History assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History - Assignment Example eror got to the conclusion that the Byzantium was too weak to take its lost territories by itself and appealed to the Christian states of Western Europe for help. The assistance and the process of gathering the states to deploy the call to help the Byzantine Emperor by the Christians and other Christian stares was the beginning of the crusades. The report by the Byzantine to the Pope requesting the aid to bring back the lost territories revealed to the Pope that the Orthodox Church and the Eastern Empire were weak. he thought that if he sent assistance he could possibly reunite the churches under his authority. The process of preaching the peace and the need for reunion through France was through the crusades (Shepkaru 4). After the launch of crusade by Pope Urban, the armies left and captured Jerusalem and the Muslims were displaced. They captured the lands around Jerusalem. They curved the lands and made small kingdoms for themselves and this just lasted for a while. Most of the European leaders got strong grid and gained influence of the land to form stable governments. Christians re-founded the humanity of Jesus as the veneration of the artifact became more popular: however, some of the Christians lost their properties, lives and loved ones (Shepkaru 14). Reformations in the religious sectors were caused by the corruption of the church. The Catholic Church involved itself through the leaders to corruption by selling the indulgences and nepotism. The questioning of the church traditions by the Renaissance Humanism, which challenged the pope over the virtues of salvation and his take on the same also led to reformation of Christianity. The influence of the religious reformers who questioned and revoked the sacraments while focused on the purpose of communicating with God also gave the proof that more were hidden in the church and compelled people to reform from the Catholic Church (Perkins 3). The spread of the ideas of the reformers were through the book

Nursing Conflict Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing Conflict Management - Essay Example The article entitled â€Å"A literature review of conflict communication causes, costs,The article entitled â€Å"A literature review of conflict communication causes, costs,benefits and interventions in nursing† written by Brinkert (2010) which was published in the Journal of Nursing Management proffered pertinent   issues relative to presenting a review of related literature on the subject of conflict communication. The article was replete with presenting relevant issues about conflict in the nursing profession. Since the author presented a literature review, he used authoritative secondary sources of previous studies and researches that discussed the causes, costs of unmanaged conflict, the benefits of normal conflict communication, as well as the identified strategies which were deemed most effective in addressing conflicts encountered by nurses. One of the most relevant findings was stated as â€Å"while conflict cannot be entirely eliminated from nursing, particular sources of destructive conflict may be decreased or eliminated† (Brinkert, 2010, p. 151). Likewise, the author revealed that conflict communication is a facet in the nursing profession that remains underdeveloped. The content is highly beneficial to nurse managers in terms of its extensive and comprehensive content that included determining the origin, nature, causes, costs and other interventions and strategies that would be helpful in resolving conflict within the nursing profession.

E-commerce travel industry

E-commerce travel industry Introduction According to Keith Blois, (2003), in recent years, increasing numbers of businesses have been using the Internet in their marketing efforts. The Internet is unique because it is both a market and a medium. This means that it can efficiently assume a multi-channel role by serving as a computer-mediated market in which buyers and sellers access each other, and as a medium to conduct and execute business functions such as marketing, sales, and distribution. Many e-commerce principles were pioneered by the travel industry. These include the first business-to-business electronic information exchange and industry-wide electronic marketplace. This environment provided unprecedented opportunity for operations research (OR) modeling. Travel companies continue to derive billions of dollars annually from these and derivative models. The availability of reliable, low-cost communications via the Internet is not only providing new modeling challenges within the travel industry, but it is also providing similar opportunities in other industries [1]. Tourism industry is one of the most competitive industries within the economic environment. Within industrys boundaries actors have more or less recently and with significantly different patterns of action undertaken efforts to achieve an integration of the internet platform and its applications. In this section, we explore the effects of electronic commerce and its potential for competitive advantage f or airline industry by using Michael Porters seminar work on industry analysis as a framework.  § Website Comparison www.travel companiesocity.com: The moment I visit the Travel city site -the first page gives me the impression that my country, Sultanate of Oman is not there in listed? And I dont like it that my country is not listed here. Moving in to the website with this sad feeling in mind that my country is not listed we go ahead to log in to one of the global sites as they say, the nearest country, and the company wants to say too many things in one go to the customers and this is something that is difficult to digest for the first time visitors. The first-timer is very confused to be able to relate to all the features in the website. Though the regional flavor and link through the local site helps it is difficult to do a very high level of localization of the content to cater to all the segments of the market www.southwest.com The look and feel of this website is a lot cleaner than other travel companies website for instance in Travel city. The most important feature that this website it that most of the commonly used menus are neatly tucked inside the main menus and just on the movement of the mouse they unfold in to the options. This is a very good feature that helps maintain the clean looks and still does not compromise on the functionality www.Adrenalin.com This Polaris group company that is selling the HR software is using the website more for servicing functionalities The overall framework: Generating demand Ordering Fulfillment Processing payments Service and support Security Community Regardless of which business model travel companies adopt, to be successful, travel companies need to understand how the Web and e-commerce affects their business [2]. Travel companies need to develop an overall strategy covering: strategic management, IT infrastructure, design, content, e-commerce systems, marketing and customer service. Travel companies also need to be creative and entrepreneurial. As every entrepreneur knows however, you will only be truly successful if you provide genuine value to your customers and solve a problem for them. As it is evident from the above list that its easy to navigate through the website by following the links. Its user friendly and the home page of the airlines gives a glance of the services provided by them and the beautiful destinations and the activities which can be performed. It also gives the information about the hotels and resorts in each destination. All the document or equipments requirement for all the situations is also mentioned i n the website e.g. when traveling with pet, traveling with children, baggage rules etc. Over all it gives every possible information to the passengers they might need to make their travel plan and during their stay at various destinations. Sources of Competitive Advantage Travel companies do conform to those which Porter describes: Cost Leadership, Differentiation and Focus. The proposition is that travel companies that can successfully work in one of these areas will be able to establish and sustain a competitive advantage.  § Cost Leadership Travel companies can generate significant cost savings by sending tickets, newsletters, quotes, and other documents via Internet, rather than by post or facsimile. Travel companies can use Web site to publish in a cost-effective way public domain documents such as annual reports, product brochures, positions vacant, contact details and other important Travel companies information. Travel companies can save on the cost of running â€Å"bricks and mortar† outlets and can reach global markets without having to develop a physical global distribution network. Most importantly, Travel companies can save on customer service costs by enabling customers to serve themselves. One of the American Travel companies CEO said that the Web site is playing a major role in mitigating the rise in unit costs affected by high fuel prices. Its 10 times cheaper to deliver to customers through the online service than through a travel companys agent and costs 5 times less than using travel companiess own reservation staff. The booking cost per passenger online is well under $1, and is scaling down even further. He said Internet use by passengers was helping the carrier keep fares at low discount levels [4]. Massive investment in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) information systems is expected to translate into important cost savings in procurement, sales, billing and other support activities. The travel companiess fully automatic ordering system, for example, should reduce order processing costs by 90%. [5].  § Differentiation E-ticketing the issue of a booking code at the conclusion online transition that replaces the traditional travel companies ticket. E-ticketing seems to be a win-win solution for the travel companies business. It offers the travel companies the chance to make considerable savings in both trade terms as well as in invoicing and internal accountancy procedures. Moreover, it helps to fight the downward profit spiral that has affected the industry for years. Secondly, it is very attractive to customers, who may benefit from a service offer both technologically advanced and of high intrinsic value.  § Focus The travel industry gives us a perfect example of successful Focus strategies that is the so-called â€Å"Integrated Operators† of the travel business. FedEx, the integrated cargo carrier, was the pioneer. Having developed a very efficient and fully computerized system for tracking individual parcels anywhere on its network it took the next logical step. In 1994, through its website, it allowed its customers to book and pay for its services without restriction via the Internet [6]. The e-Commerce infrastructure developed by travel companies allows collection and central storage of sales and marketing data. Travel companies use this data to drive decision support tools for planning and marketing.  § The Business Theories and concepts: The old pillars and new meanings The Laudon and Traver framework 2005 is very elaborate explaining the different pillars that have contributed to the development of the E-Commerce framework. This framework at the very top of the list has E-Commerce application that can be used for the development of businesses in the future. These applications may seem at the outset like out of a science fiction book but are indeed realities. The disintermediation and Reintermediation: The travel agents for example it was believed that will lose their jobs when more people are interested on online business but interestingly the use of these web-enabled features have only increased the use and conveniences of these businesses. For example two of the three websites that have been taken up for analysis by our group are Travel websites. These are supposed to wipe out the businesses of the intermediary called the travel agent but interestingly, these have added to the convenience of the travel agent hence creating a new intermediary. The Grover V and J Teng (2001) model of the infomediaries and information flow model gives a more clear idea about the various channels that carry information between the buyers/sellers and the infomediaries. The Themes: Hence the themes that came up to us were the B2C models and we were interested in looking specifically at the travel related websites. There was one website travel that we could not get an approval for but the group was happy to consider the business model of B2C B2C: The group was of a very uniform opinion that the websites have to be B2B only since some of the data that was spoken about were like $ 250 billion revenue in 2005 from B2B as against 6.3 trillion in B2C. Although the difference is huge the group came to a strong consensus that the gap will be bridged and it will be worth pursuing with all the hopes for new business models in the future happening in the B2C segment rather than the B2C segment. The death of the Physical travel agent or the focus on creation of new intermediaries Considering the new intermediaries that are being evolved because of the e-business it is was discussed if the websites will wipe away the travel agent. But the discussion pointed in the direction of all websites have been playing a supportive roles in the B2C front and the travel agent themselves are using these websites to help customers and give them a better service. The Adrenalin.com website that sells software has been using the site to reach out to the resellers as well. In a business where there is a very high connectivity on the internet, this is a unique feature that this company is using it build customer loyalty as well as expand the channel of distribution.  § The criteria for evaluating the websites: Adrenalin South West Travelocity Site Design 6 8 6 Navigation 6 8 6 Customer Interface 9 7 7 Business Model 8 7 6 Criteria Explanation Navigation Is it easy for visitors to find their way around the site? Does the site comply with three click rule? Consistency Are design elements, especially look and feel, consistent from page to page? Will the website and contents appear the same on all visitors screens? Performance How long does it take for the page to appear? Doest site comply with the 12-second rule? With the 4-second rule? Appearance Is the site aesthetically pleasing? Does the sites look and feel express the companys desired image? Is the site easy to read, easy to navigate and easy to understand? Quality Assurance Do the site calculators, navigation links, visitors registration process, search tool etc. wok properly? Are all the dead links fixed promptly? Is the site available for the full service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Interactivity Does site encourage the visitor to play an active role in learning about the businesss products or services? Are all appropriate contact details available on the Website so that visitors can submit feedback and ask questions? Security Is the customer information protected? Does the customer feel safe in actions such as submitting credit card information? Scalability Does the site design provide a seamless path for enhancements or upgrades in the future? Will site growth and increased usage protect the initial investment in the site construction? The Criteria for assessment were selected after deliberations on how the customer will view the details of the site. The criteria customer interface was included to assess how the company was recording the details of the customer traffic and recording them in to usable database. In the case of Southwest it was very clear that the website is a place for building the loyalty programs of the airlines. The Adrenalin website is a good place with its feature of blog, for all troubleshooting and technical whitepapers How Web Site Visitors Evaluate â€Å"Content† Criteria (and related â€Å"subcriteria†) Explanation Relevance (applicable, related, clear) Concerned with issues such as relevancy, clearness and â€Å"goodness† of the information Timeliness (current, continuously updated) Concerned with the currency of the information Reliability (believable, accurate, consistent) Concerned with the degree of accuracy, dependability and consistency of information Scope (sufficient, complete, covers a wide range, detailed) Evaluates the extent of information, range of information and levels of details provided by the web site. Perceived usefulness (informative, valuable, instrumental) Visitors assessment of the likelihood that the information will enhance their purchasing decision How Web Site Visitors Evaluate â€Å"Web Site Design† Criteria (and related â€Å"subcriteria†) Explanation Access (responsive, load quickly) Refers to the speed of access and the availability of the website at all times. Usability (simple layout, easy to use, well organized, visually attractive, fun, clear design) Concerned with the extent to which the website is visually appealing, consistent, fun and easy to use. Navigation Evaluates the links to needed information. Interactivity (customized product, search engine, ability to create a list of items, change the list of items and find related items) Evaluates the search engine and personal features (e.g. shopping cart) of the website. Recommendation: Website should be more informative. It should be easy to navigate through various pages even for the new online users. Since the Travel Agency is providing lot of services and products for its customers so must have â€Å"Search† function should have drop down menu so that even the customer who are not aware about all products and services of the Travel Agency can get information about it. May be it will help the Travel Agency to have more customers as sometime customers are not aware about all the products offered by the Travel Agency. As it is clear from the financial report of Travel Agency which is available on website that the latest report is not available i.e. for third quarter. So it should be taken care that the website is updated regularly.

Blogs and the Blog Revolution Essays -- Internet Online Communication

The Blog Revolution Our history is littered with advancements in writing and communication technologies that have had profound and long lasting effects on our modern society. One need only look back five centuries to the time shortly before the advent of the printing press to see a time when towns were so isolated that even news from their closest neighbors were rare and the sight of a book outside of a church was even less common. Yet 100 years later the total number of books in existence, and the spread of information and ideas alongside, had increased explosively (Burke). The invention of the printing press was undoubtedly one of the most significant advances in communications in modern history. Recently, a similar revolution has been taking place, but this time it has spread across the globe at a much faster speed. We all know this revolution as the Internet, and though it is still relatively young, no one will refute the claim that it has already had sweeping effects upon our society. However, the Internet is not a specific tool, rather it is a means for which other tools can be employed. The earliest and most widespread of these is E-Mail, but no less popular are instant messaging programs, news and personal websites and even discussion forums. Each of these can be said to serve their own unique function and some can even be said to have influenced the way people write. A newer tool has recently arisen as well, most commonly known as blogging software. This software takes the form of an online journal accessible to anyone who cares to view it. These blogs, however, seem to try to accomplish the same function as several of the pre-existing and more widespread tools, and it is for this reason that I do not believe tha... ...action as many other tools already do, is in fact a niche technology. For, as mentioned, some people do wish for a place to be the focus and let their thoughts be known to the rest of the world. This is evident by the fact that blogs and personal websites exist all over, even though they may never be as popular in readership or participation as the other technologies. So, though I do not believe that blogging software will ever become as widespread as its older cousins, it does serve a small niche of people with exactly what they're looking for. Works Cited Mitchell, William J. "Homer to Homepage: Designing Digital Books." Rethinking Media Change. Ed. David Thornburn, and Henry Jenkins. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2003. 203-215. Burke, James. "Communication in the Middle Ages." Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, and Heyer. 74-82.

Reforming, Transforming and Conforming Essay

In this essay I will discuss the comparisons and differences of the three models of theory and learning as identified by MacNaughton, Conforming, Reforming and Transforming (MacNaughton, 2003). This essay will look at how these theories are explained and can be applied individually or together within the learning pedagogy. My discussion will be of a reflective nature and include how I have understood these three models in relation to the early childhood learning environment and how I may relate them to my own developing education philosophy. Each theory will be discussed with a focus on one or two particular theorist. For Conforming I will look at theorists from both the nature and nurture perspective, Gesell and Skinner. The Reforming component of the paper will reflect on constructivist theorist Vygotsky and Psychodynamic theorist Erikson. Conforming I have defined the conforming model of learning as children learning in a traditionally accepted way where they will progress through stages of development according to either their biology or their environment. The methods of the educator are not questioned by the children who are being instructed as passive learners on their journey through childhood to become adults who fit in comfortable to the mould that society expect. Another definition is â€Å"complying with the existing practices, rules, traditions and understandings† (MacNaughton, 2003, p. 121) There are two main developmental theories associated with the conforming model, they are Maturationism (Nature) and Behaviourism (Environment). Conforming theorists have investigated the concept of children learning due to their genetic makeup or their environment. A theorist who conferred with the nature debate was Arnold Gesell (1880-1961) who viewed the child’s development from a biological perspective as pre-programmed according to how Mother Nature has determined after many years of evolution. Development will unfold in line with the child’s maturation and learning will be best achieved with little interference from adults. I like what Thelen, Adolph and Karen had to say regarding Gesell’s theory in relation to learning, â€Å"Society and the family must provide children with an environment that allows the inherent growth potential of each child to be fully and optimally realized. The whole purpose of developmental norms was to identify the individual status of each child so as to guide children more suitably to optimal growth. The environment must be precisely tailored to fit the child’s capabilities† (Thelen & Adolph, 1992, p. 368). What I have taken from the nature debate is that it is a theory that still cares very much for how children are educated. It is motivated by giving children enough support within their environment that is appropriate for the child’s current capabilities. They see a child will develop in a sequence of stages that will not be impacted by their environment. I see this approach becoming a stronger focus in education today through Naplan testing and the movement in Australia towards a National curriculum. What scope does this give a teacher to educate children outside this conformist approach? My daughters teacher made a comment to me recently about what a busy term they have had and said they really need to get down to business so they have done something concrete as it’s nearly report writing time. Upon reflection I was very happy with what my child had done this term, with excursions to meet other students at bigger schools to experience and participate in dramatic play, a wonderful opportunity to visit a shelter for abused animals, speak with one of the traditional land owners where her school was built, participate in a cross country running event with another smaller school providing further social experiences with new people. Yet all these wonderful experiences do not allow her teacher to tick all the boxes of required learning as it seems she is required to do. I wonder what Gesell would think of where education has come today. I find a discrepancy in what Gesell suggested that all children will develop differently depending on their maturation which will in turn impact our culture in different ways, and that culture will need to adapt to these variants in children’s development (MacNaughton, 2003). Yet so many years latter it doesn’t seem like that has happened at all. It seems to me that our culture (predominantly politically as far as I’m concerned) is demanding through Naplan testing that all students should be measurable at the same age according to their academic performance. In contrast to Maturation theory, a Behaviourists’ approach views the child’s environment as imperative and directly related to their development – which also occurs in stages. Behaviourists believe that children are born as a blank slate, meaning their mind has no inherent structure and can be filled by their society (or environment). Learning commences from birth onwards, for example from your parents, television, friends and many other direct environmental influences. All behaviour is observable and measurable and is universal. In stark contrast to a Psychodynamic view, Behaviourist believes the mind is not the key to acquiring knowledge; their external environment in which they live is (Faryadi, 2007). With this understanding it becomes clear why curriculum goal setting under a Behaviourist conforming profile is recommended to occur at the commencement of planning, prior to the educator even meeting the children (MacNaughton, 2003). There is no need for individualised programming based on what knowledge the children may be bringing along with them. They will learn according to what is provided under the direction of the teacher. There have been a number of theorists that have had an influence on this approach, some that have created a learning environment for animals in their study such as Pavlov (1849 – 1936) and Skinner (1904 – 1990). Pavlov contributes to the behaviourist approach with his theory on classical conditioning and BF Skinner with operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is when people learn by association, and operant conditioning is when we learn to behave in a certain way because of either positive or negative reinforcement (McDevitt, 2002). Again the psychodynamic approach would disagree with the behaviourists approach as it does not take into account the unconscious mind and just focuses on external observable behaviour. Now that I have a firmer understanding of both Maturationism and Behaviourism I can imagine these philosophies used in an early childhood environment. In fact I feel quite sure the conforming profile was very dominant in my own Pre-school and Primary school years. I remember being taught by rote and the feelings of inadequacies? pressure and assault on my self esteem. These feelings were all generated when it was time for tables and I thought, what if I get it wrong, please let it be a sum I know. It took all my efforts to stop myself from crying just because I had to stand up in front of the class, I had no energy left to remember my tables. Is there an easier way to for children to learn their tables? I believe there is a place for rote learning and tables is one of them. However, the culture of the setting could adopt pedagogies that are going to reform the learning from a teacher directed one way dialogue to two way with interaction on a more personal level with the learner. My experience of rote learning was always indoors with tables and chairs set up in pairs. The pairs were the same for the term (of course unless you were a ‘naughty’ child and would then be moved to the front row directly in front of the teachers desk). I wonder would my rote learning have been enhanced if I had more mental and physical control of my situation. I believe the answer is yes. Some temperaments may flourish in that environment, but as a child, I was not one of them. However, put me in a small group and enable peer support I truly think my learning experience would have been different. As cited by MacNaughton Australia is one of many ‘multicultural, multiethnic and multifaith societies’ (MacNaughton, 2003, p. 145) It is concerning to me that a Eurocentric approach to learning could still be used in some schools, thereby supporting the majority at the expense of marginalising the minority. As my own teaching philosophy is emerging I think there are parts of the conforming model that I would implement. I have an interest in Skinners operant conditioning but haven’t quite thought out how I could apply it. I do have some issues with this on what is equitable for all children. An example of this would be using rewards such as extra computer time for an anxious child who had difficulty sitting through a literacy block. If the child is able to do this he / she will be rewarded. What will the children who continuously try very hard to sit through every learning block be rewarded with? What is equitable for these children? That is my main dilemma, yet I will continue to ponder point as I sense it is something I could learn more about. I am hoping I will see some good example of this theory in use at my upcoming professional experience. Reforming A reforming model of learning includes theories such as Constructivism, Psychodynamic and Neuroscience. For the purpose of this reflective paper I will concentrate on Constructivism and Psychodynamics using theorists Vygotsky and Erikson. The initial differences I see with this model of learning from a Conforming model are how they view the learner as an active participant as opposed to a passive one. To understand it in my own mind I define a reforming learner as someone who will put what they are learning with previous information to form their own meaning. MacNaughton defines Reforming as â€Å"improving something through changing it† (MacNaughton, 2003, p. 40) Vygotsky was a Constructionist who saw the learning environment as essential to learning as did the Behaviourist, however Vygotsky saw the environment as the tool for learning through sociocultural experiences. Interpersonal communication experienced through social interaction necessitated the child’s thinking and behaving (Berk, 2006). Vygotsky like Gesell saw development as stage based, yet the stages may vary depending on the social environment the child is exposed to. A child’s social interactions provide them with the learning needed to further develop language and stimulate their transition through stages of cognitive development for thought and behaviour. What appeals to me about Vygotsys theory is that it depends on children learning from more experienced members of their community (such as teachers or other students) through scaffolding (Berk, 2006). What does it imply for those children who are not given access to a high degree of social experiences and interactions? Are the destined for a future with poor language / communication skills? If Vygotsky viewed language development as the foundation for cognitive development does this make them less intelligent or give the appearance of low intelligence? Again I must raise my earlier point about my childhood fear of standing in front of the class during rote learning. If the principles of reforming and conforming learning profiles had been amalgamated I think a more positive outcome would have resulted for me. It comes quiet naturally for me to adopt a Vygotsky approach when working with young children so will certainly be incorporating it into my philosophy. I like that children can help children learn and that it has a strong focus on the interactions of play. Again we see a stage based theory this time from Erikson. Erikson formulated eight stages that span from birth to late adulthood. In each stage, Erikson described what made the specified ages so important, for example: the first stage is called Trust vs. Mistrust (from birth – 1 year) Second stage is Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-3 years) Stage three is Initiative vs. Guilt (from 3-6 years old) (McDevitt, 2002). I feel quite comfortable with Erikson (yet not so with his earlier counterpart Freud) and Skinner. Unlike Freud, Erikson placed some emphasise on societies role in the development of an individual’s personality (MacNaughton, 2003). Erikson also acknowledges the individuals cultural influence will directly impact development. For example what occurs in northwest American Indian tribes will affect the development of their children differently to other cultures (Berk L. 2008) I can relate this theory to my own personal beliefs regarding my own childhood and upbringing and that which I am trying to foster for my children. As an individual and mother I have strong opinions regarding the value and importance of my family, community and environment and how they directly impact each other and my children’s developing personalities and how they feel about themselves. A critical reflection of myself upon the completion of this subject sees me sitting within a reforming model of learning. My personal values as mentioned above influence how I relate to Eriksons psychodynamic view as I think he is a theorist who really fosters questions like, who am I, and what is my place in society? Vygotsky supports my feelings of how I can support cognitive development through children’s environment and social world. Yet, I still don’t think these theories complete my philosophy. My life is lived through a complex network of structures so therefore I see development from an ecological systems perspective (Bronfenbrenner 1917 – 2005) as well, so will affiliate it to my philosophy too. Another theorist that I think fits under the reforming model is Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development and Education. I know as an educator I will be concerned with the issue of moral development and will pursue further knowledge to assist my understanding. What I have initially taken from Kohlberg is that â€Å"This teaching practice is based on the assumption that there are no single, correct answers to ethical dilemmas, but that there is value in holding clear views and acting accordingly. In addition, there is a value of toleration of divergent views. It follows, then, that the teacher’s role is one of discussion moderator, with the goal of teaching merely that people hold different values; the teacher does attempt to present her views as the â€Å"right† views† ( (Nucci, 2008, p. http://tigger. uic. edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview. html) Transforming My understanding of the Transforming model of learning would be defined as a theory that advocates for children’s rights for the future through challenging traditional practice. As a transforming educator you would be prepared to take risks and endeavour to shatter opposing thoughts that are not equitable to their cause. I imagine being a transforming educator would require a tremendous amount of physical and emotional energy, and resilience. A more analytical definition might refer to the model as interested in looking at the knowledge we have to ascertain if it is biased and critically questioning and assessing whose interest are being served. This may lead to changes in the fundamental delivery of education which results in better social justice for a specified society (MacNaughton, 2003). The Transforming model is an umbrella term that incorporates three different theories, they are; Social Constructionists and Postmodernists, Feminism (including Feminists Poststructuralists), Critical race theorists and Postcolonialists (MacNaughton, 2003). For this essay I will focus on Social Construcitionists who are concerned with how behaviourist or structuralits theorist conduct their research and how it directly impacts educators. They find criticism in the fact that these theories are dominated by male middle class men, due to the implications for marginalisation of certain aspects of society, for example women, cultural perspectives such as eastern philosophies or indigenous stories (Fenton, 2011). Of all the models looked at during my research and study in this subject I felt most confronted by Transforming. I think that’s largely because I am not very good at thinking outside the square, yet when I try to get my head around this model I am forced to look beyond my own conservative and safe nature. As a student and a future educator I see myself as a person of compassion who doesn’t like to see social injustice or a children being marginalised, so feel like I should have been able to connect more with this model. However, with this in mind I did feel like I could relate more to Social Construcitionists theory due to their philosophy of power with not power over, which is unique to the other theories I have discussed so far. The implications of this for me as a future teacher are that I must be prepared to view myself, and show by example that I am still a learner and prepared to change as I acquire new knowledge. As a mother there have been times when I have seen children treated unfairly by an adult (and some teachers) who holds the balance of power (and I’m sure have done so myself with my own children). I have questioned why the adult feels they don’t have to apologise to the child for this action and conclude that it would be seen as disempowering themselves. This attitude could be explained as one where the child is viewed as â€Å"becoming adult† (MacNaughton, 2003, p. 5) and therefore the adults role is one of privilege and the child’s is oppressed. Next time I experience this I wonder will I be courageous enough to rock the boat? As a learner teacher who is still trying to establish what my philosophy will be I feel drawn to the Social Construcitionists theory as it is the first theory that I feel has really addressed the issue of children’s development having a direct correlation to and is in fact all bound together with culture and actual present time, and is therefore never static, or all learnt. A quote from Burman explains this as â€Å"how children develop differs in different places and in different historical times because how we see development is bound by where we are (our culture) and by our time† (MacNaughton, 2003, p. 71). As I have already stated this was a very difficult theory for me to absorb. After spending some time researching and questioning my own beliefs and values I feel confident I have the ability to integrate some of what I have learnt into practice as a teacher (yet I don’t see myself as a Social Construcitionists trail blaser). Whilst I have discussed what I like about this theory I also concur with MacNaughton (2008) when she raises equity regarding the children who are not able to function in a Social Construcitionists. Is the shy reserved child, whose parents traditional principles are being indoctrinated at home and within their ecological systems (Bronfenbrenner 1917 – 2005) going to have a voice. Previous study has taught me about the various aspect of children’s natural temperament which leads me to wonder about the â€Å"slow to warm up child† (Berk L. , 2008, p. 260) will manage this classroom. In effect there would be equity issues for these children who are not able to function when put in a situation of co-learner with their teacher and peers. I think throughout my discussion I have expressed what has challenged me in gaining an understanding of this subject and the 3 models we have covered. To conclude I think I would simply add that I have expanded my original knowledge on the theorist discussed through the process of looking at them more critically and reflect on how I may apply them as a teacher. I have identified my personal growth in understanding ethical issues of theory. This was something I had not done previously, most likely due to the conforming method of learning I have experienced. I am a product of being taught the teacher is always right and it is not my role to question. That was then this is now.

Provide Support to Maintain and Develop Skills for Everyday Life Essay

1.1 A skill is simply something someone can do. There are various different means and methods to maintain the skills depending on the individual and the lives they wish to live. If it is to keep their home clean different methods such as signs with instructions on what needs to be done in each room, a Rota, or maybe even just being shown how to do the task at hand. If they are having difficulty with bathing they may need someone supporting them to help them maintain their personal hygiene, aids such as hand rails, special access baths etc. Giving an individual a walking aid to help them maintain their Independence with mobility, a scooter or possibly a guide dog. Approaches to skill development Should be based on factors such as type of skill, capacity, ability, living situation and there personal outcomes. 1.2 There are various reasons why support may be needed to regain or develop skills such as lack of ability or understanding of how to perform skill, lack of confidence, lack of opportunity to develop skills, physical disability, old age, social isolation, mental health, learning disability etc. 1.3 Maintaining, regaining and developing skills can benefit individuals in various ways. It builds on self worth and self-esteem, ensures there are more opportunities and helps regain confidence and independence working towards an altogether better well being and quality of life. 2.1 Skills for life are actions or activate that enable people to live as independently as possible. These may include personal hygiene, eating, preparing meals, dressing and undressing, mobility and transfers i.e. from bed to chair, taking and handling of medication, managing money, using technology, shopping for groceries or clothes. Working with others to  identify skills for everyday life that the individual needs to be supported with will give you a better overall view on their needs. Speaking to family members, friends, colleges, doctors, mental health team, to get everyone input will help your understanding but mainly sourced from a person’s questionnaires and P.C.P tools. The importance of P.C.P planning is that it starts with what someone can do and then looks at where there are gaps where the person may need support. See P.C.P tools attached. 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, P.C.P tools attached 3.1 To help someone maintain or develop skills through active participation is very important. This can help improve their self-esteem and give them more independence. If you have an individual who had a poor diet and cannot cook, giving them information about healthy choices and letting them pick which foods they would like. If someone has no culinary skills it is important you do not cook alone for them and get them involved so they pick up these skills. This could be by you showing them how to peel one potato and having them doing the rest and then showing them how to cook them, the individual could write down these steps so they can be used in the future.in the case of the client I key work we have supported him in learning how to complete a balanced diet shopping list by presenting options suggested to him by his nutritionist in a list then using that list whilst shopping enabling him to have healthier options whilst maintaining his choice and control Unit 311 Provide support to maintain and develop skills for everyday life 3.2 I always give positive and constructive feedback to help encourage the individual and so they can progress in their new skill. If they want to cook a new meal they haven’t done before you could remind them that they have cooked the ingredients before but in a different recipes and reassure them how well they did. If they were to cook a piece of steak that got slightly burnt and overcooked your constructive criticism could be in future to keep it at a lower heat but it was a great first try. I also do regular case studies, reviews and 1-1’s to help show evidence on what affects this has  had on the individual, how they feel and to enable us to promote active participation in a reflective/positive way. 3.3 The actions to take if an individual becomes distressed and unable to continue are to offer reassurance that the person will not come to harm, communicate that you understand their distress, say how well the individual is doing with the everyday skill, seek advice or assistance from a senior colleague, make sure the individual remains safe, suggest stopping the activity. Stopping the activity should normally be an option after other options have been tried. The distress the individual experienced should be recorded, reported so the care plan and if necessary reviewed. 4.1 You need to decide with the individual and others involved in the plan what criteria and process is for evaluating the support. If this individual has aims they needed to reach such as: the individual needs to gain culinary skills and they need to have support bathing. When it comes to the evaluation you need to see if these aims have been met.   Has the goal been achieved? If not, how much progress has been made? How effective is the care to date? Are different forms of care needed? How will this care be provided? 4.2 When i have my agreed role of the goal that needs to be reached i need to evaluate it and decide if anything needs to be changed. If i was to support someone with a physical difficulty and their skill that needed developing was keeping their home clean and it was agreed you would go their twice a week to motivate and support them. When it comes to evaluating the outcome to see if my role is working and i decided that the individual is struggling keeping on top of their housework and i decide this method isn’t working. I need to work with others to decide what can be put in place to make it easier from the individual. 4.3 When i evaluate and discover that a part of the plan isn’t working i revise this. If they were struggling with pushing the hoover and heavy duty chores around the house it could be agreed they could have home help in three times a week to do the chores that are more psychically demanding and they could do easier tasks such as washing dishes, general tidy. This would help them reach their goal and still be acclivity participating.