Introduction to Agricultural Science

Agricultural science is the study of the practices involved in the field of agriculture. Agricultural science and agriculture, although related to each other, are essentially very different from one another. Agriculture is the art of growing plants, fruits and vegetables for human consumption. Agricultural science, on the other hand, deals with research, improvement and development in techniques of production like irrigation management, pest control etc. It includes the processes necessary for improving the quality and quantity of agricultural products.

Agricultural science deals with transforming the primary products to finished, consumption-ready products. It also involves the prevention and correction of adverse factors hampering productivity. It has been referred to as a local science because of its strong relation to the local areas. It is often considered to be a science dealing with eco-regions as it depends largely on climate and properties of soil in a particular area. These factors vary largely from one place to another. Many individuals are of the opinion that agricultural science depends on the local weather and local soil characteristics, so specific crops need to be studied locally.

History

The path breaking work of Gregor Mendel in the field of agriculture made its study very popular around the world. However, in the modern era the chemical fertilizer industries in Germany revolutionized the field of agriculture in the eighteenth century. In USA, a revolution in agricultural science began with the passing of the Hatch Act in 1887. The driving force behind the Hatch Act was the need of the nation to empower the farmers so that they could improve productivity and feed the growing population. Since the early nineteen sixties, agriculture has gained a lot of importance in developing and developed countries.

This process was known as the Green Revolution and was linked to the process of selecting and substantially improving crops for maximum productivity. Even today, a lot of research is being conducted in this field of study, which has led to the emergence of various new areas of study like waste treatment, pest management, agricultural philosophy and others that focus essentially on food production. With the growth in world population, agricultural science is the one science which will play an important role in ensuring the continuity of the human race.

Agricultural Science Degree

Agricultural science is a multi-dimensional approach to understanding and practice of various economic, social and natural sciences that are involved in agriculture. Students who graduate in the field of agricultural science have a fair understanding of the relationship between farmers, ecosystems and end-consumers through the intensive study of economics, animal husbandry, botany and everything else which is involved in the field of farming and food production. Since more than half the population of the world is indirectly or directly involved in agriculture and production of food, degrees in agricultural science provide a broad spectrum of career choices ranging from education to agronomy.

The degree consists of a curriculum that prepares the students for entry level jobs in this field. They are trained in animal and plant biology, horticulture, animal agriculture, soil science, sustaining agriculture, basic chemistry, production of food and the economics of agricultural production. These varied subjects ensure that the student is well prepared for any challenge that he or she might come across in this field.

Degree

The degree courses focus on an intensive and focused study of specialties in agriculture. The classes include advanced level chemistry, economics, management of water, computer application required for management of agriculture, environmental design, biological engineering, application of pesticides and insecticides, education and biotechnology etc. The degree also requires extensive laboratory and field work. The student can then opt for specialization courses in any of these subjects studied earlier. They can go for either online or campus based degrees in agricultural science.

Options

Since agricultural science revolves around field and laboratory work, students cannot opt for master degrees in this field of study, through online education. However, many online schools offer advanced courses in various fields like environmental policies, environmental studies and also environmental management. These three fields are very important in the study and management of food production. The courses are very similar to that of agricultural science. There are many private and state universities all over the world which offer basic and advanced level courses online.

Many universities in the US are known for offering various degree and diploma courses in this field. In the last few decades, universities in India and Australia have emerged as heavyweights in this particular field of study by undertaking revolutionary research and successfully implementing techniques in the various areas of production in agriculture. Hence, agricultural science students are highly in demand, in countries around the world.

Diploma Courses

It is not always possible for an individual to pursue full time degree courses, due to lack of time and money. In such cases, the individuals can opt for diploma courses. Any student who has completed high school education can apply for these diploma courses. Such diploma courses are also available in the field of agriculture. The courses are designed in such a way that they provide the students with a thorough introduction to horticulture, animal husbandry and agriculture. Agricultural diploma courses are highly recommended for students who want to pursue a career in Horticultural management or Management of Agricultural Farms.

There are many types of diploma courses like Basic Diploma, Post Graduate Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses. These courses offer the students with the knowledge of different aspects of agricultural science. These courses also cover some elementary subjects like human resource, physical and financial management.

Agriculture diploma courses are offered by almost all the top universities since around the world. In fact, there are some colleges which specialize in agricultural diplomas. Diploma courses can also be completed online through distance education. However, this is not a very popular choice as the students have a very limited opportunity for field work and practical application. In the present situation, agricultural diploma has emerged as a very powerful tool for people who want to pursue a career in the agricultural sector.

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Why Atheists Will Never Find Proof of God And Why Information Sciences Did It

Actually, Is it possible to find the real proof of God?

Yes, if you really want to. If Truth - the truth of existence of God- is not your goal, no one can ever convince you to even consider a point of view that opposes what you believe to be correct.

I like to browse through "YouTube" looking for fresh ideas and insights. As religious and atheistic beliefs are related to my work, I sometimes enjoy watching videos of intellectual battles between atheists and believers.

I find my personal stance on these "debates" is that I am not on the side of believers, because often their position is backed up only by their belief in the sacredness of their religious scripts and authority of specific religious prophets.

But I don't support the atheists either. They platform themselves on words "science" and "objectivity," but if we look closer at how they approach the idea of God, we can see that they are quite irrational too, and not less than their opponents.

In my previous article I mentioned that the first common mistake atheists make is confusing "God" as an independent mysterious entity with religious interpretations of Him.

The second issue is that people naturally become irrational when they approach a problem without any intention to find the truth. If they have preconceived notions of their rightness, their arguments inevitably lose objectivity as in this case, when atheists do not accept even an idea of a possible proof of God.

Here is a typical example of a lame generalization used by atheists that I found in an atheistic video series:

"How can we prove or disprove God, if people say they cannot examine or test or have anything to do with God? How can we know what we are looking for?"

Let's look closer at what is actually said and how "unbiased" the real approach is of those who claim to represent scientific objectivity.

First of all, what kind of "people" say that we "cannot examine or have anything to do with God"?

Probably only those who have never had any experience of either examining God or "doing" something with God.

Who are those people?

Usually atheists.

I personally, have examined, tested and experienced God, as many others do, who come to God voluntarily and consciously at the age when we are able to make independent and responsible decisions of our own.

Yes, here we talk about personal experiences that cannot be objectively measured with scientific devices, but which nevertheless are absolutely true for a system of individual perception for an individual person. Multicultural, spiritual literature is a compilation and recording of hundreds of thousands of spiritual experiences that people have shared with the world. What is that but a huge amount of empirical data about "doing something" with God?

I agree that personal experiences are not objective "proof of God," however, to be perfectly scientifically honest; we cannot ignore these phenomena that have been experienced and recorded by hundreds of thousands of people for thousands of years. We also cannot ignore the phenomena of miracles, which are also quite well documented, especially during the 20th century.

True scientists, like Einstein, who look for Truth, never slam the door before the face of a new higher mystery that is waiting to be explored. Rather than jump to the conclusion that 'this is not possible,' they see the mystery as the peak of a new unconquerable mountain, which is hiding in the sky above the clouds just waiting for those who dare climb it.

Does it make sense to approach an inexplicable phenomenon with a ready-made attitude of rejection of the possibility to reveal the mystery of it? I don't think so as it is simply not productive.

True scientists and mountain-climbers have one thing in common: until they have courage and an open mind to believe that it's possible to get to the peak where no one has ever been before, they don't conquer the Everest or make mind-blowing scientific discoveries.

On another hand, the attitude of rejection makes sense, too: It is comfortable as it saves us from the possible embarrassment of admitting that at this moment we are incapable of explaining something.

This might be the reason why for many atheists the logic, functionality and precision of nature has never been enough proof of God as the ultimate Creator, as well as, tons of testimonies of those who have had their own personal spiritual experiences.

The third observation relates to how atheists use the word "science" when they attack religious irrationality.

Before opposing science to God, let's see what science actually is. According to Aristotle, "science refers to the body of reliable knowledge itself, of the type that can be logically and rationally explained." According to another definition, science is "any body of knowledge organized in a systematic manner."

Nobody will argue that the modern science has a very broad spectrum of "organized and logically explained knowledge," which includes: formal sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, behavioral sciences, political sciences, informational sciences, etc.

But here is the question: What kind of "science" do atheists use to justify their views?

As I noticed, the majority of atheists love to confront bible-proponents with their own "scientific trinity" of cosmology, microbiology and physics. Their argument is nearly always the same: there is no God as "science" could not discover its physical particle yet.

Come on, if all these debates are more than just entertainment, let's have a bit more common sense: How would it be possible to come to any relevant proof of God if we narrow modern science and its methodology to physical and natural sciences like physics, cosmology or microbiology, and exclude the other knowledge that equally coexists with these disciplines, for instance, formal and information sciences?

Are they less important?

Probably not, as formal sciences are rooted in Logic and provide logic as the ultimate instrument of exploring the Truth in any kind of other scientific discipline.

How rational would it be to apply methodology of physics or microbiology to cognitive or politic sciences? Sure, it's nonsense.

If there is no such thing as a particle of philosophy or linguistics, does it mean that they don't exist?

It's a well-known fact that we live in a dual world of tangible materialistic outer reality and intangible reality of thoughts, feelings, logic and information. So, let's leave the study our brain's cells, neurons and receptors to microbiology, but let's not confuse the brain with the mind as they are different things; and methods of physical sciences with all microscopes and telescopes are useless when dealing with the mysteries of the mind, and it's an easy extension to include the mysteries of the soul and God.

It's like using knives to eat soup and spoons to cut steaks.

By the 21st century science has accumulated enough instruments to successfully deal with any kind of knowledge or problem. Why not apply methods of system and information sciences to the phenomenon of God?

In the sense of understanding the essence of God and proof of God, system-informational approach is far more productive than anything else, as it offers the understanding of God as the ultimate and neutral informational system.

Any proof, including "proof of God" starts with unbiased observation and the collection of data. Then we organize this data using a system approach and mathematical logic. As any proof requires a system, we have to arrange all existing information into the totality of one hierarchical system before we can finally see what is what.

The system-informational approach leads us to an astonishing conclusion that in the world of information and systems in which we live, each system is formed by its own logic, which organizes the elements of the system in a perfect order with the purpose to serve the needs of the creator of that system.

As our Universe is a totality of magnificent hierarchy of endless systems, the God as the Creator of this divine system totality or System Matrix, must be not less than the Absolute Logic or the Absolute Law of Unity, which unites all possible elements of the universe in a perfect order.

Is it there any science-based framework other than system-informational approach that would allow us to conceptualize all existing information into one harmonious totality? No.

Is there any other neutral non-religious way to approach the ideas of God and Truth besides system and information sciences? Unlikely.

Maybe it's time for those who really care for truth to re-consider scientific approaches to the idea of God and move from the physical sciences to a system-informational methods when dealing with non-materialistic reality.

Humankind has enough knowledge and information to finally realize that the proof of God existence is possible and quite simple.

Elena Iam is an author of a new original concept "System Outlook" that unites Religious and Scientific world views and offers clear, logical and non-controversial ideas on what Truth is, what God is, what we are, what to live for and so on. System Outlook reveals ancient metaphysical mysteries in a simple modern form. Do you want to understand the essence of God, love, or the meaning of life? To receive free chapters and learn more, please visit http://systemoutlook.com/

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Biosphere Technology Towards a Better World

Waste is indeed one of the growing problems in the country, has been one of the major cause of dilemmas and tragedies both in the past and up to the present time. To eliminate this, different municipalities have come up with a uniform solution to end this hoarding destitution: landfills; which have been the major cause of land depletion and sicknesses for folks who live nearby.

There are lots of technologies that have been invented in order to be of solution to the growing insolent waste problem. One of the examples is the technology brought by the Japanese people here in our country; where biodegradable waste materials are being processed to become environmental by-products. The main question here is: how about for non-recyclable waste materials?

The Biosphere Technology doesn't exclude non-recyclable materials. It uses all kinds of wastes which serve as fuel for the biosphere process to generate electricity. Biosphere gasification technology is something that we harness in order to build a better world to live in, how: through a zero waste nation campaign.
What is Biosphere Technology?

The biosphere gasification technology or simply called biosphere technology is a kind of green technology that the biosphere machine uses to be able produce electricity. Biosphere technology is a process of turning waste to green energy in a cost effective manner. Biosphere technology is different from the other technologies that diminish waste. I came across also with a kind of green technology invented by the Japanese that transform waste to environmental by-products.

It is also a very good kind of invention but there is a flaw in it, only recyclable waste materials are to be used for the process. The good thing in biosphere technology is that it uses all kinds of waste materials for the process so there are no waste materials left to pack up landfills.

What is the significance of Biosphere Technology?

Biosphere technology uses the process of incineration that burns waste turning it to electricity. Everybody opposes the idea of burning tons of waste materials just to be able to diminish them. The answer is the gasification process. Biosphere gasification process is done in a limited oxygen environment that causes zero atmospheric emission. We all know that fuel price increase is also the number one problem that this world is facing. And for every process concerning technology, fuel is a very much vital source of substance to be used.

Biosphere technology uses a gasification process that uses waste as its fuel thus eliminating the use of overpriced fuel. It is like birds hit with just a single stone. Fuel problem is eliminated, waste is diminished plus a new form of renewable electricity is produced, what else could surpass this kind of technology.

Biosphere Technology is something to glee about. Waste being the number one unsolved problem of our environment doesn't only affect the atmosphere but causes land depletion and fun gutter for the government. As we are all unaware about, to manage a single landfill, a municipality would cost for thousands of funds every day. And for some places that I have stumbled upon, I learned that to haul garbage to a designated landfill in other places it will cost hundreds of thousand for a single day; what a waste!

Biosphere technology is a process that diminishes waste in a cost effective manner turning it to electricity causing zero harm to the environment. It is done in limited oxygen environment therefore eliminating atmospheric emission. Biosphere gasification technology hopes to produce the electricity that will serve as glow to every light bulb of every home.
The innovative gasification process is set to change the world one city at a time. One day, optimistically, the electricity which will be coming from the biosphere machines will serve as glow to every light bulb of every home.

A company needs to be innovative in what they furnish so it may attain the reputation of a business that always provides valuable and beneficial products or services to the people. Being a company inclined to finding real solutions in making this world a better place, Innovation is very meaningful to us, which is why it should be adoptive of the benefit of biosphere technology that is expected to be a breakthrough in green energy while creating a better world to live in hand in hand.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5170631

The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child

Reminiscing about the good old days when we were growing up is a memory trip well worth taking, when trying to understand the issues facing the children of today. A mere 20 years ago, children used to play outside all day, riding bikes, playing sports and building forts. Masters of imaginary games, children of the past created their own form of play that didn't require costly equipment or parental supervision. Children of the past moved... a lot, and their sensory world was nature based and simple. In the past, family time was often spent doing chores, and children had expectations to meet on a daily basis. The dining room table was a central place where families came together to eat and talk about their day, and after dinner became the center for baking, crafts and homework.

Today's families are different. Technology's impact on the 21st century family is fracturing its very foundation, and causing a disintegration of core values that long ago were what held families together. Juggling work, home and community lives, parents now rely heavily on communication, information and transportation technology to make their lives faster and more efficient. Entertainment technology (TV, internet, videogames, iPods) has advanced so rapidly, that families have scarcely noticed the significant impact and changes to their family structure and lifestyles. A 2010 Kaiser Foundation study showed that elementary aged children use on average 8 hours per day of entertainment technology, 75% of these children have TV's in their bedrooms, and 50% of North American homes have the TV on all day. Add emails, cell phones, internet surfing, and chat lines, and we begin to see the pervasive aspects of technology on our home lives and family milieu. Gone is dining room table conversation, replaced by the "big screen" and take out. Children now rely on technology for the majority of their play, grossly limiting challenges to their creativity and imaginations, as well as limiting necessary challenges to their bodies to achieve optimal sensory and motor development. Sedentary bodies bombarded with chaotic sensory stimulation, are resulting in delays in attaining child developmental milestones, with subsequent impact on basic foundation skills for achieving literacy. Hard wired for high speed, today's young are entering school struggling with self regulation and attention skills necessary for learning, eventually becoming significant behavior management problems for teachers in the classroom.

So what is the impact of technology on the developing child? Children's developing sensory and motor systems have biologically not evolved to accommodate this sedentary, yet frenzied and chaotic nature of today's technology. The impact of rapidly advancing technology on the developing child has seen an increase of physical, psychological and behavior disorders that the health and education systems are just beginning to detect, much less understand. Child obesity and diabetes are now national epidemics in both Canada and the US. Diagnoses of ADHD, autism, coordination disorder, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders can be causally linked to technology overuse, and are increasing at an alarming rate. An urgent closer look at the critical factors for meeting developmental milestones, and the subsequent impact of technology on those factors, would assist parents, teachers and health professionals to better understand the complexities of this issue, and help create effective strategies to reduce technology use. The three critical factors for healthy physical and psychological child development are movement, touch and connection to other humans. Movement, touch and connection are forms of essential sensory input that are integral for the eventual development of a child's motor and attachment systems. When movement, touch and connection are deprived, devastating consequences occur.

Young children require 3-4 hours per day of active rough and tumble play to achieve adequate sensory stimulation to their vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile systems for normal development. The critical period for attachment development is 0-7 months, where the infant-parent bond is best facilitated by close contact with the primary parent, and lots of eye contact. These types of sensory inputs ensure normal development of posture, bilateral coordination, optimal arousal states and self regulation necessary for achieving foundation skills for eventual school entry. Infants with low tone, toddlers failing to reach motor milestones, and children who are unable to pay attention or achieve basic foundation skills for literacy, are frequent visitors to pediatric physiotherapy and occupational therapy clinics. The use of safety restraint devices such as infant bucket seats and toddler carrying packs and strollers, have further limited movement, touch and connection, as have TV and videogame overuse. Many of today's parents perceive outdoor play is 'unsafe', further limiting essential developmental components usually attained in outdoor rough and tumble play. Dr. Ashley Montagu, who has extensively studied the developing tactile sensory system, reports that when infants are deprived of human connection and touch, they fail to thrive and many eventually die. Dr. Montagu states that touch deprived infants develop into toddlers who exhibit excessive agitation and anxiety, and may become depressed by early childhood.

As children are connecting more and more to technology, society is seeing a disconnect from themselves, others and nature. As little children develop and form their identities, they often are incapable of discerning whether they are the "killing machine" seen on TV and in videogames, or just a shy and lonely little kid in need of a friend. TV and videogame addiction is causing an irreversible worldwide epidemic of mental and physical health disorders, yet we all find excuses to continue. Where 100 years ago we needed to move to survive, we are now under the assumption we need technology to survive. The catch is that technology is killing what we love the most...connection with other human beings. The critical period for attachment formation is 0 - 7 months of age. Attachment or connection is the formation of a primary bond between the developing infant and parent, and is integral to that developing child's sense of security and safety. Healthy attachment formation results in a happy and calm child. Disruption or neglect of primary attachment results in an anxious and agitated child. Family over use of technology is gravely affecting not only early attachment formation, but also impacting negatively on child psychological and behavioral health.

Further analysis of the impact of technology on the developing child indicates that while the vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile and attachment systems are under stimulated, the visual and auditory sensory systems are in "overload". This sensory imbalance creates huge problems in overall neurological development, as the brain's anatomy, chemistry and pathways become permanently altered and impaired. Young children who are exposed to violence through TV and videogames are in a high state of adrenalin and stress, as the body does not know that what they are watching is not real. Children who overuse technology report persistent body sensations of overall "shaking", increased breathing and heart rate, and a general state of "unease". This can best be described as a persistent hypervigalent sensory system, still "on alert" for the oncoming assault from videogame characters. While the long term effects of this chronic state of stress in the developing child are unknown, we do know that chronic stress in adults results in a weakened immune system and a variety of serious diseases and disorders. Prolonged visual fixation on a fixed distance, two dimensional screen grossly limits ocular development necessary for eventual printing and reading. Consider the difference between visual location on a variety of different shaped and sized objects in the near and far distance (such as practiced in outdoor play), as opposed to looking at a fixed distance glowing screen. This rapid intensity, frequency and duration of visual and auditory stimulation results in a "hard wiring" of the child's sensory system for high speed, with subsequent devastating effects on a child's ability to imagine, attend and focus on academic tasks. Dr. Dimitri Christakis found that each hour of TV watched daily between the ages of 0 and 7 years equated to a 10% increase in attention problems by age seven years.

In 2001 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement recommending that children less than two years of age should not use any technology, yet toddlers 0 to 2 years of age average 2.2 hours of TV per day. The Academy further recommended that children older than two should restrict usage to one hour per day if they have any physical, psychological or behavioral problems, and two hours per day maximum if they don't, yet parents of elementary children are allowing 8 hours per day. France has gone so far as to eliminate all "baby TV" due to the detrimental effects on child development. How can parents continue to live in a world where they know what is bad for their children, yet do nothing to help them? It appears that today's families have been pulled into the "Virtual Reality Dream", where everyone believes that life is something that requires an escape. The immediate gratification received from ongoing use of TV, videogame and internet technology, has replaced the desire for human connection.

It's important to come together as parents, teachers and therapists to help society "wake up" and see the devastating effects technology is having not only on our child's physical, psychological and behavioral health, but also on their ability to learn and sustain personal and family relationships. While technology is a train that will continually move forward, knowledge regarding its detrimental effects, and action taken toward balancing the use of technology with exercise and family time, will work toward sustaining our children, as well as saving our world. While no one can argue the benefits of advanced technology in today's world, connection to these devices may have resulted in a disconnection from what society should value most, children. Rather than hugging, playing, rough housing, and conversing with children, parents are increasingly resorting to providing their children with more videogames, TV's in the car, and the latest iPods and cell phone devices, creating a deep and widening chasm between parent and child.

Cris Rowan, pediatric occupational therapist and child development expert has developed a concept termed 'Balanced Technology Management' (BTM) where parents manage balance between activities children need for growth and success with technology use. Rowan's company Zone'in Programs Inc. http://www.zonein.ca has developed a 'System of Solutions' for addressing technology overuse in children through the creation of Zone'in Products, Workshops, Training and Consultation services.

Cris Rowan is an impassioned occupational therapist who has first-hand understanding and knowledge of how technology can cause profound changes in a child's development, behavior and their ability to learn. Cris has a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and is a SIPT certified sensory integration specialist. Cris is a member in good standing with the BC College of Occupational Therapists, and an approved provider with the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, and Autism Community Training. For the past fifteen years, Cris has specialized in pediatric rehabilitation, working for over a decade in the Sunshine Coast School District in British Columbia.

Cris is CEO of Zone'in Programs Inc. offering products, workshops and training to improve child health and enhance academic performance. Cris designed Zone'in, Move'in, Unplug'in and Live'in educational products for elementary children to address the rise in developmental delays, behavior disorders, and technology overuse. Cris has performed over 200 Foundation Series Workshops on topics such as sensory integration and attention, motor development and literacy, attachment formation and addictions, early intervention, technology overuse, media literacy programs, and school environmental design for the 21st century for teachers, parents and health professionals throughout North America. Cris has recently created Zone'in Training Programs to train other pediatric occupational therapists to deliver these integral workshops in their own community. Cris is an expert reviewer for the Canadian Family Physician Journal, authors the monthly Zone'in Development Series Newsletter and is author of the following initiatives: Unplug - Don't Drug, Creating Sustainable Futures Program, and Linking Corporations to Community. Cris is author of a forthcoming book Disconnect to Reconnect - How to manage balance between activities children need for growth and success with technology use.

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The Elemental Philosophy of Montessori Pre-School Education

In Montessori education, students are active participants in their own learning.

Young students experience and discover the specially created Montessori learning materials at their own pace; growing in self-esteem and cultivating their own desire to learn as they become autonomous learners.

Let's explore the four Major Montessori curriculum areas and take a look at three of the more popular Minor Montessori curriculum areas presented in a carefully created Montessori learning environment:

Math: In Montessori Pre-school, we expose the students to a pre-math foundation which includes the use of concrete, manipulative materials for learning beginning mathematical concepts. The Montessori Math curriculum places an emphasis on the development of spatial and size discrimination as teachers give the children the ability to understand simple and advanced mathematical concepts.

In a carefully created environment, students are then able to use the mathematical concepts they have learned to develop solutions to mathematical problems in a variety of simple and complex contexts.

Language: In a carefully created learning environment, young students develop reading readiness skills for reading and speaking, such as left to right sequencing, auditory perception, visual discrimination, language growth and comprehension. Skilled educators use a phonetic based approach; advancing to whole language and sight words. Within a very short time, young learners are recognizing words, word patterns, patterns of speech and they begin speaking in complete sentences.

Sensorial: Educators recognize that children learn by using all their senses. Montessori education focuses on sensorial exploration. Teachers encourage imitation, initiation, pattern completion, and classification of the relationship between objects.

These practices enable the young learner to engage in a more independent learning experience as they observe, appreciate and interact with their environment.

Everyday Living: This Montessori curriculum area focuses on care of self, care of the environment, grace, peace and courtesy. The children achieve order within themselves, cooperation with others and experience independence while practicing and experiencing daily tasks.

Geography and Cultural Studies: Montessori education places great emphasis on the cultural curriculum. Skilled educators introduce the young children to the whole universe and the connection between every living thing to create harmony in our world.

Learning to accept and appreciate cultural differences is crucial to the development of world peace and a developed sense of inner peace.

Music and Movement: Since movement is intimately connected with learning, the Montessori model of education brings music and movement into the classroom on a daily basis. Songs, rhymes,musical instruments, rhythmic finger play, balance beam practice, yoga and physical expression are just a few of the activities that are used to develop large and small motor skills in children.

Art: Creativity flourishes in an atmosphere of acceptance and trust. By fostering an environment that encourages creative development, Montessori educators are able to introduce materials which stimulate the students' interest and involvement, with an emphasis on the sensory aspects of experience.

For a full explanation of the Montessori theory of pre-school education, please visit the Onsted-Montessori.com [http://www.onsted-montessori.com] website.

If you are interested in becoming a Montessori teacher, please visit our Montessori Teacher Education website at http://www.admtei.org

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Sterile Processing Schools, Education, and Training

A common keyword phrase searched for on the major search engines is "sterile processing schools." You will find some of the schools (mostly career, technical, and community colleges) that will come up in such searches on the CSPI website. Inclusion in the CSPI links section does not indicate endorsement, rather these are placed merely for your convenience (this site aims to be a consolidation of resources on all things SPD).

A few notes about such programs...

1) Though most such programs are "certificate" programs, one is not deemed certified upon completion of these programs. One still must register and apply for either the CBSPD or IAHCSMM exam and pass to achieve certification.

2) Most of these programs cost $1000+.

3) Most of the programs are live, on-campus offerings and therefore one must live near such a program for it to be of any benefit. Virtually no programs are offered with an online option (there are one or two good ones, e.g., the program via Purdue Continuing Education). However, most of the online offerings aren't 100% online.

4) Such training programs (primarily speaking to those looking to break into the field) don't guarantee employment opportunities.

5) Quality control. There is little uniformity in central sterile processing education and as such quality is always a question.

Considering all of the above (particularly affordability, convenience, and quality), it is for this reason that The CSPI is set to launch a completely online, comprehensive SPD courses that are affordable, comprehensive, convenient, and quality products.

The SPD profession has been under served and under valued for far too long. There is a long way to go before it achieves the standing in the professional healthcare community that it deserves-that its professionals deserve.

There are several ways to raise the standing of the profession and both center around education. The first way is for SPD technicians take the initiative for education and personal growth upon themselves and pursue every avenue to increase their knowledge base and thus, subsequently, equip themselves to provide a better quality patient care product.

Secondly, is for perioperative leaders (those of whom to whom SPD reports directly) as well as infection control directors and hospital administrators to recognize the importance of the sterile processing field and department within one's facility and the role of sterile processing in infection control and patient safety. Administrators, those with the most local power to impact the SPD profession (at least at their facility and within their own organizations) should take the time to learn more about the field and department. Sterile processing will then be viewed as a clinical and technical field and less pure service and support arena.

One thing that an administrative team could implement today is to require their HR departments to mandate, for new hires, a minimum of 6 months work experience, professional certification, and at least completion of a minimal course in central sterile.

The profession is changing rapidly and, as the profession changes, how it is viewed by its clinical and technical peers will continue to change as well.

Copyright 2010 by Shane Huey. All rights reserved.

Shane Huey is a certified Sterile Processing professional having managed sterile processing departments at several major, regional trauma facilities. He has sat on 4 AAMI/ANSI committees and is considered an expert on sterilization methodologies and is passionate about improving quality education in sterile processing. To learn more about online sterile processing training and educational opportunities, please visit [http://www.e-sterileprocessing.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4009518