Life of Indian Education Essay Example

Life of Indian Education Essay 1A 26 October 2010 Life of Indian Education Indian education; it doesn’t necessarily mean to get an Indian education rather to be taught how to be Indian. In Sherman Alexie’s short story â€Å"Indian Education† the main character, Junior, is taught the lessons of being an Indian. The story is about Junior’s life in school from first to twelfth grade with a class reunion at the end. Through each grade we see Junior growing up as well as lessons to be learned. Junior finds himself facing many stereotypes, racism, and discrimination towards him, his people, and culture. The short story ends with Junior beating the odds and overcoming all the obstacles he faced. Throughout the story â€Å"Indian Education† Alexie’s character learns to be an Indian and learns many lessons of how tough it is to be Indian. The first lesson being learned of being Indian is being poor. In the first grade Junior was picked on because he was different than the other boys. â€Å"My hair was too short and my U. S. Government glasses were horn-rimmed, ugly. † The narrator states how he is different by having his hair too short and ugly glasses. We will write a custom essay sample on Life of Indian Education specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Life of Indian Education specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Life of Indian Education specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Having his hair too short shows the other Indian boys that he’s different because in Indian tradition the guys usually grow their hair out. He also states that his glasses are provided by the government which tells the reader that he is poor. Experiencing this poverty is common amongst Indians because many of them aren’t educated enough to get a good job to support themselves. Another example from the first grade is when Junior is given nicknames like â€Å"Junior Falls Down† and â€Å"Cries-Like-a-White-Boy. His nickname â€Å"Cries-Like-a-White-Boy† hints that there is some tension between the Whites and Indians because as said in the story they’ve never heard a white boy cry. These examples show the narrator is learning of being an Indian because being poor is common within the Indian culture and having unfriendly tensions between the Whites is something Indians have had for decades. In the second grade Junior faces racism and discrimination fro m his teacher. â€Å"‘Tell me you’re sorry,’ she said. ‘Sorry for what? ’ I asked. ‘Everything,’ she said. Here, his teacher is punishing him for no reason. This shows the teacher views herself higher than him and thinks of Indians as at the bottom. This is the first time he faces racism and he’s only a young kid at this time. This is one of the many difficulties Indians have to face every day because they look, act, and are viewed differently. In the fourth grade he is shown encouragement for the first of few times. His teacher tells him he should be a doctor, because he is very smart, so he can come back and help his tribe. At this same time the narrator’s mom and dad are sitting in their own darkness drinking and being depressed because of their lives. Junior, having to face his parents like this, knows what he has to do to help not only his family but his entire culture. It’s the first time he looks himself in the mirror and sees himself becoming something and wants to do something with his life. This can be seen by the many difficulties Indians face versus how much encouragement and belief they get from others and their selves. It can also be seen as him breaking away from the Indian culture and fighting to be different than everyone else in his reservation because it’s almost a â€Å"tradition† for Indians to get criticism from others that they’re never going to be anything in life and for the Indians to stop believing in their selves. These were the first lessons he learned of becoming an Indian. Going through the fifth grade the narrator shot his first basketball and air balled everything. However, instead of giving up he looked at the positive and saw math and geometry in it and kept on trying. This can also be seen as a metaphor; As Indians, and the culture of Indians, hardly anything goes right for them. They’re poor, they have poor education, and a lot of them become alcoholics, but for Junior he doesn’t give up, he keeps his head up and despite all of these negative events happening around him he is still able to know that he can choose how his life turns out and not become like everyone else in his tribe. At this same time he shot a basketball his cousin was sniffing cement and his cousin saw beauty and chemistry in this. Junior, learning to be Indian, sees his own family making the wrong decisions on his own because no one is there to tell him what’s right or wrong. Learning to be an Indian can be tough with no supervision and guidance from a more responsible person. He also learns lessons of being an Indian during the seventh grade when he separated from his tribe. â€Å"But on the day I leaned through the basement window of the HUD house and kissed the white girl, I felt the good-byes I was saying to my entire tribe. † Junior left his tribe to get a better ducation at a white school. Leaving your own people to go live with the enemy is a hard thing to cope with for Junior and his tribe. This teaches him lessons of being Indian because he realizes that living on his reservation is not going to get him the education he needs to be successful because Indians have a poor education system. All the way until the twelfth grade Junior faced many obstacles, stereotypes, and racism in the white world. In the twelfth grade the narrator graduates as valedictorian and states that his hair is longer than ever. I walk down the aisle, valedictorian of this farm town high school, and my cap doesn’t fit because I’ve grown my hair longer than it’s ever been. † This shows the audience that he’s very smart and that he beat all the challenges and obstacles put in front of him. This teaches him how to be Indian because it shows the narrator that being Indian is tough and he knows it’s not easy for people with an Indian background to become a successful person out in the world. However, he accomplished things no one believed he could. He beat the odds and proved a lot of people wrong. His long hair symbolizes that he hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from. It’s a symbol his Indian heritage and even though he’s been going to a white school for some years he still hasn’t forgotten about his life back at home. He’s always kept a part of him everywhere he went. Throughout the story Junior grows up to become a new person beating the odds and defeating all the obstacles he had to face. Even though he came from an Indian reservation where people saw themselves as failures, he overcame those odds and saw that he can choose how his life turns out. The narrator is educated of being an Indian facing racism and discrimination. The story talks about the narrator’s education from the first through twelfth grade but doesn’t necessarily give the image of him getting an education but rather it sends out the message of him learning to be an Indian.

Spanish Verbs for Trying

Spanish Verbs for Trying To try is one of those English verbs that will steer you down the wrong path if you try to translate it with just one Spanish verb. This lesson looks at the most common ways of expressing the idea of trying and related phrases such as to try to or to try out. Fast Facts Tratar de and intentar are are the most common ways of translating try when it means to attempt something.Esforzarse and phrases using esfuerzo can also be used to emphasize the effort given.When try refers to a testing or testing out, the preferred translation is usually probar. Trying as Attempting When try means attempt, it can usually be translated as tratar de or intentar followed by an infinitive. The two are roughly synonymous, although tratar de is more common. Note that intentar is a false friend to the English verb to intend - intentar involves an actual attempt, not a mere intent as the English verb does. Tratamos de hacer lo mejor para conseguir el objetivo. (We are trying to do what is best in order to reach the objective.)Trataron de resucitar al cantante durante ms de una hora en el hospital. (They tried to resuscitate the singer for more than an hour in the hospital.)Trataremos de resolver sus problemas. (We will try to resolve your problems.)Vamos a tratar de ganar el campeonato. (We are going to try to win the championship.)Intentamos resolver las dudas que puedan surgir. (We are trying to resolve the doubts that may arise.)Intentar es major que esperar. (Trying is better than waiting.)Me intentaron hacer un fraude. (They tried to commit a fraud against me.)Intento comprender la verdad. (I am trying to understand the truth.) Trying as Testing When to try means to test, as the phrase to try out often does, you can often use the verb probar: Probamos algo nuevo. (Were trying something new.)Los estudiantes probaron comidas de los diferentes paà ­ses. (The students tried meals of different countries.)Los terroristas probaban gases venenosos experimentando con perros. (The terrorists tried out poisonous gases by experimenting with dogs.)Me probà © la camisa y vi que estaba hecha exactamente a mi medida. (I tried on the shirt and saw that it was made exactly to my size.)Desde que probà © su consejo, mi vida cambià ³ para siempre. (Ever since I tried her advice, my life has been forever changed.)Pues, pruà ©balo y vers. (Here, try it out and youll see.)Voy a probar un nuevo truco de magia. (Im going to try a new magic trick.)Probà © suerte de nuevo y abrà ­ mi propio negocio. (I tried my luck again and opened my own business.) Trying as an Effort To try in the sense of put forth an effort can often be translated as esforzarse or a phrase such as hacer un esfuerzo por. Although intentar and tratar de can also indicate an effort, they put less emphasis on it than do esforzarse and phrases using esfuerzo. Sà © que puedes esforzarte ms. (I know you can try harder.)Me esfuerzo con toda intensidad por ser sincero. (Im trying as hard as I can to be honest.)Pero yo me esfuerzo todo lo que puedo. (Im trying to do everything I can.)Hago un esfuerzo por  apartar de mi mente lo ocurrido y concentrarme en mi trabajo. (Im trying to get my mind off of what happened and concentrate on my work.)Volvià ³ al sillà ³n e  hizo un esfuerzo por  relajarse.  (She returned to the rocking chair and tried to relax.)Es necesario hacer un esfuerzo. (It is necessary to try.) Legal Use of 'Try' To try in the sense of to put on trial can be expressed by procesar or juzgar: El juez procesà ³ ayer a ocho personas por el robo de armas de guerra. The judge yesterday tried eight people for the theft of military weapons.Juzgaron a los activistas de Greenpeace en Espaà ±a. The Greenpeace activists were tried in Spain. 'Try' as a Noun Try as a noun can often be translated well using intento: Haz de nuevo el intento. Give it another try. ¡Al menos hicieron  su mejor intento! At least they gave it their best try!Al menos resulta un intento divertido. (At least it was a fun try.)

Bio 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bio 101 - Essay Example Not only is fast food prepared quickly, but it is also available easily on every busy street corner and in various fast food restaurants and fast food outlets in abundance. Moreover, it more than satisfies a â€Å"hungry man’s appetite†. More than a necessity, fast food has become a social and cultural standard. Originating from the West, the fast food trend has expanded and spread in all countries of the world as a new fashion or a new social standard. However, the negative aspects of fast food are many. Even before the health aspects are considered, there are a number of social stigmas attached to the trend of fast food. The concept of meal preparation in the home is not as prominent as it previously was. This tends to reduce the bonding between families of cooking and eating together. It also means that mothers who used to pass on their cooking skills to their daughters do not find time to do so anymore or do not find it as important. Moreover, this fast food trend has put a few large corporations in power and destroyed the local food industry of countries. These large corporations hire unskilled workers in Third World countries and offer them low wages which leads to the exploitation of workers in these countries; while these corporations make large profits. These are only a few of the social problems caused by the trend of fast food. The health stigmas are far more dangerous and harmful. Fast food is one of the main factors causing obesity in adolescents in countries all over the world. Since fast food outlets are located close to schools and colleges, adolescents tend to skip breakfast and indulge in the intake of fast food all day resulting in the intake of an excessive amount of calories which cause obesity (Richardson, 2006). Moreover, greasy fast food is known to cause high cholesterol which is a cause for high blood pressure and heart disease. Mothers were not wrong when

Strategic management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategic management - Case Study Example It was the time that it started evolving as the world's most profitable airline. Michael O'Leary 's key to success was to drastically cut costs down by taking extra-ordinary decisions. But it was not the only reason of his success. He was also very innovative and shrewd in his approach. His efforts were also supported by state policies of the European countries. The briefs of Financial & operational performance of the company from 1998 to 2002 retrieved from ATI database show a great change in the financial status of the company. The increase in Passengers Revenue was $259.68 millions from 1998 to 2002. Net margins increased from 19.63% to 24.09% during this period. Number of passengers increased by almost 300% during this period. These were not mean achievements in such a short period of time. But these statistics does not show that how daring was O'Leary in his decision making. He was never afraid of taking unpopular decision and he had complete trust in judgment. As it is famous saying that fortune favours the braves that was the case with him. Fortune also favoured him on many occasions. The difficulties came to his way never deterred him. He went on expansion spree. Ryanair was not only expanded in terms of routes and destinations but he also acquired new planes for his company. The data sheet is give herewith that shows his achievements. Numbers speak louder than words in this case. RyanAir was successful in controlling total ... Profit after also risen by 44%. Earnings per share also increased. (Financial performance table is attached as Appendix II retrieved from ATI Database) A tremendous increase in the profits of the company encourages O'Leary to go on and take more daring decision of acquisition of Buzz Air. It could prove a turning point towards best or worse. As O'Leary promises to make Buzz profitable within three months by "halving fares and doubling passengers". (Part I 475 words)Strategic Analysis of RyanAir at the end of 2002 Ryanair is considered one of Europe's debatable companies, it policies are appreciated and criticised simultaneously. Some analysts support its commitment to low fares, its revolutionary management. At the same time few analysts attack its labor policies and disapprove its advertising campaign. It would be quite interesting to use analysis models described by Richard Lynch analyse the Ryanair strategically at the end of year . These models can be applied for a thorough analysis of RyanAir. Model: Consideration of the nature of the environment (General considerations) The problems like market recession because of September 11 attacks required a thorough analysis. O'Leary did this very well in comparison to competitors and also with other industries. It helped in assessing the situation correctly into true perspective. His research and evaluation team gave him correct input. The market research was one of the tools used by O'Leary. A correct and true analysis was the key of success of O'Leary. He understood that although situation is quite turbulent but it can be brought under control. He was able to make correct decisions because of these comparative

Product Success Is Not A Reliable Indicator Business Essay

Product Success Is Not A Reliable Indicator Business Essay The report highlights the importance of different factors that contribute to the success of a company and strengthens its foundation. It draws insight on product success that is given an important consideration in terms of companys future growth and revenue generation. It is an essential pre-requisite for a companys strength. It contribution is vital towards the success of a company but it is not considered as a reliable indicator as various other factors play a greater and crucial role in determining companys strength. The strength of a company lies in those indicators which have the power to govern change and sustain its competitive advantage in the long run. There are various indicators which have been changing with the course of time and changing needs of business environment. These indicators are viewed different by various scholars. Thus, enriching there interaction in a company. The term reliability is the measure of consistency of different indicators that are devised in a company structure to overcome competitive threats and have a grab on opportunities. It can be correlated to business acumen and its knowledge. A great deal of business success depends on generating new knowledge and on having the capabilities to react quickly and intelligently to this new knowledge . . . (Richard Rumelt, 1996). The products of a company play a significant role in generation of revenue but the essential indicators are the factors leading to the creation of the product in accordance with the market demand and consumer needs. The firm specific knowledge plays a crucial role in exploiting the available resources to have a competitive advantage and contribute to companys strength. An essential feature of strategy or more specifically innovation strategy should be directed towards accumulation of such firm specific knowledge. Ives et al. (1998), for instance, trace the history of knowledge management back to the ancient Sumerian civilization where cuneiform archives served to record knowledge for future generations. Modern management tends to focus on controlling, centralising and standardising knowledge which reduces the marginal cost of knowledge by economies of scale. It is argued whether knowledge management represents an extension or departure from these tendencies. The conversion of tacit into explicit knowledge and storing it is lined up with such tendencies. The new technology integrates knowledge in the organisation. It opens up new opportunities for knowledge creation and transfer beyond the more traditional means of face-to-face interaction, mentoring, job rotation and staff development (Alavi and Leidner, 1997). IBMs Larry Prusak says, knowledge is both an asset and a process of acting knowledgeable. Knowledge management is the process of continually managing knowledge of all kinds to meet existing and emerging needs, to identify and exploit existing and acquired knowledge assets and to develop new opportunities (Quintas et al., 1997). The knowledge management programmes have coheren ce across a number of dimensions, including organisational structure and culture, people aspects, process and technology (Quintas et al., 1997 p387). Harry Scarbrough (1998) points that managing knowledge is not easy as it are often sticky and tacit. It cant be extracted from its context. He raises human relation issues such as staff will resist being treated as a moveable asset. It is further argued that knowledge itself appears in a number of different guises according to context: intellectual capital (e.g. Bontis, 1998; Roos et al, 1998); knowledge assets (Boisot, 1998; Teece, 1998); workplace and organisational capital (Adler and Cole, 1993; Argyris, 1992). The formulation of an innovation strategy having the ability to cope up with an external environment that is considered to be complex and ever changing, with consequent uncertainty about present and future advancements in technology, competition challenges and market demands may prove to strengthen companys business tactics in the long run. It is argued that the distinction between approaches i.e. choice and implementation breaks down when firms decision are made in complex and fast changing environments. The rational approach to innovative strategies dominance is believed to be less effective than the incremental approach which lays emphasis on changing needs in the light of new information, learning and understanding that is consciously obtained. The nature of the competitive threats and opportunities that emerge from advances in technology rightly stress the importance of developing and protecting firm-specific technology in order to enable firms to enable themselves against the c ompetition (Porter, 1980). It is argued that Porters approach underestimates the power of technology to change the course of the competion by transforming industrial structures and overestimates the organisational competencies to exploit them. It is very difficult (but not impossible e.g. the case of Nokia) for a manufacturing traditional textiles to have an innovation strategy to develop and make computers (Patel, P. and Pavitt, K., 1998). The product success is not a reliable indicator because when the product enters the market its reliability and validity depends on the market forces and competition and both of them are based on uncertainties. A firms technological innovation requires complementary assets to produce and deliver new products and services. Prior commercialisation activities require and enable firms to build such complementarities (Teece, 1986b). New products and processes can either enhance or destroy the value of such assets (Tushman et al., 1986). For example: IBMs direct sales increased with the development of computers, while disk brakes were rendered useless as auto industries invested in drum brakes. Further ample evidences are available for a given type of competence (e.g. quality) which can be supported or manufactured by different routines and combination of skills. Garvin (1998) and Clark and Fujimoto (1991) studies both indicate that there was no one formula for achieving either high quality or high product development process. There is a firm competition between firms on the basis of product design, quality, process efficiency and other attributes. It is pointed that firms are constantly seeking to create new combination, and rivals are continuously attempting to improve their competencies or to imitate the competence of their most qualified competitors (Schumpeter, 1934). Such processes drive the destruction of product creativity. The focus is on the dynamic capabilities of firms which provides a coherent framework to integrate existing and empirical knowledge, and facilitate prescription (Teece, D. and Pisano,G., 1994). What depicts the strength of a company in global market is not its products success but demonstration of firms timely responsiveness and rapid and flexible product innovation, integration of management capabilities to effectively coordinate and redeploy internal and external competences. It is offered as an emerging paradigm of a business firm. It tries to facilitate a prescription by integration of existing conceptual and empirical knowledge. It is an indicator which provides competitive advantage to firm rooted in their high performance routines, processes and continued by history. They are built as they cant be brought from a market place. The very essence of capabilities/competencies is that they cant be readily assembled through markets (Teece, 1982, 1986a; Kogut and Zander, 1992). Resear chers (Doz and Shuen, 1989; Mody, 1990) have pointed that collaboration and partnership can be vehicles for new organisational learning, helping firms to recognize dysfunctional routines, and preventing strategic blind spots. This concept of dynamic capabilities opens the door to inter-organisational learning. Leonard Barton (1992) finds that the organisational core capabilities can easily create core rigidities. That is, opportunity for learning will be close in to previous activities and thus will be transaction and production specific (Teece, 1988). Porter (1980) describes two market strategies: innovation leadership and innovation followership. The initial one is concerned with those firms which attempt to introduce a new product to gain a technological lead and temporary monopoly profits whereas the latter tries to initiate the market pioneer by reverse engineering. It is argued that the survival and growth in the firms succeed or fail in their innovations, whether offensive or defensive. For a firm to survive and grow in competition, it must be capable of adapting its technologically based strategy to this competition. The introduction of a new product in any industry poses a threat to older products and processes by turning them obsolete or uneconomic. It has been inferred that core competencies play a vital role in companys strength. Managers will be judged on their ability to identify, cultivate and exploit the core competencies that make growth possible (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994).In the long run competitiveness derives from an ability to build at lower cost and more speedily than competitors, the core competencies that spawn unanticipated products. The real sources of competitive advantage are to be found in managements ability to consolidate corporate wide technologies and production skills into competencies that empower individual businesses to adapt quickly to changing opportunities(Hamel and Prahalad, 1994). The validity of this statement still holds its firm position in the mainstay thinking of todays firms. Core competence leads to the harmonisation of a number of related skills which starts building up an intelligent organisation. The competence base should be strong and should be managed properly. It should not be overlo oked. The core product of a company is the crux of an end product.For example: Cannon has 84% share in laser printer engines but miniscule laser printer share.It has built its core competence in engines rather than printers through continuous feedback from customers. It has been able to manage low risk, low cost and reduction in lead time by focusing on its competencies. In conclusion, a well-crafted strategy can lead a company to be a pioneer firm in the market if it possesses the ability to convert intellectual leadership into market leadership and be ahead of their rivals. The foresight of the rising opportunities plays a vital role in gaining a competitive advantage. Core competence and dynamic capabilities holds the key to exploit opportunities and are intriguing assets which are built with time. By getting hold of such opportunities a company can capture royalties, market reputation, customer lock-in, vast distribution network and set or define rules for other companies to compete, as Sony did in portable audio products and Intel has done in microprocessors. The key to innovation is stability.The focus of a company should be on organisational stewardship and stability rather than short-term profit fixation which can be gained from the success of one product.

Instructional Communication Essay

Instructional Communication Instructional Communication can be best explained as the transfer of information in a teaching environment. There are a lot of aspects that is associated with Instructional Communication. The contexts that are most relevant to my career are teacher to teacher communication, teacher to student communication, comprehension of information, and technology used in the setting. These four aspects make up my career as a public affairs instructor for the Department of Defense. Instructional communication is very important to the field of communication. Instructional communication is implemented everyday all around the world. It is implemented in schools and in job settings. This type of communication is how we relate information to new people on the job or students in a classroom. In order to determine the depth of comprehension we have to analyze formal and summative assessments of the students. During the course that I instruct, we also use technology to convey information as well as have the students to use technology to complete projects that are due during the course. Instructional communication has several different contexts located within it. I feel that the most important context would be teacher to student communication. It is extremely important as a teacher or an instructor to be able to convey the information to your audience and them be able to comprehend what you are talking about. It is also very important that students ask questions or talk about the material that is being covered to show understanding. According to Karaduz, (Karaduz, 2010) â€Å"An important part of instructional services involves giving messages to students about how they should learn and become involved in the learning process, giving those stimuli for reinforcement, identifying the gaps in their learning, and amending these gaps. An effective instructional process thus requires strong communication skills along every step. It is through language that a healthy communication is established, student interest is aroused, and ways of comprehending, practicing and retaining information are clarified. Karaduz said a lot in these few sentences. He talked about how important communication is between student and teachers. What good do teachers do when the students cannot understand the teacher’s message? Teacher and student communication is so important in any instructional setting. The next most important part of instructional communication is teacher to teacher communication. It is handy to have colleagues that you can ask questions or get advice about certain criteria. I have worked as a public affairs person for the last seven years. Of that seven years 2 ? of them has been in a combat area. In this intense atmosphere I have learned pretty much everything that I teach my students at the Defense Information School. A lot of times other instructors come to me for information on what should happen in a certain situation in a combat area. I think that teacher to teacher communication is extremely valuable and you should take a advantage of it. According to Lance (Lance, 2010), â€Å"when administrators value collaboration between teacher-librarians and classroom teachers and when teacher-librarians and their classroom colleagues report that it happens more frequently, students are more likely to master ICT standards and more likely to earn advanced scores on state reading and language arts tests. † This study linked collaboration between faculty and students scores. Lance showed that when faculty collaborated on instructional information and objectives the student’s scores went up on formal assessments. Another context of instructional communication is comprehension assessment. As an instructor I have to assess the students learning to see if they have learned the specific objectives to move on to the next part of the course. If students do not meet those objectives then they fail and are recycled to another program. I use different kinds of assessments to check the depth of their knowledge of the material. The students have written assignments, formal assessments, and a Field Training Exercise (FTX). The students also have time to redo any work that they have failed in order to receive a better grade. I provide feedback within two days of the after the due date of the assignment. I provide feedback and remedial for any student that is deemed in need or feels that they need the extra help. Since we try to communicate very well with the students our fail rate is between 2 to 4% each course. Technology is the last item that is very important to instructional communication. â€Å"Based on the immersive interface that underlies virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, virtual environments allow the enactment of complex situations with tacit clues, imulation of scientific instruments, virtual experimentation, simulated collaboration in a team, and adaptive responses to students’ choice—all captured and recorded in data streams (Clarke-Midura, 2010),† according to Jody Clarke-Midura and Chris Dede. In this century technology has advanced so much. We have social media sites, PowerPoint presentations, email, and other was to communicate in and out of t he classroom. I learned that when you do not have proper communication things tend to follow apart.

Behaviour in the Classroom Essay

Everybody shall: use properly and carefully the school facilities, classrooms, wood and metalwork, fittings, furniture and things made available to us, as well as ours and our teacher’s and class-mates’, at all times; and bring to class the material needed (coursebooks, hand-outs, homework done, white sheets of paper, a plastic folder and something to write with) and have it out on the desk, ready to start working, as soon as the teacher goes into the classroom. No other material shall be on or in the desk. If you forgot to bring in any of the things needed, you must ask someone to share hers with you before the teacher gets in. Those who aren’t ready and haven’t done their homework are given a written assignment and dismissed. If the majority haven’t done it, they will do it on their own and expect a question about it on the next exam. PARTICIPANTS will either – speak, when the teacher chairing the meeting asks to do so, after raising one’s hand up, doing it in a polite way (not judging -‘That is .. ‘-, but expressing personal reactions and reasons -‘I agree/disagree with that opinion because †¦ ‘-), in a low voice, without fear nor shame, to truly (not hiding one’s contradictions, handicaps and mistakes and getting rid of the masks and disguises) ask for clarification or say something that has to do with the matter dealt with (relevant) as clearly and briefly as possible, based on the notes taken while listening; – be silent (mouths closed), listening actively (ears open, eyes looking to the person speaking or the text read and with the mind focused on understanding what it is being said and, then, thinking further meanings of it like: Do I agree? What are the reasons that base it? Does it explain anything? What details and nuances should be taken into account? Can I think of an example? ) and taking notes on the interesting ideas said and on one’s own doubts, questions and visions; – be with one’s hand up and silently miming or gesturing the answer to a question made; or – nod to show agreement with the person speaking. In PAIR & GROUP work, voices shall lower & everybody will speak taking turns clockwise.