Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Pathophysiology Case Study Essay
Patient Case Question 1: For which condition is this patient likely taking nifedipine? Nifedipine is a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain. Patientââ¬â¢s past medical history indicates that he has had hypertension ââ¬Å"for years,â⬠the patient is most likely taking Nifedipine to manage this condition. May also be taking nifedipine so as to prevent chest pain from his past condition of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Patient Case Question 2: For which condition is this patient likely taking lisinopril? Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor that treats high blood pressure and heart failure. Patient could be taking lisinopril in tandem with nifedipine to manage his hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease. Patient Case Question 3: For which Condition is this patient likely taking paroxetine? Paroxetine is used to treat various mood disorders. It is most likely that the patient is taking paroxetine to treat his generalized anxiety disorder, which he has been experiencing for the past 18 months (according to his past medical history). Patient Case Question 4: What is meant by ââ¬Å"tenting of the skinâ⬠and what does this clinical sign suggest? ââ¬Å"Tenting of the skinâ⬠involves a skin turgor test. By pulling a fold of skin from the back of the hand, lower arm, or abdomen with two fingers one can assess the ability of the patientââ¬â¢s skin to change shape and return to normal (elasticity). ââ¬Å"Tenting of the skin,â⬠indicates that the skin is not returning to normal quickly, which means the person has severe dehydration, a fluid loss of 10% body weight. The result of his skin turgor test indicates late signs of dehydration (patient had skin with poor turgor), and the presence of tenting in the skin indicates the severity of his dehydration. Patient Case Question 5: Are the negative Grey Turner and Cullen signs evidence of a good or poor prognosis? A positive test for Cullen sign occurs when a patient has superficial bruising in the subcutaneous fat around the umbilicus. A positive Greyà Turner test occurs when a patient has bruising of flanks (last rib to top of hip), which indicates a retroperitoneal hemorrhage. Both Cullen and Grey Turner signs are used to indicate/predict acute pancreatitis, when these signs are present one has a high rate of mortality (37%). The patient tested negative for both Grey Turner and Cullen signs, so his prognosis is good. Patient Case Question 6: Identify THREE major risk factors for acute pancreatitis in this patient. Patient has sinus tachycardia, paired with the patientââ¬â¢s severe dehydration the patient is showing signs of having acute pancreatitis. Patient also has a history of alcohol abuse and is regularly taking ACE inhibitors, which puts him at a high risk of developing acute pancreatitis. Patient also has diminished bowel sounds that indicate possible acute pancreatitis. Patient Case Question 7: Identify TWO abnormal laboratory tests that suggest that acute renal failure has developed in this patient. Patientââ¬â¢s Blood Urea Nitrogren (BUN) level is 34 mg/dL; which indicates decreased kidney function. Patient has a potassium level of 3.5 meq/L which is below normal range (3.7- 5.2 meq/L), this indicates possible renal artery stenosis. Both of these lab results suggest that the patient has developed acute renal failure. Patient Case Question 8: Why are hemoglobin and hematocrit abnormal? Patientââ¬â¢s hemoglobin level is 18.3 g/dL, normal hemoglobin levels for men are between 14 and 18 g/dL. Patientââ¬â¢s hematocrit level is 53%, normal hematocrit levels are 40-50%. This abnormally high lab results indicate early stages of kidney disease and anemia. Patient has developed acute renal failure, so these test results are as expected for a patient under such conditions. Patient Case Question 9: How many Ranson criteria does this patient have and what is the probability that the patient will die from this attack of acute pancreatitis? Patient has seven points of Ranson criteria. Patientââ¬â¢s WBC count was over 16K, patient is over age 55, patientââ¬â¢s blood glucose level was higher thanà 200 mg/dL, patientââ¬â¢s LDH level was over 350, patient had high BUN level, and Patient had high fluid needs due to his dehydration. Patientââ¬â¢s predicted mortalitiy is 100% based upon the Ranson criteria, so it is very likely that the patient will die from this attack of acute pancreatitis. Patient Case Question 10: Does the patient have a significant electrolyte imbalance? Patient has a sodium level that is 1 meq/L below normal range, and a potassium level 0.2 meq/L below normal range. This indicates that the patient is having renal complications that are interfering with electrolyte balance. Patient Case Question 11: Why was no blood drawn for an ABG determination? No blood was drawn for an ABG determination because patientââ¬â¢s lungs were clear to no auscultation, so no test was needed to test patientââ¬â¢s blood PH. Also patient had urine with a PH within normal range, so an ABG test was not really needed.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
The Effects of a Teachers Religion in the Classroom
Existing studies on Instructor's spiritual convictions and understanding concerning teaching either has failed to address an educator's alignment of his instructional practices and evaluation or has one it presumably. This paper provides a traditional literature review on the impact of a teacher's religion In the classroom. Keywords: teachers' beliefs, pedagogy, classroom practices Introduction Teachers' religion has been seen as a vital section that requires being tackled in the perspective of most educational modifications.This is particularly so when teachers are to aid students' learning in the classroom because a teacher's beliefs could affect his/her teaching practices. It is vital for teachers to comprehend the intricate association between their epistemic beliefs (beliefs concerning information ND learning), pedagogical beliefs (beliefs concerning teaching), and the manner in which the teaching contexts affect the endorsement of these beliefs. Teachers are not supposed to sup port or disparage some particular religions or not have any spiritual belief.Teachers are expected to be exceedingly perceptive to revere, and not impede, students' religious beliefs and practices by not interpolating personal perspectives or advocating those of some students (Chaw, 2010). The main aim of this study is to establish the degree to which teachers plan their classroom teaching and assessments so that they are geared toward their personal spiritual beliefs. An associated purpose is to establish whether learners perform better on their teachers' perspectives due to belief or on the state assessments if educators are compelled only to pursue a strict curriculum.The research question employed is: To what level are teachers' instructional activities focused on personal belief compared to concentrating on state assessments that are administered? Definition of Terms Pedagogy-for the present study, refers to the activity of training or teaching and the techniques applied to tea ch. Beliefs-in this study denotes the decisions and assessments that we make concerning ourselves, concerning others, and concerning the world surrounding us. They are individual beliefs founded on reasonable ways of thinking.Van Hover (2006) described beliefs to mean a set of perceptions and views that are installed in a person through his experiences and the overlaying of ideas throughout the learning courses. Educators' Beliefs- in the present study denotes the mindsets and ideals regarding training learners, and the learning process those educators bring to classrooms. They are the notions held by the educator in the instruction and learning process, which affect his classroom instructional performance. Classroom Practices-A group of instructional strategies and techniques of training utilized in the classroom.Van Hover (2006) described the interface between the educator and his learners to develop their cognitive and proficient experiences through the proper classroom administr ation, will power to instruct, and constant assessment to attain the preferred instructional goals. Literature Review This research is based on the idea that the individual instructor's spiritual beliefs e regarded as leading beliefs that educators affirm to be right and that function as lenses by which new experiences can be inferred.When people Judge something as right, they recognize information backing that conviction. What educators perform in the classroom is known to be controlled by what they trust, and these convictions habitually operate as sieves through which instructional decisions and choices are formed (Levin & He, 2008). A study has shown that educators have a huge range of complex spiritual convictions about educational matters. Accommodating the nature ND the theoretical function of these spiritual convictions is vital to comprehend the instructional preferences and Judgments that educators make.It has become extensively accepted that the educators' pedagogical con victions play a fundamental role in their instructional practices because these spiritual convictions are demonstrated in the training techniques, in selecting teaching subjects, decision- making, and formulation of class assessments (Levin & He, 2008). From the point of view of Levin and He (2008), the instructors' spiritual beliefs are depicted as being the cost imperative in the psychological constitution of the educator.They suppose that there is an urgent want to delineate the theory of educators' spiritual beliefs, while realizing that there is a complexity in distinguishing a comprehensible description of the spiritual beliefs because of the divergence of investigators' and scholars' opinions. These researchers observe that the convictions are a type of notions that envelop all issues that there is inadequate comprehension about, but that have sufficient faith to practice them.Sadler, Maraschinos, Shoemaker and Allows (2006) scribe spiritual beliefs in the education context a s the educator's spiritual contentions, and their perspectives on instruction and training. Conversely, other researchers perceive that the educators' beliefs are the holistic concept of a number of aspects connected to the beliefs about teaching and learning, the syllabus and the training career generally, and that such convictions outline the ââ¬Å"education cultureâ⬠that influences pedagogical goals and principles.Van Hover (2006) showed that an educator's spiritual convictions originate from three sources that encompass individual experiences of the educator in ordinary life and teaching, educator's experience as a learner, and the educator's knowledge from his religious affiliations. This experience, as said by Sadler et al. (2006), characterizes the attainment of the teaching career via direct examination because it presents the educators with information associated to the teaching career. It as well assists them in the development of particular theories regarding the w ay training should be.From the point of view of the traditional instructional study, the views and assumptions the educators obtain from this source may be regarded as an extremely strong control in impacting their instructional beliefs (Levin & He, 2008). Early educator spiritual condition studies concentrated on a set of features connected to school with the creation of educators' convictions, the organizational support, the mind-set of workmates, school climate, learners' capabilities and backgrounds, as well as the canons and guidelines that apply in a specific school.Sadler et al. (2006) recapitulated the outcomes of study on educators' religious convictions by mistreating that there is a strong correlation between religious convictions of educators and their design for training, teaching Judgments, and classroom profession play a vital role in the clarification of understanding and instructional behavior when Joining the teaching career. In his view, these religious beliefs ar e the most substantial aspects on which we can forecast the teaching behavior.Sadler et al. (2006), as well, articulates that educators' religious convictions have a strong impact on the teaching practices by changing those convictions into a practical actuality. Similarly, Van Hover (2006) perceives that educators' religious beliefs are a wealthy depot of knowledge that may influence teaching programs and ideas. There is a rising interest in examining the correlation between educators' religious convictions and their classroom instructional practices.Even though some research outcomes (Van Hover, 2006; Levin & He, 2008) have revealed that the educators' instructional practices were incoherent with their religious beliefs, some studies established that the educators' religious convictions played a significant part in the alignment and design of their classroom instruction and assessments. In the teaching profession, there is a rising need to review the traditional literature on the religious beliefs of the educators to recognize the aspects that influence their classroom practices.Beliefs and State Assessments It appears that the degree of epistemic beliefs demonstration relies mainly on what educators envisaged as their priorities with respect to objective attainment and their insight of students' willingness (Iridous & Morton, 2007). In this regard, it appears significant to modify the framework in which educators function if the forms based on state assessments are to begin. On this note, researchers have found out that it is not adequate for teachers to enhance improvement in teachers' beliefs.A favorable setting mutually generated by policy makers and stakeholders, such as the school leadership, has to be instituted for success of state assessments. Devoid of such a favorable environment, educators could opt to embrace traditional methods of teaching that work successfully only for passing of examinations and assessments. It is this optimism that leads to this study demonstrating a complex interplay between the beliefs of teachers and the success of state assessments, from a teacher's perspective.In spite of some considerable challenges with state assessments, the deep-seated mistake in such a move is the presumption that the presence of an excellent progression in the course of observation links to the academic achievement of learners. If the learning of students is the ultimate objective of state assessments, then it ought to be gauged directly and not being interpolated from inadequate observations of classroom teaching and teacher's beliefs.A reasonable advance to teacher assessment would entail an examination of the understanding of instructions, in addition to the outcomes of tutoring (Iridous & Morton, 2010). Nevertheless, the application of classroom reflection to promote teaching enhancement cannot be underestimated. The success of both students and teachers can be evaluated and illustrated by both understanding of instruct ions and The majority of teachers would concur that they are accountable for student learning, but the career as an entirety has avoided assessments anchored in measures of student learning (Ross & Gray, 2006).This at times is explained excellently, given the inequitable advances that have been recommended. Nonetheless, the solution is not to maintain traditional policies merely due to their being benevolent and comfortable, but instead to generate Just and rational ways of assessing teacher achievement with learners. A good number of school structures and teaching plans have discovered inventive means of attaining suitable and consistent information on student learning to inform the educator-assessment progression (Iridous & Winkle, 2010).Generating reasonable advances for the valuation of the success of teachers demands an unwavering glance at both the justifiable considerations that have propelled the prevention of outcomes direction in the past, and the potential capacities that lead to it being more gorgeous in the modern climate of enhanced responsibility for student learning results. Teachers' Instructional Activities To comprehend which prospective educators require learning, it is vitally significant to comprehend their beliefs and their personal characters that could aid in their associating beliefs and teaching.Tsar, Jessie Ho, Liana, and Line (2011) suggested that the beliefs of teachers are the foundation of the Judgments, practices, and activities that they make about in the progression of teaching and assessments because the belief systems of educators, their discernment, and examinations of best practices have a vital function in determining teaching performances. GÃ'Ër$m#k (2014) affirmed that learners take up teacher education plans with an array of beliefs concerning education, glasswork, and students emanating from their educational encounters.For example, teachers' beliefs concerning the significance of teaching as transferring a pre-esta blished tenet of knowledge from educator to learner could be n line with affirmations in relation to teachers' beliefs concerning the task of the learner, and the beliefs regarding the function of educators and the effects of a teacher's religion in the class. The beliefs of teachers generate a challenge to their operations aimed at advancing the functions of future teachers. The aforementioned challenge arises because in students' learning it is evident that it is more intricate to unlearn taught beliefs as compared to other beliefs.Educator's education-teaching processes are a monumental source of cognitive, psychological, and ethical advancement of learners. It is distinguished that teaching conducts, teaching techniques, administration policies, and learners' discernment of the learning atmosphere are associated with the learners' learning and generation of beliefs concerning themselves and other people. On this note, educators must adhere to a broad array of concerns and challe nges in the classroom (Tsar et al. , 2011).The outcomes of different studies illustrate that amid others, the greatest concern of educators and starting candidates is the administration of learners' conduct and learners' control. Teaching Method and Leadership Approach The Effect of Studies have shown a link involving the teaching methods of educators, the leadership approaches of school principals, and teachers' directions of student agreement with the general idea in research: teaching methods and custom of a school are closely linked to leadership approach and conduct.In this regard, after assessing the functions and operations linked to school principals and educators, Tsar et al. (2011) affirmed that the leadership approach extends all through the school and has an impact on the teachers' teaching methods. In a study that was carried out, the School Description Inventory (SD') was applied to twenty secondary school principals, 300 teachers, and 7,400 students to seek views of t he teaching methods and leadership approach.With the application of teachers' SAID responses, it was assumed that a positive association would exist between teaching methods of teachers, hierarchical conduct in leadership approach, and tutelary student control directions as recognized in the student management beliefs. The hypothesis of this study was proved as indicated by the Pearson correlation coefficients and with aspect to the different specific characteristics. The study concluded that the Pupil Control Ideology of public secondary school educators is tutelary in schools that are bureaucratic, and humanist in non- bureaucratic schools.In contrary, a transformational leadership approach promotes different attributes linked to humanist school customs. Such customs are in agreement with the Theory Y, where leaders see workers as self-induced, accountability-taking, and dependable. The interpretation of successful leadership with respect to democratic deliberation of teacher's co ncerns as evident in research ND the representation of humanist student control beliefs are consistent with the facilitation of confidence and strengthening dealings between educators and learners.A comprehensive empirical study of the effect of the school principals leadership approach on the learning atmosphere and the success of students was carried out by Tsar et al. (2011). The study used a varied sample of 2,800 students, 500 educators, and 25 school principals in 20 schools, in the United States. In this study, there were statistically significant indications in the learning atmosphere and n the success of students that were seen to be associated with the leadership approach of school principals.Even though studies affirm that the school learning atmosphere relies on the leadership approach, they also find a powerful trend for school principals to employ the supporter approach of leadership that has a sturdy direction in satisfying the requirements individuals and engaging pa rents and the society in the Judgment- making progression. In the present school leadership approaches, school principals are more probable of creating learning societies where the enlightenment of cheers happen in the course of the practices, actions, and associations.GÃ'Ër$m#k (2014) established that the perception of school principals as the only instructional directors makes the endowments of educators go underexploited. For schools to be self-governing, all-encompassing, and a successful society, the empowerment of teachers is vital and for this to be attained, the leadership approach has to be transformation. Studies also have affirmed that teachers start becoming causal, developing constituents of the learning setting when they are taken as partners in the progression.School principals who go beyond the hierarchy form of proficiency distinguish the proficiency in other people and guide in the transformation approach both teachers and school principals will be cognition trans missions. Conclusion As it appears, there are only a few teachers who have highly advanced epistemic beliefs. On this note, the teacher educators and other stakeholders should offer a chance for teachers to elucidate their beliefs. Teachers beliefs regarding teaching appeared to differ from knowledge attainment to knowledge creation.Moreover, it appears that the teachers' religion manifestation relies mainly on what their teachers leveled to be their priorities with respect to goal attainment and their knowledge of students' willingness. It thus appears significant to adjust the circumstance in which teachers function if teachers' belief-based efforts are to bear better fruit. A highly favorable learning environment mutually generated by the policy-makers and the school principals has to be established.Devoid of such a school environment, teachers could decide to take up traditional teaching methods that were only directed to passing of examinations and assessment rather than overal l betterment of students. This study has demonstrated the intricate interchange involving teachers' beliefs and their teaching perspectives from a teacher's viewpoint. In sum, it is significant for future studies to aim at discovering teachers who are capable of solving the tension between their beliefs and their teaching perspectives in any given environment and ensure their students' overall triumph.
How to Lead a Healthy Lifestyle?
How to lead a healthy lifestyle? Leading a healthy lifestyle is very important duty to our ownself. How to lead a healthy lifestyle? Firstly, you can exercise regularly to maintain a good health. For example, you can join a gym or find some sport that you like. Next, you can work, jog, and cycle to the destination which near your house. Another example is you can do the stretching exercise when we free. Secondly, you should taking comprehensive and balanced of nutrition to maintain a good health.For example, you can control the total calories, the total heat control at 30kcal/kg. Next, you should reduce the intake of animal fats and sweets, to increase the food of soy products, vegetables, fruits and other foods which rich in potassium and magnesium, and generally ensure that the daily intake of 500g vegetables. Another example, you should eat foods which rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish food is rich in W-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. It has the role of lipid-lowering, visc osity, and anti-platelet aggregation.Finally, you should develop healthy habits to maintain a good health. For example, you should pay attention to personal hygiene such as wash hands frequently, do not spit, do not dumping trash and other. Next, we should refrain from smoking because smoke is detrimental to human health. Another example, you can drink tea, it is because the tea is recognized worldwide as health drink, and tea polyphones have antioxidant, lipid lowering anti-cancer and other effect.
Monday, July 29, 2019
History of the English Cutlery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
History of the English Cutlery - Essay Example Forks do not have a very ancient history like knives or spoons as it is considered to be a very recent invention. It is very surprising that we humans are still in the process of learning how to utilize this modern eating utensil. To my utter surprise, it is also said that the way we use a fork can also tell a lot about our personality and major concerns of life such as religion, manliness, inner traits etc. Knives and spoons are the initial forms of eating utensils. Knives that resembled hand-held ax were used in olden times to scrape off meat whereas spoons were used to dig in liquids. The first use of forks is seen during the Greek empire that used large forks to take food out of the big boiling pots. It should be noted here that in the Greek empire the use of fork was limited and it did not make its way to their dining table and most people preferred to use their hands, spoons or knives. The reason why folks were not used by the people was that of the shape it had and the name it bore. A fork resembles a devils pitchfork from which it also derived its name. The association of the fork with the devil has bought a sense of hatred amongst the people. A Venetian princess used to use forks to eat as she didnââ¬â¢t like to eat through her hands. When the princess died plague many people considered it to be a reprimand by the almighty for her act of arrogance. Such myths were always associated with the use of forks in olden times. During the middle ages, the trend changed when from Byzantine the use of cutlery traveled to France. In France, there was a monarch who had a brutal image amongst the people. She was fond of food, therefore, arranged such gatherings where food was always under the limelight. In these gatherings, spoons and knives were used for the feast but on some occasions, forks were also used to have sweets. Such occasions were quite seldom.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
(research proposal)Exaime the diffculties african carribian lone Essay
(research proposal)Exaime the diffculties african carribian lone parent face in employement in the united kingdom - Essay Example will include, how many employed Afro-Caribbean lone parents in a selected sample have an economically sound job and what is the average distance they have to travel to reach their employment station, how many hours does an Afro-Caribbean lone parent work on an average and how many hours does he/she spend with his/her child/children, what kind of public transport facilities are available for a working Afro-Caribbean lone parent and what kind of support an Afro-Caribbean lone parent receives from his/her family members. One major study on the economic status of lone parents in UK was done by J. Millar and Karen Rowlingson (2001). Millar and Rowlingson (2001, pp.180) have found that the majority of lone-parent families in Britain are White but some ethnic minority groups are over-represented among lone-parent families (such as Afro-carrebian women). Another study (Giddens &Griffiths, 2006, pp.215) has also substantiated this as a fact by noting that ââ¬Å"there are far fewer black women aged between twenty and forty four living with a husband than there are white women in the same age group.â⬠Millar and Rowlingson (2001, pp.183) have observed, ââ¬Å"the link between high rates of lone parenthood and lack of labour demand causes problems for lone parents for seeking paid work.â⬠These researchers (Millar & Rowlingson, 2001, pp.183) have inferred that one reason for the high rate of lone parenthood in certain areas is owing to the deficiency of decent paid jobs for men in the locality, which detracts them from becoming ââ¬Å"husband-father-breadwinners.â⬠Hence they (Millar & Rowlingson, 2001, pp.183) have suggested that ââ¬Å"improving employment opportunities in deprived areas for both men and women could therefore increase the labour market participation of lone parents, while at the same time reduce the number of lone parent families.â⬠It was when New Labour came to power in UK that the policies on lone parents underwent a drastic change. Millar and Rowlingson (2001,
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Collective Bargaining Process in P-12 Education Research Paper
Collective Bargaining Process in P-12 Education - Research Paper Example Significant Changes in Education Law Section 3012-c The revamp of the old law carried with it major changes in the evaluation process of teachers and principals, known as the new and improved Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) system for teachers and principals. ââ¬Å"The new APPR system applies only to evaluations of teachers in the common branch subjects or English Language Arts, and Math in grades four through eight, as well as building principals for the school year 2011-2012. The new APPR system will apply to all teachers and principals effective in the 2012-2013 school years. The APPR system requires teacher and principal evaluations to result in a single composite score made up of the several componentsâ⬠(New York Labor and Employment). The composite score shall be the basis for the teacherââ¬â¢s promotion, retention, tenure, termination, and will entitle the teacher to additional compensation. The composite score shall be divided into the following criter ia: The first 40% percent shall be based on the studentââ¬â¢s achievement and the other 60% shall comprise of the teacherââ¬â¢s overall effectiveness. Modification of the Existing Provisions of Collective Bargaining Agreement Based on the labor relations standpoint, the requirement of a negotiated appeals process is one of the more contentious aspects of the new law. The appeals process by the way, is developed locally, wherein the teacher or principal shall have the right to question the basis of the evaluation. The factors taken in deriving at such result must be compliant to specific standards and guidelines for reviews and implementation of a ââ¬Å"Teacher Improvement Plansâ⬠(TIP) and the ââ¬Å"Principal Improvement Plansâ⬠(PIP). This method will be used for those teachers and... It aims to discuss the direct relationship of the new law to the concurrent provisions contained in the previous collective bargaining agreements. Due to the enactment of the new law, it mandated that all collective bargaining agreements entered by teachers and building principals after July 1, 2010 must be harmonize and complement with provisions of the new law. This report stresses that the new law does not require the school district, BOCES, parentsââ¬â¢ and teachersââ¬â¢ representative union to indicate the references used in the newly incorporated provisions in the successor collective bargaining agreements. Strict observance must be complied as regard to the consistencies with the provisions of the new Education Law. This paper makes a conclusion that the enactment of the new law redounds to the benefit of the school district, BOCES, teachers and principals because they are given equal opportunities to improve their existing conditions and opens doors for more better opportunities which they can enjoy in the future. In the case of the students, they will be ensured of quality education as their teachers are required to attain a high level of effectiveness among their students. According to Tom Loveless, ââ¬Å"what is certain however is that the scope of bargaining, although previously restricted in many states with regard to issues of wages, hours and working conditions, has in practice greatly expanded beyond those formal limitsâ⬠.
Friday, July 26, 2019
A Constitution and bylaws for a fictional church Research Paper
A Constitution and bylaws for a fictional church - Research Paper Example It will bear full control over all purchases and leases and to hold all mortgages with the right to dispose of property and assets [c] A reception for new members shall be held on a Sunday appointed by the board of Elders and Deacons for their admission to the church and recognition of all of their rights, privileges and responsibilities to the church. Section V11: The church membership list shall be reviewed before each Annual General Meeting to determine those members who have become inactive by the Board of Elders and Deacons. Any members who are regularly attending another church or who have not supported the church in the preceding twelve months may be placed on an inactive list and notified of this action, by the Pastor, at their last known address. Inactive members shall not be eligible to vote in church matters or receive a letter of transfer. [a] If they have abided by the rules in Article 1V, sections 2a to 2g and requested a letter of transfer. Such letter will be sent by the Clerk of the Church to the Church to which the members has applied. [b] Any member may, for whatever reason, apply to the board of Elders and Deacons to have their name taken from the list of members, without prejudice, and this request will be reviewed by the board of Elders and Deacons. [c] After a review by the board of Elders and Deacons and a vote of the church, a membership may be terminated for behavior regarded as not being in the best interest of the church or against the rules and regulations set out in this constitution. Pastor:[a1] It is the duty of the pastor to conduct all public Public Services of Worship. To perform Baptisms and Communion and all other ministry functions. He will be the leader of his congregation and visit the sick and aged. He will sit on all boards and committees of the church and have full access to all church records upon request. The Pastor will head the Pastors council. [a4] The pastors position may
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 47
Assignment Example The advantages of becoming a motocycle repair ââ¬Å"engineerâ⬠include low training costs and ease of starting a business as no formal certificates are required. The possible disadvantage of such a career is that it may be low paying and subject to high competition as many entrants are expected in the market. There are no documented records of innovations by motorbike repaire experts. Aeronautical or aerospace engineering is broadly concerned with how airplanes and spaceships work. More specifically, the discipline is concerned with the design and manufacture of aircraft, communication systems, flight simulators, and air propulsion and control systems among other structures relevant to aviation (degreedirectory.org par 2). Typically, aeronautical engineers involve in the creation of models and prototypes for new airplanes, perform tests on prototypes and make necessary changes on them, and design procedures for performing aviation related tests (degreedirectory.org par 2). Aeronautical engineers in the U.S. earn a starting median salary of 60,000USD per annum (cms.montgomerycollege.edu. par 1). Professionals in the middle of their careers earn a median yearly wage of $120,000. Statistics from the US Bureau of Labor statistics reveal that as of 2008, the country had 71,600 aeronautical engineers. The engineers work with airlines, aviation authorities, airplane and manufacturers with job prospects high depending on level of training and experience. Advantages of taking aeronautical engineering as a career choice include higher pay compared to most other professions and high prestige going by statistics (bls.gov par 1). Disadvantages associated with aeronautical engineering as a career choice include high risks associated with working on flight and relatively few vacancies with slower than average (5%) growth according to (bls.gov par 1). One of the
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Montessori education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Montessori education - Essay Example The children also love to work as much as to play. Thus she believed that learning process should be in congruence with the childââ¬â¢s nature. In order to develop this process on must first study the child, and then develop a method of study based on scientific observation of the child. According to her education was not the process of gaining knowledge; it was in fact the process of creating new paths, and realizing potentials. Acquiring knowledge, learning discipline, developing character were goals that were gradually attained in the process. Montessori education has been studied extensively and has proved to be a highly effective method of education followed in schools worldwide. Besides the childââ¬â¢s learning and motor skills marked improvements have been reported in social skills of the child. The characteristics that are most integral to learning process; motivation, interest, peer coordination, strong student teacher relationship, and active participation in learning; are developed as a consequence of Montessori Method of
Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4
Business Ethics - Essay Example It is now again trying to sell itself inviting offers from Qwest and Verizon, both of who are also recovering from debts. They are trying to outbid others and making promises which they may not be able to maintain as business deteriorates. This is again a matter of concern because ethics are compromised under such circumstances. The Corporate Governance norms were violated at WorldCom, which is unexpected of the Directors and the CEO. Over ambitiousness of the CEO to acquire several companies with the stocks of WorldCom led him to boost the companyââ¬â¢s profits artificially by as much as $3.9 billion (Bhattacharya, 2004). Costs were considered as capital investment which helped the company to sustain its apparently smooth and rapid earning growth. They even claimed depreciation of the ââ¬Ëcapital investmentsââ¬â¢. The behavior of the CEO and the CFO were the driving forces behind the unethical conduct. The CEO utilized the company loan of $400 million to buy ranches and other personal properties, which is unethical. He used the services of the CFO to ensure rising stock prices so that his personal stake would provide the security for the loan. They hid the information from the external auditor. Additionally, the big names in auditing and accounting have failed to detect the irregularities or to gu ide the firms. This would amount to hidden complicity between the auditors and WorldCom. The audit committee did not have a financial expert. Besides, they had the sole authority to appoint, retain, compensate, evaluate and terminate the companyââ¬â¢s independent auditors (Petra, 2006). WorldCom had crumbled because of its unethical practices. MCI on the other hand was reputed for its ââ¬Å"integrity, innovation and valueâ⬠(Thurston, 2007). WorldComââ¬â¢s name was changed to MCI as a part of the reorganization plan filed in the bankruptcy court in US. According to the executive vice-president, they wanted to re-establish
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Multiple paragraphs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Multiple paragraphs - Essay Example I expect my art to inspire my audience to be able to make change just as I did, and to fulfill their dream of what they are passionate about. Again, there is neither right nor wrong in making a hobby into a job, nor making a passion into reality and so they need to be their own judge, and take charge for their own life. Bill does not think his art is great, but he likes how he actually uses bold colors, flashy accessories and trends in the making of his art. Although he sees some technical issues, his art always puts people in light because he seeks the beauty that people wear on the street and finds it. His art changed him, for example, he started to find beauty in his own interactions with people, better than before and will tend to look in his eyes like a genuine human being. He became engaged in life that is because his natural enthusiasm and joy that he cannot help to uplift everyone. Cunninghamââ¬â¢s art would influence other peopleââ¬â¢s lives, because he tends to know much about people without judging them in his art and tends to bring the beauty in them. His art has an underlying message which is ââ¬Å"no matter how you do or look like you will find the beauty within you and you will have a light that will shine on you, so donââ¬â¢t let people judge you, judge yourself
Monday, July 22, 2019
Monopoly and marginal cost Essay Example for Free
Monopoly and marginal cost Essay Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly The following questions practice these skills: ? Explain the sources of market power. ? Apply the quantity and price affects on revenue of any movement along a demand curve. ? Find the profit maximizing quantity and price of a single-price monopolist. ? Compute deadweight loss from a single-price monopolist. ? Compute marginal revenue. ? Define the efficiency of P = MC. ? Find the profit-maximizing quantity and price of a perfect-price-discriminating monopolist. ? Find the profit-maximizing quantity and price of an imperfect-price-discriminating monopolist. Question: Each of the following firms possesses market power. Explain its source. a. Merck, the producer of the patented cholesterol-lowering drug Zetia b. Chiquita, a supplier of bananas and owner of most banana plantations c. The Walt Disney Company, the creators of Mickey Mouse Answer to Question: a. Merck has a patent for Zetia. This is an example of a government-created barrier to entry, which gives Merck market power. b. Chiquita controls most banana plantations. Control over a scarce resource gives Chiquita market power. c. The Walt Disney Company has the copyright over animations featuring Mickey Mouse. This Is another example of a government-created barrier to entry that gives the Walt Disney Company market power. Question: Skyscraper City has a subway system, for which a one-way fare is $1. 50. There is pressure on the mayor to reduce the fee by one-third, to $1. 00. The mayor is dismayed, thinking that this will mean Skyscraper City is losing one-third of its revenue from sales of subway tickets. The mayorââ¬â¢s economic adviser reminds her that she is focusing only on the price effect and ignoring the quantity effect. Explain why the mayorââ¬â¢s estimate of a one-third loss of revenue is likely to be an overestimate. Illustrate with a diagram. Answer to Question: A reduction in fares from $1. 50 to $1. 00 will reduce the revenue on each ticket that is currently sold by one-third; this Is the price effect. But a reduction in price will lead to more tickets being sold at the lower price of $1. 00, which creates additional revenue; this is the quantity effect. The price effect is the loss of revenue on all the currently sold tickets. The quantity effect is the increase in revenue from increased sales as a result of the lower price. Question: Consider an industry with the demand curve (D) and marginal cost curve (MC) shown in the accompanying diagram. There is no fixed cost. If the industry is a single-price monopoly, the monopolistââ¬â¢s marginal revenue curve would be MR. Answer the following questions by naming the appropriate points or areas. Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly a. If the industry is perfectly competitive, what will be the total quantity produced? At what price? b. Which area reflects consumer surplus under perfect competition? c. If the industry is a single-price monopoly, what quantity will the monopolist produce? Which price will it charge? d. Which area reflects the single-price monopolistââ¬â¢s profit? e. Which area reflects consumer surplus under single-price monopoly? f. Which area reflects the deadweight loss to society from single-price monopoly? g. If the monopolist can price-discriminate perfectly, what quantity will the perfectly price-discriminating monopolist produce? Answer to Question: a. In a perfectly competitive industry, each firm maximizes profit by producing the quantity at which price equals marginal cost. That is, all firms together produce a quantity S, corresponding to point R, where the marginal cost curve crosses the demand curve. Price will be equal to marginal cost, E. b. Consumer surplus is the area under the demand curve and above price. In part a, we saw that the perfectly competitive price is E. Consumer surplus in perfect competition is therefore the triangle ARE. c. A single-price monopolist produces the quantity at which marginal cost equals marginal revenue, that is, quantity I. Accordingly, the monopolist charges price B, the highest price it can charge if it wants to sell quantity I. d. The single-price monopolistââ¬â¢s profit per unit is the difference between price and the average total cost. Since there is no fixed cost and the marginal cost is constant (each unit costs the same to produce), the marginal cost is the same as the average total cost. That is, profit per unit is the distance BE. Since the monopolist sells I units, its profit is BE times I, or the rectangle BEHF. e. Consumer surplus is the area under the demand curve and above the price. In part c, we saw that the monopoly price is B. Consumer surplus in monopoly is therefore the triangle AFB. f. Deadweight loss is the surplus that would have been available (either to consumers or producers) under perfect competition but that is lost when there is a single-price monopolist. It is the triangle FRH. g. If a monopolist can price-discriminate perfectly, it will sell the first unit at price A, the second unit at a slightly lower price, and so forth. That is, it will extract from each consumer just that consumerââ¬â¢s willingness to pay, as indicated by the demand curve. It will sell S units, because for the last unit, it can just make a consumer pay a price of E (equal to its marginal cost), and that just covers its marginal cost of producing that last unit. For any further units, it could not make any consumer pay more than its marginal cost, and it therefore stops selling units at quantity S. Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly Question: Bob, Bill, Ben, and Brad Baxter have just made a documentary movie about their basketball team. They are thinking about making the movie available for download on the Internet, and they can act as a single-price monopolist if they choose to. Each time the movie is downloaded, their Internet service provider charges them a fee of $4. The Baxter brothers are arguing about which price to charge customers per download. The accompanying table shows the demand schedule for their film. Price of download Quantity of downloads demanded $10 0 $8 1 $6 3 $4 6 $2 10 $0 15 a. Calculate the total revenue and the marginal revenue per download. b. Bob is proud of the film and wants as many people as possible to download it. Which price would he choose? How many downloads would be sold? c. Bill wants as much total revenue as possible. Which price would he choose? How many downloads would be sold? d. Ben wants to maximize profit. Which price would he choose? How many downloads would be sold? e. Brad wants to charge the efficient price. Which price would he choose? How many downloads would be sold? Answer to Question: a. The accompanying table calculates total revenue (TR) and marginal revenue (MR). Recall that marginal revenue is the additional revenue per unit of output Price of download Quantity of downloads TR MR demanded $10 0 $0 $8 1 $8 $8 $6 3 $18 $5 $4 6 $24 $2 $2 10 $20 $-1 $0 15 $0 $-4 b. Bob would charge $0. At that price, there would be 15 downloads, the largest quantity they can sell. c. Bill would charge $4. At that price, total revenue is greatest ($24). At that price, there would be 6 downloads. d. Ben would charge $6. At that price, there would be 3 downloads. For any more downloads, marginal revenue would be below marginal cost, and so further downloads would lose the Baxtersââ¬â¢ money.e. Brad would charge $4. A price equal to marginal cost is efficient. At that price, there would be 6 downloads. Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly Question: Suppose that De Beers is a single-price monopolist in the market for diamonds. De Beers has five potential customers: Raquel, Jackie, Joan, Mia, and Sophia. Each of these customers will buy at most one diamondââ¬âand only if the price is just equal to, or lower than, her willingness to pay. Raquelââ¬â¢s willingness to pay is $400; Jackieââ¬â¢s, $300; Joanââ¬â¢s, $200; Miaââ¬â¢s, $100; and Sophiaââ¬â¢s, $0. De Beersââ¬â¢s marginal cost per diamond is $100. This leads to the demand schedule for diamonds shown in the accompanying table. Price of Diamond Quantity of Diamonds Demanded $500 0 $400 1 $300 2 $200 3 $100 4 $0 5 a. Calculate De Beersââ¬â¢s total revenue and its marginal revenue. From your calculation, draw the demand curve and the marginal revenue curve. b. Explain why De Beers faces a downward-sloping demand curve. c. Explain why the marginal revenue from an additional diamond sale is less than the price of the diamond. d. Suppose De Beers currently charges $200 for its diamonds. If it lowers the price to $100, how large is the price effect? How large is the quantity effect? e. Add the marginal cost curve to your diagram from part a and determine which quantity maximizes De Beersââ¬â¢s profit and which price De Beers will charge. Answer to Question: a. Total revenue (TR) and marginal revenue (MR) are given in the accompanying table. Price of Diamond Quantity of Diamonds TR Demanded $500 0 $0 $400 1 $400 $300 2 $600 $200 3 $600 $100 4 $400 $0 5 $0 MR $400 $200 $0 -$200 -$400 The accompanying diagram illustrates De Beersââ¬â¢s demand curve and marginal revenue (MR) curve. b. De Beers is the only producer of diamonds, so its demand curve is the market demand curve. And the market demand curve slopes downward: the lower the price, the more customers will buy diamonds. c. If De Beers lowers the price sufficiently to sell one more diamond, it earns extra revenue equal to the Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly price of that one extra diamond. This is the quantity effect of lowering the price. But there is also a price effect: lowering the price means that De Beers also has to lower the price on all other diamonds, and that lowers its revenue. So the marginal revenue of selling an additional diamond is less than the price at which the additional diamond can be sold. d. If the price is $200, then De Beers sells to Raquel, Jackie, and Joan. If it lowers the price to $100, it will also sell a diamond to Mia. The price effect is that De Beers loses $100 (the amount by which it lowered the price) each from selling to Raquel, Jackie, and Joan. So the price effect lowers De Beersââ¬â¢s revenue by 3 ? $100 = $300. The quantity effect is that De Beers sells one more diamond (to Mia), at $100. So the quantity effect is to raise De Beersââ¬â¢s revenue by $100. e. The marginal cost (MC) curve is constant at $100, as shown in the diagram. Marginal revenue equals marginal cost at a quantity of 2 diamonds. So De Beers will sell 2 diamonds at a price of $300 each. Question: Use the demand schedule for diamonds given in the previous question. The marginal cost of producing diamonds is constant at $100. There is no fixed cost. a. If De Beers charges the monopoly price, how large is the individual consumer surplus that each buyer experiences? Calculate total consumer surplus by summing the individual consumer surpluses. How large is producer surplus? Suppose that upstart Russian and Asian producers enter the market and the market becomes perfectly competitive. b. What is the perfectly competitive price? What quantity will be sold in this perfectly competitive market? c. At the competitive price and quantity, how large is the consumer surplus that each buyer experiences? How large is total consumer surplus? How large is producer surplus? d. Compare your answer to part c to your answer to part a. How large is the deadweight loss associated with monopoly in this case? Answer to Question: a. The monopoly price is $300. At that price Raquel and Jackie buy diamonds. Raquelââ¬â¢s consumer surplus is $400 ? $300 = $100; Jackieââ¬â¢s is $300 ? $300 = $0. So total consumer surplus is $100 + $0 = $100. Producer surplus is $300 ? $100 = $200 for each diamond sold; 2 ? $200 = $400. b. In a perfectly competitive market, P = MC. That is, the perfectly competitive price is $100, and at that price 4 diamonds will be soldââ¬âto Raquel, Jackie, Joan, and Mia. c. At the competitive price, Raquelââ¬â¢s consumer surplus is $400 ? $100 = $300; Jackieââ¬â¢s, $300 ? $100 = $200; Joanââ¬â¢s, $200 ? $100 = $100; and Miaââ¬â¢s, $100 ? $100 = $0. So total consumer surplus is $300 + $200 + $100 + $0 = $600. Since the price is equal to marginal cost, there is no producer surplus. d. Under perfect competition, the sum of consumer and producer surplus is $600 + $0 = $600. Under monopoly, the sum of consumer and producer surplus is $100 + $400 = $500. So the loss of surplus to society from monopolyââ¬âthe deadweight lossââ¬âis $600 ? $500 = $100. Question: Use the demand schedule for diamonds given in the previous questions. De Beers is a monopolist, but it can now price-discriminate perfectly among all five of its potential customers. De Beersââ¬â¢s marginal cost is constant at $100. There is no fixed cost. a. If De Beers can price-discriminate perfectly, to which customers will it sell diamonds and at what prices? b. How large is each individual consumer surplus? How large is total consumer surplus? Calculate producer surplus by summing the producer surplus generated by each sale. Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly Answer to Question: a. If De Beers can price-discriminate perfectly, it will charge each customer that customerââ¬â¢s willingness to pay. That is, it will charge Raquel $400, Jackie $300, Joan $200, and Mia $100. De Beers does not want to sell to Sophia since she will only buy at a price of $0, and that would be below De Beersââ¬â¢s marginal cost. b. Since each consumer is charged exactly her willingness to pay, there is no consumer surplus. De Beersââ¬â¢s producer surplus is $400 ? $100 = $300 from selling to Raquel; $300 ? $100 = $200 from selling to Jackie; $200 ? $100 = $100 from selling to Joan; $100 ? $100 = $0 from selling to Mia. So producer surplus is $300 + $200 + $100 + $0 = $600. Question: Download Records decides to release an album by the group Mary and the Little Lamb. It produces the album with no fixed cost, but the total cost of downloading an album to a CD and paying Mary her royalty is $6 per album. Download Records can act as a single-price monopolist. Its marketing division finds that the demand schedule for the album is as shown in the accompanying table. Price of album Quantity of albums demanded $22 0 $20 1,000 $18 2,000 $16 3,000 $14 4,000 $12 5,000 $10 6,000 $8 7,000 a. Calculate the total revenue and the marginal revenue per album. b. The marginal cost of producing each album is constant at $6. To maximize profit, what level of output should Download Records choose, and which price should it charge for each album? c. Mary renegotiates her contract and now needs to be paid a higher royalty per album. So the marginal cost rises to be constant at $14. To maximize profit, what level of output should Download Records now choose, and which price should it charge for each album? Answer to Question: a. Total revenue (TR) and marginal revenue per album (MR) is shown in the following table: Price of album Quantity of albums TR MR demanded $22 0 $0 $20 1,000 $20,000 $20 $18 2,000 $36,000 $16 $16 3,000 $48,000 $12 $14 4,000 $56,000 $8 $12 5,000 $60,000 $4 $10 6,000 $60,000 $0 $8 7,000 $56,000 -$4 b. If the marginal cost of each album is $6, Download Records will maximize profit by producing 4,000 albums, since for each album up to 4,000, marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost. For any further albums, marginal cost would exceed marginal revenue. Producing 4,000 albums, Download Records will charge $14 for each album. c. If the marginal cost of each album is $14, Download Records will maximize profit by producing 2,000 albums, and it will charge $18 per album. Practice Questions and Answers from Lesson III-3: Monopoly Question: The movie theater in Collegetown serves two kinds of customers: students and professors. There are 900 students and 100 professors in Collegetown. Each studentââ¬â¢s willingness to pay for a movie ticket is $5. Each professorââ¬â¢s willingness to pay for a movie ticket is $10. Each will buy at most one ticket. The movie theaterââ¬â¢s marginal cost per ticket is constant at $3, and there is no fixed cost. a. Suppose the movie theater cannot price-discriminate and needs to charge both students and professors the same price per ticket. If the movie theater charges $5, who will buy tickets and what will the movie theaterââ¬â¢s profit be? How large is consumer surplus? b. If the movie theater charges $10, who will buy movie tickets and what will the movie theaterââ¬â¢s profit be? How large is consumer surplus? c. Now suppose that, if it chooses to, the movie theater can price-discriminate between students and professors by requiring students to show their student ID. If the movie theater charges students $5 and professors $10, how much profit will the movie theater make? How large is consumer surplus? Answer to Question: a. If the movie theater charges $5 per ticket, both students and professors will buy tickets. The movie theater will sell to 1,000 customers (students and professors), at a price of $5 each. Since the movie theaterââ¬â¢s cost per ticket is $3, its profit is $2 per ticket for a total profit of 1,000 ? $2 = $2,000. Students will experience no consumer surplus, but each of the 100 professors will experience consumer surplus of $10 ? $5 = $5 for a total consumer surplus of 100 ? $5 = $500. b. If the movie theater charges $10 per ticket, only professors will buy tickets. The movie theater will sell to 100 customers (professors) at a price of $10 each. Since the movie theaterââ¬â¢s cost per ticket is $3, its profit is $7 per ticket for a total profit of 100 ? $7 = $700. Students experience no consumer surplus since they do not buy any tickets. Each of the 100 professors experiences no consumer surplus since the price is equal to their willingness to pay. So consumer surplus is $0. c. If the movie theater charges students a price of $5, it sells 900 tickets at a profit of $5 ? $3 =$2 each for a profit from selling to students of 900 ? $2 =$1,800. Charging professors $10, it sells 100 tickets at a profit of $10 ? $3 =$7 each for a profit from selling to professors of 100 ? $7 =$700. So the theaterââ¬â¢s total profit is $1,800 + $700 =$2,500. Since each customer is charged exactly his or her willingness to pay, there is no consumer surplus. Question: A monopolist knows that in order to expand the quantity of output it produces from 8 to 9 units that it must lower the price of its output from $2 to $1. Calculate the quantity effect and the price effect. Use these results to calculate the monopolistââ¬â¢s marginal revenue of producing the 9th unit. The marginal cost of producing the 9th unit is positive. Is it a good idea for the monopolist to produce the 9th unit? Answer to Question: The quantity effect is $1 (the increase in total revenue from selling the 9th unit at $1). The price effect is 8 ? (? $1) =? $8 (the decrease in total revenue from having to lower the price of 8 units by $1 each). So the marginal revenue of producing the 9th unit is $1 ? $8 =? $7. Since marginal revenue is negative, producing the 9th unit is definitely not a good idea: it lowers revenue (since marginal revenue is negative), and it increases the total cost (since marginal cost is positive). So it will definitely lower profit. Instead, the monopolist should produce less output.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Describe How Active Participation Benefits An Individual
Describe How Active Participation Benefits An Individual Introduction Recent decades have seen a greater emphasis on service user participation than had previously been the case (Beresford, 2001). In the past, decision making in social care and associated policy development had been led by practitioners, politicians and academics, with service users and citizens having minimal say in what services they received and how services were provided (Beresford, 2001). This study examines how active participation of service users has developed over the last 20-30 years and how the progress made in encouraging participation has benefited individuals and the overall quality of service provision. For the purposes of this study, there is primarily a focus on the service user as the individual who engages in active participation although it should be accepted that family members and carers have their own separate and sometimes conflicting needs for participation (Roulstone et al., 2006). Service users are described by Beresford (2001, p.9) as ââ¬Å"people who receive or are eligible to receive social care servicesâ⬠and it is important to note that people can self-identify as a service user. However, active participation of people outside of the health and social care arena will also be discussed as there is evidence that participation in community activities can be beneficial to citizens who are not in receipt of social care services. Policy and Legislation A shift towards more active participation has a basis in the policies and legislation introduced under New Labour. Government took a view that greater participation would be a way of increasing the number of citizens who would be active citizens (Millward, 2005) and the Health and Social Care Act 2001 was at the forefront of extending service user choice and the enablement of people to decide on their own services through schemes such as Direct Payments. Other relevant legislation and guidance has included the White Paper Our Health, Our Care Our Say (Department of Health, 2006); Valuing People (Department of Health, 2001); the National Service Framework for Older People (Department of Health, 2001). With specific reference to social care, Putting People First (2007) set out a commitment to closer working between central and local government, and the health and social care sectors, alongside better partnership working with service users and carers. More recently, under the Coalition Government consultations such as A vision for social care: Capable communities and active citizens (DH, 2010) and Caring for our future: Shared ambitions for care and support (DH, 2011) have continued to encourage participation with an expectation that it can help people to live healthier and more independent lives. It is evident from cross-party support that active participation is something supported across the political spectrum. Participation is seen as something that encourages better citizenship and it can also be argued that it offers a form of low level democracy. Participation is also something that pulls back direct state intervention in peopleââ¬â¢s lives. What is Active Participation? Active participation can be defined in a number of ways and can be related to both individuals who are in receipt of health and social care services and those who live independently in the community without service provision. Definitions such as ââ¬Ëconsultationââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëpartnershipââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëinvolvementââ¬â¢ are often used to explain participation (Roberts, 2002). In social care terms participation might be seen as allowing and individual to have control over day to day decisions such as what time meals would be taken or when personal care services would be delivered; at a more strategic level, participation might involve giving a say in how services are commissioned and delivered to a wider group of service users (Mordey and Crutchfield, 2004). Service user consultation groups or local forums for citizens to discuss how services are prioritised and delivered are examples of this broader level of active participation. The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has developed some useful definitions for participation. It uses the word participation as being ââ¬Å"to talk about actively working together on a particular project or activityâ⬠(SCIE 2004, p.2). It also sets out a number of key values and principles which should inform participation work. These include a belief in citizenship; the promotion of empowerment; developing a human rights culture in social care; giving equal priority to all opinion; developing new approaches to participation; being inclusive; and making it clear what people can and cannot be involved in (SCIE 2004). The final point is important. Active participation is rightly seen as a positive development for service users but there still has to be a line where organisations can make decisions irrespective of service user participation. Adult safeguarding is an example of this, where sometimes decisions may have to be made without the participation of an individual in order to protect his or her welfare. Nonetheless, the link between participation and social work values is a positive one. It suggests that participation is grounded in a commitment to human rights and equality, something that should bring benefits to the individuals who take up the opportunity to participate. SCIE also draws a distinction between the different types of participation that can be found in social care, suggesting that participation can range from providing information and actively listening to service user views, to providing assistance or even financial support to allow people to research or provide services (SCIE, 2004). Participation can also be applied to a range of service user groups including older people, children and families, people with disabilities and people with drug and alcohol misuse problems (SCIE, 2004). The Personalisation Agenda The personalisation agenda in health and social care has been critical in promoting the idea of active participation. Personalisation is primarily a new way of providing social care support which puts the person requiring a service at the centre of the assessment process and allows individuals and their carers a real say in identifying their needs and making choices about how services will be provided (Carr, 2010). It recognises that people are individuals with diverse strengths and preferences, and aims to empower people through better provision of information and advocacy, early intervention to get the right support in place and also recognising the rights of carers (SCIE, 2012). Given these aims of personalisation, one of the key benefits for the individual would be having greater control over services provided and consequently there being a greater chance of the rights services being provided, with positive outcomes. Another key point about personalisation and participation is that it still has to be facilitated by agencies and policy makers. As much as people may want to participate in service delivery or more simply just in community work, they still require the tools to do so and also the autonomy to make their own decisions. Benefits of Participation Greater participation in how services are delivered can bring a number of benefits to service users. Active participation can help develop more customer/service user-friendly versions of existing services and give individuals more say in how their services are run and how they can access them. Participation gives service users ââ¬â who are also tax-payers ââ¬â a greater say on how money is spent on services in their area and also helps individuals become co-designers and co-producers of the services that they use (Leadbetter, 2004). At a wider level, it can be argued that active participation allows for self-organisation by communities, rather than service provision being dictated by external agencies or distant central government. Participation also supports the development of greater citizenship. Participation and influence over how public funds are spent can be seen as being an important part of the democratic process and the concept of citizenship lends itself to ideals of equity and collective provision which are embedded in public services. For the individual, participation in public service can increase a sense of civic attachment and impress on the individual what it means to be a member of a democratic society (Leadbetter, 2004). Participation and Young People Discussions around personalisation and participation generally have an emphasis on the participation of adult service users but active participation can also have a positive impact for young people who access social care support and services. Legislation and guidance including the Children Act 1989 and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child have a focus on the childââ¬â¢s right to participate in decision making and there are a number of benefits for both young people and the organisations that provide services. For young people, active participation can help them gain new skills and experience, develop self-confidence and influence the decisions that affect their lives. They can develop social networks and begin to understand how organisations work. Participation can also quite simply be fun for young people, and it can help them feel valued and empowered (Wright et al., 2005). Active participation can be particularly beneficial for children and young people who might be consider as disadvantaged or vulnerable. Groups such as looked after children, young offenders, care leavers, young carers and gay and lesbian young people are easily marginalised and many agencies tend to direct them rather than engage with them. They face a number of barriers to participation such as a lack of motivation to engage; mistrust of adults and a feeling that their views will not be listened to because of their past experiences (McNeish, 1999). Research studies highlight a number of positives from individual participation projects which could be used as a benchmark for future initiatives. In Hampshire for example, a Care Action Team (CAT) was established bring together members and officer from the County Council to work with people who were in, or had been in care. Regular meetings to gather the views of young people led to a number of improvements in how services to young people were delivered. These included development of a new sleepover policy making it easier for looked after children to spend the night with friends; involvement of young people in the inspection of childrenââ¬â¢s homes, and a Childrenââ¬â¢s Homes Education Policy which improved the educational support for looked after children. A more general improvement from the establishment of the CAT was that young people developed a greater sense of worth and awareness that they were not alone in their experiences (Wright et al., 2005). For organisations, encouraging active participation by young people can also bring improvements to service delivery. It helps them become more responsive to the needs of children and young people; it increases the accessibility of organisation and makes them more efficient in providing effective services (Wright et al., 2005). Active Participation in the Community Active participation has benefits for society as well as the individuals involved. We live in a nation with an ageing population and many older people have greater expectation of both opportunity and support from public services in later life. An Audit Commission report (2004, p.2) stated that ââ¬Å"the shift in proportion, composition and attitudes of the older age group has profound implications for public services. We need to start taking action now to shape things for the betterâ⬠. Active participation does not only relate to people who are in need or receipt of social care services however. Participation in the community can also benefit individuals who do not require social care provision. Many older people for example, benefit from active participation in their local communities and government studies have suggested that active participation is linked to the overall well-being of individuals (Audit Commission, 2004). A number of strategies can be developed to encouraged independence and participation for older people. These can include work to support people ensuring that they have a safe comfortable home, and live in a neighbourhood close to friends and amenities. Good public transport networks allow people to get out and about whilst social and leisure activities promote social inclusion. Information for older people on how to access amenities encourages active participation as do healthy living initiatives which help people to stay active and healthy (Audit Commission, 2004). Active participation for older people is also a way of tackling the ageism that exists in society. Participation allows people to feel valued and able to challenge stereotypes that older people offer less to society that younger people. Participation allows them to have a say in decisions made about them both as individuals and as a wider group in society. A Department of Pensions report published in 2009 identified LinkAge Plus (LAP) pilots as initiatives which enable older people to become more active in their communities (Willis and Dalziel, 2009). Schemes to give opportunities to socialise through social, leisure and training activities help to address wider community and social wellbeing outcomes through the creation and development of social capital. Examples might include over 60s clubs providing activities ranging from Tai Chi to adult art classes. Network Centres establish social networks for older people which improve confidence and well-being and the DWP report concludes that people are ââ¬Å"empowered when new or stronger bonds are created between themselves and the community in which they liveâ⬠(Willis and Dalziel, p.45). Other examples of active participation demonstrate older people have an active role in local decision making and commissioning of services. The Gateshead Older Peopleââ¬â¢s Assembly for example was funded to assess the appropriateness, accessibility and effectiveness of services for older people in the region. The benefits were twofold ââ¬â the Assembly allowed a number of individuals the opportunity to become involved in stimulating research and study activities, whilst the conclusions were feedback into local service procurement, ensuring that the views of the wider population of older people were being heard (Willis and Dalziel, 2009). Criticisms and Obstacles Whilst most of the evidence points towards active participation being a positive opportunity for individuals there are some concerns about how it might delivered and that there will be obstacles to real and effective active participation. Some commentators suggest that the whole personalisation agenda will simply tie up social workers in drafting support plans and assisting with finances, rather than providing a more person-centred social work support, whilst there are also concerns that the introduction of personal budgets will be seized upon by individual who have motives other than the well-being of services users (Needham, 2010). There are also concerns that personalisation is simply a way of implementing public sector budget cuts and introducing a level of consumerism into social care for vulnerable people. The emphasis on individuals managing their own finances could possibly lead to financial abuse or simply people mismanaging their personal budgets (Needham, 2010). Even outside of social care, a cynical view of encouraging people to find their own ways of participating in the community could be that it is simply a way for the state to withdraw from provision of leisure services and have people fund and manage them themselves. A final concern around active participation is that it could lead to discrimination against vulnerable groups if they were to become more active and visible in the community. Services users with physical and learning disability who try to manage their own care in the community may be probe to physical, emotional or financial abuse by neighbours and Burton et al. (2012) also suggest that disabled people trying to live ordinary lives in the community, and participating in community activities, may cause some hostility. Conclusions The evidence available suggests that participation is a positive thing. The applies equally to participation in service delivery and review for those in need of social care, and to those in the community who simply wish to remain active members of the community. In social care, the personalisation agenda and the move towards self-directed support and personal budgets has promoted active participation. It puts individual service users in greater control of what services they receive and allows services user groups to have a greater say in how services are commissioned and delivered. This benefits individuals as it allows them to have a real say in how they receive support; it should also assist the organisations that provide services to develop and improve the services that they provide. Similar principles apply in social care provision for children and young people, as active participation allows their voices to be heard and should give decision makers a better understanding of what is needed to support vulnerable young people It is important to note that active participation in social care can be linked into some basic social care values. Good social work practice should involve putting the individual first (SCIE, 2012) and initiatives such as personalisation and can help demonstrate a commitment to respect for the individual and self-determination. Social workers that encourage active participation will generally be demonstrating a person-centred or child-centred approach that will enable an effective and non-discriminatory relationship with the individual that they are trying to help. Again, this is further evidence that active participation is largely beneficial to the individual. Active participation for people outside of the social care system also appears to have a positive effect on peopleââ¬â¢s lives. It promotes social inclusion and the evidence suggests that being active in the community promotes well-being and helps people to live more fulfilling lives. In a modern, democratic society, there is no reason why active participation should not be commonplace. It demonstrates that as a society we value the views and opinions of all citizens and that when people need support, they can have a say in how it is provided, rather than the state simply imposing a service that may not meet the individualââ¬â¢s need. By encouraging more general participation in society, active participation also demonstrates that we value the input of all members of society into the community, regardless of age or disability. Cynics might argue that active participation is a way for local and central government to save money and pass the onus for some tasks back to service users and the local community. Whilst their might be an element of truth in this, the reality is that active participation is largely a positive development. Many citizens want to participate in decision making both for themselves and their local communities and the evidence suggests that this participation produces good outcomes. Bibliography Audit Commission. (2004). Older People ââ¬â Independence and Well-being ââ¬â the challenge for public services. London: Audit Commission Publications Beresford, P. (2001). Service users, social policy and the future of welfare. Critical Social Policy, 21 (4): 494ââ¬â512. Burton, J., Toscano, T. and Zonouzi, M. (2012) Personalisation for Social Workers. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Department of Health. (2001). National Service Framework for Older People. London: TSO Department of Health. (2006). Our Health, Our Care Our Say. London: TSO Department of Health. (2011). Caring for our future: Shared ambitions for care and support. London: TSO Leadbetter, M. (2004) Personalisation Through Participation. London: Demos Millward, L. (2005). Just because we are amateurs doesnt mean we arent professional: the importance of expert activists in tenant participation. Public Administration, 83 (3): 735ââ¬â751. Needham, S. (2011). Personalising Public Services, Bristol: Policy Press McNeish, D. (1999). From rhetoric to reality: Participatory approaches to health promotion with young people. London: Health Education Authority. Mordey, M. Crutchfield, J. (2004). User involvement in supported housing. Housing, Care and Support, 7 (1): 7ââ¬â10 Roberts, K. (2002). Exploring participation: older people on discharge from hospital. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 40 (4): 413ââ¬â420. Roulstone, A., Hudson, V., Kearney, J., Martin, A., with Warren, J. (2006). Working Together: Carer Participation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. London: Care Institute for Excellence. SCIE (2004) SCIE Participation Strategy [online] Available: [http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/corporate/files/participationstrategy.pdf] accessed 10th October 2014 SCIE (2012). Personalisation: A Rough Guide. [online] Available: [http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide47] accessed 10th October 2014 Willis M. and Dalziel, R. (2009) LinkAge Plus: Capacity building ââ¬â enabling and empowering older people as independent and active citizens. DWP Research Report 571 [online] Available: [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/186778/rrep571.pdf] accessed 9th October Wright, P., Tirner, C., Clay, D. and Mills H. (2005) The participation of children and young people in developing social care. SCIE Participation Practice Guide 06 [online] Available: [http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide11/files/guide11.pdf] accessed 10th October 2014
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Precision Teaching: Theories, Implementation and Research
Precision Teaching: Theories, Implementation and Research Tiffany Elmore Introduction to Precision Teaching Precision Teaching (PT) has been applied in many settings and has been greatly successful in increasing learning performance in learners with a wide-range of abilities (White, 1986). It is an approach that measures whether an instructional method is successful in achieving learning goals. It focuses on directly observable behavior, monitors the frequency of the behavior performed in time and analyzes the behavior on a uniform visual display called a Standard Celeration Chart (SCC). Precision Teaching does not determine what curricula should be taught but offers a systematic approach as to the instructional tactics to apply (White, 1986). It bases the curriculum on the childââ¬â¢s performance, in other words, the learner knows best (Lindsley, 1971). The learnerââ¬â¢s progress demonstrates whether the program is appropriate for the learner or if changes need to be made to the program. In order to gauge a learnerââ¬â¢s progress, the target behavior must directly observable. For example, reading a book aloud can be directly observed to determine the readerââ¬â¢s skill level of the words and comprehension. However, there has been some recent support for using Precision Teaching on inner behaviors. Although, it has been shown to be effective in reducing feelings of depression (Kubina et al., 2006), it is widely used on observable behavior. In Precision Teaching, a learnerââ¬â¢s performance is based on behavior frequency which is the average number of responses during each minute of the assessment period (White, 1986). Behavioral fluency is that combination of accuracy plus speed of responding that enables learners to function efficiently and effectively in their natural environments (Binder, 1996). Accuracy alone is not the best gauge of learning progression as it may show skewed improvement in performance. Essentially, by only assessing the accuracy of a learnerââ¬â¢s response, an improvement in the learnerââ¬â¢s performance is not truly reflected because the responses may be correct but the lack of speed in providing those responses also demonstrates a lack of mastery. Frequency is measured by counts per minute. The speed of a learnerââ¬â¢s performance of responding and the accuracy of the responses indicates the learner has either mastered the material, in other words, achieved fluency, or the progress has stalled and the instructional program must be altered. Fluency applies three learning outcomes associated with fluent behavior: Retention, endurance and application (Binder, 1993, 1996 as cited by Kubina, Morrison Lee, 2002). Retention is the ability to perform the behavior after the intervention is terminated. Without retention, the learner loses the ability to perform the behavior. Endurance is the ability to perform a behavior at a specified level over a duration of time (Binder, unpublished doctoral dissertation; Binder, 1996, Binder, Haughton Van Eyk, 1990 as cited by Kubina, Morrison Lee, 2002). For learners who lack endurance may find it difficult to perform behaviors within a 30-second or 1-minute intervals and may ultimately stop performing the desired behaviors. Application is applying some element of a behavior to the entire behavior. For example, if the learner has difficulty in basic writing techniques then the application of increasing fluency in writing spelling words quickly cannot be achieved. The progress of a learner is recorded on a visual display called a Standard Celeration Chart (SCC). The chart is called a standard celeration chart since it always depicts rate of change or progress in a standard manner, regardless of the initial frequency of the behavior (White, 1986). The SCC utilizes a ratio scale which means that all changes in performance will be measured in equal ratios regardless of where they are marked on the chart. The change in frequency from 1 to 2 is the same ratio as 50 to 100 on the SCC. The charts shows whether there is an acceleration, deceleration or no change in behavior. When a behavior frequency doubles, or moves from 1 to 2, it is considered a ââ¬Å"times 2â⬠acceleration. Likewise, when a behavior is halved, or moves from 2 to 1, it is considered a ââ¬Å"divided by 2â⬠deceleration (Lindsley, 1990a). Implementation of Precision Teaching Five steps are involved in the implementation of Precision Teaching: (1) select a task, (2) set an aim (3) count and teach, (4) develop a learning picture and (5) decide what to do (McGreevy, 1983). The first step of implementation is selecting a task for the learner to learn. A task has five parts: (1) a movement that can be counted often each day, (2) a counting period, (3) a correct/incorrect pair, (4) a learning channel set, and (5) a movement that is ââ¬Å"hard to doâ⬠(p. II-1). A movement is an observable, physical movement, something that the learner is doing. To make sure the movement occurs often, the learner should have 8-10 learning opportunities per day (p. II-5). If the movement is too hard, then the movement can be changed to a slice back, a step back or a tool movement and, conversely if a movement is too easy it can changed to a leap up movement (p. II-11). A slice back is a smaller movement of the original movement. A step back is an easier movement than the o riginal movement. A tool movement is the prerequisite body movement required to perform the original movement. A leap up movement is a movement that is harder to perform than the original movement. A counting period is amount of time spent each day counting the movement (p. II-12). The period should be long enough so the movement can occur at least 8-10 times. The counting period should not be so long that it proves difficult to count the movement. However, adjustments can be made if the counting period is too long or too short to count the movement. Similarly, Kubina and Yurich (2012) incorporated these two parts into their analysis PT. They suggested that the first step of PT is pinpointing. Pinpointing applies focusing observable behavior and measuring behavior based on frequency. Consider the Dean Man rule that states if a dead man can do it then it is not behavior. The idea is that any directly observable behavior should involve some physical movement. For example, instead of observing a child sitting still in a chair, the teacher can observe the number of times the child gets out the chair. A correct/incorrect pair involves counting the correct movements and incorrect movements (McGreevy, 1983, p. II-15). Instead of focusing on eliminating a movement without adding a replacement movement. For example, rather than decreasing screaming, it best for the learner to increase talking in softer voice. A learning channel set outlines the input channel (received) and output channel (sent). The input can vary from hearing, touching, seeing, smelling, etc and output can include saying, writing, doing, pointing, etc. The learning channel sets ââ¬Å"tells [others] how we are teaching a taskâ⬠and ââ¬Å"reminds us that are many ways for a [learner] to learn the same movement (McGreevy, 1983, p. II-18). Lastly, the movement must be hard to for the learner to perform (p. II-20). The objective is to learn a new task rather than working on previously learned tasks. By selecting tasks that are hard to do, the learner, provided with ample learning opportunities, will hopefully achieve more corrects and fewer corrects over time and ultimately reach or come close to the aim. The next step in implementing precision teaching is to set an aim (p. III-2). The aim is final chosen objective of the performance likely achieved by a high frequency of correct responses and low to zero frequency of incorrect responses. It is critical that learners learn to perform correct movements in a prompt, smooth and decisive manner. If the learner is having difficulty reaching aim, it may be necessary to change the way the movement is taught, change the learning channel or change the movement as indicated above as a step back, slick back or tool movement. The third step in implementing precision teaching is to count and teach (p. IV-1). This steps requires counting the correct and incorrect responses and teaching the task to the student (p. IV-1). A movement is learned when the learner knows what the correct and incorrect responses are. Each task will be counted and taught daily until the learner reaches aim or the learning picture reflects a need for change. The fourth step in implementing precision teaching is to develop a learning picture. Utilizing the Standard Celeration Chart, the charts displays the correct and incorrect responses provided daily by the learner (p. V-1). The trends of the chart develop the learning picture. The learning picture shows how quickly the responses are increasing or decreasing and predicts whether the learner will achieve aim. The final step in implementing precision teaching is to decide what to do (p. VI-1). Once a learning picture has been revealed, a decision can be made as to whether to continue the current program or make a change. If the learner is not learning or not learning quickly enough, it may be necessary to make changes to the movement (i.e. a slice back), the counting period (i.e. increase 10 seconds to 20 seconds), the learning channel set (i.e. see-write to see-say), the aim (i.e can be lowered), or how the task is taught (i.e. lessons, untimed practice). Precision Teaching in Research Precision Teaching has been applied in a variety of settings and environments. It has proven useful in improving fluency in learners of all ages and all learning abilities. Precision Teaching has been implemented in professional environments as well as classroom settings. In 2002, Binder analyzed the fluency performance in a customer call center. After attending a FluencyBuilding workshops, the manager and supervisors of customer service call center decided to modify their traditional new hire training program. They focused on increasing fluency of the core fundamentals required to perform the job well. Within the fluency-based training, trainees were given lecture and tested on lecture material with a 2-minute quiz (see-mark), a 3-minute hear or see-say providing verbal responses to questions in addition to other fluency-based activities. Daily fluency goals for each exercise were set and each traineesââ¬â¢ performance was monitored against those goals. Trainees recorded their ow n performance and reported their performance to the training coaches. As a result of the fluency-based training, correct performances tripled each week and all participants performed within the fluent range. The participants mastered the core material much faster than in previous training programs and thus reduced the required training during from three weeks to two weeks. New hire trainees were much more fluent in the fundamental skills and knowledge than their veteran counterparts. The dramatic improvements within this program demonstrate that fluency-based programs to be successful in education, training and coaching programs involving all ages of participants within various skill sets. Precision Teaching applied within a classroom setting has proven to increase reading ability, maths skills, and improving academic interventions overall. Chiesa and Robertson (2000) utilized Precision Teaching and fluency-based training to enhance maths skills in five primary school children. The students were selected because their maths skills were not improving at the same pace as their peers. They were in jeopardy of being referred to a remedial program. The training program focused on one observable behavior, the division of two-digit numbers by one-digit. Pre-tests were taken on both multiplication and division skills to determine each studentââ¬â¢s skill level. The students were taught how to use digital timers, plot scores and understand learning pictures on the SCC. The students were responsible for completing their maths practice sheets without teacher instruction or assistance. The five students sat together as a group during the maths period and had a personal folder t hat contained the practice sheets, answer key and charts. They completed their practice sheets within a one-minute time probe, each completed sheet was marked by a peer and the correct and error scores were recorded on the SCC. Each week one of the researchers met with the students during maths period while the teacher was working with the rest of the class. The researcher reviewed each studentââ¬â¢s progress and determined what changes would be taken. Students that met the aim, moved on to the next level, those who did not meet the aim were provided with skills that were further reduced, or sliced back until they were able to improve to a satisfactory level. At the conclusion of the 12-week training program, the PT group had significantly improved their fluency in the maths skills task. Their responses ranged from 10 to 15 correct in one-minute which was an increase of 10 to 15 responses per minute before the program was implemented. The PT group surpassed all but one of the students in the entire class on the maths skills task. The results show that children performing at a low academic level can improve their learning significantly through Precision Teaching and fluency training. The training program did not require any more time than the allotted maths period and did not provide more instructional assistance or interaction from the teacher. This shows that PT can be beneficial and effective in the mainstream classroom and offers an alternative to expensive and time-consuming academic programs. Precision Teaching has proven to be effective in improving skills in participants with intellectual disabilities as well (Kubina, Morrison Lee, 2002). Schirmer et al. (2007) examined the effectiveness of precision teaching on teaching storytelling to child with autism. The child began working on a hear information-say story program for 10 minutes per day in order to increase the frequency of syllables used. The teacher would describe a scenario to the child and the child would create a story based on the information provided to him. After goals of increased syllable use were met, the teacher moved on a timed practice where the number of correct syllables produced in one minute was recorded. The number of corrects syllables produced increased from 21 per minute to 90 per minute in 5 days. In the last phase, the teacher changed the childââ¬â¢s learning channel from hear-say to see-say. The child was given a photograph and would create a story based on the photograph. Although there was an initial drop in the frequency of correct responses, the child reached the set aim very quickly. Precision Teaching and Practical Application As previous studies have shown, Precision Teaching can be applied in various learning environments with learners of diverse learning abilities. It is an instructional approach that can be applied to any established program or curricula. The main directive guiding success of the learnerââ¬â¢s performance IS the learner. Fluency is key to the learnerââ¬â¢s progress and any deficits in learning can be easy ascertained with the Standard Celeration Chart. This visual display allows the teacher to easily determine the learnerââ¬â¢s progress and either continue with the program on course or make adjustments to program that are most beneficial to the learner. The SCC also helps teacher to predict future progress as to whether the learner will achieve aim or the number of incorrect responses will reach 0. Studies have shown that Precision Teaching can be used in conjunction with other instructional programs and can be effectively applied in both professional and classroom settings wi thout requiring additional time to perform the program in the workplace or classroom. Precision Teaching daily timings are recorded on the SCC but no other data is required. Also, it does not require management or teachers to provide additional instruction outside of the program or curricula already in place. Its versatility in practical application makes Precision Teaching a favorable approach to utilize. References Chiesa, M., Robertson, A. (2000). Precision teaching and fluency training: Making maths easier for students and teachers. Educational Psychology in Practice, 16(3), 297ââ¬â310. Kubina, R. M., Morrison, R., and Lee, D. L. (2002). Benefits of Adding Precision Teaching to Behavioral Interventions for Students with Autism. Behavioral Interventions, 17, 233-246. Lindsley, O. R. (1971). From Skinner to precision teaching: The child knows best. In J. B. Jordan L. S. Robbins (Eds.), Lets try doing something else kind of thing (pp. 1-11). Arlington, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. Lindsley, O. R. (1990) Precision teaching: By teachers for children.Teaching Exceptional Children, 22, 10-15. McGreevy, P. (1983).Teaching and learning in plain English(2nd. ed.). Kansas City, MO: Plain English Publications. Schirmer, K., Almon-Morris, H., Fabrizio, M. A., Abrahamson, B. and Chevalier, K. (2007). Using Precision Teaching to Teach Story Telling to a Young Child with Autism. Journal of Precision Teaching and Celeration, 23, 23-26. White, O. R. (1986). Precision TeachingPrecision learning.Exceptional Children, 25, 522-534.
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