiboneeza where, according to tradition, they will discover the means to rebuild civilization. Finally, after braving many dangers, they reach the city. Hresh, who has the most highly developed psi-powers of all the tribe, uncovers usable ancient machines, and rediscovers the city's ancient history--but to his shock and consternation, he learns that his people are not humans, but evolved monkeys. Still in the future for Hresh's folk: tragedy and a parting of the ways for the tribe; a challenge from a rival tribe, the advanced, knowledgeable, snobbish Beng; and an invasion by the teeming, insectlike hjjk, who have laid their own plans to dominate old Earth. Tingling, fascinating work, richly detailed and satisfying: Silverberg's best full-length outing for many a long year.

Pub Date: April 18th, 1988
Publisher: Warner


Thursday, August 9, 2018

Everybody's Drumming with Joe Ciarvella

Interview with the proprietor of Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella.

Photo Credit: Kathy Sincavage from the Mahanoy City Library.

Interview by Megan A. Hepler with Joe Ciarvella proprietor of Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella.

Megan: What is your background with drums?

Biography written by Nikki Todd

Joe Ciarvella has spent the last 41 years perfecting his drumming, while studying all levels and aspects of a multifaceted approach to percussion. Unbelievably, he is only 44 years old! Yes, he began playing professionally at age 3 and has never stopped playing or studying. From performing exquisite and detailed nuances of Grateful Dead performances to playing highly intricate American Jazz licks, and numerous genres in between, Joe shapes rhythm into a vehicle, dispensing a soul enriching dance for audiences all around the nation and beyond!

Ever pushing the boundaries of drumming to new and exciting altitudes, Joe is currently applying this knowledge in transcendent ways. As an artist-teacher for his Everybody’s Drumming project, Joe works with other percussion lovers, from all walks of life and experience levels, from children to the elderly. It is in this role where he teaches and guides participants to use drumming as a means to enhance, heal and raise up life. Joe is far more than a great drummer, he is a rhythm warrior guide who knows how to unleash and share the amazing power of percussion.

Megan: When was Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella created? Where did you come up with this idea?

Joe: It was 20 years in the making. It all started with a trip to the Pottsville Library in 1998. I stumbled up a book by Mickey Hart, drummer for the Grateful Dead. It introduced me to what would become a quest for knowledge about the ethno-musicology and the physiological effects drumming have on the brain and our consciousness.

Fast forward to 2016, after experiencing a neighbor’s suicide, I sought therapy to help cope with what we were experiencing. In the course of being introduced to cognitive behavioral therapy, I came across Jim Donovan, former drummer for Rusted Root. He has an evidence based facilitation protocol called Drum Circle Leadership, which was developed by Jim with studies being conducted at St Francis University, in Loretto, PA. I took the course and became a certified Drum Circle Facilitator in December of 2016.

Megan: Can you explain what the drumming circles attempt to accomplish? Is there anything you can share about this will help others to understand?

Joe: Drumming with others is an ancient practice that people have used for millennia all over the globe to connect, heal, learn and celebrate. When facilitated well, a drum circle becomes a safe space to be individually, while being an integral part of the group. In addition to music making, circles have been used for centuries in nearly every indigenous culture, to bring people together for the purposes of celebrating, communicating, grieving and witnessing each other. In a circle there is an opportunity for each person to see and be heard by each other in a way that is beyond the typical, self-imposed boundaries such as economic status, sex, creed, race, politics or age. In the circle we are all equal and vital components of the whole.

In the present day, the exponentially quickened pace of our lives has eliminated many of the opportunities to connect with others in a deep and authentic way. The effects of this disconnection can be seen in the epidemic rise in maladies such as depression and addiction. At the heart of using drum circles in a conscious way is the idea that through group music making, we can re-discover the truth our ancestors knew so well; the transformative power of group support, engagement and connection. Drumming Circles provide an opportunity for participants to feel connected with others and gain a sense of community.

Specific studies show drumming:

- Creates a sense of connectedness with self and others
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Provides whole brain synchronization
- Promotes alpha brain wave
- And is just plain fun!

In addition, specific studies conducted by professionals in the fields of music therapy and mental health show us that drumming:

- Increases mental clarity
- Improves focus and attention to task
- Helps control chronic pain
- Boosts the immune system

What are the prerequisites? None. There are no prerequisites! It’s a group drumming experience! Students, staff and parents are warmly welcomed and encouraged to join in. No prior musical experience is necessary. Also, we won't be reading any musical notation. Each technique is designed to be “plug and play.”

Are these techniques research based? Yes. This program was developed as part of a highly successful and well publicized research study conducted by Saint Francis University's Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Underserved Areas (CERMUSA).

Megan: Are your drumming circles private events only?

Joe: Most of my private events take place in assisted living nursing homes who regularly schedule activities for their residents or the Schuylkill Achieve after school program, which is federally funded. I’m always looking to expand into new and uncharted territories. I do volunteer work for two specific groups; the Wharf Rats of Harrisburg and Jeeps Against Suicide, hosted by the Schuylkill County Jeep Alliance.

Megan: Is there anything else that you think we should know about Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella?

Joe: Music and drumming provides a physical way to experience the concept. When a person feels like they have participated in the discovery of a new skill, it increases their ownership of it and often makes them eager to “discover more.” My intention is to turn fear into empowerment, stress into relaxation and apathy into engagement by bringing people together with drumming and rhythm.

Megan: It looks like you do more than just drumming circles. What other services do you provide?

Joe: I teach private drum lessons, I am the Production Manager/Audio Engineer for the Majestic Theatre Pottsville, Schuylkill Free Shakespeare, Minersville High School Theatre, Nativity High School Drama, The Crimson Academy and various productions with Pottsville GTC and Schuylkill Theatre.

For more information on Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella visit his Facebook page at

1 comment:

  1. Wharf Rats of Harrisburg are a group of recovering addicts. Thanks to Joe they get a Holistic approach to healing the Spiritual Mental and physical disease of addiction. We cannot wait for our next Drum Healing as we call it. We cannot believe that someone would travel to us bring drums and not ask for a dime. Love & Light to Joey a Kind Human.


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GP Taylor: Grouse shooting must be banned – these incredible creatures cannot be lost so as to please a handful of tweed-clad toffs.

Should grouse shooting be banned?
Should grouse shooting be banned?
Have your say

I WAS recently involved in a road accident. There was no chance for me to stop. The poor bird bounced off my bonnet and through the air.

What surprised me the most was the shaking fist of the oncoming driver in his Range Rover who screamed and shouted. I slowed down, wondering what chaos I had caused.

Should grouse shooting be banned?

Should grouse shooting be banned?

He drew up alongside and berated me for not swerving to avoid the pheasant, and how people like me should stay out of the countryside.

Apparently, my crime had been that I had killed the bird with my car, stopping him from shooting it with his gun.

The one thing I am not is a tree-hugging vegetarian who stands against country sports.

Firing back over grouse shooting

A grouse on Jervaulx moor, North Yorkshire. Has the countryside become the playground of the rich?

However, what is beginning to bother me is the way in which a pastime enjoyed by the entitled few can have catastrophic effects on the environment and natural wildlife. Every week I drive across the North York Moors. It is one of the most impressive areas of the country and yet I see very little natural wildlife. It is just miles and miles of brown heather and the occasional red grouse.

It is for these little creatures that the moors still exist today. Had they not been present, trees and wildlife would have returned long ago. The issue is that grouse shooting is big business and some of the richest and most influential people in Britain have their fingers deeply wedged in the pie.

Millions of pounds of subsidies have been given to those who run grouse moors. In other words, taxpayers’ money is given to sponsor the rich to blast 500,000 little birds to death each year.

Not that they need sponsoring. A day’s grouse shooting can cost thousands of pounds per person. It is a pastime that can be enjoyed only by the super-rich. Perhaps that is why they can get away with things that poor, hard-working upland farmers can’t.

Gone are the days when farmers could burn off stubble in fields, but in the past few weeks the moors have been shrouded with palls of smoke from the burning off of heather. This is done to promote new growth of heather shoots, which is food for the grouse. More food equals more birds and more birds means more money to the owners of the moors.

Bradford councillors vote to end grouse shooting on Ilkley Moor

Yet this comes at a great cost to the moorland ecosystems. A study by the University of Leeds clearly states that heather burning is bad for the environment. It pollutes rivers and can cause flooding. The people of Hebden Bridge will not forget the inundation of water that sped off the grouse moor and down into the town when the area was flooded.

Many people believe there are links between the clearing out of moorland drains and burning of heather and the inability of the moors to hold back the water.

This is one of the reasons I would like to see a total ban on driven grouse shoots on the moors. Our beautiful uplands have to be allowed to return to a more natural state. Other types of bird that are regularly killed on grouse moors have to be better protected so they can establish themselves again.

The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) says that grouse shooting estates routinely eradicate species which compete with red grouse – including foxes, stoats, weasels, corvids and mountain hares – by trap, snare and gun to ensure large numbers of game birds are available for the customers to shoot.

Yorkshire is the worst region in the UK for bird of prey persecution as a direct consequence of it being at the epicentre of grouse shooting. The LACS believes that gamekeepers regularly trap, poison, shoot and destroy the nests of vulnerable species including the hen harrier, red kite and peregrine falcon. These incredible creatures cannot be lost so as to please a handful of tweed-clad toffs.

It is not just birds that need protection. So, too, does the environment. With the threat of more severe weather events and the rise of global temperatures, it is imperative that we do everything we can to stop it.

A recent United Nations report suggested that one of the more practical ways to prevent climate change is to plant more trees.

The lower parts of Yorkshire’s moors and dales would make an ideal place for a new national forest of native British trees. Imagine an unbroken oak wood from Fylingdales to Ingleton becoming the lungs of our nation.

Surely that would bring in more tourism and work than grouse shooting?

The gun lobby will tell you that grouse moors bring in millions of pounds and give jobs to locals, but do they really?

Perhaps now is the time to put an end to the Glorious 12th and let our moors become a haven for walkers and wildlife, and not a playground for the privileged elite.

GP Taylor is an author and broadcaster. He lives in Whitby.


ODJ: Mighty to Save

June 28, 2018

READ: Psalm 124:1-8

What if the Lord had not been on our side? (v.1).

During WWII, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill hailed the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk as a “miracle of deliverance”. The event was so widely celebrated that Churchill had to remind people that “wars are not won by evacuations”.

Trapped by Hitler’s forces and with one route of escape, the Prime Minister had admitted that only 20,000 to 30,000 troops seemed likely to make it out safely. On hearing this, King George VI called for the people of Britain and of the Empire to commit their cause to God in a National Day of Prayer. They poured out their hearts to the only One who could deliver them and—in God’s providence—they were delivered.

Out of gratitude, people across Britain observed a Day of National Thanksgiving. Up and down the country, choirs and congregations sang the words of Psalm 124.

“What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: what if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives” (Psalm 124:1-5).

Perhaps you’ve witnessed a deliverance by Almighty God in your life. Whether a healing, a wondrous provision or a beautiful reconciliation, you carry with you a sense of humble gratitude to God who chose to intervene in a situation that seemed utterly hopeless at the time (vv.6-7).

God often works powerfully through hard things that come our way. But even when the answer isn’t what we hoped for, we can declare, “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v.8).

—Ruth O’Reilly-Smith

365-day plan: Matthew 5:1-16

Read 2 Chronicles 7:14 and consider how God hears our prayers as we humble ourselves, pray and seek His face.
When have you experienced the deliverance only God can bring? How does it encourage you to know He’s on your side?


Sinnikka Smith

Sinnikka_SmithSinnikka Smith is a Microbiologist at AgBiome. Prior to joining AgBiome Sinnikka started her professional career at Athenix Corp and then Bayer CropScience in the Microbiology lab maintaining and expanding the strain collection and other Micro related duties. Currently Sinnikka continues to expand AgBiome’s diverse microbe collection and many other Micro related tasks.