Sepedi Language Module And Classroom Literacy Education Essay

Sepedi Language Module And Classroom Literacy Education Essay Try make an intro that introduces what you are being asked to write about. (set the scene) South Africa is an extremely diverse country consisting of many different races, religions and cultures. Language works hand-in-hand with these three elements and is something that sets our country apart from the rest of the world. (find a quote from eg Jacob Zuma about SAs languages) My mother tongue is English and my second language is Afrikaans and this year I was given the opportunity to choose one of the 11 official African languages as a language module. The University believes that this will give us more understanding of classroom literacies and and linguistic diversity in our country. I chose Sepedi as it The purpose of having classroom literacy is to empower students to become literate in a specific language and thereafter to be able to express themselves in a professional manner in terms of that language and the subject they choose to teach using that language. It serves no purpose to have students learn a specific subject in a language, say Afrikaans that they are not familiar with and perhaps even have no desire to learn, and then have to teach it in English or Sepedi. The reason therefore that Learning Institutions, such as accredited Universities like TUKS, offer Mother Tongue courses is precisely to counter this problem. One of the main purposes would be Empowerment which would seem to be the catalyst in the drive to educate students in their preferred language. Another main purpose would be to break down the barrier that was created, albeit (too old fashioned) invisibly, between the Western and the African culture. Once this is achieved there could be harmony in the cultural d iversities that exist. There is a huge linguistic diversity within all Educational Institutions in South Africa. South Africa is one of the exceptionally few countries in the world that has eleven official languages recorded in its Constitution. There are a handful of educational facilities that have been privatized and as part of their specific curriculum, that only offer one standard language being English, as the preferred language. This type of institution would commonly offer one or two African languages as an optional language but in addition have three or four European languages such as German, Spanish, Italian and French as second and third languages. Public schools, by virtue of the volume of students with an African mother tongue and or the financial capability, or lack thereof, of the parents or guardians mainly offer English as the preferred language, and one to three of the ten remaining official languages as second and third language options. Students opting for an African language as their p referred language of learning and subsequent teaching would however need to clearly understand that they would, by virtue of their choice, be limited in terms of expanding their horizons outside the boundaries of South Africa. To clarify my point here are some examples; Namibia which has Owambo, Damara, Herero, German, English and Afrikaans; Botswana that has Setswana, English, Kalanga, Kgalagadi, Afrikaans and English; Zimbabwe has Shona, Ndebele, English, Kalanga, Tonga and Mozambique which has Portuguese, Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, Shona. ******* ******* ******* Educators play a vital and essential role in the issue of sensitizing students to the diverse cultural differences in the language modules available. Whilst there may be those that share a different opinion on this issue, I believe it is essential that all basic education is done in English as this is the preferred International language on which virtually all education is based. Educators should never force students to learn a specific language because they personally either cannot speak it, like it or perhaps even are not able to teach that specific language. Having a second or third language can only be beneficial to those that can and will make use of this ability. I would see the benefit of having one or more additional language modules in African languages only for those students that have the desire to further their education in their desired field, or become teachers where they would be able to utilize what they have learnt pertaining specifically to the language they have chosen. Having said that, it is always beneficial to learn or have learnt any additional language. An implication of this would be that the student, who will ultimately be the teacher, will have to learn, and master, that specific language before they would be able to teach any learners or prospective students correctly. It serves no purpose to learn a language in a mediocre fashion and then attempt to teach learners in that mediocre fashion. The result would be catastrophic. So dramatic? In my personal opinion I feel that there are too many African language options available and then, by contrast, not enough foreign ones available as choices or options for students. This would be particularly applicable to students that have a desire to expand their education in a foreign country where the language barrier could be the deciding factor when it comes to an application for a position. It is always a prerequisite that any prospective candidate for a position in a foreign country is literate in that specific language or at least can show that they are learning or have an interest in the language. I also understand that there is a huge financial burden on Educational Institutions to have the infrastructure to be able to provide all these languages to their students. Software development is very expensive and takes a lot of time to develop and perfect. In addition to all the infrastructure and resources needed to offer all these languages, the Educational Institution would also have to employ additional mother tongue speaking and educated staff to teach these languages at a cost. The cost would have to be weighed up against the time spent by each educator and compared to the number of students per class to see if this would be a viable option. The chance that such classes would be, could be or could even become viable, is highly unlikely and therefore would become a financial burden for the Institution. I am also of the opinion that no Educational Institution should or should have to offer language modules in all eleven languages. The reason for this is twofold; one, that many of the African languages are very similar and could effectively be integrated into other languages and therefore do not warrant the vast expense of development and two, that the minority languages have so few students that it also does not make financial sense to do this. Sadly the financial implication plays a critical role in all decision making, not only in business but also in Education, in South Africa as in the rest of the world. ******** ******* ****** What you learnt in the module include 4 examples of vocab or phrases What you did in the module How others felt about the module Talk about indebele assignment and what you gained from that Overall do you feel that it was worth the time and effort? ******** *********** ****** In conclusion†¦ Sum up classroom literacies Sum up foreign languages Sum up financial implications Close off with forming your opinion

Learning about Ancient Civilization from the Indian Mahabharata Essay

Learning about Ancient Civilization from the Indian Mahabharata I believe that the Mahabharata historically teaches us about ancient Indian civilization wonderfully. Whether the epic really happened or not, many in present day India really do believe in the mystical world of god, goddesses, and god-like warrior kings. For them to have such faith in the epic says a lot about their culture, which is rich of soul and in my opinion imagination. Is it safe to say that some of the cultural make-up exhibited in the Mahabharata such as male and female roles pass on to today India? I think so. Of course India has grown much since the telling of the Mahabharata, but through the lives of the Dhritarashtra and Pandu's families we can see how historically ancient Indians thought, which may or may not flow into how they think today, but it's an interesting concept to ponder. In this essay I will discuss the male and female roles within the ancient royal families and back-up my opinions with stories from the Mahabharata. Due to the importance of dharma males roles differed, but for most the male was a hunter and provider for his family. Besides the time when Yudhisthira embarrassed Draupadi with his gambling issue, one male role was to protect his wife. The Pandavas wife traveled with them and they cared so much for her that they would kill on her command. For example, when Kichaka pursued Draupadi even after her warnings of her five husbands Bhima, one of the Pandavas, took care of the problem by squishing Kichaka into a round ball of flesh. Through most of the epic the Pandavas tried to protect their wives from danger, but there is only so much you can do in times of war. Another male responsibility was to obtain wives, ... ... the sake of the future of the kingdom. The males were skilled in battle and fashionably wore there hair back. Males did not really dance much either. Then for the females, they did dance. The girls were expected to eventually become a wife. As a wife the females were the baby makers and support system for the family. She was caring and a friend to her husband. This of course does not really depict the ancient civilization as a whole. For example, this way of living does not include the prostitutes. These roles that I have studied from the Mahabharata are really only of the royal families, because the majority of the story was about kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Overall, the epic was a great analysis of how people in ancient India viewed the world and how through the roles of men and women everything was kept in balance within the kingdoms.

Commentary on Transcendentalism Throughout Moby Dick Essay

It is quite possible that nothing runs deeper through the veins of Herman Melville than his disdain for anything transcendental. Melville’s belittling of the entire transcendentalist movement is far from sparsely demonstrated throughout the pages of Moby-Dick, in which he strategically points out the intrinsic existence of evil, the asperity of nature and the wrath of the almighty God. To Melville, transcendentalists became a â€Å"guild of self-impostors, with a preposterous rabble of Muggletonian Scots and Yankees, whose vile brogue still the more bestreaks the stripedness of their Greek or German Neoplatonic originals† (â€Å"Herman Melville† 2350). Transcendentalists went beyond denying the doleful possibilities of human error and suffering, and it is this ignorant altruism of transcendentalism in its looser grasps which prompted Melville’s scorn. Within the Emersonian school of thought lies the belief that â€Å"[the] ruin or the blank that we see when we look at nature, is in our own eye† (Emerson et al. 81) and that â€Å"the evils of the world are such only to the evil eye† (Emerson et al. 174). Melville, however, believes that on our planet lies an inherent evil, going as far as to say, â€Å"A perfectly good being†¦would see no evil. –But what did Christ see? — He saw what made him weep† (Thompson 2350), pointing out that not only does evil exist, but it exists within Christ, the ultimate symbol of good. Moby Dick, the white whale itself, is the prosopopeia of evil and malevolence in the universe. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. (Melville 154) Moby Dick is also a depiction of Leviathan, Job’s whale created by God as a malicious symbol of God; Ahab â€Å"†¦ sees in Him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it† (Melville 138), and if God is a representation of the spirit of the world, then within the world must exist â€Å"an inscrutable malice. † Transcendentalists made nature out to be this wondrous, awe-inspiring creation of God which–seeing as he believed God to be more evil than good–is an idea Melville blatantly rejects as a fallacy. Where Emerson says, â€Å"†¦ Nature satisfies by its loveliness, and without any mixture of corporeal benefit† (Emerson et al. 107), Melville says, †¦ all other earthly hues–every stately or lovely emblazoning–the sweet tinges of sunset skies and woods; yea, and the gilded velvets of butterflies, and the butterfly cheeks of young girls; all these are but the subtle deceits, not actually inherent in substances, but laid on from without; so that all deified Nature absolutely paints like the harlot, whose allurements cover nothing but the charnel-house within. (Melville 164) When sent out to sea, the Pequod and its crew were faced by the nature of which Melville speaks–a nature that, at times, seems to â€Å"gild the surface of the water with enchantment, and causes even the wary hunter to have a land-like feeling toward the sea† (â€Å"Herman Melville† 2351), but is actually veils behind which God hides and constantly threatens to unleash his ambiguous animosity. It is the whale, a product of God and nature, that has reaped the leg of Ahab, that lashes out with the force of a thousand men. It is the beguiling call of nature that lulls the absent minded youth into an opium-like reverie by the blending cadence of waves with thoughts until he loses his identity and takes it upon himself to take the ocean at his feet for the deep, blue bottom that pervades mankind (Melville 134-135); calms are crossed by storms, a storm for every calm. Furthermore, Melville ridicules the transcendentalists for their blindness to the rest of the world. The transcendentalists saw only the world through the â€Å"dimensions of a sturdy window in Concord† (â€Å"Herman Melville† 2394). Melville could depict the true attributes of nature in a more scrupulous manner, for he had left his home in New England and sailed around the world. When Emerson claimed that the poet â€Å"disposes very easily of the most disagreeable facts,† it prompted Melville to respond, â€Å"So it would seem. In this sense, Mr. E is a great poet† (Thompson 443). Though a seemingly of a seemingly different nature, passions, desires, appetites, and senses of the flesh are a part of nature nonetheless: they are instincts, a natural part behind the drive of man. â€Å"†¦ [All] deep, earnest thinking [that] is but the intrepid effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea; while the wildest winds of heaven and earth conspire to cast her upon the slavish shore† (Melville 95). It is this natural drive that keeps man from falling under the spiritual drive, this tyrannous and brutal enslavement of this wrathful God, for â€Å"natural or carnal men are without God in the world† (Alma 41:11). It seems as though Melville has an everlasting quarrel with God. Throughout Ahab’s quest for the white whale, Melville has shown his own personal independence from the authoritarianism of Christian dogma. It is apparent that religious conventionalism was Melville’s favourite target for satire, but largely because he saw himself in competition with it. His own genius was deeply religious and the Bible seemed to serve the deepest purpose in Moby-Dick. Melville was caught in a vicious battle that he created and could not win. He started by loving God, then moved to hating God, progressed into a complete detachment from God–feeling neither love nor hate. He grew to hate his detachment and decided that God might indeed be lovable, and so the vicious cycle repeats (Thompson 148-149). Thompson concludes, â€Å"The underlying theme in Moby-Dick correlates the notions that–God in his infinite malice asserts a sovereign tyranny over man and that most men are seduced into the mistaken view that this divine tyranny is benevolent and therefore acceptable† (242). Melville agreed with the transcendentalists that the spirit is substance, but he began to diverge from the transcendental conclusion that its effect on man was benevolent. Moby-Dick tells not only the story of the ventures of the Pequod and its crew, but also of Melville himself. It captures all of Melville’s personal contempt toward the entire transcendentalist movement, and demonstrates his realistic recognition of evil through the symbolism of the whale, his struggle with religion through the use of ontological heroics, and his less-than-altruistic ideas of nature through the use of sheer logic. It is the perfect emblem for his gratitude for rationalism and respect for realism. â€Å"Oh, the rare old Whale, mid storm and gale In his ocean home will be A giant in might, where might is right, And King of the Boundless sea. † WHALE SONG Works Cited. Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Atkinson Brojoks, Edward Waldo Emerson. The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York: Random House Digital, Inc. , 2000. Print. â€Å"Herman Melville. † World Literature Criticism. 1st ed. 1992. Print. Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc. , 2003. Print. Myerson, Joel, Sandra Harbert Petrulionis, and Laura Dassow Walls. The Oxford Handbook of Transcendentalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. The King James Bible. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, 1985. Print. Thompson, Lawrence. Melville’s Quarrel With God. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1952. Print.

Essay about Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace - 1790 Words

Use of Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Figure 2 79% of binge drinkers are members of the workforce (Drug-Free Workplace) {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Drug and/or Alcohol Use Seriously Threatens Organizations {draw:frame} Excessive absenteeism, which holds a significantly percentage of occurrences of drug users as cited above, costs an organization lower productivity, damaged moral and consequently lower product quality. The US Dept of Labor reports that annually, 500 million work days are lost solely due to alcoholism. In addition to absenteeism lowering moral, workplace theft is an experienced and related problem. Approximately 18% of cocaine users steal at work, from either the employer†¦show more content†¦These are guys who you might find at the end of a bar any given night, or might be a once occasional drug user who went bad. What is the financial impact to this industry-wide problem? Most of all, we are saddled with high insurance rates, s pecifically liability and Workers Compensation rates. There is a formula for determining rates, and those rates are based on experience modifiers, among other things. Guys who use at work in our industry are an accident waiting to happen. You can’t be safe on a construction site while you are intoxicated or high. Is the problem rampant in your company? We are pretty lucky. We haven’t had much of a problem in our company. Most of the men we have with us are family men, more concerned with going home after work and spending time with their families. They may enjoy a beer or two from time to time, but are not the kind of group who gets their paycheck and disappears for a few days. _Being in this vulnerable industry, how do you combat the potential employee use of drugs and/or alcohol in your workplace?_ Like I said, we have a good group of guys working for us. But we hire smart. We screen our guys through a drug test and extensive referrals. A lot of our workfor ce recommends their family or friends to us as well. Are you contractually obligated to drug test? In some cases, yes. Several of the bigShow MoreRelatedDrug And Alcohol Testing On The Workplace1663 Words   |  7 PagesDrug and Alcohol Testing in the Workplace Due: Monday Dec 1, 2014 COMM-220-F Rebecca Walsh By Brett Tate and Brandon Bracko November 17, 14 Introduction People often question drug and alcohol testing in the work place. It is a controversial subject that has a range of mixed emotions. But where do you draw the line when it comes to crossing the boundaries of prying into one’s personal life? This report will explain the legal, and ethical issues surrounding the topic of drug and alcohol testing inRead MoreIntroduction Of Drugs And Alcohol Essay1392 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to Drugs and Alcohol 2 Overview 2 I. Workplace Factors 3 II. Workplace Performance Behavior 4 III. Workplace Role 5 RECOMMENDATION 6 Workplace Policies and Drug Testing 7 Policy and Regulations on Alcohol and drug abuse 7 Employee Education/Health Promotion 8 Works Cited 9 â€Æ' Employer’s Guide for a Drug-free Workplace Introduction to Drugs and Alcohol In order to understand drug and alcohol use, it is important to be clear about what we mean by the terms ‘drugs’ and ‘alcohol. Alcohol is a legalRead MoreDrug Testing in the Workplace1281 Words   |  6 PagesDrug Testing in the Workplace Thesis statement: Administering a drug and alcohol policy can be challenging, but it can also be beneficial to the manufacturing company. I. Administering a drug and alcohol policy can be challenging. A. The company must comply with State and Federal laws when administering the drug and alcohol policy. B. The company must make sure the implementation of the test is done in a uniform manner. C. Some employees may bring law suits against the employerRead MoreA Substance Abuse Free Workplace983 Words   |  4 PagesA SUBSTANCE ABUSE FREE WORKPLACE 1. Describe the effect of illegal or prescription drug and alcohol use in the workplace. How does this affect productivity? Today in the United States, 73% of drug users are employed, costing American businesses billions of dollars annually in lost productivity and health care costs. Studies reveal that employees who abuse drugs have a tremendously harmful effect on the workplace—they are more likely to have extended absences from work, show up lateRead MoreWorking Under The Influence Case Study796 Words   |  4 Pagesdrinking alcohol or taking drugs. While doing such things can be fine when an employee is at home, these substances have no business in the workplace. Being under the influence at work can cause accidents, less production, tardiness or absenteeism, poor decision making, theft, and much more (â€Å"Drugs†, 2015). Employers can combat these problems by utilizing drug testing programs, establishing anti-drug abuse policies, and establishing an Employee Assistance Program. One way to address drug and alcoholRead MoreEssay about The Duke Substance Program1051 Words   |  5 Pageshospital with some of the best graduate programs. Now, Dukes name has been moving up on prestigious lists. The university, hospitals and clinics across North Carolina, employs more than 30,000 faculty and staff. However, Duke uses The â€Å"Drug-Free Workplace Act† and the â€Å"Drug-Free Schools which, coincide with there Campus Regulation policy. Within the passed few years, Duke Substance program has achieve there goals by providing assistance to employees and students who are in jeopardy of losing employmentRead MoreDrug-Free Workplace997 Words   |  4 PagesPresident Reagan signed the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 on November 18, 1988. The intent of the bill was to establish the foundation of a drug-free workplace in the areas that the federal government could affect outside the federal government; i.e., the workplaces of federal grantees and contractors. The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 does not mention drug testing at all. However, many companies have made drug testing a requirement. The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 has 7 compliance requirementsRead MoreDrug Abuse On The Workplace Essay1704 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Abuse in the Workplace: The human resource topic I chose to write my research paper on is â€Å"Drug Abuse in the Workplace†. Drug abuse in the workplace is something very common that many of us will encounter at some point. Alcohol and drug abuse has a major effect on employee absence and lost productively that leaves a negative working environment. It is important a company addresses the right guidelines to keep a drug free workplace. Establishing a clear and fair substanceRead MoreTypes Of A Medical Review Officer ( Mro ) Testing Programs And Require A Drug Lab Certified1674 Words   |  7 PagesMany court decisions have been ruled in favor of these guidelines. These guidelines include having a Medical Review Officer (MRO) evaluate all tests. The guidelines also identify the five specific substances for use in the Federal drug testing programs and require a drug lab certified by SAMHSA to perform the analytical test. The five substances under the SAMHSA’s guidelines are amphetamines, T HC, cocaine, opiates, and phencyclidine. Amphetamines include meth, speed, crank, ecstasy, and stimulantRead MoreCritical Analysis On Alcohol Misuse Essay1309 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis on Alcohol misuse in the workplace Summary The following is a case study of a male employee, drinking beers at work while working on a case study. His behavior addressed by his employer, as a result of his conduct. Even though he appears to be fully functional, his employer was not happy and is concerned about his employee’s wellbeing as well as his industry’s reputation. The employee sees alcohol used among employees during work as an expensive problem for the industry. Drinking alcohol while