Strategies in Teaching Literature Essay Example for Free

Strategies in Teaching Literature Essay Upon reading the introduction, I was interested to finish the entire reading. Not because it was assigned but because really I got excited and interested. As Rogoff says, (1990) ‘a child’s meaning construction involves a relation between the individual and the social and cultural environments in which each is inherently involved in the others definition. None exists separately.’(p.89). Which means, a person’s classroom practice and participation is related to the kind of environment that he has outside school. In my view, I would agree to what Rogoff has said, basing on my personal experience in the two types of school that I have attended. When I was in grade school, I have attended in both Private Catholic School and in an Elementary School in a small village. When I was in that private school, I lived in an exclusive subdivision with the cable TV as my best friend. If I’m not in school, I’ll be just at home watching the MTV Channel, Discovery Channel, HBO, and Cartoon Network. My friends visit rarely and if they do, we just play computer games or watch English movies. When I was forcibly transferred to a public school, I lived in a small village with no cable, no internet, no English movies and no computers or computer games. So when I am not in school, I’m with my friends and my cousins who only play birus, luksong-tinik and skipping rope. When I was in a private school, I notice that I participate less in any classroom or school activities. I only talk when called. When I was in a public school meanwhile, I love engaging in group activities whether it’s classroom or school. Well we can say that there are a lot of factors. And I think, undeniably, having been welcomed by peers and doing group activities outside school also developed my interpersonal skill. So it is a lot easier for me to participate in school activities. Who’s better at reading? I’d say that it’s definitely not because of gender that a person is good in reading. And I did not see reading as an activity for girls. I grew up in a family wherein I have never seen my mom read but my dad does. He reads the newspaper and legal books every morning. I have a brother but he abhors reading. He’d rather go out and play with his friends. We have a lot of books at home but I’d rather be in front of the television. If I am good in reading, that’s because I am good in listening, watching and most of all mimicking. I mimic those characters that I see on TV (good thing that I only watch English shows back then). I know a person who is very BAD with reading. He reads in a fragmented manner and ends up not understanding what he had read. He does not have books but owns a number of e-books. He said his dad reads self-help books but he never got interested in reading. He’d rather go out in the streets and play with friends. He also loves watching English movies which somehow explains why his English is phenomenal when he talks (sometimes he sounds like a native speaker) and how much his English sucks when he reads. In conclusion, the kind of environment that you have at home would manifest in your actions in school. A person’s society and culture at home greatly affects his or her performance in school. A person can be very good at school not because the school is great but because his home is or it can also be the other way around.

Poor Behaviour To Manage Education Essay

Poor Behaviour To Manage Education Essay An unfortunate term, perhaps, behaviour management, it implies that from the outset there will be poor behaviour to manage, and that we have precluded much about a student or cohort by considering management of behaviour from the outset. 1.0The truth though is that if we have not considered it at all, we will cause problems and noise between ourselves and our students. Much of that which we never would want to occur will occur if we do not, at the very outset, seek to understand; to provide frameworks of behaviour to follow for both the learner and the tutor to build trust and respect on both sides. We must examine what is meant by behaviour management, the factors involved in broad terms, and what we seek to achieve by it. 1.0 No learner comes to us as a blank sheet. No person is a blank sheet. We are not a blank sheet. We will have previous experience, and based on that previous experience we make a prediction of what will happen next. It will affect how we react, and how our students react. 4.1 Knowing this makes the tutor the most influential part of the learning experience. 3.1Adopting the correct stance and strategy for the psychodynamics at work within a classroom is crucial if we are to provide a positive and effective learning environment and learning experience. 1.0 Getting the dynamics wrong will lead to learners disengaging, becoming restless, attending badly and breaking rules of conduct and discipline agreed at the outset. 3.1 Careful attention to behaviourism in structure, policy and in recognition of it in the learners is fundamentally important for developing an environment that will be behaviourally stable. 2.0/ 3.1 Rules, that need to be agreed with learners if they are to be effective, will include organisational policy rules. These are likely to be rules over which there is little latitude for movement and provide the framework around which the agreements are structured. 3.1 2.0Attendance, for example, rules on bullying and respect, inclusivity and diversity. Assessment methods, professional standards and personal behaviour, roles and responsibilities. 3.1 2.0 They will also include disciplinary procedures that are clear and fair, structured to promote re-engagement and identify causes for varying from the code of conduct so that clear targets can be set to regain good behaviour. 2.0/3.1Without the framework of policy rules would appear unilateral and therefore polarising. 2.0/ 3.1 Understanding that the student and the tutor are bound under the same rules is a unifying experience, and helps 3.1learners build a rapport with their tutor without the interference of an unnecessarily polarised relationship. 3.1Yet the benefit of clear lines and boundaries exist for each party to rely on. Christine Richmond (Rogers, August 2002) (page 58) 3.1 1.0 As I have said, no learner comes as blank sheet. Most will have experienced positive experiences in education, along with negative ones at times. Others will have had very little positive experience at all. This will affect their expectations of what will happen in their next experience. 1.0 If the rules didnt help them achieve last time, why should they obey any rules this time? 1.0Perhaps not obeying the rules will get better results? 1.0 If a student has been excluded before, they may expect it again, and would rather you just got on with it. 1.0 Some have not achieved well before for a variety of factors, if they feel they are not likely to achieve they may be disruptive to avoid failure in the future; not doing an assignment doesnt mean they were not capable of it, they chose to not do it as a challenge to the rule, taking ownership of failure on their terms in a more acceptable form. (Miller, 2002)(Andy Miller/Bill Rogers 2002 (page 69) 3.1 The research referred to above relates to addressing this very early, on the first day your students are with you. At this point they have no rapport with you, all they know is their previous experience and perhaps will be predicting that you will be no different from those previous experiences, and that you will not make a difference. 1.0 It may also be social factors and peer expectation, a desire to be included in a groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ all these factors are part of what influences individual behaviour initial part of a study course. 4.1/ 3.2/ 3.1 Specifying and explaining a rule is crucial. We could say no talking while your teacher is teaching thats the rule. For students with fragile internal controls this is a target to aim at, a button to push( playing into the hands of a passive aggressive type). 3.1We could alternatively say its important that everybody hears instructions clearly for the best chance to achieve. Please make sure that you are able to hear, and your neighbours can hear clearly while any tutor is giving you instruction so that you understand. 4.1/4.2 This is explaining the same rule, but is also explaining why there is a rule and the benefits to the learner of that rule. 3.1There is certainly more likelihood of cooperation with rules given in this way, with reason and foundation, rather than as a totalitarian dictate. (OBrien, 2002) (2002) teaching leadership and behavioural management; page 93 3.1/4.1/4.2/For some students accepting the rules will need to follow very quickly with a positive result from those rules, reinforcing it is beneficial to them to follow it. This does not follow that breaking the rules should result in reprimand, but more a reminder of the rule. 3.1/ 3.2Moreso, to ask the student what the rule is, and why it is a rule, but without making it a humiliating affair. 3.1/4.2Keeping the event low key de-escalates the any spiralling frustration. Returning to the curriculum and the lesson objective is the only purpose here, not a public win for either side. Returning to the task is a win for the tutor, and a success for the learner in re-engaging 3.1/3.2/4.2. For some students, there will be no solution to behaviour that constantly trucks the rules, only good management of it so that it has least impact on the learning for the student and learners in the cohort. 3.2The humanistic view is that the teacher is not responsible for the behaviour, only the manage ment of it. 3.2/4.2Liberated from the feeling that you must get this class inside the rules leaves you free to focus energy on how to best manage the circumstances and achieve the curriculum. (Parsons, 2002, p. 117) 4.2/3.2 This does not mean that behaviour should go unchecked, but should be focused on low key solutions that avoid conflict (which is always a destructive force in relationship building) and engage respect, that does encourage relationship building and trust. The rules we make for students must have the aim of safety, trust and respect. We should be making sure our students are reaching the top of Maslows hierarchy or needs and that all of our rules and policy and dynamics are tilted only towards enabling learning. If they are not then they can be seen as rules without meaning. 4.1 This does not mean that some behaviour cannot be challenged directly and publicly. 4.2 Dangerous or abusive behaviour is often best dealt with quickly and publicly, reinforcing to the group that they can have confidence in your leadership and surety of safety. Always, though, making sure that the quickest possible return to task is achieved. 4.2/4.1 Once the incident is stopped, it is best then to return to low key treatment involving a private tutorial with the learner/transgressor, a least intrusive intervention (Rogers, 2002)page 7. Use positive words and statements rather than negative ones (Braithwaite 2001) et al. (Rogers, August 2002) Christine Richmond 4.2/ 4.1/ 3.1 4.1/4.2 We must de-escalate events and interventions. When a person is angry (Teachers included) they can make poor judgements. Far better to make an intervention that returns quickly to task and give all parties a chance to reflect and calm before addressing discipline or correction in a calm and cool manner, when it is easier to articulate and more readily accepted on all sides (particularly true of active-aggressive types). 4.2This may include a time out, or inviting the student or students to remain at the end of lesson for a tutorial. Remaining neutral and calm can be difficult but it is a professional imperative to achieve it. 1.0Reflect that the event may not be related to the underlying cause of the behaviour and assess it from a humanistic point of view. 1.0 Planning can do much to mitigate risks of behaviour from the outset. Students of different backgrounds, ethnicity, race and religion can be in conflict before they ever take a seat in the class. Some may be bringing pre-existing relationships and loyalties with them from previous schools or colleges, or from elsewhere. Having a policy of rules, across an entire campus, keeps consistency. 1.0 2.0 3.1 It avoids the risk of too many tutors and teachers applying rules confusingly differently giving learners sure ground to rely on. 4.2/1.0There are of course students with varying conditions that will appear often to overstep the line on behaviour and will remain unchallenged. We must be careful that accommodating our group profile does not undermine rules that all others are expected to adhere to, and yet accommodate these students fully, so that they are included fully and have the same opportunity of success. The process should be clear and transparent and include the learner in the planning as much as is practicable. This may include support professionals. (Learning Skills Development Agency, 2007) 4.1/4.2We can do this more easily if all behaviour management is kept low key and designed to re-engage a student to task. 4.2/3.1We must also work towards preventing and label that the learner feels they have been attached to becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy. 4.1/4.2Conceptualising behaviour in terms of Primary, secondary and residual behaviours (Rogers) is a useful process that allows refocusing of behavioural issues so that positive behaviour can be affirmed and rewarded. 4.1/4.2/3.2/3.1 This crucial if incremented step provides new experience for the learner, new confidence and eventually the chance of altered behaviour in the future, making all learning more accessible to that learner. Building bridges, not barriers. 1.0 Fundamentally destructive behaviour from a teacher can cause students to be uncomfortable, they will slip down the hierarchy of needs, trust is broken and then there is no respect. Some causes of destructive behaviour are obvious or at least should be. 1.0 Insults directed at a student or group of students, dont be thick Oi, youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦fattyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. If we used them toward other adults in any other arena they would be unacceptable, and so they are here. They hurt, they are erosive and destructive. 1.0/2.0 Sarcasm is also destructive (as well as likely to be hard to perceive for those with Aspergers/autism). It is a cheap shot, and will not yield long term results other than a degradation of student / tutor relationship. This is such a fundamental and crucial area that it should be part of the organisational policy and not rely on individual teachers and tutors to establish. (OBrien, 2002) 1.0 What happens when we start to trade insults and sarcasm with students is a sarcastic and insulting response. We have set the trend by doing this and what follows is our fault. We will lose control of the lesson, the students will at some point say something that pushes all our buttons and we will react with anger. If we cant follow anger with apology and a climb-down and regain respect then we should not set foot on the road that leads to it. It is much the same for management in commerce. 1.0 One could simply not entertain behaviour of such nature and retain respect of staff, colleagues and superiors, nor the all-important customer (which in many ways a student is). At its extreme it is bullying. There are many parallels between classroom management and man management in commerce and industry. Its a people thing, students are people and so are teachers and tutors. 4.2/4.1 Keeping staff focused on their function is crucial to success and the extent of responsibilities must be very clearly understood for all parties. A manager of a workshop will be very clear that a worker is accountable to achieve a given level of output, and we must be clear with students that they are accountable for their output, and in return we are accountable to provide a structure in which that flow of work is constant yet manageable, as is the case of the workshop manager. 4.2Encouraging an environment where the roles are clearly understood, and e ach understands their responsibility, nurtures a culture of cooperation where hierarchy can be reduced and a partnership culture adopted through mutual trust. This means that instead of competing roles they become collaborating, symbiotic roles. (Robertson, 2002) 4.2Environmentally we can control the room layout, and to some extent the temperature and feel of the room. 1.0If it is hot and airless everyone feels stressed, as is the case if it is far too cold, too cramped or learners find it hard to see or hear what is going on. 4.2/1.0We can make an effort not to be intimidating; teachers can be intimidating on many levels without meaning to be. They have excellent subject knowledge, they know whats coming next, they are allowed to ask for your attention and expect to get it, they have voices that carry and they look comfortable in their environment. They can make the work look easy when the student doesnt understand it at all, all these things are intimidating, particularly to students with fragile internal controls. 4.2We can control the flow of information so the student is not overwhelmed, but so that they feel there is plenty to do and do not waste time, thinking that there is only one simple task. 4.2We can communicate clearly, in whichever way the learner accepts most readily. 4.2We must provide them with clear information of what is going to happen when, who we are, who others are and where to find things so that they acquire some ownership and belonging as immediately as possible. 4.2 We can focus on low key interventions that do not leave a student feeling excluded or highlighted in themselves, only in the action away from the task. 4.2Use of body language and eye contact can be quite enough to bring a student back on task (Rogers, 2002)4.2 give ownership of the behaviour to a student by asking them what the rule is and why it is a rule, then move on without further comment (Rogers, 2002). 4.2 Discuss the rules with students so they understand and agree the rationale behind the rule. Make sure the students are aware that there are rules for Teachers and Tutors too, and that we all are under these rules in the framework. 4.2/2.0Be clear on the procedures involved in the policy framework and how that policy is engaged with and what it seeks to achieve. 1.0Be aware that the students will be carrying past experience and that this may not always be positive. 3.1/3.2Be prepared to build bridges and not barriers. 4.2 Recognise achievement and try to divorce the student from the behaviour so that they are free to move their position in approach to learning. 4.2/3.1/3.2Build on good experience so that is supplants any negative experience. 4.2Always let a student move on from a confrontation with a clean sheet, avoid grudges on both sides. 4.2/3.2 Focus on managing behaviour and not waste energy trying to solve behaviour that some students will be unable to comply with. Always return to the objective of completing the task, the curriculum and how that can be achieved with the best management that can be achieved. There will always be times when we misjudge, or engage the wrong strategy. We must not make ourselves a victim, but accept any responsibility that is ours. We must be able to objectively review behaviour and strategy and be open to trying a new approach. We must be open to talking with colleagues and developing our own skills. We must be equally prepared to be wrong and be proven so. The only fault in this would be not being prepared to change or develop a new strategy, or listen to colleagues. References; Harvard; Learning Skills Development Agency, 2007. Whats your Problem. London: Learning skills Network. Miller, A. /. R. B., 2002. Teacher leadership and behaviour management. s.l.:SAGE. OBrien, T., 2002. Teacher leadership and behavioural management. s.l.:Sage. Parsons, L., 2002. Teacher leadership and behaviour management. s.l.:Sage. Robertson, J., 2002. Teacher leadership and behavioural management. London: sage. Rogers, B. /. R. C., August 2002. Teacher leadership and behaviour management. s.l.:Sage. Rogers, B., 2000. Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide to Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleage Support. London: s.n. Rogers, B., 2002. Teacher leadership and behaviour management. s.l.:sage. 1. Potential factors that lead to behaviour that can disrupt a learning environment Cross references P1p 1-2 P2p 2-3 P3p 1 P5p 3-4-5 P6p 1-2-3 P7p 1 P8p 2 P1p 3 P2p 1-2 P5p 4 P6p 1 P8p 1 2. Understand organisational policies relating to managing behaviours in the learning environment. 3. Promote behaviours that contribute to a purposeful learning environment. 3.1 Review ways of encouraging behaviours that contribute to an effective learning environment. 3.2 Use strategies for encouraging behaviours that contribute to a purposeful learning environment P1p 2-3 P2p 1-2 ref P3p 2-3-4-5 P4p 1 ref 4. Be able to manage behaviours that disrupt a purposeful learning environment. 4.1 review ways of managing behaviours that disrupt a purposeful learning environment. 4.2 Use strategies for managing behaviours that disrupt a purposeful learning environment

The Nature of the Legalism and Its Significance :: essays research papers

In contrary to its contemporary antagonist philosophical schools, who advocate the practices of humanness and the rightness and set ideal of the past, the Legalists, in their complete rejection of the traditional ethics, embraces the efficacy of political power and uphold a society of laws and punishments. As the old feudal states decayed and the smoke of endemic warfare suffused, the need for a more rational government that can afford greater centralized power so as to strengthen a state against its rival increased substantially among the Warring States. Such a rising urge necessitated the emergence of the Legalists and further predetermined the Legalists’ inherent nature – realistic, totalitarian and problem-solving – which, with the realization of its significance and duty in the stream of history, finds its hegemonic character as well. In function, the Legalist is more of a powerful and influential government consultative committee than a philosophical school. In practice, they openly advocate war as a means of state expansion and transforming people into more submissive and loyal or inversely, a way for its people to server the state; they conceive a political structure where all government apparatus and social institutions reside under an absolute monarch, who has the ultimate power and set his foundation in an elaborately self-contained, austerely impartial and severely coercive legal machinery; the state would also find no existence of the earlier schools of thoughts if not their total annihilation; loyalty to their emperor and â€Å"weakened† minds among people would prevail, bringing about social stability enabling intensive and efficient farming. It is thus rational for us to question the validity of preconditions upon which these ideas were acquired and the legitimacy of the ideas; and later but more importantly, how did the Legalists become the only classical thoughts had its teaching adopted as the sole official doctrine of a regime ruling all China and bring about the unification of China; and lastly, the association of the all-too-soon collapse of the ephemeral Qin Dynasty and the Legalists thoughts. As for the precondition of the Legalists’ thoughts, there are a few fundamental premises or judgments that we can find from the texts. As an independent school of thoughts in order to distinguish itself among all Hundreds of Schools and set aside all past ideals and standards, the Legalists, first of all, believed in the inevitability of a constant change in society. As noted by Han Fei (d.

Mutations in Nature and Culture Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research P

Mutations in Nature and Culture Many other words, both positive and negative, spring to mind when one hears the word "mutation." In a scientific sense, one might think of the random variations that lead to evolution in species. In a sci-fi/ horror flick sense, one might think of a vicious monster that after contact with some radioactive substance became terribly disfigured. But rarely do we associate mutations with ideas pervasive to our culture. Daniel Dennett suggests that memes undergo a certain kind of mutation that is inherent to the creative evolution of culture. The most important distinction to be made between mutation as it applies to biological evolution, and how it applies to creative evolution is the function of randomness. In nature, random variation is the cause of mutation, and therefore the appearance of different traits. In the generation of ideas, the role of randomness is not so easy to pinpoint. On the one hand, it seems that creative ideas are generated through patterns of association: "During creative thought, memes potentially relevant to a solution would evoke or activate one another, altering or strategically (though not necessarily consciously) manipulating them..." (Gabora 1) Yet, there is no predictability to these associations, and furthermore, "The very creativity and activity of human minds as temporary homes for memes seems to guarantee that lines of descent are hopelessly muddled, and that phenotypes (the "body designs" of memes) change so fast that there's no keeping track..." (Dennett 355) So perhaps what we would call "randomness" as it plays out in the evolution of species is really taken over by an element of disorganization in creative forces. Dennett cites Stephen J... ...sually fatal or detrimental to the organism in which it occurs. However, mutations are creativity's greatest asset: at one time, the great removal from more traditional realist art that impressionism posed seemed detrimental to the world of painting. The result was the beautiful addition of artists like Monet and Degas to the sphere of art. Whether one chooses to include impressionism in his or her organization of art history is dependent upon the thinker, but one cannot deny that creative mutation is ultimately beneficial to culture. Works Cited Dennett, Daniel C. Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life. New York: Touchstone, 1996. Gabora, Liane. The Origin and Evolution of Culture and Creativity. Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission, 1. 1997. Available http://jom-emit.cfpm.org/1997/vol1/gabora_l.html

Prayer in Schools :: Religion Faith Beliefs Essays

Prayer in Schools Recently the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would not hear the appeals of a case banning the traditional dinner prayer before the meal at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). The court decided not to hear this appeal mainly due to procedural rules regarding the retirement of the school’s former superintendent before the case, but two of the justices, Rehnquist and Scalia, felt that the case needed to be tried in order to make a determination regarding prayer in universities, especially those with military affiliation (Biskupic 3A). Unfortunately, they did not have the required number of justices to carry the case to the court, but those outside of the court system do not have such restrictions upon their decision regarding organized prayer in universities. They can make their own decisions on what to believe. One must change the general opinion of the people in order to find resolution of this issue so they in turn can prompt a revision to the Constitut ion. This may be the only true solution to clarify this problem and this revision will need the support of the public in order to succeed. Prayers and other religious elements in government will be the focus of this revision. Those who would act to ban these prayers have made the mistake of misinterpreting the original intent of the framers of the Constitution regarding the First Amendment, they have misunderstood what it means to rank among those who call themselves an adult American, and have failed to comprehend the complexities of military training. The Constitution fails to ban prayer in government run areas with conscientious Americans under the special circumstances involved with military affiliated educational institutions. The people in favor of the ban on organized prayer in colleges make the claim that the 1st Amendment makes it unconstitutional. In order to make this claim, one must analyze the text of the amendment and the history behind the original intent of the Constitutions framers. The text of the amendment contains the following concerning religion, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Constitution). This amendment should rightfully be interpreted as meaning that Congress does not have the power to regulate the religious institutions or prevent anyone from practicing their own religion.

“What’s Your Color?” a Study on Color Preferences

â€Å"What’s your Color? † A Study on Color Preferences A Research Paper Presented to the Languages Department Of the College of Science, University of Santo Tomas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course Academic Writing Group No. 3 1st Semester, SY 2011-2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study2 Statement of the Problem2 Significance of the Study2 Scope and Limitations2 Materials and Methods2 Definition of Terms2 2 DISCUSSION Colors2 Background (Definition of Colors)3 Perception and Sensation3 Theory of Colors3 Psychology of Colors2 Research History on Color Preferences2 Color Preference By Gender3 Color Preference By Age3 Possible Factors Affecting Color Preferences3 3 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary2 Conclusions2 Recommendations2 REFERENCES2 Chapter I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Conventions of society on color preferences, whether on age or gender, are nothing but stereotypes. The traditional adage of â€Å"pink is for girls while blue is for boys† may be proven wrong. About 80% of the information which is incorporated through the senses is visual and it influences an individual’s everyday decisions. Individuals use color in choosing certain objects such as identification and selection of different kinds of food and drink, toys or cars and dresses. Colors also influence object preference in many situations, like a color of a house, clothes and furniture. However, color does more than just give objective information about the world, for it also affects an individual’s feelings. It possibly may dictate a person’s moods and emotions, perceptions, likes and dislikes. Such influence by a certain color is an important center of research in color psychology, which is called color preference. Color preference is the tendency of an individual or a group to  prefer  some  colors  over others or a strong inclination that results from identification with a certain or favorite color. People are affected by different color stimuli and it varies from person to person. However, color does more than just give us objective information about our world; it affects how we feel. A preference for a specific color can be related to how a person may or want to feel in any situation and even how it may be the basis to remember certain experiences. Many investigations have indicated that children and adults, depending n the gender and age, have differences in preferences for colors. A study done by Eysenck (1941) found that there was a relationship between gender and color and that people have a general preference for color. According to Ellis & Ficek (2001), females and males tended to be somehow divided in preferring both green and blue and said that it may be affected in taking t he view of neuroscience. On the other hand, Davis, Pitchford & Seerif (2009) found out that color preferences emerged with age and that perception of color was shown to have a mediating role in determining a color preference. Additionally, children prefer colors they find to be pleasant and comforting and it can be changed and can vary while adult color preference is usually non-malleable. Although with these researches, color psychology received minimal attention to research probably because of the inevitable ‘instability’ of the results that may vary in different researchers in the past decades. This instability is mostly due to the unpredictability of the color’s variables, making it difficult to come about with results that will lead to a concrete conclusion (Child, Hansen, & Hornbeck, 1968). Another problem is that there is no known direct cause of why and how an individual develops the certain attachment to a specific color, which brings the researchers to assumptions rather than backed by empirical evidences. With these in mind, color preference now holds a huge impact in a person’s everyday life for it can be found basis on how people will act in certain situations and is not just brought about by what parents or peers have taught to an individual to like. Moreover, the need for a new research on the issue is a priority because even some of this research’s credible references are decades old. This paper now aims to determine what these specific color preferences are, its occurrence over time, its societal effects on an individual and its psychological cause, bases and changes. B. Statement of the Problem This study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What colors are preferred by male and female individuals? 2. What changes in preference occur over time or as they age? 3. What are the psychological and societal causes and bases of the preferences and changes that happen? C. Significance of the Study Developmental Psychologists. Psychologists, from the field of Developmental Psychology, are concerned with the nature of human development or change in the cognitive, social, emotional, behavioral and physical aspects throughout the life span and this study will help them understand the role of color preference as a building block in development. Consumer Psychologists. Psychologists, from the field of consumerism, study people’s emotional, cognitive and behavioral responses to a wide variety of stimuli (advertisements, packaging, products, etc. and this study will help them understand how color preference plays an important role in the selection of a product based on its appearance. Future Researchers. Because this study has received minimal attention in the past decades to contribute to the growth of this discipline, this will help future researchers solve why people have color preferences and to improve this study. They are also heeded to develop researches based on how these preferences will affect th e person’s behavior. D. Scope and Limitations This study focuses on the color preferences of an individual based on their age and gender. This will also concentrate on the possible cause and effect and relations between the two, the psychological implications and societal effects to the preferences. Because this research is not empirical, this study will no longer conduct interviews and surveys to the population. Moreover, this will not discuss any behavioral outcomes due to a person’s color preference. This study attempts to discuss the causes to take such preference. E. Materials and Methods This research employs a Descriptive Method since the researchers aim to escribe and to discuss color preferences based on an individual’s gender, age, their possible relations with each other and the psychological explanations causing the phenomenon. This method is defined as â€Å"a process of gathering, analyzing, classifying and tabulating about prevailing conditions, trends, processes†¦ and then making adequate interpretation about such data†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Calderon & Sanchez, 1995). With this, Descriptive Method is believed necessary for the study. Different reference materials containing data relevant to the research was gathered such as books and journal articles from scholarly periodicals and online sources. F. Definition of Terms For a common frame of reference, the following terms are operationally and conceptually defined. Color Preference. This refers to the tendency of an individual to be inclined to one specific color. Color Psychology. This refers to the application of the study of psychology into sensation and perception of colors. Hue. This refers to the description of color we readily experience when we look at color. (Briggs, n. d. ) Perception. This refers to the brain’s interpretation of a received sensation. Psychology. This refers to the scientific study of the overt and covert processes of the mind. Saturation. This refers to the dominance of hue in a color. (Briggs, n. d. ) Sensation. This refers to the stimuli received by the main senses of the body. Value. This refers to the linear axis running through the middle of a color wheel. (Briggs, n. d. ) Chapter 2 DISCUSSION Colors A. Definition of Color Color studies began with the interaction of light and color because without light a person cannot observe a color, shape, or space. Understanding light and color was greatly aided by Isaac Newton's discovery that white light contains all visible color. A person can see colors because wavelengths of light vary; high energy light appears violet, while low energy light appears red. (Cherry, 2011) B. Perception and Sensation C. Theory of Colors Psychology of Colors Color psychology is the study of color as a factor of human behavior and consists of varied studies on color preference. Color preference is a vital aspect of an individual’s visual experience that influences a wide spectrum of human behaviors: buying cars, choosing clothes, decorating homes, and designing websites, to name but a few. When an individual reacts to colors, a number of factors may influence that reaction. A person's culture, gender, age, emotional and mental state, specific experiences, mood — as well as the appearance, combination and other properties of the colors themselves — can all affect the reaction. An individual’s experience of color is influenced by one’s personal and cultural associations. One would tend to approach or withdraw from objects based on how pleasing a color is or how others would imply meaning to it (Lescroart, 2010). Based on an interview conducted by Sohn (2010), Karen Schloss, a graduate student in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley agreed: I might like purple more than you because my sister's bedroom was purple and I had positive experiences there. My own personal preference is determined by all the entities you've encountered of that color and how much you liked them. † Color preference is also influenced by societal affiliations. Sohn (2010), â€Å"†¦ But it shows that people are generally interest ed in the subtle differences between people and what has driven that. Color provides a tool to understand why we like some things more than others. † (Sohn, 2010) While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors are perceived as warm or cool primarily because of long-held and universal implications. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. Warm colors can bring forth emotions that range from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Alternatively, colors on the blue side of the spectrum are called cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also bring about feelings of unhappiness or lack of interest (Cherry, 2011). Moreover, warm colors are linked with the heat of sun and fire and are generally considered as high arousal colors. On the other hand, cool colors are associated with the coolness of leaves, sea and the sky and are considered as low arousal colors (Pantone, n. d. ). Research History on Color Preferences A. Color Preferences By Gender Most researchers may have not exactly agreed to what color do individuals prefer according to their gender, but all of them said that there is significance only to a little extent. Work (2011) concluded that only blue is the favorite color for both males and females like. However, they differ in the color that genders dislike, having brown for men and orange for women. Ellis and Ficek’s (2001) conclusions almost agrees to that of Work’s, where men places Blue and Green as their top two with the women’s counterpart interchanges the two colors. Eysenck’s (1941) experiment also sees no difference between the two sexes, ranking Blue, Red and Green as the participants’ favorite colors. Early researchers also saw if color properties would have affected an individual to such preferences in colors. Eysenck pointed out that the color’s luminosity may have affected the decision, but no longer elaborated the reason, which is confusing for the researchers of this paper. Child, Hansen, and Hornbeck (1968) focused little on sex differences, but noted that males prefer cool colors while women prefers warm, appearing not later than 17 years of age. On the other hand, Work presented a more accurate explanation that may have a role in preferences. He said that men tended to be inclined toward shade colors, or those colors with black added, because it make them feel dominant and mysterious. It is the contrary for women, liking tint colors, now colors added with white, because it made them feel young and soothed. Moreover, Work said that light and dark colors are preference for both sexes, while soft colors were preferred by women, and bright by men. B. Color Preferences By Age If there is any relation between color preferences and the individual’s age, the answer would be a yes, an almost significant yes. Michaels (1924) experimented on 6 to 15 year-old boys and concluded that there is only a little importance on colors but presented a big factor on the reason of why the preference is present. While green occurred as a favorite color for six year-old boys, the remaining years turned their attentions to like blue. Michaels said: Several possibilities present themselves as means of explanation. Should we consider that at 6 years and under there is no appreciation of the aesthetic sense; or that the individual undergoes physiological changes, which mature at 7 years, bringing into development a physiological mechanism which causes to see objects in a different light? There might be some psychological basis for explanation where the individual the keener sense of perception to aid him in his judgments. Perhaps his social environment is changed at this period to allow a little freedom of action – a vital influence of an individual in general. Could it not be that the innate tendency was unable to find a field of action until properly stimulated? These are some suggestions along the lines of which one could work out a case on the evidence at hand†¦ whether the explanation is physiological or psychological (p. 82). Most researchers, however, focused on the properties of color as determinants if there are significant differences that can be found. On value, the darker category was found preferred by older individuals, opposing younger ones who likes lighter ones, as said by Lee, Gong, and Leung (2009). Meanwhile, Child, Hansen, and Hornbeck concluded that cooler colors are preferred by all ages, which is becoming prevalent as early as six, and that there is little to no significant transcendence of color preference, raising their point to the study of Burnham, Hanes, and Bartleson in 1963 as cited in their article. But they still stressed that changes may still occur because the individual may be socially-affected, which may then change his attention from the color’s saturation as a criterion to its hue. They also added that if there is change by age, the change in cognitive functions of a child to an adult is one big cause. This is affirmed by the study of Davis, Pitchford, and Seerif (2009), which in their experiment showed that adults are more in favor of desaturated and hue colors than that of saturated ones. C. Possible Factors affecting Color Preferences Except the properties of colors and cognitive functions that is earlier mentioned, this study saw no clear cause to explain everything as different researchers concluded either biologically, psychologically, or both. Ellis and Ficek presented a biological origin that it may be a neurohormonal factor that affects color preference, but not elaborated further because the evidence supporting the hypothesis is an experiment in rats and is currently in study. Another one is that color preference came about by retinal biochemistry and the way the brain processes color information, which is sensitive to some colors that is found different in sexes. Females are more sensitive to pink and, while males are more sensitive to green and blue. Lee, Gong, and Leung also noted that elders would prefer colors related to joyful events, while the younger ones would prefer those that will make them comfortable. They agree to Child, Hansen, and Hornbeck’s hypothesis that color preference may be emotionally-evoked which may be an influence of an individual’s experience with the color. Chapter 3 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY This paper attempted to determine the colors preferred by male and female individuals, their changes in preference in their occurrence over time and the psychological and societal causes and bases of the preferences and changes that happen. The research design used in this study is the Descriptive Method wherein data from books and journal articles from scholarly periodicals and online resources were used to answer the research questions posed. The research findings are the following: 1. The color blue is generally preferred by all individuals. Based on the color properties, both genders differ in color preference with males liking cool, bright and shady colors while females favor warm, soft and tinted colors. 2. The changes in color preference by age are not specific. Cooler colors are commonly preferred throughout the life span but changes are caused by an individual’s changing criterion, from saturation to hue. 3. Psychologically, color preference exists from an individual’s emotion, cognitive function and perception stored in memory related to the color. Society also influences color but is yet to be proven. CONCLUSION Based on the findings of this study, the researchers therefore conclude that an individual’s color preference does depend on age, gender, and the color’s properties. RECOMMENDATIONS After drawing the conclusions of the study, the researchers hereby make the following suggestions/recommendations for future researchers: 1. In conducting further research on color preferences, an Empirical Method should be used to gain more accurate and more meaningful results and data. 2. It should focus on the biological bases because only a few researchers have produced information about the biological aspects of color preferences. . It should also focus on the effects of color preferences to an individual’s behavior and inclinations to certain objects. REFERENCES Briggs, D. (n. d. ). The dimensions of color. Retrieved from http://www. huevaluechroma. com/ 012. php. Cherry, K. (n. d. ). Color psychology: How colors impact moods, feelings, and behaviors. Retrieved from http://psych ology. about. com/od/sensationandperception/colorpsych. htm. Child, I. , Hansen, J. , & Hornbeck, F. (1968). Age and sex differences in children’s color preferences. Child Development, 39(1), 237-247. doi:10. 2307/1127374. Ciccarelli, S. , & Write, J. N. 2009). Psychology (2nd ed. ). Jurong, SG: Pearson Education South Asia Pte. Ltd. Davis, E. , Pitchford, N. , & Seerif, G. (2009). Does colour preference have a role in colour term aquisition?. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 27(4), 993-1012 doi:10. 1348/026151008Ãâ€"399916. Ellis, L. , & Ficek, C. (2001). Color preferences according to gender and sexual orientation. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(8), 1375-1379. doi: 10. 1016/S0191- 8869(00)00231-2. Eysenck, H. (1941). A critical and experimental study of colour preference. The American Journal of Psychology, 54(3), 385-394. doi:10. 307/1417683. Lee, W. , Leung, C. , & Gong, S. Is color preference determined by age difference?. Retrieved from http://w ww. iasdr2009. org/ap/Papers/Orally%20Presented%20Papers/Behavior/Is%20 Color%20Preference%20Affected%20by%20Age%20Difference. pdf. Lescroart, M. (2010). Favorite colors: Color preference determined by desirability of objects. Retrieved from http://www. scientificamerican. com/article. cfm? id=favorite-colors. Michaels, G. (1941). Color preference according to age. The American Journal of Psychology, 35(1), 79-87. doi:10. 2307/1127374. Munger, D. (2005). Color preference in kids and adults. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs. com/ cognitivedaily/2005/06/color_preference_in_kids_and_a. php. Pantone. (n. d. ) How does color affect us? Retrieved from http://www. pantone. com/pages/ pantone/Pantone. aspx? pg=19382&ca=29 Pinel, J. (2008). Biopsychology (7th ed. ). Jurong, SG: Pearson Education South Asia Pte. Ltd. Sohn, E. (2010). Color preference determined by experience. Retrieved from http://news. discovery. com/human/colors-preferences-evolution-style. html. Work, S. (2011). True colors – breakdown of color preferences by gender. Retrieved from http://blog. kissmetrics. com/gender-and-color/.

The Reality of Married Life

John J. Robinson in his book â€Å"Of Suchness† gives the following advice on love, sex and married life. â€Å"Be careful and discreet; it is much easier to get married than unmarried. If you have the right mate, it's heavenly; but if not, you live in a twenty-four-hour daily hell that clings constantly to you, it can be one of the bitterest things in life. Life is indeed strange. Somehow, when you find the right one, you know it in your heart. It is not just an infatuation of the moment. But the powerful urges of sex drive a young person headlong into blind acts and one cannot trust his feelings too much. This is especially true if one drinks and get befuddled; the lousiest slut in a dark bar can look like a Venus then, and her charms become irresistible. Love is much more than sex though; it is the biological foundation between a man and a woman; love and sex get all inter-twined and mixed up†. Problems Almost everyday, we hear people complaining about their marriages. Very seldom do we hear stories about a happy marriage. Young people reading romantic novels and seeing romantic films often conclude that marriage is a bed of roses. Unfortunately, marriage is not as sweet as one thinks. Marriage and problems are interrelated and' people must remember that when they are getting married, they will have to face problems and responsibilities that they had never expected or experienced hitherto. People often think that it is a duty to get married and that marriage is a very important event in their lives. However, in order to ensure a successful marriage, a couple has to harmonize their lives by minimizing whatever differences they may have between them. Marital problems prompted a cynic to say that there can only be a peaceful married life if the marriage is between a blind wife and a deaf husband, for the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and a deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of his wife. Sharing and Trust One of the major causes of marital problems is suspicion and mistrust. Marriage is a blessing but many people make it a curse due to lack of understanding. Both husband and wife should show implicit trust for one another and try not to have secrets between them. Secrets create suspicion, suspicion leads to jealously, jealousy generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation, suicide or even murder. If a couple can share pain and pleasure in their day-to-day life, they can console each other and minimize their grievances. Thus, the wife or husband should not expect to experience only pleasure. There will be a lot of painful, miserable experiences that they will have to face. They must have the strong willpower to reduce their burdens and misunderstandings. Discussing mutual problems will give them confidence to live together with better understanding. Man and woman need the comfort of each other when facing problems and difficulties. The feelings of insecurity and unrest will disappear and life will be more meaningful, happy and interesting if there is someone who is willing to share another's burden. Blinded by Emotions When two people are in love, they tend to show only the best aspects of their nature and character to each other in order to project a good impression of themselves. Love is said to be blind and hence people in love tend to become completely oblivious of the darker side of each other's natures. In practice, each will try to highlight his or her sterling qualities to the other; and being so engrossed in love, they tend to accept each other at â€Å"face value† only. Each lover will not disclose the darker side of his or her nature for fear of losing the other. Any personal shortcomings are discreetly swept under the carpet, so to speak, so as not to jeopardize their chances of winning each other. People in love also tend to ignore their partner's faults thinking that they will be able to correct them after marriage, or that they can live with these faults, that â€Å"love will conquer all†. However, after marriage, as the initial romantic mood wears off, the true nature of each other's character will be revealed. Then, much to the disappointment of both parties, the proverbial veil that had so far been concealing the innermost feelings of each partner is removed to expose the true nature of both partners. It is then that disillusion sets in. Material Needs Love by itself does not subsist on fresh air and sunshine alone. The present world is a materialistic world and in order to meet your material needs, proper financing and budgeting is essential. Without it, no family can live comfortably. Such a situation aptly bears out the saying that â€Å"when poverty knocks at the door, love flies through the window†. This does not mean that one must be rich to make a marriage work. However, if one has the bare necessities of life provided through a secure job and careful planning, many unnecessary anxieties can be removed from a marriage. The discomfort of poverty can be averted if there is complete understanding between the couple. Both partners must understand the value of contentment. Both must treat all problems as â€Å"our problems† and share all the â€Å"ups† and â€Å"downs† in the true spirit of a long-standing life partnership.