India taj mahal mumbai terror Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

India taj mahal mumbai terror - Essay Example The terrorists were reportedly seized an Indian boat from a fisherman after killing him to reach Mumbai. Moreover, they started their hotel operations after killing the Mumbai police chiefs who tried to block them. Even though many reasons were cited as the reasons for this attack, the major reason is believed to the destruction of the Muslim Mosque Babri Masjid by certain Hindu fundamentalists few years before. Moreover, Pakistani terrorist groups believe that the Indian frontier state Kashmir is part of Pakistan and India possesses it illegally. India and Pakistan engaged in two wars after the independence and the enmity between these two countries is a major threat for peace in South Asia. This paper briefly explains the Mumbai terrorist attack with the help of its cause and effect, culprits, possible prevention strategies etc BBC News (23 Nov 2009) has reported that the religious site where the Babri mosque was destroyed in 1992 in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya has been a flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims for years. India’s relationships with Pakistan have damaged a lot because of the destruction of Muslim Mosque Babri Masjid by certain Hindu fundamentalists. Hindu fundamentalists in India believe that the Babri Masjid was situated at their God Ram’s birth place, Ayodhya and former Mughal King Baber has captured that place and constructed the mosque without the permission from the Hindus. So they believe that Ram’s birth place is a sacred place and a temple should be constructed in that place for worshipping their God Ram. The result was the destruction of the existing mosque in 1992. The effect of the Babri Masjid was not visible immediately. Even thought the Muslim people all over the world were agitated by this act, most of them suppressed their displeasure at that time. India’s image as a secular democratic state in the eyes of the external world has severely damaged because of the above incident. Muslim

Art Apprecition IP Week Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art Apprecition IP Week Two - Essay Example The art include famous tombs of emperors and Egyptian drawings (Robins, 2008). Appendix A shows the Sphinx of Senwosret III. The period was between 1878 B.C. to 1841 B.C. The artifact shows that the statue contains the half body of beast. The other part of the beast is the head of a human being. B. The Smithsonian Institution Freer Gallery and Sackler Gallery Ancient Art Sackler Gallery Ancient Art. The Smithsonian Institution Freer Gallery and Sackler Gallery Ancient Art Sackler Gallery Ancient Art contains art artifacts from the Ancient period. The time period includes famour art pieces like the huge Sphinx. The museum’s artifacts, including Appendix B, include collections from several countries. One of the prominent sections of the museum is dedicated to ancient Egyptian Art. The art pieces represent items coming from the time of the Pharaohs. The above sculptural design is typical of Ancient Egyptian Art sculpture (Schatz, 2009). C. The Louvre Museum. The Louvre, France, Museum also includes Ancient Egyptian art artifacts. The museum contains statues and other artifacts that represent the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Form of the Artwork. The two art forms have different forms. The hieroglyphic drawing (Appendix C) is two dimensional while the tomb of Pharaoh Perneb is three dimensional. The Ancient Egyptian art form is two dimensional. The pictures of the ancient Egyptian period include simple lines to show the shape of a human being or an animal. However, the Ancient Egyptian sculptures are three dimensional. An example of three dimensional art is the Sphinx statue (Springer, 2010). Additionally, the Appendix D picture shows the tomb of Perneb. It was constructed during 2381-2323 B.C. The tomb is made of stone and other cement-like materials. The tomb symbolizes there is an afterlife. Further, the materials used are plain paper. In the making of the pyramids and the Sphinx, stones were used in the making of the pyramids. Coarse mud

Learning Difficulties: Causes

Learning Difficulties: Causes Learning Difficulties LO. 1 Explain what is meant by learning disabilities, and outline their possible causes and manifestations. The term and definition of learning disability has its controversies and ambiguousness and the term means different things to different people having various cultural and medical connotations. Individuals identified as having learning difficulties are recognized and understood by the communities in which they live, the personal services they need, and the kind of support they expect. Yet, generally Learning Disability can be defined as a cognitive disorder that adversely affects peoples ability to interpret visual and auditory information or to link different pieces of information from different parts of the brain to integrate them in a coherent manner. There is thus an apparent lack of integration and coordination of information (see Emerson et al., 2001). These limitations as revealed through learning disabilities can be manifested as specific difficulties with coordination, attention, spoken and written language, or even self-control. Difficulties in learning also affect schoolwor k and can lead to impediments in learning to read and write. According to the Department of Health, Learning Disability can be defined as A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with, a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning) and which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development. (DOH, 2001 p14) Specifically in Scotland the term learning disability is used to describe: those with a significant, lifelong condition that started before adulthood, that affects their development and which means they need help to understand information, learn skills and cope independently. (Scottish Executive, 2000) According to the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, (BILD), Learning Disability is just a label. BILD points out that the term learning disability is being increasingly replaced by the term learning difficulties and as given by the Warnock Committee learning difficulties is a term used to cover specific problems with learning in children that might arise as a result of a number of different factors, eg medical problems, emotional problems, language impairments etc (BILD, 2005). There can be different types of learning disabilities that can be categorized into three broad groups:Learning Disabilities related to developmental speech and language disorders. Learning Disabilities associated with academic skills disordersLearning Disabilities associated with coordination disorders, learning handicaps and problems in integration of informationFor deciding that someone has learning disabilities, three diagnostic criteria are used: Intellectual Ability Legislative definitions of learning disability Social competence. Learning disability can also be classified into two main categories and the causes can be genetic or environmental. Learning disability can occur due to several different types of causes. Impairments causing learning difficulties can occur before, after or during birth. Before birth reasons can be congenital and include Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Hurler syndrome or Fragile X syndrome. Oxygen deprivation during birth and postnatal illnesses, brain injury or meningitis can lead to learning disabilities and impaired cognitive development. Environmental factors leading to learning disabilities can include infections, trauma, drugs or social deprivation and neglect (Watson, 2003). As we have already mentioned particular types of learning disabilities are associated with particular kinds of manifestations and specific learning characteristics. LO.2 Estimate the prevalence of learning disabilities and appreciate the impact that this may have on professional health care practice. The incidence and prevalence of learning disability is difficult to determine as the only manifestations of learning disability that can be detected at birth are clear syndromes like Down syndrome and the majority of infants with learning disabilities go undetected till much later. Delays in childrens cognitive development help ascertain whether they have learning disabilities. Prevalence of a disease or a general condition is the estimation of the number of people affected as a proportion to the general population. If IQ is used as an indicator of learning disability, then many people with learning disabilities go unaccounted for. Administrative prevalence of any such condition refers to the number of people that are provided with some form of service from caring agencies. The general consensus is that the overall prevalence of moderate and severe learning difficulties are 3-4 people per 1000 in the general population (DoH, 1992). The prevalence of severe to moderate disability has been recorded at 3.7 per 1000 population whereas the prevalence of mild learning disability seems to affect 20-30 per 1000 of the general population. Further it has been observed that among 3-4 persons in 1000 within UK suffering with learning disabilities nearly 30% report severe or profound learning problems. Within the group of individuals suffering from severe learning difficulties most also suffer from multiple physical and sensory impairments as also behavioral difficulties. These individuals require lifelong support to maintain themselves and to achieve a level of lifestyle. Emerson et al (2001), have suggested that within UK there are some 230,000-350,000 persons with severe learning disabilities, and around 580,000-1,750,000 persons with mild learning disabilities. They also suggest in their study that there are differences in male and female prevalence rates and incidence of disabilities with males showing higher prevalence than females. Enable et al. (2003) have suggested that the number of people with learning disabilities has increased by 1.2 % a year over the last 35 years and since 1965 the number of people with severe learning disabilities has increased by 50%. There are many controversies on the validity and use of epidemiological data and on prevalence and incidence rates of learning disabilities. All children with learning disabilities are not reported and in most cases it is difficult to understand the symptoms of learning disability until at a much later stage. One of the major problems is the argument that collection of data on disabled individuals invariably leads to labeling and brings in concerns as to whether such discrimination is useful or necessary. However some scholars have argued that labeling helps in identifying the disabled individuals and ensures that special needs of such people are met through adequate care provisions. Incidence rates and prevalence data on learning disabilities are helpful in clinical practice as it provides an estimate of the nature and extent of support that healthcare services should be prepared to provide. LO.3 Describe how people with learning disabilities have been misunderstood in the past and how this may affect contemporary provision of health care for them. Attitudes and beliefs about people with learning disabilities have changed rapidly in the last few decades and have consequently shaped healthcare provisions available to this group of people. Models of social inclusion and community care have replaced traditional models of institutional care and there is more emphatic appreciation of civil and human rights of individuals with learning disabilities. It has been argued that the rate of change in services to disabled individuals has been slow in Scotland as compared to other parts of Britain, but this has also helped enable accurate assessment and greater response to fulfilling needs of people with learning disabilities. Social care policies by the Department of Health, legislative definitions of learning difficulties along with human rights campaigning for such people and increased spread of awareness that learning disability is more of a convenient label, have altogether led to improved conditions and stronger commitments to provide a more person centered approach to care than before. People with severe or moderate learning disabilities were regarded as mentally deficient or retarded and since the implementation of the Mental Deficiency Act in 1913, it was recommended and all mentally retarded be categorized according to the level of disability and by 1929 100, 000 mentally retarded individuals were institutionalized in the UK. Although in the early 19th century, institutional care for patients with learning disabilities aimed at modifying or changing mental defect, this was quickly replaced by a philosophy of control and coercion in custody. The initial institutionalized colonies were changed to long term hospitals following the NHS 1946 Act. By the 1950s and 1960s the concept of custodial institutionalized care for learning disabilities was questioned and there was an eventual introduction of community care. In 1971 the White Paper Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped was introduced in Great Britain and the care philosophy was led by the concept of normalization rather than segregation. This was aimed to increase social participation and greater social roles of individuals with learning disabilities to integrate them in mainstream society. The contemporary provision of health care as set by the Department of Health or NHS gives emphasis to schedules of community care, social inclusion and social participation of individuals with learning disabilities and discourages institutionalization. LO.4 Define the concept of inclusion and identify barriers that serve to exclude people with learning disabilities from mainstream services. Introducing the strategy for services supporting people with learning disabilities in England, the Department of Health (2001) has described social inclusion in the following words:Being part of the mainstream is something most of us take for granted. We go to work, look after our families, visit our GP, use transport, go to the swimming pool or cinema. Inclusion means enabling people with learning disabilities to do those ordinary things, make use of mainstream services and be fully included in the local community.'(p24) People with learning disabilities have long been marginalized and excluded from society not only regarding social issues but also indirectly on decisions about their own lives. The Human Rights Act 2000 has also stressed on the basic fundamental rights of such individuals and this has given them a voice and strength in society. Whether it is choice of career or access to health services, the individuals with learning disabilities now have many options, and varied preferences. According to Jenkins et al (2003), an inclusive approach recognizes that formal and informal elements of the wider society need to change or adapt to enable excluded people to use opportunities and services. This explains the general approach in providing care to individuals with learning disabilities and the aim is to help them adapt and merge with the mainstream society with increased opportunities and special services. Yet there are major barriers to providing such individuals with the advantages of normal provisions and services. Some of these barriers include the nature of the problems that can involve severe physical or mental impairment. Factors identified as impediments to social inclusion of learning disabled individuals can be the process of labeling itself which discriminates socially healthy individuals from the disadvantaged ones. Although labeling has it won advantages, identifying individuals as disabled can lead to special exclusion and discrimination in areas of jobs, lifestyle or social participation. Although the situation has drastically improved after recognition of human rights needs of the learning disabled, the disadvantaged peoples own low levels of motivation, heightened social anxiety, discomfort in social participation, feelings of inferiority and practical problems in not being able to perform normal physical activities are common barriers to a health social life for these individuals. The mindset of people towards disadvantaged individuals may be changing but needs to change even further. Several associated illnesses, physical, visual, language deficiencies, special health needs such as weight problems, requirements in special schools and education needs are also some of the barriers that impede the active participation of such individuals in mainstream society. LO.5 Identify the main additional health problems faced by people with learning disabilities, and the consequent challenges posed to mainstream health services. Some of the associated health problems in people with learning disabilities are Mental illness such as schizophrenia, anxiety and depression and also challenging behavior such as aggression and self-injury. Prevalence rates of mental health illnesses are greater among individuals with learning difficulties than among the general population. Learning-disabled persons are also categorized as mentally deficient or retarded as they may not be able to perform intelligence tests due to their learning problems. Thus such people may be categories as having severe intellectual difficulties resulting in subnormality or abnormality. Abnormal conditions are however more of psychopathic disorders found widely in these individuals. Epilepsy shows higher prevalence rates in persons with learning disabilities than in the normal population. The British Epilepsy Association has estimated that there are nearly 200,000 people with learning disabilities severely affected by the learning disability disorder. (BILD, 2001) Physical and Sensory disabilities are common in people with learning disabilities as visual and auditory impairments are common in such conditions. Hearing impairment is found in individuals with Downs Syndrome and these additional disabilities are also associated with the fact that the persons with learning problems do not get support as far as using other devices are concerned. Complex health needs are common among people with learning disabilities and issues such as weight problems, or lack of a balanced diet are barriers in the betterment of such individuals. Significant numbers of people with such conditions do not engage in required amounts of physical activities and there is also a general lack of awareness about the amount or nature of diet that should be taken for a sedentary life. This leads to further complications such as heart problems, kidney problems etc at a young age. Chronic dental problems, poor oral health and unhealthy teeth and gums are some of the common problems. Such individuals have untreated tooth decay that is prolonged and causes damage, as well as a very poor sense of oral hygiene with irregular or minimal brushing and cleaning of the mouth etc. This aggravates other associated health problems. Facing and consequently overcoming health problems are the major barriers and also the major challenges not only for individuals with learning disabilities but also for social workers, community healthcare professionals and the Department of Health as a whole.The concept of social inclusion necessitates that these related health problems should be considered. LO.6 Discuss the importance of working in partnership with people with learning disabilities, using advanced communication skills, and the concept of capacity to give informed consent, along with the potential impact this may have on professional health care practice. According to Dunbar, working in partnership with people with learning disabilities is an essential first step towards social inclusion of such individuals. He wrote, people with learning disabilities or a mental illness should be treated in the same way as other people, not in side rooms. this lessens the chance of the person being out of sight, out of mind (Dunbar, 2003). This possibility of discrimination of such individuals have led to the recognition of the need for improved training, services and communication skills to effectively support and help these individuals. Health care professionals caring for persons with learning disabilities are required to have positive attitudes towards their patients. However within the healthcare setting negative attitudes and discriminatory practices are common and several studies have reported that such individuals are deprived of health care facilities and do not receive the care they should receive. In certain cases, inappropriate and derogatory language is also used to describe such patients and there have been reports of denied access to aids such as glasses or hearing equipment that can improve the quality of life for such individuals. The NHS Executive (1998) has stated that nursing staff require special training opportunities to face and overcome their fears or prejudices towards people with learning disabilities in order that they may learn to treat them with respect and equally as they treat other normal patients. Nurses and other health professionals should always try to go beyond social obstacles and try to meet or associate with such individuals in normal social situations and recognize their needs and shed any notion of stereotypes. The White Paper The same as you (Scottish Executive, 2000) has placed great emphasis on the needs of individuals with learning disabilities and to treat them equally. These are: being at the centre of decision making and have more control over their care; being included, better understood and supported by the communities in which they live; having information about their needs and the services available, so that they can take part, more fully, in decisions about them; having the same opportunities as others to get a job, develop as individuals, spend time with family and friends, enjoy life and get the extra support they need to do this; and being able to use local services wherever possible and special services if they need them. (Scottish Executive, 2000) It is recommended that specialized training should be provided to nurses to help them explore strategies of care for learning disabled individuals. Assisting in enabling inclusion and stressing on a holistic improvement of health and lifestyle of the individuals are areas of focus in nursing for such people. However as individuals with learning disabilities usually show auditory or speech difficulties, communicating with them effectively is a major challenge for nursing professionals and requires special skills and training. Communication is essential as according to legislative policies informed consent of the individual as to what treatment he should be subjected to and what his decisions are, lie as the primary focus of treatment. This is both an ethical and legal requirement that individuals with learning disabilities should be made aware and be allowed to express their opinions on any treatment or health care procedures (Eldridge, 2003). Conclusion: In this article we discussed 6 learning outcomes related to the health care needs, definitions, legislative policies, social implications and challenges of individuals with learning disabilities. Bibliography Human Rights Act (1998) London: HMSO. Mental Deficiency Act (1913) London: HMSO. Mental Health Act (1959) London: HMSO. Department of Health (2001) Valuing people: a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century. London: The Stationery Office.Disability Discrimination Act (1995) London: HMSO. Scottish Executive (2002) Promoting health, supporting inclusion. Edinburgh: Stationery Office. National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) London: HMSO. Department of Health (1999) Once a day. London: NHS Executive. DOH (1998) Signposts for success in commissioning and providing health services for people with learning disabilities. London: NHS Executive. DOH (1989) Caring for people: community care in the next decade and beyond. Cm.849. London: HMSO. DoH (1992) Social care for adults with learning disabilities. (Mental Handicap (LAC (92)15). London. HMSO. Dunbar, I. (2003) Inquiry under the fatal accidents and sudden death inquiry (Scotland) Act1976 into the death of James Mauchland. Sheriffdom of Tayside, Central and Fife at Dundee, Scotland. Emerson, E.; Hatton, C.; Felce, D. and Murphy, G. (2001) Learning disabilities: the fundamental facts. The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. London. Jenkins, R.; Mansell, I. and Northway, R. (2003) Specialist learning disability services in the UK. In: Gates, B. Learning disabilities: towards inclusion. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. pp349-367. World Health Organization (1993) Describing developmental disability. Guidelines for a multiaxial scheme for mental retardation (learning disability), 10th revision, Geneva: WHO. Gates, B. (2000) Knowing: the importance of diagnosing learning disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 4(1) pp5-6. Enable (7 Oct 2002) Adults with Incapacity Act (2000). Available at, http://www.enable.org.uk/ld/awi/ Also Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act (2000) London: HMSO. Eldridge, P. (2003) Ethics and research involving people with learning disabilities. In: Markwick, A. and Parrish, A. Learning disabilities: themes and perspectives. Edinburgh: Elsevier Science pp65-80. Department of Health (2001) Valuing people: a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century. London: The Stationery Office. Hogenboom, M. (2001) Living with genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability. London: Jessica Kingsley. Scottish Executive (2000) The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive. Watson, D. (2003) Causes and manifestations of learning disabilities. In: Gates, B. (ed) Learning disabilities: toward inclusion. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. British Institute for Learning Disabilitieshttp://www.bild.org.uk/links/ Department of Healthhttp://www.doh.gov.uk The Scottish Executivehttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/ National Health Servicewww.nhs.uk

Indian Culture Vs Western Cultures Essay -- World Culture

A couple of years ago, I had invited my best friend Jenene, to attend an Indian wedding. I thought it might be fun for her to experience the different foods, clothing, personalities, and religious beliefs that were particular to my culture. Later on that evening she had pulled me to the side and told me that the culture that she was raised in was completely different from mine. She was raised in New York all of her life and she had never experienced such a distinct culture. At that time I told her that she did not know half the story! As time went on, she attended more and more Indian functions and realized that the main differences between the western and Indian cultures were religion, marriage, and social interaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The western culture is predominantly of the Christian faith praying to one God. Growing up in the Hindu faith, I always wondered why my mother used to pray to many Gods. As I became older, I built up the courage to ask a Pandit (Indian Priest) why we believed in many Gods whereas all the others believed only in one. He had informed me that we only believe in one God, Lord Shiva. It may appear that we are praying to many Gods, but in fact we are praying to the many forms that he appeared to us on earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hindu and the Christian religious beliefs are predominantly very similar in that they teach individuals to be good and giving people. The main difference between the two religions is our belief in the after-life. Christians believe that after we die, we wait to be judged (Judgement Day) and until that time, your soul remains in an everlasting sleep (purgatory). After Judgement Day Christians believe that they answer for the wrongs that they committed upon the earth. This determines whether they go to Heaven or Hell. Hindus believe in reincarnation, which is life after death. We believe that after you die, your soul is transferred into another body or form. Depending on your dharma (behavior) in your previous life will determine your karma (actions that will affect your next life). If you were a good and giving person, your soul will be transferred into a human, the highest life form. If you were bad, your soul will be transferred into an insect, animal, or a lower life form. In any case, both the Christian and Hindu religion teach good values, beliefs and morals which constitute an ideal individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The topic of marr... ...ne is born into. For example if your parents are born Vaishya, then you are automatically a Vaishya for life. The reason for my parents’ migration to the United States was to break out of the caste system. The western society has a type of class system that indicates whether you are upper, middle or lower class depending on your income. This fortunately varies from generation to generation and is not something you are born into. Therefore an individual decides what class they want to fall into. As time goes on more similarities will be seen between the Indian and western cultures. All will reflect the changes that are occurring through assimilation. Indians, who were once thought to be backwards, more like traditionalists, are slowly adapting to the western societies and customs. Some changes can be seen today in the United States where Indians are choosing their own mates, altering their lifestyle from communal to associational, and shifting their classification from Vaishya to upper working class. All areas of life and social interaction are showing a change from traditional to non-traditional while maintaining all the values, beliefs and customs of their old respected ways.

The Beneatha’s Dreams

Hansberry's play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is the story of the Youngers, a poor African- American family in the 1940s. All of the Youngers have important dreams that they wish to realize but due to their economic status and the abundant racism of the time, and they are forced to put aside these dreams. However, due to the insurance money from â€Å"Big Walter†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs death, they have a chance to overcome these obstacles and achieve their dreams. Beneatha is a good example of a character whose dreams have been deferred. Beneatha dreams of being a doctor and throughout the play, struggles to determine her identity as a well-educated black woman. Beneatha is a collage student and is obviously the best educated member of the Younger family. Her education is very important to her and she hopes to one day become a doctor. Beneatha believes in education as a means to understanding and self-fulfillment through knowledge and wisdom. It was rare at this time to find a poor well-educated black woman with such high ambitions. Beneatha took pride in this fact and often flaunted her intelligence to her family. Mama, knowing how much her education meant to her, instructed Walter to save $3000 for Beneatha's medical schooling. When it was discovered that Walter had invested the money in his liquor store scheme and Willy had run off with all the money, Beneatha was devastated. She had lost all hope and even though her spirits may have been lifted after her talk with Asagai in act III and the chance to move into a new house, it seems that Beneatha will never realize this dream. Another major dream that Beneatha wants is to have her own identity. In the play she does this by trying to gain a better grasp on her cultural identity as an African-American. The rest of her family, after living in America for five generations, seem out of touch with their African heritage, so Beneatha turns to Asagai, a native Nigerian, to see if he can supply the lost part of herself. Beneatha dresses in Nigerian garb, dances to African music, and lets her hair grow naturally in an attempt to become more African. Beneatha does this in part because she sincerely wants to identify herself as an Africa-American but she also does it in protest of what she calls an â€Å"oppressive† white culture. Beneatha also dreamed of overcoming not only the prejudice against blacks, but also the prejudice against women. In the 1940s, it was common belief that a woman's place was at home and it was very rare for any woman to become a doctor. Even Walter suggests that she become a nurse, a traditionally woman's job, instead. Beneatha was an early feminist and did not take the traditionally submissive role of a woman. Instead, she spoke up against anything she perceived as an injustice. She became particularly passionate about freeing the Africans from French and English colonizers after talking to Asagai. In the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun,† all of the main characters were guided by their dreams, and the same is true for Beneatha. In the play, Beneatha struggles to create her own identity while battling against the abundant prejudice of the day. While she partially succeeds at creating her own identity, her dreams of becoming a doctor fall short when Walter losses the necessary money. However, Beneatha is a strong, intelligent woman and will most likely succeed later in life.

Dtlls †Enabling Learning and Assessment Essay

Coursework 1 – Reflective Account of Peer Assessment Activity Within this piece of work I will be reflecting on an assessment activity used by a peer whilst I was observing their lesson for A-level psychology. The learners were all aged 17-19 and the lesson was on theories of depression and was a revision session for learners before their exams the following month. The assessment activity was an informal formative assessment where the students were placed into groups of two or three learners and were then given an area of the subject matter, the learners then had to create revision notes as a group on a piece of flipchart paper using their own notes and text books. The learners were then given 15 minutes to revise these notes, once this time was up the tutor then asked the learners to all find a new partner and then teach their revised notes to their peer. The ‘tutor’ peer would try to give all their key notes without looking at the flipchart, but some learners we re allowed when they got stuck on certain points. The ‘student’ peer would have to take written notes to aid with their revision. The learners would then swap in their pairs and the roles would be reversed, after both learners had shared their revision notes they would then swap again to find a new learner to pair with, this process continued until all learners had a full set of revision notes for the subject. Brown et al on the subject of assessment ‘validity’ state ‘It is often described as the match between what is intended to be measured and what is measured.’ (Brown et al., 1997, p.239). I believe this activity was very valid as it allowed the tutor to assess the notes the learners would be revising from for a summative exam in the future. The aims of this assessment were explained in full detail and the learners understood what was expected of them from this activity. The point of the activity was for peer learning to take place to aid revision in the subject of theories of depression; this was definitely achieved by the end of the lesson as every learner had a full set of revision notes on each aspect of the subject confirming the validity of the assessment. The students were in charge of creating their own notes in each group and then passing these notes onto their peers, this does cause some reliability issues as with all learners some students may have put more effort into their revision notes than others. Therefore you may get a learner who has put as much information into his or hers notes as possible giving a vast amount of knowledge on a certain area of the subject and they may then  receive from a peer basic knowledge of another area of the subject. Reece and Walker talk of ‘reliability’ as ‘the ability of a test to consistently measure what it is supposed to measure.’ (Reece and Walker, 2007, p.348), I believe this method of assessment does not consistently measure but the tutor did circulate the classroom at all times aiding learners if they were finding it hard to put key points down on paper. This method does however aid differentiation as less able learners were given the chance to gain knowledge of the subject from more able learners. The more able learners also had the chance to practice and develop their subject knowledge aiding revision in the class. Word Count: 520 References Brown, G., Bull, J. and Pendlebury, M. (1997) Assessing Students Learning in Higher Education. Oxon, p.239. Reece, I. and Walker, S. (2007) Teaching, Training and Learning: A Practical Guide. 6th ed. Sunderland: Business Education Publishers Ltd, p.321. Coursework 2 – Assessment Information within own Organisation Assessment information within my own organisation is recorded from the beginning of a learner joining the college. Every potential student as part of the interview stage takes part in a minimum core assessment; this is a basic screening test to assess the student’s literacy and numeracy skills. This initial assessment allows us to correctly place the learner on the right level of course. These results are placed in the college database, following the enrolment of each learner the minimum core results form a group differentiation profile for each class; put together by the course leader. This profile is used by the tutor so they can differentiate learning tasks and understand individual learner’s needs from the very beginning. Once the course commences formative assessments are created by the tutor and used in each lesson. Each learner receives feedback from these assessments and if needed, targets can be set so the learner is clear on what is expected of them. Validity and reliability of assessments used during a course are checked at regular standardisation meetings within curriculum teams, these take place to sample marking of formative and summative theory assessments. Allowing tutors to internally verify samples of learners work so all tutors  in the department are consistent in their marking. Reece and Walker explain ‘validity’ as ‘how well the test measures what it is supposed to measure† (Reece and Walker, 2007, p.321). Within these meetings the team will also evaluate and create formative and summative assessments for future use; a chance to share good practice. The meetings are also used to discuss practical assessments as different tutors can have differing views on as sessment criteria; this aids the reliability of the assessments. Summative assessments are entered on a standardised tracking document which every tutor in the department can access. Updating this tracking document then enables each tutor or the head of department to see the progress of every learner helping to identify any ‘at risk’ students who may need more attention or end up not completing the course. This document is shared with the learners; they can see what still needs to be achieved to gain their qualification and how far they have come in terms of progression, this aids motivation in the classroom and also a sense of achievement to see how much they have already completed. The learners have logbooks provided by the awarding body VTCT, this is where tutors record all practical summative assessment and sign off to say they have met the criteria set by VTCT. The logbook is used by the learner to build a portfolio of consultations forms and photographs from practical’s, written assignments and any online tests the learner has to complete during the course. The college also uses Pro-Monitor a computerised package which tutors can record individual learner progress and set targets for learners to achieve by a certain time. Learners can access Pro-Monitor and input individual targets they wish to achieve, it can also show them graphs and visual aids on how much of their qualification they have achieved, this is brilliant for more visual learners who may find written feedback harder to understand. These different ways of recording assessment information are vital in enabling tutors to identify when students are falling behind and planning for future development, a side effect of not using these implements could be learners nearing the end of their course without completing assessments that are mandatory. References Reece, I. and Walker, S. (2007) Teaching, Training and Learning- a Practical Guide. 6th ed. Sunderland: Business Edition Publishers, p.321. Coursework 3 – Evaluation of Assessment Activities Assessment is defined by Gravells and Simpson as ‘a measure of learning, at a given point in time. Relevant skills, knowledge and/or attitudes can be measured towards a subject or qualification.’ (Gravells and Simpson, 2008). There are three main types of assessment; initial, formative and summative; these types of assessment can then be informal in the way of crosswords, gapped hand-outs, quizzes, discussions and journals or they can be formal in the way of exams, assignments, tests and observations. Formative assessment, used properly, is such an integral part of the teaching and learning process that it could be argued that it shouldn’t even be called assessment. When we consider teaching and learning methods, many of them – questioning, case studies, and projects – are also assessment methods used as learning checks. Scales states ‘Assessment for learning is based on the belief that everyone can learn and formative assessment is a key strat egy to help learners improve and develop’ (Scales, 2010) With this in mind the first assessment activity to be evaluated is a crossword used as an informal summative assessment. Crosswords are a simple and easy way of assessing learner’s knowledge during a unit. Crosswords can be uploaded to the college interactive website ‘cloud’, learners can then download the activity as a form of homework or as an extension task during directed studies. These can then be handed in to the tutor for marking. A more effective method is to use a crossword as learning check during a lesson; once the learners have completed the crossword they can then discuss as a group the answers. The tutor can also use extended questioning, asking more able learners to explain in more depth an answer to help aid differentiation. Feedback from learners suggests that crosswords are a challenging way of testing knowledge and encourages the learners to look at subject matter in different ways without having to sit tests all the time, which can be very daunting for certain learners. Something gained from feedback from a group of level 1’s, is that because a majority of the learners have learning needs which affects their literacy; they find the crossword in itself challenging to complete. To overcome this it has been noted that providing learners with a word bank of key words for each unit has helped in completing such tasks as  crosswords, as the learner still needs to know which word they are looking for but aids in developing their spelling for the future. Feedback is the most important part of formative assessment; research suggests that immediate oral feedback is the most effective, whether this is done by one on ones or as a group discussion. The feedback provided should be developmental and make the learners extend their thinking and learning to a higher level and should also focus on positive points first before moving onto more ‘developmental’ area’s for the learner to consider. By conducting formative assessment it can ensure that the teacher gains a full understanding of the learners existing capabilities so that realistic goals can then be set and additional support if needed can be organised. With this feedback individual targets can then be created for each learner and placed on the college Pro-Monitor system where the learners can access their targets as and when needed to see how they are developing in the course. Learners are also encouraged to create their own personal targets on Pro-Monitor, using feedback from formative assessments it allows learners to realise key strengths and weaknesses to help in creating these targets. The use of this feedback is very much like the idea of ‘scaffolding’, Bruner (Wood et al., 1976) coined this term in the 1950’s and believed using a more knowledgeable other to challenge the learner to achieve more by providing ‘scaffolding’ to help them climb to higher levels. Learners in dialogue with teachers can see where they want to reach but initially may need help in the form of questions, prompts and pointers to get there. Summative assessment is the assessment of learning and it leads to the gaining of qualifications and grades. Weeden suggests ‘Summative assessment is a snapshot judgement that records what a learner can do at a particular time.’ (Weeden et al., 2002, p.19) This process of qualification is important for learners and it is good to keep in mind the emotional aspects and design of assessment in relation to validity and reliability. With this in mind the second assessment activity to be evaluated is a practical observation used as a formal summative assessment. Practical observations are used throughout all 3 NVQ levels in beauty therapy as the subject is extremely vocationally based. Beauty therapy NVQ’s are broken down into units, for each unit there will be practical assessments that have to be completed at the end of the unit, where the learner is observed and assessed by the teacher. VTCT are  the awarding body for the beauty therapy NVQ’s and they set out the practical assessment criteria for each unit, this criteria is printed in the learners logbooks which is where each assessment is signed off if a pass has been achieved. To aid the reliability of the practical assessments all beauty lecturers at the college come together at standardisation meetings where the criteria is discussed in detail and a learner marking sheet is created which includes each of the areas the learner has to meet to gain a pass in the assessment. If this was not done each teacher could interpret the assessment criteria in different ways therefore learners would not be assessed fairly and reliably. Petty states ‘the same examiner should give the same mark if they unknowingly mark a script twice on different days’ (Petty, 2009), using standardisation this means that even with practical based assessments the results should always be the same. To help learners during practical assessments learning outcomes are written on the whiteboard to highlight key points they will need to show competency in or do to achieve a pass in the assessment. During the observation the teacher will also ask questions to the learners to help achieve the unit criteria, this is also where differentiation of the learners can take place as more able learners will be asked more open-ended and higher order questions then less able learners who will be asked standard criteria questions. The use of cameras in practical assessments is something that is still fairly new and is being experimented with but does seem to show some success. As part of the observation learners have to keep their working area clean and tidy and show due regard for health and safety, the teacher can now take pictures of each learners working area before the assessment takes place and then at the commencement of the assessment. With regards to practical assessments like nail art, make-up and face painting the finished article can also be documented by a photo that the learner can then be used in their own portfolio to be sent to the awarding body. From these pictures the teacher can then feedback to the learner at the end of the assessment any positive points of the practical and also any areas that the learner would need to further develop, the learner can then have these pictures as a visual aid to understand how they can improve for the next assessment and also works as a good revision aid for the future. Another approach to embrace ICT in assessments is to video learners assessments so they can themselves evaluate  and feedback on client care and professionalism during their observation. It has been noted that using cameras in practical observations has been received well by the learners, they have commented that it brings a new dimension to receiving feedback and allows them to visualise areas they need to focus on improving and reinforces the assessment criteria for them too. Feedback from practical observation is given individually immediately after the learners assessment, feedback is given verbally with key points both positive and ones for development are written on the bottom of the consultation form the learner completed during the assessment (these consultation forms also go into the learners portfolio). Practical assessments can leave a lot to interpretation by the teacher so it is important the practical marking sheet is filled in during the observations and a pass or fail is determined by how many of the boxes the learner showed competence in, depending on which level the learner is currently studying determines the number of criteria they need to meet. Learners can feel very nervous and daunted by practical assessments at the beginning of the year as it the proverbial ‘unknown’, formative practical assessments do help to calm learners worries as they are a ‘trial run’ of the summative assessment, also setting out some time to explain and discuss the unit assessment criteria and what will be expected of them from this. During the practical observations themselves the use of cameras also seems to help learners forget the formalness of the observation and relax into the assessment. In conclusion all assessment methods should be a positive contribution to learning and good assessment activities are important to aiding teaching. However assessments are only worthwhile if they assist the learner and teacher to move through the learning outcomes of the unit, otherwise it is irrelevant. Designing assessment activities which stretch the learner’s abilities and promotes their development is a skill that comes with experience and understanding of the current learners on your course and it is definitely something that will always be tweaked and changed throughout your career. Word Count: 1,594 References Gravells, A. and Simpson, S. (2008) Planning and enabling Learning in the Lifelonf Learning Sector. Exeter: Learning matters, p.50. Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today – A practical guide. 4th ed. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Scales, P. (2010) Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education, p.180. Weeden, P., Winter, J. and Broadfoot, P. (2002) Assessment: What’s in it for schools?. London: Routledge Falmer, p.19. Wood, D., Bruner, J. and Ross, G. (1976) The role of tutoring in problem solving. In: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry., pp.89-100.

The feud between East and West Coast Hip Hop Culture.

The feud between East and West Coast Hip Hop Culture. Hip-Hop's Greatest RivalryHip-hop is a term recognized by many, but understood by few. To mainstream audiences today, the term has become a synonym for rap music; however, hip-hop in actuality is a relatively new cultural movement that "began amongst urban (primarily, but not entirely, African American) youth in New York [City]" ("Hip-Hop"). Soon after the birth of hip-hop in the mid 1970s, the cultural movement quickly spread throughout the United States and today has come to be known to the entire world. Hip-hop is constantly changing and although it has mainly appealed to the youth, its audience is continually growing. Hip-hop culture has four elements - graffiti art, breakdancing, DJing, and MCing/rapping (Ayazi-Hashjin 6,7). A main cause of the birth of hip-hop was the civil rights movement in the United States.Black consciousness and pride swept the streets among African Americans, especially those living in cities after the start of the civil rights movement.English: Photo of the front of 1520 Sedgwick Avenu...Prior to the birth of hip-hop, the Black Panthers were a powerful group, and The Nation of Islam was beginning to organize. Black culture was becoming better known through outlets such as magazines and jazz. As Black Americans were identifying with each other more and more, many other closely-knit black communities were forming, especially in New York City. An important consequence of this was the formation of gang culture (Ogg 23). In the 70s, street gangs became very popular among the Black American youth. Gangs became a way of representing Black pride for many. Young Black Americans looked to join gangs because of the kinship they could form with others who lived in a similar lifestyle. As the number of gangs grew, however, gang rivalry intensified to violence. The Bronx area of New York City in 1970s was thought of to be one of the...