Dress solution Essay Example for Free

Dress solution Essay America’s schools have been faced with increased challenges over the last several years. Aside from seeking out new ways to educate students and keeping up with changes in technology, school leaders are facing a continued rise in social problems in their schools. Among these problems are incidents of school violence, gang activity and bullying which create a tension on school grounds nationwide that prevents many schools from fulfilling their mandate to educate students. Sadly, some of the most tragic incidents that occur in schools stem from the type of clothing that is being worn by students. Often theft and violence can be linked to designer clothes and expensive shoes. Sometimes clothing bearing colors and insignias may be used to identify gang affiliation, thereby promoting fear and intimidation among students. Certain styles of clothing also lend themselves toward easily hiding weapons. Furthermore, the pressure to be fashionable and have the latest clothes can take its toll financially and emotionally on students and parents. These issues are beginning to gain momentum, especially among parents, in school districts across the country. Parental support has become the force behind the increase in school districts adopting student dress policies. A recent survey in Hoke County, North Carolina showed an average of 64 percent of parents supported uniforms in the schools. Student dress also drew the attention of the former President Clinton. In a memorandum on school uniforms to the Secretary of Education, he directed the Secretary to â€Å"develop information about how local school districts have made uniforms part of their school safety and discipline programs. † He also requested that information about school uniforms be made available to every school district in the country. There are no perfect solutions to the social problems that exist in today’s schools. However, schools can and should consider practical steps to create an atmosphere of respect and attentiveness for their students. Implementing a student dress policy is one such option. Although little formal research has been done on the effect these policies have on students, the feedback given by those who have implemented school dress policies indicate these policies are making a difference. This paper will explore the types of school dress policies—school uniforms and dress codes—and the effects they are having in today’s schools. Student Dress as Policy The attention given to school dress codes and uniforms has become more and more focused over the last several years. As dialogue increases among parents, students and school officials about what remedies may exist to deal with the problems facing today’s schools, student dress policies have moved to the forefront. The issue received nationwide recognition in 1998 when, in his State of the Union address, President Clinton recommended school uniforms as a method of reducing school violence. Since that time, there has been a notable increase in the number of schools that have considered and implemented a dress policy for their students. More recently, in his State of the State address, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley recommended school dress codes as a means to address behavior in North Carolina’s schools. In his speech Governor Easley asked every school board to â€Å"enforce a reasonable dress code policy because students come to school to learn—not to party. † It appears that leaders on many levels have begun to recognize the potential benefits that school dress policies can have on the school environment. Uniforms: When implementing a school dress policy, some schools are more directives while others take a more passive approach. School uniforms are certainly the more directive method because they tell students what they must wear. A school uniform policy requires students to wear similar looking outfits to class each day. Some schools do offer an â€Å"opt-out† option if the parents agree to it. Others will also make exception for students whose religious beliefs may be hindered by the uniform. The first known public school in the country to adopt a school policy on uniforms was Cherry Hill Elementary in Baltimore, Maryland in 1987. The first major school district to require school uniforms was California’s Long Beach Unified School District in 1994. 6 According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U. S. Department of Education; only about three percent of public schools require uniforms to be worn by their students. Nationwide, at least 37 states, including North Carolina, give local school districts the authority to require uniforms if they choose to. The first county in North Carolina to require uniforms was Halifax County. As of the 2000-2001 school year, they are the only school district in the state to require uniforms in all their schools. 10 The county school uniform regulations require elementary and middle school students to wear certain combinations of khaki bottoms with navy or white shirts (plaid jumpers are allowed for females). High school students must wear a variety of pants and shirts combinations depending on the school they attend. The Halifax uniform policy does ease penalties for financial hardship and exempts students from wearing a uniform if it imposes a substantial burden on a student’s exercise of religious belief. Though no other school districts require uniforms district-wide, some individual schools within school districts have chosen to require uniforms. For example, in North Carolina’s largest school district—Charlotte/ Mecklenburg—23 of the 144 schools have chosen to require uniforms even though they are not required to do so. Dress Codes: Another less stringent approach to student dress policy is the school dress code. A school dress code instructs students on what they cannot wear instead of telling them what to wear (i. e. no hats, no tight fitting clothes, no vulgar or obscene depictions on clothing, etc. ). Dress codes are much more common in North Carolina’s schools than uniform policies. Out of the 117 school districts in this state, at least 48 have some form of dress code in place. One of this state’s most notable school dress code policies is in Johnston County. Their policy not only prohibits inappropriate clothing such as short shorts and sagging pants, but also prohibits abnormal hair colors and body piercing jewelry. Students who violate the policy may receive a short term suspension from school for up to 10 days and students who repeatedly violate the policy may be suspended for the remainder of the year. Other counties, such as Cabarrus, have similar policies, but leave the responsibility of developing rules and regulation up to each school’s principal. The Effect: There has been little scientific study done on the effects of student dress policies. However, there is empirical evidence that continues to mount, especially with the rising number of schools who are considering these options. One survey of schools nationwide conducted by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) revealed that one out of five (21 percent) public, private and parochial school principles had either instigated a uniform policy, were currently writing one, or had it on their agenda for consideration. With so many schools and school districts adopting school dress policies, it is important to understand why so many have chosen to do so. The purpose for most, if not all, schools that are adopting uniforms and dress codes is to address the issues of discipline and academic achievement. Classroom disruptions are commonplace in today’s schools and having methods in place to promote a better learning environment have never been more important. Furthermore, little debate remains over the dangers and pressures that exist in schools today. With the increased displays of school violence, many school officials, parents and students have become more determined to find solutions. In determining the effectiveness of school dress policies, there is no more compelling evidence that the feedback from the school principals themselves. Though the majority of public schools do not require uniforms, the feedback is very positive from those who do. According to one survey conducted by the NAESP, principals of schools that have uniform policies in place believe that students stay more disciplined and focused in their studies and feel less peer pressure. According to the study, principals identified the following effects of school uniforms: 79 percent believed uniforms positively affected classroom discipline; 67 percent saw an improvement in student concentration; 62 percent noticed a positive effect on school safety; 72 percent saw an increase in school spirit; 85 percent noted a better perception of the school by the community; and 75 percent indicated a positive effect on peer pressure among students. In North Carolina, the feedback from Halifax County is also positive. Dr. Viola Vaughan, principle at Southeast Halifax High School said that their school uniform policy has done a lot for the students both academically and behaviorally. â€Å"Discipline issues have decreased tremendously,† she said, â€Å"when children look around at each other, they don’t see the name brands and clothing that often divides them. † Dr. Vaughan pointed out that even school assemblies are quieter because students act more respectfully. Alan Sledge, assistant principle at Brawley Middle School in Halifax County, said that their uniform policy was â€Å"very effective and places a very valuable role on the academic setting because the kids are more focused on their books over their clothes. † Feedback on school dress codes has also been positive. According to Don Woodard, a high school principal in Johnston County, the student’s â€Å"demeanor is better and there are fewer disruptions because of teasing, or students being uncomfortable because of the apparel that others are wearing. † He also pointed out that the students have more â€Å"poise and are more well-behaved when they have the sense of being dressed for the occasion of learning. †22 Commenting on his school’s dress code, Shelly Marsh, a middle school principle also from Johnston County, said: â€Å"We have high expectations by having a dress code, students know there are expectations and guidelines that they must adhere to. Students’ attitudes are different according to their dress. † Along with school principals, the U. S. Department of Education has acknowledged the positive effect that school uniforms can have. In their publication â€Å"Manual on School Uniforms,† which was ordered to be sent to every school district in the United States by President Clinton, the Department of Education cited the following potential benefits of school uniforms: (1) decreasing violence and theft; (2) preventing gang members from wearing gang clothing at school; (3) instilling student discipline; (4) helping to resist peer pressure; (5) helping students concentrate on academics; and (6) aiding in the recognition of intruders. Safety and Other Benefits Of all the potential benefits of school dress policies, none is more important than improving school safety. With student violence constantly making the headlines, the clamor for solutions continues to grow. Safety in schools today is essential, and creating an environment that reduces incidents of intimidation and violence is necessary for students to learn effectively. Unfortunately, the demand for high priced designer clothing often puts students at risk of theft and violence from other students. Clothing that indicates affiliation with gangs is also a problem and can cause intimidation and fear in schools. The National School Safety and Security Services, an organization that consults nationwide on school safety and crisis preparedness issues, supports school uniforms and dress codes as a way to â€Å"contribute toward improving the school climate† because it â€Å"can play a significant role in reducing security threats and improving school safety. † According to this safety organization, dress codes and uniforms can help reduce potential problems by: (1) reducing conflict stemming from socioeconomic status, such as comments and personal attacks about who has better clothing; (2) reducing ways in which gang members can identify themselves which, in essence, is a form of intimidation and creates fear; (3) reducing the risk of students being robbed of expensive clothing, jewelry, etc. ; (4) in the case of uniforms, helping school administrators to more easily identify non students, trespassers, and other visitors in the hallways who stand out in the crowd. Notable evidence of the effects of a student dress policy can be seen from the aftermath of California’s Long Beach school district implementing mandatory school uniforms. Since they began requiring uniforms, crime in the school district has dropped by 91 percent, suspensions have decreased by 90 percent, sex offenses have been reduced by 96 percent and vandalism is down 69 percent. Interestingly, these improvements came about without any other security measures having been implemented at the time uniforms became mandatory. In addition, a study released by the Harvard School of Education found that the Long Beach school district was among six districts in the nations 34 largest cities that dramatically reduced their dropout rates. During the past five years, dropout rates have declined from 11. 2 to 2. 7 percent. The Center for the Prevention of School Violence, though not endorsing any specific dress code policies, points out that each of the â€Å"three Ps of school safety† — â€Å"place† (physical security of the school), â€Å"people† (those in the school) and â€Å"purpose† (mission of the school)—can be impacted by school dress policies. This is because dress policies define what is appropriate for the school setting while impacting the way in which people relate and interact with one another. The Center acknowledges that though the research on student dress policies is limited, the anecdotal evidence supports the existence of some form of student dress policy. It is important to remember that the solution to school violence does not lie in one single approach—certainly not in school dress policies alone. Yet, because of the likely benefit of curbing school violence, they should be considered along with other solutions. Student dress policies can also benefit students far beyond keeping them safe. Schools with uniforms say that their students have better self-esteem because without the name brand clothing on display, the students are placed on an equal level. Poorer students do not feel and are not treated as inferior because they don’t have nice clothes. This equality also seems to create a sense of school unity. Dr. Viola Vaughan and Allan Sledge, both principals from Halifax county have witnessed an increase in school unity since uniforms were required. Dr. Arnold Goldstein, head of the Center for Research on Aggression at Syracuse University agrees. He believes that uniforms encourage a â€Å"sense of belonging† because they promote a feeling of community among the students and help make a troubled student feel like part of a supportive whole. These effects contribute to a school’s overall sense of order and discipline. As a result, the learning environment improves—making it easier for teachers to teach and for students to learn. Student dress policies also reduce the cost of clothing for students. Parents whose children wear uniforms do not have to spend extra money on multiple outfits for their children. Instead, they need only invest in a few outfits that conform to the school’s uniform policy. This is particularly helpful to the low-income parents who often feel the financial burden of providing suitable clothes for their children. USA Today reported that in 1998 parents of students in non-uniform schools spent an average of $185 per child while parents of children in uniform schools spent an average of $104 per child. 33 Uniforms also minimize the confusion about what to wear to school each day, relieving students of the chaos of choosing and outfit each day. Dress codes are also helpful for parents when shopping for their children because they provide guidelines for parents when purchasing clothes for their children—often ruling out excessive and expensive articles of clothing that conflict with the school’s policies and keeping student dress within reasonable boundaries. Student dress policies offer authority figures in the schools the opportunity to display their own dedication and discipline. Some schools with dress policies include (or extend the option to) teachers to participate as well. Certainly, if teachers and administrators exhibit the same discipline that is required of the students, it will reinforces the guidelines and make students more likely to comply.

Advertising Journey Of Mcdonalds Marketing Essay

Advertising Journey Of Mcdonalds Marketing Essay It is not too much to say that McDonalds is one of the largest corporations that can even represent the United States of America. It still secures its dominant position that outruns Burgerking overwhelmingly in fast food industry. In 1940, Dick and Mac Mcdonald founded a restaurant called McDonalds Bar-B-Q in California. It was common drive-in restaurant. By 1948, the brothers decided to improve their restaurant to make differentiation from other similar businesses. They have introduced Speedee-Service-System, which is more like automobile assembly system, to make their food faster and cheaper. It was revolutionary shift which led the restaurant more famous. One day, a guy called Ray Kroc visited the Mcdonald brothers and the Kroc was fascinated by the fast food systemic restaurant. In 1954, the Kroc was determined to take over franchising for McDonalds. By 1955, he opened his first franchised McDonalds in Illinois. Since then till now, there are more than 34,000 franchised McDonalds restaurants are running over 119 countries. Advertising campaign of McDonalds is based on their brand identity. McDonalds is not just fast food restaurant where people order the food and have it but the place where people enjoy the time with their friends or families. For the last 50 years, 23 different slogans were presented in the United States of America. There were a few more slogans created in other countries and regions. Regardless of various different slogans and media, Mcdonalds have been maintaining their corporate philosophy in their advertising which is Be the fun, friendly, place for families. C:Documents and SettingsDanbiDesktopw334.jpg In early stage of the brand, the advertising was mainly focused on print advertising. In the 1960s, TV advertising was the most effective media in advertising industry. However, in 1974, there was ground breaking advertising emerged which could be considered as an integrated advertising. That campaign was designed to promote the product called BigMac. At that time, the slogan was Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. In TV commercial, the slogan was used as a jingle that could be sung by people, namely, the jingle was a big idea in the campaign. The jingle was appeared on not only TV commercial but also in newspapers, on T-shirts and the radio. Since it has been created sensation, there was rewarding event for customers. The customers who were able to sing the jingle, they could get a free BigMac. Although the jingle was not an ordinary song, it was the most requested song by the radio audiences. Needless to say, the campaign was successful. Dean Barrett, McDonalds senior vice president of global marketing, said The campaign was the expression of McDonalds in its own time, in terms of the fun attitude. Through this integrated advertising, McDonalds could imprint their brand image to the customers. The brand image was that they concerns about communication with the customers and the happiness of the customers. Also, they are the brand which offers fun and entertainment experience. Since 2003, McDonalds are concentrated on creating youthful images under the global marketing strategy which is the slogan Im lovin it. Hence, they have presented several marketing campaigns that reminds of youthful images by associating with Hip-Hop music, Sports and Musicians. C:Documents and SettingsDanbiDesktopmcd_co_940x3601.pngC:Documents and SettingsDanbiDesktopdissertationimageMcD_Coinoffers_05_Coin_Collect_871x490px.jpg C:Documents and SettingsDanbiDesktopdissertationimageMcD_Coinoffers_06_Coin_Collect_871x490px.jpgC:Documents and SettingsDanbiDesktopMcD_Coinoffers_04_AppStores_871x490px.jpg Problem and Solution In 2011, DDB Copenhagen was asked by McDonalds to create advertising campaign with using new platform media that aims teenager and young adults. The campaign is named Coinoffers. The coin offers a range of products that can be purchased for. However, there was a problem that many voucher and price-saving sites offer some discounting or similar service as coin-offer. Therefore, the company decided to make its own digital currency. This digital currency need to be earned by customers participation. Also, there should be branding device that represents McDonalds. Brief explanation of the campaign The coins were traditional QR codes transformed into pixel codes of a range of products such as hamburgers, fries and so on. McDonalds have distributed one million coins over the country through a wide range of media television, radio, out-door posters, digital screen of buses and trains, facebook ads, games. There are some other unconventional media choices. For example, the paper shit on the tray which has got the code on it. People have to fold the paper to get it. To collect all those coins, consumers needed to download mobile application which can scan those pixel codes as the coins. Also, the mobile app has got sound detecting function which detaches the sound from the radio and converts the sound as a coin. This mobile application was built as the central element in this campaign that is placed in the middle of circulation of earning, paying and owning. Consumers collected the coins with the application whenever they came across the codes. Once they have collected some amount of coins, they can drop by the restaurant and get the products. It is possible because each digital code have got value of one virtual coin. Result The result was fruitful. This campaign reminds people that McDonalds have always been providing fun food at a low cost. As soon as the application had been released, it became the fastest downloaded application in Denmark which has reached number 1 on iTunes app store and Android market within a day. The one million coins were collected in just 26 days that means McDonalds had to put an end to the campaign unexpectedly 2 weeks earlier that they have planned. Conclusion There are two facts that can be inferred about creating integrated campaign. This will be illustrated below. The first one is simple idea is the best in this type of advertising strategy. In this campaign, it shows that how the simple idea can be expanded broadly with various media channels. If it was a story-based idea, it must be difficult to apply that idea on print advertising. In other words, complicated idea have possibility of losing its media choice such as poster an billboard. The second one is entertaining elements can draw peoples attention. This campaign would not be successful without participation of the customers. Therefore, entertaining requisite have played key role to arouse peoples engagement. For example, the idea itself which give money to people, games. It is originally called coin hunting but it is also an up-to-date version of playing hide-and-seek for the customers. To sum up, two conditions needed to be satisfied for the success of creating integrated advertising. Firstly, big idea should come from simple thought in order to broaden media choice. Therefore, it can affect wide range of target audiences. Secondly, interesting activity should be given owing to catching peoples eyes. Regardless of advertising strategy, the intention of advertising itself is making the brand noticeable. Thus, the more people join the campaign the larger the brand become.

The Green Mile by Stephen King :: Movies Film

The Green Mile by Stephen King is the story of man with god-given powers of healing sentenced to death and the change he cause in the prison guards. The themes of compassion and sacrifice can be seen in this novel. The theme of compassion is very much a part of this book. One part especially shows this truth. Percy, a prison guard, crushes a death row prisoner's pet mouse, which the prisoner loved more than life itself. This cruel act displays Percy's extreme lack of compassion and how little he cares about other people. Also, this action blazes the way for another heartless act of ruthlessness. When Percy is scheduled to be the executioner on death row, he "accidentally" does something wrong. Instead of taking the standard precautions to make death by the electric chair swift and painless, his mistake makes the death of Eduard Delacroix go slowly and painfully. After causing this agonizing death, Percy gets what he deserves and is never mentioned again. When a towering black man named John Coffey is sentenced to death by the electric chair, the prison guards assume that he was as guilty as any death row prisoner. But later, they start to believe that he is being punished for a crime which he did not commit. They learn that he was found holding two dead girls and thought to have killed them. The truth was that he was trying to use his god-given gift of healing to save the murdered children. The prison guards made it their mission to keep John Coffey from experiencing the cruel death which so many before had faced. They had a plan for Coffey's salvation all worked out. Surprisingly, when they asked Coffey if he wanted to escape, he replied that he could not stand all the misery and hate going on in the world, and that he wanted to die.

Richard Wagner :: essays research papers

Richard Wilhelm Wagner Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany, on May 22, 1813. His work was done throughout the romantic period. His father died soon after his birth, and in 1814 the family moved to Dresden. In 1822 Wagner entered Dresden's Kreuzschule. In 1828 he enrolled at the Nicolaischule in Leipzig, where he began lessons in harmony with the conductor named Christian Gottlieb Mà ¼ller. Over the next three years he composed several piano sonatas, overtures, and seven songs. Inspired by the works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Weber and Shakespeare, Goethe, and Schiller, he taught himself piano and composition. He entered the University of Leipzig. There he lived wildly but he seriously paid attention to composition. His 'Symphony in C' was performed in Prague in 1832 and the following year it was played in Leipzig. The next six years he spent as a conductor at low class local theaters. In 1836 he married the actress Minna Planer, and in 1839, they left for Paris. Living with poor German artists, Wagner wrote musical journalism and did cut work. But in 1840 he completed â€Å"Rienzi†, his first major opera. It was successfully produced at Dresden in 1842 and resulted in his slot as musical director of the Saxon court. Here â€Å"The Flying Dutchman† was produced in 1843, and â€Å"Tannhà ¤user† was completed in 1845. These operas were much criticized, because they lacked the melodies of the popular operas. Wagner took part in the German political revolt of 1848-1849 and was forced to leave the country. For about ten years he lived in Zà ¼rich, Switzerland. In 1864 King Ludwig II of Bavaria invited him to continue his musical work in Munich. During the years in Munich, he completed â€Å"The Ring of the Nibelung† which was a series of operas based on old German myths that he had begun in Zà ¼rich. The opera house in Munich was too small for these great operas. Wagner suggested that a theater be built from his own designs. The king approved the project, and the outcome was the famous Wagnerian Festival Theater in Bayreuth, Bavaria.

The Dialogue of Teenage Boys Essay -- Dialogue Conversation Essays

The Dialogue of Teenage Boys Beep! Beep! Beep! That damned alarm, the most hated of Joe’s possessions, began its insistent whining at precisely 7:15 AM on July 5th. A fist groggily snaked out from underneath the Charlie’s Angels blanket and hit the top of the clock. It stopped whining. After some very peculiar movements, the mound of blankets gave birth to a bleary-eyed seventeen-year-old boy. The inhuman apparition staggered towards the bathroom. It paused when it came upon the mirror, seemingly startled by the ghastly visage reflected in the honest glass. Joe groaned, swore, spat and returned to the place affectionately called "The Pit" by the rest of the family. He visited the bathroom an hour later, reemerging looking considerably more human than the thing previously spotted. He was wearing a smart, but casual, luminous green shirt and bright blue jeans. He looked like something from the nightmares of the Jolly Green Giant. Citrus colored and smelling like soap, Joe ambled slowly downstairs for his breakfast. Joe met up with his best friend Ross at around twelve, just outside McDonalds. As was the custom by this time, both argued over whose turn it was to pay for the food, resolved, as ever by the tossing of a coin. As they munched on their soggy Big Mac burgers, their conversation steered towards the party that night. "You goin' then?" "Aye, widnae miss it fur onythin' in the world. Anyhow, Martine's gonnae be there, mebbes I'll hae a chance wi' her this time." "Aye, Ross, and my bum's jist swallied China." "Ah thought ye were lookin' a bit heavier that usual, but ah wis too polite tae mention it." At this, the two friends collapsed in fits of laughter, not even stopping when Ross began to choke on h... ...Joe looked apologetically at Sam. She nodded, a resigned smile upon her lips. "Yeah, I know. You've got to help your friend. It's OK. I understand. I'll see you later. Give me a call sometime." With that, Joe took the dumbstruck Ross by the arm and gently led him out of the door. As they walked home, the two friends reflected upon the night's events. "Ye should have seen your face, Ross! Ye were like a wean caught stealin' a sweetie!" "Yeah," answered Ross, sadly, "But it wis a' goin' so well up tae then." "Talk tae her the morra, explain whit happened. If she's worth it, then she'll gie ye another chance." "Aye," interrupted Ross, a cheeky grin on his face, "And if she isnae, at least I got tae feel her ar-" The two friends laughed their way down the darkened, but familiar, old streets. It looked like the holidays were going to be a lot of fun.

Racial Discrimination in American History Essay

Racial discrimination contaminated the entire nation since its very inception. Racial tensions and problems remained a major dilemma of American history. Stanley M. Elkins’ illustrative work Slavery; A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life illustrated the psychological effect of harsh pattern of slavery. He says that in the South brought into being a typical Negro personality that was commonly known as Sambo. Sambo denotes to a personality prototype that was characterized by childlike behavior. This infantilism (as Mr. Elkins calls it) was a result of absolute negation of individual rights and ultimate powerlessness. He further compares it with Nazi concentration camp, where harsh treatment and absolute powerlessness over every action had reduced the Jews to infantilism. Although American history is littered with example of racial discrimination at the social and governmental level but following example manifests different facets of American racial problem. Louis Hughes (1897) depicted pernicious kind of racial discrimination in his autobiography â€Å"Thirty Years A Slave; From Bondage to Freedom† when wrote that slave whipping was a not only a punitive measure but it was also done a business. He wrote; Whipping was done at these markets, or trader’s yards, all the time. People who lived in the city of Richmond would send their slaves here for punishment. When any one wanted a slave whipped he would send a note to that effect with the servant to the trader. Any petty offense on the part of a slave was sufficient to subject the offender to this brutal treatment. Owners who affected culture and refinement preferred to send a servant to the yard for punishment to inflicting it themselves. (pp 8-9) Dred Scott case (Scott v. Sandford, 60 U. S. (19 How. ) 393 (1856). ) has its peculiar importance in the racial history of America. Scott sued in federal court to be affirmed free. A divided Supreme Court (7/2) ruled out his sue petition as declared that he had not right to sue in federal court because he was not a U. S. citizen. Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote the majority opinion. Taney based his ruling on the actualities that free blacks were not citizens because blacks were often debarred from militia service. Taney and his allied counterparts further based their decision on the assumption that original American social community included only those â€Å"who, at that time [of American independence], were recognized as the people or citizens of a State, whose rights and liberties had been outraged by the English Government; and who declared their independence, and assumed the powers of Government to defend their rights by force of arms. † (Dred vs. Scott. ) Whatever were the legal and constitutional intricacies involved in the decision, this ruling made mockery of the American values of freedom, equality and fraternity. This decision further produced a huge chasm between the white American and Blacks that still exists and haunts the American society more than ever in various sophisticated forms and shapes. Residential segregation is common today as it was in the early days of American society as Blacks reside in underdeveloped and underprivileged ghettos. The sole reason for that is that economically they are not well off to buy a house in some good residential area or at least rent it. Until the first half of the 20th century, many trade unions routinely debarred blacks from membership; segregated schools were common in many cities across America. Within the armed forces, for example, blacks served in segregated units or, in the case of the Navy, were virtually excluded. But optimism grew and struggle for an affirmation action continued. Another important moment came when Supreme Court awarded separate but equal status to Afro-American in Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896). Justice Henry Brown wrote the majority decision: â€Å"That [the Separate Car Act] does not conflict with the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery†¦ is too clear for argument†¦ A statute which implies merely a legal distinction between the white and colored races — a distinction which is founded in the color of the two races, and which must always exist so long as white men are distinguished from the other race by color — has no tendency to destroy the legal equality of the two races†¦ The object of the [Fourteenth A]mendment was undoubtedly to enforce the absolute equality of the two races before the law, but in the nature of things it could not have been intended to abolish distinctions based upon color, or to enforce social, as distinguished from political equality, or a commingling of the two races upon terms unsatisfactory to either. † Justice John Harlan manifested great prudence in his dissent note. He wrote; â€Å"Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law†¦ In my opinion, the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott case†¦ This did not end the Black plight as Racialism was not only institutional but psychological and it crept into the very intellectual and psychological level of American whites. Sociological patterns i. e. values and traditions, were established in way to nurture hatred for the colored people. Palton (1954) is of the view that American racialism has two major manifestations; employment and housing. He provides a detailed and first hand accounts of this housing discrimination. He depicted how white community outcasts those whites who tried to sell the property to colored people. He elaborated that these white Realtors are not motivated by any altruism but financial gains are the only factors that compels them to sell their property to Black community. He writes; In 1934 the Federal Housing Administration regarded itself as a business organization, and regarded Negro occupancy as harmful from a business point of view. In 1937 it actually published a model race-restrictive covenant. In the words of Mr. Loren Miller, of Los Angeles, one of the most powerful Negro fighters against the covenant, â€Å"the FHA sowed race-restrictive covenants through the country far and wide. † The FHA dropped the model covenant in 1949, and declared it would no longer insure loans in new developments where there were covenants. . . . (Paton, 1954) Parton further asserted in 50s that â€Å"By now I assume that it is an incontrovertible fact that segregation is dying† but subtle forms of discrimination continued. Although state and federal laws hankered after an equal status for colored people but institutional and social practices presented a different scenario i. e. dichotomy of values in idea and real world. Roosevelt (1943) has raised certain fundamental questions about same problem i. e. the ideals for which civil war was fought and the practical attainment of those ideals. In that war we succeeded in establishing our unity. We would be one nation and not two and we said that all the people in our nation should enjoy equal rights and privileges, but in our hearts we never really believed what we said. (Roosevelt, 1943) Same views were depicted by Birmingham Sunday, a song by Richard Farina when four children were murdered in Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. It says; On Birmingham Sunday the blood ran like wine, And the choirs kept singing of Freedom. (Carawan, 1990) The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a socio-political protest against the policy of racial segregation and discrimination campaign in the public transport service of Montgomery city, Alabama in 1955. It lasted for one whole year starting at December 5, 1955 and ending at Decenmer21, 1956. The sentiments of the Afro-American community were cooled down by a United States Supreme decision that declared segregation in public transport as unconstitutional. The Montgomery Bus Boycott cast deep imprints U. S. history and equipped the Black leadership with an impetus to carry on their civil rights struggle. It had implications that reached far beyond the desegregation of public buses. Luther King established himself as the leader of a national stature. The protest boosted the Civil Rights Movement and created a mass awareness about the struggle of Afro-American community and highlighted their pathos and miseries. It further provided confidence to the Black people that they can win their rights by constant struggle. In the words of King: â€Å"We have gained a new sense of dignity and destiny. We have discovered a new and powerful weapon—non-violent resistance. † Another manifestation of racial discrimination existed in the armed forces. Afro-American community remained a vital part of U. S. Armed forces and participated in every war the United States fought on domestic and/or foreign soil. But it is also a fact that Afro-American soldiers remained a part of segregated units and were tasked to do unskilled donkey work. In the perspective of World War II, President Truman issued an Executive Order 9981, which consented â€Å"equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin. † This pronouncement was great but black servicemen continued to come across profound discrimination. Much like the wider American society, the U. S. armed forces observed plentiful racial incidents in the 1960s. The Camp Lejeune Incident is one of them. Camp Lejeune Marine Corps camp in Central North Carolina and housed about 42,000 military personnel. In late 1960s, 14% of troops stationed at the camp were Afro-American.. On the horrible night of July 20, 1969, racial tension aroused â€Å"when a black marine attempted to cut into a white dancing with a black woman marine†. (U. S. Government Printing Office, December 15, 1969). After one and half hour, a white army personnel entered the club and shouted that he had been attacked by a mob of Afro-American marines. This sparked the whole situation and within next half an hour 15 Black marines injured and one, Corporal Edward E. Blankston, was dead of massive head injuries. Another such incident is The U. S. S. Kitty Hawk Incident. All these incident provides a comprehensive and brief synopsis of racialism in American history but it remains a fact that although there are various individual achievements on the part on black Americans like Christina Rocca and Colin Powell hold important role of Secretary of State; Clarence Thomas held the highest judicial authority but discrimination in many forms is also a central part of the African American experience. Joe R Feagin in his book â€Å"Racist America; Roots, Current Realities And Future Preparations† describes clearly that â€Å"systematic racism is about everyday experience†¦Black American and other people of color often experience the world differently from White Americans†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This is true in every aspect of African-American life. References Alan Paton, â€Å"The Negro In the North,† Collier’s, 29 October 1954, 70–72, 74–75, 77, 79–80. Amending Interstate Commerce Act (Segregation of Passengers), Hearings before the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, 83rd Congress, 2nd Session, May 12–14, 1954. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1954, 39–55. Burns, Stewart. Daybreak of Freedom: The Montgomery Bus Boycott. The University of North Carolina Press. 1997 Carawan. Candie. Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through its `songs. Bethlehem. 1990. pp. 122-123. Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Inquiry into the Disturbances at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina,. on July 20, 1969 (Washington, D. C. : U. S. Government Printing Office, December 15, 1969), p. 5056. Elkins, Stanley. Slavery; A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life. University of Chicago Press. 1959. Feagin, Joe R. Racist America : roots, current realities, and future reparations. New York : Routledge, 2000. Hughes, Louis. Thirty Years A Slave; From Bondage to Freedom. Milwaukee. South Side Printing Company. 1897. Justice Henry Billings Brown, â€Å"Majority opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson,† Desegregation and the Supreme Court , ed. Benjamin Munn Ziegler (Boston: D. C. Heath and Company, 1958) 50-51.

Learning Diversity Essay

After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1. De? ne cultural diversity; 2. Describe the role of culture in shaping similarities and di? erences among individuals; 3. Recognise race and ethnicity as an element of micro cultural diversity; 4. Explain the educational implications of di? erences in students’ learning style; 5. Distinguish types of cognitive style; 6. Relategender di? erences and socio-economic status to individual di? erences issues; and 7. Describe teacher’s strategies in embracing diversity. Individual Differences 7 171i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 171 INTRODUCTION As teachers, we must be aware of about students’individual differences such as differences in culture, ethnicity, intelligent, languages, learning styles, etc. It is because it may enhance students’understanding or limit their opportunity to learn from the school environment. These factors should be taken into consideration when we plan teaching and learning process in the classroom. We begin by discussing the de? nition of cultural diversity and other factors that contribute to students’diversity. Next, we examine the differences of learning styles and cognitive  styles among students. This is followed by the explanation of gender differences that in? uence the students’ performance. In the ? nal section of this chapter, we will discuss how teachers can cope with the individual differences effectively in the teaching and learning process. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 172 â€Å"†¦Characteristics of an individual’s society, or of some subgroups within this society. It includes values, beliefs, notions about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and other socially constructed ideas that members of the culture are taught are â€Å"true†. † (1994 in Tan 3003). â€Å"†¦Those human characteristics that have both the potential to either enrich or limit a student’s capacity to learn from the school environment. † Henson & Eller (1999, p121) â€Å" Individual differences are the variations we observe among members of any group in a particular characteristic, such as temperament, energy level, friendship patterns and parent-child attachment. † Borich & Tombari (1997, p29) 7. 1 CULTURAL DIVERSITY 7. 1. 1 De? nition of Cultural Diversity According to Garcia, Culture refers to: Henson & Eller (1999, p121) posit that the term diversity mean: Whereas Borich & Tombari (1997. p29) posit that: 173i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 173 â€Å"Group membership can include racial identi? cation, but regardless of race, it can vary further in term of assumptions, values, language, religion, behaviour, and symbols. † (O’conor, 1988 in Tan 2003). Figure 7. 1: Various races in Malaysia. In Malaysia we have different races such as the Malays, Chinese, Indians and others as illustrated in Figure 7. 1. Each of the races has their own culture. Culture is a broad and encopassing concept. Even though we equate culture with race or ethnic identity, the truth is that within racial or ethnic groups there can  be cultural variations. In short, culture governs how we think and feel, how we behave and how we live, and it is born largely of socialization. We often recognize national culture such as Malays, Chinese, Indians and others. We share Malaysian citizenship. So, differences in culture pertaining to Malaysia also mean differences in ethnicity and race. 7. 1. 2 The Role of Culture in Shaping Similarities and Di? erences Among Individuals Culture has impact on our student’s socialization. Some elements of culture including religion, foods, holidays and celebrations, dress, history and traditions, and art and  music. Cultural diversity also can manifest in our views of the life cycle, decorum and discipline, health and hygiene (Example: Explanations of illness and death), values, work and play, and time and space. All could be elements of a shared national culture or of additional family cultures. Each element shapes our students through socialization within their families, later through teacher, peers and environment. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 174 We need to keep in mind that our students’ membership in cultural groups signi? cantly in? uences their lives both inside and outside of school. Therefore, we have to consider cultural diversities because honouring cultural diversities enhances classroom teaching and learning. As teachers, we have to understand these cultural diversities and try to accommodate to these differences. We have to honour other people’s beliefs and values because they have their rationale and that contributes to a harmonious society and peaceful nation. These have to start in school where the students are aware of their differences and teacher instil within them the espirit de core (spirit to live together peacefully), tolerance towards others, empathy and pro social behaviour. 175i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 175 To answer that question, Tan (2003), recognizes three ways in addressing cultural differences as illustrated in Figure 7. 2: Now let us examine all these approaches. (a) Assimilation Theory According to the assimilation theory, all students must conform to the rules of the Anglo- American group culture, regardless of their family culture or the rules of other groups to which they belong. â€Å"Anglo† culture is superior to all others, differences are threatening and rejected. Figure 7. 2: Three ways in addressing cultural differences INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7. 176 (b) Amalgamation Theory According to Davidson & Phelan: Cultural differences are ignored. Through the years, many of us have been comforted by the melting pot view of our society’s institutions. But, it too has encouraged the loss of individual identity. (c) Cultural Pluralism According to Davidson & Phelan: Diversity is not feared or criticized or ignored. It is valued, even celebrated. An effective teacher holds this view of diversity and incorporates beliefs about multicultural education. Multicultural education is education in which a range of cultural perspectives is presented to students. â€Å"The amalgamation theory is the â€Å"melting pot† approach in which elements of individual cultures are blended to become a â€Å"new†, synthesized American culture. † (Davidson & Phelan, 1993) â€Å" In â€Å"cultural pluralism†, we are encouraged to take multicultural view, in which we attempt to address the elements of both shared national culture and individual and/or family culture together. † (Davidson & Phelan, 1993) 1. What is cultural diversity? Give few examples of cultural diversity in your answer. 2. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to the cultural diversity among students. 177i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 177 7. 2 RACES AND ETHINICITY DIVERSITY Race and ethnicity are factors contribute to students’diversity. Through race and ethnicity, we will be able to trace the students’root and cultural make up. Through this awareness then we can be fair in our treatment to all students in the classroom. As Ladson-Billings (1994) notes: â€Å"The notion of equity as sameness only makes sense when all students are exactly the same†. Ladson-Billings (1994) In reality we are different in race, ethnicity, culture and ways of life. Therefore we should take advantage of these differences by learning other languages, about food and dances. Students would respect teachers who know about their students’languages other than their own because it enhances their knowledge about the students and make their communiaction with the students easier. In Malaysia, we have di? erent race that are Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasian and others. Within the races, we have sub-groups or ethnicity. Examples of the sub-groups or ethnicity are listed in table 7. 1. Table 7. 1: Races and it sub-groups or ethnicity in Malaysia. Race Malays Chinese Sub-groups or ethnicity ? †¢? Javanese? Malays? †¢? Bugis? Malays †¢? Kelantanese Malays †¢? Johorean? Malays †¢? Malaccan? Malays? etc. Chinese come from many parts of China which contribute to ethnic di? erences such as: ? †¢? Hokkien ? †¢? Cantonese ? †¢? Hailam? and? etc. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 178 7. 3 LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY Linguistic diversity is one of the elements that contributes to student’s diversity. Your class will have language diversity, and you will have to realize that you need to be sensitive to this linguistic diversity and adjust accordingly. In Malaysia, we are lucky because the medium of instruction is in Malay or Bahasa Melayu for all subjects except for English. Furthermore, English is regarded as the second language andball students must pass the subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level or the form 5 national exam. It moulds young generations of Malaysia to at least mastering three languages, namely Bahasa Melayu, the English language, and their mother tongue. With this capacity, it enhances the Malaysians to understand each other and to live harmoniously. Tan (2003) suggested two ways to teachers in addressing language diversity as shown in Figure 7. 3, which are Facilitating English, and Immersion and Transitional Methods. Indians ? †¢? Tamil? Nadu ? †¢? Hindustani ? †¢? Benggali ? †¢? Pakistani ? †¢? Bangla? (Bangladesh)? ? †¢? Bangla? (Sri? Lanka)? and? etc.? These races and ethnicities also contribute to language differences. 1. What are race and ethnicity diversity? Give few examples of race and ethnicity in Malaysia. 2. Can you understand other race or ethnic language? List out the advantages for teachers if they know their student languages. Figure 7. 3: Two suggested ways in addressing language diversity by Tan(2003) 179i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 179 Let us examine those approaches. (a) Facilitating English Enhancing the mastering of the English language among students can help overcome the problem of communication with others in the school and outside the school. Teaching English to all students is regarded as a tool for cultural understanding and communication among students. We can emphasize comprehension in our classroom. If you can understand the student and the student can understand you, then achievement can continue. Increased student achievement should be our overall instructional goal, regardless of linguistic diversity issues. (b) â€Å"Immersion† and Transitional Method Traditionally, we believed â€Å"immersion† approach was the best way to move children to standard language usage. In this approach, from the beginning till the end, the instructor uses only the language to be learned. It becomes, then, a â€Å"sink or swim† proposition. †¢ Some children swim, they thrive under these conditions; they learn the language with few problems. †¢ Other students, however, sink; they do not learn the language and suffer inside and outside of class. Similarly, linguistically diverse students can sink or swim in language learning. Conversely, teacher may use transitional or balance bilingual strategies for adding standard language as a shared communicative tool are being examined. These approaches start with the language the student brings into the classroom and build on family and cultural language to promote standard language usage. Read on an example case below: Several? years? ago,? a? Massachusetts? teacher,? Gary? Simpkins,? attempted? to? move? his African-American students toward standard American English usage by developing? an? approach? called? â€Å"Bridge†? (Shells,? 1976).? He? used? transitional? strategies? whereby? the? students? learn? English? at rst? in? their? language-Black? English in reading, writing and oral communication. Midway through, he taught partly? Black? English? and? partly? standard? American? English.? By? the? end? of? the? instructional period, he taught all in standard American English but still aloud  student? to? use? Black-English? for? less? formal? communication. The implementation of approach above yielded â€Å"promising† results. 1. What is linguistic diversity? 2. Explain how teacher can help the students overcome language differences. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 180 7. 4 LEARNING STYLE OR COGNITIVE STYLE DIVERSITY 7. 4. 1 De? nition of Learning Style and Cognitive Style Kagan is one of the earliest psychologists who introduced the re? ective and impulsive cognitive style. Later, Witkin and Coodenough(1977) founded the concept of ? eld- independent and dependent cognitive style(Borich & Tombari, 1997). Another earliest psychologist, Massick proposed the concept of cognitive style. According to Massick: â€Å"Cognitive style is stable attitudes preferences or habitual strategies determining a person’s typical modes of perceiving, remembering, thinking and problem solving. † Messick (1976, p5) Later, there are various de? nitions for learning style or cognitive style by psychologists, depending on their views and perspectives as shown in Table 7. 2. Table 7. 2: Various de? nitions of Learning Style and Cognitive Style by psychologists. Tan et. al. (2003) Psychologist De? nition of Learning Style and Cognitive Style Henson and Eller (1999, p505). â€Å"Learning? styles? are? biological? and? socialized? di? erences? or? preferences for how students learn. Where as cognitive style is students’most comfortable, consistent, and expedient ways of perceiving? and? making? sense? of? information. † Tan et. al. (2003) ? â€Å"Learning? style? is? how? elements? from? basic? stimuli? in? the? current? and past environment a? ect an individual’s ability to absorb and retain information. † Henson and Eller (1999, p505) †¢? In? this? de? nition,? Tan? stressed? the? in? uence? of? biological? and? socialization? in? moulding? students’? learning? style. †¢? Henson? and? Eller? stress? on? basic? stimuli?that? a? ect? individual’s? learning style. 181i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 181 Woolfolk (2004, p603), Sternberg (1997) ? â€Å"Learning? preferences? is? preferred? ways? of? studying? or? learn- ing,? such? as? using? pictures? instead? of? text,? working? with? other? people versus alone, learning in structured or unstructured situation, and so on. Whereas a cognitive style is di? erent ways? of? perceiving? and? organizing? information. † Woolfolk ? â€Å"Learning? and? thinking? styles? are? not? abilities,? but? rather? preferred ways of using one’s abilities. † (Santrock, 2008, p132). †¢? Woolfolk? proposed? that? learning? styles?as? characteristic? approaches to learning and studying. †¢? She? also? equates? learning? styles? and? learning? preferences. †¢? According? to? Sternberg,? intelligence? refers? to? ability. †¢? Individual? vary? so? much? in? thinking? and? learning? style,? ? literally? hundreds? of? learning? and? thinking? styles? have? been? proposed by educators and psychologist. So from these de? nitions, we ? nd overlapping views on learning styles and cognitive styles. We can conclude that: Learning style and cognitive style cover many domains such as physical, psychological, audio, visual, kinaesthetic, etc. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7. 182 7. 4. 2 Types of Learning Styles According to Butler, there are few types of learning styles(Butler, 1989 in Tan, 2003) such as explained below. (a) Psychological/Affective styles †¢ One of the instruments to assess individual’s learning style for this type of learning style is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). †¢ This instrument will reveal how a student feel about him/herself and how self-esteem developed is linked to learning. (b) Physiological Styles †¢ There are few instruments in this category such as: – Honey and Munford Learning Styles Inventory, – Kolb Learning style inventory, – Modality Preferences Inventory, etc. †¢ These instruments show individual of her/his consistent ways to facilitate learning through the use of the senses or environmental stimuli. †¢ These instruments also show hemispheric specialisation (i. e. right or left brain), auditory, visual, kinaesthetic, olfactory preferences or preferences for environmental conditions. (c) Cognitive Styles †¢ Students may utilize cognitive styles such as ? eld-dependent or independent, impulsive or re? ective, whole or serial, etc. †¢ These instruments measure consistent ways of responding and using stimuli in the environment, how things are perceived and make sense, the most comfortable, expedientnand pleasurable way to process information. 7. 4. 3 Measurement of Learning Styles and Cognitive Styles Since students’ preferred styles of learning in? uence their achievements and teachers’ learning styles in? uence their instructional choices, it is suggested that teacher and students take the test we describe below. (a) Modality Preference Inventory Through this inventory, teacher and students can classify their learning styles such as auditory, visual or kinaesthetic. To assess an individual’s learning style, he/she has to respond to the questions shown in Figure 7. 4. 183i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 183 Learning Styles. Modality Preference Inventory Read each statement and select the appropriate number response as it applies to you. Often (3) Sometimes (2) Seldom/Never (1) Visual Modality †¢? I? remember? information? better? if? I? write? it? down. †¢? Looking? at? the? person? helps? keep? me? focused. †¢? I? need? a? quiet? space? to? get? my? work? done. †¢? When? I? take? a? test,? I? can? see? the? textbook? page? in? my? head. †¢? I? need? to? write? down? directions,? not? just? take? them? verbally. †¢? Music? or? background? noise? distracts? my? attention? from? the? task? at? hand. †¢? I? don’t? always? get? the? meaning? of? a? joke. †¢? I? doodle? and? draw? pictures? on? the? margins? of? my? notebook? pages. †¢? I? react? very? strongly? to? colors. †¢? Total Auditory Modality ? †¢? My? papers? and? notebooks? always? seem? messy. ? †¢? When? I? read,? I? need? to? use? my? index nger? to? track? my? place? on the line. ? †¢? I? do? not? follow? written? directions? well. ? †¢? If? I? hear? something,? I? will? remember? it. ? †¢? Writing? has? always? been? di? cult? for? me. ? †¢? I? often? misread? words? from? the? text? (eg,? them? for? then) ? †¢? I? would? rather? listen? and? learn? than? read? and? learn. ? †¢? I’m? not? very? good? at? interpreting? an?individual’s? body? language. ? †¢? Pages? with? small? print? or? poor? quality? copies? are? di? cult? for? me to read. ? †¢? My? eyes? tire? quickly,? even? though? my? vision? check-up? is? always ?ne. ? †¢? Total Kinesthetic Modality †¢? I? start? a? project? before? reading? the? directions. †¢? I? hate? to? sit? at? a? desk? for? long? periods? of? time. †¢? I? prefer? to? see? something? done? and? then? to? do? it? myself. †¢? I? use? the? trial? and? error? approach? to? problem-solving. †¢? I? like? to? read? my? textbook? while? riding? an? exercise? bike. †¢? I? take? frequent? study? breaks. †¢? I? have? di? culty? giving? step-by-step? instructions. †¢? I? enjoy? sports? and? do? well? at? several? di? erent? types? of? sports. †¢? I? use? my? hands? when? describing? things. †¢? I? have? to? rewrite? or? type? my? class? notes? to? reinforce? the? material. †¢? Total Total the score for each section. A score of 21 points or more in a modality indicates a strength in that area. The? highest? of? the? 3? scores? indicates? the? most? e? cient? method? of? information? intake.? The? second? highest? score indicates the modality which boosts the primary strength. Figure 7. 4:Example of questions should be responded by students to measure their learning styles. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 184 (b) Field-Dependent and Independent Teacher or student may utilize Field-Dependent or Independent Cognitive Style in percep- tion or information processing. Field-Independent learners perceive items as more or less separate from the surrounding ? eld. They are interested in concept for their own sake. They have self-de? ned goals and function successfully in self-structured situations and impersonal learning environments. For ? eld-dependent learners, their mode of learning is strongly in? uenced by the prevailing context or setting. They are more aware of their surroundings as they learn. These learners value practical information. They can memorize human faces and social facts such as best friend’s birth date more easily than ? eld- independent learners. Garger and Guild(1987) have summarized the characteristics of ? eld-independent and ?eld-dependent learners. These are illustrated in Table 7. 3. From this table it is clear that, at least in the extremes, the two styles are very different. Table 7. 3 Characteristics of Field-Dependent and Independent learners. Perceives globally. Perceives analytically. FIELD-DEPENDENT FIELD-INDEPENDENT Makes broad general distinctions among concepts, sees relationships. Learns material with social content best. Requires externally de? ned goals and reinforcements. Makes speci? c concept distinctions, little overlap. Learns social material only as an intentional task. Has self-de? ned goals and reinforcements. Experiences in a global fashion, adheres to structures as given. Social orientation. Attends best to material relevant to own experience. Needs organization provided. Experiences in an articulate fashion, imposes structures of restrictions. Impersonal orientation. Interested in new concepts for their own sake. Can self-structure situations. Learning Styles- Dependence and Independence Descriptions. 185i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 185 More a? ected by criticism. Less a? ected by criticism. Uses spectator approach for concept attainment. Uses hypothesis-testing approach to attain concepts. Teacher and students can assess their cognitive style using Embedded Figures Test (EFT) or Group Embedded Figures Test(GEFT). In this test, they have to recognize geometry ?gure, which are embedded in the picture or in the background. Those who can recognize the ? gure faster than the others are learners with the ? eld-independent style and those who take longer than a few seconds or cannot ? nd the ? gure at all, can be classi? ed as ? eld- dependent learners. Figure 7. 5 illustrates an example of Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Recognize? the? geometry gure,? which? are? embedded? in? the? designs? picture.? INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 186 Answer: Figure 7. 5: An example of Embedded Figure Test (EFT) If you are a ? eld-independent teacher, you may be comfortable giving lectures and empha- sizing cognition. You may prefer offering corrective feedback, using negative feedback as warranted, and you may use grades and personal goal charts motivationally. If you are a ? eld-dependent teacher, you may prefer interaction and conversation with your  students. You may rely less on corrective feedback and little on negative evaluations. You also like to establish a warm and personal environment and prefer to motivate through external reward such as verbal praise. Many educational psychologist views that if the teacher cognitive style match with the student cognitive style, students? will? bene? t? most? and? vice? versa.? Student? learn? best when there is congruence between their preferred teaching style. Unfortunately, most teachers ignore student’s? cognitive? style? because? it? takes? longer? time? for? them to prepare lesson plan and devices or activities to  ful? l their needs. 1. What is cognitive style and learning style? 2. Give a few examples of learning or cognitive styles. 187i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 187 7. 5 GENDER DIFFERENCES Linguistic diversity is one of the elements that contributes to student’s diversity. Your class will have language diversity, and you will have to realize that you need to be sensitive to this linguistic diversity and adjust accordingly. In Malaysia, we are lucky because the medium of instruction is in Malay or Bahasa Melayu for all subjects except for English. Furthermore, English is regarded as the second language  and all students must pass the subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysialevel or the form 5 national exam. It moulds young generations of Malaysia to at least mastering three languages, namely Bahasa Melayu, the English language, and their mother tongue. With this capacity, it enhances the Malaysians to understand each other and to live harmoniously. Tan (2003) suggested two ways to teachers in addressing language diversity as shown in Figure 7. 3, which are Facilitating English, and Immersion and Transitional Methods. In Asian society, being a girl or a boy has signi? cant impact. The people usually adore boys than girls. It’s because most Asian country are rice bowl or dependent on agriculture where the man are more utilizable in manual jobs than ladies. But they forget, in terms of resilience and patience, the women are the winners! Now, let us examine gender-related student differences in several ways and explore their implications for teaching. Are you resent being a girl? You don’t have to. Accept things as it is. (a) Developmental rates According? to? Egan? and? Kauchak: â€Å"Di? erences exist in boys’ and girls’ developmental rates. Girls develop faster with? di? erences? in? verbal? and? motor? skills? appearing? at? an? early? age.? Boys?and? girls? are? di? erent in other areas as well, and these di? erences appear as early as the preschool years. Girls tend to play with dolls and other girls and to gravitate toward activities such as? make-believe? and? dress-up.? Boys? play? with? blocks,? cars,? dinosaurs,? and? other? boys. † (Egan and Kauchak, 1997). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 188 We? can? observe? society? and? family,? school? and? work? place? treat? girls and boys di? erently. In the family, they are treated di? erently from the day they were born. †¢? Baby? girls? are? given? pink? blankets,? are? called? cute? and? handled? delicately. †¢? Baby? boys? are? dressed? in? blue,? are? regarded? as? handsome,? and are seen as tougher, better coordinated, and hardier. Di? erences in treatment continue in later years. In high school, girls? become? cheerleaders? for? the? boys,? who? become? basketball? or? football players. (b) Family treatment (c) Expectation for school success (d) Academic area These di? erences also include expectation for school success. Parents? probably? communicate? di? erent? expectations? for? their? sons and daughters. Researchers have found that: Research on gender e? ects founded di? erences in boys and girls in di? erent academic areas. According? to? Maccoby? and? Jacklin, â€Å"Parents’? gender-stereotyped? attitudes? toward? girls’? ability? in? math,? adversely? in? uence? their? daughters’? achievement? in? math? and their attitudes toward it. † (Nagy-Jacklin, 1989 in Egan & Kauchak, 1997) â€Å"Boys? did? better? in? math? and? on? visual? and? spatial? tasks,? example? tasks? in? geometry.? Girls? did? better? in? on? verbal? skills? such? as? in? languages. † (Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974) 189i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 189 Boys? and? girls? also? received? di? erent? treatment? in? school.? Both? male? and? female? teacher? treat? boys? and? girls? di?erently. They? interact? with? the? boys? more? often? and? ask? them? more? questions,? and? those? questions? are? more? conceptual? and abstract. (e) Treatment in school Gender stereotyping also in? uences career decisions. According to Kochenberger-Stroeher: Signi? cantly, when children choose non-traditional roles for males or females, their choices are based on personal experience. â€Å"Di? erences in students’ view of gender-appropriate careers appear as early as kindergarten. † (Kochenberger-Stroeher, 1994) ? â€Å"One? of? the? most? powerful? factors? in? uencing? school? performance? is? socio-economic? status? (SES),?the? combination? of? parents’? income,? occupations,? and? level? of? education.? SES? consistently? predicts? intelligence? and? achievement? test? scores,? grades,? truancy? and dropout and suspension rates. † (Ballantine, 1989 in Egan & Kauchak, 1997) 1. Why teacher treat boys and girls differently? 2. Give few examples of different treatment to boys and girls. 3. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to gender differences. 7. 6 DIFFERENCES IN SOCIO? ECONOMIC STATUS According to Ballantine; INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 190 Many? families? lack? in? proper? nourishment,? and? adequate? medical? care.? Poverty? also? in? uences? the? quality? of? home-life,? unstable? work? conditions? increased? economic? problems? that? lead to parental frustration, anger and depression. These pressures? can? lead? to? family? scattered,? marital? con? ict? and? nurturing homes. The impact of SES is also transmitted through parental attitudes and values where their attitudes and values are different. Example is in interaction pattern. †¢ Low SES parents are more likely to â€Å"tell,† rather than explain. †¢ High SES parents, in contrast, talk more with their children, explain ideas and the cause of events, and encourage independent thinking. Walbergs observed that: â€Å"High SES parents are more likely to ask â€Å"wh† questions (who, when, where, why) promoting language development, provide strong foundation for reading and vocabulary development. † (Walberg, 1991) 191i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 191 The educational aspirations parents have for their children are probably the most powerful variables a? ecting achievement.? Parents? who? expect? their? children? to? graduate? from high school and to attend college have children who do well than parents who have low aspirations. These expecta- tions are communicated through dialogue betweenparents and children.? Low? SES? parents? in? contrast,? allow? their? children? to? â€Å"drift† into classes and often got loss in the shu? e and failed in their lives. The differences between low and high SES families also re? ect the emphasis placed on student’s autonomy and responsibility. High-SES parents emphasize self-direction, self- control, and individual responsibility while low-SES parents, in contrast, place greater emphasis on conformity and obedience. 1. What is meant by parents’ SES differences? 2. Give few examples impact of SES on student’s aspirations, attitudes and values. 3. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to SES bdifferences. 7. 7 WAYS IN EMBRACING DIVERSITIES To be a good teacher, you should know the ways to embracing diversities among your students. Below are the discussions on how to handle your student’s diversities in the gender differences, cultural, race and ethnicity, learning style, socio–economy and linguistic differences. (a) Gender differences It is not easy to eliminate gender differences in the class, but to make teacher cautious and not gender bias, Figure 7. 6 shows some recommendations warrant that need to be considered. Avoid stereotypical language. (Example: â€Å"Okay, guys lets get work†) Provide equal opportunities for males and females. (Example: club membership). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 192 In eliminating race and ethnicity, we move toward moulding one Malaysian nation with the same identity and characteristics such as same language and same spirit. One of the ways to unite Malaysians is through education system where all races study in the same school, same college and same university. All Malay- sian? know? and? appreciate? the? same? food? like? nasi lemak, roti canai, the tarik, tosay,mee teow, mee suah and etc. In coping with students with learning styles diversity, teacher  may use multi-approach in instruction such as cooperative learning which is suitable for ? eld-dependent students and doing experiment and also suitable for ? Eld-independent students. During instruction, teacher may use diagram and charts which is suitable for visual learner, using records and video tapes? which? is? suitable? for? auditory? learners? and? utilize? hands-on experience such as experimenting for tactile learners. Reduce or oust gender-typed activities. (Example: Girls have to cook, boys wash the car). Figure 7. 6: Some recommendations warrant that need to be consider to eliminate gender  differences in the class. (b) Cultural diversity In eliminating cultural diversity, teacher may utilize assimilation, amalgamation or cultural pluralism approach. In Malaysia we are encouraged to utilize cultural pluralism approach. (c) Race and ethnicity (d) Learning styles diversity 193i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 193 Teacher have to help students from poor family to excel by motivating them to learn, give extra-class to help them catch up? with? the? other? students,? maybe? organizing? charity? work? to? earn? money? that? can? be? donated? to? the? poor? students.? Later,? teacher? can? also?