Most Popular Educational Issues and Points to Improve It

Introduction Enrolment to a good school is the best gift a child can receive from his/her parents. Parents spend considerable amount of their time in seeking for the school with the best teaching standards with the hope of having their children enrolled there. A concerned parent would go out of his/her way to ensure that the child settles quickly in school and receives the best of education. Most parents ensure that they try their best to provide everything that their children may require at school.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Most Popular Educational Issues and Points to Improve It specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They even make follow-ups to ensure that the child is progressing well. For the learning process to be successful there has to be cooperation from teachers, students and parents. If one party fails to play his/her part, there will be frustration which will interfere with the learning process. Teachers determine to a great extent the performance of a student and this leads to the question: do teachers like teaching? Do teachers like teaching? This is a question that lingers in the minds of many parents who are concerned about the future life of their children. The value of education cannot be ignored in the present society given that it opens up the mind of the child with the hope of securing a job in future. Sound education plays a major role in molding children into responsible adults who participate in nation building (Gilardi, 2011). Understanding the attitude of teachers towards teaching can be determined by observing a number of factors. Some teachers like teaching while others do not. This may be attributed to the motivational factors and the teaching environment. In a school where there is constant motivation for teachers who excel in their career, a greater percentage of teachers will enjoy their career. Motivation may come in form of rewards for a job well done, and promotions to higher positions with increased responsibility, among others. On the other hand, lack of motivation in school will result in frustration on the side of teachers who feels that their efforts are not appreciated. Teachers will eventually dislike teaching as a profession. The workplace environment also determines whether teachers will like or dislike their profession. A teaching environment needs to be supportive and conducive to work in. Working in an environment that has most of the required facilities will impact positively on the attitude of the teachers towards their profession. On the other hand, teaching in an environment that has no facilities like classrooms and books will contribute to disliking of the teaching profession. Point of concern and improving the issue The issue of teachers liking or disliking teaching is a point of concern since it affects the quality of education. If teachers dislike teaching, they will invest less in their work and this will l ead to low quality of education. The best remedy to this issue is to provide motivation at the workplace and to ensure that proper teaching facilities are put in place so that teachers do not strain so much in their work. This will lead to a positive attitude towards teaching.Advertising Looking for term paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Different ways of learning Learning is a process that teachers need to focus on more seriously as different students have unique learning needs. Each of the learning needs should be addressed differently by paying particular attention to the different ways of learning (Gilardi, 2011). A combination of the different ways of learning will ensure that the learning process is fast and effective. It is imperative for teachers to understand the different ways of learning and try to incorporate them in a classroom scenario. They include the following; Verbal learning is a knowledge- imposing technique by word of mouth by putting everything into a language that can be understood. This involves dictation and note taking where students write notes as the teacher dictates. Students normally listen and try to write as much as possible depending on how they have understood. This is especially done through paraphrasing. Visual learning is normally achieved through the use of visual aids like diagrams, graphs, charts, pictures that try to elaborate a point much more clearly. This kind of learning is associated with good memorization on the part of the students. They are more likely to retain what they have seen during the learning process. Another way of learning is through tactile. This relates to the practical experience acquired in the learning process. Learning becomes effective when the theoretical bit is supported by practical lessons. This will enable students to get full understanding of the learned concepts. Point of concern and improving the issue Different ways of learning has become a point of concern because teachers are not able to identify the unique learning needs of students before selecting the best way of learning to be applied in the classroom. Students in a classroom have unique learning needs due to their different experiences in life. Others will do well in verbal learning while others will perform better in visual learning. Since a class cannot be homogeneous, it is recommended that teachers carry out a learning needs analysis before settling on the best teaching method. If the process is likely to be cumbersome and consume more time while interfering with the learning process, teachers can incorporate all the ways of learning in the classroom to ensure that each student gets to understand what is being taught. Being selective in applying the teaching methods will imply that a certain percentage of students will not be able to grasp the concepts of what is being taught. It is therefore prudent for teachers to use all the different ways of learning in the classroom.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Most Popular Educational Issues and Points to Improve It specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Exceptional and gifted and talented learners Students will always have different learning abilities which define their pace of learning. In a classroom scenario, some students will exhibit talent while others will be slow in the learning process. Exceptionally gifted students will be fast at grasping concepts and even try to challenge the teacher (Metzger, 2010). They will have a tendency of learning ahead of the teacher. They need little explanation and elaboration to understand a certain concept. In contrast, slow learners will require a lot of time to be spent with them before they understand a concept. They need much of examples to support a certain concept before they can fully understand it. A teacher needs to be patient with this group of learners as they will take most of the teaching time. This kind of scenario calls for balancing between fast learners and slow learners. A teacher should not concentrate so much on slow learners while forgetting the exceptionally gifted ones. Similarly, a good teacher should not go with the pace of fast learners as this will leave the rest of the class behind. Teachers need to strike a balance between managing the pace of fast and slow learners. Where a student exhibits talent in a learning environment, the teacher should encourage such a student to perfect on the talent. This can be achieved by providing the necessary environment for nurturing and developing the talent. Point of concern and improving the issue Having a classroom with students who have different learning abilities is the norm in many schools. This issue raises great concern where a teacher decides to focus on one particular group while paying little or no attention to the other group. For instance, if a teacher d ecides to go with the pace of fast learners, slow learners who may be comprising majority of the class will end up learning nothing. Similarly, if the teacher decides to spend so much time on the slow learners, the fast learners will be delayed and this may affect their performance negatively. This is therefore an issue that needs to be recognized and addressed in the classroom if there has to be meaningful learning. In order to solve this problem, a teacher needs to strike a balance between the learning pace of the exceptionally gifted learners and the slow learners. Talent also has to be put into consideration. Students may also be possessing exceptional talents in the fields like sports. Such talents have to be identified and nurtured by giving support to the student to fully recognize the talent. In trying to manage the learning pace between the fast and slow learners, a teacher can divide the classroom into groups.Advertising Looking for term paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Each group should be made up of both fast learners and the slow learners who will end up sharing their different experiences. By so doing, students will be able to learn from each other and this has also been rated as the best learning method. As the students interact at a personal level, they will be able to identify weaknesses amongst themselves and try to address them. They are bound to be open with each other than expressly telling it to their teacher. Student diversity Student diversity has also been one of the major concerns that have affected the education sector (Lee, 2010). Achieving student diversity means acknowledging, accepting and celebrating the differences that students bring from different backgrounds. Diversity may be in terms of age, sex, religion, race, physical and mental abilities, cultural background and class. A good learning institution needs to avoid segregation basing on any of the above grounds. Instead, it should aim at being totally inclusive by bringin g in a diverse student population. A learning institution that has achieved student diversity celebrates a pool of talent that cannot be found anywhere else. A school should have students from different races, ages, social class and religion. Doing this ensures that students are given an equal opportunity to learn and interact with each other. The different experiences that students bring with them from diverse backgrounds are essential to the learning process. Point of concern and improving the issue If a learning institution does not achieve diversity, it is more likely that the school engages in segregation. In such kind of a school, students are normally from the same background, race or even religion. Segregation gets worse when it includes the issue of class where those from a lower social class cannot mix with those from the affluent class. This becomes a point of concern where other students are denied the chance to join good learning institutions basing on their sex, race, religion or even class. The baseline for admitting students should be based on their academic performance and if they meet those requirements, they should be admitted to schools of their choice. In addressing the issue of student diversity, it should be a requirement that a learning institution should admit certain percentage of students from different backgrounds to achieve diversity. It should be alike affirmative action that requires the admission procedure to admit students from different backgrounds with regard to race, religion, sex and class so long as they have the necessary academic qualifications required for admission. Social challenges come to school Students are normally faced with social challenges which may in turn affect their education (Puckett, 2010). Issues like hunger, illiteracy and poor health will adversely affect the learning process. In cases where a student comes from a family that does not value education due to high illiteracy levels, there will be little or no support being offered to the student from the family members. Furthermore, poverty is another issue that cannot be given a blind eye. A family that is poverty stricken will not afford the cost of educating students from the family. Cases of hunger also mean that learners will opt to spend their time in search of food rather than attending school. Even if such a student attends school, this will impact negatively on his learning due to lack of concentration. Ill health also poses a challenge to the learners. Cases of ill health will mean that the students spend most of their time seeking medication when they are supposed to be in school. Point of concern and improving the issue Social challenges will lead to negative performance by students in school. Even in a case where the student is bright, such social challenges will interfere with his concentration in school thereby affecting his performance negatively. In trying to overcome social challenges, efforts should be made to e nsure that students get the necessary support like adequate funding to cater for school fees, eating programs being introduced in schools and health facilities should also be available and affordable to the students. Student life in school and at home There is a great difference between life in school and life at home. In school, one interacts with fellow students under the guidance of teachers who see that the student remains disciplined. One therefore develops social skills while in the company of fellow students. At home, the environment can be quite restrictive especially in families which have few members. Discipline both at home and at school can also vary. In school, teachers are responsible for the discipline of students while at home, parents are in charge of it. In cases where parents are not keen with the discipline of their children, they will grow up to be an undisciplined lot. Point of concern and improving the issue The point of concern here is that there should be co nsistency in the discipline and performance of the student both at home and in school. In many instances, parents leave the role of instilling discipline in their children to teachers. This should not be the case but rather it should be a joint effort aimed at ensuring that the child remains to be disciplined. In order to improve the issue, parents should ensure that they pick from where teachers leave. Parents should also provide an environment that is easy to adjust with school life. Today’s classroom Today’s classroom seems to be the most difficult to manage (Cole Ahmadi, 2010). This is due to the incorporation of technology in the learning process. This is also due to the fact that punishment has been considered as a form of torture to students. Dealing with students without serious punishment can be quite challenging given that most of them do no heed to advice given by the guidance and counselling department. Point of concern and improving the issue The integrat ion of technology with learning poses a great challenge to those who do not have access to such kind of technology. The use of computers and projectors to aid in the learning process has been received with mixed reactions: some support it while others are against it. The issue of doing away with punishment has also raised serious concerns among teachers. In order to improve the issue, students should be taught how best to use the technology that has been integrated with the learning process. Students should be familiar with the technology being employed in the learning process. With regard to discipline issues, more guiding and counselling sessions should be introduced so that the students are advised on the need to be disciplined. Reference List Cole, D., Ahmadi, S. (2010). Reconsidering campus diversity: an examination of Muslim student’s experiences. Journal of Higher Education, 81(2), 121-139. Gilardi, S. (2011). University life of non-traditional students. Journal of Hi gher Education,  82(1), 33-53. Lee, J. (2010). Students’ perceptions of and satisfaction with faculty diversity. College student  journal,44(2), 400-412 Metzger, S. (2010). Maximizing the educational power of history movies in the classroom.  Social Studies, 101(3), 127-136. Puckett, C. (2010). Administering social security: challenges yesterday and today. Social  security bulletin, 70(3), 27-78. This term paper on Most Popular Educational Issues and Points to Improve It was written and submitted by user Punisher to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Study Notes - POPULATION, EMPLOYMENT CHANGE (inc. Economic Growth)

Study Notes - POPULATION, EMPLOYMENT CHANGE (inc. Economic Growth) Economics- the study of how to use our limited resources (L, L C E) wisely to help make society and individuals better off.Land- natural gifts of natureLabour- various intellectual talents as well as physical power provided by labour forceCapital- the money needed to produceEntrepreneurship- the idea or ability to create the production, its people employed to thinkThere are two branches of economics:Microeconomics: factors that influence smaller parts of the Australian economy.Macroeconomics: looks at the whole nation; birds eye view of the economy for a country.Interest rate- the cost of borrowing moneyThe problem with relative scarcity refers to the face that there are not enough resources to satisfy society's unlimited wants.The opportunity cost of producing an item is the cost (lost) in not producing the next best item.Here we see that if this producer is in a market that thrives in he usage of guns yet not much butter then he would be advised by entrepreneurs to enter his L, L C into the production of butter, as there is more demand and not as much supply.English: Diagram of relationship between aggregate...This is seen as microeconomics.The PPF is the Possibility Production Frontier; it represents the maximum output that can be achieved. To increase the output in an economy you lower opportunity cost.There are 4 main types of economic systemsDecision makingPlanned Capitalism- Governments control markets to an extent set what they want sold although money is still retained within the private system (products owned by private businesses.) This would seem to be the worst market system for consumers.Planned Socialism- The government plan what they want sold and how they want it sold. In addition socialism makes sure that state own all enterprise. This would seem to be...

Lit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Lit - Essay Example In the early days, those schools not attached to a church were primarily intended for the sons of nobility as a means of preparing them for future leadership and, by the seventeenth century, many schools had opened that were supported by private foundations with positions being offered to the poor. The earlier schools catered to specific social classes, frequently requiring students to live within the grounds during the instructional period and sometimes functioning as full-service orphanages. Schools were structured to admit both boys and girls, only boys or only girls depending upon the proprietor and the method of instruction was also left to the discretion of the proprietor. There was widespread concern, however, that educating the masses would lead to large-scale uprisings, so these early attempts at the formation of a national education system began to fade replaced by trade schools, apprenticeships and a general apathy on the parts of the wealthy and the poor alike regarding f ormal education. By the early nineteenth century, the period classified as the Georgian period, curriculum at these schools had been mostly structured to provide appropriate instruction for the particular social class to which it catered (Gillard, 2004). Although this was almost universally true, there was no national curriculum, no standardized block of subjects to be taught and methods of instruction varied as widely as the reputations of said schools. This lack of a formalized national curriculum or even basic curriculum guidelines made it easier for the other form of education system in England to flourish as well. Those families who could afford it often hired governesses for daughters or tutors for sons to instruct their children upon the family grounds, instructing the children in those subjects the family felt important and the educator was qualified to teach. These qualifications were

Foreign Policy Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foreign Policy Change - Assignment Example Legro presented some arguments related tithe change in the foreign policy of the United States. He raised four issues that needed further clarification. He pointed out an issue that is pertaining to the role of politics in performing relevant jobs that need to be reminded to the policy makers (Legro 2005). The author referred to politics by including activities led by the leaders of that country that are associated with the governance of country. Politics has a strong influence that can affect a country and its economy, businesses, society, education, tourism and many other elements. In order to manage and control all aspects of an economy the leaders should make strong strategies. The effective strategy  can always become difficult to develop and implement because of the contingent political battle among political leaders (Legro 2005). Therefore, Legro gave his views on this issue by focusing only on the holistic nature of ideas. He explained that a change in collective ideas is i nherently conflictual and political, but a focus on the situation of the contingent politics in which continuity is likely or it is not properly defined.

Life without computers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Life without computers - Research Paper Example Paper work has been reduced and large data regarding inventories and customer records can be maintained daily. Speed, accuracy and reliability are the hallmark of this technology. Millions of transactions can be performed in a very less time as compared to days without computer. Therefore, it is evident that computer is the blessing of science and one can perform numerous tasks without physical involvement. This has set pace to the life and has almost made the life indispensible without computers. Computer networking has made data sharing very easy. Now people can share huge amount of data programs without any problem. In future, it is going to possible to connect hundred of devices to fulfill different needs. Shrinking size of computers and then technology of laptops has made it convenient to get out of the office and use computers. This helps in remaining in touch with the people of the outside world. Certain colleges in developed countries have also offered students to share data with other students using computer networking. Computer networking within an organization and then down to within an office has made the job easy. Huge quantity of data can be shared with each other while sitting thousands of miles apart. Close circuit television cameras (CCTV) are now used to cater for any security threat to important areas. These cameras are interconnected to computer through networking and then monitored with the help of computer screens (Weiser 97). Internet technology has enhanced the use of computers manifolds. Initially it was only used by US defense department for military purpose and after seeing success it was introduced to general people. This has truly changed the world into the global village. Still the advancement is unstoppable. Now the world has almost entered the age of digital connectivity. Internet has become indispensible to people in a very short time due to its number of functions. Because of its

Theories of Evolution and Intelligent Design

Theories of Evolution and Intelligent Design Humans have a profound longing to know their roots. In the broadest context, this longing expresses itself as a desire to understand how the universe itself came to exist, in a more particular framework, the origin of living things. Various models attempt to explain how life comes to be. These controversial issues settle on by two views. The evolutionists argue life evolved, while the proponents of intelligent design argue that life is a product of an intelligent cause. Then there are creationists who consider life to be created by a deity or deities. Nevertheless, creationism is not of importance because creationism focuses on defending the sacred texts, having no scientific evidence to how life comes to be. The contentious matter is whether intelligent design is science or not. As Charles Darwin wrote in the On the Origin of Species, â€Å"A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.† Now, there seems to be a great deal of confusion among the society on what exactly evolution and intelligent design is. According to the online dictionary, evolution is the â€Å"change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation.† Therefore, evolution is mainly a process occurring from one generation to the next, which results in heritable changes in a population. More accurately, evolution is any change in the â€Å"frequency of alleles within a gene pool† over succeeding generations. Like evolution, intelligent design is on the online dictionary too. The online dictionary states, intelligent design is, â€Å"the assertion or belief that physical and biological systems observed in the universe result from purposeful design by an intelligent being rather than from chance or undirected natural processes.† Thus, intelligent design argues that an intelligent cause rather than an undirected process best explain certain features of the universe. If an intelligent cause best explain certain features of the universe, then intelligent design supporters must agree that certain features are best explained by the evolution theory. Intelligent design supporters like Stephen Meyer say that intelligent design supporters are not against evolution per say. Evolution can mean change over time or common ancestry, which are not meanings of the term they dispute. They do challenge the â€Å"specific Darwinian ideal, that life is the result of a purely undirected process that merely mimics the powers of designing intelligence.† Charles Darwin’s theory is that all living things evolved from a simple organism over immeasurable generations. In addition to the countless generations, random mutations or changes in the traits and natural selection took place, with only the fittest of species surv iving and reproducing. As pointed out before, intelligent design supporters do not reject evolution, nor do they believe that the universe was created in six days. However, proponents of intelligent design do say an intelligent designer created life. Even though they are silent about the identity of the designer, most assume it the God of Christianity. Intelligent design proponents tend to stay away from defining design. Stephen Meyer, an intelligent design proponent says there are two features to what this intelligence is. Meyer quotes, â€Å"you can’t tell from the science alone the identity of the designer. It is like having a painting that was not signed. You can tell from the characteristic signature of intelligence, namely the presence of information, that some mind played a role, but we cannot tell from the science the identity.† Dr. Micheal Ruse, an evolutionist states â€Å"if a painting isn’t signed, a good art historian could look at the painting and say I think it’s a 13 century painting or this painting is an impressionist.† Proponents of intelligent design argue that even the simplest of living things have numerous complex and sophisticated structures that not even natural selection can produce. For that reason, how do you explain the complexity of design? The question that appears to be asked often is, â€Å"is the design of biology an illusion produced by a natural mechanism, namely natural selection that can mimic the power of designing intelligence or is the appearance of design, which all biologists recognize the product of actual intelligence, a mind not a material process.† Hence, proponents of intelligent design, in particular Michael Behe argue the challenge of irreducible complexity, suggesting the existence of an intelligent designer behind the purposeful structures of each living cell. Irreducible complexity implies a â€Å"single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, were in the removal of any one of the part causes the sys tem to effectively cease functioning.† Michael Behe’s famous everyday example of an irreducibly complex system is a mousetrap. If one of the pieces of a mousetrap is unavailable, no longer will the mousetrap be effective. An irreducibly complex system is similar to this example. All the components have to be in place before you can catch a mouse or have a functioning system. Michael Behe considers an irreducibly complex system to be very difficult or highly unlikely to form by not only by numerous, successive modifications, but because any essential part could cease to function if a piece from the preceding generations was missing. Michael Behe supports his point how natural selection cannot clarify the complexity that is within a cell by acknowledging a quote Darwin said. â€Å"If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.† The nature of an irreducible complexity poses as a threat to the Darwinian theory because systems which are entirely working can then only natural selection be present. An example in a living cell is the scheme of how proteins are able to navigate to the precise destination where proteins carry out their â€Å"specialized tasks, such as digestion of nutrients and excretion of wastes. This constant, regulated traffic flow in the cell comprises another remarkably complex, irreducible system.† In order for a system to function fittingly, a system should no break down and the system’s parts should not break down. Kenneth R. Miller counters the argument of irreducible complexity; an intricate system cannot be produced by evolution. Kenneth Miller proves his disagreement by explaining the fault he sees in Michael Behe’s own example, the mousetrap. Michael Behe states how removing a part of the mousetrap causes it to stop functioning, but Kenneth Miller states that you may not have a mousetrap taking away certain pats, but you can have another fully functional machine. A mousetrap is composed of a base, a metal hammer, a spring, a catch and a metal bar. â€Å"Take away the catch and the metal bar, [there is] a functional paper clip. Take away the spring, and you have a two-part key chain. The point is that bits and pieces of supposedly irreducibly complex machines may have different, but still useful functions.† Kenneth R. Miller argues that Darwinian mechanisms could have arranged the numerous complex system that exists within living things. â€Å"Evolution produces complex bioch emical machines by copying, modifying, and combining proteins previously used for other functions.† Kenneth Miller uses again one of Michael Behe’s own example. As mentioned before, Michael Behe argues how an intelligent design is behind the complexity of how the proteins move from one â€Å"subcellular compartment† to another. The journal called Cell has an article where working researchers noted â€Å"these mechanisms suggest in a natural way how the many and diverse compartments in eukaryotic cells could have evolved in the first place.† Overall, intelligent design does not succeed with present any biochemical evidence. William A. Dembski makes another interesting intelligent design statement. Dembski draws attention to how neither chance nor necessity can explain the creation of the universe. The origin of all living things must have had help from a designing intelligence. Researchers receive a sufficient amount of random signal from space for plenty of years. Dembski states, â€Å"If a sequence lacks complexity, it could easily happen by chance.† In other word, if it is complex, it must have not occurred by chance or randomness. Therefore, researchers must infer an extraterrestrial intelligence is the source for such â€Å"complex, sequenced patterns† (random signals). â€Å"Intelligence leaves behind a characteristic trademark or signature [called] specified complexity.† Specified complexity is not similar to the term irreducible complexity. The both have different definitions. Specified complexity indicates that it is an event â€Å"if it is contingent and therefore not nec essary, if it is complex and therefore not easily repeatable by chance, and if it is specified in the sense of exhibiting an independently given pattern.† Slim chances of unlikely events to happen do not reduce chance. For instance, if you roll a dice for an adequate amount of time, you will be able to notice a â€Å"highly complex or improbably event.† Another appealing argument is that â€Å"specifications be objectively given and not just imposed on events after the fact.† For example, if a soccer player kicks a soccer ball onto the field and then we place the soccer net, â€Å"we impose a patter after the fact.† Alternatively, if the soccer net is â€Å"set up in advance (specified)† and then the soccer player shoots the ball into the net, â€Å"we know it was by design.† Robert T. Pennock presents his counterargument to Dembski argument. Pennock claims that proponents of intelligent design like Dembski do not provide the society with â€Å"positive evidence† and instead present us with â€Å"negative evidence.† Basically, â€Å"negative evidence† is evidence that an individual has not experienced by their five external senses, mainly if the whole thing is a phony. On the other hand, â€Å"positive evidence† is the opposite, where there is truth and evidence for the event that took place or for any science matter. Dembski did not present any examples from humans and therefore Pennock states â€Å"Dembski has no way to show that the genetic patterns are set up in advance or independently given.† A common argument creationists attack on is how the second law of thermodynamics doesn’t support evolution. Proponents of intelligent design make use of this argument by means of different approaches to the matter, but it all comes down to how â€Å"can evolutionary processes produce more complex life-forms from more primitive ones [if] evolution violates the second law of thermodynamics.† Pennock states that biological complexities are open systems and since the law applies to closed systems, which is why the second law does not pass the test of evolution. This is simply a misunderstanding of how intelligent design supporters are not able to apply the law to biological systems. Again, the entire hypothesis made by proponents of intelligent design does not provide any scientific evidence. Also, if the origin of the universe was created by a designing intelligence, is this hypothesis testable? Proponents of intelligent design make assumptions on what evolutionists have not yet to discover information or fully understand the cause and reason behind a finding. â€Å"There is no way to dust for [the designer’s] fingerprints.† Jonathan Wells, a proponent of intelligent design claims in fact Darwin’s theory in hard to believe considering that certain features of living things appear to be designed. Natural selection and random variation cannot explain Darwin’s theory of evolution. Wells uses Darwin’s own two examples, the finches and the four-winged fruit fly, to back up his statement. Darwin’s finches and the four-winged fruit fly prove his theory of evolution, but Wells uncovers that Darwin’s theory can only account for certain feature and not all features of living things. Generally, finches vary among the shape of their beaks and Darwin concluded that the shape of their beaks differed due to the assorted food the finches ate. In other words, the finches adapted through a variety of food, but evolved from a common ancestor and the undirected process, natural selection is the cause of such diverse collection of finches. Wells argue that natural selection can only account for the fact that it works within its species and not modify the anatomical structure. Wells agrees that DNA mutations allow certain advantageous variations like antibiotic resistance. Now evolutionists provide evidence of anatomical changes through the four-winged fruit fly, but the fly does not indeed provide proof. The wings that the fly seemed to acquire through mutation show that these wings are not only useless but also worse. Eugenie C. Scott, a well-known evolutionist responds to Jonathan Wells claim by stating that natural selection alone does not explain the features of living things. Besides natural selection, there is genetic drift, symbiosis, genetic recombination and gene flow and chromosomal rearrangement. Scott assures that Wells is sticking to the religious belief rather than the scientific explanation. Today, â€Å"modern genetic analysis† provides scientists with plenty of evidence that all species descended from a common ancestor. The Ultrabithorax (Ubx) complex is â€Å"found in animals as different as sponges, fruit flies, and mammals. They turn on or off the genes involved in body segmentation and the production of appendages such as antennae, legs, and wings.† This Ubx complex is the key to the evolution of body parts and counterargument to Wells claim of how Darwin’s theory does not explain anatomical change. â€Å"The loss of legs in snakes, the change from lobe fi ns to hands, and the origin of jaws in vertebrates† are just some of the examples that the Ubx complex is involved in. For over a decade there has been a controversial issue among school boards whether it is appropriate to teach scientific creation, recently intelligent design, in public school science classes. In 1996, Michael Behe’s Darwin’s Black Box helped emphasize that intelligent design as scientific rather than a religious viewpoint. Although Behe does not mention the name of the designer, the scientific community refuse to believe his arguments and claim it to be from personal incredulity. This book presented points on why the teaching of intelligent design should be included and attacked the teaching of evolution in public schools. â€Å"The 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover case put the calim that intelligent design was religion masquerading as science to the test.† Evolutionists know that Darwin’s theory has gaps and it is not perfect, but proponents of intelligent design. In conclusion, proponents of evolution and intelligent design dispute over whether life on earth evolved through natural mechanisms or produced by an intelligent cause. Each side brings up interesting arguments where neither side admits defeat. While evolutionists assert the community that intelligent design are more religious and philosophical, not scientific. They believe intelligent design has a link to creationism. Proponents of intelligent design claim evolutionists refuse to admit that life appears to look designed because in fact it really is designed. Even though evolutionists argue how intelligent design has no scientific evidence, proponents of intelligent design argue how there are peer-reviewed articles on intelligent design. The controversial issue in the Unites States of America is whether intelligent design should be taught in schools. Evolutionists say it’s acceptable to for students to learn about intelligent design, but not as a branch of biology. Proponents of intelligent design insist on teaching intelligent design in biology classes. There have been court cases due to this issue and the judge ruled out that intelligent design cannot be taught in schools. â€Å"It is pretty hard to find the right result to a controversial issue.†

Cahill Essay -- essays research papers

The Gifts of the Jews Catholic author thanks Jews for Western values Review by April Witt for Miami Herald Published: Tuesday, April 14, 1998, If not for the Jews, no one would know to love justice, yearn for freedom, struggle for faith in one God or hope for a tomorrow better than today. Jews helped invent Western culture and without Jewish ideas and values there would be no civil rights movement, democracy or even history. That's the central, sweeping premise of The Gifts of the Jews, the latest book by Roman Catholic scholar and best-selling author Thomas Cahill. ''The Jews gave us the Outside and the Inside -- our outlook and our inner life,'' writes Cahill, who will be at Temple Judea in Coral Gables tonight to talk about the book. ''We can hardly get up in the morning or cross the street without being Jewish. We dream Jewish dreams and hope Jewish hopes. Most of our best words, in fact -- new, adventure, surprise; unique, individual, person, vocation; time, history, future; freedom, program, spirit; faith, hope, just -- are the gifts of the Jews.'' Cahill, 58, has his own gift: making history accessible, even compelling to a mass culture largely ignorant of its patrimony. His last book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, was a New York Times bestseller for more than a year and a half. The Gifts of the Jews, the second in a planned series, climbs onto the list next week. ''I tell history as a story and people love stories,'' Cahill said in ...