Love Malin problems related to hunger and life and death Case Study

Love Malin problems related to hunger and life and death - Case Study Example On a more specific ground, Mali, a nation in the West Africa is evaluated and assessed on the basis of its problems related to hunger, life and death. There are numerous causes of deaths in Mali. Most of them are: accidents, wars, homicides and diseases (Dettwyler, 1994). These causes are just but general, are the same as in the rest of the world. Therefore, there are unique conditions that accelerate Mali’s problems in relation to the three variables aforementioned. The distinctive reasons are intertwined to explain the gap between this nation and the rest of Africa, as well as with the rest of the world. On the same note, anthropology has a role to play. Malnutrition is a common problem in Mali. Lack of proper nutrition among both children and adults has been a result of extensive hunger across the country. There are little or no efforts by the government to resolve this issue, so affording proper meals is a hustle by itself. Over and above the hunger issue there are certain diseases that have kept this country cornered. They are: malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases. Malian problems mostly impact young children since they are adversely affected by malaria. Biomedicine has fundamental role to play here, but the core values of the Malian culture are a significant stumbling block. There are some efforts in pursuit to address the Malian problem. Some have succeeded while others have failed. The impact characteristic of these efforts depicts collaboration with the locals in order to deal with the problem from their perspective. Malian condition of hunger, life and death makes its impacts across personal and social boundaries. There are social, economic, political and psychological effects of these problems. Emotional stress, tragedies and frustrations are often experienced by locals prior to problems that relate to hunger, life and death. These problems cannot be simply addressed by taking

Legislative Aspects of Nursing informatics Coursework

Legislative Aspects of Nursing informatics - Coursework Example vent that the breach involves more than 500 patients, then it is imperative that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also receive similar notification. Secondly, the act also establishes the necessity for health institutions through HER system to make it possible for individuals to access their PHI in an electronic format. In line with this, the act establishes that those who receive incentives should ensure that the system is of meaningful use, failure to which results in withdrawal of the said incentives. The act has also specified that vendors providing HER system directly qualify as business associates. To this end, the act intends to make it possible for more vendor/provider dialogue regarding matter of mutual interest, so that service provision becomes more effective. These reforms have potential impact in the practice of psychiatry. For instance, the act provides quality measure incentives through the Maintenance of Certification Program (MOCP), (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2013). In addition to participation in MOCP for up to one year, the law requires that physicians must submit data on quality measures through the MOCP under PQRI. McGinigle and Mastrian (2013) observe three topical issues that are encountered in health informatics namely leadership challenges, limited functionality in clinical practice and education in terms of necessary competencies. Regarding leadership challenges, McGinigle and Mastrian note that there exists a knowledge gap within leadership in the sector, and more specific the nursing industry. IN the nursing context, the two advance that there is need for nurse leaders to acquire current skill set and knowledge that will allow them to understand and adopt modern information technologies imperative to delivery of quality care. It is therefore important for nurses and other medical practitioners alike to gain the necessary knowledge. On limited functionality in clinical practice, McGinigle

The book The Evolution of management thought

The book The Evolution of management thought In his comprehensive book The Evolution of Management Thought Daniel A Wren writes: Within the practices of the past there are lessons of history for tomorrow in a continuous stream. We occupy but one point in this stream. The purpose .. is to presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the past as a prologue to the future. Broadly it has been classified into : 1.Scientific management theory 2.Administrative management theory 3.Behavioral management theory 4.Management science theory 5.Organizational environment theory I. PRE SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT ERA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢I. Ever Since Down Of civilization. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Administration of mohenjodaro harappa Cities Of ancient aryan in 2000 B.C. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Buddha order and the sangha à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Organizations of public life in ancient greece. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Organisation of roman catholic church. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Organisation of military force à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢SECOND HALF OF NINETEENTH CENTURY à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Use of management Principles in business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Robert Owen-1813 :-Development of mgmt Concepts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Factor which influence the productivity of personnel in plants. Adam Smith (18th century economist) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Observed that firms manufactured pins in one of two different ways: Craft-style-each worker did all steps. Production-each worker specialized in one step. F.W.TAYLOR AND SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT The systematic study of the relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of redesigning the work process for higher efficiency. Defined by Frederick Taylor in the late 1800s Wanted to replace rule of thumb Sought to reduce the time a worker spent on each task by optimizing the way the task was done. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Studied fatigue caused by lighting, heating, and the design of tools and machines. Time and motion studies Breaking up each job action into its components. Finding better ways to perform the action. Reorganizing each job action to be more efficient. ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT THEORY The study of how to create an organizational structure that leads to high efficiency and effectiveness. Rules formal written instructions that specify actions to be taken under different circumstances Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) specific sets of written instructions about how to perform a certain aspect of a task Norms unwritten, informal codes of conduct that prescribe how people should act in particular situations BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT THEORY The study of how managers should behave to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to the achievement of organizational goals. Focuses on the way a manager should personally manage to motivate employees. Mary Parker Follett   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concerned that Taylor ignored the human side of the organization Suggested workers help in analyzing their jobs lf workers have relevant knowledge of the task, then they should control the task. MANAGEMENT SCIENCE THEORY An approach to management that uses rigorous quantitative techniques to maximize the use of organizational resources. Quantitative management utilizes linear programming, modeling, simulation systems and chaos theory. Operations management -techniques used to analyze all aspects of the production system Management Information Systems (MIS) provides information vital for effective decision making. Total Quality Management (TQM) -focuses on analyzing input, conversion, and output activities to increase product quality. ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THEORY The set of forces and conditions that operate beyond an organizations boundaries but affect a managers ability to acquire and utilize resources Open System A system that takes resources for its external environment and converts them into goods and services that are then sent back to that environment for purchase by customers. There is no one best way to organize The idea that the organizational structures and control systems manager choose depend on-are contingent on-characteristics of the external environment in which the organization operates. What is management? The term management encompasses an array of different functions undertaken to accomplish a task successfully. In the simplest of terms, management is all about getting things done. However, it is the way and the process of how one achieves ones target or goals and it is in this respect that management is considered an art and a science as well. The term management may be recently defined, but it existed at a time when men started learning the art of organizing, strategizing (during wars) and/or simply planning. At the core of it, management was quintessentially considered as an art of managing men and hence the term manage-men-T. Management is like investment. Managers have resources to invest their time, talent and, possibly, human resources. The goal (function) of management is to get the best return on such resources by getting things done efficiently. This doesnt imply being mechanical or narrowly controlling as some writers on management suggest. The managers style is a personal or situational matter and it has evolved over time. With highly skilled and self-motivated knowledge workers, the manager must be very empowering. Where the workforce is less skilled or not very motivated, the manager may need to monitor output more closely. Skilled managers know how flex their style, coach and motivate diverse employees. Getting things done through people is what they do. By saying that management is a function, not a type of person or role, we can better account for self-managed work teams where no one is in charge In a self-managed team, management is a group effort with no one being the designated managerAnd much later, management scholar, Peter Drucker (1993) defined management as Supplying knowledge to find out how existing knowledge can best be applied to produce results is, in effect, what we mean by management. But knowledge is now also being applied systematically and purposefully to determine what new knowledge is needed, whether it is feasible, and what has to be done to make knowledge effective. It is being applied, in other words, to systematic innovation. (Drucker, 1993) Today the importance of management from an organizations point of view has increased multi-fold. It is only through effective management that companies are developing and executing their businesss policies and strategies to maximize their profits and provide with the best of products and services. Management today combines creative, business, organizational, analytical and other skills to produce effective goal-oriented results! Some of the key functions in management includes learning to delegate, planning and organizing, communicating clearly, controlling situations, motivating employees, adapting to change, constantly innovating and thinking of new ideas, building a good team and delivering results which are not just figure -bound but results that also focus on overall growth and development. Management focuses on the entire organization from both a short and a long-term perspective. Management is the managerial process of forming a strategic vision, setting objectives, crafting a strategy and then implementing and executing the strategy. A good management style is a blend of both efficiency and effectiveness. There is no point in acting efficiently if what you are doing will not have the desired effect. Management techniques can be viewed as either bottom-up, top-down, or collaborative processes. Management is an organizational function, like sales, marketing or finance. It doesnt necessarily mean managing people. We can manage ourselves or the material assigned to us at work. If you managed a project very well on your own, it would mean that you did the job in a well-organized, efficient manner, making good use of all resources at your disposal. In India, largely the top down approach is popular. In the top-down approach, the management makes the decisions, which the employees have no choice but to accept. On the other hand, in the bottom-up approach, employees submit proposals to their managers who, in turn, funnel the best ideas further up the organization. However the bottom up approach is not a very popular approach in India as most of the Indian businesses are family run businesses. Management as art scientific principles and theories will be able to implemented in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own knowledge of a situation, rather than generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, as a contrast to the example given previously, a manager who has a problem with an employees poor work performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgment when addressing this issue. Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending on the context of the problem. Henry Mintzberg is probably the most well-known and prominent advocate of the school of thought that management is an art. Mintzberg is an academic researcher whose work capturing the actual daily tasks of real managers was ground breaking research for its time. Mintzberg, through his observation of actual managers in their daily work, determined that managers did not sit at their desks, thinking, evaluating, and deciding all day long, working for long, uninterrupted time periods. Rather, Mintzberg determined that mangers engaged in very fragmented work, with constant interruptions and rare opportunities to quietly consider managerial issues. Thus, Mintzberg revolutionized thinking about managers at the time that his work was published, challenging the prior notion that managers behaved rationally and methodically. This was in line with the perspective of management as an art, because it indicated that managers did not necessarily have routine behaviors throughout their days, but ins tead used their own social and political skills to solve problems that arose throughout the course of work. Another scholar that promoted the notion of management as an art was David E. Lilienthal, who in 1967 had his series of lectures titled Management: A Humanist Art published. In this set of published lectures, Lilienthal argues that management requires more than a mastery of techniques and skills; instead, it also requires that managers understand individuals and their motivations and help them achieve their goals. Lilienthal believed that combining management and leadership into practice, by not only getting work done but understanding the meaning behind the work, as effective managerial behavior. Thus, he promoted the idea of the manager as a motivator and facilitator of others. This manager as an artist was likely to respond differently to each employee and situation, rather than use a prescribed set of responses dictated by set of known guidelines. Another proponent of the management as art school of thought is Peter Drucker, famed management scholar who is best known for developing ideas related to total quality management. Drucker terms management a liberal art, claiming that it is such because it deals with the fundamentals of knowledge, wisdom, and leadership, but because it is also concerned with practice and application. Drucker argues that the discipline (i.e., the science) of management attempts to create a paradigm for managers, in which facts are established, and exceptions to these facts are ignored as anomalies. He is critical of the assumptions that make up the management paradigm, because these assumptions change over time as society and the business environment change. Thus, management is more of an art, because scientific facts do not remain stable over time. Managing is one of the most important human activities. From the time human beings began forming social organizations to accomplish aims and objectives they could not accomplish as individuals, managing has been   essential to ensure the coordination of individual efforts. As society continuously relied on group effort, and as many organized groups have become large, the task of managers has been increasing in importance and complexity. Definition: Management is the art, or science, of achieving goals through people. Since managers also supervise, management can be interpreted to mean literally looking over i.e., making sure people do what they are supposed to do. Managers are, therefore, expected to ensure greater productivity or, using the current jargon, continuous improvement. Management is not easy. It is not an exact science. In fact, it is seen as an art that people master with experience. Managing your businesss most vital assets is too important to leave to chance.People who believe management is an art are likely to believe that there is no specific way to teach or understand management, and that it is a skill borne of personality and ability. Those who believe in management as an art are likely to believe that certain people are more predisposed to be effective managers than are others, and that some people cannot be taught to be effective managers. That is, even with an understanding of management research and an education in management, some people will not be capable of being effective practicing managers. Practicing managers who believe in management as an art are unlikely to believe that scientific principles and theories will be able to implemented in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own knowledge of a situation, rather than generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, a manager who has a problem with an employees poor work performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgment when addressing this issue. Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending on the context of the problem. The perspective of management as an art assumes to some extent that a manager has a disposition or experiences that guide him or her in managerial decisions and activities. Thus, with this perspective, many managers may be successful without any formal education or training in management. While formal management education may promote management as a science,many development efforts support the notion of management as an art. To cultivate management talent, organizations offer mentoring, overseas experiences, and job rotation. These activities allow managers to gain greater social and political insight and thus rely on their own judgment and abilities to improve their management style. Much of mentoring involves behavior modeling, in which a protà ©gà © may learn nuances of managerial behavior rather than a set of specific guidelines for managing. Overseas experiences are likely to involve a great deal of manager adaptation, and the general rules by which a manager might operate in one culture are likely to change when managing workers in other countries. Finally, job rotation is a technique that requires a manager to work in a variety of settings. Again, this encourages a manager to be flexible and adaptive, and likely rely more on his or her personal skill in manag ing. Management actually more of art than science. A huge part of Management is leadership, and no matter how many books and courses you take on the subject, if you dont have it in you, then the best you can be is a poor manager. On the flip side, a manager, even with the right innate skills, can make a lot of obvious mistakes if he didnt study well.   Management as science Science can be defined as any skill or technique that reflects a precise application of facts or a principle.. In practice, management as a science would indicate that managers use a specific body of information and facts to guide their behaviors, and that management as an art requires only skill and no specific body of knowledge,. Management Science deals with development and application of the concepts and models in case of any issues and solves managerial problems. The models are usually represented mathematically, but sometimes a few other methods such as computer-based, visual or verbal representations are also used. Believers of management being a discipline of science believe that there are ideal managerial practices available for certain situations. A manager who believes in the scientific principles, when encounters a managerial dilemma has got the view that there must be a rational and objective way to determine the correct course of action. It is possible that the manager will adopt the general principles and theories and also by creating and testing hypotheses. For example, when the employees performance is poor then the manager assumes that certain principles will work in most situations and reacts accordingly to the issue. The concept may be something learnt from a business school or through any f ormal means of training that the person might not consider other factors such as the political and social factors involved in the situation. Many early management researchers opined that managers are like scientists. The first theory that served subscribed to the vision of managers as scientists. The scientific management movement was the primary driver of this perspective. Scientific management, by Frederick W. Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and others tried to discover the one best way to perform jobs. The theory was published in Taylors monographs, Shop Management (1905)] and The Principles of Scientific Management (1911).The main aim was to bring in a theory to evaluate and organize work in order to get the optimum efficiency and effectiveness. The pig iron is the best illustrative of the scientific management theory. The load was split into lots weighing 92 pounds each, known as the pig. On an average 12.5 tons were loaded onto the rail cars by the workers but Taylor believed that it could be increased to 47 or 48 tons per day and as he had believed it completely worked. The following result was achieved by Matching the skill sets of the workers with that of the task that is required to do. Clear instructions are being provided for the workers on how to perform each of the tasks and it was ensured that the the instructions were being followed. Equal division of labour between the workers and the management. The employees were then motivated by providing them with a significantly higher daily wage. It was believed that the shop floor by 200% through the following principle. The theory of scientific management was adopted throughout the world including France, Russia and Japan. McDonalds has been successfully adopt the principles of Scientific Management into its system in the areas of bonus systems, the mutual understandings with the workers and systematic training provided The theory completely created a paradigm shift in the understanding the psychology of workers thus reducing the efficiencies to a very large level. Management, like other sciences has its own principles, laws, generalization which is universal in nature and can be applied to various situations. But management could not be treated in the same way as the other sciences are being treated, the sole reason being that management deals with people and it is very difficult to predict human behaviour accurately. Therefore, it can be said that management falls under the category of Social Sciences. Management has taken a giant leap in this century. Many are of the misconception that the scientific method will provide solutions to all problems but managers must understand that they must contend with the uncertainties that cannot be removed by the scientific endeavour. With the era being an era of science and technology, it is quintessential that we understand their importance. It is inevitable that every business involves some amount of scientific and technological systems. Management is a science as the scientific principles and rules (such as Taylors theory of scientific management and Webers conception of social and economic organization) that have been devised can be applied for improving productivity. Management as technology What is managementWhat is technologyAre these two related somewayIs technology good or bad These are some basic questions that we shall try to answer to understand this concept of management as technology Technology is the scientific methodology and the materials used to achieve certain goal or solve a particular problem. Management is the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people. In laymans words, Management is to manage the man, money machine and technology helps in better management In todays world everybody is using technology in some way or the other whether knowingly or inadvertently. Technology is everywhere around us; in our homes, in our offices etc. The role of technology becomes even more important when it comes to the application of various functions of management. Todays business scenario is extremely fast, dynamic and full of uncertainties. Todays managers cannot afford to waste time on getting information ,then analysing it, then concluding results out of that raw information and then executing plans .Thus .here comes technology to his rescue. Technology makes it faster, far more efficient and easy for the managers to get results out of pieces of information and then formulate and execute plans and in turn generate profits for the business. But the question is How does technology do it and what technologies are available? A lot of technologies are available today to help out managers to take fast and effective decisions as well as expand their businesses. With the help of technology various software tools have been designed to manage all types of help desk customer service related tasks. It allows you to centrally record, track, update proactively manage customer service CRM related tasks, issues projects by allowing you to create, customize and automate workflows processes. Technology is designed to create, optimize automate business process based upon the customers requirement. It delivers complete transparency control to manage different workflows approvals for all types business enterprises. Technology allows organizations to proactively manage issues. Technology provides simple, easy to use, customizable web-based business management tools.   Technology management can also be defined as the integrated planning, design, optimization, operation and control of technological products processes and services, a better definition would be the management of the use of technology for human advantage. Today technology is used in every section of management whether it is marketing management, production operation management, human resource management, finance management or systems management. Project management is also the important part of technology management. Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.   The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honoring the preconceived project constraints. Typical constraints are scope, time, and budget. The secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation and integration of inputs necessary to meet the pre-defined objectives. Some tools that are used in the Organizations are :- Online business networking Networking is a marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people. Businesses are increasingly using business social networks as a means of growing their circle of business contacts and promoting themselves online. In general these networking tools allow professionals to build up their circle of business partners they trust. By connecting these business partners the networking tools allow individuals to search for certain people within their network. Since businesses are expanding globally, social networks make it easier to keep in touch with other contacts around the world. Specific cross-border e-commerce platforms and business partnering networks now make globalization accessible also for small and medium sized companies. Social networking websites like LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com are some technologies that help businessmen meet each other online and remain in contact from any part of the world. Sharing of ideas and thoughts Blogs and certain websites like Twitter.com etc are some technologies which provide a platform where people can share their thoughts and present their opinions. Database management and data mining Today no longer we need any books etc to maintain data and records because today we have online database management systems which not only record our data but we can also query out information very fast and effectively. Data mining is the process of retrieving useful patterns out of data stored in the data warehouses which helps managers to analyze data and take quick decisions from the patterns. ERP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an integrated computer-based system used to manage internal and external resources, including tangible assets, financial resources, materials, and human resources. It is a software architecture whose purpose is to facilitate the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders. Built on a centralized database and normally utilizing a common computing platform, ERP systems consolidate all business operations into a uniform and enterprise-wide system environment. In the absence of an ERP system, a large manufacturer may find itself with many software applications that cannot communicate or interface effectively with one another. ERP systems connect the necessary software in order for accurate forecasting to be done. This allows inventory levels to be kept at maximum efficiency and the company to be more profitable. Integration among different functional areas to ensure proper communication, productivity and efficiency Design engineering (how to best make the product) Order tracking, from acceptance through fulfillment etc. Thus, we just now learnt about some technologies that the managers have at their disposal to help them out perform critical managerial functions. So, now we can certainly say that yes management and technology go hand in hand and without technology, management would become too difficult. Modern Management Theories and Practices Management thought has been evolving and redefining itself . There have been three phases of development during the process The Classical Approach, The Human Relations Approach and the contemporary approaches. The classical approach just emphasized the importance of production and administration process within the organization. The Human Relations Approach elucidated the importance of maintain human relations and thus adhering to sound practices in order to achieve the harmony. The contempropry approaches laid importance on the social systems, the decision making process and the application of quantitative methods. These are often grouped together as modern approaches. The classical management approach, developed during the Industrial Revolution, suggested the development of standard methods for doing jobs and the people were trained and they worked like machines. Every person had his own specialized work and he had to do it. This approach accentuated the work element and did not see the workers as human beings but machines. As management became more sophisticated, there was a shift from the era of production or the stress on production to punctuation on human relations. The Hawthrone experiments clearly indicated that apart from the working conditions and the physiological state of the workers, there were other factors influencing the productivity. George L. Mayo postulated these factors as social and psychological in nature. Recent Developments in Management Theory The recent developments in the management theory have been the Systems Approach, Situational or Contingency theory, Chaos theory, and Team Building theory. The Systems Theory: A system is looked at as having inputs (e.g., raw materials, funds, and human resource), processes (e.g., planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling), outputs (products or services) and outcomes (e.g., enhanced quality of life or productivity for customers/clients, productivity). According to this approach, the four aspects of the system is inter connected and this can be used to determine patterns and events. The Situational or Contingency Theory: This theory postulates that all aspects of the situations must be taken into account when managers make a decision. For e.g. if one is leading a military troop, then an autocratic style or a bureaucratic style must probably be adopted, whereas in the case of a medical facility, a more participative and facilitative leadership style will be more suitable. The Chaos Theory: This theory suggests that systems naturally tend to go complex and hence will lead to more volatility and instability. Thus inorder to maintain a balance, it is important to exert more energy. This trend continues until the system splits and falls apart entirely. Manager must be able to effectively scrutinize and take care so that mishaps dont happen. The Team Building approach: This theory postulates that team building is the essence of providing quality circles, best practices, and continuous improvement within the organization. This theory also elucidates that the reduction of levels of hierarchy or flattening of the system will bring in more effectiveness. Consensus management is the essence of the theory that is involving more people at all levels in the process of decision-making. MODERN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES The basis of Modern Management Practices are based on Leadership and Commitment, Business Planning and Risk Management, Control Systems, Performance Management, Accountability Management Leadership and Commitment: Open-door management style, strong management board, good relationship with staff, importance in the area of values and ethics are all the prerequisites of Modern management. The Senior Financial Officer and the staff play a strong leadership role in the organization and participate in all major business decisions. Business Planning and Risk Management Strong linkage exists between business planning and management accountability agreements. This is achieved by setting well defined the corporate strategies and priorities.

Capital Punishment: Costs Of The Death Penalty Essay -- essays researc

Capital Punishment: Costs of The Death Penalty Let us suppose that killing as a form of punishment is a moral and universally accepted practice. Would it then be acceptable to issue this irreparable sanction to a select few while allowing others, equally accountable, to avoid it? It is acceptable to our criminal justice system for it seems to be standard operating procedure. Many embrace the death penalty based on the "eye for an eye" concept. There is certainly some merit to this argument and it seems quite fair and logical. Unfortunately our use of the death penalty is neither fair nor logical. Our criminal justice system's "lip service" to the age-old concept is an insulting disguise for such an obscurity of fairness and logic. The death penalty is frivolous and discriminatory in its procedure because of the unreasonable prices we pay to execute certain groups at much higher rates than others. We pay different prices for using a death penalty. Sadly, today more than ever, the dollar seems to be the endlessly interchangeable standard of value. We strive to make money, save money and when we spend money we do so with a valued return in mind. Accordingly, a popular argument contends that we spend too much money incarcerating prisoners for life. We probably do but the price tag on issuing a death sentence according to a Florida study is $3.1 million compared to $1 million for a life sentence; a 3100% difference (Walker 1994, 108). Imagine your death bein...

Pope Urban Ii and the First Crusade

Pope Urban II’s decision to launch the First Crusades altered Medieval Europe politically, socially, and economically. The Pope stressed the religious and economic importance of the Eastern churches and Jerusalem that had both been taken over by Muslim Turks. Previously Vikings and Muslims had been attempting to invade most Western European countries and were troubling them but were soon defeated. All across Europe countries were economically recovering and looking for ways to expand. With the growth of people entering the Catholic Church many people were looking for ways to honor God.Then Pope Urban II announced a Crusade and many countries were eager to assist in his religious mission into the East. Pope Urban II’s motive to launch The First Crusade in 1096 A. D. was to recover the many Eastern churches that had been conquered by the Muslim Turks and with the land they reclaimed they would create a Christian State in Jerusalem for Christians to control. The soldiers w ere extremely passionate about the battle; they created the symbol of a cross with any red material they could find and sewed it onto their armor.The red cross became the unofficial symbol for the crusades and was worn by nearly every soldier in the army. The war was called the Crusade, because the word crusade is derived from the Latin word crux which means cross. Until 1065 Christians were granted safe travel to Jerusalem which was controlled by the Saracens but the Muslim Turks defeated them and took control of The Holy Land. The Holy Land, which is called Jerusalem was where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the grave and is the most sacred of places for all Christians.The Saracens were another group of Muslims but were rivals with the Turks. When the Turks took control of Jerusalem they massacred 3,000 Christians that were in the city at the time and tortured all the other Christians that were left. This alarmed the Pope and he realized that the Christians needed to co ntrol the Holy Land for themselves. At the beginning of Pope Urban II’s campaign into the East he declared the importance of creating a Christian State in the Holy Land. Not allowing Christians to enter the Jerusalem startled the Pope and the battle for its recovery was important to everybody within the church.The Crusaders were facing an uphill battle in taking on the Turks. The Turks would be fighting on their own land and knew the geography of the land as opposed to the Crusaders who were traveling into unknown territory. Pope Urban II was widely encouraged to lead the Crusades himself but decided he was not fit to lead an army into battle. Seeing no one capable of controlling so much power and men, knights just followed their local overlords into battle. The Pope appointed a Bishop named Adhemar to keep the overlords working together in their conquest into the East.Many people believed that because of the lack of unified leadership there would be problems with authority t hat would lead to ultimate failure but Adhemar did his job of keeping peace between the overlords. Another reason many believed The Crusaders would fail is that Europe’s economy was just recovering from years of battles compared to the wealthy and stable trading economy of Turks. Like all wars, it would cost Europe a lot of money. They would need to be able to feed their soldiers, supply them with armor and weapons, and pay them when they return.With Europe’s economy growing it was narrowly able to sustain a war but compared to the Turks they were at a significant disadvantage. Because of their central location in the ancient world the Turks were very successful in trading between Asia and Eastern Europe. The Turks were overconfident of their dominance in battle. They had recently expanded their territory and maintained a strong military and were used to the varied conditions of Eastern Europe. The Crusaders had to march across mountains and plains under the harsh sun. The Turks were surprised with the ferocity and dedication of the Crusaders. Because of this they were defeated to the surprise of people around Europe. Many believed that God had won the battle for them in the face of adversity. At the beginning of the war many countries across Europe revised their taxing system to make sure they did not fall short during the war. All countries raised their taxes to accommodate the cost of war and that made the people in Europe worry if they would survive it throughout the war.When countries interact with each other, the trading of goods usually takes place. The Byzantine Empire consistently exchanged currency with the soldiers of the many European countries fighting in the war. Disagreements about the ratio of trading currencies arose many times during the First Crusade. The French believed they were unfairly being treated for the amount that their currency was being traded for. This began the first legislation between the two countries declaring t he value of French currency.Jerusalem was very successful in the early years of its independence. They maintained close economic and political ties to all the European countries that liberated them and provided them with an outlet into the rest of the ancient world. It was a very popular destination for religious tourism after thirty four years of not allowing anyone into the Holy Land. Many countries benefited from the creation of the Christian State that had very close political and economic ties to Europe.Jerusalem and the Byzantine Empire became very popular trading centers between many European countries and the unknown goods of the East. Foreign spices, paper, and alternate currencies began arriving in Europe for the masses because of the strategic location along Eastern trade routes. Luxurious textiles became common for many Europeans with imports from the far reaches of Asia. This created a new market for foreign goods from all over the world that had never been seen in Euro pe before.Jerusalem became the link between the East and Europe bringing in a new era of goods from foreign lands. It also became the religious center for the world and was very successful. In 1099 the Pope passed away shortly before the Crusaders returned to France to celebrate their victory. His death was followed by a very successful time in Europe when the economy was flourishing around the world. Jerusalem became the longest standing Crusader State until it fell in 1291 when the Muslim Turks recovered and reclaimed the land they believed was theirs.

Investigate differing learning styles of an AVCE second year student group Essay

1. Abstract This report investigates differing learning styles of an AVCE second year student group. Firstly the report provides a critical account of the context of the course; it’s provision and relevant information about the learners and how some aspects of learning theory can be applied within the delivery of the Project Management module. Taking into account the theoretical issues a scheme of work, lesson plans and teaching material was prepared for the project management module, which I am unit leader for next semester. The second part of the report provides a critical review of the scheme of work and lesson plans and justifies the learning strategies used. It explains how individual needs and support issues have been addressed and considered when planning and delivering a lesson. The report concludes with an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the sessions. 2. Table of Contents 1. Abstract 1 2. Table of Contents 2 3. Terms of Reference 3 4. Understanding and Managing the Learning Process 4 4.1 Introduction 4 4.2 Factors influencing the ability and desire to learn 4 4.2.1 The Course Provision and Group Members 4 4.3 Theories of Learning 5 4.4 Relevance of Bloom’s Classification of the cognitive domain within the learning process of AVCE students 7 4.5 Aims, objectives and outcomes of the scheme of work, lesson plans and learning materials in relation to the cognitive learning taxonomy 10 4.6 Teaching and learning strategies deployed in the development of the project management unit 12 4.7 The importance of language, literacy and numeracy 13 4.8 Evaluation of teaching and learning strategies 13 4.9 Evaluation of learning materials used 14 4.10 Evaluation of Student Learning 14 4.11 Strengths and weaknesses of the sessions 15 5. References 16 6. Bibliography 17 Appendix A Scheme Of Work†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..18 Appendix B Lesson Plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.19 Appendix C Teaching materials†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..21 Appendix D Presentation Slides †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..22 3. Terms of Reference This report is intended to satisfy the requirements of an assignment that has been set as part of an In-Service PGCE in Education. A group of learners will be selected that I am currently teaching and relevant information about these learners will be provided along with some of the factors influencing (positively or negatively) their learning. An account will be given of the main features of one or more theories of learning, which seem to you to be relevant to these learners. As a result a scheme of work and lesson plans will be prepared and delivered. The report will conclude with an evaluation of the scheme of work and lesson plans and how the experience will affect future practice. 4. Understanding and Managing the Learning Process 4.1 Introduction Understanding and managing the learning process is key to enhancing the teaching and learning experience. In order to achieve this goal research was undertaken into relevant learning theories and factors that influenced the ability and desire to learn. The knowledge gained was then applied to the planning and delivery of curriculum to students enrolled on the Advanced Vocational Certificate in Education (AVCE) at Wakefield College studying. The report includes a critical review of the scheme of work, lesson plans and learning materials designed to meet the learning objectives and outcomes of the course. 4.2 Factors influencing the ability and desire to learn Some of the factors that influence the ability and the desire to learn of a group of students on the second year of an AVCE in ICT at Wakefield College have been examined in order that the learning process can be understood and therefore more effectively managed. 4.2.1 The Course Provision and Group Members The Project Management module is one of 12 units that are studied as part of the AVCE for students at Wakefield College. Students on the course are aged between 17 to 19 and most have achieved GCSE results at mainly Grade D and Grade E. The group of consists of 14 students and of these a cross section were selected to discuss their aspirations and motivations. To keep the identities of the following students confidential, students have been addressed A to E respectively: Student A came into the college with poor GCSE results and had to complete the foundation course before undertaking the GNVQ Intermediate in IT. During this time she was diagnosed dyslexic and since has received support for exams and her dyslexia tendencies are taken into account during delivery on the units. She contributes well verbally in group discussions, however she is always reluctant to type or write down information whilst being observed by other students or class tutor. Her motivation to succeed is exceptional which has led to outstanding achievements on her first year of AVCE. She has applied for IT courses at several universities and now awaiting offers. She is employed part time at a local solicitor’s and has been offered sponsorship to continue to study for a degree in computing. Student B is a close friend of Student A and also completed a GNVQ Intermediate in IT with above average grades, he now wishes to eventually obtain a degree in a computer related subject by studying for his HND in Computing at Wakefield and then topping up to the Sunderland University BSC in Computing. His preference is to complete a good proportion of work at home, which he does to a high standard, however this often leads to him distracting other members of the group during class time. This impacts on other students who do not have the commitment to work at home for example student C. Student C again started at Intermediate level and achieved adequate grades, however his levels of concentration are poor, he is easily distracted and he often fails to complete his work. This is a concern as he is planning to progress onto the HND Computing course and will need to prove that he has the motivation and the ability to cope with the workload. He has worked part time in the computing section of Staples and shows a good understanding of hardware issues but struggles with the application side of computing and completing course work. He appears to be more ‘hands on’ student rather than academic. Student D has chosen to do a computer related course to increase his prospects of employment in the computing field. He intends to continue his studies at Wakefield College in order to achieve a BSC in computing. Although not academically brilliant he is a very conscientious and independent worker who tries exceptionally hard to succeed and consequently achieves good grades. He work part time as a window cleaner. Student E is the girlfriend of Student D and initially chose to do a computer related course to increase her prospects of employment and has no intention of progressing to University. The fact that she receives Education Maintenance Award (EMA) is the key motivation for attending the course and she gives the impression that doing this course is better than doing nothing. She lacks enthusiasm for the subject matter and at times the only thing that keeps her on track is the help and support she receives from her boyfriend. 4.3 Theories of Learning Evidence suggests there are many theories of learning often one theory contradicting another, this is substantiated by Reece (2000, p.69) who claims â€Å"that for every piece of research that tells us to do something a particular way, there is another piece that suggests, not necessarily the opposite, but a different way†. This report concentrates on some theories on learning styles and learning taxonomies and how these can be applied to understanding and managing the learning process of a group of AVCE students. 4.3.1 Learning Styles There is strong evidence to suggest that students learn in several different ways and planning to deliver curriculum to the AVCE group must consider the four main learning styles identified by Honey and Mumford (1986): Activists – enjoy the present, like the immediate experience and respond to short-term issues. Reflectors – prefer to think about things and explore all aspects before coming to a conclusion. Theorists – like principles, theories, models and systems. Logic rules! Pragmatists – look for new ideas and are keen to experiment. The choice of learning strategies will therefore determine how much a student is motivated and a key aim must be to offer all learning styles some element within the lesson that enhances there learning experience. 4.3.2 Learning Taxonomies In addition to the recognised learning styles, learning can be separated into three main domains, psychomotor, cognitive and affective domains. Within each of these domains there are specific levels identified by Honey and Mumford, Bloom and Kolb amongst others. Taxonomies usually refer to the classification of life into similar groups, but for the purposes of Bloom, a taxonomy was described by McLeod (p. 1029) as: â€Å"†¦the science or practice of classification.† Cognitive Domain The Cognitive domain looks at the intellectual skills and abilities, considering knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation with knowledge being the easiest level. The cognitive domain suggests that knowledge allows someone to state something. Moving sequentially through each stage to higher levels, allows a student to learn the full range of cognitive skills i.e. to explain, apply, differentiate between, summarise and evaluate. Petty (1998, p.347) states that it is important to â€Å"†¦include the higher-order objectives in your teaching or these skills will not be developed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Simply gaining knowledge is the first stage of learning and is the building block for the higher cognitive levels, which without such could not be reached. Encouraging the student to comprehend, apply and evaluate, enhances their learning process. For example, a student may know what a mathematical formulae is, understand that it can be used to solve some mathematical problem, but may be unable to apply it and derive an answer. Affective Domain The Affective domain is concerned with attitudes and deal with feelings and emotions. Petty (1998) suggested that this means a student has the social skills, is able to listen to, be aware of, or is able to appreciate something. Psychomotor Domain The Psychomotor domain focuses on a student’s dexterity, and is predominately physical tasks that need practice. It is similar to the cognitive domain in that it progresses from the simple to the complex where physical skills are concerned. Although all three domains could be considered appropriate to the teaching and learning experience of the AVCE group, Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain has been identified as the most relevant to the AVCE group and the theory has been studied in much greater detail and then applied to the case study. 4.4 Relevance of Bloom’s Classification of the cognitive domain within the learning process of AVCE students Bloom defined the following areas in his classification of the cognitive domain, as knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Knowledge is the ability of a student or person to be able to recall and recognise information. Child (1993) proposed that someone couldn’t operate cognitively without a basic amount of knowledge. The AVCE students have demonstrated that they have a certain level of knowledge by being accepted on to the second year of the course. Some students have more knowledge than others, which is likely due to a greater degree of application on the first year and the motivation to work at home. Some of the students appear to have a slightly wider experience of relevant computing knowledge and are able to recall and recognise information more readily. Student C who is easily distracted and often fails to complete his work does show he has quite extensive knowledge in specific IT areas that are related to his work at Staples where he deals with the computing hardware side. Comprehension is the ability to illustrate, explain or describe the reasons for something. This area of understanding can be fairly basic. All the students have a generally equal level of comprehension in the subject areas, although Student A has more difficulty explaining reasons in written report format or under exam conditions. Application is the ability to take the knowledge and comprehension of something and to utilise this in new situations. Using the mathematical formula example, knowledge is where a student is aware of or knows the formula, comprehension is the understanding that the formula can be used to solve a particular problem and application is having the ability to use the formula to actually solve it. There was evidence of prior learning being applied to a new situation whereby the knowledge gained when produced a user manual for a spreadsheet unit was applied to producing a user manual for the database unit. Also Students explained that the group work undertaken in the multi media unit was a good way of pooling knowledge and comprehension. Consequently, the project management unit I am leading will include a group project to develop a web site. The intention is to team those students who demonstrate good organisational skills with those who show an aptitude for graphical design. Group work has shown that the knowledge, comprehension and application of a group can be higher than the individuals themselves would achieve, as not everyone is a specialist in every field. Analysis is the breaking down of something into its component parts, differentiating between similar items and the ability to compare and contrast. All the students interviewed for this report were able to use the knowledge and comprehension of information they have been given and apply this to new situations. Synthesis is the ability to take the component parts and either rearrange or combine them to form a new or different whole. A particularly relevant example of analysis and synthesis is demonstrated when considering the rescheduling of tasks when a crisis situation arises during the project lifecycle. The project manager can study the critical path of the project and determine where resources can be reallocated or extra resources brought in order to ensure that the project is still delivered on time and to specification. The project plan can then be updated to produce a new schedule, which does not necessarily look like, or work in the same way as, the original. In the Project Management unit they are able to look at the scheduling of other Project plans prior to producing their coursework assignment. Synthesis will then allow them to take individual processes from this analysis and combine them as they investigate a business problem and produce a Project Management solution. For the second semester unit students will be shown how to create a project plan for the websites development, and will gain an understanding of the importance of scheduling and resource allocation. Evaluation requires judgements to be made as to what elements of the project went to plan and what lessons can be learned from the overall project experience. For example, the project manager will evaluate the finished product after implementation. This allows them to see if future projects can be managed more effectively and efficiently. Using the Project Management unit as an example, once the project plan is implemented, an evaluation of the project will allow the students to check if the product they have designed was produced as planned, to specification, within budget and timescale. Word Count 2083 4.5 Aims, objectives and outcomes of the scheme of work, lesson plans and learning materials in relation to the cognitive learning taxonomy The evidence gained during the research and interviews carried out facilitated the production of scheme of work, (Appendix A) lesson plans, (Appendix B) and learning materials (Appendix C) for the Project Management unit. The scheme of work identifies how each session builds on the previous session and each lesson plan shows evidence of how Bloom’s taxonomies has been incorporated into the learning process. The aim and objectives of the unit were to outline how to produce a project plan prior to the student producing their own project plan for the web development. Knowledge – All lecture topics have been developed on the basis that students have no prior knowledge of each stage of project management. The only assumption was the students had completed the tasks in the preceding practical session, however, not having completed the tasks should not interfere with their learning of the lecture topic. The scheme of work has been written in a way that does not penalise a student for not having grasped any particular fragment of the course, being as it is, modular in design. Each lecture consists of a PowerPoint presentation followed by a brief demonstration on the interactive whiteboard. Each week previous learning is checked prior to and often during the lecture to check the learning. building upon the week before with the subject matter progressively gaining in complexity. Comprehension – All the students will be encouraged to ask questions at any point during the presentation/demonstration if they require additional clarification. The intention is to check their comprehension by asking if they can provide examples to justify a point made and then opening up discussion to the whole group. Application – Knowledge and Comprehension will be combined when attempting the task sheets written to accompany each week’s lecture topic. These sheets are not handouts in the usual sense, each one consisting not of information for a student to refer to at a later date, but tasks that will facilitate their learning. The tasks cater for individual interpretation of the problem statements, allowing each student to develop the subject matter with their knowledge and understanding. Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation – Students will be actively encouraged to explore alternative project management software, breaking each one down into specific functions and comparing and contrasting how well they facilitate the task of managing a project and the application limitations. There will be a requirement to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the application. 4.6 Teaching and learning strategies deployed in the development of the project management unit The project management unit was designed in line with the cognitive taxonomy described earlier. Lectures/Group discussions Students are given lectures whereby information is presented from which knowledge and comprehensive can be gained by interaction in group discussion. For Student A and Student B asking questions and providing answers to questions comes naturally as they are both confident members of the group. However Student D is a very quiet member and through a basic lack of confidence always appears reluctant to come forward therefore subtle probing is required to check his learning and ensure that he has fully understood the subject matter. One to one tuition Although Student C is usually willing to interact if directly questioned often, one to one tuition is needed as due to his lack of concentration he often lags behind the rest of the group and needs more thorough recapping of prior sessions. Whilst Student E often shows little interest in group discussions she will ask later in the practical session if she has not understood a certain element. Tasks In order to encourage students to apply knowledge and comprehension to a new situation the scheme of work includes a simple task to plan a birthday celebration and consider all the tasks involved, and the sequence with which they undertook the tasks and who would be responsible for each task. Students were then given the opportunity to apply this knowledge by completing the task sheets. Demonstration In the later weeks once the basic project management principles have been taught then students progress to using the project management software at this point demonstrations are included in the lesson plan to illustrate the use of the features of the project management tool. Students are at this point encouraged to part take in these demonstrations. One of the main problems is that students progress at varying rates throughout the unit and to ensure that this issue is addressed I have built in further complexity to stretch the more able student by for example introducing more complex scheduling and updating techniques within the project plans. This provides an opportunity for the tutor to concentrate on an individual group member without restricting the progress of others, meaning that all students will be able to feel that they have accomplished something of value in each session. However, the scheme of work does progress through a logical pattern. For example, the principles of project management precede the creation of a project plan. The students will then learn topics of progressive complexity before creating a project plan for a commercially acceptable web site. 4.7 The importance of language, literacy and numeracy In today’s environment where employers are increasingly looking graduates that possess good communication and numeracy skills it is important that these elements of teaching and learning are incorporated into lesson plans and schemes of work. Presentation skills are developed within the project management unit as students are required to present their website to their client in a professional manner by the use of a PowerPoint presentation. Report writing skills are developed, as the assignment brief requires students to produce their evidence in report format. Students are encouraged to communicate both verbally in group discussions and by written communication in the form of agendas and minutes of meeting they have held within their group and with their client. Student A who is dyslexic is supported by proof reading her assignment work prior to submission and understanding her anxieties about being watched whilst keying in information. The application of numbers within the project management unit is limited to calculating the estimated duration of a task using the Program Evaluation Review Technique, a formulae that explores the probability, i.e. optimistic duration + pessimistic duration + (3 x most likely duration) divided by 6 Other mathematical skills are using when determining the critical path of a project. 4.8 Evaluation of teaching and learning strategies Detailed study has shown that Bloom’s taxonomy is relevant to all the students I teach. In particular, recent experience teaching the AVCE group has highlighted the need for students to have both knowledge and comprehension, and in order to achieve the higher grades students must also possess the ability to apply, analyse, synthesise and evaluate. As is evident in the study, if the lower levels of learning are not achieved i.e. the knowledge and the comprehension then students will be unable to achieve the higher levels such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Although these higher levels are not often required to pass the AVCE unit there is an expectation that they will need be achieved if they progress to Higher Education (HE). Student A, Student B and Student D are already showing signs of reaching the higher cognitive levels however in the case of Student C and Student E there will be a strong need to build on their knowledge and subject understanding in order to become proficient in analysing, synthesising and, most importantly, evaluating their work to ensure that they succeed at any higher education qualifications they undertake. In conclusion the cognitive domain theory can easily applied to the development of the project management unit in order that students can learn to produce good project plans. 4.9 Evaluation of learning materials used As a result of doing this research, I now ensure that basic knowledge and understanding of subject matter is achieved by recapping both in group discussion and on a one to one basis with individual students. I also plan individual lessons in greater depth and look for new ways to break up the learning process into more manageable chunks, by using tasks sheets and group work and the requesting agendas and minutes are taken. I have explored the use of electronic tools such as Course Genie in order to provide a much interactive way of presenting information. I am now proficient at using the whiteboard and actively encourage students to use it during group discussions. In conclusion I feel that by gaining a good understanding of the individual needs of my student I can adapt lessons to suit. This is substantiated by Stephens and Roderick (1971) who state, â€Å"that a failure to select methods that are appropriate to the real needs and interests of the students will weaken their educational achievement† 4.10 Evaluation of Student Learning Assessment of student’s learning is two fold. Firstly work produced during each practical session, is checked and commented upon. Secondly more formal assessment takes place by marking the three assignments and feeding back on the PowerPoint presentation. As this is the first course for which I have been responsible for the complete management of the learning process, I am as yet unable to critically discuss the effectiveness of the strategies and materials. However, I am confident that the students will learn more effectively from this style of content delivery than they have from the previous project management material that was I asked to deliver last year delivered with the very limited material provided for me by previous unit leader. 4.11 Strengths and weaknesses of the sessions As the scheme of work and lessons are not planned to be delivered until 24 January 2005 the strengths and weaknesses cannot at this moment in time be reflected upion. 1556 5. References Child. D., (1993), Psychology and the Teacher, Casell Education Ltd, London. Curzon. 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