Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on Teaching Reading Essay

Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on Teaching Reading - Essay Example In addition, the findings would be related in terms of their impact on classroom instruction by providing specific and supportive evidence for each theme or issue from the readings and from one’s personal experience, as required. The whole language approach emerged in the 1980s more as a philosophy than a mere teaching methodology. According to Todays-Learners (2010, par. 19), â€Å"reading should not be taught, but rather acquired through trial and error†. Promoters of this technique emphasize that students can substitute words with those that they commonly use as long as the idea remains the same. Correct spelling of words is not so much given priority for as long as the thoughts and concepts are appropriately ingrained (Todays-Learners, 2010, pars. 19 – 23). The modernist perspective has been discussed by Serafini (2003, par. 16) through a review of various scholars’ discourse on the subject; such as Street, De Castell & Luke, and Siegel & Fernandez, among others. This view contends that â€Å"reading is viewed as a cognitive, psychological process divorced from any of the forces that are inherent in social, political, or cultural institutions† (Serafini, 2003, par. 16) Children taught under this approach are given reading materials which are fluently read aloud and concurrently focusing on the main theme of the story or text. Teachers focus more on the diction and pronunciation of the texts as well as determining if the students are able to comprehend the main theme of the story. One of the more contemporary approaches associated with this perspective is the balanced or eclectic approach which utilized phonics and skills instruction into the teaching of reading. Stoicheva (1999) cited Cunningham and Hall (1998) describing â€Å"a balanced framework for literacy where instruction is divided equally between the four

Police Gratuity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Police Gratuity - Essay Example This paper illustrates that gratuities help in cementing the relationship between the police officers and the public. The police officers who accept gratuities are more informed that police officers who are very strict on law enforcement. Gratuities, therefore, bridge the gap between the police officers and the general public. It offers an avenue where the general public interacts with the police personnel with minimal professional boundaries. On the other hand, it is quite unethical for someone to refuse a gift or an appreciation for favors. Therefore, it serves as a means of expression of human characteristics by the police officer to the public. A gift is known for converting the receiver and the respondent together in a mutual social reciprocation relationship. Gratuities also play a significant role in creating a mutual relationship between the general public and police officers. In the broader perspective, gratuities can be viewed as a method which necessitates community polici ng concept. Police officers, therefore, use gratuities to develop a good relationship with the public. The developed police-public relationship serves as a platform for transferring criminal information from the public to the police officers. Additionally, gratuities are used by criminal investigation department in their investigations. Gratuities reduce the cost of administration of justice. The legal procedure to get justice is sometimes very expensive in terms of resources and time. Additionally, people who are prone to gratuities are frequent users of the police services. The known frequent users of gratuities are businessmen to hide their bad reputation and traits from the general public. On the other hand, gratuities may tamper with police officers ability to administer fair and just services to the public. Police officers are likely to grant preferential treatment to those who are prone to gratuities. In such situation, justice would be administered unfairly. Gratuities overr ate the position of police officer. Police officers who accept gratuities view themselves as very special officers who must be rewarded for their services to the public. Police officers are professionals in their own capacity. They are paid salaries to offer protection and other services to the public. Therefore, acceptance of gratuities is unethical and violation of their professional ethics.

Lenins View of Economic Policies in Russia Essay Example for Free

Lenins View of Economic Policies in Russia Essay Lenins view of economic polices in Russia between 1917 and 1923 was shaped by the factors of War Communism, and the New Economic Plan (NEP). Lenin realized that to have a successful economy and to keep the idea of equality in Communism there had to be a compromise; there needed to be a balance of state control and individual incentive for the economy to prosper. Through the failure of War Communism and the success of the economy and the drift away from Communism with the NEP; Lenin learned the dos and donts of a successful economy. Lenin described what the country needed to do to have a successful economy, he said, We have found that a degree of private commercial interest, with state supervision and control of that interest, is all we actually need (doc. 5). This shows how both War Communism and the NEP were factors that shaped Lenins compromising idea of what a economy needed to be successful. The War Communism policy was adopted to keep the Red Army supplied. During War Communism the government took control of industry, and told factories what to produce; and the government would take any grain that was produced by the farmers. The Cheka would steel the grain that the farmers produced, this made the farmers angry and they no longer had any incentive to grow crops because the crops would just be taken away from them. Also money became worthless, wages were paid in food or other goods, and many people bartered goods instead of using money. The situation for the farmers and the peasants got worse. By 1921 Russias economy was shattered. Industrial production had drastically decreased; and the cities were in chaos. Agriculture had been demolished. War Communism was put in affect to increase the productivity of both industrial goods and food, but the workers and farmers saw no point in putting in the effort if in the end it would be taken away from them. War Communism led to the destruction of the economy of Russia. Lenin finally admitted that War Communism was a mistake, he said, The small farmer needs a spur, and incentive that accords with his condition We are very much to blame for having gone to far; we overdid the nationalization of industry and trade, clamping down on the local exchange of commodities. Was that a mistake? It certainly was. (doc. 4) This quote is an example of how Lenin realized that he had made a mistake and this quote also shows that Lenin understands that the workers and farmers need an incentive to work; with an incentive the economy will grow. Lenins view of economic policies was greatly influenced by the failure of War Communism, and by the failure he was able to figure out another system that would revive Russias economy. Lenin realized that to have a successful economy the people have to have the incentive to work. Lenin also knew that if he did not improve the economic state of Russia that the Communists would not survive; War Communism took the safety net away from the Communists. Lenin had to act quickly to figure out another policy that would make the people want to work, and to revive the economy. In 1921 the NEP was created to fix the economy. Lenin created this new policy to try to burst the morale of the people and make them want to produce more grain or products. The transition form War Communism to the NEP was drastic, the people had to change there lives to fit this new, more capitalists society. Though the change to a more capitalist economy, the NEP was successful in jump starting the farming production, for example. Lenin says, Release of [surplus goods] into circulation would stimulate small farming, which is in terrible state (doc. 4) This is a great example of how Lenin realizes why he needs to change from the War Communism to the NEP, for a least one reason to increase the amount of grain produced. The creation of the NEP changed many laws that were once holding Russias economy back. Grain requisitioning was stopped. Grain was no longer taken from the peasants. Also traders could buy and sell goods, which was illegal during War Communism. Smaller factories were returned to their former owners; and they were allowed to sell the goods they made and make a profit from them. Finally larger industries like coal and steel remained under state control; but some larger factories were able to sell their products. These were some of the main differences between War Communism and NEP. During the NEP the economy prospered, because people were now allowed to keep some of the goods they made and then sell them for their own profit. This made the people want to produce more so they could have more for their family. Lenin described some of the good affects that the NEP had, he said, We have achieved much with our requisitioning system. Our food policy has made it possible in the second year to acquire three times as much grain as in the first. (doc. 2) Lenin was talking about the great increase in the production of grain, this great increase was directly related to the NEP; because the peasants could keep some of the grain they made which gave them an incentive to work hard. Communists were angry because they saw the country returning to capitalism. They did not like the fact that bosses of factories called kulacks could hire men to work for them. Also Communists disliked the Nepmen, because they made a high profit by buying goods cheaply and then selling them for more. Though the NEP revived the economy, people, especially peasants were unhappy with the new capitalist society. Lenins view of economic policies was changed through the NEP, he knew that people need the incentive to work, but he also knew he could not give the people to much economic freedom; the idea of balancing the policy of War Communism and NEP was Lenins final view of how to keep the people happy and to sustain a great economy.

Enhancing Orientation of Graduate Nurses

Enhancing Orientation of Graduate Nurses Introduction Graduate nurses have many learning needs as they enter into the nursing workforce and they must continue to improve on their basic learning skills and competencies while attempting to learn new complex nursing skills (Phillips, Kenny, Esterman, Smith, 2014). All areas of nursing present many challenges, therefore orientation to the area requires a tailored and holistic approach for new graduate nurses (Dyess Sherman, 2009). This paper will focus on enhancing orientation for graduate nurses. This paper will provide the readers with an analytical discussion of relevant literature as well as a clear rationale for the need to change and improve orientation for graduate nurses. A thorough detailed change management plan will be implemented using Lippitt’s seven steps of change. Furthermore, strategies for assessing outcomes will be discussed, outlining the success rate post implementation. Lastly, this paper will summarise and highlight the main issues for this change. Discussion Graduate nurses entering the nursing workforce are required to possess a wide variety of skills and up to date competencies in order to function as beginning professionals (MacDonald, 2014). The learning curve does not stop once a student has completed their Bachelor of Nursing Degree, in fact, it is just the start for graduate nurses with several issues that they need to face (MacDonald, 2014). These include nursing shortages, advancements in technology and an aging population with increased health care needs (MacDonald, 2014). The development of formal orientation programs in health care is critical in the recruitment and retention of nursing staff (Robitaille, 2013). Recent literature demonstrates that a comprehensive, well thought out program can reduce adjustment periods for novice nurses, minimise turnover and establish a solid foundation for a productive and lengthy career (Charleston, 2014). According to Charleston (2004), the main reason for orientation during the Graduate N urse Program are to enhance skills and knowledge in the new graduate, to facilitate the addition of theory and practice and to ease the new graduates’ transition from university life to the clinical setting (Charleston, 2014). According to Chestnutt and Everhart (2007), graduate nurses entering a clinical area must receive appropriate orientation that meets their required needs, provides exceptional support and communication with all health professionals (Chestnutt Everhart, 2007). Structural empowerment, being able to manage workload, fairness, organisational values and leadership are significantly related to job satisfaction, therefore making a graduate nurse more likely to not leave the nursing profession (Junttila, 2014). Orientation to a hospital or ward add to graduate nurses’ ability to perform duties, increase confidence, competence and job satisfaction. It also lowers the turnover rate and enhances the quality of nursing care, for example; decreasing medication errors (Junttila, 2014). Travele (2007) states, â€Å"An inexperienced nurse’s knowledge is theory based because he or she lacks the wisdom that defines an experienced nurse. Targeted education needs to be progressive to engage this computer-savvy generation in learning†. A useful way to simplify orientation and capitalise on educator resources, is to offer online courses. Therefore, this paper will provide a change management plan to implement a wiki (website) to improve orientation to new graduate nurses. This will allow graduate nurses to communicate and share information with other graduate nurses, as well as be able to access visual aids such as links on clinical procedures. This will enhance their knowledge, clinical skills and be able to socialise with others, which in turn, will make for an easier transition from university to the clinical setting. Rationale The reason for the initial promoting of change to improve orientation for all graduate nurses was feedback from current and previous graduate nurses from Holmesglen Hospital on their experience of when they were orientated to the hospital and their specific ward. A graduate nurse, reflecting back on her transition process during orientation provided a simple but powerful statement representative of her experience: â€Å"I thought, I’m an RN now, so I have to know the answers. I can’t say I’m a student anymore. I worry about not knowing enough, not knowing what to do. Should I do this, or should I do that? Did I miss anything? I feel like I’m walking a fine line.† (Rush, Adamack, Gordon, Lilly, Janke, 2013) Other statements from previous nurses included: â€Å"One day during orientation, I came onto the floor like I normally do. It was on my schedule to be on this floor with this person. So I go in there, and I take report on all my patients, and they call back and tell me you are going to the fifth floor tonight. It was four o’clock when I was told I had to switch floors and preceptors. I thought to myself, what are they doing? You are confusing me and screwing me up. It was very frustrating.† (Rush et al., 2013; St Clair, 2013) â€Å"The first few months were the hardest and the most stressful time for me, I was overwhelmed with so many resources during orientation, I didn’t know where to start.† (Phillips et al., 2014) To address these challenges, it is vital that graduate nurses are provided with a transition framework that facilitates their growth and the achievement of their potential. These studies described graduate nurses’ transition experiences as they were walking the fine line between student and nurse (Romyn et al., 2009). Change Management Plan To enable sustainable change, nurses need to take the lead in managing it (Davies, 2014). Lippitt’s phases can be used in nursing practice especially with the advancement in technology, the nature of healthcare organizations, and professional standards. Although we experience change every day, nurses have a difficult time embracing â€Å"planned† change. As presented in the discussion, the use of a wiki (website) can provide nurses with educational material, links to relevant websites on practical skills and procedures and it can provide a place to communicate with other nurses, preceptors, other graduate nurses, and the rest of the graduate team. The change management theory that will guide the implementation of the proposed project of improving orientation for graduate nurses will be outlined using Lippitt’s seven steps of change. 1. Diagnoses of the problem. According to Lippitt et al. (2014), this stage involves a change agent that may notice that an intervention or change would benefit the system or person and offers assistance (Swansburg, 2014). A change agent is someone who acts as a catalyst for change (Swansburg, 2014). During this phase, there was formal and informal feedback from past and current graduate nurses about their experiences during orientation which prompted a need for change. The goals of the project would be a) enhance graduate nurses’ orientation to a clinical setting, b) support the new graduate nurses while improving their education and c) improving professional communication through information technology. This first stage of change would involve speaking to the Holmesglen educators and nurse managers to discuss how this change could be implemented into the orientation of new graduate nurses. Providing awareness, having adequate support and outlining the benefits that this project could offer to new graduates and staff would be the main focus of this phase. After the support and contribution of the key stakeholders, then the second stage of the change process can be established. 2. Assessing the motivation and capacity for the change Phase two will involve the change agent gaining the trust of the key stakeholders as well as anyone who will be involved within the nursing workforce in order to proceed with the project. If trust is not shown, then it becomes hard to influence any motivation for anything to change (Belcher Jones, 2009). An important part of this phase is to see how the group perceives the change agent and the motivation to the possible change. During this phase, it is important to approach it a sensitive and appropriate manner due to the fact that new graduate nurses will be excited to start their graduate nurse program but as well be scared about their career (Dyess Sherman, 2009; St Clair, 2013). The recipients of this project which are the graduate nurses, will hopefully want to gain the best possible orientation into their nursing workforce and take advantage of the resources that will be provided. However, there also can be a barrier because at this stage the graduate nurses will have potential overload of information that they have been giving in relation to their new nursing career. Therefore, it will be important to introduce the wiki (website) to their education and practice at a specific time. 3. Assessing the resources and motivation of the change agent Information must be collected regarding the situation in the workplace and why the project would benefit staff. One way to collect this information it to talk to other past and current graduate nurses on their experiences. If the motivation of new graduate nurses is there and they are willing to change the way in which orientations are run, then it makes it a lot easier for the change agent. A meeting to discuss what staff would like to present and offer within the website would be beneficial so that they feel that they are involved in the process of change. If a meeting were to be compulsory then, a presentation about â€Å"Wikis and website programs† and what they involve needs to be implemented. At some point during the presentation, it would be useful to provide the rationale behind the change and to state the benefits of its use. The one off meeting would be targeted towards new graduates but all staff can be present as they may want to access the website at some point in their career as well. All graduate nurses and other nurses all displayed an expression of interest in the meeting on the use of a website through formal and informal feedback. 4. Defining the progressive stages of change The fourth stage of planned change involves specifying the objectives of the change, charting out exactly how the change will be achieved, and the length of time you anticipate the plan will take (Daly, 2014). A pilot or trial period of the project also may be helpful at this point to allow for evaluation of the change, and to modify the plan if necessary (Daly, 2014). During this phase, the group will begin to formulate their ideas about the change. According to Lippitt et al. (2014), problems may arise in relation to motivation when the group starts to express intentions and actions towards the planned change (Swansburg, 2014). These problems can occur due to anxiety about the change or fear of failing the change (Daly, 2014). A trial procedure was offered involving the change which may help to alleviate symptoms such as anxiety and fear, therefore accepting the idea for change. In the development of a wiki (website), this will hopefully enhance orientation to graduate nurses. Once all staff members are aware of how the website can improve their practice and increase their knowledge, then hopefully they will be more willing to accept the change. 5. Ensuring the roles and responsibilities of the change agents are clear and understood Phase five involves choosing the appropriate role of the change agent. The role of the change agent during the change process is critical to the success of the plan (Davies, 2014). Failure to define the role of the change agent can result in confusion and a breakdown in communications (Davies, 2014). The change agent will ensure that all staff feel that they are well supported and encouraged to work towards actual efforts based on their intentions. The first step would be the actual creation of the website, followed by an active demonstration to the group that could be performed on the site. An example of a demonstration and activity that could be presented could be a link to a website where answers to clinical practice questions are found. This part would be very brief but most importantly informative in order to display simplicity to the work environment. Throughout the wiki, there could be links to clinical skills and techniques as well as up to date evidence based articles that will provide the best practice guidelines. Visual aids such as videos of procedures would also be very helpful for graduate nurses who may not get to experience assisting with a specific procedure during their orientation. These videos give the graduate nurses a visual aid so that when they are faced with this in their practice they at least have background knowledge and are able to visually recall what took place during the procedure even though they have not performed it on a patient. 6. Maintaining the change through feedback, and group coordination The key to maintaining the change is keeping the lines of communication open (Davies, 2014). Frequent, ongoing discussions by staff regarding the change will need to continue as each step in the plan is implemented, evaluated, and revised as necessary. During the implementation of the project, the focus will be to target new graduate nurses entering the nursing profession to improve their orientation. If the project is well received, then the inclusion of the website into the orientation will be not only useful for graduate nurses but can also be beneficial for other employees entering the nursing profession with no prior experience/graduate program. It can also aid as a review system for existing staff that may want to access the visual aids or articles to review some procedures that they may not come across day to day. There will also be ongoing debriefs, where anonymous feedback forms will be distributed to all participants to ensure confidentiality. New graduates will also be informed of the change and will be asked to give feedback on the quality of the new change and the use of the website. According to Lippitt et all. (2014), â€Å"One critical factor in the stabilization of change is the spread or non-spread of change to neighbouring systems† (Swansburg, 2014). If the use of a website i in Holmesglen Hospital spreads from the target group of graduate nurses to other staff members, this would show that stabilisation of the intervention is occurring. 7. Gradually removing the change agents the relationship Phase seven involves termination by the change agent, leaving the system or the organization to maintain the change (Davies, 2014). All graduate nurse will be able to have ongoing involvement with the group and staff members as well as the other key stakeholders; nurse educators and nurse managers on the wiki. However, the goal of the wiki is that it becomes a way to contribute to discussions and share knowledge with the group. With ongoing use of the website, graduate nurses will become more comfortable using the website and will be more likely to interact and use it. Therefore, nurses will be able to contribute their knowledge and participate more readily to discussions. Strategies for measuring outcomes The reason why to measure change, is to monitor progress, identify the next steps, learn from the process for practice, monitor implementation and to identify whether the desired goals have been achieved (Bond, 2013). Some ways to measure this change will include using questionnaires and surveys which are quick and easy to gather data from people in a non-threatening way as well as observation by gathering accurate information about how the change is processing (Bond, 2013). Another strategy will include having monthly check-ins with the supervisors, nurse managers, and leaders to capture successes and challenges (Bond, 2013). Furthermore, using direct observation from an outsider to see if the change has been implemented correctly with a positive change (Bond, 2013). During this change, there should be a comparison of the new graduate nurses before using the website and after they finished their orientation, this will identify participant’s motivation, support and behaviour during and after the change. Interviewing the graduate nurses’ one on one as they will be able to provide feedback about the new change and insight of what needs to be changed. Once all of the feedback and data on how the change went, data analysis should be completed. This would be performed using a software on the computer. It would be able to determine any improvement since starting the change to the end of the change, and then, be able to improve for the new graduate nurses that will be coming through next year and the year after. Lastly, when measuring change, one must communicate, engage and reflect to ensure the change process is acceptable and sustainable (Bond, 2013). Summary and Conclusion Within this paper, a discussion was addressed to encourage staff involvement in the process and offer opportunities to enhance learning during the challenging time of orientation for new graduate nurses. Additionally, a rationale for why the change needs to be implemented was identified. Furthermore, Lippitt’s seven stages was used to implement the change. Lippitt’s seven stages of change closely aligns with the nursing process and is appropriate for a variety of settings to implement change. Being aware of the needs of staff members as well as the barriers to change that may be met is vital for moving this initiative change forward. With the implementation of this change, it may be a valuable learning opportunity for new graduate nurses that could improve and enhance their orientation experience and promote a smoother transition into the nursing profession.

Essay --

Lowi and his collaborators established four different typology for identifying and categorizing policy: Distributive, Redistributive, Protective Regulatory and Competitive regulatory. Distributive Distributive policies take â€Å"a resource from a broad group of people and gives the resource to a narrower group (Birkland, 210).† Such policies can be controversial because typically only the small group receiving the resources benefit from them. This can lead to interest group liberalism, â€Å"in which all claims to federal support and funding are assumed to be legitimate (Birkland, 212).† Detractors of distributive policy argue that government is â€Å"catering to clients† often failing to find better alternatives (Mitchell, 2014). An example of distributive property would be the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill, which was labeled â€Å"Pork-Barrel† spending. The bill would allocate resources to specific districts that needed repair. Those districts and groups would, theoretically, be the only ones to benefit from said resources. Redistributive Redistributive policies are those â€Å"that takes a resource from one identifiable group and gives a benefit to another readily identifiable group (Birkland, 213).† Arguably the most contentious typology, redistributive policies involve taking some â€Å"valued public asset† from one group and allocating it to another (Mitchell, 2014). Affirmative action is an example of redistributive policy. It was series of policies and mandates that strove to provide minorities equal access to housing, educational, and employment opportunities, (Garrison-Wade, 24). Institutions of higher education began recruiting minorities in efforts to diversify their predominantly white population. Such policies were highly contentious as seen in... ...els. With issues such as unemployment and minimum wage, the issue has been debated and no new legislation has surfaced. President Obama has turned to these â€Å"workarounds† of collaborating with companies that help tackle his agenda initiatives due to a need for action. My argument would be, anyone that can contribute to fixing a problem, no matter how insignificant the contribution may seem, has a responsibility t do so. One of my classmates suggested that it wasn’t the president’s role to be involved in these matters. However, the role of the president has often been to use â€Å"the considerable prestige of the office to persuade people (Birkland, 108).† As long as there is logic and transparency in interlocal collaborative networks, Public-Private collaborations, and workarounds to federal legislation, citizens will still have opportunity to voice concerns and dissent.

Love :: essays research papers

It's a crazy thing to do, really. That two young people should together reach out and take hold of their future in this way--should determine that, come what may, it will be a future together--can hardly make sense. Unless, perhaps, God makes sense of it for us. For the miracle and the mystery of marriage is that God permits us to exercise just a little of his own creative power--to determine this one thing about our future: that it will be a future together. And having permitted us to be as creative as he himself is, God then asks us--and invites us--to learn also to be as steadfast and faithful as he is. What might God hope to accomplish through such a crazy invitation? God has in mind to get something done in us and to us. Stanley Hauerwas, who teaches theology and ethics at Duke Divinity School, and who almost never fails to be provocative, once wrote that the most basic law of marriage could be stated in a sentence: "You always marry the wrong person." He went on to explain: "The one thought to be Mr. Right turns out not to be. Ms. Right tends to show up after marriage. But the adventure of marriage is learning to love the person to whom you are married.... Love does not create a marriage; marriage teaches us what a costly adventure love is." He's deliberately made the point a little provocatively, but it is nonetheless true. Of course, for anyone who is married, it is true that you may not be married now to the person you once thought you were marrying. Five years from now, or ten years from now, the person sitting next to you won't necessarily be the person you thought you were giving yourself to. So if marriage requires us to choose just exactly the right person ... well, we're in very big trouble. The target keeps shifting. Marrying means promising to be faithful to someone who may keep changing. And so, the church does not ask today, "Christopher, do you love Hannah?" but rather, "Christopher, will you love Hannah?" "Hannah, will you love Christopher?" Marriage, therefore, exists not primarily to make us happy but to make us holy--though in the long run, of course, there can be no happiness apart from holiness. But it's holiness that God is after. And so in marriage God goes to work on us--begins to teach us what it means, what it will require of us, to love even just this one person as God loves each of us, with steadfastness and faithfulness.

What does it mean to learn

Needless to say, learning is the most fundamental part of our daily experience. From the time we are born, we are learning how to walk, owe to talk, different emotions, and so on. The study of how learning occurs is part of educational psychology, neurophysiology, learning theory and pedagogy. Pedagogy is the science and art of education: it is the study and practice Of how best to teach. The benefits Of learning is the ability to develop natural abilities such as learning from one's past mistakes, creativity ways of thinking, and increased brain power.Our mind is our most powerful weapon; it helps us adapt to change, makes social groups, and establishes valuable relationships. It also helps us establish lines of daily communication. Learning efferent languages impacts our attitudes and correlates to academic achievements. As a person our main focus is achieving a better sense of self, learning leads to this self-fulfillment. It will keep your mind and memory sharp, increases confide nt, offers inexpensive ways to try something new, feeling of accomplishments, and even offers opportunities to learn new skills and trades to increase income.We do not learn just by being taught during class or lecture, we learn by continuously being shown something throughout our lives. Whether it is in science class or behaviors taught by our parents, we learn about what is right r wrong, increased advantages from language studies, and ability to take care of one's self. What is it to learn? Learning is not the same for everyone. Although we are taught mostly the same things, how to eat, how to read, we progress in different ways.Therefore, learning encourages us to form personalities. It gives us stability in repetitive activities. The best thing for being sad,† replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, â€Å"is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorde r of your veins, oh may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds.There is only one thing for it then -? to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn. † White, The Once and Future King Learning is by far the best gift in this world. It provides us with more than just basic knowledge. It gives us meaning to the very questions we ask ourselves.