Leading educational change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leading educational change - Essay Example In the book entitled Schooling by Design: Mission, Action, and Achievement, Wiggins and McTighe (2007, p. 108) discussed the theory behind the â€Å"Curriculum Design Cycle†. Although this particular framework is useful in terms of guiding the teachers on how to effectively change and create a new curriculum that can meet the needs of a commnity, this particular model is not applicable when it comes to the need to create educational vision on teacher empowerment. The Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievements in Schools (IDEAS) by Andrews (2008) is more applicable when it comes to implementing change for the entire educational institution. Lastly, Eacott’s Strategic Model is all about the use of strategies when managing educational administration or educational construct. However, after examining the modern context of educational administration, Eacott (2008, p. 353) found out that the available strategies that can be used in the field of education is â€Å"incomple te† and â€Å"flawed†. Therefore, among these three (3) models, the model presented by Andrews (2008) is more applicable when it comes to creating an educational vision that could empower the school teachers. ... ng, group discussion and voting are all equally important when it comes to encouraging all stakeholders to engage themselves in participating in the process of designing a clear and inspiring vision on teacher empowerment. The construct of parallel leadership is one of the main constructs of IDEAS. Basically, the context of parallel leadership is highly dependent on mutualism, personal expression, and shared purpose, values, and beliefs (Andrews, 2008). Using this theory, one can argue that it is essential for both the school administrator and the primary school teachers to develop mutual respect and trust at all times. After developing a sense of mutualism, both parties are expected to work together towards the development of a single vision that could strengthen teacher empowerment within the primary school setting. During the initiative phase, the school administor and the primary school teachers are expected to participate in brainstorming and/or group discussion process. Basical ly, brainstorming is all about encouraging the school personnel to generate group ideas (Isaken & Gaulin, 2005). This will then lead to discovering and envisioning stage (Andrews, 2008). By encouraging the school staff to participate in a group discussion or brain-storming session, the school leader will have the opportunity to detect the personal opinion or stand of each school staff with regards to certain strategies that can be used in the promotion of teacher empowerment. Teacher empowerment is all about being able to strengthen the decision-making power of the primary school teachers through the use of either administrative strategies or pedagogy (Di Gropello, 2006, p. 4). In some cases, excessive use or implementation of rules and regulations, and red tape serves as a barrier behind

Hobbes and Lock Views on Property Essay Example for Free

Hobbes and Lock Views on Property Essay Property, whether personal or private, is thought of and looked at differently with different point of views. John Locke (1632 – 1704) and Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) had very strong and also very diverse views of property and its importance in the human society. John Locke saw private property as the basis of freedom and liberty. Locke believed that people were born free, equal and were born with three rights that were natural and God-given; these rights were life, liberty, and property. Locke, who believed in liberal democracy, considered property not just possessions that we physically use and own, but rather that property is what  gwe mix with our labour, the labour of our body and the work of our hands h. (The Human Project; pg151). Property is something that you have put your labour into, the work, investment, energy or effort that you put into something makes it an extension of you, which you own. It is not only your land or personal possessions which are considered property, but this can be in regards with anything from a product, an idea, a service, a relationship, sex or religion. He decided liberal democracy was the best way to protect our property because with too much of a strong government, they could threaten our natural rights. Property was extremely important to Locke because he believed that it defines the boundaries of individual freedom. When you have earned and own your property, you are free to do whatever you wish in the limitations of your property without repercussions by the state or government. Locke believed that property was a primarily good and positive thing and therefore he believed that it was something that should be protected by the government because it is one of the three natural rights that we are given. Another idea of property was from Karl Marx whose opinion on property was quite the opposite of Locke fs; it was based on communism, although Marx himself was not a communist. Marx fs attitude of property was that private property was the basis of exploitation and inhumanity. While Locke saw private property as something people should be proud of and gave people incentive to work, Marx believed that private property created an excruciating difference between the  ghaves h and the  ghave-nots h and therefore he wanted to abolish this conflicted difference and the only way he believed that was possible was to eliminate private property. Marx believed that there was a huge difference between the rich and the poor, which he also described as the  haves  and the  have-nots , the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, the powerful and the powerless, or to put simply, the owners and the workers. Marx divided property into two theories: personal property and private property. Personal property was defined as something that is used by the individual on a daily basis, such as their automobile, their home in which they live, their appliances and their clothes or personal possessions. Private property was defined as something that they own but do not use, such as an apartment they lease out to rent, their factory and factory workers, or a long-term investment. He believed to eliminate this barrier between the  haves  and the  have-nots  so that classes would be equal in society would have to abolish private property. Marx wanted to dispose of private property, not personal property. If private property was removed, Marx believed the separation and division of labour between the  haves  and the  have-nots  would be eliminated because it would bring an end to exploitation, alienation, means of production and opiates; in other words, we would no longer have to use our bodies to make profit for someone else and we would be able to put ourselves into our work and feel independent and proud of the work we accomplished. This would allow individuals to feel personal satisfaction from their work as well as eliminate the classes in society. Locke and Marx fs views on property were very different from one another. Locke saw fundamental values in property in which the government should protect while Marx saw private property as the reason to many problems in the human society because of the unequal distribution of wealth and therefore wanted the government to get rid of private property. I do not think that private property should be abolished as Marx recommends. This is because I believe in Locke fs theory that having property gives individuals the sense of independence and accomplishment and by people having possessions they feel like they have earned something by the work that they do. Without this feeling of owning something, society would not be as it is today as people need encouragement and incentive for what they are doing. In this sense, I feel that Marx  argument that private property should be abolished is flawed and that the government should do anything they can to protect our property as it is one of the three rights we are given. If we looked at private property not as property, but as something to work towards as a reward, it will give individuals the sense of accomplishment which is an opiate that is much needed. If everyone in society had equal amounts of wealth, there would be a lack of dedication: why would one work harder than another if in the end they are all getting the same reward? The society needs private property as motivation to work hard and gives a reward for it. This is why I believe and agree with Lockes theory on property.

Anne Finchs Poems :: Anne Finch Poetry Poem Essays

Anne Finch's Poems While other writers use their poetry to decipher the meaning of life, Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea was busy writing about how to live it. Five of her poems, â€Å"Jupiter and the Farmer,† â€Å"The Tree,† â€Å"The Shepherd Piping to the Fishes,† â€Å"Love, Death, and Reputation,† and â€Å"There’s No To-Morrow,† convey strong messages to the reader about how to live their lives. In her poetry, Anne Finch uses anecdotes to help illustrate the validity of her statements, thereby providing the reader with a strong, meaningful, and important message about how life should be lived. â€Å"Jupiter and the Farmer† tells the story of a farmer who took it upon himself to control the weather in favor of his crops: â€Å"The Frost to kill the Worm, the brooding Snow, / The filling Rains may come, and Phoebus glow† (14 – 15). In doing this, the farmer plays god himself rather than let the real god, Jupiter, control things. The farmer ends up choosing what he wanted in such a bad fashion, he ruins his crops and is â€Å"with Famine pinch’d† (24). Upon the realization of his mistake, the farmer calls upon Jupiter and promises he will no longer take fate into his own hands. He resolves to let Jupiter lead the way while he â€Å"live[s] to Reap† (30). Through this poem, Finch stresses how important fate is in everyday lives. Like the farmer, we may have a desire to try and take the reigns from destiny, but it will never end well. Finch says we should just leave our lives to fate, and everything will work out alright. In â€Å"The Tree,† the speaker talks to a tree and express thanks for its â€Å"delightful shade† (1). The speaker goes on to talk of the others who benefited from the existence of the tree and gave it something back in return, such as the birds singing, travelers praising it’s welcome shade, and nymphs making crowns from its blooms. The speaker wonders what she can do to repay the shade given her by the tree. She decides to wish something for the tree’s future. She wishes, â€Å"To future ages may’st thou stand / Untouch’d by the rash workman’s hand† (19 – 20). Ultimately, she wishes something such as â€Å"some bright hearth† (32) be made from the tree at its death.

Learning Styles and Competencies Essay

Learning Styles and Competencies I found my personality spectrum to be true of whom I am as an individual person. I understand psychology as a self-portrait of us and this allowed me to be exposed and confirmed my personality. I am a prodigious thinker because I love to solve problems while exploring new ideas and potentials. When I look back as a child I was very analytical and always kept to myself on figuring problems. This can establish well with math, science, or psychology in a field that I would never be bored of. I realize that when I think, I space out and find truth and this will always apply in my everyday tasks. I like to hear questions given time to figure out in my manner of learning. My other strength is a giver, and I have strong merit of being honest and will always make sure that I will make a difference. Whenever I perform my job duties I make sure I come in with good intentions. I deal with customer service all day and project task all in an eight hour shift. Many people I have seen in the past cheated or stole time that really affected the company along with the workplace. I tend to talk to these individuals into just working as a team instead of being a weak link. I am an easily approachable person, which make sense through this personality spectrum that people see through me. I love to talk business and make sure everyone wins which is a great strength I am well aware of. I know my strength and how I can utilize it further for my career and better myself as an individual. I acknowledge my weaknesses in organization and that adventurous type; however, this does mean I can improve from what I falter. These are a series of habits and familiarized myself to grow better as an individual. I must find patience and take a day at a time to permit myself to understand where I must lead on, become comprehensive, and also have the courage to take further steps. One of the goals was to head back into school and finish what I had started. I have come a long way from when I was young, I have new experiences that motivate me to finish and succeed for my career. I need to write down my different goals, find others who share that common goal and experience what everyone has to offer. I understand we ourselves cannot make alone but as a team we can. If I ever come through any issues, I understand my mentor can also guide me. This learning has helped me to understand further and apply myself for future experiences.

Elizabeth receives three proposals of marriage in Pride and Prejudice Essay

The first sentence of the novel Pride and Prejudice states, â€Å"It is the truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.† This clearly demonstrates how important marriage was in the Victorian age and to the Bennet girls. Using this as the first sentence of the novel reinforces the theme of marriage from the very start. The plot of Pride and Prejudice is centred on four relationships with all of these resulting in marriage. The first relationship was between Charlotte Lucus and Mr Collins which resulted in a marriage of convenience as neither party showed any affection and thought of marriage as merely a contract that would help both sides. The second couple was Miss Lydia Bennet and Mr Wickham. In the novel Lydia and Wickham eloped and ran off to London. Mr Wickham was paid by Mr Darcy to marry Lydia. The third was between Miss Jane Bennet and Mr Bingly which was a relationship of true love. The relationship encountered many ups and downs but eventually true love triumphed. The fourth was between Mr Darcy and Miss Lizzy Bennet. This was an unusual couple as they came from very different classes in Victorian society and their marriage very nearly did not happen. This marriage was based on love. The Bennet girls had limited options in life. The first was to get married and love honour and obey their husband. The second was to become a spinster and live off her male relatives. To be a spinster you were regarded as a social outcast in society. The third was to be a governess. To get married was seen to be by far the best option for women in the Victorian age. Women had few rights. The Bennet girls had the unfortunate coincidence of being five girls in their family. This meant that they would only have a small dowry, as all money had to be split five ways. Extra pressure was mounted on the Bennet girls’ shoulders through Mr Collins. If Mr Bingly died the Bennet girls would have been thrown out of Longbourn in favour of Mr Collins’ as their house was entitled to ‘heirs male’. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is the heroine of the novel. Elizabeth has several character traits, which make it somewhat less difficult for her to refuse her first proposal from Mr Collins. These include; her perceptiveness, which enabled her to easily manipulate Mr Collins. Lizzy is very witty and we know this because it says in the text that, â€Å"She has more of a quickness than her sisters†. In the last paragraph of the proposal scene we see that Lizzy puts an emphasis on the personal pronouns â€Å"we† and â€Å"I†. This shows that she is as proud and self interested as Mr Collins. However, Elizabeth lacks self-awareness – she is proud and prejudiced. Elizabeth wants to be seen as an intelligent, educated woman. She wants a marriage but only if it is based on love. She will not settle for merely a business arrangement. The novel of Pride and Prejudice has two comedy climaxes and both have connections with Mr Collins. The first is Mr Collins’ proposal. Elizabeth is genuinely shocked and embarrassed by this proposal. She nearly bursts out laughing when he says that he was â€Å"Run away with by my feelings†. Humour is achieved by Mr Collins’ manner as Austen satirises the role of a traditional clergyman. For example, he is supposed to put others first yet through the first paragraph of the proposal he uses the personal pronouns â€Å"I†, â€Å"me† and â€Å"my† thirteen times. Elizabeth is clearly affronted by the fact that Mr Collins believes that he is dong her and her family a service by making his proposal of marriage. He believes that Elizabeth and her family should regard him as an exceedingly good â€Å"catch†. Elizabeth, however, with her strong intellect does not regard Mr Collins as her equal or as her superior. She can hardly contain her fury when she replies sarcastically, â€Å"I am very sensitive of the honour of your proposals but it is impossible for me to do otherwise other than to decline them†. Her temper rises when Mr Collins persists with his proposal as he believes it is customary for prospective brides to reject a proposal â€Å"a second or even a third time†. Elizabeth, in exasperation, does her utmost to convince Mr Collins that marriage to him is completely out of the question, â€Å"I am perfectly serious in my proposal. – You could not make me happy.† This is the basis of Elizabeth’s refusal – she wants a marriage based on love and respect which will lead to happiness. She regards Mr Collins as beneath her in intellect and sensitivity. In her eyes, he is a pompous fool with an over-inflated sense of importance. She does not love or respect him. She feels that she would be compromising herself by accepting him his proposal and she is totally frustrated by his apparent in ability to accept her refusal. In this proposal we see that there is a character contrast between Elizabeth and Mr Collins. Mr Collins obeys orders. He admits that to Elizabeth he is following Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s instruction to marry when he says, â€Å"It is the particular advice and recommendation of a certain noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness.† Lizzy, however, will not be swayed by the opinion of others whatever their social status. During his proposal Mr Collins reminds Lizzy that he is, â€Å"To inherit this estate after the death of your honoured father.† This shows Mr Collins’ lack of understanding of Lizzy’s love for her father. This is juxtaposition between the theme of love and marriage and the death of Mr Bennet. This is very amusing for the reader. The second proposal that Elizabeth receives is from Mr Darcy. The title of this novel, Pride and Prejudice is a metaphor for Elizabeth’s relationship with Mr Darcy. Mr Darcy is seen by Elizabeth to be too proud. Mr Darcy is a lot further up the social strata than the Bennet family. He thinks that he would be degrading himself to marry her. â€Å"He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.† Elizabeth is prejudiced against Darcy. Elizabeth has been fooled by Mr Wickham’s stories of Mr Darcy. Elizabeth believes that after the death of the late Mr Darcy, Mr Darcy threw Mr Wickham out of his father’s house and failed to adhere to his promise of a family living. However later on in the novel this is confirmed to be not the case. Through the plot line we see how Austen has created hostility between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth. At their first meeting, Mr Darcy does not endear himself to Elizabeth and her family because of his superior attitude. He says of Elizabeth, â€Å"She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me.† This dislike of Mr Darcy is increased through his interference in the relationship between Jane and Mr Bingly. He admits to Elizabeth that â€Å"I did everything in my power to separate my friend from your sister.† Elizabeth was very astounded by Mr Darcy’s first proposal. Her prejudice against him increased due to the manner in which he made this proposal. He explained to her how she had struggled with himself but was unable to stop himself from telling her, â€Å"how ardently I admire and love you†. However, Mr Darcy made the mistake of dwelling on what he perceived Elizabeth’s inferiority. Elizabeth could see that, like Mr Collins, Mr Darcy expected her to accept his proposal and it had not crossed his mind that she would do otherwise. Elizabeth’s anger increases because she can see that Darcy arrogantly assumes that she will marry him. ‘Elizabeth felt herself growing more angry every moment’. He openly tells her that he has tried to quell his feelings for her because a marriage to her would be degrading. This arrogance and sense of superiority and pride infuriates Elizabeth. Although she is flattered by his proposals, her prejudices make it impossible for her to accept it. She does not want to be seen as a charity case. Also, she does not want to be seen to condone what she perceives to be his ungentlemanly past behaviour towards Mr Wickham and her sister. She declares that from the very beginning she despised his â€Å"arrogance†, â€Å"conceit† and selfish disdain of the feelings of others†. The third proposal that Elizabeth received was again from Mr Darcy. However, by this time Elizabeth has heard the truth about Mr Wickham and his atrocious behaviour. Her regard for Mr Darcy has grown through her understanding of the part that he played in resolving the problems with Lydia’s elopement and eventual marriage to Mr Wichkam. At the time of the second proposal Elizabeth’s prejudices against Mr Darcy have disappeared. Indeed she cannot wait to express her thanks for the part that he played in helping Lydia and ultimately her family. However, Mr Darcy tells Elizabeth that her family owe him nothing and he only cares about her. On her return to London, Lady Catherine De Burgh called on Mr Darcy to obtain the promise from Mr Darcy which she had not got from Elizabeth. She told him of her visit to Longbourn and her conversation with Elizabeth and how she had refused to promise that she would not accept a marriage proposal from Mr Darcy. The effect of her visit, â€Å"had been exactly contrariwise†¦It taught me to hope†¦I knew enough of your disposition to be certain that had you been absolutely irrevocably decided against me you would have acknowledged it to Lady Catherine frankly and openly.† He humbles himself when he openly, for the second time, declares his love for Elizabeth and openly outlines his inferior traits. He confirms that he has been â€Å"a selfish being all his life†. He as an only child her was spoilt and not taught to control his temper. He also says admits that he was â€Å"almost taught to be selfish and overbearing, to care for no-one beyond my own family circle†. He tells Elizabeth that that it is she who has brought him humility. In my opinion it was not only Elizabeth who was prejudiced but Darcy too as he is prejudiced about her place in the social hierarchy. It is also not only Darcy who is proud but Elizabeth is too. She will not lower her standards and complies with the conventions of the day by consenting to marry just to please her mother or other members of society. She is determined to hold out against all the odds and marry only for love. At the end of the novel Elizabeth achieves her goal of marrying someone who will truly make her happy. This could be seen as a reflection of Jane Austen’s view on marriage, that is, that a good marriage is one that is based on love and mutual respect. â€Å"Do anything rather than marry without affection.†

Experiment Onion Cell-Biology Essays

Experiment Onion Cell-Biology Essays Experiment Onion Cell-Biology Paper Experiment Onion Cell-Biology Paper Obtain a sheet of lens tissue paper with lens cleaning solution and clean all the lenses of your microscope gently. Obtain a microscope glass slide. Hold It by the edges and wet It with water. Wipe both sides dry with a paper towel. Always hold the slide by the edges or you will leave fingerprints on the slide. Clean the coveralls in a similar manner. Using the medicine dropper, place one drop of water near the centre of the glass slide. This water is called a mounting medium. It helps produce a clear image. Hold a piece of onion bulb scale so that the concave inner) surface faces you. Then snap it backwards as shown in figure 2. You should now be able to see a thin, transparent skin or epidermis, on the concave surface. Use the tweezers or your fingernails to pull Off piece of this epidermis. Place the piece of epidermis in the drop of water. Avoid wrinkling the epidermis. If wrinkles develop, use the tweezers to gently unwrinkled the tissue without tearing it. Hold a coveralls by the edges and lower one edge so that it touches one side of the drop of water at an angle of about 450. See figure 3 for a visual guide to these procedures. Slowly lower the cover slip by supporting the upper edge with a pencil or dissecting needle. This will prevent the trapping of air bubbles under the coveralls which interferes with your viewing. A few small air bubbles will not cause serious problems. Do not confuse air bubbles with your specimen. Air bubbles appear as circular objects with thick dark lines under the microscope. Examine the sample under low power (xx ocular for a total magnification of xx). Follow the procedure you learned in the previous lab to properly focus on the specimen. Dont forget to adjust the lighting to see the most detail possible in your specimen. Move the slide around until you find a group of cells that clearly show their cell contents. Select one cell that appears to be the best for viewing and move it to the centre of the field of view. Switch to medium power. Be careful to observe that the lens does not touch the coveralls by looking at the stage from the side while you rotate the incipience. Refocus with the fine adjustment knob only once the medium power ocular is in place. Draw a small group (not the entire specimen) of onion skins cells. Remember to follow proper biological drawing rules as you draw your cells. A sample drawing as been provided with this lab. Prepare a second wet mount of the onion epidermis. This time use the iodine solution as the mounting medium. This solution is a stain its purpose is to make some parts to stand out. Finding a good group of cells. Centre this group and change to medium power. Centre a single cell before moving to high power Refocus the image with only the fine adjustment knob. Focus up and down carefully to see details on one cell. Adjust the lighting with the diaphragm control. Draw a single onion skin cell following proper biological drawing rules. Read the discussion questions and answer the questions as you work on your sketches. Clean and put away your microscope. Clean and put away the glass slides and coveralls. Wash the counter tops off and make sure all the pieces of onion skin are placed in the garbage. Discussion Questions 1. Describe the shape off single cell of an onion epidermis. 2. Describe the arrangement of the cells with respect to one another. 3. Describe the cytoplasm (cell fluid) off cell. Include color, clearness, and evidence of any motion. The outer edge of the cytoplasm is called the plasma membrane or cell membrane. It is difficult to see since it is normally pushed tightly against the cell wall. 4. Describe the nucleus off cell. If you saw them, include descriptions of the nuclear membrane, nucleoluss, and nucleoli (there may be several). Are the nuclei always in the same position in the cell? 5. Describe how the iodine stain that you used helped you see the cellular detail. 6. The empty spaces that you saw in the cytoplasm are called vacuoles. The contain mainly water and dissolved substances. Each vacuole is surrounded by part of the cytoplasm called a vacuole membrane. 7. You probably noticed that some cells had only one vacuole that filled most of the cell. Explain why the nucleus in those cells was so close to the cell wall. The droplets in the cytoplasm are the oil that gives onions their smell and make your eyes run. Describe an oil droplet. 8. Estimate the length of a single cell in micrometers (pm) using the method described in class. Use the diameter of the field of view for your objective used before making your calculations. 9. Label all the parts off cell that you can see such as the cell wall, nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, nuclear membrane, nucleolus, nucleoluss, vacuole, vacuole membrane, oil droplet. Make sure you follow proper labeling rules check the exemplar provided to be sure.

10 Fascinating Facts About Beetles

10 Fascinating Facts About Beetles Beetles inhabit nearly every ecological niche on the planet. This group includes some of our most beloved bugs, as well as our most reviled pests. Here are 10 fascinating facts about beetles, our largest insect order. One out of Every Four Animals on Earth Is a Beetle Beetles are the largest group of living organisms known to science, bar none. Even with plants included in the count, one in every five known organisms is a beetle. Scientists have described over 350,000 species of beetles, with many more still undiscovered, undoubtedly. By some estimates, there may be as many as 3 million beetle species living on the planet. The order Coleoptera is the largest order in the entire animal kingdom. Beetles Live Everywhere You can find beetles almost anywhere on the planet, from pole to pole, according to entomologist Stephen Marshall. They inhabit both terrestrial and freshwater aquatic habitats, from forests to grasslands, deserts to tundras, and from beaches to mountaintops. You can even find beetles on some of the worlds most remote islands. The British geneticist (and atheist) J. B. S. Haldane is purported to have said that God must have an inordinate fondness for beetles. Perhaps this accounts for their presence and number in every corner of this globe we call Earth. Most Adult Beetles Wear Body Armor One of the traits that make beetles so easy to recognize is their hardened forewings, which serve as armor to protect the more delicate flight wings and soft abdomen underneath. The famed philosopher Aristotle coined the order name Coleoptera, which comes from the Greek koleon, meaning sheathed, and ptera, meaning wings. When beetles fly, they hold these protective wing covers (called elytra) out to the sides, allowing the hindwings to move freely and keep them airborne. Beetles Vary Dramatically in Size As you would expect from a group of insects so numerous, beetles range in size from nearly microscopic to downright gigantic. The shortest beetles are the featherwing beetles (family Ptiliidae), most of which measure less than 1 millimeter long. Of these, the smallest of all is a species called the fringed ant beetle, Nanosella fungi, which reaches only 0.25 mm in length and weighs just 0.4 milligrams. On the other end of the size spectrum, the Goliath beetle (Goliathus goliathus) tips the scales at 100 grams. The longest known beetle hails from South America. The appropriately named Titanus giganteus can reach 20 centimeters long. Adult Beetles Chew Their Food That might seem obvious, but not all insects do so. Butterflies, for example, sip liquid nectar from their own built-in straw, called a proboscis. One common trait all adult beetles and most beetle larvae share is mandibulate mouthparts, made just for chewing. Most beetles feed on plants, but some (like ladybugs) hunt and eat smaller insect prey. Carrion feeders use those strong jaws to gnaw on skin or hides. A few even feed on fungus. Whatever theyre dining on, beetles chew their food thoroughly before swallowing. In fact, the common name beetle is thought to derive from the Old English word bitela, meaning little biter. Beetles Have a Big Impact on the Economy Only a tiny fraction of the overall insect population can be considered pests; most insects never cause us any trouble at all. But because so many are phytophagous, the order Coleoptera does include quite a few pests of economic importance. Bark beetles (like the mountain pine beetle) and wood-borers (such as the exotic emerald ash borer) kill millions of trees each year. Farmers spend millions on pesticides and other controls for agricultural pests like the western corn rootworm or the Colorado potato beetle. Pests like the Khapra beetle feed on stored grains, causing more economic losses well after the harvest is completed. Just the money spent by gardeners on Japanese beetle pheromone traps (some would say money wasted on pheromone traps) is greater than the GDP of some small countries! Beetles Can Be Noisy Many insects are famous for their sounds. Cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids all serenade us with songs. Many beetles produce sounds, too, although not nearly as melodic as those of their Orthopteran cousins. Deathwatch beetles bang their heads again the walls of their wood tunnels, making a surprisingly loud knocking sound. Some darkling beetles tap their abdomens on the ground. A good number of beetles stridulate, particularly when handled by humans. Have you ever picked up a June beetle? Many, like the ten-lined June beetle, will squeal when you do. Both male and female bark beetles chirp, probably as a courtship ritual and a means of finding one another. Some Beetles Glow in the Dark Species in certain beetle families produce light. Their bioluminescence occurs through a chemical reaction involving an enzyme called luciferase. Fireflies (family Lampyridae) flash signals to attract potential mates, with a light organ on the abdomen. In glowworms (family Phengodidae), the light organs run down the sides of the thoracic and abdominal segments, like tiny glowing windows on a railroad boxcar (and thus their nickname, railroad worms). Glowworms also sometimes have an additional light organ on the head, which glows red! Tropical click beetles (​family Elateridae) also produce light by virtue a pair of oval light organs on the thorax and a third light organ on the abdomen. Weevils Are Beetles, Too Weevils, easily recognized by their elongated, almost comical beaks, are really just a type of beetle. The superfamily Curculionoidea includes the snout beetles and various types of weevils. When you look at a weevils long snout, you might assume they feed by piercing and sucking their meal, much like the true bugs. But dont be fooled, weevils belong to the order Coleoptera. Just as all other beetles do, weevils have mandibulate mouthparts made for chewing. In the case of the weevil, however, the mouthparts are usually tiny and are found just at the tip of that long beak. Many weevils cause significant damage to their plant hosts, and for this reason, we consider them pests. Beetles Have Been Around for About 270 Million Years The first beetle-like organisms in the fossil record date back to the Permian Period, roughly 270 million years ago. True beetles - those that resemble our modern-day beetles - first appeared about 230 million years ago. Beetles were already in existence before the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, and they survived the K/T extinction event thought to have doomed the dinosaurs. How have beetles survived for so long, and withstood such extreme events? As a group, beetles have proved remarkably adept at adapting to ecological changes. Sources Insects - Their Natural History and Diversity, by Stephen A. MarshallBorror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. JohnsonEncyclopedia of Insects, edited by Vincent H. Resh and Ring T. Carde. Featherwing Beetles - Insecta: Coleoptera: Ptiliidae, University of Florida. Accessed December 13, 2012.Coleoptera : The biggest, the smallest ? How many beetles are there?, Coleoptera website. Accessed December 13, 2012.Plant pests: The biggest threats to food security?, BBC News, November 8, 2011. Accessed December 13, 2012.Introduction to Bioluminescent Beetles, by Dr. John C. Day, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Oxford. Accessed December 17, 2012Glow-Worms, Railroad-Worms, University of Florida, accessed December 17, 2012.