Objective Synthesis

In â€Å"HARD BODIES† by â€Å"STUART EWEN† and â€Å"THE SPORTS TABOO† by â€Å"MALCOLM GLADWELL† outlines particular sports in addition to the differences between the athletic individuals and the ways in which they experience extracurricular activities. The first article listed begins by introducing a man named Raymond who is hoping to achieve the body figure in which he has always dreamed of having. It goes through his daily workout in detail in which he accomplishes after a long day in his office.To achieve his long wanted goal, he works on parts of his body piece-by-piece, practicing repetition in a room surrounded by full-length mirrors. The author then begins describing various advertisements with pictures of quote-on-quote perfect bodies. Both men and women pose together showing off their tone and completion with a light coating of oil. Men generally expose their upper half, as women tend to expose their arms, shoulders and stomach. The author beli eves that these advertisements undergo more meaning then just the exercise in which they advertise.They are more to attract viewers into wanting what they see and spending the money in order to achieve that particular body figure. After reading this article, my mind brought me to think back to many advertisements that I have viewed on shelves of stores as well as gym membership pictures. These figures we see, as they appear toned and have perfection, are never the raw images of these particular individuals. When an advertisement states that the reader should start a new physical training in order to achieve this goal, it includes a denomination of false advertising.These images of these built individuals claim to have recently started new workout habits when in reality these models have kept in shape all their lives and have worked out daily in order to achieve their body types. Women in the workforce viewing these advertisements wanting to appear as these younger more fit women bel ieve they too, can achieve such a body if they begin a new workout routine. The last article discusses the concerns of mainstream sports, while taking a further look into psychology as well as the social identity of an African American athlete.He explores the subject through various data, experiments and observations and captures conclusions within his text using style and formality. Endearing the racial views of sports in society, author Malcolm Gladwell seems to strive to change the reader’s view on this particular aspect throughout his wording. He wishes to illustrate a cause for race not to stand as a criteria position in American sports, but instead for the athletic ability to form as a leading role in such opinions. In the course of his detailed argument, he proposes ideas of equality and nonjudgmental aspects of athletic stereotypes.These two particular articles differ in many ways, one being the opposite perspectives of the body image. Given in the first article, Stua rt Ewen had a perspective displaying the importance of body image by telling the story of the man named Raymond. In the second article, however, Malcolm Gladwell displays the non-importance. Ewen gives perspectives from the eyes from Raymond, and his lifelong journal of workouts in order to achieving his goal weight and body muscle. Translated through the second article by Malcolm Gladwell, he perceived a perspective of the aspect in difference.His article proclaimed that the race and amount of money individuals had could have a say in sports as well as who belongs to what category for each. He does not believe in the stereotypes in which people create based off race, nor does he believe in the theory of success at sports depending on money. What I find to be important about the differences of these two opinions as well as views on this particular subject is the reasoning for each viewpoint. Perhaps the background of the author as well, contributing as a factor of the standpoint in which their opinion exists.Could the background of the author, Malcolm Gladwell, contribute to his reasoning to the stereotypes of sports players? As well as the perspective from Raymond? The author may also have these strong opinions because of their ethnicity or religion, or opinions of their friends and or family. I, for one, stand from a similar viewpoint as Raymond with the concern of working out and keeping the body as wished. Achieving one’s desire body type can be of life’s most inspiring goals yet. It tells any average person that if they persevere, they can reach their goals.From a similar viewpoint, both authors did have a strong belief relating to the importance of a subject pertaining to sports. One believed that it is important to look the way you want, and to work extra hard to get there, while the other mentioned the unimportance of how society today sees many stereotypes of how certain people are meant to play certain roles in sports. Many similar peop le stand evenly gifted according to each other without reasoning. He fights that there is no other side to the previous statement. Lyons, Gregory T. Body and Culture. Hard Body. 1950. Print. Lyons, Gregory T. Body and Culture. The Sports Taboo. 1950. Print

Impement and Monitor Marketing Activities Essay

Executive Summary The marketing plan reviewed in this report is for BBQ fun 2009. BBQ fun aims to be e leading outdoor†lifestyle retailer, catering to the growing need for furnishing new and renovated dwellings in the greater Brisbane area. The assortment offer of BBQs, outdoor furniture and BBQ accessories will position BBQ fun as best in class for outdoor†lifestyle retailing. BBQ fun will reinvent the way people shop for outdoor†lifestyle products. BBQ fun will build its reputation on offering the fullest assortment of products possible in their chosen fields, incorporating both local and imported goods with products sold on easy to manage long†term payment plans. Our after sales service and three†year guarantees will find traction with a market dominated by low†quality items. Strategies and Tactics BBQ fun will be operating with an advertising budget of $250,000 for the year. The advertising program will target: †¢Local letter†box drops †¢Radio advertisement and †¢Magazines with coupon inserts in the BrisNews magazine Stakeholders Briefing regarding their implementation roles Board of directors: the board of directors are required to approve the hence they will be briefed on details of the plan through a presentation conducted for them and also informing them their roles in the implementation process. Human resource staff: in order for the human resource staff to conduct the recruitment and training they will be informed through a report including need for recruitment, training based on the marketing plan which would be used to brief the stakeholders as well. Finance staff: these staff will need to set a separate cost centre for the budget associated with the marketing plan. A written request for a budget allocation, or similar, would be used  to brief this stakeholder group. Managers: managers will be informed of any possible impact of the marketing activities on their departments through a meeting with the marketing department, which would include new products and services. Marketing and non–marketing personnel briefing Objectives: †¢Increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years †¢Increase our loyalty customers list from 10,000 to 16,000. †¢Establish brand recognition in Brisbane so that at least two in three people recognise our brand in a random survey taken in 18 months’ time. Marketing department will have direct roles in relation to the implementation and hence they will require significant details about the overall plan as well as each of the strategies and the related tactics. Sales staff will need overview of the plan and the strategies or tactics to be used and will need detailed information of the activities that will affect them, such as new special offers/pricing or changes to sales processes. Staff directly responsible or accountable for activities listed in the action plan section of the marketing plan, an individual action summary will be used to record relevant information for later use in measuring their performance or contribution to the marketing plan. Performance Measures BBQ fun will adopt balanced scorecard approach to measure the performance will enable BBQ fun to monitor and manage overall business strategy by looking at the drivers of current and future success for the organisation. It will focus on the link between the marketing plan and the four critical areas of the business operations namely customer, financial, internal business processes and learning and growth. Sales personal will have a performance measure relating to the overall goal of BBQ fun which will be increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years. Marketing personnel will have performance measures that relate to overall marketing activities which is deliver all marketing campaigns on time and within budget. Prioritised list of marketing strategies  activity descriptiondeliverablesresources needed Local letter†box dropsLeaflets designed, printed and distributedCannon’s consultants Finances- $150000 Personal for distribution Radio advertisementRadio advertisement developed, slots booked and aired on radio.Cannon’s consultants Finances-$280000 Magazines with coupon inserts in the BrisNews magazineDesign and print coupon inserts, tie up with magazine and distribute in the local area.Cannon’s consultants Finances- $150000 Communication and team building strategies Before the commencement of the project a team meeting was be held with each team member present where they were provided with a summary of the overall project action plan with the goals and objectives detailed in a schedule timetable detailing implementation and points of measures. They were also provided with detail each team member’s area and tasks of responsibility. An interactive discussion was also initiated to discuss any issues of concerns. A half an hour will be scheduled on Monday morning of each week to monitor the overall campaign progress, discuss individual tracking and highlight any unexpected issues that need attention. During the initial meeting each and every employee will be made clear of where they fit in the organisation structure, their responsibilities and accountabilities. It was decided to organise a staff party at the completion of each milestone. Strategies for monitoring marketing activities and analysing performance The whole project will be monitored on a Gannt Chart which will illustrate the start and completion dates of each self-contained stage in the project. The chart will reveal the process sequence and highlight the dependencies of some processes on other processes. Week 1 Date:Week2 Date:Week 3 Date:Week 4 Date:Week5 Date: distribution Leaflet printing Inserting graphic enhancements Develop leaflet for letter box drops A separate Performances analysis will be conducted for each activity in following manner Task 2 Monitoring and implementing promotional activities A regular review of all the marketing activities is being conducted based on the Gannt chart to keep track, so that evaluation of any issue of concern can be carried out as soon as possible. †¢The regular review revealed that 70% of the people in the target market recognise the BBQ brand and what it represents, †¢sales growth target of Increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years has been achieved †¢gross profit margins are still 48% Monitor Product pricing and distribution decisions Product attributes: BBQ, outdoor furniture and BBQ consumables. Product benefits: easy manage payment plan. Product usage: All the products can be used in day to day household Product users: people residing in new dwellings, people renovating and people replacing their old BBQ. Product competitors: The Yard, BBQ’s R Us, Outdoorz. Product distinction from competitors: †¢BBQfun’s credit offer is backed by a top tier bank. †¢Imported products make up 33% of the assortment. †¢The three†year guarantee is unique in the market place. †¢Broadest possible range in chosen fields. Product classes: quality, fashionable and unique outdoor-lifestyle. Monitoring results against targets in the marketing plan Monitoring marketing performance is being done by looking at what has happened and why considering the results and how do they compare with our goals? To find the reasons for why it happened its being looked into by checking: Were the marketing efforts put in right direction? Was there any specific activity that contributed the most to boost the results? What part of the marketing plan did what? Monitoring process will be as follows Establishing standardsAchieving total sales of $11,000,000, Gross profit of 5,500,000 with a marketing expense of 180,000 by the end of 2009 Measuring performanceSales target of $11,000,000 has been achieved but the gross profit is $5,280,000 which is less by $220,000 Proposing measures to correct deviations from the standardSource a new manufacturer from overseas to provide products at cheaper prices hence increasing the gross profit margin. Monitoring marketing revenue and costs against budget Monitoring of marketing revenue and costs against allocated budgets is being carried out by analysing and recording variations. Detailed revenue versus expenses for all marketing decisions, will include, timelines involved in accomplishing the required goals and objectives. Budgets will clearly layout the spending requirements for †¢each decision †¢breakdowns by month †¢Breakdowns by year. It will be determined how sales vary between regions and where the resources are going. Marketing managers will analyse the information containing: †¢how marketing costs are spread †¢where the money is being spent: ï‚ §Is it on product development, promotion or customer research? †¢standards of how much should be spent on marketing †¢how much money needs to be spent on marketing in order for the organisation to be competitive †¢what results should be expected to result from marketing spending: †¢Is the revenue generated from marketing meeting budget expectations? †¢Are costs within budget? †¢Does analysis identify variations? Recording variations in revenue and cost against budget The budget figures for the revenue and cost would be compared with the actual figures and the variances will be recorded in revenue and cost variance template outlined below ItemBudgeted $Actual $Variance % Total sales11,000,00011,000,0000 Gross profit5,500,000$5,280,0004 Expenses Direct mail40,00040,0000 Magazine advertisement110,000110,0000 Radio Promotions30,00030,0000 Total180,000180,0000 Task 3 Section A Implementing marketing strategies and tactics Overview of the marketing activity to be implemented I am involved in implementing the following marketing activities for BBQ fun; †¢Direct mail †¢Magazine advertisement †¢Radio Promotions Strategies and Tactics BBQ fun will be operating with an advertising budget of $250,000 for the year. The advertising program will target: †¢Local letter†box drops †¢Radio advertisement and †¢Magazines with coupon inserts in the BrisNews magazine Stakeholders Briefing Board of directors: approval of the board of directors is required hence they were briefed on details of the plan through a presentation conducted for them and also informing them their roles in the implementation process. Human resource staff: in order for the human resource staff to conduct the recruitment and training they were informed through a report including need for recruitment, training based on the marketing plan which would be used to brief the stakeholders as well. Finance staff: This staffs was required to set a separate cost centre for the budget associated with the marketing plan. A written request for a budget allocation was used to brief this stakeholder group. Managers: managers were informed of all possible impact of the marketing activities on their departments through a meeting with the marketing department, which included new products and services. Roles critical to the success of the marketing plan activities RoleResponsibilities Board of directorsProvide approval for the plan and its implementation, make available all resources required for implementation and monitoring of the plan. Human resource departmentProvide with all human resources required to complete the tasks to meet the requirements of the plan Finance staffMake available pre-approved finances as and when required by the plan Line managersTo accommodate any impacts by marketing plan and working around it Marketing managerPrimarily responsible for marketing activities and has the authority and responsibility over all company activities that affect customer’s satisfaction. This is in addition to his other responsibilities. Radio companyTo develop in conjunction with marketing manager the advertisement and air Printing houseTo design and print promotional material in conjunction with marketing manager distributorsTo distribute the promotional material Briefing of marketing and non-marketing personnel To brief all marketing and non-marketing personnel individual meetings with these groups were organised and their roles and responsibilities and performance measures were discussed and a written statement of same was provided to them. The documents used to brief the stakeholders were used again for briefing purposes. Prioritised list of the marketing strategies and the resources required for their implementation The following is the prioritised list of the marketing strategies and the resources required for their implementation: strategiesresources retain existing customers by providing excellent after sales service and three years guarantee on the productsTrained customer service representatives, good quality service centres to confirm with guarantee Develop customer base by providing wide range, quality and unique productsWell-equipped research and development department to develop wide ranging, quality and unique products Generate business through new customers by conducting advertisement and promotion activitiesContracts with Printing house, radio stations and magazines Evaluation of Communication and team building strategies Before the commencement of the project a team meeting was be held with each team member present where they were provided with a summary of the overall project action plan with the goals and objectives detailed in a schedule timetable detailing implementation and points of measures. They were also provided with detail each team member’s area and tasks of responsibility. An interactive discussion was also initiated to discuss any issues of concerns. A half an hour will be scheduled on Monday morning of each week to monitor the overall campaign progress, discuss individual tracking and highlight any unexpected issues that need attention. During the initial meeting each and every employee will be made clear of where they fit in the organisation structure, their responsibilities and accountabilities. It was decided to organise a staff party at the completion of each milestone. Pricing: While BBQfun will price at comparable prices for comparable quality, it will not be cheap. We pus h value over cheap and back this up with a three year guarantee. Distribution: BBQfun products will be distributed through a chain of retail stores which customers can access easily via the large car parking arrangements. Advertising and promotion: The most successful advertising will be ads and inserts in the Brizzy as well as a PR campaign of informational articles and reviews also within the Brizzy. Promotions will take the form of in store entertainment and competitions with prizes to exotic overseas destinations. Customer Service: BBQfun’s philosophy is that whatever needs to be done to make the customer happy must occur this investment will pay off with a  fiercely loyal customer base that is extremely vocal to their friends with referrals. Strategies for monitoring marketing activities and analysing performance The performance was analysed by comparing the current collected data with the set goals and determining whether the following goals are being achieved. Timelines: were all the actions completed within stipulated time frame Resources: were all the resources used efficiently and effectively. Costs: did the cost of implementing activities stayed with in the developed budget Sales: did the campaign achieve the desired sales figures. A brief feedback form was circulated to all appropriate personnel weekly for all employees to note customer satisfaction, events or problems that need to be addressed, as they happen each day. Employees were required to record action taken when customers aren’t satisfied with products or services. A summary of these internal feedback containing relevant comments on improving customer satisfaction (or solving customer problems) were circulated each week to all employees to inform, educate, and improve total organisation problem–solving for customers. This assisted in improving communication. Surveys were sent to customers to gather their input on how well BBQ fun is satisfying their needs. A monthly or quarterly review with specific customers to determine: †¢summary of sales information compared to previous years †¢Current customer service problems, detailing what they were and steps that were implemented to resolve the issues. †¢customer service improvements summary The entire campaign was monitored on a Gannt Chart which illustrated the start and completion dates of each self-contained stage in the project. The chart revealed the process sequence and highlighted the dependencies of some processes on other processes. Section B Current progress of the marketing activities against the marketing plan and overall objectives Monitoring and implementation of promotional activities against communication objectives in the marketing plan communication objectivesImplementation  to position BBQ fun as the premier outdoor†lifestyle store in the greater Brisbane area, commanding a majority of the market share within five years In addition to radio promotion and magazine advertisement, direct mail campaign was one way to communicate directly with the consumer. BBQ fun also used ads and inserts in Brizzy magazine. communicate that BBQ fun offers the widest,  most exotic, easy access outdoor†lifestyle products in Brisbane Direct mail campaign was one way to communicate directly with the consumer. BBQ fun also used ads and inserts in Brizzy magazine. create customer awareness regarding  their services offered Grassroots PR campaign. This campaign invited people from Brizzy for lunch to get articles writte n about BBQ fun into the news  develop that customer base BBQfun’s did everything to make customer satisfied, this investment payed off with a fiercely loyal customer base that is extremely vocal to their friends with referrals. work toward building  customer loyalty and referrals BBQ fun’s did everything to make customer satisfied, this investment payed off with a fiercely loyal customer base that is extremely vocal to their friends with referrals. Monitoring of product, pricing and distribution decisions against organisational policy and the objectives of the marketing plan Marketing objectivesDecisions †¢Increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million per year in the next three years †¢Increase our loyalty customers list from 10,000 to 16,000. †¢Establish brand recognition in Brisbane so that at least two in three people recognise our brand in a random survey taken in 18 months’ time.Product: The product will be wide ranging, quality and unique. It offers the house proud customer a different option from the cheap mass produced offer prevalent in the market. New products will be developed on a regular basis in line with changes in customer taste which is targeted at every 12 months. The plan for product testing is to engage market research firms. Pricing: All products/services were competitively priced relative to comparable high†end outdoor†lifestyle lines. While BBQfun priced at comparable prices for comparable quality, it will not be cheap. We push value over cheap and back this up with a three year guarantee. Distribution: BBQfun products were distributed through a chain of retail stores which customers can access easily via the large car parking arrangements. Easy to access stores with extensive choices in our chosen fields, that are sold on an easy to manage payment plan with a three†year guarantee are the keys to our customer’s needs and wants. Monitoring results against targets in the marketing plan Monitoring marketing performance was done by looking at what has happened and why considering the results and how do they compare with our goals? To find the reasons for why it happened its being looked into by checking: Were the marketing efforts put in right direction? Was there any specific activity that contributed the most to boost the results? What part of the marketing plan did what? Monitoring process will be as follows Establishing standardsAchieving total sales of $11,000,000, Gross profit of 5,500,000 with a marketing expense of 180,000 by the end of 2009 Measuring performanceSales target of $11,000,000 has been achieved but the gross profit is $5,280,000 which is less by $220,000 Proposing measures to correct deviations from the standardSource a new manufacturer from overseas to provide products at cheaper prices hence increasing the gross profit margin. Monitoring marketing revenue and costs against budget Monitoring of marketing revenue and costs against allocated budgets is being carried out by analysing and recording variations. Detailed revenue versus expenses for all marketing decisions, will include, timelines involved in accomplishing the required goals and objectives. Budgets will clearly layout the spending requirements for †¢each decision †¢breakdowns by month †¢Breakdowns by year. Recording variations in revenue and cost against budget The budget figures for the revenue and cost were compared with the actual figures and the following variances were recorded in revenue and cost variance template outlined below ItemBudgeted $Actual $Variance % Total sales11,000,00011,000,0000 Gross profit5,500,000$5,280,0004 Expenses Direct mail40,00040,0000 Magazine advertisement110,000110,0000 Radio Promotions30,00030,0000 Total180,000180,0000 Section C Evaluating and improving marketing performance Processes used to regularly assess marketing performance against objectives Evaluation of marketing performance was done by gathering information measuring customer reactions. This enabled us to analyse and gather invaluable information. This information was used to improve the targeting of our marketing activity. Further valuable information was gained by periodically assessing customers’ feelings and opinions of the organisation and how well their needs are being satisfied, which is collected by customer feedback survey. The information was gained by analysing: †¢customers’ feedback †¢Key focus of appeal? †¢Success in appealing to our targets †¢improvement suggestions available †¢product features promoted †¢benefits of the product promoted Interview questions 1.Overall, are you very satisfied with the way BBQ fun performed on this occasion? 2.BBq fun’s service representatives (CSRs) are well trained. 3.Did service representatives (CSRs) adhere to professional standards of conduct? 4.How often do you typically use the product? 5.How did your Product performed? 6.Overall, how satisfied were you with your new Product? 7.Have you ever contacted customer service? 8.If you contacted BBq fun’s customer service, have all problems been resolved to your complete satisfaction? 9.Considering only your most recent purchase experience, how likely would you be to recommend the purchase of this product to a friend or colleague? Changes in business practices required to meet changing customer requirements 1.In addition to closely located retail stores an online store should be set up for the convenience of the customers. 2. To create provision for providing possible franchise as there has been lot of request for the same. Improvement plan ActionResponsibilityTimeframe Engage information and technology company to discuss, develop and host the retail storeIT Manager31/07/2010 Work out a complete business plan to make available opportunities for offering franchiseBoard of directors and Chief financial officer31/07/2010 Memo To: board of directors, finance department, human resource department, IT department and Marketing executives. From: John Smith, Marketing Manager Date: July 1, 2010 Subject: Changes to the Marketing Objectives Dear All It is to inform all that based on the analysis of the customer feedback process the following recommendations are suggested: ActioncostAdditional revenue Start online retail store$15000.00$45000.00 annually Engage in franchising opportunities$3000.00$5000.00 fixed monthly and 10% of the net profit A detailed modified marketing plan to reflect the actions recommended is attached here with for your kind perusal. You will be informed when a meeting to discuss the details will be organised shortly. Section D Self-reflection Strategies and tactics Direct mail: direct mails contribution was also substantially big. Magazine advertisement: returns from this form were not that high Radio Promotions: worked really well and got the expected revenue even though the cost was substantially higher Team leadership skills Respectful As a quality team leader I was respectful to all team members. A respectful leader I empowered them by encouraging them to offer ideas about decisions that affect them. This informed team members that the i respect their input and opinions. Fair I treated all my team members fairly. I was consistent with rewards and recognition, as well as disciplinary action. I ensured all team members receive the same treatment. Delegation I shared leadership through delegation. Delegating certain tasks to team members allowed me to focus on improving workplace functions and production. Confidence I was confident in my abilities, as well as confident in the abilities of my team members. I was secure in the decisions I made that affected my team. I also reassured team members of my authority within the organization. Integrity I was honest and open with his team members. I gained the trust of team members because I did what I said. I did and treated others, the same way I want myself to treat. Appendix 2: Workplace evidence Individual action summary Team memberJohn Smith Objective:To develop, get it printed and distribute Leaflets in local letter-box drops Description of activities: †¢Design and Develop leaflet †¢Collect quotes for printing †¢Place order for printing †¢Arrange man power for distribution of leaflets †¢Receive printed materials †¢Execute distribution Deliverables:†¢Final design of the leaflet †¢Collecting quote and placing order for printing †¢Receiving printed leaflets †¢Actual distribution of the leaflets Timeframe:01/07/2009 to 31/07/2009 Resources required:Designers, printers, $40,000 Review date:15/07/2009 Reviewed by:Mark BoerDesignation:Vice President Marketing Signature: Dated: 30th June 2010 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN I have immense pleasure in stating that it should go without saying that John Smith is a remarkable marketing talent, with an eye for not only growing his traditional business, but also seeking out opportunities in to expand the business. John has always taken his role seriously and is passionate about his results. Beyond his passion on driving performance, Leif is a natural leader, and fights hard for his beliefs. He’s at his best in a group environment, and is consciously proactive at getting full involvement of all other team members to derive the best results possible. He has a very effective personal style, and will be looked to for continued executive leadership with our Marketing efforts. I have the deepest personal and professional respect for John, and sincerely belief he will bring his unique energy, optimism, passion, and tireless creativity to your class and classroom. He has my highest endorsement. If you have any questions about this recommendation or my endorsement of Leif, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will gladly try to help.

Job Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

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Accident Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 118

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Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues in Business Case Study - 1

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The High Middle Ages Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The High Middle Ages - Research Paper Example Since Latin was the language of the Catholic Church, which dominated Western and Central Europe, and since the Church was virtually the only source of education, Latin was a common language for Medieval writings, even in some parts of Europe that were never Romanized. However, in Eastern Europe, the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Orthodox Church made Greek and Old Church Slavonic the dominant written languages. The common people continued to use their respective vernaculars. A few examples, such as the Old English Beowulf, the Middle High German Nibelungenlied, the Medieval Greek Digenis Acritas and the Old French Chanson de Roland, are well known to this day. Although the extant versions of these epics are generally considered the works of individual (but anonymous) poets, there is no doubt that they are based on their peoples' older oral traditions. Celtic traditions have survived in the lais of Marie de France, the Mabinogion, and the Arthurian cycles. A notable amount of medieval literature is anonymous. This is not only due to the lack of documents from a period, but also due to an interpretation of the author's role that differs considerably from the romantic interpretation of the term in use today. Medieval authors were often overawed by the classical writers and the Church Fathers and tended to retell and embellish stories they had heard or read rather than invent new stories. And even when they did, they often claimed to be handing down something from an actor instead.

Management Information System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Information System - Research Paper Example In this scenario, it can be said that electronic commerce encompasses a number of attributes and entities and it is not limited to only some entities such as the Internet, extranets, intranets, electronic data interchange (EDI), and various others. Some of the well-known instances of e-commerce comprise communications and collaboration with business associates and customers like that inventory management, transaction processing by means of electronic payment, customer self-service like that allowing them to track order status as well as researching problem resolution, and making use of a business intranet for omnipresent information sharing (Fruhling and Digman). Until recently e-commerce has transformed into a completely new form of business. Internet has changed the way people think and carry out their daily routines everyone simply wants to shop and order from their home using their personal computer, all with a single click. Moreover the latest tools and gadgets which are available online have also made life easier and interesting. Presently most businesses have shifted their focus towards utilizing internet for which they are also making use of internal private domestic intranet. Moreover some organizations are trying to formulate methods to protect business to business networks which are regarded as extranets. All this communication infrastructure and business to business network is recognized as electronic commerce. In short e-commerce deals with internal and external services such as purchasing and selling of products and handling payment matters digitally along with smooth execution of business operations and processes (Khurana, Goe l and Singh). For Organizations: Without a doubt, e-commerce eases the business activities for business organizations such as performing transactions and other associated processes. These improvements in business processes have a straight impact on

Management Strategy ( Boeing Corporation) Reseach Case Essay

Management Strategy ( Boeing Corporation) Reseach Case - Essay Example Unfortunately, its test run which was scheduled in this year had to be postponed indefinitely due the supply chain inefficiencies prevalent in the organization. Before the test drive itself, it has 903 orders in hand. (Maynard. M. 2008). On the Military defense front, the company was stripped off many crucial contracts owing to the unethical behavior of the employed staff and is expected to regain its right to bid for future contracts from 2010 onwards. (Wayne. L. 2008). In the cargo flight provider section, the 747 and 777 are the largest available products and the company can bank on this specialty that it can implement the Product Proliferation strategy wherein the customers have a greater cargo space availability facility and as such would be interested in paying the extra price in comparison to the smaller cargo flights. In the commercial vehicle sector, the market leader status which remained till 1993 was lost against Airbus in that year due to the technological advancement of the Airbus’s A-380. (Kotler, Keller, 2006). Added to this, the current economic slowdown is taking its toll on the aviation sector. Hence, great importance has to be given to the pricing of its existing products and especially the new launch – the 787. 787 comes under the prestige product segment but care has to be taken that the company follows the value based pricing strategy as depicted by the organization in the case of its earlier launches so that its customers have to be rest assured of better value for lower price in comparison to its rival’s product. As it is, 787 have an advantage of fuel efficiency which can be taken into consideration while pricing. However, care should be taken that, in the run to gain the market share, it should not quote any bottom level prices that it may have to face supp ly chain difficulties as the product is technically highly

The Ethics of Hate Essay Example for Free

The Ethics of Hate Essay The First Amendment principles of free speech have been under attack since the Amendment came into being. The very nature of speech gives rise to argument because it is a personal undertaking; something that belongs to the individual alone. An individual’s beliefs can not be judged, and speech is an expression of those beliefs. Thus, the question: Is it wrong to allow speech that strikes at the heart of an individual? The hatefulness of speech is a subjective matter that can not properly be defined by government and, therefore is an unreasonable restriction of first amendment rights. The goal of the free speech doctrine is centered upon an ethical debate; that is, how much freedom should be given to citizens of a free society while still providing a protected environment in which to live? (Weinstein 11) The Constitution is very clear on the right to freedom of expression when it states that, â€Å"Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. † However, the interpretation of the First Amendment by the Supreme Court in Schenck v. United States put the first real restriction on free speech when it imposed the qualification that speech could not give rise to a â€Å"clear and present danger† (Weinstein 17). This first restriction led to the rule being broadened to such an extent that it caused suppression of unpopular political speech (Weinstein 19). The Supreme Court later narrowed the rule to outlaw any speech that tended to incite dangerous action. Once again, the rule was abused and often used to stifle minority speech, one of the very groups the Amendment was meant to protect. (Weinstein) So, the dilemma has continued and still rages, especially with regard to â€Å"hate† speech. There is no rational argument that hate is good. Yet, when hate is embodied in open speech, is that speech itself the culprit or the speaker? What is hateful to one person may not be to another, so is it the proper thing to do to censor all speech that is interpreted as hateful by anyone? Most authorities agree that, â€Å"[h]ate speech includes the use of hurtful, biased expression; threats of violence based on sex, race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation; and offensive songs, jokes or events, such as fraternity slave auctions (Miller, and Andsager). Some of these forms of speech are indeed hurtful, even reprehensible, but at the same time they represent a fundamental truth of our society; individual ideas should not be censored because those in authority find them morally wrong or personally offensive (Weinstein 16). Those that would support a ban on hate speech raise the position that it is for the benefit of society as a whole that restrictions should be imposed. They rightfully point out that hate breeds hate and we, as a community, should take the responsibility of seeing that the spread of hateful beliefs is stopped. Cortese states that, â€Å"[s]ocietys mainstream culture, or a subculture, transmits the building blocks of hate speech to children as much at home as throughout the community† (3). While the goal of living in a society free of discrimination, hate and fear is an admirable one, it can not be achieved by curtailing our civil liberties. Neither can it be attained by smothering the best hope for change – the university and college campuses where traditionally the dramatic transformations of societal norms have always taken place. Restrictive speech codes on college campuses have periodically surfaced, usually during times of civil unrest. However, in the late 1980’s there was an alarming number of universities implementing restrictive codes in some form or another. The proliferation of restrictive campus speech codes was wholly unprecedented: never had there been such strong support for punishing offensive speech (Walker 127). There was such a rise of discriminatory behavior on college campuses that the courts began applying cases outlawing a â€Å"hostile environment† for minorities to the Universities. Even the courts realized, however, that campus speech codes could not be all inclusive and acknowledged that [a]cademic freedom sometimes includes the discussion of controversial subjects such as gay marriage, evolution, or affirmative action (Cortese 2). The very core of our democratic ideals is traced to the free exchange of opinions in our educational environments. If free expression of one’s thoughts can not be safely uttered inside the walls of universities, then we have given up the right chart our own futures; and the ideal society that we all strive will no longer exist. Individual rights are the very essence of our democracy. To unreasonably restrict those rights defeats the its every purpose An ethical responsibility to treat everyone in our society with respect and tolerance most certainly exists, but that respect can not just be for the politically correct groups. It also has to be applied to all those who the majority of us despise in order for it to mean anything. Though `hate speech` is harsh and hurtful, it is protected by the First Amendment and therefore, should not be regulated by the government or college campuses.

The resistance of a wire Essay Example for Free

The resistance of a wire Essay For my experiment I will use Constantan, This is because it gave me the widest range of results, so it makes it easier for us users to see and understand whats going on. The thickness I will use will be 32. This is also because it gave me the widest range of results. I also chose this type of wire because it did not get hot very easily. This is a good thing because it will be a fairer test (when temperatures stay relatively the same) and there is less hazards involved. The length of wire I will use- I will use the following lengths of wire-. I think these lengths of wire is suitable for the experiment. 10 lengths is good enough to show us a general pattern. Equipment- -Ammeter -A 1m ruler (to measure length of wire) -At least 8 electrical cables -Voltmeter -Power Supply unit -at least 600cm of Constantan -crocodile clips Method- 1. Connect the electrical circuit as shown in the preliminary work. Make sure all the wires all connected correctly. Note that the voltmeter has to be connected in parallel because it has a very high resistance, current will not be able to go through. 2. Before doing anything else, set the voltage of the power supply unit to 0V. Then turn on the power Supply unit (PSU). 3. Connect the piece of wire of desired length to the two crocodile clips (both ends) 4. Now set the PSU dial to 2. Turn on the Machine. Allow readings to settle then record readings from the ammeter and the voltmeter. 5. Turn of Machine. (avoid the wire getting hot) 6. Do the same adjusting the dial switched to 2, 4 and 6. Change the lengths of the wire each time using the following lengths- 20, 40 60, 80,100, 120,140,160,180,200cm. Record the readings from the ammeter and the voltmeter. 7. Once you have finished all the experiments you have to divide the volts by the current (amps) to find out the resistance. It is explained how to do this in the analysis later. Analysis Analyzing the Graph- From the pattern on the graph, we can tell that my prediction was correct. An increase of length gives you an increase in resistance. This can be seen because the line of best fit is moving upwards while the length of wire is increased. All the points on the graph are almost on the line of best fit, it was very easy to draw the line of best fit. There were one or two points that did not fit the line completely. These were the last two lengths. 180 and 200cm. This could have happened due to some experimental errors. The graph proves that as the length of the wire increases the resistance of the wire increases proportionally. This means that if we double the length of the wire we also double the resistance. How I calculated the results- Resistance = Voltage / Current So for example: Voltage = 0. 51V, current = 0. 15A. Therefore resistance = 0. 51 / 0. 15 = 3. 95? I then averaged all the results (readings on the dial 2, 4 and 6) to come up with a final pair of results which used to plot on the graph. Conclusion- From the graph we can tell that almost all the points are on the line of best fit. The length of wire and the resistance is directly proportion to each other, as in they rise together. If we double the length of the wire the resistance will too double. This proves that the resistance of the wire will vary according to the length and width of a wire. The longer the wire the higher the resistance. The length of the wire and the resistance rise together. The increase in voltage is increasing the amount of energy transferred every second in the circuit. My theory is, if length of the wire increases, there is less chance for the electrons to go through. Most of them bump into the atoms inside the piece of wire, therefore increases resistance. According to my graph my prediction was correct; a rise in length is a rise in resistance. Evaluation Problems encountered- The problems encountered were very mild except for when we were taking measurements for small lengths of wire. The wire got very hot; it was difficult to take readings because the readings on the meters kept on changing in high ranges. How accurate were my results- My results may not have been extremely accurate however when we draw the line of best fit we can see the pattern quite clearly. It is good enough for us to find and interpret a pattern from the line of best fit. The ruler we used may not have been entirely accurate. Also, the voltmeter and the ammeter is limited to 2 decimal places, and are not entirely stable (the readings are always changing). We can only measure an approximate reading. How ever as I said earlier I feel my results are good enough to show us a general idea of what is happening. Comment of the overall experiment- Overall, I feel that the experiment was done in a quite good state. Yes there were 1 or 2 anomalous results; however the line of best fit still turned out as expected. 10 results is good enough for us to draw a decent and accurate line. All in all most points lie very closely to the line of best fit. The line is quite reliable as it turned out as expected (i. e. it matches my prediction) and it also matches the research I had done previously. It shows us a general pattern of the length of wire and resistance being proportional. Things I could have done better- The experiment could have been done much more accurately. I could have used a more reliable ammeter and voltmeter so readings can be more accurate, they can be more stable and corrected to more decimal places, in this case there will be fewer errors in the graph. We could also have used fewer wires. The wires we use have a very slight resistance, therefore affecting the experiment slightly. Besides all this there is not much else we could have done. The experiment could have turned out better if the equipment used was much more advanced (explained above). However as said earlier the results are good enough to show me a general pattern and allow me to analyse what happens.

An Exploration Of Life Orientation Teachers Role

An Exploration Of Life Orientation Teachers Role The literature review in a research study accomplishes several purposes: It shares with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the study being reported. It relates a study to the larger ongoing dialogue in the literature about a topic, filling in gaps and extending prior studies (Coopera, 1984; Marshall and Rossman, 1999). In this chapter, the concept of career skills with particular focus on 21st century careers and their accompanying 21st century skills will be explored, using as reference the work of a number of pioneers in the field of educational research today. The theoretical framework upon which this literature study is based will be introduced; and the role of the educator in developing these 21st century skills will then be explored, with specific focus on the FET life orientation teacher, and the preparation of learners for work and careers in the 21st century. Professional teacher development will also be discussed looking at both local and global initiatives in training teachers as a means to adequately prepare their learners for the 21st century. An in-depth exploration of the Life Orientation Learning area will then be demonstrated, with specific focus on the Life Orientation teachers role in preparing learners in the FET band of the secondary school private learning institutions in Sout h Africa, as intended by the national curriculum statement, for life and careers in the 21st century. In accordance with The Norms and Standards for Educators(2000) all teachers are expected to take on various roles in ensuring the adequate development of their learners (see section.); however, this study has been delimited to life orientation teachers in particular as it is recognised that this learning area makes specific accommodation for these teachers to engage learners in essential 21st century skills and development. In addition, though it is also expected that these skills be introduced to learners in the foundation phase and developed throughout their schooling career, for the purpose of this research study, the FET band (Grades 10-12) will be referred to specifically, as these learners are steadily approaching the world of work and careers in the 21st century, and are in what Erikson (1950,1959, 1968) originally described as the process of identity formation where these individuals consolidate earlier roles, identifications, skills, values, beliefs and talents, both consci ously and unconsciously, in order to successfully prepare for the social roles, relationships, and responsibilities of adulthood (Mahler pg 17). The FET band is therefore deemed by the researcher as a critical phase in career choice, and the most appropriate for the purposes of this study. Theoretical Framework Theories describing career behaviour have been in existence for the past 75 years, and provide the conceptual glue for, as well as describe where, when and for what purpose, career counselling, career education, career guidance and other career interventions are to be implemented. (REF) Various disciplines such as Personality, Sociology, Developmental Psychology, and Differential Psychology have contributed to the development of these theories, the most prominent being the Career Development Theory (Super 1957; 1996). This theory provided a more developmental perspective to the traditional individual differences view of occupations which, according to Super, ignored the longitudinal vantage point from which one can observe how individuals improve their vocational coping repertoires and move into jobs which provide increasingly better opportunities to use their abilities and gratify their needs (Super, 1953 in Savickas 2001:2). It then evolved in accordance with the theorists comprehension of careers, and can be traced in its name changes from the original Career Development Theory to the Development Self-Concept Theory and then to the current Life-Span, Life-Space Theory (Savickas adaptability pg 2). Each name change signified an elaboration of the theory to address more completely the complexity of vocational behaviour in manifold settings across diverse groups (Savickas adaptability pg 2). The life stages highlighted in this theory are as follows: Growth Stage: learning about occupations and developing work habits and attitudes Exploration Stage: learning tasks that will assist in crystallizing and specifying occupations Establishment Stage: developing skills to consolidate and advance in a job Maintenance Stage: decisions are made about whether to remain in a job or move to another job or occupational field Disengagement Stage: planning for retirement (Maree and Ebersohn, 2002 pg 157) Unfortunately Super passed away before integrating the major segments in his own life-span, life-space theory. His work was however continued by his student, Mark Savickas (1989, 1993, 2000), who elaborated on Supers previous work and developed it further, integrating the segments of the life-span, life-space theory and placing more focus on the developmental tasks necessary to master career stages, as opposed to the linear progression across the stages. Such tasks include career exploration, career decision-making, career adaptability, and overcoming perceived career barriers (Maree Ebeersohn, 2002: 158). These challenge assumptions of stability of personal characteristics and secure jobs in bounded organizations No matter how stable individual characteristics might be, the environment and consequently traditional work ethic is rapidly changing. Insecure workers in the information age must become lifelong learners who can use sophisticated technologies, embrace flexibility rather t han stability, maintain employability, and create their own opportunities. These new conceptions of work life recognize that career belongs to the person not the organization (Duarte, 2004). (Savickas et al 2009; pg 239 webpage NEW article). In addition, career stages as defined in extant theories such as Supers Career Stage Theory (1957; 1996 listed above) are mainly shaped by societal needs, and these needs are changing with the rapidly changing environment (Savickas et al 2009; pg 240 webpage NEW article) and the changing nature of work, rendering these stages unrealistic in the order in which they are presented. These changes require workers to develop skills and competences that differ substantially from the knowledge and abilities required by 20th century occupations. Today, occupational prospects seem far less definable and predictable, with job transitions more frequent and difficult (Savickas et al 2009; pg 240 webpage NEW article). As the career becomes more internally defined, stage theory will focus more on internal, individual decision-making processes rather than the relationship of the individual to an employer (Wrobel et al, 2003), with modern theoretical models emphasizing human flexibility, adaptability, and life-long learning. (Savickas et al 2009; pg 240 webpage NEW article). The theoretical framework upon which this study is based is that of Mark Savickas, who termed his approach Career Construction Theory which is rooted in post-modern social constructivism. Social constructivism, strongly influenced by Vygotskys (1978) work, suggests that knowledge is first constructed in a social context and is then taken up by individuals (Bruning et al., 1999; M. Cole, 1991; Eggan Kauchak, 2004); a theory which informs the way in which learners acquire information in the classroom and learning environment. Constructivism is a psychological approach that has developed out of post-modernism, a philosophical stance emphasising the idea of no fixed truth. Followers of this theoretical construct believe that individuals create and perceive their own reality or truth, relflecting a multiculturally diverse world in which different individuals can have their own view of what is real for them (Richard S. Sharf: pg 263) Constructivism in essence implies that: There are no fixed meanings or realities in the world, there are multiple meanings and multiple realities. Individuals create or construct their own meaning/reality of the world through the experiences they have. People construct themselves and the world around them through the interpretations they make and the actions they take. These constructs or perceptions of events may be useful or may be misleading. Individuals differ from each other in their construction of events. Two people may participate in the same or similar event and have very different perceptions of the experience. People are self-organizing and meaning-makers. Their lives are ever evolving stories that are under constant revision. An individual may choose to develop new constructs or write new stories in their life. To be an empowered or fulfilled person requires critical reflection of the assumptions that account for our daily decisions and actions. [Big Picture View of Career Development Theory http://www.ccdf.ca retrieved 26/11/12] Career construction theory provides a way of thinking about how individuals choose and use work. This theory is an extension of Super;s career stage theory, where there is an acknowledgement of how our environments affect our realities and the life role we find ourselves in; yet at the same time, a recognition that we can, and do, occupy various life roles at various stages of our lives. This is not a linear or stable progression, but rather a fluid transition from role to role it is what Savickas refers to as life-long learning. Like Super (1957; 1996), Savickas ( 1989, 1993, 2000) presents a model for comprehending vocational behaviour across the life-cycle (Savckas carrer construction article), but emphasizes flexibility and mobility rather than the traditional vocational models view of careers as representing commitment and stability. While Supers career stage theory proved to be useful at the time, with many people entering jobs and organizations hoping to progress up the corp orate ladder (Maree Ebersohn, 2002:158), the rungs of that metaphorical ladder are fast disappearing in response to deregulation, fewer trade barriers, destabilization, continual technological innovation, organizational downsizing, outsourcing, and flatter governance structures (Mahler, 2008:1). The new job market in our unsettled economy calls for viewing career not as a lifetime commitment to one employer but as selling services and skills to a series of employers who need projects completed. (Savckas carrer construction article) In Western societies, we witness a growing diversity of individual realities, far from the traditional pathways During a major part of the 20th century, individual careers were shaped by prevailing societal norms: first education, then work, and finally family. Social integration and recognition were mainly based upon these systems of reference. Today, people at all ages return to school, obtain training, lose their jobs and get divorced, without necessarily losing social recognition. Co-existence of multiple identities and subjective realities therefore seems to be a natural consequence of such societal evolutions. Savickas is particularly interested in investigating how to live a life in a postmodern world shaped by a global economy and supported by information technology (Life Design Article webpage). His theory focuses attention on adaptation to a series of transitions from school to work, from job to job, and from occupation to occupation. Career construction theory views adaptation to these transitions as fostered by five principal types of behaviors: orientation, exploration, establishment, management, and disengagement. As each transition approaches, individuals can adapt more effectively if they meet the change with growing awareness, information-seeking followed by informed decision making, trial behaviors leading to a stable commitment projected forward for a certain time period, active role management, and eventually forward-looking deceleration and disengagement. (Savckas carrer construction article). In the learning context, this theory emphasizes the importance of the learner being actively involved in the learning process, unlike previous educational viewpoints where the responsibility rested with the instructor to teach and where the learner played a passive, receptive role. According to the social constructivism approach, instructors have to adapt to the role of facilitators and not teachers (Bauersfeld, 1995 in WIKIPEDIA). It is also important for instructors to realize that although a curriculum may be set down for them, it inevitably becomes shaped by them into something personal that reflects their own belief systems, their thoughts and feelings about both the content of their instruction and their learners (Rhodes and Bellamy 1999 in WIKIPEDIA). They are required to be flexible and adaptable, and create a collaborative learning environment known as collaborative elaboration (Meter Stevens, 2000 in WIKIPEDIA), which results in learners building understanding together th at wouldnt be possible alone (Greeno et al., 1996 in WIKIPEDIA). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) (2006) provides a framework within which this 21st century skill preparation can take place. P21 was developed in the United States with the goal of positioning 21st century skills at the centre of 21st century education. P21 is an international organization formed in 2001 with the sponsorship of the United States government and several organizations from the private sector (e.g., Apple Computer, Cisco Systems, Dell Computer Corporation,Microsoft Corporation, National Education Association). P21 recommends the emphasis of a specific set of competences regarded by this framework as learning skills (i.e., information and communication; thinking and problem solving; interpersonal and self-directional skills) the acquisition of which can be best supported by specific pedagogic techniques, such as problem-based learning, cooperative learning, experiential learning, and formative assessment. (REF) This is rooted in social constructivism, a theory strongly influenced by Vygotskys (1978) work, which suggests that knowledge is first constructed in a social context and is then taken up by individuals (Bruning et al., 1999; M. Cole, 1991; Eggan Kauchak, 2004); a theory which informs the way in which learners acquire information in the classroom and learning environment. With emphasis placed on the importance of mentoring and facilitating learners in acquiring the necessary 21st century skills (P21), and ultimately empowering them through active and collaborative acquisition of information (Social constructivism) to navigate their way in a largely unpredictable 21st century work environment, the Career Construction Theory together with the the P21 framework will form the basic theoretical construct upon which this study is based. Careers in the 21st Century What are 21st century careers? In a narrative study defining career success in the 21st century, Elizabeth Mahler describes todays career world as complex and boundaryless (Mahler pg 8). Roles have shifted women are now a significant part of the workforce, in addition to being mothers and wives; entrepreneurs, non-profit workers, the self-employed, culturally diverse workers, and other nontraditional workers in nontraditional settings make up the 21st century workforce (Mahler pg 9). In addition, a longer life translates into extended time in the workforce, accompanied by additonal education, re-visiting of career goals and changing of career paths (Mahler pg 9). Todays life and work environments thus require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. They require what is being referred to today as life-long learning. According to Renck Jalongo (1991), the highest purpose of teaching is to promote those types of learning that encourage children to continue to learn, not on ly inside the classroom but also outside the classroom and throughout life (Renck Jalongo, 1991:3 ROLE OF TEACHER BOOK) This is lifelong learning. Technology will continue to change the world in ways we cannot imagine; and in this increasingly complexworld, creativity and the ability to continue to learn and to innovate will count as much as, if not more than, specific areas of knowledge liable to become obsolete. (COMMISSION ARTICLE PG 5). Employees no longer remain in the same job/position for forty years. Secure lifelong employment in a single job is a thing of the past (Robinson, 2011:6). The ability to navigate the complex life and work environments in this globally competitive information age requires students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills. Technology and the ease with which new skills can be acquired create a need for more career flexibility and innovation. From an economic perspective, workers are now required to command a new set of aptitudes Mere survival today depends on being able to do something that overseas knowledge workers cant do cheaper, that powerful computers cant do faster, and that satisfies one of the non-material, transcendent desires of an abundant age (Pink pg 51). Workers are reacting to these changes by shifting their focus away from organizational careers to more personal roles, more localised and portable sites for vesting the self (Ashforth, 2001 in Mahler pg 1). According to Mahler, this shift in career focus requires an increased capacity for self-direction, the ability to adapt to constantly changing circumstances, and an understanding that identity will continue to evolve as an individual navigates multiple work roles over the course of a career (Ashforth et al in Mahler pg 2). In accordance with the principles of the Chaos Theory which, along with The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) serves as the theoretical framework for this study (see section), individuals are defini ng their career paths within an unpredicatable and changing environment: Workers are increasingly finding that they have to manage their own careers, become more flexible in the sort of work they seek, and be willing to learn new skills throughout their lives (Maree and Ebersohn 2002 pg 155). P21 recognises that in order to ensure the development of these skills and attitudes, learners should be exposed to the following: FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY The ability to be flexible and adaptable is an essential skill in the culturally diverse and nontraditional 21st century workplace. the predictable and stable boundaries of a single organization career are evolving into a less secure, and often boundaryless series of shorter, portable, and transactionally based work roles and relationships (Mahler pg 4). Thus the ability to work in a climate of ambiguity and the ability to adapt to varied job roles in multi-cultural environments [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] is an essential 21st century skill. This is emphasised in Savickass Career Construction Theory, and his focus on Career Adaptability This concept was introduced by Savickas approximately three decades ago, with the intention to replace Supers career maturity stage. This is still a relatively new concept that is still being explored and refined (pg 120) yet Iit has been described by Savickas as the readiness to cope with the unpredicatable tasks of preparing for and participating in the work role and with the unpredictable adjustments prompted by changes in work and working conditions (Savickas, 1997 in Maree 2010 pg 120). It also requires the need to engage proactively in a process of self-development in order to choose suitable opportunities and become the person you want to be (Maree, 2010 pg 120). This is an extension of Supers emphasis on self-concept and the importance of identity formation in vocational development. INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION The concept of life-long learning is emphasised here, again drawing attention to the shift in traditional career roles and opportunities: individuals today can expect to hold five to eight jobs within a working lifetime the traditionally recognised contract between an employee and employer no longer guarantees lifelong employment in exchange for loyalty and performance (Mahler, pg 5-6). Demonstrating both a commitment to learning as a lifelong process, as well as initiative to advance skill levels towards a professional level [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] is a skill necessary to develop self-direction and active management of work roles. The ability to work independently at ones highest level of mastery is also an essential 21st century skill, due to increased competition in the workforce as a result of continual technological innovation, organizational downsizing and outsourcing (Mahler, pg 1). SOCIAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS Social and cultural skills such as conducting oneself respectably and professionally, and responding open-mindedly to different ideas and values [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] are critical life skills required for the 21st century. As discussed in section à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. todays work environment is less predictable than it was traditionally and requires workers to be able to adapt and innovate and collaborate with others effectively. Collaboration requires respect in order to engage in open-minded discussion. PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY Being accountable for ones actions or decisions and behaving in a professional manner are skills that are difficult to teach. These are skills that should be role-modelled, by both parents and teachers. Todays generation of learners is in the throes of the technological era, where roles and values are shifting and changing. Identity formation for adolescents in particular requires dependence on and a critical connection to the social world, while also bestowing on the individual a sense of autonomy and self-determination (Mahler pg 17). It is therefore essential that they are provided with the guidance to find their career path and that they are shown how to manage themselves effectively in the world, displaying the abilities to: -Work positively and ethically -Manage time and projects effectively -Multi-task Participate actively, as well as be reliable and punctual -Present oneself professionally and with proper etiquette -Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams -Respect and appreciate team diversity -Be accountable for results [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY Todays learners are our future leaders, and thus appropriate behaviours and skills such as acting responsibly, inspiring, influencing and guiding others, demonstrating integrity and ethical behaviour [(http://www.p21.org) retrieved on 24/10/12] need to be modelled for them so that they can enter the world of work as selfless role models and leaders. (http://www.p21.org)retrieved on 24/10/12 -21st century skills The skills outlined in the P21 Framework (above) reflect the changing realities of the 21st century , which is frames in the theoretical construct of social constructivism (in section.) and are echoed in the writings of a number of educational researchers and pioneers pertinent to this research, such as Sir Ken Robinson (2009; 2011), Daniel Pink (2005) and John Taylor Gatto (2010) who are the leading voices in 21st century skills and the transformation of the 21st century workforce. Their advocacy has been supported by thorough research in both the education and global economic spheres. Voogt (2008) for example, believes that through information and communication technology, our society has changed from an industrial society to an information or knowledge society, where learning requires collaboration and group work, directed by the learners themselves and facilitated by the teachers (see comparative table in appendix). While in the industrial society the main focus of education was to contribute to the development of factual and procedural knowledge, in the information or knowledge society the development of conceptual and meta-cognitive knowledge is increasingly considered importan t (Anderson 2008). Todays generation needs to be able to think critically and independently in order to function successfully in the 21st century individuals will have to be able to function comfortably in a world that is always in fluxpeople will be faced with greater individual responsibility to direct their own lives (Gato, pg xxxiv). This, Robinson believes, can be attributed to two main factors: the major advances in technology which is referred to by Voogt (2008), Gatto (2011), and Pink (2005) as well as the rapid growth of the world population: this great new mass of humanity will be using technologies that have yet to be invented in ways that we cannot imagine and in jobs that dont yet exist (Robinson, 2009:19). This change has inevitable implications for our education systems (voogt article pg 11) one of which is a need to change curricula so that students develop competences which are needed in the 21st century (Anderson 2008; Voogt Pelgrum, 2005). (VOOGT PG 2) Robinson believes that education has three core purposes: to develop individual talents and sensibilities, to deepen learners understanding of the world around them and to enable them to earn a living and be economically productive (2011, pg 249). In order to achieve this, certain skills need to be developed, namely, flexibility and adaptability (pg 6), entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity (pg 11) good communication skills, team work and collaboration, and self-confidence (pg 69). This corresponds with the skills highlighted by P21 (see table above), which is the theoretical framework upon which this study is based. Other educational researchers and authors, such as Mary Renck Jalongo (1991), agree that Collaboration, cooperation and teamwork, rather than individual achievement, will be the mark of an advancing society (pg 73). The ability to collaborate and effectively communicate with others is a crucial skill in the 21st century, yet the competitive nature of the school env ironment could possibly be preventing the future generation from developing the appropriate and essential collaborative and communication skills that are necessary for successful functioning in the 21st century. These skills, namely collaboration, communication, teamwork, require largely practical and reflexive competencies (see section) they are skills that cannot be studied and tested, but rather experienced, explored and facilitated. Hence the envisaged role of in the context of this study, especially Life Orientation teachers as mentors mediators of learning, interpreters and designers of Learning Programmes (DoE pg. 5) as opposed to deliverers of content and learning outcomes. No longer is it effective for the teacher to take on the role of the painter, who fills in the spaces on a blank canvas, synthetically, producing an image. The teacher needs to take on the role of the sculptor chipping away carefully and gently until the artwork is revealed. (Gatto, pg xxxiv). Daniel Pink (2005) is an advocate for empathy as a teaching strategy and essential 21st century skill in the learning and work environment. Empathy, says Pink, is an ethic for livinga universal language that connects us beyond country or culturean essential part of living a life of meaning (pg 165). Robinson concurs: students are simply not learning the personal skills they need to deal with modern life (2011; pg 78). According to Kathy Beland (2007:69 BOOK 1), social and emotional competence and skills are crucial to success in school, work, and personal life These skills include self-awareness and relationship skills, assisting the individual in recognizing and managing emotions. Education should not be knowledge-based but child-centered (Robinson, 2011:179). This means that the whole child should be developed, not just his/her academic abilities. According to Robinson (2011:179), education should engage [learners] feelings, physical development, moral education and creativity. These authors are emphasising again the shift in skill requirements for the 21st century, and the necessity for personal growth and development over and above content and curriculum knowledge acquisition. The lessons of school prevent children from keeping important appointments with themselves and with their families to learn lessons in self-motivation, perseverance, self-reliance, courage, dignity and love and lessons in service to others, too (Gatto, pg 19). This type of content-based curriculum, with a set body of information to be imparted to students is, Gatto believes, entirely inappropriate as a means of preparing children for their adult roles (Gatto, pg xxiv). What often hap pens in during the school lesson is that teachers tend to become overwhelmed by topic information, leading to lessons that often try to cover too much content, at the expense of depth (resource doc pg 29). The challenge therefore is for teachers to transform their roles. The curriculum is merely a vehicle with which teachers can drive transformation. The Life Orientation curriculum in particular is geared towards both critical and personal development of the learner, as is seen in the learning outcomes table in section it is the role of the teacher to ensure that this development takes place. The essential skill that teachers need to possess, is the ability to adapt the curriculum to the current social, economic and technological environment. As the above-mentioned researchers have demonstrated in their work, The 21st century is an environment that requires very different skills to that of the mid-20th century/Industrial Era, where individuals werlewe relegated to a more passive role , which required some decision making and knowledge of self to ensure an initial fit within an organization or profession, with the organization then actively defining the individuals roles and criteria f or career success (Mahler pg 21). No longer does our economy depend on the mass production of factory workers and craftsmen these positions are now being filled by the computer. No longer does our society require a generation of passive and loyal workers who are unmotivated, lacking in passion and creativity, and fearful of authority workers today need to be flexible, adaptable, creative and prepared for change; able to provide the work environment with skills and values that are unmatched by todays technology and outsourced skills and resources. These 21st century skills generally involve personal and ethical awareness, and motivation driven by passion. Skills that cannot be taught or tested, but rather role-modelled and facilitated by mentors. In order to assess the acquisition of these skills, as intended by the curriculum, the Life Orientation teacher is required to use various assessment methods, such as tests, examinations, projects and assignments (doe 2003, pg. 39), which form part of a continuous assessment (CASS) process  [1]  and are ultimately included in a final portfolio. Although the curriculum makes provision for practical exploration in the FET phase, the majority of tasks are written and content-based. School systems tend to be preoccupied with certain sorts of critical analysis and reasoning, particularly with words and numberschildren everywhere are under intense pressure to perform at higher and higher levels on a narrow range of standardized tests (Robinson, 2009:13). Students abilities to transfer their understandings

Wetland Ecosystem Essay -- Environment, Sustainable Development

1. Introduction Wetland ecosystem is one of the most productive ecosystems on this planet delivering massive goods and services to human society. However, due to poor awareness of their values and underestimation of their contribution, many wetlands have been converted to farmland or urban areas, or influenced by pollution due to agricultural and industrial activities. Consequentially wetland ecosystems have severely declined and degraded globally during the past decades. In order to restore and protect wetlands, hence ensure a sustainable supply of wetland goods and services, it is important to recognize their values. Vital to this is the development of valuation methods that explicitly link wetland values, the capital base of the ecosystem, to the design of policies (Pearce and Atkinson, 1993; Dasgupta and MÃ ¤ler, 2000; Arrow et al, 2004; Maler et al, 2008; Dasgupta, 2010). For a typical wetland ecosystem, its values can be accounted in terms of the populations of its species, fish harvested per day, the amount of carbon stored per year, or the annual number of recreational visits. These are generally categorised as values from wetland production, regulating or cultural services (MA, 2005). Proper and accurate estimation of these values enables comparative analysis of intervention practices and therefore contributes to the improvement of the design of policies (Barbier, 1993; Barbier et al., 1997; Turner et al, 2000). Quality is a critical factor in determining the values of wetlands. A healthy and functioning wetland may provide rich ecosystem services (Zedler and Kercher, 2005; Maltby, 2009). The quantity of the wetland valuation practice has increased in relatively recent years. In the review by Heimlich et al. (1998), 33... ...s. Since the values derived with a benefit transfer method are not strictly primary studies, we therefore deleted those items. Subsequently, the values that are not of a single service, but a total economic value (TEV) or marked as ‘various’, had to be moved from the list for consistence. Finally, 70 data items from 27 articles remain in the analysis. The cross tables based on the data are given in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 shows the relationship between eco-services and wetland types in terms of the number of study cases, while Table 2 shows the relationship between the services and the methods used for their valuation. The most studied services are food and raw materials which happen mainly at wetlands unspecified by the authors or at floodplains; the most used valuation methods are the direct market pricing method, there are 41 data items out of the total 70.

The Watergate Scandal :: President Richard Nixon

Watergate Scandal Watergate was a designation of a major U.S. scandal that began with the burglary and wiretapping of the Democratic party's headquarters, later engulfed President Richard M. Nixon and many of his supporters in a variety of illegal acts and culminated in the first resignation of a U.S. president.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The burglary was committed on June 17, 1972, by five men who were caught in the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate apartment and office complex in Washington D.C. Their arrest eventually uncovered a White House-sponsered plan of espionage against political opponents and a trail of complicity that led to many of the highest officials in the land, including former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell, White House Counsel John Dean, White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, White House Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs John Ehrlichman, and President Nixon himself. On April 30, 1973, nearly a year after the burglary and arrest and following a grand jury investigation of the burglary, Nixon accepted the resignation of Haldeman and Ehrlichman and announced the dismissal of Dean U.S. Attorney General Richard Kleindienst resigned as well. The new attorney general, Elliot Richardson, appointed a special prosecutor, Harvard Law School profesor Archibald Cox, to conduct a full-scale investigation of the Watergate break-in. In May of 1973, the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Activities opened hearings, with Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina as chairman. A series of startling revelations followed. Dean testified that Mitchell had ordered the break-in and that a major attempt was under way to hide White House involvement. He claimed that the president had authorized payments to the burglars to keep them quiet. The Nixon administration immediately denied this assertion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The testimony of White House aide Alexander Butterfield unlocked the entire investigation pertaining to White House tapes. On July 16, 1973, Butterfield told the committee, on nationwide television, that Nixon had ordered a taping system installed in the White House to automatically record all conversations; what the president said and when he said it could be verified. Cox immediately subpoened eight revelant tapes to confirm Dean's testimony. Nixon refused to release the tapes, claiming they were vital to the national security. U.S. District Court Judge Johm Sirica ruled that Nixon must give the tapes to Cox, and an appeals court upheld the decision. Yet, Nixon held firm. He refused to turn over the tapes and, on Saturday, October 20, 1973, ordered Richardson to dismiss Cox. Richardson refused and resigned instead, as did Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus. Finally, the solicitor general discharged Cox.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A storm of public protest resulted fron this â€Å"Saturday night massacre.† In response, Nixon appointed another special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, a Texas

Multigrade: Teacher and Students

| Multigrade teaching involves the teaching of children from two or more grade levels in one classroom. Such contexts requires the employment of particular teaching methodologies and classroom administration. Since Multigrade classes are smaller and can be established more cheaply than complete schools, they can be more numerous, therefore more dispersed and thus located closer to the settlements where the children live. This means both that younger children can attend and that the time children spend travelling between school and home can be reduced to an acceptable level. This in turn means that there is sufficient time outside school hours for the children to continue to contribute to the family's economic activity . Attending school is therefore likely to be more acceptable to the families concerned, and thus both increase the number of children receiving education and reduce the failure rate. Multigrade schools, being smaller and more dispersed, would enjoy much closer links with the smaller communities that they would be set up to serve. This would have a very positive effect on local attitudes and access to education. The professional teacher is a key resource person in the Multigrade context. The local content is a significant part of the curriculum, it is particularly important to resolve the issue of appointing well-trained and locally-oriented teachers. Introduction  1. An average primary school teacher is ill equipped to handle a multigrade classroom situation. 2. The nature of the curriculum and textbooks, which are prepared almost entirely in a monograde context create further problems. 3. Teacher training programmes have not focused on practical issues and techniques for handling multigrade teaching studies. 4. There is no training package for multigrade teachers. The aspects could be;  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time management-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improving teaching skills-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preparation and organisation of the teaching learning materials. –  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Organisation of art and cultural activities. 5. Timetables are not flexible enough. Teachers of MC should have extra preparation time. Teachers assigned to MC should preferable be those who are most willing to teach. In service and information concerning appropriate groupings, classroom organization, instructional strategies and curriculum modification should be provided to principals and teachers. In a MC there is respect for different learning styles. Teachers structure a positive learning environment where children feel successful, develop positive self-concepts and are helpful and sensitive to others. The student benefit from having the opportunity to stay with the same teacher and classmates and experience the same teaching style and routine over a two-year (ore more) period. In a MC there is time to recognize that a childs social and emotional needs are as important as academic needs. Another advantage of more than one year in a MC is the relationship developed between the teacher and the entire family. Students feel they are successful when they are working at their own level and know that everyone should be able to do the same thing at the same time. Each child is accepted at his or her own place on the developmental learning situation. The teacher takes time to assess evaluates and plan next steps for each child. Separate subjects are replaced by an integrated curriculum, which engages children in meaningful activities that explore concepts and topics relevant and meaningful to the lives of the children. In a classroom where all children are learning at different rates and are not all the same age, there is a little competition. By helping each other, students reinforce their own understanding of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Conversations are encouraged as the children talk through their work in progress. These conversations help them understand just what they have learned. Multigrade classrooms take the focus of meeting the needs of the whole group of learners instead meet the needs of each individual student. | I. On the conference on MGT in  1988, organised by UNESCO, five general problems came out:a. Inadequately trained teachers. b. Scarcity of varied levels and types of materials. c. Lack of flexible and special types of curriculum organization. d. Inadequate school facilities. e. Lack of incentives for teachers in multiple classes. II. Multigrade in Vietnam, the problems. a. There is a serious shortage of teachers, especially skilled teachers for MGT. b. Teachers of MGT are working in different isolated conditions. c. The training of teachers for MG classes does not meet the requirement in either quality or quantity. d. Most of the MG schools lack textbooks, guidebooks and reference material. e. Multigrade classes are in very bad conditions. III. What is the principals role in a multigrade chool? a. The principal plays a key-role in creating a supportive school culture. b. The principal, the head teacher must ensure that all teachers feel supported. c. The head must provide teachers with opportunities to learn multigrade teaching methods, monitor the progress of implementation and give the teachers praise, feedback and suggestions. d. The head should be adept at facilitating positive, cooperative interactions among teaching team members. IV. There are definite characteristics of successful multigrade teachers, which should be considered in teacher selection. . Well-organizedb. Creative and flexiblec. Willing to work hard. d. Resource full. e. Self directed. f. Willing to work closely with the community. g. Strong belief in the importance of cooperation and personal responsibility in the classroom with the ability to develop these characteristics in pupils. h. Prior successful experience at the grade levels to be taught. V. Seven general types of activities found in most class rooms:a. Quiet or individual study. b. Testingc. Whole class instruction. d. Partner worke. Group discussionf. Reference work. QUESTIONS/ACTIVITY  1. How will / can you create an enabling and effective teaching- learning environment in a multigrade classroom. 2. How could teachers spend more time on a particular subject or practice work? 3. How can a teacher maintain discipline in a multigrade classroom? 4. Which teaching aids are specific for a multigrade teaching? 5. How can a teacher be enabled to organise the subject matter in the best possible way? 6. How can the teacher understand the gaps in his or her teaching method, and appreciate student needs better? FACTS  1. Multigrade teachers must be trained to give different lessons at the same time to pupils at different grade levels. . Children sit in grade-groups facing their own blackboard (BB)3. If there are two grade groups in the class the BB are placed either end of the classroom with children facing opposite directions. 4. During the lessons the teacher moves frequently between the different groups. 5. Give reading instructions to one grade; give dictation to the other grade. 6. One grade is copying handwriting math exercises from the BB, the other grade will be instructed on a new math item. 7. The extra work involved in multigrade teaching must be recognized by giving teachers  50% additional salary for two rades and  75% for three or more grades. 8. Teachers in multigrade classrooms must receive a lot of support and must meet regularly with teachers from other multigrade schools. | Direct Instruction Direct instruction is highly teacher-directed and commonly used. It is effective for providing information or developing step-by-step skills. This strategy also works well for introducing other teaching methods or actively involving students in knowledge construction. a. Structured Overview  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ organizing concepts and materials in a manner that is easily understood by students. b. Explicit Teaching  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ explicit teaching involves six teaching functions:|  · daily review  · presenting new material  · conducting guided practice  · providing feedback and correctives  · conducting independent practice  · weekly and monthly review| | c. Mastery Lecture  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a method to deliver significant amounts of information in a relatively short period of time. The quality of a lecture may be improved by incorporating audio and visual aids and encouraging interaction between the teacher and the students. d. Drill and Practice  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ structured, repetitive review of previously learned concepts in order to increase level of mastery. . Compare and Contrast  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students look for similarities and differences. f. Didactic Questions  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ tend to be convergent, factual and often begin with â€Å"what,† â€Å"where,† â€Å"when,† and â€Å"how. † These may also include â€Å"why† and â€Å"what if† q uestions. g. Demonstrations  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ teacher shows and tells how to do something. h. Guides for Reading, Listening, and Viewing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ providing leading questions, diagrams, or statements to assist students in focusing on the important ideas within text, lecture, media, or other presentations. A follow-up discussion may assist in summarizing the activity. Indirect Instruction Indirect instruction is mainly student-centred, although direct and indirect instruction can complement each other. Indirect instruction seeks a high level of student involvement in observing, investigating, drawing inferences from data, or forming hypotheses. It takes advantage of students' interest and curiosity, often encouraging them to generate alternatives or solve problems. It is flexible in that it frees students to explore diverse possibilities and reduces the fear associated with the possibility of giving incorrect answers. Indirect instruction also fosters creativity and the development of interpersonal skills and abilities. In indirect instruction, the role of the teacher shifts from lecturer/director to that of facilitator, supporter, and resource person. The teacher arranges the learning environment, provides opportunity for student involvement, and, when appropriate, provides feedback to students while they conduct the inquiry (Martin, 1983). The indirect instruction strategy can be used by teachers in almost every lesson. This strategy is most appropriate when:  | thinking outcomes are desired * attitudes, values, or interpersonal outcomes are desired * process is as important as product * students need to investigate or discover something in order to benefit from later instruction * there is more than one appropriate answer * the focus is personalized understanding and long term retention of concepts or generalizations * ego involvement and intrinsic motivation are desirable * decisions need to be made or problems need to be solved * life-long learning capability is desired| a. Problem Solving  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students work through a situation or problem in order to arrive at a solution. b. Case Studies  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ real life scenarios are presented for analyzing, comparing and contrasting, summarizing, and making recommendations. c. Inquiry  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ as topics are explored, thinking is emphasized as students ask relevant questions and develop ways to search for answers and generate explanations. d. Reading for Meaning  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ information and insight are obtained from written material. e. Reflective Discussion  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ discussion occurs in order for students to understand a concept in more depth. f. Concept Formation  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students are given data about a particular concept. The data is classified or grouped and descriptive labels are given to the groupings. By linking their examples to the labels and explaining their reasoning, students are able to form their own understanding of the concept. g. Concept Mapping  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a word or topic is used to generate other related words. These may be organized in web form. . Concept Attainment  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ examples and non-examples are given to develop an understanding of a concept. i. Cloze Procedure  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students need to supply key words which have been omitted from a passage. Experiential learningExperiential learning is inductive, learner centred, and activity oriented. Personalized reflection about an experience and the formulation of plans to apply learnings to other contexts are critical factors in effect ive experiential learning. Experiential learning occurs when learners:| participate in an activity * critically look back on the activity to clarify learnings and feelings * draw useful insights from such analysis * put learnings to work in new situations (Pfeiffer & Jones, 1979) Experiential learning can be viewed as a cycle consisting of five phases, all of which are necessary:| * experiencing  (an activity occurs) * sharing  or publishing (reactions and observations are shared) * analyzing  or processing (patterns and dynamics are determined) * inferring  or generalizing (principles are derived) * applying  (plans are made to use learnings in new situations) a. Field Trips  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students are given an opportunity to learn by taking part in educational activities that take place outside of the classroom. | b. Conducting Experiments  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students are given a hypothesis to test under specific conditions. | c. Simulations  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the students are presented with an artificial problem, situation, or event which has some aspect of reality. | d. Games  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ these are structured learning activities which have rules and methods of establishing who wins or how the activity ends. | e. Focused Imaging  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students visualize an object, event, or situation. f. Field Observations  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students make observations of naturally occurring events found outside of the classroom. | g. Role Playing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students are presented with a real problem situation and given individual parts or roles to play. | h. Synectics  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ analogies are used to help students compare and contrast topics which appear to be unrelated. | i . Model Building  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students design and construct an object. | j. Surveys  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ are research tools that involve asking questions to a specific group of individuals. The responses are then analyzed. | | | Independent Study Independent study refers to the range of instructional methods which are purposefully provided to foster the development of individual student initiative, self-reliance, and self-improvement. While independent study may be initiated by student or teacher, the focus here will be on planned independent study by students under the guidance or supervision of a classroom teacher. In addition, independent study can include learning in partnership with another individual or as part of a small group. Independent study encourages students to take responsibility for planning and pacing their own learning. Independent study can be used in conjunction with other methods, or it can be used as the single instructional strategy for an entire unit. The factors of student maturity and independence are obviously important to the teacher's planning. a. Essays  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ writing that students do that involves some level of research. Research may be used to support their opinions on a specific topic. b. Computer Assisted Instruction  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ programs which are available to be used on the computer to assist student learning. . Reports  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ enable students to express their knowledge or ideas related to a given topic. These reports may be presented in written or oral form. d. Learning Activity Package  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a planned series of activities for the students to complete. e. Correspondence Lessons  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ lessons that are administered through an outside agency other than the scho ol. Typically this was in print form, but now may involve audio, video, or computer elements. f. Learning Contracts  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ these allow for instruction to be individualized and encourages student responsibility. When students are new to this method, teachers may have to provide a more structured format that includes the learning objectives, some choice of resources, as well as time constraints. As students become more familiar with this method and more independent, increased responsibility can be given to the students. g. Homework  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ assignments and activities that are to be completed away from the school. h. Research Projects  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ these projects contain some elements of research and may be conducted individually, with a partner, or in small groups. i. Assigned Questions  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ questions that are given to the students to complete individually or in small groups. j. Learning Centres  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ stations are set up in the classroom which include tasks or activities that may need to be completed individually or in a group. Interactive instructionInteractive instruction relies heavily on discussion and sharing among participants. Students can learn from peers and teachers to develop social skills and abilities, to organize their thoughts, and to develop rational arguments. The interactive instruction strategy allows for a range of groupings and interactive methods. It is important for the teacher to outline the topic, the amount of discussion time, the composition and size of the groups, and reporting or sharing techniques. Interactive instruction requires the refinement of observation, listening, interpersonal, and intervention skills and abilities by both teacher and students. | a. Debates  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students are divided into two groups. Each group is assigned a side of an issue to defend. After developing arguments for their side, students present new information or introduce rebuttals for information presented by their opposition. b. Role Playing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a topic or theme is chosen and relevant concepts are identified. A concept is selected which involves a compelling issue and adequate roles for everyone. A key question from the concept is chosen and possible viewpoints are discussed. Situations and viewpoints are chosen and students are assigned roles to play. | c. Panels  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students are divided into small groups. Each studen t individually presents information to the rest of the class. The panel is run by a moderator. | d. Brainstorming  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ as many ideas as possible are suggested. All ideas are recorded with no criticism or evaluation permitted. | e. Peer Practice  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students practice what they have learned with a peer. | f. Discussion  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ familiar material is used for discussions. The problem or issue can be one that does not require a particular answer or one where it is important for students to discover an answer. Opinions must be supported. Discussion should conclude with consensus, a solution, clarification of insights gained, or a summary. | g. Laboratory Groups  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ groups of students in a laboratory setting. | h. Co-operative Learning Groups  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ small groups of students, usually two to six members, share the various roles and are interdependent in achieving the group learning goal. | i. Problem Solving  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ real life problems are presented to the students to solve. The teacher, acting as a facilitator, encourages the students to use an â€Å"If . . . , then . . . , because . . . † method of solving the problem. | j. Circle of Knowledge  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ small groups of students sit in a circle to think and discuss information. The ideas from each small circle are then shared with the rest of the class. | k. Tutorial Groups  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ groups set up to offer remediation. This remediation may be done by the teacher or a peer. | l. Interviewing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ students familiarize themselves with the topic of the interview and create questions to ask the interviewee. Interviews usually take place face-to-face. | Cooperative teaching:  According to Bauwens and Hourcade (2001), cooperative teaching refers to a direct form of collaboration in which a general educator and one or more support service providers voluntarily agree to work together in a co-active and coordinated fashion in the general education classroom. These educators who possess distinct and complementary sets of skills, combine roles and share resources and responsibilities in a sustained effort while working towards the common goal of school success for all students. Collaborative teaching, where two educators take responsibility for planning, teaching, and monitoring the success of all learners in a class, looks different from day to day and classroom to classroom. Why? Collaborative teaching, when done right, is a dynamic process that educators constantly reconfigure to fit their instructional plans and the learning needs of their students. team teaching  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a method of coordinated classroom teaching involving a team of teachers working together with a single group of students didactics,  education,  educational activity,  instruction,  pedagogy,  teaching  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill; â€Å"he received no formal education†; â€Å"our instruction was carefully programmed†; â€Å"good classroom teaching is seldom rewarded† Peer Teaching Practice in which students take on a teaching role in a school setting in order to share their knowledge with other students. multi-grade teaching   ‘ technique of simultaneously teaching more than one grade by a single teacher’.