Contributions of Science in Maintaining World Peace Essay Example for Free

Contributions of Science in Maintaining World Peace Essay Science has made great progress in recent times. Through science man has been able to conquer nature. He has acquired control over land, air and water. Time and distance have no meaning in this sputnik Age. Some people think that science is responsible for wars. It has placed in the hands of the man extremely destructive weapons. They may ruin the world completely. It may be true to some extent. But science has also contributed a lot towards world peace. Today very fast means of transport and communications are available. Armies can be moved from one place to another in no times. These forces check the advance of an enemy. Thus war is prevented. Big wars break out due to certain causes. Poverty, disease, hunger, etc. , are enemies of mankind. Some countries are rich while others are poor. Scientific inventions have given us valuable machines. With their help production has been increased manifold. Even the backward and poor countries have now begun to enjoy a better standard of living. The contribution of science to medical science is well known to everyone. Wonderful drops like penicillin, streptomycin, Chloromycetin, etc. , have been discovered. They have ensured long and healthy life to the people of the world. By removing such causes of war, science has helped in reducing the chances of a world war to the minimum. Small sparks lead to big conflagrations. Similarly minor internal disturbances within a country sometimes lead to big wars, but now-a-days the police and military can be sent to the spots of trouble within no time. Thus, internal peace is far more secure today than it ever was. Science has given very effective means of propaganda. The Radio, the Television, the News paper and the cinema are very powerful means of propaganda. Through them, the people of the world can easily know the horrible effects of modern warfare. Through cinema, pictures of horrors of war are shown to the people. Thus public opinion is created against war. This also helps in preventing war. Science has not reached the limits of its inventions even now. It is making even more starting inventions. It is now busy in acquiring control over outer space. Furthermore, man is today more conscious of necessity of world peace than ever before. He has begun to use his knowledge of science for peaceful purposes. Let us be optimistic that science enables us to banish war completely in the near future.

Indian Culture And Infosys Ltd Commerce Essay

Indian Culture And Infosys Ltd Commerce Essay Throughout management history, culture has played a more important role in organisation for both employers and employees, as it provides a background to understanding an organisations identity rules and mission. This essay evaluates the effect of organisational culture based on the theoretical research, Cultural Dynamic Model of Mary Jo Hatch (1993), as well as observations of the companys climate and interview with one of the employees of the company. It will consist of the general information about culture, features of Indian national identity, basic culture theories and description of the Cultural Dynamic Model and its main processes. Limitations of this analysis will also be mentioned at the end of the report. Moreover, each part of the report will include an application of the processes of the model to the Indian IT company Infosys Ltd, which specialises in offshoring technology services and has more than 100,000 employees worldwide. Considering the culture within organisations, it is essential to emphasise that culture is an extremely difficult topic, and it can be defined in many ways  [1]  . According to Lundberg (1990) culture as a day-to-day sense may be understood intuitionally, and includes a variety of aspects, such as being a broad and shared by group members psychological phenomenon within any stable organisation with a history. It has invisible symbolic and deeply buried values and assumptions in its core, which can be gained and modified in some rare cases  [2]  . Indian Culture and Infosys Ltd. Infosys culture is a reflection of its co-founder, Narayan Murthy, who imposed a southern Indian culture, and consequently recruited individuals from that region. As the company grew, it decided to recruit from different regions to take advantage of the countrys cultural diversity. Kanungo, Sadavarti and Srinivas (2001) suggest that organisational culture in India has been linked to organisational success or less successful performance (p.30). This explains Infosys strong culture and drives to improve employees well-being. In order to manage diversity, corporate policies became more flexible and employee focused by providing benefits such as accommodations, sets of recreational facilities and other advantages for their welfare  [3]  . Hence, Infosys recognise the importance of cultural differences because of its potential to increase the companys overall performance. Furthermore, Indian opinion leaders and policy makers encourage employee involvement, as organisations cant afford to neglect their cultural dimension (Kanungo, Sadavarti and Srinivas , p.51). Additionally, organisations that can nurture the innovative dimensions of their culture in a person-centered manner are more likely to treat culture as a meaningful organizational process (Ibid., p.52) that encourages growth of IT in India. Cultural Theories Allaire and Firsirotu (1984) see organisations as sociocultural systems and organisations as systems of ideas. In the former, social and cultural components are integrated and synchronized in the organisation, where the focus lies with values, norms, and beliefs and with the interaction of individuals who constitute concrete collectivities (Ibid., p.195). In system of ideas, culture is located in the minds of culture-bearers or viewed as systems of knowledge of learned standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating and acting (Ibid., p.148). Furthermore, Schein (1990) has an alternative approach to organisational culture. In his research he identifies it on three levels: observable artifacts, values and basic assumptions. The observable artifacts are the visible manifestations of an organisations culture such as the physical and material objects and the level of technology. He suggests that it includes everything from the physical layout, the dress code, the manner in which people address each other, the smell and feel of the place, its emotional intensity (Ibid., p.111). The values, which are located between the artifacts and the basic assumptions, determine the behavioral norms. At this level the focus is on how people feel and think (Ibid., p.112). The Basic assumptions are difficult to detect and change. They determine the unconscious perceptions, thought processes, feelings, and behavior of individuals (Ibid., p.112). The model below displays Scheins model of organisational culture. Source: Schein 2004, p. 26 The chosen model The model we will apply to Infosys is Mary Jo Hatchs (1993) The Dynamic Model. It is an enhanced model based on Scheins (1985), which emphasises on symbolic and process factors. The Symbols aspect was introduced to the elements of Scheins model, which makes this model more complex. Connecting these elements together made a spinning wheel structure, which was interpreted as being able to operate both forward (proactive/prospective) and backward (retrospective/retroactive). This in turn has created a more dynamic relationship between the elements as opposed to a static relationship between them. The Mary Jo Hatch model we will use is displayed below. C:UsersFrankDesktopdynamic model.jpg Source: Hatch 1993, p. 660 Manifestation The point of entry to using the model is variable, as this will be influenced by the research topic. For this particular study, we will use assumptions as the starting point for our analysis (Hatch, 1993). The process between assumptions and values is manifestation, which can be further sub-categorised into proactive (assumptions to values) and retroactive (values to assumptions). Infosyss vision is to be a globally respected corporation. The underlying assumptions consist of having high standards and having an enthusiastic approach to learn, as well as being hard working, competitive and honest. The processes of proactive manifestation shapes these intangible assumptions into distinct values of the company, such as impressing the client, being the market leader, being fair and ethical as well as constantly striving for perfection (Infosys Ltd, 2012). Retrospective manifestation occurs when there is a change in values, which can lead to possibly maintaining or transforming existing assumptions. The CEO of Infosys and managing director included employees as intangible assets in their 2011 balance sheet and stated that their employees were their value. Numerous employees assume that their employer, disregards their hardworking efforts, which contradicts existing assumptions. Ultimately, it could possibly have enough influence to change the current assumptions and create a new set of assumptions. Realisation According to Hatchs dynamics model (1993), an organisations artifacts are the most realisable aspects of its culture. Realisation transforms values into artifacts (proactive realisation) and accordingly, keeps or changes the existing values through the production of new artifacts (retroactive realisation). As emphasized by one of the ex-employees of Infosys, the company has built an environmentally friendly strategy. This can be made clear from Infosys operating using a clean power source of windmills that are attached to each building and the use solar powered mini-vans for handicapped and pregnant women for transportation within the company. Furthermore, they give large amounts of money to charities, focusing on poor people and children education. In addition, following a natural disaster in any part of the world, an online portal is opened for donation transactions. If an employee wishes to donate money it will be debited from their salary. Infosys believes that everything should be provided for the people it employs. Most of the buildings are like well designed and include food courts, sport facilities and employee care centers. In some cases a 4-star hotel is included, as well as gardens and other leisure facilities. Infosys wants to encourage communication between project members and employees to create a good work ethic, for example various activities are organised after each project completion to help employees get a better understanding of each other, to ultimately promote efficient work processes and good outputs/performance. Awards for the most effective people are presented each year. In addition, employees have the chance to meet and talk to the top management team. Moreover, there are daily quiz competitions and music meetings organised for the employees. Mondays and Tuesdays everyone is required to be in formal dressing. There is a flexible approach to communication, employees are encouraged to talk informally to each other and fun and jokes are allowed. The methods above increase employees effectiveness and creativity. People are generally self-motivated inside the company as they are continuously monitored by their supervisors and managers who use a check list of attributes. The monitored period is discussed on a 6 month basis as a part of the appraisal cycle. Regular efficiency reports are also distributed to announce the department with the best performance. Moreover, there are weekly internal newsletters informing the employees of the companys news and other relevant subjects. These cultural artifacts have been incorporated in the organisations culture through a long process of experimenting and assessment in order to reflect the companys values. Since they are absorbed in the culture, they work retroactively to realign values as culture adjusts to their presence (Hatch 1993, p.667), which means that artifacts through retroactive realisation have the ability to alter the organisational values throughout time, although it is a long process. Symbolisation Symbols are referred to the visible, the physical manifestations and to the indicators of organisational life. Symbols are experienced as tangible and can be noticed through sound, touch, sight and smell (Rafaeli and Worline, 1999). Symbols and artefacts are indistinguishable and a list of organisational symbols consists of the corporate logos, slogans, stories, visual images and metaphors (Gioia, 1986 cited in Hatch, 1993, p. 669) while corporate behaviour consists of values and norms and corporate communication consists of public relations and advertising. In Infosys a particular dress code is followed which is considered as a part of companys corporate design where men are required to wear full sleeve shirt and tie and women are meant to wear full formal wear like salwar kamij. Prospective symbolisation suggests that an artefact is an objective form in a literal meaning. Firstly they arise as just artefacts and by adding cultural processing they get recognised as symbolic forms by the organisation (Brown,1993 and Tompkin, 1987 cited in Hatch, 1993, p.670). Retrospective symbolisation enhances prospective symbolisation which furthers the meaning of the aspect. In addition, Infosys logo remains one until retrospective symbolisation takes place which results in the emblem meaning much more such as an image for purpose and vision corresponding to its slogan Powered by Intellect, driven by values (Infosys Limited, 2004). Corporate behaviour is the attitude of an organisation when it is considered as a single body. Values define customer satisfaction and leadership. Norms are for the long term development of Infosys and the best standards of corporate governance should be applied for greater prosperity such as an increased customer base and profits. The company applied a good level of external communication and it never compromised on its profit margin. External clients are aware of the Infosys service quality, are never concerned about bargaining the terms and conditions and always wants to give their business to the company. Also, the company keeps its client well informed concerning progress of their project, through weekly meetings. Infosys is a knowledge intensive company which recognises the value of its human assets in maintaining an enhanced culture. The business activities of the company are anchored into the pillars of corporate behaviour which are business ethics and corporate social responsibility. According to the interviewee Infosys main ethic is based around the notion that Client is the Boss and that it tends to prioritise client requirements over its own as long as their margin standards are met. Also, Infosys adopted schools in villages and took full responsibility of education of children; ex CEO runs his own non-governmental organisation in which they use to raise funds for the poor. Interpretation In terms of cultural assumptions, it can be useful to refer to not only the Dynamic Model, but also the original model of Schein, where the assumptions are viewed as the core content of the organisational culture. As basic assumptions consists of unconscious and strong granted beliefs within an organisation (Schein, 2004), in Infosys it can be seen as a less hierarchical and friendly atmosphere between employees as a part of the culture of the organisation. However, from a cultural dynamic perspective, interpretation is considered as a bidirectional process that contains an interaction between current symbols and basic assumptions. Schutz (1970, cited by Hatch, 1993) claimed that interpretation was a significant medium for establishing the meaning of an experience and involved the retrospective and prospective interpretations simultaneously. The former is a move from basic assumptions to current symbols, which can be seen in relation to Infosys as the activities for a successful completion of the work. Emotional satisfacion from the rewards can be related to the competitions and games organised by the company. The Prospective path introduces an influence on basic assumptions from symbols, such as newly created activities and rewards systems, which may influence the creation of new assumptions and opinion within the company. According to Ricoeur (1976 cited in Hatch, 1993: 674) interpretation should be viewed as a second-order experience of symbolisation which can be distinguished with the direct experience. Hatch (1993) summarised interpretation in two points: Firstly, current symbolisation experience was interpreted in an existing cultural frame and revised assumptions by constructing some new meaning. The prospective interpretation focuses more on the move from external symbols to company assumptions and also involves a reciprocal effect. Infosys describes itself as multi-cultural because of its global and diverse recruitment base. It may be a significant reason and stimulus for the free, active, inclusive and innovative work atmosphere inside the company. Employees from different nations and regions bring various and contrasting opinions and work styles to the workplace, which promote the development of innovative and specific ideas, methods and perspectives. Multi-cultural employees offer a special cultural content for Infosys, who gives a symbolic significance to it. Secondly, cultural assumptions had effects on symbols and supplied opportunities for culture to re-establish existing symbolised content and engage new symbols. Infosys emphasises on its innovation and freedom, for example it organises events at least twice a year where lower level employees get to meet top management. Sports, culture and art are supported and several fun clubs and activities are provided. It also has a rich internal communications to supply opportunities for employees to know how their organisation works, how decisions are made, and what drives the company to develop. Limitations of report interview Although the chosen model for this analysis is very complex, there are still limitations to the report. Firstly, the fact that only one person was interviewed limits the report because the perception of an individual does not necessarily represent the rest of the employees. Moreover, our main source of information is the Infosys official site. However, it is understandable that there is a strict policy about the information available on their website. Secondly, the Cultural Dynamic Model has a few underlying limitations. Hatch tried to fill the gaps in Scheins model by adding symbols as a new category and used the interpretation process to explain the relationship between symbols and assumptions. However, the explanation for this process was relatively short in comparison to other processes within the model. Furthermore, the processes of the model concentrate on cognitive and social behaviours, but not on the relationship between the members of the organization (Hatch 1993). Future research should work on expanding the interpretation processes of the model to make it clearer, as well as including interrelationship factors into the model. Conclusion Infosys emphasises on the importance of culture. It uses a hierarchical structure, however this does not imply it uses a rigid chain of command, and a strict set of rules. The Company values its employees, its diversity and the different skills and working practices employees bring to it. Furthermore, it is concerned with their well being and this can be shown by employees being classed as assets on their balance sheet. It provides a relaxing environment for employees to work in and provide them numerous benefits to increase productivity, efficiency and innovation. In addition, it enables low level employees to meet and interact with top management by organising at least two events every year. Additionally, certain rules and regulations still exist to ensure efficient working practices. Infosys has found the right proportion of rules and regulations with freedom and relaxation, and this is what gives it strong organisational culture. Word Count: 2,648

Traitor in The Defector Episode of Star Trek Essays -- Star Trek Trait

Traitor in The Defector Episode of Star Trek In "The Defector," Jarroc becomes a traitor when he betrays the Romulan Empire. Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has several definitions for "betrayal," but the one we are interested in is the second, which reads, "to deliver to an enemy by treachery" (109). By defecting and telling the Federation of the Romulan plan to invade, Jarroc does just that. Merriam-Webster's further defines a traitor as "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty" (1252). By defecting to the Federation and using information that the Romulan High Council gave him in trust to harm the Romulan Empire, Jarroc became a traitor. Until the very end of the show, Jarroc did not believe that he was a traitor. When Riker asked him why he had set his ship to self-destruct (thereby keeping the Federation from learning its secrets), Jarroc replied, "Wouldn't you? To keep your ship from being captured?" Riker became a little upset and said, "Excuse me, Setal, but I thought you were defecting." Jarroc's reply illustrates his attitude: "I am not a traitor" ("The Defector"). One's attitude toward a particular instance of defection (forsaking one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology) depends almost entirely upon the observer's position (Merriam 302). Riker equates defection with treason. As we see later in the episode, so do the Romulans. Jarroc, though, has a unique position. Though he has defected (he does not deny it), he still does not think of himself as a traitor. Jarroc does not finally give in and commit treason (in his own mind) until near the end of the episode, when he meet s with Picard. Picard refuses to move until Jarroc provides some evid... ...betrayed himself. Also, by failing in his mission to save his children by keeping the Romulans from going to war, he betrayed his unofficial oath to them. War was the Romulans' aim--Tomalak explicitly said so during the confrontation in the Neutral Zone. Thanks to good planning on Picard's part, though, the Romulans' plans did not come to fruition. Jarroc's daughter would not die in the war that he had been lead to believe was coming, but his actions did not save her. Jarroc himself puts it most succinctly when he says, "I did it for nothing. My home, my family . . . for nothing." Works Cited Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1993. "The Defector." Prod. Ira Steven Behr. Dir. Robert Sheerer. Perf. Patrick Stewart and James Sloyan. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Syndicated. KBVO, Austin. 14 Jan. 1990

Othello the Outsider Essay -- Othello essays

Othello the Outsider   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare's tragic hero, Othello, was a man whose gifts far outnumbered his weaknesses. On the battlefield, he was accomplished; in his profession, he was highly ranked; and, in his life, he was blissfully married. Despite these great advantages, however, Othello's destiny was ruin. Everything he had so carefully made for himself would be destroyed by one flaw: his fear of remaining an outsider. He feared this fate, yet he harped on it continuously, tearing himself between his identity as a foreigner and his desire to live as a normal citizen. Even so far back as his first public speech, perturbations caused by this internal unrest surfaced, and it was unrest that would ultimately lead to his horrible and complete undoing.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Othello's first speech is an address to the Venetian council, through which he introduces himself to the council members. Brabantio, Desdemona's angered father, has accused Othello of bewitching his daughter and stealing her away into marriage, and Othello is defending himself against these charges. To start his case, he begins thusly, "Most potent, grave, and reverend signors, / My very noble and approved good masters, / That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter, / It is most true; true I have married her" (page 19). Just by itself, this is perhaps the most poetic stanza of the play to this point, yet he continues it in short order with, "...Rude am I in my speech, / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace" (page 19). Now, only seven lines into Othello's first public text, he has already made use of his outsider status. By humbling himself amidst spectacular oration, he is appearing non-threatening to the judges, while still making a great case. T. .. ... true; true I have married her. The very head and front of my offending Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my speech, And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace; For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used Their dearest action in the tented field; And little of this great world can I speak More than pertains to feats of broils and battle; And therefore little shall I grace my cause In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience, I will a round unvarnished tale deliver Of my whole course of love - what drugs, what charms, What conjuration, and what mighty magic (For such proceeding I am charged withal) I won his daughter.    Works Consulted    The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice, William Shakespeare, I.III.76-94   

Blocking & Filtering Essay -- essays research papers

"Any content-based regulation of the Internet, no matter how benign the purpose, could burn the global village to roast the pig." U.S. Supreme Court majority decision, Reno v. ACLU (June 26, 1997) Blocking and filtering software for the Internet is one of the most hotly debated topics regarding free speech and the Internet. Many have criticized blocking software for being both under and over inclusive, and others have argued that blocking software should not be used at all in public institutions such as libraries and schools. On the other side, supporters of blocking software claim that is a legitimate method to regulate access to "inappropriate" material on the Internet, especially access for minors. But, before we begin to look at these debates directly, we have to examine how the different types of blocking software available work. Nearly all blocking software contains several features that enable the user to customize it for their particular preferences. Users can set the particular levels and/or categories they want the software to screen. So, for example, a user could instruct his browser to block all nudity and sex acts, but still allow sex education and intolerance, while another users could do the opposite. Another common feature is the ability to unblock particular web sites when they are blocked. So, if a user was attempting to access the CNN web site, and it was blocked because it contained, for example, the Starr report, the user could unblock it. A final common feature of most blocking software is that it can be turned on and off for particular users on a particular machine, so that parents can turn the software on when their children are using the computer, but allow themselves unlimited access. Blocking software works in several major ways: blocking by word, blocking particular sites, blocking all sites except those on a "white list," and blocking by preset ratings. Most of the first blocking software worked by blocking words; the software would scan web sites for certain, unacceptable words such as "breast" or "sex." This type of software was often ridiculed, because it is ridiculously over broad, for example blocking sites on breast cancer or news sites about the President. In addition, this type of blocking has the disadvantage of not being able to scan pictures for unacceptable m... ...ts computers. Representative Bob Franks of New Jersey introduced a similar bill in the House, dubbed the "Safe Schools Internet Act of 1999". In addition, the constitutionality of library filters has been, and continues to be, litigated in several cases. All cases decided to this point have declared mandatory filters on all library computers to be unconstitutional. Many argue that the PICS system is the best way to provide for parental empowerment in order to manage their children's internet use. These people point out that, at least for now, the PICS system is voluntary and that third parties can rate sites. The rating systems used in conjunction with PICS establish a uniform standard that parents can rely on, instead of the opinions of software companies' list makers. The purpose behind Internet filters is to provide parents, educators and other with an effective tool to protect minors from harmful material through their computers. At first blush they appear to be a simple technological fix to the problem of indecency on the Internet. However, this simple solution has touched off a firestorm of controversy, which show no signs of cooling off in the near future.

He Nine Steps O the Accounting Cycle

The nine steps of the accounting cycle are You must collect and analyze all transactions. It will determine the effect of their financial position in the business. The equations must balance once the transactions are recorded. Journalize the transactions in the general ledger, which should be organized by the specific account. This should happen at least once a month. The next step is to post to the ledger accounts, this should be step 3 in the accounting process.Prepare a Trial Balance to make sure the process of totaling debits and credits to make sure the sum of debits equals the sum of credits, check to make sure both columns balance out. Journalize and Post Adjusting Entries Use entries that are adjusted: deferrals and accruals. And adjust entries that are made from the company's worksheet, an accounting tool prepared at the end of each period. Make preparation to the Adjusted Trial Balance, This is a sheet used to verify the balance of debits and credits after the adjusting ent ries are made in the accounting cycle.Prepare Financial Statements. Once all adjustments are done, the final trial balance will be used to prepare income statement and balance sheet. Post the Closing Entries and Journalize, and at the end of a fiscal period you must close the temporary accounts. Prepare a post-closing trial balance to make sure that all revenue and expense accounts are already closed, and check the debit and credit balances of all the balance sheet accounts. www. accountingverse. com/accounting-basics/accounting†¦

Improving Teaching and Learning Essay

As all children’s experiences and development are individual, every child will have their own unique ‘starting point’ from where to continue their learning of a subject from. Ausubel (1968) puts forward the interesting thought that we should design our teaching to start from where the pupil is. However, as Littledyke & Huxton (1998) suggest, it is almost impossible to take into account every individual child’s educational ‘starting point. I tried to establish a ‘common starting point’ by getting the whole class to brainstorm what they knew about metal. This would provide me with a vague idea of the knowledge each child held and enable me to successfully plan suitable investigative activities. This matches Piaget’s (1926) notion of ‘cognitive match’. The need to pitch the learning experience at the right level, for each child. † The teacher leads a discussion on a topic to draw out a range of ideas from this the teacher may be able to judge which children are most or least knowledgeable. However there may be several children within the class about the teacher knows very little even after the brainstorming session. † (Littledyke & Huxford, 1998, p22) To combat this problem that Littledyke and Huxford (1998) mention I talked to children who did not take part in the whole class session individually to found out their level of knowledge on the subject. One of the objects on my display table was a magnet. Many of the children seemed fascinated by the magnet, as groups of children would constantly pick it up and play with it. After seeing this I decided I would get the children to investigate which materials are attracted to a magnet. This seemed like an excellent idea as I had already observed that the children were interested in this subject. The investigation would be carried out in a constructivist manner, with the children working individually. From this I could see that Rodney had had no past experience with magnets and therefore had no knowledge that magnets are made of metal. All he knew was that the object he held in his hand was called a ‘magnet’ and that it stuck to metal objects. He had guessed that the magnet was made of plastic (probably due to the fact that it was coated in plastic) and constructed a misconception. On analysing this conversation I concluded that carrying my investigation out in a constructivist manner and pitching my investigation at an intermediate level, had missed Rodney’s (and no doubt others) ‘starting point’ of subject knowledge leading him to create his own incorrect idea. I believe this evidence contradicts a constructivist way of teaching as without positively intervening, questioning and explaining to Rodney that the magnet was made of metal, more problems may have arise in the form of further misconceptions or being unable to carry out following work effectively. Instead it matches Littledykes & Huxtons (1998) suggestion that matching every child’s ‘starting point’ is extremely challenging and if not done accurately, as shown from the evidence, can cause problems for the child. This brings to light that maybe a different teaching style needs to be adopted. Maybe I should have used the transmission approach of teaching at the beginning of the lesson and clarified vital pieces of information so that non of the children would have had misconceptions and the investigation would have succeed to the best of its ability. This however would have been uninteresting for the children. In using a constructivist method of teaching, allowing the child to work independently building on old ideas to construct new ones, there is always a risk that misconceptions may arise. When children are discovering a convention for themselves and intervention from a more knowledgeable source is absent, children may take the information and instead of placing it in the perspective of conventional science they place it in their own logical perspective. For example, after the investigation, I sat with each ability group and asked them to inform me of their findings. Through discussion and questioning within the group, I challenged ideas, aiding children to have access and maybe use of other children’s ideas and therefore make their own clearer. The following conversation was typical of all the groups. In conclusion, I believe that constructivism is an effective way in enabling children to build on or amend active ideas as it allows the child to undertaking ‘hands on’ activities and actually appreciate a theory in action. This in turn could either deepen understanding or change misconceptions they may have emerged throughout the topic. Practical activities subsequently help the children to retain the information as ‘doing’ experiments, which are of interest to them, help them remember the vital information needed. These facts could then be recalled instantaneously when re-visiting and building on a similar topic, later on in the curriculum. Due to all the disadvantages mentioned earlier in my assignment, it is obvious that constructivism cannot stand-alone. It is acceptable to use constructivist methods but they must be used in conjunction with other teaching methods also mentioned earlier. This, as teachers, is down to our professional judgement to decide when and where they should be used. The right teaching style should accommodate the right job and although constructivism is a sound way to allow children to investigate, it does not always fit the purpose of the scientific investigation wanting to be carried out. However I believe that we adopt many different teaching styles throughout a lesson without even knowing it. Bibliography ASHCROFT, K & LEE, J (2000) Improving Teaching and Learning in the Core Curriculum. London: Falmer. ATKINSON & FLEER (1995) Science with Reason. Hodder & Staughton. COLLINS EDUCATIONAL (1995) Nuffield Primary Science, materials: teachers guide. London De BOO, M (2000) Science 3-6 Laying the foundations in the Early Years. ASE Hatfield. DFEE, (2000) The National Curriculum: Handbook for Primary Teachers in England. London: DFEE & QCA. FARROW, S. (2000) The Really Useful Science Book. London:Falmer.