Hostel or home Essay

Most Young people think about living away from home as the best part in their lives because they will have more freedom and that can be really exciting for them; however, they do not realize that living at home has more benefits compared to living away from home. The best thing about living away from home is that you have more freedom. You can set your own rules, stay up late, invite friends to your place and have parties whenever you want; hence, a parent- free environment is awesome, but you need to be mature enough to handle it. A drawback is that you may feel homesick. You may miss the moments that you used to share with your family, or even those familiar things such as your neighborhood, your bedroom, your pet and so on. A study in Neuropsychiatry states that people get higher mental health scores if they lived in their family home. Another disadvantage is that you will have to pay a rent, pay the bills, and buy your own food which will definitely affect you in the financial aspect. Finally, another aspect is convenience. You will not have many of the things that you used to have at home. You will have less free time for other activities because you will spend more time doing housework, balancing the budget and organizing things by yourself. On the other hand, living at home can be frustrating because you always have to obey rules; Your parents will control you most of the time, but this can be a benefit because it can prevent you from being lazy and wasting time doing things that are unproductive. The emotional aspect is also a plus because you would definitely feel better at home. There is nothing like family. They can support you when you need them and cheer you up. Moreover, you can save a lot of money because you do not have to pay a rent neither do you have to buy your own food because your parents will do that for free or sometimes charge you just a low rate. Another point in favor is convenience. You have almost everything you need at home; furthermore, your mother usually does all the housework, at least of the common areas, and organizes everything; consequently you will have more free time for studying or just going out with your friends and having fun.

Blinds to Go Case Essay

If Blinds To Go staffing stores still lack of staff for the expansion plan, it is difficult for the company to fill current store requirements for the additional 50 stores per year. Analysis The BTG have problems of a variation of the commission-based compensation plan, so they are difficult to keep high-level associates, assistants and managers, they face to high staff turnover each year and lack of the attraction to recruit new members. In order to analyze BTG’s problems, they must look at their compensation structure, recruiting methods, and the condition of staff turnover. Compensation structure In 1996, the Shillers decided to change the compensation system from full commission to salary, and her intention was to attract more recruits, make sales associates less entrepreneurial and more customer-service focused, but the best commission-based people did not like it and left. However, sales declined between 10% to 30% in both new and existing stores from 1996 to 1997. A variation of the commission-based compensation plan was back in 1998, and store sales improved. Next, a plan for store employees was implemented along with a sales award and recognition program, and all full-time sales associates were made partners and given shares in the company. In addition, there was another concern that a commission-based compensation structure would not work in the U.S., because the workers prefer a straight wage or salary. Finally, senior management believed that sales managers had to be properly motivated and provided them with a combination of store sales commission and opportunities f or rapid advancement in the growing organization. Recruiting methods In order to attract quality retail sales candidates, BTG had tried several recruiting methods to varying degrees of success, such as employee referral,  Internet sourcing, DSM compensation readjustment, BTG retail recruiters, newspaper advertising, and store generated leads. As a result, the most effective method of attracting quality candidates is employee referral, followed by Internet sourcing, and next is DSM recruitment. The total number of employee referral in two months in 2000 is 59, the highest percentage of all recruiting method. Referrals generally pursued employment with BTG, excited by the opportunity that a friend or family member who was a BTG employee had recounted. Moreover, recruiters were focused on non-store sources and store sources were handled by the DSM. Staff turnover By June 2000, Blinds To Go operated 120 corporated-owned stores across North America, and it was senior management’s belief that quality of staff is more important than store location. There are four staff roles in the store: the sales associate, the selling supervisor, the assistant store manager, and the store manager. Overall staff turnover increased to more than 40 percent from a pre-1995 figure of 15 percent. This problem was further exacerbated by the fact that rapid store expansion into several large cities had required the deployment of skilled store staff, thinning the ranks of existing stores. The 1998 shift back to commission-based compensation structure caused a huge turnover in BTG stores, it had still not fully recovered from the previous compensation change. Plan of Action In order for Blinds To Go to recruit and develop enough people for the expansion plan, the following steps need to be taken so the company will success to meet the growth objectives. The sales managers had to be properly motivated so BTG need to change the commission-based compensation structure to have a combination compensation structure with base salary and other compensation decisions. According to the base salary of $8/hour were attracting a lower caliber of people, and the best commission-based people did not prefer it, and the U.S. folks like a straight wage or salary. In addition to the small base salary  and sales commission plan, the company could use group incentives and organizational incentives to encourage teamwork and cooperation. BTG may add up a profit sharing plan for employees to receive a portion of the organization’s profits over and above their regular compensation. The employee stock ownership plans are also available to compensate employees by awarding them shares of the company stock. The company could continue the existing recruiting methods and add more details to the recruiting process more integrated. To provide a job analysis and job description are easy for employees to comprehend the important work-related aspects, the basic tasks, duties, and responsibilities required of a particular job. BTG may attach importance to external recruiting rather than internal recruiting, but internal recruiting is still functional for the company to figure out qualified employees inside the company. During external recruiting, keep the method of cold call, walk-ins, internet, employee referral, DSM hires and develop some other methods. For example, advertising on newspapers, magazines, direct mail, radio, and television are effective to recruit broadly. Moreover, develop employment services is also important, to establish state or private employment agencies, temporary help agencies, and professional search firms will attract more quality candidates. Furthermore, the special events such as career conferences or job fairs will also work. BTG may develop performance appraisal and use functional one-to-one communication to keep low and functional staff turnover. The performance appraisal is the process of assessing how well employees are doing their jobs. Objective performance measures are also measures of performance that are easily and directly counted and quantified. These measures are benefit for BTG to figure out the quality of the employees, and may use the hierarchical pay structures top decide the pay level of people with different abilities. However, training programs are also accessible to improve the quality of employees. In addition, use one-to-one communication could help the managers to figure out the problems of people’s performance  on the job. Especially for counseling, communicate with the person about non-job-related issues that may be interfering with the person’s performance could help employees to address their personal issues and improve their performance on the job. By following these steps, BTG can develop enough people for the expansion plan, and the company can meet the growth objectives successfully. Evaluation After developing the compensation structure, the employees have to be appropriately motivated, and the BTG selling process involved a very high level of interaction with the customer, which set a very high level of service expectation. The emphasis on customer satisfaction at the retail stores lead to a higher volume of orders relative to the retail competition. Store sales will improve across the board. To try several recruiting methods such as formal or informal programs that worked to entice qualified personnel to apply to BTG which increase the degree of success. To keep the turnover low and functional, the quality of the store’s staff will be high in a healthy competitive environment among sales associates. According to the percentage of staff voluntary turnover occurred in their first four months become low and the employees are stable in BTG, the company will have stable source of staff to proceed with its expansion plan and develop complements efficiently. The sales of the company will be high for each consecutive store opened, and no competitors could replicate the model of BTG.

Body Temperature Maintenance

Body Temperature Maintenance Describe how normal body temperature is maintained and explain how the nurse can ensure accuracy when measuring this vital sign Every person creates heat in their bodies through the production of Adenosine triphosphate (also known as ATP or energy) which happens within the cells in the mitochondrion, this is also referred to as the metabolism and heat is the by product of the process in producing ATP which is called respiration (Waugh this is also constantly changing however it keeps it within a specified narrow range (Marieb 2009). Homeostasis is an important function within a person’s body. It works on an equilibrium balance effect which has a series of stages. These stages run in a chronological order whenever there’s an imbalance within the body’s system. As stated in Marieb’s (2009) work there is firstly the stimulus which is the actual imbalance within the body system such as an increase or decrease in body temperature; then there’s the rece ptor which will detect the increase or decrease in body temperature; once the receptor has detected the change it will send this message to the control centre which for temperature is the hypothalamus, depending on whether the temperature has increased or decreased, the hypothalamus will work accordingly which will send out a message to the body to either tell the blood vessels to vasoconstrict so that heat lost to the surface of the skin is decreased (if the body’s temperature is lower than usual) or it will send out a message to the blood vessels to vasodilate so that heat will be lost to the surface of the skin, it will also tell the body to produce sweat so that the heat can be evaporated away from the body. Once the body temperature has returned to ‘normal’, equilibrium has been reached and the hypothalamus will stop sending its message to the body (Marieb 2009).

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Research Paper

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry - Research Paper Example d respectable man in the society through starting a business, thus he combines forces with his friends as joint venture partners to start on liquor store (Hansberry, 500). Walter, in his dreams has come to believe that no man can gain dignity, pride and respect out of being employed by others. Therefore, he wants to work his way out through ensuring that he stands for himself and creates his own wealth, so that he may gain respect amongst the people in the society (Loos, 39). Therefore, his dream almost saved his life, because it at least did show him that all he needed to do was to work for himself by starting a business, which was the platform through which he could amass wealth, and thus gain self respect, pride and dignity (Morrin, 51). In this respect, if he had succeeded in this business, then the dream would have become a major factor that would have saved his life and that of his family. It is this dream that makes him feel dissatisfied with his life as a chauffeur for a white man, which he feels is a job that has less opportunity for advancement, but more demeaning and embarrassing, since out of this job, he can barely provide for his family (Hansberry, 546). This feeling of dissatisfaction makes him nasty and rude to everyone, but his family is the most affected, because he quarrels with almost everybody, whether his sister, wife or mother. However, his dream of becoming wealthy through business does not come to pass, and Walter becomes even more frustrated, with nothing to show off to his family or to the society. He trusted his friend Harris against the warning of everybody, and he insisted on starting a liquor store when everyone in his family was against it (Loos, 47). This is the point at which his dream now destroys his life, after Harris runs away with the money, and the dream forces him to sink even lower than he was in his life, willing to bow down to Mr. Lindner, the white man from whom he had earlier refused to receive money as payment for

Report to the Directors of USPS diagnosing the state of affairs and Essay

Report to the Directors of USPS diagnosing the state of affairs and offering some prognosis on what might be a more sustainable business model - Essay Example While many factors could be blamed for the situation, this paper has zeroed in on one issue: the business model. In comparison to other players, like the FEDEX and UK’s The Royal Mail, the evolution of technology was not supposed to have such severe effects on the institution. Besides highlighting these issues, the paper has offered the best model to adopt, and lucidly elaborated what entails. The U.S. Postal service (USPS) is tasked with ensuring the mails sent through their platforms reach their destinations on time. Many American business people and the society expect that no letter sent through USPS will be delayed for whatever reasons. Rather, each is convinced that the institution has the capacity to deliver without the slightest hiccups. However, the situation has deteriorated as evidenced by the number mails that reached their recipients way after their expected period. In a bid to arrest the situation, the USPS management sought to have in place measures that would enable the corporation fulfil its mandate. One of these included laying off of the staff whose retirement period was near. Unfortunately, the situation was not remedied as the immensely experienced individuals were lost not to mention the subsequent workload. Upon realizing these measures were not effective, the management hired other people meaning the cost rose significantly. In light of these issues , this paper seeks to investigate the real cause of the problems at USPS. Further, a prognosis will be offered upon identifying the major issues bedevilling the USPS. A closer analysis of the woes facing USPS reveals that a single problem did not result in its current state. Rather, a myriad of issues including lack of innovation as evidenced by the number of letters that would be sorted by the clerks. Apparently, the process would be done manually, a process that inevitably cost the institution a considerable amount of resources

The four models of corporate governance as outlined by Letza et al Essay

The four models of corporate governance as outlined by Letza et al - Essay Example Letza et al's journal was based on an extensive survey and critical review of the different theories and concepts that exist in corporate governance. Based on this comprehensive study, they identified four main approaches of perceiving corporate governance. This include: 1. Principal/Agent or Finance Model. 2. The Mypoic Market Model 3. Abuse of Executive Power Model and 4. Stakeholder Model Each of these models of corporate governance provide the basis for the perception of the importance and significance of corporate governance in organisations. Although each of them carry different merits, none of them seem to be universally accepted. This paper examines the four models of corporate governance as outlined by Letza et al (2004). The paper will undertake an analysis of the key features of each of the model. The paper will compare and contrast the approaches for each of the models and assess the future survivability of each of the concepts Corporate Governance Corporate governance re fers to the ways that businesses are ran (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2006). Corporate governance is about how the top level managers charged with stewardship roles in the organisation carry out the task of safeguarding assets and meeting the core vision and mission of the organisation. The development of corporate governance has come with several issues and situations that have had important impacts on the relationship between shareholders and strategic leaders of organisations. Major scandals that rocked the corporate world like the Enron matter played a role in facilitating rules and principles that define the corporate governance terrain today (Clarke, 2005). Important components of businesses played various roles in shaping corporate governance rules and regulations. Short Termism V Sustainability Most businesses are faced with a major dilemma of whether they should acquire short term results or work for the development of the longer term interests of the business. In dra wing the balance between shortermism and sustainability, most businesses are concerned with four key things (Aras and Gowther, 2009 p282). These include: 1. Societal impact: That is the impact of the business on the society. 2. Environmental impact: The impact of the business on the natural environment. 3. Organisational culture: The relationship between organisational and internal stakeholders like employees. 4. Finance: The acquisition of adequate returns commensurate with the risks taken. These four important factors play a major role in determining the terrain and activities of the organisation. The major corporate collapses like Enron were attributed to blatant disregard for some key elements of these four components of businesses (Clarke, 2005). Thus, they all played roles in defining the creation of corporate governance rules and systems. Although there is still evidence of shortermism in corporate organisations, there is still some important roles that corporate governance s tandards and roles play in promoting sustainability in business (Eyatt, 2005). Risk Management One of the roles that corporate governance plays is that it helps in the creation of risk management systems to ensure that the board of directors monitor and control risks in organisations (Fraser and Harvey, 2007). â€Å"Company business models should be explained and the board should be responsible for determining the

Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buying - Essay Example The company emphasizes the need for sustainable business practices such as the use of organic materials and saving energy. A lot of profit is driven by the company’s proposition of being committed to environmental awareness, and observing the rights of animals. When it comes to prices, Stella McCartney markets itself as understanding even the customer’s pocket. As such the company’s prices are relatively lower as compared to the competition and this presents another competitive edge. In terms of segmentation the company has directed a lot of its focus on women offering accessories, clothing, beauty products and lingerie. it also has products for kids of either sex and has partnered with Adidas to avail a new line of sports performance collection for women. The company’s customer range from women especially young adults who love luxury brands to sports persons and even families with newborns. Stella McCartney has greatly diversified and portrayed herself as a company doing responsible business and as such the customer base is wide. Almost every person today will visit Stella McCartney for products that range from footwear, eyewear, and ready to wear clothes, bags and other accessories and even

European Union problem question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

European Union problem question - Essay Example The â€Å"freedom of work† through European Union countries is a fundamental right which encompasses a region without internal boundaries where independence is guaranteed in agreement with the endowment of the treaty. This right is applied under certain conditions and also approved to the family members, regardless of the nationality. However, the description of â€Å"family member† must comprise the registered companion, if the law of host country treats registered companion as comparable to marriage. In the context of free movement, marriage partners who are not nationals of an EU member country must obtain visa while crossing the border unless they have acquired the residence card . As Juanita was Columbian national from the beginning, she should acquire permissions from the â€Å"Secretary of State† in order to get visa. The immigration rule to enter UK depicts that a couple, in this case Roger and Juanita, must be capable of representing adequate original documented proofs which can specify that they have enough money, acceptable housing facility, and have not any supplementary resources for the non UK partner. However, there are other particular exemptions in this regulation which should be pursued by Roger in order to make Juanita enter in the UK . 5. Marriage in overseas nation takes place after mutual authorisation. The legal structure practiced in foreign states can act together with the law of UK in a complicated manner, and therefore the direction of ‘surrogate or registrar’ is essential in order to avoid complications in marriage and immigration problem in the UK or Netherlands. In present days, the laws regarding marriage and national immigration obligation are different in the UK and the Netherlands. The reason why Juanita faced problems while entering in the UK was due to its strong immigration policy system and its continuous development or transformations. There are increased concerns about the purpose of marriage, because some couple might conduct agreement marriage exclusively for immigration reasons. As marriage to someone authorises to live or work in the UK, it can considerably enrich the right for the foreign person. Therefore, a mutual authorisation is required for Roger and Juanita. It is obligat ory for Roger and Juanita to confirm that marriage authorisations are not settled, as there is a strong probability of viewing their marriage as fake and only a means to enter in the UK. The key issue is whether they seek genuine marriage in the sense that they are undertaking a promise to lastingness. Simultaneously, when the appeal for marriage ascends out of genuine

Mystery Shopping research for starbucks, costa coffee and cafe nero Essay

Mystery Shopping research for starbucks, costa coffee and cafe nero - Essay Example The purpose of the primary observation in the mystery shopping is to do a random surprise check on the three companies in order to collect data without manipulating the findings. The information is to provide room for comparison of the performance of the three companies by addressing the achievements and failures. The findings here expose the areas that require improvement to promote the satisfaction among customers. Mystery shopping provides data whose measurements are in percentage form. The validity of data is measured by percentages. For data to be considered as valid, it has to range between 0 and 100 %. The second aspect of validity is the measures of extreme information. For example, it may be invalid to obtain 100 percent score for all the variables or 0 percent for all. Similarly, it may not be valid to obtain a similar measure for all the three companies, say 77% for all the data being measures. The research technique used in this exercise is quantitative, descriptive and systematic. First, it is quantitative since it uses measurable data to do the analysis. Secondly, it is descriptive since it uses the results of the analysis to provide the descriptive statistics and their relevance to analyzing the three companies. Thirdly, it is a systematic method since it involves the use of specific and well-organized set of information for the three

An Education Film Essay Essay Example for Free

An Education Film Essay Essay Analyse how conflict (either internal or external) was used in a film you have studied to help us better understand a main character. â€Å"Often, it’s not about becoming a new person, but becoming the person you were meant to be, and already are, but don’t know how to be.† An Education directed by Lone Scherfig is a film about coming of age and discovering whom we are. The film is set in the early 1960’s a time ruled by moral code and strong feminist rules. Jenny is the main character who is 16 and aspiring to read English at Oxford. She soon meets playboy David, who seduces her and they fall in love. This relationship lets Jenny see into a whole new world of thrilling and current things. This creates a big internal conflict for Jenny who now must decide what she wants to do with her life. She has three pathways she can choose from, and the characters of Helen, Mrs. Stubbs and Jenny’s mother Marjorie model all of these paths. She must decide if she wants to live an exciting life but is filled with fraud and larceny. She can also living a boring life of teacher marking ‘pony essays’ but also one that has had the purpose of an education and is fulfilling in numerous ways. Jenny can also become a housewife though like her mother Marjorie, this is the most common paths for women in the 1960’s and is a tedious and unfulfilling lifestyle. Jenny is internally conflicted between all three of these paths, because whic hever one she picks will determine the rest of her life. Very early on in the film we are introduced to the character of Helen, she is an affluent person and lives an abundant life style of which many people in the 1960’s would be jealous. She has the privilege of lavish clothes, attending fabulous concerts, going to art auctions, eating in Michelin star restaurants and traveling the world. This is the life Jenny wants to live. Jenny is able to access this life style through David; he opens her up to all sorts of new possibilities. When we first meet Helen at the concert in Saint James Square we can tell the Jenny is in awe of Helen. Jenny strokes Helens velvety fur cape, admiring the fine piece of clothing. Jenny asks Helen â€Å"it is beautiful, where did it come from?† Helen being very wealthy probably has many coats and beautiful clothes like this and so simply replies â€Å"oh South Ken somewhere.† The area Helen is talking about is South Kensington and is one of the wealthiest areas of London. This is the kind of area that Jenny wouldn’t have been able to afford anything from so when Helen suggests to her that they should go shopping together there and that David can pay, Jenny is a little taken back because something so luxurious and exorbitant shouldn’t come so easily. Jenny realises that this life can become possible if she sticks with David. There is no need for her to attend Oxford to have a fun and fulfilling life. With David she can live Helen’s life, where she can go to France; her escape in life â€Å" I want to be French. She wouldn’t have to deal with her parents, school and Oxford. With David she is not confined in her life, she can do whatever she wants. Jenny must make a decision as to whether she wants to stay with David and to continue living this exciting lifestyle or to continue on the path of life she had originally planned out for her life in Oxford and one of an Education. Jenny must remember that â€Å"when life’s path is steep to keep your mind open† Jenny is focused on David in the movie because she thinks it is what she wants. We must all keep be level minded when we are making decisions, Lone Scherfig has alerted this too the audience that these choices we make are important and they will leave a mark on us forever. Mrs. Stubbs is a very influential person in Jenny’s life. Mrs. Stubbs life could foreshadow one that Jenny might live if she gets an education at Oxford. Mrs. Stubbs is Jenny’s English teacher, and she studied at Cambridge. Cambridge is a very prestigious school, which is very similar to Oxford. Both schools hold high reputation and only the elite and highly respected can attend these two schools. Judging from the lifestyles of the female role models around her, Jenny’s future can be narrowed down to two options; housewife or a secretary if she doesn’t get an education. In order to avoid those to paths in life, Jenny’s caring but overly concerned parents Jack and Marjorie and Mrs. Stubbs forcefully suggest an education at Oxford. In order to market herself as a valuable candidate, Jenny must ace English, Latin, French (hence the title), and show cultural breadth (her â€Å"hobby† is the cello). Yet, if all goes according to plan, Jenny will meet a similarly cultured wealthy man and will no longer need to do any of those things. The irony, of course, is that an Oxford education is simply a means of making the bait more alluring. Jenny comes to this realisation early into Scherfig’s film and asks the question â€Å"Why must I attend Oxford when I could easily take a shortcut and reach the same inevitable conclusion by attending the school of life? I’d have a lot more fun.† David is a shortcut past Oxford and is also a lot more entertaining and fun. Jenny must open her mind up to the possibilities that Oxford and an education can grant her. She must again keep her mind open; sometimes the path that is not as clear is often the better choice. As the viewer we want Jenny to go to Oxford and we can see how her decision will make a last imprint on her. We want her to attend and it makes us reflect on all those important decisions we have all had to make in our lives. In order to market herself as a valuable candidate, Jenny must ace English, Latin, French (hence the title), and show cultural breadth (her â€Å"hobby† is the cello). Yet, if all goes according to plan, Jenny will meet a similarly cultured wealthy man and will no longer need to do any of those things. The irony, of course, is that an Oxford education is simply a means of making the bait more alluring. Jenny comes to this realisation early into Scherfig’s film and asks the question â€Å"Why must I attend Oxford when I could easily take a shortcut and reach the same inevitable conclusion by attending the school of life? I’d have a lot more fun.† David is a shortcut past Oxford and is also a lot more entertaining and fun. Jenny must open her mind up to the possibilities that Oxford and an education can grant her. She must again keep her mind open; sometimes the path that is not as clear is often the better choice. As the viewer we want Jenny to go to Oxford and we can see how her decision will make a last imprint on her. We want her to attend and it makes us reflect on all those important decisions we have all had to make in our lives. In order to market herself as a valuable candidate, Jenny must ace English, Latin, French (hence the title), and show cultural breadth (her â€Å"hobby† is the cello). Yet, if all goes according to plan, Jenny will meet a similarly cultured wealthy man and will no longer need to do any of those things. The irony, of course, is that an Oxford education is simply a means of making the bait more alluring. Jenny comes to this realisation early into Scherfig’s film and asks the question â€Å"Why must I attend Oxford when I could easily take a shortcut and reach the same inevitable conclusion by attending the school of life? I’d have a lot more fun.† David is a shortcut past Oxford and is also a lot more entertaining and fun. Jenny must open her mind up to the possibilities that Oxford and an education can grant her. She must again keep her mind open; sometimes the path that is not as clear is often the better choice. As the viewer we want Jenny to go to Oxford and we can see how her decision will make a last imprint on her. We want her to attend and it makes us reflect on all those important decisions we have all had to make in our lives. The final route Jenny can take is one of the most common paths young women in the 1960’s take and that is to become a housewife and mother. This path requires no education apart from how to cook, clean and sew. These three things are all taught at school along with dancing and posture. These are all qualities a good housewife needs to make their husband look first class and not themselves. In the very opening scenes of the movie we see a montage of shots that exhibit the young girls in the 1960’s learning these qualities. This opening scene illustrates to the audience the traditional expectations of young women. This kind of education the women are getting is to set them up to be wives, to be like Marjorie. Jenny however is different to the other girls. Her education will not stop her hopefully but instead it will continue on at Oxford. One of the most important scenes shown in the movie is when Jenny comes home after being out for the night with David for the first tim e. When we see Marjorie in this shot we can see her through the kitchen door trying to clean a casserole dish. Marjorie is completely framed inside her world. By marrying Jack it has trapped inside this world, there is no fun parties or lavish concerts, instead she is a housewife, â€Å"and I cant get this casserole dish clean. We had hot-pot tonight, and its all burnt round† Jenny is confused though as â€Å"its twenty-five to twelve. We finish tea at seven.† Jenny soon realises that this is a life you get trapped in, and once you enter into it there isn’t any escape. Jenny is different from the other girls at school she is smart. She will not become a housewife and we can see how fantastic it is to stand out and be different. With this comes choice though resulting in hard decisions. Jenny is forced to make one and as the viewer Lone Scherfig has positioned us to see how all the choices we make in our lives will and can affect us. Jenny is forced to make a difficult decision, and she is conflicted between what she wants to do in life. At this stage in her life she can has to choose between becoming her mother, Helen or Mrs. Stubbs. With decisions comes conflict and Jenny is internally conflicted with all of these options. Lone Scherfig has effectively made the audience look back on all of the decisions we have had to make in our lives and how they have shaped us into who we are today. Our paths should lead us all to a goal and desire. We can only know this when â€Å"if youre walking down the right path and youre willing to keep walking, eventually youll make progress.†

Human Resources in Malaysia

Human Resources in Malaysia Question1 ii) Assuming that you are the Senior HR Manager in one of the manufacturing company, how the minimum retirement age act in Malaysia has any impact in your company and industry taking into consideration it advantages and disadvantages? As a Senior HR Manager, I do believe there is impact of the minimum retirement age act in company and industry as well. Implementation of the new minimum retirement age act could be beneficial to the company. Based on the survey done by the group Aon Hewitt (2011), 53% out of the 107 companies that participated in the survey thinks that they will lose their talented employees. Furthermore, some companies also worry that they could not find the replacement for their talented senior employees due to the lack of talents in the market (Aon Hewitt, 2011). According to Tung and Comeau (2012), company that offer job rotation for the senior workers could save the cost of hiring new employees. Some senior employees are talented, still productive, and have many experiences that the younger employees do not have. Senior employees can share their experiences and knowledge, lead, and guide the newly hired employees. This could also help the company to save the cost of hiring outside trainer to train their new employees. However, there are drawbacks towards the company for implementing the new Act. Some company would face cost structure disruption due to the Act as mentioned by the Malaysia Employers Federation (Aruna Rahim, 2012). The senior employees have higher payroll than those younger ones. Some company could not afford higher wages employees and hence would face the financial problem due to the Act. Furthermore, some senior employees might face some health problem as they age and this would increase the company’s cost due to the medical bills (Tung Comeau, 2012). This would be a burden to the company especially those small-medium enterprises (SMEs). Besides the company, there are also some impacts of introducing the new retirement age act on industry field. According to Li (n.d.), delaying the retirement age from 55 to 60 can brings an impact on those fresh graduates or young employees. It is because the vacancies that were previously prepared for them which following the retirement of the older employees are delayed. He also stated that the pre-MRAA case of Sistem Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad had successfully argued in the Industrial Court on increasing the retirement age from 55 to 66 could cause frustration and stagnation of junior employees who failed to promote to the senior position as the senior staff only retires at the age of 60. Besides that, he also mentioned that the productivity of older employees may decline with age which lowers the performance of the organization. Some other disadvantages associated with older employees include inflexibility in executing tasks, unwilling to learn new knowledge, difficult in mainta ining up-to-date skills, and reluctance to take part in any training programs. Apart from that, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Executive Director, Y. Bhg. Datuk Hj. Shamsuddin bin Bardan also claimed that the unemployment rate could rise from 3.7% to 4% or higher as the industry field is forced to subdue the loss in job openings as employee retires later (FreeMalaysiaToday, 2013). He said that the Malaysian job market is not well-prepared for the entering of new fresh graduates if the present employees do not leave the job market at the age of 55. In the other hand, new retirement age act can bring some long-term benefits (Chew, 2013). He proposed that by elongate five more productive years, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the national economy could be raised by extra 400 000 workers. He also said the government deficit can be reduced significantly as the workers working longer and contribute to the Employees Providence Fund (EPF) by continuing paying income tax. Last but not least, the contributions and taxes from the private sector can be reduced. This is because with the increase of revenue and surplus from the government, the income tax and other tax incentives from the private sector can be reduce. In a nutshell, the new retirement age act in Malaysia do give impacts on company and industry as well. Therefore, it is important for us to modify and minimize the negative impact so that it won’t affect company, industry and country much. Question 2 a) Does Sally have a basis for claiming â€Å"hostile environment† sexual harassment? How was she harmed? In our opinion, we think that Sally does have a basis for claiming â€Å"hostile environment† sexual harassment. Based on Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace which established by Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia in 1999, sexual harassment means â€Å"any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having the effect of verbal, non-verbal, visual, psychological or physical harassment: that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as placing a condition of a sexual nature on her/his employment; or that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as an offence or humiliation, or a threat to his/her well-being, but has no direct link to her/his employment. Based on The Code, sexual harassment of Sally case is fall on sexual annoyance, a sexually-related conduct that is offensive, hostile or intimidating to the recipient, but nonetheless has no direct link to any job benefit. In Sally case, the sexual harassment was fall into category of harassment by an employee against another employee. From the text above, the co-worker of Sally were whistles, leers, comments about her sexy physical body, one of the crew members whom name Al, even grabbed Sally and tried to kiss her. Sally was refuge what Al did on her. The action did by Al and co-worker were an unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having the effect of physical, verbal, non-verbal and visual which can be counted as a hostile environment sexual harassment. She was harmed due to the unsuccessful of resolving her sexual harassment problem by her supervisor, Chunk. She has been told to be calm. Apart from this, the co-worker isolates her and refuge to work with her. She develops an ulcer and used all her sick leave and being diagnosed having job-related stress and took 60 days of leave-of-absence. Her fiancà © also break their engagement because of peer pressure. Besides, she also failed to appeal regards on her sexual harassment case by both the union and management. b) If you were the union or Chunk, how would you investigate her grievance? If no witnesses supported Sally’s story, what would you conclude? Grievance is being defined as the â€Å"dissatisfaction between the employees and the employers involving the work and working environment† (Zulkiflee Daud, Mohd Faizal Mohd Isa, Wan Shakizah Wan Mohd Nor, Zairani Zainol, 2013, p. 123). In terms of this context, Sally claimed that she was being sexually harassed by one of the crew member, Al, where he tried to grab her and kiss her when Sally was being sent out in truck with Al. However, Al denied in having any physical contact with Sally. Sally’s case is considered as individual grievance whereby formal stage grievance procedures will be taken to investigate this case. So, if I were the union or Chuck, I will initiate with the grievance procedure once I received the complaint lodged by Sally. But before that, I need to ensure that I understand thoroughly what have been written in the grievance/complaint form by Sally and to have a basic idea on Sally’s situation and why she lodged the complaint. Then, I will write an acknowledging receipt of the grievance statement and proposed some advises on the ways to handle the grievance to Sally within the 5 working days from the day the grievance are being received. Next, I would proposed for an investigation to be done onto Sally’s grievance by developing a separate complaint procedure that deals specifically with such a sexual harassment complaints as this is a very sensitive issue in an organization. In developing the complaint procedure, Sally would be protected from any further embarrassment in the course of investigation into the complaint, for instance, being continuously shunned by the crew of the utility company. There are three main elements in a complaint procedure; first element is the step-by-step procedure within a time frame given for each step in the process of reporting and processing the complaint lodges by the aggrieved person, second element is conducting an investigation procedure, and last element in the complaint procedure is to come out with an appeal procedure that enable the dissatisfied party to re-appeal for an investigation’s findings to a higher authority. Thus, in dealing with the complaints by Sally, I will then request for a complaint Committee, as what may have been outlined in the company’s Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harrassment in the Workplace. The complaint Committee shall includes at least three representatives from the other departments in the company not including the department of the accuser and the accused employee and the representatives shall have a higher position if compared to the employee that complaints and the employee that is being complaint. I shall also consider to go for a member from the outside counsel that is acquainted in dealing with the issue of sexual harassment. Not to forget, I shall go for a complaint Committee where at least half the members of the Complaints Committee are women and it is better to have Women member as the leader of the Complaints Committee. In setting up the Complaints Committee, I will proposed a tentative day, date, and time to the committee involved asking them to come for an investigation session and the committee shall present at the day, date, and time stated. Thus, in conducting the grievance investigation, separate interview will be held for both the aggrieved person (Sally) and the one who cause the aggrievation (Al). The interviews are done separately as to minimize the possibility of practicing bias and also to test the validity and reliability of the justification given by the parties involved. Apart from that, the investigation is carried out based on the 5W1H approach; who is involved in this case, what have happened, when did the case happened, where did the case takes place, and how did it happened? Both the parties, the aggrieved party (Sally) and the one who caused the aggrievation (Al) are given the fair chance to clarify and justify themselves. Other than the both parties involved, their colleagues l ike another women crew who also works would be called-in for the investigation session as well to know more about the parties involved, for instance, in terms of their attitudes in their working station and their personalities. After that, the Complaints Committee will come out with the final decision on whether Al is really guilty in sexually harassing Sally or not or it is Sally who has wrongly accused Al. The next step is closely linked to the decision made by the Complaints Committee. For instance, if Al was found guilty in sexually harassing Sally, I shall know what disciplinary actions that could be taken onto Al whether by terminating him without notice and showing him show cause letter or warning letter as the Employment Acts 1955 stated that: The individual found guilty of sexual harassment may be dismissed without notice, demoted or penalized with a lesser punishment, e.g. suspension without pay for a period of up to 2 weeks. Same situation applied to Sally, disciplinary actions will be taken if Sally was found guilty in accusing and maligning Al. It may be the possible that Sally is introverted and comes from a very conservative family background complaint that she was physically and verbally har assed. It might also be the case maybe Al was Sally’s former lover and had end their relationship or Al had fallen on her but she rejected and Al was envy what’s more to know that she had engaged with another man who is also the worker in the same company. If both the parties agreed with the final outcomes, the case is closed. But if both the parties do not agreed with the final outcomes, they are allowed to reappeal and the same investigation step will be carried on again. The investigation step will only come to an end when both the parties are agreed with the final outcomes or when one of the parties is proved to be guilty. In this sexual harassment case, if there is no witnesses that could support Sally’s story, I would conclude that Sally’s story is not valid. Without any strong supporting elements, the validity of Sally’s story is being questioned and without any proves, I have to come out with a conclusion that the sexual harassment do not take places as what have been told by Sally. Sally’s story could only be applicable if there is a strong evidence provided to support that the sexual harassment do take places and it do have the tendency to take place. However, if it really takes place, I will seek solution for the parties who found guilty and also provide some counseling session to help her recover from her emotional and physical injuries. Whether the charges are valid or not, I will transfer Sally to other department if she agrees to avoid the conflict between Al, the crew and herself which might affect her performance or given special attention on the welfare and saf ety of Sally if she has to work at night. c) How might this scenario have been prevented? This scenario can be prevented through several ways which are organization should develop policy statement prohibiting sexual harassment, provide training to employee and employer and take all the complaints of sexual harassment seriously. The organization should develop policy statement prohibiting sexual harassment. Based on The Code, policy statement on sexual harassment is a published message to all the members in organization which aim to create non-sexual harassment working environment. From the Sally case, it is clearly shown the co-worker doesn’t have a clear understanding on what sexual harassment is. A clear definition of sexual harassment is required include in the policy so that employee and employer can understand it and try to avoid doing it. Secondly, through provide training to employee and employer also can prevent sexual harassment. An effective policy, tied with training for all employer and employee will help in preventing harassment (Prevention of Sexual Harassment, n.d.). The training should teach what is sexual harassment is, procedure to complaints when facing such situation and etc. This can create awareness for all the staff to prevent sexual harassment with the knowledge gained during the training session. Lastly, the upper management should take complaints seriously rather treat it as small case. From the Sally case, we could see that her supervisor doesn’t treat it seriously. Instead of taking action on Al but the supervisor ask to keep her sense of humor and he just asked Al to keep his hands to himself. In fact, this obviously is a sexual harassment case and should take action quickly so that Sally’s right is protected. Due to the failure of taking complaint seriously, Sally being isolated by the co-workers and force to took leave because of job-related stress. It is important for the upper management especially immediate supervisor to take complaints seriously, take action on it, and figure it out whether sexual harassment exists or not. This is to ensure that the victim can be protected from being harass again. In conclusion, this scenario can be prevented through develop policy statement prohibiting sexual harassment, provide training to employee and employer and take all the complaints of sexual harassment seriously. This is to ensure Sally’s case won’t happened again.

Merchant of Venice Essay: A Comedy? :: free essay writer

To the reader, The Merchant of Venice, may seem horrible and it be impossible to find the â€Å"comedy† at all.   Perhaps, Shakespeare may have been simply trying to make people laugh at the appalling injustice we cause one another because of the small differences among us.  Ã‚   Or, perhaps, he may have at first wanted the viewers of The Merchant of Venice to feel that they, the Christians, had nothing in common with the Jew, Shylock.   What on earth could the Christians have in common with a Jew?   Shakespeare demonstrates that the Christians were just as hungry for money and fortune as the Jew.   Perhaps this is a comedy after all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That Shakespeare sees people, Jew or Christian, as simply people, and if he could not make people see that they were all people with common ground, then he would have to start with something he knew everyone could relate with.  Ã‚   The best item to come to mind was money.   No matter if the amount is in ducats, dollars or pesos, everyone understands this concept.  Ã‚   Although it does not seem perfectly clear in what way Shakespeare was trying to deliver the comedy in this play, one thing is evident,   Shakespeare was a man before his time.     Ã‚   So, besides trying to find where the comedy is, maybe one should try to find where the most superficial person lies.   Who is more superficial in this play?   The Jew whose only business is money, or the Christians? It seems apparent that both are superficial, and one no more than the other.   In the play Bassanio does not try to hide the fact that he needs to marry a woman of wealth to restore his fortune.   Shylock's daughter Jessica,   promises to steal jewels and fortune from her father, proving that she too is money hungry.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even Salerio and Solanio seem to talk of nothing more than riches and wealth throughout the play.   So yes, they all are superficial, and one can not peg one any more than another.So again, we are back to the comedy of the whole thing!   Ã‚  Ã‚   Now that I think about it, it seems strange that the majority of our class found no humor in this play.  Ã‚  Ã‚   When one thinks of why this may be, it is simple.   We do not laugh when we read this play because we have not changed.   Since the time of this play, we have inched very little away from prejudice and belittling people because they are what we feel is different, therefore making them strange.

Essays --

Why is Ethiopia Always Hungry? In 1974, Louis Leake discovered a 3.2 million year old skeleton he named â€Å"Lucy† in the Afar region of Ethiopia. This evidence indicates human inhabitants have lived in the region for millions of years. In Ethiopia today, the people are chronically hungry. There have been recurrent famines leading to starvation and death of hundreds of thousands of people. The country’s population is outpacing its food production. Did â€Å"Lucy† die from starvation? Why can’t Ethiopia feed its people? Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa with a long and complex history dating back thousands of years. Located in the eastern Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is a landlocked country slightly smaller than twice the size of Texas. In 1994, a federal republic was created consisting of nine ethnically based states and lead by a president elected by the people (â€Å"Central Intelligence Agency†). It has a current population of 93 million people. In 2013, Ethiopia had a population growth rate of 2.9%, ranking it ninth in the world in population growth. This growth rate is projected to continue over the next 40 years (Population Challenges). The country is made up of many ethnic groups with the Oromo (35%) and the Amhara (27%) making up the largest groups. In general, the population is rural and poor. Only 17% of the people live in urban centers. Agriculture is the main driver of the Ethiopian economy. Most of the farming occurs on small farms and consists of subsi stence agriculture. There is very little commercial farming. Agriculture contributes 46% to GNP and employs 85% of the population (â€Å"Ethiopia†). The geography of Ethiopia is a high plateau divided by the Great Rift Valley. There is a central mounta... ...e weather conditions, the problem continues to grow. Solving these problems requires action on all levels--from the international community and the United Nations, by the Ethiopian federal government, and members of the regional and local communities. The course of action for Ethiopia will take both time and financial support. The problem did not develop overnight and it cannot be solved quickly. By working together to provide sustainable solutions, the people of Ethiopia may one day be protected during times of drought by having enough food available to prevent famine and starvation. Hopefully, Ethiopia will be able to implement the reforms and changes needed to someday sustain itself. By providing adequate food for its people, it will eliminate the need for food handouts. Maybe some day soon we will be able to quit asking, â€Å"Why is Ethiopia always hungry?†

Discovery :: essays research papers

Discoveries reveal things that we often would prefer to keep hidden. Discuss the concept of â€Å"Discovery† and the effects it has on those who are involved. You must refer to your set text and supplementary material which you have studied in relation to this topic. The topic discovery involves the reviling of past things that were previously unknown. These truths can range from physical objects to self-awareness, from new knowledge to hidden memory. However, discovery can be such a powerful thing that some things may be better left hidden. An example of someone discovering the past is in the set text, Sally Morgan’s â€Å"My Place†. The supplementary material that will be â€Å"Paperbark-tree† by Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Sarah’s Story from the National Inquiry. Two issues that are raised in â€Å"My Place† are the discovery of self and the search for historical truth. Part of growing up involves the discovery of self. This normally means finding out your family’s history. In â€Å"My Place†, Sally grows up feeling that there is a lot about her past that she doesn’t know. â€Å"the feeling that a very vital part of me was missing and that I’d never belong anywhere.† When she was a child, her best friend was Winnie the Pooh. She felt that she had a lot in common because they both felt like misfits. Both her mother and grandmother know that Sally doesn’t know much about their Aboriginal heritage, and so therefore tell her that she is Indian.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Come on, Mum, what are we?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What do the kids at school say?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anything. Italian, Greek, Indian.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tell them you’re Indian.† Eventually Sally find’s out that she is Aboriginal and by finding this out, starts her on a quest for knowledge. This feeling of having not much idea of who you are may make you want to go and find out the truth. A big example of this is Aborigine’s who were taken from their parents as children and sent away to work as slaves. In Sarah’s story she explains how as a child, just like Sally, she was told that she was not aboriginal. She was white skinned living with her white skinned father and had to be taken away because people believed that white skins should not mix with natives. â€Å"We were discouraged from any contact with Aboriginal People.† The second issue that is faced in â€Å"My Place† is historical truth. Know matter how the reader interprets the story, they are always going to be able to read about Australia’s past.

Performance management or performance evaluation Essay

The basic aim of performance management is to create an environment for the employees where they can work at their best. It begins when a particular job is defined whereas it ends when the employee quits from the organization and performance management basically serves as a replacement of the traditional appraisal system. There are certain advantages of performance management and the most important one is the goal of developing clear job descriptions for the employees that can be easily comprehended by them. The second advantage is that it helps the employer to hire the best candidates for the job that suits them and at the same time, performance management helps them to negotiate with the employees on various issues. When the employee is finally hired, he can be provided with necessary training followed by the feedback of the coach that enable organization to develop sessions in which issues regarding performance development can be discussed and according to the results of the performance of the employees, the remuneration package can be designed. Moreover, performance management also provides various career opportunities for the employees and can also provide assistance when conducting exit interviews to know why the employees choose to leave the organization. The concept of annual performance is a bit different from that of performance management. When managing other people, the manager has to conduct performance appraisals in order to know how the employees are performing and this can help motivate the employees to work well in future. Annual performance is basically done to evaluate the performance of the employee and to know how well they have worked throughout the year and the contributions that they have made for the progress of the organization. It not only helps in the development of the staff but it also improves the communication between the staff and the managers, however annual performance has some disadvantages as well. When conducting performance appraisals, employees might ask for feedbacks from their friends in the organization who are more likely to give positive feedbacks and may avoid any negative comments of the employee. Moreover, when conducting appraisals the companies often send evaluations to the raters without telling them how to accurately do the appraisal and without advance notice. (Leat, 2001). Reference Leat,M. (2001). Exploring Employee Relations. Butterworth-Heinemann.

Business Rules Essay

Among other things, define what they are, main sources for them, why they are important, and what you would do with them. Include a brief explanation of what your company does and some of its important Business Rules. Business Rules, as defined by our textbook are a description of policies, procedures or principles of an organization written in a simple and concise format. These rules are used to create the necessary structure for which the organization will operate within. They cover every aspect of the Business and define even the most menial tasks. Customer interaction, how employees are hired, how products are developed and how products are shipped are some examples of Business Rules. The Business rules once they are defined are then able to be converted into database entities, attributes, relationships and constraints. These items are then used in the database design for the company. From these entities and attributes relationships are created that correspond to the defined Business rules. Any rules that specifically name a person, place or thing will become attributes or entities in the database. Constraints are placed on the data to maintain the integrity and they are also derived from the Business rules. Examples of these are the days and times that the Business is open and how much an employee is allowed to make in a certain job function. My company, Maquet, is an international medical supply company started in 1853. They began by making operating tables and operating room lamps. Today they make a wide gamut of products from complete operating rooms systems, to balloon pumps and other life-saving equipment. One of our quips is that if you see our equipment, you are really in trouble or you’re a doctor or a nurse. Since we design and manufacture medical supplies, we are regulated by the FDA and are under constant scrutiny and monitoring. Because of this constant monitoring we have to register and address any complaint about our equipment. We have to work on validated systems, our training on clean room access and other safety features are tracked and we keep emails going back to seven years. Some important Business Rules I believe we have are actually many of our constraints. For instance we have clean room training that needs to be completed on a yearly basis. We must complete this training by a certain date to maintain compliance and to be able to enter a clean room and service the computer. We have rules that define how long we can take to respond to a ticket or how long we can keep a ticket open based on a certain status of low, medium or high. These Rules are in place to make sure we don’t contaminate anything when we enter a clean room or we acknowledge and resolve issues in a timely manner. Business rules define the constructs with within an organization operates. They help show the guidelines that employees and managers need to function within to keep the Business successful. Business rules are beneficial to everyone as long as they are properly defined and in the best interest of everyone.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards: Lesson Plan Websites Essay

The standard to the second grade number sense lesson plan website on fractions was supported in many ways. The learning objective geared the teacher and student to know what was expected of the students. The standard was also matched up by the assessment of the lesson. The value of student discussions to help form meaning through operations in mathematics is present in the standards in this website. Methodology of Number Sense The methodology of number sense is used to expand the knowledge of numbers in diverse ways. By showing how fractions relate to the real world in measurements build on extensible and natural concepts of numbers that are wished for. In this fraction lesson plan the teacher in her presentation showed students shapes that were divided into four parts. This helped show concrete examples of part-whole comparisons in a lesson built around good number sense. Also, in the teacher’s presentation she used tiles and asked the students to pretend that they were cookies that she wanted to share with her neighbors and her family. The teacher asked the students how many groups they will need to share these cookies. Fractions are a result of the relationship of numbers being broadened and explored. Mathematical Operations The mathematical operation that was used in the activities of this lesson plan was division. In using division of equal parts in this lesson plan students can learn effectively to use this operation in the world of sharing their pieces of cookies with neighbors and family. By using division it helps connect interpretation of dividing cookies into four equal parts by using fractions. Students will build on their understanding of the division  operation and develop their extra ideas about thinking about basic fact connections. By performing fraction problems, students use the multiplicative process in which numerators and denominators are divided. By dividing into fair shares as this lesson plan instructed students to do show that fractions are also examples of ratios. Grade Level This lesson plan uses fractions and are directed for second graders. The objectives listed in this lesson plan are directed to the second grade level. Also, the activities and assessment are geared to the second grade level. Division operations as stated in the standards may vary many as three grade levels. (Van de Walle, et al. 2010). Differentiated Instruction Differentiated instruction is evident by using cooperative group practice. Cooperative group work helps English Language Learners by learning from their other peers in their group. By preparing these groups with diverse students will be beneficial to English Language learners. Students are also provided differentiated instruction in the presentation part of the lesson plan. Students with learning disability were provided a visual idea by dividing a cookie into four parts to show how fractions are divided. These students will also have differentiated instruction by being placed in cooperative learning groups as well. (http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/problem-solving-math-episode-1.cfm#vo). Understanding Mathematics A good math lesson plan uses a framework for the content of the operations and structure for each math instruction and practice. Teachers use lesson plans as guides to teach, review and practice math concepts. The fraction lesson plan uses concepts that can be used in real life situations. Students though their practice allows for teachers to use formative assessment of their tasks. Activities Classroom activities improve student’s achievement by modeling the act of performing mathematics in the real world. Fractions imitate dividing parts to share amongst people. Activities performing these strategies mimic how real world situations can be accomplished. Manipulative Tiles and cards were used as manipulative in this fraction lesson plan. Tiles were used to divide parts to make fractions. Tiles were representing cookie pieces to divide between four family members. Lesson Plan 2 Standards In the Lesson Plan library of problem-solving math support the standard through the objectives and procedures. The lesson plans in the Lesson Plan library uses objectives that match the standards specifically in the way that the students will learn why numbers are an important part of everyday life. It also tells that students will use examples. The procedures also state how numbers are used in everyday lives. Students also will show examples around the classroom of basic numbers. The evaluation also supports the standard through the objectives and goals that are to be met. Methodology of Number Sense The methodology of number sense is used to expand the knowledge of numbers in different forms. By showing how numbers can be used in many ways it relates to the real world by time, measurements, and representing a group. Students expand their previous knowledge of basic numbers, Mathematical Operations The operation of understanding the representation of numbers is what the lesson was about. Students are to reflect on numbers and their meaning behind them. The operation of numbers expands as the student’s perception develops. Also the addition operation matches counting words with items such as group of objects. Grade Level The grade level for the Lesson Plan Library is for Kindergarten through fifth grade. The standards and the objectives used in the Lesson Plan Library are for Kindergarten through fifth grade. The evaluations used in this particular lesson website are also for the same grade level of kindergarten through five. Differentiated Instruction Students that are gifted can write a sentence or two to their drawing of the  diagram. Students can explain in their sentence or two an explanation of the diagram. Students that are gifted need to be challenged and this is a great way to do it. Understanding of Mathematics The Lesson Library shows uses of numbers. The lesson plans are important to have as a guide to follow to instruct students on knowledge they need to learn and to be assessed on in a daily plan. It also shows how numbers are important and why. It is important to understand the meaning of numbers to relate it to the everyday world. Building on the meaning of numbers helps progress to the new level of knowledge. Activities within Lesson Plan Classroom activities improve student’s achievement by showing the importance of numbers in everyday lives. Students demonstrate how numbers are important to life. Modeling important facts with regards to numbers builds on the concepts of numbers. Manipulative Used Manipulative were not used but visuals were. Manipulative would be integrated by allowing the students to use clocks as an example of how numbers are used in time. Also, using cards with numbers on them would be another use for manipulative. Lesson Plan Three Standards The lesson plans on this website supports the standards by using numbers and operations in the learning objectives and the procedures. The assessment also supports the learning objectives and standards by assessing the student’s learned material of the lesson plan. The standard is aligned with the end goal of the objective. Methodology of Number Sense This lesson plan uses methodology of number sense by relating word problems to real life situations. Students through these lesson plans use addition, subtraction, multiplication and simple fractions to build on prior to their word problems involving money. Students use their previous knowledge of addition and subtraction concepts to build on their money world problems. Mathematical Operations The addition, subtraction and multiplication operations are used in these lesson plans. Students relate these operations to real life situations using money concepts. Students start with previous knowledge of addition and subtraction to build on to use multiplication operation. Grade Levels The Discovery Education lesson plan website base their lesson plan off of kindergarten through 5th grade. The lesson plan aligns with the age group through the procedures and assessments. Students’ grade level aligns with the standards as well. Differentiated Instruction The Discovery Education lesson plan uses cooperative groups for differentiated instructions. Students with diverse needs benefit from group learning. Teachers would benefit from picking out these groups ahead of the task assigned. Understanding Mathematics These lesson plans are important for students understanding of mathematics because they are a teacher’s guide to instruct students. These lessons have particular concepts and operations that need to relate to everyday life. Lesson plans are a framework that helps guide the specific instruction. (Van de Walle, et al. 2010). Student Achievement Students can benefit from the activities in their lesson plan by learning how time and money relate to their daily lives. Students will be using activities that relate to the time it takes to go to the store. The activities also improve student achievement by teaching how money relates to everyday life. Manipulative The manipulative used in the lesson plan was a clock. Play money was also used as a manipulative in the lesson plan. Students use manipulatives as concrete examples to relate to real life concepts. Lesson Four Standards The lesson plan from the Discovery Lesson supports the standard by using the objectives to help meet the end goal of the lesson plan. The lesson plan also provides the assessment to align with the standards. The tasks are also aligned to support the standard and follow through until the end. Methodology of Number Sense The methodology of number sense is used in this Discovery lesson on measurements by relating to the measurements of items in real life. Students build on their previous knowledge to construct the new knowledge. Using real life measurements brings to life the real concepts used in everyday life. Mathematical Operations The mathematical operations used in the activities in the lesson plan are addition of measurements. These measurement activities are used in everyday life. The activities consist of measuring books and things in the classroom. Grade Levels The grade level for this lesson website is sixth through eighth grade. Measurements for this grade level align with the standards. The grade level for measurements also meet with the assessments. Differentiated Instruction The gifted/talented students had differentiated instruction evident in this lesson plan. They had more challenging measurements to take of items. They also had an added part to formulate questions relating to the length, width and depth measurements. Student Understanding These lesson plans are important in understanding mathematics because the concepts are needed for everyday life. Students need to make themselves aware that measurements are needed in recipes, weight and height of objects. This concept is relative to many parts of life. Student Achievement The activities on measurements can improve student achievement by understanding why items need to be measured. This concept will be learned by students and students will achieve greatly if they relate these measurements to real life situations. In the long run students will benefit by knowing how and when to use measurements in their everyday lives. Manipulative Measuring sticks were used for a manipulative in measuring items. Items such as books and boxes were also used in measuring. These items are helpful in learning about real life situations. . References Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Seventh Edition, by John A. Van de Walle, Karen S. Karp, and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright  © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc https://www.juab.k12.ut.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1168:2nd-grade-math-lesson-plan-fractions&catid=66:grammar&Itemid=58 http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/problem-solving-math-episode-1.cfm#vo http://www.discoveryeducation.com/search/page/-/-/-/-/index.cfm?Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=all-prelogin&Ne=4294967201&Nr=OR(OR(d_Index_Type:Pre-login),OR(d_Domain:www.fit4theclassroom.com))&N=31+4294967201+4294967281

Assessing Learners in Lifelong Learning Essay

Critical reflection is an important aspect of teaching and learning effectively; as stated by Petty (2009:520) ‘as you reflect, your ‘theory in use’ improves, and so you become not only more effective, but also more adaptable and better able to solve problems.’ Through critically reflecting on your own practice, you become more able as a teacher and thereby improving your learner’s ability to achieve. This unit will be exploring assessment by way of critical analysis and evaluation. 1.a) How you select and apply assessment types and methods to meet the needs of learners, ensuring that the assessment evidence that is produced is valid, reliable, sufficient, authentic and current. Due to the vast array of assessment types and methods available, it is important that I research effectively which assessment methods and types meet the needs of my learners. Within AS and A Level Psychology that I teach, there are formal assessment methods used at the end of topics and the course that are marked in accordance with AQA guidelines. These tend to be similar methods of summative assessment, including mock exams and essays, as these are the most appropriate and effective methods of summative assessment in terms of what my learners need to know. However, upon exploring assessment in more details, it is clear that I could diversify in terms of the summative assessment methods I use. As stated within DTTLS Course Day Five Reflective Journal; ‘Whilst I am quite diverse with regards to formative assessment, I tend to use the same assessment methods with my learners for summative assessment. This is normally case studies and essays at the end of topics, and mock exams at the end of modules. Even though I understand that the reason I do this is to ensure that learners are prepared for their exam at the end of the year, I am not developing my learners as fully as I can.’ This has become an area of development for me for future planning and preparation; ‘As a result, I will be exploring ways to increase diversity within my summative assessment methods over the next few months.’ (DTTLS Course Day Five Reflective Journal). Through exploring summative assessment and researching this in more detail, I have been able to use different methods of summative  assessment to ensure that it meets the needs of learners and the course type; ‘The latter part of this session involved learners working together to present the three definitions of abnormality. In order to meet the needs of learners, I ensured that all learners were involved in presenting a different definition of abnormality than the one they completed the leaflet on. This is to ensure that learners get maximum exposure to the different definitions and are able analyse and evaluate at least two effectively.’ (Session 6 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 27/03/14). Through mixing up the assessment methods, so that learners were able display what they had learnt through written English, verbally and using ICT to produce a PowerPoint presentation ensured that this form of summative assessment at the end of the topic meet the needs of all learners within my learning environment. By giving learners the opportunity to present the definitions of abnormality in a variety of ways at the end of a topic enabled me as a teacher to identify whether learners had acquired the correct type and quantity of knowledge, and by not giving them a mark or grade ensured that they did not feel in competition with each other, or that they were being compared to other peers by way of national standards (Petty, 2009). By researching assessment and using a variety of formative assessment methods to assess learners during the courses and subjects that I run within my organisation, I am more able to identify those assessment methods that meet the needs of learners as well as the requirements of the course. This is supported by knowledge obtained on informal assessment. For example, ‘Such informal assessment includes question and answer to confirm understanding, which I use regularly throughout the session plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..This is largely due to ensuring that I getting immediate feedback on what learners know so I can check understanding to ensure that all learners have grasped the concept, to work individually with learners that have not, and enable those learners that have to move on. This is to ensure that I am meeting all learners’ needs, and engaging learners effectively.’ (Session 7 and 8 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 27/06/14). Ensuring that assessment types and methods are valid, current and reliable is an important factor and is an area I have identified for improvement within  my own self reflections; ‘In order to ensure that I am assessing effectively, I should be reviewing my assessment methods regularly to ensure that they are fair, valid, reliable and ethical (Gravells, a. 2012). This will be an area of development for me for future sessions and topics.’ (Session 7 and 8 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 27/06/14). Through completion of DTTLS Day Courses, I have become more confident in identifying assessment methods that are valid; ‘Working with the whole group on assessment methods we currently use was an activity that was useful in exploring how we all use assessment, as well as reinforcing how I use assessment. When I was discussing an assessment method I used to test learners knowledge of validity and reliability, I felt more confident when encouraged by my other membe rs of the group that it was a valid assessment method.’ (DTLLS Course, Day Five Reflective Journal). Having discussed in detail assessment on Day Five DTLLS Course has given me more confidence in identifying current, reliable and up to date assessment methods; ‘Another group activity that I found helped to encourage deeper understanding and acquisition of knowledge of assessment was exploring what things assessment criteria should be. Within the group, we came up with some key words that we felt were important, such as validity, reliability, up to date/current, reliable, specific and achievable. Anne then put up on the window other things that assessment criteria should be, and this enabled me to acquire more knowledge about assessment criteria. I hadn’t thought about transparency as part of assessment criteria before, and thinking through the variety of topics within assessment criteria, I was able to understand more clearly expectations of assessment. As a result of this, I am becoming more aware within my teaching practice of why assessment is used and what assessmen t criteria are about. I now feel more able to develop methods of assessment more effectively using this.’ (DTLLS Course, Day Five Reflective Journal). I feel that I am becoming more aware of how to use assessment within my teaching and learning so that it is effective, reliable, and current and meets the needs of learners. Trying out assessment methods and types is an area that I have been exploring, as supported by evidence within self reflections; ‘Trying out different assessment methods is supported by Petty, G (2009), whereby through trial and error of resources, teaching and learning methods and assessment, we are able to, as practitioners, develop  learners holistically and enable them to achieve their full potential.’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 26/06/14). Through trial and error, I have been able to adapt session plans and schemes of work to ensure that a variety of assessment types and methods are used; ‘Within the session plans that I have created, I have given myself various opportunities to assess learners. Having explored the difference between formal and informal assessment has enabled me to become more confident in how I assess learners; I use a variety of informal assessments throughout my session plans’ (Session 7 and 8 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 27/06/14) 1.b) ways of using peer and self assessment to promote learner involvement and personal responsibility in the assessment for and of their learning Throughout my teaching and learning practice, I regularly use self and peer assessment to promote learner involvement; ‘I also observe learners when they are peer assessing, completing activities through role play or discussion so I can see informally how learners are getting to grips with knowledge and whether they are able to apply it effectively.’ (Session 7 and 8 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 27/06/14). Looking at prior self-evaluations and self-reflections has enabled me to focus on peer-assessment specifically within my teaching practice; ‘Through exploring previous self-evaluations, and identifying areas of development, I focused on identifying ways to encourage more peer assessment.’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). When identifying ways to introduce peer and self-assessment, it is important to ensure that any disadvantages are considered and thought through; ‘Through researching both self and peer asse ssment, it has been indicated that learners are more likely to be harder on themselves than on others (Hillier, Y 2002. ‘Reflective Teaching in further and adult education)’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). The research that I have conducted into peer assessment gave me the knowledge to trial it as an assessment method within my teaching practice; ‘In order for learners to feel more confident, as well as give them new ways to reflect and assess on others work and equip them with more life skills, and a as result of the  research I have undertaken, I opted to explore the use of peer assessment more regularly first. Within my session plan, there were several ways that I enabled this to take place. For example, when learners were trying to meet learning objective ‘Demonstrate understanding of relationship breakdown through research and context’ learners had the opportunity to present findings back to the class, and other learners to give feedback.’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). This activity enabled learners to assess each other’s learning within the session, and gave them the opportunity to critically consider other lea rner’s work. Within this session, I have also shown how peer assessment can be used to promote learner involvement; ‘This worked quite well, as learners were very positive about their peers, but due to having spent nearly a year with this class, most felt comfortable to give constructive feedback. I was surprised at the level of maturity that learners displayed, and everyone participated well.’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). Self-assessment also has many advantages as an assessment method within teaching and learning; When supporting learners to achieve objective ‘demonstrate understanding of learning objectives’ they were given key questions to answer, and then a model answer sheet for learners themselves to ascertain whether they had been correct. This enabled the learners within my classroom to clarify goals and make a judgement about their own work (Petty, 2009).’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 25/06/ 14). Through self- assessment, learners within this session developed skills that they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to; ‘learners discussed with their peers their answers, and this encouraged deeper thinking, and therefore, retention, about what they had learnt in this session.’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 25/06/14). It also gave learners personal responsibility for their learning; ‘It appeared that giving learner’s responsibility for their own learning through self-assessment motivated them to do well.’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 25/06/14). Throughout exploring self and peer-assessment with my learners, I have been able to promote learning, motivate learners and engage them for significant amounts of time; ‘Through self and peer assessment in these sessions, it is clear that learners are more engaged and making significant progress in understanding what emotional  and physical health is, as well as identifying when emotional or physical health is not at its optimum level.’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 26/06/14) I have been able to identify many benefits to learners through the use of self and peer-assessment, and will be continuing to use and develop these as assessment methods within my session plans and schemes of work. 1.c) how questioning and feedback contributes to the assessment process Questioning and feedback contribute to the assessment process in a variety of ways. Within the learning environment itself, questioning techniques have been shown to have positive impact on learners progress in terms of assessment; ‘I used questioning techniques, such as prompting and re-directing when learners were not relating feedback specifically to the presentation, and this enabled learners to stay on track (Reece and Walker, 2007).’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). This enables learners to engage in the topic at hand and successfully complete the assessment activity. Questioning effectively also enables learners to identify areas that they need to acquire more knowledge on, and to identify how they are doing in terms of assessment Tummons, 2011). Through research and knowledge acquired on assessment and questioning, ‘I have been able to encourage learners to think more deeply by how I question them based on knowledge obtained from concepts on deep and surface learning (Reece, I. And Walker, S. 2007). (Session 7 and 8 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 27/06/14) This has contributed positively to the assessment process as learners are re-directed and re-focused to the topic at hand, and are given immediate feedback on their discussions via questioning. Feedback to learners is an important part of the assessment process, as it enables learners to develop and grow by providing them with constructive information about how they are doing and how they could do better, as well as providing guidance and support where needed (Tummons, 2011). It is important that feedback given is positive and constructive, and that learners do not feel demoralised or overwhelmed as a result of feedback; Learners that were presenting were pleased with their feedback, and also had areas for development for future presentations.’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). I have researched the  importance of feedback to learners and have tried to ensure throughout my teaching and learning practice that I give effective feedback to learners; ‘I was able to provide constructive feedback to learners one on one as well as a group, supporting their discussion and providing appropriate feedback so that learners were able to identify if they were completing the activity correctly, and support and guidance given to them if they were not. I am realising the importance of feedback from and to learners and am exploring ways to increase formative assessment throughout the session so that I can pick up learner’s difficulties more quickly and get them back on track (Hillier, Y 2005. ‘Reflective Teaching in Further and Adult Education’).’ (Session 4 and 5 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 25/03/14). Feedback from the learners themselves is an important aspect of the assessment process, as without their input, it would b e very difficult as a practitioner to identify what your learners enjoyed, engaged in, found difficult etc†¦. Feedback should be clear and unambiguous, understood by learners, timely, and delivered appropriately (Tummons, 2011). I continually ask learners for feedback through the courses and subjects that I deliver to ensure that assessment is effective and meets requirements of feedback as stated above; ‘Following previous self-reflections completed within my teaching file on evaluation of topics, I asked all learners to complete an anonymous evaluation at the end of the last session in order for learners to let me know their views on how the session had been planned and delivered, the use of resources, assessment at the beginning, during and at the end of the topic, and how inclusive teaching and learning approaches were within the sessions.’ (Session 7 and 8 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 27/06/14). I have found that, by asking learners for feedback, it increases their self-esteem and confidence, as they feel that they have an input into how they are being taught and assessed, and this in turn, has a positive impact on their motivation, which is an important aspect of feedback that I have noted within self-reflections; I will be using comments made within their feedback for future sessions, as it is important for learners to feel that they are being listened to, and how they feel they work best (Armitage et al, 2012. ‘Teaching and Training in Lifelong Learning’). (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). Lastly, questioning and feedback not only contributes to the assessment process, but to my own  professional development, and how I provide feedback to others; ‘It also gave me insight into critical evaluation of myself and others; this task enable me to explore giving feedback to others and being able to do so supportively, and positi vely’.(Day Four Reflective Journal) 2.a) the assessment requirements and related procedures of your learning programme The learning programme that I regularly teach within my organisation is AQA AS and A level Psychology. This learning programme is subject to assessment requirements as defined by AQA and I ensure that schemes of work and session plans are completed accurately to ensure that assessment can take place that is accurate and specific to the programme requirements; ‘The planning of this session was done in accordance with scheme of work that has been produced by myself in line with AQA specification requirements. As a result of this, I have specific aims to meet in a set period of time, which does not give me much room to be creative.’ (Session 1 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 20/03/14). As mentioned within this quote, it is important to ensure that I am knowledgeable about types and methods of assessment so that I am able to complete activities and tasks that are relevant and valid for learners as well as the programme. It is also important that I ensure that all requirements of each topic within AS and A Level Psychology are met; this means that it can be difficult to ensure that learners have a deeper understanding of a topic and to develop skills such as critical analysis and evaluation, but it is an area of development for me for future topics and Psychology courses; ‘The planning enabled me to meet AQA specification requirements, but it did not enable learners to discuss Psychopathology in detail and therefore gain a deeper understanding of it. As a result of this, I will be exploring more ways in which I can do this next year.’ (Session 1 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 20/03/14). 2.b) How you carry out and record assessments to meet internal and external processes and requirements There are a variety of ways in which I carry out and record assessments to meet internal and external processes and requirements. Within my organisation, our internal processes are in line with external process in terms of assessment, which provides a consistent approach and overview to how learners are assessed. For example, AQA has a mark scheme in accordance with how they mark specific elements of the Psychology Course. I have used this within activities used for assessment, such as through PSYA2 Individual Differences; Assessment for Learning Booklet (appendix one). This booklet enables me to assess how learners are doing throughout the topic of Individual Differences, and within the Scheme of Work for this topic; there are opportunities for learners to complete parts of this booklet. During Session 7 Monday 31st March, the assessment activity is ‘to complete pages 1-8 of PSYA2: Individual Differences Assessment for Learning Booklet.’ Each section is marked and I record learner’s marks in my teaching and learning assessment folder. These marks are also evident within learners Individual Learning Plans, which are introduced at the beginning of the year for each learner, and developed partly due to information acquired throughout the DTLLS course; ‘I have had one to one sessions with all learners since Day Two DTLLS to review their individual learning plans, and this has enabled me to see if all earners are on track, progressing, and if not, why not? As a result of this, further support for some learners has been identified and learners can see that I am keeping track of where they are and that, most importantly, I am interested in how they are doing.’ (DTLLS Course, Day Two Reflective Journal). However, it is clear from exploring self reflections from DTLLS Day courses and my teaching portfolio that I do not evidence how I carry out and record assessments in detail, and this is an area for devel opment for me for future self reflections. 2.c) How you communicate assessment information to other professionals with an interest in learner achievement It is important, when conducting assessment, that it is shared with colleagues appropriately within the organisation that I work in. Through training days that are held within my organisation, I have ensured that colleagues have appropriate information given to them in regards to assessment, particularly with regards to sharing good practice and exploring how we can effectively assess our learners;  Ã¢â‚¬ËœWithin discussions had on assessment on this training day, we explored sharing assessment information with colleagues. Having thought about this and looking at how this is currently done within my organisation enabled me to come up with a few ideas to ensure effective communication and support for assessment within the sixth form. I have discussed this in more detail within my review of teaching and consider it important enough for learner’s progress to identify i t as a development need for teaching practice’. (DTLLS Course, Day Five, Reflective Journal). Through communicating assessment information to others, I have become aware of the need to do this more regularly to ensure that all relevant colleagues and professionals have up to date information regarding assessment, as well as providing support and development within assessment for all; ‘I have become more aware of communicating assessment information to colleagues and other relevant people within my organisation. Whilst we have meetings and do discuss learner’s progress, I feel that it would be useful to have a professional development session once a term to share good practice on assessment and learners progress and ensure the session was interactive, and that staff could share resources and assessment methods with others.’ (DTLLS Course, Day Five Reflective Journal). Following this, sixth form meetings now take place once every half term in which assessment is the sole agenda item. This has enabled all colleagues to place importance on assessment, and enco urages colleagues to develop assessment types, methods and practice for the benefit of the learners, as well as the sixth form as a whole. 3.a) ways in which minimum core elements can be demonstrated and applied in assessing learners in own specialist area Throughout my teaching and learning practice, I identified early on my limited knowledge of Minimum Core. Since starting the DTLLS Course, I have had many opportunities to demonstrate and apply minimum core in assessing learners in my own specialist area of Psychology AS and A level. I regularly show my capabilities in terms of evidencing some areas of the Minimum Core, such as writing and language; ‘I felt that I demonstrated writing within the minimum core well, by presenting information on PowerPoint and through Abnormality booklet clearly, effectively, with a font size and type that was easy to read and legible, as well as using appropriate language that was in line  with learners ability.’ (Session 2 and 3 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 24/03/14). The Abnormality booklet was designed to be used as an assessment activity, for learners to work through during the course, and supports the use of Minimum Core and application to assessing learners. I have also been able to recognise areas of development within the Minimum Core and have worked on these to ensure that learners within my classroom are benefiting from valid and up to date assessment; ‘However, it is clear that there is a lack of numeracy within my session plans, and this is an area of development for future sessions.’ (Session 2 and 3 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 24/03/14). Following this, I researched numeracy within the Minimum Core and how I could apply it within my teaching and learning practice, in particular to assessment; ‘One of my areas for development in previous sessions (Session 2 and 3 self-evaluation form Individual Differences) was to research ways to increase numeracy as part of the minimum core†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. I explored ways in which I could do this†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. I ensured that I communicated processes within drug therapies and treatment of schizophrenia effectively, by use of video as well as practical demonstrations that I completed during this session. I also put drug treatment and treating schizophrenia into context and supporting learners to make sense of this and how it could be represented by exploring key studies, as well as analysing and evaluating drug treatment as a valid approach. This enabled learners to compile evidence, with support, and to think through processes logically to enable them to develop their learning skills.’ (Session 9 and 10 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 01/04/14). By using numeracy within the formative assessment activity as described above, enabled me to effectively demonstrate use of the Minimum Core within assessment. As a result of becoming more aware of numeracy within Minimum Core, I now feel more confident to demonstrate competency of this within the learning environment and within application of assessment activities for learners; ‘I did use diagrams during this session, and this supported numeracy within the Minimum Core, as I evaluated and assessed the diagram, mad e decisions concerning content knowledge and skills to ensure pupils were able to understand the concept of the diagram, and selected appropriate format and style to communicate this to pupils (through use of diagram).’ (Session 12 to 15 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 07/04/14 and  09/04/14). Due to extensive research on the Minimum Core and how to apply this within my own specialist area, I have become more competent in a variety of areas, including demonstrating competency within language and ICT; ‘As stated in previous self-evaluations, I have found it difficult to differentiate between minimum core and functional skills, and having researched this, as well as using the information gleaned from DTLLS Day 4, I am becoming more confident in doing this. For example, I can evidence personal ICT skills, personal language skills and explicit knowledge about active listening within minimum core for future sessions (Lifelong Learning UK, 2007 ‘Inclusive Learning Approaches for literacy, language, numeracy and ICT).’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 24/06/14). However, I also recognise that further development is needed within this area to ensure that I am skilled, capable and experienced with regards to Minimum Core and its application to assessment; ‘This will be an area of development for me for future sessions, as I am still not confident in evidencing this and will need to ensure an adequate time frame and approach to gain more knowledge and evidence this successfully.’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 24/06/14). 4.a) the effectiveness of own assessment practice taking account of the views of learners It is important, when looking at assessment, to explore the effectiveness of my own assessment practice taking account of the views of learners. I regularly ask learners for feedback on the session that they have completed, and value their input with regards to teaching and learning; ‘I also asked the learners how they found this resource and what I could do differently next time. Learners were pleasantly surprised that I had asked them; they stated that they were not used to teachers asking them for feedback and stated it made them feel valued. I resolved to ensure that I do this more regularly, as I understand the importance of learner feedback to ensure that they reach their full potential and I am able to become more successful in my teaching and learning practice.’ (Session 6 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 27/03/14). Input from learners on the AS and A Level Psychology Course that I run has an impact on how I complete assessment, and  the effectiven ess of assessment methods used. It is clear through exploring self reflections that I use a variety of assessment types of methods, as supported by quotes from self reflections within this assignment. However, learner feedback on individual vs. group assessment methods showed that; ‘[learners] enjoyed group work as opposed to independent work on tasks or activities; learners stated that they preferred working with their friends, as they were more comfortable and it enabled them to discuss the task more confidently.’ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). Whilst it is important that learners are listened to, I need to ensure that I balance this up with evidence and knowledge gained through research and support from colleagues and tutors;’ However, it is also important to note that moving learners out of their comfort zone enables them to use skills they might not know they had, and give them the opportunity to grow and become expert learners (The Excellence Gateway Treasury, [online] Available at: http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/xcurricula/el/ ). ‘ (Session 5 and 6 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 25/06/14). I also ensure that I explore the effectiveness of my own assessment practice throughout self reflections completed as part of the DTLLS Course; ‘Due to regularly assessing learners work and activities that they participate in, it is clear that learners meet objectives and progress through the course, but I need to explore different ways to assess to enable pupils to become expert learners and challenge them more (Day Five DTLLS Course).’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 24/06/14). I am able to identify areas for development, as shown in the quote above, as well as areas in which I am effective with regards to assessment; ‘My observation report clearly shows that I use formative assessment during sessions, as well as informal summative assessment through the plenary from the first part of the session. This ensures that I know where my learners are at before starting the second session, so I am able to adapt or change any part of the session plan or resources if required to ensure all learners have grasped the concepts they are required to know before moving on.’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 24/06/14). Whilst completing this DTLLS Course, it is clear that I understand the importance of assessment and its effectiveness, as well as demonstrating ways in which I can ensure that assessment is  effective within my teaching and learning practice; ‘I recognise more and more the importance of assessment, and am more aware of how I use assessment and the effectiveness of this within my session plans and on how learners learn. As stated by Gibbs (cited in Bryan, C and Klegg, K 2006. ‘Innovative Assessment in Higher Education’); ‘Assessment has more impact on learning than teaching’ and this is something that I consider more often when constructing session plans and putting them into practice. For example, written English ensures that I have evidence of concepts that learners have grasped and how effectively they have managed to do so, and this feeds into future session plans.’ (Session 7 and 8 Self Evaluation Form, Positively Girls, 27/06/14). 4.b) ways to improve own assessment practice Having had the opportunity to explore self reflections from DTLLS Day Courses and my teaching portfolio, I have been able to identify ways in which I can improve my own assessment practice. With regards to assessment types, I have identified initial assessment as an area of improvement within my professional practice; ‘I have since been exploring ways in which I can use initial assessment with my next cohort of learners who will start in September to identify skills of new learners, find out more about them and how I can support their needs.’ (DTTLS Course, Day Two Reflective Journal). It is also important to remember where and how initial assessment occurs, to ensure that learners come into an environment that is comfortable, engaging, well signposted and is inviting; ‘It helped me to think about how learners enter my learning environment- were reception friendly? Do they feel comfortable? Were people rude or welcoming to them? I did not put much thought into this before, I think I had focused too much on learners first impressions when they meet me and come into the learning environment. This has led to me thinking of the bigger picture and discussing with colleagues how we run sixth form induction days, open days etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (DTLLS Course, Day Three Reflective Journal) I could also improve my own assessment practice by diversifying with regards to types of assessment; ‘When looking at how I used assessment within this session, it is clear that I tend to use the same types of assessment; observation, written English, through completion of  tasks and question and answer to confirm understanding. Whilst these are all relevant assessment methods, it is important to ensure that I am creating diversity in my assessment method to ensure all learners can achieve.’ (Session 3 and 4 Self Evaluation Form, Relationships, 24/06/14). Ensuring that I have a clear understanding of assessment methods and researching the variety of methods will enable me to provide variety to learners with regards to assessment. Lastly, I have found that through completing self reflections, that I am able to critically consider how I use assessment within my teaching practice and am always striving to develop myself with regards to this; ‘Evaluating each session during this topic is enabling me to critically consider the teaching and learning approaches I use, as well as assessment and learner involvement. This benefits not only me but the learners within my sessions, and I will strive to complete self evaluations more often to improve my teaching practice.’ (Session 4 and 5 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 25/03/14). Conclusion There are many ways in which I explore assessment, and completing this critical reflection has enabled me to identify where I complete assessment well, such as meeting learner’s needs through assessment methods and types, and demonstrating competency within minimum core, as well as identifying areas for improvement, such as carrying out and recording assessment information. It is important that I continue to critically reflect on my own practice to ensure that I am applying theory gained to practice in teaching and learning, and developing myself as a practitioner;’ Reflecting on my teaching practice has enabled me to think more critically about how I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ meet the needs of learners, how I challenge learners but ensure that they are not overwhelmed, how I ensure I meet equality and diversity needs within the classroom, and how I assess.’ (Session 12 to 15 Self Evaluation Form, Individual Differences, 07/04/14 and 09/04/14). As stated by Tummons (2007:71) ‘if we use our reflective practice to explore critically the assumptions and preconceptions on which we base our training and teaching practice, we can build on our understanding of learning and  teaching and enhance our professional knowledge.’ References Gravells, A (2012) Preparing To Teach In The Lifelong Learning Sector. London: Routledge. Hiller, Y (2005) Reflective Teaching in Further and Adult Education. Continuum; London. Petty, G (2009) (4th Edn) Teaching Today. London: Cheltenham Nelson Thornes. Reece, I. Walker, S. (2007) (6th Edn) Teaching, training and learning: A Practical Guide. Tyne and Wear: Business Education Publishers Ltd. Tummons, J (2011) (3rd Edn) Assessing Learning in the Lifelong Learning Sector London: Learning Matters Tummons, J. (2007) Becoming a Professional Tutor in the Lifelong Learning Sector. London: Learning Matters Jones, P. (2014) Session One Individual Differences; Psychopathology. Introduction to Psychopathology (20/03/14) Jones, P. (2014) Session Two and Three Individual Differences; Psychopathology. Definitions of Abnormality (24/03/14) Jones, P. (2014) Session Four and Five Individual Differences; Psychopathology. Failure to Function and Definitions of Abnormality (25/03/14) Jones, P. (2014) Se ssion Six Individual Differences; Psychopathology. Presentations on Definitions of Abnormality (27/03/14) Jones, P. (2014) Session Nine and Ten Individual Differences; Psychopathology. Biological Approaches and Therapies (01/04/14) Jones, P. (2014) Session Twelve to Fifteen Individual Differences; Psychopathology. Evaluation and Analysis (07/04/14 and 09/04/14). Jones, P. (2014) Positively Girls Self Evaluation Session Three and Four; Stress, Worries and Relaxation (25/06/14) Jones, P. (2014) Positively Girls Self Evaluation Session Five and Six; Emotional and Physical Wellbeing (26/06/14) Jones, P. (2014) Positively Girls Self Evaluation Session Seven and Eight; Friendship and Communication (27/06/14) Jones, P. (2014) Session Three and Four A Level Psychology; Maintenance of Relationships Self Evaluation (24/06/14) Jones, P. (2014) Session Five and Six A Level Psychology; Breakdown of Relationships Self Evaluation (25/06/14) Jones, P. (2014) Reflective Journal Day Two (February 2014) Jones, P. (2014) Reflection Journal Day Five (May 2014) Appendix One; PSYA2 Individual Differences; Assessment for Learning Booklet