How To Make Your Work With A Supervisor Effective

How To Make Your Work With A Supervisor Effective How To Choose The Right Supervisor And To Work With Your Tutor Right? When you start working with your supervisor on your dissertation, you may expect that this will be the same student-tutor type of relationship. This is the one that you got used to and you most likely feel comfortable with. But you need to understand that working on a dissertation required more than that. We will disclose in this article that you need to pay attention to the interpersonal skills as well. Your collaboration will require mutual understanding and clarity in order to make your work together effectively. Choosing the right tutor For undergraduates and Master’s students universities usually assign supervisors in advance. This choice is affected by the topic you offer and the field of study, of course. But in fact, the process of choosing the right supervisor can be really challenging for the student. This is one of the most important aspects that will affect all further work on your dissertation. You work with a tutor on your paper will shape and direct your thoughts, approaches, and solutions for the selected topic. So you need to be considering in approving collaboration with one or another supervisor. We have prepared questions you should ask yourself before you will make a choice. This will help you to start good professional relationships with the right purpose. Is your supervisor familiar with your sub-field and topic? You may consider this question weird, but in fact, it is very reasonable. Students sometimes consider that if their supervisor is well-aware of the general field you are working in, he/she will be an expert in your sub-field as well. But in fact, the wider knowledge does not always mean that the person can understand right your topic in the narrower field. Also, you cannot expect that your supervisor has read all the books, articles and works of other scholars in order to get an understanding of the topic (as you might do). Most experienced supervisors understand this and refuse to work with some graduates simply because they realize they have a lack of expertise in the particular sub-field. While some relatively young academics may mistakenly consider that they will be able to help you with your work, even if they do not have enough depth of knowledge. In this case, you need to check the suitability of this person to your dissertation by yourself. Does he/she share your choice of direction? It is okay that you and your supervisor may have minor disagreements during your work. Moreover, some of them may be really important as soon as they are supported by constructive arguments. But you also need to remember that there are approaches in one field that can be completely opposite. So do your best to pick the supervisor who will share the same assumptions as you, instead of starting working with a person who obviously has completely different views in your topic. Does he/she share your working patterns and expectations? By the moment you start writing your dissertation you probably already know what kind of supervisor you need for the productive continuation of your work. If you know that you may procrastinate sometimes and do simple things too slowly, you may look for the person who will be strict enough to stimulate your work and following deadlines. Or maybe you are motivated enough to work constantly and you do not want too much interruption into your writing process. Then you may look for the tutor who will be ready to revise your chapters when you ask them, no sooner or later, providing you with detailed and constructive comments. Do you get the decent level of attention to your work with quality recommendations and good criticism? Does the selected supervisor have enough influence on you to motivate, stimulate or direct you? How many students are working with him/her right now? Some supervisors can be really popular so many students request working with them. But eventually, this may have a bad impact as this can reduce the quality of work with each student. Moreover, in this case, the supervisor needs to switch between topics too often that may cause confusions as well. But another side of the coin is not good as well. If nobody wants to work with a particular person, they could have reasons for that. Working process with your supervisor You and your supervisor need to understand that you are now starting the working relationship, which requires mutual understanding, sharing professional views and so on. The form of the relationships you will have with your supervisor will depend on the subject you are working in, but most of all it will be affected by the working patterns that you will choose. Anyway, you need to read and take into consideration our following recommendations. Work with your supervisor, not for him Being a student you probably got used to the particular model of behavior and communication with your tutors. During modules, you receive the particular tasks that you need complete in a particular way to satisfy the teacher’s requirements. This model also works during passing the exams when you express thoughts that your professor wants to her. And when you start working on with your tutor on your dissertation you may feel like fulfilling his/her requests as well. Despite the fact that your paper should meet the particular requirements specified by your department, still, you should not be oriented at satisfying your supervisor though. You need to reconsider your attitude and think of your supervisor more like teammate rather than the examiner. You are working together on the same goal and you are the author of the research in the first place. Just like with teamwork, you need to consider the person you are in collaboration right now. You need to do what you are asked for and do not miss deadlines and tasks. Provide the chapter, draft or the piece of research when you promised to your supervisor in order to keep on the same track and gradually fulfill your paper. But you also need to keep in mind another significant aspect of the working in the team: being clear in what you want to get from your teammate. You can give your supervisor a first draft in order to check up whether you have chosen the right direction. But your supervisor may consider that this is the nearly completed part of the paper and it may cause serious confusion. So as soon as you ask for help, feedback, recommendation, make sure that you have explained on what stage you are now and of what â€Å"flaws† of your current version of dissertation you are aware of. Engage your supervisor at the first stages of work Most supervisors realize the importance of their control over the early stages of dissertation writing. That is why they often insist on often meetings during this period. But sometimes supervisors may be â€Å"hands-off† and do not insist on this way of collaboration. That is the situation when you need to control this aspect by yourself. Involve your tutor in the process of planning as this stage can affect all further work. Defining all the important aspects and directions will guide you in your work on the dissertation and prevent the majority of common mistakes. Moreover, there will be fewer risks that your dissertation will require serious making over. You can get a bunch of useful info from your supervisor, for instance, what books, articles and works to read or what researches to study. With this approach in the early stages, you will get receiving the required theoretical and practical skills that will make your dissertation creation productive. Arrange often meetings with your supervisor to check the process stage by stage Nothing in the educational process can be more disappointing than bringing to your supervisor 200 pages of your work and receive the comment that you need to start over because your starting point was wrong. That is why you need to develop a habit to arrange meetings with your tutor as often as possible to check every chapter and the stage of production. Discuss the next steps of your plan and their relevance to the dissertation in general. This will prevent you from being stuck on the same level and you will constantly receive guidelines of what you need to study more to move forward. Do not think that your supervisor expects only completed work from you. Sure thing, you have to cover minor aspects like grammar check and proper formatting by yourself. But this is not your regular tutor. Your supervisor needs to see your progress and trace it. If you will provide a chapter that looks good and contain no grammar mistakes, you will let your supervisor see the actual content and base his/her feedback on it. Conduct productive disagreements You and your supervisor are different people and it is normal if you will have minor disagreements considering the working on your dissertation. He/she does not have to agree with you on any level. But as soon as you have any issues, turn them to the advantageous path. Discuss why your supervisor suggests a different approach or criticize your thoughts. Do not be afraid of such situations. Of course, it may be daunting when you hear that you might be wrong in the thing that you pay so much time for. But on the other hand, consider this as an opportunity to grow as well as the chance to train your communication skills when you need to defend your views. Do not be afraid to change the supervisor There are rare cases when undergraduates cannot make their work with the supervisor productive. The reasons can vary. In some situations you can realize too late that your supervisor does not want to support your ideas, making you write an entirely different paper. Or you may find their comments impenetrable and demoralizing. Or your supervisor does not pay attention to your meeting request and you cannot get in touch with him/her for weeks. Anyway, you can eventually decide that you need to switch the tutor and start working with another supervisor. This is possible and you need to address your request to the head of the department. Do not be afraid to do so as this is your work in the first place and only you are responsible for it.

Understanding Emotions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding Emotions - Essay Example Finally, I realized that we had fallen into a pattern where the floors were vacuumed once every two weeks when I did it and the kitchen and bathroom was cleaned every two weeks – again, when I did it. What pushed me over the edge was discovering that my roommate has now even given up on cleaning out the dishes she’s used, just leaving them in the sink for me to clean up whenever I enter. By analyzing my physical and cognitive reactions in this situation, as well as my customary means of expressing my emotions, I have been able to reassess whether these methods are ultimately successful. When I discovered my roommate’s dishes in the sink, unrinsed and with the counters splattered with whatever she’d eaten, I felt my temperature suddenly jump up about ten degrees. My heart started beating strongly. I can’t say whether the beat was faster than it had been, but I suddenly heard it thumping in my ears which hadn’t been the case a moment before. My ears seemed to begin to throb in time with the beat, introducing the very beginnings of a headache and I felt as if the entire top of my head was about to explode upwards through the ceiling. I was carrying something breakable, so I tried to put it down somewhere as gently as I could, still managing to crash it on the table harder than I should have. As I did so, I noticed that I didn’t seem to be as completely in control of my body as I’d hoped I’d be. My hands were shaking and my mouth suddenly seemed full to bursting with no satisfaction unless opened. I remember a flash of t hought of how my roommate had been obviously not doing her half of the chores for months now and an idea that this wasn’t the first time I’d come home to find dirty dishes in the sink when I’d left it clean. When my roommate came sauntering in to place another dish on the counter and looked at me as if they’d done nothing out

Macroeconomics and Microeconomics - Interest Rate Assignment

Macroeconomics and Microeconomics - Interest Rate - Assignment Example A developed money market is essential to the development of an economy as it provides the sources of finance to carry out the necessary business transactions. Firstly, it provides the cash required on a short term basis to finance the working capital requirements of businesses and entire industries. Lenders can borrow the money from financial institutions to finance their necessary transactions and thus the money market allows the economy to keep running. It also helps to keep the financial institutions self sufficient as the institutions can recall their loans at any point if they need it. Money market instruments are significant for the central bank because it regulates and controls its monetary policy by increasing or decreasing the money market rates. It also provides the finances to the government who may issue treasury bills in order to finance its spending. (Importance of Money Markets) The money market rate is called the federal funds rate in the USA which is the lending of a vailable funds from one institution to another on a short term basis. Q2) The above figure shows the graph of the U.S. Federal Funds rate and the Treasury Bill rate over a period from 1991 to 2009. The interest rates of money market funds usually tend to move in the same way as the future interest rates are based on the expectations. The year 1991 began with the federal fund rate and treasury bill rate set at 5.69% and 5.41% and was on a constant decrease until the year 1993, after which it began to rise and more or less maintained the same level until the year 2000. In the year 2001, the terrorist attacks in U.S. badly damaged the confidence in the economy and the people, both local and foreign, were not willing to invest in the U.S., therefore the federal bank and the government reduced the interest rates in order to encourage the spending. The interest rate encouraged the potential investors to increase the borrowing and the investments along with decrease the savings. The govern ment, in 2004, increased the interest rates gradually and increased it constantly on a quarterly basis. After the interest rates reached a point of 4.5% to 5% in the year 2006, the world was hit by the recession and the central banks had to lower the interest rates to once again encourage the spending and investments in the U.S. economy to limit the recessionary impact on the economy. The government and the central bank still had to decrease the interest rates due to the recession and reached a low point of 0.16% in 2009. Q3) The above graph shows the money market rate and the treasury bill rate in Bahrain over the time period from 1991 to 2009. Again both the curves move in the same direction as they are based on the same expectations. The interest rates of Bahrain move in a direction similar to that of the U.S. because the currency of Bahrain Dinar is pegged to the U.S. Dollar. The Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA) regulates the interest rates on a quarterly basis keeping the national and international indicators into consideration. The year 1991 began with a declining interest rate which was restored in 1993, similar to the case in the U.S. and the interest rates were more or less stable with only a few changes in it. This was the time when there was stability in the world throughout. However, in 2001 after the terrorist attacks, the economies throughout the world took a big hit especially the U.S. economy that had to lower the interest rates drastically until 2004. The same was followed by the Bahrain government

Theorists Impact on Teaching and Learning

Theorists Impact on Teaching and Learning The government aims to support and develop childrens learning; these include the Plowden Report (1967), The National Curriculum (1999), a more recent review known as the Rose Review (2009) and The Primary Cambridge Review (2009). These reviews were heavily influenced by both Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. This assignment will compare two learning theorists and the impact they have on teaching and learning. My main focus will be on Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky however Jerome Bruner will also be mentioned. Firstly, the assignment will describe and critically analyse Jean Piagets theory of cognitive development. Secondly, I will describe and critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Lev Vygotskys theory of socio cognitive development. Both learning theorists will be examined and compared along with the implications they have on effective teaching practice. I will then move on to evaluate the impact it has on an individual child in terms of teaching and learning, taking their development needs into account as well as talking about maturation of the child. The school will also be mentioned throughout this assignment. The name of both the child and the school will not be disclosed due to privacy. I will also discover the factors that influence teaching and learning in the four main subjects, these include: Literacy, Numeracy/Mathematics, Science and ICT. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a biologist who moved into studying developments of childrens understanding by the age of 21, this was done through observation, speaking and listening to the children on a task that he had set. Piagets work on childrens intellectual development owed much to his early studies of water snails (Satterly, 1987, p. 622) Piaget was a well known French speaking Swiss theorist who believed that children learn by active knowledge through hands on experience. To do this the adult should provide the right materials to allow the child to interact and construct effectively. His views on how a childs mind functions and develops had a great influence especially in education theory. He mainly focused on child maturation to increase the understanding of their world; children cannot carry out certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so (Child-Development-Guide, 2010). Piaget believed that childrens thinking does not develop smoothly throughout childhood as there are certain points in which it expands and progresses into new aims and capabilities. The transitions took place at about 18 months, 7 years and 11/12 years of age; this meant that before these ages, no matter how bright a child is he/she is not capable of understanding things in certain ways. Piaget used Socratic questioning to get the children to think more about what exactly they are asking or thinking about, the aim of this was to get children to see contradictions in their explanations. Piagets theory of cognitive development was the central structure to his theory. The acquisition of knowledge in childhood which included processes such as understanding, reasoning, thinking, problem solving, learning, conceptualising and remembering, as a whole understanding all the aspects of human intelligence that are used to make sense of the world. Cognitive development is purely concerned with intellectual functions that can be studied individually from socio-economical functions (Atherton, J. 2010) Cognitive structures are patterns of physical or mental action which correspond to the stages of child development. Both Piaget and Vygotsky believe that childrens cognitive development takes place in stages. However Piaget was the first to show that children go through different stages of cognitive development. According to Piaget there are four primary development stages, these include: sensorimotor, preoperations, concrete operations and formal operations. The sensorimotor stage ranges from 0 to 2 years; this is where intelligence takes the form of motor actions. By the actions they perform in their environment through sucking, watching, biting and a number of other responses they may perform. According to a test undertaken by Piaget the child will look for an object that s/he has seen being hidden, this occurs when a child is around 8 months old. Intelligence in the pre-operation period consists of 2 to 7 year olds. At this age the children are capable of using symbols such as words and images to make sense of the world, imaginative play is used and they can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. The child can see a situation from another persons point of view, this is known as egocentrism. According to Piaget, the egocentric child thinks that others see, hear and feel exactly the same as s/he does. REF! bbc article The cognitive structure during the concrete operational stage consists of 7 to 11 year olds. Children need a number of mental operations such as classification and conservation so they can mentally manipulate symbols in different ways. Conversion is when the child has to ability to understand that redistributing material does not affect its mass, number or volume. By the age of 7, the child should understand that when a liquid is poured into a glass of different shape or size the quantity of liquid remains the same, only the appearance changes REF. The final stage is the formal operations which consist of 11 to 15 year olds. At this age children are capable of mental operations including abstractions and logical reasoning (Schaffer 2004, p.168). The mind of a child who is 11 years or older can carry out mathematical calculations, be creative, have accurate reasoning and imagine the outcome of specific actions REF. After analysing Piagets theory, I believe that his four stages of development and the structure of teaching is closely linked. The sensorimotor stage fits in to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) where children mainly learn by playing and exploring the facilities around them. In the nursery and reception classes of the school, the children have a variety of continuous provisions areas within the classroom that relate to the real world such as shops, post office and kitchens. This allows the children to explore role play and discover real life situations. Tasks are set up to allow the children to explore freely whilst the teacher observes the childrens involvement in the activity (EYFS, 2010, online). This relates to the principle of enabling environments in the EYFS themes: The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending childrens development and learning (EYFS, 2010, online). The second stage links to children who are in key stage 1 (KS1). The children develop words that support play with ideas. The school has a shop corner which contains a till, plastic shopping basket with play foods and plastic money, this allows the children to play within the shop and explore the money. I believe this allows the children to learn as well as play as its leveled at their ability. It is important to give the children real life situations and problem solving as the skills can be applied throughout their learning and help them develop into mature adults. Providing the children with hands on experience in certain areas of the curriculum such as EYFS, mathematics and literacy has been taken from Piagets theory. The child is observed during a practical activity and his/her engagement and communication skills are recorded (Briggs et al, 2005, p.27). I feel it is important that EYFS, key stage one and key stage two should be closely linked and flexible so the child has the correct skills and knowledge throughout the stages to build their confidence and succeed in the future. As part of a Literacy topic the children had to act out Goldilocks and the three bears. They were put in groups and were given a script. The children had to read the script and act it out. This provided the teacher with information on each childs cognitive ability and allowed her to assess and set targets for each child. The concrete operational stage ties in with KS2. However, after observing a key stage two there is a change in terms of teaching style and the activities undertaken in EYFS and KS1 The aim of KS2 is to develop the logical process in the learning. Every week the children carry out guided reading, this differentiates from fiction to nonfiction depending on the ability of the child. The children have to read and make sense of the book in order to answer related questions. Finally, the formal operations stage links to KS3 and consists of children working independently and building on existing knowledge. Piagets theory allows the child to learn actively and gain knowledge from any mistakes that they make. However, I feel that Piagets methods are underestimated and may have a huge impact on learning. When learning the core subjects mainly Literacy and Mathematics, Piagets theory ignored the social aspects of the child which unvalued the importance knowledge and culture which led to underestimating the ability of the children. His is widely used in a number of schools, however I strongly feel that the teaching should cover a wider range including the external factors and the environment especially the social and emotional aspects of learning (Isaacs, 1929). On the other hand Vygotsky believed that a childs learning cannot be separated from its social context. An example of the importance social context has is Piagets three mountain experiment. Piaget concluded that children are unable to see things from another persons perspective (Schaffer, 2004, p.174). In the experiment he used 3 mountains of different sizes and children aged from four to twelve years old. The children sat on one side of the mountain and a doll was placed on the other side. The children were then shown photographs of the mountains from different positions and were asked to choose a photograph the doll can see from her position. Piaget found that children under seven years of age could not see things from another persons perspective therefore were egocentric (Wood, 1998, p. 66). However the appropriateness of the three mountain experiment was questioned. Borke states that children performed poorly due to unfamiliarity and not motivating enough for the children to complete successfully (Smith et al. 1998). When the experiment was repeated by Hughes (Donaldson, 1987, p.137) using a policeman and a doll. The children were asked where the doll should hide so the policeman does not find her; he found that nearly ninety nice percent of children aged five were correct. He concluded that if the child is given a familiar situation he/she will think objectively. Cognitive structures change through the following processes: adaptation, assimilation and accommodation. Adaptation is found in all biological organisms to adjust to the demands of the environment, assimilation involves the individual to incorporate new experiences into existing schemas and accommodation is where the individual modifies existing schemas to fit the new experiences (Schaffer, 2004, p.165). This relates to other learning theorists in terms of constructivist perspectives of learning including Jerome Bruner and Lev Vygotsky. However researchers have found it difficult to measure developmental processes: assimilation, accommodation and equilibration. They found it difficult to identify processes that are central to Piagets theory (Meadows 1993, p.19). Piaget claims that his stages are universal regardless of culture, this has also been questioned as a number of studies show that children are able to reach stages earlier that Piaget has stated (Bower, 1974). A three month old baby was shown a toy that was covered by a screen, when the screen was moved the toy had vanished and in another condition the toy was still there. The babies heart rate was measured both when the toy was there and when the toy disappeared. The results showed that there was greater change in heart rate when the toy disappeared. The toy was replaced with different objects and Bower (1971) found that babies show more surprise. Schaffer (2004, p. 184) felt that Piaget under estimated the abilities of children. Applying Piagets theory requires specific recommendations for a certain stage in the cognitive development. For children who are at the sensorimotor stage, adults should provide them with a rich and motivating environment and a number of objects to play with. However a child who is at the concrete operational stage should be provided with activities in which they can classify problems, order and location of concrete objects. This allows the adult to see the different explanations the children at different stages of cognitive development will come up with. The activities or situations given should engage the learners and requires adaptation such as assimilation and accommodation. The learning materials given to the children should be relevant and should involve the right level of motor or mental operations for a child depending on his/her age (McLeod, S.A. 2007). Another critic of Piaget is that he used his own three children for many of his experiments and observations not thinking about the culture they came from (Smith, et al 2003, p. 412). Due to this he failed to take children from different backgrounds into account. A larger sample with children from various backgrounds should have been used to get a more accurate and generalised result. Piagets theory received a number of critics however his work had a major influence in the education sector. He disliked the idea of children being taught sat at desks, listening and transmitting information the teacher gives. Piaget believed that children learn through discovery, the task should be set by the teacher and children should be left to discover, any mistakes the children make should provide useful information on the childs cognitive development. Also for the correct answers, the process of how the child worked out the correct answer should be investigated (Smith et al, 2003, p.388). The curriculum is set out in a sequence, particularly in the core subjects such as mathematics and science. This is influenced by Piagets theory. The choice of learning objectives, curriculum sequencing, grade placements of topics, the assessment of childrens intellectual functioning and teaching methodology (Murray, 1985, p.291) It is important that the class teacher knows at what stage of cognitive development each child is at as it is an important aspect in Piagets theory. This also has an impact on pedagogy as teachers have to change their teaching style to enhance the childs development. The second theorist i will be critically analysing is Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934). He was born in Russia in the same year as Piaget. He studied law and graduated at Moscow University. He then went on the study a Ph.D in Literature and Linguistics. Vygotskys began to work in psychology after the Russian revolution where the Marxism replaced the rule of the czar. The new Marxist philosophy emphasised socialism and collectivism. Individuals were expected to give up their personal goals and achievements to improve the society as a whole by sharing and co operation. The success of an individual was seen as reflecting the success of the culture. Heavy emphasis was placed on history, believing that any culture can only be understood through the ideas and events that have made it occur. (Vasta, R., Haith, M.M., Miller, S.A., 1995). Vygotsky used these elements in his model of human development; this is known as a sociocultural approach. The development of an individual is a result of culture. The theory primarily applies to mental development such as the thought and reasoning process which were believed to develop through social interaction with others mainly parents. He states: Every function in the childs cultural development appears twice: first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of ideas. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals (Vygotsky, 1978, p.57). Vygotsky looked at mental abilities and processes in historical terms using the events that led to them whereas Piaget believed that the childs development process follows a similar pattern of stages. Vygotsky saw intellectual abilities as being much more specific to the culture in which the child was reared (Vasta, R., Haith, M.M., Miller, S.A., 1995). Culture contributes to a childs intellectual development in two ways: firstly children obtain knowledge from it and secondly they obtain the tools of intellectual adaptation from the surrounding culture. Therefore culture provides children with the means to what they think and how they think it. Vygotsky viewed cognitive developments as a shared problem solving experience with another adult, such as the parent, teacher or sibling, this is also known as the dialectical process. Initially, the person working with the child takes the majority of responsibility for guiding the child through problem solving and steadily hands full responsibility over to the child. Every child is different and will react and learn in different ways however Vygotsky stresses language dialogue as adults will use it as a primary resource to transmit knowledge within their culture. The childs own language is of great help as it is a primary tool of intellectual transformation. Eventually children can use their own speech to direct behaviour usually in the same way as the parents speech once directed. This change relates to Vygotskys theme of development as a process of internalisation. Knowledge and thought exist outside the child at first in the culture of the environment. Development consists of gra dual internalization, primarily through language, to form cultural adaptation (Rogoff, 1990). The second aspect of Vygotskys theory is cognitive development which is limited to a time span that is known as zone of proximal development (ZPD). ZPD is the gap between what a child can solely achieve, their potential development which depends on the independent problem solving and what the child can achieve though problem solving with help and guidance of an adult or more capable peers. (Wood, D., Wood, H., 1966). What children can do independently is known as level of actual development and is a standard IQ test measure. However this measure is important but incomplete as two children may have the same level of actual development as it gets the same number of answers right on a test. With help of an adult, again one child may solve a number of problems whereas the other child may only solve two or three. What the child can do with help of an adult is referred to as level of potential development. (Vasta, R., Haith, M.M., Miller, S.A., 1995). Maximum development of ZPD depends on full social interaction of an adult with a child. The more the child takes advantage of the assistance the broader their knowledge of ZPD will be. Scaffolding was invented in 1976 to describe tutorial interaction between an adult and a child. It was used to explore the help and resources an adult provides so a child can carry out a complex task efficiently. This links to Burners ideas of the spiral curriculum. A parallel has been drawn between the notion of scaffolding and ZPD theories of Vygotsky (Hobsbaum, A., Peters, S., Sylva, K., 1996). Before an adult can provide learning opportunities they much evaluate the childs development level at present along with the length of the ZPD. It is important that the child values and makes use of the help that is offered. The child needs to be capable to benefit from the give-and-take conversations with others (Bruner, 1983). In Vygotskys theory language plays a major part in the learning and development process. A child is encouraged to think in new ways and gain a new cognitive tool to make sense of the world. Language is used to solve problems, overcome impulsive action and plan a solution before trying it to control behaviour (Jones, 1995). It is also used for a social purpose, so children can obtain help of peers and solve problems. In this process of development the child starts to practice the same forms of behaviour that other formerly practices with respect to the child however this behaviour is only understood in a social context. Vygotsky has had a great influence on Bruners theory with the introduction of scaffolding and spiral curriculum. Scaffolding is an effective strategy that accesses the ZPD. Scaffolding involved the teacher providing the children the opportunity to build on their current skills and knowledge. This involves the teacher engaging the children and simplifying instructions so they are easily understood. Scaffolding has been used in every subject to support learning especially when introducing new topics. In Literacy the children had to write a story ending. Work was set according to their ability, through the spiral curriculum. The child expressed his ideas and the teaching assistant wrote them on a dry white board ready for the child to copy onto paper. The child was assisted by questions directing her to revisit the story and think about the ending. However this can be a problem as the teacher may offer too much help which may lead to the child expecting help every time and not thinking on their own. Also when observing an ICT lesson, the teacher guided the child through the stages of what needs to be done. The children were then left to complete the task independently. The guidance given relates to Vygotskys approach and the creativity and constructivism is enhanced by Piaget. I observed a year two class in mathematics; they were starting a new topic on difference. The objective of the lesson was to work out the missing number in a sum. To explain this, cubes were used to visually represent numbers so they are easily understood. Both the addition and subtraction methods were shown. Many examples were given until the child fully understood and could work on their own initiative. The activity was then extended to using two digit numbers. The teacher adopted Vygotskys method of ZPD and found that most children had understood the word difference and how to work it out after a number of examples were shown. Unlike Piaget, who concentrated more on individual learning rather than providing adults with a role to help children learn, whereas Vygotsky believed that both other adults and culture play a major part in the development of a childs cognitive ability (Schaffer, 2004, p.90). However Vygotsky constantly mentions how children develop with guidance and help from other adults but does not state how they individually develop (Schaffer 2004, p.215). He failed to recognise how children are motivated to learn individually. Vygotsky focussed more on co-operative learning and little attention was given to individual learning. Vygotsky never took development changes of a child into account. He viewed the child in the same way at the age of two and at the age of twelve. Also the ZPD has been critically analysed by researchers. They have found that teachers have control over a childs thinking as they can ask questions that require certain answer which limits their learning. This kind of questioning is only suitable for children who are achieving below average. A teacher has to be extremely talented to successfully apply the ZPD and guide the children through a task instead of telling them what to do. However the ZPD cannot be applied to every child within a class as the teacher does not have sufficient amount of time to do so (Schaffer 2004, p.217). A final criticism is that Vygotsky failed to take the emotional aspects of a child into account. He did not recognise what happens when a child cannot complete a task or gets something wrong. If a child continuously gets something wrong, does the child lose motivation or continue with the task and hope to succeed? A child goes through many forms of emotion when they are unsuccessful in a task or get something wrong however this has not been mentioned anywhere within Vygotskys theory. Likewise Piaget also failed to take the emotions of a child into account (Schaffer, 2004, p.218). Vygotskys behaviour is particularly relevant to those who are concerned with the use of language as it can be crucial and interrelated with the action. Both Vygotsky and Piaget looked at preschool children in problem solving situations. Piaget believed that the self directed behaviour is egocentric and has a minimum relevance to a childs cognitive growth however Vygotsky referred to it as private speech. Vygotsky believed that private speech grows through interactions with adults; they begin to use parents instructions to direct their own behaviour (Sà ³lrà ºn B. Kristinsdà ³ttir, 2008). Both Piaget and Vygotsky had a conflict when explaining that development theories should not be taught until the children are at the right development stage. Piaget believed that the children are the most important aspect of cognitive development which conflicted with Vygotskys zone of proximal development. However Vygotsky argued that the social environment can be of great help when it comes to cognitive development of the child. The social environment can help children adapt to new situations with ease. Both theorists had the same aim of finding out children think of ideas and translate them into speech. Piaget discovered that children like to explore for themselves the way the world works and what it has to offer however Vygotsky wrote in Thought and Language that human mental activity is the result of learning. This led to Vygotsky believing that acquisition of language has the biggest influence on a childs life. Piaget had a huge emphasis on universal cognitive change and Vygotskys theory expected to have variable development depending on the cultural experiences a child has had. Piagets theory had an emphasis on the natural line whereas Vygotsky preferred the cultural line of development (Gallagher, 1999).

Information Technology’s Effect on Society

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Information Technology’s Effect on Society * Tanya Cavaleri * English Compostion II * EN 130. 1. 1 Sitting at the park on a nice beautiful day, you’re reading your friends post on Facebook from your IPhone. At home getting ready to type up a research paper and you realize you still need one last piece of information where do you go? Google and conduct a search. Your teenager just came to you crying because she was accused of sending pictures via text to her boyfriend and now it’s all over Twitter and Facebook that she is a slut.Information technology’s effect on society comes with good and bad effects on people everywhere every day. We have come so far since internet has gone public in early 1990’s (Howe, 2012), but at what cost to our society? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary (2011) information technology is the technology involving the development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, software, and network s for the processing and distribution of data. The use of computers and other devices have allowed us to use social medias like Facebook to find and stay in contact with our family and friends.The World Wide Web has all the information we may need at our finger tips. No more waiting on snail mail to deliver mail when we can send an email and have it delivered instantly to the recipient. Information technology is even enabled us to be able to work from home more efficiently. With the click of our mouse or the swipe of our finger we’re able to send off packages and track the delivers without ever changing out of our pajamas. Paying bills and managing budgets having never been easier.But at what cost is all this information technology bringing? Our society is so desensitized that we don’t seem to care what all this â€Å"awesome† technology is doing to our world. For example our teenagers are faced with both bullying at school and online. Having to face their peers daily and fear the rumors that could spread over one remark or wrong picture on Facebook, Twitter or text message is difficult for many of them. So is social media a good thing? Maybe, but it needs to be monitored more.Google (â€Å"Google,† 2012) the word Hacker and there is about 246,000,000 results. Like â€Å"how to become a hacker† or â€Å"how hackers work†. Information technology can open society up to be very vulnerable. Like leaving the back door unlocked for anyone to walk through if we’re not careful. Siciliano (2012) writes according to the Javelin Strategy & Research, in 2011 identity fraud increased by 13 percent. More than 11. 6 million adults became a victim of identity fraud in the United States.Online banking, bill pay, shopping online are all conveniences we have grown accustomed to over the last 18 years but we need to protect our private information. Sometime information technology can fall in the wrong hands and cause havoc for thou sands of people. Just one of many examples is in 2006 the U. S. government warned that a database containing sensitive information about veterans and their families had been stolen, after an employee violated policy and brought the data home (Lemos, 2006).So yes information technology is a much needed asset in today society. Providing helpful guided searches, helping to connect with family that are thousands of miles away, paying bills quickly and sending messages lighting fast. But in the wrong hands in can be more destructive then a hurricane, leaving heartache and pain with every stroke of the finger. Davidson, J. (n. d. ). Ezinearticles. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles. com/? Online-Banking—History-Still-in-the-Making? &a

Essay about Parkinsons Disease - 588 Words

Parkinsons Disease Damage to Brocas area in the frontal lobe causes difficulty in speaking and writing, a problem known as Brocas aphasia. Injury to Wernickes area in the left temporal lobe results in an inability to comprehend spoken language, called Wernickes aphasia. Cerebral palsy is a broad term for brain damage sustained close to birth that permanently affects motor function. The damage may take place either in the developing fetus, during birth, or just after birth and is the result of the faulty development or breaking down of motor pathways. Cerebral palsy is non-progressive that is, it does not worsen with time. During childhood development, the brain is particularly susceptible to damage because of the rapid growth†¦show more content†¦The chief neurotransmitter#8212;or carrier of nerve signals#8212;in this area of the brain is dopamine, which is deficient in people who have Parkinsons. The cause of this deficiency is not known, but research suggests that several factors may reinfor ce each other to produce Parkinsons disease. There may be a genetic predisposition for some forms of the disease#8212;between 15 and 20 percent of people with Parkinsons are closely related to an individual who displays the diseases characteristic symptoms. In 1996 scientists identified a gene associated with a rare form of Parkinsons disease. Genetic predisposition may be limited only to rare forms of the disease, however. A 1999 study found that the most common form of Parkinsons disease is not inherited, suggesting that exposure to certain environmental agents may be a primary cause. Although the identity of these agents remains unknown, candidates include harmful pesticides or toxins in food; and free radicals, which are unstable molecules that may contribute to neuron damage by reacting with other molecules#8212;especially metallic elements such as iron#8212;in the basic chemical process known as oxidation. Introduction of the drug L-dopa, or levodopa, in the mid-1960s led to the relief of Parkinsons symptoms in many people with the disease. L-dopa stimulates the production of dopamine in surviving neurons in the substantia nigra. L-dopa becomes less effectiveShow MoreRelatedThe Parkinsons Disease1596 Words   |  6 PagesMany people around the world today suffer from Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. A movement disorder is a disorder impairing the speed, fluency, quality, and ease of movement. There are many types of movement disorders such as impaired fluency and speed of movement (dyskinesia), excessive movements (hyperkinesia), and s lurred movements (hypokinesia). Some types of movement disorders are ataxia, a lack of coordination, Huntingtons disease, multiple system atrophies, myoclonus, briefRead MoreThe Parkinsons Disease761 Words   |  3 PagesMathur states that â€Å"Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger† (Mathur). Parkinson’s Disease (PD) exhibits this pattern, with the vast majority of PD cases being idiopathic, likely the result of combined genetic and environmental factors. While many researchers previously sought symptom-specific treatment, recent breakthroughs open the door for the discovery of genetic and environmental causes so that disease prevention, and even reversal, emerge as viable possibilities. Recent research demonstratesRead More Parkinsons Disease Essay1764 Words   |  8 PagesParkinson’s disease (PD) is a striatal dopamine deficiency disorder as a consequence of neuronal loss in the substania nigra. It is named after James Parkinson, a British apothecary, who first fully documented its physical signs in 1817. Since then, significant advances have been made in our understanding of characteristic pathophysiology as well as in the medical treatment of different stages of PD. An overview of condition features in terms of epidemiology, manifestations, diagnosis and diseaseRead MoreParkinson’s Disease Essay1446 Words   |  6 PagesParkinson’s Disease is known as one of the most common progressive and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. It belongs to a group of conditions known as movement disorders. Parkinson disease is a component of hypokinetic disorder because it causes a decreased in bodily movement. It affects people who are usually over the age of 50. It can i mpair an individual motor as well as non-motor function. Some of the primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are characterized by tremors or trembling in handsRead More Parkinsons Disease Essay1642 Words   |  7 PagesParkinsons Disease Parkinson’s Disease (PD), the shaking palsy first described by James Parkinson in 1817, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which affects in upwards of 1.5 million Americans. The disease begins to occur around age 40 and has incidence with patient age. One survey found that PD may affect 1% of the population over 60. Incidence seems to be more prominent in men, and tends to progress to incapacity and death over one or two decades. Clinical diagnosis of PD isRead MoreEssay on Parkinson’s Disease1305 Words   |  6 PagesParkinson’s Disease (PD) is a chronic neurological disease that effects about 329 per 100,000 people in the US. The average onset of this disease usually is for people over the age of 50, with the baby boomers getting older there may be an increase in this disease, as much as 9 million people worldwide. (Pawha 2010) Etiology The disease happens when the cells in the brain are damaged or stop-producing Dopamine, which helps with muscle movement, thus leaves those patients unable to control theirRead MoreParkinson’s Disease Essay1260 Words   |  6 PagesParkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s Disease (PD), known for its degenerative abilities and debilitating affects, is an illness that affects approximately 1 million Americans. The cause of this disease has not been pinpointed, although strides have been made towards a cure. As our elderly population increases, so does our overwhelming need to find a suitable cure that may one day eliminate this disease. Concepts of PD After watching the video: My father, My Brother, and Me, viewable at www.pbsRead MoreParkinsons Disease Essay1504 Words   |  7 Pages Parkinsons Disease Parkinsons is an idiopathic, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that attacks neurotransmitters in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is concentrated in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The neurotransmitter dopamine is a chemical that regulates muscle movement and emotion. Dopamine is responsible for relaying messages between the substantia nigra and other parts of the brain to control body movement. The death of these neurotransmitters affectsRead MoreEssay Parkinsons Disease3763 Words   |  16 PagesParkinsons Disease In 1817, James Parkinson published his famous treatise: An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, describing the symptoms which now collectively bear his name. Although many scientists before his time had described various aspects of motor dysfunction (ataxia, paralysis, tremor) Parkinson was the first to collect them into a common syndrome; one which he believed formed a distinctive condition. His sixty-six page essay contained five chapters describing symptoms, differential diagnosesRead MoreParkinsons Disease Essay784 Words   |  4 PagesDiagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease is extremely important in terms of treating the symptoms before the disease gets worse. It is common for patients with PD to have motor symptoms such as gait disorder, which comes from muscle stiffness/rigidity, bradykinesia, postural imbalance, etc. Gait disorders can generally help determine how far the neurological disorder has affected the motor function and control of the individual. Many physicians in general c linics determine if a patient has PD or if it has

Netflix Case Analysis - 3411 Words

Netflix Case Analysis Netflix is an American provider and the worlds leading internet subscription service of on-demand streaming media in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, United Kingdom and Ireland and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited films and TV episodes streamed over the internet to more than 700 devices for about $7.99 a month. With regards to increasing the influence of the Netflix brand, expansion into the video game industry could be an option, however various factors such as competitors, viability and sustainability of the company as a whole need to be further analyzed in order to assess whether this proposal is feasible. Competitor†¦show more content†¦Plus, Netflix streaming is available on many different consumer electronic devices and is becoming a standard feature for new TVs. * Key Alliances Netflix holds a contract with movie studios and film producers (such as MGM studios, Warner Bros., Dream Works, etc.) to gain direct distribution and access to first run movie content without the traditional 9 to 12 month delay. This strategy of developing key alliances (Best Buy) with content providers in film and the television sector, and merchandise of DVD hardware has moved Netflix straight to the top of the market, making their brand name recognized and trusted. * Very competitive prices. For as little as $7.99 a month, people can watch as many movies as they want, either streaming or on DVDs. For just a bit more, a higher number of DVDs can be taken out at a time, giving users more flexibility. This form of movie renting is less expensive than paying for cable movie channels, while giving customers more selection. Weaknesses * Pricing power. The studios can still dictate some serious terms to Netflix, limiting when various movies become available (the infamous 28-day window for instance) or for however long they desire. * Difficulties in Inventory Control Inventory control is very difficult in Netflix because DVDs are sent to customers through mail, some DVDs might arrive late and some might be broken or lostShow MoreRelatedNetflix : Case Analysis : Netflix1087 Words   |  5 Pages1. SITUATION ANALYSIS Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and his fellow software executive Marc Randolph. Even though VHS was more popular than DVDs, Hasting guessed that the DVDs will get popular and this was an opportunity for them to win the market so they attempted a DVD-by-mail rent service which was an idea that Hastings got it from after paying a $40 late fee for Apollo 13 in 1997. 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