The Image of God Essay Example For Students

The Image of God Essay Introduction Imago Dei, or the image of God, is the concept from the religious doctrine according to which people are created in Gods image. In fact, the image of God has been the subject of many theological debates.   The doctrine emphasizes Christ’s presence in the world reflecting through humanity. Therefore, this basic doctrine becomes the primary teaching that states that people are made in the â€Å"imago Dei.† The Account in Genesis There is a single verse of scripture that put the basis for the concept of the Imago Dei. According to the verse, God created man in the image of himself. Therefore, at the beginning stage, it is crucial to examine the account of the image of God in Genesis to understand the history of the religious debate. The verse is taken from the chapter that describes how God created the world, and, after that, he created humans in the image of himself. God created a humanity that became the climax of the created order. The environment in which man and woman would live was supposed to be his and her governed area. In other words, God placed humanity in a unique position within himself. Therefore, people were established in friendship with their Creator. Only in free obedience to God, a man may live in harmony. Then, a well-known story of the Fall demonstrates that being created within the image of God, humans should recognize their insurmountable limits. According to the concept, people are primarily depended on their Creator, and human sins make the trust in God die. Hence, any subsequent sin may be considered as the disobedience toward Creator and the lack of trust and spirituality that is also greatly affected by the Fall. There is also the passage from the Genesis that â€Å"God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God.† Love in an inevitable part of the Christian image of God. Besides, it should be mentioned that a foundation in Christ’s love for humanity represents a changing understanding of each human’s dignity, vocation, ability to love, and the mission. Augustine One of the persons who greatly contributed to the development of the primary stage of the understanding of the Imago Dei was Augustine.   According to his work, people have been created within the image with the interior ability to participate in Wisdom that is the life of the true image of Creator. Augustine believed that humanity is not primarily the image of God as one may think. Rather people are placed in a special form of relationship with the Creator. This peculiar relationship is what differentiates humans from all other creatures in the world. Besides, every individual possesses a kind of â€Å"likeness† to God.   However, there is a basic intrinsic difference between creator and humans – while God is immutable, human beings are mutable. Therefore, in brief, at the very core of Augustine’s theory, humans are made with a particular dignity. Besides, all people have the potential to become close to God or distance oneself from him. Aquinas Aquinas greatly contributed to the next stage in the debate on the â€Å"imago Dei.† In general terms, Aquinas accepted and even promoted the thoughts once expressed by Augustin. He strongly believed that humanity is in a special relationship with the Creator. However, the writer focused not solely on the motif of the image of God but more on human â€Å"likeness† to God. Aquinas was much more interested in the scientific questions of how humans may know God. In his works, Aquinas states that humans are like God only in terms of analogy. Because of the well-known story of Adam’s sin, human likeness to God is colored by sins. Therefore, the likeness greatly decreased after the Fall. .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d , .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .postImageUrl , .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d , .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d:hover , .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d:visited , .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d:active { border:0!important; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d:active , .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u31ae2509109eea493f741325efecb46d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Russian Geography and its affect on Society EssayIt was primarily Aquinas who questioned the theological starting point. In fact, he tried to question not only the existence of humanity but also God’s existence. He concluded that the very essence of the Creator is to exist as he is an uncaused cause of all things in the world. Therefore, due to this reason God is true human identity. Also, Aquinas stated that people have a chance to participate in the life of God through the grace of Christ. Overall, according to the teachings of Aquinas, the likeness to God discussed above plays a crucial role in the special relationship people have with God. Luther Luther was another thinker who contributed to the next stage of the concept formation of the image of God. In fact, he believed that people’s creation in the image of God does not assume a human ability to prepare for God’s justice. Although his views on the topic are often compared to the views proposed primarily by Augustine, Luther tried to question the true teaching of scripture and tried to reconsider what does it mean that humans are made in God’s image. According to Luther’s teachings, the human ability to make moral choices is completely unconnected with God’s justice. He emphasized that a blind and captive man easily perpetuates things that are offensive to God. Therefore, not all humans should be considered as rational creatures. Luther’s stage is important for the development of religious thinking. In fact, he puts a different emphasis, stressing the ways how human identities can be determined in terms of Christ’s justification. His new model cuts through the primary preoccupation with human ability with God’s grace to become once again like God. Calvin The next stage is the teaching of John Calvin that states that all people are made in the â€Å"imago Dei.† However, when the Fall took place, the image and the likeness between Creator and humans were distorted to the ways that people became incapable of communicating directly with God. After the Fall, the distance between Creator and humans became more clear. The likeness between them decreased as, unlike God, people passively accepted their righteousness. He also mentioned that people should not doubt the existence of God. The main reason for that is that due to the existence of the â€Å"imago Dei,† his existence is indisputable, and it is something that cannot be understood completely by human perception. People may get the knowledge of the â€Å"imago Dei† and of God himself only through scripture. As it was already mentioned, after the Fall, people became completely incapable of maintaining the right relationship with God. They became the victims of sins that were against any moral laws. The belief in the â€Å"imago Dei† states that the salvation for humans comes only through their faith. Only God may open human eyes to the moral laws and take away their sins. Although the faith itself has no power, it shows righteousness for people.   Calvin stated that in case humans accept the concept of â€Å"imago Deo,† then they should be likely to know that God promotes salvation and condemnation. Summing up, the teachings of Luther and Calvin represent an obvious shift in the understanding of how people are made in the â€Å"imago Dei.†   Christ’s actions may be traced only in the life of a believed. Only having a strong faith people are likely to find their way back to God. Besides, their teachings open one’s eye to the fact that the fact that people were created in the â€Å"imago Dei† does not mean that they are involved in a reciprocal relationship with the Creator.

The Types Of Ruin A Revolution In Animal Farm Essays - British Films

The Types Of Ruin A Revolution In Animal Farm The Types to Ruin a Revolution in Animal Farm There are the infamous examples of Stalin and Hitler in history in which someone takes abuse of power for their own personal gain. George Orwell emphasizes this idea of the abuse of power through animals in his novel Animal Farm. The characters of Napoleon, Squealer, the dogs, and Boxer all symbolize important types of people in the making and breaking of a revolution. Animal Farm contains the theme that there will always be some group of people who will contaminate an idealistic revolution for their own gain. The main character in Animal Farm who takes advantage of the stupider animals and completely ruins the Revolution is Napoleon, a pig. Napoleon loves power and chases away another pig with power, Snowball, so he can be the sole ruler. Napoleon symbolizes the people of the world who will do anything to be in control. One especially famous example of this type of person is the character Macbeth from William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Macbeth murdered the king, killed innocent people, and sacrificed his morals in order to become king. This type of person is needed in order for an idealistic revolution to be corrupted. Through the character of Napoleon, George Orwell emphasizes that there will always be someone willing to commit heinous deeds in order to become leader, dictator, or tyrant The pigs of the farm are much smarter then the rest of the barn animals and take up the job as the thinkers and planners. The other animals are the workers and diligently believe anything the pigs tell them. The abuse of power begins when they notice that the apples and milk start disappearing. Sqealer, the public speaker pig, explains this to the worker animals: You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! (p52) This is only the only the beginning, as the pigs keep taking more for themselves and leaving less for the rest of the animals. Eventually the worker animals are worse of then when they were with Mr. Jones. They are worked to death and on the verge of starvation because of the greed of the pigs. Orwell uses this suffering as an example of the extent some people will go to for personal gain. As any reader can see, Squealer had an important part in this process. Squealer symbolizes the public relations man who will say anything to get what he wants - kind of like a lawyer. Squealer is the most handy with words and can convince the worker animals of anything. He is even able to continually convince them that they remember things wrong. Squealer alters the past to the convenience of his idol, Napoleon. A squealer is needed for any man or animals rise to power, to brainwash the public into believing their leader is god. Orwell uses the character of Squealer to prove that there will always be a group of people who take a Revolution and corrupt it for their own personal gain. And then there are the dogs. Early in the novel , while Snowball is working on literacy for the entire farm, Napoleon steals some puppies sand raises them to be his guard dogs. The dogs symbolizes the Secret Police or law enforces that are needed to force the animal workers, or public, to do as the leader demands. The dogs are responsible for Napoleons rise to power. They look up to him as an master: It was noticed that they wagged their tails to him as the other dogs had been used to do to Mr. Jones. (p68) The dogs are also the type of people who can be easily brainwashed into believing that their master is God. They are the ones who do the dirty work. It is partly the terrorism of the dogs

A Rhetorical Analysis of Claude McKays Africa

A Rhetorical Analysis of Claude McKay's Africa In this critical essay, student Heather Glover offers a concise rhetorical analysis of the sonnet Africa by Jamaican-American writer Claude McKay. McKays poem originally appeared in the collection Harlem Shadows (1922). Heather Glover composed her essay in April 2005 for a course in rhetoric at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. For definitions and additional examples of the rhetorical terms mentioned in this essay, follow the links to our Glossary of Grammatical Rhetorical Terms. Africas Loss of Grace by Heather L. Glover Africa1 The sun sought thy dim bed and brought forth light,2 The sciences were sucklings at thy breast;3 When all the world was young in pregnant night4 Thy slaves toiled at thy monumental best.5 Thou ancient treasure-land, thou modern prize,6 New peoples marvel at thy pyramids!7 The years roll on, thy sphinx of riddle eyes8 Watches the mad world with immobile lids.9 The Hebrews humbled them at Pharaohs name.10 Cradle of Power! Yet all things were in vain!11 Honor and Glory, Arrogance and Fame!12 They went. The darkness swallowed thee again.13 Thou art the harlot, now thy time is done,14 Of all the mighty nations of the sun. Keeping with Shakespearean literary tradition, Claude McKay’s â€Å"Africa† is an English sonnet relating the short but tragic life of a fallen heroine. The poem opens with a lengthy sentence of paratactically arranged clauses, the first of which states, â€Å"The sun sought thy dim bed and brought forth light† (line 1). Referencing scientific and historical discourses on humanity’s African origins, the line alludes to Genesis, in which God brings forth light with one command. The adjective dim demonstrates Africa’s unlighted knowledge prior to God’s intervention and also connotes the dark complexions of Africa’s descendants, unspoken figures whose plight is a recurrent subject in McKay’s work. The next line, â€Å"The sciences were sucklings at thy breasts,† establishes the poem’s female personification of Africa and lends further support to the cradle of civilization metaphor introduced in the first line. Mother Africa, a nurturer, raises and encourages the â€Å"sciences,† actions that foreshadow another brightening of the world to come in the Enlightenment. Lines 3 and 4 also evoke a maternal image with the word pregnant, but return to an indirect expression of the African and African-American experience: â€Å"When all the world was young in pregnant night / Thy slaves toiled at thy monumental best.† A subtle nod to the difference between African servitude and American slavery, the lines complete an encomium of Africa’s success before the advent of â€Å"new peoples† (6). While McKay’s next quatrain does not take the drastic turn reserved for the final couplet in Shakespearean sonnets, it clearly indicates a shift in the poem. The lines transform Africa from enterprise’s champion to its object, thereby placing the Mother of Civilization into an antithetically lower position. Opening with an isocolon that stresses Africa’s changing positionâ€Å"Thou ancient treasure-land, thou modern prize†the quatrain continues to demote Africa, placing agency in the hands of â€Å"new peoples† who â€Å"marvel at thy pyramids† (5-6). As the cliched expression of rolling time suggests the permanency of Africa’s new condition, the quatrain concludes, â€Å"thy sphinx of riddle eyes / Watches the mad world with immobile lids† (7-8). The sphinx, a mythical creature often used in caricatures of Egyptian Africa, kills anyone who fails to answer its difficult riddles. The image of a physically and intellectually challenging monster risks undermining the gradual degradation of Africa that is the poem’s theme. But, if unpacked, McKay’s words reveal his sphinx’s lack of power. In a demonstration of anthimeria, the word riddle acts not as a noun or verb, but as an adjective that invokes the sense of perplexity usually associated with riddles or to riddle. The sphinx, then, does not invent a riddle; a riddle makes a confused sphinx. The â€Å"immobile lids† of the dazed sphinx frame eyes that do not detect the mission of the â€Å"new people; the eyes do not move back and forth to keep the strangers in constant sight. Blinded by the activity of the â€Å"mad world,† a world both busy and crazed with expansion, the sphinx, Africa’s representative, fails to see its imminent destru ction. The third quatrain, like the first, begins by retelling a moment of Biblical history: â€Å"The Hebrews humbled them at Pharaoh’s name† (9). These â€Å"humbled people† differ from the slaves mentioned in line 4, proud slaves that â€Å"toiled at thy monumental best† to construct an African heritage. Africa, now without the spirit of her youth, succumbs to a lowly existence. After a tricolonic list of attributes linked with conjunctions to convey the magnitude of her former excellenceâ€Å"Cradle of Power! [†¦] / Honor and Glory, Arrogance and Fame!†Africa is undone with one short, plain phrase: â€Å"They went† (10-12). Lacking the elaborate style and obvious devices contained throughout the poem, â€Å"They went† powerfully understates Africa’s demise. Following the pronouncement is another declarationâ€Å"The darkness swallowed thee again†that connotes discrimination of Africans based upon their skin color and th e failure of their â€Å"dark† souls to reflect the light offered by the Christian God in line 1. In a final blow to Africa’s once shining image, the couplet offers a scathing description of her present state: â€Å"Thou art a harlot, now thy time is done, / Of all the mighty nations of the sun† (13-14). Africa thus seems to fall on the wrong side of the virgin mother/tainted whore dichotomy, and the personification formerly used to sing her praises now condemns her. Her reputation, however, is saved by the couplet’s inverted syntax. If the lines read â€Å"Of all the mighty nations of the sun, / Thou art the harlot, now thy time is done,† Africa would be rendered a wayward woman worthy of scorn because of her licentiousness. Instead, the lines state, â€Å"Thou art the harlot, [†¦] / Of all the mighty nations of the sun.† The couplet suggests that Europe and America, nations enjoying the Son and the â€Å"sun† because they are predominantly Christian and scientifically advanced, pimped Africa in their quests to own her. In a clever positioning of words, then, McKay’s Africa does not fall from grace; grace is snatched from Africa. Work Cited McKay, Claude. Africa.† Harlem Shadows: The Poems of Claude McKay. Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1922. 35.

Definition, Discussion, and Examples of Close Reading

Definition, Discussion, and Examples of Close Reading Close reading is a thoughtful, disciplined reading of a text. Also called close analysis and explication de texte. Though close reading is commonly associated with New Criticism (a movement that dominated literary studies in the U.S. from the 1930s to the 1970s), the method is ancient. It was advocated by the Roman rhetorician Quintilian in his Institutio Oratoria (c. 95 AD). Close reading remains a fundamental critical method practiced in diverse ways by a wide range of readers in different disciplines. (As discussed below, close reading is a skill thats encouraged by the new Common Core State Standards Initiative in the U.S.) One form of close reading is rhetorical analysis. Observations English studies is founded on the notion of close reading, and while there was a period in the late 1970s and early 1980s when this idea was frequently disparaged, it is undoubtedly true that nothing of any interest can happen in this subject without close reading.(Peter Barry, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, 2nd ed. Manchester University Press, 2002) Francine Prose on Close Reading We all begin as close readers. Even before we learn to read, the process of being read aloud to, and of listening, is one in which we are taking in one word after another, one phrase at a time, in which we are paying attention to whatever each word or phrase is transmitting. Word by word is how we learn to hear and then read, which seems only fitting, because it is how the books we are reading were written in the first place. The more we read, the faster we can perform that magic trick of seeing how the letters have been combined into words that have meaning. The more we read, the more we comprehend, the more likely we are to discover new ways to read, each one tailored to the reason why we are reading a particular book.(Francine Prose, Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. HarperCollins, 2006) The New Criticism and Close Reading In its analyses, new criticism . . . focuses on phenomena such as multiple meaning, paradox, irony, word play, puns, or rhetorical figures, whichas the smallest distinguishable elements of a literary workform interdependent links with the overall context. A central term often used synonymously with new criticism is close reading. It denotes the meticulous analysis of these elementary features, which mirror larger structures of a text.(Mario Klarer, An Introduction to Literary Studies, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2004) The Aims of Close Reading [A] rhetorical text appears to hideto draw attention away fromits constitutive strategies and tactics. Consequently, close readers have to employ some mechanism for piercing the veil that covers the text so as to see how it works. . . . The principal object of close reading is to unpack the text. Close readers linger over words, verbal images, elements of style, sentences, argument patterns, and entire paragraphs and larger discursive units within the text to explore their significance on multiple levels.(James Jasinski, Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies. Sage, 2001) [I]n the traditional view, close reading does not aim to produce the meaning of the text, but rather to unearth all possible types of ambiguities and ironies.(Jan van Looy and Jan Baetens, Introduction: Close Reading Electronic Literature. Close Reading New Media: Analyzing Electronic Literature. Leuven University Press, 2003) What, really, does a critical close reader do that the average person on the street does not do? I argue that the close-reading critic reveals meanings that are shared but not universally and also meanings that are known but not articulated. The benefit of revealing such meanings is to teach or enlighten those who hear or read the critique. . . . The critics job is to uncover these meanings in such a way that people have an aha! moment in which they suddenly agree to the reading, the meanings the critic suggests suddenly come into focus. The standard of success for the close reader who is also a critic is therefore the enlightenment, insights, and agreement of those who hear or read what he or she has to say.(Barry Brummett, Techniques of Close Reading. Sage, 2010) Close Reading and the Common Core Chez Robinson, eighth-grade Language Arts teacher and part of the leadership team at Pomolita Middle School, says, Its a process; educators are still learning about it. . . . Close reading is one strategy being implemented for teaching students higher level thinking skills, focusing on depth rather than breadth. You take a piece of text, fiction or non-fiction, and you and your students examine it closely, she says. In the classroom, Robinson introduces the overall purpose of the reading assignment and then has students work independently and in partners and groups to share what they have learned. They circle words that are confusing or unknown, write out questions, use exclamation marks for ideas that surprise, underline key points. . . . Robinson uses examples from Langston Hughes work, especially rich in figurative language, and refers specifically to his poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers. Together, she and her students investigate each line, each stanza, piece by piece, leading to deeper levels of understanding. She plays an interview with him, assigns a five-paragraph essay on the Harlem Renaissance. Its not that this hasnt been done before, she says, but Common Core is bringing a new focus to the strategies.(Karen Rifkin, Common Core: New Ideas for Teachingand for Learning. The Ukiah Daily Journal, May 10, 2014) The Fallacy in Close Reading There is a small but immitigable fallacy in the theory of close reading, . . . and it applies to political journalism as well as to the reading of poetry. The text doesn’t reveal its secrets just by being stared at. It reveals its secrets to those who already pretty much know what secrets they expect to find. Texts are always packed, by the reader’s prior knowledge and expectations, before they are unpacked. The teacher has already inserted into the hat the rabbit whose production in the classroom awes the undergraduates.(Louis Menand, Out of Bethlehem. The New Yorker, August 24, 2015)

The Effects of One-On-One Intervention on Letter Recognition in Dissertation

The Effects of One-On-One Intervention on Letter Recognition in Kindergartners - Dissertation Example ention is not justified because at the end of the day, individual letters do not matter very much and other lesser grilling  methods of teaching can be applied (Gillon, 2004). This study is, therefore, going to look at the effects that some of these interventions have on the kindergarten and establish whether to promote them or curtail their usage. Background and Justification According to Fulk (1997) et al., â€Å"there are various conflicts and concerns about the best way to help the pupil to achieve a concrete letter recognition ability, if at all that is needed.† There have been countless critics of the best way to approach this issue with the maximum result. They carried out a study which will be given shortly in the literature review section. It was clear that there were several methods of intervention such as picture mnemonics, letter speed race, letter, matches, rhyming concepts, ordering methods and so forth. The methods have existed from a very long time but also t here are those that have come up in the recent past which are either created by the individual teachers creatively approaching the subject. The other references that have been applied in this context also agree that the methods are a good mode of teaching (Bastano, 2008). The study is, therefore, justified to seek answers about the effectiveness of the specific letter-recognition intervention method that are being applied by many people in the learning institutions. Martinez (2010) argues that â€Å"despite the curriculum of teaching in schools putting emphasis on the pupils to be able to know letters in all formats and correctly name them, it is not as important as the effort that is put in it†. This poses a big conflict about the justification of the one-on-one intervention of the letter recognition... From this dissertation it is clear that there are various conflicts and concerns about the best way to help the pupil to achieve a concrete letter recognition ability, if at all that is needed. There have been countless critics of the best way to approach this issue with the maximum result. They carried out a study which will be given shortly in the literature review section. It was clear that there were several methods of intervention such as picture mnemonics, letter speed race, letter, matches, rhyming concepts, ordering methods and so forth. The methods have existed from a very long time but also there are those that have come up in the recent past which are either created by the individual teachers creatively approaching the subject. The other references that have been applied in this context also agree that the methods are a good mode of teaching. Martinez argues that â€Å"despite the curriculum of teaching in schools putting emphasis on the pupils to be able to know letters in all formats and correctly name them, it is not as important as the effort that is put in it†. This poses a big conflict about the justification of the one-on-one intervention of the letter recognition exercise. Because of these arguments the instructional techniques that are used in kindergarten setting ought to be customized for the pupils for better results. The question here there ore is how effective are those instructional strategies in the teaching environment and what are the impacts of them on the young minds.

Developing as a Teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Developing as a Teacher - Essay Example In regard to motivation, pupils who are interested and active in school tend to have higher goal orientations and higher self-efficacy, which has been shown to be positively related to self-regulatory strategies such as planning, monitoring, and regulation resulting in increased pupil performance (Alsop, Bencze, & Pedretti, 2005). social concerns. As Osborne, Simon and Collins (2003) state, "attitudes are enduring while knowledge often has an ephemeral quality (and) the price of ignoring this simple fact and its implications is the potential alienation of our youth phenomenon that many countries are now experiencing" (p. 1074). Through the learning environment, teachers should motivate their pupils; teachers should convince their pupils to see the relevance of education and learning to their lives; should give their pupils the strategies, skills, and abilities to be successful in the classroom as well as out in the "real world." Therefore, the problem to be addressed in this paper is how teachers can help their pupils to actively engage in their own learning. Pintrich, Marx, and Boyle (1993) describe classroom contextual factors as six structures that define a leaning environment. These structures are: task structures, authority structures, evaluation structures, classroom management, teacher modeling and teacher scaffolding. Task structures deal with providing pupils with authentic, challenging and meaningful tasks in the classroom (Hamilton, 2007). Authority structures address the issues of providing pupils with optimal choice, optimal control and optimal challenge in the classroom. Evaluation structures (or assessment) address the issue of allowing pupil work to be improvement based and mistakes are seen as positive (Hamilton, 2007) and as an opportunity for mastery learning. Classroom management concerns the use of time and norms for engagement in the classroom. Teacher modeling directs the efforts and attention of scientific thinking and scientific dispositions as engaged by the teacher in the classroom. Teacher scaffolding addresse s the issues of cognition and motivation. In many secondary classrooms, pupils are often cognitively, emotionally, and socially dependent on their teachers who formulate the learning goals, determine the type of interaction allowed, and generally require pupils to adjust to the learning environment they have created (Boekaerts, 2002). However, classroom contextual factors such as authentic tasks or projects "without one right answer" that allow longer periods of time for completion may drive off closure and facilitate more cognitive activity and conceptual change" and may serve to actively motivate learners as well (Pintrich quoted in Alsop, Bencze, & Pedretti, 2005). Pupils who adopt a goal orientation approach (motivation) do engage in more selfregulated learning than those who do not (Pintrich, 2000). Self-regulated learning

Act of Kindness Essay Example for Free

Act of Kindness Essay Today i will be telling you about one of my act of kindness, but before i do that i will be giving you hints as to what your about to read. It happen at a store that was one city over from me and was one of the best places to be be around because of the places near it. I was really young and it happen in the toy aisle because when your little and a boy its your favorite place. There was a young boy who was crying out for his mom. I was a worried alot when i was little and so i had my older sister help me look for the kids mother so he could smile. Those are my hints to what your about to read in my essay about my act of kindness. My act of kindness takes place at Kmart in Simi Valley, Califronia. I lived one city over from Simi and it was the only major shopping store close to us that was like a Walmart. I loved going to Kmart with my mom and sister because i would most likey get a toy for going with them. Once before when i went to Kmart with my mom i got lost from her and it was the scariest thing a young boy can feel being lost from his mother. When i got lost there was someone there to help me get back to my mom, so i always felt that i should help someone else who was lost from someone they love. MY act of kindness happened in Kmart but to be more precise it happened in the toy aisle in Kmart. When your a young boy the toy aisle is like a candy shop and every toy is like a different flavor. I was six years old with my mom and sister and i would always go to the toys to look and see what i wanted for chrismas because chrismas was like a month and a half away. I saw a little boy in the toy aisle with me he had his hands on his face and i didnt know what he was doing. The little boy was three years old and his hands were over his face because he was crying and i didnt know why he was crying i was thinking it was for a toy and he mom wouldnt let him get it. Then i hear him starting to cry mama mama where are you mama. I started to worry for the three year old boy even though i was only six years old i worried and to this day i still worry about stuff. When i went up to my mom i told her i think that boy is lost from his mom. I got to the point where i didnt want him to be sad any more because i knew when i got lost from my mom someone helped me. I ask my sister if she would help me with looking from his mom, my sister was 12 so she was older than me and could do alot more than i could. We started to look around the toy aisle because that where the three year old boy was so we thought his mother would be close by. Then we started to look other places we went to the food  aisle and the young kids clothing aisle. We looked everywhere we were thinking his mom left Kmart and left her son in the toy aisle. We went to the cash register have an employee page that a little boy lost his mom, but right when we got there we heard the mom yell the three year old boys name and he yelled mommy and she thanked us for helping her son look for his mom and i was happy knowing he got back with his mom. That is one of my act of kindness but to me this is one of the biggest act of kindness i have done because i was six when i did this act of kindness. To some people it might not seem like a big act of kindness but even the littlest acts of kindness can help someone in the long run. So if i could say that someones act of kindness to me made me in turn help someone else. I hope what you get from this story is that you can help someone no matter the age or the place. These are my words of wisdom for someone who was helped and who in return helped someone else.