History Of Sri Lanka
Published December 30, 2011 | 
The earliest records of the history of Sri Lanka date back to the sixth century BC when the people of Sri Lanka (or Sinhalese) migrated to the island from Bengal in India. Before the establishment of Sri Lanka, the island was occupied by the people now known as the Aryas who are originally believed to be the Malays. Even today, people of the Arya clan live in the eastern part of the island of Ceylon.
The chronicle of Sinhalese Mahavamsa relates the arrival of Vijaya, the first Sinhalese king, in 543 BC. It is believed that the Sinhala people have migrated from somewhere in northern India. The Sinhalese language (Sinhala) is related to Sanskrit and Hindi. The kingdom of Sri Lanka initially had its capital at Anuradhapura and was later shifted to Colombo. In the third century BC, the Sinhalese got converted to Buddhism and the island became a center of Buddhist studies and missionary work. This separated the Hindu culture of Sri Lanka from southern India.
Anuradhapura remained the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom until the eighth century, after which it was replaced by Polonnaruwa. Tamils from southern India began to reach the island early in the third century and soon there were wars between the Sinhalese and South Indian invaders. For much of the first millennium AD, the island was controlled by several princes of Tamil origin. Continue reading
Styles of Tango Dancing
Published December 30, 2011 | As you spend time in the Spanish language school in Argentina, you will quickly discover that the dance and the music are both very important to the culture. You can have a great deal about a country to study with particular attention to the kind of art is everywhere. This article focuses on dance in Argentina and the importance of this art form and culture.
Of course, even before you learn Spanish in Buenos Aires to get, you probably know that the tango is the most popular form of dance in the country. This is one of the most famous of Argentina today. There are many clubs in the city where you can see the dance performed and of course learn to dance the tango with a partner. Many students arrange to these classes as an extracurricular activity outside of their classes.
In essence, the two partners are now tango music with each person keeps his feet close to the ground. The partners also need to show each other the feelings of her music. There is a difference between ballroom tango taught in the schools and the Argentine tango. In Argentina, the tango is not only a kind of dance. It includes various styles, which vary on factors such as dance, and that is where the dance takes place. Since some of the improvisation is involved, the people have changed the dance according to their needs. Continue reading
Three Important Factors Influencing Teachers’ Informal Workplace Learning
Published December 30, 2011 | It is widely acknowledged that teachers play a significant role in helping schools be effective.
They are imperative for both quality schools and quality school improvement. The quality of schools cannot be higher than the quality of teachers in them and central to the vigor of and success of a school is the strength of its teacher workforce. It is on this backdrop that workplace learning in the teaching profession is becoming increasingly critical. The extent of workplace learning occurring in an organization is strongly related to employee job satisfaction which in turn determines effectiveness. The following are some of the factors that influence workplace learning in teaching.
School Culture
Schools may be alike in many ways but each school has an ambience (or culture) of its own. Without a school culture that supports learning from teaching, we cannot take advantage of the educative potential of teaching experience. Successful schools, therefore, are those that have developed a shared ‘technical culture’ including common purpose, expertise and methods for analyzing and solving curriculum and instructional problems. School-wide focus on learning, inquiry, and reflective practices as well as encouragement for taking initiative are some of the aspects of school culture that could influence teacher learning. But a lack of clarity about organizational and professional direction and purpose may affect how teachers learn and what they learn. Continue reading