To not get distracted. To focus at all times when i am researching and not get off topic.
To learn how to search effectively.
To understand a different type of researching.
In Gp we have got together in our chosen groups that were formed last year. My group members that I will be working with are Jamie, Lena and Lisa.
To get us prepared for our group project we have been assigned a small task on peak oil as a mock project to help us develop our group skills as a team.
We have been given guidance and asked to research about peak oil, the major problems, what it is, how it could affect us and etc. We have been asked to collate information and present our views from a Global, national, and personal perspective.
So far my group and I are working quite well. When we begun working on the peak oil project we faced a few problems. We couldn’t finish our research because we were all trying to research the same information at the same time. We basically didn’t divide the work between us equally. It was only until later on when we finally divided the work between us, researched it and completed it in good time.
Now that we have our research we need to move on to the next step which is making the fish bone diagram.
I think that i am good at completing work given to me. when i am working in a group i often manage to finish my part of the work and i am able to meet deadlines. i think that sometimes i lose focus and start to mess around and this affects me. i always end up completing my work at the last minute when i am stressed and under a lot of pressure. to help focus when ding my work i could use social networks less so that i am not easily distracted.
A successful team is a group of people who are able to work together without any conflicts or arguments. And they are also a group of people who have good teamwork.
The definition of teamwork:
Teamwork is when all the people contribute, communicate, are open to ideas and opinions and each have an equal amount of work.
Team expectations :
- To be able to create a successful end-product
- To be able to work efficiently and effectively together as a team
(contribution, time management etc...)
- To be able to find a way to make our sleep-a-thon successful
We the year 10 learns have been studying about law and criminality for a few weeks. In the last few weeks we were given small assignments and tasks to compete both individually and in groups. Writing an argument either for or against the death penalty, creating a Facebook page for a famous criminal, having a practise trial and etc are just some of the many tasks that we have completed in this unit. This was a new topic for me and I have learnt many interesting things that I didn’t know about before.
I have learnt about the death penalty in more depth. I learnt that it’s a topic that is being widely debated everyday as many people have different opinions about it. In this topic one interesting thing I learnt how to do was look at both sides of an argument (consider the alternatives) before making a final decision.
Some of the skills I developed where research and discussion. I researched a lot on the death penalty and when I did find information I shared my ideas with my classmates. I worked with others, exchanged information with my friends and we also had small practise debates and discussions about law and criminality. To help me understand the facts and information I collected more clearly I talked to my teachers.
I feel that after the two representatives from Amnesty International came in and gave us an over view on the death penalty I found it much easier to research as I found more organisations that were for and against the death penalty. I found it easy to work in groups because we all helped each other research information. One thing I found quite hard was narrowing down all my information I had found, as a lot of it was very important. It did take me some time to finally decide what research I would keep and what research I would get rid of.
Three things that my team did well in the lead up to the trial were worked well together, listened to each other’s ideas and shared information. We all split the work into sections and each group member was assigned a certain role. After we finished our research we then discussed what we had found. We all shared our ideas and each person listened carefully in a thoughtful and respectful manner.
Three things that my team members did well on the day of the trial were encourage each other, support each other and research when more information was needed to support our statements.
On the day of the trial one thing I feel that I did well was present all my information in an appropriate and mature manner that supported my statements. Though I had a paper in front of me but I did not constantly look down and read from it, as I made sure that I made eye contact with the audience, the jurors, the cross examiners and everyone that was present in the room.
In the future I would like my GP team to work towards achieving a more positive side and meeting deadlines and not rushing through things at the last minute.
Next time I work on something similar to this in any other subject I would like to make sure that I am constantly aware of what’s going on around me and contributing more to make the given task more successful.
Before we started learning about law and criminality the death penalty had never crossed my mind so in conclusion I would like to say that it was a great new learning experience that I will never forget.
On Thursday March 18th the year 10 learners watched the movie 12 angry men (1957). The 1 and a half-hour movie was interesting and insightful as it gave us an overview of the jury system in deciding justice.
What the movie is about:
12 angry men (1957) is a film that tells the story of 12 men who try to deliberately come up with a final decision on what to do with the accused. The movie was adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald rose. Unlike other movies this movie was filmed on only one set almost all the way through.
The stars:
Martin Balsam: (Juror #1), John Fielder: (Juror #2) , Lee j.cobb: (Juror #3) E.G Marshall: (juror #4), Jack klugman: (juror #5), Edward Binns: (juror #6) Jack warden: (juror #7), Henry fonda: (juror #8) Joseph Sweeney: (juror #9), Ed Begley: (juror #10), George Voskovec: (juror #11), Robert webber: (juror #12).
My opinion:
In my opinion I would give the movie 12 angry men (1957) three and a half stars out of five as it was good but not really one that I could relate to in many ways. The three words that I would use to describe this movie are unique, insightful and interesting.
Cinematic /film techniques:
Each jury had the role of making a final decision on what to do with the accused. Most of the jury’s were unreasonable, as they did not consider the possible outcomes of what could have happened in the case that was being investigated. More than half of the jurors did not have sufficient evidence to support their decisions. I feel that most of the jurors did not have enough evidence to support their decision. The cinematic/film techniques were not at all good as the most of the scenes in the movie were filmed in one small dull room with a big table surrounded by 12 chairs were each juror was sat at.
My favorite part/My not so favorite part:
My favorite parts of the movie were towards the end as the jurors finally agreed on one final decision after presenting sufficient evidence. One part that I did not enjoy was the second scene when the jurors first voted as they tried to make a final decision in only five minutes.
My favorite jurors:
My favorite jurors were juror 3 and juror 8. I particularly liked juror 3 because I found that his character was quite the interesting one. He was rude, biased, intolerant, and hateful all because of his teenage son. He was quick-to-convict. I found it interesting how one juror’s past could really have an impact in his final decision. Juror 3 was different to all the other jurors. At times he would stand up and raise his voice and try to get his point across and stop once he realized that what he was saying did not support his vote instead supported the opposing teams decision. Juror 8 was considerate of the case against the accused. He was dressed smartly (clad in white). He was patient, truthful and had logical reasoning. Juror 8 was one of my favorites because I really liked the way he presented his evidence to support the accused.
How the movie deepens our understanding:
12 angry men the film deepens our understanding of the role of the jury in deciding justice as the movie shows the different misunderstandings that can go wrong. After watching the movie it is clear to understand that it takes time for the jurors to all agree on one final decision. Many of the jury’s presented others jury’s with evidence to support their decisions. One thing I noticed was that some of the jurors made a final decision without even narrowing down the evidence as they had no reason as to why they had made that decision.
My overall opinion:
Over all I feel that 12 angry men the movie gave the year 10 learners a perspective of what its like when jurors make the final decision. The tension, the arguments and the small fights that can occur when 12 men are put in one tiny room and asked to make a final decision about someone’s life. I enjoyed the movie as it helped me understand a little more in depth about the jury system in deciding justice.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Amnesty International: The death penalty
A few weeks ago two representatives for Amnesty International visited the year 10 learners and gave us an overview on the death penalty. Amnesty International is a HRO(Human rights organization) that protects human rights. It is looking to abolish the death penalty, as they believe that someone who kills someone else should not be killed too.
The two representatives presented the year 10 learners with some facts to support their opinions. They also presented some examples of previous cases to support their belief of the death penalty being abolished.
Today Malaysia, Singapore, Zambia and America are just some of the few countries that still practise the death penalty. Amnesty international was set up about 66 years ago. Ever since then the organization was set it it has managed to get many countries to abolish the death penalty. Today they are over 150 countries that have abolished the death penalty.
The question that remains is ”Should the death penalty be abolished?”
For every mistake there’s a consequence. For every crime there’s a punishment. But who are we to decide weather a person should live or not based on their actions. I am against the death penalty as I strongly feel that it is a cruel thing to do.
In my opinion I feel that the death penalty should be abolished. Killing a criminal who has committed a crime does not discourage the crime. It does not change the fact the crime has been committed. It is wrong to kill a person who has committed a crime. There will always be failings in the judicial and conviction system and death is final. A person’s life cannot be revived once taken even if they are found not guilty.
Another reason why the death penalty should be abolished is because it is expensive. Did you know that it is much cheaper to keep a criminal in prison for life rather than to take their life away? Just killing one person costs millions of dollars.
It is better to to keep a criminal who has committed a crime in prison that to kill them. Life imprisonment allows the criminal little freedom and poor quality but it is a much better punishment that the death penalty. It is a much better punishment that the death penalty as it allows the criminal to not only think, but also reflect on what he/or she has done.
Henry ford once said, “Capital punishment is as fundamentally wrong as a cure for crime as charity is wrong as a cure for poverty." Every living human has a right to live according to the truth tree believes.
There is always a possibility that the person, who is convicted, has not even committed the crime.
It is completely inhuman to allow the state to convict a criminal who is found guilty. Some people commit crimes, as they are mentally unstable while others do it because of lack of knowledge. I feel that we as humans do not have the right to decide whether someone should live or not based on their actions. Over all I am against the death penalty.
