The Greek Culture And Oedipus The King

The Greek Culture And Oedipus The King I have chosen to talk about the Greek culture because I believe that our present culture has many similarities to the Greeks culture. Our culture today is actually surprisingly similar to that of the Greeks. Some of these similarities are education, government, and religion. One similarity that we have to the Greeks culture is the Greeks devotion to intellectual integrity and their development of a system of schools. The Greeks understood how important it is to have a good education. I agree with them because I think it is very important to have at least a high school education and I also think it is important to have a college education. I believe that with knowledge comes power and having knowledge can lead to good things. Today, most people basically think like the Greeks did about intellectual integrity and a development of a system of schools. We still see the importance of a good education today. Having a college degree in todays society holds more job opportunities than someone who just has a high school education. One of the main goals of education in Greece was to prepare a child for adult activities as a citizen which is something that our society still does today. Parents prepare their kids for adulthood. Another similarity that we have compared to the Greek culture is there use of a democracy system. The Greeks were actually the ones that created the first democracy. The definition of democracy is the rule of the people. They understood how important it is to include the people in the decisions that are made for a society. When authority figures make decisions on a society without the people of that societys thoughts on those decisions, Im sure that people tend to get pretty upset. The United States still uses a democracy system of government today because, like the Greeks, we see how important it is for the people to have some input as well. The Greeks also had a liberal view toward education that was largely responsible for the downfall of Classical Greek civilization. There are many people that still have a liberal point of view today. We have republicans as well but we still have those liberals. Not only was their democracy important, but the role that the people of their society played were very important as well. In Greek culture, the womans job was to run the house and bear children. In many families today, it is important the woman stays at home and takes care of the house. Of course, it is still very important for women to bear children also. The men spent a great deal of time away from home a nd when they werent involved in politics, they spent time in the fields with their crops. We still see this today. A lot of men spend time away from home because of their job. A lot of people still farm for a living today and those people, during the summer, spend a lot of time away from home taking care of their crops. The last similarity between the Greek culture and our present society that I am going to talk about is religion. The Greeks were deeply religious people that usually worshiped many gods. Not only did the Greeks write stories about gods and goddesses, they also created a lot of art work such as paintings and sculptures that portrayed Greek gods or goddesses. Most people today are still very religious. Almost every religion of today involves the worship of a god. The only religion that I can think of that doesnt worship a god is Atheism and I think that they dont believe in gods. I mean, most of us religious people still go to church, read the bible, and pray in order to worship our god. Although the Greeks were very religious and thought it was very important to worship their gods, they also had an anthropocentric way of thinking. The definition of anthropocentric is basically that man is the center of everything and is most important. In other words, the Greeks believed that they were the most important and maybe even more important than their gods. Sadly, I believe that some or maybe a lot of people still think like this today. I think there are still those people that think that God is very important but when it comes down to it, they think deep down that they may actually be more important and that they are actually the center of everything. I am not anthropocentric at all. I believe that God is most important and that he is the center of everything. Now I am going to talk about the Greek work of literature Oedipus the King. In this story, Oedipus is the ruler of Thebes. Thebes is actually a dying city and Oedipus is deeply concerned of why Thebes is dying. Oedipus is a person that is desperately seeking the truth of things so he goes to a blind man named Tiresias and he tells Oedipus about all of these prophecies involving Oedipus himself. Oedipus does not believe what Tiresias tells him but Oedipus finds out throughout the story that Tiresias prophecies are actually true. The main conflict in Oedipus the King is between belief and reality. The belief is that intelligence makes humanity master of its own fate versus the reality of humanity being helpless against some cruel fate. This kind of goes back to that anthropocentric way of thinking. For a person to think that he or she can control his or her own fate because of his or her intelligence seems like and anthropocentric way of thinking to me. I believe that whatever God has planned is what is going to happen no matter how smart someone is. On page 617, lines 216-219, the chorus of the play says: O golden daughter of god, send rescue radiant as the kindness in your eyes! Drive him back! the fever, the god of death that raging god of war. The chorus is praying that the daughter of god send rescue and drive back the god of death from the city of Thebes. This goes back to the Greeks being very religious people and worshiping gods. All throughout Oedipus the King, the characters talk about some sort of god very often. Today, religious people still pray to their god for help which is what is going on in these lines from Oedipus the King. I can relate to this because if I know someone who is badly in need of help, I pray for him or her in hopes that he or she will receive help which is what the chorus of this story was doing in these lines of the play. The Greek culture had many similarities to our present society today. Some of these similarities are education, government, and religion. The play of Oedipus the King shows characteristics of the Greek culture throughout the play. The Greeks made very important developments and some of them are very evident the present society of today.

Festivals and Holidays of India :: essays research papers fc

There are many holidays and festivals in India. In my report I will explain what the holidays of Holi, Diwali, Dussera, and Basanto commemorate. I will give details about their dates and customs. ****************************** Holi: The Fire Festival The Hindu Fire Festival, called Holi or Basaat is celebrated in India on the fifteenth day of the Light Half of the Moon, in the Hindu month of Phalguna (March). Holi is a spring festival for Hindus. It is celebrated before the monsoon, the great rainstorms which come each year. Holi is a joyous holiday and is celebrated by Hindus of all ages. Boys and girls squirt water pistols, sometimes large pumps filled with saffron or red-colored water. The Hindus favorite colors are red, crimson and saffron. In Bengal, the Holi festival is associated with the life of Krishna, a Hindu god. In Bengal the colored powders are used without the water, for the fun. Before indulging in a feast in honor of Holi, the children change out of their sporty clothes that are covered in red and put on fresh, clean garments. It is customary to exchange gifts in honor of this spring festival. ****************************** Diwali: The Festival of Lights The Hindu New Year, Diwali, is celebrated on the last night of autumn, in October or November. It is a holiday which is celebrated throughout India. It comes at the end of the monsoon rains, when the weather is nice and mild, and lasts for five days. For this holiday, daughters return to their parents' homes, houses are cleared, walls are decorated with designs drawn in white rice flour water and then colored. Business account books are closed and new ones are opened ceremoniously, new clothes are worn and friends are entertained. Before the festival, special food is prepared to be offered in the Hindu temples. In preparation and in honor of this festival of lights clay saucers are filled with mustard oil and floating cotton wicks, giving a soft, glowing light to the homes. These lights are called chirags, and are placed on the window sills and rooftops of houses; along the roads, and on the banks of rivers and streams. Women and girls who live in the sacred city of Banares, take their chirags to the banks of the Ganges River. They quietly light them and put them in the river to float along the water. They hope for their clay boats to float to the other side with the wicks still lit. If they remain lit, it is a sign of good luck. The reason for the lights is to direct Lakshmi; goddess of prosperity to every home.

Death Penalty :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The death penalty or as it is formally called capital punishment should be totally abolished for many reasons. First and foremost no one should have the right to take anyone else’s life, â€Å" neither individually nor as a society representative, has the right to take another man’s life, even apart from the seriousness of his guilt.† (Thinkquest,). Killing is a sin under God. â€Å"Thou shall not kill† is one of the ten commandments. Although not everyone in this country is Christian our constitution was founded on the principle that we are one country under God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout history there have been a number of arguments in favor of capital punishment. These arguments include the deterrent argument, the retribution argument and the protection of the public argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The deterrent argument claims that the death penalty serves as a deterrent to criminals because it instills fear sufficiently to stop criminals. However, statistically this has been found not to be true. â€Å"None of the many studies about the matter has been able to show the death penalty is more deterrent than other punishments.† (EZ,). Most people who commit the most serious crimes do so under unnatural circumstances. Fear is not even present. â€Å" Most serious crimes such as murders†¦are committed when the criminal is blinded with passion, when emotions prevail over reason.† (Collegain,). Even those who plan crimes such as murders do so thinking that they are not going to be discovered. â€Å"Criminologist assert that the best way to discourage murderers isn’t by increasing the severity of punishment but by increasing the possibility of discovering the crime and condemning the culprit.†(Thinkquest,).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Retribution as a reason for capital punishment assumes that the public wants revenge. Although victims of crimes and their relatives deserve to know that the criminal is being punished for their crime, our country beliefs in rehabilitation. Penalties do not â€Å"have to tend to the revenge or the mere punishment of the criminal, but must reeducate him and rehabilitate him morally and humanly; and what rehabilitation would be possible towards a dead man.†(EZ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To protect the public from dangerous criminals it is not necessary to kill them. Again, the idea is that our penal system is supposed to rehabilitate people. In fact, in order to carry out justice and fearing the neglect of details â€Å"and legal means to which the sentenced can apply, protracts trials and postpones the execution, so the condemned its often changed from the man who committed the crime with the result of executing pe3ople different from the condemned ones.

Inhalants :: essays research papers

SLANG TERMS Laughing gas rush whippets poppers snappers Inhalants are breathable chemicals that produce mind-altering vapors. People do not think of inhalants as drugs because most of the products were never meant to be used that way. Inhalants are ingested by "sniffing" or snorting (through the nose), "bagging" (inhaling fumes from a plastic bag), or huffing (stuffing an inhalant soaked rag into the mouth). IMMEDIATE EFFECTS Nearly all inhalants produce effects similar to anesthetics, which act to slow down body functions, yet the user feels stimulated. Other effects may include: Nausea loss of appetite bad breath double vision runny or bloody nose lack of coordination feeling and looking tired eye irritation sneezing, coughing vomiting, diarrhea headache chest pain ringing in ears erratic heart beat LONG-TERM EFFECTS Hand tremors less concern about appearance sores/rash around mouth and nose fatigue, muscle fatigue weight loss electrolyte (salt) imbalance cardiac arrest permanent damage to nervous system brain, liver, kidney, blood, and bone marrow damage impaired respiratory system impaired coordination and intelligence death by asphyxiation/suffocation EFFECTS ON PERSONALITY Psychological effects occur rapidly because the substance travels directly to the brain after passing through the lungs and the left side of the heart. Other effects are: Anxiety, irritability or excitability poor memory, confusion moody, restless activity lack of concentration aggressive behavior FOUR CLASSES OF INHALANTS There are about 1400 products potentially usable as inhalants. Volatile solvents: gasoline, paint thinners, glue, cleaning solutions, etc. Aerosols: spray paints, etc. Anesthetic agents: chloroform, ether, oils and greases dissolves. Amyl, butyl, and isobutyl nitrites: such as room fresheners. INHALANTS AND PREGNANCY The substances in solvents can pass through the placental barrier and enter the fetal bloodstream. However, except for evidence of birth defects among petrol inhalers, the evidence that use of other inhalants or solvents can damage the fetus is inconclusive. All drugs have some effects on the unborn child including chromosomal and fetal damage EXTENT OF USE Young people (ages 7-17) are more likely to use inhalants because they are available and inexpensive. Inhalants rank fourth in popularity behind alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among young people.

Grass Fed Beef vs. Grain Fed Beef

Matthew Buckman Carla Baku English 1A 10:45 September 23, 2012 Beef Grass Fed Beef vs. Grain Fed Beef Before World War Two (WW2), ranchers raised grass fed cows and that was the norm. But because of the high demand for beef after WW2 ranchers had to change the way they raised cows. Ever since WW2, cows have been raised on grain which has become the norm when it comes to raising cows. That means they are fed mainly corn instead of grass. With the cows being fed corn they get fatter quicker so that means that they are at the weight to get slaughtered quicker.That was until recently when people started questioning corn fed beef and the health risks and how humane it was for the cows. Every year there are millions of cows slaughtered in the U. S for humans to consume. Most of the cows that are slaughtered are grain fed cows. Although some people argue that grain fed beef isn’t worse than grass fed beef in fact we should start eating more grass fed beef because it is more humane fo r the cows, better for the environment and it is healthier than grain fed beef for the consumer and the cows.We should start eating more grass fed beef because it is more humane for the cows. The first way that it is more humane for the cows is that they aren’t cooped up in a feed lot. This means that the cows aren’t kept in a confined space with other cows. They are more freely able to walk around on pastures and have the choice to eat whenever they want instead of having specific eating times. This allows the cows to live as they were meant to instead of the way grain fed cows are just raised for a quicker slaughter.Also with feed lots being such a confined space it collects a lot of manure instead which causes a lot of air and water pollution because the wind blows it up and when it rains it seeps into the groundwater. With grass fed cows being able to roam around on pastures they naturally spread their manure around the pasture which fertilizes the land. Another wa y that grass fed beef is more humane than grain fed beef is that grass fed beef aren’t given antibiotics and hormones like grain fed beef. Grain fed beef needs ntibiotics regularly because of the conditions that they live in. With being cooped up in a feed lot the cows have a lot of health risks such as dust pneumonia and E Coli because of air pollution and water pollution. With grass fed cows being able to roam free on pastures there isn’t as much air and water pollution so there is no need for antibiotics. The last way that grass fed beef is more humane than grain fed beef is that the cows get to live longer lives to get to their slaughter weight.With cows being raised on grass, it takes them roughly twenty-two months to get to their slaughter weight. That’s almost two full years for a cow to live. With cows being raised on grain they only get to live for sixteen months. That’s a full six months less then grass fed cows. I know that if I was a cow, I wo uld want an extra six months to live. Another reason we should start eating more grass fed beef because it is better for the environment. With grain fed beef, the cows manure is scooped up from their cell block and taken to the closet place to the feed lot to be dumped.This ruins the surrounding land because with too much manure being dumped in one place it gives the ground too many nutrients. With there being too many nutrients in the ground, the excess nutrients pollute the soil and water. With grass fed cows being raised in pastures they create and spread fertilizer naturally. This means that less chemicals and pesticides have to be used to fertilize the pastures. With pesticides not having to be used to, that means that less pesticides have the chance to get spread through the air and pollute are water ways and contaminate our drinking water.If pesticides get in our drinking water, it increases the chance of the person drinking the water to have reproductive disorders, and it ca n lead to neurological damage such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. If farmers continually use pesticides to fertilize their land it reduces the soil fertility. All of these things are bad for our environment and with all of the things that are already bad for the environment, why would we add more to it when cows do the same thing naturally? Another way that grass fed beef is better for the environment is grass fed cows use less fossil fuels.Grain fed beef requires more fossil fuel to make the diet of the grain fed cows such as dried corn and soy. With all the required burning of these fossil fuels more carbon dioxide is being released into the air which is contributing to global warming. With fossil fuels burning being directly related to global warming, I think that by using less fossil fuel burning with grass fed beef that grass fed beef is better for the environment. The last reason we should start eating more grass fed beef because it is healthier for the c onsumers and the cows.When eating grain fed beef, you are taking in high levels of bad fats and cholesterol and low levels of good fats and Vitamin E. Grass fed beef is the complete opposite way, you take in high levels of good fats and Vitamin E, and low levels of bad fats and cholesterol. Just by these comparisons here it is clear that grass fed beef is better for the consumers than grain fed beef. Grass fed beef contains iron and calcium and a heavy healthy dosage of protein. This is all healthy for the consumer to eat. This gives the consumers a better healthier option of beef. Dr. Steve Atchley is one of many health-conscious carnivores fueling the trend. ‘I got tired of telling my patients they couldn't eat red meat,’ says the Denver cardiologist. So three years ago, he launched Mesquite Organic Foods, which sells grass-fed beef to 74 Wild Oats stores nationwide. Mesquite's ground beef is 65% lower in saturated fat and its New York strips are 35% lower than conven tional beef, as measured by the USDA. â€Å"Any feedlot-fattened animal has a much higher level of saturated fat than a forage-fed steer,† says Atchley. Another reason we should start eating more grass fed beef is because it is healthier for the cow that we are eating. With grass fed beef the cows are eating what they were meant to eat. Their four stomachs are made to digest grass. With the cows not having trouble digesting grass, the farmers don’t have to give the cows antibiotics and hormones to make digestion easier. So it only makes sense that with grass fed beef being fed grass that they would be healthier than grain fed beef. With grain fed beef being fed corn, and etc. heir stomachs have a difficult time digesting it because their stomachs aren’t meant to digest it. John Robbins a supporter of grass fed beef states, â€Å"When cattle are grain fed, their intestinal tracts become far more acidic, which favors the growth of pathogenic E. coli bacteria, whi ch in turn kills people who eat undercooked hamburger. † With the cow’s stomachs not being able to digest the grain, the farmers have to regularly give them antibiotics and hormones. Farmers now just put the antibiotics and hormones in the grain. Also before he first big hit of the mad cow disease, farmers would feed cows meat from other cows. This practice was basically turning herbivores into carnivores. This is not healthy at all because things like this are not supposed to be changed because you can’t change the way a living animal’s stomach digests something. This made a lot of cows’ sick which in turn makes the consumers sick. Although some people argue that grain fed beef isn’t worse than grass fed beef in fact we should start eating more grass fed beef because it is more humane for the cows, better for the environment and it is healthier for the consumer and the cows.Growing up I used to go to my grandpa’s farm every summer and help him with all of his work. He raised cows and chickens. He raised his cows off of grass instead of grains. So growing up I would always have grass fed beef. I feel that I am a healthy person today because of my grandpa having raised his cows on grass instead of grains. Works Citied Robbins, John. What About Grass-fed Beef?. N. p. , 18 April 2010. Web. 30 Sep. 2012. Roosevelt, Margot. â€Å"The Grass-Fed Revolution. † Time Magazine. 11 Jun 2006: 1. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. .

Theories of Psychological Development

Developmental psychology is the scientific study of human changes across their life span. It is important to study psychological development to understand how and why people go through certain changes throughout their life. There are many different areas of psychological development. Two main areas are perceptual development and emotional development. They both have theories that can be related, but before you can understand the relations, you must first understand the two theories. The theory of perceptual development was created by an American Psychologist named Eleanor Gibson. It states that perceptual development is the process of an infant exploring its constantly changing environment and deciding what to do and how to act with the newly found information. Affordance exploration is also a key feature of perceptual development. Gibson believed that affordances are visual clues to the functions of an object. An example could be a person climbing a ladder. The infant could examine how the ladder needs to have a stable base and lean against a certain object to keep from falling down. When affordances are found, differentiation starts to occur. Gibson’s definition of differentiation is basically the ability to discriminate different environments. If you look back at the ladder example, the infant uses affordances to see the ladder needs support to stay upright. Then the infant uses differentiation to see a person is more safe standing in the middle step of a ladder than the top step. As the infant experiences more and ages, it becomes better at differentiation. Emotional development is based around a theory called the attachment theory which was created by a British psychiatrist named John Bowlby. The attachment theory is the act of developing an affectional bond with someone who is considered a caregiver (Bowlby’s definition was â€Å"a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings†). It is crucial for a child’s behavior in the present and future to have an attachment relationship with a caregiver. Bowlby stated that for an attachment to be strong, four characteristics need to be present: proximity maintenance (the desire to be in the presence of the caregiver), safe haven (returning to the caregiver when feeling unsafe), secure base (considering the caregiver as a source of security) and separation distress (feeling anxious when the caregiver is not present for an extended period of time). Bowlby believed that strong attachment relationships develop after the caregiver and child become closer. Mary Ainsworth (a previous student of Bowlby) was an American Psychologist who believed that there are three types of attachments: secure, avoidant and resistant. A secure attachment is formed when the caregiver is used as a safe home and the infant feels less safe when the caregiver is absent than when they are present. An avoidant attachment is basically the opposite of a secure attachment. It is when the caregiver is considered a stranger by the child and they try to avoid the caregiver as much as possible to feel safer. A resistant attachment is a lot more complex than the other types of attachments. It occurs when the caregiver is unresponsive to the child’s needs making them feel unsure what they want or need which makes them feel unable to count on their caregiver. There are some relationships between the theory of perceptual development and the attachment theory. According to the two theories, both require a responsible caregiver for a child to have a proper and healthy development to be able to experience affordances and to have the right caregiver provide the environment to do it in. Also, your caregiver could be responsible for a child not learning certain affordances which could affect them in their future life. Another way to look at it is if a caregiver never provided the chance for the child to experience affordances related to a job that requires experience in, say, the construction industry, then they will struggle psychologically in the future to earn that job or any job that they may want. Perceptual and emotional development are both very important to a child’s psychological development. It is important to understand the two main theories behind them to learn what is required for a child to develop healthy and normally to live the life that they want to live.

Montessori Method and Child

The sequence of exercises through which the child is introduced to group operations with golden beads. â€Å"If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is life to be hoped from it in the bettering of man’s future† (Maria Montessori – The discovery of the child) Dr. Montessori recognized that children are born with a particular kind of mind, one that is naturally inclined towards order.This ‘special’ mind is what gives humans the ability to make judgments and to calculate; it is how we have progressed in fields such as engineering and architecture. Dr. Montessori called this ‘the mathematical mind’ – a term borrowed from the French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal. Montessori felt that, if we are to support development, then we must offer mathematics at an early age since this is the kind of support that is appropriate for the kind of mind that we have. S he observed: Great creations come from the mathematical mind, so we must always consider all that is mathematical as a means of mental development. It is certain that mathematics organizes the abstract path of the mind, so we must offer it at an early age, in a clear and very accessible manner, as a stimulus to the child whose mind is yet to be organized. ’ (Maria Montessori – The discovery of the child) Dr.Montessori believed that children pass through sensitive periods when they possess a unique and amazing aptitude for learning; to take advantage of these sensitive periods, we must prepare environment to simulate their particular interests and allow them to exercise their innate ability to learn. I began to understand to that the shelf-works are actually the practical life and sensorial exercises that are as necessary as the materials insolated qualities physically and prepare the children before they begin the mathematics learning.From the course manual and the var ious reading materials, I began to discover some important elements that will lead the children to progress mathematics learning from concrete to abstract using Montessori methods in teaching. These elements are:1) The Montessori Sensorial materials and Exercises 2) The Practical life materials and Exercises 3) The unique Montessori mathematics curriculum and materials When we think of Montessori Mathematics, we cannot just consider math materials only because sensorial training is of great importance in teaming the basics of mathematics.The entire sensorial materials for dimension (knobbed cylinders, pink tower, broad stairs and long rods) are in sets of ten. When the child works with the sensorial materials, he is indirectly learning the units of measurement, the ‘tenness’ in the materials. For example, when the child has mastered the arrangement of the long rods, he has a sensorial basis for counting tens. The long rods are identical top the number rods: the child al ready has an impression and is familiar with the long rods which make learning concepts of 1-10 easier when the child is being introduced to number rods.The long rods act as an indirect preparation for a more advanced activity. Dr. Montessori stated that the long rods provide an absolute and a relative concept of numbers. As the children handled and compared would help them to various combinations and contracts. (The Discovery of the Child, Pg. 264) The sensorial exercises are based on a logical learning sequence. It goes from the concrete to the abstract an example of geometry: In the traditional system, when we introduce ‘triangle’, we would show children a plane figure enclosed by 3 straight lines but is quite an intellectual concept and children are being ‘told’ then ‘discover’.However, Montessori Method introduces the triangle in the form of solid wooden insets which can be taken out and fitted into corresponding wooden sockets. When the c hild ‘tough’ and ‘see’, he forms a visual image of the object and make it easier to remember. Secondly, the child is given the ‘triangle’ printed on cards wholly filled in. thirdly, the ‘triangle’ is not filled in now, but drawn with thick outlines. Fourthly, the ‘triangle’ is shown by a thin outline only and lastly it arrives at the Euclidean Definition of a triangle, i. e. a plane figure enclosed by 3 straight lines.In this example, the child has gone through five stages before reaching the abstract concept. (The Course Manual, Pg. 73) The materials also contain a control of error, e. g. in the cylinder blocks, directress will not tell a child if he makes a mistake in placing the cylinder back, the child will make his own judgment when he discovers on his own if the cylinder will not fit in a hole that is too small, this guides him to accurate observation and also builds up the child’s perseverance skills, tha t teachers him not to give up so easily.The sensorial materials basically help the child to learn through their senses. According to Dr. Maria Montessori, there is a purpose for sensory education: â€Å"It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the sense consists the aims of the exercises are not that the child shall know colours, form and the different qualities of objects, but that he refines his sense through an exercise of attention, of comparison of judgment. Maria Montessori The sensorial materials provide the child with plenty of opportunities to improve his attention span as the child is allowed to work with the material as long as the child’s interest may hold. The sensorial didactic materials such as the cylinder blocks, the Colour tablets, the geometric cabinet and many other exercises provide the child the skills to make comparison and judgment that are so essential to prepare the child to the next level of learning.When the children work with the sensorial materials, they are being introduced to the idealization of things and isolation of qualities. It fosters concentration and thinking skills, which develop the mathematical mind. The Practical life exercises in everyday living skills help the child to improve his fine motor skills, eye-hand co-coordination and concentration. The activities are familiar tasks to their home settings, such as pouring, transferring, sweeping or even cleaning the shoes. For example, the child begins with simple pouring exercise like pouring water into a bottle with a funnel.These simple exercises prepare the child indirectly for mathematical concepts such as volume and capacity. The practical life materials are mostly practical and creatively made or assembled by the teachers. The various exercises often begin from simple to more complexes in design and usage. Each material has a definite purpose and meaningful to the child. The directress will also observe different childrenâ€⠄¢s capabilities and arrange the shelves with activities helping to progress in their learning paths. These purposeful activities help to assist children in their development: physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally.They increase the children’s attention span, help them to understand achieving objectives through set sequence and gain a sense of â€Å"I can do it† independence. These Practical life exercises ultimately help the children with three basic mathematical skills: exactness, calculations and repetition. Obviously, the Practical Life and Sensorial activities and materials have indirectly preparing them for learning the mathematical concepts and building a strong platform of foundation even before the child begins mathematical learning. Dr.Montessori also knew that the child aged six and under learns through his senses and through movement, that is, through hands-on, manipulation. She concluded that she needed to provide mathematical concepts in a conc rete form, which would be accessible to the children's senses. A prime example is the material used to introduce the concept of quantity: the Number Rods. These wooden rods are painted in sections of red and blue so that each section represents the addition of a unit. The rod for two is therefore twice as long and twice as heavy as the rod of one; that the rod for ten is ten times larger than that for one is strikingly apparent.In traditional education, on the other hand, mathematics is taught in a less hands-on manner. The child is given the abstract symbol as a starting point. Beads on a thread may be used to practice counting to ten, but it is more often done aloud or in the form of songs. Recognizing the symbol and counting up to ten does not imply an understanding of what these numbers mean; they are simply symbols and words to be said in sequence. Furthermore, counting individual objects such as beads requires the child to make the additional mental step of grouping objects to gether in order to come up with the quantity.Far clearer is the Montessori approach of presenting the idea of the quantities as a whole using the Number Rods. As Dr. Montessori wrote, ‘When, on the other hand, in ordinary schools, to make the calculation easier, they present the child with different objects to count, such as beans, marbles etc. , and when, he takes a group of eight marbles and adds two more marbles to it, the natural impression in his mind is not that he has added 8 to 2, but that he has added 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 to 1+1.The result is not so clear, and the child is required to make the effort of holding in his mind the idea of a group of eight objects as one united whole, corresponding to a single number, 8. This effort often puts the child back, and delays his understanding of number by months or even years (Maria Montessori – The discovery of the child) The Montessori mathematics curriculum is organized into six groups.It begins with Group one introducing units of quantity from 1 – 10 using various concrete materials like the number rods, number cards, sandpaper numerals, spindle box, cars and counters and number games to learn the names of the numbers and repetition learning in counting from 1 – 10. The materials are designed to prepare the child indirectly for further learning. For example, the sandpaper numerals are used to teach children the name of the numbers from 1 – 10. By tracing the numerals with his fingers; he builds a muscular memory of the numerals and therefore prepare him to write numbers.The number ‘Zero’ is being introduced through the spindle box when the child learns that ‘zero’ means ‘nothing’ and he does not put any spindles into the spindle box compartment that shows the numeral ‘0’. Each topic is presented to the child individually. The teacher also uses the ‘three period lesson’ to teach the concept of the numbers 1 – 10. For Example by using the sandpaper numerals. First period: The teacher places the sandpaper numeral 1 in front of the child and says, â€Å"This is one. † She also traces 1 using two fingers. She continues with numeral 2 and numeral 3.Second period : To test if the name of the numerals is associated in the child’s mind. The teacher places both the numerals 1 and 2 in front of the child and asks, â€Å"Show me the numeral 2† and asks child to trace 2, followed by â€Å"Show me the numeral 1† and trace 1. The teacher moves on to the next stage should the child succeed in the association. Third Period : The teacher points to the numeral 1 and asks, â€Å"What numeral is this? † If the child is able to name the numerals, she replaces it with the other numerals and asks the same question.Once the child has mastered the thorough knowledge of the units, then he will be introduced to the whole decimal system, learning the names of the power of ten usi ng the bead materials which is Group two. The children are given concrete experiences with the units, tens, hundreds and thousands; and these learning are made possible and easy because of the golden beads and colorful bead stair. Montessori golden beads are golden beads of the same size, which are used to help children understand unit, quantities of tens, hundreds and thousands.A single bead comprises one unit. Ten beads strung on a wire indicate ten. One hundred is indicated by ten bars side by side, which makes a square, and one thousand is ten one hundreds staked on top of each other, making a cube. It uses sensorial approach as the different bead materials can be differentiated in depth, weight and quantity. (www. montessori. com/goldenbeads) The children will explore the quantities and place values as they count though the units, tens hundreds and thousands using the materials.As the children can see visually, making it easier for them to associate the name of the numerals wit h the quantities. With the use of the materials like the large number cards, children also begin to link written symbol with quantities. All these exercises help to prepare the children as they progress towards abstract learning later on. Next, in Group three, the child first learn with the beads and the beads are arranged vertically to help the child to associate his learning later when he is being introduced to use sequin board A to learn 11 – 19 and sequin board B to learn 10,20,30,†¦. 0. Correspondingly, the child is also using the sequin board B and the golden beads to reinforce concepts of learning numerals 11 -99. The correct number of ten bars and short bead stair provide control of error and give the child the muscular impression of the quantities. In Group four, the children are being introduced to not just addition and subtraction but also to multiplication and division. It is not yet written in the book but as a sensorial level with an interesting set-up of a banker and two players.The children will fetch the beads, large numeral cards, small numeral cards on trays, making it fun like a trading game, but most importantly, the children are learning. All the directress has to do is to guide the children, observe their learning capacities and enjoy playing in the game as well. When the children have enough learning and understanding with the operation of decimal system, the children progress on to the next level. This is Group five. Lastly in Group six, the children will begin to transit to abstraction as they move on to internalize the function of arithmetic.At this point, the children would have a good foundation practicing the individual sums with golden beads. Conclusion Indeed, the Montessori mathematics materials and methods have proven its efficiency that is necessary for laying the foundation of counting and arithmetical operations. These key elements of sensorial learning, practical life exercises and mathematics materials are imp ortant process for children to learn from concrete to abstract in mathematical learning. The child is free to explore the material for mathematics material at his own pace, without pressure.The materials are designed with their own ‘control of error’ so the child is always able to assess his own progress. He is introduced to the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in group activities where he is given an actual concrete experience of the meaning of these functions. For example, he experiences addition as the putting together of two quantities that results in the production of a larger quantity and multiplication as a special addition in that it is the putting together of quantities that are all the same.The working in groups appeals to his need to interact socially at this age in sharp contrast to the solitary approach of the traditional ‘worksheet’. The Montessori approach results in the concepts being fully understood at a time when it is easy for the child to understand as long as the ideas are presented to him through the manipulation of concrete materials. By the time the children are six years old they have a solid knowledge of mathematics that will stand them in good stead not only for further study, but also for many other aspects of everyday life