Reflection Paper on Organization Behavior

kiwiberry2900 3/9/2013 MGMT 541 Self-reflection paper Motivation Motivation represents psychological processes that cause arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed. There are substantial positive relations between job characteristics, satisfaction, and motivation. Job characteristics of Variety and Task Significance were found to be particularly important to employee satisfaction and motivation.These are examples that almost everyone will encounter in real life: Job design and job enrichment My work experience when I was in Shanghai was with the Taxation Bureau. Initially I was assigned general work in the department such as doing tax registration for the new companies and I wasn’t motivated. The job was simple, just checking and cataloging all of the documents that the company representatives provided, and giving them the application forms. I also answered related questions and followed up after the companies with the tax license were san ctioned.At this job position, the skill varieties were very limited. The routine work was just following the rules and did not need any professional judgment. After a month or so, I felt bored. Besides the skill variety, the job also lacked autonomy. Sometimes I just went out for some reason, probably there were several company representatives were waiting for me, while other time there is nobody show up in a whole day. As a young woman, I can’t further myself in the job, anyone can do it. I had no progress, no satisfaction about the job and no intrinsic motivation.Although the tasks were significant to the whole bureau, it is hard to see our bigger function of the organization. In the end, after I pleased the human resources department several times, I was allowed to join another department. A lot of young people did not like to be fixed on a general position which would not allow them to accumulate the professional experience and explore the deep side of the field, and that often makes a problem in the hierarchical organization. Equity theory The Shanghai Taxation Bureau in which I had worked for more than 10 years is a hierarchical organization including a lot of levels.It is the administrative and management body that carries out the state’s taxation activities within the administrative jurisdiction of Shanghai Municipality. Its main functions and responsibilities include implementing state taxation laws, regulations and codes, researching and formulating tax development plans and annual work plans for local taxation. The administrative position involves supervising every month’s tax declaration and collection and making sure the money will be transferred into the state treasury according to the related laws, regulations and codes.There are 26 branches attached to the taxation bureau, and over 10000 employees working in the shanghai taxation bureau. Big organizations necessitate more comparison between people, or between branches. Peop le from every section seek to get equal benefits out of their input. There are a lot of couples in Shanghai taxation bureau. So if some branches gave the bonus to their employees, everyone in the whole system knew it. And afterwards other departments will mimic the policy to motivate theirs. That reflected the equity theory.From the equity theory, an individual’s motivation level is correlated to his perception of equity, fairness and justice practiced by the management. The higher an individual’s perception of fairness is, the greater their motivation level and vice versa. In the above context, I remembered that the branch leader who first gave the bonus will emphasize the special task they have completed, in order to stimulate his employees who have experienced high level hardship or difficulties. But other branches will spotlight their own achievements in the assignment, ultimately got the same bonus to protect or comfort their own morale in the workplace.In the yea r-end evaluation, every branch or individual will assess their own projects and achievements in the whole year and the human resource management would make overall balances and give different levels of reward. While some job positions comparatively have more opportunities to make achievements, others have less. Under that kind of situation, the management carried out the policy of job position rotation, therefore, almost every qualified employee with education history of financial and accounting would have the opportunities to rotate their positions. This policy is motivational, Extrinsic motivation and intrinsic otivation At my department people were driven by extrinsic motivation. We compared the bonus income, the benefit to others and calculated the upcoming income or vacation. We also expected to be promoted and got high level benefits. As if that is the core of our daily tasks. Sometimes we did some project according to superior’s will rather than the real information to avoid offending the leader. We even did not consider whether the result was meaningful or not. Although the department management wanted to motivate the employees and gave the gift cards to everyone before the festivals, we were not satisfied.We wanted to get more benefits comparing with employees at other branches. From the theoretic framework, these are hygiene factors which would not make people satisfied. Sometimes we got into research projects and worked with the other teammates. These were independent projects. The person in charge the project totally explained the purpose of the project and we felt we got involved and engaged. We were empowered to use our own way to collect data, analyze it, and draw the conclusion. We felt very satisfied in these projects.We cooperated with each other, attracted by the task, and we can focus solely on the project without complicated interpersonal relationships inside of this kind of temporary group. Further more, it was different from our r outine job, which gave us the opportunity to widen our view, enrich the job content, therefore satisfying all the teammates. This arrangement is like intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for reward.Leadership From my experience, people want to motivate each other. He should build up himself first, has a long-term vision about the organizations, sets a goal for himself, matches the big environment and has the necessary ability or expertise in some area. Then he should also be authorized to be a leader. He may use his social skill and other ability and management resources to motivate people, and bring them together to a higher level. In my personal experience, I met good leaders as well as bad leaders.When I was a volunteer in a nonprofit organization at Chicago, I was elected as a member of the board of trust ees. In this setting, the president is our board leader and he displayed a typical bad leader profile. First of all, he is not a role model. He should have a positive attitude, and be supportive to every volunteer, but unfortunately he always escaped working hard and treated other volunteers like slaves. Secondly, he did not consider the opinions of other board members, he liked to be self-centered and lack of empathy. This character embodied in his schedule and his arrangement.He had no expert power, his personality is awful and he even played tricks in the nonprofit organization, which made everybody astonished. Now he had lost in the election for the board members. Admittedly, the situation above is very unique. Generally most authorized leaders have some attractive traits such as self-awareness, self-confidence, social skills and persuasive abilities. At the same time, they fully understand the organization goals. But different leaders have their own personal features. My friend Fan is a director of the audit department.I had been in his department for 3 years, and we became friends in the end. Fan is a veteran, he had little professional knowledge in auditing, but he knew management well. His job is to motivate all the auditing group leaders and auditors. He used his legitimate power at first to assign tasks to every group. After the tasks were finished, he gave all the evaluation report to every group with the help of his assistant. At the same time, he used his reward and referent power. He always kept the department on the way of organizational goal, showed his positive attitude, gave everybody most extent of autonomy.He also used his personal relationship to strive for the best interest of our department. That is why he got everyone’s respect. In his department, morale is very high. Nobody wanted to leave. Ahthough Fan is a good leader in most aspects except his professional knowledge, he can’t exert his expert power in his leadership. A great leader is a natural leader, who can exert his idealized influence power to his followers, and help to set common goals for the whole organization, incorporate, motivate followers, have them a clear picture of the future, make them active beyond the call of the duty.Bibliography Kreitner, Robert, and Angelo Kinicki. Organizational Behavior. Boston, MA: Irwin/McGraw- Hill, 1998. Print. â€Å"Equity Theory of Motivation. † Equity Theory of Motivation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. â€Å"Welcome to Shanghai Municipal Office of State Administration of Taxation. † Shanghai Municipal Office of State Administration of Taxation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. W. Chan Kim. â€Å"Fair Process Managing in the Knowledge Economy. † (n. d. ): n. pag. Web.

Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness Essay

Introduction – The organization I am currently employed with is the United States Army, more specifically the Army Substance Abuse Program, rehabilitation treatment clinic at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma Washington. The rehabilitation treatment clinic has 35 employees; 26 chemical dependency counselors, four of which are supervisors and nine administrative assistants. Key Strategy Aspect – With the recent realignment of the department from one agency to another, training and coaching is a key strategic aspect that needs to be addressed. Many of the standards and expectations of the new agency are very different than what was the norm with the previous agency the clinic was aligned with. The realignment to the new agency has brought the spotlight to the department and increased pressure to improve how the department operates. The new agency has required the department to prove efficiency and effectiveness, which has required more record keeping and statistic reporting. Proper record keeping of patient care has emerged as cumbersome and actually taking away from the quality of care provided to the patients. HR Program – Training and coaching would support and further the department’s strategy to improve effectiveness and efficiency. Through providing training and coaching on how to better use current technologies such as Microsoft office products and dictating tools to better produce patient documentation and statistical data efficiency and quality will improve. Care providers will spend less time working on documentation and will have the time needed to focus on the patient care. Strategic Metric – A strategic metric that could be used to assess the effectiveness of the training and coaching program is to measure how well the employees are performing their specific reports would be to measure the time it takes to produce the reports before and after the training. To show reduced time spent producing the patient care reports and statistical data would prove training and coaching is effective. Organization’s Strategy – How this relates to the organization’s strategy is that it directly affects the overall mission, patient care. By reducing time spent on the administrative aspect and improving the quality of the record keeping. Current statistics simply tracks how many case reports are completed. How it might differ from a benchmarking metric is that measuring the time it takes to complete the required documentation is quantifiable compared to a benchmark metric. The measure is ensuring that cases are actually documented and the time spent completing the requirement is reduced and measured.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Essay The phenomenon of bipolar affective disorder has been a mystery since the 16th century. History has shown that this affliction can appear in almost anyone. Even the great painter Vincent Van Gogh is believed to have had Bipolar Disorder Essay. It is clear that in our society many people live with bipolar disorder; however, despite the abundance of people suffering from the it, we are still waiting for definite explanations for the causes and cure. The one fact of which we are painfully aware is that bipolar disorder severely undermines its victims ability to obtain and maintain social and occupational success. Because bipolar disorder has such debilitating symptoms, it is imperative that we remain vigilant in the quest for explanations of its causes and treatment.Affective disorders are characterized by a smorgasbord of symptoms that can be broken into manic and depressive episodes. The depressive episodes are characterized by intense feelings of sadness and despair that can become feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Some of the symptoms of a depressive episode include anhedonia, disturbances in sleep and appetite, psycomoter retardation, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, difficulty thinking, indecision, and recurrent thoughts of death and suicide (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990 ). The manic episodes are characterized by elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, poor judgment and insight, and often reckless or irresponsible behavior (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990 ). Bipolar affective disorder affects approximately one percent of the population (approximately three million people) in the United States. It is presented by both males and females. Bipolar disorder involves episodes of mania and depression. These episodes may alternate with profound depressions characterized by a pervasive sadness, almost inability to move, hopelessness, and disturbances in appetite, sleep, in concentrations and driving.Bipolar disorder is diagnosed if an episode of mania occurs whether depression has been diagnosed or not (Goodwin, Guze, 1989, p 11). Most commonly, individuals with manic episodes experience a period of depression. Symptoms include elated, expansive, or irritable mood, hyperactivity, pressure of speech, flight of ideas, inflated self esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, and excessive involvement in reckless activities (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990 ). Rarest symptoms were periods of loss of all interest and retardation or agitation (Weisman, 1991).As the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (MDMDA) has demonstrated, bipolar disorder can create substantial developmental delays, marital and family disruptions, occupational setbacks, and financial disasters. This devastating disease causes disruptions of families, loss of jobs and millions of dollars in cost to society. Many times bipolar patients report that the depressions are longer and increase in frequency as the individual ages. Many times bipolar states and psychotic states are misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. Speech patterns help distinguish between the two disorders (Lish, 1994).The onset of Bipolar disorder usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age, with a second peak in the mid-forties for women. A typical bipolar patient may experience eight to ten episodes in their lifetime. However, those who have rapid cycling may experience more episodes of mania and depression that succeed each other without a period of remission (DSM III-R). The three stages of mania begin with hypomania, in which patients report that they are energetic, extroverted and assertive (Hirschfeld, 1995). The hypomania state has led observers to feel that bipolar patients are ;addicted; to their mania. Hypomania progresses into mania and the transition is marked by loss of judgment (Hirschfeld, 1995). Often, euphoric grandiose characteristics are displayed, and paranoid or irritable characteristics begin to manifest. The third stage of mania is evident when the patient experiences delusions with often paranoid themes. Speech is generally rapid and hyperactive behavior manifests sometimes associated with violence (Hirschfeld, 1995). READ: Englands Greatest Poet And Playwright Was Born At Essay When both manic and depressive symptoms occur at the same time it is called a mixed episode. Those afflicted are a special risk because there is a combination of hopelessness, agitation, and anxiety that makes them feel like they ;could jump out of their skin;(Hirschfeld, 1995). Up to 50% of all patients with mania have a mixture of depressed moods. Patients report feeling dysphoric, depressed, and unhappy; yet, they exhibit the energy associated with mania. Rapid cycling mania is another presentation of bipolar disorder. Mania may be present with four or .

How does an early years setting ensure children are safe versus their Essay

How does an early years setting ensure children are safe versus their need for risky play - Essay Example Children usually want to and participate in risky or challenging varieties of play although, and to a certain extent, it involves the risk of getting injured or hurt. Because of the safety concerns of the Western culture, the issue of risky play in early years and the degree such play should be monitored and regulated are crucial and continuous debates (Greenfield 2003). These debates on play safety have generated safety proceedings and legislation from concerned child care workers and parents. This has invoked further disputes on the balance between the benefits of risky play for child development on one hand, and safety proceedings and litigations on the other hand (New, Mardell & Robinson 2005). Normally, play occurs under the supervision of adults, hence controlling what children are permitted to do and where they are permitted to go (Gill 2007). For this reason, adults are influencing the safety of children when playing, and, simultaneously, they embody the greatest limitation on the child’s capability of experiencing challenges and risks that are eventually favourable for development (Gill 2007). A persistent argument in the literature is the children gain developmentally from taking risk, and that too much protection from risk can hamper development. In a continuously evolving world, environmental and social aspects have significantly affected children’s opportunities for emotionally and physically challenging play. Where previously youngsters may have played in the street, playing ball games, riding bicycles or playing other outdoor activities, increased road hazards has made the streets and play opportunities restricted to children as the risk or perils are extremely high. Children nowadays are confined to their houses or designated areas for relatively secured places to play. Still even these are transforming (Ball 2002). With increasing populations, the enlarged need for

Ecology is Good Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ecology is Good Business - Essay Example With the obvious realism of coming global ecological crisis, there have been many efforts that have been made for moral revolution which would look into probability of incorporating ecological values in the world especially in the global business culture. This has been expressed through many efforts like the green thinking that seeks to transform the world to go green and reverse the trend of environmental pollution. The call for concept of sustainable development has informed us that this world does not belong to us but rather it belongs to the coming generation. Moral transformation that leads to sustainable development has been supported by many efforts. This paper will look closely at ecology as a good business practice that is vital to the concept of sustainable development. (Brown 1996, p. 1) The concept of good ecology as equal to good business can be argued on many front depending on the issue at hand. For some issues, good ecology can turn to be bad business but on many issues, good ecology is good business. Good ecology means development both technologically and socially that is conscious of the world we are living in and the issues that are currently locking the world especially the issue of environment. Every time we mention about ecology, we cannot avoid the issue of the environment simply because it is what composes the planet. Environment is anything that surrounds us from forests, people, infrastructure, soil, and other natural and manmade features. The issue of ecology in the modern days has taken the turn of environment laws fighting to reverse the trend of a polluted landscape which is taking toll on the communities inhabiting these landscapes. Good ecological practices have been seen as those practices which care about the environment where we are living in. Unfortunately, the issue of environment has been so much politicized which has made it difficult for the world to tackle

Promoting Positive Health Behaviors Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Promoting Positive Health Behaviors - Article Example Summary of Every Woman Matters Program The Every Woman Matters Program (EWM) was designed to promote preventive healthcare service to females. The specific preventive healthcare strategies aimed at were improved screening of breast and cervical cancer. To this end, the program targeted healthcare providers with an aim of promoting practice change in their operations. Consequently, the EWM program utilized the GAPS model procedure to device interventions within the healthcare provider practice (Backer et al. 2005). These interventions would be targeted at removing obstacles towards preventive breast and cervical cancer. As a result, the achievable goals set were; to increase public awareness pertaining to the risk of breast and cervical cancer. Moreover, it aimed to increase awareness on the benefits of screening. Furthermore, the program aimed at reducing the cost of screening to low income females. The practice based interventions employed were based on case studies conducted with s even individual practices. The core aims of the practice intervention were to; aid the practices identify obstacles pertaining to the delivery of screening services. Second, was to aid the practices in creating plans for mitigation of the barriers. Third was to promote the services of the EWM program to females from low incomes. Despite these well articulated goals, the EWM program fell short of achieving its core objective. Reasons for Ineffectiveness of the EWM Program The overall aim of the EWM program was to increase the level of breast and cervical cancer screening among healthcare practices. However, the program was not effective in achieving its objective due to myriad of reasons. Foremost, the practice change method for promoting EWM program lacked the sufficient support and leadership role by the leaders in the healthcare providers. The successful implementation of the goals for promoting preventive healthcare for women requires the motivational factor and sense of leadersh ip from heads of practices. Consequently, the program was ineffective since the momentum for promoting the program was not spearheaded by some of the leaders across the practices. A second plausible reason for the failure of the program was the insufficient level of teamwork between support staff and leader of the respective practices. Consequently, the lack of synergy in implementing the EWM program resulted in the over burdening of either the support staff or leaders. Third pertains to the issue of disparities in resources among the various healthcare practices. The healthcare practices all had different amounts of resources available to them based on their organizational capacities. Furthermore, the health care practices were operating within the limits of their resources. Consequently, additional resources for the EWM program were not sufficiently explored within the action plans for each healthcare practice. The fourth reason for the ineffectiveness of the EWM program was the i nsufficient public awareness creation mechanism pertaining to the need for screening. The need for successful increase in screening of breast and cervical cancer requires sufficient and mandatory public awareness. Consequently, the program was ineffective owing to insufficient efforts aimed at promoting community outreach through a variety of media such as increased free testing clinics and radio programs. Characteristics of

Dining Room in Authentic Elizabethan Style Assignment

Dining Room in Authentic Elizabethan Style - Assignment Example A typical building of the period is Wollaton Hall (1588), Nottinghamshire, built by Robert Smythson; it was the first English house to abandon the traditional central courtyard and to place in its stead a high-ceilinged great hall lighted by gallery windows and surrounded by classically proportioned, multi-windowed wings. Bible box - the bible box appeared, these were small side chests designed to hold the family bible. They were later made with a sloping top to facilitate writing and reading. It was the forerunner to the writing desk. They were oak, left natural or finished with oils or beeswax. Colour: During Elizabethan times, color schemes varied depending upon the location of the home. Lighter colors tended to be avoided in town and city dwellings due to pollution. Another factor in color choice was often determined by the availability of pigments. In country areas, interior decorations were often carried out by traveling craftsmen who carried limited supplies. Paint had to be mixed on site with whatever locally available ingredients could be found. For example, the blue-green color wash used on wooden paneled walls in country areas was derived from the earth pigment terra verde, mixed with egg whites and buttermilk. It is, nevertheless possible to make some general statements. For example, during the first half of the Victorian era, walls were usually light colors except for dining rooms and libraries. The second half gave way to much more vibrant, rich colors such as vivid greens and mahogany brown typically found in bedrooms. During this period, the general feeling w as that deep, rich colors enhanced the importance of a room. Owen Jones, architect and theorist of color and ornament, published a handbook, in 1856, called The Grammar of Ornament. The basis of Jones's theories on the use of color was that it was aesthetically correct to use a complex pattern consisting of one main color and many subsidiary colors. Considerable thought was given to creating the right balance of both color and texture between wall, molding, ceiling and woodwork. Adding texture to a room was achieved through the use of wallpaper; stenciling and specialist paint finishes such as sponging, marbleizing and spattering. In most cases it was very difficult to distinguish wallpaper from paint. The simulation of various kinds

Why there sould be helmet laws for motorcycle operators and passangers Essay

Why there sould be helmet laws for motorcycle operators and passangers - Essay Example Furthermore, the number of fatalities in 2004 is up by 89% than the one in 1997! This shows a rapid escalation and deterioration of the situation. This is even more serious since the number of motorcycles on the road is also on the increase, as Americans bought 734,000 new motorcycles in 2004, compared to 230,000 in 1995 ("Motorcycle Crashes Escalate", 2006; Bazar, 2005). Clearly, something must be done in order to reduce the number of fatalities of motorcycle accidents, and there is a serious need to address this issue. A simple and important way to do that is legislating laws mandating the wearing of helmets while driving motorcycles. This step could save many lives and keep the motorcycle riders safe, preventing injuries caused by accidents. In order to achieve the goal and do so, helmet laws should be legislated. Many oppose the legislation of these laws, but from my personal experience, having been involved in a motorcycle accident and saved by wearing a helmet, I know it is imperative to wear a helmet while driving a motorcycle. There is no lack of researches and evidence proving my claim that helmets can save lives or at the very least prevent serious injuries. In fact, there is overwhelming epidemiological evidence that the helmets worn reduce accident deaths and that not wearing them is detrimental to riders. Firstly, fatalities were up by 55% from 1997 to 2003, and this coincided with the pullback in helmet reinforcement. Secondly, it has been shown that 671 lives could have been saved in 2004 alone, and an astounding number of 10,000 lives could have been saved in the past two decades! Also, studies of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that helmets are 30% effective in preventing fatal injuries and almost 70% effective in preventing debilitating brain injuries. Another study done in a university in Southern Caroline analyzed 3,600 motorcycles crashes and concluded that "helmet

Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Outsourcing - Essay Example The society relies on a moral responsibility to follow a system of values and promote human development. Repercussions of outsourcing are evident in America, and they are clearly unethical since American citizens are usually educated in America for the purpose of employment in the same region (Hira & Hira, 2008). Once a company outsources, these Americans face displacement from their jobs (Charara, 2012). Conversely, Asia will benefit since outsourcing leads to increased employment and training in its region. Outsourcing has also contributed to other immoral practices such as discrimination, sexual harassment, as well as wrongful termination of employees in US, Canada or Europe. Asian companies have realized the need to address such factors through devising appropriate insurance policies meant to cover factors such as data security, property, workers compensation, extortion, kidnapping as well as nationalization and all other forms of possible risks. Presently, outsourcing has become common in America and it is a legal business activity. This is because firms need the freedom to conduct trade internationally besides being able to boost growth within America’s economy. Legal procedures that an outsourcing company follows demands signing of a contract that will cover an array of areas such as the risk of poor performance by the contactor, unforeseen charges, property damages or data loss. The client will also want clearly outlined procedure on how the business will run as well as the day-to-day management. Modes of handling termination or breach of contract are also necessary in the contract. Positive business implications that are due to outsourcing involve acquiring competitive advantage in the market (Hira& Hira, 2008). This is achievable through costs’ reduction, improved quality, and exposure to advanced technology, availability of labor as well as the ability to combat

Product and Brand management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Product and Brand management - Essay Example According to Forbes and Fortune magazine, HSBC is one of the top 100 power brands in the world. Intraday market capitalization of the company is $122.65 billion (Yahoo Finance, 2012). HSBC operates through four business verticals such as commercial banking, investment banking, global private banking and retail banking (HSBC, 2013a). The company has established more than 7,000 offices across 85 countries in the world. As of 31 December 2012, the company had total asset of more than $2.5 trillion (HSBC Holdings Plc, 2013). The study will focus on discussing retail banking services of HSBC in order to analyze its brand image in front of retail customers of UK. The bank offers retail banking services to more than 50 million customers across the globe. Retail banking services of HSBC is comprised of following offerings. The bank offers personal loan and credit card service to retail customers, worldwide acceptance of credit card of HSBC is helpful for retail customers to purchase their favourite items from shops located in different parts of the world. Core values of HSBC is to be resilient, committed, trustworthy, decisive and capable of taking personal accountability for any losses to customers and other stakeholders due to any misleading activity of the bank. Political environment of UK is stable for operating banking and financial services in comparison to other European countries. For example, banking system in UK is controlled by FSA or Financial Services Authority. Stable regulatory environment will help HSBC to expand its operation in UK. Economic system of UK was affected marginally due to sovereign debt crisis where as countries like Greece, Spain, Italy etc were the worst sufferer during the time Euro zone crisis. Comparatively stable economic environment of UK will provide growth opportunity to HSBC. Many British customers have reported their concern over failure of operational security system of HSBC which can help the

Reflection on Teaching Essay Example for Free

Reflection on Teaching Essay In order to challenge my theory of teaching I first need very briefly to define it. When I was taught science it was mostly through direct teaching. Any experiments performed were deductive in nature with very little input from me. When I got to college and I started performing experiments then I suddenly started having little epiphanies where facts I had learned off by heart were unexpectedly connected in ways I hadn’t understood before. So I came to think that this was what was lacking at secondary level, the experimental experience that allowed people to physically test the ‘how’ of the world around them. To put it simply people are innately curious and that exploiting this curiosity is the way to teach. From the moment they learn to talk, children constantly ask questions about everything, from â€Å"where eyebrows come from?† to â€Å"what do worms eat?† Asking questions is the way they find things out and this really is just one small step away from learning. From personal experience of teaching I think that Arnstine (1967) was correct when he said â€Å"the arousal of curiosity can lead to learning†¦for learning to occur, curiosity must be guided†. Designing lessons in such a way as to tap into the natural curiosity of students and to connect the topics on the curriculum with their everyday experiences is surely the best way to teach science. I find enquiry / constructivism extremely interesting as it encapsulates the whole get their attention approach but I think it’s misused by an awful lot of people. I think that analogies and real world examples need to be reflective of the scientific concept yet simple enough that the student can grasp it. Also it requires that the student be actively involved, activities must provide the opportunity to demonstrate learning.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"To instruct someone is not a matter of getting him to commit results to mind. Rather, it is to teach him to participate in the process that makes po ssible the establishment of knowledge. We teach a subject not to produce little living libraries on that subject, but rather to get a student to think mathematically for himself, to consider matters as an historian does, to take part in the process of knowledge-getting. Knowing is a process not a product.† (Bruner. J, The Process of Education: Towards a theory of instruction 1966: 72) So in approaching this assignment I realise that I am an ardent supporter of teaching through enquiry. I agree with Bruners theoretical framework of building on pre-existing knowledge by presenting new material in a logical manner at a level the student can understand, revisiting topic in stages and building layers of ever increasing complexity. I find the concept of a spiral curriculum to be a sensible one, but also to be at odds with the way in which individual schools plan the teaching of science. There is far too much relience on the text book, with strict adherence to the material inside. I prefer to leave the text book at home, for the student to be assigned reading and questions from it for homework so that it is new and different and provides a slightly different aspect to the same topic. At the very least it will provide the same information as was covered in class in a slightly different manner and provoke recall instead of boredom. A consequence of supporting enquiry is an aversion to direct teaching. Those who support direct teaching say that it is a highly effective method of teaching. The basic components are careful content analysis, sequencing of information and use of appropriate examples, specific instructional formats where both teacher and student responses are scripted and testing to mastery. The part that receives the most criticism is the scripted responses. Here is an example I found at Brainsarefun.com http://brainsarefun.com/Teachtk.html EXAMPLE 1. All: Teacher and students touch the answer to be learned. 2. Teacher: The answer to this question is, 1492. 3. Teacher: When I signal I want you to answer, 1492. 4. Teacher: The answer is 1492. 5. Teacher: What year did Columbus discover America? 6. Teacher: Get ready. Watch the students to make sure all participate. 7. Teacher: Signal by pointing or snapping fingers. 8. All: 1492. 9. Teacher: Thats right, Columbus discovered America in 1492. 10. Teacher: Reward. Good job saying 1492. Make eye contact with individuals. Smile. 11. Teacher: Next answer, or repeat until everyone is participating and firm. If any student is unable to participate or answer correctly, start at the top of the sequence again. Most teachers believe that this type of teaching is too restrictive and prevents the students from developing critical thinking skills. I have to say that on my first reading of this example of direct teaching I was horrified at the way the students were indoctrinated. I knew that this method of teaching was not for me and I continued to develop my lesson plans along the constructivist enquiry model. I researched guided discovery and found that discovery learning is described as an inquiry-based, constructivist learning theory that occurs in situations where the learner draws on their existing knowledge to discover facts and comprehend relationships. Students interact with the world by manipulating objects, wrestling with questions or performing experiments. As a result, students are more likely to remember concepts and knowledge discovered on their own (in contrast to a transmission / direct teaching model). Proponents of discovery learning say it has many advantages, including encouraging active engagement, promoting motivation, autonomy, responsibility, independence, aiding the development of creativity and problem solving skills and is a tailored learning experience that helps minimize classroom management problems. Detractors point out the amount of time needed to teach a topic and that students do not always achieve the intended outcome of the lesson. That is they may draw erroneous conclusions about the investigation they are engaged in. My action research Now that I have explored my theories on teaching I need to test those theories by comparing the outcomes of direct versus enquiry teaching. Ideally in order to compare the two methods I should keep the conditions of the lessons the same and only change the method of instruction. Rigor would  dictate that I teach two groups of students that have been randomly segregated. The students would be in the same year of secondary school and assumed to be at the same academic level. Ability within each group would be expected to mimic normal distribution with some students excelling and some struggling with the curriculum content. Unfortunately in my teaching practice placement I have one class of first years and one class of second years. I am also following a subject plan laid down by the science department in the placement school, which further restricts my research topic. Hence rather than directly compare and contrast two sets of lesson plans that differ in instruction but not content, I shall attempt to make my methods of instruction the subject of the action research. My intention is to design a number of lesson plans along the guidelines of both approaches and to deliver these lessons as independent of personal bias as possible. I shall assess the success of each lesson plan as a measure of student value and under a number of points such as participation, motivation to learn, interest of students, as well as proficiency in summative tests. Bearing in mind my own learning, I will also be critically examining something about my ability to deliver a constructivist lesson; do I do as I say? In assessing participation of students I will make reference to number, frequency and relevance of questions asked. Time spent on-task will be used to measure motivation and interest as will content of questions asked. In line with standard research methods I established a baseline of knowledge on the topic of energy by giving the students a questionnaire which was designed to probe existing conceptions. (more here on the results of the questionnaire) From my understanding of enquiry teaching there seems to be a number of activities that should feature in my lesson plans and I have tried to incorporate these in the enquiry based lesson plans. I have included a list of these activities here and have also identified them in the appropriate lesson plans. Enquiry activities †¢ Think about scientifically orientated questions that are at an appropriate level and ask ‘how’ rather than ‘why’ (teacher provides questions at first) †¢ Gather and consider evidence using the tools of science †¢ Make explanations based on prior gain fact and ‘new’ knowledge gained through the process of enquiry / evidence gathering †¢ Compare  conclusions to currently scientific understanding and account for differences †¢ Communicate and negotiate their findings and explanations with others After the brainstorming session I jotted down as many of the words and phrases as I could during class. Light, wave, geothermal, heat, renewable, sun, plants, photosynthesis, comes from food, plants make it, atomic bombs, it keeps you moving, you are tired without it, it can change, there’s energy in batteries, joules, oil. Then I asked a series of questions designed to clarify facts that they needed to know (3A6 Energy, 3A7 Energy conversion: Junior Certificate Science Syllabus). From the answers it was clear to me that the students could not distinguish between forms of energy and sources of energy. Because the discussion section of the enquiry lesson plan is open-ended I was able to direct questions and highlight information on the board that students could use to ‘discover facts’. I tried to give minimum guidance but I found that the students were floundering and unsure of what they were trying to accomplish. This was a recurring theme during the discovery lesson plans and it seems to me from my readings that this is the main detracting feature of enquiry instruction. Those who oppose constructivist / enquiry instruction such as Kisherner, Sweller and Clark (2006) argue that minimum guidance during instruction does not work and Clark (1989) goes further to suggest that his data shows that ‘lower aptitude students’ show a loss of learning on post instructional testing. My Conclusion It is essential that the teacher do research work, i.e., he should comb the subject of chemistry from end to end for facts and for methods of exposition that will make such facts live and real to his students. (Patrick, W. A. (1924) What kind of research is essential to good teaching? J. Chemical Education, Volume 1, Issue 1, p16.) I have come to the conclusion that there is a need for direct teaching in the classroom in order to build up foundation of facts in long term memory to provide wellspring of knowledge which can be used to provide data when needed. Enquiry or discovery learning encourages the use of this knowledge so that students can put facts together to think critically. Dewey supported inductive teaching as the way to improve scientific teaching for a better educated society and said science lessons should include learning the process of science not just the facts, (Dewey, 1903). By this I believe he meant that the two methods complement each other and need to be used in tandem. But direct teaching cannot be taken as an excuse for unimaginative lessons recycled every year with minimal input from the teacher needed in the delivery. If investigatory activities are designed deductively, ie have only one conclusion, need more here about factors to consider when designing lesson activities.

Investigating motion using video processing software Essay Example for Free

Investigating motion using video processing software Essay We switched on the laptop and connected the web cam into the USB. Once this was done we made sure that the web cam was working correctly and as soon as this watched checked we began to set up the practical part of the experiment. We then pressed record on the web cam using the software VISILOG and recorded the ball being thrown in the air next to a vertical ruler (one metre). Once this had been done we stopped the recording and the replayed the video and once we were happy, using the software, we recorded the position of the ball frame by frame. Below are the results for the first part of the experiment: Results: Time (s) Height (m) Speed (m/s) Acceleration (m/s2)  We can then draw a graph using the results and the first graph I have drawn (graph one) is of height of squash ball against time taken. Therefore, as we can see from the graph if a tangent is drawn we can calculate the gradient. The gradient of both sides of the parabola graph is shown on graph one. From the graph we can that as the squash ball is thrown the height of it increases as time increases and as it reaches its peak the ball speed is expected to decrease due to forces acting on (gravity) and therefore the ball drops down again. The gradient of the graph also calculates the speed (which can be seen of the graph) of the ball because of the formula: Distance = Speed   Time therefore Speed = Distance / Time From these results a second graph of speed against time can also be made, which is graph two. Again from this graph we can draw tangents and then work out the gradient. Using the gradient we can also work out the acceleration due to the formula: Acceleration = change in speed / change in time Therefore acceleration = gradient. Part Two Method: We used the same equipment for the second stage of the experiment but instead of recording the ball thrown in the air we recorded it as a projectile. To measure the displacement we used metre rules to measure horizontally as well as vertically. Below are the results from the experiment: Results: See next page! From this table we can draw out a lot of information and from this I have produced a graph of horizontal displacement and vertical displacement (graph three). From the graph we can see that as horizontal displacement increases so does vertical displacement until its peak of 0. 34 m. once the squash ball reaches this height it begins to fall back down due forces acting on it. After the vertical height reaches its peak it starts to decrease but the horizontal displacement continues to increase. From the graph we can also calculate the gradient, which I have done and this can be seen on the graph. Part Three Method: We got a step ladder and to the top of it we attached a wooden beam to it using clamps. Then we got three springs and attached them together and once this was done we attached the springs to the wooden beam using string. We then added a mass to the springs and recorded the oscillations it did using the camera. Below are the results for this: Results: See next page! From the results (which is a rather long set of data) we can produce a graph and this graph is a sine wave. Within the wave, it can be seen that just about 4 oscillations have been made by the spring. The time taken for 1 oscillation is called the period T. In this case the period T for 1 oscillation is about 1. 31 seconds as shown on the graph. The number of oscillations per unit time is the frequency, f = 1 / T. Therefore, using the formula we can calculate the frequency of one oscillation, which is: f = 1 / T f = 1 / 1. 31 f = 0. 763358778 f = 0. 76 Hz Furthermore as the weights on the spring move about on a fixed point it means that the wave can be described as a single harmonic motion and the acceleration is proportional to its displacement (see graph four for more details) Conclusion: Therefore, in conclusion I have shown many things in this three part experiment. For each part, I have produced graphs and shown the results table that I have analysed as well. For the first part of the experiment we can see that from the graphs the squash balls speed increases as it let go from the hand and then as it reaches its peak it begins to lose its speed and comes down, which is also due to forces acting upon the graph. Part two of the experiment is similar in respects and the difference is that it was a projectile instead. And the third part shows the spring oscillating from a ladder when a weight is attached to it. For more on these look at the graphs I have produced and the analysis beneath each part of the experiment.

Human Population Size And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

Human Population Size And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay Over the years, human society has changed the local ecological system and caused the change of regional climate. Today, mankind has begun to affect the entire planets climate. The worlds population in the next 12 to 13 years will increase more than 1 billion. It is predicted that by 2020, the population will increase to 76 billion from the current 6.5 billion, in 2030 to 8.2 billion, in 2050 to staggering 9.0 billion. There is a huge gap between population growth and food supply growth. When the population growth exceeds the capacity of the food supply, famine is inevitable. The more people mean needing more air, water, and more housing, education and employment opportunities. To meet these, people will ignore the prevention and treatment of the serious consequences of climate change. But climate change has caused global warming and rising sea levels, which could lead to the destruction of the Earths civilization without any measures. Humanity in the process of production and consump tion make destruction, pollution and impact on the environment, but changed environment also affects the survival of mankind. The relationship between population and the environment has been objective relationship since the origins of mankind. The population development is a special kind of social process, which is mainly determined by economic and social conditions. During a social process, population and environment have the opposite and unity relation of interrelatedness, interaction, and mutual restraint. This essay will first discuss the development of population size and the problem. Following this, it will describe the impact of population on the climate. Finally it will describe impact of climate on the population. Development of population size and the problem Overall, the worlds population growth is relatively fast. The second half of the 20th century, the world had an unprecedented rapid population growth. Not only the population growth rate reached a historic peak level and increment of the population exceeded the total accumulation population in more than 200 million years of human history. U.S. Census Bureau data showed that the worlds population in 1930 reached 20 billion, in 1974 to 40 million, in 1987 to 50 million, in 1999 to reach 6.0 billion. The population growth rate has been accelerating in the 20th century. The worlds population had doubled in 1850-1950 years, while in 1950-1990 a short period of four decades had doubled. At present, in the world about 365,000 people born every day, of which 57% born in Asia, 26% in Africa, 9% in Latin America, 5% in Europe, but was born in North America and only 3%. In addition, less than 1% of the population is born in Oceania and the oceanic islands. After subtracting the number of deaths , the global average daily increase is nearly 21 million people. The Earth increases by nearly 80 million people each year, almost equivalent to a large population country. India is one of the worlds youngest population countries, more than half of the national smaller than 25 years of age, 1/3 of the population smaller than 15 years(Ehrlich, 1997).. World Population Prospects published by United Nations predicts that by 2050, Indias population will increase to 1.593 billion In this century many scientific observations indicate that concentrations of greenhouse gases in atmospheric are increasing. Prior to 1750, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels remained at 280ppm. After the industrial revolution, as human activities, especially the growing consumption of fossil fuels (coal, oil, etc.), massive destruction of forest vegetation and the growing man-made emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, atmospheric carbon dioxide level gradually increases, per year increasing 1.8ppm (about 0.4%), and it has risen to nearly 360ppm so far. In the past century, global average surface temperature has risen by 0.3 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ to 0.6 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, the global sea level rise of 10-25 cm (EPA, 2006). Recent years, countries around the world have emerged the hottest weather over centuries, and the frequent occurrence of El NiÃÆ' ±o phenomenon, which have caused tremendous economic losses. With the reduction in per cap ita grain area, more and more countries bear the risk of loss of food self-sufficiency. The extension of water scarcity is perhaps the most undervalued resource problems in the contemporary world. However, in any areas where the population is still growing, per capita fresh water supply is decreasing. Impact of population on the climate In the human production and life, over-grazing, deforestation makes the soil erosion, land degradation; super-exploitation of resources has led to depletion of a lot of natural resources; a variety of waste emissions cause serious environmental pollution and damage, which cause a series of global environmental issues. Population size, distribution, migration have also a huge impact on regional ecological environment. At present, the environmental changes caused by the rapid population growth and rapid development of urbanization have begun to affect the global biogeochemical cycles and long-term climate change, and become an important eco-driving force for large-scale changes in the environment and population. 1). According to UN information, per capita cultivated land was 0.31 hectares in 1975, and in 2000 it drop to 0.1 hectares due to population growth. In the condition of huge population and the relative decrease in the arable land, raising yield per unit area is a positive way to increase the grain. It relies mainly on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to reach the aim. However, large-scale use of fertilizers and pesticides has brought serious environmental problems such as soil compaction, poor physical and chemical properties, organic matter reduction and the fertility decline. 2). Forest is an important factor to maintain the quality of the environment for human survival. However, population growth is bound to destroy forest for cultivated land, or to build a house. As a result, an increasing number of forest resources are destroyed. Forest area on the planet had reached 76 million hectares, in 1962 reducing to 55 million hectares, in 1975 reducing to 26 million hectares. Accordi ng to the calculation of American scholar, with the population growth, depletion of forests will be extended to the year 2020. Then forest area will stabilize at 1.8 billion hectares, of which about 1.45 billion hectares are in developed countries, only 370 million hectares in developing countries. Because the forests are heavily exploited, topsoil on the earth being that are washed away are 24 billion tons every year, loss of several million tons of fertilizer, having a great bad impact on farmers and livestock production. 3). Rapid growth and high concentration of population have brought tremendous pressure on the environment. Environmental pollution is one of the most serious mankind facing problems, such as: air pollution, water pollution, traffic congestion, noise nuisance, accumulation of garbage and so on. Population growth will increase carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides in the atmosphere due to respiration, combustion and industrial development, which may cau se acid rain and photochemical smog events. More serious is to cause the earths average temperature increase to affect climate due to the greenhouse effect caused by the increase in carbon dioxide, resulting in serious damage to the planets ecosystems (Smith, 2008). Impact of climate on the population Population distribution, migration and the quantity and quality depend on certain region environmental conditions to a considerable extent. Therefore, the relationship between population and the environment have obvious regional characteristics because of the different regional conditions. Integrated resource supply capacity of environment plays an important role in population distribution and migration. Quantity and quality of the population are affected by natural and social environment, the dual constraints. Population is the unity of its quantity characteristics and quality characteristics. Population quantity and population characteristics and physical appearance are all severely constrained by the environment. The demographic impacts of climate change on population are mainly in the following aspects. 1) Population growth makes a pressure on water supply and demand pressure, even without considering the impact of climate change, by 2050 there will also be 5 billion people facing water shortage situation, more than half of the worlds population. Impact of climate change makes the water problem even worse. Rivers dried up and falling water table are regarded as evidence of shortage of water resources, such as the Nile, the Yellow River and the Colorado River, which almost have waterless flowing to sea. At present, the world water tables of major grain-producing areas are falling on every continent. The U.S. southern Great Plains, the North China Plain and in most parts of India, groundwater aquifers are becoming increasingly dried up. International Water Management Institute predicts that in 2050 year in some countries a total of about 1 billion people live will face absolute water scarcity situation. These countries will reduce agricultural water to meet the needs of residents and industrial water demand. China and India are considered the worlds two major agricultural irrigation countries, and will have a significant reduction in irrigation water supply (Leigh, 2007). 2) Extreme weather and sea level rise have the most serious effect on the coastal and low-elevation areas, and coastal areas accounting for 2% of the total land live on 10% of the population around the world. Take Bangladesh and China for example, in 1990 to-2000 years, population growth rate living in coastal areas is twice the national rate of population growth. In the negative effects of sea-level rise and extreme weather, number of living people is growing. Others such as landslides, flash floods and glacial lake overflow and other issues also have impact on the human. It is expected 40% of the worlds population will be affected by the Asian mountain glaciers and snow melting. 3) The agricultural productivity reduces. Tropical and subtropical agriculture are most affected, because the regio ns crop is already under the extreme climate varieties. As the population growth, reduced crop output and increasingly higher food prices, to 2080, will cause 90000000-125000000 population in developing countries facing the problem of hunger. 4) The global climate change often leads to severe changes of regional climate and weather, which have wide-ranging implications on human health. Global climate warming causes more heat in summer and temperate in winter, which is accompanied by an increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves. Humidity increase aggravates the effect of extreme heat in summer on human health. In temperate regions, high temperature increases the number of deaths during the day to day. For example, the United States during the heat wave in Chicago in 1995, the death was over 500, of which the highest mortality is at older ages. The future, as increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves, deaths number and serious illnesses caused by extreme high temperatu re events will increase. Also, because of air pollution, during the heat wave in 1995, the United States, it was estimated that more than half the number of deaths was caused by increased air pollution (Jonathan A. Patz, 2005). Flood causes casualties and infectious diseases to increase (P. Martens, 1999). Drought affects food production, and exacerbates the existing situation of malnutrition, inducing famine to affect human health. During the drought and water shortages, the water only is used for cooking but not for health, so that it increases the risk of disease and epidemic disease outbreaks. Conclusion Sir Nicholas Stern in 2006, in Stern Report pointed out that climate change could trigger the worst ever and the most extensive market failure. He warned that the world must invest one per cent of gross domestic product to slow the effects of climate change, the cost of failure to do so is the economic downturn of up to 20 percent of being the worlds gross domestic product. Climate change is a serious challenge to the whole world, and has an extensive impact on human well-being and safety. According to IPCC estimation, by 2050, due to coastal flooding, shoreline erosion and agricultural pollution and other reasons, there will be 150 million refugees. Investment in family planning and reproductive health, girl education, women empowerment and economic opportunities and youth development can accelerate demographic transition in the least developed countries and developing countries, so that they can seize the demographic dividend, to achieve economic growth, while to enhance the abilit y to address climate change. In strategies of adaptation to climate change, demographic factors should not continue to be ignored. It is necessary to take effective measures to meet the worlds most vulnerable populations, including womens needs. Universal population policy of voluntary contraception, comprehensive consideration of population dynamics and development of poverty reduction will ultimately achieve sustainable population development adapting to climate change.

Free College Admissions Essays: We Are the World :: College Admissions Essays

We Are the World    How will I make the future a better place? By trying my hardest to develop technology to help others. I also will be better equipped because I have seen the world and lived in it from different points of view. (I certainly don't have the answers to all of the world's problems, but hopefully I will be able to help solve a few of them.) When I was an exchange student to Germany I realized that the world is but a tiny island upon which there are billions of people who are all dependant upon one another. Technology has shrunk our world so that a once difficult travel is reduced to a pleasure of flying or one can speak with a loved one on the other side of the planet with clarity such as if they were in the next room. The political situations of the world and the increasing strength of the United Nations has helped prove that we all depend on one another no matter who we are or where we live.    So where do I fit into the grand scheme of things? Well I have often asked myself that exact same question and have thought of many different things that I could do to help promote world peace and prosperity, such as I believe that I would make a great foreign diplomat. I have already been a miniature version of such when I was an exchange student to Germany. I would also like to do this because I enjoy and am good at settling disputes between to warring parties, this I attribute to the fact that I have a total of six siblings. I would love to do such a task where I could actively affect millions of people's lives.    However, I love the sciences and can never turn my head from trying to gain more scientific knowledge. I then thought of a way that I could affect the lives of many in a much more personal way, This is when I decided to attempt to develop devices to help the infirm. I saw that many could not care less about the wealth of nations in our world, but were rather more concerned about matters within their own lives. I hope to one day through becoming a Biomedical Engineer develop new ways for people to have a personal feeling of peace by making their lives more productive or of higher standards.

Teamwork :: essays research papers

Teamwork __________ is a sequence of planned activities designed to gather and analyze data on the functioning of a group and to initiate changes designed to improve teamwork and increase team effectiveness. Student response:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Correct Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Answer Choices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team enhancing. b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team building.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team structuring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team championing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  e.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team structuring. Question 2 (1 point) Activities that support the group's social and interpersonal relationships are called __________. Student response:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Correct Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Answer Choices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maintenance activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Functional activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Task activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Directive activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  e.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statutory activities. Question 3 (1 point) When a group's members believe that their participation and experiences are positive and meet important personal needs, the __________ characteristic of group effectiveness is being demonstrated. Student response:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Correct Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Answer Choices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Task performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Member commitment. c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Member satisfaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team viability.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  e.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team changeability. Question 4 (1 point) The __________ puts people into small groups of six to seven members and asks everyone to respond individually and in writing to a basic question such as:  ¡Ã‚ °What should be done to improve the effectiveness of this work team? ¡Ã‚ ± Student response:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Correct Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Answer Choices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statutory technique. b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nominal group technique.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brainstorming technique.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Freewheeling technique.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  e.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Delphi technique. Question 5 (1 point) Which of the following descriptions about teams and teamwork is NOT accurate? Student response:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Correct Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student Response  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Answer Choices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most notable ways in which work is changing is the shift from individual jobs to teams and teamwork.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many situations, teams and teamwork are considered important, even essential, keys to productivity and quality of work life improvements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Putting team concepts to work is a major challenge for people who are used to more traditional ways of working.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Visionary entrepreneurs, leaders, and managers recognize the value of teams and implementing creative work group designs.

Biome Broadcast :: essays research papers

Biome Broadcast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  LANCASTER / PENNSYLVANIA This morning Darian, Danny, Laura, and I were bored so we decided that we would all go on a hike at Blue Ridge Mountain. All of us went home, got our hiking equipment, and packed a lunch. We then met at my house. I drove all of us up to Blue Ridge Mountain. We got there in a half hour it was around 10:30 AM.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was probably one of the most beautiful days we had all year, it was around seventy to seventy five degrees and there was barely any humidity. Even though we have all four seasons and varied amounts of precipitation throughout the year it felt like it was either a scorching humid summer day or it was a freezing snowy winter day. It felt like we only had two seasons all year either summer or winter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we stepped out of the car we could see and hear birds singing. We could also smell, hear, and see the beautiful trees swaying in the gentle breeze. Pictures of a robin and a cardinal that we saw while stepping out of the car. We all got our gear out of the car and walked over to the trails. We had to decide what trail to take. We had three choices the first trail was half a mile long, the second trail was two miles long, and the third trail was four miles long. Since it was such a beautiful day we all decided to take the third trail that was four miles long.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We started hiking around 11:00 AM. While we were hiking we heard wings flapping, we all turned and saw a robin fly towards the ground, pick up a worm, and feed it to her babies. Everyone thought that it was cute. After, we watched the robin for a while we continued hiking until 12:30 PM.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone was hungry so we decided to find a spot to eat our lunches. We found a perfect spot, it had a great view, a patch of beautiful dandelions, and a big beautiful maple tree to sit under. A picture of the great view we had during lunch. A picture of one of the many dandelions that were in the patch that we were sitting next to during lunch. A picture of the maple tree we sat under while eating lunch. We all sat down on the big blanket that we had brought along and ate our lunches. Laura went over and picked a dandelion and smelled it. We talked for a while and admired how big and beautiful the Blue Ridge Mountain was.

Latest Earth Theories Essay

Plate tectonics rend to describe the huge scale motions of the earth’s lithosphere. The theory actually encompasses old concepts of the continental drift developed in the twentieth century and seafloor distribution hence it was clearly understood from the year 1960. The modern theory states that the lithospheric plate movement means the continental drift and it is caused by the radioactive mantle that normally produces heat and the elements within the core. Consequently, the heat creates the conversion currents within the mantle that tend to drive the plates all along their path of the movement. Hence, when plates crash, denser plates submerge underneath lighter, less dense crustal plates along subduction zones. As much as very heavy plates move downward they really melt and the molten rock objects makes its way towards the surface and finally its extruded direct to the surface as lava. A little number of plates slide past one another and eventually they cause earthquakes (Anderson 2007). The present information on the structure of the earths interior comes right from the studies of the paths together with the characteristics of the earthquake waves that do travel all through the earth. It as well comes right from the laboratory experiments on the surface minerals as well as rocks at high pressure and the temperature. People have problems in explaining the features of plate tectonics since the pictures that are in the textbooks are very much removed from the reality. Tectonic plates are the real plates which make up the less-than-firm of the earth’s crust. These particular plates soar on the volcanic emission layer of the molten rock under them. As they shift while rubbing together, the vibrations are the earthquakes. While the volcanic emission pushes up among the plates it creates a volcano. References Anderson, D. (2007). Latest Earth Theories. Cambridge: Cambridge Publishers.

Organic vs. Conventional Grown Food Flavor Essay

Ever wonder what truly goes in to the food that is produced and sold in our grocery stores. You would be surprised as to what is used to grow the food we eat. Conventionally grown foods can use trace amount of nicotine and arsenic to keep food pest free. Conventionally grown food can be pumped with hormones that allow the crops and animals to grow larger or produce more fruit and vegetables. By using all of the artificial products in conventionally grown food we change the flavor, size and color of fruit, vegetables and animals, including their byproducts. People may not realize what is used to grow these huge vegetables and chicken breasts. Organically grown food is not only tastier but also has more health benefits when compared to conventionally grown food. We will discover the benefits and disadvantages to both organic and conventionally grown food. This will provide the reader with tools to make a decision on to whether to use organic or conventionally grown food. In order for food to be called organic, it must be grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Although organic foods carry very minute levels of toxin naturally present in them, they are not harmful to us at these levels. By not using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic foods can naturally develop the nutrients and vitamins that a person needs to maintain a healthy, well balanced diet. Keeping these foods the way they naturally grown allows them to develop larger and more full of these valuable items that would be reduced because of the many chemicals and pesticides used to grow the convention foods. As to whether organic food is tastier, is up to the individual. Many professional chefs and home cooks prefer to use organic food when possible because they feel the flavors are stronger and taste more natural. Organic food is richer in color; therefore making the dishes not only taste better but help also to create a more appealing presentation. To them organic food has a fresher taste and a more natural flavor because the food is allowed to grow naturally and develop the way it would occur as nature intended it to. Organic food does cost more because of the time it takes to prepare the soil and let the food grow as nature intended. This cost more in labor and time so that the price for these can be inflated. When you take into consideration the health benefits of not putting in harmful chemicals and better taste of the food, they outweigh the cost of purchasing these products Conventionally grown foods are grown with a large amount of chemicals and pesticides that can be harmful to consumers in the long wrong. Now there are arguments that the levels of these products are so small that they are not harmful to consumers; but there are plenty of signs to the contrary. Look at how rapidly and early boys and girls are maturing compare to those of the past. This can be accounted for or â€Å"blamed† on the amount of hormones fed to animals to grow them larger and enhance them, so that they produce more by products, such as eggs and milk. The chemicals used to grow larger crops and protect them from rotting and pest also has negative effects. It has caused a rise in allergies that was just not prominent twenty or thirty years ago. The shorten times of growth that conventionally grown foods have can stunt the development of vital nutrients that they would produce if they were to be grown in the normal periods they would have. This can really have a negative effect on having a balanced diet because consumers will have to add supplements, like synthetic vitamins, to get their daily nutrient levels. Again, as to whether conventionally grown food taste better or worse, is up to the individual but most professional chefs feel it does not taste as fresh or has natural flavors like those in organic food. The flavor in conventionally grown food is not as developed because it has shortened growth time. Fruit, vegetables and animals need time to naturally develop and grow as nature intended them to so they can develop all of the good stuff we love. Conventionally grown food does cost less because it is grown so fast and in mass quantities without care for the environment or any harmful effects to the consumers. The short-term side effects are not as bad to the long-term side effects that will be passed on to generations upon generation. Saving a dollar at the risk of a person’s health seems to me to be a very large risk that is not necessary. Organically grown food is a much better choice because more naturally nutrients, better developed flavors and appearance even if the cost of purchasing them is higher. Conventionally grown food is the exact opposite. The chemicals and hormones are resulting in early development in our children and an increase in the levels of people with allergies. Professional chefs prefer organic food to conventional food because it develops the flavor profiles of their dishes more and improves the appearance of it as well. Just because the cost of conventionally grown food is lower than that of organically grown food, the disadvantages of them are much higher. Risking the future of our children is simply not worth saving a few dollars. It is up to the individual as to where to choose organic food but choosing it will provide the tools for a brighter tomorrow and a healthier today. We need to teach our children healthier ways to eat and live, if we expect them to grown up and live productive lives.

Inclusive Practice

Inclusive Practice Inclusive practice in education moves us away from ‘integration' and ‘mainstreaming' of learners, which was mainly concerned with separating those with a disability or ‘special educational needs' until they had reached the required standard for mainstream education. Inclusion is about the learner's right to participate and the teacher/ institutions duty to accept the learner as an individual. Inclusion rejects the separation of learners with disabilities from learners without disabilities; instead it promotes equality and respect for their social, civil, human and educational rights.From what I can see there are few totally inclusive schools but those that are, restructure their curriculum so all can learn together without discrimination. Some key reports that have changed the face of education over the last decade and a half are: â€Å"Inclusive Learning† (1996) a report by John Tomlinson, was the result of a three-year enquiry into the ed ucational needs of and provision for adults with disabilities and/ or learning difficulties in England.It arose from the requirement of an Act of Parliament, in 1992 and states that; the new national funding council for further education should ‘have regard' for such students in all its work of funding, development and evaluation. ITSELF ? Learning for Teaching We believe that learning can only be fully effective if it is inclusive' ? Tomlinson 1996, case. Org. UK â€Å"Learning Works† the report of the Further Education Funding Council's committee on widening participation in Further Education Noun 1997), chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaw. The Learning Age† (Feb. 1998), the government consultation paper on lifelong learning, and the formal response to the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education's report Higher Education in the Learning Society. Key points being; more assessable learning opportunities, removing barriers I. E. Financial, di sability, investing in 16 + learners and improve quality.The Wolf report March 2011) Key points being; motivate young people to take the most valuable vocational qualifications pre-16, introducing study programmer for post-16 to ensure they are gaining skills which will lead to progression into a variety of Jobs or further learning, especially those who haven't done so well in English and mathematics to continue to study those subjects. To ensure apprenticeships deliver the right skills for the workplace, restructuring of the Qualification, Credit Framework (SCOFF) and enabling FEE lecturers and professionals to teach in schools, ensuring young people are being taught by those best suited to do so. education. Gob. UK Unfortunately with the changes in political power come changes in legislation. This on low income. Although only EYE per week, this could mean the difference between being able to afford to go to college or not. With the increases in University charges and the prospect of post graduates being left with huge debts to pay, or being told by bob centers they are ‘over qualified ‘ so no Jobs for them, it seems as though there has been a u turn in all the progress that had been made in the last decade and a half.Only time will tell what impact this will have on students and how many will want or be able to continue with their studies and what divide may be caused between those who can and can't afford to do this. In recent years, with the poor economic climate, many businesses have collapsed making people redundant. Faced with life changing decisions of having to change their career path and learning new kills; as the competition for Jobs with the skills they have may be too great, some of these individuals haven't been in the education system for many years and are faced in some circumstances with a frightening prospect of starting all over again.If they have had bad experiences in the past this will magnify the fear tenfold. I believe the refore it is even more important that teachers have experience in different skills and occupations as more learners may need to go directly into the work force and acquire work based training, with the employer supporting their learning. These are all barriers that have an impact on inclusive practice in the classroom as I can often have a group of learners with ages ranging from eighteen to sixty plus, from various backgrounds and experience.On one occasion I had a group of fifteen learners consisting of school leavers with no experience, some with varying amounts of experience in residential homes and hospitals. Some were returning to work Mums and others who had previously worked in Jobs such as, shop and office workers. There was one who had been a registered manager of a care home but had been dad redundant, with no vacancies in his area of expertise he decided to become a care worker, only a few weeks before he had been managing a workforce of twenty care workers, seniors and administration staff.It can be extremely difficult to accommodate such a wide cross section of individuals and sometimes to bridge the generation gap. Nears Care has policies in place to give individuals equal opportunities in training and employment (see appendix 1) From the introductions at the beginning of the session to the final goodbyes at the end of training I ensure that very learner is shown to be valued by all, showing interest in their opinions and what they have to say, valuing also their own experiences, which they bring into the room for all to share.No matter what their age, race, religion, disability, sexuality, and gender maybe, it is their opinions, work and life experience which is important for everyone to share and learn from. On 1st October 2010, the main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 came into force. It is a major simplification of discrimination legislation that makes the law easier to understand and comply with and delivers significant benefits for bus iness, public dies and individuals.It provides a new legislative framework to protect the rights of individuals and equality of opportunity for all; to update, simplify and strengthen the previous legislation; and to deliver a simple, modern and accessible framework of discrimination law which protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a will be brought in and likewise over the next year other provisions will be discussed and brought in; provisions relating to auxiliary aids in schools, to name one.The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDS) introduces the right for kissable students not to be discriminated against in education, training and any services provided wholly or mainly for students, and for those enrolled on courses provided by ‘responsible bodies', including further and higher education institutions and sixth form colleges. Education providers must also make ‘reasonable adjustments' to ensure that disabled students aren't discri minated against.Making reasonable adjustments could include; changes to practices or procedures, physical features, how learners are assessed and providing extra support and aids (such as peccaries teachers or equipment) The obligation for schools to provide extra support such as specialist teachers or equipment will be introduced at a later date – direct. Gob. UK 2011 1 have had many learners over the eight years I have been teaching, with many (SEEN) Dyslexia, color blindness, discalced (which I have learned about and identified during this course).I have had learners with sensory disabilities where I have had to make reasonable adjustments by restructure of the sessions, layout or materials and used others, from outside agencies to sign or give support one to one. For one learner, who was working towards their NV level 2 in care, I used a tape recording of accounts as she found it difficult to write reflective accounts due to having dyslexia.Sometime though it is difficult to make adjustments for one learner when it could be to the detriment of the rest of the class so it is not always possible to be completely inclusive, where possible I would try to meet their needs in a one to one session. Although I try to maintain inclusive practice within my sessions, it can be very difficult when talking about sensitive issues like abuse, some f the subject matter can cause distress to some individuals and so I ensure to warn them before the start of any subject that could cause distress or offense, that they may leave the room of ask to talk to me, or another in private.There are numerous legislations we are bound by in our work, some cover all individuals and industries and some are more specific to your chosen area. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Data Protection 1998, Human Rights Act 1998 are some of the acts that effect all of us and impact on our personal lives as well as at work. Some of the legislations that are pacific to my work and the area I t each are: Every Child Matters (2003), the title of three government paper leading to The Children's Act 2004. (ECMA) cover children and young adults up to 19 years old and 24 years old for those with disabilities.It was partly produced as a response to the death of Victoria Climb. The main aims of ECMA are; to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. We also take guidance from Children's Workforce Development Council. Safeguarding of Adults – (review of ‘No Secrets 2000' in 2008). Working with both of these vulnerable groups requires an enhanced CRAB (Criminal Records Bureau; a police check) to ensure the safety of the individual and the suitability of the worker, working with them.Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and Medicines Act 1968 & 1971; because our staff have the responsibility of assisting and administering medication. They also need to know how to safely assist with moving and positioning of an individual, the Manual this area. Everything that is done in care, health or mental health is regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (ICQ) formally (SIC). This is not an exhaustive list but does highlight some of the diverse and complex regulations that have to be taken into account when carrying out my role as a training and development manager.It is important to be aware and take into account all of the above when planning sessions to be inclusive to the learners. When training my learners to be care assistants I have to prepare them for many situations that could arise in their daily work, so I need to ensure they have basic literacy and innumeracy which is established prior to induction training, if they didn't have the right level of understanding this would create a huge barrier to their learning and would really be setting them up to fail.If they don't reach the minimum requirements then we can send them to a local college or Learn Direc t and on completion of literacy, innumeracy or both they can come back and try again. If a learner informs us if they have any special requirements when asked at interview (initial assessment) we will meet with them and see how we can meet those needs, whether it be sitting closer to the front of the class and larger print on all materials or a signer for sensory difficulties, eddying up and or smaller groups, one to one or extra sessions for those who find it hard to work in larger groups.Offering staggered start and finish times, changing break times and length of breaks for child care responsibilities, medical condition, nutritional or religious requirements. If there were learners with existing conditions from prior injuries, for example; a back condition, I would see if there was a more comfortable or adapted chair, if they needed to get up and walk around would be acceptable and maybe I would get all the learners to move around to different groups o as not to single that indiv idual out.Wherever possible I remind all learners that what they are learning are life skills and not Just a work skill, I encourage learning from real life and not Just scenario based. At the end of each session we ask all the learners to complete a feedback form asking; what they thought about the whole experience, what they got out of it, what they most enjoyed, what they didn't enjoy, how was the environment, refreshments and breaks, could anything be improved and any comments on the teacher.They are anonymous, I get to read them and I use hem to reflect on the session and make any improvements. I keep them on file with attendance registers for local authority and ICQ inspectors as evidence of training when they conduct inspections. Nears send random feedback forms to a percentage of learners that are collated by Quality Assurance for internal audits. The statistics of these are given at training and standardization meetings that are held regularly around the country.At these me etings all trainers/teachers talk about their experiences what has worked for them and what hasn't, they talk about good and bad practice and anything new that has been developed. I have registered myself with groups such as ICQ, Community Care, Dignity, ICE, MacMillan, TEST, and elf and receive regular email keeping me up to date with anything new, I also watch documentaries pertaining to my work and attend training sessions to refresh and expand my knowledge.I spend a lot of time surfing the internet, research different things and am a member of the NW London Skills for Care sub-committee which also ensures I am up to date with legislative requirements and have an active part in the the privilege of helping the company achieve Investors in People (â€Å"P) over the last fifteen years and every three years to re-qualify for continual status. In both PIP and ICQ inspections' training has always been praised for its quality and support. Appendix 1 Some facts and achievements of Near s Care Ltd.The fact that Nears has been accredited by Investors in People (â€Å"P) since 1994 is one of the achievements of which we can all be most proud. During this period Nears has grown from 350 employees to over 13,000, PIP accreditation requires organizations to consistently operate in a way that develops employees and to actively engage with them to look for ways to improve the running of the company. It is also important that the organization is socially responsible and that people are committed to its' success.Nears may be a larger organization now but our commitment to staff development will never change. In 2011 you will see new efforts to increase our apprenticeships, support management development, launch our new Graduate programmer and continue to develop all our staff in Health and Safety. I would like to thank all staff for their individual contribution to our continuing success David Miles CEO EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY Nears Group PL and its subsidiaries are Equal O pportunities Employers.Our aim is to ensure that no Job applicant or employee receives less favorable treatment on the grounds of gender, race, disability, color, nationality, ethnic or national origin, marital status, sexuality, responsibility for defendants, religion, trade union activity and age (up to 65). Selection criteria and procedures are kept under review to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. All employees will be given equality of opportunity within the company's service and will be encouraged to progress within the organization.To ensure that direct or indirect discrimination is not occurring, recruitment and other employment decisions are regularly monitored in conjunction with equal opportunities data concerning new and existing staff. The Nears Ethos is one of respect for people and we are fully committed to ensuring accessible services and opportunities to all. Our policies, procedures and w orking practices are designed to exceed government legislation and best practice in this area and to ensure that no discrimination either direct or indirect is tolerated throughout the group.We are all different. We look different, like different things, worship to different elisions and have different outlooks on life. Diversity is a term that values peoples' differences and supports the belief that these differences benefit a successful business or community. Committed to local employment. To the local contract, support economic and social regeneration, but also that our workforce reflects the community it serves. Staff who live locally and understand their communities help us to respond to and respect local culture.We recruit between 85% and 100% of local staff from the community To achieve this we ensure all vacancies are advertised on our website and with the local Job centre. When necessary we advertise in local newspapers and radio to maximize local awareness and interest. Ne ars support for local community projects also helps to make people aware of what we do and creates a positive impression of our business from prospective employees [pick] AGE POSITIVE Nears is very proud to be an Age Positive organization, an accreditation that we received in 2006.We are committed to promoting a diverse workforce and recognize the contribution more experienced employees offer to the business. We currently employ 31 people above the normal retirement age (2010). Case Studies Administrator 19 Years I Joined Nears North as an Office Junior in 2005 with basic office experience and an NV Level 2 qualification in Business Administration. In my role as Office Junior I worked closely with all the departments in Head Office and assisted the Office Manager with weekly payroll.Within a few months, I was given the opportunity to take responsibility for the processing of weekly payroll and promoted to Administrator in the finance department. I also achieved NV Level 3 in Busines s Administration and was awarded Apprentice of the Year 2005 by Recordable Training Association. Regional HER Advisor 58 Years â€Å"Prior to Joining Nears I worked for 34 years for an Electrical Engineering company in Newcastle. I started as a Commercial Apprentice and gained a BAA (Hon.) in Business Studies.I held various positions in HER starting as an assistant to the Personnel Officer and ending as a Regional HER Manager. In October 2004 1 took a voluntary redundancy package and decided to retire, but soon decided that I was far too young to retire. I knew that I had a lot to offer a new employer with over 30 years HER experience but the difficulty I then had was getting to the interview stage. Nears approach to recruitment for the Newcastle contract offered me a walk-in interview branches and was soon given two additional branches and the title of Regional HER Advisor.It's extremely exciting and challenging being part of a company growing so quickly and there is a very positi ve buzz about the place†. Joiner 63 years â€Å"I have always worked in construction but only Joined Nears in 2005. I consider my greatest achievement while working for the company has been coaching and supporting our trainees. The apprentices we employ have not all come through the usual channels and many have issues and difficult backgrounds. I aim to be patient and thoughtful, showing the apprentices how to do things the correct way! Inclusive Practice Inclusive Practice Inclusive practice in education moves us away from ‘integration' and ‘mainstreaming' of learners, which was mainly concerned with separating those with a disability or ‘special educational needs' until they had reached the required standard for mainstream education. Inclusion is about the learner's right to participate and the teacher/ institutions duty to accept the learner as an individual. Inclusion rejects the separation of learners with disabilities from learners without disabilities; instead it promotes equality and respect for their social, civil, human and educational rights.From what I can see there are few totally inclusive schools but those that are, restructure their curriculum so all can learn together without discrimination. Some key reports that have changed the face of education over the last decade and a half are: â€Å"Inclusive Learning† (1996) a report by John Tomlinson, was the result of a three-year enquiry into the ed ucational needs of and provision for adults with disabilities and/ or learning difficulties in England.It arose from the requirement of an Act of Parliament, in 1992 and states that; the new national funding council for further education should ‘have regard' for such students in all its work of funding, development and evaluation. ITSELF ? Learning for Teaching We believe that learning can only be fully effective if it is inclusive' ? Tomlinson 1996, case. Org. UK â€Å"Learning Works† the report of the Further Education Funding Council's committee on widening participation in Further Education Noun 1997), chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaw. The Learning Age† (Feb. 1998), the government consultation paper on lifelong learning, and the formal response to the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education's report Higher Education in the Learning Society. Key points being; more assessable learning opportunities, removing barriers I. E. Financial, di sability, investing in 16 + learners and improve quality.The Wolf report March 2011) Key points being; motivate young people to take the most valuable vocational qualifications pre-16, introducing study programmer for post-16 to ensure they are gaining skills which will lead to progression into a variety of Jobs or further learning, especially those who haven't done so well in English and mathematics to continue to study those subjects. To ensure apprenticeships deliver the right skills for the workplace, restructuring of the Qualification, Credit Framework (SCOFF) and enabling FEE lecturers and professionals to teach in schools, ensuring young people are being taught by those best suited to do so. education. Gob. UK Unfortunately with the changes in political power come changes in legislation. This on low income. Although only EYE per week, this could mean the difference between being able to afford to go to college or not. With the increases in University charges and the prospect of post graduates being left with huge debts to pay, or being told by bob centers they are ‘over qualified ‘ so no Jobs for them, it seems as though there has been a u turn in all the progress that had been made in the last decade and a half.Only time will tell what impact this will have on students and how many will want or be able to continue with their studies and what divide may be caused between those who can and can't afford to do this. In recent years, with the poor economic climate, many businesses have collapsed making people redundant. Faced with life changing decisions of having to change their career path and learning new kills; as the competition for Jobs with the skills they have may be too great, some of these individuals haven't been in the education system for many years and are faced in some circumstances with a frightening prospect of starting all over again.If they have had bad experiences in the past this will magnify the fear tenfold. I believe the refore it is even more important that teachers have experience in different skills and occupations as more learners may need to go directly into the work force and acquire work based training, with the employer supporting their learning. These are all barriers that have an impact on inclusive practice in the classroom as I can often have a group of learners with ages ranging from eighteen to sixty plus, from various backgrounds and experience.On one occasion I had a group of fifteen learners consisting of school leavers with no experience, some with varying amounts of experience in residential homes and hospitals. Some were returning to work Mums and others who had previously worked in Jobs such as, shop and office workers. There was one who had been a registered manager of a care home but had been dad redundant, with no vacancies in his area of expertise he decided to become a care worker, only a few weeks before he had been managing a workforce of twenty care workers, seniors and administration staff.It can be extremely difficult to accommodate such a wide cross section of individuals and sometimes to bridge the generation gap. Nears Care has policies in place to give individuals equal opportunities in training and employment (see appendix 1) From the introductions at the beginning of the session to the final goodbyes at the end of training I ensure that very learner is shown to be valued by all, showing interest in their opinions and what they have to say, valuing also their own experiences, which they bring into the room for all to share.No matter what their age, race, religion, disability, sexuality, and gender maybe, it is their opinions, work and life experience which is important for everyone to share and learn from. On 1st October 2010, the main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 came into force. It is a major simplification of discrimination legislation that makes the law easier to understand and comply with and delivers significant benefits for bus iness, public dies and individuals.It provides a new legislative framework to protect the rights of individuals and equality of opportunity for all; to update, simplify and strengthen the previous legislation; and to deliver a simple, modern and accessible framework of discrimination law which protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a will be brought in and likewise over the next year other provisions will be discussed and brought in; provisions relating to auxiliary aids in schools, to name one.The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDS) introduces the right for kissable students not to be discriminated against in education, training and any services provided wholly or mainly for students, and for those enrolled on courses provided by ‘responsible bodies', including further and higher education institutions and sixth form colleges. Education providers must also make ‘reasonable adjustments' to ensure that disabled students aren't discri minated against.Making reasonable adjustments could include; changes to practices or procedures, physical features, how learners are assessed and providing extra support and aids (such as peccaries teachers or equipment) The obligation for schools to provide extra support such as specialist teachers or equipment will be introduced at a later date – direct. Gob. UK 2011 1 have had many learners over the eight years I have been teaching, with many (SEEN) Dyslexia, color blindness, discalced (which I have learned about and identified during this course).I have had learners with sensory disabilities where I have had to make reasonable adjustments by restructure of the sessions, layout or materials and used others, from outside agencies to sign or give support one to one. For one learner, who was working towards their NV level 2 in care, I used a tape recording of accounts as she found it difficult to write reflective accounts due to having dyslexia.Sometime though it is difficult to make adjustments for one learner when it could be to the detriment of the rest of the class so it is not always possible to be completely inclusive, where possible I would try to meet their needs in a one to one session. Although I try to maintain inclusive practice within my sessions, it can be very difficult when talking about sensitive issues like abuse, some f the subject matter can cause distress to some individuals and so I ensure to warn them before the start of any subject that could cause distress or offense, that they may leave the room of ask to talk to me, or another in private.There are numerous legislations we are bound by in our work, some cover all individuals and industries and some are more specific to your chosen area. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Data Protection 1998, Human Rights Act 1998 are some of the acts that effect all of us and impact on our personal lives as well as at work. Some of the legislations that are pacific to my work and the area I t each are: Every Child Matters (2003), the title of three government paper leading to The Children's Act 2004. (ECMA) cover children and young adults up to 19 years old and 24 years old for those with disabilities.It was partly produced as a response to the death of Victoria Climb. The main aims of ECMA are; to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. We also take guidance from Children's Workforce Development Council. Safeguarding of Adults – (review of ‘No Secrets 2000' in 2008). Working with both of these vulnerable groups requires an enhanced CRAB (Criminal Records Bureau; a police check) to ensure the safety of the individual and the suitability of the worker, working with them.Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and Medicines Act 1968 & 1971; because our staff have the responsibility of assisting and administering medication. They also need to know how to safely assist with moving and positioning of an individual, the Manual this area. Everything that is done in care, health or mental health is regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (ICQ) formally (SIC). This is not an exhaustive list but does highlight some of the diverse and complex regulations that have to be taken into account when carrying out my role as a training and development manager.It is important to be aware and take into account all of the above when planning sessions to be inclusive to the learners. When training my learners to be care assistants I have to prepare them for many situations that could arise in their daily work, so I need to ensure they have basic literacy and innumeracy which is established prior to induction training, if they didn't have the right level of understanding this would create a huge barrier to their learning and would really be setting them up to fail.If they don't reach the minimum requirements then we can send them to a local college or Learn Direc t and on completion of literacy, innumeracy or both they can come back and try again. If a learner informs us if they have any special requirements when asked at interview (initial assessment) we will meet with them and see how we can meet those needs, whether it be sitting closer to the front of the class and larger print on all materials or a signer for sensory difficulties, eddying up and or smaller groups, one to one or extra sessions for those who find it hard to work in larger groups.Offering staggered start and finish times, changing break times and length of breaks for child care responsibilities, medical condition, nutritional or religious requirements. If there were learners with existing conditions from prior injuries, for example; a back condition, I would see if there was a more comfortable or adapted chair, if they needed to get up and walk around would be acceptable and maybe I would get all the learners to move around to different groups o as not to single that indiv idual out.Wherever possible I remind all learners that what they are learning are life skills and not Just a work skill, I encourage learning from real life and not Just scenario based. At the end of each session we ask all the learners to complete a feedback form asking; what they thought about the whole experience, what they got out of it, what they most enjoyed, what they didn't enjoy, how was the environment, refreshments and breaks, could anything be improved and any comments on the teacher.They are anonymous, I get to read them and I use hem to reflect on the session and make any improvements. I keep them on file with attendance registers for local authority and ICQ inspectors as evidence of training when they conduct inspections. Nears send random feedback forms to a percentage of learners that are collated by Quality Assurance for internal audits. The statistics of these are given at training and standardization meetings that are held regularly around the country.At these me etings all trainers/teachers talk about their experiences what has worked for them and what hasn't, they talk about good and bad practice and anything new that has been developed. I have registered myself with groups such as ICQ, Community Care, Dignity, ICE, MacMillan, TEST, and elf and receive regular email keeping me up to date with anything new, I also watch documentaries pertaining to my work and attend training sessions to refresh and expand my knowledge.I spend a lot of time surfing the internet, research different things and am a member of the NW London Skills for Care sub-committee which also ensures I am up to date with legislative requirements and have an active part in the the privilege of helping the company achieve Investors in People (â€Å"P) over the last fifteen years and every three years to re-qualify for continual status. In both PIP and ICQ inspections' training has always been praised for its quality and support. Appendix 1 Some facts and achievements of Near s Care Ltd.The fact that Nears has been accredited by Investors in People (â€Å"P) since 1994 is one of the achievements of which we can all be most proud. During this period Nears has grown from 350 employees to over 13,000, PIP accreditation requires organizations to consistently operate in a way that develops employees and to actively engage with them to look for ways to improve the running of the company. It is also important that the organization is socially responsible and that people are committed to its' success.Nears may be a larger organization now but our commitment to staff development will never change. In 2011 you will see new efforts to increase our apprenticeships, support management development, launch our new Graduate programmer and continue to develop all our staff in Health and Safety. I would like to thank all staff for their individual contribution to our continuing success David Miles CEO EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY Nears Group PL and its subsidiaries are Equal O pportunities Employers.Our aim is to ensure that no Job applicant or employee receives less favorable treatment on the grounds of gender, race, disability, color, nationality, ethnic or national origin, marital status, sexuality, responsibility for defendants, religion, trade union activity and age (up to 65). Selection criteria and procedures are kept under review to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. All employees will be given equality of opportunity within the company's service and will be encouraged to progress within the organization.To ensure that direct or indirect discrimination is not occurring, recruitment and other employment decisions are regularly monitored in conjunction with equal opportunities data concerning new and existing staff. The Nears Ethos is one of respect for people and we are fully committed to ensuring accessible services and opportunities to all. Our policies, procedures and w orking practices are designed to exceed government legislation and best practice in this area and to ensure that no discrimination either direct or indirect is tolerated throughout the group.We are all different. We look different, like different things, worship to different elisions and have different outlooks on life. Diversity is a term that values peoples' differences and supports the belief that these differences benefit a successful business or community. Committed to local employment. To the local contract, support economic and social regeneration, but also that our workforce reflects the community it serves. Staff who live locally and understand their communities help us to respond to and respect local culture.We recruit between 85% and 100% of local staff from the community To achieve this we ensure all vacancies are advertised on our website and with the local Job centre. When necessary we advertise in local newspapers and radio to maximize local awareness and interest. Ne ars support for local community projects also helps to make people aware of what we do and creates a positive impression of our business from prospective employees [pick] AGE POSITIVE Nears is very proud to be an Age Positive organization, an accreditation that we received in 2006.We are committed to promoting a diverse workforce and recognize the contribution more experienced employees offer to the business. We currently employ 31 people above the normal retirement age (2010). Case Studies Administrator 19 Years I Joined Nears North as an Office Junior in 2005 with basic office experience and an NV Level 2 qualification in Business Administration. In my role as Office Junior I worked closely with all the departments in Head Office and assisted the Office Manager with weekly payroll.Within a few months, I was given the opportunity to take responsibility for the processing of weekly payroll and promoted to Administrator in the finance department. I also achieved NV Level 3 in Busines s Administration and was awarded Apprentice of the Year 2005 by Recordable Training Association. Regional HER Advisor 58 Years â€Å"Prior to Joining Nears I worked for 34 years for an Electrical Engineering company in Newcastle. I started as a Commercial Apprentice and gained a BAA (Hon.) in Business Studies.I held various positions in HER starting as an assistant to the Personnel Officer and ending as a Regional HER Manager. In October 2004 1 took a voluntary redundancy package and decided to retire, but soon decided that I was far too young to retire. I knew that I had a lot to offer a new employer with over 30 years HER experience but the difficulty I then had was getting to the interview stage. Nears approach to recruitment for the Newcastle contract offered me a walk-in interview branches and was soon given two additional branches and the title of Regional HER Advisor.It's extremely exciting and challenging being part of a company growing so quickly and there is a very positi ve buzz about the place†. Joiner 63 years â€Å"I have always worked in construction but only Joined Nears in 2005. I consider my greatest achievement while working for the company has been coaching and supporting our trainees. The apprentices we employ have not all come through the usual channels and many have issues and difficult backgrounds. I aim to be patient and thoughtful, showing the apprentices how to do things the correct way!