Discourse Communities

DC Essay, Draft 1 Discourse Communities Essay There is a very large variety of academic discourse communities available at the universities today. Deciding to go to college is deciding to enter an academic discourse community all on its own but deciding to choose a major is entering a more specified discourse community. There are many similarities and differences between every separate community which makes it difficult for some people to choose.Understanding a community must be done before involving oneself. Comparing and contrasting majors can make it easier for someone to choose which academic discourse community they decide to involve themselves in. Comparing and contrasting majors can be much simpler than it seems. Taking the time to describe a rhetorical purpose, audience, and values can be a good outline for to understand the community. An example of this would be comparing the discourse communities of a nursing major and an education major.According to the Sacramento State Co urse Catalog, â€Å"Nursing is a caring discipline with a foundation of nursing science guided by the application of moral and ethical principles of care and responsibility† and â€Å"The professional educator brings together subject matter knowledge, appropriate strategies, and interpersonal skills essential to providing successful learning experiences for children. † Preparing to work first-hand with people, possibly even very young children, is the main similarity between the two majors.Although the two prepare to help the community, they plan to help in different ways. The two majors are in a sense the same in their future purpose caring the same values, but different in the actual action it will entail. Both Nursing and Education carry the social value of an equal opportunity. The majors do not discriminate between the sexes or age of a person unlike athletics major possibly would. A woman at a very elderly age most likely wouldn’t be able to run a triathlo n and be successful at the same time.Nursing provides health and well-being for the community also providing safety. By treating someone of a contagious and deadly disease a nurse could possibly prevented a whole community from contact of this disease. Education provides common and even uncommon knowledge also building a future for the community. Teaching a young community to read and write makes them literate allowing them to seek high-end careers in the future.Rhetorically, an audience or a nurse could be doctors, parents, or the elderly while the audience of an educator would most likely be parents, their students directly, or the community no longer directly tied to the education environment. A typical purpose a nurse might have would be to provide health and safety to the community in order to keep a community alive. On the other hand a purpose for an educator would be to educate the community of the importance of a health and safety so they are aware of the seriousness of the matter.Personas in both fields would most likely be informative and professional. Comparing and contrasting the similarities between two separate majors can ease the decision of joining a discourse community. Values of the community can be very similar which may be what draws a person to both but the purpose of them can be completely different. Understanding the communities is done by exploring these aspects and applying rhetorical cases to them. Works Cited â€Å"Sacramento State University Catalog† (2012-2014)

Personal factors that can influence children’s development Essay

Family is a huge part of a child’s development. Older siblings could mean that the child has a good role model to look up to. If the child lives in an extended family could mean that the child has more strong relationships with different members of the family which could give them a strong sense of security. The child may live with one single parent, which could mean the child craves attention from other people because their parent is at work or away for other reasons. A child could get easily confused if their parent remarries which could add step-siblings to the family. Another reason that could affect a child’s development is their housing. Lack of personal space can cause tension between siblings or not having access to a garden or public play area can lead to the lack of physical skills and socializing skills. A child is likely to get jealous over a new baby. Sibling rivalry is common it could make a child feel left out. If they have to share a bedroom it could cause tension between them. Sharing a bedroom with a younger sibling may cause the older sibling not to get enough sleep. Read more:Â  Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of external factors essay External factors that influence a child’s development. Socioeconomics- Wealth and poverty of a child’s family can have a huge effect on a child’s development; it can determine opportunities like education. Nutrition- A child’s brain development relies of regular nourishment, eating healthy and keeping active reduces the risk of illness. Family and Society- Families can steer a child’s development in three ways; nurturing, stimulation and behavioural modelling. Education- A child’s first years are important for a child’s developing brain. A child needs interaction with adults and other children. Political Environment- Children who are brought into the world around war and threat on war can develop psychosocial stress. They could be affected by this for the rest of their lives.

Broomfield and Childs Essay

When the DVD has finished, I will hand round a script of what they have just watched (Appendix.2). We will read the scene taking turns, rather than giving specific parts to individual children. This allows children to feel involved and reduces pressure on those who are less confident to read. When we have read the script, I will explain that in the next lesson we will be using the text to act out the scene in small groups. Lesson two will begin by dividing the children into groups of 4. My Learning Objective for this lesson will be to perform a scene from a given script using emotion and feeling. The children will be given the responsibility to decide who takes on each role and how the scene will be set. When the children have rehearsed their scene they will share their work with the other groups. Through watching individual interpretations of the scene I will be able to assess the level of expression used both facially and in movement and offer constructive praise and potential areas for development. At this point I will seat the children in a circle and discuss that the film ‘Titanic’ is just one version of the events aboard the ship. I will talk to the children about my Great, Great Uncle who was a steward on board the Titanic and did not survive. I will then read the children a Survivor’s Story and explain that although a lot of people did drown when the ship sank, many escaped on lifeboats. Giving the children a balanced view of the facts will allow them to make informed decisions later in the lesson. The children will then be encouraged to write short scripts for a  final scene of the story. They need to choose a genre for their script based on their learning. The ending could take one of the following forms; tragedy, fantasy, romance, or it may have a happy ending. In groups they are to write a script that they will perform to the class in the next lesson. Through planning for a final performance, children are set a specific deadline which may concentrate their minds and keep their attention. They will have access to the props in the classroom and will be able to bring in things from home if required. Giving the children the freedom to create their own scene will allow them to think independently and apply what they have learned from the topic. Promoting creativity is a powerful way of engaging pupils with their learning. (The Report on Excellence and Enjoyment, 2003) It is essential that I monitor the groups throughout the script writing process and offer guidance where necessary. Some children may need encouragement to offer ideas and reluctant writers may need the help of a scribe. By Lesson three all groups will be finishing their scripts and rehearsing their scene. My learning objective for this lesson will be for the children to analyse the characters portrayed by their peers in a professional manner and offer feedback on the performances given. When the children are ready they will perform their scene to the rest of the class. This will be the finale to our topic of the Titanic and will incorporate additional props such as life jackets, fake blood and background music. When each group has performed the children will be encouraged to discuss how effective the scenes were and which parts were; sad, funny, emotional or thought provoking. Peter (2003:23) states, Drama provokes emotional responses in children that are real, and the chance also to learn about their feelings, responses and the consequences of their reactions to situations that are realistic.  Ã‚  This part of the lesson gives me the opportunity to evaluate to what extent my learning objectives have been achieved and how well the children have grasped the topic. It is important that learning objectives are achievable and can be adapted to suit every child. In this continuation of three lessons my learning objectives have covered areas of character, scriptwriting and peer assessment. Each child will have met these objectives in different ways, but the very nature of drama allows for this flexibility. A good teacher will recognise that there will be differences in ability levels within the class and set work accordingly. All feedback should be positive and productive and be of use to the class as a whole. I will assess how the children give and receive feedback and ensure all comments are constructive. McCrae (2003:32) agrees,  It is essential that the teacher does not compare one group with another, but highlights positives of each piece independently; praise in order to encourage self expression and self evaluation.

Innovation and Strategic Management Annotated Bibliography - 1

Innovation and Strategic Management - Annotated Bibliography Example Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 6(2), 14-39. In this article, the researchers present their findings on how innovation is shaping general business management practices. They took an in-depth analysis of the impacts of embracing innovation and adapting it to business management practices. They also establish how governments, businesses and other development organizations incorporate innovation in their budget decisions and analyze the impact of innovation on long term performance of businesses and government departments. The authors argue that firm’s profitability and market competitiveness is dependent on how well they make use of innovation in their strategic planning and management. They propose a model that can be used to not only audit but also classify different types of strategic management practices that use innovation as the driving force. SÃ ¡nchez et al studied a relatively broad sample of firms in the electronics industry in Spain to arrive at empirical results. They established that those firms that embraced innovation in their strategic management generally witnessed significant growth in their revenues. On the contrary, firms that did not incorporate innovation in their management practices witnessed reduced revenues and made perpetual losses. SÃ ¡nchez et al proposed a comprehensive model that links companies’ performance to innovation-directed strategic management. In this model, businesses make management decisions that are informed by innovations that aim at cutting costs of production, improve resource competence and create new portfolios in the market. The innovation based strategic management in this model links environmental changes, strategic innovation and business results. In this article, the authors argue that the kind of innovation that has led to improved business performance is not necessarily that which is based on the technological changes. They

Criminology Assignment 4-Stanford Prison Experiment Essay

Criminology Assignment 4-Stanford Prison Experiment - Essay Example They were to be compensated $ 15 for a period of less than two weeks. The volunteers were then randomly chosen to either play the role of the prison guard or the role of the prisoners. The prisoners were placed in a nine by six foot cell. There were three cells, one solitary cell, prison yard and other rooms were used by prison guards and the prison warden. Prisoners would remain in their prisons for 24 hours. Guards on the hand worked on eight hour shifts and could be allowed not allowed to go home. Phillip and his team were observed the behavior of the group using hidden microphones and cameras that were placed strategically. The prisoners were arrested normally and booked the way a normal suspect would be booked. They were then blindfolded and taken to the prison. They were given prison clothes and were referred to by their prison number at the back of their clothes. The guards on the other hand were given dark glasses to minimize eye contact with the prisoners. The guards would harass the prisoners and enjoy it. Prisoners were dehumanized and given boring tasks to accomplish. The prisoners were soon taking sides and telling tales on each other to the guards in order to win favors from the guards. The guards were in total control and held the prisoners in contempt. Prisoners became submissive. As time went by the guards became more aggressive and this forced the prisoners to be more submissive. After 36 hours one prisoner was released as he showed signs of early depression. Within the sixth day the experiment had to be closed down as Phillip feared the prisoners would be mentally or physically damaged. The purpose of the study was to show that abusive prison behavior was caused by inherent personality possessed by prisoners and guards. The experiment demonstrated the role that a powerful role plays in human behavior. When the guards were given powerful roles they found themselves behaving in ways that surprised them. They treated the

You are an accountant in a medium-sized manufacturing company Research Paper

You are an accountant in a medium-sized manufacturing company - Research Paper Example Accruals are revenues already recognized, but no drawn cash or recorded cash such as rent, salaries and taxes in an industry. Estimates are a class of adjusting entries which occurs when the actual particulars of an expense is not easily determined such as an entry for wayward debt. Inventory is an adjusting entry since in an inventory system which is periodic; the adjusting entry helps in determining the outlay of goods sold expense. In a computerized system, these entries would first be characterized into prepayments and accruals then define expenses into prepaid expenses and accrued expenses while the revenues would fall into unearned revenue and accrued revenues (Warren, Reeve & Duchac, 2012). This would be necessary since the computer system only understands systemic information. Some of the ethical issues arising from these manufacturing entries as seen in the studies of Gilbertson & Lehman (2009) include honesty. This is where the person delegated the duty of recording the entries, is necessary to demonstrate honesty when recording the particulars to avoid errors, and misappropriations during in the final books of accounts since it would amount to fraud which is

Answering Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Answering Questions - Essay Example d activities are focused on is the construction of its social infrastructure, which proves their substantial degree of uncomplicatedness, and willingness to restrain from persecution; therefore, long-term survival. In most Arab countries, the brotherhood has integrated into political institutions. In the western countries, it has established itself in local Muslim communities by setting up Mosques, banks, Islam facilities, and educational and social institutions (MAITIC 6-8). Contemporary Shiites have a common form of Shi’ism that they adhere to; Twelver Shi’ism or the Imami. This belief is from the origins of Shi’ism which believed in the fundamental teaching that the Muslim Community’s rightful rulers were from a series of twelve Imams. This began with Ali ibn Abu Talib. This belief is continued to date. Shi’ism has continued to become the function of Iran’s politics based on the above ideology. Shi’ism has, however, discontinued in some of its institutions and traditions, as they are changed and determined by descendants who may not have what it takes to run the institutions, and guide the traditions properly (Fradkin). Earlier jihadist groups fought to conquer specific regions for both material and religious reaons. Jihadist groups fought to protect, to revenge, and to gain material wealth. They struggled to protect Islam, and against those who did not believe in Islamic God. Al Qaida also struggles against those who do not believe in Islamic God, but through a different way. Al Qaida are terrorists, and fight to achieve their aim through terror attacks. Earlier jihadists involved themselves in battles. The difference is in the ideology of battle and methods of struggles (Rabasa et al 9). Both the Sunni Islamist and Shia Islamists understanding of Jihad is the same. Both groups of Islamists consider Jihad as a holy war. Sunni Islamists believe that they should wage a holy war against the Shia Islamists who give honor to Mohammad’s descendants

How Changes in Technology Can Affect Service Organizations and Their Essay

How Changes in Technology Can Affect Service Organizations and Their Customers - Essay Example In the modern era of technology it often turns out, that an organization that manages its computer data base the most efficient way is the leading one in high quality customer service. Technology introduces both major problems and major opportunities. In general, technology can be broadly defined as a kind of system of knowledge-based activities employed in the conversion of an input into a useful output. (D'Souza, 1995) The influence of technology on service positioning, service design, service delivery and quality, customer satisfaction can hardly be overestimated. The very essence of service provision type of business results in significant influence of high-tech environment on both quality of service provided and level of customer satisfaction. Services are produced and consumed simultaneously; therefore, customers often personally contact the provider of the service, thus opening an opportunity for an inter-personal relationship. (Lovelock, 2001) Going even further then this, service industry involves multiple service encounters over a period of time, thus require an ongoing relationship with the consumer (auto repair) or an ongoing membership (banking, insurance systems). (Lovelock, 2001) Excellence in service delivery is largely dependent on interpersonal relationships with customer either on a short-term or on a long-term basis, whereas in recent years many processes that used to be manual now are mechanized. This shifts the dependence of customer satisfaction and service quality on workforce quality to the dependence on quality of techn ology management. All five dimensions of service quality outlined in a journal article by Subhash C. Kundu and Jay A. Vora (2004): reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles are directly correlated with technology management.The quality improvement movement that has been so popular within the last few years is mainly driven by technological innovations. Over years technology began to outweigh all other factors that traditionally have been major constitutes of service quality. Eventually the result might be that a service company, that is able to adjust to technological innovations and successfully implement them in service provision, will be the leading in the industry. It is stated far and wide, that the corporate success in the 21st century will largely depend on a company's ability to leverage feedback and to establish an ongoing dialogue with the consumer as a consequence. Technology will provide a basis for enduring customer relations that will be based on t rust and commitment. (Rosello, 1997) Lovelock (2001) introduced the idea of the four quadrants of service types three of which emphasize the relationship with the individual when delivering a service: services directed at people's bodies, physical possessions, and intangible assets. The final quadrant, quadrant 3, represents services directed at people's minds (education, radio, television) and in this case most of the times relationship is often with the organization instead of a usual individualistic approach. Technological innovation by bringing in new channels of product delivery makes this idea questionable. (Prescott, 2003) It should be emphasized, that the categorizing offered by Lovelock is actually much more complex. In

Dissertation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dissertation - Essay Example In addition, each of the three major articles is assigned three minor literature sources that compare and contrast the main ideas presented in the major articles. These articles are analysed below focusing on their value for achieving the objectives of the proposed study. The first article is that of Siddhanta and Roy (2010). The specific article focuses on the relationship between employee engagement and productivity. The examination and the evaluation of this relationship is one of the study’s objectives. The article has been considered as important for the proposed study because of the following reasons: a) it helps to explore one of the study’s objectives, meaning especially the involvement of employee engagement in enhancing productivity in institutions; b) it presents a thorough analysis of the role of engagement within modern organizations. Also, engagement, as a concept, is explained in the context of its relationship with different aspects of the organization, such as ‘productivity, profitability and customer satisfaction’ (Siddhanta and Roy, 2010, p. 172). In all institutional settings, performance measure is specifically important because it is the direct reflection of what the turnover, output or productivity levels of the institution would be. Again, human resource managers and other leaders of institutions and organisations find it prudent to measure performance because it is the only means by which they can assess whether or not they are having the needed returns made in the investments they make in enhancing human capital. Again as reflected in the topic, employee engagement is a very important means of achieving performance. It is therefore a step in the right direction that an index such as the employee engagement index be used in measuring performance. Once this balance is done, the implication is that there will be the avenue to assess each employee as a singular stakeholder for growth and development for the organ isation. The index could thus be considered effective because it offers individualised assessment on employee performance. Barret (2012) puts forth an argument that sharply disagrees with the notion elucidated by Siddahanta and Roy (2010), which puts much emphasis on short term turnover profitability and productivity as the best way to judge the effectiveness of the employee engagement model. In his opinion, employee engagement should be seen as a medium term or a long term strategic change plan rather than a short term one. To this end, the author strongly hold the view that there are many companies who have failed to realize the essence and individual talents of their employees because they dismiss them after one or two years of engagement with no massive returns on the financial books. Contrary to such an attitude, the writer posits that the whole system of organizational change the leads to fatter turnovers grinds slower and so Siddahanta and Roy (2010) cannot be right in their judgment of the output of employee engagement as short term turnover profitability. On their parts, Stringer (2007) and Ulrich (2004) refuse to welcome the debates of the first two writers whether the debate is taken from a short term basis or from a long term basis. Together, the two new writers hold the idea that as much as employee engagement index could be an excellent way to measure performance it is totally out of place to make financial turnover the major focus of the resulting index. In the

The Adaptation of Transcendentalism Essay Example for Free

The Adaptation of Transcendentalism Essay None of the transcendentalist thinkers were very popular during their lives. Their ideas were all thought to be wild and barbaric when really they were just ahead of their time. Today, those same ideas that were thought to be too free and wild are actually seen as fairly tame and mild. Writers such as Walt Whitman, Ralph Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were all misunderstood by society during their lives. The typical lifestyle during the time of the early transcendentalists was very slow and the thinking was traditional; therefore, when Whitman, Thoreau, and Emerson started sharing their ideas that went against the traditional way of life, they were seen as uncivilized and outspoken. Now, we can look back on the history of America and see how the people who fought the popular way of thinking or questioned why things were the way they were have caused seminal movements and changes in the way of life. Now that we recognize change as a good thing, we encourage others to be different and question society. We encourage people to stand up and fight popular thinking because those kinds of people are what have made America the way it is. But before they were seen as great minds, the early transcendentalists were considered wild and their ideas unthinkable. Ralph Emerson, for example, wrote, â€Å"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do† (â€Å"Self-Reliance† 47-49, Emerson). By this Emerson is saying that people who want to keep things the same just because that’s the way they have always been are wrong and ridiculous. Without questioning your way of life, great minds cannot rise and be great. At the time that he wrote this people did not feel the same way. Society pushed to keep everything unchanged because that’s the way it had always been done and it worked that way. Henry David Thoreau also wrote something along the same lines but about government. He wrote, â€Å"This American government- what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some integrity† (â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government† 25-27, Thoreau). Thoreau, like Emerson, talks about how enforcing tradition is a ridiculous notion. Thoreau points out that even the young government is trying to make sure that through future generations the system would still be â€Å"unimpaired† and consistent. Again, the ideas provided by the two were not popular with the majority of society at the time but became very popular with future leaders. All of the leaders in the past who have made a difference have given something new. As Whitman says in one of his many poems, â€Å"I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, †¦ Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else† (â€Å"I Hear America Singing† 1and 9, Whitman). Every leader who stood up against society, against the crowd, was singing their own song. Popular leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi sang the songs of true justice and equality. Their â€Å"songs† or ideas, though their own, were heavily influenced by those of the people who came before them. They used the ideas expressed in Thoreau’s famous essay â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government†. When Martin Luther King Jr. spent the night in Birmingham jail he wrote about what made laws just and unjust and questioned if the laws made by the majority were truly fair. That notion was inspired by the line in Thoreau’s essay, â€Å"After all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule, is not because they are the most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest† (Thoreau 57-61). By this he is saying that just because things may be voted for by the majority, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fair to everyone and when Martin Luther King Jr. saw this it stuck and he then wrote similar ideas expanding on the thought. Gandhi then did the same thing when talking about nonviolence. He used Thoreau’s example of his one night in jail to say that instead of fighting with our fists, use quiet actions to gain people on your side. These are just two examples of the impact the transcendentalists made on history. Once thought to be wild and outspoken, the early transcendentalists are now considered the start of what we are encouraged to do every day. They were different and spoke their minds just as we are encouraged to do now. They were the start of a domino effect in America where one great leader got their ideas from a great leader before them, who somewhere down the line got their ideas from one of the early transcendentalists. Now considered mild and tame, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Emerson will forever go down in history as the men who lived on through the ideas of great leaders.

Hersey Blanchard Situational Leadership Management Essay

Hersey Blanchard Situational Leadership Management Essay The term leadership is a word taken from the common vocabulary and incorporated into the technical vocabulary of a scientific discipline without being precisely redefined. As consequences, it carries extraneous connotations that create ambiguity of meaning (Janda, 1960). Additional confusion is caused by the use of other imprecise terms such as power, authority, management, administration, control and supervision to describe similar phenomena. An observation by Bennis (1959, p. 259) is as true today as when he made it many years ago: Always, it seems, the concept of leadership eludes us or turns up in another form to taunt us again with its slipperiness and complexity. So we have invented an endless proliferation of terms to deal with it. and still the concept is not sufficiently defined. Most definition of leadership reflect the assumption that involves a process whereby intentional influences is exerted over other people to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and relationsh ips in a group or organisation. The numerous definitions of leadership appear to have little else in common. They differ in many respects, including who exerts influence, the intended purpose of the influence, the manner in which influence is exerted, and the outcome of the influence attempt. The differences are not just t a case of scholarly nit picking; they reflect deep disagreement about identification of leaders and leadership processes.(Gary Yukl, 2010) Theories of leadership: Douglas McGregor described Theory X and Theory Y in his book, The Human Side of Enterprise. Theory X and Theory Y each represent different ways in which leaders view employees. Theory X managers believe that employees are motivated mainly by money, are lazy, uncooperative, and have poor work habits. Theory Y managers believe that subordinates work hard, are cooperative, and have positive attitudes. Theory X is the traditional view of direction and control by managers. 1. It is the nature of average human being who dislikes doing work and will avoid if he or she can. 2. Because of this human characteristic of dislike of work, most people must be controlled, directed, and threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort toward the achievement of organizational objectives. 3. The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, and has relatively little ambition, wants security above all. Theory Y is the view that individual and organizational goals can be integrated. 1. The expenditures of physical and mental effort in work are as natural as play or rest. 2. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing out effort toward organizational objectives. 3. Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. 4. The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but also to seek responsibility. 5. The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity in the solution of organizational problems in widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population. 6. Under the condition of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilized. Fred E. Fiedlers contingency theory postulates that there is no best way for managers to lead. Situations will create different leadership style requirements for a manager. The solution to a managerial situation is contingent on the factors that impose on the situation. For example, in a highly routinized (mechanistic) environment where repetitive tasks are the norm, a certain leadership style may result in the best performance. The same leadership style may not work in a very dynamic environment. Fiedler looked at three situations that could define the condition of a managerial task: 1. Leader member relations: Compatibility between the manager and the employees? 2. The task structure: Is the job highly structured, fairly unstructured, or somewhere in between? 3. Position power: How much authority does the manager possess? Managers were rated as to whether they were relationship oriented or task oriented. Task oriented managers tend to do better in situations that have good leader-member relationships, structured tasks, and either weak or strong position power. They do well when the task is unstructured but position power is strong. Also, they did well at the other end of the spectrum when the leader member relations were moderate to poor and the task was unstructured. Relationship oriented managers do better in all other situations. Thus, a given situation might call for a manager with a different style or a manager who could take on a different style for a different situation. Another aspect of the contingency model theory is that the leader-member relations, task structure, and position power dictate a leaders situational control. Leader-member relations are the amount of loyalty, dependability, and support that the leader receives from employees. It is a measure of how the manager perceives he or she and the group of employees are getting along together. In a favorable relationship the manager has a high task structure and is able to reward or punish employees without any problems. In an unfavorable relationship the task is usually unstructured and the leader possesses limited authority. Positioning power measures the amount of power or authority the manager perceives the organization has given him or her for the purpose of directing, rewarding, and punishing subordinates. Positioning power of managers depends on the taking away (favorable) or increasing (unfavorable) the decision-making power of employees. The task-motivated style leader experiences pride and satisfaction in the task accomplishment for the organization, while the relationship-motivated style seeks to build interpersonal relations and extend extra help for the team development in the organization. There is no good or bad leadership style. Each person has his or her own preferences for leadership. Task-motivated leaders are at their best when the group performs successfully such as achieving a new sales record or outperforming the major competitor. Relationship-oriented leaders are at their best when greater customer satisfaction is gained and a positive company image is established. Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership theory is based on the amount of direction (task behaviour) and amount of socio-emotional support (relationship behaviour) a leader must provide given the situation and the level of maturity of the followers. Task behaviour is the extent to which the leader engages in spelling out the duties and responsibilities to an individual or group. In task behaviour the leader engages in one-way communication. Relationship behaviour is the extent to which the leader engages in two-way or multi-way communications. This includes listening, facilitating, and supportive behaviours. In relationship behaviour the leader engages in two-way communication by providing socio-emotional support. Maturity is the willingness and ability of a person to take responsibility for directing his or her own behaviour. People tend to have varying degrees of maturity, depending on the specific task, function, or objective that a leader is attempting to accomplish through th eir efforts. To determine the appropriate leadership style to use in a given situation, the leader must first determine the maturity level of the followers in relation to the specific task that the leader is attempting to accomplish through the effort of the followers. As the level of followers maturity increases, the leader should begin to reduce his or her task behavior and increase relationship behaviour until the followers reach a moderate level of maturity. As the followers begin to move into an above average level of maturity, the leader should decrease not only task behaviour but also relationship behaviour. Houses Path-Goal Model The path-goal theory developed by Robert House is based on the expectancy theory of motivation. The managers job is viewed as coaching or guiding workers to choose the best paths for reaching their goals. Best is judged by the accompanying achievement of organizational goals. It is based on the precepts of goal setting theory and argues that leaders will have to engage in different types of leadership behavior depending on the nature and demands of the particular situation. It is the leaders job to assist followers in attaining goals and to provide direction and support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the organizations. A leaders behaviour is acceptable to subordinates when viewed as a source of satisfaction and motivational when need satisfaction is contingent on performance, and the leader facilitates, coaches and rewards effective performance. Path goal theory identifies achievement-oriented, directive, participative and supportive leadership styles. In achievement-oriented leadership, the leader sets challenging goals for followers, expects them to perform at their highest level, and shows confidence in their ability to meet this expectation. This style is appropriate when the follower suffers from lack of job challenge. In directive leadership, the leader lets followers know what is expected of them and tells them how to perform their tasks. This style is appropriate when the follower has an ambiguous job. Participative leadership involves leaders consulting with followers and asking for their suggestions before making a decision. This style is appropriate when the follower is using improper pr ocedures or is making poor decisions. In supportive leadership, the leader is friendly and approachable. He or she shows concern for followers psychological well being. This style is appropriate when the followers lack confidence. Path-Goal theory assumes that leaders are flexible and that they can change their style, as situations require. Effective leaders clarify the path to help their followers achieve their goals and make the journey easier by reducing roadblocks and pitfalls. Research demonstrates that employee performance and satisfaction are positively influenced when the leader compensates for the shortcomings in either the employee or the work setting. Leadership plays an important role in ones life. If one is a business owner he needs to be a leader in the field of your business. To be a successful leader, one must demonstrates some or all of the following characteristics: 1. The ability to listen: Most leaders do too much talking but not enough listening. Feedbacks to a persons company services or products are important to that person as they demonstrate the customers needs. 2. The ability to acknowledge and change: This is probably the hardest part to do. People often refuse to change. They believe their services or products are the best, which, theres nothing wrong with that. But when there are feedbacks coming from customers you have to listen, then acknowledge them and make changes to provide better customer service. 3. The ability to form one-on-one relationships: People will need to be able to reach you. If you are just starting a business its especially important for you to be able to spend some time to get to know your customers, and/or employees. If you do that, over time, you will develop a strong trust between you and your customers. 4. Successful people make sure they surround themselves with like-minded people. Im not saying millionaires should just ignore the poor. But you need to spend time to communicate with like-minded people. You cannot survive by yourself, and by interacting with others you can motivate others or give others a chance to motivate you. 5. The ability to know yourself: It is very important to know what youre best at, and what your weaknesses are. A business is a team sport. Often one cannot handle all the aspects of a business and need to know when to seek for assistance. 6. Successful people refuse to let other people dictate how they should do certain things. We are not living under someone elses shadow. We must take control and ownership of our lives and careers and never let go. 7. The ability to communicate: Communication is really very important. Even if you are running a home online business and you use email as a communication channel. Down the road, you might want to do a video to promote your company. You might receive TV interviews. Its never too late to practice your presentation and communication skills. 8. Successful people display high levels of optimism and confidence. They believe in themselves and they are not afraid of failures. They see every obstacle as a stepping-stone to their success. They turn challenges into motivators and become their advantages. 9. People who are successful are the ones who are passionate at what they do. 10. People who are successful are the ones who develop high levels of patience and dedication to see the results. http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-10-Characteristics-of-a-Successful-Leaderid=1552997 Characteristics of Successful and Effective Leadership It is not only inborn personality traits that are important but also styles and behaviours that a person learns. Strong autocratic leaders set their goals without considering the opinions of their followers, and then command their followers to execute their assigned tasks without question. Consultative leaders solicit the opinions and ideas of their followers in the goal-setting process but ultimately determine important goals and task assignments on their own. Democratic or participative leaders participate equally in the process with their followers and let the group make decisions. Extremely laid-back leaders, so called laissez-faire leaders, let the group take whatever action its members feel is necessary. A research team at the University of Michigan, inspired and led by Renis Likert, studied leadership for several years and identified two distinct styles, which they referred to as job-centered and employee-centered leadership styles. The job-centered leader closely supervises subordinates to make sure they perform their tasks following the specified procedures. This type of leader relies on reward, punishment, and legitimate power to influence the behaviour of followers. The employee-centered leader believes that creating a supportive work environment ultimately is the road to superior organizational performance. The employee-centered leader shows great concern about the employees emotional well-being, personal growth and development, and achievement. A leadership study group at Ohio State University, headed by Harris Fleishman, found similar contrasts in leadership style, which they referred to as initiating structure and consideration. The leadership style of initiating structure is similar to the job-centered leadership style, whereas consideration is similar to the employee-centered leadership style. It was the initial expectation of both research groups that a leader who could demonstrate both high initiating structure (job centered) and high consideration (employee centered) would be successful and effective in all circumstances. Many students of leadership today believe that there is no one best way to lead, believing instead that appropriate leadership styles vary depending on situations. Fred Fiedler (1967), for instance, believes that a task-oriented leadership style is appropriate when the situation is either extremely favorable or extremely unfavorable to the leader. A favorable situation exists when the relationship between the leader and followers is good, their tasks are well-defined, and the leader has strong power; when the opposite is true, an unfavorable situation exists. When the situation is moderately favorable, a people-oriented leadership style is appropriate. Some theorists suggest that situational factors-the type of task, nature of work groups, formal authority system, personality and maturity level of followers, experience, and ability of followers-are critical in determining the most effective leadership style. For instance, when followers are inexperienced and lack maturity and respons ibility, the directive leadership style is effective; when followers are experienced and willing to take charge, supportive leadership is effective. (http://www.answers.com/topic/leadership)

Assessing The Conflict And Consensus Approaches

Assessing The Conflict And Consensus Approaches Consensus is a concept of society in which the absence of conflict is seen as the equilibrium state of society based on a general or widespread agreement among all members of a particular society. The consensus ideology proposes that society consists of social institutions which are all dependent of each other and are vital for maintaining social order. The consensus theory highlights harmony, integration and stability. Functionalists argue that the main institutional groupings play a tremendous role in determining the culture of society. These, as example include economic, politics, family and kinship, as well as media. Economic growth plays a role as well because it affects the way certain societies think and how they run their everyday lives. The functionalist perspective is rooted in the work of Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) and gives the view of society as an organism in which each part functions in a certain way to ensure the stability of the whole. Though society is something which exists on its own it has a structure of parts that maintains it. The parts are institutions like the family or the church, which are useful or functional in some way, but if the institution was no longer functional it would disappear and be replaced like a passing fashion. People involved in these institutions may not be aware of their function, but because the institution exists certain effects follow. Institutions are long lasting so therefore functional. The foundations of functionalism explain how social inequality is necessary to motivate the more talented members of society to train to fulfil the demands of social positions which are functionally more important than others. They list the rank order of positions as religion, government, wealth and technical knowledge and point out that only a limited number of people have the talents which can be turned into the skills needed for these positions. This takes training which means social and financial sacrifices are made, so in order to encourage people to undergo this training, and to endure the demands of the future position itself, they are given certain privileges. This may include access to scarce resources such as property, power and prestige. This access to scarce resources produces stratification but also inequality in the amount of resources allocated to different people. This inequality is both functional and inevitable. Functionalist theories state that education meets the needs of the industrial society as well as the cultural society and has the important role of socialising the individual to fit into, and continue, the social system. Individuals are born into a society that already has an identity of its own and education has the function of passing on shared values and skills. Where functionalism uses consensus, shared norms and values and concepts such as order, harmony, cohesion and integration, Marxism takes a different view. Marx argues that that economic inequality is at the heart of all societies. Conflict is a disagreement or clash between opposing ideas, principles, or people-this can be a covert or overt conflict. The conflict perspective is based on many conflict approaches. In spite of their inconsequential differences, they all have a model of society as a whole and they collectively share the view of the structural approach. Additionally, all perspectives, in some form or another, share the notion that sociological groups have different interests. As a result, they propose that conflicts are always probable since that when different groups advocate their own individual interests, it tends to cause disagreement and in certain situations, resentment. Arguably, the two most prestigious standpoints within the approach are the Marxist and feminist conflict theories. A major difference between functionalism and the conflict perspective is that the conflict approach accentuates the existence of competi ng groups whilst functionalism views groups as being fully cooperative. Conflict theorists emphasise conflict and contradiction whereas consensus theorists maintain that societys institutions work within functional unity. The conflict paradigm (particular Marxists), conversely, holds that society has an infrastructure and a superstructure that work independently. The ideology considers value as being the mechanisms for keeping society together. Conflict theorists reject the assertion and claim that values are imposed by the powerful groups in society. Conflict theory, proposes that conflict, struggle and change are more prevailing within society. Marxism sees human history as a class struggle, with oppressor and oppressed wrestling for control. The dominant class controls and owns the means of production or wealth generation, and the working class in therefore controlled by them. Welfare is a result of the strength of working-class resistance to exploitation, a concession the dominant class must make to maintain social order. Programmes such as welfare and pensions help to legitimise the capitalist system with the working class. Welfare then becomes another vehicle for power and control by the dominant class. Its purpose is to placate rather than empower the poor, and seeks to reduce the individual to a state of dependency on those in power. According to Marxist theory, society has unfolded in a series of ever-progressing and better structures, as defined by their economic development and modes of production, from the primitive communal to slave-based to feudal to capitalist. The final stage was communism. This was predicted to be the best possible means of governance and structure of society, one that would erase inequalities and allow individuals to achieve their full potential and value within their community. Marxism viewed the individual as part of a collective organism, society. Inequalities in society resulted from distinction in classes, not particular individual decisions or behaviours. Conflict was between these classes, and rooted in struggle for power. Marxism assumes the individual can and will contribute to the greater community as much as they are able, and will be motivated by the common good. When society has evolved or elevated itself to this place, inequalities will be dealt with appropriately The problem with broad application of Marxist theory is that individuals do take advantage. As Wes Sharrock 1977 puts it: The conflict view is founded upon the assumption that society may provide extraordinarily good lives for some usually only possible because the great majority are oppressed and degraded. Difference of interest are therefore as important to society as agreements upon riles and values, and most societies are so organised that they not only provide greater benefits for some than for others Social conflict differs from consensus because it is interested in the way unenequal distribution of advantage in a society structures behaviour and is interested in the conflict inherent in such a society. The Marxist perspective concentrates on the differences between groups and concepts such as control, conflict, power, domination and exploitation. This is the theory based on the work of Karl Marx (1818-1833) Marx felt that social class was the main form of inequality and saw only two significant social classes. He maintained that it was capitalist industrialisation that led to this two class society, the bourgeoisie who owned the means of production (e.g. factories) and the proletariat who became the wage labourers (working in the factories). What the bourgeoisie, therefore, produces, above all, is its own grave diggers. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable. (Marx and Engels. 1848) Is social stratification socially constructed. Throughout the ages there has always been evidence in stratification and how it is socially moulded into almost everything. It can be seen In families, the workforce, in politics and international from one country to another, male against female, ages from young to the old and from the rich to the poor. It is even seen in the animal kingdom and it appears to be a natural instinctive survival mechanism but one that is unfair. It seems to happen when one or more people having a belief in something which in turn over powers the next therefore creating a layer with a low medium and high for example the class system of the poor and the bourgeoisie It depends on the individuals definition of social stratification however one may understand it as a form of hierarchy which is displayed almost in everything and everywhere we are only free when we are first born from then on in we belong to a class starting within the family union through to a much bigger ranking within local to international society. FOUR SECTIONS : RACE GENDER SEX AND AGE There are two reports which have been commissioned by the government to try and find some evidence of variations in health and illness. These are The Black Report (1980) chaired by Sir Douglas Black and The Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health by Sir Donald Acheson (1998). Firstly, in The Black Report inequalities in human health take a number of distinctive forms. Most attention is given to differences in health as measured over the years between the social (or more strictly occupational) classes. When comparing rates of mortality among men and women in each of the 5 classes. Taking the 2 extremes as a point of comparison it can be seen that for both men and women the risk of death before retirement is two-and-a-half times as great in class 5 (unskilled manua1 workers and their wives), as it is in class 1 (professional men and their wives). One of the most distinctive features of human health in the advanced societies is the gap in life expectancy between men and women. This phenomenon carries important implications for all spheres of social policy but especially health, since old age is a time when demand for health care is at its greatest and the dominant pattern of premature male mortality has added the exacerbating problem of isolation to the situation of elderly women who frequently survive their partners by many years. The imbalance in the ratio of males to females in old age is the cumulative product of health inequalities between the sexes during the whole lifetime. These inequalities are found in every occupational class demonstrating that gender and class exert highly significant and different influences on the quality and duration of life in modern society. Rates of age-specific mortality vary considerably between the regions which make up the United Kingdom. Using mortality as an indicator of health the healthiest part of Britain appears to be the southern belt (below a line drawn across the country from the Wash to the Bristol Channel). This part of the country has not always exhibited the low rates of mortality that are found there today. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the South East of England recorded comparatively high rates of death, while other regions like Wales and the far North had a rather healthier profile. The fluctuation in the distribution of mortality over the years suggests that social (including industrial and occupational) as much as natural factors must be at work in creating the pattern of regional health inequalities. One of the most important dimensions of inequality in contemporary Britain is race. Immigrants to this country from the so-called new Commonwealth, whose ethnic identity is clearly visible in the colour of their skin, are known to experience greater difficulty in finding work and adequate housing (Smith, 1976). Given, for example, these social and economic disabilities it is to be expected that they might also record rather high than average rates of mortality and morbidity. Class differences in mortality are a constant feature of the entire human lifetime. They are found at birth, during the first year of life, in childhood, adolescence and in adult life. In general they are more marked the start of life and in early adulthood. Average life expectancy provides a useful summary of the cumulative impact of these advantages and disadvantages throughout life. A child born to professional parents, if he or she is not socially mobile, can expect to spend over 5 years more as a living person than a child born to an unskilled manual household. At birth and during the first month of life the risk of death in class 5 is double the risk in class 1. When the fortunes of babies born to skilled manual fathers are compared with those who enter the world as the offspring of professional workers the risk of mortality is one and half times as great. From the end of the first month to the end of the first year, class differentials in infant mortality reach a peak of disadvantage. For the death of every one male infant in class 1, we can expect almost 4 deaths in class 5. In adult life, class differences in mortality are found for many different causes. As in childhood the rate of accidental death and infectious disease forms a steep gradient especially among men; moreover an extraordinary variety of causes of deaths such as cancer, heart and respiratory disease also differentiate between the classes. The duration of the human lifetime is one of the best means of approximating the lifelong pattern of health of individuals and whole populations. As we have seen, the risk of premature death in Britain today is systematically related to socioeconomic variables. This association is not new or unusual. Death rates have always been relatively high among the underprivileged and materially deprived sections of communities. Why this should continue to be so in an era characterised by new patterns of disease, increased purchasing power, and state provision of free medical care is more perplexing. In infancy and childhood where the class gradients are steep, the major causes of death are in many ways directly linked to poverty and to environmental risk. In adulthood the relationship between health and class becomes more complex and in old age social and economic deprivation becomes a common experience. Both Cartwright and OBrien (1976) and Buchan and Richardson (1973) have studied GP consultations in depth. Both investigations showed that middle class patients tended to have longer consultations than did working class ones. More problems were discussed at consultations with middle class patients than with working class ones. Cartwright and OBrien also found that middle class patients were, in a sense, able to make better use of the consultation time, as measured by the number of items of information communicated and the number of questions asked. Moreover even though working class patients tended to have been with the same practice for longer, the doctors seemed to have more knowledge of the personal and domestic circumstances of their middle class patients. In an earlier study Cartwright had found that middle class patients were more likely to be visited by their GP when in hospital than were working class patients (Cartwright, 1964). For cultural reasons then, and also because th ere is a tendency for the better doctors to work in middle class areas, the suggestion is that middle class patients receive a better service when they do present themselves than do working class patients. In the case of family planning and maternity services substantial evidence shows that those social groups in greatest need make least use of services and (in the case of antenatal care) are least likely to come early to the notice of the service. Cartwright (1970) found clear class gradients in the proportion of mothers having an antenatal examination, attending a family planning clinic, and discussing birth control with their GP. Unintended pregnancies were more common among working class women. Bone (1973) also found that women from the non-manua1 classes make more use of family planning services than those from the manual classes. This was true both for married and for unmarried women. Similar differences have been found in presentation for post-natal examination (Douglas and Rowntree, 1949) and (by Gordon, 1951) immunisation, ante-natal and post natal supervision and uptake of vitamin foods. The National Child Development Study (1958 birth cohort) found substantial differences in immunisation rates in children aged 7, as well as in attendance at the dentist. Among women, it has been found that those in classes 4 and 5 are much less likely to be screened for cervical cancers even though mortality from this condition is much higher in these classes than in the non-manual classes. In the Acheson report, the findings were much the same as The Black Report. The Acheson Report has also shown that health was improving but more for the higher than lower social classes. Premature mortality, that is death before age 65, is higher among people who are unskilled. If all men in this age group had the same death rates as those in classes I and II, it is estimated that there would have been over 17,000 fewer deaths each year from 1991 to 1993. Deaths from accidents and suicide occur at relatively young ages and each contribute nearly as much to overall years of working life lost as coronary heart disease. Death rates from all three causes are higher among those in the lower social classes, and markedly so among those in class V (Office for National Statistics and Blane Drever 1998). In adulthood, being overweight is a measure of possible ill health, with obesity a risk factor for many chronic diseases. There is a marked social class gradient in obesity which is greater among women than among men. (Colhoun and Prescott-Clarke, 1996), (Prescott-Clarke and Primatesta 1997), (Prescott-Clarke and Primatesta 1998). In 1996, 25 per cent of women in class V were classified as obese compared to 14 per cent of women in class I. Another indicator of poor health is raised blood pressure. There is a clear social class differential among women, with those in higher classes being less likely than those in the manual classes to have hypertension. In 1996, 17 per cent of women in class I and 24 per cent in class V had hypertension. There was no such difference for men where the comparable proportions were 20 per cent and 21 per cent respectively (Prescott-Clarke and Primatesta 1997). Across different ethnic groups, there are very different rates of unemployment. Those from minority ethnic groups have higher rates than the white population. Black men have particularly high unemployment rates as do Pakistani and Bangladeshi women (Office for National Statistics 1998). Between 1982 and 1992, there was a steep increase in the number of households accepted by Local Authorities as homeless. Since then, there has been a decrease of about a quarter. Of the 166,000 households classified as homeless in 1997, over 103,000 were accepted by local authorities to be unintentionally homeless and in priority need. Over half of households accepted by local authorities as homeless had dependent children and a further tenth had a pregnant household member (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions 1997 and 1998). There is a clear social class gradient for both men and women in the proportion who smoke. In 1996, this ranged from 12 per cent of professional men to 41 per cent of men in unskilled manual occupations and from 11 per cent to 36 per cent for women (Office for National Statistics 1998). In spite of the major class differences in dependence on alcohol in men (Meltzer et al 1995), there are very small differences in the reported quantities consumed. This is not the case among women where higher consumption is related to higher social class (Office for National Statistics 1998). People in lower socioeconomic groups tend to eat less fruit and vegetables, and less food which is rich in dietary fibre. As a consequence, they have lower intakes of anti-oxidant and other vitamins, and some minerals, than those in higher socioeconomic groups (Colhoun and Prescott-Clarke 1996), (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1996), (Department of Health 1989), (Gregory et al 1990), (Gregory et al 1995). One aspect of dietary behaviour that affects the health of infants is the incidence of breastfeeding. Six weeks after birth, almost three quarters of babies in class I households are still breastfed. This declines with class to less than one quarter of babies in class V. The differences between classes in rates of breastfeeding at six weeks has narrowed slightly between 1985 and 1995 (Foster et al 1997). Class inequalities in health have been accounted for in a number of different ways. The report of the DHSS Inequalities in Health Working Group The Black Report lists four types of explanation. These are inequality as an artefact, inequality as natural selection, inequality as material deprivation and inequality as cultural deprivation. The artefact explanation argues that inequalities in health are not real but artificial. They are an effect produced in the attempt to measure something which is more complicated than the tools of measurement can appreciate. It is argued that changes in the occupational structure are likely to combine with age to confound any attempt to measure inequality in mortality even at one point in time. It is suggested that the age structure of social class 5 is likely to be biased towards older workers because younger recruits to the labour force will have entered better paid, more skilled occupations, that have expanded since the war. Since the mortality risk increases with the age, this effect is likely to enlarge the rate of social class 5 as a whole. If so, the observed gradient is really caused by the skewed age structure of the unskilled manual class rather than by the poorer health of its members. The most persuasive attempt to explain health inequalities as the outcome of a process natural selection, has been put forward by the statistician, Jon Stern. He argues that those people with better health move up the social class ladder and those with poorer health move down the social class ladder (Stern 1983). Stern defines health as a fixed or genetic property of individuals largely independent of their immediate social and economic environment. His argument rests on the assumption that health itself increases the probability of social mobility and that the class structure permits movement up and down. This means that no matter how deprived the social background, a genetic potentiality for good health will enable a person to overcome material disadvantage and climb out of poverty. Material deprivation means a shortage of the material resources on which healthy human existence depends. This means that health is directly affected by the material circumstances in which people live. In less developed societies (poor housing) its effects may appear in very high death rates from diseases primarily caused by malnutrition and exposure. People in poverty may not be able to afford or access healthy foods to stay healthy or they may become ill more often because of poorly heated homes. Health inequality as cultural deprivation means that the poor have a self destructive culture which leads them to become ill because of the lifestyles and personal habits in which they engage, for example, smoking, alcohol, poor diet and lack of exercise, but these poor health behaviours are also a strategy to cope with the persistent material deprivation they experience. The psycho social explanation suggests that long term chronic stresses are unevenly distributed in society, basically in line with class position (structural inequalities). The impact of stresses depends on how individuals view them, subjectively, and deal with them. This, in turn, depends on the buffering resources we have in terms of personality, social background, location in the social structure, education, financial resources, and the supportiveness of the social environment. The social environment and the social location can generate self efficacy which is a feeling of personal control, mastery over ones life, instrumentalism (opposite concept to fatalism, powerlessness, learned helplessness). Self efficacy is the extent to which individuals see themselves in control of the forces which have a significant influence on their lives. Self efficacy is linked to self esteem, self concept, social support and individuals coping style. In other words, the psycho-social approach forges a link between class position and vulnerability to social stresses. Wilkinson et al (1990) discuss a social cohesion approach and argue that social and power inequalities (i.e. authoritarian hierarchies and non democratic social organisations, and potential status inequalities such as gender and ethnicity) will affect the quality of social relationships. Where inequalities produce anger, frustration, fear insecurity and negative emotion, social relations will suffer. Better health is linked to better social relations, through trust, more security, more social support, more self esteem, self respect, a sense of belonging and less financial and material disadvantage. Thus democratic and participatory styles of social organisation from the family to political organisations have a health enhancing effect. A life course theory regards health as reflecting the patterns of social, psychological and biological advantages and disadvantages experienced by the individual over time. A life course theory of health inequality regards these patterns as being profoundly affected by the position of individuals and families in social and economic structures and hierarchies of status. However, these links themselves depend on the political and cultural environment, which means that there is a need for a life course political economy of health, which examines the ways in which economic and social policies influence the accumulation of material and psycho social risk. The ways in which advantages and disadvantages combine over the life course influence both how long each individual may spend in good health, and also what form of illness they may acquire. In conclusion, there are many inequalities in health and all the findings from The Black Report in 1980 are still around today, which was shown in The Acheson Report. The table below shows the standardised mortality rates (SMRs) for ten equal-sized geographical areas in terms of population (or deciles). SMRs which are greater than 100 indicate higher chances of mortality, all relative to the national average. The table demonstrates a continuing polarisation in mortality rates. People living in the best areas have an improving life expectancy, whilst those in the worst areas face a decline, to such an extent that by 1998, those in the worst areas were twice as likely to die by the age of 65 as those in the best areasgraph showing Standardised mortality ratios for deaths under 65 in Britain by deciles of population, 1950-1998 graph showing Health inequalities in infant mortality (by social class for sole registrations)

Symbolic Healing in Toni Morrisons Beloved Essay -- Toni Morrison Bel

Symbolic Healing in Beloved  Ã‚     Toni Morrison’s powerful novel Beloved is based on the aftermath of slavery and the horrific burden of slavery’s hidden sins.   Morrison chooses to depict the characters that were brutalized in the life of slavery as strong-willed and capable of overcoming such trauma.   This is made possible through the healing of many significant characters, especially Sethe.   Sethe is relieved of her painful agony of escaping Sweet Home as well as dealing with pregnancy with the help of young Amy Denver and Baby Suggs.   Paul D’s contributions to the symbolic healing take place in the attempt to help her erase the past.   Denver plays the most significant role in Sethe’s healing in that she brings the community’s support to her mother and claims her own individuality in the process.   Putting her trust in other people is the only way Sethe is able to relieve herself of her haunted past and suffering body.   Morrison demonstrates that to overcom e the scars of slavery, one must place themselves in the hands of those that love them, rather than face the painful memories alone.   It is not surprising to see that Sethe named her second born daughter after the young girl that saved both of their lives.   Amy Denver, a white servant girl fleeing toward Boston, gave encouragement and first aid relief to Sethe’s swollen feet and helped her crawl to safety.   As Sethe lay dying on the uncomfortable ground, Amy approached her.   â€Å"She [Amy] gathered rocks, covered them with more leaves and made Sethe put her feet on them†¦then she did the magic: lifted Sethe’s feet and legs and massaged them until she cried salt tears† (Morrison, 35).   Amy is free of the thriving need to abuse slaves, and this ignorance proves beneficial.   U... ...port Sethe, and in return, Sethe chooses to accept their healing attempts and walks away from Beloved.   Slavery is and will always be within Sethe.   She was born a slave and raised a slave.   Crossing a river to freedom doesn’t change the torturous bonds of slavery.   The emotional barriers slavery places on people leave different effects but one thing remains common: the feeling of no self-worth.   Not all people are as lucky as Sethe to have people in their lives that help to overcome such obstacles.   With the help of Amy, Denver, Baby Suggs, Paul D, and others along her journey, Sethe is able to overcome the impossible and move on from her past with a life of love and acceptance. Works Cited Furman, Jan. Toni Morrison's Fiction. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York, Penguin Books USA Inc, 1998.

Internet Essay -- essays research papers

"We live in an age of scientific triumph. Science has greatly enlarged human knowledge" (Bishop237) and communication. Despite the recent hype, the Internet is not a new phenomenon. Its roots lie in a collection of computers that were linked together in the 1970s to form the US Department of Defense's communications systems. It is a technology that would be invented today if it hadn't been invented in the past because of the world need for high tecnology. Millions of people worldwide would be using the Internet to share information, make new associations and communicate. Individuals and businesses, from students and journalists, to consultants, programmers and corporate giants are all harnessing the power of the Internet. For many people the Internet would become integral to their operations. The internet would allow users to send and receive data: messages, notes, letters, documents, pictures, video, sound- just about any form of communication, as effortlessly as making a phone call. It is easy to understand why the Internet would become the corporate communications medium. Using the mouse on your computer, would be an uncomplicated point-and-click task whose function would give you acess to send electronic mail for sending and receiving data, and file transfer for copying files from one computer to another. Telnet services allow you to establish connections with systems on the other side of the world as if they were just next d oor. ...

Effects of Pollution on World Economy Essay

Today, the increase in the world population and the fact that improved lives leads to life in the cities could only mean more pollution and a concern for every one. The daily requirements of the humans have created an unrelenting world where human enterprise would not be ignored. The direct or indirect involvement such has been created by the necessity to survive largely as the major reason. Although, at times the basic force behind that, is the human nature to live comfortable lives by making work easier. Human activities on the face of the earth have affected the natural settings leading to major environmental impacts. Damage to the environment through pollution has always been the overriding result rather than improvement and development. In the recent increase in green house gas emissions have been rampant therefore warranting research, analyses and survey. The green house gases include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons that cause air pollution chemicals responsible for water pollution water and other metals that cause pollution to land and water (Hill, 2004). The analysis of pollution The graph below illustrates the yearly carbon emissions from different regions from 1800 up to 2000 in Million metric tons of carbon per year. From, this graph it is clear that the most leading countries in carbon emissions rank among the most developed countries. Developing countries and the less developed countries like Africa rank the lowest from this graph. It has been explained that less developed and developing countries is that economic costs of environmental regulation and compliance are small in respect to factors of production inclining more to those that influence comparative advantage (Gallagher, 2004) Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Online, n. d. There is evidence that increase in economic growth leads to an increase in pollution has been authenticated by the research in Mexico by the use of Kuznet curve. What Gallagher in his paper says is that pollution surpasses the economic growth thus the industries must come with strong environment strategies to ensure hat the growth of both are at per. Otherwise pollution leads to loss of profits made by an industry. This means that pollution eats back to what has lead to the accumulation of wealth (Gallagher, 2004). Pollution effects from a negative outlook What do we mean by the term environment? The environment is composed of the natural situations that form the human living space. This means that these are the inputs for nature that man has to turn to at one point of his life for survival or to aid in acquisition of an otherwise important need in his or her life. In economic terms the environment is seen as a scarce good that has its own special attributes (Siebert, 2007). The argument is that environment has two conflicting functions, one being a public consumption good and the other a home for deposition of waste from the consumption and production processes. The transformation of the environment on the other hand has affected the humans and the enterprise leading to a cyclic system; a system that works by triggering form one end and the process comes back trough and from another end. One of the major environmental impacts has been pollution thus this research paper will concern on how pollution affects the world economy from all perspectives. Pollution in the world has seen the increase in carbon dioxide and fixation of nitrogen present in air since the start of industrial revolution. The major reason for this increase is due to human activities changing and recoursing the natural law order of making and degeneration of organic and inorganic substances. Fresh water available sources have been put into human use and millions of birds have gone to extinction due to human activities. It is very clear that the rate of degeneration caused by man is much faster than the way natural order would take to replace back or deal with the amount of excretion. This therefore, means we have a cause to worry because in the quest for dominion of the earth and to improve our lives the other side of the balance is getting heavier. The process of natural replacement requires one to a hundred years to be effective therefore if pollution goes on with the same kind of alarming rate then man has to use his own means to replace the depleted materials to their original levels. This is very costly and affects the world’s economy negatively (Ash & Scholes, 2005). It is thus crucial to harmonize the different views on pollution to achieve pragmatism and success in the fight against man’s environment eventual extinction due to his own activities. This statement stems from the fact that pollution rates are different form the position of the country or region in that developing countries have the highest rates of pollution. This is a result of inadequate and many times lack of planning policies for the management of the waste form industries. On the other hand the rampant corruption harbored in these countries contributes immensely to the mismanagement of funds meant for the environment conservation and measures taken to avert the consequences of industrial effluents. However this does not mean that the developed countries are an exempt from this blame. Some of the most developed countries like America have large number of pollution from industries leading to mass destruction of animals especially in rivers lakes. At times these pollutant ranges to national border effects transported by agents like water and wind. Most of the large world economies since 1980’s have adopted the liberalized economy. This involves the right to engage in free trade using the available means of production. This thus, raises the concern of economy from the effect of pollution as a result of different countries applying all their resources to beat their inadequacy. This has translated to pollution taking two major turns. The first is the pollution from production and the second is pollution arising from consumption. In the quest to sustain energy production and sufficient supply of power major economies like China have resulted to using nuclear energy. This source of energy is renewable but has high dangers of leaking emission s to the atmosphere which can be lethal. The fact is that if it is lethal then it upsets the supply of labor if death occurs due to its results (Ash and Scholes, 2005). Labor is a very important factor of production which when terminated can lead to closure of factories besides causing negative growth. A very good example is the Bhopal accident in India that lead to the closure of the pesticide company due to death of 2000 to 8000 workers hours after the accident. Therefore the increased concern in the world environmental management has lead to United Nations concern of a fast fading natural setting world. This can be explained by the Kyoto protocol of 1997 which sought to achieve stabilization of green house gas concentrations in the atmosphere from dangerous levels that cause anthropogenic interference with the climate of the world. Many less developed and developing countries find themselves in situations of lack of enough capital to invest in the business equipment. It is therefore to assign a mammoth task to ask these business firms or industries to assign capital for purposes of preventing pollution. The implication from such kind of scenarios is that the externalities of pollution end up being passed to the society and to the governments indirectly. It is common in these economies to find that strategic industries are exempted from policies that are meant to curb the externalities because governments are not in position to make policies of internalization due to the importance attached (Stellman & Bureau, 1998). Pollution has proved to be very costly to countries in terms of health and safety, waste, and clean up costs. Of most crucial point to be noted is the reduced life expectancy especially in developing nations. When pollution either air, water, land, noise or any other has adverse effects to the humans it becomes a major concern to check and rationalize the existence of such a firm or industry. Human life should be first be respected from any angle of perspective. The United Nations millennium goals state that life is a right that is inalienable. Therefore, the slightest notion that life human life is at risk should not be taken lightly. Gravity lies at the core of issues pertaining pollution and disturbance of human life. The greatest damage to the economy would be to destroy human life emanating from pollution. First it is not easy to diagnose the various signs and symptoms resulting from instances of pollution in the environment. This requires specialized personnel, equipments and a variety of high demanding technology to sort out the problem. Nonetheless, some of the effects to human health are life lasting thus the issues of compensation cannot be avoided. The point here is that a long and time exposure to pollution is an expense to the economy of a country. The expenditure in treating and maintaining health of humans caused by pollution is a major drawback to achieving success in the global development especially if the magnitude of such pollution is very prolonged over a long period of time (Limited, 2001). The other way of looking at the effect of pollution to the economy is the customer relation to pollution. From the point of any organization, firm, or business the ultimate final goal is to make profit. This means that form the management of business affairs all means must be employed to remain in the market for a long time and outdo other rival business or firms. This from the business point of view is very encouraging but to look at the other side of the face it has an ugly look. Pollution being a costly project requires planning for efficiency to balance internalities and externalities of a business. The damage that is done to the economy is that this cost is passed to the consumer. Such an economy where the consumer is robbed of the power to buy is a weak economy that is not driven by the market forces. It results to exploitation of the employer to the employee sine he has the means. The employee only works to achieve the basic needs. There is no pleasure derived from work thus the value of work in such an economy is downtrodden (Driesen, 2003). Pollution had had a myriad of problems and affects the economy of the world in a myriad ways. It is therefore, pertinent to mention that it might not be possible to tackle al of them. However, one major effect of pollution to the economy is international trade. The concept of international trade operates form the point of multinational companies moving to transnational border and trade relations between states. The fact that most of the products are transported from their place of manufacture to heir places of consumption means that they offer employment, so when such goods are found to be below standards or then they might be rejected. This means that the number of people who were working from these firms is laid off. This increases the rate of unemployment of such places in such countries. In this context, if such firms are closed the chances to improve are thwarted thus no chance is given to the possibility of innovation (Driesen, 2003). Conclusion In the light of this research paper it is worth to note that the effects of pollution have also a positive side. Already discussed above are the negative effects thus, the following part will try to look at the positive aspect of pollution. It might sound rather unconvincing but the approach will try to authenticate the concern correctly. Pollution being seen from the international trade of states lens can lead to effective prevention. This is possible from the fact that if a certain state identifies a certain product to be a pollutant then measures to control the production of such a product are put in place. This means that the regulations will apply to other state trading with this nation. This means that the overall economies are focused to have products that are acceptable to them and to other member states. This at he same time means that if pollution prevention measures are put in place the firms and manufacturing companies seek the alternative of innovating other methods to produce better goods that are in lime with the regulations on pollution prevention. This means that the products that arise as a result for this new invention are better placed thus they penetrate markets to leap heavily at the expense of the earlier polluting products. This raises the firm’s reputation as well as the market advantage (Driesen, 2003). At the same time, this new invention lead to offer of new employment thus the once aversive pollution firm now becomes the centre of interest by complete change of ideology and repackaging. If a manufacturing firm changes its products from the polluting ones to the zero or less polluting ones there is an increase in the requirement from the market due to the increase in population. This means that industrialization takes human life and aspects to another level of civilization. Thus, if there is no pollution we might be stagnating with obsolete technology that does not help mankind. Tabb argues that an economy grows from the pollution that emanates from the industries. If workers must die from pollution and in the response economy grows, then pollution is might be justified (Tabb, 1992).

Comprehensive Classroom Behavior Management Plan Essay

The classroom is a dynamic environment wherein nothing is constant except change and the need to continually adapt. This environment affects both students and teachers; students are developing physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Teachers must respond to these changes in the students by adapting the environment, curriculum, instructional style and methods, and classroom management techniques. The process of education and classroom management is therefore one of continual change and reevaluation. The effectively managed classroom is one where a process of planning in several key areas begins before the school year starts. By implementing the management plan developed prior to the start of school and by maintaining the management procedures throughout the year, teachers are more likely to be effective and students react positively to the environment (Everston, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006). Elementary classrooms can become better learning environments when teachers have rules, classro om management skills, and a belief that each child can be successful. Rules help create a predictable atmosphere that limit classroom disruptions and encourage children to use self-control. Children need to be taught that it is their responsibility to make appropriate choices and that they will be held accountable for their actions. Teachers may decide to establish rules or allow their students to assist in formulating them. Teachers who involve their children in the rule making process contend that students are more likely to follow them. One way to involve students in forming rules is to have them brainstorm as a class or in small groups why they come to school and their goals for learning. Then ask them to name rules that will help  them achieve their goals. Write their ideas on the board. If a child states a rule negatively, such as, â€Å"Don’t come to school late,† ask how it could be stated in a positive way. The goal is to assist student in becoming thinking, caring, contributing members of society by providing guidance in developing a moral position, values, and ethics consistent with maintaining a viable society, and by helping students to develop the higher cognitive processes of critical thought, problem-solving, and decision-making. In order to do this the teacher will need to create a safe, caring classroom environment of mutual respect and trust where students are provided the opportunity to create, explore, openly participate, and collaborate on meaningful work, and communicate anything without fear of recrimination of any sort, or being ostracized. This is a fifth grade classroom, with twenty students. It is a very variable classroom in cultural diversity issues. The majority are children that come from Latin families, four children are African American. Looking to the Miami educational environment, this classroom is in the average, because most of the schools in this area share the same characteristics. Classroom Procedures, Rules and Routines Procedures are formalized instructions that support the rules or Classroom Constitution. They represent the expectations and norms of classroom operation and must be taught and practiced. Key classroom procedures can be introduced during first days of class, expanded on and reinforced as the year proceeds. There are five general areas in which students need to be taught to act and that should be supported by procedures; these are: Students’ use of classroom space and facilities. Students’ behavior in areas outside the classroom, such as the bathroom, lunchroom, drinking fountain, and playgrounds. Procedures to follow during whole-class activities, such as whether to raise a hand to speak, where to turn in work, and how to get help during seatwork, Procedures during small-group work. Additional procedures, such as how to behave at the beginning and end of the school-day, and when a visitor arrives.  General classroom procedures include how to walk into the classroom and  what to do then, how to ask for help, how to participate in class discussions, how to make transitions between activities and classes, sharpen pencils, ask for a restroom break or nurse pass, work independently and with others, get materials, address teachers and other adults, address students, walk in the hall, respond in an emergency or fire drill, listen to the teacher and follow directions, how to clean up one’s area, and end of the day routines. The three procedures this writer will focus on are walking into the classroom procedures, transitioning from one class to another, and end of the day routines. To teach walking into the classroom procedures, the writer will start on the first day of school. The teacher will talk about why it is important, list the steps on the board, model the steps, and then have students practice. Students will walk into the room quietly, keeping their hands to themselves. Sit down at their assigned seat at the big tables in the center of the room. (They often come in one at time.) They will raise their hand if they need to go their individual desk to get materials for the next class, of if they have a question. If no materials are needed, they will quietly get to work on an assignment they have with them. If the teacher or paraprofessional talks to them or gives instructions, the student will listen and follow directions. Transitioning from one class to another can be problematic. The goal is to teach students to be independent and responsible during these times. The teacher will start on the first day of school. Will discuss why this is important. List the steps on the board, model the steps, and have students practice them. This activity varies, de pending on the circumstance, so the steps of the procedure are more general than for some procedures. The Steps are: The teacher or paraprofessional says it is time to get ready to go to ___. Clean up area at the table. Gather needed materials from table or desk. Line up at the door in our classroom. Walk quietly toward class when the teacher or paraprofessional gives permission. The end of the day procedures will be taught starting on the first day of school also. We will discuss why this is important. The teacher will list the steps on the board, model the steps, and have students  practice them. The steps are: When the last class of the day is dismissed, walk into the room quietly with hands to yourself. Gather homework or other materials from desk and put things in backpack. Sit at assigned seat at big tables. You may talk quietly. When bell rings, walk to door and walk down the hall to exit. During the first month of school, the teacher will teach these procedures and assess whether students need more teaching and reinforcement in these areas, or not. The teacher will give verbal praise, tickets for the class auction, and points on individual point sheets when students follow procedures correctly. The points add up for daily prizes, or can be saved up for bigger prizes. They also add up toward social and activity rewards. If they don’t need much instruction in these areas, the teacher will focus on procedures that they need help with. Two month later, the teacher will work on reinforcing correct procedures, and start to reinforce accurate schoolwork, so that students see the link between procedures and success in school. Next month, the teacher will keep modeling and reinforcing correct procedures, and emphasize reinforcing successful academic activities. It is required that they understand that success ful social behavior will increase academic performance. During the winter months, the teacher will not continually reinforce correct procedures. Teacher will expect students to be learning how to manage themselves and follow procedures automatically. In December, The teacher will give reinforcement when students are more responsible for their own choices in following procedures. During January the writer will teach again procedures to make sure everyone knows them, and then reinforce independent behavior. In February teacher will review procedures once a week and reinforce correct procedures and independent behavior. Since many field trips occur in spring, during March and April the teacher will teach these routines as they relate to preparing for other settings or events. In May teacher will evaluate the performance of students during the year and review activities that students need practice on. The rules will be shared with the students on the first day of school too. I will use that time to allow my students to create their own classroom expectations, stemming off  of my general list. It is going to be used this time to explore the understanding of each expectation, as well as, to create a list of consequences in case an expectation is violated or disregarded. This method of using expectations and consequences is intended for the purpose of minimizing teacher-directed discipline and fostering student-driven motivation, choice, and discipline. The teacher will continue to convey order in the classroom, but will provide students with the skills and opportunities for maintaining self-classroom behavior management and discipline. (See appendix 4) Classroom Rules or Expectations Speak kindly to others Listen when the teacher is talking to you Follow adult instructions the first time given Keep area clean Keep hands and feet to yourself Do your own best work Classroom Organization Environment Since on the first day of school, the teacher will present a short five or seven minute lesson for each rule. Teacher will talk about the rule and get volunteers to demonstrate following the rule and not following it. Then demonstrate with examples and non-examples. Teacher will have the rules posted in the room and refer to them often during the year. Since rules are general, the teacher will talk about how they apply to different situations as the school year progresses. The timeline and reinforcement schedule for teaching rules is the same as for teaching procedures. The teacher will use this same timeline and emphasize how the procedures are specific actions that reflect the rules. Students are instructed to walk into the room and sit at their assigned seats at the big tables in the middle of the room. If they need materials at their individual desks along the wall, they raise their hands to get permission. Usually students enter one or two at a time, due to their varied schedules. Students each have a desk for their supplies, backpacks, etc. They only have what is needed for the time being on the tables in the middle of the room. This prevents them from getting their things in others’ way and arguing about stuff on the table. The room is not  large, but there is plenty of walking space around the tables and desks. Usually there are only one or two people moving at a time. The desk is in the corner where I can see everyone, and the paraprofessional desks are in the other corner where they can see everyone as well. The computer is in the corner by the teacher’s desk, where it is not vulnerable to students messing with it. A book shelf with curriculum materials is along the wall behind the desk. Students may get things from there with permission. The time out desks are behind a partition, and there is a round table there too. If a student is back there, an adult is at the table to supervise and record behavior. The white board is at the front of the room where it is easily seen by all. A table with supplies for students is located along the wall behind the big tables. They can get paper, art supplies, and classroom books to read from there, with permission. They need to raise their hand for permission to get up for any reason. If they need to sharpen a pencil, they just hold their pencil up in the air to get permission. A student computer table is located next to the supply table. At given times, one or two students may work on this for projects or for free time as a reward. Teacher tells the students that they have to act like the room is full of students, because it is needed to be in the same routine as a larger classroom. Students work individually with the teacher or the paraprofessional, or sometimes in groups of two. They stay at the big table and the teacher presents the lesson from up front, or we work at the tables with them. Sometimes we need to change chairs around to work in a group. (See appendix 5). Classroom Students Work Students are expected to participate in daily discussions and activities, complete assignments required or assigned by the teacher. Students will complete tests over selected material and information. Students will complete various classroom group projects as well as several smaller individual assignments. These smaller assignments are given throughout the year by the teacher, and are used to enhance the students’ content knowledge. Students will have various opportunities for gaining extra credit points. Communicating Assignments and Work Requirements Homework for the current day will be written on the homework  white-board before students arrive at school. Students are responsible for writing their homework assignments in their assignment books after putting away their coats, books, etc., during homeroom. Class assignments are written on the board at the beginning of each class. Students are responsible for getting out the required text and materials and opening books or workbooks to the correct page and being ready to start class. Pencil and white lined paper, journal or workbooks are the typical form and media. Paper headings must include the name of the student, date, subject, assignment name and/or page. Work missed by absent students will be taken home by a designated friend or picked up by parents. If work is not taken home or picked up on the day of the absence, a folder with a list of class work, homework, worksheets, and notes will be compiled for the student. Consequences may include points off, letter or call to pare nts, or reduction in grade. Monitoring Progress on and Completion of Assignments The teacher monitors projects, or longer assignments completed in class, as groups work together during specified times. Those longer-term assignments taken home are the students’ responsibility and the teacher will provide weekly reminders of due dates. Completion of assignments by students will be accomplished by daily homework checks for completion and submission of class work as required. Completed assignments are turned-in by the students by placing them in the teacher’s subject in-baskets. Student work will be maintained in student files. Work retained by the teacher will be in the form of the electronic grade book and behavior journal. Feedback is provided daily, by notation on individual assignments, in the form of grades, and periodic student-teacher conferences or chats. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their progress through the use of KWL charts, open-ended questions, and discussion/review. When students stop doing homework, first step is to ascerta in if there is a specific problem. If the problem is endemic, the teacher will review his or her lessons and/or assignments to determine if there is some shortcoming. Thereafter, for individuals, how to address the problem will vary and be dependent upon the specifics of the situation. Students will take home those materials required to complete homework  according to what has been written on the homework white-board for the day. Student work will be displayed on bulletin boards inside and outside of the room, on lines strung in front of the windows and along the back of the room, and from the ceiling when needed. Students will maintain their own files, by subject. Files will include study guides, quizzes, and tests. Periodic file checks will be completed to ensure students have maintained the requisite documentation. Students or parents with disputes regarding individual projects or tests will be referred to the rubric or test itself. Students or parents with disputes regarding overall grades will be provided a rep ort showing all grades for homework, class work, quizzes, tests, and projects. Gaining Classroom Attention Throughout the school day, the teacher may need to provide the students with important instructions. Some instructions may require the use of direct verbal communication, while others may simply require non-verbal visual communication. Below are a few strategies to use to manage students’ attention. When in need of gaining the entire class’ attention, I will use one of two methods: Clap or Raise. Clap: The teacher will state rather softly, If you hear my voice clap once. If you hear my voice clap twice. Raise: The teacher will simply raise the hand, signaling to the students I need their ears open and their mouths closed. During the training phase, teacher may need to verbally state, â€Å"When the hand goes up, the mouth goes shut†. To inform students a task or lesson is near to ending, teacher will flick the room lights twice while stating, â€Å"One or two more minutes with this activity. We will soon be moving on to our next lesson†. Students are expected to attend school each day. Students are expected to assume responsibility for ensuring their Attendance Stick is removed from the absent jar and placed in the Present jar. The classroom teacher will review the jars to ensure the proper sticks have been moved. If a student forgets to switch their stick the teacher will make a reference to that particular student, but it is the student’s responsibility to fix the mistake. Attendance will be sent to the Main Office. Throughout the day, the teacher will give students various worksheets and homework assignments. After each lesson, the students will place their homework into their designated mailbox, located at the back of the room. At the end of  the day, when the students are called to retrieve t heir homework, they will also remove their jackets, coats, book-bags, or lunchboxes from their cubbies and to return to their seat to quietly await dismissal via the intercom. Timeline and Reinforcement Schedule For each of the rules, the timeline and levels of reinforcement will be about the same. During the first month of school, teacher will teach these rules and assess whether students need more teaching and reinforcement in these areas, or not. Teacher will give verbal praise, tickets for the class auction, and points on individual point sheets when students follow rules correctly. The points add up for daily prizes, or can be saved up for bigger prizes. They also add up toward social and activity rewards. If they don’t need much instruction on certain rules, teacher will focus on others that they need help with. In October, teacher will work on reinforcing correct rules, and start to reinforce accurate schoolwork, so that students see the link between following rules and success in school. In November, teacher will keep modeling and reinforcing following the rules, and reinforce successful academic activities. The teacher wants them to understand that successful social behavior will increase academic performance. During the winter months, will not continually reinforce following the rules. The writer will expect students to be learning how to manage themselves and follow rules and procedures automatically. In December, teacher will give reinforcement when students are more responsible for their own choices in following rules and procedures. During January, this candidate teacher will teach again the rules and procedures to make sure everyone knows them, and then reinforce independent behavior. In February teacher will review rules and procedures once a week and reinforce correct procedures and independent behavior. Since many field trips occur in spring, during March and April I will teach these routines as they relate to preparing for other settings or events. In May I will evaluate the performance of students during the year and review activities that students need practice on. Deliverin g Instruction. (See appendix 1) Strategies for Instruction Identifying students’ learning styles is essential to providing quality  education. When developing a classroom curriculum, the teacher must get to know each student; learning the students’ interests, identifying the various learning styles, and recognizing or researching methods to enhance the learning environment as well as the content material. Providing students with knowledge should be our goal as educators, but it shouldn’t end there. We should strive to not only provide knowledge, but to acquire the materials and tools needed to teach our students and render those tools into our students’ hands. Allow our students to explore with manipulative objects and hands-on tools for learning. We need to also provide alternative educational experiences for our students. Due to the overwhelming variety of learning styles, developmental levels and external interests, our students must be equip to survive basic living situations. Providing alternative learning opportunities, such as trips to the local grocery store, will not only engage our students in something new, but we will be teaching our students the fundamental and basic skills to survive and succeed in life. While developing the classroom management plan, is acknowledged the need for engagement, proximity, structure, support, routine, expectations, consequences and motivation, while incorporating the importance of parental involvement, trust, honesty and a bond of student-parent-teacher respect. It is the goal that by the end of the year students will assume the responsibility needed for their actions; replacing a destructive action with a constructive action as a natural consequence. (See appendix 2) Positive Reinforcement and Consequences Positive reinforcements of appropriate behavior are the preference and used before applying other consequences or punishment. These positive reinforcements of appropriate behavior are in the form of verbal praise, using other students as models of appropriate behavior, non-verbal signals, and rewards. Positive influence techniques are proactive measures that help students maintain or remind them of appropriate behavior. Three methods of positive influence include: supporting student self-control wherein the teacher helps students stay on-task, pay attention and complete their work, offering situational assistance is where the teacher provides immediate help when students are stuck on work assignments, or a break when students become overly tired, and appraising reality is where teachers point out the  underlying causes of students’ behavior, in a friendly way remind them of their obligations, and request continued cooperation. Another proactive measure is positive repetition. Positive consequences are also in the form of facial expressions, positive words or praise, recognition and rewards that are offered when students comply with expectations and classroom rules. Recognition includes public praise, verbal or as in awarding a certificate to an individual or class, sending positive notes home with the student, or phoning the student’s home with positive comments about the student for the parents Effective praise is personal. The student’s name is mentioned along â€Å"with the desired behavior: â€Å"Jack, thank you for working quietly back there.† Effective praise is genuine. It must be related to the situation and behavior, â€Å"and the teacher’s demeanor should show that it is sincere. Effective praise is descriptive and specific. It lets students know when and â€Å"why they are behaving appropriately: â€Å"Good, Susan. You went right to work on your essay.† Effe ctive praise is age appropriate. Young children like to be praised publicly. Older students like praise but usually prefer to receive it privately. Rewards or incentives are another positive reinforcement of appropriate behavior. These can take many forms and all be presented to the students as treasures, both tangible and intangible, to choose from. A fairly comprehensive list, compiled by Sue Watson (n.d.), follows: Become a helper to the custodian, librarian, another teacher or the office staff. Become a class monitor for a specific area of need e.g., hall monitor, room check monitor, tidy monitor etc. Helping a younger student with a learning task for a specified period of time. Earn points for a class video. 15 minutes of free choice activity. Work with a friend. Wear your ball cap or favorite hat for a work period. Read a comic book. Show or tell the class something you have or did. Have lunch with your favorite person or the teacher. Read a story to the principal or to another class. Hand out supplies for a defined number of activities. Free time in another classroom. Receive a positive note for home. Pick something from the prize box. Pick something from the treat box. (Keep it healthy, crackers, animal cookies, fruit, juice boxes, popcorn, granola bars, etc.) Earn tickets toward free time. Free pencil, pen or eraser. Positive phone message or email home. Free poster. Free story for the whole class! (A strategy like this lets others  help the student at risk stay on target. Earn a cooking day for the class. Take the bubble blower out a recess. Free homework passes. Leader for the day. An additional gym period with another class. Listen to the radio or CD with a headset for a specified period of time. Have work posted in the hall or near the office. Enjoy a game with a friend or in another class. Be the leader for the first gym activity. If nothing on this list interests the child, ask what type of incentive he/she believes would help him/her to obtain their behavior goals and help keep them on track. Consequences Consequences are the actions taken by the teacher when students do not comply with the school rules or Classroom Constitution that governs appropriate behavior. There are four types of consequences. These are: logical, conventional, generic, and instructional. Logical consequences are those that this teacher attempts to employ first before more negative or punitive ones. Logical consequences are logically related to the inappropriate behavior and the students are tasked with completing a corrective action for the rule or article they are not in compliance with. For example, if a student does not keep their area or desk neat and clean, they are tasked with cleaning or if the student is discourteous to the teacher, they may be required to take time, reflect on their action and practice ways of being courteous (University of Phoenix (Ed.), 2002, p. 212). Conventional consequences are consequences we see most frequently used and include time-outs, removal from the group or room, or being sent to the office. These can be modified so they relate to the misbehavior by adjusting phrasing such as in the case of a time-out, â€Å"You have chosen time out. You may return to the group when you are ready to learn† (University of Phoenix (Ed.), 2002, p. 212). Generic consequences are often also often positive reinforcement such as reminders, and warnings. Choosing, and planning are consequences that allow students to select from three or four planned options for improving behavior. This behavior plan, established by the student, identifies specific steps the student follows to correct inappropriate, repeated behaviors. It is written, dated and signed by the student. In some literature, this is also referred to as a behavioral contract (University of Phoenix (Ed.), 2002, p. 212). Instructional consequences, the fourth and final, teach students  appropriate behavior. These consequences are often in the form of review and practice. Behaviors such as hand raising, courtesy, and lining-up qui etly, etc. are learned easily when taught and practiced (University of Phoenix (Ed.), 2002, p. 213). Consequences are listed in a hierarchy and imposed by starting with the least severe to the most severe response within the period of one day. Each day, students start new. In order to track infractions or non-compliance with the Classroom Constitution, this teacher assigns each student a pocket in a pocket chart wherein each day all students begin with a green card. For the first and second infraction, there is a non-verbal, then verbal warning or reminder of appropriate behavior and/or a restatement of the article infraction, and the card remains green. For the third infraction, a yellow card is placed in the pocket and the student is sent to the Think-About-It Table and must fill in a My Behavior Form that includes basic questions to help the student identify the inappropriate behavior, the reason it is inappropriate, what corrective action the child can perform, and how the teacher may be able to help the student so they do not repeat the behavior. For the fourth infraction, an orange card is placed in the pocket, the student is sent to the Think-About-It Table, complete a behavior plan, parents are notified of the repeated inappropriate behaviors and informed that the continuation of such behavior will result in more severe actions. For the fifth infraction, a red card is placed in the pocket, the student is sent to the office and parents are again notified. Finally, in cases where the offense is so extreme as in the case of verbal or physical abuse of the teacher or another student, a black card is placed in the pocket, the office is called, the student is removed from the room, and parents are contacted. Classroom Collecting data Strategies ABC data collection uses basic observations and forms to collect data on a specific behavior, as well as the related antecedent and consequence. That information is essential to conducting a functional behavior assessment in order to analyze behavior and determine consequences. Behavior in children can be better managed and more effectively changed when the interventions are based on a functional analysis of ABC data. Data collection forms do not have to be complicated. They can be written in any  format as long as they allow for all of the needed information. The required information on the form should include the name of the person being observed, the date and time of day, and a good setting description. Additionally, observed behaviors, what was happening right before they occurred, and the response or consequence of the behavior should be noted. Many data collection forms for ABC data only have three columns. The columns are for the antecedent, the behavior, and the consequence. However, it is also important to note the time of the behavioral occurrences, their intensity, especially if they involve an emotional response, the duration, and possibly a place to tally the frequency of specific behaviors. The following is an example of ABC data collection. Typically it is a format that is used when an external observer is available who has the time and ability to observe and document behaviors during specified periods of the day. It is time and personnel intensive. From this data, we can see that when the student is asked to end an activity he is enjoying, he screams, refuses to leave, and ignores. We also can see that the response to Joe’s refusal consists mostly of empty threats. If we follow Joe throughout the day, we may find that he is asked repeatedly to follow directions. In addition, the data reveals that Joeâ€⠄¢s family uses threats that are not followed through. Joe has learned that persistence, ignoring, and refusal will wear parents down. (See appendix #3) Behaviors always have a trigger. That trigger could be to escape an unpleasant situation or to gain recognition or acceptance. Behaviors could also be triggered by the desire to fulfill a physical need. Other behaviors could be the result of a deficit in a particular skill area. It is important to note details about what was happening right before the behavior occurred, the antecedent, in order to determine the true trigger for the behavior. Many antecedents are not observable. For example, things like physical ailments, embarrassment or not understanding what to do can all result in a behavioral response. Sometimes, the ABC data collection may need to include getting information from the individual being observed. Of course, they should not know they are being observed so any questioning should be done after the fact or by someone else. Behaviors should always be specifically described in objective terms. Vague descriptions should be avoided. Additionally, any subjective  evaluation of the behavior should be avoided. For example, if a child would not comply with a request, the behavioral description should avoid references to defiance or attitude. However, a good description might be that a student was seated and did not appear to do anything or that a child said â€Å"no† or walked away and did not comply. A lack of a behavior, or not doing anything when a behavior is required, is still a behavior. Teachers sometimes say that a student does not have any concerning behaviors, only to find out that he is failing that class because he refuses to do anything. Behaviors that can be a concern are not limited to disruptive behaviors. It is also important to note any lack of needed behavior. Consequences include any response or result the behavior achieved for the child. For example, the same single behavior occurrence might get a child attention from the teacher and peers, as well as getting him out of doing work. Additionally, it could result in a poor grade. All consequences should be noted. It is important not to ignore any consequence because consequences often serve to promote that same behavior happening again. For example, it might seem obvious that a poor grade was not what a student wanted and so it could not possible be reinforcing. However, it is not unheard of for students to set themselves up for failure due to things like not being emotionally prepared for life after graduation. Never discount a consequence as not being important. Taking good data on the antecedent, the behavior, and the consequences, can provide the essential information for a good functional analysis of behavior. It is the basis for ultimately determining interventions, supports, and consequences that will change inappropriate behaviors into desired behaviors. ABC data collection can make a teacher’s and a parent’s job much easier. As a conclusion this candidate teacher can bring to a close that, purpose of discipline is to aid in this exciting process by explaining expectations to a group with differing ideas of what learning, school, science and good behavior are. By explicitly stating the responsibilities and consequences of actions in the classroom teachers can smooth these differences enough to focus on teaching students the excitement of discovering new ideas. Discipline is a part of the learning process rather than separate from it. Students’ brains are busy organizing and processing information all the time. There are layer upon layer of lessons to be taught, a whole world of  examples to be set and ideas to be sparked and I am thrilled with challenged and the opportunity to teach students so much. References Everston, M., Emmer, E., and Worsham, M. (2006). Maintaining an Effective Learning Climate [Custom Edition e-text]. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Pearson Custom Publishing Scholastic (n.d.). Our Classroom Standards. Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/LessonPlans/unit_teamworkstandards.pdf Teachers Tips Training. Retreived from http://deborah-o-banion.suite101.com/antecedent-behavior-consequence-abc-data-collection-a282857 Teachnology (n.d.) Classroom Rules: Elementary Level. Retrieved from http://worksheets.teach- nology.com/misc/back/rules/elem/ The Essential Elements of Cooperative Learning in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/elements.htm University of Phoenix. (Ed.). (2002). Maintaining an Effective Learning Climate [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing Appendixes Apendixe 3 |Antecedent |Behavior |Consequence | |Parent asks Joe to stop playing on the |Joe screams, â€Å"NO!† and refuses to|Parent tells Joe to leave the computer again. | |computer. |leave the computer. | | |Parent tells Joe to leave the computer. |Joe again refuses to leave. |Parent starts counting to 10 as a warning to | | | |get off the computer. | |Parent starts counting to 10 as a warning to|Joe does not move from the |Parent finishes counting to 10 and again warns| |get off the computer. |computer station. |him to get off the computer. | |Parent finishes counting to 10 and again |Joe stays at the computer and |Parent threatens that Joe lose computer | |warns him to get off the computer. |refuses to leave. |privileges in the future. | |Parent threatens that the Joe will lose |Joe ignores and continues working|The parent count to 10 again and again | |computer privileges in the future. |on the computer. |threatens future computer use. | |The parent counts to 10 again and again |Joe ignores and continues |The parent becomes angry and leaves the room. | |threatens future computer use |computer use. | | Appendix A Checklist 2 Norms, Expectations, Rules, and Procedures Check WhenProcedures/ Complete SubjectExpectations _ What are my short- and long-term goals for myself this year? _ What are my short- and long-term goals for my students this year? Room Use How will I establish basic procedures in the following areas? _ A. Teacher’s desk and storage areas _ B. Student desks and storage areas _ C. Storage for common materials _ D. Drinking fountains, sink, pencil sharpener _ E. Restrooms _ F. Centers or equipment areas _ G. Computer stations _ H. Board Individual Work and Teacher-Led Activities _ A. Attention during presentations _ B. Participation _ C. Talk among students _ D. Obtaining help _ E. When individual work has been completed Transitions into and out of the Room _ A. Beginning the school day _ B. Leaving the room _ C. Returning to the room _ D. Ending the day Procedures for Small-Group Instruction _ A. Getting the class ready _ B. Student movement _ C. Expected behavior in the group _ D. Expected behavior of students out of group _ E. Materials and supplies Procedures for Cooperative Group Activities _ A. Roles of group members _ B. Expected behavior _ C. Interaction to include each member _ D. Interaction to move toward instructional goals General Procedures _ A. Distributing materials _ B. Classroom helpers _ C. Interruptions or delays _ D. Restrooms _ E. Library, resource room, school office _ F. Cafeteria _ G. Playground _ H. Fire and disaster drills _ I. Classroom helpers (Everston, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006, p. 39-40) Appendix B Checklist 5 Planning for Instruction Check WhenNotes Complete Before the Lesson Ask Yourself _ A. What are the most important concepts or skills to be learned? _ B. What kind of learning is your goal (memorization, application, appreciation)? Have you communicated this to your students? _ C. What learning style is targeted by this lesson? Are you varying learning modalities? _ D. Are there difficult words or concepts that need extra explanation? _ E. How will you help students make connections to previous learning? _ F. What activities will you plan to create interest in the lesson? _ G. How will you make transitions between activities? _ H. What materials will be needed? Will students need to learn how to use them? _ I. What procedures will students need to know to complete the activities? _ J. How much time will you allocate for the lesson? For different parts  of the lesson? _ K. If activities require that students work together, how will groups be formed? How will you encourage productive work in groups? _ L. What examples and questioning strategies will you use? Prepare a list of examples for explanations and list higher-order questions. _ M. How will you know during and after the lesson what students understand? _ N. What are some presentation alternatives if students have trouble with concepts (peer explanation, media, etc.)? _ O. Are there extra- or special-help students? _ P. How will you make sure that all students participate? _ Q. How will you adjust the lesson if time is too short or too long? _ R. What kind of product, if any, will you expect from students at the end of the lesson? _ S. What will students do when they finish? _ T. How will you evaluate students’ work and give them feedback? _ U. How will the concepts you present be used by students in future lessons? (Everston, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006, p. 109-110) Appendix C Checklist 6 Planning for Cooperative Group Instruction Check WhenNotes Complete Item Room Arrangement _ A. How will student seating be arranged? _ B. How will individual and group materials and supplies be stored? Routines and Expectations _ A. What are your expectations for student movement to, from, and during group work? _ B. What expectations about talk will you communicate to students? _ C. What group attention signals will be used? _ D. Will students have specific roles? _ E. Do any group skills have to be discussed, modeled, or practiced? Monitoring, Accountability, and Feedback Procedures _ A. Will group work have individual products, group products, or both? _ B. How will individual or group work be assessed? _ C. How will you monitor student behavior and work during group activities? _ D. How will students receive feedback about individual and group performance? _ E. How will students receive feedback about their behavior in groups? Group Skills That Must Be Discussed, Modeled, or Practiced _ A. Social skills? _ B. Explaining skills? _ C. Leadership skills? (Everston, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006, p. 130-131) Apeendix 1 Lesson Plan for Classroom Management |KS2004 Correlated Sets | |[pic] | |KS2004.CA.6.1.4.10 |KBI: identifies the topic, main idea(s), supporting details, and theme(s) in text across the content areas and | | |from a variety of sources in appropriate-level texts. | Specific Content Objectives Students will be able to identify the topic, main idea, and supporting details of a grade level passage in a variety of content areas. Language Goal The language goal is to read for comprehension. Expected prior Knowledge Students need to be able to decode words and use context clues to identify words. They need to read at a fourth grade level with 75% comprehension. They need to have a basic vocabulary knowledge level for fourth grade reading material. They need to be able to work with a partner for reading and discussing ideas. Procedures/Management Review procedure for classroom discussion: listen when the teacher is talking, raise hand, listen to others, one person speak at a time. Review procedure for working with partners: taking turns reading (2’s read first, 1’s write), both discussing, raise hand with question after consulting partner. Review procedures for turning in work: classroom clerks for the week collect papers and put in bin. Technology links I got my practice sheets from edHelper.com Students can work at computers in partner groups to: look up unknown words at http://dictionary.reference.com look for Internet articles on related topics of interest Instructional Strategies for learner success The paragraphs and articles students will read include information about science, social studies, music, and art. Students work with partners to read passages and decide what the topic, main idea, and supporting details are. They will first answer multiple choice questions about passages and then fill out graphic organizers together. If there is time, or on another day, they will look up topics of interest on the Internet and determine the topic, main idea, and details. Day 1: Anticipatory Set (Jump-start) I will have chosen a short article of high interest from Scholastic Magazine. I will write several vocabulary words that may be new from the article on the board. I will ask students what the words are and what topic they may be about. We will discuss the words, meanings, and I will assess prior knowledge about the topic from the discussion. Day 1: Purpose/ Motivation I will tell the students that they will be able to identify the topic, main idea, and supporting details about something they read. This matters because they will read for information throughout their lives. They will use this skill when reading about things they need to learn about, as well as items of interest to enrich their lives. Day 1: Modeling/ Direct Instruction After explaining that they should listen for the topic, main idea, and details, I will read a short, high- interest article from Scholastic Magazine while they follow along with copies for each partner group. I will show them a multiple choice question about what the main idea of the article is, and we will answer it as a class. I will write the main idea on the board or overhead. Then I will talk about supporting details and give several examples. I will underline these details on my copy on the overhead. I will ask for input about details and underline them. Day 1: Guided Practice I will guide students as they write the main idea and underline the supporting details on their copies of the article in their partner groups. I will give each group two practice pages. One has short passages with multiple choice questions, and the other has short passages with instructions to write the main idea and underline supporting details. Each partner group will do these together. Students will be numbered 1 or 2. 2’s start with the reading and 1’s start with the writing, and then they switch with each passage. I will have a checklist for each group with tasks for this lesson: Write main idea and underline supporting details for the article I read. Read and answer multiple choice questions for passages on corresponding sheet. Look at/read articles of choice from Scholastic Magazine for 15 minutes. May discuss with partner. Read, write main idea, and underline details on corresponding sheet. Groups can check off each task as they complete it. When they are finished, 1’s put the papers in the bin and students read library or classroom books quietly until the others are finished. I will walk around, observe, informally assess, and give verbal praise and tickets toward a class auction as students work. Groups will also get points for cooperating and being polite in groups. These points will add up toward activity rewards. I make sure they have a lot of reinforcement at the beginning of the guided practice, and as they begin the underlining practice sheet. I will do the first multiple choice question as a class. If necessary, I will do the first one on the underlining sheet as a class. Students at a lower reading level will be given passages at a lower reading level. I will pair very low students with partners that can help them more. My para or I will read the passages to very low groups if needed. Day 1: Assessment I will observe and informally assess students throughout the lesson, and as they do guided practice. I will have a check sheet for students as they do group work. The completed papers will be graded and returned with feedback. After several days of doing other related activities, I will give a test to assess individual comprehension of main idea and details. Day 1: Reflection/ Plans for Diverse learners After instruction, reflection on the engagement level and pacing of the lesson, on the procedures and transitions, and on the assessed level of competency of the students provides the avenue for fine-tuning the next day’s lesson. Tutoring, pre-teaching, re-teaching, and scaffolding are strategies available to ensure success of diverse learners. Once it is evident that learners lack the skills needed for the task, a plan must evolve for building those skills. I will grade the papers and use the results along with the engagement level of the students to determine if students understand the concept so far. I will reflect on whether or not the procedures were understood and followed, and how the transitions went. If necessary, I would re-teach these, or make changes in these aspects. I will also decide whether the lesson was presented at a good pace. If many of them do not get the concept, I will plan to do more multiple choice questions on passages with them before moving on. I could also plan more verbal responses to finding the main idea and details. They could work on reading and sharing verbal responses as a class and in groups. I would do re-teaching and use more examples and have more verbal responses. I could review using context clues to identify unknown words, and review some basic phonics skills. If the students understand and are ready to move on, I will plan to have them read passages and write the main idea and details on a graphic organizer. They will also find articles on the Internet and identify main idea and details. Finally, they would write a short passage and have other students determine main idea and details. Day 2: Anticipatory set (see descriptor above) Day 2: Purpose/ Motivation Day 2: Modeling/ Direct Instruction Day 2: Guided Practice Day 2: Assessment Day 2: Reflection/ Plans for Diverse Learners Day 3: Anticipatory Set Day 3: Purpose/Motivation Day 3: Modeling/ Direct Instruction Day 3: Guided Practice Day 3: Assessment Day 3: Reflection/ Plans for Diverse Learners Day 4: Anticipatory Set Day 4: Purpose/ Motivation Day 4: Modeling/ Direct Instruction Day 4: Guided Practice Day 4: Assessment Day 4: Reflection/ Plans for Diverse Learners Day 5: Anticipatory Set Day 5: Purpose/ Motivation Day 5: Modeling/ Direct Instruction Day 5: Guided Practice Day 5: Assessment Day 5: Reflections/ Plans for Diverse Learners Appendix 2 |SAMPLE PARENT LETTER | |Greetings Students and Parents! | |Starting August , you willing be embarking on an exciting journey; a journey that will lead you to, my classroom! Through several forms of| |instruction, I am committed to educating, engaging, and challenging you who are willing and eager to learn! | |You will be pleased to hear that in my class, there are no rules; only expectations. My classroom expectations are clear, simple, and easy| |to follow: | |Listen attentively and follow directions. Throughout the year, our class will be doing many fun and exciting activities. Some will test | |what you know and others will challenge your mind to explore into ideas that you may not know quite yet. It will be important for you to | |listen and follow my directions. | |Ask for permission. I am very flexible and open to allowing you the chance to explore and learn things through hands-on tasks. Some | |activities may require you to use equipment and tools that you are not familiar w ith. For your safety, it  is very important that you ask | |me for permission before handling materials. | |Be respectful of personal space and property. Students enrolled in my class are guaranteed the right to personal space and respect. To | |ensure our class is engaged and on task, I ask that we each honor the people around us by respecting their space and things. If in doubt, | |use the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do to you. | |Participate in the group as well as individually. Students are encouraged to succeed and give it their all. My class motto is: I will do | |my best, not be the best, but expect the best from others in the class as well. A student will not be judged by the ability of another | |student. All I can ever ask and expect from the students in my class is that they do their very best—not try to be the best in the | |class—and encourage others to do their best as well. | |HAVE FUN! School is hard work and I believe we are in for a great journey. A journey would not be of any importance unless you had great | |fun along the way! It is my intention to provide several opportunities for you to explore learning through difference perspectives and to | |have a great deal of FUN! | |I plan to use a positive attitude as well as various teaching techniques to meet your needs. I am hoping to create and maintain an | |open-door policy of communication for parents and students. If you have any questions before the first day of school, I encourage you to | |give me a call at home (812.346.7632) or on my cell phone (502.403.7320). | |Make this year count! Come join the fun and see what the party is all about! | |Mr. James Vincent, 5th Grade | |Spartan Elementary School | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Classroom Rules or Expectations | |My classroom rules are: | |1. Speak kindly to others | |2. Listen when the teacher is talking to you | |3. Follow adult instructions the first time given | |4. Keep area clean | |5. Keep hands and feet to yourself | |6. Do your own best work | | | | | | | | | | | | |