Volkswagen Commercial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Volkswagen Commercial - Essay Example The little boy dressed like the super heroes at Star Wars and the concept of trying to use inward force to move things was creatively used. If I were the director of this commercial I would compare the new Volkswagen Passat with another car taking good care not to show the brand of the other car. Instead of the little boy trying to give life to the doll, make the dry cleaner work or trying to move the dog I would prefer he tries to make a similar car from another company start its engine. Since it would fail to start, the dad would arrive and when the little boy tries to use his assumed internal force in the car, the dad would ignite the car using his remote control. I would explain to the client that this commercial is easy to understand than the previous one. The comparison of the two cars would give a clearer concept of force than the use of toys and other things in comparison with a

Outline the Ways in Which Factors Essay Example for Free

Outline the Ways in Which Factors Essay There are many ways in which factors in children’s home background which may lead to differences in achievement between ethnic groups. The first way is from cultural deprivation, with the socialisation experience of children, values, expectations and norms transmitted at home. Driver and Ballard 1979 argued that high achievement in some Asian groups might be linked to the presence of close knit extended families. However with some ethnic groups many tend to have low income, which may explain why black pupils tend to underachieve as many children from low income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. Some cultural deprivation theorists argue that many children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. Evidence suggests that those ethnic groups who tend to underachieve also tend have low incomes. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2007 estimated that 70% of Bangladeshi and over 50% of Pakistani children grow up in poverty, compared to 20% of the white population and 30% of Indians. Unemployment is 3 xs higher in African and Bangladeshi/Pakistani people than for whites and Pakistanis are 2x more likely to be in unskilled/semi skilled jobs compared to whites which can lead to material deprivation. Moynihan 1965 said that many black families are headed by lone mothers and may experience poor care due to the lack of money. Some may have material deprivation because they cannot afford to pay for books and other materials that the child needs to do their work, and many may not have the room to do their work if they live in a cramped home meaning they may not be able to concentrate. This becomes a vicious cycle as if the child receives inadequate socialisation which equals in them failing at school meaning they may become an inadequate parent, which will repeat. Also some theorists say that some black children are socialised into a subculture that instils a fatalistic ‘live for toady’ attitude that does not value education and leaves them unequipped for success. There are other factors which effect different group’s educational achievement, with there being ways in which the education system may encourage separation between children of different ethnic backgrounds, such as labelling and teacher racism, many teachers label their students and sociologists found out that many teachers labelled black children as disruptive and they didn’t want them in their class. Troyna and Williams describe the curriculum in British schools as ethnocentric because it gives priority to white culture and the English language which causes separation between white pupils and other ethnic pupils.

The Psychological contract

The Psychological contract The psychological contract has been defined as the implicit relationship between an employee and their organization which outlines what each should expect to give and receive in the relationship (Gakovic Tetrick, 2003; pg 236). Rousseau (2000; pg 9) has defined psychological contract as the terms of an exchange agreement between individuals and their organizations. It can also be regarded as an individuals beliefs regarding the terms and conditions of a mutual exchange agreement between the person and the organisation (Saks, 2006; pg 613). Researchers have suggested that psychological contract can be shaped by personal/individual factors, past job experience and personality of employees. Saks (2006) suggests that early life experiences also shape an employee, influencing values about fairness, hard work and reciprocity. The study looks into the concept of psychological contract and determines the importance of this in the management context. It analyses the consequences of breaching the psychological contract and the effect it can have on the organisation. The purpose of this essay is to discuss whether managing the psychological contract is a core task. Discussion and Analysis The concept of psychological contract is led by the norm of reciprocity which implies that an individual, who provides benefits to another, obligates him or her to discharge these obligations by furnishing benefits in return (Wright et al., 2005; pg 409). It refers to employee expectations towards his job/organisation. Stemming from sociological and social exchange theories, the concept has recently extended to employee-employer relationships. In the psychological contract literature, employees exchange the treatment they receive from their employer by adjusting their perceived obligations and fulfilment to the employer (Ingham, 2006; pg 22). Similarly, employer perceptions of employee fulfilment of psychological contract have been shown to influence employer obligations and increase the likelihood of the fulfilment of these obligations (Lewis and Taylor 2001; Coyle-Shapiro 2001). Psychological contract is perceptual in nature and defined as a set of expectations held by the individual employee. There is a tendency to confuse psychological contract with other emotional attributes like job involvement and employee engagement (Rousseau, 2000; pg255). Psychological contract is different from organisation commitment or the feeling of desire, need or obligation to remain in an organisation. It also differs from job involvement. The feeling of fulfilment of expectations differentiates psychological contract from positive or negative evaluative judgments of the job, as in the job satisfaction construct, which is a result of fulfilment of psychological contract (May et al., 2004; pg 32). Over the years several researches have been carried on psychological contract and a consensus has developed within the research community that the psychological contract is an important determinant of employees behaviour and attitudes (Ashton Morton, 2005; pg 30). The concept of psychological contract provides a popular framework for advancing understanding of employees attitudes and behaviours in contemporary management research, mainly due to the much discussed changes in the employment relationship (Conway Briner, 2002). Employee engagement is closely linked to psychological contract and employees are cognitively engaged when they are aware of their mission and role in their work environment, have what they need at work and have opportunities to feel an impact and fulfilment in their work (Johnson J OLeary-Kelly, 2003). Employees are emotionally engaged when they perceive that they are part of something significant with co-workers whom they trust, form meaningful connection wit h and experience empathy and concern for, and also have chances to improve and develop. In an organizations psychological contract with a manager or the managers psychological contract with the organization, either side can have a major effect on the benefits derived from their mutual relationship. Additionally, either side can also affect the ability of an organization to attract and retain high quality managers. Management of psychological contract is important because modern organizations cannot succeed unless their employees agree to contribute to their mission and survival. In order todo so, workers and employers need to agree on the contributions that workers are expected to make to the firm, and vice versa. Understanding and effectively managing psychological contract can help firms thrive. Turnley et al., (2003) showed with his research that there has been a shift in workers psychological contract in the last few years, moving from a relational contract, based on trust to the company to a transactional relationship of limited duration, focused on economic exchange and limited worker involvement in the organization. This has largely been led by the rapid industrialisation of most economies. Macro Economic developments like technological changes, downsizing and restructuring and other social and labour market changes have forced individuals to change organizations many times throughout their career (Agee, 2000; pg 12). The changing organisational dynamics has meant that psychological contract is even more important proposition than it was some time ago. Vos et al. (2003; pg 419) suggest that a vital component of psychological contract theory is the concept of breach, defined as the cognition that ones organization has failed to meet one or more obligations within ones psychological contract in a manner commensurate with ones contributions. Researches done in the past have also shown that psychological contract and the breach of them can result in several consequences depending on the category of the employees. E.g. The most valuable employees, who possess the marketability to negotiate better deals in other companies, are those most likely to leave (Ashton Morton, 2005; pg 29). Study conducted by Chen Fang (2003; pg 2) argue that besides the general organization-employee psychological contract, there also exists a separate psychological contract between an organization and its managers. Several researches suggest that psychological contract breach is associated with increased intentions to leave the organization. Indeed, quitting ones job is one of the most frequent responses to a situation in which employees perceive that their employer has wilfully violated the deal (Rousseau 2004). Ingham (2006; pg 20) believes that the most defining character of social exchange in contrast to economic exchange is that it entails unspecific obligations. While there is a general expectation of return, the nature of the return is not stipulated in advance as in a strictly economic exchange. What makes matters difficult in order to manage psychological contracts is that there is no clear understanding of what the commitments are or how they can be fulfilled. When an employee believes that the organization has not kept its promises, then the employee perceives psychological contract breach which has a negative effect on a wide range of employee attitudes and behaviours, such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, trust in the organization and employee motivation. All this can lead to lower productivity and result in the employee leaving the organisation. All this makes psychological contract a very important proposition to manage. Pate et al. (2003) indicate that the advent of the psychological contract is positively related to low job satisfaction and high turnover rates. Hui et al. (2004) further investigated and found that the psychological contract is positively related to employees exit and neglect and negatively related to employees loyalty. Employees are considered a source of competitive advantage and ways in which people work make a crucial difference between successful and unsuccessful firms. Psychological contract is recognised as a process for developing and retaining ability. Cassar (2001) suggests that if employee engagement affects financial outcomes and the bottom line, disengaged employees uncouple themselves from work, withdraw cognitively and emotionally, display incomplete role performance, put in less effort and become automatic and passive. This is a costly proposition for organisations and it is imperative for them to understand what employees primarily want. The psychological states of employees are key factors in determining their behaviour and responses at work. It is at least in part through the management of these psychological states that organisational effectiveness can be achieved. Management of psychological contract is an important management activity and it is important for both managers and organisation to believe in the concept of psychological contract at the beginning of the relationship. Employees with a history of psychological contract breach are more likely to view their psychological contracts in economic terms (Deery et al., 2006, pg 167). Previous research on psychological contract breach has also shown how breach perceptions reduce employees trust in the employer (Deery et al., 2006, pg 169). Contract breach perceptions undermine the social exchange basis of the relationship, eventually leading employees to watch over their investments and monitor closer the balance in the relationship (Turnley et al., 2003; pg 187). On the other hand, psychological contract fulfilment by the employer in turn presents a payback and provides value for the employee investments by bringing the exchange into a balanced state. What makes challenging for the management to manage the psychological contract is the fact that psychological contract lies in the eye of beholder. This means that even if the same deal (benefits, rewards) is offered to every employee, its psychological contract towards the organisation may vary. Also, psychological contract of employees evolves over a period of time as a result of experience and organisational policies. The recommendations for those trying to manage the psychological contract are to assess the implicit expectations from the employee at the interview stage. Also, at the same time, brief employees on the internal work environment and the organisation as much as possible. Some organisations make interviewees interact with employees so that the interviewee can informally discuss issues around working conditions, implicit rewards and expectations. The objective is to let the interviewee find out as much about the business and working conditions as possible. The roots of psychological contract formation lie in the recruitment process. During recruitment, employers should only make promises to their prospective employees, which the new employees expect them to uphold. In case an employer fails to do so, the employees may believe that their psychological contract has been violated. One of the ways of fostering psychological contract at the recruitment stage is the use of a realistic job pre view which tries to ensure that newcomers have accurate expectations about their new job and employer and thus avoid the experience of feeling short-changed thereafter. Managing of psychological contract can partly be done through training and development. Training is important in the make-up of psychological contract, not only in terms of employer expectations who consider the development of highly trained workers with firm specific skills a major factor for securing competitive advantage, but also because it acts as inducement for employees to maintain their commitment to the organisation (Lester Kickul, 2001; pg 10). The more employees perceive violation of organisational obligations with regard to providing skills and career development, the less satisfied they will be with their jobs. Conclusions The growing management interest in psychological contract can be attributed to the fact that the construct has the potential to predict employee outcomes, organisational success and financial performance (Pate et al., 2003; pg 558). Employee-employer relationships influence the economic as well as the behavioural outcomes of the organisation. Psychological contract is a multi-dimensional construct and unlike other constructs it is not only an affective but also a cognitive and physical state of involvement in ones job. It also focuses on the emerging issues in employment relationships. They are constructs that understand the concerns about employment relationships The review of literature suggests that psychological contract is extremely important for organisations to manage as it has an impact on job satisfaction, organisational commitment, intention to quit and organisational citizenship behaviour. What makes psychological contract more important is that as a construct, it has the potential to integrate a number of key organisational concepts. However, at the same time, its very difficult to manage something which is not clear. More so, because the psychological contact and the expectations might change in due course because of external and internal circumstances. The study concludes that it is important to manage the psychological contract and human resource practices significantly impacts employee development as well as assessment of psychological contract fulfilment. When employees are recruited, when they go through performance appraisals, when they evaluate their benefits packages or receive recognition for their efforts, they interpret the experience and the interpretation will influence how they react to it. The failure of a company to comply with its obligations (as perceived by an employee) can erode the employment relationship. References Agee J. (2000) Understanding psychological contract breach: An examination of its direct, indirect, and moderated effects. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Albany. Argyris, C (1960) Understanding Organisational Behavior, The Dorsey Press: Homewood Ill. Ashton, C, and L Morton (2005) Managing Talent for Competitive Advantage, Strategic HR Review, Vol 4, No 5, pp 28- 31. Cassar V. (2001). Violating psychological contract amongst Maltese public service employees: Occurrence and relationships. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16, 194- 208 Chen M, Fang M. (2003). The impact of psychological contract breach on employees work behavior: An example in high-tech industry. Fu Jen Management Review (in Chinese), 11, 1-32. Conway N, Briner RB. (2002). Full-time versus part-time employees: Understanding the links between work status, the psychological contract, and attitudes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 279-301. Coyle-Shapiro J, Conway N. (2005). Exchange relationships: Examining psychological contracts and perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 774-781. Deery S, Iverson R,Walsh J. (2006). Toward a better understanding of psychological contract breach:Astudy of customer service employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 166-175. Gakovic A, Tetrick LE. (2003b). Psychological contract breach as a source of strain for employees. Journal of Business Psychology, 18, 235-246. Hui C, Lee C, Rousseau DM. (2004). Psychological contract and organizational citizenship behavior in China: Investigating generalizability and instrumentality. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 311-321. Ingham, J (2006) Closing the Talent Management Gap, Strategic HR Review, Vol 5, No 3, Mar-Apr, pp 20-23. Johnson J, OLeary-Kelly AM. (2003). The effects of psychological contract breach and organizational cynicism: Not all social exchange violations are created equal. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24, 627-647. Lester, S, and J Kickul (2001) Psychological Contracts in the 21st Century: What Employees Value Most and How Well Organisations are Responding to These Expectations, Human Resource Planning, Vol 24, No 1, pp 10-21. May, D, A Gilson and L Harter (2004) The Psychological Conditions of Meaningfulness, Safety and Availability and the Engagement of Human Spirit at Work, Journal of Occupation and Organisational Psychology, Vol 77, pp 11-37. Pate, J, G Martin, and J McGoldrock (2003) The Impact of Psychological Contract Violations on Employee Attitudes and Behaviours, Employee Relations, Vol 25, pp 557-573. Robinson, D, S Perryman, and S Hayday (2004) The Drivers of Employee Engagement, Institute for Employment Studies, Brighton. Rousseau DM. (2000). Psychological contracts in the United States: Diversity, individualism, and associability in the marketplace. In Rousseau DM, Schalk R (Eds.), Psychological contracts in employment: Cross-national perspectives (pp. 250-282). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Saks, A (2006) Antecedents and Consequences of Employee Engagement, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol 21, No 7, pp 600-618. Turnley, W H , M C Bolino, S W Lester, and J M Bloodgood (2003) The Impact of Psychological Contract Fulfilment on the Performance of In-Role and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour, Journal of Management, Vol 29, pp 187-206. Vos, A, D Buyens, and R Schalk (2003) Psychological Contract Development during Organisational Socialisation: Adaptation to Reality and the Role of Reciprocity, Journal of Organisational Behaviour, Vol 24, No 5, pp 537-559. Wright, P M, T M Gardner, L M Moynihan, and M R Allen (2005) The Relationship between HR Practices and Firm Performance: Examining Causal Order, Personnel Psychology, Vol 58, No 2, pp 409-38.

Iroquois Essay -- essays research papers

Nothing is so fundamental yet so important to the freedoms we enjoy as Americans as the United States Constitution, which guarantees our right to do and say as we please so long as it does no harm. The Iroquois Federation preamble describes the purpose of the government set up by the government in their statements the emphasis is placed on perfect peace for the welfare of the people. Their focus was fighting for, the liberty of the people. Among the Indian nations whose ancient seats were within the limits of our republic, the Iroquois have long continued to occupy the most conspicuous position. The Iroquois flourished in independence, and capable of self protection, long after the new England and Virginia races had surrendered their jurisdictions, and fallen into the condition of dependent. Nations they now stand forth upon the canvas of Indian history prominent alike for the wisdom of their civil institutions of the league. Only the Iroquois had a system that seemed to meet most of the demands espoused by the many parties to the debates the Iroquois certainly have a considered the influence on the drafty of our own constitution, and we present day Americans owe them a very large debt. At the time of the founding of Iroquois League of nation, we have only the early stories, which was passed down from generation until such time as a written language existed. We only have stories that were passed down form generation to generation until such time as there was a written language and interprets available to record that early history. Early explores and colonist found the Iroquois well establish as they had been for many generations with a democratic government, with a form at religion that acknowledged a creator in heaven; with a strong sense of family which was used on, and controlled by their women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1744 an Iroquois leader, Canassatege, had an idea. In presenting the idea to his assembly, he realized that no one was listening to what he had to say. He suggested that they should form an umbrella group that consisted of thirteen colonies. The thirteen colonies were derived from the thirteen cousins of the Iroquois people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He mentioned each colony could keep his authority and the thirteen colonies could speak to each with one voice. Many years later the United States family developed this idea... ...ded for quick land acquisitions on order to serve the interests of the restless white frontiersmen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Working the legal structures of the United States as well as through demonstrative activities, the Iroquois nations are trying to regain some of their land and protest their rights. They are people with tremendous sense of endurance and inner strength. Their persistence as a viable and cohesive culture is a monument to human values that have meaning in spite of persecution and defeat, by a military strong culture. The league of the Iroquois lives on a testimony to freedom, for all that care to examine it. Its spirit endures as a vision and a good for betterment of mankind. References  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lathom, Earl: The Declaration of Independence and the constitution. Revised Edition- Copyright 1956  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.law.ou.edu/hist/iroquois.html  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guide Jr., Donald A: The Iroquois and the founding of the American Nation. Copyright 1977  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morgan, Henry Lewis: League of the Iroquois  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Journey

Developing Learning & Development Activities Essay

Training Plan The purpose of my training session was to equip delegates with the right skills and knowledge to understand the changes auto-enrolment brings and what they need to communicate to their employees. Prior to my training session I emailed the learners to gage their existing knowledge on auto enrolment. There was a mix in responses with a couple of people saying their knowledge was around 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, a few sitting on the fence who have an awareness of auto enrolment but did not know all the legalities, and a couple who’s companies had already gone through the process. From this feedback I decided to cover the basics of the auto enrolment process, as trying to aim my training session at those with an existing knowledge would therefore make it confusing and above those with less knowledge. My view is that even if you know what you’re doing, it never hurts to go back over the basics to ensure you’ve not missed anything so that was what I aimed to do with my training session. The principles of adult learning include getting the learners involved in the planning and evaluation of the training and making sure they understand the reason for learning something. I feel these principles were reflected in my training session by communicating with them prior to the session to gage their knowledge; this meant they knew what to expect and by giving their feedback it helped to mould what level the session would be aimed at. The main resource available for the session was the whiteboard. I used this as the foundation of my training session by creating a PowerPoint presentation to use as a visual aid and form the basis of the session. I used both forms of assessment methods within my session; for a formative assessment I created a quiz on the categories of employees. I went through the theory and the facts first then tested what they had understood by putting the theory into practice. By the end of the quiz all learners were getting the questions right and ensured me they had a clear understanding on  the different categories. As a summative assessment I asked them to what extent they thought the training session had given them a better understanding of the pension changes on my feedback form. Comparing this to their knowledge rating from my email prior to the session, I can evaluate that everyone has benefited from the session as scores were either 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Structure and sequence Trying to cover the basics of auto enrolment in 30 minutes was certainly a challenge, so I tried to structure my activities to ensure we moved through the various activities quickly whilst ensuring they were still all effective. Firstly I welcomed the group and created rapport (by tempting them with chocolate!), then spent a couple of minutes explaining the learning outcomes of the session. The first part of my teaching was to explain the four different categories as this is the foundation of auto enrolment. I covered the theory first with the PowerPoint acting as a visual aid then put the knowledge learnt into practice. I firmly believe Confucius was correct when he said ‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember and I do and I understand’. My learners heard the theory, they saw the different categories on the chart and could probably remember the names, but when I tested their knowledge in the game it was the ‘doing’ that ensured they remembered the differ ent categories. Individual and Environmental Factors When planning my training session a factor that influenced it was my own knowledge of auto enrolment. Like others I taught, I had already gone through the process at work so had learnt the basic principles, however at my workplace we split the process out to make it easier. My role at work was the communication side, whilst the payroll manager was responsible for making sure all eligible employees were enrolled. In case my learners asked questions I did more research into auto enrolment to ensure that I had sound knowledge. To create the legal requirements in communications I also researched other company’s communications to get a feel of ‘best practice’.  By doing this I ensured I was confident in what I was teaching and was not afraid to allow questions from learners. Another individual factor was to adapt my teaching style to suit adult learners. Training does not fall within my remit at work, and the only experience I have of leading sessions is through Girls’ Brigade. Whilst I have attended many training sessions these have all covered the methods of engaging children rather than adults. My initial thought for my training session was to create a ‘corner’s game’ for learning about the categories of employees and getting people up moving around the room. However I tried to put myself in my learner’s shoes and think what I would feel comfortable doing, and instead realised that running around the room and standing in the right corner is what children prefer doing. Therefore I adapted my game to be done with flashcards to ensure there was still an element of fun in my training session but I wasn’t making anyone feel uncomfortable. An external factor that influenced my session was the time limit. This affected all my preparation and planning as I was constantly thinking of ways to make things shorter so I could ensure I covered everything thoroughly. Had I had more time to play with I could have covered the basics in much more details but instead I decided to try and wet the appetite of the learners, then give them instructions of where to find out more. The layout of the room could have been changed (with some difficulty) but prior to the session I decided that leaving it in the horseshoe layout was the best option. This ensured everyone had a good view of the PowerPoint and during the quiz I was able to quickly glance around the group to ensure everyone had the correct answer. This was also another factor of why I decided to change the quiz to flashcards from the corners as the tables would have proved difficult to move to ensure there was enough room for everyone to move around safely. Positive learning environment In my training session I ensured I created a positive learning environment by creating rapport with the learners at the beginning of the session. I feel this is the key to a good training session as unless you’ve established a  relationship with the trainer, learners are unlikely to speak up when they do not understand something or if there’s an issue. Another way of ensuring there was a positive atmosphere was making sure I had thought over the principles of adult learning before deciding on the elements of my session, as had these been aimed at children instead of adults I could have easily made my learners feel uncomfortable and therefore not engaged in the training session. Feedback from learners All of the feedback I received from my learners was positive. As mentioned previously, all of them said they had a better understanding of the pension changes because of my training session. There was mixed responses from the question ‘how likely are you to apply the knowledge learnt today in your workplace’, but those who have scored lower on this question left a comment explaining that it’s because it doesn’t fall within their remit at work. When asked ‘what was the part of the training they enjoyed the most’, all of the learners said either the quiz or the legal requirements. These were the two learner activities in my training session which shows that the activities that got the learners doing something practical was the best way of learning. When asked for improvements to the session, the only comments I received were ‘more time’ and ‘the handout at the beginning would have been useful – but I understand why this was not done’. As I had included the quiz answers on the presentation I made the decision to not give the handout until the hand, otherwise it would not have been as effective. On reflection, I could have omitted those slides from the handout so they could have had it from the beginning to make notes from if they wished. Effectiveness of the activity My own perception of the training session was that it was a good mix of activities and tutor input. My past experience is that just listening to a trainer for 30 minutes is ineffective as after around 10 minutes most adults switch off, especially if it is something they are not 100% interested in. I put this into practice in my session as I know myself that auto enrolment is  not the most interesting subject, so had I stood and talked to the learners for 30 minutes most of them would have been asleep! However, by asking for participation – and warning them about that up front – meant that they stayed engaged throughout the session. Recommendations for the future Were I to use this training session again in the future I would extend it to an hours session to allow more time for questions and answers and to expand more on key points. Although I felt I covered the basics in a short space of time quite well, I could have emphasised more on the ‘anomalies’, like temporary and zero hour contract employees. I quickly glossed over the subject but would have liked to spend the time discussing it in more depth with the learners. As mentioned earlier, my other change would be to adapt the handout so it was suitable to give out at the beginning of the session. This would allow the learners to have something to make notes on and move through at their own pace. As they make their own notes, it does often open the time up for more questions from learners meaning you can meet their needs more thoroughly.

Personal experience with banking concept of education Essay

Education, the process of taking in and applying information, is an important part of life that directly impacts an individual’s judgement and reasoning of both themselves and society. A person’s educational experience has the ability to influence their life despite their intelligence level or home life situation. In Paulo Freire’s book, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, two major learning styles, the â€Å"banking† concepts and the â€Å"problem-posing† methods of education, and their effects on students are discussed. My personal early education was within a public school system in the small town of Canton, Massachusetts. While public schools are often stereotyped as being both diverse and inferior compered to private schools, my high school was mainly white and Roman Catholic and it contained many students that were academically focused and capable of getting accepted to prestigious colleges such as the University of Miami. In my experience, certain teachers within this school system have helped me to see, through a process of trial and error, the best way I take in new information. My education has undoubtedly been molded by a combination of both the â€Å"banking† concept and the â€Å"problem-posing† method and has allowed me to develop into the person that I am today. Being from a public school of a relatively small suburb in the Northeast, I have been pressured since the start of my education to learn in order to pass a government issued exam. Even as early as third grade, the focus of my teachers was to prepare their students for the dreaded statewide MCAS exam. The majority of my school memories from elementary school are of me practicing for the essay portion of this exam and being taught to use â€Å"50 cent† vocabulary words that would catch a grader’s attention and help us students gain a higher score. Yet, at this age, I did not really give my education too much thought. I automatically assumed that this type of mechanical drilling was the only way to do well in school and ultimately to make my parents and the people I cared about proud of me. As I grew older, I have realized that I will never know the true reason that my teachers chose to teach to standardized tests. Their reasons for this may have been purely self-interested and inspired by incentives such as receiving an extra pay bonus. Still, I personally believe that the intentions of my earliest teachers were mainly benevolent and helped to prepare me for my later education. As a starting point for learning, elementary school teachers are expected to tell students what they needed to know. Even though a large portion of this process may include having the â€Å"receive, memorize, and repeat† information as if they are almost robotic, this instills them with a set of skills that will become critical in the later part of their education (Freire 260). While it may seem that an elementary school teacher who teaches with this method would have little to no impact on how a student will succeed in life, these educators taught me educational techniques that I still value to this day. Many of the experiences that I have had with these teachers have taught me the importance of personal management. If my teachers had not placed an emphasis on the importance of organization and structure, and its relationship to success, then I would not be able to handle having a large study workload. Also, by introducing me to the importance of competition at a young age, I have been motivated to accomplish more academically and outside of the classroom than I would have without their guidance. Even though the initial principles of this â€Å"banking concept of drilling information into students may appear to be oppressive and constrictive, the benefits received by both the instructor and the student typically serve their best interests and satisfy what the student is looking to gain from their education. Therefore, I believe that it is slightly inaccurate to deem this educational method purely as a means of depositing information from one person to another. I am thankful that a portion of my education has been similar to that of the â€Å"banking† concept because it has given me the framework to pursue more advanced studies. Although a portion of my academic career has been somewhat impersonal and standardized, I was fortunate enough to take a class that gave me a chance to both think critically and cognitively while learning new material. In my junior year of high school, I was able to take an Advanced Placement history class that has brought my style of learning to a more advanced level. In this history class, the teacher gave us a schedule of what we would be doing each day of the current unit we were in that was very similar to a college syllabus. Each day of class we came prepared with background information on the topic we would be learning about which was reinforced by the teacher giving us an almost daily quiz. Although at the time taking these quizzes was tedious, it allowed for the class to discuss numerous historical topics in a short period of time. Our teacher, with the use of technology, presented different copies of primary sources to the class which led to a natural and flowing discussion of different topics. That history class was unlike any other course I had taken in the past and, while it was still challenging, I was able to do well and I scored a high grade on the AP test. I believe that the reason for both my personal success and that of many others in my class was due to the fact that my teacher combined methods of both the â€Å"banking† concepts and the â€Å"problem-posing† methods that were presented in Freire’s article. Instead of pretending to know all of the answers, my teacher posed problems to us students that we were able to work together to solve (Freire 265). While I was challenged academically to think on a critical and comprehensive level, there were certain aspects of that type of learning that required me to simply fill my brain with information. Without taking the time to learn basic facts and concepts of a certain subject, I would have never been able to insightfully discuss or give a knowledgeable opinion on it. Only by putting in a substantial amount of individual effort was I able to grasp anything that my teacher or classmates would say during a lecture or discussion. Although this experience may appear to solely support the â€Å"problem-posing method†, without the initial instruction of my early teachers to be self motivated to learn and do well in my classes, I would have believed that spending time studying outside of the classroom was pointless and that without a teacher I would be incapable of learning anything. Therefore, my academic growth that occurred during my junior year would not have been possible if I did not have such influential elementary school teachers. My educational experience over the past twelve years has definitely established me as the student that I am today. While many aspects of growing up in a small town in the Massachusetts with many similar types of people surely affected my education, it is certainly my teachers who have made the largest impact on me. With both the initial guidance from my elementary school teachers and with the introduction of critical thinking that was introduced by my history teacher, I have developed a style of learning that feature aspects of both the â€Å"banking† concept of education and the â€Å"problem-posing† method and this has proven to be successful for me in the past. Still, I hope that as I begin to continue my education at the University of Miami and possibly even in graduate school, that I will continue to grow as a student. In the future, I plan to take many different courses and be exposed to new types of thinking that will help me to develop intellectually. If I follow this path one day I may possibly be able to perfect my learning style and develop an efficient method that will help to bring me both success and knowledge in the future.

An Environment Consists Essay Example

An Environment Consists Essay Example An Environment Consists Paper An Environment Consists Paper In It BY nonhuman An environment consists of all the things like the living and the non living things in it. It can be classified as natural environment and Built environment. One has to keep some points in mind while writing an environment essay. One can define the natural environment as something that has been in existence for long and the built is the one that has been created by man. One can get more information from the Nature and Environment Essay. The natural atmosphere is being polluted due to the unnatural factors. Humans cause more pollution than the environmental causes like a volcanic eruption. It is the reckless and the caustic human nature that is primarily responsible for the environmental pollution. Most of the people are responsible for the pollution caused to the environment for their own personal motives. A write up on Environment must essentially have the causes that affect the ecosystem. It is very difficult for the humans to accept any change from the environment hey are born and live in. The Environment built by humans has become more noteworthy than the natural ones in todays times. The primary reasons for issues like Global warming Land degradation pollution etc are due the great dangers faced by everyone as a result Of the negligence. Global Warming is defined as the increase in the average temperature of the earth near surface air and ocean since the mid 20th century and its projected continuation. There is a lot of heat caused to the earth due to the green souse gases that get rapt in the suns rays thereby causing global warming. More facts about Global Warming can be found in Global Warming Essay. It is the duty of the writer to mention the causes that affect the environmental descent. It is the growth in population and also the economic advancement that has added to pollution as well. Every living and non living thing is being affected by this so one must understand that biophysical environment is meant for all and understand the importance of ecological balance. It is mandatory that the Environmental Essay has all the essential things affecting the pollution and how one can take steps to control it. Everyone must make their own efforts to bring down the consumption of petroleum. The first Step towards reducing our dependence on petroleum is to understand what products are made from petroleum. One has to take all the required action to keep a tab on dreadful conditions in the environment. It is better that we look for natural solutions like shift to a more fuel efficient icicle make use of paper bags try to economize by using the car pool or public transport go by walk or use a bicycle recycle things etc. The causes for environmental degradation also needs to be mentioned so that one is aware of the ones that are affecting the humans and the role they can play to help improve it. One must realize the importance of a healthy environment and that it is for his/her own benefit to protect it and to take measures to make the world clean and green because as the proverb says We wont have a society if we destroy the environment.