Cheyenne Mountain Academy Sample Charter

November 12th, 2009

In the book, хотелско обзавежданеWhy Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong, William Kilpatrick, a professor of Education at Boston College, states the following:

“The core problem facing our schools Is a moral one. All the other problems derive from it. Hence, all the various attempts at school reform are unlikely to succeed unless character education is put at the top of the agenda.

“If students don’t learn self-discipline and respect for others, they will continue to exploit each other sexually no matter how many health clinics and condom distribution plans are created.

“If they don’t learn habits of courage and justice curriculums designed to improve their self-esteem won’t stop the epidemic of extortion, bullying, and violence; neither will courses designed to make them more sensitive to diversity.

“Even academic reform depends on putting character first Children need courage to tackle difficult assignments. They need self-discipline if they are going to devote their time to homework rather than television. They need the diligence and perseverance required to do this day after day. If they don’t acquire intellectual virtues such as commitment to learning, objectivity, respect for the truth, and humility in the face of facts, then critical-thinking strategies will only amount to one more gimmick in the curriculum. “

[...] “The ethos of a school, not its course offerings, is the decisive factor in forming character… Most scholars who advocate a character education approach are agreed that, as a bare minimum, every list ought to contain the four cardinal virtues that have come down to us from the Greeks: prudence, justice, courage, and temperance. They are called cardinal because they are the axis (cardo) on which the moral life turns.”

Found here:  Cheyenne Mountain Academy Sample Charter.

Author: Justin Categories: Education Tags: , ,

Grimm’s law – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

October 21st, 2009

The following changes are observed and predicted in Proto-Indo-European sounds:

voiced aspirated stops become voiced fricatives
voiceless stops become voiceless fricatives
voiced stops become voiceless stops.

Check the article below for examples. What does this mean for the English language? If these changes continue to progress, will we lose all of the sounds found frequently in Russian and High German?

Grimm’s law – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Author: Justin Categories: Misc. Tags:

From an article on Roland Barthes

October 21st, 2009

From wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Barthes
Barthes’s earliest work was very much a reaction to the trend of existentialist philosophy that was prominent during the 1940s, specifically towards the figurehead of existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre. In his work What Is Literature? (1947) Sartre finds himself to be disenchanted with both established forms of writing, and more experimental avant-garde forms, which he feels alienate readers. Barthes’ response is to try to find what can be considered unique and original in writing. He determines in Writing Degree Zero (1953) that language and style are both matters that appeal to conventions, and are thus not purely creative. Rather, form, or what Barthes calls ‘writing’, the specific way an individual chooses to manipulate conventions of style for a desired effect, is the unique and creative act. One’s form is vulnerable to becoming a convention once it has been made available to the public. This means that being creative is an ongoing process of continual change and reaction. He saw Albert Camus’s The Stranger as an ideal example of this notion for its sincere lack of any embellishment or flair.

Author: Justin Categories: Misc. Tags:

E-prime and Personal Truth

October 20th, 2009

Looking for information on E-prime (software), I came across E-prime (linguistics).

Have you heard of E-prime? E-prime is a modified form of English which encourages active voice. This reminds me of what one person I know had talked about, not using predicated something or other as a method for better communication. I think it is (note: I had first typed “It is” and correct myself) interesting how it forces the observer to acknowledge his/her subjectivity, as demonstrated below.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Prime

Korzybski (1879–1950) had determined that two forms of the verb ‘to be’—the ‘is’ of identity and the ‘is’ of predication—had structural problems. For example, the sentence “The coat is red” has no observer, the sentence “We see the coat as red” (where “we” indicates observers) appears more specific in context as regards light waves and colour as determined by modern science, that is, colour results from a reaction in the human brain.

Other notes: Albert Ellis’ book A New Guide to Rational Living discusses applying the avoiding reificative or stative language in daily life and leadership. Alfred North Whitehead said “There are no whole truths, all truths are half-truths. It is trying to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil.” One article states that for leaders, “we would do better to state our opinions as opinions”. This seems to me to tie in with a discussion on the subjectivity of science and personal reality. I am excited to find practical applications of semantic and linguistic conscientiousness.

How to Make Decisions like Benjamin Franklin

August 28th, 2009

Oh, Benjamin Franklin, you never cease to amaze me… Your pros and cons method of decision making is elegant, utilitarian, and rational. In your letter to Joseph Priestley, you outlined this method for making difficult decisions.

Letter to Joseph Priestley.

How to make decisions like Benjamin Franklin, web outline

Author: Justin Categories: Life Tags: