An Excellence And Enjoyment Education Essay

An Excellence And Enjoyment Education Essay Debate and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of cross-curricular and thematic approaches to teaching and learning. You must draw upon a range of academic sources including Excellence and Enjoyment (DfES, 2004) Thematic education is a method of teaching that is becoming more and more prominent within schools across the country due to the Governments education review and their proposed new curriculum for 2011. The switch to this method of teaching is intended to help reorganise the traditional subject areas into thematic areas of learning, easing the pressures on schools to teach strictly to the curriculum and give their teachers the freedom they need in order to do cross-curricular thematic lessons. This report will attempt to define both thematic and cross-curricular education and discuss their respective advantages and disadvantages. Shoemaker (1989) states that a cross-curriculum education is one that is set up so that classroom subjects overlap with one another, the method attempts to bring together numerous aspects of the curriculum into various lessons to reflect the real world such that students can use knowledge learned in one context as a knowledge base in other contexts (Collins, Brown, Newman, 1989). Shanahan (1995) agrees with this definition, he states that thematic teaching is a method of organizing teaching around themes or topics making it possible to integrate instruction across core areasThematic units are designed to encourage students to delve deep into topics developing both an awareness and understanding of existing connections across ideas. The above definitions suggest that thematic and cross-curricular teaching is essential for children to associate that skills learnt in one class are important tools for completing tasks within other subjects in school and tasks outside. Applebee, Langer, Mullis (1989) report why the change to this method or teaching is necessary while students are learning the basic information in core subject areas, they are not learning to apply their knowledge effectively in thinking and reasoning Marzano (1991) and Perkins (1991) build on this; they believe that these methods work towards addressing some recurring problems in education, one in particular being that of isolated skill instruction. Ofsteds report The Curriculum in Successful Primary Schools (2002) in which it was noted that successful schools were the ones in which The teachers recognised that where links are effective they enable pupils to apply the knowledge and skills learned in one subject to others. Because cross-curricular and thematic teaching involves the linking of activities that are designed around topics or themes as well as crossing numerous areas within the National Curriculum they provide an environment that fosters and encourages process learning and active involvement of all students (Fisher, 1991), this would therefore help teacher address the different learning styles of pupils within their classrooms. A claim that Komorowska (2001) backs up, stating that because teaching children is not systematic, the methods and techniques chosen by the teacher are of a higher significance than their results. With regards to the diverse learning styles that children have, experts have identified three (http://www.time4learning.com/learning-styles.shtml): Auditory learners remember by talking out loud, like to have things explained orally and may have trouble with written instructions. Auditory learners may talk to themselves when learning something new. Visual learners easily remember visual details and prefer to see what they are learning. They prefer to write down instructions and may have trouble following lectures. This type of learner enjoys art and drawing; reads maps, charts and diagrams well; fascinated with machines and inventions; plays with lego; likes mazes and puzzles. Kinesthetic learners prefer activities that allow them to do what they are learning about. Tactile learners like to touch things in order to learn about them and like to move around when talking or listening. Shows you rather than tells you. Through the use of thematic and cross curricular teaching, classroom teachers are able to cater for these three distinct groups of learners and, therefore, create an atmosphere in which each group remains interested in the lesson thus combating any boredom and increasing the pupils potential for learning. Former Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Charles Clarke, wrote in the Excellence and Enjoyment Strategy (2004), What makes good primary education great is the fusion of excellence and enjoyment. Children learn better when they are excited and engaged but what excites them and engages them best is truly excellent teaching, which challenges them and shows them what they can do. Which falls in line with Larsen-Freemans statement (2000) that learning becomes even more effective due to it being facilitated in a cheerful environment, and Resnicks (1989) claim that this method increases pupils motivation for learning and their level of engagement because they can see the value of what they are being taught and become more actively engaged in the lesson as opposed to the isolated skill learning that other methods offer. It is, however, important to consider general learning characteristics as well as the previously mentioned groups of characteristics and how these are successfully manipulated through the use of these methods. Thaiss (1986), Krogh (1990) and Jacobs (1989) all write that children that are able to use investigatory skills to explore what they are learning, and interact with other members of their learning community, whether thats other pupils, teachers or classroom assistants, actually learn more than those children that are not encouraged to ask questions and share opinions with other learners. Vygotsky (1962) gives us an explanation as to why this technique is successful. He pointed out that children who have different skills, learn from each other. This is because through the encouragement of investigation, questioning and working together, pupils are given the opportunity to see tasks from the point of view of others. Finally, the humanistic approach in teaching emphasises the importance of individual and distinctive characteristics of a human being and the desire for fulfilment. In education it means student-oriented teaching rather than teacher-oriented one Biskup (1990). Fisher et al says, what promotes creativity is a questioning classroom, where teachers and pupils ask unusual and challenging questions; where new connections are made; where ideas are represented in different ways- visually, physically and verbally; where there are fresh approaches and solutions to problems; and where the effects of ideas and actions are critically evaluated. In a humanistic classroom, such as the one that uses thematic and cross-curricular methods, the teacher is not only a supporter and helper but also a learner. This is because the work is based on themes that the teacher may not be used to, it brings the teacher down to the same level of the child and the pupil almost takes charge in investigating by askin g questions. The teachers main role is to create an atmosphere in which learners feel relaxed and do not have any inhibitions thus learners talents are exploited during the learning process. Of course, whilst there are numerous benefits to using these methods, there are also a number of drawbacks which must be considered. David Hart, former general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Theme-based education will disadvantage pupils in the transition to secondary. And it will make the secondary teachers task much more difficult. This is to say that even though there may be benefits to teaching like this within a primary classroom, pupils heading from a largely thematic based style of teaching could possibly find that the generic style of teaching within secondary education i.e. topic-based learning, difficult to adjust to. Thus disadvantaging the pupils learning experience, compared to classmates who are used to this type of teaching. Further drawbacks of the methods include the need for ongoing collaboration between teachers and planning, as the themes must be carefully and thought through in order for them to be meaningful and make sense within the curriculum. Chris Woodhead, states in his report of 1992 that, Its harder for teachers to structure a coherent provision in the subjects that are worth studying if theyre trying to construct links between these subjects as well. The extra work that Woodhead comments on is necessary for the success of the methods because the intertwining of the curriculum within that one topic, as stated earlier, may be difficult and would require a lot of planning and collaboration with other members of staff, and without this extra work from the teachers it is possible that some content that could be covered may be missed. Finally, with regards to planning, the resources available to teachers within a school could also be a potential obstacle for the two methods. For example a school may not have sufficient ICT resources for all year groups to use in order to develop these skills during literacy or numeracy lessons. There is also the possibility that within these sessions that some pupils get confused and lose sight of the main concepts of the activity or lesson. This could be down to poor planning and organisation of the teacher or due to the pupil being over-stimulated with the many different activities in motion within the lesson, thus, resulting in the pupil being spread thinly across the lesson, leaving efforts for learning ineffective. The cross-curricula and thematic methods of teaching can be beneficial to teachers and students, as discussed previously they allow children to learn in a way that is most natural to them. As Scott and Ytreberg (1990) state: some children develop early, some later. Some children develop gradually, others in leaps and bounds. It is not possible that at the age of five all children can do x, at the age of seven they can all do y, or that at the age of ten they can all do z.. This is to say that children are all different human beings learning things at different rates. These methods allow all pupils to pick up the intended learning objectives and goals through this investigatory process, its through this process that the pupils become more responsible and engaged in their own learning. In effect this levels the playing field allowing the pupils to successfully complete the learning objective in their own way and within the intended period of time. However, it would be prudent to take t o these methods with caution as the drawbacks discussed do seem to have basis such as Biskup, D. (1990). Podejņºcie humanistyczne w nauczaniu jÄâ„ ¢zykà ³w obcych. JÄâ„ ¢zyki Obce w Szkole, 2-3, 118-124. Fisher, B. (1991). Joyful Learning: A Whole Language Kindergarten. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann. Fisher, R and Williams, M. (2004). Unlocking Creativity. Oxon: David Fulton. p2. Komorowska, H. (2001). Metodyka nauczania jÄâ„ ¢zykà ³w obcych. Warszawa: Fraszka Edukacyjna. Krogh, S. (1990). The Integrated Early Childhood Curriculum. New York: McGraw-Hill. Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and principles in language teaching. New York: Oxford UP. Scott, W.A., Ytreberg, L.H. (1990). Teaching English to children. New York: Longman Inc. Shoemaker, B. Integrative Education: A Curriculum for the Twenty-First Century. Oregon School Study Council, 33/2 (1989).

Toyota Motoring Manufacturing

1) How does the andon procedure work and what are its fundamental aspects? How much does it cost to stop the line? What are the benefits of stopping the line? The andon procedure is adopted by Toyota Motor Manufacturing to ensure quality of their products. It involves the pulling of the andon cord whenever production at a work station is unable to be completed within the cycle time, or whenever any problem is faced. Pulling the andon cord will alert the team leader to the station. If the problem can be corrected immediately, assembly is resumed by pulling the andon cord again. However, if the team leader is unable to solve the problem, the line is stopped. With this process, Toyota is able to manufacture quality products and prevent defective products from being transferred on to the next station. This is in line with Toyota’s principle of jidoka where problems are instantly detected and production is stopped whenever a problem is detected. However, stopping the line will reduce the flow time of the car assembly and flow rate of the production. As more time is required to produce the cars, worker overtime costs will be incurred. According to the case, line stoppages caused a shortfall of 45 cars per shift. These cars could have been sold in the market instead. Thus, line stoppages caused lost revenue (opportunity cost) for these 45 cars. In analyzing the costs for stopping the line, we assume that hourly wage per team leader is set at a 6. 5% premium. We assume 769 team members are spread equally between the two shifts. We assume that each worker causes an average of 1 line stop per shift. The number of shortfalls in a shift is based on that in April 1992 i. e. 45 cars. The breakdown of costs incurred to stop the line is as follows: Hourly Wage per Team MemberHourly Wage per Team Leader (6. 5% premium)Overwage rate per Team MemberOvertime Wage Rate per Team Leader 1718. 10525. 527. 1575 Number of Shortfalls per Shift45 Number of Shifts2 Total Team Members769 No. of Team Members per Shift (769/2)384 Number of Team Leaders per Shift102 Number of Stops per Worker per Shift1 Number of Stops per Shift384 Overtime per Car (57s/3600)hrs0. 0158333 Total Overtime Cost per Shift ($)8950. 4713 Overtime Cost per Stop ($)23. 308519 Lost Revenue per Stop (0. 17 x 18,500 x 45)/384368. 5469 Tota Cost Incurred per Stop ($)391. 86 Benefits of stopping the line is to reduce wastage as defects are detected early and problems can be solved earlier before the defect is passed on to the next station. 2) What are the underlying causes of the problems facing Doug Friesen? The main problem faced is a decrease in run ratio, which measured the numbers of cars actually assemble d in proportion to the number of cars that could have been assembled with no line stoppages, from 95% to 85%. This drop also led to a shortfall of 45 cars per shift, which had to be made up with overtime. The underlying causes are as follow: †¢The combination of seats, which resulted from by the variety of Toyota Camry, has increased the probability of defects or human error. †¢Problems are not solved at the point where the defect is detected and the defective cars remained in the assembly line until they are moved to the Code 1 clinic area for further inspection and quality control. Solving problems at the end of the assembly line could be more difficult or require more time than at the spot where the problem was first detected. This is because the car at the end of the assembly line has already been completely assembled thus, making amendments to specific components could be more challenging. †¢There is a long waiting time for the delivery of replacement seats from KFS to TMM. This led to an increase in inventory in the overflow parking area where the cars waited for KFS’ special delivery. 3) How, if at all, does the current routine for handling defective seats deviate from the principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS)? The current routine deviates from the TPS principles of Jidoka and Just-in-Time (JIT) production. JIT Principle TPSCurrent Routine (deviation) Produces only what was needed, how much was needed, and only when it was needed. Any deviation from true production needs was condemned as waste. Defective cars remain in inventory and some have to wait for replacement seats to be delivered. Cars are not produced at maximum capacity. Thus, consumer demand is not met on time. Jidoka Principle TPSCurrent Routine (deviation) Make any production problems instantly self-evident and stop producing whenever the problem was detected. Insisted on building in quality in the production process and condemned any deviation from value-addition as waste. Does not follow the jidoka principle – instead of stopping production and waiting for the new seat to arrive then fixing the seat before production restarts, Toyota continues with production and only fixes the seats after production ends 4) As Doug Friesen, what would you do to address the seat problem? Where would you focus your attention and solution efforts? What options exist? What would you recommend? Why? There are several solutions to address the seat problem in the manufacturing process. These solutions are non-exclusive and could be implemented together. Solution 1: Decrease the error caused by variability in car seat styles. This can be done by investing in training staff so that they will be proficient in handling the variety of seat styles for respective cars and reduce the defect rate caused by human error. Another way is to assemble the cars in batches based on its respective seat styles as this method of production decreases the chance of human error as well since production will be more uniform. However, batching violates Toyota’s ‘Heijunka’ principle. Solution 2: Toyota could also consider the option of repairing the damaged seat immediately rather than allowing it to through the entire process first and congregating at the end of the line; in other words, to put the practice of jidoka into play. All staff involved in the production line will then have to be more critical in ensuring the best quality of the seats, and stop the production line once a defect is realized. However, repair staff would need to be well equipped to handle the situation. Furthermore, this solution requires the production line to stop, thus incurring costs. Solution 3: Switch to another seat supplier or source for additional suppliers to ease the current load on KFS since the current supplier delivers poor quality of seats which causes the problem in the manufacturing process. However, having more than 1 supplier may result in differences across the finished goods as it is difficult for two suppliers to provide identical seats. Solution 4: Stock safety inventory to use it as a buffer for the defective seats so as to decrease the wait time required to deliver replacement seats. However, having excess seat inventory will incur inventory cost. It is also against the JIT principal which hallmarks Toyota. Solution 5: Seats can be redesign such as changing plastic hooks back to metal to reduce the probability of one of the problems for defective seats, which is a broken hook. The focus of the solution should be aimed at improving the internal process problem which is decreasing the human error caused by variability of car seat style and also improving external process problem which is the quality of the car seats supplier. As show in Exhibit 8, the main cause of defective seats comes from the poor quality of seats delivered by the supplier. Therefore it is vital that we would firstly have to improve the delivered seats and Toyota can do so by bringing up this issue to the management at KFS. Toyota must demand for better quality products and if the problem continues due to poor quality of seats, Toyota should then source for additional suppliers to cover up for the lack of quality sets supplied by KFS. Once the external problem has been handled, Toyota must look at ways to improve the capabilities of its production line staff. By training them to handle the various seat styles for respective cars, it increases the skill level of the workers and hence decreases the probability of making an error. However, Toyota will incur training cost but these costs will reflect savings in the long run if its staff would make less errors hence improving the run ratio of the production line.

Inf 103 Week 2 Assignment 1

1. What input/output devices will I be using in the next one to three years? The input devices I will be using most in the next 1 to 3 years will be my laptop. my smart phone and, my tablet. The output devices I will use will be my printer, mouse and speakers. These devices have become a big part of my everyday life. I use all of them daily and could not imagine my life without them at this point. 2. Features, components and form factors that will be prominent and important?I plan on becoming more familiar with both flash drives for storing my school work and external hard drives for backing up all of my documents and pictures god forbid anything ever happens to my computer. These are components that I have not used before but I have been working with a friend that has a great deal of computer tech experience and she is teaching me the basics. 3. Applications that I plan on using in the coming years? ——————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Some applications that my computer has been most familiar with are I Tunes, Skype, and Microsoft word.In the next few years I plan on learning much more about application available to me. I will be learning how to better use my Microsoft office that I just purchased. I also want to learn how use both excel and power point. 4. Devices that have changed my life The devise that has changed my life most has been my smart phone. Over the last few years I have really learned how to use it well. I have some amazing applications on it that help me to monitor my calorie intake, share photos with friends and even take my pulse!It is crazy how a phone can actually help you keep track of your health and monitor vitals. The only risk I see in it would be texting and driving. I do my best to never do that. I wanted to display to you my knowledge of Microsoft Word. I hope that this is what you were looking for! Thanks- Kristin I wanted to display to yo u my knowledge of Microsoft Word. I hope that this is what you were looking for! Thanks- Kristin *Sample Chart- Has no relation to the discussion. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | * *Sample Table- Has no relation to the discussion.

Computers Are Becoming The Way Of The Future - 1508 Words

Computers and technology seem to fascinate many people, so it should come as no surprise that there are many occupations that involve computers and technology. Computers are everywhere, even in places that most do not think. Most people who are asked how many computers they have in their house would give an incorrect answer. Many just state how many actual computers they have, not realizing that computers are in a lot of devices in their home. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of computers in the average house. From a microwave to a clock to an actual computer, there are many computers in which people possess in their homes. Computers are becoming the way of the future, so it is very important that many people are employed in†¦show more content†¦Our family had two computers in our house at the time, one old desktop and one laptop, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing on both of them. There was something about having the freedom of playing many different games and taking part in things that one would never be able to do in real life. One of my favorite games was Zoo Tycoon, which is a zoo management, simulation game. I remember thinking about that game all the time, acting as if I were one of the animals at recess or in school. The freedom of letting my creativity run wild on the computer was something that I really enjoyed; furthermore, what kid does not love animals and dinosaurs? Being able to control my own virtual zoo was a truly amazing experience. My interest in computers increased as I grew up, exploring more and more about what I could do with a computer. I went from playing computer games, to installing and exploring new software, to actually programming computers. It was truly fascinating when I would learn new things that a computer was capable of executing. My interest in computers became very serious when, about a year ago, our family was cleaning our house and we came across an old computer. We were just going to throw it away, when I decided that I wanted to take it apart to see how everything works inside of it. This was an eye-opening experience for me because it allowed me to gain a deeper