Article and the author analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Article and the author analysis - Essay Example The author is dexterous in exploring situations where family life is experienced. The depiction of love by the author is not overt in all situations. This means that a reader should analyze the stories comprehensively in order to comprehend the significance of life. Despite the use of other themes in the works The Wrath-Bearing Tree", and â€Å"Referred Pain by Lynne Sharon Schwartz, the theme of invisible family love stands out. In order to comprehend the theme of invisible family life, it is crucial to explore both books. In the Referred Pain, the author explores the life of Richard Koslowski who was a musician and a computer expert. The author uses the triviality of a broken tooth to develop the story whereby the protagonist is obsessed with the quest of finding a replacement that was perfect (Schwartz 75). The protagonist seeks the expertise of numerous dentists in order to fulfill his obsession. It is apparent that the obsession is spurred by the determination of the protagonis t to rid himself of a mysterious pain. The protagonist later realizes that it is not the tooth that if fractured but rather his life. The suffering of the protagonist due to his experiences of his family and this affect his current relationships (Kates 211). It is evident that the theme of invisible family life is consistent in the other stories including hostages to fortune where a couple bickers constantly over imaginary children. In order to comprehend the theme of invisible love in the book, it is crucial to explore the examples provided by the author in the book. In the book The Wrath-Bearing Tree, there are some consistencies with the aforementioned book. This is evident in the information that the protagonist’s father was awaiting a critical surgery, which dictates whether he will live. The narrator and her sister are regular visitors since their father was hospitalized. These visits expose them to different characters including a dementia patient. The events make the narrator to reflect on her family. This enables the narrator to make realization of what issues affect their family relationships (Kates 213). For instance, she develops a longing to share her feelings of love with her father, but this is suppressed by the reservation in the family. During the surgery, the narrator becomes aware that some feelings will never be expressed fully. It is evident in the story that the author highlights the theme of family love. In both books, the author appears to be inclined in highlighting family love. It is evident that the events in the stories are guided by the quest of individuals to establish, manifest or experience family life. For instance, the book The Wrath-Bearing Tree, the family experiences a tragedy in that the father faces the possibility of death. The author explores the significance of love in instances when a family faces crisis (May 38). The author explores situations where families realize they have not been vocal enough about their feelings. This is consistent with the theme of invisible love where the emotion is not manifested in ways, which are visible. For instance, the narrator wishes that she could tell her father he loved her. This realization came at a time when the family was facing the possibility of losing their beloved father. It is evident that the narrator loved her father. However, she expressed this love in other ways but was never vocal about it. This is evident

Social Networking Sites Privacy does not exist anymore Essay

Social Networking Sites Privacy does not exist anymore - Essay Example The employers in some organizations monitor the postings related to the workplace that the employees post in the online forums. The employers do this in order to discipline their staff and make them abstain from any immoral behavior. It is a practice in some companies that the articles or the photographs are checked with the senior management staffs before being posted online. If after screening they are considered unfit for public sharing, then they are not put up on the social sites and other online forums. In this process, it is ensured that the company’s image and reputation are maintained while it makes promotions to fuel its performance. The negativities.The users should be cautious while putting any information on the social networking sites. Often, the employers make a detailed search for the candidate they are going to hire. Here a debate is existent about whether it is ethical to learn details about a prospective candidate by going through the profiles of the candida te on the social sites, such as the Facebook or the MySpace. However, the users should be aware of the possibility of their profiles being vied by their prospective recruiters. The contents posted online reveal lots of information about the person which a purposefully crafted resume does not contain.Besides, the employees face problems in their job front for behaving injudiciously on the online communities. In an incident, the hospital staff has been found to post obscene pictures on the social sites.... Here a debate is existent about whether it is ethical to learn details about a prospective candidate by going through the profiles of the candidate in the social sites, such as the Face book or the MySpace. However, the users should be aware of the possibility of their profiles being vied by their prospective recruiters. The contents posted online reveal lots of information about the person which a purposefully crafted resume does not contain. Besides, the employees face problems in their job front for behaving injudiciously on the online communities. In an incident the hospital staff has been found to post obscene pictures in the social sites. The management of the organization in which they worked found the incident and suspended all the employees involved in the incident. Confidentiality issues with the social networking sites Every day several news appear in the media channels revealing the unscrupulous use of the internet. The social networking sites provide the people with the opportunity of sharing the updates of their daily activities with their friends and close ones. They can upload pictures, put status updates and can comment on the posts of the other connections. This apparently is harmless and is done with the sole intention of communicating with the known people. But these on the other hand lead to misuse of the social platform. Face book and privacy issues The face book grew in popularity initially due to the privacy it offered and the professional looking visual effect (Golden, 2010). The posts made on the Face book contain various kinds of information that are visible to the contacts. The people can tag their friends on the pictures uploaded to the albums in the account. Some of these contacts are

Implications of cctv surveillance in society

Implications of cctv surveillance in society Implications of CCTV Surveillance in Society Introduction Surveillance as equated in the Oxford Dictionary; Supervision, close observation, [and] invigilation of individuals who are not trusted to work or go about unwatched (Fowler and Fowler 1964: 1302). Surveillance has become a part of society and seems to be everywhere. People are supervised by many different methods every day. Being a huge part of society, surveillance is continuously discussed in both the public and private sectors. Being such a widely debated topic in society today, the implications and complications it brings to the everyday life are only one of the main areas of focus in many discussions. This article concludes of how surveillance affect the society by looking at fewer aspects linked to surveillance. One of the reasons why surveillance causes implications in social life is because it is everywhere; the idea of surveillance is transformed from one simple idea of keeping an eye on ones not trusted to another as technology continued to develop further. When one thinks of surveillance, first thought that comes up would be CCTV (Close Circuit Television) because it is most common and well-known type of surveillance that is widely used, but surveillance goes a lot further then just CCTV. In fact, CCTV itself is a broad subject to consider for study. The following discussion is mainly based upon CCTV surveillance while taking a glance at different types of surveillance techniques and how they cause implications to social life of society CCTV Surveillance is a broad topic and CCTV is not the only surveillance that is watching over the society, other techniques such as Biometrics, Mobile Phones, and Phone tapping, Local Area Networks (LAN) and workplace surveillance also adds to the surveillance. It is believed though that it is CCTV in general that tends to concern society. This is mainly due to the number of CCTV cameras installed in town centres across the UK and the cost of having them and keeping them running, partially because the idea of being watched 24/7 leaves society a very little chance to socialize privately. In January 2000, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the expansion of CCTV network in England with the input of an enormous ÂÂ £150 million of public money (Parker, 2000). Before the expansion, there were already 1.3 million CCTV Cameras throughout the nation keeping an eye on society and public in restaurants, parks, streets, malls and other public places. Parker stated that the expansion was rising at the rate of 20% a year with the number of CCTV cameras watching us a year in the United Kingdom. A recent study obtained by London Liberal Democrat Justin Davenport due to the freedom of information act, the study showed that the average cost of keeping these cameras running is believed to be around ÂÂ £20 million per year and over the past decade. Over ÂÂ £200 Million has been spent on CCTV cameras in London only. The shocking factor that comes to mind is that this study was just based within the city of London. The total bulge sum of the whole nation would be signific antly higher which is paid out from the taxpayers money. Another Research carried out by London Evening Standards showed that up to 90 per cent of CCTV installations fail to comply with the Information Commissioners UK CCTV code of practice, yet they are still there keeping a watch over the city. Obviously the reason given for this was to control crimes and vandalism across the nation, but as years passed. The cameras installed came to be used as trackers and to keep an eye on any suspicious characters within the society. Parker said that any average working men would be seen by over 300 cameras a day in any big city in the United Kingdom. Stated example of someone leaving home in the morning for work till they get back home in the evening is being used to support Parkers example. But it doesnt stop there, after being at home, any activities such as talking on the phone or surfing the web on the laptop or mobile phone would carry on being surveillance. This can be due to the security of the nation but knowing of being innocent and still being watched 24/7 would just feel wrong. It is claimed that surveillance is there for security to reduce crime, to keep a watch over public places and for safer working environment in work places, it is there to keep track of a criminal or suspects or even to capture a crime-taking place. Nevertheless, as much as CCTV Surveillance claims to bring reduction to crime levels, there has not been definite evidence to support such claims. The reduction is there but may not be as high as claimed because it is easy to move out of sight of the unforgiving eye, and according to Professor Ditton of the Scottish Centre for criminology closed CCTV camera system in town and city centres have failed to match their anti-crime expectations (Parker, 2000). The term for surveillance being everywhere is known as Routine surveillance which is a part of residential areas, schools, road traffic, car park and petrol stations, telephone booth and cash machines, railway stations, retail and commercial, hospitals, stadiums and police surveillance (Norris and Armstrong, 1999). Generally, Being under surveillance and being under watch would create unsecure feeling for any individual but Parker stated that 72% of the people do not object but parker did not fail to mention that the same amount of public are worried that the cameras could easily be abused in the hands of the wrong people(Parker, 2000). A very notorious example of CCTV Technology being misused happened in London outside Harvey Nicholls store. The cameras are designed to go in close to observe suspicious characters and shoplifters but in this case, it was used to look closely at Lady Diana, Princess of Wales. The operator captured the footage while Lady Diana was leaving the store and the tape discovered later in a desk drawer. The footage was a close up shot of her appealing figure and the operator was lingering over her for almost over a minute (Norris Armstrong). Such events like this would remind the society that the CCTV may be there for a good reason but its operator can never be trusted with all that power and reach. It is said in many comic books and movies that with great power, comes great responsibility (Spiderman, 2002; Stan Lee), and its events as such that discourages the society towards the idea of CCTV. Parker in Total Surveillance, 2000 has given many other similar examples. CCTV is widely discouraged however events such as Last moments of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales were captured by CCTV has affected the attitudes and encouraged the belief of CCTV surveillance not be a bad thing after all. Small 2-minute footage of Lady Dianas last moments was uploaded on You Tube (Probably the biggest Social Self Broadcasting website in the world) roughly in 2008. The footage has then been watched all over and across the world and showed on the news channels on TV. You Tube itself has had almost 300,000 views in less than two years of its upload date. When such tragic things happen to anyone, the footage that is recorded by the near CCTV camera becomes the last source of that persons moments. The footage can then be looked at and analysed by the police for investigation to bring justice, but the same footage can also be the last sight of that person to be seen by their family. CCTV Surveillance; first discovered in early nineteenth century (Holtzman, 2006) but since then, it has gone through a vast amount of improvements as seen in todays CCTV cameras and systems. CCTVs were mainly used by military and army forces but it was later on when CCTV made its entry within workplaces. It wasnt till later when government decided to introduce them to keep an eye on society and public. In 2000, more than half of the UK workforce was being monitored at the highest levels, even places like rest rooms, cafe area and restaurants that are far away from the actual working area were under watch. Workplaces came under surveillance for many reasons such as to protect the premises from vandalism, theft, drugs and physical abuse towards other employees and also to keep an eye on all the employees working to enable the employer to see what they are doing. Such environment and atmosphere can be illustrated as untrustworthy environment where there would be no such thing as trust. Later after CCTV, other surveillance techniques came within the working force, techniques such as; e-mail scanning, tapping telephone conversations, voicemail and computer file scanning, unseen Desktop surveillance that records individual workstation activities. If that was not already enough, companies started installing software to keep track of the internet usage by every individual employee. It would gather information such as websites visited, time spent on each website and the same would go for telephone conversations to what number and for how long. According to Parker, the reason organisations gave for taking away the remaining personal space while at work fell into following four categories; To ensure employee health, safety and protection (from abuse or violence); To guard against theft of goods, information and trade secrets; To monitor employees performance, attitude and demeanour; To gather evidence in support of court action arising out of any of the above three reasons. Communication The email scanning and communication surveillance came into action because information was being transmitted through emails, faxes and phone calls. Important documents started going missing and eventually it became efficient to have such systems available on workplaces for the good of the business. Such systems were first installed by banks and building societies due to their assets of information contained within about their customers. If such information was to end up in wrong hands then the company would have to pay the liability and to avoid being in such situations, companies took drastic measures. A very recent catastrophic event occurred on November 2009 within a leading mobile phone company T-Mobile, where an employee stole vital customers data and sold it to rival networks in UK; the Guardian newspaper stated this even as Employee Data Theft Leads To U.K.s Largest Data Breach; The employee sold millions of customer records to data brokers. It is events and crimes as such com mitted by few people in society that leads to generation of new laws. Laws today states that every organisation (big or small) is required to keep a record of CCTV and communication surveillance to and from business for minimum of 12 months in case of further requirement by officials and government authorities as evidence if required, (Lyon, 2002). It is acceptable that the entire span of communication is under surveillance for national security to locate and track any possessed threats but it is believed that almost 98% of communication made across the work is personal and private without conflicting any threat and it is only that 2% of communication that may possess a threat to the national security but that is maybe if not due to misunderstanding. All the factors about communication surveillance are part of workplace surveillance and the mostly monitored factor would be electronic mail surveillance within workplaces. But added factors such as ID Cards and Biometric Surveillance are also part of workplace surveillance which tends to affect the privacy issues. Information about every employee that works at the firm would have to give their biometric details to their employer. This varies from finger prints, eye retina scan, internal nerve scan, palm scan and further more if the firm is working with higher valued assets and critical information. This is for the sake of security of both; the firms assets and employees. But having the control of the surveillance systems could determine the power relations in the workplace which could lead to being blackmailed and kept under pressure for the mistakes made. It is an advantage for having a system in place but it could be used for many other purposes such as finding out details about s omeone without being authorised. Factors about CCTV Surveillance A very well illustrated study carried out in the United States of America by Norris and Armstrong has showed and produced many different approaches made towards the surveillance of society. As people are being surveillance, they are being split into categories and Clive has shown them in very well illustrated tables in Chapter 6 of The Maximum Surveillance Society; The Rise of CCTV. As technology became more advance, the reach of CCTV went further which caused the split in public being watched over. Operators started concentrating on certain types of people within the society. Certain types of people were being watched over more than others. This could be due to the age, sex, attitude, attire or even skin colour. In Clives research, it is shown that only 35% of white people were being surveillance for no obvious reason where as 68% of black population was being watched over for no obvious reason. It is main factors like such and the cost of keeping the systems running that tends to c ause implications within the society and public. Spy Being looked over all the time would conceive meaning of personal space and privacy being invaded while conserving any remaining personal space for socialising. As much as one wants a little bit of privacy, it would be hard to get in todays informatics age. Every aspect and portable technology that public carries around such as mobile phones and portable computers are linked to the global network which can be or is being monitored and analysed 24/7. A very recently discovered spy base in North Yorkshire THE MENWITH HILL SITE is known to be the biggest spy base in the world, it belongs to the Americans but very little is known about what happens at the base and what is being looked after. In a documentary Counterblast: The death of Privacy in 2000 on BBC2 by Simon Davies. Davies discovered that all form of communication made (in the UK or the World is yet unknown) passes through the Menwith Hill after being analysed by computer for suspicious content. The same is believed today as ver y little is known about it but it is certain that there are dozens of comparable sites across the world that carries out such procedures for national security. (MI5, MI6 and any intelligence institutes are all categorised under SPY) Other Surveillances As the technology improved further over the years, the government had installed Auto Recognition Software features in most CCTV cameras across the nation, term today known as face recognition and other recognition type such as Number plate recognition on roads. The government had to pay a little price for implementing this features but it is the public that had to pay the bigger price for taking away their own privacy. Hence the system would help them keep track of anyone travelling from one point to another. The technology was developed to be used for public safety but now it has been prioritised towards the national security so public is being watched and analysed to look for any threats possessed. Technology is now advancing onto implementation of a little device into human body that would carry every single detail about an individual. It would contain the financial data, health record and all the other details. This device has been tested and is already being used few countries and clubs (You tube) and not so long till it becomes essential requirement for everyone in the society. Conclusion It is fairly obvious to guess where the world is going with surveillance, the legislations, laws, and government are only adding to whats already there without realising that whatever there is, it is quiet enough. At the rate the CCTV Surveillance is growing, it can be predicted that there will be a time where public will not go unnoticed by the watchful eyes of government and authorities. This is only going to cost more to the society and it will be the society that will have to pay the government to add the discomfort to the social lives. Government have to pay lower price for such implementation of technology and systems but it is the public that have to pay back twice as much by letting their personal privacy being taken away from them, which is the price that public pays. The more systems are being implemented, the more data gets stored and the information asset gets bigger by day, which if falls in wrong hands then the damage could be unimaginable. The surveillance is always going to grow further with new technology and features and it is that particular idea of having the power that spoils even the nicest of human being intentions. It would be very hard to trust the reach and control of these systems but if safety is needed and required in society then these are the factors that have to be accepted without any exceptions. The answers are there but its up to the society if whether or not they want some of the privacy or nothing at all. Complete safety and no privacy or a little bit of both. REFERENCES: Davies, S. (2000) Counterblast The death of privacy, BBC2 Holtzman, D.H. (2002) Privacy Lost, How technology is endangering your privacy Hosein, G. (2004) Privacy and or as Freedom Introna, L.D. (2000) Workplace Surveillance, Privacy and Distributive Justice, Computers and Society. University of Lancaster, UK Lyon D. (2003) Surveillance as Social Sorting (Privacy, Risk and Digital Discrimination) Lyon, D. (2002) EVERYDAY SURVEILLANCE, Personal data and social classifications Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada Norris, C. and Armstrong, G. (2000). The Maximum Surveillance Society. The Rise of CCTV Parker, D. (2000) Total Surveillance (Investigating the BIG Brother world of E-Spies, Eavesdropping and CCTV) Rule, J. (1973), Private Lives and Public Surveillance. THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER WEBPAGE (2009) T-Mobile confirms biggest phone customer data breach [WWW] Available from:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/17/t-mobile-phone-data-privacy THIS IS LONDON (2007) Most CCTV cameras are illegal, watchdog claims [WWW] Available from: news/article-23398834-most-cctv-cameras-are-illegal-watchdog-claims.do THIS IS LONDON (2007) Tens of thousands of CCTV cameras, yet 80% of crime unsolved [WWW] Available from: news/article-23412867-tens-of-thousands-of-cctv-cameras-yet-80-of-crime-unsolved.do

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: Free Essay Writer

To Kill a Mockingbird There are defining moments in a society when one individual can shape events for generations to come. For one to change ones surroundings, and make the situation better for others is a great task. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and in today's society men try and make dents in their unjust surroundings, not only in politics but in their homes and personal lives. Men such as Atticus Finch and Jackie Robinson made actions that changed their communities and homes in suddle but memorably ways. Atticus changed the racist society of Maycomb by defending Tom Robinson in his trial. By acting as Tom's defense Atticus, an influential member of his community, is standing up for an oppressed group in his society. In the quote ." . . If I didn't take this case (Scout) then I wouldn't be able to hold my head up, I wouldn't be about to tell anyone what to do, not even you and Jem." the reader can understand that Tom's case is significant to Atticus. He knows that it will shape his community, that a serious change will be a result from the trial, and if he did not accept the trial no one else in Maycomb would help Tom and the rest of the African-Americans in the community. Atticus also changed his community by standing up against the majority and defending a man he knows is innocent. In the quote " Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told . . . and you know what the truth is" Atticus is facing a mob of his peers (Lee 148). The reader can conclude the he is willing to risk his own safety and reputation to bring justice to the trial, no matter who is in the way. Atticus shows great compassion towards the blacks and makes sacrifices by defending Tom, which is another way he helps change his community. His compassion is displayed in the quote " (Courage is) when you know you licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win but sometimes you do" (116). Atticus was going to see his case all the way through, if the result was positive or negative, under any circumstance. Atticus' choices at home, in the way he raised his children also change his society. He teaches Jem and Scout valuable lessons that help the next generation to break the cycle of discrimination. For example with the quote " You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view .

Impacts of Business Environment Change Essay

IP/MIP techniques have been used most often to aid supply chain configuration decisions and there have been many successful applications [9]. Two recent articles [9; 11] made comprehensive reviews about facility location models relevant to global manufacturing operations. This review section focuses on optimization models which are closely related with impacts of business environment cost parameters on the design of manufacturing networks. Cohen and Lee [12] developed a MIP model for a global manufacturing and distribution network. It demonstrated significant impacts of changes in the foreign exchange rate. Cohen and Moon [13] used a MIP model to analyze impacts of changes in a firm’s cost environment. It was found that scale economies, scope economies, and transportation costs could alter optimal facility network design strategies. Vidal and Goetschalckx [14] analyzed impacts of uncertainties on global supply chains through a MIP model. Foreign exchange rate was identified to be influential on global supply chain configurations. Using a two-stage optimization model, Kulkarni et al. [15] evaluated trade-offs between risk pooling and logistics costs in a multi-plant network with commonality. Their analyses showed that impacts of operational cost parameters may be significant and non-intuitive. All these models suggested that cost parameters have significant impacts on manufacturing facility location decisions, and may even alter supply chain configuration strategies. However, they only considered a single objective of profits or costs. The consideration of both costs and responsiveness was seen in the reconfiguration of global manufacturing and distribution network at Digital Equipment Corporation. It used a bi-objective model to minimize total costs and activity days. The model was implemented successfully with savings over $100 million [10]. However, the application did not explore impacts of changes in cost parameters. Overall, there is a lack of using a bi-objective approach to analyze impacts of business environment changes on the configuration of GMNs.

Learning and Teaching Standard Grade Physical Education

This assignment will look into the effectivity of collaborative group work during theory lessons in Standard Grade Physical Education ( SG PE ) by presenting and set uping a constructivist larning environment within my schoolroom. The assignment will place the methods used and the ensuing informations from this short survey and highlight hereafter development chances.IntroductionHaving ne'er officially been taught how to learn theory lessons for certification Physical Education I found myself following a standardized lesson format where the students faced the instructor, waiting for the transmittal of cognition ( Sotto 1994 ) . I found my lessons followed a similar, basic construction in which I would: Set out my purposes and aims for the lesson, refer back to old work covered and identified my learning purposes. I would explicate the current subject and inquire for pupil treatment sing anterior cognition. I would supply an academic undertaking related to the subject. I would summarize what has been covered and how it will associate with the following lesson/series of lessons. The lessons were planned harmonizing to the section medium and long term programs to guarantee the content was covered at the designated clip graduated tables, something indispensable for Standard Grade Physical Education, peculiarly due to the obvious scrutiny force per unit areas. My perceptual experience of these lesson were that they were successful as they had fluctuation in footings of the degree of treatments taking topographic point and types of undertakings related to the content, coupled with the fact that my formal scrutiny consequences from learning this manner were really good, ( harmonizing to SQA statistics ) . However, I felt the demand to research different methods of learning to guarantee that as a professional, I was run intoing the acquisition demands of the students in my category and developing my ain instruction competences. I was doubting that the method of learning nowadays within my schoolroom at this clip was supplying a ambitious adequate context for the students in my category, hence I was acute to look into other larning methodological analysiss. One method that interested me was the cultivation of a constructivist schoolroom. In this assignment I will detail the methodological analysis adopted to implement the rules of constructivism, supply account sing the necessary intercession that was required and highlight the students ‘ perceptual experience sing this new larning methodological analysis and what they felt the impact to their acquisition was.Data CollectionIn this survey it was necessary to utilize two chief types of informations aggregation. First, the usage of picture entering to capture group treatment, group job work outing undertakings and concluding presentations. The 2nd method of informations aggregation was in the signifier of written information via larning logs, rating signifiers specifically associating to the group presentations and concluding subject rating questionnaires. This written information was designed to place the students ‘ perceptual experience of the subject ; how it was planned, carried out and what the students felt were the chief strengths and failings of wor king this manner and critically place the impact on their acquisition. I felt that the informations aggregation methods were appropriate to the undertaking and provided relevant informations. However the deepness of information was the cardinal facet of the whether the chosen methods were effectual or non. For illustration, the larning logs were one facet of the written informations that provided the most dissatisfactory quality of information and one method that I may non utilize in the hereafter, the students did non lucubrate on the replies to the inquiries and did non supply me valid and utile information. The usage of picture recording was wholly new to me in a schoolroom scene and one time the students were used to working with a picture recording equipment it provided some first-class information and provided a true penetration into the group puting. The questionnaires provided me a valuable penetration into the students ‘ ideas and feelings about how successful this subject was and this method allowed me to measure the overall attack. As with any type of research, the method chosen will hold strengths and failings. I have summarised these below in tabular arraies 1 and 2:Strengths & A ; Weaknesses of Video Camera RecordingsTable 1Strengths Failings Enables all state of affairss to be invariably reviewed. Beginning of jobs can be diagnosed. Behavioural forms of instructor and students can be seen. Forms of advancement over long periods can be clearly charted. Can be really conspicuous and distracting. If camera is directed by operator, it will merely enter that which he or she deems to be of importance ; operator acts as editor. ( Beginning: Hopkins 2002 ) The usage of picture recording allowed me to garner information straight associating to the group treatment ; it encapsulated the nature of the treatments and provided a footing from which the particular discourse could be analysed. This was improbably helpful when the existent quality of treatment was scrutinised.Strengths & A ; Weaknesses of QuestionnairesTable 2Strengths Failings Easy to administrate ; quick to make full in Easy to follow up Provides direct comparing of groups and persons Provides feedback on: Attitudes Adequacy of resources Adequacy of instructor aid Preparation for following session Decisions at terminal of term. Datas are quantifiable Analysis is clip devouring Extensive readying to acquire clear and relevant inquiries Difficult to acquire inquiries that explore deepness Effectiveness depends really much on reading ability and comprehension of the kid Children may be fearful of replying honestly Children will seek to bring forth ‘right ‘ replies ( Beginning: Hopkins 2002 ) I felt that the terminal of topic rating questionnaire provided me with an penetration into the positions of the students and provided me with a footing to work from. The feedback from the students was utile as it gave me an apprehension of their perceptual experience of my schemes and provided me with way for future development. The consequences from the pupil rating signifiers ( both group and self rating ) provided me with quantitative informations that could be fed back to the students during the plenary session at the terminal of the block, this information was utile as it provided information on the group scores and informed the students which group they thought provided the best presentation. ( See appendix? ? for this information ) . Both methods of informations aggregation provided valid and utile information which was analysed and used to inform the participants ( and myself ) of the consequences of working this manner. There was qualitative informations produced in the signifier of the transcripts which were annotated and via the terminal of subject student rating questionnaires. They were scrutinised to place relevant information that could inform farther pattern. Quantitative information was produced by the students in the signifier of their appraisal of each others ‘ presentations and from their ain ego rating signifiers. This information was straightforward to analyze and as mentioned provided an built-in portion of the plenary session.RationaleLearning TheoriesHaving gained about 10 old ages of learning experience I found myself in an unusual place where I was approximately to get down a new subject with my S3 SG PE category with no existent program to map out the advancement of the category ‘ acquisition and apprehension of their new subject. I felt aroused and terrified in equal steps of following a constructivist attack ; nevertheless I felt comforted by the sum of research I had undertaken in following this attack and felt confident of the benefits that the students would derive from larning this manner. To state I had no existent program in topographic point would non be purely true as in my head I had a mental image of how I would wish the way of larning to take but as will be seen subsequently in this survey this is the Southern Cross of the instructor releasing control of their schoolroom and inquiring the students to take charge of their ain acquisition as at times it will take you to some surprising topographic points. ( Clarke, 2005 ) . One critical constituent of this impression was organizing my schoolroom to guarantee the students co-operated in a collaborative mode in little groups. Wood ( 1998 ) summarises Vygotsky ‘s position of acquisition as â€Å" co-operatively achieved success † and this is something that I as a practioner wanted to research farther. I felt the rule of co-operation was something that I did of course, nevertheless, after probe I realised that the co-operation I assumed was happening, was between the students and myself as category instructor and non the students with their equals. Vygotsky suggests that kids learn by direction from others and the acquisition procedure is strengthened if the undertaking is learnt in a co-operative mode. After scrutiny, I felt that for the benefit of my pattern I had to look into different methods of learning theory lessons in PE to guarantee that â€Å" existent acquisition † can take topographic point ( Sotto 1994 ) . Literature from Learning and Teaching Scotland ( LTS, 2009 ) environing Curriculum for Excellence ( aCfE. ) highlights the importance of using active and collaborative acquisition methods to heighten the larning experience based on rules of Assessment is For Learning ( AiFL ) . This provided me with the drift to critically analyze my attacks to learning. After reading Brooks and Brooks ‘ ( 1999 ) description of the constructivist schoolroom and besides the impact constructivist rules can hold on the effectual usage of formative appraisal ( Clarke, 2005 ) I wanted to look into the application of such rules and mensurate the impact this would do on my instruction. As Clarke ( 2005 ) high spots, some practioners avoid hazards due to being â€Å" embedded in old ways of learning † and I was determined non to go such a instructor, I planned to make this by consistently releasing control of the way of larning to the students. I wanted to look into the chance of the students taking charge of the way of their acquisition by passing over every bit much control to the category in a move towards making a constructivist larning environment. I organised the students in to groups of four, seeking to guarantee each group was every bit diverse as possible in footings of academic ability and friendly relationship groups. I wanted to guarantee that the members of the group would non be over familiar with each other as that may impede the quality of the work produced ( Azmitia & A ; Hesser, 1993 ) . It was critical that the students understood and appreciated that there would be a alteration to their ‘normal ‘ lesson format and this afforded me the chance to supply an account of why I was following a constructivist manner and why I was seting them in charge. Bruner ( 1990 ) provides the undermentioned rules of constructivistic acquisition: Direction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to larn ( preparedness ) . Direction must be structured so that it can be easy grasped by the student ( coiling administration ) . Direction should be designed to ease extrapolation and or make full in the spreads ( traveling beyond the information given ) . Advocates of a constructivistic attack suggest that instructors should foremost see the cognition and experiences of their students. The school course of study should so be built so that students can spread out and develop this cognition and experience by linking them to new acquisition. Whereas, candidates of the behavioral attack, on the other manus, advocate first make up one's minding what cognition or accomplishments students should get and so developing course of study that will supply for their development. ( Huitt, 2009 ) . I was really witting of being true to the Bruner ‘s above rules as I wanted to guarantee I knew all the necessary and relevant information sing the students ‘ old experiences related to this subject. To make this I met with the Biology section. There are natural crossing overs between Biology and PE and this meeting allowed me the chance to size up the subject content in the S1-3 course of study and utilize this information to estimate a starting point for the first brainstorming undertaking. I wanted the students to show â€Å" preparedness † to larn ( Bruner, 1990 ) . Using a model developed by Dunn and Larson ( 1998 ) to explicate the procedure of implementing simple degree engineering course of study, Alesandrini and Larson ( 2002 ) specified 10 events that provide the foundation for a constructivistic attack to learning and larning. These 10 events were so categorised into five chief constituents of an effectual constructivistic lesson/ series of lessons: probe, innovation, execution, rating, and jubilation. This became the foundation of my attack to cultivating a constructivist larning environment and the specific attack will be detailed within the timeline subdivision of this ego survey. The first undertaking for the students was to come up with a subject rubric through a whole category verbal treatment ( they agreed upon â€Å" Body in Action † ) and became the focal point of this group work session, to my surprise this subject rubric was non excessively dissimilar from the class stuff in PE which asks students to look into The Human Body in Action, ( it became clear that this subject rubric was besides the same rubric the Biology section uses-possible happenstance? ) . The students were so given two undertakings ; one an person undertaking which was to finish a acquisition log ( See appendix? ? for further inside informations ) the 2nd undertaking was a group undertaking that involved the students brainstorming about the subject content around this new rubric. This session was filmed and the resulting discourse was transcribed and analysed. See appendix? ? for illustrations of pupil work from these insight Sessionss. From this analysis it became evident that the quality of the group treatment I had hoped the category would accomplish was manner below the expected criterion. This critical incident became the focal point of my first intercession as it challenged my thought by coercing me to look into the ground why the initial group work was of such a hapless criterion. To antagonize this I investigated comparings with the work undertaken by Mercer ( cited in Wegerif et al 1999 ) it became evident that the quality of treatment could be categorised as what Mercer describes as â€Å" disputational talk † . This type of talk is characterised by dissension and individualized determination devising. There were few efforts to pool resources, or to offer constructive unfavorable judgment or suggestions. Disputational talk besides has some characteristic discourse characteristics notably short exchanges dwelling of averments and counter-assertions ( Mercer, 1996 ) . This was demonstrated by the deficiency of verbal interaction of group 2 and the independent determination doing made by JW who interestingly was the member of the group keeping the pen, suggestions were seldom offered and when this occurred the suggestions made were met with neglect instead than enthusiasm to research the thoughts further ( See appendix? ? for the annotated trascipt ) . Therefore, it was necessary to place why this was go oning and how I could better the quality of group treatment. The precedence for me as a practioner was to seek and place methods whereby the group work undertaken started to come on towards â€Å" explorative talk † ( Mercer, 1996 ) . This highlights the implicit in rule that Gillies and Khan ( 2007 ) commentate on that students need to be explicitly taught how to work successfully in groups. Therefore before I could continue look intoing the cultivation of a constructivist schoolroom, I had to look into how to promote each group to work co-operatively. This was done by using the rules environing successful group work as studied by Gillies ( 2004 ) , these were: Actively listening to others ; Deciding struggles democratically ; Sharing thoughts Working with others to measure the group ‘s advancement. I set the category three distinct job work outing challenges in an effort to better their abilities to work together ; two in groups of eight and one in the original groups of four. I felt this attack was non merely relevant to this age group but related to the research undertaken by Gillies would give some really promising consequences. It was my purpose to guarantee that the nature of these job work outing undertakings forced the groups to interact in a constructive mode by supplying co-operatively achieved aims. All members of the group were every bit of import to the success of work outing the undertaking, therefore it was necessary that all positions were considered but more significantly valued. Decisions had to be made on a democratic footing which involved all members of the group working together to make the common end, this would merely be achieved by actively listening to each other and making understandings that all members were consulted upon, but more significantly agreed upon. It was at this point I assessed the impact of these Sessionss by analyzing the treatment of group two to place the degree of betterment made, this was critical to guarantee that the students were in a place to transport on with their undertaking work. From my analysis it was evident that there was now an betterment in the type of treatments the group were involved in ; sufficient plenty for me to be confident that the move towards utilizing constructivist rules with this category was traveling to be good for the students. ( See appendix? ? for annotated transcript ) . This meant that I could once more follow the constructivist principle with assurance.TimelineProbeSession 1 Class organised into groups. Explanation given to pupils to inform them that they were in charge of their acquisition for this block. Class treatment sing subject rubric. Session 2 Each group brainstorms and enter a list of words / footings they feel are associated with the subject rubric â€Å" Body in Action † . Session 3 Spider diagram / head map is produced by each group detailing what they feel are the relevant countries of probe. Session 4 Amalgamation of all four programs by B Sloan to place 4 subject countries. Intervention Session 1 Due to the hapless quality of treatment taking topographic point, it was necessary to work on the groups abilities to co-operate and work in a collaborative mode. Intervention Session 2Invention and Initial ImplementationSession 5 Group set a mini undertaking to set up if any betterment had been made in footings of collaborative group work. Sufficient betterment made and each group selects project focal point. Session 6 Group probe work at library. Session 7 Group probe work at library utilizing computing machines.Further Implementation and EvaluationSession 8 1st bill of exchange of presentations, polish and initial rating.CelebrationSession 9 Concluding presentations by each group. Session 10 Plenary session and proclamation of winning presentation.DiscussionAs stated antecedently Alesandrini and Larson ( 2002 ) specified 10 events that I have used as the foundation for my attack to constructivistic acquisition. These were:ProbeContextualising: As category instructor I explained the procedure to the whole category, so worked with students in little groups to assist them link their old experiences to the undertaking at manus. Clarifying: I asked the students to discourse the undertaking among themselves in their groups of four and as instructor I facilitated the students as they strived to find what they needed to cognize in order to finish the undertaking. Asking: During this phase the students begin the procedure of geting the necessary cognition and accomplishments they needed to finish the undertaking ; as category instructor I tried to ease this procedure by inquiring inquiries and assisting students place and understand believable resources.Invention and Initial ImplementationPlanning: Students in each group begin to organize their cognition and develop some initial programs as to how to near the undertaking. Gaining: Students develop a first bill of exchange or get downing merchandise that will run into the stated standards for the undertaking. Each little group will develop an original attack and no two will look precisely likewise.Further Implementation and EvaluationTesting: The students check their undertaking against the standards to see if it meets the specifications. It is expected that the first effort will necessitate some or several alterations. Modifying: Students rework their undertaking in footings of lacks they may hold identified. They so retest and modify until they have a finished undertaking that meets the declared standards. Interpretation: Pupils describe the value of the undertaking relation to their backgrounds and experience ; they portion this with their ain group. Reflecting: Students broaden their ratings of the undertaking and set it in larger context.CelebrationCelebration: Students present their undertakings to the larger group while the larger group acknowledges the value of the attempt and consequences of the group and assesses the public presentation of each group in 3 classs. Having now completed the subject, I asked the category to finish a questionnaire to estimate their response to this new attack ( appendix? ? ) . 11 out of 16 students noticed that the subject was different to the old 1. They noticed that: â€Å" more clip in schoolroom making group work † â€Å" we worked in groups more and Mr Sloan did less speaking! † â€Å" we had to make a presentation † â€Å" our presentations were filmed and we used the smartboards † â€Å" Body in Action was the first subject we have done that we really spoke about, the first 1 was done through practical work † â€Å" It was much more groupy and chatty every bit good as synergistic † â€Å" we spent a batch of clip in the schoolroom alternatively of making it outside † â€Å" we planned it as a category † When asked about what they enjoyed about the subject, they responded: â€Å" I enjoyed happening facts about the organic structure, I did n't cognize there were so many articulations. I besides liked the job work outing undertakings † â€Å" Bing able to larn a batch of things about the organic structure we did n't cognize † â€Å" Planning for our presentations and utilizing the computing machines to look into the bosom. I like watching the groups making their presentations † â€Å" Research for the presentations † â€Å" It was merriment! † â€Å" the subject was interesting † The students were besides given the chance to state what they did non bask about the subject. Very few responded: â€Å" sometimes my group mucked about and were lazy † â€Å" Being bossed about † â€Å" presentation was chilling † When asked about what they felt they learned from this subject they said: â€Å" A batch about the organic structure and how it works † â€Å" how the human skeleton is put together † â€Å" how the organic structure works during athletics and PE † â€Å" tonss about the bosom and lungs † When asked which subject was best for their acquisition, 12 chose Body in Action. Although there were clearly some students who did non prosecute with this subject every bit to the full as others, the bulk of students enjoyed it and agreed that it was good to their acquisition. The two most common subjects running through the student responses is their grasp of the chance to lend to the planning of the subject and the fluctuation of activities – particularly during the research prior to making their presentations, it is interesting that they value their engagement in structuring their ain acquisition so extremely and bask research work. My ain appraisal of the subject was similar to the students. I was encouraged and inspired by the results of the attacks used throughout. By merely get downing the subject from a somewhat altered point of view, the full acquisition procedure altered. Alternatively of stating the category what we were traveling to make, I was inquiring the category what they wanted to larn. At each phase, I felt this altered point of view raised the motive of the category which led to an highly dynamic and energetic schoolroom which was focused on larning. This acquisition, was besides much more varied than in the yesteryear. Equally good as larning the necessary facts sing the human organic structure, the students were besides developing their accomplishments, runing from working in a group, to planning and showing information. This is really much in line with the aims of aCfE. Those recommending a constructivistic attack should ever see that there are a assortment of rules from larning theories that can be utilised within application of constructivism. For illustration, when working on a student ‘s larning it is surely appropriate to learn a particular accomplishment utilizing direct direction, observe the students practising the accomplishment, and supplying disciplinary feedback to guarantee command starts to happen. The major issue is whether to get down with a course of study that is taught step-by-step in an inductive mode as suggested by the behavior theoreticians or to get down with the student ‘s cognition and apprehensions and assist the kid fill in spreads necessary to work out a situation-specific job as suggested by the constructivists. Principles of larning from an information treating position such as recognizing the bounds of short-run memory, supplying many chances for students to place the connexion between anterior cognition to current acquisition, and recognizing the demand for separated pattern can besides be implemented within a constructivistic attack. Again, the major differentiation is in where to get down: with a predesigned course of study or with the student ‘s experiences and cognition base. This so begs the inquiry, what is the right attack? In my position the reply is both! If we start with the student ‘s cognition base before we have established coveted terminal ends, there is a inclination to hold the students merely â€Å" do advancement, † thereby restricting students who are non adequately prepared. These students may develop equal thought accomplishments, but can hold big spreads in their cognition and accomplishments. On the other manus, if weA focal point merely on coveted terminal ends, particularly knowledge ends, without consideration of the student ‘s acquired cognition and background, we run the hazard of developing cognition and accomplishments that have no significance to the scholar and are hence easy forgotten.DecisionThe purpose of this ego survey was to critically reflect on my instruction pattern in order to place progressive paths with which my abilities as a practioner are enhanced. I attempted to make this by look intoing the u sage of collaborative group work during theory lessons in Standard Grade Physical Education through the debut and constitution of a constructivist larning environment within my schoolroom. I have adopted attacks that were different to my old pattern in a systematic manner, in order to dispute me as both a scholar and as a instructor. I have found myself trying to change over my schoolroom from an Orthodox ‘instructive ‘ one, to one based on the rules of constructivism within a collaborative group puting. The types of job work outing challenges I used acted as an debut into how group work can be developed but I am realistic plenty to understand that this should be an on-going procedure instead than a one-off speedy hole. These types of challenges will inform the students of the potency of group work but will non hold a durable consequence on future group work. For cardinal alterations to happen when these students work in groups there must be a alteration in the students ‘ mentality and this must be reinforced every lesson, therefore the success of this factor may be out with the parametric quantities or timescale of this survey. However, what encouraged me was that even after this short intercession I was pleased to describe that sufficient betterments had been made and the group work progressed to a point whereby the students produced some first-class presentations. This journey has non merely exposed the scholars to new methods of schoolroom working it has besides enabled me to travel out of my comfort zone and happen motive and challenge in following a new attack, something I have exhaustively enjoyed making. This journey has inspired me to keep the impulse gained by making this ego survey and place other countries of learning Physical Education that could profit from following this attack to acquisition.