Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Compare the methods of mentoring described by Dancer (2003). Which Essay

Compare the methods of mentoring described by Dancer (2003). Which method do you consider to be more effective - Essay Example 24), comprising of three stages. On the other hand, the Five C Model has five stages somehow similarly patterned after the former model. Both models are flexible and allow the mentee to act by himself or herself with the mentor’s guidance. However, the Five C model is said to be simpler, probably because it could be applicable in more specific problems, compared to the generality of the Skilled helper model. Personally speaking, the Five C model is seen to be more effective than the Skilled Helper Model. The former is simpler to use and works in a cyclic manner. The mentee, with the mentor’s guidance, will easily go back to the challenges stage once his or her plans encounter lapses that would not achieve future goals. In the latter model, however, stages are overlapping and tend to be broad in structure compared to the other, even in the presence of a mentor. Although the Five C model is seen to be more efficient, the choice of using which model would depend on what is suitable to the mentee or situation. References Dancer, J. (2003). Mentoring in healthcare: theory in search of practice? Clinician in Management, 12, 12-31. Gopee, N. (2008). Mentoring and supervision in healthcare. Thousand oaks, CA: Sage.

Monday, October 28, 2019

An editorial about the writings of Ida B. Wells Essay Example for Free

An editorial about the writings of Ida B. Wells Essay Ida B. Wells wrote the three pamphlets Southern Horrors (1892), A Red Record (1895), and Mob Rule in New Orleans (1900) as an attempt to publicize the atrocities being committed against African Americans in the New South. These writings are important today, not because lynching of African Americans occurs with any regularity, but because they are accounts contemporary with the events they detail and because the pamphlets illustrate the dangers of: mob rule, justifying immoral acts by claiming to have a moral purpose, and the tendency of people everywhere to strike out against anything new or different with violence. This message is even more relevant today when the current president is so willing to suspend the rights of others so that the people of America can be safe. The fear of one group of people who mistrust another group should never result in suspension of rights of another. Just like the eroding of the rights of African Americans during the time when Wells was writing, the suspension of rights of people who look as if they are or might be terrorists in the current world is wrong and should not be tolerated. Ida B. Wells wrote with two purposes in mind: one was educational, the other was to publicize the atrocities committed in the New South with the hope of eliciting reaction from people who would then help bring an end to Lynch Law and other injustices committed against African Americans. Wells wanted to educate those people who were unfamiliar with the New South regarding the violence and double standards far to common in the South. Wells wrote to tell the facts about lynchings in the South so that people would no longer believe lynching was a response to an egregious crime. She sought to recast lynching in the public eye so that it was not perceived as an understandable though unpleasant response to heinous acts, but as itself a crime against American values (Wells 27). According to Wells the perception that all white women were pure and uninterested in have African Americans as husbands is untrue, there are many white women in the Sought who would marry colored men if such an act would not place them at once beyond the pale of society and within the clutches of the law (Wells 53). At the same time laws forbade African American men and white women from commingling, Wells points out they leave the white man free to seduce all the colored girls he can (Wells 53). Although Wells writing centers on lynching because of alleged rape she makes an important point when she cautions that a concession of the right to lynch a man for any crime, . . . concedes the right to lynch any person for any crime, . . . (Wells 61). Wells also wanted to call citizens of the North, government officials and people in Great Britain to act to end lynch law. She urged them employ boycott, emigration and the press . . . to stamp out lynch law . . . (Wells 72). Ida B. Wells wrote to three different audiences. To those people living in the New South Wells wrote not so much about horrific events that occurred, but about the justifications they used to excuse their behavior. As mentioned above, she wrote of the double standard between the races and of the potential danger of expanding lynching to suit the whims and fancies of any mob at any time. To those Americans living outside the South Wells wrote to shock them with the descriptions of the horrid events, to educate them about how African Americans were still being treated despite the Civil War and despite the Constitutional Amendments guaranteeing rights to African Americans. Wells writes to the people of the North to show them that all is not well in the South and that the advances made in the past were being pushed aside. In her first pamphlet, Southern Horrors, Wells wrote about the existing injustices and ongoing terrorist acts performed against African Americans. To the rest of the world, particularly Great Britain, Wells wrote A Red Record she respectfully submitted [this pamphlet] to the Nineteenth Century civilization in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave (Wells title page). This pamphlet recounts the numbers and details of more than four hundred lynchings occurring in the United States against African Americans. Wells hoped to appeal to the sensibilities of British people who were potential investors in the South so they would invest elsewhere the appeal to the white mans pocket has ever been more effectual than all the appeals ever made to his conscience. To those in power in the United States Wells wrote Mob Rule in New Orleans to those in power in hopes of their bringing to an end to authorities who allow, and at times encourage mobs to act. Although it is difficult to quantify what the actual affects of Wells writing were, it is clear that during the next century, the groups she wrote for did make great strides toward establishing equality and eliminating injustices based on race. It is not unreasonable to suggest that Wells writing had a hand in starting this process. Wells writings are certainly among the earliest of Post-reconstruction writing to reintroduce the difficulties of African American lives, but they were not the last. It is likely that her writing influenced and encouraged others to continue the work Wells began. As I read through the accounts of these horrible, disgusting lynchings I felt saddened and depressed. Clearly there were many injustices committed and many were people hurt, imprisoned, or killed. Some of these are particularly gruesome such as Chapter III of A Red Record, Lynching Imbeciles: An Arkansas Butchery where Henry Smith was tortured and burned at the stake (Wells 88-98). According to figures gathered by the NAACP (an organization with Wells as one of the founding members) there were 3,318 African Americans killed by lynching between 1892 and 1931. Certainly one cannot dismiss or excuse these egregious acts in any fashion. However I was not particularly surprised or shocked by these events. Perhaps it is because I live in a world where the Jewish Holocaust of World War II is well known, a world where a country, Cambodia, went mad, and slaughtered between 1. 5 and 3 million of 7 million its own citizens. Perhaps it is because I live in a world where the recent genocides in Rwanda and Somalia were largely unknown until made into a wide screen blockbuster movie. Perhaps it is because of the 9/11 attacks (coincidentally the number killed on 9/11 and the number of dead American soldiers in Iraq are remarkably similar to the 3300+ listed in the NAACPs figures). For whatever reason, I find myself somewhat inured against these accounts. I am not sure whether this reveals more about me or about the society I live in, but I cannot help but wonder if Ida B. Wells were writing today would there be any impact at all.Perhaps not: mores the pity. Works Cited Wells, Ida B. Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells, 1892-1900. Ed. with intro Jacqueline Jones Royster. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Financial Performance Benchmarking in the Electricity Distribution Indu

A Review of Research Literature Results on Financial Performance Benchmarking in the Electricity Distribution Industry Introduction Since the late 1980s, there has been significant regulatory reform in the electricity transmission and distribution industries in many countries. Under traditional cost-of-service rate regulation, companies recover their costs under a regulated rate of return, which may provide little incentive to minimize costs. Alternatively, incentive or performance based regimes are designed to incent productive efficiency by compensating the company for achieving costs savings. Joskow [1] and Joskow and Schlalensee [2] discuss a number of economic regulatory models have been proposed in the literature. According to Jamasb and Pollitt [3], incentive regulation usually involves some form of benchmarking or comparison of actual versus some reference level of performance. We will review the literature results on benchmarking methods for electricity distributors. Jamasb and Pollitt [3] published the results of an international survey on the use of benchmarking in incentive regulation of electricity transmission and distribution utilities. Farsi et al. [4] provide a summary of benchmarking methods used in regulation in several countries. Both of these survey papers cite Corrected Ordinary Least Squares (COLS), Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) as methods commonly employed in electricity distribution benchmarking. After briefly describing several models of incentive regulation, we compare the literature results presented in each survey paper ( [3], [4] ) with respect to the techniques mentioned above (COLS, DEA, and SFA). We then present addition results from the literature on th... ...-specific efficiency levels in parametric, semi-parametric and non-parametric settings. Sickles, R. 2005, Journal of Econometrics, Vol. 126, pp. 305-334. 30. Estimation of technical inefficiiency in panel data models with firm and time specific effects. Kumbhakar, S.C. 1991, Economics Letters, Vol. 36, pp. 43-48. 31. Panel estimates of a two tiered earnings frontier. Polachek, S. and Yoon, B. 1996, Journal of Applied Econometrics, Vol. 11, pp. 169-178. 32. Reconsidering heterogeneity in panel data estimators of the stochastic frontier model. Greene, W.H. 2005, Journal of Econometrics, Vol. 126, pp. 269-303. 33. Kuosmanen, T. Stochastic semi-nonparametric efficiency analysis of electricity distribution networks: application of the StoNED method in the Finnish regulatory model. Aalto University School of Economics. s.l. : Social Science Research Network, 2011.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Power of the Mind Revealed in Albert Camus The Guest Essay -- Albert

Power of the Mind Revealed in Albert Camus' â€Å"The Guest† In â€Å"The Guest†, a short story written by Albert Camus, Camus uses his views on existentialism to define the characters’ values. Camus’ effective use of descriptive words and individual thoughts and actions allows the reader to understand and sympathize with the characters’ judgments of one another, predominantly pertaining to the characters Daru and the Arab. Daru’s responses to the Arab and his decisions, Camus’ description of the Arab, and the Arab’s respect for Daru, prove that there is a basic goodness in humans, allowing them to accept responsibility and consequences for their acts of free will. In â€Å"The Guest†, Daru forms his own opinion about the Arab based on his personal morals, even though the Arab is given qualities that brand him a problematic character. Camus uses intensely descriptive words to describe the Arab’s stinging appearance. â€Å"†¦the whole face had a restless and rebellious look that struck Daru when the Arab, turning his face toward him, looked him straight in the eyes† (318). Even with these seemingl...

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Best Practices Guide for Multi-Disciplinary Teams Essay

Schools across the US are beginning to open-up classrooms, teachers are finding that they are no longer working alone or exclusively with members of their own profession. But with parent, Paraprofessionals, nurses, learning support staff, educational psychologists, social workers, and even community leaders and volunteers. This type of collaboration is called multidisciplinary teams, in its simplest terms this means members of different professions working together. Each member of a multidisciplinary team has an essential function and has valuable contribution to make in the identifying learning goals for the student, as well as the delivery of these goals across all areas from curriculum to learning opportunities and even the students extracurricular activities. Members of this team are also able to support the child at home to ensure that there is success between home and school. The success of the student depends on a strong home/school relationship; therefore, parents are strongly encouraged to participate. Each member of the team has specific qualification and duties: Local education agency (LEA) A representative qualified to supervise the needs of the student, someone who is knowledgeable of the general curriculum, is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the public agency, and has the authority to commit agency resources. Family Not only is emphasis upon parental participation ethically proper and legally required, but â€Å"parental involvement has been associated with higher grades, positive behaviors and attitudes, reduced absenteeism, and increased study habits† (Lawrence & Heller, 2001). Related staff and services This group of people can vary depending on the student or issue being evaluated. Most commonly you will have a school psychologist who may be responsible for completing an assessment of the student, analyzing and interpreting assessment data and conduct follow-up observations to determine the success of modifications put in place to aid the student. Other related personnel can include: †¢ Speech-language therapists †¢ Occupational therapists †¢ Physical therapists †¢ Vision specialists †¢ Medical personnel, such as nurses and dietitians †¢ Social workers †¢ Counselors and mental health personnel †¢ Adaptive physical education teachers †¢ Vocational specialists †¢ others Administrators A school administrator, principal or assistant principal is an essential member of the team. Because the administrator should be aware of specific resources and expertise within the school In addition, administrators are qualified to supervise the program and can commit necessary resources. The administrator usually works with LEA’s. Regular education teachers The regular education teacher and the special education teacher more than likely have shared and equal responsibilities to all students in the classroom. Usually, the regular education teacher’s role is ultimately in charge of instruction in the classroom. The teacher is also the line of communication between the school and home, keeping the parents informed about the student’s achievement and grades and educational programs. Special education teachers The special educator’s role is that of individualizing, diagnosing, and modifying curriculum. In an inclusive classroom the special education teacher would provide assessment and instructional planning in the mainstream setting, conduct remediation and tutorial and team teach. Team teaching arrangements were used in the 1960s (Stainback, S. & Stainback, W., 1996) in an attempt to reach a wider range of children with diverse learning needs, particularly those at risk. Identification and Placement Procedures One of the most significant and complicated parts of a special education program is identifying eligible students, this is because the criteria for verifying a disability can be subjective and subject to change. Mistakenly identifying students as disabled or failing to identify students who actually need services can have a long term impact. Detailed steps have been created to improve the process of identifying a disability and ensuring fairness. Student Assistance Teams and Multidisciplinary Team Two procedures included the use of a student assistance team and a multidisciplinary evaluation team. The student assistance team search for alternative solutions when a student is having problems. The student assistance team is usually comprised of regular teachers, counselors and administrators, school psychologists and special education teachers can also be a part of the student assistance team. When the issue can not be resolved by the student assistance team then a written referral is made for an evaluation by the multidisciplinary team. Multidisciplinary team includes, but is not limited to psychologists, teachers (general and special education), administrators, and other specialists. This group of professionals follows federal and state regulations in order to determine whether a student is eligible for special education services. Before any student can be evaluated, however, the written permission must be obtained from the parents. The team approach provides additional validity to the verification process. Medical, educational, psychological, and social characteristics are usually used in the verification process. In many cases the School psychologist interprets the assessment data and is responsible for translating this information to the team for implementation. Once it has been determined that special education services are needed the team may meet as often as needed to discuss the implementation. School personnel are required to provide documentation of the mastery of benchmarks and annual goals. It is not required that all goals are meet one school term, but they must provide evidence that they are working toward achieving the goals.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Anton Chekhov - Biography and Profile

Anton Chekhov - Biography and Profile Born in 1860, Anton Chekhov grew up in the Russian town of Taganrog. He spent much of his childhood quietly sitting in his fathers fledgling grocery store. He watched the customers and listened to the their gossip, their hopes, and their complaints. Early on, he learned to observe the everyday lives of humans. His ability to listen would become one of his most valuable skills as a storyteller. Chekhovs YouthHis father, Paul Chekhov, grew up in an impoverished family. Antons grandfather was actually a serf in Czarist Russia, but through hard work and thriftiness, he purchased his familys freedom. Young Antons father became a self-employed grocer, but the business never prospered and eventually fell apart. Monetary woes dominated Chekhovs childhood. As a result, financial conflicts are prominent in his plays and fiction. Despite economic hardship, Chekhov was a talented student. In 1879, he left Taganrog to attend medical school in Moscow. At this time, he felt the pressure of being the head of the household. His father was no longer earning a living. Chekhov needed a way to make money without abandoning school. Writing stories provided a solution. He began writing humorous stories for local newspapers and journals. At first the stories paid very little. However, Chekhov was a quick and prolific humorist. By the time he was in his forth year of medical school, he had caught the attention of several editors. By 1883, his stories were earning him not only money but notoriety. Chekhovs Literary PurposeAs a writer, Chekhov did not subscribe to a particular religion or political affiliation. He wanted to satirize not preach. At the time, artists and scholars debated the purpose of literature. Some felt that literature should offer life instructions. Others felt that art should simply exist to please. For the most part, Chekhov agreed with the latter view. The artist must be, not the judge of his characters and of what they say, but merely a dispassionate observer. Anton Chekhov Chekhov the PlaywrightBecause of his fondness for dialogue, Chekhov felt drawn to the theatre. His early plays such as Ivanov and The Wood Demon artistically dissatisfied him. In 1895 he began working on a rather original theatrical project: The Seagull. It was a play that defied many of the traditional elements of common stage productions. It lacked plot and it focused on many interesting yet emotionally static characters. In 1896 The Seagull received a disastrous response on opening night. The audience actually booed during the first act. Fortunately, innovative directors Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danechenko believed in Chekhovs work. Their new approach to drama invigorated audiences. The Moscow Art Theatre restaged The Seagull and created a triumphant crowd-pleaser. Soon after, the Moscow Art Theatre, led by Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danechenko, produced the rest of Chekhovs masterpieces: Uncle Vanya (1899) The Three Sisters (1900) The Cherry Orchard (1904) Chekhovs Love LifeThe Russian storyteller played with themes of romance and marriage, but throughout most of his life he did not take love seriously. He had occasional affairs, but he did not fall in love until he met Olga Knipper, an up-and-coming Russian actress. They were very discreetly married in 1901. Olga not only starred in Chekhovs plays, she also deeply understood them. More than anyone in Chekhovs circle, she interpreted the subtle meanings within the plays. For example, Stanislavski thought The Cherry Orchard was a tragedy of Russian life. Olga instead knew that Chekhov intended it to be a gay comedy, one that almost touched upon farce. Olga and Chekhov were kindred spirits, though they did not spend much time together. Their letters indicate that they were very affectionate to one another. Sadly, their marriage would not last very long, due to Chekhovs failing health. Chekhovs Final DaysAt the age of 24, Chekhov began showing signs of tuberculosis. He tried to ignore this condition; however by his early 30s his health had deterorated beyond denial. When The Cherry Orchard opened in 1904, tuberculosis had ravaged his lungs. His body was visibly weakened. Most of his friends and family knew the end was near. Opening night of The Cherry Orchard became a tribute filled with speeches and heartfelt thanks. It was their was of saying goodbye to Russias greatest playwright. On July 14th, 1904, Chekhov stayed up late working on yet another short story. After going to bed, he suddenly awoke and summoned a doctor. The physician could do nothing for him but offer a glass of champagne. Reportedly, his final words were, Its a long time since I drank champagne. Then, after drinking the beverage, he died Chekhovs LegacyDuring and after his lifetime, Anton Chekhov was adored throughout Russia. Aside from his beloved stories and plays, he is also remembered as a humanitarian and a philanthropist. While living in the country, he often attended to the medical needs of the local peasants. Also, he was renowned for sponsoring local writers and medical students. His literary work has been embraced throughout the world. While many playwrights create intense, life-or-death scenarios, Chekhovs plays offer everyday conversations. Readers cherish his extraordinary insight into the lives of the ordinary. ReferencesMalcolm, Janet, Reading Chekhov, a Critical Journey, Granta Publications, 2004 edition.Miles, Patrick (ed), Chekhov on the British Stage, Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Example of Bridgewater College Undergraduate Admission Essay

Example of Bridgewater College Undergraduate Admission Essay Free Online Research Papers Example Bridgewater College Undergraduate Admission Essay College to me is the key to a successful money making future and that’s what I want is to make money. I heard about Bridgewater College through the transfer program at BCC in Fall River Mass. I have been attending BCC since January, and I plan on taking summer courses so I will be caught up with a sophomore year of college.I am on a degree plan right now for Human Services but my mind is not made up yet. I really want to work with children in psychology but I also want to be a social worker. I think that’s why I have picked this major because I can branch off into many other fields. I have also drawn interest in our soccer program. I have played soccer my whole life and when I was looking at your college I noticed the team. I have already went to your web site and signed up there and I also received a package with booklets about your school and its programs. I believe your school can help me accomplish my goal in having a successful future. A personal accomplishment that I have over come was becoming a college student. Many people after graduation never get to experience the college life and they end up not ever going to school. I like school it’s the only way I know I will have a guaranteed successful future. Graduating was a great experience one I will never forget, but I am more excited about graduating college. That to me is a goal that I am seeking to full-fill and I am hoping it will be with your college. Research Papers on Example of Bridgewater College Undergraduate Admission EssayTrailblazing by Eric AndersonHip-Hop is ArtStandardized TestingPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Spring and AutumnThe Hockey GameInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Essays on Nobility, Church, And Middle Class In The Middle Ages

, the Middle Ages?† I would have replied with something I had seen from some movie with Heath Ledger in it. The Middle Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire and ended with a great renaissance. The Middle Ages were shaped by its nobility, church, and middle class. The nobility are the base of the medieval triangle. A noble man is more often described as a strong, great warrior. He is the hero that provides a somewhat sense of leadership. A perfect example of noble hero in its purest form is displayed in The Cid. The Cid is a twelfth-century Spanish epic that recounts the heroic El Cid Campeador. El Cid was loyal to no one but his followers and was pretty much a loner. While strong and brave, at the same time, he was a master of tactics. He avoided putting his men in danger at all costs and only took a proportional amount of military booty for himself. El Cid was what a noble hero was supposed to be (Cantor, ed. 3-4). During the Middle Ages, society established what historians, today, call the â€Å"Shame Culture.† This culture says that a noble man should never be one to fall victim to shame, nor is he one to hesitate when being faced by the opposition (Cantor, ed. 3). The French epic Roland shows the difficult choices facing a noble hero that is trying to rise from the pressures of the shame culture. During the war between Charlemagne and the Moslem Moors in Spain in the late eighth century, Charlemagne only lost one battle. That battle just happened to have been led by his nephew, Count Roland. Roland should have summoned for Charlemagne’s help earlier, but out of fear of him shaming the French army and being looked at as a coward; Roland hesitated. The poet raises the issue of the line between military honor and reckless folly. That is a question still asked today (Cantor, ed. 7). In 900 A.D., after the collapse ... Free Essays on Nobility, Church, And Middle Class In The Middle Ages Free Essays on Nobility, Church, And Middle Class In The Middle Ages If someone were to ask me, two months ago, â€Å"What comes to my mind when I hear the words, the Middle Ages?† I would have replied with something I had seen from some movie with Heath Ledger in it. The Middle Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire and ended with a great renaissance. The Middle Ages were shaped by its nobility, church, and middle class. The nobility are the base of the medieval triangle. A noble man is more often described as a strong, great warrior. He is the hero that provides a somewhat sense of leadership. A perfect example of noble hero in its purest form is displayed in The Cid. The Cid is a twelfth-century Spanish epic that recounts the heroic El Cid Campeador. El Cid was loyal to no one but his followers and was pretty much a loner. While strong and brave, at the same time, he was a master of tactics. He avoided putting his men in danger at all costs and only took a proportional amount of military booty for himself. El Cid was what a noble hero was supposed to be (Cantor, ed. 3-4). During the Middle Ages, society established what historians, today, call the â€Å"Shame Culture.† This culture says that a noble man should never be one to fall victim to shame, nor is he one to hesitate when being faced by the opposition (Cantor, ed. 3). The French epic Roland shows the difficult choices facing a noble hero that is trying to rise from the pressures of the shame culture. During the war between Charlemagne and the Moslem Moors in Spain in the late eighth century, Charlemagne only lost one battle. That battle just happened to have been led by his nephew, Count Roland. Roland should have summoned for Charlemagne’s help earlier, but out of fear of him shaming the French army and being looked at as a coward; Roland hesitated. The poet raises the issue of the line between military honor and reckless folly. That is a question still asked today (Cantor, ed. 7). In 900 A.D., after the collapse ...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

International Business research paper written in the JOURNAL STYLE Essay

International Business research paper written in the JOURNAL STYLE ARTICLE - Essay Example Indeed it dominates the market with its very affordable Haute Courte fashions for the girls and women on the move. It sells an average of 30 pairs of knickers a minute, 6,000 pairs of jeans a day and 35,000 pairs of shoes every week. â€Å"Topshop attracts women from their teens to the 40s searching for a weekly fashion idea†. (Topshop Website). While basically aiming at the female section, it also fashion lines for men as well as babies. It’s co-branding with Kate Moss, the famous Model earlier this year was a calculated move to give it a fresh thrust to move into the lucrative American and European markets, and it has since never looked back. It has 309 exclusive stores in the UK and numerous famous retailers across US and Europe offer it space at their outlets for a varied and extensive exposure. Indeed the first week’s sales at the UK outlets of the Kate Moss collection exceeded  £ 3 million, were beyond expectations and are going strong ever since. (Fashion United News). Celebrity names do have a positive impact on sales and profit figures and those especially from the world of fashion and entertainment, after sports, are engaged regularly by consumer product manufacturers and retailers. (Sarah Modlock). Consumers have favoured products sponsored or endorsed by celebrities and this is particularly true for apparel and accessories as people have a penchant to look good and thereby feel good. Introducing and aligning with Kate Moss by Topshop was a brilliant move and has paid handsomely. It is expected to improve the sagging bottom-line of the company and will be a grand success. Topshop is owned by Arcadia Group, which also owns British Home Stores, Miss Selfridges, Burtons, Dorothy Perkins and others, and the financial results for the group at the end September 2007 are as follows. It had a total sale of  £ 1.8 billion with profits of  £ 293.3

Friday, October 18, 2019

Cradle will rock Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cradle will rock - Movie Review Example He vicious outwardly his philanthropic wife and blemished children poor shopkeepers, a faithless priest, moll the prostitute and immigrant families. Moll acts as a prostitute; he gets arrested and jailed as she refuses to take the services given a police officer who is loyal to Mr. Mister. Moll meets Harry Druggist who has been repeatedly arrested ands judged with vagrancy after he loses his drugstore because of Mr. Mister. Harry explains to Moll how the Liberty committees are better prostitutes than her and tells him how they sell themselves to Mr. Mister including Harry himself. During the production of Cradle Will Rock, the government of the United States is struggling to work against the great hopelessness with many federal programs one being a Federal Theater Program. Unfortunately there is great political anxiety with the fear of communism spreading everywhere and everything from films to paintings are questioned of their political and moral objectives. The famous Orson Welles is also involved in the production of this play. In 1930s he tried to search for funds in order to make a film based on the early days of Federal Theater as he was a member. Cradle Will Rock was one of the productions of Federal Theater. It is about a greedy businessman who gets his retributions. The play production was funded by the government. However, the funding was withdrawn when it was claimed to be a threat to capitalism. Despite the funding withdrawal, Welles and his team continued with the production of the play. Cradle Will Rock is set based o the rock relationship between politics and art in America during 1930s according to Laird (2002). It also brings into picture the gap between the poor and the wealth in the country as Tim Robbins stages it. Robbins brings together various aspects from the real events, he examine the lives and the aspirations of various imaginative mavericks

Responses to various articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Responses to various articles - Essay Example The post touches on a sensitive topic but you wrote it in a fluent way that attempts to eliminate the ambiguity. The Needle Exchange Program (NEP) can be considered as controversial in its own capacity. You conducted research on two sensitive grounds, both the HIV pandemic and the NEP, and the post is a successful blend of both. In addition, it is an indication that the research was comprehensive. The post is informative on several grounds. It touches on how the LNG Project is beneficial to the economy. Secondly, it focuses on the impact of the project on the environment. It continues to offer a debate on the pros and cons of the project between the city council and Squamish Nation. However, your opinion is not concrete as you seem to be on both sides of the divide. It is important to indicate the Federal Laws in relation to the environment and the economy to come up with a concrete opinion on whether the project is good or bad. Your post is structured in a manner that indicates both sides of the divide, both the council members and residents of the White court, have valid arguments. The post is beneficial as well as informative. It indicates the interests of different parties in relation to the standards of living presented by housing in White court. It would be important to indicate the housing regulations in your research that would mitigate the absurdity of the claims from both council members and residents. The post is educative on matters regarding housing, standards of living and the economy at large.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Effect of Using Facebook as a Teaching Tool on 7th Grade ESL Students Essay

Effect of Using Facebook as a Teaching Tool on 7th Grade ESL Students Motivation - Essay Example One of the main ideas for student motivation and involvement is the use of interactive technology. Smith (1997) has established that use of technology has positive effects on reading and writing . Further, Mayher (1990) and Littlewood (2001) has also expressed that students must be provided a sense of purpose and a sense of participation in learning. On the other hand, Childs (2009) has discussed the benefits that Facebook can yields in language learning owing to its ease and interactive features. Thus, I plan to use Facebook as a teaching tool to increase motivation and participation of my 7th grade students. The purpose of this Action Research study is to examine the effects of using Facebook as a teaching tool on the motivation level of my English class.This study will help me in developing clear understanding of such a strategy which may help my students to better participate in English reading and writing tasks.... All these are clear signs of little motivation to read and write English. On the other hand, (Littlewood, 2001) have stated that traditional teaching techniques cannot motivate Hong Kong ESL students to have higher participation and motivation in reading and writing English. Further, several studies indicate that despite a variety of teaching techniques including audio-visual have been used in Hong Kong to Teach English as a second language, predominant teaching method is lecture( (Melanie & Warhurt, 2000). Roman-Perez (2003) have described that incorporation of interactive technology reflrcted positive impact over the motivation level of the students for reading English. And I know that all of my students are using Facebook to be in contact with each other. Further, in current Web 2.0 scenario, Facebook has top ranking in SNSs (Kazeniac, 2009). Thus I assume that using Facebook as a teaching tool in a creative way can increase motivation and participation level of my ESL students. 4 . Literature Review: In order to implement my this idea of using Facebook as a teaching tool, I embark on reviewing relevant literature from five dimensions including motivation to learn, motivation to read and write, motivation to learn English among Hong Kong students, technology and motivation to read and write, and finally ,using Facebook as a teaching tool. 4.1. Motivation: Motivation is considered as a prompt and energizer in all fields of life (Mangal, 2002). It may be defined as the force that accounts for the stimulation, selection, direction, and continuation of certain behavior. Literatures on human psychology and on education have extensively discussed human motivation and student motivation in details. Similarly, majority of the educationists

Negotiation & cross cultural communication Essay - 1

Negotiation & cross cultural communication - Essay Example High-ranking employees must, therefore, be sent to negotiate with the farmers as a sign of respect and regard to their concerns (Faure, 1998). The individuals dealing with the Chinese must demonstrate significant level of patience and power to take decisions. The negotiating team must include a lawyer who’s thoroughly abreast of Chinese law as well as international best practices. This individual shall also strengthen the link between the foreign party and the Chinese farmers. Furthermore, it would be fruitful to include the company’s Chinese counterparts during the discussion as these shall act to enhance the level of trust between the two parties. Given their native Chinese ‘sense’ they shall be able to understand and respond to the underlying Chinese tricks in a better manner compared to the Westerners (Fang, 2006).   Considering the fact that the Chinese tend to have a low level of trust for foreign stakes in their land, it would also be useful to inc lude government support for Zhengcheng’s operations during the negotiation process. Towards the end, it is highly desirable to demonstrate to the Chinese that similar contractual agreements have been formerly accepted by other Chinese parties (Fang, 2006). The Chinese are highly risk-averse individuals; hence, by doing so the company would majorly mitigate the risks faced by the Chinese farmers. However, this may not be possible given that it is a first-time situation in this case. The company lawyer, however, may be able to assist in this regard.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Effect of Using Facebook as a Teaching Tool on 7th Grade ESL Students Essay

Effect of Using Facebook as a Teaching Tool on 7th Grade ESL Students Motivation - Essay Example One of the main ideas for student motivation and involvement is the use of interactive technology. Smith (1997) has established that use of technology has positive effects on reading and writing . Further, Mayher (1990) and Littlewood (2001) has also expressed that students must be provided a sense of purpose and a sense of participation in learning. On the other hand, Childs (2009) has discussed the benefits that Facebook can yields in language learning owing to its ease and interactive features. Thus, I plan to use Facebook as a teaching tool to increase motivation and participation of my 7th grade students. The purpose of this Action Research study is to examine the effects of using Facebook as a teaching tool on the motivation level of my English class.This study will help me in developing clear understanding of such a strategy which may help my students to better participate in English reading and writing tasks.... All these are clear signs of little motivation to read and write English. On the other hand, (Littlewood, 2001) have stated that traditional teaching techniques cannot motivate Hong Kong ESL students to have higher participation and motivation in reading and writing English. Further, several studies indicate that despite a variety of teaching techniques including audio-visual have been used in Hong Kong to Teach English as a second language, predominant teaching method is lecture( (Melanie & Warhurt, 2000). Roman-Perez (2003) have described that incorporation of interactive technology reflrcted positive impact over the motivation level of the students for reading English. And I know that all of my students are using Facebook to be in contact with each other. Further, in current Web 2.0 scenario, Facebook has top ranking in SNSs (Kazeniac, 2009). Thus I assume that using Facebook as a teaching tool in a creative way can increase motivation and participation level of my ESL students. 4 . Literature Review: In order to implement my this idea of using Facebook as a teaching tool, I embark on reviewing relevant literature from five dimensions including motivation to learn, motivation to read and write, motivation to learn English among Hong Kong students, technology and motivation to read and write, and finally ,using Facebook as a teaching tool. 4.1. Motivation: Motivation is considered as a prompt and energizer in all fields of life (Mangal, 2002). It may be defined as the force that accounts for the stimulation, selection, direction, and continuation of certain behavior. Literatures on human psychology and on education have extensively discussed human motivation and student motivation in details. Similarly, majority of the educationists

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Managing People Global Context-Human Resources Management Essay

Managing People Global Context-Human Resources Management - Essay Example Indeed, it seems that in Starbucks the contribution of employees in organizational performance is highly appreciated. The role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in Starbucks is analyzed below using appropriate literature. It is proved that emphasizing on employee motivation can help an organization to increase its competitiveness even when market conditions are quite turbulent, as today. In order to understand the importance of employee motivation for the standardization of business performance, it is necessary to understand the context of employment relationship, as developed in businesses of different size worldwide. According to a description provided by ILO (2005) the employment relationship is a framework in the context of which an individual, called ‘worker’ provides services to the employer, an individual or an organization, under specific terms (ILO 2005, p.22). The terms of the employment relationship, including the level of payment, the length of days-off and so on, can be differentiated in each country according to the local laws and ethics (ILO 2005, p.22). In the literature, the aspects of employment relationship have been extensively explored. Most theorists have focused on the importance of employee satisfaction for employee performance, at the level that an employee who is satisfied with his job he is more likely to perform high compared to an employee who is dissatisfied, i.e. an employee who feels that his contribution in the development of daily organizational activities is not appropriately appreciated (Kaufman 2004). Reference can be made, for example, to the Motivation - Hygiene theory of Herzberg. The specific theory promotes the idea that ‘employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction have two different dimensions’ (Pride et al. 2011, p.283). In fact, the factors that can influence employee satisfaction are divided into two categories, Motivation factors and Hygiene factors.

Raising Achievement of Ethnic Minority Children Essay Example for Free

Raising Achievement of Ethnic Minority Children Essay This literature review would explore the barriers in raising educational achievements of ethnic minority students. As this is a broad area of concern the literature would examine two main barriers such as social background issues and English as Additional Language (EAL) while briefly looking at other barriers such as†¦ Statistical data collected from the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) 2002 would be analysed in respect to this group social economic status and its effect on their learning. The literature would outline the significance of raising achievement, particularly ICT teacher’s responsibility. This report would identify some strategies/solutions including pedagogical approaches to raising achievement which would be supported by research. The overall findings would illustrate why ethnic minority children underperform academically than their counterparts in school. INTRODUCTION It is important to recognise that ethnic minority pupils may fall into the category of low class low achievement. (Battle and Lewis 2010 pg35) said â€Å"a person’s education is closed linked to their life chances, income and wellbeing† it’s therefore, fair to say that ethnic minority communities are most likely to underachievement than others because of their socio-economic conditions. Language in education has long been the subject of attention by educationists at all levels. Initially as concerning the problem of teaching English to children for whom it is not a first language, The Swann Report 1985 pg385 Other drawbacks to raising achievement are institutional racism, lack of motivation, lack of suitable challenge, the appropriateness of activities and tasks, a mix-match of expectations, a perceived irrelevance of the activities and tasks. National Education Authority claim to be â€Å"raising achievement to higher levels and closing student achievement gaps are priorities in schools and communities at all economic levels and in urban, rural, and suburban settings†. (http://www.nea. org/home/17413. htm. Accessed 02/11/12) What is Raising Achievement? According to (DfES 0013-2006. Pg. 6) (Excel and enjoy) raising achievement means a â€Å"tailored education for every child and young person, that gives them strength in the basics, stretches their aspirations, and builds their life chances. It will create opportunity for every child, regardless of their background†. Teachers have a committed liability to enable all learners to attain and achieve their full potential, whether they are SEN (Special Education Needs), EAL (English as an Additional Language) or ethnic minority student. What is Ethnic Minority? The ethnic minorities in the UK, 50% are Asian or Asian British (Indian, Pakistani etc. ), 25% are Black or Black British (Black African, Black Caribbean etc. ), 15% are Mixed Race, 5% are Chinese and 5% are of other ethnic backgrounds. (http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/ethnic_minorities_education. htm. Accessed 02/11/12) Cabinet Office defined it as â€Å"Ethnicity refers to cultural heritage (thus the term ethnic minorities can also be used to include White ‘ethnic’ minority groups in Britain, such as the Irish or people from other European countries). However, the systematic historical and continuing pattern of disadvantage for Black and Asian groups singles them out for special consideration†. (webarchive. gov. uk. Accessed 02/11/12). Barriers to Raising achievement Socio-Economic Backgrounds: Socio class can cause inequality in class which could in turn influence the achievement in children; (C. Stephen pg. 269) Social scientists have recognised the importance of an individual’s family socio economic status (SES) has an influence on the academic achievement of children since the mid-1960s. It could cause low their self-confidence and self-esteem â€Å"ethnic minorities may have special issues related to self-esteem. Because of prejudice, minority members are likely to see a negative image of themselves† ( DeLamater. J Myers. D pg. 88). (http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/ethnic_minorities_education. htm) â€Å"Ethnic backgrounds that are less successful in education is because they have a higher percentage of pupils from working class backgrounds. Also the lower a childs class position, the lower their income. Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black pupils are more likely to be raised in low income families. This can affect how well they do in school because lack of funds means lack of school equipment, less favourable working conditions e. g. cold house, no desk etc. This inequity could lead to poor or erratic attendance which was cited as a contributory factor to poor attainment in several schools. Table1 the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) 2002 illustrates the impact of socio-economic disadvantage by comparing relative GCSE performance for pupils who are eligible for free school meals. This shows that pupils from lower socio-economic groups tend to achieve less good results than those from higher socio-economic groups and that this difference is particularly large for white pupils. (Aiming High Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils) Table2: The pupil level annual school census (PLASC) 2002 characteristics: Proportion achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs for those entered for GCSEs in Maintained Schools in 2002 Note: these charts are based on data collected as part of the 2002 Pupil Level Annual Schools Census. From 2003, data will be based on an updated set of categories including mixed heritage, Gypsy/Roma and Travellers of Irish heritage which are listed at annex A. (Aiming High Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils) Discrimination on grounds such as race will affect effective learning fundamentally in most cases, which is linked to disparities in school. Some schools are institutionally racist, says Oftseds Director of Inspections, Jim Rose to the annoyance of teachers unions. Mr Rose said Much of that [racism], we think, is to do with unwitting stereotyping of youngsters and the lack of expectation or lowered expectation of teachers as a result of that sometimes (http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/education/294078. stm)†. With the fact that their â€Å"ethnicity influences their class and their class influences their attitude†, there is concern about the aspirations of underprivileged children â€Å"socio-economic barriers may hinder aspiration formation for these children because of lack of mentors, opportunities, and resources and also doubt their ability to attain in learning† (http://www.learningbenefits. net/Publications/ResReps/ResRep27. pdf pg3). The majority of schools are engaged in a wide variety of initiatives to improve provision and raise the attainment of all pupils. However, few schools monitor these activities systematically and rarely do they have a specific ethnic focus. (Raising_the_attainment_of_minority_ethnic_pupils_school_and_LEA_responsespg7). Strategies to raising achievement of Socio-economic barrier: Having realistic expectations of the educational achievement of children of lower socioeconomic groups will make them feel they can achieve their potential. â€Å"Expectations are also shaped by teacher and student perceptions of the reasons for successes and failures. A low ability student, who views failures as lack of ability and successes as luck, will lose his motivation, feeling that there is little he can change to improve his learning†. (Rose Miller 2001) As evidenced earlier pupils from ethnic minority group have low self –esteem therefore, it is crucial for teachers to encourage the child or young person to find their own preferred style and rhythm of learning so they are motivated to pursue their learning process, making them have ownership of their own learning and work. To help raise achievement teachers and leaders should monitor and track achievement, encourage and support the child to maximize their potential be aspirational for them. â€Å"Parents with fewer financial resources tend to hold lower aspirations for their children, and young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have lower aspirations than their more advantaged peers (Schoon, 2006). Promoting a culturally friendly environments and establishing classroom ethos of respect with a clear approach to racism and bad behaviour â€Å"modelling and promoting values, attitudes and behaviour supportive of race equality in class would explore and target underachievement to raise attainment†. (excellentandenjoymentlearning pg23). Strategically choosing students to work in groups, peer assessment where they can see others work which could help them shape their own work and attain a better grade. However, teachers need to provide students with a stress free learning environment so they can feel included . (EVIDENCE OF WHY THEY NEED STRESS FREE ENVIRON,ENT) The revised National Curriculum includes a statutory inclusion statement setting out how teachers can ensure the curriculum is accessible to all pupils which would certainly help raise attainment for also ethnic minority students . It states that teachers must follow three principles for inclusion: setting ethnic focus. (Raising_the_attainment_of_minority_ethnic_pupils_school_and_LEA_responsespg7). Strategies to raising achievement of Socio-economic barrier: Having realistic expectations of the educational achievement of children of lower socioeconomic groups will make them feel they can achieve their potential. â€Å"Expectations are also shaped by teacher and student perceptions of the reasons for successes and failures. A low ability student, who views failures as lack of ability and successes as luck, will lose his motivation, feeling that there is little he can change to improve his learning†. (Rose Miller 2001) As evidenced earlier pupils from ethnic minority group have low self –esteem therefore, it is crucial for teachers to encourage the child or young person to find their own preferred style and rhythm of learning so they are motivated to pursue their learning process, making them have ownership of their own learning and work. To help raise achievement teachers and leaders should monitor and track achievement, encourage and support the child to maximize their potential be aspirational for them. â€Å"Parents with fewer financial resources tend to hold lower aspirations for their children, and young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have lower aspirations than their more advantaged peers (Schoon, 2006). Promoting a culturally friendly environments and establishing classroom ethos of respect with a clear approach to racism and bad behaviour â€Å"modelling and promoting values, attitudes and behaviour supportive of race equality in class would explore and target underachievement to raise attainment†. (excellentandenjoymentlearning pg23). Strategically choosing students to work in groups, peer assessment where they can see others work which could help them shape their own work and attain a better grade. However, teachers need to provide students with a stress free learning environment so they can feel included . (EVIDENCE OF WHY THEY NEED STRESS FREE ENVIRON,ENT) The revised National Curriculum includes a statutory inclusion statement setting out how teachers can ensure the curriculum is accessible to all pupils which would certainly help raise attainment for also ethnic minority students . It states that teachers must follow three principles for inclusion: setting suitable learning challenges; responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs; and overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils. (cabinet office pg14). NALDIC (National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum), states that we should therefore ensure access to and progress through the curriculum or subject content. (using ict for eal pg5) Also very few schools review their curricular and pastoral strategies to ensure that they are sensitive to the ethnic groups in the student population and the wider community. In those instances where schools have done this as a result of concerns about a particular minority ethnic group, positive outcomes have resulted. (Raising_the_attainment_of_minority_ethnic_pupils_school_and_LEA_responsespg7) Schools working effectively with pupils in low attaining groups were not found to adopt specific approaches for particular groups of pupils such as minority ethnic groups, but instead personalised the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment such that pupils in any group could benefit. (Effective Teaching and Learning for Pupils in Low Attaining Group). Self- assessment and appropriate target setting according to individual learning styles would help them to build identities as successful learners. The new Teachers Standards (DfE, 2011) would enable this strategy to work perfectly as teachers have to Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils†¦evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them. (Standard 5 The QTS Standards: DFES ‘Qualifying to Teach’(2002) In additional, as â€Å"they are much more likely than their peers of a higher socioeconomic environment to have a poor attendance, leave school earlier and with fewer qualifications, and are at far greater risk of being excluded from school. † http://education-landscapes. eu/pdf/learning_barriers. pdf . Teachers recognise strengths and improvements praising their effort would encourage children participation. Using positive words (‘I’ve seen a spark in you) and encourage this group would make them feel motivated, believe in themselves and appreciated to want to attend school (promoting attendance) regardless of any socio-economic worries. Attending â€Å"parents evenings and other less formal school functions can help understand difficulties and help to remove any barriers† http://education-landscapes. eu/pdf/learning_barriers. pdf. This could help build parent teacher relationship and both parties could devise ways to help raise the achievement and eliminate barriers affecting this young person’s learning. ? Respect frustration and encourage a positive approach to setbacks. http://education-landscapes. eu/pdf/learning_barriers. pdf. English as an Additional Language (EAL) barrier on Ethnic Minority: EAL learners will be affected by attitudes towards them, their culture, language, religion, and ethnicity http://www. mkweb. co. uk/emass/documents/Website_EAL_Artwork. pdf. The proportions of pupils with English as an additional language are from ethic minority background groups about five per cent (Black Caribbean pupils) to over 90 per cent (those from Bangladeshi backgrounds). Approximately 9. 3% (over 632,000) of all pupils in schools in England are recorded as having English as an additional language (EAL) according to Statistics of Education 2002(aiminghighraisingachievent pg28). These speech patterns are argued to be consistent with many low income families which are inadequate to meet the demands of the education system. These patterns directly contribute to educational failure as students cannot always understand elaborated speech which teachers use and teachers often misunderstand students who use the restricted speech. As a result there is a breakdown in communication between teachers and pupils. http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/ethnic_minorities_education. htm. This is a major barrier to achievement as English is not their first language and cannot communicate effectively in lesson, with peers and content of the curriculum it is helpful for the to access prior knowledge so they have a fair understanding before the next lesson â€Å"Language learners need access to the subject curriculum while they are learning English†. EAL students learning is NOT a learning difficulty, learners should not be placed in groups or sets for ‘slow learners’–they need good peer models of subject specific talk and writing. Teacher expectations are powerful determiners of student success. Teachers should reflect high expectations in the ambitious targets set for these children. Bilingual learners need to make more progress each year than their peers in order to catch up (Collier, 1995) –their efforts need to be acknowledged and appreciated, to build their self-image and self-esteem as successful learners. (Making the Difference Teaching and learning strategies in multi-ethnic schools) Solution/Approaches: (Bourne, 1998 and others) Reforming the mainstream to be more language aware is not only good for bilingual learners, but benefits ALL students (Making the Difference Teaching and learning strategies in multi-ethnic schools). Education authorities have recognised the fact that student with EAL will struggle to reach their potential and has incorporate into the new Teachers Standards, saying that â€Å"all teachers and trainee teachers will benefit from an understanding and recognition of EAL as a significant field of teaching and learning. (http://www. naldic. org. uk/eal-teaching-and-learning/outline-guidance/pedagogy.) It is important to recognise that children learning EAL are as able as any other children, and the learning experiences planned for them should be no less cognitively challenging â€Å"High challenge can be maintained through the provision of contextual and linguistic support and raise attainment. (ExcellenceandEnjoyment:learningandteachingintheprimaryyears,Creatingalearningculture:Classroomcommunity,collaborativeandpersonalisedlearning(DfES 0522-2004 G) However, Schools and colleges will need therefore to provide both physical and virtual learning environments that motivate and support the EAL learner’s distinctive needs. Raising achievement of ethnic minorities students with low attainment and EAL by developing appropriate resources across the curriculum; make effective use of displays boards to support their learning and develop their knowledge of the linguistic, cultural backgrounds. (excellentandenjoymentlearning pg32) It is a legal requirement for literacy to be included into lesson; literacy is fundamental to good learning and achievement. It must therefore be a top priority for teachers consider how subject specific vocabulary like writing out keywords on white board, spelling and pronouncing words correctly which would help improve their English language â€Å"grammar should be introduced, modelled, extended and supported through the teaching of subject content to enhance literacy† (ExcellenceandEnjoymentlearningandteachingforbilingualchildrenintheprimaryyears). Organise small groups for computer-based activities that enable early stage learners to work with other first language speakers and to hear good models of English. â€Å"Establishing layered curriculum targets as a context for language development. Speaking and listening: guided sessions for language development. † (Effective Teaching and Learning for Pupils in Low Attaining Group). Using ICT to raise achievement of Ethnic Minority pupils with EAL. ICT has a vital role to play in providing the appropriate resources and technology for both learners and teachers. Using ICT to support EAL students presents challenges for many teachers of how best to make use of these new and emerging technologies to raise the achievement of their EAL students. (Using ICT to support students who have English as an additional language) Using Creative use of ICT in the classroom can promote inclusion and reflect cultural and linguistic diversity. Multimedia Projects provide excellent opportunities for learners to work collaboratively with other first language speakers. Email, local network links, user groups and video conferencing facilities provide opportunity for learners to communicate with proficient speakers of English and also of their first language across the world. Pupils learning EAL require opportunities to draw on additional contextual support to make sense of new information and language. Content learning for pupils learning EAL can be greatly improved through the use of visual support. This can help learners to conceptualise learning tasks that are being presented to them, or in which they are engaged, even when their knowledge of the target language is limited. http://www. naldic. org. uk/eal-teaching-and-learning/outline-guidance/pedagogy OCD/Migraine/ Metal plate in head due to past injury. If *** bumps her head call carer immediately/ unhappy to come SRS/difficult to make friends/suffered bullying/kept away from other students at break times in primary school/attention seeker/ mother died due to violently attacked by father (sees father in prison) / CAMHS/ care placement/ Literacy/maths/low self esteem/limited support from home/ IEP/PEP Pedagogy approach to EAL EAL pedagogy is the set of systematic teaching approaches which have evolved from classroom based practices in conjunction with the development of knowledge through theoretical and research perspectives. These approaches meet the language and learning needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language. They can be used in a wide range of different teaching contexts. http://www. naldic. org. uk/eal-teaching-and-learning/outline-guidance/pedagogy Setting out limited number of objectives criteria describe what the outcomes will look like when they are achieved; and actions linked to the target objectives to identify what has to be achieved by the end of lesson is said to raise success of learners whose second language is English (excellentandenjoymentlearning pg23). Personalisation is the key to tackling the persistent achievement gaps between different social and ethnic groups. It means a tailored education for every child and young person, that gives them strength in the basics, stretches their aspirations and builds their life chances. Higher standards, better schools for all (HMSO 2006)(from-excellentandenjoymentlearning pg14) The development of EAL pedagogy has been influenced by social constructivist theories which emphasise the importance of scaffolding learning, and those which highlight the importance of socio-cultural and emotional factors. Children learning EAL will be affected by attitudes towards them, their culture, language, religion and ethnicity. (excellentandenjoymentlearning pg14) Learning of English should be distinguished into communicative skills and cognitive and academic language proficiency. Children should be paired up in group so they can become conversationally fluent in the new language by communication and collaborating with others and to catch up with monolingual peers in the development of cognitive and academic language. Activating pupils prior knowledge â€Å"Finding out what pupils know about a topic through questioning, supporting self-monitoring and using KWL (Know, Want to find out, Learned) charts, brainstorming in small groups or pairs, discovery tasks, enabling use of first language. †http://www. naldic. org. uk/eal-teaching-and-learning/outline-guidance/pedagogy. Peer and share, questioning strategies using oral feedback is also important to move learners towards the forms of language used in writing (cognitive) and linguistic development. Children learning an additional language are not just learning vocabularies, grammars and pronunciations; it helps them to learn all other language functions such as questioning, analysing, hypothesising that they need for other subjects like mathematics, science, ICT and so on. Planning lesson for a class that has EAL student.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Life And Issues Of The Corinthian Community Religion Essay

The Life And Issues Of The Corinthian Community Religion Essay Paul wrote to Corinth, a community plagued by internal divisions, social and ethnic distinction, and a diversity of congregations. Regardless of whatever the circumstances may be, the apostle confronts the problematic issues boldly and with authority. Nevertheless, controversy still burns brightly today, on these issues just as they did in the early church, rendering it ideal subject matter for theological and hermeneutical consideration. Accordingly, the purpose of this essay is to reconstruct the life and issues of the fledgling Corinthian church and to determine firstly, whether Paul really understood the issues at hand, and secondly the effective of Pauls response in the Corinthian community to his call at the time. This essay will address the life and issues of the Corinthian community as recorded in the book of I Corinthians. This book narrates how the apostle Paul heard of the Corinthian Christian communitys troubles and responded with this letter to remedy their situation, heal their divisions, and answer their questions. Paul confronted them with their sin and need for corrective action and clear commitment to Christ. The stance taken here is that Paul did understand the life and issues of the Corinthian community and the effectiveness of his response was positive and appropriate for the time. The reconstruction of the life and issues of Corinth are assessed here through the three major problems facing the community, and one specific issue for each of those problems. The three major problems facing the church in Corinth related to the church, the members and the authority. Of the numerous issues within these three groupings the specific issues addressed here are the Lords Supper, marriage and women. Corinthian church was founded by Saint Paul approximately twenty years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The apostle loved the Corinthian community with fervour and frustration for it was a vibrant and confused church. An extensive description of its establishment is recorded in Acts 18. Moreover, two of the longest letters in the New Testament, 1 and 2 Corinthian, are specifically addressed to it.  [1]   The first epistle written to the Corinthians was penned by Paul from Ephesus in reply to reports brought to him by two emissaries, and possibly Apollos (16:12). The arrangement of the letter indicates a response determined by the issues put to Paul (7:1). The correspondences content is acquired via the subject matter being introduced through a formula (peri de), latter repeated in (7:25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1; 12). Notably, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to address exceptional issues, rather than to demonstrate common principles, or to give an expose of Christian practice.  [2]   Neyrey states: By his own admission, Paul thought and behaved like a typical, first-century Jew in the Eastern Mediterranean (Phil. 3:4b-6). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Paul was clearly socialized into a Jewish and Pharisaic world. On the micro level, his cosmos consisted of biblical, temple, and pharisaic tradition. On the macro level, Paul shared with other first-century Mediterranean Jews certain cultural perceptions about the cosmos, a symbolic universe (Berger Luckmann1966). These perceptions inform all of his letters, colour the way he experienced reality, and structure the way he behaved. Those who would understand Paul ought also to share his perception, both on the micro and macro level.  [3]   There were various issues related to the community in Corinth. The three main problem areas were: a) the church, b) the members and c) authority. Problems within the church were notably related to mission, baptism, the Lords Supper, body life, love, worship and prophecy. Problems with members related to intellect, freedom, giving, sex, suffering and death. Problems with authority related to leaders, women and apostles.  [4]  Of these aforementioned problems and issues three are dealt with here. They are problems relating to the life and issues of the Corinthian Christian community at the time relative to (1) the Lords Supper, (2) sexual morality and (3) the role of women. (1) Problems within the church notably the Lords Supper. (1 Cor. 11:17-34) Paul had heard of scandalous behaviour in the Corinthian community worship relative to the Eucharist. The purpose of the Eucharistic gathering was to take part in the Lords Supper, as enacted by Jesus with the disciples. Regrettably, some of the Corinthian Christians were behaving in a way which denigrated the significance of the event.  [5]   This was as a result of class feelings and distinctions manifesting in the community (cf. James 2:1-4) with private cliques and affluent individuals initiating proceedings without waiting for others to eat. Gluttony, unsociable behaviour and drunkenness were becoming a familiar occurrence. To rebut this Paul reminds them that such conduct makes the professed reason for their joining in communion invalid and pointless.  [6]  Their actions constituted a contradiction to Church meaning and jeopardised the welfare of all. As such, Paul clearly perceived and understood this issue in the Corinthian community at the time. Furthermore, the intention of the Lords Supper was as a common meal, and Pauls condemnation relates to the Corinthians contradicting this principle (11:20-21). Thus, the Christians of Corinth would be better served by eating in their own homes rather than feigning a pretentious a unity repudiated by their behaviour. Pauls intention is not to censure gluttony and drunkenness, but to emphasize an egocentric apathy which is the antithesis of love.  [7]   Pauls denunciation is explicit as the Corinthians behaviour held communion in contempt (v.22) and could not being allowed to persist. Pauls remedial approach is by way of an explanation of the Eucharist. Paul showed how love is necessary for the Eucharist to have meaning and this love commences in their personal community relationships with one another, particularly the poor.  [8]   Relevant to this point, Murphy OConner notes that: The unity for the church is something more than physical juxtaposition in a determined space. It is a vital sharing of life and the Corinthians cannot deceive themselves that they enjoy this if the physical life of the poor is endangered because they do not have enough to eat.  [9]   (2) Problems with members notably sex. Pauls severe reprimand on sexual immorality defiling the church is presented in (5:1-6). From the start the Christian stance to the widespread unseemly Corinthian sexual practices and thought was one of uncompromising opposition, for sexual negligence was endemic with first-century Greeks. However, the Corinthians view of their emancipation in Christ was such that they felt inclined towards a different approach to other Christians, yet this was one which permitted even worse evils than the Greeks.  [10]   Paul condemns such sexual sin in the strongest of terms (6:9-20) because the troubles in the Corinthian church were basically related to sexual conduct.  [11]  Moreover, prostitution and immorality were invasive with marriages in Corinth in a dilemma and Christians unsure how to respond. Accordingly, Paul gave meaningful and practical solutions.  [12]   Pauls instruction can be separated into heterosexual and homosexual activity outside of marriage. Paul refuted the argument assuming that as Christians were not bound by food laws then the same applied to sexual laws (6:13). Pauls unyielding and persuasive argument said that it is fundamentally impossible to compare the two, as in Christian terms the word body means much more than animal tissue. Paul maintained that body is the self and he marshalled numerous arguments to sustain this position.  [13]   Pauls argument is bases on six facts: (a) that our body matters to God (1:63), (b) our body will be raised (6:14), (c) our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19), (d) our body is harmed by immorality(6:18), (e) fornication for a Christian is a rebellious act of independence, and most importantly (f) that our body belongs to Christ (6:19-20). Paul concludes by counselling to shun immorality (6:18) and emphasising that the body is for the Lord and should be kept that way, with this possibility only accessible through the power of the Holy Spirit.  [14]   Relative to homosexuality, Paul gives scant attention to the issue however he makes the point that it is basically unacceptable for Christian practice (6:9-11) and that it can be changed (6:9-11). His premise is that homosexuality is immoral and an unattainable avenue to Heaven. Paul refers to Genesis and the image of God residing mutually in the male and female (Gen.1:27).  [15]   (3) Problems relating to authority and women. Paul is considered by many to be a misogynist (a man who hates women). Nevertheless, Pauls overall attitude to women was reflective of the time and culture. However, Jesus teachings were revolutionary relative to the role and rights of women, and Paul embraced this new perception afforded to women.  [16]   The situation of women in Corinthian society indicates that women were held in low esteem in Hebrew, Greek and Roman culture. A womens authority was severely limited in that she was subject to the authority of her father or husband, could not inherit property, could not testify in a court of law, or claim right to education. Moreover, the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, prostituted a thousand women in its service further demeaning their social status. Such was the state of affairs of women in Corinth at that time and the problem faced by Saint Paul.  [17]   Conversely, Christianity engaged women in church and community work, women such as Mary, Tryphaena and Tryphosa who worked hard in the Lord (Rom.16:12). They are found labouring with Paul in spreading the gospel (Phil.4:3) and supporting in various ways. For women both to pray and prophecy during public worship (1 Cor.11:5) was acceptable by Paul, despite being a contradiction to the customs of the time.  [18]   The fact that Paul was clear on the position of women in the church and that they were equal with all others is clarified in Galatians (3:28). For Paul men and women had complete equality of standing before God (1 Cor. 11:11). Unquestionably, the revolutionary teaching of Jesus had systematically permeated into the heart of Paul, the rabbi and apostle of Jesus. However, an issue on which Paul disagreed with women was regarding womens headdress (11:5). By dispensing with the customary covering for their heads many of women within the Corinthian church were defying tradition. It appears they viewed their action as having religious importance as the particular circumstance on which they chose to exhibit their uncovered heads was at worship. Their unconventional behaviour was obviously an expression of a new found freedom related to the Christian faith.  [19]   Undoubtedly, this was an assertion of feminine freedom found within the context of the new faith. To these women the covered head was symbolical of their subordination to men, and ceased to be acknowledged by them under conditions of worship. Paul differed with them on this point of headdress despite acknowledging womens right to speak in church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This Paul ruled as an exception to the silence he otherwise imposed on them (ch.14:34), nevertheless he considered it did not excuse them from covering their heads.  [20]   Having considered problems within the church relating to the Lords Supper, sex and women there is, however, a further dynamic for reflection when appreciating the circumstances that occasioned I Corinthians. That dynamic is a developing conflict between the church in Corinth and Paul himself. Watson notes Gordon Fees observation that the language and style of I Corinthians are especially rhetorical and combative. Paul is taking them on at every turn à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ he is attacking and challenging with all the weapons in his literary arsenal.  [21]   While Paul is undoubtedly seeking to right both their theology and practices in a comprehensive way, it is clear that Paul needs to defend his apostolate. Moreover, the fact remains that the Corinthians had written to the apostle seeking his advice. This proves that he remains an authority figure in their eyes, understanding and appreciating their lives and issues. Hermeneutically, Corinth reflects realistically on our contemporary Christian community situation. The problems and issues addressed by St.Paul are still relevant to society and the church today. The text offers a splendid observation of Paul the church cultivator and pastor utilizing his theology for the service of the church. Green notes: The spread of abuses and problems at Corinth enable us to share the apostles perspective on a large number of issues of contemporary importance to the church. The whole correspondence throbs with life and love. However, there are difficulties associated with Corinthians that keep it a closed book to most church members today. The Corinthian issues are considered too awkward to tackle, such as tongues, prophecy and veiled women.  [22]   Naturally, this appraisal would be stalled at the outset if Pauls solutions to these problems relate simply to antiquated issues, For example, if First Corinthians rests on the necessity of the Lords Supper, sexual practices or the wearing veils to worship then the ethical instruction of Paul may well be relegated to archaic morality. Fortunately, however, the ethic of Paul is a protest against that very kind of literalistic and legalistic teaching. His concern with the practical should not be construed as a banal particularise. Rather, the concern with particulars rests on the conviction that basic ethical concerns are relevant o every aspect of human conduct.  [23]   Providentially, however, Pauls ethic is an objection to such literalistic and legalistic teaching. His concern with the practical should not be negatively construed but rather his concern with facts supports his conviction that fundamental ethical issues are pertinent to all facets of human behaviour. Pauls analysis and response to these commonplace issues offer theological considerations of merit. Repeatedly throughout First Corinthians Paul commences with a common concern, probes its depth for theological understanding, and applies theological principles for the practical application Christian life.  [24]   Pauls theological ethic can only be fully understood in relation to its application and relevance. First Corinthians may be applied as here as a fundamental source for investigation because the tension between the practical and theological are constantly sustain. Here the Christocentric character of Pauls thought is clearly expressed with Pauls answers founded on the rock of Christ. In conclusion it has been seen how Paul confronted the Corinthians Christians regarding their sins and shortcomings, exhorting them not to merge with the world or accept its false values and erroneous lifestyles. The root causes of these errors may be seen in an assimilation of the gospel to Hellenism however a more plausible reason is the human inclination to reshape God in our own image. Paul was well aware of what and why he was doing it when he wrote to the church of God at Corinth (1:2). The apostles purpose in writing to the Corinthians is clearly reproving. Paul wants them to know that he is concerned with the assembly and tells them what they should and not do in explicit terms. In addressing the issues relating to the Lords Supper, marriage and women (as with the other issues) Paul exhibits a clear understanding of the facts. This is received through the reliability of the sources and Pauls own background and worldly experiences. His adroit and forthright response addresss the situation squarely and accurately warranting an effective outcome. Paul makes it clear that his actions have no self advantage but that his writing is a command of the Lord (14:37). Pauls letter to the Corinthians offers the contemporary reader a window into a real and struggling early Christian community that challenged the Corinthians to allow the gospel to engage them in the reality of their daily lives. Likewise, the contemporary reader is challenged to allow the gospel message to engage them in the very realities of daily life and to celebrate their oneness in Christ when the church gathers for Eucharist and spiritual communication.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Lees Philosophy To Kill A Mock :: essays research papers

Nelle Harper Lee’s Philosophy on the Proper Treatment of Human Beings in To Kill A Mockingbird   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1930’s were a time in which blacks faced many hardships. It was a time in which the Ku Klux Klan had its peak. However, most importantly, it was the time when Nelle Harper Lee, the writer of To Kill A Mockingbird, was being raised. She was raised in a world where “niggers'; were the bottom class in one of the most powerful countries in the world. She was also being raised during the Great Depression, a time when the attacks on blacks were intensified, as they were the scapegoats of the immense downfall of the US economy. However, she was only a small, innocent child who believed in equality for all. Thus, Harper Lee expressed her disapproval over the treatment of blacks in her Award-Winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, through the eyes of a fictional character called Jean Louise Finch, better known as “Scout';.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scout, the main character in the story, grew up in Maycomb County; a fictional town in Alabama inspired by the Monroe County, Harper Lee’s hometown. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, was a defense attorney during the Great Depression. Just like everyone in Maycomb County, his economic conditions were very poor. Judge Taylor assigns him the task of defending Tom Robinson, a married black man accused of raping the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell, the head of a family that “…had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations.'; As the story progresses, Scout slowly becomes introduced into the world of hatred, unfairness, and racism that the 1930’s exposed. Nevertheless, since Scout still had both her innocence and naivete, due to her premature age, she completely expressed total disapproval towards the treatment of blacks during the time of her childhood. The author portrays this disapproval through Dill and Jem, Scout’s friend, and Scout’s brother, respectively, as shown here by Dill, “‘I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right to do ‘em that way. Hasn’t anybody got any business talkin’ like that—it just makes me sick.’'; Various characters’ reactions to the verdict emphasize Lee’s feelings toward racial injustice. During the Tom Robinson trial, Atticus could not have portrayed his evidence in a more professional and convincing manner. Unfortunately, Tom Robinson was found guilty by the jury and was sentenced to death. Atticus’s son, Jem, expresses his rejection to the unfair treatment of blacks by stating, “‘How could they do it, how could they? Lees Philosophy To Kill A Mock :: essays research papers Nelle Harper Lee’s Philosophy on the Proper Treatment of Human Beings in To Kill A Mockingbird   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1930’s were a time in which blacks faced many hardships. It was a time in which the Ku Klux Klan had its peak. However, most importantly, it was the time when Nelle Harper Lee, the writer of To Kill A Mockingbird, was being raised. She was raised in a world where “niggers'; were the bottom class in one of the most powerful countries in the world. She was also being raised during the Great Depression, a time when the attacks on blacks were intensified, as they were the scapegoats of the immense downfall of the US economy. However, she was only a small, innocent child who believed in equality for all. Thus, Harper Lee expressed her disapproval over the treatment of blacks in her Award-Winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, through the eyes of a fictional character called Jean Louise Finch, better known as “Scout';.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scout, the main character in the story, grew up in Maycomb County; a fictional town in Alabama inspired by the Monroe County, Harper Lee’s hometown. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, was a defense attorney during the Great Depression. Just like everyone in Maycomb County, his economic conditions were very poor. Judge Taylor assigns him the task of defending Tom Robinson, a married black man accused of raping the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell, the head of a family that “…had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations.'; As the story progresses, Scout slowly becomes introduced into the world of hatred, unfairness, and racism that the 1930’s exposed. Nevertheless, since Scout still had both her innocence and naivete, due to her premature age, she completely expressed total disapproval towards the treatment of blacks during the time of her childhood. The author portrays this disapproval through Dill and Jem, Scout’s friend, and Scout’s brother, respectively, as shown here by Dill, “‘I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right to do ‘em that way. Hasn’t anybody got any business talkin’ like that—it just makes me sick.’'; Various characters’ reactions to the verdict emphasize Lee’s feelings toward racial injustice. During the Tom Robinson trial, Atticus could not have portrayed his evidence in a more professional and convincing manner. Unfortunately, Tom Robinson was found guilty by the jury and was sentenced to death. Atticus’s son, Jem, expresses his rejection to the unfair treatment of blacks by stating, “‘How could they do it, how could they?

Saturday, October 12, 2019

A death in the family Essay -- essays research papers

James Agee's A Death in the Family is a posthumous novel based on the largely complete manuscript that the author left upon his death in 1955. Agee had been working on the novel for many years, and portions of the work had already appeared in The Partisan Review, The Cambridge Review, The New Yorker, and Harper's Bazaar. Published in 1957, the novel was edited by David McDowell. Several lengthy passages, part of Agee's manuscript whose position in the chronology was not identified by the author, were placed in italics by the editor, whose decision it was to place them at the conclusion of Parts I and II. These dream-like sequences suggest the influence of James Joyce, especially of Ulysses, on Agee's writing. It was also McDowell's decision to add the brief prefatory section, â€Å"Knoxville: Summer, 1915,† Agee's poetic meditation on his southern childhood. As an overture to the novel, this evocative section, although not part of Agee's original manuscript, is extremely effective, for it introduces the theme of lost childhood happiness that is central in the novel as a whole. The novel will treat the same milieu of middle-class domestic life-a social milieu whose calm surface of â€Å"normality† is shattered by the tragic and possibly suicidal death of Jay Follet, the child protagonist's father. In Part I of the novel, Agee quickly establishes the importance of the father-son relationship. Rufus Follet, Jay's six-year-old son, accompanies his father to the silent film theatre against the objection of Rufus's mother, who finds Charlie Chaplin (one of James Agee's heroes) â€Å"nasty† and â€Å"vulgar.† This disagreement underscores the marital conflict that underlies Rufus's ambivalent feelings toward both his parents. When Jay takes Rufus to a neighborhood tavern after the picture show, despite the father's warmth and love for his son, it is clear that the father's pride is constrained by the fact that the son's proclivities, even at this early age, follow the mother's interests in â€Å"culture† rather than the father's more democratic tastes for athletic ability and social pursuits. Tensions between Rufus's parents are apparent as Jay's drinking and â€Å"vulgar† habits become a point of contention in the household, with the child Rufus caught b etween his sometimes bickering parents. For her part, Mary Follet is a character whose extreme subjection to moralistic attitudes suggests... ... a prayer for the dead. Meanwhile Uncle Andrew takes Rufus for a walk and tells him about the â€Å"magnificent butterfly† that settled on Jay's coffin just as it was lowered into the grave before flying off high into the sky – an episode that Andrew believes â€Å"miraculous.† Andrews then reviles Father Jackson, who has refused to read the full burial service, since Jay has never been baptized. Rufus struggles to understand the hostility that Andrew feels toward the church even as he loves Christians such as Mary and Hannah. Rufus wants to ask for some clarification, but instead he and Andrew walk silently home. Thus Agee ends the novel on a note of unresolved conflict. As he grows up, it is suggested, Rufus will continue to suffer from the same divisions of faith and social milieu that are involved in his parents' relationship, and he will develop into the contemplative artist who already, at the age of six, has shown such sensitivity to human motives and the language in which they are conveyed. Written toward the end of his life, A Death in the Family may be considered Agee's attempt to understand the origins of, and to come to terms with, the self-division that plagued his existence.

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Flowering Response of the Rice Plant to Photoperiod

The Flowering Response of the Rice Plant to Photoperiod A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE FOURTH EDITION 1985 Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines Mail Address: P. O. Box 933, Manila, Philippines THE INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE First printing 1969 Partially revised 1972 Revised 1976 Revised 1985 The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was established in 1960 by the Ford and Rockfeller Foundations with the help and approval of the Government of the Philippines. Today IRRI is one of the 13 nonprofit international research and training centers supported by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The CGIAR is sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The CGIAR consists of 50 donor countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations. IRRI receives support, through the CGIAR, from a number of donors including: the Asian Development Bank, the European Economic Community, the Ford Foundation, the International Development Research Centre, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the OPEC Special Fund, the Rockefeller Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and the international aid agencies of the following governments: Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. The responsibility for this publication rests with the International Rice Research Institute. Copyright @ International Rice Research Institute 1986 All rights reserved. Except for quotations of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of IRRI. This permission will not be unreasonably withheld for use for noncommercial purposes. IRRI does not require payment for the noncommercial use of its published works, and hopes that this copyright declaration will not diminish the bona fide use of its research findings in agricultural research and development. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IRRI concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. ISBN 971-104-151-0 CONTENTS Foreword Introduction 1 Rice as a Short-day Plant 1 Growth Phases 2 Basic Vegetative Phase 4 Photoperiod-Sensitive Phase 5 Photoinductive Cycles 7 Reception of the Photoperiodic Stimulus and Translocation 9 Light Intensity and Quality 9 Interruption of the Dark Period 11 Days from Photoinductive Treatment to Flowering 12 Biochemical Changes During Photoinduction 12 Effect of Temperature on the Flowering Response to Photoperiod 13 Measurements and Methods of Testing Photoperiod Sensitivity 14 Date-of-Planting Experiments 15 Ecology and Photoperiodism 17 Terminology Used in Describing Photoperiod Sensitivity 20 Inheritance of Vegetative Growth Duration 23 Problems in the Study of the Rice Plant? fs Photoperiodism 25 Summary 26 Appendix 28 Bibliography 38 Foreword This review, first published in 1969, has been an important reference in understanding the rice plant. It has had a small but continuing demand. Many new reports on the flowering response of the rice plant have been published since the first edition. More than 100 publications were included in the third edition; this edition includes another 103 publications. For ease of reading, numbers have been used to cite the references. This review was prepared with the cooperation of the IRRI Library Staff and the technical assistance of Mr. Romeo M. Visperas, and edited by Ms. Emerita P. Cervantes. M. S. Swaminathan Director General Introduction Photoperiod influences several aspects of plant growth. Some of its effects on rices have been reviewed by Best (24), Gwinner (111), Katayama (192), Morinaga (316), Sircar (439), and Wagenaar (534). This review is primarily concerned with the effect of photoperiod on the flowering of the rice plant. It includes more than 500 papers on the photoperiodism of rice, most of which are available at the International Rice Research Institute library. Several contributions in Japanese have been translated into English and also are available at the International Rice Research Institute library. A bibliography is given at the end of this review; not all papers listed were cited in this review but were nevertheless included as future references for interested workers. Rice as a short-day plant Rice is sensitive to photoperiod . long-day treatments can prevent or considerably delay its flowering. Rice cultivars exhibit a wide range of variation in their degree of sensitivity to photoperiod (87, 254, 319, 357, 531, 563). Figure 1 shows these variations, ranging from the very sensitive to the nearly insensitive. 1. Response curves of three representative types of rice cultivars. 2 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod Most of the wild species of Oryza and many of the primitive cultivated rices ( O. sativa L. ) are photoperiod sensitive and may be classified as short-day plants. Most papers agree on such a classification, and therefore in this review, rice will be considered as a short-day plant. It also will be classified into photoperiod-sensitive and photoperiod-insensitive types, the latter showing a low response or a slight delay in flowering with an increase in photoperiod. The present tendency is to select photoperiod-insensitive cultivars so that most of the cultivated rices may eventually become photoperiod-insensitive ones. These improved, early maturing cultivars may fit into the multiple cropping system characteristic of progressive agriculture. There have been reports of cultivars whose flowering is delayed by short-day treatments and hence are considered long-day plants (1, 98, 99, 239, 254, 276, 277, 279, 283, 284, 287, 291, 303, 398,443,444, 488). Heenati, for instance, is often referred to in the literature as a long-day plant (1). Short photoperiods have delayed its flowering by 10 d, but this delay is relatively short and may be the result of nonphotoperiodic factors, such as low light intensity or relatively high temperature. The delay caused by short-day treatments ranged from 7 to 12 d in the Charnock and Panbira cultivars using an 8-h photoperiod (443), about 9 d in B. 76 (303), and 13 d in T. N. 32 and T. A. 64 (287). Many of the reported long-day and intermediate cultivars were found to be short-day cultivars in subsequent testing (522). The apparent long-day reaction of Heenati resulted from using photoperiods shorter than the optimum, which delayed flowering (34). Some rices may have been classified as long-day plants because inadequate facilities were used in testing the photoperiod reaction. The range of photoperiods used has been limited, usually involving only two treatments. In some instances, the classification was based on field reaction to different planting dates (98). Short-day-treated plants were often compared with plants grown under natural day lengths (291, 303, 304). The difference and changes in temperature and the photoperiods used have made it difficult to interpret the data intelligently. As will be discussed later, many photoperiod response curves show that photoperiods longer or shorter than the optimum delay the flowering of photoperiod-sensitive cultivars (34, 513). Photoperiod response differs markedly among rices; this also explains the diversity of the results reported on the photoperiodism of the rice plant (see Appendix). However, more than 400 cultivars have been critically tested at IRRI (l59, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170), and not one so far has shown a long-day response. Growth phases The growth of the rice plant can be divided into three stages: 1) the vegetative growth phase, from germination to panicle initiation; 2) the reproductive phase, from panicle initiation to flowering; and 3) the ripening phase, from flowering to full development of grain. In the tropics, the reproductive phase is about 35 d while the ripening phase ranges from 30 to 35 d. Both phases are relatively constant, although low temperatures have been known to prolong them and high The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 3 temperatures to shorten them. The ripening phase may be prolonged to as much as 60 d. However, it is the vegetative growth phase whose duration generally varies greatly and which largely determines the growth duration of a cultivar, especially in the tropics. The vegetative growth phase can be further divided into the basic vegetative phase (BVP) and the photoperiod-sensitive phase (PSP). The BVP refers to the juvenile growth stage of the plant, which is not affected by photoperiod. It is only after the BVP has been completed that the plant is able to show its response to the photoperiodic stimulus for flowering . this is the PSP of the plant. Figure 2 shows the growth phases and the typical response of a photoperiodsensitive rice and a photoperiod-insensitive rice. Based on the BVP and PSP, varietal response to photoperiod can be classified into four types as shown in Figure 3 (105, 526). 2. Growth phases and typical responses of a photoperiod-sensitive rice and a photoperiod-insensitive rice. BVP = basic vegetative phase, PSP = photoperiod-sensitive phase. 3. Four types of varietal response to photoperiod. BVP = basic vegetative phase, PSP = photoperiodsensitive phase. 4 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod The BVP and PSP are two separable growth phases controlled by different genes. Although some tropical cultivars may be classified as the D type having both long BVP and long PSP, most were probably eliminated during domestication since they would have had an unusually long growth period and could be planted only within a narrow range of dates. Such cultivars were found in Bangladesh and are known as Rayadas (105). The four types shown in Figure 3 were classified under one temperature condition. Norin 20 (Type A) has a short BVP. When grown in the tropics, however, it has a much shorter BVP than when grown in the temperate areas (Fig. 1). In classifying cultivars based on BVP, most of those from the low latitudes were found to have long BVP? fs (531, 532). Basic vegetative phase At the early growth stages, the rice plant is photoperiod insensitive so that the photoinductive treatments are usually started when the plants are 10-63 d old (13, 90, 142, 175, 186, 213, 230, 232, 273, 304, 316, 401, 512, 531). Because of this insensitivity to photoperiod, the early growth stage has been termed the basic vegetative phase; it is also referred to as the juvenile growth stage of the insensitive phase of the plant. Suenaga recognized the BVP as early as 1936. He measured it by taking the duration of the vegetative growth phase at optimum day length. The BVP also has been measured by subtracting 35 d from the growth duration (sowing to flowering) of plants grown at the optimum photoperiod (526). This assumes that the period from panicle initiation to flowering is about 35 d. Anema (13) modified the determination of the BVP by subtracting 35 d and the minimum number of photoinductive cycles needed for panicle initiation from the heading date. The resulting BVP values are smaller but this complex method would mean determining the minimum number of photoinductive cycles needed for each cultivar. The range of BVP reported in the literature has varied from 10 to 85 d (105, 175, 266, 273, 326, 381, 383, 401, 407, 445, 512). In an F 2 population, BVP? fs of more than 100 d were reported (249), but a BVP of this length has not been found in conventional rice cultivars. It is possible that such characters are eliminated during cultivar selection. The appendix shows the range of the BVP of the cultivars tested at IRRI. The indica cultivars generally have longer BVP (583). Other workers have reported or measured BVP in terms of leaf number (93, 215, 340, 413, 551, 575). The minimum number of leaves can be less than five. The need for determining the BVP of a rice cultivar before using it as an experimental plant material is obvious but is frequently overlooked especially in the study of the inheritance of photoperiod sensitivity. Several experiments showed that short-day treatments of seedlings accelerated heading (393, 401, 437, 438, 445) or delayed it (16, 273, 284, 287, 296, 426, 443, 447, 551). The results indicate the possible effect of photoperiod while the plant is in its early growth stage and the possible existence of a very short BVP. On the other hand, long-day treatments of seedlings have been reported to induce earliness in flowering (418, 427). These varied and conflicting results may have been caused by nonspecific factors. A good example is seedling vigor, which is The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 5 known to affect the flowering date, especially in the weakly photoperiod-sensitive cultivars. The degree of sensitivity of rice plants has been reported to increase with age (142, 190, 195, 202, 205, 347, 512). The increase in leaf area accompanying advancement in age does not explain this increase in sensitivity (413). An increase in sensitivity with age up to 28 d and then a decrease in sensitivity with older plants (35- to 42-d-old plants) has been reported (296). The delay probably resulted from the setback from delayed transplanting and not from plant age because the plants were already 63 d old when transplanted, with some already flowering. The optimum age of responsiveness is probably the result of growthlimiting factors, such as space and nutrients and delayed transplanting. Katayama (202) indicated that the BVP, or aging effect, probably resulted from small leaf area and (or) low metabolic activity and (or) lack of a specific metabolic pattern in young plants. The substance causing response to short-day conditions is produced in too small a quantity to affect morphogenesis at the growing point, but increases gradually with increasing age. Studying this aspect, Suge (460) found that the growth inhibitors in the plant were greatly reduced as the plant grew. However, it is not known whether these inhibitory substances are essentially involved in the sensitivity of the plant to photoperiod. In some instances, the apparent low sensitivity of the younger plants may be a matter of completing the BVP. If the photoinductive cycles were given before the BVP of the plants had been completed, the effective photoinductive cycles would be less and the resulting response of the plants would be smaller. The transition from the BVP to the PSP is not well known; it could be abrupt or it could involve a gradual buildup. Using several cultivars, Best (26) found that the insensitive phase (BVP) changed to the fully sensitive phase (PSP) within a week. The following are possible explanations for the existence of the BVP (26): 1) The first leaves formed are completely insensitive to photoperiod. 2) The first leaves formed have very low sensitivity that they do not reach an adequate level of induction to evoke floral initiation before the more sensitive leaves formed at higher nodes have reached this stage. ) The first leaves formed do not attain the induced stage before the (early) senescence of these leaves. 4) The total leaf area required before the plant can react by floral initiation to the inductive photoperiod is so large that it is reached only at a relatively late stage of plant development. 5) The growing point of the young plant is unable to react to the floral stimulus or the st imulus cannot reach the growing point. Photoperiod-sensitive phase The PSP or the eliminable phase (186) is the growth stage indicative of the rice plant's sensitivity to photoperiod. In photoperiod-sensitive cultivars, the PSP determines the rice plant? fs sensitivity. The PSP of photoperiod-insensitive cultivars ranges from 0 to 30 d while that of sensitive cultivars lasts from 31 d or longer. Under continually long photoperiods, 6 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod some cultivars have been reported to remain vegetative even after 12 yr of growth (234). The PSP is usually determined by subtracting the minimum growth duration from the maximum growth duration of a cultivar (526). Because many cultivars remain vegetative for a long period if grown under long-day conditions, experiments are usually terminated after 200 d and the PSP of the cultivar is given the value of 200+. Besides measuring the PSP, there are many other ways . to be discussed later . of determining a cultivar? fs sensitivity to photoperiod. A rice cultivar? fs response to photoperiod may be measured by the length of the PSP, which in turn is determined by both the critical and optimum photoperiods of the cultivar. Because these two terms have been used interchangeably and in many ways, the following definitions will be adopted herein. Optimum photoperiod is the day length at which the duration from sowing to flowering is at a minimum (34). Critical photoperiod is the longest photoperiod at which the plant will flower or the photoperiod beyond which it cannot flower. Figure 1 shows that BPI-76 has an optimum photoperiod of 10 h and a critical photoperiod of 13 h. Tainan 3 has an optimum photoperiod of 12 h but no critical photoperiod because it flowered under all photoperiods. The critical photoperiod determines whether a cultivar will flower when planted at the usual time at a certain latitude, while the optimum photoperiod determines whether it will flower within a reasonable time if planted during a period with longer days than would normally occur during the growing season. With BPI-76, if the optimum photoperiod is 10 h and the delay under photoperiods longer than 10 h is great, one would expect the flowering of this cultivar to be greatly delayed when planted in the northern latitudes where the photoperiod during the growing season is about 14 h. If the critical photoperiod is 12 h, flowering will occur very late at high latitudes, and if flowering does occur, the crop will not mature in time because frost will kill it. A cultivar with a long optimum photoperiod or no critical photoperiod would have wider adaptability . it could be planted at any latitude and in any season, provided it is not too sensitive to temperature. Optimum photoperiod The optimum photoperiod differs with cultivars although many workers have observed it to be 8-10 h (39, 116, 135, 142, 311, 362, 371, 393, 512). Using intermediate photoperiods of less than and more than 10 h may reveal more important information. But this will require facilities in which a maximum of 15-min difference in photoperiods can be accurately obtained. There are also indications that the optimum photoperiod increases with increase in temperature Njoku (335) did not find any optimum photoperiod in the varieties he studied. The photoperiod he used was as short as 9 h, well below the range of natural day lengths. Cultivars with optimum photoperiods longer than 10 h have also been reported (26, 90, 320, 322, 362, 568). The less sensitivity to photoperiod, the longer is the (394). The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 7 ptimum photoperiod (116, 311). However, others found no correlation between the optimum photoperiod and the photoperiod sensitivity of the many cultivars they tested (572). A photoperiod longer or shorter than the optimum has been shown to delay flowering, the delay depending upon the cultivar? fs sensitivity (311, 316, 319, 371, 393, 459, 5 13, 568). The term supraoptimum photoperiod has been used when the photoperiod is shorter than the optimum. Panicle initiation in plants receiving a photoperiod as low as 4 h has been reported (140). No flowering has resulted under a 2-h light period (140). Plants receiving 8-h light and varying dark periods from 16 to 64 h showed inhibited shoot apex conversion (219). This was ascribed to inadequacy of carbon compounds for synthesis of requisite quantity of flowering hormone. The turning point mentioned by Yu and Yao (568) is similar to the optimum photoperiod, but the photoperiod values they reported were larger because these were not the photoperiods at which growth is shortest but the photoperiods at which the first long-day effect is manifested. Critical photoperiod Scripchinsky (417), reviewing the literature on rice, indicated that the rice plants have a ? critical length of day for flowering.? h Later studies showed the presence of a critical photoperiod ranging from 12 to 14 h (175, 209, 244, 354, 478, 490, 500, 553). The critical photoperiods determined under controlled photoperiod rooms were almost the same as the day length from sunrise to sunset at 30 d before flowering under natural conditions (499). The lower the latitude of origin of a cultivar or strain, the shorter is its critical photoperiod (196, 356). The critical period is influenced by temperature (566) and lengthens as the plant becomes older (2 12). The PSP of a cultivar is probably a measure of the combined effect of photoperiod on its optimum photoperiod and critical photoperiod. The shorter the critical photoperiod, the longer is the PSP. Short optimum photoperiod is also associated with long PSP. Photoinductive cycles A photoperiodic cycle that induces the initiation of flowers on plants is called a photoinductive cycle. A 10-h photoperiod alternating with a 14-h dark period is one possible photoinductive cycle of a short-day rice cultivar. The minimum number of photoinductive cycles necessary to initiate the panicle primordium of a rice plant varies from 4 to 24. This required minimum number varies not only with cultivar, but also with the photoperiod being used (13, 21, 26, 142, 195, 292, 338, 344, 408, 449, 500, 527, 529). The number of photoinductive cycles necessary increases with photoperiod length (190, 195, 203, 204, 527). According to Katayama (190), the minimum number increases proportionally with the photoperiod used, although others (527) failed to obtain a proportional increase using a different cultivar. Katayama (190) found that the minimum number was lower in cultivars from higher latitudes than in those from lower latitudes. The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod Suge (463) showed that different numbers of photoinductive cycles produced different amounts of floral stimulus. He also found that Gibberellin A3 reduced the minimum number of photoinductive cycles necessary to induce flowering. However, gibberellin alone did not induce flowering under noninductive photoperiods. That a certain number of photoinductiv e cycles is required to induce flowering suggests that the stimulus produced by the treatment is cumulative and that flower induction occurs when the stimulus has reached a certain threshold level (205, 206, 208). Photoinductive cycles interrupted by noninductive cycles can negate to different degrees the effect of the photoinductive cycles (200, 206, 345). There are also indications that emergence of the panicle from the flag leaf sheath is a process separate from panicle initiation. For example, internode elongation, after the panicle has been initiated, proceeds more rapidly at shorter than at longer photoperiods (26, 37, 67, 135, 425, 451, 512, 529), and earliness is further induced if the treatment is prolonged until flowering (33, 438, 498). It is possible, however, that panicle initiation and exsertion are separate processes, but certainly the latter proceeds only after the panicle has been formed. The effect of photoperiod on exsertion may be on fuller development of the panicle, hence indirectly affecting elongation of the first internode or exsertion of the panicle. Plants subjected to insufficient photoinductive cycles sometimes form panicles but no emergence occurs (see Table 1) (92, 122, 344, 512, 526). A difference of two photoinductive cycles could make the difference between exsertion or nonexsertion of the panicle. Several workers, however, have reported that photoperiod has only a slight effect on culm elongation and panicle emergence (85, 116, 338, 473); but the cultivars used (85, 338, 473) were generally weakly photoperiodic because the differences between the control and the treated plants were relatively small (16 d at most). In another instance, the treatment was started at a later stage . 20 d before the standard heading time . at which time the plants had received sufficient photoperiodic stimulus for panicle initiation and emergence (1 16). In another experiment, long photoperiods had no effect on the terminal bud that had reached the stage of differentiation of secondary branch primordia (345). Reversals from a reproductive to a vegetative phase have been reported (54, 342). In some instances, however, the panicle is initiated and differentiated but Table 1. Response of 30-d-old BPI-76 seedlings given different numbers of 10-h photoinductive cycles. Days from sowing Days from sowing Cycles (no. ) to panicle to panicle initiation emergence 8 ** 10 47 ** 12 47 88 Continuous 46 66 *No panicle initiation 200 d after treament. **No panicle meregence 200 d after treament * The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 9 does not emerge (526). The unexserted panicle ceases to grow, and instead the terminal growth is dominated by a shoot from a node below the panicle. Such a situation is not a true reversal of the growing point. In more recent histological studies, incomplete short-day treatment changed the bract pri mordium into a leaf primordium, a true reversal of some parts of the growing point (346). Reception of the photoperiodic stimulus and translocation The photoperiodic stimulus may be received by the leaves of the rice plant (24). The leaf sheaths can receive the stimulus as shown by removing the leaf blades and subjecting the plant to photoinductive treatments (26, 142, 481). More photoinductive cycles were needed to induce flowering when the leaf blades were removed (142). Defoliated plants responded to light interruption given during dark periods as well as the intact plants (142). In one cultivar, the culm received the photoperiodid stimulus (26). Evidently, the leaf most receptive to the stimulus is the youngest fully formed leaf (263). The first leaves, up to the sixth leaf, are either insensitive or have low sensitivity to photoperiod (26). It is difficult to study this aspect of leaf sensitivity because grafting experiments with the rice plant are difficult. Removing the leaves at regular intervals after the end of the photoinductive cycles showed that the floral stimulus moves gradually from the leaves to the terminal bud (142, 464). The translocation of the stimulus depends on temperature. It was also reported that the rate of translocation of the stimulus is the same regardless of the number of photoinductive cycles received by the plant (463). The question of stimulus movement from one tiller to another has also attracted the attention of several workers. When a plant was divided and half was kept under a 24-h photoperiod and the other half under an 8-h photoperiod, the half subjected to the short-day treatment flowered while that under long-day treatment remained vegetative (230, 232). The results indicate that the stimulus is not transmitted from one tiller to another. This finding has been substantiated by other workers using different cultivars and methods (263, 408, 521). Manuel and Velasco (263) concluded that the stimulus that induces flowering can be conserved in the stubble and later transferred to the ratoon but not to a neighboring tiller of the same age as the donor. Sasamura (413), however, reported that the floral stimulus goes from the main culm to its tillers. The irregularities observed in photoperiod-sensitive cultivars when planted during the off-season, for example, the high number of nonflowering tillers, have been attributed to the effect of the photoinductive cycles received by the plant and their nontranslocation to the succeeding tillers formed (521). Light intensity and quality The light intensities used to prevent or delay flowering varied from 1 to more than 200 lx. Incandescent, tungsten, as well as fluorescent bulbs have been used (69, 143, 310, 396, 484, 489, 503, 538, 565, 570, 577). The brighter the illumination, the stronger the retarding effect. 10 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod Delay in flowering with light intensities varying from 10 to 100 lx and even at 1 lx (310, 484) has been reported (538, 565, 589). Extending the day length using light intensities of less than 200 lx during the first or last 3 h of the 12-h dark period did not prevent flowering (478). In another experiment, 2-h illumination at 15 lx before a 9-h dark period showed some inhibiting effect and 1-h illumination at 500 lx incandescent light before a 9-h dark period inhibited flowering (143). In correlating laboratory studies with field studies, the natural photoperiod used is usually based on the sunrise-to-sunset duration. Such measurements are unsatisfactory in assessing periods of effective light because very low light intensities have been known to effect photoperiod responses in some experiments. Civil twilight in the morning can generally delay flowering but civil twilight in the evening may or may not delay flowering (143, 196, 205, 502). Civil twilight ends when the light intensity is about 4 lx. Twilight, of course, varies with localities and within the year. The critical light that results in delayed flowering is around 5 lx and sometimes 10 lx, depending on variety and other factors (174). Twilight intensity also varies and may be higher in the morning than in the afternoon (Fig. 4). Katayama (196) attributes the greater effectiveness of the morning twilight to higher intensity. Cloudy weather affects twilight duration. Takimoto and Ikeda (478), however, concluded that the photoperiodically effective day length is equal to the astronomical day length (sunrise to sunset) because twilight (less than 200 lx) had little effect on photoperiodic induction in their experiment. Wormer (538) showed that low light intensities for 6 h (10-100 lx) given after a 12-h daylight can delay flowering. Farmers have complained that their rice plants did not flower regularly because of the electric lights installed along their fields (552). One incident has been reported in which the light from a flame of waste natural gas prevented normal 4. Change of light intensity during civil twilight (after Katayama [196]). The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 11 flowering in rice. The effect of light was noticeable up to about 270 m from the flare (22). Although light from incandescent bulbs is generally used for photoperiod studies, other colors have been tried in rice. The blue-violet part of the spectrum has been shown to retard flowering (260) as has infrared light (323). The delay in flowering caused by green light is very slight, only 4-5 d later than natural day length (234). Green has, therefore, been used in light traps for the moth. Red light is the most effective in delaying flowering, while blue showed some effect only at high intensities and in the most photoperiod-sensitive cultivars (26, 146, 153, 503). The phytochrome pigment is generally regarded as the system that interacts with photoperiod or with different light qualities, such as red, far-red, and blue. Such pigment has been studied in rice coleoptile by Pjon and Furuya (378, 379). For panicle initiation, rice needs a high light intensity during the light period. The inhibition caused by low-intensity light during the light period can be overcome effectively by exposing the plant to high-intensity light immediately before or after the inductive dark period (140, 145). This phenomenon is similar to that reported in other short-day plants and is evidently a carbohydrate requirement. This requirement would explain why a 2-h light period followed by 22-h dark period did not induce flowering (140). Ikeda (145) reported, however, that plants growing in low-intensity light during the photoinductive period but briefly exposed to high-intensity light before the inductive dark period had floral induction, suggesting that light requirement for floral induction of rice is not entirely concerned with photosynthesis. In the flowering response of the rice cultivars to photoperiod, red light given during the dark period inhibited flowering (136, 146, 148, 411, 442). The effect of red light increased with intensity. Red light, as low as 10 ? EW/cm 2 given for 3 h or 290 ? EWc/cm 2 for 15 min in the middle of the dark period, inhibited flowering (146, 148, 149). Red light was most effective in inhibiting panicle initiation when given in the middle of the dark period (150). With red light, the period of exposure needed to inhibit floral development was shorter than with white light (146). The inhibiting effect of red light has also been shown in experiments involving red and far-red lights. Far-red after red nullifies the delaying effect of red light and promotes flowering (411). Far-red before a 9- or 10-h dark period promotes flowering and this effect can be reversed by red light (146, 149, 152). Far-red enhances flowering whereas blue retards flowering (185). Far-red after the critical dark period can shorten the critical dark period as well as reduce the minimum number of inductive cycles required (145). Interruption of the dark period Sensitive strains of rice respond to light interruption (26, 69, 218, 232, 260, 323, 449, 570, 577). Light given in the middle of the dark period delayed the flowering of the sensitive cultivar Shuan-chiang (570). The light intensity used was 1001x and the duration varied from a flash to as long as 15 min. The degree of delay was greater in the light interruption of a 12-h dark period (12 light and 12 dark) than of a 16-h dark period (8 light and 16 dark) (577). Interrupting the light period with darkness did not accelerate flowering. 12 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod The earlier the interposition of the light during the dark period, the greater was the delay (449). The findings show that the flowering response of the plant is determined by the longest dark period. Days from photoinductive treatment to flowering The literature indicates that the number of days from panicle initiation to flowering is about 35. Many workers have reported that the difference among cultivars is small (7, 407, 511, 551). Others found that the number of days from panicle initiation to flowering ranges from 10 to 241 d (425). It seems obvious, however, that 10 d is too short for the full development of a panicle. Flowering may be delayed by long photoperiods after panicle initiation (176, 524). But if the plants are given photoinductive cycles beyond the minimum requirement, the subsequent photoperiods have very little effect on flowering and elongation (501, 524). Auxin application can nullify the delaying effect of long photoperiods (176). Under natural day length, the number of days from the first-bract differentiation stage to flowering varied from 27 to 46 d, depending upon the cultivar and time of sowing (14, 270). Reports vary on the number of days from the start of the photoinductive treatment to flowering. Misra (285) reported 37 d in 30-, 40-, 50-, 60-, and 70-d-old plants of the cultivar T. 36 using a 10-h photoperiod. Fuke (93) noted that the plants flowered about 28 d after treatment. The number of days from photoinductive treatment to flowering depends upon the photoperiod being used. Panicle initiation and flowering were earlier under the 10-h than under the 11- and 12-h photoperiods (527). Using 168 F 2 plants, those treated under the 10-h photoperiod took 30-47 d to flower, or a mean of 35. d (Li, unpublished data. For practical purposes, an estimate of 35 d should be workable. Thus, to obtain the BVP or the time of panicle initiation, 35 d can be subtracted from the minimum growth duration of the cultivar. In studying the effect of photoperiod on the flowering of the rice plant, the most fundamental consideration is panicle initiation because it marks the actual change from the vege tative to the reproductive phase. Instead of using this as a basis, however, most studies use the flowering date, which is only a projection of the variations of the date of panicle initiation. To a certain extent, several factors can affect the stage from panicle initiation to emergence. In some instances, panicle initiation can occur without the subsequent emergence. The panicle primordium is aborted and a vegetative shoot may dominate the growing tip (527). A methodological question might therefore arise regarding accuracy of the experiments based on flowering date. The practicality of the method, however, far outweighs the need for extreme accuracy. Biochemical changes during photoinduction Very little work has been done on the chemical changes occurring during photoinduction and panicle development in rice. An increase in the rate of respiration of rice shoot apices with each photoinductive cycle given to the eighth The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 13 day, followed by a gradual decline in rate, has been reported (293). The peak of the respiration rate almost coincides with the minimum photoinductive cycles needed by the rice plant at 8 h of photoperiod. The results suggest that the photoperiodic mechanism in the flowering of rice involves a respiratory shift. This corroborates the findings of Elliot and Leopold (86) who used other plant species. The changes in carbohydrate and nitrogen content of rice plants subjected to short days were also studied by Misra and Mishra (299). Unfortunately, the difference in heading between treated and control plants was only 4 d. Khan and Misra (222) reported an increase in sugar and nitrogen content of the leaves when subjected to photoinductive cycles. Photoinduction increases the gibberellic acid activity, although the value is low (461). This immediate rice, visible after three photoinductive cycles, returns to a level lower than that of the original. The rice plant is difficult to use for studies on biochemical changes during reproduction. Perhaps it is best to leave this type of study to other short-day plants. Effect of temperature on the flowering response to photoperiod The flowering of the rice plant is mainly controlled by two ecological factors . day length and temperature . which are often interrelated. The plant may respond to temperature and photoperiod simultaneously, but the degree would vary according to the cultivar. Cultivars have been classified based on these two factors (248, 356, 530). Temperature affects both the photoperiod-sensitive and photoperiodinsensitive cultivars. Generally, high temperature accelerates and low temperature delays heading (5, 6, 90, 126, 186, 307, 339, 340, 370, 376, 409, 410, 439, 456, 531). Some reports, however, have shown that high temperature delays flowering (15, 18, 394). The acceleration of the photoperiod response by high temperature is an overall effect, but it does not indicate the specific effects on the different stages leading to flowering. The effect of temperature on the BVP, photoinductive period, panicle differentiation and development, and critical photoperiod has not been fully studied. Uekuri (506, 507) studied the effect of low temperature during the BVP and found a definite delay in attaining the PSP. The degree of extension of the BVP by low temperature varied with the cultivars used. The growing point of the shoot is the receptive organ for the low-temperature effect, not the leaf blades (506). Ahn (5) reported that high temperature reduced the BVP but had very little effect on the PSP. As early as 1931, Fuke had considered the effect of temperature during the photoinductive period. He used snow to lower the darkroom temperature, but the 5-10? †¹C decrease had little effect on heading. Temperatures above 20? †¹C to 29? †¹C accelerate panicle initiation (24, 341). Vergara and Lilis (524) showed that the vegetative primordium was converted to reproductive primordium at the same time or at the same morphological stage regardless of temperature (21-32? †¹C). 14 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod Haniu et a1 (1 15) found similar results. These results contradict those reported by Noguchi and Kamata (341) and Best (24). Temperatures below 15? †¹C inhibited initiation and bud development (156). Floral induction, however, is possible at 15? †¹C (341) but not at 12 or 40oC (115). Because many test plants died in the growing process, 15? †¹ C is assumed to be near the lowest limit for rice growth (341). The optimum temperature reported for photoinduction is 30o C (1 15). The question still remains as to whether a critical temperature for photoinduction exists. The optimum temperature for photoinduction may vary depending upon the photoperiod being used. The optimum temperature tended to be higher under a longer photoperiod and vice versa (24, 364). Putting it another way, at a certain temperature each cultivar has its own optimum day length under which it flowers at the earliest date (459, 572). Detailed microscopic studies of the development of the panicle primordium have shown that high temperature accelerates panicle development (260). The critical temperature for young panicle differentiation has been reported to be 18oC (555). Best (24) has also shown that panicle development, especially in its later stages, is accelerated at high temperatures (35-37oC). On the other hand, low temperature markedly retards panicle primordium development, and, below 25oC, the panicle may not emerge completely from the flag leaf sheath (24). A night temperature of 24. 4oC was found more favorable than 29 and 35? C in accelerating the flowering of the Elon-elon cultivar (263). High night temperature accelerates flowering (220). This was attributed to increased production of florigen during the dark period. This may not be the case and dissecting plants after photoinductive treatments may reveal if it was an acceleration in panicle development and exsertion rather than in panicle initiation. Others have found that the acceleration in flowering with high temperature is the result of acceleration in panicle exsertion, which, in turn, is the result of shorter leafing interval (524). Obviously, caution should be taken in determining the time of panicle initiation by observing the heading date because the exact date of panicle initiation cannot be determined by this method. Measurements and methods of testing photoperiod sensitivity Most studies on the photoperiodism of the rice plant have been considered from two standpoints, namely, classification of the cultivar into photoperiod-sensitive and photoperiod-insensitive types and measurement of the degree of sensitivity. The classification may be relatively easy, but the measurement is rather complex (195). As a result, several methods of measuring photoperiod sensitivity have been developed. Studies on the measurement of photoperiod sensitivity are usually based on the reduction in the number of days as a result of short-day treatment (1 16, 195, 205, 327, 329, 357, 553, 574). Other methods were more specific; they measured the optimum photoperiod (40), critical photoperiod (351), or the gradient of the response curve (34, 192, 247) as the basis of sensitivity. Hara (116) was the first to measure photoperiod sensitivity using the formula: X The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 15 = T . Y/Y X 100, where Y is the number of days required to head under standard conditions and T is the number of days required under an 8-h photoperiod. Several similar formulas have been used by other workers. The percentage or index obtained from such formulas, however, does not clearly define photoperiod sensitivity. The results usually apply only to the area where the rice was tested since the natural day length is usually used as the control. Chandraratna (37, 40) used second-degree polynomials to compute the minimum heading duration and optimum photoperiod; this method involved using at least three photoperiods. He showed that cultivars differ in both characters. Oka (352) and Katayama (192, 201) measured the critical photoperiod and the degree of sensitivity of several cultivars using different methods and formulas and came up with their preferred method of measurement. Both workers used the natural day length as a basis for computation and assumed that flowering occurs 30 d after photoinduction. Best (25) and Li (249), using a method similar to Chandraratna's (34, 37, 40), measured sensitivity based on response curves obtained by plotting the time from sowing to floral initiation on the ordinate and the photoperiod used on the abscissa. The method, however, requires a wide range of photoperiods. Li (249) also studied photoperiod sensitivity in terms of the BVP and the PSP. The BVP was obtained in plants grown under 10 h of light, and the PSP (which is a measure of sensitivity) by subtracting the growth duration under the 10-h photoperiod from that under the 16-h photoperiod. The PSP values obtained show the possible maximum range in growth duration as a result of extending the photoperiod. The photoperiodic characteristics of a rice plant have been described by Stewart (458) who used a different criterion based on 1) basic vegetative period in terms of degree-days (based on temperature accumulation), 2) photoinduction period in degree-days or degree-minutes (using accumulated night length), and 3) panicle development period in degree-days (based on temperature accumulation). Tests under field conditions were analyzed by this method and predictions were made on the response of the cultivar sown in different months. In Japan, the flowering response is evaluated using the floral stages (135, 463). The Japanese workers have used the scale of 0-7, based mainly on the length of the developing panicle. This destructive measurement is more accurate than the usual days from sowing to flowering or treatment to flowering. The choice of the most appropriate method of testing and describing the response to photoperiod depends upon the purpose of the experiment and the available facilities. From the physiological standpoint, however, controlled photoperiod and temperature are desired because of their advantages over natural photoperiods and temperatures. Date-of-planting experiments Day length changes rhythmically within a year and varies depending upon the latitude. The amount of change in day length during the rice cropping season differs from one latitude to another (Fig. 5). Even in locations at the same latitude the day length during the cropping season may differ because the planting dates 16 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 5. Day length changes during the cropping season at various locations in Asia. may differ greatly depending mostly on the rainfall pattern at each location. At northern latitudes (Sapporo, 43? †¹ N, and Konosu, 36? †¹ N) day ength increases and then decreases during the cropping season (Fig. 5). At lower latitudes (Taipei, 25? †¹N, and Los Banos, 14? †¹N) day length decreases during the main growing season. Near the equator (Bukit Merah, 5? †¹N) there is little change. These differences in day length during the growing season may account for the wide range of photoperiod response of rice cultivars. A rice cultivar that must have less than 12 h o daylight to flower will obviously flower too late at the northern latitudes because frost will set in before harvest. In the northern hemisphere, the longest days are in June and the shortest are in December. Taking these into account, the photoperiod response of the rice cultivars can be tested to a limited extent by planting the cultivars at a certain location at different dates. Maximum differences in growth duration can be obtained in the May and November plantings if temperatures are not too low for growth. If a rice? fs growth duration changes more than 30 d, agronomists usually consider it photoperiod sensitive or a seasonal cultivar. As Best (24) has pointed out, this criterion is not specific enough for research on photoperiodism, and caution should be taken in evaluating the data obtained. These phenological data, however, are important to breeders in selecting ecotypes. This method of testing sensitivity to photoperiod has been followed in Australia (245), Brazil (l03, 579), China (44, 356, 582), India (98, 99, 101, 214, 220, 295, 298, 423), Indonesia (467), Japan (533, 548), Korea (247, 466), Malaysia (74, 77, 244), Philippines (91, 512), Russia (452), Senegal (66), Sierra Leone (68, 536), Sri Lanka (112, 259, 402), Thailand (381), Trinidad (325), and United States of America (177, 180). The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 17 These experiments strongly confirm the existence of wide cultivar differences in the effect of planting date on flowering date. Many of the results obtained from this type of testing, however, are not applicable to identical cultivars grown at different latitudes. A cultivar can be insensitive to day length in Malaysia but sensitive in Taiwan. Results of field tests at a certain latitude are, therefore, not always applicable at another latitude. Some published papers on the use of this testing method failed to mention latitude or the place where the tests were conducted. Under natural conditions very small differences in day length can affect the rice plant. In Malacca (Malaysia), the difference between the maximum and the minimum day lengths is only 14 min and yet the cultivar Siam 29 takes 329 d to flower when planted in January and only 161 d when planted in September (76). Another instance showing the sensitivity of the rice plant to small differences in day length was reported in a date-of-planting experiment in Malaysia (244). There was a difference of as much as 156 d in the growth duration of photoperiodsensitive cultivars when planted in the same month but in different years (Table 2). This presumably resulted from differences in weather during the critical periods. Cloudy weather early or late in the day shortens the twilight hour, thus shortening the day length. Toriyama et al (490) tested rice cultivars involving not only monthly planting but also sowing at different latitudes (Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Japan). This gives a better idea of the photoperiodic response of the cultivars but involves much work and cooperation. Ecology and photoperiodism Rice can be grown over a wide range of environmental conditions, from the equator to about 53? N latitude, leading to the differentiation and establishment of various ecotypes and forms. The great diversity in photoperiod sensitivity from one latitude to another or within a latitude probably indicates that the rice cultivars predominantly cultivated in each area are those that have been selected on the basis of local adaptability (that is, adaptability to the temperature of the rice-growing season, day length, and duratio n of the growing season) to assure the full development of the plant and the best possible balance between vegetative and reproductive growth (423, 530, 532, 584, 585). Table 2. Growth duration (days from sowing to flowering) of photo. period-sensitive cultivars when planted in January 1962 and 1963 at several localities in Malaysia (244). Cultivar Locality Jan 1962 Jan 1963 Difference Engkatek Telok Chengai 136 292 156 Kota Bahru 146 243 97 Kuala Lumpur 134 97 37 Subang Bukit Merah 270 224 46 lntan 117 Kuala Lumpur 171 138 33 Kota Bahru 276 176 100 18 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod A major problem in studying the ecology of the rice plant, especially in reference to photoperiodism, is that cultivars in farmers' fields keep changing. For example, Hara reported in 1930 that Japanese cultivars were more sensitive than the cultivars from mainland China and Taiwan. He concluded that the lower the latitude of the region of the native habitat, the less sensitive were the cultivars there. Wada (531), using 134 cultivars, showed contrasting results . the cultivars from the northern region of Japan had lower photoperiod sensitivity than those from the southern region. Recent papers, however, generally agree that among the photoperiod-sensitive cultivars, the lower the latitude ofdistribution, the higher the sensitivity (351, 352, 356, 531, 583). The cultivars in the tropics or lower latitudes are usually late maturing (long growth duration). Many studies show that the late cultivars are more sensitive to photoperiod than the early ones (116, 248, 357, 511, 563, 583). In the tropics, where rice can be grown any time of the year provided there is sufficient water, photoperiod sensitivity presents certain problems. During the off-season, when the day length during the early growth stage is increasing, the sensitive cultivars are uneconomical to use because they take a very long time to produce any grain. For wider adaptability, cultivars should have low photoperiod sensitivity (53, 70) and thus have little differences in growth duration when planted at different times of the year or at varying latitudes. Insensitive cultivars have been successfully grown at different latitudes where rice is used as a crop (45, 351, 352, 511, 532, 568. This indicates that it should not 6. Growth duration of IR8 planted in June or July at 12 sites in Asia. La Trinidad and Kanke are high-altitude areas (52). The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 19 e difficult to introduce new photoperiod-insensitive cultivars to different ricegrowing areas or to culture them year-round in the tropics. The plant breeders, as the varieties coming out indicate, are developing more photoperiod-insensitive cultivars. Extensive testing in various rice-growing areas of the world has established the wide adaptability of photoperiod-insensitive cultivars. In general, the longer the BVP the less variation ingro wth duration and the stronger the PSP the greater the variation in growth duration (581). The wide adaptability and the stable growth duration of IR8, a photoperiod-insensitive cultivar, are indicated by the data furnished by cooperators in various parts of the world. IR8? fs growth duration varied within a range of 20 d at latitudes from 11o to 27oN except at high altitudes where low temperatures prevailed during part of the growing season (Fig. 6). A more illuminating example of the effect of temperature comes from monthly planting at Los Banos, Philippines, and at Joydebpur, Bangladesh (Fig. 7). A comparison between the monthly mean temperatures and mean photoperiods shows that the more variable heading pattern at Joydebpur is more closely associated with temperature rather than with the prevailing photoperiod. The effect of low temperature on the improved tropical cultivars becomes more obvious in photoperiod-insensitive cultivars. 7. Mean monthly temperatures and day length in relation to the growth duration of IR8 at Los Banos, Philippines, and Joydebpur, Bangladesh (52) 20 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod Sensitivity to photoperiod of rice cultivars in the deep water areas is an important characteristic for survival (104, 520). The floating rice cultivars are highly photoperiod sensitive. They are planted early in the season when the soil can still be worked and without danger of submerging the young seedlings. Flowering occurs when the floodwater peaks or starts receding. If the cultivar flowers when the floodwater is still rising, it would mean the complete loss of the crop if the panicles are submerged. Elongation ability ceases after panicle emergence. Harvesting is usually done when the floodwaters have receded. The maturity of floating rice cultivars coincides with the receding of the annual floodwaters which may be 150-270 d after sowing. Such a long growth duration requires a photoperiod-sensitive cultivar. So far, there is no known tropical cultivar that has a long growth duration and is not sensitive to photoperiod. Photoperiod sensitivity may work as a safety mechanism when precise planting dates are not followed and environmental conditions such as water level cannot be effectively controlled. If the date of sowing or transplanting is delayed because of insufficient rainfall, a photoperiod-sensitive cultivar may still mature at its usual time (352, 382). Plants are not seriously damaged if left in the seedbed for prolonged periods because the growth duration of the main crop is sufficiently long for the plants to adjust. Thus, land preparation and transplanting can be staggered (382). Maturation of the crop at the same time. as with photoperiod-sensitive cultivars planted at different dates, may reduce rat and insect damage in any one field. Also, harvesting and drying are simplified. If the soil is not sufficiently fertile, a photoperiod-sensitive cultivar will continue its compelled vegetative growth until the short days come. This would give the plant enough time to reach a reasonable plant weight and accumulate enough carbohydrates before flowering (528). Thus, a photoperiod-sensitive cultivar generally may be more resistant to unfavorable conditions. Long-growthduration cultivars (essentially photoperiod sensitive) are least affected by strong soil reduction (549). Most upland rice cultivars have short growth duration and are photoperiodinsensitive (11, 12). However, in areas where the rainfall pattern is bimodal, as in northern Thailand, the cultivars are of medium growth duration and are photoperiod-sensitive . possibly another indication of the greater specific adaptability of long-growth-duration cultivars to adverse conditions. The sensitivity to photoperiod of wild species has also been studied in relation to their ecological distribution. Most of the wild rice materials tested were sensitive (191, 201, 205, 209, 353). They suggested that this sensitivity favors the wild rice plants and is perhaps essential to their survival. Terminology used in describing photoperiod ensitivity There is confusion in the terms used to describe the response of the rice plant to day length (515). Often, the terms used for growth duration are also used for response to photoperiod (see Table 3). As early as 1912, Kikkawa pointed out that The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 21 Table 3. Some terms used in describing the growth duratio n and day length response of rice cultivars. Terms References Response to day lengths: date fixed vs period fixed season fixed vs period fixed season bound vs period bound timely fixed vs periodically fixed short-day plant vs long-day plant ensitive vs indifferent sensitive vs insensitive sensitive vs less sensitive short-day plant vs indifferent plant strongly photoperiodic vs weakly photoperiodic sensitive vs photosensitive vs photononsensitive day length sensitive vs day photoperiodic photoperiodic insensitive length nonsensitive early, medium, and late long-aged vs short-aged early flowering vs late flowering late maturing vs early maturing Season of planting: aman vs non-aman yala vs maha winter vs summer main-season vs off-season first crop vs second crop wet vs dry season aus, aman, boro, rabi, kharif Growth duration: 33 7 214, 511 308 1, 99, 336 3 68, 352, 353 21, 98, 449, 538 563 51 1 195, 352 339 574 91, 276, 277, 281 259 158 3, 230, 374 427 112 444 Malaysia, Indonesia, an d Thailand China Philippines Bangladesh, India it is meaningless to classify the rice cultivars of the world into such groups as early, medium, late, aus, or aman. He said, however, that this classification is useful in districts where the climates are similar. The use of the terms photoperiod-sensitive and photoperiod-nonsensitive in reporting the flowering response of a rice cultivar to changes in day length has been suggested (515). Weakly photoperiod-sensitive is sometimes used in place of photoperiod-nonsensitive because the existence of a completely photoperiod-nonsensitive cultivar is difficult to prove. Weakly photoperiod-sensitive is also used to describe cultivars whose flowering is delayed by as many as 70 d by long photoperiods. However, those types can be planted any month of the year in the tropics and can be expected to flower within the crop season. The terms short-day plant and long-day plant are not satisfactory because most rice cultivars today are short-day plants. Sensitive and insensitive, sensitive and indifferent, and sensitive and less sensitive are ambiguous terms. Because the response being described is a response to light period and not only to light, the terms photosensitive and photononsensitive are inappropriate. 22 The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 8. Effect of four photoperiod treatments on the seeding-to-heading period of seven rice cultivars. Chang and Vergara (51, 52, 53) classified rice cultivars into four types using the length of the BVP and PSP as criteria (Fig. 8). Their classification was based on duration of plants grown in the greenhouse. Under this classification, the Japanese varieties, such as Fujisaka 5 and Norin 20 (Appendix), do not fall under any category because they have a short BVP and short PSP. Also, at least four photoperiods (10, 12, 14, and 16 h) are needed to classify the cultivars. A more practical grouping could be as follows (using also the length of the BVP and PSP). 1. Photoperiod nonsensitive . very short PSP (less than 30 d) and BVP varying from short to long. 2. Weakly photoperiod-sensitive . arked increase in growth duration when photoperiod is longer than 12 h; PSP may exceed 30 d, but flowering occurs under any long photoperiod. 3. Strongly photoperiod sensitive – sharp increase in growth duration with increase in photoperiod; no flowering beyond critical photoperiod; BVP usually short (not more than 40 d). Cultivars tested under only two photoperiods, such as 10 and 14 h, can also be classified according to these groupings (1 1). Agronomists and farmers would tend to use these groupings. The flowering response of the rice plant to photoperiod 23 Inheritance of vegetative growth duration The inheritance of the duration from seeding to heading in cultivated rices has been studied by many research workers, but the findings have resulted in diverse interpretations. Three categories of genetic postulates were generally offered: 1) monogenic or digenic control of heading date, with earliness dominant to lateness; 2) monogenic or digenic control of flowering date, with lateness being a dominant trait; and 3) multiple-factor inheritance in which the F 2 population showed a continuous and often unimodal distribution and in which the same population might produce a bimodal distribution when grown in a different season (44, 509). In experiments where photoperiod sensitivity was recognized, delayed flowering under a long photoperiod was generally inherited as a monogenic or digenic dominant trait (38, 242, 406, 424, 567). In several crosses involving distantly related parents, sensitivity to photoperiod appeared to be a recessive trait (242, 406). The continuous and transgressive segregation in several F 2 populations involving photoperiod-insensitive parents was ascribed to multiple genes, which indicated dominance of earliness (41, 95, 96, 97, 333, 389, 469, 554). However, in crosses among varieties in Yunnan Province in China, photoperiod sensitivity appeared to be a recessive trait in some F 1 hybrids (252). Some of the divergent interpretations just mentioned resulted partly from failure to recognize the composite nature of the vegetative growth period from seeding to panicle primordium initiation, partly from failure to control the interaction of the environmental factors (mainly photoperiod and air temperatures) and the different genes controlling the vegetative growth period, or from failure to relate the phenotypic expression with the revailing environment. Recent studies at IRRI (48, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 167, 168, 249) have demonstrated physiologically and genetically the feasibility of partitioning the vegetative growt