Professional Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Professional Development - Assignment Example As I began to consider civil engineering as a suitable career, I became more aware of the time that I spent studying and learning, at my own will, about a great deal of construction, design, and architecture topics, along with mathematics, science, and project management that are all relevant to civil engineering. I am an observant listener and I believe that learning from others’ advice and experiences will be useful input for career development, especially from those who are engaged in the civil engineering profession. At present, I do believe that I possess a number of skills and attributes which may be valuable if I pursue my preferred career, such as technical skills for design and construction. My analytical and problem-solving skills and excellent use of computer applications are significant in dealing with engineering projects in the future. Moreover, I also possess soft skills such as confidence and team spirit which may be favorable in working with a team. Team performance has been suggested to significantly influence organisational performance (Tarricone and Luca 2002), making such skills critical in contemporary organisations. I strongly believe in the power of motivation and I try to be a good example to others, especially when faced with difficulty. I do not fear unexpected comes as I trust that there is always a solution to a problem. In a state of uncertainty, it is better to be creative and make the best use of opportunities (Vakola and Nikolauo 2005). However, I also have weak points, particularly in management skills. Although I can consider myself as capable of managing projects with my technical abilities and dealing with other people through my values, these are not enough. There is a need for engineers to be highly capable of managing all processes involved in a managerial role to allow for coherence and holism. I find it difficult to be organised, and this is a

Raising and countering objections regarding the decision to get an MBA Essay

Raising and countering objections regarding the decision to get an MBA - Essay Example It is also a fact that earning an MBA degree will not automatically grant you a management or executive position-you must have essential skills and experience as well. WHY ONLY THE MBA: For nearly all individuals, advanced education college, technical school, graduate studies, and company training increase employability and average income. Many jobs require minimum education levels to even be considered. For example, I believe every country requires new teachers to have a bachelor’s degree in education. To be a layer you must have a graduate degree in law and the same for medicine and engineering. Individuals planning on college should look at the lifelong income they can expect from a degree. For example very bright student who go into teaching should expect must lower lifetime income than a business major. It’s also important to know that getting masters in education will keep you out of teaching. The schools will not pay for a MA degree in a new hire, they can hire a BA for much less. Only when you have time, you should consider getting the MA. In the case of PHD any jobs do not reward workers for having a PHD, so there is less motivation to get a PHD (expect among college professors). Many careers such as business accounting and law do not demand PHD so there are few people with these degrees. Coming back at my point generally for business the MBA is considered the terminal or highest degree. However mixing a specialty with an MBA can increase income such as Engineer w/ MBA or MD with MBA who can run a company or organization. Simply the MBA can work as evergreen degree. People object that MBA has lost his worth now: People object that MBA has lost his worth in current economic condition where the employment level is increasing with stunning speed. But according to my research MBA still have certain advantages those can beat all the objections. Better hiring opportunities: As general rule it is considered that more education means more earning . But according to me this rule is especially true for MBA. Many of the Companies have decided to increase their hiring of MBA. According to Corporate Recruiters Survey 2011 Unemployment rates in both the United States and the European Union reached 10-year highs throughout 2009 and 2010. But the 2011 MBA class can breathe easier, however, when it comes to finding a job, as hiring for new MBA graduates trends in a positive direction. In addition simply the MBA is the key door to enter in the world of reputed organizations. Better earning opportunities: Because of MBA you will earn higher salary because of your skills. . According to Corporate Recruiters Survey 2011 84% of employers are offering the MBA’s a benefit package in addition to their salaries. According to United Stated department for labors the management occupations have the higher pay scales in relation with other occupations. This simply shows the worth of MBA degree as a lifesaver. Better relationships: MBA is t he other name of relationships. Being a MBA you are able to deal with every kind of person. For example a manager with a MBA degree with the specialization in Marketing is able to tackle and deal a lot of people at a time in efficient manner. Better skills: Being an MBA you can polish your skills in efficient manner. MBA program is designed especially for business skills. With the help of MBA, you will have much of the knowledge,

ANTI-GLOBALIZATION MOVEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

ANTI-GLOBALIZATION MOVEMENT - Essay Example Participants of anti-globalization crusade oppose to what they view as huge, multi-national firms having unfettered political power, applied via trade agreements as well as decontrolled financial markets. Precisely, multinationals are blamed of pursuing to capitalize on profit to the detriment of work standards and safety conditions, labor hiring as well as compensation standards, legitimacy, sovereignty and independence of national statutory. Many counter-globalization activists necessitate practices of worldwide integration that provide better democratic representation, fair trade, human rights advancement as well as sustainable development. The 1999 WTO convention in Seattle, United States, that was to unveil fresh visionary trade negotiations, was surpassed by controversial and massive street protests that marked the second wave of the anti-globalization crusade. Many of arguments followers of anti-globalization make encompass market failures. Market failures are also known as multinationals, mainly since the magnitude of these firms has permitted them to subvert and circumvent guidelines made in earlier centuries. Though there were indeed conglomerates before the contemporary era of globalization, the people who study international business would contend their power and reach have not ever been grander than today. In the last 2 eras, a worldwide consuming frenzy has consolidated much of content production (for instance, movies and music) to the influences of very few huge companies. The content consolidation itself is not comparatively harmless, that is why Barber Benjamin (1995) is hasty to indicate that with no content, hardware producers (the creators of radios and televisions) nor content supply systems (satellite and cable firms) have a valuable product.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A remarkable instance of this may be v iewed in the novel ‘Sirius’ radio and ‘XM Radio’ systems. Though still bound to content, their systems necessitate proprietary hardware (as well as a monthly payment) for right to use (Barber 1995). Therefore, the standardized ‘radio’, a commodity that has is astonishingly inexpensive to produce (as well as to procurement), is supplanted by trademarked technology that because of latest legislation is illicit to evade or swap engineer within the U.S.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market failures are a reasonably more argumentative issue amid the numerous authors, as every one of them draws a line amid ‘fierce competitor’ as well as ‘monopolist’ rather contrarily. The antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft within Europe and the US validate this perfectly. Many of the writers writing about this issue do settle that there exists a position where rivalry culminates and market control begins; in addition, they al so settle that on that fact governments have to take control to restrain the immoderations of corporations that become very powerful. Most of these writers also emphasize that the evolution of multinational establishments has rendered domestic economies â€Å"no longer manageable†. Others, nevertheless, oppose the national administrations are still capable of controlling corporations in their frontiers if the political self-control exists. Market Creep    The biggest problem that most of followers venturing a place within the anti-globalization movement have is the notion that Democracy ‘the one individual, one vote’ is being supplanted by something that is more market-driven ‘one dollar, one (Barber 1995).

How the epic poem Iliad influenced Alexander the Great Research Paper

How the epic poem Iliad influenced Alexander the Great - Research Paper Example The paper "How the epic poem Iliad influenced Alexander the Great" states the influence of Iliad to Alexander the Great. To a great extent, Iliad’s world was a world of heroism for Alexander. Homer’s heroes -especially, Achilles- had influenced the young mind of Alexander in his youth. But this world also taught him morality and courage to a considerable extent. It was the courage of Achilles’ courage -to go against Agamemnon’s tyrannous, unreasonable and despotic behavior- that inspired Alexander to raise his voice often against his father’s royal policies. Though he inherited much of the war-tactics and the wisdom of fighting and winning a war from his father Philip of Macedon, textual evidences from the â€Å"Iliad† show that a significant part of Alexander’s war-tactics had been induced and modulated by the war-tactics of Homeric heroes. This paper will explore into how Alexander had been influenced by Homer’s epic poem â₠¬ËœIliad’. Alexander’s real-life activities will be compared with the textual evidences in the poem. During the formative years of his early life Alexander had been greatly influenced by the â€Å"Iliad†. Since his time, he has turned into a legendary personality. He appears to one of the most influential historical personalities who tamed the world by their courage. But this legendary personality himself has been inspired tremendously by the Greek mythologies and legends. During the early years of his life, Alexander studied the ‘Iliad’. The courage and heroism of the Greek heroes.... The courage and heroism of the Greek heroes in the story were greatly shaping the young mind of Alexander. Especially the Homeric hero Achilles attracted him so much that he decided to imitate him in his real life. Till his death, the Achillean motivation to fight in a war has haunted Alexander’s mind. This Achillean motivation is best described in the following speech of Achilles: â€Å"If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy, / my journey home is gone, but my glory never dies. / If I voyage back to the fatherland I love, / my pride, my glory dies. . . .†1 The famous Historian Plutarch comments that being pleased by Alexander’s passion for Achilles, Aristotle himself prepared an annotated copy the ‘Iliad’ and gave it to the young boy. This annotated copy of the Iliad accompanied Alexander till the last day of his life. He even slept with it under his pillow, as Chris Whitten says in this regard: â€Å"Emulating the famous hero was apparently enc ouraged by his teacher, the great philosopher Aristotle†¦.Aristotle personally annotated a copy of the Iliad for Alexander. Alexander kept it with him throughout all his later travels, even sleeping with it under his pillow.†2 Another event in Alexander’s life inspired him to mould his life after Achilles. His mother, Olympias, had been able to convince young Alexander that he was the descendant of Achilles and Hercules. Though Olympias’s story seems to be a sheer fantasy, it shook Alexander’s young mind vehemently and prepared him mentally to keep the fantasized Achillean heroic family tradition intact. Iliad’s Role on Alexander’s Conflict with Philip II From the very beginning of his career in the Macedonian Army, Alexander began to react against

Historical Development of the Early Childcare Essay Example for Free

Historical Development of the Early Childcare Essay a) History and current status of childcare provision in Ireland During the early Twentieth century in Ireland there was a lack of job opportunities for women in the workforce. Women were still seen largely seen as the ‘stay at home figure’. Due to this environmental impact, children were cared for in their own homes mainly by their mothers. Therefore there was less of a demand in the Early Childcare Education sector. This ended when children started attending Primary school. During the latter part of the Twentieth century, during the times of the Celtic Tiger, the number of job opportunities for women in the workforce escalated. This resulted in an increase in urbanisation and a decrease in family support. For example: Families lived further apart from each other, and as a result, it did not make sense to leave the children with their grandmother or other family members due to financial restrictions such as the price of fuel, or time restrictions such as the length of time taken to leave the children from one  destination to the other. This lead to parents seeking the childminding services privately or within their local area. Statistics have shown that approximately 60% of children under six years of age attended a form of childcare service at this time. (Class Notes) There was a substantial increase in the demand for both private and community childcare services. In response to the rapidly increasing demand for childcare service, it was deemed necessary that an ‘Expert Working Group on Childcare’ was formed. The Expert Working Group came together and arranged a meeting to discuss ways to resolve the upcoming problems within the childcare services sector. They held discussions on how to make childcare services more readily available and accessible to families in Ireland. It was recognized at this point, that there was a need to develop a ‘National Strategy’ to assist them with the transformation of the current childcare services sector. Thus, a National Strategy was developed and was published in 1999. The National strategy recognized and contained the following principles: ‘The Needs and the rights of the child, Equality of access and participation, Diversity, Partnership and Quality’ (Class Notes Page 2) It also contained suggestions and advice on support for parents/guardians, Laws relating childcare, Qualifications, Employment, Planning and Co-ordination. In 2002, the Centre for Early childhood development and Education was established. This centre was set up to develop standards and to improve the childcare sector. The Centre for early Childhood Development and Education aimed to ensure that every childcare setting (whether it was a Full-time / Part-time service or a Public / Private service); met the criteria and quality standards that that were established by the Centre. The main objective of the Centre for Early childhood development and Education was to focus on improving more disadvantaged are as as well as the more advantaged areas so as to ensure that all areas within the childcare sector offered the same quality of services In 2006, ‘Siolta’ was launched. Siolta was set up to implement the first aim of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education which was to develop the current standards within the childcare sector. This was called ‘The National Quality Framework for Early Education’. This ensured that there was support in improving quality across all childcare services which contained children from 0-6 years of age. Further to this, in 2009, a new scheme was introduced within the Childcare sector. The Early Childcare  Education scheme ‘Free pre-school place’ was formed. The free pre-school place enabled children within the age range of 3 years and 3 months and 4 years 6 months in September of the relevant year to engage in one free academic year within a full time or seasonal service. If a childcare service/ centre wanted to take part in the Early Childcare Education scheme, the criteria set out by Siolta had to be met and furthermore the Principles set by An Siolta would have to be implemented within their current childcare setting. It is important to recognize that this is the first time that Early childhood education has received any direct Universal funding. As a result of the free pre-school place initiative, the demand within the childcare sector continued to grow. (Siolta) More recent developments within the childcare sector include the introduction of a new initiative called ‘Aistear’, which was established by the Department of Education and Skills through NCCA in 2010. Aistear from the Irish word meaning ‘journey’, is of relevant importance to childcare settings where children from the ages of 0-6 years receive their care and education. Aistear works closely alongside Siolta and consists of an informal curriculum that contains twelve principles and themes that give guidance to the childcare worker. Aistear recognizes that education and care are not separate within the childcare sector and they aim to help children grow and develop independently.(Aistear) b) Current range of childcare provision in Ireland Six types of services that can be categorised under sessional and fulltime services are: Naà onraà  – A Naà onraà  is a sessional service. It organises and communicates with the playgroup through the medium of Irish, they recognise each child as individuals. The service doesn’t put pressure on children to speak Irish, they still encourage and support children either way. As the children are surrounded in Irish they will gradually pick up and learn the language in their own time. The service is recognised by Forbairt Naà onraà . Parent and toddler groups – This is a sessional service and is supported by Early Childhood Ireland. Parents and their children/toddlers meet in one area, often held in one of the parent houses who are taking part in the service. It gives children the opportunity to gain the experience of interacting with others, therefore promoting and developing the child’s social skills. It also gives parents the opportunity to intera ct with other  parents, gaining support of each other. Montessori pre-schools – The pre-school is usually privately run, it develops its curriculum around the methods of Dr Maria. The Montessori focuses mainly on the child’s educational development, its curriculum is therefore more practical based, isn’t fully focused on play. This action of purely practical based education may be scrutinised by certain individuals as it thought by some theorists that children should experience and develop through the experience of play at this young age. The pre-school functions on academic year and mainly cares for children from three to six years of age. Home and community playgroups – Home and community playgroups care for children within the age range of 2 and a half to five years of age, they operate in either a home or community basis. Home playgroups are generally privately funded where as community playgroups receive funding from the government, each service usually opens and runs for a period of three to four hours each day. The service highlights and develops children’s social and emotional learning through play. Crà ¨ches, Nurseries and Day care services – These services are recognised as a fulltime service and cater for children from the age of approximately three months to five years of age. They are open at a minimum of eight hours a day and usually provide a day-to-day curriculum. The services can be privately or publicly run, an increase in demand for these services greatly increased after the Free Pre-School Year was introduced. Each service provides the children attending the service with a hot meal and snacks during the duration of the day. Each service helps met the child’s safety, welfare and developmental needs. They also help children make the best of their abilities, whether that be through play or practical learning. Family Day Care – Children are looked after in the childminders home. There is no specific age group that Family Day Care caters for, they can cater for all different age groups at once in the same facility. The hours that the carer caters for the children is arranged between the child’s parent and the carer. The children become easily settled in this form of day care as they are only interacting and building a relationship with one adult with the service. The children are provided with snacks and possibly hot meals, depending on the length of time the child is attending the service. The service is supported and recognised by Childminding Ireland. c) Current range of roles in childcare support organisations and agencies Health Service Executive (HSE) – is the first service contacted when there is a serious concern involving a child safety or family issue , the Health Service Executive then has the responsibility of bringing services and agencies together to help resolve the concerned matter. The Health Service Executive provides services that helps protect and support children, parents/guardians and families. There are many roles within the Health Service Executive, they include: Family support worker – The Family support worker offers support and supplies services to family’s going through emotionally distressing times. The Family Support Worker tries to keep families remained together unless there is a family member deemed at serious risk if kept together. Some of the services that The Family Support Worker will supply to the family to try help resolve the issues are, â€Å"Parenting Skills, Confidence and Personal Development, Home Care management, Diet, Nutrition and Health Care, Budgeting and family Finance†. (Class notes page 4) Community Childcare Worker The Community Childcare Worker works alongside professionals to give support to children who are in disadvantaged families, deemed at risk, deprived or in care. The Community Childcare Worker also helps children deal with or come to an understanding of why they are in that care home. Social Worker – works with problematic families and individuals, The Social Worker helps resolve problems in families whether that is emotional, behavioural or social problems. Social Workers also deal with problems such as child abuse, domestic violence, and adoption. Before removing children from their home and separating families social worker s have to prove that they have gave families every option possible, if the family /parents does not comply with any of the options, the matter continues to rise and the child/children are still recognised at risk then the case is taken to court and assessed by a Judge whether the child/children should be removed from the family home, thus action is seen as a last resort. Barnardos – Barnardos is Ireland’s biggest children’s charity. It is focused on working with children and families on, whether that be group work or one-on-one interaction. Barnardos help children make the best of their abilities when going through difficult situations, such as neglect, abuse,  or poverty. They provide a range of services to help families through distressing time’s i.e counselling, and bereavement help lines. Barnardos also protest against Government laws that affect children and their way of living e.g. child benefit cuts. d) Six National Childcare organisations Barnardos – Barnardos is Ireland’s biggest children’s charity, it is mainly focused on working with children and families. Barnardos provide a range of services to help assist and support families through distressing times, they also help children make the best of their abilities whilst going through or have gone through difficult times e.g. neglect. Childminding Ireland- is a registered Charity and was created in 1986. It was created by a small group of childminders that further grew into a bigger organisation. The organisation promotes home-based childcare. Forbairt Naà onraà  Teoranta – is a voluntary organisation which supports education and care for children from birth who are brought up in Irish. St.Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland – Provide opportunities for Montessori teachers to further their profession. They also offer help, support and give guidance for Montessori teachers. The Irish Society for the prevention of Children’s Cruelty – Provide a 24hour support service for children who are going through a difficult situations. States that id high quality childcare service wants to keep their service high quality, then the service must ensure that there is good child protection within the facility. The organisation also recognises children are individuals and therefore the child’s right s and values should be supported. Border Counties Childcare Network – Is a network that services in counties such as Monaghan, Meath, Louth, Cavan, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim in helping deliver a childhood service of high quality. LO4: Clear explanation the rights of the child in the context of an ECCE setting. A) Examine the UN convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN convention on the Rights of the Child has 54 articles. These  fifty-four articles are a written list of the different types of the child’s rights, if those rights are intentionally broken it is seen as breaking the law. The UN convention on the Rights of the child can be broken into four broad areas, these four areas are – Survival, Development, Protection and Participation. Survival – The child has a right to life and the right to the basic requirements to survive life e.g. food, water, shelter, clothing, medical aid. Development – The child has a right to education, religion, play, develop the identification of right and wrong and leisure. The child also has the right to be provided with a safe environment to develop these skills and knowledge. Protection – The child has the right to be protected against abuse and neglect. If a child has come in interference with and suffered from abuse then the child has the right to some form of counselling to come to an understanding and overcome the traumatic situation. Participation – The child has the right to join organisations e.g. clubs, groups, freedom of expression and speech. Standard 1: Right of the child. â€Å"Ensuring that each child’s rights are met, requires that she/he is enabled to exercise choice and to use initiative as an active participant and partner in her/his own development and learning.† (Siolta page 13) Component 1.1 – Choice for the child Practitioners could put component 1.1 into practice at meal time. By giving the child the options at meal time, this could be achieved by giving the child the choice of two different meals therefore enabling the child to make its own choices. If a child decides they do not want to eat at meal time the practitioner should respect the child’s decision. By having different utensils available at meal time e.g. chopsticks, this provides choice for the child. The child can then make the choice on what they want to eat there meal with. Component 1.2 – Use initiative A practitioners could put component 1.2 into practice with a child from twelve – thirty-six months by providing the opportunity of letting the child out on its coat independently, enabling the child to zip or button  the coat. The practitioner should talk the child through the process, encourage the child as she/he is trying to overcome and accomplish the task and support the child if he/she comes into difficulty. Component 1.3 – active participants A practitioner could put component 1.3 into practice with a child from birth to eighteen months by viably communicating. While/when the practitioner is changing the child’s nappy he/she could viably communicate to the child and make eye contact whilst changing its nappy. The practitioner could also sing nursery rhymes and act out movements to the child e.g. three little pigs, touching the child’s toes whilst singing the rhyme. This makes the child feel comfortable and an active participant throughout the activity. LO2: Detained description of the qualifications and experience needed for work associated with one occupation in the ECCE sector. a) Outline legislations, policies, practices and procedures pertaining to ECCE provision. Childcare Act 1991 Provides asset of rules relating to children/young adults under the age of eighteen in Ireland, it governs the care and protection of children in Ireland. (Classnotes) Due to this legislation the Health Service Executive has a mandatory duty to promote and protect the wellbeing of all children under this act. Children who are being abused or at risk, this Act allows those children to be removed or be placed under the care of the Health Service Executive. In relation to preschool services the Act is consulted with when rules and regulations are being drawn up for the supervision of children of pre-school services. Under the Act the pre-school carers have a responsibility and duty to implement safety and wellbeing of children under their pre-school setting. If the pre-school carer has concern for a child’s safety health it is their responsibility to notify the Health Service Executive. If a new pre-school setting is being set up or is intending to set up the local Health Service Executive must be notified. The Health Service Executive then has a duty to inspect the pre-school setting to  ensure the health and safety standards of the setting are being met. The rules and regulations drawn up from the Act must be strictly followed by the practitioners. Childcare (preschool services) Regulations 2006 The regulation outlines the standards that a preschool setting of any form must put/have in place before it can commence e.g. all forms of health, safety and welfare of the setting must be put in place to ensure full safety of the child is being met. It is the Health Service Executive’s duty for inspecting and giving a report of information on pre-schools of any sort or kind who care for children from the age of zero-six years of age. The regulation is arranged in six parts – thirty-three regulations and can be broadly covered over the following areas: â€Å"Health, welfare and development of the child Notification and inspection by the Health Service Executive Record keeping Standard of premises and facilities General administration† (class notes) Policies and procedures must be drawn up and developed from these points. Children First 1999 Children First was first made available in the year 1999 but was later replaced with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011. The general rule of the document was left unchanged but acknowledges past inspections and reports and feedback, due to this the document had been edited to set out distinctive guidelines that individual roles should take is concerned for a child’s health, safety and welfare. Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011 main aims are to ensure children’s health safety and welfare are being constantly met. That society are aware that they should not assume but should report any concerns regarding a child’s health and safety and realise that it is their responsibility to put this action into place. The legislation provides advise/support for parents/guardians in regards to their role as a parent/carer. Inspections made by the ‘Department of Education and Science’ will take place through-out schools of all sorts to  reinforce and ensure that the new legislation is being enforced. Siolta Siolta is made up of twelve principals, sixteen standard and seventy-five components. The twelve principals provide the base of the frame work. Without the principals the components wouldn’t be able to be put in place. The principals give direction for childcare workers on how they should carry out their work in an Early Childhood Care and Education environment, how to interact and communicate with children and fillies, how subjects should be taught and how the services that the childcare worker works in should be organised. The twelve principles contain: Equality – is a necessary aspect to have in a childcare setting, it is essential every child feels equal. Diversity- Every childcare setting should recognise that each child comes from very different backgrounds. It is the childcares settings responsibility to confirm that they understand, respect and accommodate this with visual aids e.g. posters, dolls from different ethnic backgrounds, chopsticks in the home area ec t. Environment- The physical layout of the setting should be organised to meet, encourage and develop the child’s abilities so the child can reach their full potential. Welfare- The child’s health, safety and welfare is essential and should be met as much as it possibly can be e.g. if a child has chicken pock’s, that child should be removed to a room where no other children are present the child’s parents should be contacted and the child shouldn’t return until it has cleared to prevent it infecting other children. The role of the adult- The adult working in the setting has a responsibility to make sure the child is making the most of their experience and are reaching full potential while in that adults company. Teamwork-Good communication and respect should be shown and practised in settings between the various workers in the setting. If there isn’t respect among workers, there won’t be good teamwork skills therefore the children present in that company will pick up on the negative energy and put what they have picked up on into practice. Pedagogy- The study and theory of the methods and principals of teaching should be put in place in early childhood care and education through holistic play, as this is the most appropriate method of learning for children of that age range. Play-Should be promoted, as it is an essential part in a child’s development  whether that be physical or theory learning. Sioltas sixteen standards are essential and necessary in services as it give guidance for workers within the service, IT gives guidance on how to act, provide and develop services with the setting. The standards contain various elements such as the various elements such as the child’s rights to the legislation and regulation. It’s from the sanders that the seventy-five components are made up. The components help meet the standard. Without the sixteen standards and seventy-five components the knowledge of the twelve principals wouldn’t be able to be put in place as effectively. Siolta was created to improve the way childcare is taught, organised, carried out and viewed in the Early Childhood Care and Education settings who cater for children from the age range of birth to six years of age. It â€Å"defines, assess and supports† these improvements. Early Childhood Care and Education settings and services taking part in the free school year must implement Siolta, making more demand for the service. (siolta) Aistear Aistear, was established by the Department of Education and Skills through NCCA in 2010. Aistear from the Irish word meaning ‘journey’, is of relevant importance to childcare settings where children from the ages of 0-6 years receive their care and education. Aistear works closely alongside Siolta and consists of an informal curriculum that contains twelve principles and themes that give guidance to the childcare worker. Aistear recognizes that education and care are not separate within the childcare sector and they aim to help children grow and develop independently. (Aistear) The manager The manager is required to have a minimum level 7/8 qualification in childcare, they have to manage the day-to-day routine of the preschool setting, ensuring that the developmental needs, safety and wellbeing of each individual child are being met. The manager may also be required to work unsocial hours and must attend to relevant meetings. The manager also has the responsibility to ensure the child protection policy is being implemented within the setting, recording and concerns and also ensuring high sanders of safety are being maintained at all times. (Class notes) The Childcare assistant The Childcare assistant is required to have a minimum of a level 5 qualification in childcare and previous experience is required. They assist in the day-to-day organisation and preparation of the childcare setting. The Childcare assistant must maintain all personal information of the individual children as confidential and at times have to work unsocial hours. The assistant must ensure the children within their care are receiving high standards of care, safety and wellbeing whilst also ensuring the developmental need of the children are being met accurately. The Childcare Assistant will have to at times participate in fundraising activities, special events and outings. They must strictly follow the Child Protection policy and report any concerns. (class notes) The Playgroup Leader The Playgroup Leader is required to have a minimum of a level 5 qualification in childcare and previous experience in childcare is required. The Playgroup Leader is required to manage the day-to-day routine of the playgroup. The playgroup leader has the responsibility to ensure the safety, wellbeing and developmental needs of the children are being continually being met. They must keep all personal information regarding the children within the service, children’s family and staff strictly confidential. Must strictly follow and promote the Child Protection Policy, ensuring high standers of hygiene and quality are being promoted within the setting. Organise regular meetings with parents throughout the year. Must regularly carry out appraisal on the staff’s performance, make sure all staff and volunteers have guard vetting. Must try to obtain good staff more and show respect to other staff members. Special Needs Assistant A Special Needs Assistant must have a minimum level5 qualification in childcare. Must ensure that all personal information regarding children or staff they work with remains confidently then it should be reported. Must strictly follow the Child Protection Act and make sure the developmental needs of the child are being met. The assists are recruited to help assist  and support children with special needs or difficult behaviour problems in schools. The assistants engage regularly with the parents of the special needs child, they also participate in fundraising activities, special events and outings to further help the child or children with special needs. Montessori teacher Must have a minimum level5 qualification in childcare. Must strictly follow the Child Protection Act and make sure the developmental needs of the child are being met, ensuring high standards of hygiene and quality are being promoted within the setting. A Montessori has the responsibly to provide opportunities for children so they can figure out how to do something for themselves. Must observe children within the setting and comment on their development. They provide challenging tasks for the children, so they make the best of their abilities. Organise meetings with the parents throughout the year. Detailed description of the qualifications and experience needed for work associated with on occupation in the ECCE sector. One occupation in the Early Child Care and Education sector I have chose to further evaluate on is the pre-school manager. The pre-school manager has many roles and responsibilities such as: Being strictly confidential within and outside the Early Childhood Care and Education setting in relaxation to keeping personal information about the children, their family and also the staff. Ensuring when planned activities are taking place that each individual child’s developmental needs are being met. Making sure that every area and all facilities of the Early Childhood Care and Education setting are being met to Sioltas standards. Has the role of preparing and creating curriculum plans for the staff to carry out in the Early Childhood Care and Education setting. Making sure that there is good staff morale, resolving any issues that arise promptly and effectively Making sure that there the Child Protection policy is being promoted and that the policy is being firmly stuck to. If any concerns are arisen then the manager must document and record this. Organise meetings with parents throughout the year to inform them and discuss such things as the child’s progression and also  adhering to any concerns raised by the parents. It is also a role and responsibility of the manager to prepare and organise special event and outings for the children attending the Early Childhood Care and Education setting. ( class notes) The preschool manager must have a minimum qualification of level of seven/eight in childcare.\This qualification can be obtained in most IT’s. The duration of study that it would take to obtain this would be approximately three to four years depending on the level of qualification. To then further become a pre-school manager the level of experience the individual would need to have would depend on the Early Childhood Care and Education setting. Generally the minimum experience needed by the individual would be approximately two – four years. It would be appropriate that the individual had experience as a supervisor before becoming a pre-school manager. Employment and Career Opportunities in Childcare Funding that is made available to state to childcare services, such as the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme, the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme / Free Pre-School year and Community Childcare Solovention scheme make the option of childcare services more appealing and therefore increase the demand for childcare services. As a result of the increased demand for childcare services, the demand for employment opportunities also increases. The Early Childhood care and Education Scheme / Free Pre-school year (FPSY) was introduced in 2009. The scheme recognized the importance of qualifications within the childcare sector and as a result it introduced a minimum qualifications standard for pre-school leaders. An important feature of the scheme is that it offers more funding for better qualified staff and because of this feature it can increase or decrease an individual’s employment opportunities e.g. if an individual applied for a particular position in which the state requires the potential employee to hold a Level 7 qualification, and the candidate did not hold a Level 7 qualification,  that candidate will most likely not get the position as a result as their employment would not benefit the pre-school. The Community Childcare Subvention Scheme is a support scheme that was set up to aid and support non-profit childcare services/centres. This scheme does not support profit childcare services. The schemes main focus is to help the non-profit childcare services. This scheme allows non-profit childcare services to provide their services at a lower rate, which enables children with disadvantaged parents the opportunity to attend childcare services. Each Community based service that takes part in the Community Childcare scheme, has the responsibility to make a guideline available of the different rates for each type of service that they offer to parents. There are four types of fee rates available; and the parent/guardian will be offered the rate depending on what price band or category they fall into based on their individual financial situation. This scheme enables more access to all types of parents and therefore increases the demand for childcare services and effectively increases employment opportunities. Special Needs Assistant – Due to the downturn in the Irish Economy, there have been substantial cuts in Special Needs Assistants. It has been revealed that approximately 1200 Special needs assistant positions will be cut in the near future. (Class notes) If this happens, there will be a sharp decrease in the amount of employment opportunities available within the childcare sector. It is also thought that as a result of the cuts, individuals that currently hold a Level 7/8 qualification may not be willing to apply for job opportunities that become available due to the poor pay conditions and low status of the childcare positions. Progression of qualifications within the childcare sector e.g. achieving a Level 5 and progressing to a Level 6, Level 7 and Level 8 qualification is becoming more important to childcare workers to help them increase their employment opportunities. The better the qualification that a childcare worker obtains means they have a higher chance of securing employment within the childcare sector. E.g. If an advertisement is published in a newspaper for a childcare position, and an individual that holds a Level 5 applies  while also an individual what holds a Level 8 qualification also applies, the individual with the higher qualification i.e. the Level 8 qualification, will have a higher chance of getting the position. After obtaining a Level 8 qualification i.e. A Degree in childcare, which is generally obtained over a three year period, there is a career opportunity to continue to study towards a Primary school teaching qualification. A further two years of study in Teacher training is also required before obtaining a qualification as a Primary school teacher. After achieving a minimum of a Level 7/8 qualification, there is also the opportunity to become a manager within a childcare setting. An individual seeking to further their career or who wishes to pursue a career in management would also need sufficient experience within the early childcare and education setting to secure a higher position. This career opportunity can only become available for the individual if they have obtained a Level 7/8 qualification.

Stationary Phase In Gas Chromatography Engineering Essay

Stationary Phase In Gas Chromatography Engineering Essay Stationary phase in Gas Chromatography (GC) is the part of the chromatographic system where the mobile phase will flow and distribute the solutes between the phases. Stationary phase plays a vital role in determining the selectivity and retention of solutes in a mixture. There are two major types of GC which are gas-solid chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography. In gas-solid chromatography, same material is used as both the stationary phase and support material. The common adsorbents used include alumina, molecular sieve such as zeolite and clay, silica and active carbon. In gas-liquid chromatography, the stationary phase is a liquid which is immobilized or adsorbed on a solid support material such as silica particles. The material of stationary phase ranges from polymers such as polysiloxanes, polyesters, polyethylene glycols to fluorocarbons, and liquid crystals. In addition, the stationary phase may consist of either porous particles, solid particles or a fibrous material such as paper. There are various types of stationary phases available because the choice of stationary phase being the most suitable one depends on the polarity of components. The primary rule of separation is like dissolved like where non-polar analytes will partition strongly into non-polar stationary phases and polar analytes partition into polar phases. Polysiloxanes, for instance are the most common stationary phases. They possess the greatest variety and are stable, robust and versatile. Besides that, they can resist oxidation and offer high solute diffusivitites into the polymer coupled with excellent chemical and thermal stability. 100% methyl substituted is the most basic polysiloxane being used and is non polar. The diagram below shows the basic structure of 100% dimethyl substituted polysiloxane. Because a variety of groups can be incorporated into the structure, polysiloxane exhibit a wide range of polarities ranging from non polar to polar. This can be done by replacing the methyl groups with other functional groups in the polymer structure. The structure below is a general representation of substituted polysiloxane. The R groups can be methyl(-CH3), phenyl(-C6H5), trifluoropropyl(-CH2CH2CF3) or cyanopropyl(-CH2CH2CH2CN). X and Y indicate the percentage of an aggregate in the overall polymeric stationary phase composition. The increase in the percentage of substitution of these polar groups increases the polarity of the liquid phase to various degree. For instance, 5% diphenyl-95% dimethyl polysiloxane. In this structure, R1 and R2 are phenyl groups and R3 and R4 are methyl groups. M and N have the value of 5% and 95% respectively. Table below shows some of the common stationary phases used in gas-liquid chromatography. Stationary Phase Common Trade Name Temperature ÃÅ'Ã…  C Applications Polydimethyl siloxane OV-1, SE-30 350 hydrocarbons, drugs, steroids Poly(phenylmethyldimethyl) siloxane (10% phenyl) OV-3, SE-52 350 Fatty acid methyl esters, alkaloids, drugs Poly(phenylmethyl) siloxane (50% phenyl) OV-17 250 Drugs, steroids, pesticides, glycols Poly(trifluoropropyldimethyl) siloxane OV-210 200 Chlorinated aromatics, nitroaromatics,alkyl substituted benzene Methyl-5% phenyl polysiloxane SE-54, OV-23, DB-5, SPB-5, BP-5, HP-5, ULTRA 2, RTx-5, CPSil-8 50-325 Similar to methyl polysiloxane. Slightly more selective due to phenyl content. Excellent thermal stability. Methyl 50% Phenyl Polysiloxane OV-17, DB-17, SPB-7, BP-10, HP-17, RTx-17, AT-50, 40-325 Added selectivity-higher phenyl content.Retains similar compounds longer than methyl silicone.Efficient separations of drugs, sugars and steroids. Good thermal stability. 6% Cyanopropylphenyl 94% Methylpolysiloxane DB-1301, RTx-1301, HP-1301 30-320 Selectivity for polarizable and polar compounds. Exhibits less retention of polyaromatic compounds.Good thermal stability. Methyl 7% Cyanopropyl 7% Phenyl Polysiloxane DB-1701, CPSil-19, RTx-1701, AT-1701 280 Unique selectivity of cyanopropyl and phenyl groups.Not truly a polar phase.Good thermal stability Methyl 25% Cyanopropyl 25% Phenyl Polyciloxane DB-255, HP-255, CPSil-43, RTx-225, AT-255 40-240 Polar phase.Efficient separations of fatty acids and alditol acetate derivatives of sugars.Fair thermal stability Silicone Oil DC-550 180-200 Moderately polar substrate,used for alkylbenzenes and naphthalene homologs Silicone Gum Rubber SE-30 400 Non polar,for highest temperature work. Used for steroids and polycyclic aromatics For polydimethyl siloxane, the -R groups are all hydrophobic giving liquid the least polarity and has the following general structure. Poly(cyanopropylphenyldimethyl) siloxanes are another polar stationary phases. They are used in separating compounds which contain several hydroxyl groups such as steroids. Another type of stationary phase is polyethylene glycols (PEGs) which is shown below. This stationary phase is non-silicon-containing stationary phase and is most widely used after siloxanes in the analysis of polar solutes. They are moderately polar and was considered the most polar stationary phase available due to the difficulty in coating and cross-linking of polar siloxane on the stationary phase. Besides, they are well known for their unique selectivity and high polarity as a liquid phase. The polyethylene backbone of these columns is different than polysiloxane phases. Strong polar dispersive interaction in the phase is imparted by the oxygen group in the polymer backbone. It also provides a very strong dipole interaction as the phase itself is capable of hydrogen bonding which is the bonding between a strong polar group (OH, NH) and a compound with strong electronegativity (F, O, N)]. Stationary phases with wax or FFAP in their names also belong to polyethylene glycol. Polyethylene glycols stationary phases have 100% of the stated material because they are not substituted. They have several disadvantages such as less stable, less robust and limited maximum temperature compared to most siloxanes. In addition, they exhibit shorter lifetimes and have high susceptibility to damage upon over-heating or exposure to oxygen. However, the unique separation properties of polyethylene glycol have made these liabilities tolerable. Also, cross-linked PEG phase is able to overcome these deficiencies. Under GC temperature condition, PEG stationary phases must be liquids. For example, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes and other compounds with low boiling points can be separated by a suitable sorbent called PEG 400. Carbowax 20M can be used for the separation of polar compounds with higher boiling points. Other polar compounds such as amino alcohols, hydroxyl acids, dibasic acids, amines, nitrile, fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), aromatic volatile compounds, and nitrosamines can also be separated using PEG columns. Arylene-modified polysiloxanes are also known as aryl-poly or arylene stationary phase. They are similar to standard polysiloxane except having phenyl groups in the polymer backbone. This stationary phase has several advantages including lower column bleed and higher temperature limits than their polysiloxane counterparts. Diagram 1 : Structure of arylene-modified polysiloxane In order to prevent column bleed during GC analysis, most of the stationary phases used today are of arylene-modified polysiloxane. These stationary phases have been designed to be equivalent to a familiar stationary phase such as 5% phenylmethyl polysiloxane (BD-5ms and DB-5). They have slight differences although both the stationary phases have similar separation characteristics. Chiral stationary phases are also used in Gas Chromatography analysis. These stationary phases are typically used to separate individual enantiomers, stereoisomers which only differ in the spatial arrangement of their atoms and in their ability to rotate the plane of polarized light. Separation of two substances can only occur when their standard energy of distribution differ, which means that their standard enthalpies and/or their standard entropies of distribution also differ. In general, the standard enthalpy indicates the difference in the interactive forces such as polar, dispersive and ionic interactive on the molecule in the two phases whereas the standard entropy indicates their spatial disposition. Hence, to separate chiral solutes, the stationary phase chosen must differ significantly in the spatial arrangement of its composite atoms results in the probability or proximity of interaction between the two enantiomers to be separated. Many chiral compounds are used in the prep aration of chiral stationary phase (CSP). Cyclodextrin (CD) and their derivatives are the most commonly used chiral compounds. Cyclodextrin is a cyclic oligomer substituted into a conventional siloxane stationary phase. A strong interaction with the cavity in the CD is achieved when organic molecules of correct size and shape are present. Hence, these organic molecules will be more strongly retained on the capillary column. Furthermore, modified CDs are used since they are capable of resolving chiral solutes over a high range of GC temperatures. Chiral stationary phase plays a vital role in separation especially in pharmaceutical industry because pharmaceutical compounds usually exist as enantiomers. Some rough estimations about the target compounds that are generally well dissolved into their enantiomers by using specific chiral stationary phase are illustrated below. Product Name Stationary Phase Analytes Cyclodextrin E 2,6-Pentyl-3-Butyryl-gamma-Cyclodextrin oxygenated terpenes, alcohols, epoxides Cyslodextrin G 6-Methyl-2,3-Pentyl-gamma-Cyclodextrin monoterpene hydrocarbons, volatile/low temperature Cyclodextrin H 2,6-Methyl-3-Pentyl-gamma-Cyclodextrin terpenes, alcohols, alkenes Cyclodextrin 3P 2,6-Methyl-3-Pentyl-beta-Cyclodextrin terpenes, alcohols, alkenes Cyclodextrin TM 6-TBDMS-2,3-Methyl-beta-Cyclodextrin PCB, polycyclic or chlorinated aromatics, pesticides Cyclodextrin TE 6-TBDMS-2,3-Ethyl-beta-Cyclodextrin pharmacopeia separations of essential oils Cyclodextrin TA 6-TBDMS-2,3-Acetyl-beta-Cyclodextrin oxygenated terpenes, aromatics, low volatile Cyclodextrin PM 2,3,6-Methyl-beta-Cyclodextrin legacy phase for many analytes . In Gas Chromatography, there are generally two different types of column used which are packed columns and capillary columns. Packed columns contain finely divided inert solid support material that is densely packed in the inside of the column in which the material is coated with a liquid stationary phase. This stationary phase is 3-10% by weight of the solid support and will form a thin liquid film on the surface of the material where the mobile phase will flow over and around the coated material as it travels down the column. The solid support material used is usually diatomaceous earth. To improve resolution and speed, the particles size should be small enough, ranging from less than 100-300mm and are uniform in size. Small size of particles is necessary as it increases the surface area for easier partition and separation of solutes. Besides that, the material should be inert to avoid any chemical reaction between the solutes and solid support material. However, packed columns have limited resolution where N Diagram 2 : Cross section of packed column Solid support material Packed columns are 1.5 10 m in length and have an internal diameter of 2 4Â  mm. They are normally constructed from stainless steel but can be glass such as Pyrex glass if a less reactive surface is desired. Pyrex glass is chosen when thermally labile solutes are being separated. Unfortunately, glass has pressure limitations and for long packed columns, stainless steel columns are chosen since they possess high pressure tolerance. The nature of the coating material which is the liquid stationary phase determines what type of solutes will be most strongly adsorbed onto it. Hence, various columns are available that are designed to separate specific types of compounds. Open tubular columns or rather known as capillary columns are characterized by a small narrow opening in the centre of the column through which the mobile phase will travel as it moves past the stationary phase. There is no packing of solid support material unlike packed columns. Capillary column is constructed by fused silica which is a highly purified and inert material. There is a protective coating on the outside of the column, called polyamide that affords strength and flexibility in order to wind into small coil. Diagram 3 : Cross-section of capillary column Capillary columns have a very small internal diameter, on the order of a few tenths of millimeters, are between 25-60 meters in length. Capillary columns can be divided into three classes which are wall-coated open tubular (WCOT) columns, support-coated open tubular (SCOT) columns and porous layer open tubular (PLOT) columns. For WCOT columns, the inner column walls are coated with a thin layer of liquid stationary phase. The thickness of liquid coating is 0.25 0.5 Â µm thick leading to very fast and efficient separations (up to 300,000 plates). Other types of capillary columns exist with the stationary phase contained in different formats. These columns are typically efficient but they have a small sample capacity due to their low surface area. For SCOT columns, the inner wall of capillary columns are lined with approximately 30ÃŽÂ ¼m of a porous support material in order to allow a higher loading of stationary phase, resulting higher column capacity. Then, a thin film of liqui d stationary phase is then coated on this layer of support material, providing SCOT columns a larger surface area. For PLOT columns, they are similar to SCOT columns except solid support materials are attached to the inner column wall where the particles themselves are the stationary phase. There support materials can be glass powder or microcrystalline materials rather than particulate support. Diagram 4 : cross section of WCOT, SCOT and PLOT columns Generally, capillary columns are favored over packed columns and WCOT columns are more efficient than SCOT columns in Gas Chromatography. The table below shows further comparison of capillary (WCOT) and packed columns. Parameter Capillary Column Packed column Efficiency (plates/m) >100000 Sample size (ng) 10-75 10-1000000 Realtive pressure Low High Relative speed Fast Slow Chemical inertness Best Poorest Column flexibility Yes No Resolution Good Poor

Life and Work of Frank Gehry

Life and Work of Frank Gehry Many of Frank Gehrys early works reflect a refined manipulation of shapes and structures, whereby many of his buildings present distorted shapes or apparent structures. From the Guggenheim museum to the Walt Disney concert hall, Frank Gehrys architecture is close to none. He cleverly plays with shapes and geometries. In this essay, I shall start with a brief analysis of Gehrys house and the influences in the design of the house. I shall then analyze the extent to which Frank Lloyd Wright has inspired and influenced Gehry in the design of his house through a comparison with Frank Lloyd Wrights Jacobs house. Gehry draws his inspiration from famous paintings such as the Madonna and Child which he qualifies as a strategy for architecture (Friedman M., 2003, p. 42) and which he used as an inspiration for a project in Mexico. Through his interpretation of the paintings and artwork, Gehry looked for a new kind of architecture. His search for a new type of architecture culminated in 1978 with his own house in Santa Monica. What was once a traditional Californian house would be redesigned to become one of the most important and revolutionary designs of the 20th century, giving Gehry international prestige and fame. Frank Gehrys Own House uses a mixture of corrugated metal, plywood, chain link and asphalt to construct a new envelope for an existing typical Californian house. This house has been inspired by Joseph Cornell, Ed Moses and Bob Rauschenberg. Gehry comments on his house by saying that there was something magical (Friedman M., 2003, p. 54) about it. He admits having followed the end of his [my] nose (Friedman M., 2003, p. 54) when it came to constructing the new house, which led Arthur Drexler, former Director from the Department of Architecture and Design at the museum of Modern Art in New York, to actually describe the house as a joke. (Friedman M., 2003, p. 54) Through his work, Frank Gehry can be considered as an artist rather than an architect. His own house is one of the best works of art he has ever produced. In many of Gehrys early works such as the Danziger building, we learn about his worry of the translation of ideas through the many people involved in the process of making a bulding (Friedman M., 2003, p. 44), which according to him drain the strength and power out of an idea (Friedman M., 2003, p. 44); but in his Own House however, he proves us that his worry only makes his ideas and designs more powerful. He makes use of large openings, peculiar wall cladding or large lighted rooms as well as visible structure frames to reflect the postmodern style o f the house as well as to convey his wish to bring architecture to its roots, to its bare beauty. What Gehry loves about architecture and what is reflected in the style of his Own House is the humanity of it (Friedman M., 2003, p. 42). The barricading of the old house reminds us of artists such as Christo and Jeanne Claude with the Rheimstag wrapping while the angled protrusions and cuts through the old house shows Gordon Matta Clarks influence in the style of the Own House. Gehry says in an interview that his desire to use metal as a primary construction material came with Donna ONeills hay barn, for which he used metal because he could now make a very tough sculptural shape (Friedman M., 2003, p. 45), making the building fit the site hence creating a sculptural identity (Friedman M., 2003, p. 45). Just like for the titanium-clad faà §ade of the Guggenheim museum, Gehry makes use of metal cladding for his Own House. He builds walls around the old house using corrugated sheets of metal and chain link. Gehry justifies his use of chain link by saying: The chain link for me was about denial. There was so much denial about it. I couldnt believe it. (Friedman M., 2003, p. 47) He explains how modern domestic design for him is all about challenging the culture, using cheap, recycled materials and transforming them into a work of art. (Friedman, 2003) The use of metal to create new shapes for buildings, such as for the California Aerospace Museum, Los Angeles, 1984 or the University of Toledo Center for the Visual Arts, 1992 prove how Gehrys vision was beyond that of architects of his time. He admits that A number of artist friends have influenced (Friedman M., 2003, p. 43) his work and that architecture is reflected in a painting: the materials used, the texture applied or the theme o f the painting but he also expresses a great admiration for the works of his modern predecessors such as Frank Lloyd Wright or Le Corbusier. As mentioned before, Gehry was inspired by many modern architects, namely Frank Lloyd Wright. Gehry is referred to as a postmodern architect, applying modernism of the 20th century to his buildings all while challenging the conventions of that time. Frank Lloyd Wright is certainly a pioneer of modernism. To him we owe the idea of organic architecture, buildings on L, X, or T shaped grounds. Wright once said: To thus make of a human dwelling-place a complete work of artà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦this is the tall modern American opportunity in Architecture. (Humphries, 1970, p. 25) We notice how his vision of architecture resembles that of Gehry, with the reference to art. Nevertheless, the planning of Wrights houses with his idea of form following function contrasts with Gehrys idea of free plan. Still, the idea of using cheap materials for the Gehry house is a dà ©jà   vu of Wrights wish to cure this defect with houses that were simpler and more economical to build, that combined living and di ning areas into one and separated them from a bedroom zone, and that finally turned the blocky walls into windows on nature (Maddex, 2000, p. 80) basically, Wrights Usonian project. Wright wanted to build small, single storey, flat-roofed affordable houses which would make the garden as a main part of the house and create a new type of dwelling and lifestyle for the Americans. He wanted to make housing more affordable and energy efficient. The Usonian project is a development that started with Wrights transformation of the symmetrical, cruciform and pinwheel Prairie House plan into the courtyard plan. (Carter, 2001, p. 250)Hence, Wright saw the Usonian Houses as asymmetrical quadrants of the bigger symmetrical Prairie Houses. (Carter, 2001, p. 249) Perhaps one of the most famous Usonian houses by Wright is the Jacobs house, presenting an L shape plan as well as the idea of pleasant geometry, hence the very rectangular and strict edges of the house. Wrights plans of the first Jacobs house reveal adequately his vision of the Usonian houses. Hence, from his plans, we see how the garden is the geometric centre of the plan and the focus of the spatial arrangement. The idea behind the layout of the spaces in Gehrys house reflects that of Wright in Jacobs house. Hence, in the Jacobs house, the two wings of the house are well planned so as to differentiate between the public and private areas of the house. There are two entrances into the house; one leading to the private quarters, the bedrooms, and the other one to the living room and dining area on which the kitchen opens. The dining area is used as a transition between the private and public areas of the Jacobs house. To further differentiate between the nature of the different spac es, Wright uses brick wall cladding within the living room and the entrance to indicate the public nature of these spaces. We can also ask ourselves whether Wright has not influenced Gehry in the addition of the many windows and openings in his Own house. Wrights idea of architectural purism and organic architecture preach a relationship between agriculture and architecture: The American landscape was for Wright unique and in need of integration into American daily domestic life (Carter, 2001) We note how Wright makes the garden the most important space in the house. When we look at the Jacobs house from the street, the view is not inspiring; we do not feel the warmth of the house. The street view offers a dull empty front yard with no indication of how to enter the house except from the carport. If we compare this to the garden view, we immediately feel as if we are in the house. The garden view provides floor to ceiling windows, Jacobs house street view p.254 (Carter, 2001) which enable us to see the on goings of the inhabitants inside the house. Similarly, the house becomes a mere object in the landscape. We instantly understand that Wright wants to pull our focus towards the most important member of the house, the garden. We observe how by adding new walls to the existing building, Gehry incorporates the surroundings into the house, creating a new space to contain the public/service areas of the house. Other than the relationship between the house and its surroundings, Gehry has also applied Wrights Beaux arts planning with the idea of the raised floor level as well as the hierarchy of the spaces. Hence, in the Jacobs house, Wright has created a certain hierarchy of spaces with a geometric module governing horizontal and vertical spaces (Maddex, 2000, p. 82). A large open area is dedicated to the living room and the kitchen. As we enter the Jacobs house, we are oriented towards the garden by the glass doors. Similarly, the dining room is projected (Carter, 2001, p. 254) into the garden by horizontal wood walls with high windows which allow people standing in the kitchen to see into the garden. The public areas are all oriented towards the garden, creating an open space as we walk into the house. The master bedroom is clearly set apart by the bending corridor which leads to the private areas of the house. In Gehrys Own house, he uses the same principle, with the entrance leading dir ectly onto the living area which is raised above ground level. The public areas namely the kitchen, dining room and living room are all located on the right while the bedrooms are on the left, well secluded by walls. We highlight how the dining room and the kitchen are both located on the lower level, again creating this idea of hierarchy planning of spaces. We also point out Frank Lloyd Wrights idea of interlocking forms and symmetry that is reflected in Gehry house design. The Jacobs house presents itself in an L shape, which if we think of it, is barely the interlocking of two rectangles at 90 °. All the spaces in the Jacobs house are also connected at right angles. This same scheme of interlocking forms is clearly visible in the Gehry house with the notable glass cube that hangs on top of the kitchen acting as a strong source of natural light which again puts a lot of emphasis on Wrights notion of organic Gehrys Own house, kitchen view,  design, using the maximum amount of n atural resources from the surroundings for use in the house. As mentioned above, Gehry states that his choice of materials only results from their workability (for metal) or their personal significance (for chain link) but we can question that and ask ourselves how far was the choice of materials for his own house influenced by Frank Lloyd Wrights idea that from standardized materials, economy (Maddex, 2000, p. 82). Wright once said: The sense of interior space as a reality in organic architecture co-ordinates with the enlarged means of modern materials (Humphries, 1970, p. 124). For Wright, the materials used had a connection to earth. In the Jacobs house, Wright made use of a lot of wood and glass to create a comfy and warm atmosphere as well as a connection with the surroundings. He used modern materials which he believed could evoke the idea of empathy through his buildings. The low proportions of the Jacobs house oriented the house horizontally rather than vertically and Wright saw the horizontal line as the true earth line of human life, indicative of freedom. (Carter, 2001, p. 255). To him, the horizontal planes of the house helped convey the idea of empathy. Hence the planes parallel to the earth in buildings identify themselves with the ground, do most to make the buildings belong to the ground and represent the true foundation for life within the house. (Carter, 2001, p. 255) Wrights notion of modernism has with no doubt pushed Gehry towards creating a new kind of architecture. When we compare how both architects interpret modern architecture, we understand fairly easily how much of an influence Frank Lloyd Wright has had on Gehry. Wright said: In organic architecture the hard straight line breaks to the dotted line where stark necessity ends and thus allows appropriate rhythm to enter in order to leave suggestion its proper values. This is modern. (Humphries, 1970, p. 125) When we read this quote, we find that it fairly relates to Gehrys idea of deconstructivism in his own house, whereby there is a fragmentation in the design of the house. Frank Gehry has a different approach to modern domestic design. Wright wanted modern human dwellings to have earth as a great human good and make the garden be the building as much as the building will be the garden Both Wright and Gehry have been influenced by the Japanese culture. The construction of the Jacobs hous e is said to be related to the traditional Japanese house and the four primal elements that Gottfried Semper identified in 1852: earthwork, hearth, framework and roof and a screen-like infill wall. Wright combined the first two elements (earthwork and hearth) by passing pipes into the concrete flooring that would carry steam or hot water so that the floor would become a source of heat. The heating of the Jacobs house coincided with Wrights wish to use natural lighting; hence the south facing glass doors provided the house with heat during winter. This made the Usonian houses extremely energy efficient long before this was an issue for other architects (Carter, 2001, p. 255) Having compared Wrights Jacobs house to Gehrys own house, we can justly say that Gehry was influenced by art. So much that we can refer to him as an artist rather than an architect. His interest in paintings and sculptures has given him the opportunity to design buildings that would change the course of architecture for the future years to come. Gehry has also applied some of Frank Lloyd Wrights principles to his designs. The extent to which this influence can be measured is unsure but a parallel comparison between the Jacobs house and Gehrys own house has allowed us to conclude that Wrights principals of Beaux arts planning, interlocking forms, organic architecture and symmetry can be found in Gehrys own house. Frank Gehry has taken the principles of modern architecture from his predecessors and applied it to his designs with his own twist of magic. He uses Wrights concepts and ideas to create new design conventions for himself. Through his designs, Gehry wishes to challenge the ord inary. He is said to have founded the new wave of Californian architects. Frank Lloyd Wright, on the other hand is considered as one of the founders of modern architecture but what is certain is that they have both had a tremendous influence on the world of architecture today.