Saturday, August 31, 2019

Love and Courtship in Federalist America Essay

The courtships and marriages of Theodore Sedgwick and of his seven children span the American Revolution and the early republic, with Theodore first marrying in 1767/68, his children being born between 1775 and 1791, and all except Catharine marrying by their thirties. In some ways, Kenslea’s findings are unsurprising, as arranged marriages gave way to individual choice: Sedgwick arranged his eldest daughters’ marriages in 1797 and 1801, while his sons enjoyed love matches within a decade. But Kenslea’s focus on the family adds a new dimension: male influence in arranging young women’s marriages apparently extended beyond fathers to brothers. Professing â€Å"so much pride and pleasure in contemplating her worth, that I want the world to know what a sister I possess† (45), Theodore II insisted Frances marry Ebenezer Watson, whom she did not love. When Watson turned out to be physically abusive, Frances’s brothers again played a significant ro le by using their influence on her husband’s business as a way to control him and offering their homes as a refuge. Just as brothers influenced their sisters’ marriages, peers played a significant role in love matches: in both cases, courtship took place in a group context. Even when love superseded paternal choice, siblings made clear that marriage to someone was necessary: as Catharine Sedgwick asked her equivocating brother, â€Å"What are you doing? Sucking your thumbs, and building castles while all the birds of the air are building their nests† (110). Friends were equally important in shaping courtship. The wonderfully named â€Å"Friendlies†Ã¢â‚¬â€a group of single and married Boston women in their twenties—not only provided the younger Sedgwicks with potential wives, but advised them on how to choose well. Kenslea demonstrates that marrying for love by no means simplified choice; instead, both men and women employed badinage as a way of ascertaining intent without committing themselves, and alliances shifted so quickly that the Sedgwick men seem to have courted all the Friendlies at once. Such â€Å"dizzingly complex† male/female relations (119)—replete with wit, romantic potential, and power plays—suggest parallels to the mixed groups Catharine Allgor discovered in the early republic’s political salons (103). At least during courtship, male/female spheres had remarkably porous boundaries, and Kenslea finds the beginnings of the â€Å"domestication of virtue† (169) in the early republic, as personal  happiness succeeded public good. As couples became engaged, they retreated from friends and family and developed relationships Kenslea finds similar to those Karen Lystra discovered among Victorians two decades later. In Harry Sedgwick and Jane Minot’s engagement of 1816-17, they quit badinage for candor, tested their relationship with a year long separation as Sedgwick established himself financially, and created new selves by employing letters as a form of physical contact and â€Å"ritual celebration of their love† (131). Like Lystra, Kenslea finds â€Å"fluidity of gender roles† (155), with Jane complimenting Harry, â€Å"you are the nearest to a woman in your feelings of any man I know† (144). The Sedgwick manuscripts, however, allow Kenslea to examine such courtships through siblings’ and parents’ eyes, rather than only from the couple’s perspective. If the Sedgwicks provide much evidence of family and friends’ roles in court- ship and the erosion of distinct gender roles, they also suggest the limits of change. The Sedgwicks occupied a narrow cut of society—Federalist, Unitarian, and upper class—but male privilege framed their lives.

Friday, August 30, 2019

B2B VS B2C

Business to business can be defined as business that is involved in selling products to other businesses. In reality business-to-business (B2B) exist both online and offline but the B2B acronym has mainly been used to describe the online variety which has become common in the world today. Business-to-consumer (B2C) can be described as businesses that are concerned in selling products or providing services to end-user consumers.Business-to-consumer exist both online and offline but the acronym B2C has been used to describe business online (Kinder, 2001; Fang, Milena and Norm, 2002). B2B is mainly concerned in selling its products to another company that then sell to the final consumers. Business-to-business operates large number of transactions as compared to business-to-consumer and hence the transactions are mainly dealt with using electronic media. Business-to-business has adopted electronic commerce to enhance efficiency and reliability (Kinder, 2001).B2B is complicated with many employees while B2C is simpler and consist of fewer employees as compared to B2B. Business-to-business involves transactions between buyers and suppliers at organizational level. While business-to-consumers represent interaction between buyer and seller at individual level (Kinder, 2001; Fang, Milena and Norm, 2002). Business-to-business seems to do well online while business-to-consumer has lost fame due to loss of large sums of money when it was first inverted hence not widely used by many companies.Markets that are concerned by B2B are comparatively larger and overcrowded than B2C (Kinder, 2001; Fang, Milena and Norm, 2002). B2B email marketing has differences with B2C. In email marketing B2B has other major objectives other than sale objective, for example marketing the products available in the said company and hence it takes long before one land to the page that directs you to the purchase page. B2C primary objective in email marketing is sales and hence the initial click take s one to landing, page and then after few seconds to shopping cart.In a B2B the buyer is provided with the necessary logistics and then follow a series of steps in the email campaign which include both online and offline procedures before getting the to the last step which include phone call an employee representative of the company, a PDF document may then be attached to the email by the representative and for high-end products and services, a face-to-face meeting may be more efficient. In both B2B and B2C, there is limited permission in regard to email marketing with the consumer/buyers to obtain information require a longer process in B2B to ensure seriousness and reliability of the exchange.The buyers are assured of confidentiality of the information they give while in B2C there are no such services. In B2C, once the customer has entered the required information than include name, phone and mailing address, one expects to be handed in the purchased product immediately (Kinder, 2 001). In both B2B and B2C, there is the challenge of copywriting. It’s argued that in email marketing, it’s hard to tell whether the words or voice used compels the consumer well. However B2B is said to be more efficient in compelling buyers than B2C which uses a subject line to capture attention of the buyer (Fang, Milena and Norm, 2002).B2B which deal with large volumes of transactions is more likely to incur the problem of outdated email addresses especially when people change email address unless the marketer signs up with email change of address (ECOA) service like Return Path. B2C hardly incurs the problem because the list of email addresses provided is updated. Moreover B2C deal with small number of transactions hence it’s easy to trace the buyer’s addresses and verify their reliability (Kinder, 2001; Fang, Milena and Norm, 2002). It’s argued that B2B email marketing is more interesting than B2C.B2B involves moving back and forth, side to si de and numerous interesting information is provided which attract attention of the buyer but the B2C only provide one leading page which doesn’t have much information and hence not adventurous (Kinder, 2001). References Fang, W. Milena, H. and Norm, A. â€Å"E-Tailing: An Analysis of Web Impacts on Retail Market’’. Journal of Business Strategies 19. 2002, 34-89. Kinder, T. â€Å"The Use of Call Centers by Local Public Administrators’’. Marketing Journal 33, 2001, 45-88.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Guyana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Guyana - Essay Example The more numerous coastal peoples are chiefly descendants of slaves from Africa and indentured workers from India, who were originally imported to work the coastal sugarcane plantations. Racial problems between the latter two groups have played a disruptive role in Guyanese society. Politically, Guyana has moved on a steady course toward socialism from the time of independence, although after the death of the first prime minister, Forbes Burnham, in 1985, ties with Western powers were strengthened (Encyclopdia Britannica, 2006) Moreover, Guyana is a democratic republic within the British Commonwealth. The nation is divided into 10 regions. The president, currently Bharrat Jagdeo, who serves as chief of state. The prime minister (Samuel Hinds) is appointed by the president and is head of government. All but 3 of the 68-seat National Assembly members are directly elected. The population of Guyana is estimated to be about 767,245.1 Emigration has kept the annual population growth rate well below 1 percent. About 37 percent of the population lives in urban areas, the largest of which are Georgetown, Linden, and New Amsterdam. The villages and fertile acres of the coastal lowlands are home to another 58 percent. The remaining 5 percent, mostly indigenous people, is scattered throughout the interior. As the country prides its ethnically diverse heritage, Guyana's largest group is made up of descendants of the East Indian immigrants and comprises nearly 50 percent of the country's population. Next are the Afro-Guyanese (36 percent) and American Indian indigenous peoples (7 percent).2 The remainder includes people of mixed race as well as small groups of ethnic Chinese, English, and Portuguese. Guyana is the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay, and substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively. Warrau and Arawak Catholics fled to British Guiana from Venezuela in the 19th century to escape religious persecution. Their settlements, such as Santa Rosa, are protected reservations. Today's indigenous peoples are seeking title to the lands they occupy, as they feel increasingly threatened by local and international companies looking for mineral and timber wealth. At the same time, many indigenous people are taking jobs with these companies in hopes of overcoming poverty on the reservations (Daly 1975, p. 6). Little is known about the Guyana's early inhabitants, but historians speculate they gradually migrated from central South America as early as A.D. 1000. These people were divided into at least nine tribes, including the Warrau, Wapisiana, Machushi, Patamona, Arawak, and Carib. Before the arrival of Europeans, Carib and Arawak tribes called their region as "Guiana", which means "land of waters" (CultureGrams, 2006). The Dutch established the first European trading post in Guyana in 1580 and were soon joined by the English, French, and Spanish. In 1621, the Netherlands established the Dutch West India Company and gave it control of their colony, known as Essequibo. Dutch colonies were later established on the Berbice River (1627) and Demerara

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

HRM - Essay Example t is, the purpose of the organization, the employee’s expected roles, the working hours, the rewards from the service, terms and conditions in the bond, the deployment of power within the organization and so on. The employment relationship commences when an employer decides to hire a worker, meaning that there is a party involved in overseeing the relationship. It is at this point that a controversy may arise regarding equality and clarity involved in the process. This text will discuss the mentioned controversy, and support in detail why or what makes it uncertain and unequal as well by analysing the three perspectives of the relationship. The employment relationship has two parties who agree to correlate before it qualifies to be called that. In the case where one of the parties involved tends to have a bargaining power that is more than the others are, then it means that they have better options and privileges above the other, which results in inequality. The biggest reason why there exists the notion of inequality in the relationship is that in the modern world, it is far much easier for an employer to hire an employee than it is for the employee to find a job. This condition has been brought about by the economic conditions on the globe that lead to an unbalanced relationship between the numbers of jobs created for the people joining the job market.During the application process for instance, as Orife, Ashamalla & Slack (2003, p. 40)write, some employers use discriminatory criteria in selecting job applicants which in some instances might be unjustified. Such include asking about gender, marital status, race, age, to mention but a few. According to Serna, Perez, Artazcoz, Moen, and Benavides (2013), â€Å"gender differences in power that place men in a better situation than women to bargain their employment conditions†¦ show more men working with a permanent contract and occupying the higher job status positions.† This simply means that even inside

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Week 4 d1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Week 4 d1 - Essay Example The internet enables them to save on both their expenses, for example, telephone charges and time that place them at a position to be more productive (Mitchell, 2014). In addition, the use of internet has enhanced effective communication and sharing of information. Networking and chiefly provision of internet access allow sites to communicate with the people in a corporation in ways, which were not available before the development of technology. The effective communication has ultimately resulted in success of their organizations. The ease in sharing information via the organizations network has also contributed to the proper management of the institutions. Resource sharing is another major advantage. People from different organizations can share their ideology through both software and hardware resources which improve efficiency and facilitates collaboration among companies (Thomas OGuinn, 2011). One major disadvantage is the rise in data security problems. If the organizations networking information technologists fail to secure their network appropriately this may put the data at risk. The data is exposed to the potential complications linked to the unauthorized access, hackers and sabotage. Another disadvantage is undesirable sharing. With the good comes the bad; whereas networking enables the ease in sharing of relevant information, it at times enhance the sharing of data that is undesirable. The commonly shared problem is the viruses from different sites to the organizations network crashing it. The process of mitigation of such effects tends to be expensive and time- consuming (Charles,

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Impact of social Networking on Customer Loyalty Thesis

The Impact of social Networking on Customer Loyalty - Thesis Example This essay stresses that Facebook is one of the widely use social networking websites around the world. The number of users of social media is increasing with the passage of time however youngsters are more inclined towards using of social media than people of other ages. Moreover most of the people are logging their accounts on a daily basis and thus, it has encouraged businesses to use social media to convey their marketing messages as well. Social media websites are used for different purposes, one of them is that people do research and gather information about the products and services. Social Networking Sites are a very important part of Web 2.0. SNSs have become a powerful force in shaping public opinions on virtually every aspect of commerce. SNS imply word-of-mouth marketing, and have an increasing influence on customers’ purchase decisions and in turn affects customer loyalty. The study of this topic has been really interesting due to the image that the social media portray in the society. Although there was not so much time and mean I managed to have convenient samples for a small case study, which is thus a hindrance to generalize the result of the finding. However convenient sample could provide springboard for further research. The work could have been easier if only the questionnaire has been done based on the theory chapter. Due to some misunderstanding some theories were not letter consider as to be one hence some theories has to be included latter. So the challenge was to make sure that the new.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Impact of Job Satisfaction on Staff Turnover Literature review

Impact of Job Satisfaction on Staff Turnover - Literature review Example Nature of work is one of the primary factors which help in the development of job satisfaction among the employees. The interest level of the employees in the nature of job which is imposed by the employer guides the job satisfaction. If the employees face person role conflict, then the job satisfaction of the employees will never be high. Person role conflict deals with the fact that employees have to undertake tasks which does not suit them and they are either under qualified or overqualified for the job. The role play of an employee in the job should also provide opportunity for them to utilize their skills which they have learned over the years. The employees should be provided with autonomy in carrying out their jobs. Another important job related factor which helps in the building of the satisfaction is the clarity in the role to be played by the employees. If the employees are made clear regarding the roles which the organization expects from them in carrying out, then a signi ficant amount of satisfaction is generated within them. Proper training regarding the jobs also helps in the development of job satisfaction among the employees as they generate confidence within them through the training process. The employee participation has been one of the crucial aspect in modern times and effective participation of employees in the decision making process of the organization generates a feeling within the employees that they belong to the organization and are an important part of it. This feeling within them in turn imbibes satisfaction regarding their job (Lee, 1991, p.9). The work pressure which an employee has to experience generates the satisfaction level within them. Often employees are dissatisfied with their job owing to the excessive job pressure which they have to face (Spector, 1997, p.24). The above study does not incorporate the factor of place of work and the ambience of the workplace which also often can raise dissatisfaction among the employees in the workplace. Pay package: Pay package is the most important criteria which dominates the level of job satisfaction among the employees. Employees always look for a better pay package and the pay package often helps in balancing the other limitation which an employee may face in an organization. The inclusion of additional facilities in the pay package helps to raise the satisfaction level of the employees and the fulfillment of the demand for increment in the salary structure makes them satisfied in their job. Other than the salary which the employees receive, often employees

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Freedom Writers - Economics of Race and Gender Movie Review

Freedom Writers - Economics of Race and Gender - Movie Review Example The movie is made in the context of Rodney King sparked LA riots in 1992 and its impact on people with a special reference to the lives of students at Wilson High School after a few years of riots. Director set the stage for a serious subject in the very beginning of the movie while filming street situation and unrest during riots. Long Beach is a gang-infested and poverty-stricken place where violence and killing is the everyday story. This scenario wages a new war in streets and school is no different, a cynical resentment and anger moves in school hallways and triggers violent confrontations between students at any point in time. In the very beginning, Erin’s enthusiasm for teaching was scoffed at and her students were entitled to be â€Å"un-teachable† rather â€Å"at-risk† gangsters who can never be tamed. Despite her unexpected encounter with students and their arrogant behavior, Erin decided to fight for the purpose of her presence in school as a teacher. After the initial hostile reaction to her efforts, Erin creatively tried to be friend with students. It was the only way to unite the teens and teach them to think beyond the racial divided that they couldn’t cross even in the classroom. Their minds were blocked by the perceptions that they were anything except students; they were blacks, whites or Cambodians. Erin wanted to expose them to different perspectives and ideologies beyond their own streets and homes. It was only possible through books but to Erin’s surprise, school authority not only refused to provide books but other resources as well. For authorities, it was the waste of time and resources. Somewhat discouraged and shocked, Erin takes up the part-time job in order to provide students with learning aids. By encouraging students to write what they feel like in their diaries inspired by Anne Frank and Zlata’s Diary: A child’s life in Sarajevo, she not only worked on their language skills but also taught them tolerance and compassion.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Network Intrusion Detection Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Network Intrusion Detection Systems - Essay Example These intrusion systems have been designed using various techniques. The intrusion system designed with the help of classification technique is the popular ones as it provides more security to the systems in which it is installed. The classification technique is used to classify the type of attack the system faces. (Base 2000).The intrusion system has the responsibility of protecting the system and preventing the attacks. According to Mun the intrusion detection system works well only if the system is selected based on the type of network. The intrusion detection system must be selected to suit the network. There are various types of networks and the system must make sure that it satisfies the network's requirements. The classification technique is used in the intrusion systems to classify and divide the attacks and threats. (Mun 2009).This technique is preferred by most of the network administrators due to its compatibility and efficiency. The intrusion systems work well only when the network's requirements are satisfied. The intrusion detection systems are generally classified into network based intrusion detection systems and host based intrusion detection systems. Network based intrusion system makes use of classification technique since it offers more protection when compared to the other techniques. The systems which are built using classification technique protect each layer of the network. The Ethernet of IP and the other layers are protected and they can be free from intruders. (Northcutt, Noval 2003).Since the classification technique based intrusion detection systems

Training and Development in health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Training and Development in health care - Essay Example Employees who perform better are usually motivated and are such individuals who will likely to leave a particular job in search of more challenging and interesting work, and bigger overall opportunities. Training and development is one way an organization can retain its better performing employees. It is important to state that a department that does not put into consideration training and development is bound to fail. The constant changes in technology, economy, legislation, finances, and social changes make it mandatory for the organization to offer training and education to its employees. Thus, maintenance and the improvement of the staff abilities ought to be an ongoing effort. Ongoing education is important (Fallon and McConnell, 2007). Measuring competence is important for a health care organization. The increasing sophistications of health care delivery and the changes in the market conditions have forced the health policy makers to enhance the evaluation of â€Å"initial competence of students and new graduates and the continuing competence of experienced and certified practitioners† (Burkhalter, Cooper and Kak, 2001, p4). Health care organizations are required to evaluate individual and organizational performance on a regular basis in order to assess the efficacy of the services they are offering. This assists the organization to know whether that requires designing training and continuing education interventions for the improvement of provider performance. Comparing job performance and the assessments of competence serves as an indicator of the extent to which the organization offers support required for quality care (Burkhalter, Cooper and Kak, 2001). On the other hand, low performance and high competence is an indication that the organization is not offering the required resources, is not correcting poor performance, or rewarding effective performance, and it has not clarified the standards

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Child abuse and neglect Essay Example for Free

Child abuse and neglect Essay INTRODUCTION Child abuse and neglect can produce serious and long-lasting damage. The range of actions classified as child abuse or neglect is constantly changing as a result of social and economic conditions, political ideology, advances in medicine, improvements in communication and melding of cultures. Today, child abuse and neglect is widely recognized as a major social problem and policy issue throughout much of the world. During the last 50 years, the United States and many of the world’s nations have responded to child abuse and neglect with legislative efforts, a variety of programs and interventions, and organizational efforts to identify, respond to and prevent the abuse and neglect of dependent children. Today, there are innumerable local, national and international organizations, professional societies and advocacy groups devoted to preventing and treating child abuse and neglect. Significance of the Study One case related to child abuse and neglect is pedophilia. Pedophilia affects children of a certain sex and within a certain age, usually under the age of 15 or 16 years. Most pedophiles are not violent toward children, instead leading and enticing children to willingly perform sexual acts, although some are violent to the point of rape and murder. In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment act was passed which provides federal funding at the state level for prevention and response to child abuse. With this act, many states strengthened their response to child abuse and established child statutes in which parents may be prosecuted for abusing their children. Regardless of the legal response on pedophilia, it is clear that much cases never comes to the attention of the criminal justice system and is, unfortunately, never dealt with. This serious and alerting case should be fully characterized and understood for the good of the concerned children, especially the adolescents. What is Phedophilia? As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is typically defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children (generally age 13 years or younger). In contemporary Western societies, the subject is highly contentious and fraught with strong feelings. The strength of the feelings is readily explained by concern for the welfare of the children and for their healthy, unimpeded development. The child must be at least five years younger in the case of adolescent pedophiles. However, the term pedophile is often used to refer to any adult who is sexually attracted to males or females below the legal age of consent. While there is considerable psychological and sociological literature about pedophilia, philosophers working on the philosophy of sex have given relatively little attention to the subject. As pedophilia is seen as a paradigmatic case of sexual perversion and is generally viewed with strong moral revulsion, it might have been expected to generate more philosophical interest. Experts believe that most pedophiles are males. Some female adults are sexually attracted to boys or girls, but these children are usually at or beyond the age of puberty. Sometimes, however, females sexually abuse children in concert with males, or they will knowingly allow males to abuse their own children or other children. This is more likely to occur if the women are abusing drugs and/or alcohol. Pedophiles may believe that their behavior is normal and that it helps teach children how to become loving and affectionate. Such individuals avoid such words as pedophilia, preferring to use such terms as adult-child sex. They believe that others who do not understand their behavior are unreasonably rigid. Some organizations of pedophiles claim large memberships and actively support the practice of pedophilia. Pedophiles may fail to consider the short- or long-term consequences of their actions; for example, in one case, a pedophile was told by a child whom he had met on the Internet that her mother was a police officer, yet he molested the girl anyway. Most studies of pedophilia are performed on people in jail or prison, and it is also true that many acts of this are never reported. Ephebophilia: Its Opposite Ephebophilia is a variety of male homosexuality. Ephebophiles are attracted to post-pubertal, sexually mature youths. They are sexually attracted to the fully developed, vigorous maleness of adolescence. In the narrow sense, â€Å"pedophilia† refers only to sexual attraction of adults to pre-pubescent and sex with them. When the term is used in this sense, ephebophilia is not included as one of pedophilia’s varieties, but rather distinguished from it, the end of puberty providing the line of demarcation. Characteristics of Pedophiles Pedophiles are age and sex specific. They will normally prefer children of a certain sex and within a certain age. Child molesters fall into several categories. One is the fixated pedophile who never moves beyond the attraction he or she felt for children when he or she was a child. The regressed pedophile often turns to children in response to stressful life events. Although most pedophiles do not physically harm children, the mysoped makes the ritual connection between fatal sexual violence and personal gratification. The sadistic pedophile abducts children for the purpose of torturing and eventually killing them to achieve sexual gratification. Pedophiles come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are well educated, while others are illiterate. Many were not close to their fathers, and many came from homes where alcohol was a problem for at least one parent (usually the father). Pedophiles often have weak verbal skills, and almost 9 out of 10 felt particularly close to their mothers . The short size of the child provides the pedophile with an opportunity to exert power and authority. At the same time, the sex of the child has little to do with the adult sexual orientation of the molester. For example, a male pedophile may be very interested in sex with boys ages 9 or 10 years old, but at the same time be married and consider himself homosexual. Around 80% have been documented as having a history of childhood sexual abuse. The pedophile is known to the child in 90% of cases, 15% or more are relatives of the victim. Homosexual pedophilia does not differ from heterosexual pedophilia. Research on the victim points out that most are female and the molester is usually known. However; when a male is the victim, the molester may be a stranger. The degree of the pedophilia sexual act can vary ranging from simply observing the child, to touching, undressing, exposing of own genitalia, fondling, and sexual intercourse. II. CAUSES OF PEDOPHILIA The causes of pedophilia that have been researched remain unclear. It has been suggested that the pedophilia represents a regression or fixation at an earlier level of sexual development which resulted in an adult repetitive pattern of inappropriate sexual behavior. Therefore, it is suggested that the pedophile returns to a sexual habit that was developed early in life. It is also theorized that the pedophile is expressing revenge regarding a childhood trauma. It is also said that pedophilia is caused by a pleasurable sexual arousal to conditioned objects. The following are identified as possible causes of pedophilia: 1. Parental punishment of a small boy for sustaining an erection 2. Sexual abuse of a young male 3. Fear of sexual performance or intimacy 4. Psychosexual trauma 5. Socio-cultural and/or psychological factors 6. Excessive alcohol intake Previous studies have shown that same-sex child molester is higher than opposite-sex offenders, with offenders against boys being at a higher risk for delinquency, compared to offenders against boys. The number of prior offenses and the intensity of the fixation on children as sexual objects are factors that predict abuse. Another study was done over 111 child molesters. Child molesters included same-sex, opposite-sex, and mixed groups; all responded to stimuli of specific ages and sexes. Findings showed that the degree of sexual reoccupation with children, paraphilia, and number of prior sexual offences were predictors of sexual delinquency. The causes of pedophilia are unknown, but most scientists believe that conditioning in one form or another is involved. The motivation/ learning model can account for the development of pedophilia and can explain its distribution over the life span. A Person to be Declared as Pedophile The diagnosed criteria for a pedophile are as follows: 1. Over a period of at least 6 months, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors including sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children (generally age 13 years or younger) 2. The person has acted on these sexual urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty 3. The person is at least 16 years of age and at least 5 years older than the child or children molested III. EFFECTS OF PEDOPHILIA The effects of pedophilia to an individual, especially to those who are at a young age, include initial fear, anxiety, depression, anger, aggression and sexually inappropriate behavior. Boys have the same patterns of distress as girls, with symptoms such as fears, sleep disturbances, and distractedness; however, boys tend to be less symptomatic than girls. Additional long-term consequences include self-destructive behavior, isolation, low self-esteem, trust issues, substance abuse, and sexual problems. People who have a history of childhood sexual abuse have increased rates of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and alcohol and drug abuse. There is often an increase in psychopathology among victims of childhood sexual abuse and this psychopathology is manifested at times in the form of pedophilia or other inappropriate behaviors with young children. Victims of childhood sexual abuse are more likely than nonvictims of that abuse to manifest sexual hyper-arousal and sexually aggre ssive behavior with a tendency to repeat and reenact sexual victimizations as adults. Physical Damage Injury Depending on the age and size of the child, and the degree of force used, pedophilia may cause internal lacerations and bleeding. In severe cases, damage to internal organs may occur, which, in some cases, may cause death. Herman-Giddens found six certain and six probable cases of death due to child sexual abuse in North Carolina between 1985 and 1994. The victims ranged in age from 2 months to 10 years. Causes of death included trauma to the genitalia or rectum and sexual mutilation. Infections Pedophile acts may cause infections and sexually transmitted diseases. Depending on the age of the child, due to a lack of sufficient vaginal fluid, chances of infections are higher. Vaginitis has also been reported. Neurological Damage Research has shown that traumatic stress, including stress caused by sexual abuse, causes notable changes in brain functioning and development. A study was done on women who took SAT and it was found that the self-reported math Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of the sample of women with a history of repeated sexual abuse were significantly lower than the self-reported math SAT scores of the non-abused sample. Because the abused subjects verbal SAT scores were high, it was hypothesized that the low math SAT scores could stem from a defect in hemispheric integration. A strong association between short term memory impairments for all categories tested (verbal, visual, and global) and the duration of the abuse was also found. Psychological Damage Pedophilia can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology in later life. Psychological, emotional, physical, and social effects include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, dissociative and anxiety disorders; general psychological distress and disorders such as somatization, neurosis, chronic pain, sexualized behavior, school/learning problems; and behavior problems including substance abuse, self-destructive behavior, animal cruelty, crime in adulthood and the worst, suicide. Long term negative effects on development leading to repeated or additional victimization in adulthood are also associated with child sexual abuse. There are two contrasting adaptive styles in sexual abuse victims. One adaption strategy seeks mastery through active repetition of the trauma, while the other adaption copes by avoiding sexual stimuli. Victims of childhood sexual abuse may exhibit mood disorders including chronic anxiety, depression, delayed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety attacks, and hysterical symptoms. Victims of sexual abuse may also experience difficulties in intimate relationships and express a sense of alienation, isolation, stigmatization, and a negative self-image. There is a wide variety of psychological conditions that have been documented in sexually abused children, with a higher-than-average tendency toward repetition of either being victimized at the hands of an adult or victimization of children. Arguments that Aroused about Pedophilia In our type of society, pedophile sex is considered both a moral offense and a crime that deserves a truly, serious punishment. There are two further arguments against pedophilia behind both its moral disapprobation and legal prohibition. First, sex with minors is wrong because it is non-consensual; second, it is harmful to those who are concerned. Both of these arguments have been questioned throughout time. Now, let’s look on the way a pedophile is conceived by the public. The pedophile is often visualized as â€Å"a dirty old man†, a stranger to his victims, who forces himself on children and has a matured sexual intercourse, thus putting them through a frightening and painful experience and inflicting serious and long-term damages on them. The drastic effects of the cases explain why pedophiles are usually called child molesters, and why pedophilia seems to be â€Å"the most hated of all the sexual variations†. What is true is that most pedophiles are men but the majority is young or middle-aged. More often than not, they are not strangers; they are likely to be a family, neighbor, or other adults that are known to the victim. The harmful effects of pedophilia on a child’s sexual, emotional and personality development are still a matter of researches and debates; rather than an authorized fact. IV. EXAMPLES OF CASES CONCERNING PEDOPHILIA * A 65-year-old youth minister of the First Baptist Church from Sinton, Texas who admitted to molesting a 6-year-old girl shocked a congregation of followers. The story saw this pedophilic Baptist minister through his 37-year jail sentence. I then hooked my thumbs in her waist, the minister said, and put my hands over her groin area, on the outside of her clothing. The first couple of times, she did not say anything, the minister continued. She was more interested in driving. But the second time, when I told her we needed to go home, and she slid over to the passenger seat, the look on her face killed my soul. I felt great remorse for having taken advantage of this child. * A glam-rocker Gary Glitter was convicted of possessing child pornography, but actual child abuse allegations against him were dismissed because his accuser had sold her story in a newspaper. Glitter seems to be a prime example of the predatory pedophile, continually unrepentant, even after going 27 months of imprisonment in Vietnam for offences against two girls he claimed he was teaching English, after already being permanently barred from Cambodia in 2002 for sex allegations. This case had led for actions to remove passports from sex offenders. * February 11, 2011 Laval police handled one of the biggest cyber pedophile cases. Sandro Tasillo, 26, is linked to internet sex crimes involving 30 young girls. Police say Tasillo would roam for underage victims on Facebook. He would offer girls money to take off their clothes in front of a webcam. But the money was never delivered, and the photos of the girls were often sold to other pedophiles. Tasillo was formally charged at the Laval courthouse. He faces a total of 40 sex charges. Police believe the 30 victims who have come forward are just the tip of the iceberg. Police are asking other potential victims to contact them as soon as possible. The investigation is still ongoing. V. TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF PEDOPHILIA Treatment for pedophilia emerged as a means to prevent child molestation or as a way to reduce sexual deterioration. That is, pedophilia is treated either when a person wants to remedy his pedophile tendencies, or when a person has committed a sexual offense against a child and his pedophilic interests addressed to reduce sexual deterioration. This combines preference-based treatment with programs designed to manage other criminogenic needs. Treatment would change factors known to be related to sex offending. Improvement of these factors would correlate highly and negatively with recidivism. Progress in treatment technology would be reflected in greater reductions in sexual deterioration over time. Treatment outcome studies using random assignment would show greater effect, and better-implemented programs would be more successful. In the earliest stages of behavior modification therapy, pedophiles may be narrowly viewed as being attracted to inappropriate persons. Such aversive stimuli as electric shocks have been administered to persons undergoing therapy for pedophilia. This approach has not been very successful. Another common form of treatment for pedophilia is psychotherapy, often of many years duration. It does not have a high rate of success in inducing pedophiles to change their behavior. Pedophilia may also be treated with medications. The three classes of medications most often used to treat pedophilia are: female hormones, particularly medroxyprogesterone acetate, or MPA; luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, which include such drugs as triptorelin, leuprolide acetate, and goserelin acetate; and anti-androgens, which block the uptake and metabolism of testosterone as well as reducing blood levels of this hormone. Most clinical studies of these drugs have been done in Germany, where the legal system has allowed their use in treating repeat sexual offenders since the 1970s. The anti-androgens in particular have been shown to be effective in reducing the rate of recidivism. Making the molester impotent is sometimes offered as a treatment to pedophiles who are repeat offenders or who have pleaded guilty to violent rape. Increasingly, pedophiles are being prosecuted under criminal statutes and being sentenced to prison terms. Imprisonment removes them from society for a period of time but does not usually remove their pedophilic tendencies. Many countries have begun to publish the names of persons being released from prison after serving time for pedophilia. Legal challenges to this practice are pending in various authorities. Some recommendations for the treatment of pedophilia are the following: 1. Risk assessment using a well-supported measure 2. Education of the client, his spouse or partner, family members and close friends 3. Behavioral treatments targeting pedophilic sexual arousal 4. Monitoring of pedophilic clients in terms of access to child pornography, unsupervised contacts with children, and potential disinhibitors such as alcohol or drug use 5. Drug treatments targeting sex drive for higher-risk individuals 6. Cognitive-behavioral and behavioral treatments targeting general risk factors for criminal behavior such as antisocial attitudes and beliefs, association with antisocial peers, and substance abuse Prevention The main method for preventing pedophilia is avoiding situations that may promote pedophilic acts. Children should never be allowed to engage in one-on-one situations with any adult other than their parents or trustworthy family members. Having another youth or adult as an observer provides some security for those who are concerned. Conferences and other activities can be conducted to provide privacy while still within sight of others. Children should be taught to yell or run if they are faced with an uncomfortable situation. They should also be taught that it is acceptable to scream or call for help in such situations. Another basis of preventing pedophilia is education. Children must be taught to avoid situations that make them defenseless to pedophiles. Adults who work with youth must be taught to avoid situations that may promote pedophilia. Many states have adopted legislation that requires background investigations of any adult who works with children. These persons may be paid, such as teachers, or they may be volunteers in a youth-serving organization. VI. CONCLUSION It is very evident that pedophilia is a serious problem of many countries. The alarming rate of pedophile cases must serve as an eye opener to our government, for them to take a serious look and enforce laws that give legal punishment to those who are proven guilty of this crime. Our justice system must be on its track to convict the culprit. Everyone should be responsible in handling this horrible crime. Laws against child abuse and neglect should be strengthened and each one of us should be informed about the terrible effects that this crime would cause. But, let us not only put the pressure to the government in solving this problem. We, in our own families, should be the first to take extra care to our own selves. Our family should be strong and open communication should be observed for the better. Help each other to protect our youth, because; as the saying goes, â€Å"The youth is the hope of our Fatherland.† B I B L I O G R A P H Y American Psychiatric Association. â€Å"Profile of a Pedophile†. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Arlington, USA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2006. Clark, Robin. et al. The Encyclopedia of Child Abuse. New York: Infobase Publishing, 1998. Flisk, Dr. Reverend Louden-Hans. â€Å"Sexual Abuse†. Father, Deliver Us from Evil. USA: By the Author, 2004. Gabbard, Glen. â€Å"Summary and Recommendations on Psychological Treatments†. Gabbard’s Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. USA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2007. Greenberg, Jerrold. et al. â€Å"The Pedophiliac†. Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality. Canada: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011. Laws, D. Richard and O’Donohue, William. â€Å"Pedophilia: Treatment†. Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. USA: The Guilford Press, 2008. Murray, David. â€Å"The Homosexualization of Pedophilia†. Homophobias: Lust and Loathing across Time and Space. USA: Duke University Press, 2009. Primoratz, Igor. â€Å"What’s wrong with Pedophilia?†. Ethics and Sex. London: Routledge, 1999. Soble, Alan. â€Å"Pedophilia†. Sex from Plato to Paglia: A Philosophical Encyclopedia. USA: Greenwood Press, 2006. Vito, Gennaro. et al. â€Å"The Criminal Justice Response†. Criminology: Theory, Research and Policy. Canada: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc., 2007. Internet Sources en.wikipedia.org www.medicinenet.com www.minddisorders.com

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Personal Reflections On Case Discussion Group Nursing Essay

Personal Reflections On Case Discussion Group Nursing Essay It seems an almost impossible task to me to be able to encapsulate all my reflections on the past year of our CDG in this report. At this point in writing I am wondering whether this thought is a reflection of feeling overwhelmed by my memories of the past year. Therefore, I have decided to break up certain aspects of the group in order to help me make sense of my experiences and reflect on what was learnt. Diversity and difference within the group There are seven trainee members in our group (one male and six females) and we had a male facilitator. We quickly noticed the abundance of similarities between members of the group. All the trainee members of our group live in London and we all had our adult mental health placement in the same trust in London. Interestingly, we also discovered that our facilitator was based in London on his clinical days and lived in the same area as two of the trainees in the group. All the trainee members are also relatively close in age (25-32 years).Our group members come from a range of social and cultural backgrounds, which was illustrated when we completed cultural genograms in one CDG session. One could consider our group to be racially, ethnically and culturally diverse, with members coming from a variety of different social economic backgrounds, countries and cultural influences. Several of our group members had also spent a number years living in African and Asian continents and some speak a number of different languages. Structure of the group Reflecting back I realise the way in which our sessions were structured was very original and added a depth to our experience of the Case Discussion group (CDG). Each week two trainees would present a case to the rest of the group, with one presentation lasting slightly longer than the other (depending on whether it was a major or minor case). Many of the cases that our group members presented were not individual client cases, but more systemic situations which we were struggling with. Once the trainee had presented their case they left the group and sat in a different part of the room. This left the remaining group members to discuss their ideas about the case in the style of a reflecting circle. I found this experience invaluable as it as it gave me insight into how it must feel to have a reflecting team with you when working as a therapist. Reflecting teams have been used since the 1980s (Anderson, 1987) and are now to be considered a form of therapy in itself. The primary focus of the reflecting team is to generate multiple perspectives (White Epston, 1990) for the therapist and client. Without the generation of alternate knowledges, people are perhaps stuck or standing still and cannot move forward with their lives (Dawson et al, 2003; p2). Indeed, when I presented a client who was very stuck in her unusual beliefs, I realised that I too was stuck in how I was working with her. Listening to the other trainees discuss her case made me realise that I needed to be more flexible in my approach to working with her and think creatively. What was interesting was how incredibly frustrating it felt being sat away from the group and being unable to verbally defend aspects of your work. This made me reflect on how clients may feel when decisions about their care are made without them being present. For example, I was recently invited to attend an Assertive Outreach team meeting which involved sixteen other mental health professionals. The purpose was to review a young man who had complex mental health problems and was not complying with his medication routine. It was only at the end of the meeting that I asked why he had not been invited and it became clear that no-one had taken responsibility for communicating with him so he had not even been asked. Reflecting back on this had made me strongly aware of the need to work collaboratively with clients, particularly with regards to keeping them informed about decisions or changes in their care. The group process The model which I feel best encapsulates the process of our CDG is Manors phase-model of group development: Figure 1 Model of group development (Manor, 2000) Forming the group and engagement phase Authority crisis and the empowerment phase Intimacy crisis and the mutuality phase Separation crisis and the termination phase In the first few CDG sessions we were primarily concerned with defining the purpose of the group (i.e. what is the group for?), allocating roles (e.g. chair and scribe responsibilities) and defining the leadership position of the facilitator (i.e. Will he tell us what to do?). This is defined as phase 1 in the model and seems to be a perfect account of the confusing and somewhat frustrating formation period of the group. Each of the subsequent stages of the group involves a crisis period. The second crisis (authority) seems similar to the storming stage in Tuckman and Jensens model of group development (1965) which I identified as a relevant model in my PBL reflective account. In our early CDG sessions there was a power struggle between the facilitator and the trainee group members, in as much as the facilitator seemed to make suggestions in the sessions (e.g. styles of presentation for the PBL, topics we should cover) which were opposite to the ideas we had produced. I felt that he was a bit patronising towards us today, he seemed to go against every suggestion that ****** made (3rd CDG session entry) Reflecting back on this entry I wonder whether we ousted him in an attempt to make our cohesion as a trainee group stronger. I also wonder whether we subsequently attempted to create a group away from the group, by arranging social outings for our CDG trainee members and discussing the CDG sessions on the train journey home. Admittedly there were two strong characters in our group who led these discussions and some who just sat there quietly. It is only with hindsight that I realise we were experiencing an authority crisis and our way of regaining power was to reform and bond as a trainee group. The next phase in Manors model is concerned with the intimacy of the group and their ability to open up personal conversations. For our CDG I dont think this happened until about 7 months in. Until this time we were very restrained as a group in discussing personal issues and I noticed we never discussed our own feelings in the CDG sessions. Our strong use of humour may have also been a defence for protecting the group from reaching this phase. I recall one of the stronger members of the group joking that we were not a group who need to cry over things. I think it was comments like this that made us feel cohesive as a group; however it also meant at times I felt unable to disclose my true feelings about an issue for fear of going against the essence of our group. Interestingly, this recently changed when we completed personal cultural genograms in a CDG session. This was a pinnacle point in our group process as it seemed to break all the intimacy boundaries we had created and allowed certain members to express their feelings of frustration when discussing certain cases or clinical situations. Our relationship with the facilitator also changed after this point and became more mutual. A major advantage of this model is that it accounts for the group changes over time, particularly with regards to the ending of our group. Reading about the final separation crisis and termination phase reminded me of our last CDG session in July to which only three trainees were present. I recall a strong sense of fear and despair in the session, and we spent over half of the session talking about the initial problems of the group. This is referred to as re-capitulation in the model and is seen as an attempt to prolong the life of the group. Given that we knew the group was not truly ending, why did we go through the process of separation crisis? Despite knowing there would be a continuation of our group in the second year of training I think we struggled with being separated from our facilitator. This made me think about how clients must feel when they are about to finish a therapeutic group and the anxiety it must generate. Yalom eloquently describes the benefits from this crisis: Learning that I must take ultimate responsibility for the way I live my life no matter how much guidance and support I get from others (Yalom, 1995; p88) With hindsight it is clear that experiencing the termination of a group process is one of the most valuable stages as it essentially installs a sense of hope and facilitates a handover of responsibility. Understanding this model has been an important learning stage for me as I have been able to use my personal learning of the CDG process and transfer it to my clinical work with groups. At present I am just finishing with three recovery groups for clients on inpatient wards and have used Manors model to help them understand their own group dynamics. Personal and Professional Development Personally, I really valued the opportunity to learn about the different models that other group members were working with as it has helped me broaden my clinical approach. Our facilitator brought systemic thinking to our sessions, which essentially shaped the discussions we had about clinical cases. Given that most of our lectures and placements were guided by a CBT approach, it felt new and somewhat daunting to be asked questions from a systemic perspective. In my first case presentation regarding a lady who had been emotionally and physically abused as a teenager. I recall the facilitator opening up a discussion with the other trainees about her attachments and role in the family structure. It was fascinating listening to how this changed the content of the conversation. At first I noticed that the other trainees were trying to problem-solve my case, but this immediately changed and they were generating more thoughtful and curious conversation which delved into areas I had not eve n considered. It made me realise the value of thinking about and understanding systems as part of the therapeutic process. Indeed, I have since discovered the benefit of using systemic tools such as Genograms and ecomaps when helping clients talk about and make links to their past. Interestingly, I was initially quite resistant to thinking in a systemic way and realise I was clutching on to the model which was used in my placement. Writing this report has made me wonder whether the resistance I showed is a parallel to the resistance often present in multi-disciplinary teams when change is imminent. For example, the service where my placement is has recently adopted the Recovery model (Repper Perkins, 2003) as a framework for mental health care delivery. After attending many of their team meetings I realised just how defensive many of the team members felt about this, and they constructed it as just another new fad in the system. It made me realise how resistance can be important in telling us something about the underlying feelings and fears people hold. Similarly, there is evidence to suggest that the role many Psychologists and therapists hold in teams stirs resistance from other health care professionals. Hook (2001) discusses the fear which some staff have regarding the notion of psychological processes, as it can be perceived as a threat to their knowledge. Hook (2001) describes this as mind science versus brain science. True enough; the issue of Psychologists integration in teams is one which attracts much attention in current health policy literature: Stakeholders showed an overwhelming preference for the integration of psychologists within teams but only if psychologists retained their unique identity and contribution (e.g. offering an authoritative and constructive counter-balance to the medical model) (Department of Health, 2007; p2) With the fast-changing climate of the NHS I realise that the roles of health care professionals are continually adapting and I wonder how resistance and institutional defences will be part of that. These are issues which evolved for me after reflecting on the CDG process, and ones which I will continue to grapple with throughout my training. Another valuable experience for me was learning more about diversity issues and how they can affect the therapeutic relationship. This topic arose after we spent two CDG sessions completing cultural genograms individually and then presented them to the rest of the group. Not only was this an introduction to a useful clinical tool, but it enabled me to think about what culture really means and how it is different to ethnicity and race. These terms had caused great confusion in our initial group discussion about culture, and I did not even realise that they meant different things until our facilitator kindly defined them for us. Thinking about my own cultural identity also made me aware and sensitive to my clients different cultural affiliations. Indeed, Hardy Laszloffy (1995) argues that: Trainees are rarely challenged to examine how their respective cultural identities influence understanding and acceptance of those who are both culturally similar and dissimilar (Hardy Laszloffy, 1995, p227) Most of my current clients come from very different backgrounds to me and some have strong religious attachments which influence the way they understand and cope with their mental health difficulty. After completing the genogram in our CDG I reflected in my supervision sessions on how areas of difference may interplay with the therapeutic relationship. For example, one client I was seeing described herself as a contemporary Christian and her faith meant she constructed her mental health difficulty to be a punishment from God. After reflecting on this in supervision, I realised that there was a big difference in our religious affiliations (I would consider myself to be an atheist), which was affecting my acceptance of her construction. Once I understood this our sessions suddenly shifted and we were able to progress with her treatment. Furthermore, I now routinely acknowledge any areas of difference when I first see a client individually and feel this had always had a positive impact on the therapeutic alliance. On a more personal level, writing this account has enabled me to think about what role I played in the group and what this tells me about my role as a professional in training. As I am writing I am aware that it has been easier for me to write about the group process than think about my own involvement and contributions to it. Upon closer inspection I am curious as to whether my narrative of the group process reflects the position of the follower. This role has been well-documented in leadership literature, and the title encapsulates a person who can sometimes be pushed aside by others with regards to leadership decisions (Dvir Shamir, 2003). Certainly my behaviour in the CDG this year fits with this description, and has made me think about how I present myself to my professional network. Whilst this is useful for me to realise, it also feels slightly uncomfortable to acknowledge this, as acknowledgement for me means action should be taken. I refer here to the eloquent words from Bo lton (2001): Reflection is not a cosy process of quiet contemplation. It is an active, dynamic, often threatening process which demands total involvement of the self and a commitment to action. In reflective practice there is nowhere to hide. In many ways the characteristics of the follower mirrors that in Yaloms (2005) description of the silent client in group therapy. Yalom stipulates that such clients trigger feelings of frustration in other group members but can also be valuable for the group as, silence is never silent (Yalom, 2005). Yalom (2005) asserts that you can find meaning in the here-and-now of their behaviour which informs you about their way of relating with others in the outside world. Learning this made me think about a client whom I used to see who was silent for much of our sessions. I wonder now whether her silence was the most useful piece of information that was available to me, yet I did not recognise that at the time. This is something I will make a conscious effort to think about in future clinical work. Final thoughts One of my final thoughts is around the name chosen to represent the group experience. I wonder whether it would be more fitting to call the groups, Reflective Practice Groups rather than Case Discussion Groups? The latter name projects an expectation of a more formal and typical structure to the group where one would expect presentation and discussion to be the crux of it. In fact, my experience of the CDG sessions challenges this expectation as the actual time spent focusing on cases was minimal. I personally think that Reflective Practice incorporates thinking about other areas of clinical work which are important and may impact upon our work with clients. For example, thinking systemically about working with staff or critically about organisational stress and the effects this has on clinical work. Reflecting back I realise such issues are pertinent to our development as first years and the groups would be a perfect opportunity to explore and contain them. By changing the name of t he groups it would embrace such explorations and consequently add a reflective element to our practice which simply cannot be satisfied by supervision alone. Finally I feel that the group has added an expansive dimension to my thinking as a trainee psychologist. My expectations of the CDG were continually challenged by my actual experience of it. I found that it enabled me to be more open, more honest and far more curious in my clinical work, and for that I am extremely grateful.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Sande Society and the Sowei Mask

Sande Society and the Sowei Mask Political, Educational, and Gender Aspects of the Womens Society of the Mende The Sowei Mask of the Sande Society is a symbol for the Mende people of Sierra Leone representing the ideals of feminine beauty, but the Sande Society also plays a key role in the nurturing, livelihood, and induction of young women into adults. This mask defines a goal for young women as well as symbolizes their transition from children to adults and, the Sande are the tools behind the Sowei which shape and mold the initiates of their society into women capable of managing marriage, political power, and even spiritual secrets. The Sowei Mask itself is carved from wood carefully with close attention to detail. Each mark is made with a greater picture in mind and at the end of the process the mask will epitomize the Mendes idealities of grace, beauty, and serenity. After the carving, the mask is painted and polished to a black, glossy shine. There are many Sowei Masks, all of which possess the black, glossy shine, but each mask can differ in many areas. The Sowei Masks can possess rolls of fat on the neck, scarification patters on the face, elaborate hairstyles, raffia around neck, and many other qualities which give it the elegance that it possesses. (Cosentino 17) The particular mask on display in the Stanley Collection has two small scarification patterns in low relief on either cheek of the mask, a beautiful hairstyle with a small bird perched on top. The mask is full of curves and the light catches off the surface to accent the slight cuts made along the hair of the figure give it a life like quality wh ich complements the serenity of the masks expression. Not only does the mask represent outer beauty, but also references the beauty of a womans inner strength and character. (Becker 82) The encircling ridges of a Sowei Mask which represent rolls of fat also are part of the origin of the mask. When a Sande society member who is particularly renowned for her choreography and dancing skill she is said to dream of diving into a pool, which is the dwelling place for female spirits. As she rises from the water, the ripples of the water on the surface form the rings around the base of the mask. The often complex and always elegant hairstyles of Sowei Masks are said to have come from Sande officials falling into water and emerges with a beautiful hairstyle.(Textbook 180) In performance, the Sowei is danced by the ndoli jowui alongside a second mask, the gondei, which is the antithesis of the Sowei. The gondei is sometimes a discarded Sowei Mask which has been worn down or broken. Occasionally pieces of trash such as tin cans or shells are attached to the gondei, further separating it from the Sowei. It is only when we see both masks that we separate the beauty and grace of the Sowei further from that of the grotesque and hideous form of the gondei. By having the two masks juxtaposed, we can see the grace and elegance in which the Sowei is danced in comparison with the ugly, stumbling dance of the gondei. The performance itself occurs in the weeks before the public portion of the Sande initiation. When the Sowei emerges from the bush to dance, she is admired and greeted by the entire town. (Cosentino 16-7) When the initiates themselves are present at the dance, they wear braclets of palm leaf fibers and body nets with small iron plates. Their faces ar e smeared with animal fat giving them a more youthful appearance. (Newland 125) To the Sande the Sowei Mask as a manifest of power from the spirit world. It is for this reason that while the Sowei Mask is the integral piece to bring the power needed to invest the initiates with everything they will need to marry, the mask also can appear in other places. Smaller versions can appear on the staffs and other objects used by higher ranking members of the Sande and small figures also are common. These objects represent the medicine of the Sande and their connection with the spirits. (Textbook 180) The Sande society itself is enormous; each village usually has its own Sande society governed by a council of elders. (Ellis 200) These elders are not only in charge of initation rites into the Sande society, and thusly into adulthood, but also the birthing, education, circumcision, political aspects, and spiritual aspects of the initiates underneath them. Once puberty is reached, the initiates are taken into the bush and taught the things they need to know to become adult women. Topics such as sex, dancing, fishing, cooking, and secrete medicines are discussed and generally a clitoridectomy, a female circumcision, is performed. After the initiates complete their training, they are eligible to marry and invested with fertility (Leach 58), but are taught that jealousy for ones co-wives is greatly discouraged. Initiates are also called and described by sex-specific terms from the moment they graduate into full genderhood. Men are forbidden from the Sande bush just as the women are from the Poro, the mens secrete society, bush. It is the responsibility of the Sande elders to punish any man who takes an initiate from the bush severely. The Soweis medicine is feared and when a man is pointed out as having broken a Sande law there is a fine or some other penalty which an elder determines. (Newland 125) Elder Sande officials are still susceptible to medicines which can affect their ability to deliver children, circumcise the initiates, and other tasks which are key to their position. The Poro and Sande societies together govern Mende ideas about gender and men and womens lives. Both genders have gender-specific tasks that are used to define a persons masculinity or femininity. Each group gives access to specific male and female medicines and social and political support. Both groups also give elders of the societies access to a higher status position in the villages. This status is known as a big man or big woman. The title comes with the responsibility of caring for the political or financial assistance of others. In Mende society both men and women can become a big person or numu wa. While the Sande will protect women from exploitation, abuse, and give them political and social support, the society also produces asymmetry. The high-ranking members usually gain their position from descent, and by controlling the important knowledge of the Sande, they are able to elicit loyalty or even material goods from the initiates and their families. In this way, the Sande s ociety acts as a driving force in socio-political structures in what would otherwise be a male dominated society. With the polarized and parallel powers of the Poro and Sande societies, women are not considered inferior to men, they are only considered different. (Leach 59-60) The Sande serve as mentors for young girls becoming women, but they also serve as friends and colleagues. Every woman who is considered an adult in Mende culture has been initiated and graduated from the Sande society. The initiates they graduate with become their social system of support and the society leaders are there to protect them as well. It is in this way that we see that all Mende women are connected. In summary, the Sowei Mask demonstrates the inner and outer beauty of the perfect woman, which every initiate of the Sande society and thus every woman considered an adult, strives to attain. Not only do the Sande teach young women about life, but also provide them with a network of support for the rest of their lives. In this way, the Sowei Mask represents not only the Sande, but all adult Mende women and their unavoidable connection to each other.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Comparing The Charge of The Light Brigade, War and A Wife in London. Es

Comparing The Charge of The Light Brigade, War and A Wife in London. Select three poems from the selection, which are concerned with different aspects of war. Write about and compare the poems in respect of the following:  ¨ The views of war that the poets are expressing  ¨ The tones and atmospheres of the poems  ¨ The ways in which language and rhythm are used to reinforce the poets’ themes and viewpoints  ¨ Any other factors considered important. The three poems that I have chosen are: â€Å"The Charge of The Light Brigade†, â€Å"War† and â€Å"A Wife in London†. I chose each of them for different reasons, but mainly because they each look at very different aspects of the war and the poets all have completely different attitudes to war. â€Å"The Charge of The Light Brigade† is an exultant poem, concerned with the glorified aspect of war, that all men are heroes, brave and courageous for fighting for their country. It is about a suicidal, yet heroic battle fought by the British Cavalry in 1854. A mistaken command received by a superior sent, unquestioning, 600 horsemen charging into the head of a valley bristling with artillery and nearly all of them ‘fell’. â€Å"War† is set ‘behind the scene’ and concerns itself with the people who dealt with the consequences of war - the doctors and orderlies. It is a moving poem and shows the reader how bad conditions were in South Africa. It is about the dedication of people to try and save the â€Å"Case† (patients) and prevent them from turning into another â€Å"It† – yet another dead body. The poet, Edgar Wallace was a medical orderly himself, so he would have had first hand knowledge of how bad conditions and casualties could get. â€Å"A Wife in London† deals with the suffering... ...ng in the tent and during the â€Å"War!† – â€Å"the part that is not for show†, â€Å"a very unhealthy trade† and â€Å"Orderly, clean this knife!†. These each have a way of opening a window into this little part of the war and gives us an understanding of how horrible it is, with the never-ending stream of casualties and reports back home in newspapers that are not allowed to show anything against war (â€Å"the part that is not for show†). Each of the three poems, haunts the reader after a reading or two, whether for good or for bad. They have made sure that I, as a reader, am totally against war, no matter how good the reasons are or how much glory it is given as in â€Å"The Charge of The Light Brigade†. I am against the waiting and mourning for those left behind as in â€Å"A Wife in London†. Moreover, I am most definitely against the loss of fathers, sons, brothers and husbands.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Organising tour for Signed Act :: essays research papers

In order to organise a tour for a signed act, it takes the efforts of management, the record company, agent and promoter. Although each have their individual responsibilities and ways of working it is required of them to work together as a team in order to make a tour possible, or even for just one gig. They each contribute an essential part of the process and organisational strategies and without co-operation of each unit organising a tour would be practically impossible. Disagreements could cause much of an inconvenience and the music industry being so large with so many people disagreements are not uncommon as everyone has their own opinion. Compromise is perhaps the only key, therefore working with open minded people makes it much easier. Often the job descriptions of each unit intersect and are hard to define, which can sometimes be helpful as different people can do the same job from different angles, however it can also get confusing and cause problems often being the result of communicational breakdowns. In this essay we shall study what each unit does and how they work together looking at the advantages and disadvantages of certain aspects and perhaps discuss ways in which the system could be improved. Management The management company works with the artist more so than anyone else. They play a dominant role in their interaction with people in the music industry (agents, promoters, record labels). Their own interaction with the artist is direct and they often have a freindly relationship with the artist. I spoke to an unsigned rock band with a management contract to find out exactly what they do for them. Their management company were an established music company who create music for adverts and therefore have knowledge and contacts within the industry. They provide the band with financial backing for equipment, recording sessions and any other finances to support the band. They also act as an agent for the band and book gigs by contacting promoters and promoters also often contact them. Their relationship with the band is very friendly and are on terms were they both work for each other. Their management push and motivate the band to work as hard as they can to improve their material and perhaps influence it to be what a record company might want to hear. They are usually responsible for any exposure the band receive, for example interviews, airtime, music journals etc.

Public Video Surveillance Essay -- Cameras Privacy Issues

Public Video Surveillance INTRODUCTION Today’s technology has changed the way we live. It has changed the way that we view the environment, act when out in public, and the way we go about doing our daily task. Computers have greatly increased our capabilities to achieve our goals much faster. Human interaction between people has decreased because of this technology. The changes continue daily with an endless stream of new ideas and ways of doing things. There seems to be no end in site. This technology is also changing our moral and ethical values along with the way we employ them. The â€Å"burden of proof† has a new meaning because of surveillance cameras. Most of us will agree that surveillance cameras are a good idea. These cameras provide a deterrent against crime, and provides public buildings and other areas a since of security. Law enforcement use surveillance cameras to track and catch criminals, as proof in courts, and as protection for themselves and the public. Surveillance cameras can also be used for educational purposes. X-ray cameras have the ability of detecting weapons in baggages at our airports and other public buildings. They now have cameras mounted on top of stoplights to detect red light runners with ways of sending the red light violators their tickets by mail. There must be an endless list of ways that cameras can be used. We even have satellites in outer space with cameras that help us to spy on other countries. Most of us will agree that the technology of camera surveillance is important and needed to improve for the most part our lifestyles. PROFESSIONAL ISSUES FOR SURVEILLANCE PROTECTION OF PEOPLE AND PROPERTY, which includes the general public and law enforcement. This type of surv... ...nce cameras affects everyone. It is for the common good of everyone that we continue its use. It has given our nation a sense of security that we have become a custom to because it has improved our justice system. REFERENCES â€Å"CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT RADIO-TELEVISION NEWS DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION.† Ethics. 21.2 (2002). 14 September 2000. http://www.rtnda.org/ethics/coe.html â€Å"DIGEST OF LAW REFORM COMMISSION REFERENCES.† 90. Surveillance. 21.2 (2002). Surveillance: an interim report, 6 December 2001. http://www.agd.nsw.gov.au/lrc.nsf/pages/r98chp03/ Leahy, Patrick. â€Å"Scientific American. 28.2 (2002), 29 September 2002. http://www.library.ca.gov/CRB/97/05/CRB97-005.html Nieto, Marcus. â€Å"Public Video Surveillance: Is It An Effective Crime Prevention Tool?† California Research. Bureau. June 1997. http://www.globalprivacysummit.net/Pages/sessions.html Public Video Surveillance Essay -- Cameras Privacy Issues Public Video Surveillance INTRODUCTION Today’s technology has changed the way we live. It has changed the way that we view the environment, act when out in public, and the way we go about doing our daily task. Computers have greatly increased our capabilities to achieve our goals much faster. Human interaction between people has decreased because of this technology. The changes continue daily with an endless stream of new ideas and ways of doing things. There seems to be no end in site. This technology is also changing our moral and ethical values along with the way we employ them. The â€Å"burden of proof† has a new meaning because of surveillance cameras. Most of us will agree that surveillance cameras are a good idea. These cameras provide a deterrent against crime, and provides public buildings and other areas a since of security. Law enforcement use surveillance cameras to track and catch criminals, as proof in courts, and as protection for themselves and the public. Surveillance cameras can also be used for educational purposes. X-ray cameras have the ability of detecting weapons in baggages at our airports and other public buildings. They now have cameras mounted on top of stoplights to detect red light runners with ways of sending the red light violators their tickets by mail. There must be an endless list of ways that cameras can be used. We even have satellites in outer space with cameras that help us to spy on other countries. Most of us will agree that the technology of camera surveillance is important and needed to improve for the most part our lifestyles. PROFESSIONAL ISSUES FOR SURVEILLANCE PROTECTION OF PEOPLE AND PROPERTY, which includes the general public and law enforcement. This type of surv... ...nce cameras affects everyone. It is for the common good of everyone that we continue its use. It has given our nation a sense of security that we have become a custom to because it has improved our justice system. REFERENCES â€Å"CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT RADIO-TELEVISION NEWS DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION.† Ethics. 21.2 (2002). 14 September 2000. http://www.rtnda.org/ethics/coe.html â€Å"DIGEST OF LAW REFORM COMMISSION REFERENCES.† 90. Surveillance. 21.2 (2002). Surveillance: an interim report, 6 December 2001. http://www.agd.nsw.gov.au/lrc.nsf/pages/r98chp03/ Leahy, Patrick. â€Å"Scientific American. 28.2 (2002), 29 September 2002. http://www.library.ca.gov/CRB/97/05/CRB97-005.html Nieto, Marcus. â€Å"Public Video Surveillance: Is It An Effective Crime Prevention Tool?† California Research. Bureau. June 1997. http://www.globalprivacysummit.net/Pages/sessions.html

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Experience with a Computer Repair Shop

First of all let me start off by saying I personally have had a bad experience with a computer repair shop in the pass especially when it comes to them backing up of your pictures, videos, documents and all your files to a DVD. Some repair shops say they will back up all your files for a cost to a DVD. The problem with that is a DVD only hold up to 4GB of memory. What if your computer has two hard drives or has 1TB of files and stuff that needs to be backed up. Here is when it becomes a scan because one DVD cannot save all of that memory and then they want to charge you extra, preferably and arm and a leg. Best buy has done that to me before when I had a virus on my computer and I only used my computer so save videos, pictures, play video games, visit social sites and read and send email. It was the worst experience I have ever had and I would never take my computer back to the geek squad ever again. Cost me about $400 bucks to remove a virus. I couldn’t believe it.I can only imagine someone that uses their computer to create files and for their business and professional reasons. They would have a bigger computer and have a lot more files that need to be backed up than the normal person. That would affect them a whole not more than it would do me. Then the shop would not even reinstall their apps so they would have to do that all over again. That would be a pain in the butt and a whole other story.Computer repair shops now a day have people that work in it that are lazy and don’t know what they are doing and it’s not right for a customer who is paying good money for crappy service. I mean don’t get me wrong you have repair shops that do a good job and fixes your computer makes it a lot faster and a whole lot better when they do a good job by actually removing the virus and saving your memory as promise for a fair price. But this repair shop has both its good and bad. They will format your hard drive and reinstall the OS, but they wil l only saving pictures, videos and documents to only one DVD and that is a problem.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Red Box

A. Case Overview Redbox is a wholly-owned subsidiary by Coinstar, Inc. For only $1 per night it offers movie rentals. The first kiosks were located at McDonald’s. On 31 March, 2010, the total number of installed Redbox and DVDCpress Kiosks was 24,800. Redbox’s main strategy is to have kiosks that contain mostly new releases of movies on DVDs in shopping areas that are visited a lot. The rental fee is cheap, only $1 per night and the whole order and return process is fast, simple and easy for the customer.With its many kiosks, Redbox built a strong brand reputation. B. Analysis The SWOT analysis shows that Redbox’s strengths are its brand recognition and financial power, with being successful it can add more kiosks at good locations. It has built relationships with the chain retailers of its parent company Coinstar, Inc. and it offers value by offering very affordable movie rentals to customers. Redbox’s weakness is that it offers no online delivery yet. It s opportunities are expansion to other underserved and very good areas in the US, Puerto Rico, and UK.It can also further its expansion internationally. There is lots of existing and potential revenue growth at existing kiosks. Redbox has the strength to attract customers away from other competitors like Blockbuster. Redbox’s threats are services like Netflix that offer movie streaming online, companies that offer internet delivery of movies, Blockbuster building new kiosks and movie theaters when people are tired of watching movies at home. Redbox has lots of potential for further growth in revenue and popularity.It has to pay attention to shifts in customer’s preferences on how to watch a movie and adapt to changes. Porter’s Five Forces show that competition from rivals is strong, especially Blockbuster and Netflix. There is no product differentiation in movies. The threat of new entrants is weak because in order to compete with Redbox, it requires a lot of ca pital and building same good relationships to suppliers (movie production companies) as Redbox already has. The movie as a product can be easily substituted and people can buy instead of rent or watch something online.The buyers’ bargaining power is modest because buyers can either rent or buy or watch online and the switching costs are low. C. Recommendations Redbox should not miss the chance on expanding internationally. With its cheap movie rentals, it can attract customers from all classes in all countries and not be affected by economic crisis so strongly. It should also continue to do research on where to locate more kiosks and it should think about offering internet movie rentals. Also, it should continue to build and nurture good relationships with its suppliers.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Belonging: Narrator and Sense

Humans are constantly in search for belonging, it is something vital to our existence. A sense of belonging emerges from our ability to establish connections with place, people and culture. However when these aspects are challenged, we find out if we truly belong or not. Such ideas are explored in the texts, ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’, a third person short story by Nick Long, and ‘Big World’, a first person short story by Tim Winton, which both explore the idea of belonging being challenged and how this affects one’s sense of belonging. Our sense of belonging is derived from the connections to the places around us. One’s sense of belonging is challenged when changes or barriers arise between our connection with place, people and culture. In both ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’ and ‘Big World’, we see the protagonists’ sense of belonging being challenged. Nick Long asserts that Zhu does not belong in the place he is in by using irony, making it clear Zhu feels a lack of belonging. This idea is shown through the line, â€Å"He was alone in this place. True, the town is full of people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here the obvious use of irony is used to emphasize Zhu’s detachment from the rest of the town caused by his sense of belonging being challenged after he moved from his ‘hometown’. Inevitably with effort, he makes a connection to the place. This is evident by the line â€Å"almost drunk with the scent of the acacias, and of the dust, and of this new landscape. † This dreamy state implies that a sense of belonging comes after we establish healthy connections with place. The unnamed narrator in ‘Big World’ tells of the differences between himself and his best high school friend in a confessional tone, saying â€Å"Unlike him, I’m not really from here. It’s not hosing blood that s**ts me off – it’s Angelus itself; I’m going nuts here. Unlike Zhu, the narrator chooses not to build a connection to the place, instead he intends to escape Angelus, evident in the line â€Å"f**k it, we’re outta here†. The use of the hyperbole, ‘I’m going nuts here’ shows that even after spending years in a place, one may never establish a strong connection with place to develop a healthy sense of solidarity with a community. We learn that when one’s sense of belonging is challenged, one can face the challenge and still establish a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging to place is closely intertwined with the people within that place. The relationships formed around an individual are the cornerstones of their sense of community and belonging. A sense of belonging is often reliant of the relationships we build; these connections may determine our own self-perception on how we fit the world around us. We see the importance of relationships in ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’ as he felt no sense of belonging. Zhu was challenged by not knowing anyone, evident in the line â€Å"Who will I talk to? There was nobody to answer the questions. † The rhetorical question reinforces the idea that he could only talk to himself. However, after speaking to a girl, he felt a sense of a relationship, which is reinforced by the change in tone and the use of a simile. â€Å"Zhu didn’t understand the words, but was amazed by the sound of them. Her voice was airy and light, like the song of a small bird†. Throughout the text, the language had been pessimistic, this contrast in tone, was the direct result of a relationship formed, in essence, a sense of belonging had been formed. Similarly in ‘Big World’, the importance of connection to people is clear. The narrator felt a strong sense of belonging when around his best friend, Biggie, shown by the constant anaphora of the inclusive pronouns that runs throughout the entire text, ‘we’ and ‘us’. An example of this extensive use is â€Å"We fried. We’re idiots of a different species but we’re both bloody idiots. The repetition of inclusive pronouns shows the narrators strong connection with Biggie, which displays a strong sense of companionship when he is around biggie. It is only when this sense of companionship is challenged, that the narrator will know how strong this companionship actually is. We learn that challenges that arise in many forms and can be overcome to see what lies ahead for one’s sense of belonging. Belonging is derived from our sense of connection with people and place. It is also derived from one’s culture. It is harder for those of a minority in a dominant culture to thrive in terms of their sense of belonging. A minority must conform to the dominant culture in order to establish a healthy sense of belonging with the dominant culture. Zhu’s culture and ethnicity is considered to my a minority. Zhu experiences a barrier to belonging with the dominant culture. It writes, â€Å"But they were not Chinese people, and he could not speak to people who were not Chinese. Nobody ever taught him. † Zhu’s culture has restricted him from communicating with those outside his culture. Being in a situation where one is a minority, one will find it very difficult to build connections with those of the dominant group. Conformity is needed, which Zhu gives in to, eventually attempting to speak English, the dominant language. In contrast to Zhu, the narrator of Big World’ does not have such issues with culture. The narrator’s culture is tightly bonded with that of the dominant culture allowing his sense of belonging to excel. Such connections with culture can be seen through heavy Australian idioms as Winton writes, â€Å"Mag wheels, a lurid spray job like something off a Yes album and a filthy great mattress in the back, a chick magnet, that’s what we want . The heavily idiomatic language suggests a strong sense of association with the dominant culture, in effect, provides a strong sense of belonging. We learn that society will force you to conform in order to belong. When a person conforms to a culture, a sense of belonging to place and people will come with it. From the reading of ‘The Ride of Shu Bao Sheng’, we learn that one’s attachment to place is essential to their sense of belonging due to the human condition to want to form connections with place. This has been reinforced by ‘Big World’, where the narrator is challenged and could not form a connection with the place, resulting in a lack of belonging in that aspect. Both texts have shown me the degree at which the people surrounding and individual will influence their sense of belonging and when barriers arise, with effort, these challenges can be overcome to establish a stronger sense of belonging. In addition to these notions of belonging, both texts have solid but contrasting views on belonging to place, however serve the same purpose as important aspects of belonging. In conclusion, the notions of belonging such as place, people and culture are all intertwined and are thus the cornerstones of ones sense of belonging.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Understanding the Effective Primary Science Learning

In my experience the enthusiasm and appetency for acquisition of kids in their primary old ages is matchless which makes primary learning a truly fulfilling and honoring experience. However, high-quality instruction and good thought-out course of study development in these early old ages is important to kids ‘s success. With mentions to my ain experiences and through a critical analysis of the available literature, this paper will discourse how possible course of study development will heighten effectual primary learning with a specific focal point on the topic of scientific discipline. It will besides discourse some of the troubles in interpreting these constructs into pattern and see ways to get the better of these obstructions. Bettering a immature individuals ‘ apprehension of scientific discipline is cardinal to the authorities ‘s committedness to promote more kids to analyze scientific discipline. A good scientific discipline instruction is non merely of import for scientific literacy subsequently in life but by go oning to analyze scientific discipline throughout school, students open themselves up to a universe of possibilities ( Teachernet, 2009:1 ) . This committedness was ab initio exemplified through the debut of a National Curriculum in 1989 which asserted that compulsory scientific discipline instruction be brought into the primary sectors in England and Wales for the first clip. Science was placed alongside English and Mathematics in what became known as ‘the nucleus ‘ ( Sharp, J et Al. 2009:247 ) . However, from the beginning, it became clear that many schools had troubles in presenting the National Curriculum efficaciously. The course of study was viewed as excessively normative and overladen and hindered instructors ‘ ability to be originative and give adequate attending to the demands of kids with larning troubles. Assessment processs were besides debatable with a figure of instructors objecting to the National Curriculum trials ( DCSF, 2009:28 ) . To rectify the jobs associated with the National Curriculum there have been several alterations and reappraisals of it since its initial execution. For illustration, Sir Jim Rose ( Alexander and Flutter, 2009:3 ) was invited to set about an ‘Independent reappraisal of the primary course of study ‘ with a position to doing some recommendations which will inform the new primary course of study to be introduced from September 2011. Indeed, a figure of writers have proffered suggestions for course of study development, the comparative virtues of which will be discussed in the undermentioned paragraphs. Harmonizing to the Rose Review ( DCSF, 2009:9 ) the course of study that primary kids are taught must let them to bask childhood and develop the indispensable accomplishments and cognition which are the foundations for secondary instruction and ulterior life. To accomplish this, the new course of study must be informed by an apprehension of the meshing ways in which kids learn – physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually between the ages of 5 and 11. In add-on, a well-planned, dynamic course of study acknowledges that primary kids â€Å" love to be challenged and engaged in practical activities ; and they readily empathise with others through working together and through experiences in humanistic disciplines, literature, spiritual instruction and much else. Primary kids must non merely larn what to analyze, they must besides larn how to analyze, and therefore go confident, self-restraining persons † . Although the topic of scientific discipline ( and most other topics ) has antecedently been content-driven, in position of the above paragraph it is possibly non surprising that recent course of study developments seem to be embracing a more holistic attack equilibrating ‘content ‘ with ‘process ‘ and concentrating on accomplishments development every bit good as the acquisition of cognition. This recent development is likely to hold been influenced by instructors concern that because the bing course of study has so much prescribed content they do non hold clip to learn it in deepness, or for kids to consolidate their acquisition. Consequently, a cardinal demand of this reappraisal is to cut down overload by â€Å" reexamining the current programmes of survey so that schools have greater flexibleness to run into students ‘ single demands and construct on their anterior acquisition † ( DCSF, 2009:10 ) . A greater focal point on ‘process ‘ enables kids to go more involved in hands-on activity and practical work and encourages kids to research their ain and others ‘ thoughts. Concept function, group work, utilizing computing machine plans, function drama, field work and authorship are besides of import vehicles for assisting kids develop their ain thoughts ( Wynne, 1999:14 ) . Indeed, promoting echt collaborative group activity is of import to accomplishing the sort of interchange that encourages thoughts ( Barnes, 1976, cited in Wynne, 1999:58 ) . Harmonizing to Barnes ( 1976:31 ) â€Å" Talk and authorship provide agencies by which kids are able to reflect upon the bases upon which they are construing world and thereby change them † . Henderson ( 1994, cited in Wynne, 1999:58 ) has suggested several schemes for advancing group coaction and category treatment, including: groups researching a subject and showing their findings ; groups be aftering an probe and sharing their thoughts. Another recommendation made by the Rose Review ( DCSF, 2009:46 ) can enable greater flexibleness for instructors, increase enjoyment and better acquisition development for students. Harmonizing to Ofsted and the QCA study ( DCSF, 2009:12 ) some of the most effectual acquisition occurs when connexions are made between topics. This is supported by Millar and Osborne ( 1998, cited in Sharp and Grace, 2004:313 ) who assert that uranology for illustration, can supply the ‘explanatory narratives ‘ that integrated whole sets of science-related every bit good as modern-day and historical instance surveies, and these narratives provide a cross-curricular tool for doing those constructs more memorable. A little rural Shropshire primary school is a specific illustration of successful cross-curricular activity in schools. In this school the environment was often used for a broad scope of out-of-door chases, such as field surveies of home grounds, forestry direction, and the landscape which brought together elements of geographics, scientific discipline and history ( DCSF, 2009:42 ) . My school excessively uses the out-of-doorss creatively for turning and analyzing workss and this has proved to be a really gratifying and successful acquisition experience for students. Cassop Primary School ( DCSF, 2009:48 ) is besides an first-class illustration of a school which has been able to unite topics to the enjoyment and advancement of students and lend significantly to the environment. The school is the first wind-powered school in the UK and its environmental programme has helped to heighten acquisition in scientific discipline and engineering and environmental apprehension so that â€Å" students are able to explicate clearly the scientific discipline underpinning the engineering, while as a focal point for larning they develop accomplishments in question, concluding and creativeness † . This enables kids to set up good attitudes to larning ( DCSF, 2009:49 ) and facilitates the ability to larn non merely what to analyze, but besides how to analyze as portion of a rewarding procedure. Another recommendation is to utilize drama in a productive and meaningful manner to heighten kids ‘s cognition of scientific discipline. The Rose reappraisal received many petitions from parents to supply more chances for exploratory, well-structured drama. Based on strong grounds, the interim study highlighted the importance of larning through drama for immature kids and proffered that the intents of drama in advancing acquisition should be made expressed and chances made to carry through them in the primary course of study ( DCSF, 2009:93 ) . It is of import to observe that these schemes are improbable to be implemented efficaciously without the full engagement of parents themselves. The Rose Review ( DCSF, 2009:17 ) asserts that kids thrive best when parenting, the course of study and teaching method are all of high quality and has observed a figure of illustrations of instructors and parents partaking in informal treatment about kids. The Cambridge Review ( Alexander and Flutter, 2009:20 ) besides recommends that kids themselves should hold a say in course of study design and planning. Lambeth Children and Young People ‘s Services suggested that the course of study needs to promote a more meaningful and relevant course of study, including our apprehension of how kids learn, and inquiring for their position and input in design. Gilbert et Al. ( 1982, cited in Sharp and Grace, 2004:313 ) support this position and assert that serious consideration should be devoted to understanding kids ‘s involvement and motive in the different content countries of scientific discipline. So far, this assignment has explored some of the schemes recommended by authorities and their part to the acquisition and development of kids through scientific discipline. However, there are a figure of obstructions within the instruction system which can smother the passage from policy to pattern and these will be discussed in the undermentioned paragraphs. Harmonizing to Roden ( 2000:31 ) ten old ages on from the execution of the National Curriculum there does look to hold been some important betterments. Children are accomplishing expected criterions of scientific discipline, as measured by public presentations on SAT ‘s trials and teacher appraisal at the terminal of Key Stage 2. However, in 2009, England has a statutory National Curriculum for the primary stage with non-statutory elements, which combines three nucleus topics, two of which ( mathematics and English ) are capable to separate agreements in chase of the ‘standards ‘ docket and take up half of the available instruction clip in structured lessons. The other seven statutory foundation topics and three non-statutory foundation topics are expected to be accommodated for during the other half of available instruction clip ( Alexander and Flutter, 2009:5, 6 ) . In contrast to daily literacy and numeracy lessons speaking half of the available instruction clip, NAIGS estimated that clip devoted to scientific survey now equated to merely 1.5 hours a hebdomad at Key Stages 1 and merely 2 hours at KS2. This instruction tended to be limited to afternoon slots with small learning support ( Alexander and Flutter, 2009:30 ) . Therefore, although the increased focal point on cross-curricular activiti es may let instructors to pass more clip on scientific chases within a tight timeframe, it can be really hard to guarantee that kids are provided with a good balance of both ‘process ‘ and ‘content ‘ oriented work particularly given the increased focal point on SATs.. Indeed, Hollins and Whitby ( 1998, cited in Roden, 2000:34 ) point out that although ‘process ‘ and ‘content ‘ are supposed to be given equal weighting, recent statutory educational duties have encouraged the usage of didactic methods of learning to the hurt of question acquisition which reduces chances for kids to widen their apprehension. Appraisal at Key Stage 1 and KS2 relies to a great extent on instructor appraisal which holds equal position with pronounced Standards Attainment Tests ( SATs ) . The focal point within SATs requires callback of factual information which has led to ‘teaching to the trials ‘ ( Roden, 2000:34 ) and I know I have been guilty of holding done the same thing myself because kids merely would non make good in trials otherwise. Another concern is the deficiency of assurance that primary instructors frequently have in learning scientific subjects. In a national study of 514 primary instructors in Scotland primary instructors were less confident about learning scientific discipline than about all other course of study countries and felt that their ain apprehension was non sufficient plenty to promote conceptual development in students ( Holroyd, 1996:323 ) . Newton and Newton ( 2009:45 ) , in their survey of 16 concluding twelvemonth pupils on a degree class taking to measure up instructor position in the UK besides found that constructs of school scientific discipline lessons were narrow, focused on chiefly practical probes of affair of fact, and included misconceptions. The analysis so far, has shown that although there are a figure of possible course of study developments which could lend to the academic development of the kid and heighten their enjoyment of acquisition, the limited sum of clip allowed for learning scientific discipline, the force per unit area to accomplish high criterions in assessment trials, and the deficiency of assurance and cognition of scientific topics characterised by some instructors, can impede the passage from policy to pattern. However, there are some schemes that can be implemented in order to get down to get the better of the challenges encountered by primary scientific discipline instructors and these will be explored in the undermentioned paragraphs. Harmonizing to Wilson et Al. ( 2004:20 ) the impression that a more originative and ambitious attack will ensue in greater accomplishment in SATs was the footing of an Oxford Brookes University undertaking. It was felt that giving kids chances to build their ain apprehension would increase their enthusiasm for scientific discipline and assist them prosecute in the scientific procedure. This has clear resonance with ‘Excellence and Enjoyment ‘ ( DfES, 2003:1 ) a scheme for primary schools which opens with the words: â€Å" Children learn better when they are excited and engagedaˆÂ ¦.when there is joy in what they are making, they learn to love acquisition † . The undertaking involved 16 schools and two key instructors within each school. The cardinal countries that the undertaking focused on were: More focussed recording by the kids ; increased clip spent in treatment and argument of scientific thoughts ; more chances for practical probe ; and an increased accent on developing kids ‘s higher order thought ( Wilson et al. 2004:21 ) . The more focussed recording has released clip in lessons for making scientific discipline and treatment of the large thoughts which leads to further development of scientific cognition and accomplishments. In ‘Challenges in primary scientific discipline ‘ ( Coates and Wilson, 2003, cited in Wilson et Al. 2004:21 ) a short ‘bright thoughts ‘ slot into primary scientific discipline lessons is suggested. Promoting the kids to ‘think, brace and so portion ‘ for this slot encourages them to take clip to believe and improves deepnesss to their replies. As a consequence of the undertakings recommendations, 13 of the 16 schools showed a important addition in the per centum of kids accomplishing degree 5. Nationally, the per centum of kids achieving degree 5 in 2003 increased by 3 per cent, but 11 of the participating schools showed an addition much greater than this ( Wilson et al. 2004:21 ) . In decision, this assignment has critically assessed the available literature on possible course of study development for the sweetening of kids ‘s acquisition in primary scientific discipline. Recent reappraisals have recommended that primary scientific discipline learning be less content-led and more process-driven, advance the advantages of cross-curricular instruction and promote greater flexibleness in ‘what ‘ and ‘how ‘ scientific discipline is taught. There are a figure of illustrations to exemplify the effectivity of these attacks in primary schools. However, there are besides a figure of troubles associated with seeking to practically implement these schemes in an educational environment whereby many instructors lack the assurance and accomplishments to learn scientific discipline efficaciously, which still allocates limited clip for the instruction of scientific discipline and puts force per unit area on instructors to guarantee that students à ¢â‚¬Ëœ perform good in content-driven appraisal trials. The Oxford Brookes Project does propose some ways for scientific discipline instructors to believe creatively in this comparatively constricted environment and these have proved successful at developing the ‘whole ‘ kid and bettering academic attainment. However, such efforts are likely to stay bit-by-bit unless the position of scientific discipline is raised to be that of English and Mathematics ; clip is ring-fenced to supply adequate chance for practical work ; assessment trials place greater accent on appraisal accomplishments ; and more preparation is made available for instructors to better their scientific cognition and assurance.