Friday, December 27, 2019

Analysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter - 2029 Words

The Evolution of the A in The Scarlet Letter â€Å"So, in the course of the novel, the ‘A’ seems to encompass the entire range of human beingness, from the earthly and passionate ‘adulteress’ to the pure and spiritual ‘angel,’ taking into account everything in between,† begins Claudia Durst Johnson (128). Many believe the A in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter possesses only one meaning - adulterer; however, Hawthorne imbues the symbolic letter with diverse definitions. In the novel, Hawthorne plainly details three significant changes in the connotation of the A. At first sight, it represents the sin of adultery and ostracizes Hester from society. After the outcast builds a reputation of charity and labor, the A transforms into ‘able’ and highlights the favorable qualities of Hester. Finally, the A appears in the night sky after the death of Governor Winthrop and becomes ‘angel’ to signify his passing. Though the surface text shows a change in the implication of the A, the letter primarily revolves around Hester. Some critics believe other characters develop the interpretation of the A as they come under its influence. In many accounts of semiotic criticism, experts may support this claim unknowingly or actively pursue proof of the characters’ abilities to don their own A’s - either literal or metaphorical - and support the meaning of the classic work. The prime example, Hester Prynne, models the ornate A of ‘adultery’ and ‘able’. In contrast, Arthur Dimmesdale concealsShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 2314 Words   |  10 PagesKatya Flaska American Literature Period 5 10 August 2014 The Scarlet Letter Book Analysis 1. The book is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn. The genre of the novel is historical fiction. 2. The preamble describes how the book came to be written. The narrator was a surveyor of the customhouse in Salem, where he discovered documents he used to write the story. He uncovered a manuscript with a scarlet â€Å"A†, which contained the events recorded by a previous surveyor in the 1600s. When the narratorRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1120 Words   |  5 Pages From the very first chapter, the Scarlet Letter guides readers on a journey that explores the darkness of the human heart and redemption from sin. It is in the Massachusetts Bay Colony that we introduced to a trio of characters interconnected by their sins: an adulteress, a minister and a physician. The adulteress is a woman named Hester Prynne who, as punishment for her transgressions, must wear a scarlet A on chest and is shunned by her community. Yet, Hester s eventual acceptance of herRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1141 Words   |  5 PagesBlake Allison P#1 AP NOVEL FORM 1. Title: The Scarlet Letter 2. Author and date of first publication: Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850 3. List four main characters with a one-sentence description of each. a. Hester Prynne- Hester Prynne, the protagonist and wearer of the scarlet letter, is a very independent, loving, intelligent, and at times depressed woman who is the mother of Pearl. b. Arthur Dimmesdale- Arthur Dimmesdale, the father of Pearl, is a reverend in town who is greatly honored forRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1563 Words   |  7 PagesReading The Scarlet Letter again, I imagine Hester Prynne as she steps out of the Boston jail. She carries her out-of-wedlock baby in her arms but does not hide the A she wears on her breast. Her crime, though it will never be named in the book by more than an initial, is placed on exhibition. Yet she has converted the letter into her own statement by fantastic flourishes of gold embroidery. She is a mystery beyond the reach not only of her fellow Bostonians but also of the readerRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1628 Words   |  7 PagesThe book, The Scarlet Letter, is about the struggle three people face while trying to live their lives and find happiness. In the early 1640s, Hester has come to the small town of Boston, Massachusetts, while her husband, Chillingworth, w as back in Great Britain. Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale, the town s priest, engage in the act of adultery and have a baby girl named Pearl, though only Hester knows that Dimmesdale is the father. She has promised Dimmesdale not to give up his identity. HesterRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1404 Words   |  6 Pageswhere the scarlet letter, A, is an extended metaphor that symbolizes a multitude of things: adultery, sin, charity, righteousness, grace, and the danger of merely thinking symbolically. It also compares and contrasts the current states of Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Arthur Chillingworth. With this, it has a logical progression to the book’s ultimate conclusion. This section can be done in a bulleted format with brief (2-3 sentences) summaries by chapter if that works for the book. Chapter 1:Read MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1143 Words   |  5 PagesIn the book,The Scarlet Letter, there are many questions that grab the reader’s attention. One of the most intriguing and thought ­provoking question is, â€Å"Is Hester Prynne a good mother and should she be allowed to keep Pearl?† This question does not have a simple yes or no answer, the reader must take into account many things the author mentions in the book. However, after careful consideration, one might find that Hester is not, in fact, a good mother, but should be allowed to keep Pearl. ThereRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1184 Words   |  5 PagesAs I began my summer reading assignment I wasn’t too amused at the beginning chapters of the â€Å"Scarlet Letter,† With Hawthorne throwing around words like â€Å"quietude† I wasn’t sure if it was truly the difference in his old English speech, or if he was tossing in obscure words just to send people looking through their dictionaries to find out if he had, in fact, made the word up, or not. But, as I delved deeper into Hawthorn’s work I found a brilliant story with some of the richest charactersRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter Essay1022 Words   |  5 Pagesand women was even more prominent and obvious during the antebellum era. In The Scarlet Letter By Nathanial Hawthorne there was Hester Prynne and in The Two Offers By Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, there was Janette Alston. Both of these women, rose above the rest, through adversity, hardship, and against all odds still came out on top, even during a time period that didn’t appreciate a strong woman. In â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, Hester Prynne, was thrown in jail and forced to wear a symbol of her sin andRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Scarlet Letter 1961 Words   |  8 PagesVital to the â€Å"A† The Scarlet Letter is a book complete of secrets and deceptions. The book teaches you about the difference about telling the truth or keeping it a secret. It shows you the challenges of both telling the truth and keeping a secret from everyone. There are many vital scenes throughout the book. With many of the scenes, if they weren’t in the book it would have had a completely different ending. The Scarlet Letter is a book full of eventful scenes that keep the book both exciting and interesting

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Social Media And Political Rap - 1844 Words

As circumstances of social inequalities are becoming more prominent in the social media and news sources, the appearance of political rap is also becoming more prevalent. It’s very common to hear rappers rap about their struggles and injustices, not only with present day artists but also older groups. For example, N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, Public Enemy, and Nas, who were popular in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s, were known for their politically charged music and critiques of the American media. Present day artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Joey Bada$$, keep this type of music alive and continue to address inequalities. The ultimate goal of this type of music is to bring attention to the actions and policies of the government as well†¦show more content†¦If rap music appears to be excessively violent when compared to country-western or popular rock, it is because rap stems from a culture that has been seeped in the fight against political, social, a nd economic oppression. Despite the theatrics sometimes put on for major-label albums, for many artists, rapping about guns and gang life is a reflection of daily life in racially- and economically-stratified inner-city ghettos. Blanchard, author of a Stanford article titled â€Å"The Social Significance of Rap and Hip-Hop Culture† argues that violence in rap is not an affective agent that threatens to harm America s youth; rather, it is the outcry of an already-existing problem from youth whose world views have been shaped by experiencing deep economic inequalities divided largely along racial lines. However, a study conducted by Brad J. Bushman, PhD and L. Rowell Huesmann, PhD, show that violent media, including music, have short-term and long-term effects on both children and adults where the long-term effects were greater for children. These children showed heightened aggressive behavior and the tendency to respond to stimuli in a violent way. Growing up in a violent env ironment will of course have an affect on an individual, but this isn’t an excuse to not look at the effects the explicit music is adding to increase behavioral change and susceptibility to promiscuous and dangerous behaviors (Senate Committee). We may not see the initial influence explicitShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling And The Inner City1605 Words   |  7 Pagesintentioned, but when emphasis is placed on social and personal choice instead of racism as a political force that restricts choice, victim blaming prevents problem solving† (â€Å"Where ya at?† 318). We can surmise, then, that Obama’s image is directly related to the notion of the â€Å"post-racial† through his failure to explicitly discuss racism, which in turn, affects how notions of race and raciality are conceived and discussed in the American socio-political landscape as a whole; in contrast, hip hopRead MoreRap Culture s Influence On Politics And Society1276 Words   |  6 PagesRap Culture’s Influence on Politics and Society Introduction Determined by historically oppressive conditions, black Americans have been facing struggles of communicating with the society. Tracing back to last century, slavery practiced the black community to maintain illiterate, giving them very few opportunities to communicate in any form other than oral tradition of communication. After the Harlem Renaissance in the early 20th century, the black community gained back its voice and the right toRead MoreHip Hop And Rap Hop901 Words   |  4 PagesThe genre that I am going to select is Hip Hop/Rap. The 5 top ten from the 80s are The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Self-Destruction by KRS-One and the Stop the Violence Movement, Push It by Salt-N-Pepa, I’m Bad by LL Cool J, Fight The Power by Public Enemy, Straight Out Of Compton by NWA. The 5 top ten from 2015 are Know Yourself by Drake, Trap Queen by Fetty Wap, Alright by Kendrick Lamar, Blessings by Big Sean Featuring Drake, and Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj feat uringRead MoreThe Pulse Of The People1245 Words   |  5 Pagesfinally in 2009 received her doctoral degree at Ohio State University in the Political Science. While she attended Winthrop University she was the youngest to be awarded for Pat on the Back Volunteer state-wide. And she became a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority while in college (Georgia State University). Dr. Bonnette research is based upon pop culture, political behavior, black women and politics, political attitudes, African-American politics and public opinion (Georgia State University)Read MoreThe Golden Era Of Hip Hop Was A Period In The 80S And Early1014 Words   |  5 PagesJamaican-born Kool DJ Herc (Blanchard, B, 1999). He used a turntable technique at a Halloween party, which eventually became extremely popular at every party scene. The term â€Å"breakdancing† came to life shortly after. Rhymes over hip hop music, also known as rap, began first as a commentary of the ability of the DJ. MCs introduced DJs and their songs. This rhythmic music produced by DJs at parties combined with an increase of break dancers, graffiti artists, and importance of MCs, created what we know todayRead MoreGil Scott Heron Essay1407 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Gil Scott Heron BHSECQ - Rahat Today, rap music is an ever growing genre of music that is often centered on hedonistic pursuits such as wealth, cars, drinks, and fame. About forty years ago, however, rap music focused on an entirely different subject matter. During the 1970s, African Americans sung rap songs to express the need for Black empowerment in society; though their form of singing was not called rapping back then, it was called spoken word poetry, a form of song in which verses of poetryRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Music On The Youth Culture1316 Words   |  6 Pagesis valued, and how the music and its lyrics are interpreted. Changing Images of Violence Rap music lyrics: 1979-1997 Hip- hop has both a negative and positive impact on African American lives. Over the past three decades, Hip-hop has arisen as a cultural and artistic aspect, influencing youth culture around the world. Hip-hop echo’s the social, economic, political, and culture matter and conditions for many youth lives. In slavery times music was used as a symbol of communicationRead MoreWith The Recent Election Being Highly Controversial And1378 Words   |  6 Pagesinclement political climate. While the United States continues to face social and political issues rap music and its artist have been a source to document the oppression that is still occurring within the country. Documenting racism and oppression by using politically charged lyrics is a method the rap community is particularly familiar. As time went on rap artists began to become more politically informed and began to shine through their lyrics to become sources to start a national dialogue. Rap artistsRead MoreConfli cting Paradigms On Gender And Sexuality1453 Words   |  6 PagesSalerno SYG 1000 September 30th, 2016 Conflicting Paradigms on Gender and Sexuality in Rap Music: Review Introduction: The article I am researching and analyzing is â€Å"Conflicting Paradigms on Gender and Sexuality in Rap Music: A Systematic Review† written by Denise Herd. This article was published in the academic journal â€Å"Sexuality and Culture†, on July 1st, 2000. This article is centered around rap music with its social and cultural significance for youth audiences, all around the world and how it playsRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Rap Music In Modern Music And Pop Culture1007 Words   |  5 PagesWeapon). Rap music has been a staple in modern day music and pop culture since its beginning in the 1970’s in the South Bronx area of New York. Rap started as an underground movement started by many artists and DJ’s (or disc jockeys). It started as a form of expressing oneself and discussing many social and political issues through music. But now in the 21st century, rap has changed dramatically to where the meaning of rap is almost entirely forgotten and squander s to a whole new low. Hip-Hop/Rap of this

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Economics for Inequality and Optimal Income -myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theEconomics for Inequality and Optimal Nonlinear Income. Answer: The maximin criterion for income distribution states that the income distribution will be optimal in the society if the utility of the lowest utility individual or the individual who is worse off in the society is maximized. This means that this theoretical framework advocates the increase in he welfare of the member who is least well-off. According to this framework there should be complete equality and departures should only take place if it increases the welfare of the least well-off member (Bosmans and Ooghe 2013). However, as this criterion justifies the policies, which advocates equal distribution of income and believes in transferring income from rich to poor in order to achieve its goal of welfare maximization, it leads to distortions from the actual egalitarian concept. In presence of completely equal distribution of income, the workers who are more efficient and are more productive will lose incentive to work hard as they do not earn any extra privilege. This will in turn decrease the total productivity, which will reduce the welfare of the least well off members even more. The maximin criterion, unlike this, allows disparities as that can help in improving the welfare of the poor (Kanbur and Tuomala 2013). However, this construct can lead to distorted outcomes of denial of ethical validity and decrease in the welfare of majority to increase the welfare of a few because the maximin criterion specifically targets the well-being of the socially worse off person. The government of a country usually indulges in borrowing money for expenditures when the total collection of tax is less than the total expenditures of the government. In such situations, when the tax collection is low, deficit financing becomes a crucial way on part of the government in order to manage its expenses such that the provisions of the public goods and services are not compromised (Imam 2012). If Federal Government borrows money to finance its expenditures, then this might have several implications on the economy as a whole. The primary implication on the economy is the rise in the overall price level due to the rise in the aggregate demand which is facilitated by the increase in the government expenditure. However, this also has a positive effect on the employment as it increases with the increase in the aggregate demand. However, uncontrolled usage of this type of borrowing on part of the government can lead to an upward pressure on the inflationary statistics, which in turn can be hurting for the economy as a whole (Anderson 2012). As a central planner, it is of immense importance to choose the appropriate social welfare function as while doing so the overall welfare of the society as a whole as well as the individual welfare of each of its members has to be taken into consideration. The additive social welfare functions target the maximization of the welfare of the overall society (Sen 2014). However, it fails to take into consideration how well of the members in each strata of the society are and does not reflect the dynamics in inequality prevailing in the society. The maximin social welfare function on the other hand, targets to maximize the welfare of the lowest privileged class but on the other hand is not completely egalitarian in nature, thereby having provisions of incentives to work hard. Therefore, as a planner it will be more optimal to select the later over the former, as the function which maximized the welfare of the least privileged automatically is expected to increase the overall societal welf are (Asheim, Mitra and Tungodden 2016). The free market equilibrium occurs at the point where the Marginal Social Benefit is equal to the Marginal Private Cost: MSB = 15 P/2 and MPC = (2/5)P -2 Therefore, 15 P/2 = (2/5)P 2 From this it can be seen that P = 18.89 Putting the value of P in MSB: Q = 15 9.4 Q = 5.6 Therefore, the equilibrium price of wig is 18.89 and equilibrium quantity is 5.6. For socially optimal level, the marginal social benefit should be equal to marginal social cost: MSC = MPC + Marginal Damage MSC = 2P/5 2 + P MSC = 7P/5 5/2 At the social equilibrium, MSC = MSB 7P/5 5/2 = 15 P/2 19P = 350/2 = 175 P = 9.2 Quantity = 15 (9.2/2) = 15 4.6 = 10.4 Quantity = 10.4 (Cordato 2013) Here, as the social optimal level of output is higher than the equilibrium level, so the output has to be increased and the price is decreasing in the social optimal level. So, the government needs to give subsidy of amount (18.89 9.20) = 9.69 per unit to the producer. Public good, by nature are non rival (that is the marginal cost of consumption of the good by another person is zero) and non excludable (that is no one cannot be denied access for consuming the same). Given this characteristics, the public goods give rise to the problem of free rider, that is, the people who are not paying for the goods tend to take the advantages and cannot be stopped (Sharma and Teneketzis 2012). Due to this the private sector tends to under-provide the public goods, thereby not meeting the social demand. In this case the only way out which remains is the provision of the good by the government. Though this kind of provision leads to crowding out and free riding problems, but public goods being welfare augmenting ones, the provision of these goods by the government leads to a more equitable distribution. However, if left in the hands of the private sector, the production can be efficient in terms of production but the efficient level of production may not be equal to the demand for the public goods in the society (Hindriks and Myles 2013). Higher education, if not subsidized, becomes too costly for the poor to afford. In such scenarios it become a service whose advantage can only be enjoyed by the richer class. Therefore, higher education, theoretically, should be subsidized by the government to make it available for people of all strata of the society. However, this might imply a considerable burden on part of the government, but in the long run it is expected to benefit the economy as a whole due to bigger provision of higher education and development of skill and human capital (Burkhead and Miner 2016). When the discount rate is 0%, the PV of project one is $90 and that of project two is $100. Therefore, the second project is preferred in this case. However, when the discount rate is 4%, the PV of project one is $90. But, the PV of project two is = 100/(1 + 0.04)2 = 100/1.0816 = 92.45 Therefore, the PV for project two is $92.45. Therefore, in this case also project two will be preferred. The cost benefit approach is an analytical tool which helps in assessing the cost of undertaking a project and the benefits which are expected to be accrured from the same. The method in which it works helps in achieving efficiency for the society. However, there are equity issues regarding this mode of analysis. In general, the cost benefit analysis deos not take into account the equity issues as it concerns with the calculation of costs and benefit in cardinal sense and does not take into consideration the external utilities or disutilities which cannot be cardinally measured per se. However, if the costs and benefits, including those which are not accounted for, can also be taken into account, then the equity issues can also be addressed with the help of this analytical tool (Nas 2016). References Anderson, B.M., 2012.Economics and the public welfare. Liberty Fund. Asheim, G.B., Mitra, T. and Tungodden, B., 2016. Sustainable recursive social welfare functions. InThe Economics of the Global Environment(pp. 165-190). Springer International Publishing. Bosmans, K. and Ooghe, E., 2013. A characterization of maximin.Economic Theory Bulletin,1(2), pp.151-156. Burkhead, J. and Miner, J., 2016.Public expenditure. Springer. Cordato, R., 2013.Welfare economics and externalities in an open ended universe: A Modern Austrian Perspective. Springer Science Business Media. Hindriks, J. and Myles, G.D., 2013.Intermediate public economics. MIT press. Imam, I., 2012. Deficit financing and its implication on private sector investment: The Nigerian experience.Oman Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review,1(10), pp.45-62. Kanbur, R. and Tuomala, M., 2013. Relativity, inequality, and optimal nonlinear income taxation.International Economic Review,54(4), pp.1199-1217. Nas, T.F., 2016.Cost-benefit analysis: Theory and application. Lexington Books. Sen, A.K., 2014.Collective choice and social welfare(Vol. 11). Elsevier. Sharma, S. and Teneketzis, D., 2012. Local public good provisioning in networks: A Nash implementation mechanism.IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications,30(11), pp.2105-2116.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The Alternative Learning System Research Paper Example

The Alternative Learning System Paper Overview: Historical Context of ALS As always, it is best to trace the source of an educational system such as the ALS to the basic and fundamental law of the land. The Philippine Constitution provides for free and compulsory elementary education and free secondary education through the Department of Education (DepEd). This means that all Filipinos have a constitutional right to basic education, and the DepEd is mandated to provide this service to all Filipinos. In the 80’s, the global community launched a campaign called Education for All (EFA) that aimed to eradicate illiteracy and promote functional literacy for all people of the world. Our nation was a signatory to this and as such, committed to providing education for all Filipinos ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM is a parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to the existing formal education. It encompasses both the non formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills. In summary, we say: Basic Education = early childhood education (kindergarten) and elementary education (Grades 1-6) and secondary education (1st-4th year) and ALS (for out- -of- school age children, youth adults and those with special needs). Alternative Learning System = Non Formal Education (NFE) and Informal Education (IEd) A. EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 356: RENAMING THE BEREAU OF NON FORMAL EDUCATION (BNFE) THE BEREAU OF ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM (BALS) On September 13, 2004, the office of the President of the Republic of the We will write a custom essay sample on The Alternative Learning System specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Alternative Learning System specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Alternative Learning System specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Philippines renamed the DepEd’s Bureau of Non Formal Education the Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) through this Executive Order signed by Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The order directs BALS to provide a systematic and flexible approach to reach all types of learners outside the school system. THIS MEANS THAT by the virtue of this Executive Order, the BALS has given the authority to guide the development of the country’s ALS. Functions of BALS to address the learning needs of all marginalized groups including the deprived, depressed and underserved citizens †¢to coordinate with various agencies for skills development of the learners †¢to expand access to educational opportunities for citizens of different interests, capabilities, demographic characteristics and socio-economic origins and status †¢to promote certification and accreditation for basic education of alternative learning programs both non formal and informal in nature B. EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) PLAN by 2015 In 2004, the Philippine government once again committed to participate in the global campaign for Education for All by the year 2015. In this plan, one of the major goals is â€Å"transforming all nonformal and informal education intervention into an ALS to yield more EFA benefits†. This means that the goal is to have in place a credible ALS (consisting of NFE and informal Education) that shall increase functional literacy among the marginalized groups of learners. To this end, certain tasks will need to be undertaken, namely. . Develop and strengthen the DepEd’s BALS and mandate it to serve as the government agency to guide the development of the country’s ALS. 2. Make available public funds for ALS programs of GOs and NGOs subject to the guidelines of BALS. 3. Build and develop a constituency for ALS development. 4. Conduct research and studies to test cost-effective options for delivering quality ALS. 5. Undertake an inventory of available resources in localit ies for literacy interventions outside schools. 6. Ensure a vigorous and credible system for reliably assessing, measuring, validating and communicating competencies acquired through NFE and informal education. In summary, the EFA Plan for 2015 prescribes urgent tasks that will guide the Department of Education in fulfilling the spirit of RA 9155 and EO 356 and ultimately the vision of the Philippine Constitution. It embodies the various programs, projects and direction to achieve the goal of quality ALS for Filipino learners. THE ALS and FORMAL EDUCATION The Two Paths to basic Education Take a look at the figure above. It shows two (2) roads both leading towards the attainment of basic education. One road is marked â€Å"formal education† and it makes use of schools. The other road is marked â€Å"ALS† and it makes use of community learning centers for out-of-school youth and adults and these centers may be a barangay hall, a church, a factory, etc. Notice, too, the travelers in the â€Å"formal education† road and those in the â€Å"ALS† road. In the former, they are young; in the latter, they are both young and old. This illustration suggests that the Filipino can choose to take any of the two (2) roads to acquire basic education. Further, it suggests that the â€Å"ALS† road is open to anyone regardless of age. What is important too is that one may attain basic education even without entering the school system. Because this is a very simple illustration, it does not explain the other important features of ALS. Consequently, a conceptual framework on the relationship between formal education and the ALS is hereby presented. The discussion that follows Figure 2 also explains those theoretical aspects that Figure 1 cannot provide. MAJOR ASPECTS OF COMPARISON Learning Program It shows the learning programs of formal education and those of the ALS. Specifically, formal basic education consists of elementary education which covers Grades 1 to 6 and secondary education which covers 4 year levels. This ALS program on the other hand consists of the Basic Literacy Program which is a program for the illiterates on the basic reading, writing and numeracy skills, and the accreditation Equivalency Program (AE) which is equivalent to the elementary and high school programs of formal education and which address the learning needs of school dropouts or those who have not completed 10 years of schooling as mandated by the Philippine Constitution. SETTING It presents the setting where learning takes place. In the formal school system teaching- learning is conducted primarily in the school. On the other hand, teaching- learning in the ALS occurs in the community learning centers (CLC) which may either be a barangay hall, church, factory, a reading center, or the home. Generally, the learners meet in the CLCs as a group according to an agreement they themselves have set with the facilitator or instructional manager. The rest of the time, learners take home their learning materials to study at their own time. TEACHER In formal education, the teacher is called a classroom teacher who is a professional i. e. licensed to teach (having passed the Licensure Exam for Teachers). The classroom teacher must be a college graduate with degree of either BSEd or BEED. In ALS, the teacher of the Basic Literacy Program is called a facilitator who may be a high school graduate at the very least but must have undergone training as a facilitator. On the other hand, the teacher in the AE Program must be at least a college graduate though not necessarily an Education major but must have undergone training in ALS. AGE OF LEARNER It compares the age of learners in both the formal and ALS System. In formal education, the age of the learner is prescribed. Thus, age of entry in Grade 1, is 6-years and the exit age at 4th year high school is 15 years. On the other hand, there is no age prescribed for learners in the ALS. Oftentimes, learners in the basic Literacy Program are adults, while learners in the AE Program are youth and adults 16 years old and over. CURRICULUM Formal education has the basic education Curriculum (BEC) while the ALS has the ALS curriculum. The learning competencies of both curricula are parallel and comparable although subject matter or content may differ. This means that both curricula are meant to develop competencies that are equivalent in nature. While the BEC curriculum has 5 major subjects English, Science, Math, Filipino, and Makabayan, the ALS curriculum has learning strands which are lifeskills- oriented rather than subject- oriented. The 5 learning strands are the following: -Communication Skills -Development of Self and A Sense of Community -Critical Thinking and Problem Solving -Expanding One’s World Vision Sustainable Use of Resources/Productivity LEARNING MATERIALS It compares the learning materials that are generally used as the main tools for learning in the two systems of learning. Formal education generally makes use textbooks which normally require teachers to facilitate their use. The ALS meanwhile, generally makes use of printed modules which may be used by learners with or without the aid o f a teacher since the materials are designed as self- instructional and therefore self-paced. Also, since the subject matter is not compartmentalized according to subject areas, the modules are said to be integrated. TEACHING METHODOLOGY One of the basic characteristics that differentiates formal education and ALS the teaching methodology. Figure 9 shows that formal education utilizes the principles of pedagogy or the science of learning among children while the ASL utilizes the principles of andragogy, the science of adult learning. Formal education generally makes use of end-of-school year achievement tests for all learning levels in grade 1 to 4th year High School. The ALS generally makes use of end-of-program tests which may be given at any time that a learner completes the program. For the Basic Literacy level, this test is called the Assessment of Basic Literacy (ABL Test) and it measures basic reading, writing and numeracy skills. For the A and E test, the elementary level learner takes the A and E Elementary level test and the secondary level learner takes the A and E Secondary level test. In both cases, the tests measure functional literacy competencies such as the following: 1. communicate effectively 2. solve problems scientifically, creatively and think critically 3. use resources sustain ably and be productive 4. develop oneself and a sense of community 5. expand one’s world view