Globalization Key Concepts free essay sample

Thomas Eriksen, in his book, explains that interconnectedness is a result of globalization. Most of the world is becoming more interconnected in terms of economy, politics, culture, technology and environment. He concluded that ‘interconnectedness is a way of measuring success in a globalized society’ (Eriksen 2007:88). Firstly, in terms of economy, free trade and open markets today play the key roles in creating the network of our global economy. Transnational enterprises, multi-national companies, international banks, etc. re all actors in this network. Let’s take as an example the World Trade Orgnization (WTO); The WTO itself is evidence of economic interconnectedness. It was founded with the aim of dealing with regulation of trade; sometimes solving problems with the global market; and mostly, to negotiate and formalize trade agreements among nations. As a result, all the participating nations automatically interconnect through this process of interaction, and help each other achieve their mutual goals, including the development and unification of the world economy. We will write a custom essay sample on Globalization: Key Concepts or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The growing number of multi-national companies and their subsidies around the world is also a trait of our interconnected economy, where goods and services are consumed transnationally. Unilever, BP, McDonalds, Toyota, IKEA†¦are typical examples. In his book, Scholte writes that Unilever, one of the largest multinational companies, had more than 500 subsidiaries in 100 countries in 2004 (Scholte 2005:178); CNN Money ranked Toyota as the 8th largest multinational corporation in 2011, when the company marketed vehicles in 140 countries, and had revenues of $221,760 million (CNN Money, 2011). Likewise, consumer payments by credit card in the last decades also represent the interconnection of the world financial market. Instead of carrying a bundle of cash to go shopping, nowadays people can simply bring their small credit card (the two biggest multinational finacial services companies in the world today are Visa and MasterCard) which allows them to make purchases anywhere, anytime, as long as a credit card is accepted; not only in shops or supermarkets but also online. Futhermore, possessing a credit card makes it much safer and easier for its users to manage their spending, in addition to being more convenient. These are only a few of the myriad examples of transnational and multinational corporations in the world. We cannot deny that they are becoming more and more powerful today. Eriksen asserts that it suggests a tighter integration and closer networking in the global economy than before. (Eriksen 2007:75). As a result, it makes the world more interconnected and solidary, especially in economic development. Secondly, in term of politics, researchers indicate that the number of international organizations has grown immensely since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1909, there were 37 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs); by 2000, the number of INGOs had risen to 47,098 (Held, 2000:11-12). International co-operation in globalized society is an important instrument not only in social development, but also in diplomacy, or international relations. Disputes over political issues should be solved and discussed among nation-states in a peaceful manner. Sometimes, to gain mutual benefits, some coutries have to give up their interests temporarily and use their diplomatic and military power to resolve the conflicts (Eriksen 2007:77). This is very similar to ‘normative power’, a concept in international relations, which is the main strategy in the foreign policy of the European Union. It concerns the sacrifices of all actors to achieve mutual goals, which are relied on in the negotiations, persuasion, and argument, called ‘soft power’. Therefore, interconnectedness, in this case, also can be seen as a feature of world politics in the era of globalization. As far as culture is concerned, I think interconnectedness in culture is also an indisputable factor. Eriksen, in his book, gave an example of translation, which implies the diffusion of language. English, apparently, is the world’s dominant spoken language. According to his research, most books now translated are translated into English, and a smaller amount are translated from English into other languages (Eriksen, 2007:79). This is a clear example of language exchange, or culture exchange. And in my opinion, interconnected culture should be differentiated from mixed culture. According to my own experience, interconnected culture refers to culture links, which means that in a globalized society, we have a chance to approach and experience a variety of new cultures. For example, we had an international dinner a few days ago in the university cafeteria, where people from each country brought a dish they cooked from home, representing their own country’s traditional cuisine. It was a very nice opportunity and was the most interesting experience I’ve ever had; the kind that gives one a broader view of other cultures you haven’t had before. Therefore it is different from mixed culture which combines all the refinements of cultures around the world. Technology, in many ways, is a fundamental tool to interconnect the world. Mobile phones, internet access, media, etc are all the products of technology. As the world is more interconnected, â€Å"not only goods but information and ideas flow across borders constantly and (for the most part) freely as near universal access to Internet-enabled communications moves closer to reality† (Amelio, NYTimes). As a consequence, remittances and cheap calls, examples given by Thomas Eriksen, are becoming more and more popular. Remittances indicate the extent of interconnectedness between migrants and the people who have left in their home countries by transnational massive transfer (Eriksen 2007:80). Cheap calls, similarly, enable people to make international phone calls more easily. Thus, they connect people interpersonally, throughout the globe. Football is also mentioned in Eriksen’s book. Despite my indifference to this subject, I must admit to the popularity of football throughout the world, and that it partially contributes to the interconnectedness of a globalized society. Last but not least, the environment has been the hottest topic to raise concerns alongside issues of globalization. Although the environment does not directly influence the world’s interconnectedness, its effects have shown some people how close together we all are.. As a matter of fact, in recent years a lot of environmental issues have been mentioned in almost all means of media. People’s awareness of climate change and the threat of global warming has certainly been raised. In 1997, the first official international treaty on environment, The â€Å"Kyoto Protocol†, was created. It was linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change. The major objective of the Kyoto Protocol is to set binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are the main cause of climate change (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). The treaty entered into force in 2005, and took effect 5 years later. And 4 years later, in November 2011, there was a new treaty, considered an extension of the Kyoto Protocol, COP17/CMP7, adopted in Durban, South Africa. The governments of nearly 200 nation-states were involved in the conference, raised their voices about climate change, and passed the resolution for the next 5-year term of the treaty. To sum up, interconnectedness is only one of the key factors in globalization, but it is predominant among the others. Based on the analysis I did above, interconnectedness seems to include most other phenomena of globalization. To exemplify one more personal phenonmenon, I will take this essay as an example. Because it is written from my perspective, using my own opinions, it might be different from other students’ essays in terms of ideas and knowledge. Therefore, if we exchange our essays and discuss interconnectedness or globalization in our groups, there will be different opinions raised during the discussion. Thus, we can understand more about our friends’ perspectives and what they think about this matter. In this way, accidentally, our ideas and minds are interconnected, though, only on a small scale. REFERENCES 1. Amelio, Willian J. Interconnected we prosper, The New York Times, [online] Available at http://www. ytimes. com/2008/06/25/opinion/25ihtedamelio. 1. 13979245. html? pagewanted=all (Accessed 5th February 2012) 2. CNN Money, Global 500 : Our annual ranking of the worlds largest corporations 2011 [online] Available at http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/global500/2011/full_list/index. html (Accessed 5th February 3. Eriksen, Thomas H. (2007) Globalization : The Key Concepts, Burg Publishers 4. Held, David and Anthony McGrew (2000) ‘The Great Globalization Debate: An Introduction’, in D. Held and A, McGrew (eds), The Global Transfornations Reader, Cambridge: Polity 5. International Institute for Environment and Development , United Nations climate change negotiations: COP17 [online] Available at: http://www. iied. org/climate-change/key-issues/climate-negotiations-capacity-building/united-nations-climate-change-negot (Accessed 5th February 2012) 6. Scholte, Jan Aart (2005), Globalization: A Critical Introduction, 2nd edn. London: Palgrave 7. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC], Kyoto Protocol [online] Available at http://unfccc. int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830. php (Accessed 5th February 2012) Question 2: As a global phenomena, the issue of globalization is becoming more and more controversial nowadays. There have been so many arguments about this subject, no one can assert whether globalization is a myth or a fact. Therefore, other questions raised about globalization also have myriads of answers, and are likely disputable in every discussion. In the last few years, there have been some people wondering whether or not spatial reconfiguration is the core of globalization, and whether globalization makes distance less relevant or not. In fact, this is a very frequently asked question when we talk about globalization. In 2007, Thomas Eriksen, in his book, also mentioned distance and time-space compression. He said that globalization includes all the contemporary processes that make distance irrelevant (Eriksen 2007:16); and he used the coined term ‘disembedding’, which is defined as ‘the â€Å"lifting out† of social relations from local contexts of interaction and their restructuring across indefinite spans of time-space’ (Giddens 1990:21). To clarify this definition, first, concerning the â€Å"lifting out† of social relations period. It is obvious that our relationships in society today are not like they used to be in the past. Many years ago, or more precisely, in pre-modern societies, social relationships were very much limited to the individuals immediate surroundings, and social relations at that time, might be entirely determined by a small community, in which people in that society lived together. Usually, they communicated to each other, innitially face to face, and then, through writing. However, today, in modern society, social relations are no longer confined to the local context† (that is why he said they are ‘lifting out’ from it). The location of individuals and the time frame in which they interact has become indefinite and relative. To explain this phenomena, Symes, in his review of Global Village by Marshall McLuhan, pointed out that the ‘rapidity of communication through electric media echoes the speed of the senses’, meaning that people in the globe now are more interconnected, and contacting people on the other side of the world can be done in the wink of an eye, as quick ‘as to converse with those who inhabit the same physical space’ (Symes, 1995). That is why we have feeling that time and space are shrinking, and even feel indifferent sometimes about their existence. For example, in 1970s, my parents lived apart from each other. My father worked and studied in Czechoslovkia, while my mother lived in Vietnam. The sole way they could stay in touch with each other was writing letters, but it took several weeks for a letter to be delivered back and forth. My parents said that they could feel the length of time and they missed each other. However, today, when I come to Sweden, no one at home tells me that they miss me, because I keep in touch with them everyday, not only via email but also via many other social networks such as Facebook, Skype, etc which allow me to respond in a flash. As long as the internet connection is not lagging, I can speak to them as if I am actually beside them, despite the fact that I’m living in another continent which is very far away from home. There are also many other opnions about globalization, and one of them is that the changing role of nation states as a new type of regionalism, the separation of culture and place, and terrorism may lead to a deterritorialized conflict and many other spatial issues. This idea, indeed, should be linked partly to the first one. Since distance has become irrelevant as a result of globalization, national boundaries no longer impede the flow of migration, or transnational trading. Eriksen, in his book, said that nations are effectively being deterritorialized in a number of ways through migration, economic investments and a number of other processes (Eriksen 2007:15). Therefore, the world organization and the role of nation states are changing and becoming vulnerable, and that makes it ecessary for nation states to cope with global challenges. Holton says that ‘flows of investment, technology, communications, and profir across national boundaries are [†¦] the most striking symptom of global challenge to the nation states† (Holton, 1998:80). That means the ability of nation stats to regulate, or control their economic flow, migration and communication is gradually lessening; and it is likely that nation-state sovereignty might be threatened. Eriksen gave an example of the 11 September attack in the United States which led to the ‘war on terror’. He said that the terrorists could be everywhere around the world, although most of them are Saudi origins (Eriksen 2007:15). It implies that the U. S government could not control the number of immigrants and migrants, so now they have to tighten the security not only inside but also outside the border of their territory. This way, the country has become deterritorialized by the effect of globalization. In terms of the separation of culture and place, Canclini said that â€Å"Deterritorialization speaks of the loss of the ‘natural’ relation between culture and the social geographic territories† (Canclini, 1990) due to the cultural mixing, which is inevitable in the era of globalization. For example, in Vietnam, tradition is especially respected in our culture. In the past, men and women never sat next to each other, and men were more respected in society. But now, the role of men and women is entirely equal. Vietnamese people do not wear traditional costume like most Indians do nowadays. We wear western-style clothes, listen to western music and speak foreign languages. Thus sometimes the relation between Vietnamese culture and the country is ambiguous. We can find many other people from other countries who also wear western-style clothes, listen to western music and can speak foreign languages like us. That is why globalization makes us deterritorialized. However, it is only one side of the matter, â€Å"deterritorialization does not mean the end of the locality at all, but its transformation into a more complex cultural space, characterized by varied manifestations, tendencies r cultural effects† (Hernandez, 2006). According to her explanation, local cultures were never pure or isolated (this is also similar to what Eriksen said in his book: â€Å"there is no such thing as ‘pure’ culture† [Eriksen 2007:107]), therefore deterritorialization is just relative, not absolute. Besides, the social contexts are not the same, so I think it depends on what kind of society, and to what degree that society is affected by globalization. In conclusion, the process of globalization is just making our world more abstract. At the same time, it can help us remove the barrier of time and space and make our life become more convenient, but on the other hand, it makes our society more complex. Our culture and national identities seem to be blurred in some cases, but likely they will never vanish. That is why recently, we have heard about a new concept called ‘glocalization’. Which is believed to be a combination of ‘globalization’ and ‘localization’. The concept, for some people, refers to this slogan: â€Å"think globally, act locally†. So hopefully, ‘glocalization’ can be a solution to the issues of globalization, which is still very disputable nowadays. REFERENCES 1. Eriksen, Thomas H. (2007) Globalization : The Key Concepts, Burg Publishers 2. Garcia Canclini, N. (1990) Culturas hibridas: estrategias para entrar y salir de la modernidad, Mexico. Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes/Grijalbo. 3. Giddens. Anthony (1990) TheConsequences of Modernity, Cambridge. Polity Press. 4. Hernandez, Gil-Manuel M. (2006) The deterritorializationof cultural heritage in a globalized modernity [pdf] [online] Available at http://www. llull. cat/_cat/_publi/transfer1. cfm#. TzGNteRn2Ag Accessed on 7th February 2012

Journaling and Stress & Coping essays

Journaling and Stress & Coping essays Now a days it is inevitable that life is full of some type of stressful event. In making everyday observations of people, one would notice that some people handle stress much better and others cannot handle stress at all. The question is what makes it easier for one person to let go of frustrations and harder for others. There are many methods that are readily available for a person to use to assist them in handling stress better. Some examples are art therapy, pet therapy, comic relief, Tai chi, meditation, exercise, and eating healthy. Any of these can be helpful in successfully managing stress, however zoning into what causes the problem and doing what would best work for your situation would be the most helpful. Communication is by and large a common problem among people. For me, communicating my emotions and feelings causes me to keep anger bottled inside. In turn this causes me to become even more stressed in difficult situations. My method of resolving this problem is journali ng. Journaling is a series of written passages based on personal events, thoughts, feelings, memories, and perceptions of a persons life (Seaward, 2004). It can be an effective tool to record our honest thoughts, feelings, and beliefs without another individual passing judgment on us. There are several different methods of journaling that can be useful to release built in anger and frustrations. I have found that for me it has enabled me to communicate how I feel after reading what I have written. Journaling, like meditation, is a useful tool in clearing your mind of thoughts that are lingering or bothering you. On a good day, when thoughts are running freely, a person can get a sense of relief or calming within themselves when the words are transferred from ones mind to the paper. Although there are few studies that explore the effectiveness of journaling, it has shown to be meaningful in e ...

Structures of politics and government in Lebanon Essay

Structures of politics and government in Lebanon - Essay Example Structures of politics and government in Lebanon Lebanon shares geographic boundaries with Syria and Israel, and has been locked in contrasting relationships with both, with Syria being a dominant influence in the politics and governance structures of Lebanon since the 1970’s at least, and with Israel being the focal point of strife for the country having been involved in sporadic conflicts with certain Israeli groups, culminating in a short war in 2006. Syria, on the other hand, had a long stay as a military occupier of Lebanon that stretched from 1976 all the way to 2005, with its grip on many of the forces that control Lebanese politics and government continuing even way after the cessation of the occupation. A long civil war stretching from 1975 to 1990 left deep political scars, with sectarian groups coming to dominate the lines of division among the different political groups and ensuring that political struggles are protracted, bitter and fraught with disunity and the lack of political goodwill among the competing pol itical sects. The end of the civil war in 1991, in particular, marked the beginning of another period of relative peace that would end with the war with Israel in 2005, confirming the observation of Lebanon’s pattern of 15 years of transition from peace to war to peace and war again, in timed intervals. By way of an overview, the Republic of Lebanon has its capital in Beirut and officially marks its day of independence as a state on November 22, 1943. The Lebanese Constitution was ratified on May 22, 1926, and has undergone three changes, with the last of the amendments coming in in 1990, relating to required changes from the 1989 Talif Accord. Three religious threads, Jewish, Christian and Muslim sway laws relating to social and personal relations, even as influences from the Old Ottoman legal system and French law also dominate the system of laws in the country. 21 years is the age when Lebanese men acquire the right to vote, and for women the same age applies, but with restrictions to vo ting being only allowed women who have primary education. The current head of state, Michel Sulayman, has been president since 2008. The entire cabinet of Najib Miqati, together with Prime Minister Miqati himself, relinquished their posts on March 22, 2013, leaving the government in the hands of a caretaker group headed by the President, until the country is able to replace the resigned Prime Minister. The country is divided into six administrative regions, with Beirut or Beyrouth being the most prominent as a political and economic center of the country. Under the Lebanese political system, the president holds office for six years, and chooses the prime minister in partnership with Lebanese Congress called the National Assembly, which acts in a consultative manner in matter relating to

Protecting the House of Under Armour Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Protecting the House of Under Armour - Article Example Kraft and Lee involve an evaluation of the company’s dealings in its bid to ensure success upon its product portfolio. Findings from the article indicate that the company engaged on production with a capital base amounting to $310,000 after Kevin Plank realized the need to enhance sports through manufacturing the ideal wears for each sports activity. The authors account on the initial capital base of the company as sourced from three bodies for example, $20,000 from private equity, $30,000 from borrowed finances, and $250,000 loan for small business enterprises. Eventually, the article establishes that the founders’ zeal propelled the success of the company to reach its goals in becoming a competent producer of sports equipment. Despite the variations of managing the Under Armour products to become a brand, the company’s successes remain interrelated to the strategic involvement and the indulged passion of Kevin Plank in his quest to facilitate sports. The articl e articulates that the company’s focus on the current culture, the target market share, and the involvement in brand placement are the constituent propellants to its success. The two authors successfully ascertain that the engaged programs guaranteed Under Armour to acquire its current market share and beneficial outcomes. CRITIQUE Protecting the house of under armour The article’s title, â€Å"Protecting the house of Under Armour† seeks to analyze the Under Armour brand management beginning from the initial foundation to the current state of the company. Kraft and Lee authored the article purporting to enable readers derive necessary knowledge concerning the development of products and protection of brands. The article establishes that Kevin Plank’s initial intention emanated from the urge and desire to manufacture athletes’ wears that suited their psychological and physical purposes. The article’s title entails protection of a house of und er armour. However, the article contains managerial and production activities of the Under Armour brand (Kraft and Lee, 2009, p, 113). This is a distractive course taken upon by the authors since the readers find it confusing since they have to understand the correlations of protecting and managing the brand. After the title of the article, the authors directly address the issue of the initial manufacturing processing and sourcing of capital under a subtopic named building the house. Normally, the reader would expect to read the abstract of the article in order to be certain of the context and relevance. The authors fail to acknowledge the salient need of the introduction as they engage on establishing various subtopics, which tend to be independent from each other (Kraft and Lee, 2009, p, 115). Arguably, the method of writing tends to be ill since the avoidance of introduction serves as a deception for the reader lacks an overview of the items contains in the article. The article a ccounts on Kevin’s resolutions to establish a longtime remedy to the problems that befell athletes during sports. Kraft and Lee establish the founder who is also the company’s head embarked on the production plan to help his teammates after realizing the psychological discomfort they all experienced from their sportswear. However, the article fails to account on the founder’

Benjamin Franklin Essay Example for Free

Benjamin Franklin Essay Benjamin Franklin is a notable figure in American history and perhaps one of the most recognizable in name and appearance. Franklin was one of the most important people during the early years of the nation because of his involvement with the Declaration of Independence and the diplomatic and political advances he made during his life as a citizen of the new United States of America. Known for his curious mind, Franklin is also remembered for his many scientific contributions to the field of Physics. While many people would say that George Washington is the father of this country, there is a good argument that Benjamin Franklin should hold the title in the history books. Why? Because he is the only founding father to have signed the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution, and it is these three documents as a whole that created the United States as its own nation apart from Great Britain and established its place in the world. Without his ability to be diplomat, his political sense, and his scientific advancements, the United States would have likely never become the nation that it is today and for this reason, Franklin is destined to have a place in American history. Benjamin Franklin was, for all intents and purposes, first and foremost a shrewd and successful politician. During his political life he accomplished a great deal of important things. One of the most notable of Franklin’s political dealings was his absolute disapproval of the Stamp Act and he was at the head of the effort to have it repealed by Parliament. He was appointed by the Continental Congress to the committee that would draft the Declaration of Independence and was in fact the person that edited it. In his later years, he was part of the committee that created the United States’ Constitution and was single-handedly able to help the unhappy delegates come to a compromise and helped, through an impassioned speech, get them to sign it. In his last years he was also known for being a dedicated abolitionist and spent a great deal of political energy asserting this cause. Throughout his life, his writings and activism helped establish the United States as an American nation. In fact, he is credited with having inventing the idea of an American nation. As a diplomat, Benjamin Franklin was well-liked and received by other nations because of his friendly nature, his intelligent conversation, and his ability to connect with people on a different level. His most notable diplomatic accomplishment was the Treaty of Paris, which helped establish the United States as a separate and equal nation. Franklin was well-liked by the French because he was able to quickly understand the customs of the people and used his ability to negotiate over the dinner table to effectively make connections with the French. Throughout his life, Franklin would be known as an accomplished diplomat for the United States. As a scientist, Franklin’s accomplishments are well known by Americans. Franklin was an inventor who enjoyed trying out new ideas and coming up with new scientific ideas. Among his inventions were the lightening rod, the glass harmonica, and bifocal glasses. His experiments with electricity were among his most well-known and became important contributions to Physics. He also founded the American Philosophical Society, where men of science would get together and discuss their inventions and scientific research. Throughout his life, his greatest love would be science and his study of electricity. Benjamin Franklin is perhaps the most important of the founding fathers because his contributions to the country went far beyond simply serving as president or fighting in a war. Franklin was able to use his ability to work with others, be diplomatic, and his intelligence to help create the nation that he envisioned. He not only helped the United States break away from England, but was there to help the American people gain status in the world at large and to help create the Constitution that would be the foundation of American society. His accomplishments in science and his founding of the American Philosophical Society helped bring science and culture to a fledgling nation that was trying to find its own way. For this he will always be remembered as the Father of the country. Bibliography Benjamin Franklin. Wikipedia. 29 Jan. 2007 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin#Inventions_and_scientific_inquiries.

society Essay -- essays research papers fc

Argument: Why You Should Not Smoke Cigarettes You should not smoke cigarettes because of three reasons: Smoking causes cancer, Smoking is an expensive habit and Smoking also can cause heart disease. Smoking is linked to cancer of the lung, mouth, larynx and esophagus. Smoking is an expensive habit with cigarette packs cost anywhere from three to four dollars a pack, it adds up to a great expense. Also smoking cigarettes can cause a higher risk to develop heart disease. The first reason why you should not smoke cigarettes is because it causes cancer. According to National Cancer Institute article entitled, Cigarette Smoking and Cancer: Questions and Answers, "Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. Smoking is also responsible for most cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder. In addition it is a cause of kidney, pancreatic, cervical and stomach cancers as well as acute myeloid leukemia.† I think with the percent being so elevated at eighty seven percent, this should be a great reason to quit smoking. Each time a smoker picks up a cigarette they should look at this percentage and think is it really worth it. The second reason why you should not smoke cigarettes is because it‘s an expensive habit. According to the Middlesex Hospital website, Good Reasons to Stop Smoking Now, â€Å"Most people don’...

Early Education Program Essay

The best way to set up an early childhood program is to provide visual stimulating environments combined with spaces children can call their own. The best way I can set up an infant/Toddler classroom with everything I learned thus far would be to use a few simply approaches and theories in our school setting. Each class has a daily schedule that is posted and followed. The class schedule starts from 6:00 am-6:00 pm. The routine must include diaper changes/potty training every hour. Our children must have outdoor time twice a day (weather permitting) and bottled feeding of infants are on demand while our toddlers eat three meals a day starting at 8:30, 11:30, and 2:30. Along with this schedule, the staff create open centers and teach creative curriculum even as young as six weeks in our program. Infants/toddlers are always learning and absorbing their surroundings. We as staff are their first teachers in life. They are natural copycats. I choose this age group of infant/toddlers because I believe this is a very important stage in a child’s life. Infants/toddlers learn by watching what we do no matter if it’s a positive action or a negative one. They will copy us its just what they do. So being mindful of how we talk and move and our tone really sets the mood for their learning. In my infant/toddler program, there are many things I would like to see happen and the way I would approach it is by teaching my staff how to apply The Creative Curriculum approach. This is a comprehensive early childhood educational system that emphasizes a practical, easy to understand approach to working with children. It promotes the use of interest areas as a way of providing experiences that promote cognitive, social, and physical and language development. (Teaching strategies gold). I would use this method by setting up everything in the class at eye level. The children need to be able to see and touch everything. Sensory is very important at this age and allowing the infants access to their surroundings helps build their social emotional and physical needs. Children learn through play and every day life experiences and creative curriculum allows me the ability to let them play and learn at the same time. Our teachers will set up their classroom in areas that allow for science, math, literacy, music, art, and dramatic play. Friedrich Froebel is a huge part of education, he saw children as having an innate desire to learn, and he believed that children needed to be active in their own learning and Respect with which the individuality and ability of each child should be treated; â€Å"the importance of creating a happy, harmonious environment in which he or she can grow; and the value of self-activity and play as a foundation on which the integrated development of the whole person can be built. † (Friedrich Froebel 1782-1852). I choose this approach because it relates to the type of classrooms I envision in our program because Froebel stated, â€Å"Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul. † He also believed that children were like flowers because they varied and needed care, alone they are beautiful but together they are glorious. I have learned in my career that infants/toddlers are all unique and learn at different paces and levels. Froebel’s teachings used things like free play, games, songs, stories, and crafts to stimulate imagination while developing physical and motor skills. Creative curriculum is all about gross motor and fine motor skills as well. Both of these tie so well into each other that it makes for excellent observations when shadowing the child. There are a lot of ways we can teach our infant/Toddlers cognitive, social- emotional, and physical development skills, even at this early age. By having centers set up around our classrooms that allow our staff to teach them these tools is easy to execute. Our children learn these things through creative curriculum in our program. For example Math! Singing a simple song such as â€Å"This little piggy† Wiggle your toes! Twirl your fingers! Reciting favorite nursery rhymes is an engaging way for your child to learn to count. â€Å"Turning your favorite nursery rhymes into counting games for kids is an engaging way for your child to learn to count and begin understanding one-to-one correspondence. † (PBS. ORG) My staff can sing these kinds of songs during diaper changes or while laying/sitting on the floor. And example of how this activity would be done is the following: Recite to your child the classic nursery rhyme â€Å"This Little Piggy Went to Market. † As you say each line, softly squeeze one of your child’s fingers or toes and say a number in sequence from 1 to 5: This little piggy went to market. (Softly squeeze a thumb or big toe and say, â€Å"That’s one! †) This little piggy stayed home. (Softly squeeze a second finger or toe and say, â€Å"That’s two! †) This little piggy had roast beef (or tofu or ice cream). (Softly squeeze a third finger or toe and say, â€Å"That’s three! †) This little piggy had none. (Softly squeeze a fourth finger or toe and say, â€Å"That’s four! †) This little piggy cried â€Å"Wee-wee-wee! † all the way home. (Softly squeeze a pinkie finger or toe and say, â€Å"That’s five! †) Reading is very crucial at this age so it should be a daily part of our curriculum. Examples to implement this would be Recite nursery rhymes and sing songs to your younger infants in the classroom. Early infancy is a good time to begin reciting and singing rhyming songs. Studies have shown that nursery Rhymes calm and soothe babies and believe it or not theses are the first stories they will begin to learn and memorize. Around baby’s first birthday, my teachers should establish a regular reading routine. At this age, many babies will enjoy looking at a specific book that has been read over and over, the lead teacher will choose to implement this book in his/her circle time. Teachers can let the child sit in their lap and touch the book and turn the pages. Teachers can point out objects and really let them connect with what’s on the page. Science is learned primarily through sensory exploration of the world. Explores objects in many different ways (e. g. , shaking, banging, throwing, dropping). Repeats an action to make it happen again, experiencing cause and effect (e. g. , dropping items off highchair tray). All of these examples allow our infant/toddlers to explore and learn at their own pace. According to the NAEYC standards its our job as teachers and Administrators is to promote a healthy environment for our children that respectful, supportive, and challenging to them. NAEYC also states that family and community support is huge part of their educational future, I have parent volunteer forms that allow my parents to come in a read to our toddlers during circle time. I encourage them to come and join the crafts we do as well as start communication logs. This is the foundation and core of what early Ed. Is all about. Another standard our program met is doing weekly observations on the infant/toddlers to see where they are. My observations are done in each area to give me and my staff a  better idea of where the child is at and what things we need to do to help if the child is lacking in any area. An example of this would be if a teacher has an infant that reaches out for him/her as soon as he/she sees them and starts smiling. This is a social/emotional observation because the infant is showing recognition of who they are and making a connection with them. Infants that cry and then suck their thumbs to self soothe is showing cognitive observations by taking care of ones needs. This infant has figured out how to meet her needs by self-soothing. These are areas we must be trained in to observe and document according to NAYEC standards. Another standard is standard five building meaningful curriculum. â€Å"Candidates prepared in early childhood degree programs a) use their knowledge of academic disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for each and every young child. Candidates understand the importance of developmental domains and academic (or content) disciplines in early childhood curriculum. They b) know the essential concepts, inquiry tools, and structure of content areas, including academic subjects, and can identify resources to deepen their understanding. Candidates c) use their own knowledge and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curriculum that promotes comprehensive developmental and learning outcomes for every young child. (NAYEC)An example of this is the lesson plan listed below to show how our teachers implement this in the Toddler classroom. The role we as administrator’s play is very different from the teachers because it is our job to make sure our school runs smoothly. As the director I over see the day-to-day routines in the classrooms. I help my teachers with lesson plans by approving them or teaching them what things they need to add or find appropriate activities for the children. With our school be accredited by NAYEC. I make sure we follow all curriculum based guidelines within that. I send all my teachers to training to give them the tools to be able to apply creative curriculum and I am here to make sure all policies and procedures are being followed to ensure we are living up to our philosophy, vision, and mission statements. Our program believes in parent and community involvement we promote that by inviting them into their child’s classroom, we stand by our vision of providing our teachers with the best trainings and educational support possible. Lastly our Philosophy Children learn through play and need to be able to have the freedom to thrive and learn from one another. No two children are the same so their learning process should not be the same! When you know better you do better! We believe in allowing our children to take part in what they learn and how they learn. You need to excite an interest to learn within a child instead of making it a chore. (Week 1, dis 1) REFERENCES Thoman, E. , & Browder, S. (1995, January 1). Infant/Toddler Caregiving A Guide to Cognitive Development and Learning. Infant/Toddler Caregiving: A Guide to Cognitive Development and Learning. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://clas. uiuc. edu/fulltext/cl03256/cl03256. html http://www. pbs. org/parents/education/math/activities/baby-toddler/ http://teachingstrategies. com/ http://www. naeyc. org/ http://www. pgpedia. com/f/friedrich-froebel Gadzikowski, A. (2013). Administration of early childhood education programs. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.