Solaris Review Essay Example

Solaris Review Paper Essay on Solaris Stanislaw Lem a wonderful writer. Fiction called I do not dare. He futurist, philosopher, in short, who is anything but fiction. What with the fact that the action does not take place on Earth and the space station Before researchers should interesting problems -. To establish contact with the planet, the only person that is a reasonable ocean. The ocean, in turn, also not against the establishment of any relations, but it and the people speak different languages. Here it is a likelihood of exposure not an invasion of Martians or other space monsters, and a lack of understanding, which in our real life is quite enough. This tells the life story of the main character who is guilty of the death of the woman he loved. People irradiated ocean, and he replied embodies the reality of their most secret dreams. But what we fear more than the fact that the dream will come true, and it turns out that this is not what you wanted. That is why an epidemic of madness covers station. According to her roam the creation of the ocean: replicas of those who wanted to see the heroes of whom dreamed of. They did not destroy the normal way. Space creatures resembling Earth. What could be worse We will write a custom essay sample on Solaris Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Solaris Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Solaris Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A particularly hits the last scene: a reasonable ocean stretches its tentacles to people, calling for dialogue. I know that Lem did not like the film by Andrei Tarkovsky in his novel. Tarkovsky Chris Kelvin in the final sees his home, he, like the prodigal son returned to his own home. Lem takes the characters in the space provided and Tarkovsky sees space on Earth.

The Deccan Plateau in Southern India

The Deccan Plateau in Southern India The Deccan Plateau is an extremely large plateau located in Southern India. The plateau covers a vast majority of the Southern and central parts of the country. The plateau extends over eight separate Indian states, covering a wide range of habitats, and it is one of the longer plateaus in the world. Deccan’s average elevation is around 2,000 feet. The word Deccan comes from the Sanskrit word of ‘Dakshina’, which means south. Location and Characteristics The Deccan Plateau is located in Southern India in-between two mountain ranges: the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. Each rise from their respective coasts and eventually converge to produce a triangle-shaped tableland atop the plateau. The climate on some parts of the plateau, especially the Northern areas, is much drier than that of the nearby coastlands. These areas of the plateau are very arid, and do not see much rain for periods of time. Other areas of the plateau however are more tropical and have distinct, different wet and dry seasons. The river valley areas of the plateau tend to be densely populated, as there is ample access to water and the climate is conducive to living. On the other hand, the dry areas in-between the river valleys are often largely unsettled, as these areas can be too arid and dry. The plateau has three principal rivers: the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri. These rivers flow from the Western Ghats on the western side of the plateau eastward toward the Bay of Bengal, which is the largest bay in the world. History The history of the Deccan is largely obscure, but it is known to have been an area of conflict for much of its existence with dynasties fighting for control. From the Encyclopedia Britannica: â€Å"The Deccan’s early history is obscure. There is evidence of prehistoric human habitation; low rainfall must have made farming difficult until the introduction of irrigation. The plateau’s mineral wealth led many lowland rulers, including those of the Mauryan (4th–2nd century  bce) and Gupta (4th–6th centuryce) dynasties, to fight over it. From the 6th to the 13th century, the Chalukya, Rastrakuta , Later Chalukya , Hoysala , and Yadava families successively established regional kingdoms in the Deccan, but they were continually in conflict with neighboring states and recalcitrant feudatories. The later kingdoms also were subject to looting raids by the Muslim  Delhi sultanate, which eventually gained control of the area. In 1347 the Muslim BahmanÄ « dynasty established an independent kingdom in the Deccan. The five Muslim states that succeeded the BahmanÄ « and divided its territory joined forces in 1565 at the Battle of Talikota to defeat Vijayanagar, the Hindu empire to the south. For most of their reigns, however, the five successor states formed shifting patterns of alliances in an effort to keep any one state from dominating the area and, from 1656, to fend off incursions by the Mughal Empire to the north. During the Mughal decline in the 18th century, the Marathas, the nizam of   Hyderabad , and the Arcot nawab vied for control of the Deccan. Their rivalries, as well as conflicts over succession, led to the gradual absorption of the Deccan by the British. When India became independent in 1947, the princely state of Hyderabad resisted initially but joined the Indian union in 1948.† The Deccan Traps The northwestern area of the plateau consists of many separate lava flows and igneous rock structures known as the Deccan Traps. This area is one of the largest volcanic provinces in the world.

BA Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

BA - Case Study Example It operated in large scale with very flexible approaches to business decisions concerning the entrepreneurial skills where there is hierarchy but the ideas flows from the bottom-up and top-down. This paper therefore seeks to assess the existing business model for the vice and give recommendations of the alternatives that will help the company to continue to grow. Vice had a unique content that was provided freely to all its audience that was disseminated all over through its print media and online channels. For the video content to be produced effectively and efficiently there is need to be a producer, the person who will report and even the cameraperson that will be commenting on the events and document. For the investment, vice company should have a new financial and operational base that that had not been part of the culture of the company. Investors therefore should ensure that the vice company has put a system in place that will support the strategy and to ensure that there is rapid growth of the company. Continued growth means that there is greater attention towards labor standards for example making the internship program formal and also to ensure that the employees are provided with performance review (Farzad 3). In terms of the strategies, the vice should introduce a new strategic planning vernacular that the vice will use to address the budget and the return on the investment. For the vice to be considered mainstream it must consider diversification and launching territories internationally where the global audience can grow steadily and consume a type of content that could only be offered by a few organizations. In terms of the revenue, the vice should consider monetizing the content of the video to be online then sell advertising for online content. The vice company should consider to create customized initiatives for the company brands where everything is considered from the brand strategy and

U.S. and Texas Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U.S. and Texas Government - Essay Example Who else might do it better? Developing issues and educating the public. This would be done better by non-partisan individuals in a government. 3. What is the SMSP (single member, single plurality) electoral rule? What is a common alternative to the SP (single plurality) part? Which rule sometimes requires a runoff? SMSP is the process of voting whereby the person who gets most votes wins. An alternative to it is the Multiple-winner and the rule that requires a run off is the SMSP. 4. What is a PR (proportional representation) electoral rule? Why would an SMPR (single member, proportional representation) electoral rule be a logical impossibility? It’s a voting method that uses quota system to ensure that each part wins with a given number of votes. It can’t represent all the voters. 5. It is important to understand why an SMSP electoral rule favors a two-party system. Why does this rule give incentive to third parties to join up with a major party? When a third party joins one of the two parties, it has more advantages than being solo. Most voters tend to associate themselves with the ruling party when making decisions to vote. c) Effect of communications technologies on both voters and candidates; voters are able to understand an individual’s agenda and a choice is made even before elections are held. Technology platforms have provided such information.

Course reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Course reflection - Assignment Example While studying this course, ‘International Food and Beverages’ team work has been so helpful to me. Two heads are better than one. Working in a team always makes work easier. It’s a bond which promotes unity, reliability and support. Team work means a sense of unity, of enthusiasm for common interests and obligations, as developed among a group of people closely associated in a task. The oxford dictionary defines teamwork as the joint action of a group of people, especially when successful and efficient (Annet 2000). Team work has supported my more empowered way of working, it has removed limitations which might have prevented me from doing my job properly, it has Encouraged multi-disciplinary work where teams cut across organizational divides, enhances flexibility and awareness, especially the ability to respond to change and also Promoted the sense of attainment, equity and camaraderie. When managed properly, team work is a better way to work (Weyn, 2002). Despite the benefits of working in a team, it has not been easy. I have encountered different challenges. At times, Members could not feel mutually accountable to one another for the team’s objectives. There was a lack of commitment and effort, conflict between team goals and members’ personal goals, or poor collaboration. Secondly, decision making have been difficult. Team members would be rigidly adhering to their positions during decision making or making repeated arguments rather than introducing new information. Thirdly, poor communication has been another problem. Team members would interrupt or talk over one another. There would be consistent silence from some members during meetings, allusions to problems but failure to formally address them, or false consensus (Jone 2005). From my team work experience, team work can be effectively managed through; first, building trust among team members. If trust is lacking it must

Critical perspectives on management and leadership

Critical perspectives on management and leadership There is a difference between what theorists believe managers should do, what managers believe they should do and what managers actually end up doing (Grint, 1995). Applying critical theory to determine what is what and who has what. Critical Theory The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory is the longest and most famous traditions of Marxism. This tradition is often referred as critical theory- meaning a special kind of social philosophy from its inception in 1923 by Felix Weil (Seiler, 2004). The critical theory of society of the Frankfurt School continues to excite interest and controversy (Kellner, 2001). A theory is critical to the extent that it seeks human emancipation, to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them. A number of critical theories have emerged in connection with the many social movements that identify varied dimension of the domination of human beings in modern societies (Gutting, 2003). Thus, the term critical theory was used as the symbol of a philosophy which questions the effective order of political and social modernity through an order of immanent critique. It was mainly an attempt to regain a critical potential that had been overrun by recent intellectual, social, cultural, economic and technological trends. The term Critical theory has its origins in the 20th century Frankfurt School, and now is associated with scholars across a range of disciplines.   Its purpose of inquiry is to confront injustices in society (Clark, 2004).   Critical Theory has been deeply concerned with the fate of modernity, and has offered systematic and comprehensive theories of the trajectory of modernity. Critical theory began by putting Marxian political economy at the centre of analysis, and early critical theory was materialist and committed to socialism (Gingrich, 2000).   Critical theory has generally been committed to the idea of modernity and progress, while at the same time noting the ways that features of modernity can create problems for individuals and society (Kellner, 2000). This is much reflected on the 21st century, though there is progress in many things, but still issues like globalisation tends to pose important problems for the society.   According to Heilman (1998), being critical involves understanding the sets of historically contingent circumstances and contradictory power relationships that create the conditions in which we live.   Theory helps us to organize the world, to sort out the details, to make some coherent sense out of a kaleidoscope of sensations (Ayers, 1992). When theory is theorized, as stated by Heilman (1998), the imperatives of practice bring the theory down to the ground.   Phenomena are observed and experienced; this experience informs theory; and then the theory is further modified as a result of additional practice.   Rather like fiction writing, critical theorizing is a process of imagining and describing a non-real but possible world.   The critical theorists have deeply influenced contemporary social theory, communication theories, cultural theory and many more for a number of decades.   According to Clark (2004), Critical theorists are committed to understand the relationship between societal structures (such as economic and political) and ideological patterns of thought that constrain the human imagination and thus limit opportunities for confronting and changing unjust social systems.   Critical theorists emphasise that theory and research must serve emancipator interests, to create a world that satisfies the needs and powers of social actors (Sanghera, 2004).   According to critical theory, people are dominated by a false consciousness created and perpetuated by capitalism in order to preserve the hegemony of those in power (Meyer-Emerick, 2004).   Due to this cause, one can assume that it prevents people from freely pursuing their own interests.   This dissent is only dismissed if people begin to see the contradictions between the social construction of the world and their lived experience.   Critical Management Studies Critical management studies also known as CMS which is the known as the term that describes the a diverse group of people that has adopted the critical or questioning approaches to management, this term emerged of recent years. The report outline The above statement sets the mood for this report, as the report will be looking at how the critical management theory of yesterday applies to the modern western approaches of management today.   Another key aspect will be on trying to articulate the connections between the management perspectives of contemporary society in the critical theory.   The focus will be on Karl Marx and Michael Foucault as critical theorists and how their perspectives affect the management and leadership in today modern western era. Marx argued that capitalism, like previous socioeconomic systems, would inevitably produce internal tensions which will lead to its destruction. Just as capitalism replaced feudalism, he believed socialism would, in its turn, replace capitalism, and lead to a stateless, classless society called pure communism; Marx economic relationship between managers and the workers. Whilst Foucault argued that patterns in disciplinary behaviour found in management practices. management and leadership Scientific management Scientific management (Taylor System) also known as Taylorism is a theory of management that analysis and manufactures workflows to improve employee (labour) productivity. The idea was developed by a Frederick Winslow Taylor between 1880 and 1890, and it was the first published monograph (written documents). Frederick Taylor believed that decisions based upon tradition and the rules of the thumb should be replaced by accurate procedures that are developed after a study of an individual at work. This means that there is a high level of managerial control over employee work practices. Scientific management is a distinction on the theme of efficiency; it developed in the 19th and 20th century were instance of large recurring theme in the human life of increasing efficiency, decreasing waste and using experiential methods to dictate what matters rather than accepting pre-existing ideas of what matters. Management today is the greatest use of scientific management is a form to contrast a new and improved way of doing business. Leadership Leadership is having the ability to give guidance to those that will follow. Those that follow will help to complete the mission. It is an immature science and the body of knowledge in the field has developed through a series of fits and starts. Leadership is a soft science, just as anthropology, sociology and psychology. It can not be proven exactly what it is. Leadership is an art; the skilful application of leadership behaviours beyond techniques is much the same as the skilful application of brushstrokes by a master painter. Leadership is both rational and emotional. It involves both sides of human experience. It includes actions and influences based on reason and logic as well those based on inspiration and passion. Leadership is a social process shared among all members of a group. (Yolk, 2002) Leadership also involves in political activity as in power activity; conversely, it is much more like transformational leadership. Political processes involve efforts by members of the organization to increase their power or protect existing power sources (Pfeiffer, 1981). Although the ultimate source of political power is usually authority, control over resources, or control over information, political power involves influence processes that transform and magnify the initial basis of power in unique ways Karl Marx A Marxists thought is based on this lifestyle, a science of logic called Dialectics. Thus, Marxism is both a theory and a practice. The theories of Marxism are based on a scientific method of thought called dialectal materialism.   Theory is based on a particular set of conditions that are always finite, and thus, any theory is necessarily limited. To test the validity of theory, Marxists rely on empirical evidence as the criteria of truth (Basgen, 2005). Marxism embraces modernity and Marxists argue that one of the main problems is that capitalism puts fetters on the progressive forces. The forces of capitalism are viewed as progressive in sweeping away the traditional, religious, backward, and feudal forms of society, spreading industrialisation and urbanisation across societies (Moody, 2003). Michel Foucault His studies challenged the influence of German political philosopher Karl Marx and Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Foucault offered new concepts that challenged peoples assumptions about prisons, the police, insurance, care of the mentally ill, gay rights, and welfare (Ron, 2000). The main influences on Foucaults thought were German philosophers Frederick Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger.   The connect.net website, describe Foucaults thought as explored the shifting patterns of power within a society and the ways in which power relates to the self. He investigated the changing rules governing the kind of claims that could be taken seriously as true or false at different times in history. critical analysis Marx critique of capitalisms Capitalism is the system that upholds the relationship between the owners of the means of production and workers. The former comprise the bourgeois class and the latter the proletariat Marxs critique of capitalism was that while this system had incredible power and potential to transform human society positively, in actual fact it resulted in exploitation and ultimately limited the possibility for further improvement (Powell, 2001). Moody (2003), describe this environment as workers were emancipated from traditional limits but became slaves of the new factory system, monopolisation resulted in limits on trade and further progress, and the state acted in the interests of the bourgeoisie rather than society as a whole. Commodity Fetishism Labour Power To be clear about is what the capitalist has bought. The worker has sold not his labour but his ability to work. This Marx calls his labour power. Also, as Marx defines, labour power is the abstraction of human labour into something that can be exchanged for money. In addition, capitalism can purchases labour power as a commodity. In other words, Labour power is a commodity governed by the same laws as other commodities. Its value is determined by the labour-time necessary for its production. Labour power is the ability of the worker to work. It is consumed by the capitalist in the actual labour-process. (R.Sewell and A.Woods) Marx explains, I use the term labour power or capacity for labour, to denote the aggregate of those bodily and mental capabilities existing in a human being, which he exercises whenever he produces a use-value of any kindà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The value of labour power, like that of every other commodity, is determined by the labour time necessary for the production, and consequently for the reproduction as well, of this specific article as well. Capitalism Power As Campbell (1981:34) describes, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as in slavery, where the producers themselves are owned by the slavery owners; in feudalism where the land is owned by the landlords; or in capitalism where machinery and factories (capital) are owned by capitalists. In capitalism, the machineries and factories is not the only thing owned by capitalists (or factory owners), also labours. For example, in a car making factory, all the machineries are fixed assets to the factory owner, machineries can not make profit for the factory owner if no one operates them, and so labourers who operate machineries are the main assets to the factory owners. In addition, labour power is a commodity (which is bought and sold on the labour market), (The Marxist critique of capitalism) because it has an exchange value. As Campbell (1981: 38) says all commodities labour power has an exchange value, its price (the wage), yet again like all commodities, it also has use value to the purchaser. The purchaser here is any capitalism or any factory owners. It continues one purchased, like any commodityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Labour power is owned therefore, like a machine, and is put to work (Campbell 1981:38) As the labour power is a commodity, so once it is purchases by factory owner, the owner has the power to either use it or exchange it to others. Also, in capitalism, once the owner purchases new labour power, he has the rights to make decision on how much he will pay to his new labourers, and how long the new labourers will work every week; also he can fire any of the labourers in his factory any time if he feels not satisfied with them. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in a capitalist economy the vast majority of people have only their labour power to sell in order to gain income with which to purchase food, clothing, housing and other goods and services. The means of production are owned by the capitalist class and if they are unwilling to hire labour, or wish to reduce the numbers of workers they employ, this puts workers prosperity immediately at risk (Campbell 1981:111) Marxs argument was against capitalism, which he referred to as a stage at which every society must go through that can bring about the seed of its own destruction. He indicated that human essence was labour and physical effort needed in the production of the means of subsistence. Hence, some forms of production are needed for survival. The suggestion being that it is acceptable for oneself but not for others because some individuals may have all factors of production (capital, entrepreneurship, labour and land), while others may have nothing but just their own labour, which eventually will result in uneven distribution of wealth and income. Additionally, Marx argued that capitalism deprives the labour force of their creative fulfilment, and since they are portrayed to be the already planned part of the production process, they are unable to achieve self-actualisation. Exploitation and Alienation For Marx, this alienation works as a process, but it can be broken up into 3 different aspects for analysis. The first aspect of alienation under analysis is how workers are alienated from the product they produce. Under capitalism, the object the workers produce is surrendered for the wages they receive. The workers then loose any relation to the object they are producing because they are handing it over. This is of course is different from the system of self-sufficiency, where the workers have a much more direct relationship with the object that they produce. As the workers become more independent of their product, they transfer power to the employer. As mentioned with Marxs critique on the political economy, the more objects the worker produces, then the more power the employer possesses which will lead to a greater weakness to the workers. Therefore under this system, the workers are only competing to be exploited. This is a form of alienation, because the object that the worker produces becomes an alien entity to him, independent of his control and ultimately controls the worker. Another aspect of alienation that Marx examines is how the self becomes another alien entity to the worker. Under the mode of capitalism, the working conditions are established by the capitalists and not by the workers themselves. These conditions are established along the grounds of the capitalists drive for profits, rather than the workers need for self-fulfilment. Marx felt that self-fulfilment was a major aim of a person, and felt that under the system of capitalism, where your working conditions are created by your employer, it was impossible for the worker to gain this self-fulfilment. He also felt that the capitalist employers were victims of this problem too because if they didnt drive for profits, then they would be put out of business. The labour itself is described by Marx as exterior to the worker, that is, it does not belong to his essence. Therefore he does not confirm himself in his work, he denies himself, feels miserable instead of happy, deploys no free physical and intellectual energy, but mortifies his body and ruins his mind (David McLellan 2000). Explain Marxs articulation of exploitation. The practice of mistreat of workers in an environment that is deliberately designed to maintain it, i.e. capitalism, Marxs conforming the workers alienated by/owners of the means of production to gain profits at the expense of the workers (e.g. managers forcing employees to undertake tasks outside their job description in order to cut costs and maximise profits) because people are alienated they conform to the demands of their employers in order to keep jobs safe. Foucault disciplinary Power Moves away from the economics of Marx. Looks at power and reconceptualises it. Management as a representation of power relations in society. Specific rules maintain, regulate and institutionalize practices in a work environment (office, factory, school, etc), Power- Disciplinary power the panopticon as a illustration of society, the middle tower is all seeing yet prisoners always obey without knowing for certain whether they are being monitored, by whom or by how many. The result is the creation of self-regulating, obedient and disciplined prisoners (at least in theory). Relate this form of disciplinary power to management. Power as the central driving force in a society within a group of people in a working environment. Manager doesnt create a system the manager merely plays along with the rules, thus maintaining the relations of dominance and dominated. Critical Analysis on Leadership Over the influence process of leadership, it needs power. (Northhouse, 2007). Leaders are usually described as wielders of power in the discussion of leadership because they are individuals who dominate others. Power is the capacity or potential to influence another party (Mint berg, 1983; Pfeiffer, 1981, 1992). It is talked as the basis of leadership according to many political theorists like Machiavelli through academic political scientists such as Marx in the twentieth century. People have power when they have the ability to affect others beliefs, attitudes, and courses of action. Ministers, teachers, doctors, and coaches are examples of individuals using power to effect change in people. In commercial, there are two major types of power, position power and personal power (Bass, 1960; Etienne, 1991): Position power refers the power a person derives from a particular rank in a formal organization system, for example, department heads have more power than clerical staff in position. It includes potential influence derived from legitimate authority, control over resources and rewards, control over punishments, control over information, and control over the physical work environment.   Personal power refers the power a leader derives from followers. It includes potential influence derived from task expertise and potential influence based on friendship and loyalty. Followers give leaders power when leaders act in ways that are important to them. Power is also inherent in a persons position in the organization. (Bass, 1960; Etienne, 1991) According to Northhouse (2007) the current dominant leadership paradigm is the transformation approaches which is a process that changes and transforms people. The elements at the heart of transformational leadership are: idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. Critical Analysis on Scientific management The Marxist theory of capital sees labour as a cost of production resulting in the alienation of workers as the need for labour surfaces from the physical needs defined by the fundamental relationship between humans and their physical environment (Hatch, 1997, p.27).   Taylors ideas on scientific management (1990) have similar economic themes to Marx and Adam Smith.   By viewing management as a science, he broke down the managerial problem into stages of research, definition, analysis and implementation.   His principles were inherently based on the assumption that people put in as little effort as possible into their work and were soldiering on in order to earn money.   This shifted all the responsibility from the worker to the manager and scientific methods were used to determine the most efficient way of working.   After selecting the best person capable of performing the task, they were trained to work efficiently and their performance was strictly monitored.   In hin dsight, though this may have appeared to be a good generic strategy for the success of a firm, it heavily depended on whether the optimal method of producing could be found and whether or not the strategy was implemented correctly.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   conclusion

Jean Piaget Essay

Jean Piaget is often quoted to have pioneered research in cognitive development (Hayes, 1998). The constructivist theory is a subset of the cognitivist theories. It is based on the learner –centred theories that emphases on the need to provide learners with responsibility for directing their own learning experiences. Schemata, assimilation and accommodation are some of the primary concepts in understanding the Constructivist theory of cognitive development. The other central features apart from three principles are the notions of equilibration and disequilibrium. This essay will briefly define the principles of schemata, assimilation and accommodation. It will also explain the importance of equilibration and disequilibrium in cognitive development. Schemata according to Dembo (1991) are cognitive structures that are formed through the obstruction of one’s earlier experience. It is stated that children are born with very f few innate schemata and that they keep on creating new ones as they interact with the environment. Hayes (1998) adds that schemata should be understood as â€Å"a theoretical construct which is generally understood as the being an internalized representation of the world, or at least some part of the world. † p. 473. Schemata therefore relate to specific bit of activity, and summarises the stored knowledge and experiences related to such an activity. All human thinking is centred on schemata that develop throughout an individual’s life through the process of adaptation. Adaptation involves organisms responding to the changes in their respective surroundings and situations. In essence, adaptation is achieved through assimilation and accommodation. The principle of assimilation refers to a process of making sense of the experiences and perceptions by fitting them into previously established cognitive structures. In other words, what is perceived by a person is altered so that it fits present cognitive schemata (Gage, 1998). Assimilation is said to have occurred when a person perceives a new event or object in terms of an n existing schemas. That is to say, person applies any mental structure that is available to assimilate a new object or event and actively seek to utilize this newly acquired mental structure. On the other hand, the theory of accommodation simply refers to the process of changing internal schemata to provide consistency with external reality. It happens when existing schemas are modified or new ones are created to account for a new experience. According to Borick and Tombari (1995) if a person succeeds in changing the existing schemata in order to understand a new event, object, information or experience is said to have undergone the process of accommodation. From it can therefore be inferred that accommodation influences assimilation in a certain way and vice versa. As a reality is assimilated, structures are accommodated. Cognitive development is a lifelong process that involves the creation and/or the development of schemata through the operation of principles explained above. The term that explains the operation of assimilation and accommodation, which can occur concurrently is called the process of Equilibration. Equilibration is defined as â€Å"the biological drive to produce an optimal state of equilibrium between people’s cognitive structures and their environment† (Duncan, 1995 as cited on http://www. coe. uga. edu/epiltt/pigeat. htm ) . It is an attempt to bring about a state of equilibrium between the other three factors and is very vital for cognitive development. It involves assimilation and accommodation (Russell, Jarvis &Gorman, 2004). This process is very significant because it is through equilibration that people develop their cognitive structures. This occurs as people conduct themselves in logical internal mental structures that allow them to make sense of the various phenomena in their surrounding environment. When the external reality does not match with the logical internal schemas or say when disequilibrium occurs, equilibration is there to come forth so as an effort to bring balance between assimilation and accommodation. In this way, organisms develop sophisticated schemas. McLeod (2009) as cited on http://www. simplypsychology. org/piaget. html points out disequilibrium connotes an unpleasant state when new information cannot be fitted in the existing schemata. O’Donnel (2006) states that the theory of equilibration is important to the learning process. It suggests the need to stimulate conceptual change in someone by challenging students existing concepts in an effort to create cognitive disequilibrium. Students in turn strive to restore equilibrium there by acquiring new knowledge and skills for understanding the world or subject matter in a lesson. Teachers should be able to engage students into unfamiliar areas in order to for them to learn. It suggests that students do not require studying things that they already know but that they can also accommodate new information (Dembo, 1991). However teacher need not to let learners over assimilate because it turns out boring. They should also not over accommodate students beyond their cognitive growth. In this ca se, it can be understood that equilibration is vital to the development of a child’s cognition as well as to the teaching and learning process. Furthermore, the notion of equilibration is important because it indicates that learners are active thinkers who can understand the world on their own. Therefore teacher need to involve students in the learning processes and only act as facilitators in constructing knowledge. The understanding of the constructivist theory with the understanding of how equilibration works has led to emergence of teaching methods such as discovery methods. Teachers can create deliberate disequilibrium in students by asking questions about some illogical statements made by the Lerner. As the learner reconciles his or her disequilibrium, their cognitive capacity develops. In conclusion, this paper has defined schemata as cognitive or mental structures that relate s to specific bit of an activity such as schemata for an object like a tree or more abstract notion like democracy. Jean Piaget contended that all thinking is centred on schemata (Hayes, 1998) and the number of a person schema continues to be constructed throughout a person’s life through the principles of assimilation and accommodation. It has also been noted that the operation 0f these two principles constitutes the notion of equilibration. Equilibration is very important because it is the impetus for cognitive development that makes individuals acquires higher order thinking skills to adapt to the ever changing surrounding. It is through equilibration that people explore the environment and make mental representation of reality. This is so because equilibration improves the sophistication of schemas to create a mental representation of reality.