Sunday, November 10, 2019
The Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation did manage to successfully handle the new west erne lands which were acquired by America after the war. Following the war America gag Ned new lands and the government needed a system to divide and govern these new lands. Many of the larger colonies claimed to own these western lands due to their original charters.B t, in order for the Articles of Confederation to be ratified and to pay off the debt from the war, t he states needed to give up their land to the national government, so that it could be sold in order to pay off the country's debt. The large states did give up their lands to the central govern .NET (Document E). In order to govern these new lands the government needed to make new law s. One of the laws passed was the land ordinance of 1785. This new law divided up the land in the e new western territories into sections which could be sold to individual citizens.The money received from the people who bought this land helped to pay off the debt . The land ordinance al so promoted republican ideals by providing a school for each of the new territories that we re created. Providing a school in each town allowed all people to be educated which pro meted equality. The northwest ordinance of 1 787 was passed to set up government in these n ewe territories. The Northwest Ordinance stated the requirements for any of the new territories t o become a state. In order for one of the new territories to become a state they were required to r each a given population and create their own constitution.The Northwest Ordinance man aged to abolish slavery in the new states as well. Although the Articles of Confederation were e effective when it came to creating new states, they were not very effective at anything else. The Articles of Confederation were highly ineffective when handling commerce e. Under the Articles of Confederation it was difficult for the national government to cool elect taxes from states. When the central government atte mpted to place a tax on Rhode island d, they refused to pay the tax and claimed the national government did not have the right to tax them (Document A).It was reported that the national government was only able to collect one fourth of the taxes they requested from the states. The government only received very few taxes from the states because they could not force the states to pay the taxes, and states obviously did not Want to pay taxes that were not required. Not being able to collect taxes had many negate eve consequences for the government. The government was not able to pay soldiers who fought in t he revolutionary war because they didn't receive enough tax money from the states (Document t C).The government owed money to the soldiers who fought in the revolution but the could not afford to pay them. Financial problems also affected the farmers of Massachusetts. As a response to crop prices decreasing and the amount Of farm foreclosures increasing Daniel Shah yes led Shay's re bellion. Shay's rebellion was when the Massachusetts farmers refused to p ay taxes and resisted foreclosures. After America gained independence they were no longer trade Eng as much with Britain. (Document B) prior to the war Britain had been America's most lucubrate vive trading market.After the war America's population increased but the value of their ex ports to Britain did not. Generally when the population off nation increases the value of their ex ports increases because they are able to produce more and their population gives them more military power. Under the Articles of Confederation collecting taxes and trading became much h more difficult for America. America was not respected by other nations and struggled with foreign affairs under the Articles of Confederation.After the war America gained a large amount of Ian d in the west that Britain had previously restricted from them. However the Americans were not able to access all of their new land due to occupied British fort s in the west (Document D). The Americans wrote a letter to Britain requesting that the forts be vacated but the British refused. The British refused because they didn't think the Americans were strong enough to remove them Because the Articles of Confederation did not have the power to raise an army it was imp Seibel for America to force Britain out of their land.America also wished to gain access to the M sipping river in order to trade more efficiently. Unfortunately Spain controlled the Mississippi river and did not allow the Americans to use the river at all. America requested that Spain grant t them access to he river but they refused because they did not believe America was strong en ugh to resist (Document F). Due to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation Spain did not respect America enough to give them access to the river.America was unable to effect Tivoli deal with foreign affairs because their government was not respected other countries. The Articles of Confeder ation were unable to control the common people who o W ere given too much power. After the war America struggled to keep both wealthy elites and the common people loyal to the government. John Jay believed that the wealthy c redirectors of the action world begin to lose faith in the new government (document G). A cried tort is someone who lends money to someone else in order to be bayed back in full with inter est..A debtor is someone who owes money to others. In this situation the creditors are the w lately elites who helped find the war, and the debtor is the US government, who cannot afford to pay back the creditors in full. America cannot pay back its creditors because the Articles of Confederation were unable to collect enough taxes. The wealthy creditors began to lose faith in the government because they did not believe they would ever be bayed back. Losing support f the wealthy was devastating for America because they were needed to fund the nation.One A intermediaries claime d that the Articles of Confederation should be refused or fixed rather t Han replaced. An analogy was used which said if a building has a problem people do not tear d own the whole building, they fix the building (document H). He argued that the Articles of C infiltration had very few flaws and they could be fixed easily. However this was not the case. The Articles of Confederation had many small problems which weakened its effectiveness. T here was also one assistant problem which was the over Reliance on civic virtue.The Articles of Confederation c could only be effective if the states and the people demonstrated civic virtue and paired their optional taxes. However human are naturally not virtuous, but more interest De in their own self interests. For this reason the Articles Of Confederation were ineffective at con trolling the people. The Articles of Confederation were unable to control the people because of the e over reliance on civic virtue and the creditors loss of faith in the government. The Articles of Confederation were a highly ineffective first attempt at go verging the new United States.
Friday, November 8, 2019
The Mohs Hardness of Coins
The Mohs Hardness of Coins The Mohs scale of mineral hardness consists of ten different minerals, but some other common objects can also be used: these include the fingernail (hardness 2.5), a steel knife or window glass (5.5), a steel file (6.5), and a penny. The penny has always been assigned a hardness of around 3. But we have conducted tests and found this is not true. The penny has changed in composition over the years since 1909 when the first Lincoln cent was issued. Its composition was specified as 95 percent copper and 5 percent tin plus zinc, an alloy classified as bronze. Except for the wartime year of 1943, pennies were bronze from 1909 until 1962. Pennies for the following 20 years were copper and zinc, technically brass rather than bronze. And in 1982 the proportions were reversed so that pennies today are 97.5 percent zinc surrounded by a thin, thin copper shell. Our test penny was from 1927, the original bronze formula. When we tested it with a new penny, neither scratched the other, so its clear that the hardness of pennies has not changed. Our penny would not scratch calcite unless we really bore down on it, but calcite (the standard for hardness 3) scratched the penny. In the interest of science, we tested a quarter, a dime and a nickel against the penny and against calcite. The quarter and dime were slightly softer than the penny and the nickel was slightly harder, but all were scratched by calcite. We did not experiment with silver coins, however, on a wild hunch, we tested an Indian head penny from 1908 and found that it scratched all the other objects and was not scratched in turn. So with that exception, all American coins do not scratch clear calcite without a lot of effort, whereas calcite scratches them fairly easily. This gives them a hardness less than 3, that is, 2.5, while an Indian head penny has a hardness greater than 3, that is, 3.5. The Indian head penny had the same nominal composition as the Lincoln penny, with zinc and tin combined making up 5 percent, but we suspect that the older penny had a little more tin. Maybe one penny isnt a fair test. Is there any reason to carry a penny around when the fingernail also is hardness 2.5? I think there are two: One, you may have soft nails; and two, you may prefer to scratch a penny rather than your nails. But the practical geologist should carry a nickel instead because in an emergency it can feed a parking meter.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Work Stress and Its Effects on Individuals
Work Stress and Its Effects on Individuals Introduction This paper aims to discuss such phenomenon as work stress and its effects on individuals and organizations. Overall, there are numerous definitions of this disorder; I would like to adopt the explanation provided by World Health Organization; it says that work stress is a negative emotional and physical response which is caused by the fact that a person cannot meet job demands, or thinks that he/she cannot cope with his/her work duties (WHO, as cited in Drenth et al, 1998, p 397).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work Stress and Its Effects on Individuals specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This condition is normally accompanied by such symptoms as irritability, depression, the feeling of dissatisfaction, depression or even heart diseases (NIOSH, 2010, unpaged). In some cases, job stress can lead to aggression and violence toward others (co-workers, family members, and even completely unknown people). Manage rs of leading companies have long realized that this phenomenon is dangerous to both employees and companies, and one of their priorities is to remove the causes of work stress and or at least minimize its aftereffects. These are the most important questions that we need to analyze in this paper. The causes and effects of work stress The factors, leading to work stress In order to eliminate stressful situations in the workplace, one should first examine their underlying causes. At the moment, both scholars and managers concur that it is connected with the personal traits of an employee, and with the managerial policies, established within the company. One of the reasons why people can suffer from work stress is inadequate level of self-esteem (Resnick, 2004, p 15). For example, a person, who has a low level of self-esteem, usually regards any workplace problem as a sign of his/her inaptitude and inability to live up to the employerââ¬â¢s expectations. Normally, such people experi ence extreme feeling of anxiety or depression which may eventually culminate into a nervous breakdown. There is also a reverse side of this coin, and it is high level of self-esteem. As a rule, these individuals believe that the senior management is biased against them and criticizes them unjustly. For them, any managerial criticism is a personal offence. Excessive perfectionism is another character trait greatly contributes to work stress because a person, who usually sets high standards for himself, is more vulnerable to workplace stress. The thing is that such individuals usually dedicate too much time to some minor details that are not very relevant to their immediate duties, while their overall productivity remains at the same level (Corveleyn et al, 2005, p 116).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, when they do not receive credit for their perfection ism, they begin to think that they are undervalued by the managers. When speaking about individual sources of work stress, we should also mention poor relations with family members and friends, health problems, sleep deprivation and so forth. They do not directly trigger aggression, violence or the feeling of anxiety, but they intensify the impact of any stress situation. However, the cause of work stress should also be sought in the organizational and managerial policies of the organization, itself. These organizational factors are as follows: High turnover in the organization that leads to the feeling of job insecurity, which is widespread among people with low level of self-esteem; Lack of recognition and reward, in other words, the management does not notice or appreciate the efforts of the employees and their achievements; Continuous overtime that leads to fatigue and depression; Inability to participate in decision-making; 5) cognitive overload or the necessity to think about different assignments at the same time (Barling et al 2005). Therefore, this discussion indicates that the management of stressful situation in the workplace requires joint collaboration of management and employers. The effects of work stress In the introduction we have already touched upon physical and psychological impacts of work stress, such as excessive irritability, aggression towards co-workers and relatives, the feeling of discontent, insomnia, or heart diseases (NIOSH, 2010, unpaged). It should also be mentioned that such a person normally alienates oneself from his colleagues whom he regards primarily as rivals or even enemies (Barling et al, 2005). It should be borne in mind that such alienation can last for a very long time, and the actual outburst of anger or aggression very suddenly. Usually, it is provoked by some minor problem that can be quickly dealt with, for instance, malfunctioning of office computer, traffic jam, or some minor reprimand of the senior manageme nt. These irritants can a profound effect on the employee, suffering from job stress, though under normal circumstances, they would stir little or no reaction. It stands to reason that the productivity of these people declines either in terms of quantity or in quality (Barling et al, 2005). One has to bear in mind that their attitude toward workplace duties differs significantly, for instance, some employees try to follow managersââ¬â¢ instructions to the letter; however, they lack any initiative. The thing is that they are too reluctant to take any responsibility due to the fear of losing oneââ¬â¢s job. Very often, the employees try to rush through the work in order to complete each of their assignments as quickly as possible and as a result, the quality of their work deteriorates. The organizations, in which stress situation occur on a regular basis, have to cope with a great variety of challenges. One of them is poor teamwork as the employees, who suffer from this stress, a re disinclined to help others or take part in brainstorming.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work Stress and Its Effects on Individuals specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another issue, faced by the management of such organizations is poor customer service. The thing is that individuals, suffering from work stress, can be irritated by any complaint of the customer, even a small one. As we have pointed out before, these people are either afraid of taking any responsibility due to the fear of losing oneââ¬â¢s job, or they can be negligent to their duties because of continuous overwork. Both these attitudes are equally harmful for the functioning of customer service. It would not be an exaggeration to say that such companies cannot reach their strategic and short-term objectives. In the majority of cases, their financial and operational performance leaves much to be desired. Again, we have to stress an idea that the s olution of this problem requires much effort from both employees and management. Ways of managing stress in the workplace At this point, we need to map out strategies of managing workplace; at first we need to describe how the employees should behave in order to avoid mental, emotional and physical strain. It is of the crucial importance that they maintain positive attitude toward the management and colleagues (Stranks, 2005, p 76). They should not view them as their enemies or someone who deliberately does harm to them; otherwise they will conjure monsters out of thin air. They must understand that a good employer is interested in the retention of experienced workers. This is the reason why the employees should not be afraid of airing their opinions and complaints to the senior managers. In the majority of cases, a good executive officer is always willing to keep employees satisfied, and he/she will always pay attention to their needs. A person, who feels some sort of strain, shoul d at least talk to the manager and there is great likelihood that his concerns will be addressed. Unfortunately, many people avoid doing it in effort to look independent, self-sufficient, and strong. Getting enough sleep is also important element of preventing work stress because sleep deprivation results in irritability and attention deficit (Stranks, 2005, p 80). Overall, a person should get at least seven hours of sleep to be productive at the workplace. Apart from that, one should not underestimate the importance of keeping appropriate diet. These recommendations may appear to be truisms but a great number of people forget about them. In order to become an efficient employee, who can effectively overcome stress situations, a person should always spare a certain amount of time for his/her own needs that are entirely unrelated to the workplace duties.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The thing is that an individual, who does not do that, usually feels as though work were the only purpose of his existence, and this is certainly very depressing. Finally, one should re-evaluate oneââ¬â¢s self-esteem and self-efficacy as sometimes people underrate their skills and competencies and think that they are performing poorly. Still, without active support of the management even the most balanced and even-tempered individual can reach the breaking point. In their turn, the managers need to develop appropriate schedule and set reasonable timelines so that the employees did not have to continuously work overtime. Secondly, they need to clearly define the duties and responsibilities of the subordinates. As it has been noted before, cognitive overload is one of the leading causes of job stress. A person, who has to think about a great number of things at a time, inevitably feels emotional and mental strain. This is one of things, which managers neglect due to some reason. Th e development of new remuneration system is also an important part of work stress management. Senior officers must remember that virtually every employee needs to feel that he/she is being valued by the company, and that his/her successes and contributions do not go unnoticed. More importantly, it is not always necessary to increase the amount of monetary compensation, paid to the worker. In many cases, non-monetary awards can also be very effective (Mathis Jackson, 2007). For instance, the managers can present well-performing employees with brand products, provide them with opportunities for career development, or simply praise them, when they do deserve the praise. Our general recommendation to the managers is to be more attentive to the needs of their behavior of their subordinates because work stress can be avoided or detected even at an early stage. Thus, it is possible for us to argue that sensitivity is one of the qualities the manager should possess in order to minimize wor k stress. Conclusion Job stress that poses so many threats to individuals and organizations originates from the inability or unwillingness of the management and employees to communicate with one another. Certainly, there are other causes of this phenomenon like the structure of the company, economic situation in the country, family, and health problems. Nonetheless, lack of communication is the major factor: people, who seldom even talk to their colleagues, managers, or subordinates, usually do not think highly of others. Finally, we should say that fear of expressing oneââ¬â¢s opinions, concerns and emotions also leads to work stress. References Barling J. Kelloway, E, Frone M. 2005. Handbook of work stress. London: Sage. Corveleyn. J. Luyten, P. Blatt. S. 2005 The theory and treatment of depression: towards a dynamic interactionism model. London: Routledge. Drenth. P J. Thierry H. Wolff C. 1998. Handbook of Work and Organizational Psychology: Personnel psychology. NY: Psycho logy Press. Mathis. R. Jackson. J. 2007. Human resource management. NY: Cengage Learning. National Institute of Occupational Safety. 2010. Work Organization and Stress-Related Disorders. Web. Resnick B. 2004. Restorative care nursing for older adults: a guide for all care settings. NJ: Springer Publishing Company. Stranks, J. 2005 Stress at work: management and prevention. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Monday, November 4, 2019
Discuss the positive and negative impact of globalisation with Essay
Discuss the positive and negative impact of globalisation with reference to two contrasting countries. (India and the United Sta - Essay Example This essay identifies the positive and negative impacts of globalisation as they pertain to India and the United States. India India is considered a developing economy that has recently experienced explosive gains in relation to skilled labour provision and development along with a boastful technological prowess (samachartoday.com, 2011). Much of this positive growth in technological know-how seems to stems from market opportunities that provide the country with increased foreign direct investment as it has been identified as a need to sustain growth in India (business.rediff.com, 2010). According to Yusuf, Altaf & Nabeshima (2004), foreign firms have been looking for new market potential in this developing nation and have been willing to invest considerable capital into assisting the country in further technological developments. These interested firms in areas of sales and marketing and finance have assisted in raising capital for domestic Indian firms and provided considerable lab our-related expertise in multiple industries (Yusuf, et al). Globalisation is the catalyst for these improvements as foreign firms look for developing marketplaces to distribute their products. Higher demand in global automotive consumption has also improved the infrastructure of Indian business, thus giving the country more opportunities to improve their own transportation network. Since many of these demanding consumers hail from geographically-close regions, such as China, India now has opportunities to expand their port system to improve the delivery efficiency and supply chain capabilities for automotive companies and related industries. India, in order to meet this demand and earn higher profit through the transportation system, has created a dedicated port terminal that increases the speed by which automotive products are off-loaded, thus making India an ideal location for supply chain-related distribution (portstrategy.com, 2008). Globalisation in relation to global consumer sales has given India considerable advantages and better relationships with automotive manufacturers worldwide. Meanwhile, India has improved its educational infrastructure as well, thus providing its labour pool with more talent as it is related to technology and software development (Commander, Chanda, Kangasniemi & Winters, 2008). Much of these improvements were built on the foundation of American and European outsourcing efforts in relation to call centre development that evolved over time (Warne, 2011). As the government witnessed better increases in job opportunities, thus creating more disposable consumer income, more funds from political forces have been invested into improving educational capacity within the country. However, despite all of these improvements, India has some drawbacks in relation to the impact of globalisation. The foreign funds flooding the country from interested direct investors has made the government somewhat lax in identifying new opportunities and r emained dedicated to capital gains. What this has created is a drop in stock value for companies not related to finance and capital growth, thus weakening the financial position of certain industries (Merchant, 2006). India is not
Friday, November 1, 2019
Annotated Resource Folder Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Resource Folder - Annotated Bibliography Example who are conceptualizing racist-homophobic bullying, which according to Misawa, researchers have failed to offer the required limelight into the vice. The author highlights bullying issue in higher institutions where it is evident and based on the bases of race and sexuality. According to the article, institutions have the mandate of staging anti-bullying initiatives in their schools, which will discourage the vice from extending even in working places after schooling. Articleââ¬â¢s arguing is valid coupled with its content, since it incorporates real examples of bullying victims, hence, shading light into the vice, which is widespread in educational institutions. The author via his study tries to erode the publicââ¬â¢s perspective that only bullying in school is mostly among the children, but also is evident in higher institutions. Martin, C., & Martin, C. (2010). Bully for you: harassment and bullying in the workplace. British Journal Of Midwifery, 18(1), 25-31. This reference highlights the predicament of bullying and harassment, which midwives encounter while executing their daily duties. Bullying may take various forms in a workplace and encompass use of words or actions meant to humiliate the midwives. Primarily, this is by their superiors who threaten to fire them once they try to report to the relevant authorities. The authors elaborate how workplace bullying affects midwives mentally and physically, hence, rendering them unable to fulfill their obligations effectively. In addition, the article addresses how the superiors especially managers should handle their subjects. This includes effective mode of implementing policies and shunning all occasions that will seem to undermine their employees. The article highlights what midwives encounter while executing their duties plus its effects on mental and physical health. The authors have
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Evolution as the Complex Mechanism of Creation Essay
Evolution as the Complex Mechanism of Creation - Essay Example Biological evolution in the essence is descent with modification. Pojeta and Springer clearly stated that evolution could not occur without genetic variation. The ultimate source of variation is manifested on the changes or mutations in the sequence of the building blocks of the genetic material carried on the chromosomes in eggs and sperm (10). This material is what is called as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This definition encompasses small-scale evolution (changes in gene frequency in a population from one generation to the next) and large-scale evolution (the descent of different species from a common ancestor over many generations). An article published on the Internet entitled ââ¬Å"Understanding Evolutionâ⬠enumerated several mechanisms in the evolution process. Among these, the mechanism of mutation basically revolved around DNA modifications. Mutation is a change in gene structure from the original parent genes. This could be brought about by several factors within the organism or of the environment. Dr. Amanda Ewart Toland, postgraduate researcher University of California San Francisco reported that other changes in the genetic structures are introduced as a result of DNA damage through environmental agents including sunlight, tobacco smoke, and radiation. ââ¬Å"Although some changes may prove to be harmful or fatal, other changes produce variations that convey a survival advantage to the organism. It is these variations, when passed on, that give advantages to the next generation. "(Pojeta and Springer 11) If the genetic change would have favorable effect to the offspring for survival this would be retained and further refined in the future generations with subsequent mutations. Charles Darwin called this process by which favorable variations are passed from generation to generation as "Natural selection." Evolution and its impact on religion (Discuss the religious impacts of teaching evolution and whether mandatory teaching of evolution undermines religious
Monday, October 28, 2019
How to Redesign a Classroom to Optimize Learning Experience Essay Example for Free
How to Redesign a Classroom to Optimize Learning Experience Essay The overall learning goal for us students is to grasp what the instructor teaches in class and gain extra knowledge and abilities through class discussion and interaction. To that end, itââ¬â¢s best to study in an optimal learning environment, so as to keep focused in class and avoid distraction from externals. We pay for the service ââ¬â our learning experience, hoping to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of this kind of service. An optimal learning environment is beneficial to building a cohesive team in which members could communicate with each other, and to encouraging interactions among all the students and the professor. Through observation of major students behaviors, I find that the current physical environment in our classroom was somewhat defective. The following key points are summarized as major gaps or pitfalls in the current environment. Late Arrivals: I find that most of the students arrive in the classroom ahead of or on time. However, some may be late and walk in across the stage, thus distracting otherââ¬â¢s attention in class. Uncomfortable Chairs: The pad on each seat can make annoying noise when we unfold it. This will distract other studentsââ¬â¢ attention, especially those who sit near the moving pads. Various Seating Preferences: students are seated randomly, most of students like to seat in the front row, and the outer of rows, leaving some seats in the middle empty, so the best capacity in the room isnââ¬â¢t fully utilized. Randomly seating also results in inconvenience for some group members to sit together. Inconvenient Seating Arrangement: the space between rows is narrow, so itââ¬â¢s not convenient for students to walk through and itââ¬â¢s always noisy to move the small pads connected to the seats. Moreover, itââ¬â¢s such a long row that it would be inconvenient and a waste of time to walk through one side to the middle or the other end. Less Efficient Equipment Blackboard and Projector: For those seating in the side areas and in the rear, the visibility of the projector isnââ¬â¢t so good. Similarly, when the professor writes on one side of the blackboard, those who seat in the other side have difficulty in reading the handwriting. Dim Lighting: the lighting in the classroom is a little dark that itââ¬â¢s easy for us to fall asleep. The arrangement of lights in the roof isnââ¬â¢t so rational that sometimes we canââ¬â¢t see the blackboards because of light reflecting. Insufficient Ventilation: The windows in the back are closed all the time and the air conditioning always creates an environment that is too cold or hot and dry. Students usually donââ¬â¢t feel very comfortable when thereââ¬â¢re too many students in the classroom. Difficult Access to the Classroom: More often, only one door is open to the classroom, thus restricting studentsââ¬â¢ access to the classroom to only one way. Those who canââ¬â¢t find a seat near the door can only go the other side, and this would distract otherââ¬â¢s attention. Besides, once the door is locked, the students canââ¬â¢t open it from outside, requiring help from those in the classroom. The above-mentioned points about the seating and facilities in the classroom would present unfavorable impacts on our learning experience. So a new layout of the classroom is required to help enhance our learning environment. Here I categorize the objectives into four points as the conceptual design principles. * To make full use of the 75 minutes in class, which means thereââ¬â¢s no or little disruption during class. * Perfect seating arrangement to facilitate easy access and smooth movement. * Minimum discipline required relating to seating arrangement so that everyone will feel comfortable when in class. * Make facilities, such as blackboard and projector, lighting, acoustics, and walls, conducive to learning experience. (b) What specific improvement would your proposed redesign help accomplish? Generally speaking, students will learn best in a clean, comfortable, and quiet environment where there are no external disruptions and noises. So we need a positive classroom climate to allow us to meet the basic needs of physical and mental health. The following session is about the recommendations I make to help alleviate the gaps and thus enhance the learning experience. Physically Comfortable Chairs: We could improve the quality of the chairs by signing contracts with those chair-makers who could provide user-friendly chairs. That is to say, the activity space for writing and putting stuffs would be larger, and itââ¬â¢s best for the chairs to be soundless when we unfold the pads with them. Easy Access Seating Arrangements: I will redesign the current layout of the seats by dividing all these seats into four columns and four rows. There could be four seats per column for the middle two columns, and the other two sides columns could have five or six seats each. The distance between each row could be larger so as to allow sufficient space for individuals to learn. This kind of design could enable students to access to the seats easily without disturbing others much. The professor could also make minimum requirements that those who come early seat in the middle, thus those who are late for class could seat in the sided columns without distracting others. More importantly, since a team is usually composed of four persons, itââ¬â¢s also convenient for groups to sit together. Additionally, in this way, students will seat together more compactly, facilitating discussion among teachers and students. Larger Projector Screen and High-tech Handwriting: It would be best to widen the projector screen in this rectangular room. As I mentioned above, for those seat in the sides and rear, itââ¬â¢s hard to recognize some important contents in the slides projected on the screen (e. g. numbers, charts). Enlarging the projector screen would surely enhance the visibility of projector and hence improve our learning experience. Meanwhile, I noticed that sometimes the handwriting of the professor is hard to read. And those sitting aside couldnââ¬â¢t see the notes in the blackboard clearly. So I recommend that the professor use high-tech product such as the pad or IBMââ¬â¢s tablet-based pen, by which the professor could write on the screen of the laptop and it could then be projected in the blackboard screen. With enlarged screen, the visibility of handwriting could also be enhanced. Bright Lighting and ââ¬Å"Audiovisual Scenarioâ⬠: We need to add more electrical lights in our classroom and rearrange the light distribution. However, the lights couldnââ¬â¢t be too bright to harm the eyes and result in reflecting. More importantly, we need to consider the illuminance levels according to daylight, glaring and uniformity. Another thing we need to take into account is the lighting requirements for video images. So itââ¬â¢s best for us to have two distinctly lighting setups: a ââ¬Å"brightâ⬠classroom with appropriate illuminance throughout the classroom, and an â⬠audiovisualâ⬠scenario that limits light on the screen to a suitable level when we see vedios in class. Warm Color of walls: Choosing the right color for classroom walls is conducive to learning experience. The right pain color of the wall can transform a distracted environment into a focused space. White is a traditional color, but it could undermine the learning environment of the classroom. It reflects most of the lights that hits it, and could be harsh and exhaust our eyes. While taupe and cream colors of wall would be warmer, and could help students more focused. Evidence also shows that warm colors such as taupe and cream can stimulate creativity. Using different colors on the wall where thereââ¬â¢re some facilities so as to remind the professor and students of the purpose of them. For example, the background color of the walls on which there are hangers could be light blue or purple, colors which can also help you relaxed and calmed. Optimized Ventilation: The method of distributing outdoor air in classroom has a positive impact on indoor air quality and thermal comfort of students. So it would be better if students could open the windows in the back wall when the class is finished. And students who come for the next class could close the windows before class, letting fresh air come in for 15-20 minutes. Moreover, Itââ¬â¢s best to leave the two doors to the classroom open. On the one hand, it could expedite the flow rate of air and enhance the ventilation and exchange effectiveness. On the other hand, leaving two doors open would facilitate those late arrivals to find seats in the sides, so that they donââ¬â¢t need to go straightly in front of the teacher, thus diminishing distraction. External Diminished Noise and Distraction: Since the walls in the classroom are already sound proof, we donââ¬â¢t need to worry about the noise from outside. The major noise created by late arrivals to move through seats could be addressed through the new layout of seats and improved seat quality. Hence, students would be more focused in class. Clean Environment and Safety Facilities: Basically, a clean environment in the classroom is a must for students to gain the best learning experience. Students should be required to take with them the trashes after class, and the cleaners also need to tide the classrooms more frequently. Furthermore, Itââ¬â¢s best to check the safety facilities in the classroom such as the fire alarm on a regular basis, say, twice a month. Because students will be relieved when they know they are learning in a safe place. In sum, the above-mentioned rearrangements are all considered to be physically, emotionally and academically favorable to the learning experience in this classroom. Once students are physically comfortable with the environment they are in, they will be emotionally focused on what they are learning and talking. Moreover, the academically improved learning equipment could maximize the learning experience the students would go through.
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