A short review of Nancy Folbre, Valuing Domestic Product New York Term Paper - 2

A short review of Nancy Folbre, Valuing Domestic Product New York Times, May 28, 2012 - Term Paper Example In her New York Times article titled â€Å"Valuing Domestic Product,† eminent economics professor Nancy Folbre lamented how domestic work or housework, is excluded from the usual computation of gross domestic product, which is the total value of all products and services that are produced within an economy in a given period. This is quite ironic because household work, if actually given a monetary value by computing the total amount of hours devoted to household chores and multiplied by the domestic workers supposed current market wages, is really a big amount of money and therefore constitutes a very significant portion of any gross domestic product. The economists have excluded or omitted this home sector of mostly unpaid services. An implication of the said article is that women who form the vast majority of the house workers suffer from gender inequality (Folbre, 2012, p. 1), an invisible workforce that over the years contributed greatly to improving living standards. This unpaid work has been exchanged in recent years with paid work due to globalization fostered by neoliberalism, which is more of a social and moral concept than just a mere economics idea, as more women join the workforce. A consequence of the neoliberalism fostered by the globalization concepts of free trade, privatization of public institutions, economic liberalization and open markets is an uptrend in the exploitation of labor, mostly women who now joined the paid labor force, and the degradation of the processes in social reproduction and a diminution of the social contract under a regime of the liberal democracy government. The home or family as a basic social unit has been weakened due to more women leaving the home in search of paid work outside, but at wages considerably less. Brown argues neoliberalism is a political project because it enforces the existence and operations of a free market by a state that can either promote or suppress it, but primarily to enhance it. This means

Visual Literacy in Teaching and Learning Research Paper

Visual Literacy in Teaching and Learning - Research Paper Example It refers to a group of vision competencies which human beings develop by seeing and integrating other sensory experiences at the same time. Apparently, the development of these competences is important to normal human learning. In this regard, when these competencies are developed, they enable people who are visually literate to discriminate and interpret visible actions, symbols, objects, whether or natural or man-made, that they encounter in their environment (Elkins, 2007). Through the creative use of these competencies, people are able to communicate with others effectively. Research has proved that the use of visuals in teaching enhance learning to a larger extent. Proper utilization of visuals results in a greater degree of learning. This paper examines the application of visual literacy in the teaching and learning process as a contemporary issue in visual literacy. Description of visual literacy in teaching and learning In the recent years, there has been a tremendous increa se in the use of visual elements in teaching and learning processes.... In addition, visuals such as graphics, images and other visual strategies used today are designed to increase learners’ comprehension of literary texts. Pictures, charts, maps and diagrams are among the common visual tools which are extensively used for effective learning. Through paintings, comic strips and creating collages, learners are able to demonstrate high levels of comprehension and are able to link visuals with texts (Bull & Anstey, 2006). Tattoos are also used to represent various literary characters. Proper care should always be taken when selecting an appropriate visual tool to use. However, preference should be given to color graphics in that black and white graphics are preferred. Film is also another effective form of visual aid used in teaching and learning. Visuals help students to focus and have full attention to the pictures and the accompanying words. Genesis of visual literacy in teaching and learning It is worth noting that although there has been increa sed integration of visual enhancement in the educational process in the recent years, the idea is not a new one. In this purview, the integration of visual and verbal information is evident throughout history. For instance, renowned educators and philosophers of ancient time clearly displayed appreciation for visual enhancements. Aristotle once noted that it is impossible to think without image (Bull & Anstey, 2006). A renowned ancient painter, Leonardo da Vinci, too, recognized the importance of visuals. He translated words from various aspects into drawings (Bull & Anstey, 2006) Also, alphabetical characters began as pictures that depicted various meanings. These symbols depicted man-made language devoid of distinctions between pictures and words. It is only