Mathematics in the Preschool Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Mathematics in the Preschool - Dissertation Example That is why early childhood programs are increasingly expected to implement mathematics instruction in classrooms because of young children’s early mathematical knowledge. Development of early math skills provides the foundation for later learning (Clements & Sarama, 2008; NAEYC & NCTM, 2008; Lee & Ginsburg, 2008). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) emphasizes the need to provide high quality early childhood mathematics programs in preschools because a solid mathematical foundation in early childhood is essential. At this age, young children are building their own perceptions of what math is – what it means to know and do math and even about themselves as math learners. â€Å"These beliefs influence their thinking about, performance in, and attitudes toward mathematics and decisions related to studying mathematics in later years† (p. 98) According to the NCTM, the quality of mathematical education in early childhood plays an important pa rt in the child’s understanding of possibly difficult math concepts (Loop, 2009). Although there have been many studies pertaining to patterns of mathematical teaching in preschool, there is a lack of research on how teachers of mathematics perceive how young children learn math concepts and even what to teach in accordance to the developmental level of young children. That is why enhancing early childhood education teachers’ confidence and competence in teaching math is considered a route to improvement of mathematics instruction in preschool. Sarama & DiBiase suggests that early childhood teacher training focus both on mathematics content and teachers’ dispositions towards math, reflecting the need for highly qualified professionals (2004). The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Code of Ethics states: â€Å"In decisions concerning children’s programs, we shall draw upon the education, experience, and expertise of staff mem bers† (Decker, Decker, Freeman, & Knorpf, 2009, p.359). This principle pertains to the ideal of professional training and development of early childhood educators, â€Å"To further the professional development of the field of early childhood care and education and to strengthen its commitment to realizing its core values† (Decker et al, 2009, p.361). Early childhood educators need training for all the tasks expected of them when they begin teach young children. Being an effective teacher encompasses a wide spectrum of responsibilities – from designing an environment conducive to learning, to planning appropriate lessons for young children and implementing them with effective educational strategies, to being able to manage the class well and instilling discipline in the children, to involving parents and coordinating with others regarding the provision of quality education for the children. It takes effort to be able to manage all these skills at the same time, he nce professional training with experience is required. The current study has taken inspiration and ideas from the work of Platas (2008) entitled â€Å"Measuring Teachers’ Knowledge of Early Mathematical Development and their Beliefs about Mathematics Teaching and Learning in the Preschool Classroom†. Platas was able to measure the knowledge of early mathematical development and beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning in the preschool classroom of preschool teachers through the use of developed and validated survey instruments and statistical analysis (2008). The study found a significant

Use of Measurement Essay Example for Free

Use of Measurement Essay A measurement is a way of obtaining data that are used in researches and data analysis. Measurement is regarded to be an estimate most of the time. The reason behind the idea is that precision in measuring a certain object during a time interval is not as good as the measurement taken after the said time interval or for another time interval. Researchers, experimenters and even nonprofessional persons all have the same goal; to make good estimates of the object they are measuring (Hoult, 2009). In physics, one does not only measure an object as it is. The person measuring the object needs to put in his mind the right unit of measure should he or she use. An example is a bucket. A bucket has different attributes that can be measured. Some of these attribute are the weight, mass, volume, area (surface area), density, length, etc. This attributes can be measured but there are many units of measure involve in each of the attributes. Standard units of measure are developed so that the confusion between what unit of measure to be used is resolved (Jones, 1998). The following are the standard unit of measure for a certain attribute: Weight – Kilograms Mass – Kilograms Volume – Liters Area – square meters Length – meters As said above, measurement is a way of obtaining data. One cannot obtain the right data without the right tool to be used. As with measurement, a right measurement instrument must be used in order to get the right data and in order to estimate with precision and accuracy the object that you want to measure. The following attributes that are stated can be measured with the use of the right measuring instrument. For clarification, weight is not the same as mass. Weight is the amount of mass that is present when it is suspended in a spring scale when acted upon by the earth’s gravity. On the other hand, mass is the amount of matter present in an object. Weight is measured with the use of spring scale or a weighing scale. The value of the weight in the earth can be the same as the value of the mass. But once the force acting on the object changes the value of the weight will change and the mass will stay the same. Generally, masses like mass of a person can be obtained by the use of the same instrument used in measuring weight in earth. Volume can be measured by the use of some known instruments like measuring cup for liquid, pipette for liquid, graduated cylinder (for liquid and solid) and pneumatic trough for gases. Area is measured by the use of a planimeter. Length is usually measured by the use of instruments like ruler, tape measure, meter stick, yard stick etc (Fuchs, 1996). The attributes being measured is deeply related to the unit of measure being used. First, the attributes maybe too large or too small for unit of measure, in that case there are other units of measure given. The hierarchies of units are given in a unit system. There are two unit systems that are popular today. The SI system and the English system give a complete list of all the unit of measures according to the quantity (Abbot, 2003). Some of the attributes of the bucket can only be obtained by the use of measuring devices. Other attributes, however, can be obtained with the use of some formulas. For example: Volume and area can be obtained by formulas like V = 1/2? r2h, and A = 2? rh + ? r2. The formula for the volume is obtained by the use of the formula for the volume of a cylinder. Bucket is usually cylindrical in shape. The formula for the area is obtained by using the formula of the surface area of an open cylinder. Other formulas can be obtained for the attributes of the bucket. Another example is the density of the bucket. In general, the density is equal to the mass divided by the volume of the bucket. Since mass can be obtained with the use of a measuring device and volume can be obtained with the use of the given formula then one can solve for the density of the bucket with the general formula (Manura, 2005). Another concept that should be discussed is approximation and estimation. As said earlier, measurements are always an estimate. Approximation and estimation are very important concepts regarding measurements because they will be the basis of the accuracy and precision of a measurement. One does not get accurate and precise results all the time with the use of measuring devices. There might be errors that can come up from time to time. To properly record results obtained using measuring devices, one must take note of the errors in measurements and put it in the resulting measure to obtain a more precise and accurate result. Results should be written in the form: result + uncertainty. For example, if a buckets height according to a 9 different rulers is 20 centimeters. And another reading from a different ruler is 20. 3 centimeters. Then the resulting measurement should be 20 Â ± 0. 3 centimeters (Hoult, 2009). References Abbot, D. (2003). Assessing Student Understanding of Measurement and Uncertainty. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. compadre. org/precollege/items/detail. cfm? ID=4417 Fuchs, H. (1996). The Dynamics of Heat. New York: Springer Hoult, D. (2009). Measurements. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. saburchill. com/physics/chapters/0065. html Jones, N. (1998). Units of Measurement. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. sli. unimelb. edu. au/planesurvey/prot/formulae/unit1. html Manura, D. (2005). Areas, Volumes, Surface Areas. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://math2. org/math/geometry/areasvols. htm

Leadership In The Tata Group

Leadership In The Tata Group Introduction: Leadership is integrated part of our life. According to corporate chief and former US presidential candidate Ross Perot, the principles of leadership are timeless because, in a rapidly changing world, human nature remains a constant. We all experience leadership in our life from early childhood in our families, through friendships, social and sports activities, school higher education, to politics government and of course in our work, we all recognize leadership in other people and often in ourselves. In government, global corporations and small businesses alike, the leadership role is becoming more demanding, more open to scrutiny and more difficult [Roger Gill]. The development of leadership theory also parallels the development of organizational theory. The bureaucratic form of business organization is characterized by laissez-faire leadership whereby so-called leaders tend to avoid taking a stand, ignore problems, not follow up, and refrain from intervening or transactional leadership, in which leaders practise management by exception, focusing only on deviations from what is required, and contingent reward, rewarding people (either materially or psychologically) for achieving what is required. The emergence of the post-bureaucratic form of organization in the late nineteenth century reflects the development of the concept of transformational leadership. Theory Approaches to Leadership: Many Leadership theories and approaches have been evolved around Style, Trait, Behaviour, Situational and Charisma. Many researchers made efforts linking some of the theories across these leadership approaches. However each leadership model has its merit, assumptions and limitations. Most recent researches are conducted on Situational Transformational leadership styles. Various leadership Gurus presented new models as variations to the already existing models. Max Weber, MacGregor, Bass, Bennis Nanus are some of the most important researchers in the area of transformational leadership. However the difference between transactional and transformational leadership is vital in getting the whole concept of transformational leadership theory. In general, a relationship between two people is based on the level of exchange they have. Exchange need not be money or material; it can be anything. The more exchange they have the stronger the relation. Managers expects more productivity from employee in order to give good rewards. In this way, if something is done to anyone based on the return then that relation is called as Transactional type. In business, leaders announce rewards in turn to the productivity. These relations are all about requirements, conditions and rewards. In life, at one point of time, things happen without expectation from other side. Transformational Leaders work toward a common goal with followers; put followers in front and develop them; take followers to next level; inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests in achieving superior results [wordpress.com]. Table 1, given below shows Basss full range model of leadership. Table 1 Leadership Approach in TATA Group: TATA Group founded in 1868, is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. The Group has more than 500,000 employees spread over six continents (more than 80 countries). TATA Group current market capitalization estimated worth $80bn and is the largest private corporate group in India. TATA Group is biggest employer in UK, employing more than 50,000 people. TATA Group has main interests in communications, IT, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. Its current chairman, Ratan Tata is the most influential business leaders in Indias and the worlds most influential person right now. The Tata Group is known for its valued business ethics and corporate governance. TATA Group has long standing leadership program in its system. Their leadership program is based in British administrative service model. TATAs leadership development programme aims at grooming the managers of today into the leaders of tomorrow. The leadership development programme conceived by JRD Tata, the late chairman of TATA group in 1950s. The idea behind the leadership programme known as Tata Administrative Services (TAS) was to select and groom young managers, provide them opportunity for professional growth, and make them leaders of tomorrow. This is TATAs in-house programme and has goal is to provide training to high performers, act as a cradle of change and develop the leadership qualities. Most of the TATA Group companies are traditionally led by these groomed leaders. The TATA Group leadership style has been quite consistent since its existence way back to 1868. The TATA Group has incorporated more leadership changes which are essential in current environment to drive towards to be more competitive. In terms of leadership style, TATA Group has adopted a team-led culture and collective approach. With Ratan Tata as leader of the Group, the management style of the entire TATA Group has changed considerably; trust became a huge facet and theme of the group. Ratan Tata has put a complete organisational restructuring when he took over in 1991 as leader of the TATA Group, by taking a more matrix-style approach building teams. These changes would have obviously transformed a lot in the business, senior managers would have had to be on their toes and flexibility and adaptability became essential qualities to have. The leadership changed from a centralised, command centre to a much more distributed form with employees and all managers enjoying greater respo nsibility and knowledge about the Group, which would have in turn; motivated them to work harder and as a group. From distinctive leadership models available such as the McGregor Theory X and Y; where a theory X manager believes workers dislike work, are not creative and avoid all responsibility while a theory Y manager believes that workers get as much enjoyment from work as they can derive with leisure, accept responsibility and are creative; it can be seen from this, that Ratan Tata wanted all his managers to be modelled as closely to Theory Y and he himself could be called a Theory Y manager. He encouraged managers to be innovative and share all their ideas, consulting actively with them and giving them more responsibility and importantly encouraged team-working. Five Factor Model (Big Five): Emotional Stability: Ratan Tata has very low anxiety within him and has great sense of security with his future leadership. Extraversion: Even being a bachelor Ratan Tata is very sociable. He has produced very positive affect on future leadership of TATA Group. Openness: He believes in originality and versatility. By making  £1200/- car he has shown his great interest with and innovation seeking personality. Agreeableness: Within his management team Ratan Tata is well trusted and very friendly. Conscientiousness: He is very dutifulness. He spent most of his life working for TATA Group without any self-interest. He is very well organised as well. Style (Behaviour) Theory in TATA Group: As per style theory, there are three types of leadership models are evident in leadership. These are as follows. Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire Ratan Tata is a leader who engages more democratic style of leadership approach. However at previous occasion has used other two kind of style as well. He is more democratic because he always encourages his group leadership to be creating good communication and participation. Future leadership are well informed about future strategy and they are very well engaged in decision making process. Most of the group long-term and short-term strategies are formulated by the lower rank of the leadership. They are treated as stake holders. Until now TATA Group has got leadership within them. Ratan Tata has occasionally shown some form of autocratic style of leadership. Sometimes when needed especially when quick and informed decisions have to be taken, but he is never too commanding in his nature, being a man of few words and being more of a man of action, this is evident from the manner he aggressively pushes for bold international deals, such as during the global acquisitions of business powe rhouses such as Corus, Jaguar and Land Rover, and Tetley Tea. One of his senior leadership team member, Muthuraman( Executive Director) refers him Ratan was the chief architect of the Corus deal. I was worried about the magnitude and the amount of money. But he instilled confidence. In daily routine matters and in developing the leadership, Ratan Tata also uses facets of the Laissez-Faire model such as the delegation of important duties and decision-making, he also does not in any way interfere with any managers functioning, he might make a broad strategic assessment but he does not interfere in operational issues and details, this shows that he has complete trust and faith in his managers and believes in their ability, this quote from Gopalakrishnan, an executive director of the company, shows how much value Ratan Tata places on his trust, this can be highly motivating for managers and workers alike, I remember what Ratan told us at a meeting. He said that he will continue to trust all his managers, but once they lose that trust, he will go after them. I think that is a very fair deal. Max Webers Leadership Model in TATA Group: Looking at Max Webers Transactional and Transformational Leadership models, where a leader is classed in three forms which are Bureaucratic, Charismatic and Traditional, where a bureaucratic leader is one who is always bound by the set rule and does not want to go beyond them; a Traditional leader is one who does and follows everything from a long past or history and always loyally obeys these traditions; a Charismatic leader is one who uses his own laurels or abilities to inspire and is one who can be described as radically opposed to administrative rules and legal principles. From these models, Ratan Tata falls into the Charismatic form because he is one who leads by example, coming up with highly innovative ideas such as  £1200 (Rs. One Lakh) car the Nano, budget hotels or low-end watches, he brought radical change to the Tata Group as a whole, changing it from its Traditional mindset to new more flexible and adaptive cultural mindset. Bennis Nanus Transformational Leadership Model in TATA Group: We can see from Bennis and Nanuss Transformational Leadership model that the transformational leaders groom their followers into self-empowered leaders and their main focus is to articulate vision and values clearly so the newly self-empowered leaders know where to go. Their traits include logical thinking, persistence, empowerment and self-control. Benniss and Nanus has evolved the model which emphasis on the four Is of Transformational leadership, which are Idealised Influence (being a role model) Inspirational Motivation (creating a team spirit, motivating and provide a challenge) Intellectual Stimulation (innovation and creativity) Individual Consideration (mentoring and providing support for followers) Ratan Tata, Chairman of the TATA Group has been proved a true transformational leader. We can see all Is built-in in Ratan Tata. He is the leader with great vision hence he knows right approach to groom future leadership. He has implemented the team spirit in whole group at every level. He empowers all his managers and executives and has complete faith in them, he is extremely innovative and is credited for much of the Groups new products, he places a great deal of importance to his RD department and he definitely cares deeply about the welfare of all his employees and managers. During the Mumbais terrorist attack in Taj Hotel, he took front line in leading at the time of crises. In his vision statement he articulated One hundred years from now, I expect TATA Group to be much bigger, of course, than it is now. More importantly, I hope the Group comes to be regarded as being the best in India. Best in the Manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver and best in our valu e system and ethics. Having said that, I hope that a hundred years from now we will spread our wings far beyond India, that we become a global group, operating in many countries, as Indian business conglomerate that is at home in the world, carrying the same set of trust as we do today [Tata Group Article]. As a leader of a global business group, Ratan Tata knows the fierce competition experienced by his business empire. He makes all effort to make his business competitive at global level. Through transformational leadership process TATA Group has made their processes and technology up to date. Once Ratan Tata said to his managers in his vision speech A company or business which remains static is a business that will die; a company that constantly changes and accepts that there are better ways to do things than the way they are done today, is a company that will survive in the global market that we face. From this statement we can infer that he knows the importance of developing a good leadership within group to take TATA Group to new heights. Ratan Tata involves strategy in leadership. He is a deep thinker and a brilliant strategist as is described by one of his Executive Directors, Alan Rosling, He is a deep thinker and extremely strategic. He is always 2-3 steps ahead. Ratan Tata is a man of strong integrity, ethics and valued principles. He cultivated the same across the TATA Group companies. One of his companies CEO said Tata has shown that there is no other way he will do business other than do it ethically. He believes in strong value based leadership approach in doing business. Ratan Tata has led the TATA Group to transforming from local business group to become a global leader. Conclusions: Ratan Tata of the Tata Group is a more kind of transformational leader. He made Tata Group as global brand. He has provided inspiration to leaders within his own company. In Tata Group leaders are engaged in decision making at every level. Ratan Tata has successfully led and motivated its CEO/MD of the group companies to be ambitious. He has always adopted a ethical approach in group business. Ratan Tata has adopted a management by consensus style. He stated once When a number of persons are involved I am definitely a consensus man, but that does not mean that I do not disagree or that I do not express my views. Basically it is a question of having to deal with individual men heading different enterprises. You have to adapt yourself to their ways and deal accordingly and draw out the best in each man. If I have any merit it is getting on with individuals according to their ways and characteristics. I have dealt with a hundred top directors and I have got on with all of them. At times it involves suppressing yourself. It is painful but necessary. To be a leader you have got to lead human beings with affection. Ratan Tata has ability to spot the talent. And once he has confident that a manager will perform, he gave him a long rope. Appendix: Reference List Roger Gill, Theory and Practice of Leadership, Sage Publication, 2006 http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/transactional-leadership-vs-transformational-leadership/ http://business.outlookindia.com/inner.aspx?articleid=682editionid=22catgid=70subcatgid=464 http://www.tata.com/company/Articles/inside.aspx?artid=YJbf7uiUY0M= John P. Kotter, A Force For Change: How Leadership Differs From Management (New York: The Free Press, 1990). OTool, James. Leadership from A to Z: A Guide for the Appropriately Ambitious, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999. Visionary Leadership: Creating a Compelling Sense of Direction for Your Organization (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series): Burt Nanus Tata Steel Group Annual Reports (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10)

Essay --

Zachariah Stottlemyre Prof. Steve Moore Eng. 101 10/27/2013 San Diego Comic-Con. Is it worth it? The San Diego Comic-Con is one of the largest events in the California bay area. Over 130,000 people attended this event last year alone. People all over the United states travel to visit this one week long event. Many come to showcase their skill as artists in many genres, hoping to find dream jobs, and to return next year as a booth vendor. Many people come hoping to spend hard earned dollars on comic books, movie paraphernalia, and much more. Many even blow all vacation days on this. If you love comics, movies, or even video games, then this event has a lot to offer you. Many have the opportunity to meet an actor, or talk to them in a discussion board, or even the chance to meet a creator of one of their favorite comics, and possibly find the purchase of a life time. When many first hear about Comic-Con all they think about is a bunch of nerds piling up in a gym to look at comic books and argue about who is better DC or Marvel. Many are partial to one or the other, so it was surely a fight for the ages. Then as the event began to take off and become more mainstream people began to take notice that is so much more than a compilation of comic books and nerds. Now it is an international event that draws people from all across the entire world. To begin with the event is in fact held in the San Diego Convention Center which has approximately 1,378,803 sq ft to host vendors, ticketing, panel conversations, etc. This leaving such a large opportunity to view several different booths, panels, and other exciting sites without too much over crowding and constant up in your face conversations. This alone makes the event worth spending ... ...e having enjoyed yourself, you must not of attended. Works Cited San Diego Convention Center. http://www.visitsandiego.com/exhibitors/buildingoverview.cfm Alex Suskind. Batman and Superman Movie Confirmed at Comic-Con 2013. http://news.moviefone.com/2013/07/20/batman-and-superman-movie-confirmed-at-comic-con-2013/ IGN. Big Movies at Comic Con 2013 List. http://www.ign.com/wikis/sdcc-comic-con/Big_Movies_at_Comic_Con_2013_List San Diego Comic Con International. http://www.comic-con.org/cci/2013/exhibitors San Diego Comic Con Interational. http://www.comic-con.org/cci/2013/childrens-film-festival San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Cosplay Wrap-Up. http://www.dorkly.com/article/53082/san-diego-comic-con-2013-cosplay-wrap-up Noelene Clark. Los Angeles Times. http://herocomplex.latimes.com/fans/comic-con-cosplay-costumed-role-players-become-temporary-superstars/#/0

Relationship between Caliban and Prospero in Act I of The Tempest Essay

The short extract taken from â€Å"The Tempest† helps us learn a lot about the characters Prospero and Caliban and their relationship within the play. Prospero, when we first meet him, emerges as a very controlling and dominant figure on the island, mainly because he refers to the character Caliban as his â€Å"slave†. This shows us that Prospero must be a powerful man and that he has authority over the island and its people. Prospero uses his power to abuse Caliban, and he threatens him with phrases such as â€Å"thou shalt have cramps, side-stitches...† if he does not comply with his orders. But when Caliban refuses to obey him, Prospero resorts to insults in order to control him because he tells Miranda, his daughter, â€Å"But, as ‘tis/We cannot miss him† meaning that they cannot survive on the island themselves. Through the language used, we quickly learn how Prospero believe that he is â€Å"above† Caliban, because he calls him names like â€Å"savage†, â€Å"hag-seed† and â€Å"poisonous†. Caliban, however, is not a weak and passive slave as one might expect. Instead he threatens both Prospero and his daughter, â€Å"...

Multi-generational plan

It is widely known that the clash between the baby boomers and the generation Xers goes way back especially in the work place. As a result certain jobs could get compromised because of these clashing attitudes. It was well known though that both these generations could actually present ideas that could help the business running. The main problem about these two generations is the fact that they seldom go along with each other. But who are the baby boomers and the generation Xers? The baby boomers were widely known to be the people born between 1946 to 1964 while the generation Xers were people born between 1965 to 1980. Baby boomers were known to have plenty of opinions when it comes to political issues and they usually believe in longer time for work while the generation Xers witnessed or lived the technological boom of the world and are more skeptic than any other generations (â€Å"Workplace generation gap: Understand differences among colleagues,†). The long term goal then is on how these two generations could come together for the benefit of the company or business. The main key to make these generations come together is to eliminate the tension between the two by helping each other understand the usual personality or outlook that each generation has. There could be a program that would lead to the understanding of the two generations. Although, those organizing these programs should be on alert on what they ought to do especially when this kind of program could easily lead to prejudice. A good suggestion of this program is to put the two generations in each others shoes. A group dynamic could be done and these activities/projects should reflect a certain aspect where both generations could be useful. Then the next step here is to render respect for each of the generations. The respect should come out genuine. If respect were done for the sake of respect then these people might not have really understood the plight of each generation. References: Workplace generation gap: Understand differences among colleagues. (July 6, 2005).  Ã‚   Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/WL/00045.html      

Effects of Urbanization in Jamaica

Urbanization refers to the shift of population from rural areas to cities or towns according to the Encarta Encyclopaedia. In Jamaica today, urbanization is a constant process for persons to move from one area to the next without hesitation compared to the previous generations. Urbanization has seen a significant increase over the years because of persons pursuing a better standard of living. People move because of the economic situation of the country which results in the need to find better jobs, the environmental effects and last but not least crime and violence. I think that urbanization is necessary for the improvement of one’s life. According to G. Nicolas, the financial crisis of the country plays a vital rule in urbanization, with higher demands for goods and services manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers tend to increase the cost of goods and services trying to make a profit for their business. Persons who are working sometimes tend to have a hard time of finding the money to acquire these high pricing goods and services to satisfy their needs. In spite of the high pricing of goods and services; with an increase in the population, getting a job becomes much harder especially if a person has no qualifications and applies for a job, then a more qualified person applies for the same job, the qualified persons is more than likely to get hired over the unqualified persons. In most cases rapid population growth in urban areas gives rise to poverty in such a way that when overpopulation occurs, jobs might be limited in that area and increasing social problems associated with unemployment and underemployment. According to the Encarta Encyclopaedia, urbanization also contributes to environmental issues in various ways as it relates to overpopulation. It may lead to pollution such as noise pollution in such a way that when potential health effects of noise pollution are numerous, pervasive, persistent, and medically and socially significant. Noise produces direct and cumulative adverse effects that impair health and that degrade residential, social, working, and learning environments with corresponding real and intangible losses. Air and water pollution are other environmental effects of urbanization and the most important reasons for population explosion in the cities of developing countries like Jamaica is rapid urbanization. Urbanization in Jamaica is accompanied by a number of challenges arising from population concentration in metropolitan cities; environmental degradation is occurring very rapidly and causing shortage of basic needs. The worsening water quality, air pollution and problems of disposal solid wastes and hazardous materials that is harmful to them. Health issues can arise from urbanization and cause a wide-spread epidemic of illnesses. These illnesses can be transmitted in crowded areas where airborne, respiratory and hand to hand transmission of illnesses can occur. The source, G. Nicolas, stated that deforestation is an effect of urbanization where it is a contributor to global climate change and is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Urbanization allows clearance of naturally occurring forests by the processes of logging and or burning of trees in a forested area to make space available to build new houses or apartment building. Deforestation also leads to soil erosion; it decreases permeable surfaces in the soil faster forming of surface runoff, more frequent appearance of flood waves. Urbanization influences on development of erosion processes, land degradation with significant reduction of soil water capacity. In Jamaica, crime and violence also contributes to urbanization in an emerging area of concern in the increase levels of crime and violence in urban areas. Important gender differentiation exists in terms of violent response to unemployment. While men turn to crime and violence, women more frequently turn to dependency on men. It is not too hard to believe that Kingston’s reputation as a place of violence ranks third in the world. Gang violence and shootings occur regularly in inner-city areas of Kingston. Some inner-city neighbourhoods are occasionally subjected to curfews and police searches. Impromptu street protests sometimes occur, during which demonstrators often construct roadblocks or otherwise block the streets. Unemployed persons may turn to crime because they failed to acquire or keep a steady job and decide to turn to the act of stealing from the hard working and law abiding citizens in their community to earn a living for themselves. The frequent outbreak of violence between persons or rival gangs in a community may cause persons to feel unsecured and afraid of what might happen to them. This may cause families in the community to migrate to a violence free area where they might feel safer. Although urbanization has many negative and positive effects, I think that it is in the countries best interest to try and improve the negative influences that are associated with urbanization to improve the living condition of urbanized areas.