Gender Equity in Math and Science Essay -- Essays Papers

Gender Equity in Math and Science From the research I have read while there is a disagreement on when and how much of a gender gap exists in math and science, there is definitely an equity issue that needs addressing. There seems to be an abundance of information about equity issues and as a future teacher I feel that it is important to examine these issues. If gender equity issues exist in today's’ classrooms why do they and what can be done to help correct it. Everything I've read so far states that a gender gap exists in science, while opinions about math vary. I found a paper on the Internet from the National Center for Education Statistics called â€Å"Trends In Educational Equity of Girls & Women.† Using information from NAEP this source states that between 1973 and 1994 academic achievement of females in math was about equal to males (NCES, 2000). The NCES report states that females and males take similarly challenging academic courses (2000). Baker (2001) however writes that research shows that there is a slight female superiority in elementary school and middle school and a moderate male superiority in high school in math and science. Baker (2001) researched gender equity in gifted elementary students in grades 4 and 6. After his study he concluded that â€Å"gender had a significant effect on the performance of high performing students in grades 4 and 6† (Baker, p.134). Baker reported a slight female super iority in relation to performance in the area of math computation which is consistent with other studies he has read, but Baker found that males were superior in the understanding of math concepts and applications which is inconsistent with previous findings (2001). From reading our textbook the... .... Science Education, 84, 180-192. Kahle, J., and Lakes, M. (1983). The Myth of Equality in Science Classrooms. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20, 131-140. National Center for Education Statistics. (2000). Trends in Educational Equity of Girls & Women. Retrieved March 16, 2001 on the World Wide Web: http://nces.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pud=2000030. Sadker, M., Sadker, D., and Stulberg, M. (1993, March). Fair and Square? Creating a Nonsexist Classroom. Instructor, 44-46, 67-68. Sanders, J. (1997). Teacher Education and Gender Equity. (Eric Document No. ED408277). World Wide Web: http://ericir.syr.edu/plweb-cgi/obtain.pl. Retrieved March 16, 2001. Reys, R., Lindquist, M. Lambdin, D., Smith, N., and Suydam, M. (2001). Helping Children Learn Mathematics. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Power and Social Work

This essay shall begin by defining power, then will go on to discuss Marx Weber and Parson's theories of explanations which will in turn demonstrate how and to whom power is distributed. I shall then go on to discuss how this distribution of power applies to social work and the service users. Power and powerlessness go hand in hand as to have one the other must exist. As society is not egalitarian and never shall be, there will always be inequalities. These inequalities can be on both personal and structural levels. To enable us to understand power and social work we must firstly understand the theoretical explanation of the distribution of power, privilege, prestige and powerlessness within western society by looking at social divisions, class and their positions within society. Marx was interested in the theories of economic development, he believed that economy was dominated by agriculture and power was held by the aristocratic landowner, in the period when manufacture was the dominant mode of production which he called the ‘bourgeoisie age'. According to Marx the history of human society past and present, has been that of class struggles. There has always been a subdivision within society into different ranks, where social positions have come into grades. The ‘bourgeoisie age' has been split into two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marx defined class in the term of dominant ‘mode of production' and the position within the social organisation of the means of production, within industrial capitalism it was the bourgeoisie who owns the means of production and as a result exploits the proletariat who sells his labour to the owners of the means of production. The industrial middle class had created an industrial proletariate and the success of the middle class would ensure other classes would slip down into the proletariat, the lower middle class would be excluded from the bourgeoisie as they did not have enough capital to compete, this combined with the immersation of the proletariat to keep costs down was a mechanism , which would create the simple two class structure. Hence his theory that the labour process the bourgeoisie dominating and controlling the proletariat and a ‘legal and political superstructure (the political system of parliament etc government was neatly characterised as ‘managing the committee of bourgeoisie' this is how social stratification came about. Marx clearly believed that social stratification is an objective reality, which follows inevitably from the process of economic change. The welfare state is a result of struggle by working class people to achieve collective benefits within the system and is accepted by capitalists because it maintains the system, which strengthens their wealth. Social workers are thus put in a contradictory position as representatives of the welfare state, they help working class people but whilst doing so maintain the power of the owners of capital. Weber had a different analysis of the nature of classes, he allows the possibility of a multiplicity of economic classes. He found that as well as the bourgeoisie there were other intermediate groups. Weber would call these ‘status' groups. Weber suggests members of status groups have certain rights, privileges (or lack of it ) and so on. These create many social classes consisting of people in different occupations, requiring different skills and qualifications, hence, it has been accepted that occupation is used in defining class. According to Weberian theory: â€Å"authority is the legitimate exercise of power, ie the people whom that power is exercised accept it is legitimate and therefore recognise it's authority† Wiles, M in Power and Social Work Lecture notes Webers analysis of authority is that of Tradition (customs and practices of a group i.e. the royal family). Charismatic (the possession of leadership often related to religious leaders) and Rational-Legal Authority (institutionalised) this organisation is seen as the distinguishing form of organisation and legitimate authority in industrial society. This authority comes with rights and responsibilities of office when procedures are made and followed by subordinates hence the authority does not come from the individuals or traditions of the office but the responsibilities and procedures are designated within the position itself. Parsons the functionalist seeks to explain the structure of society, he views society as a system that is made up of a set of inter-connected parts, put together, form a whole. These parts are the institutions of society, the family, education system, political institutions etc, all of which share common goals and together work for balance and consensus and order in society. Parsons idea was that social groups need and will co-operate with one another therefore becoming interdependent, he finds it difficult to see how members of society could effectively work and co-operate together without social inequalities. The inequalities of power serve to further collective goals based on shared values will benefit members of society and hence integrate rather than divide societies. The ranking of individuals is based on a consensual view of the importance of positions. Today in western society class differentiation does exist and has an impact on life chances and determines how we live. The inequalities that exist are not only in class and status but also race, gender, age etc, people from these minority groups are often discriminated against and powerless. The majority of service users are those who are living in poverty and as stated in by Becker and MacPherson 1988 indicates service users are likely to be: ‘Old or young, able-bodied or with a special need, an offender, a single parent, an abused child or partner, black or white, service users are more likely to be poor and most likely to be drawn from those sections of the population which enjoy the least status, security and power.' Adams et al (2002) page 42 Authority is within the hierarchy of organisations, when the authority of one superior is then subordinate to the other. The bureaucracy is about rules set regulations and procedures and in turn promotes functions. Social work has seen the provision and development of new and somewhat complex structures e.g. highly developed and formalised division of labour, extensive hierarchies of command, rules and procedures, transactions are noted and recorded and that of trained officials. These try to combine specialisation with integration and co-ordinated direction whilst providing standardised services to meet the needs of the service users at the same time. The service users may perceive the social worker as a symbol of power who holds authority from a bureaucratic state. The negative aspect of this perception could be detrimental for the service user as this may hinder communication and co-operation between the service user and the social worker, therefore identification and resolve of the service users difficulty could be adversely delayed. Although the social worker has a degree of power within their profession, they are governed themselves by state legislation and legitimate authority, they are at times constrained by their agency as to how much power they actually have. If a service user who has been hospitalised and is now on his way to recovery but has physical impairments, therefore, requiring specialist equipment to be installed before he can return home the social worker although seeking to empower the service user cannot do so as constrained due to the lack of his/her agencies financial resources for the necessary equipment hence disempowering the service user. The agency itself is financed and budgeted by state, this may limit resources that the social worker may eventually offer or not offer the service user. As they work as part of a bureaucratic state they must follow procedures, guidelines and policies whilst striving amongst all this to serve the service users in such a manner as to never lose sight of the fact that they are individuals who have rights that must be respected and to ensure that the service user is empowered. Conclusion As social workers we are bound by the government's legislation on what we can and can not do for these individuals. The government has made social work a profession hence giving social workers the status then the power. Social workers are conditioned and controlled by the state as social workers are governed by the state to maintain the smooth functioning social order, in my opinion maintains the ‘status quo' on behalf of the state. Therefore social workers are in fact in alliance with the state and are instruments of state power who may at times be, themselves tied and bound by the power given to them, as stated by Harris â€Å"Social Workers s power is expressed not just by what they do but by what they are, and they are subject to the very power they are themselves exercising† in Davis ,M (2000) page 28 Social workers may very well find themselves at times in a no win situation whilst they are striving to empower the service user.

Effect of Colonialism on Gender Equality Relating to the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

When it comes to delegating responsibility, allocating power, and demanding equality, there always seems to be an underlying bias towards the masculine sector of society, which allows an imbalance regarding gender equality. Understanding where this way of thinking comes from is an essential part of trying to shift and completely erase the bias. Throughout history, a patriarchal pattern and way of thinking has been passed down from generation to generation; what we fail to see is the reason for this pattern and the ways in which we can remedy the situation.A great example of this issue is displayed in the novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. The female characters of Junot Diaz’s novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, La Inca, Beli, and Lola, demonstrate the ways in which colonialism led to the dehumanization of citizens, especially women, and how these power dynamics carry over into modern society in relationships between the majority and minority, b oth in terms of race and gender in their oppression and the stigma that is attached to being a Dominican immigrant women in America. There are three important women in the novel: La Inca, Beli, and Lola.Each are strong women who battle each other, men, the fuku, their past, their color, and–most important the fact that they are women. One can argue that this habit of undermining the female population comes all the way from when colonialism began to take place. Not only did this Western idea of colonizing mean degrading those that were more, barbaric and unfortunate. â€Å".. we must study how colonization works to decivilize the colonizer,to brutalize him in the true sense of the word, to degrade him, to awaken him to buried instincts, to covetousness, violence, race hatred, and moral relativism. (Cesaire 35) But it was from this that the idea of judging humans by their appearance came about and began to exist. Prior to this the idea of looking and judging by color, gender a nd physical appearance was non-existent. What we fail to see as a society is the realness of this matter, the fact that still in the 21st century this idea of inequality hits almost every single female in one way or another, affecting even the capability to sustain themselves economically because of the still present gender gap in salary wages. This struggle is specifically seen in foreign females residing in America.Junot Diaz in his novel very craftily, with much use of heteroglossia- the presence of two or more voices, discourses, or expressed viewpoints in a text or other artistic work and uncensored truth displays this with his female characters. Lola, represents the first generation American Hispanic female who struggles with finding a balance of her spanish culture and the urge of freeing herself from the stereotype she is expected to uphold. In her journey to oppose such characterization, and as a modern Dominican girl she could only push and dream on. â€Å"with promises t hat once I reached college I would be able to do whatever I pleased, burst out.I couldn’t help it†¦ It was a message more than a feeling, a message that tolled like a bell: change, change, change. † (Diaz 58) This feeling of hope is what drives and keeps many women working hard and pushing for positive changes still to this day. But the constant tag of war with essentialism- belief that a group of pe2ople exhibit traits, characteristics, or behaviors that are essential to their nature and membership to that group, is what drove Lola to the verge of insanity. â€Å"What it’s like to be the perfect Dominican daughter, which is just a nice way of saying Dominican slave. (Diaz 56) She fought like a mad cat for justice, freedom and opportunities. Basic human rights, but not for the average foreign female in the U. S. Her battle was seen as her â€Å"crazy years.. what Dominican girl doesn’t have those? † (Diaz 24) Her sense of independence and brav ery is taken and classified just merely because she is an ethnic female. â€Å"She’d turned into one of those Jersey dominicanas, a long distance runner who drover her own car, had her own checkbook, called men bitches, and would eat a fat cat in front of you without a speck of verguenza. (Diaz 25) To call such attitude honorable would be out of the question because to society she is stepping out of what her stereotype is suppose to be.On the other hand, feminism to traditional La Inca was never even a thought. La Inca is part of the female group that accepts the oppression and her given expected role in society. Instead of fighting against it she lives her entire life trying to maintain and protect her assigned role â€Å"La Inca, you see, was a serious woman, an upstanding woman, one of the best in her class. (Diaz 102) She fought hard to keep the status of her family up high, she is the result of a woman from a colonized country. She knows nothing more than what she is g iven and refuses and is scared to venture. La Inca is the traditional dominican mom, her only wish was for her daughter, Beli to succeed and achieve what she could not. But like many traditional mothers she wanted her daughter to stay rooted in her culture, just the mere thoughts of Beli going to the â€Å"extranjero† brought her anger â€Å" The U. S. was nothing more and nothing less than a pais overrun by gangsters, putas, and no-accounts. (Diaz 158) La Inca lives by what society has taught her to be, to do things for the well being of the men in society, to take care of the home but more importantly to stay at the bottom of the chain and not even think about fighting it. The fight against what colonialism has built the female population to be was started thanks to women like Beli. She represent the females who were tired of living the role they were given.â€Å"Beli could no longer abide working at the bakery or being the â€Å"daughter† of one of the â€Å"most upstanding women in Bani. † She could not abide, period†¦ hat she wanted, more than anything, was what she’d always wanted throughout her Lost Childhood: to escape. † (Diaz 80) She was able to detach herself and learn that there is more to life than what she was told. It is thanks to females like her that we are becoming aware of how far down colonialism has push females. That the â€Å"worship of women as objects of chivalric adoration† (Kaplan 107) should not be, society makes females feel â€Å"invited to imagine themselves participating in the adventures of empire as a means of rejoicing traditional roles. (Kaplan 110) This is what the support of imperial conquest has created. Hypatia Belicia Cabral, a lost dominican single mother in the U. S trying to escape from the culture that expects her to fulfill a given role. Colonialism allowed the lessening of a person just because of an aspect of their look or status.Just as Aime Cesaire states,  ".. while colonialism in its formal sense might have been dismantled, the colonial state has not. Many of the problems of democracy are products of the old colonial state whose primary difference is the presence of black faces. (Cesaire 27) This being a clear example of Oscar, who even in a new country with endless possibilities to succeed still drags on with him that curse of fuku and the result of colonialism as his cross which leads him to find a way to not succeed. Judged by his skin color and his constant battle of achieving the mastering of this male chauvinism, that also came as a result of colonialism and its oppression of woman. The reality is that colonization taught human beings to â€Å"dehumanizes even the most civilized man. † (Cesaire 41) It allowed this concept of â€Å"ownership† and superiority of a race against another- creating an evil chain.Wealthy men were the owners of less fortunate men, and as a result of chauvinism, men were the owners of wome n. â€Å"Colonial activity, colonial enterprise, colonial conquest, which is based on contempt for the native and justified by that contempt, inevitably tends to change him who undertakes it; that the colonizer, who in order to ease his conscience gets into the habit of seeing the other man as an animal accustoms himself to treating him like an animal, and tends objectively to transform himself into an animal. (Cesaire 27) Colonialism began to build a pyramid of levels of importance in society, placing wealthy men at the top following by the rest of the men population and lastly are those wealthy and educated woman; that regardless how hard they try could never climb up the set social cast as we see in the battle of Lola against this very restricted stereotype she gets casted into. Although many of these casted minorities move to the United States in search of freedom and equality, as Beli did in order to â€Å"escape,† many of them instead find a world heavenly still conden sed in the social dynamics carried over from colonialism.American domination – the only domination from which one never recovers. I mean from which one never recovers unscarred. † (Cesaire 77) As the ethnocentric country that we are, we like to criticize other nations in the way they handle their national issues but this is merely part of colonization, a skill that the United States as a whole has down to the most specific detail. By doing so the nation as a whole makes it that much easier for members of such colonized countries to undergo the process of which colonization becomes epidermalization- â€Å"The interiorisation of an inferiority complex based on socioeconomic inequalities. Such experience that all the characters in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao undergo and are in constant conflict with. As a nation of great power we possess many great attributes but lack immensely in the topic of equality of genders. Judging rulers of other countries such as Chavez, Castro and Hitler, when these rulers had so much more to offer their woman in comparison to the United States.Although they committed crimes of which none are applaud for, what we don’t like to state and teach is that in spite of all this â€Å"wrong†, women in these particular countries received the support and were asked to better themselves and contribute to the economical development of their own nation. â€Å"By any standards, the position of women in Cuba ranks among the highest indices of equality of treatment and opportunities. † (Women In Cuba) In Venezuela Chavez receives the support of thousands of women, both in government and outside. Tania Diaz, governing party candidate for the capital district and previously minister of communications, said the aim of the activity was to support the president†¦. Since the government came to power women’s opportunities for development and for participation in Venezuelan society had multiplied. † (Pearson) While in Hitlers world, women were encouraged to train and become strong in order to become competitive with the male population and thus take part in the advancement of the Nazi nation. Hitler provided places for the female youth to learn and support each other in such advancements.These youth group was called the League of German Girls, founded in 1930. An important part of life in the League of German Girls was to help the girls build character, and to prepare them for what were supposed to be their future tasks within the Nazi Volksgemeinschaft, or people's community, by getting them involved in programs that were for the â€Å"good of the people† (Chris Crawford and Stephan Hansen) Empowering woman was something that was done in these nation, had These nations although accused of being some of the most dehumanizing, underdeveloped societies, have more opportunity and support for all of their women citizens.Allowing them to become just as competitive in the wor k force and every other aspect of society. While in America the gap between male and female equality is still so spread, and even more so the gap between male and an ethnic female. The power of oppression towards women as a result of colonialism and how these power dynamics carry over into our modern society is something that we must begin to shift. That although America tries to escape from being called a colonizer, we have become victims of our own poison. â€Å"Domestic and foreign spaces are closer than we think, and that the dynamics of imperil expansion cast them into jarring proximity. (Kaplan 1)Cesaire, Aime Discourse on Colonialism, 1955 Edition Presence Africaine Chris Crawford and Stephan Hansen, http://bdmhistory. com/research/main. html#two, copyright 2003-2008. Diaz, Junot The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, 2007 Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Kaplan, Amy The Anarchy of Empire In the Making of U. S Culture, 2002 President and Fellows of Harvard College ?Pearson, Tamara, à ¢â‚¬Å"Venezuelan Women Swear to be â€Å"Guardians† of Chavez in?Response to CNN,† VENEZUELANALYSIS. COM, http://venezuelanalysis. com/news/5644 Women in cuba- http://www. cuba-solidarity. org. uk/

Learning New Things

Learning New Things As a full-time college student majoring in Nursing I hope to become a RN one day. I work part-time as a CNA in a Nursing Home now. Being a CNA is very hard work. I don’t want to do that forever I want to become something better. My former co-workers always tell me I’m too young to do that kind of work and to keep going to school to better myself. Being a nurse can sometime be hard work too. Nurses have to make sure the patients are doing good and eating right. Some of the patients can get a little rude and they will fight you. When I seen that happen I was shocked and scared.The first thing the nurse did was ask me to help hold the patient down while she give him his medicine. While holding him down she was talking to him trying to calm him down. She was telling him things like I’m not trying to hurt you I’m only trying to help. He was still fighting and cursing. I couldn’t believe that happened. As I watched, I was scared. I nev er been in a situation like that before. However, it is good experience because nurses have to go through that everyday. I was thinking about what would I do if I was the nurse that day. It made me think about if I really wanted to a nurse anymore.I do, but I want to work in a hospital I think that would be better than a nursing home. I realized that patients have their bad and good days. Sometimes they don’t feel like being bothered or touched. Some days they don’t mind if you help them but most of the time they try to be independent. On the patient bad days you just have to have patients and stay calm. Being a nurse comes with many responsibilities. It’s an easy job but it can be difficult. I always loved helping others and caring for people that’s what made me want to become a nurse. I think I have the patients to do the job. I am learning a lot while I’m working as a CNA.

EU & HR Seen Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

EU & HR Seen Questions - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to study the acts impacts on privacy issues and other controversies related to the UK Human Rights Act of 1998. One of the first cases that spark controversy related to this act involved The Times and a convicted murder Lee Clegg. Lee Clegg was a military officer convicted of murdering a teenage joy rider in 1993 for which he served a two and half year sentence before been cleared by the courts of the charges (BBC, 2000). While the soldier was in prison the newspaper followed a protest of people campaigning for the release of Mr. Clegg and later published an article. The lawyer of Lee Clegg did not like the newspaper involvement and suit them for libel, a civil suit which Mr. Clegg won. The Times claimed they were within their rights to publish the story, but the court decision was based on the fact the activity was a private meeting which did not provide them with the rights reporters have of writing and voicing their opinions of public events. In this case the Human Rights Act of 1998 ruled in favor of an individual over the press and allowed this person to earn a significant cash award of over $100,000. The ruling created a precedent which would open the door for the utilization of the Act for other judicial purposes. Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 involves the right to respect for private and family life. Article 8(2) stipulates that there shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except as in accordance with this law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interest of national security, public safety, or economic well being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of rights or freedoms of others (Opsi, 1998). Article 8 protects intrusion into the private life of individuals, a

History of Art and Visual Culture 1400 - 1900 Essay

History of Art and Visual Culture 1400 - 1900 - Essay Example Conversely, the Visual Art is regarded as a form of intellectual and cognitive learning skills and experiences. For example, the construction of the circle, rectangular drawings, and painting composition procedures are described to be having ability of demanding high judgment values from the painters. The body entombment was presented in its original size, shape, kind and color complying with the law of nature. In addition, the measurements and the proportions of the living creatures that were around d the death served as a point of reference in making the Entombment justification to be a real event (Zirpolo, 2008). However, death body manifested itself when the limbs and other parts of the body could not be able to perform any duty of life function. Nevertheless, apart from the color, size, function and the kind composition abilities evaluated, individual confirming dignity of the entombed body was addressed. For instance, the clothing used in the death event presented type, functio n and dignity, a factor that was very essential in the ancient painting. The Raphael entombment picture was pleasing and appealing; it had a mixture of old men and youths without indicating a virtual emptiness. Additionally, the attitude and gestures were not appearing in the entombed feature as the mourners were in full control of the entombed movement activities (harmony in accordance with the action). The entombment emotions were presented moving in different directions presenting grief and anger.

Owner Controlled Insurance Programs versus Traditional Insurance Term Paper

Owner Controlled Insurance Programs versus Traditional Insurance Programs - Term Paper Example It is purchased by construction owner for the benefit of builders or contractors engaged with the project, which includes compensation of workers, general liability, pollution liability, builders risk and professional liability among others. OCIP is a comparatively new vehicle in insurance sector for residential projects. Due to rapid growth of defective constructive designs, these policies are becoming highly popular among the builders and the contractors (Grenier, 2001). The study is mainly based on the analysis of OCIP versus Traditional insurance programs. Both the insurance policies play vital roles in the construction sector but OCIP provides advanced reliability than traditional insurance policies, as OCIP wraps up multiple policies provided by the owner to the contractors or the developers in a project including the facilities which are not supported in traditional insurance policies. Risks Associated with OCIP OCIP is commonly known as Wrap-Up Policy in United States. Both the OCIP and traditional policies were developed in 1950’s. The difference between the owner controlled insurance program and traditional insurance program lies with those who procure the policy. In OCIP, an individual party purchases insurance policies for all contractors involved in the project but in case of traditional insurance program, it is not applicable (Olson, 2006).... Although OCIP provides numerous benefits, there are various risks associated with it both for owners as well as contractors which are stated below: Risk of Owners The risk can be identified through various factors including administrative burden which signifies that if OCIP is not managed accurately, it can provide huge administrative load on the contractors. Subsequently, the liability of the construction owners is also likely to increase. OCIPs are useful mainly in large projects, small construction owners are deprived from the facilities of this policy. The small contractors of United States have been witnessed at times to prefer acquiring higher limits of insurances than that provided by owners which can place a negative impact on the contractors (Gibson, 2006). There is always a market risk associated with every program. The market risk signifies that if the market of insurance hardens, there is a possibility of financial risk which can result in increase of premium cost. Bid Pr eparation aspect signifies that there are certain additional costs involved in it, such as retention of a risk consultant, a complete study of advantages and disadvantages of OCIP, submission of proposals and detail interviews (Taylor, 2011). Risk of Contractors The risk of the contractors can also be observed by certain significant factors. For example, limited insurance coverage is one of the vital aspects which focuses on the limitations in the insurance policies provided through OCIP to contractors. This acts as a barrier which the contractors have to face in this policy. Further, is the complicated bidding which highlights on the view that if bidding is done with the contractors of the United States, the insurance also gets included. The contractors would not be able to recover