Educational Psychology and Learning

TeacherThe role of the teacher is to examine and calibrate the progress of each pupil which they are responsible for. The teacher plans the lesson and schemes of work as well as directs the class. A Teacher carries out assessments and evaluations and follows the national curriculum. They are accountable and responsible for each and every pupil under their jurisdiction. It is their role to collect and summarise information to identify each pupil’s achievement. The teacher identifies the learning objective and reports to the class when it should be accomplished.A teacher will comply with end of term/year reports and be able to communicate with staff, other professionals and parents regarding each student’s progress and ability. A dedicated teacher would be acquainted with a pupil’s interests and their learning styles. Be enthusiastic and committed and the ability to work with a diversity of needs. A teacher has to be flexible, highly motivated have excellent organi sational skills and be a good motivator. Importantly a teacher should demonstrate being a good role model, maintain discipline and praise their pupils.Learning Support PractitionerThe role of the teacher assistant is to promote a pupil’s learning and development by supporting the pupils, teacher, school and national curriculum. The key role is to support and guide the pupil to help achieve the learning objective. Their job is to help the pupils under the direction and guidance of the teacher. A teaching assistant should have a good knowledge of the subject of which they are supporting in order to deliver it effectively. They should be able to deliver feedback to the teacher on pupil’s progress and monitor it, as well as liaise with the teacher on the previous learning objective and reflect on it.A teaching assistant have to observe and comply different formats of observations. Provide clerical support and monitor and maintain resources. A T.A. also has to be a good rol e model, maintain discipline, be flexible and respect pupil’s social and cultural background. Good organisational skills and the ability to praise pupils are essential.Ultimately the two roles desire the pupils to reach their full learning potential. Both should complement each other, work alongside each other as a team in order to achieve the best outcome for each student .JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-041.2SUMMARISE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT.Summative Assessment or Assessment of LearningSummative Assessment is conducted to identify the progress which pupils have made at the end of term, end of course or scheme of work. This is a summary of the overall learning of a pupil’s achievement which involves pupils undertaking standardised tests or external examinations. This form of summative learning is to judge the progress made at the end of a period of study. Summative Assessment is completed for:SAT’S results Class teacher assessments Rev iews of pupils with SEN Pupils’ annual school reports External examinations GSCE’s & AS & A LevelsFormative Assessment or Assessment for learningFormative Assessment is the ongoing monitoring and assessment of pupil’s work with accompanying feedback to help them improve their performance. Formative assessment makes judgements about the pupils’ progress that is currently being carried out with an intention of informing teachers and pupils about how their work may be modified, improved or changed. This form of assessment for learning engages not only the teacher but the pupil and can be used to check the learning in any lesson.Teacher using open ended questions that will encourage the pupil to think for themselves â€Å"How do you think that could have been done better?†Listen to pupils’ explanations and description of methods on how they study.A Teacher/Teaching Assistant asking questions to pupils to check their understanding.Observing pupil s is a most informative method of gaining knowledge on a pupil’s progress. There are different types of observation depending on the learners needs.A learning objective should always be identified at the start of the learning activity, so a pupil will understand what they are learning and at the end have they achieved the learning objective. This method teaching will engage a pupil in reviewing their own progress. JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-051.3EXPLAIN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING.Assessment for learning is the key term of using assessment as part of teaching and learning in ways which will raise learners’ achievements.Assessment for learning is highly effective in improving the quality of learning, which is why it has been introduced and proved to be successful. The definition of assessment for learning – it is the process of seeking evidence, interpreting for use by learners and teachers to decide where the learners are up to in their learning a nd where they need to go and how best to get there.The key characteristic of assessment for learning is that it shares the learning objective and its aim with the pupil. In doing so it identifies to the learners exactly how they have to perform to achieve a higher grade, consequently recognise the standards they are aiming for. Questioning the learners about their work enables them to see more clearly what they need to  do next.This engages the learner and involves them in peer assessment and self assessment, so that they are ultimately able to reflect on and recognise their own achievements. This enables pupils to build up on their skills before moving on to the next step. This process involves providing meaningful feedback to the learner on their progress so they know specifically where they are going and how to get there. An important aspect of assessment for learning is that the teacher/teaching assistant continually motivates and promotes confidence with the learner. This who le process is ongoing throughout every learning objective, for both the teacher and the learner in reviewing and reflecting on assessment information.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-051.4EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING.Research proves that assessment for learning has a big impact on teaching as it improves the quality of learning for the learner. The learner is not detached from their learning but is actively involved. This empowers the learner to reflect on their progress and improve on their performance. The effect of the learner being more in control of their learning thus increases confidence self-esteem and motivation. The way one feels about them self can have a huge impact on their learning. Research has recognised that assessment for learning has a profound influence on engaging pupils and keeping them interested.Pupils with do not feel part of the learning process may develop low self-esteem, become disengaged and lose interest. By self-assessment pupi ls understand where to improve their studies and how. Effective feedback is important so both able and less able pupils are fully monitored and supported in order for them to reach their full potential. It enables a pupil learning to be adjusted to their own particular needs. Assessment for learning is a device that makes possible for a pupil to understand the aim of what they are doing, what they need to do to reach that aim and where they are in relation to it.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-05 1.5EXPLAIN HOW ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO PLANNING FOR FUTURE LEARNING CARRIED OUT BY: A)THE TEACHER B)THE LEARNERS C)THE LEARNING SUPPORT PRACTITONERTeacherAssessment for learning greatly contributes to the future lesson planning of the teacher. It informs them of where the pupil is at with their learning and helps dictate the next step of the learning process. It takes place day to day in the classroom and keeps the teacher up to date with each pupil’s progress. This practice s helps the teacher make decisions regarding planning of future learning as well as share targets with the learner. Effective assessment for learners allows teachers to pass on the responsibility of managing their own learning to the pupil.LearnersThis process informs learners to know and recognise the standards for which they should aim. It identifies where they are in relation to this aim and how to achieve it. It helps immensely with an individual’s learning and the increased self awareness of how to learn will develop their confidence and motivation. By self assessment and looking at assessment criteria, pupils are able to ask for support in areas of which they are struggling and distinguish when to ask for it.Learning Support PractitionerThis process informs the actions of a learning support practitioner on what is the best step to take, as well as alter their actions. The whole process enables teachers and learners to review and reflect on personalised learning / thinki ng skills PLTS. This procedure will inform a learning practitioner on how to approach pupil questioning based on what they have discovered about how a pupil learns. Therefore, this increases confidence and promotes effect learning. They may have to alter the pace of the learning to suit every learner so all are given an opportunity to revisit parts of indecision.Reflective Log:At the Alt Valley Community College initially the students are set diagnostic skill tests which indicate their competencies and weaknesses consequently,  identify exactly where they need more help and practice. This informs the Tutor and T.A. to plan for future learning with this student as well as helps the student recognise aims for their own personalised learning programme. For example please see page 7 & 8. JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-05 2.1OBTAIN THE INFORMATION REQUIRED TO SUPPORT ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING.The learning objectives for the activities The personalised learning/ thinking skills PLTS goals for ind ividual learners The success criteria of the learning activity The assessment opportunities and strategiesAt the beginning of each learning activity the teacher should identify the learning objective, stating exactly what the learners should know at the end of the lesson. A good method of identifying the aim several teachers write W.A.L.T. (what are we learning today) on the board, or W.I.L.F. (what I’m looking for.) This way the learners can keep relating to the aim throughout the learning activity, and keep on task. The teacher must notify the learners about how they are going to be assessed, and how it will take place, in addition to how it will be measured.This procedure helps the learner to take more responsibility for their own learning, a proven effective technique. A pupil needs to think about their own personalised learning whilst working towards a learning objective. Personalised learning is the process of tailoring and matching teaching and learning around way diff erent learners learn in order to meet individual needs, interest and aptitudes to enable every pupil to reach their most advantageous potential.This helps to promote their own personal development through self-realisation, self-development and self-enhancement to become active, responsible, self-motivated learners. The Teacher/Teaching Assistant and learner always need to look at the success criteria of the learning activity. The standard and success criteria should be shared with the learner. For example:What pupil is learning – to write in paragraphs Success criteria – pupil able to write in paragraphsWhy they are learning it – learner is only able to achieve a grade D in  English if they are unable to write in paragraphs, to achieve a higher grade they must learn to write in paragraphs. How assessment will take place – teacher and teaching assistant will check pupil’s work to ensure they are consistently writing in paragraphs. A proven method is providing examples to the pupil which helps to meet the success criteria. As learners are supported assessment opportunities and strategies have to be used to motivate pupils to think about their work and progress. This is the process of utilising the best approach and techniques for the ongoing assessment during the learning activity.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-072.2 USE CLEAR LANGUAGE AND EXAMPLES TO DISCUSS AND CLARIFY PERSONALISED LEARNING GOALS AND CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING PROGRESS WITH LEARNERS.Usually secondary school pupils have personalised learning goals for each subject which are noted on their interim reports, which are updated as the term progresses. The personalised learning goals reflect the learning objective of activities and take account of the past achievements and current learning needs of individual learners. The subject teacher usually collates pupils with the same ability and personalised learning goal so they can work together and their needs tailored as a group. Individual or personalised learning plans are in place for pupils with additional needs and their personal targets documented. This will have been agreed and signed with the pupil, parents/carers and teachers.Reflective Log:At the Alt Valley Training Centre I did an assessment of learning on a pupil’s diagnostic skills numeracy examination. I noticed the pupil completely failed the percentages part of the paper. This pupil was due to undertake an apprenticeship in joinery. I spoke to the pupil and brought these findings to his attention and emphasised the importance of percentages in joinery, and the success criteria in achieving it, in order to complete his apprenticeship. I downloaded resources regarding this topic and I am at present in the process of working with him for the ongoing assessment of the learning activity.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-072.3 USE ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND STRATEGIES TO GAIN INFORMATION AND MAKE JUDGEMENTS ABOUT HOW WELL LEARNERS ARE PARTICIPATING I N ACTIVITIES AND THE PROGRESS THEY ARE MAKING. Ensure pupils understand the learning objective or any individual learning targets so they can assess their own progress as they proceedExplain to pupils on how to reach the learning objectiveListen to pupils describe their work and their reasoningCheck pupils understanding through questioning and using open-ended questionsObserve pupils noticing the kinds of strategies they are using and what they are finding difficultEngage pupils in reviewing their own progress throughout the learning activityInform pupils on how they will be assessedIf possible provide examples of work produced by other learnersContinually provide support and oral feedback as pupils are working as well as assessment and praiseGive opportunities for self or peer assessmentIf possible allocate time for pupils to discuss work before handing it inProvide written feedback Reflective Log:I worked with the students whom failed the percentage paper. I demonstrated the metho d of percentages and then asked him a few questions to check whether he understood. He then attempted some himself and was struggling.I continued to sit and observe him and asked him why he was doing the sum via that method. I continued to encourage him and explain the necessity of this qualification. I repeated my strategy to him and we continued through the work booklet. On completion I praised him for his diligence and informed him I would mark it later. JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-072.4 PROVIDE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK TO LEARNERS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE WELL AND WHAT THEY NEED TO DEVELOP.For assessment for learning to be effective every learners needs constructive feedback. This developmental pointer is crucial if progress is to be made. It can affirm the pupils’ strengths and identifies the weaknesses. Pupils need feedback during and following each learning activity. The information should be given which centres on their performance and be conveyed positivel y. Pupils should be notified that the feedback is based on facts and should not be taken personally. There are different types of feedback:Affirmative Feedback which if possible should be given during the learning activity to encourage and motivate Developmental feedback which gives suggestions on how to do better next time Both types of feedback can be given orally or written but really need to be given as soon as possible so the pupil can take it on board and action it.This also applies to teachers marking, if feedback is given too long after an activity children forget and find it harder to apply. Research has found that marking within the child’s presence is more helpful to each individual. A technique teachers use for writing on a good learning exercise is â€Å"two stars and a wish† or for improvement guidance â€Å"E.B.I. (even better if)† and suggestions provided. Best practice checklist for providing feedback:Remain non-judgemental Focus on strengths Wo rk through one thing as a time Give constructive feedback where needed and guidance on how a child can improve Link feedback directly to what has been observed or written End the session positivelyReflective log:Regarding the percentage students I sat with him to mark his paper, we worked through it step by step and I praised him on his competent working out calculations, as we were then able to identify at which point his method went wrong. I got him to look at some questions logically and in every day terms so he could then maybe estimate the answer and recognise the difference in his answers. On completion he felt confident about the activity; whereas at the beginning he told me he would never to be able to do it. I conveyed to him how pleased I was with his progress.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-16 2.5 PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES AMD ENCOURAGEMENT FOR LEARNERS TO IMPROVE UPON THEIR WORK.Each pupil is an individual and this fact must be recognised and considered when doing assessment for lear ning. Their own personal standards of achievements must be measured against their previous record and not compared to other learners. The next stage of learning must be based on their previous understanding and so on. It is unachievable to continue with the learning plan when a pupil has not understood the previous stage. Learning needs to be built up in a step by step formula, whereas one stage of procedure supports the other to gain an overall concept of the task in hand.Pupils should always be encouraged to discuss any difficulties they entail throughout the learning activity and previous learning experiences. This effective method helps to consolidate their knowledge and reinforce their understanding before moving on with the next topic. This helps motivate them and to promote confidence and self-esteem. These three factors have a huge impact on learners and every effort should be made to uphold and support them. Pupils with low self-esteem should be allocated more time and pati ence and learning objectives clarified regularly. On occasion support staff has to modify or adapt the learning objective in order for them to achieve it.To encourage each pupil to take responsibility for their own learning it has to be discussed with them and the onus placed upon them in relation to: How they think they can improve on their previous practiceWhat do they think went wrong? Did they rush the learning activity?Opportunities provided so they can improve: Do they want to redo the learning activity? Do they wish to stay in at break time? Would they prefer to take it home and do it as homework? Or have they got any other suggestions. JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-123.1 USE INFORMATION GAINED FROM MONITORING LEARNERS PARTICIPATION AND PROGRESS TO HELP LEARNERS TO REVIEW THEIR LEARNING STRATEGIES, ACHIEVEMENTS AND FUTURE LEARNING NEEDS.Assessment for learning is ongoing throughout the learning activity. The review of pupils’ work if possible should be processed during the le arning session. This is not always achievable during certain teaching presentations but if feasible time should be allocated for review. This enables students consider their work at each stage. This encourages the pupil to take responsibility for their own learning and for the teaching assistant to support and translate the teaching.Techniques to help learners review their learning strategies: Using open-ended questions- Where are you up to in your learning? Where do you need to go? And how best to get there. This helps them measure their progress against previous learning activities. Class discussion/in groups/ with a partner/ by yourself. Helps them to think about how they acted the learning activity and think how they could do it differently in the future. Provide sheet with learning objective for learners to refer to and explain objectives Provide oral feedbackUse examples of work in class discussions to highlight the ways that work can be improved Provide positive and construct ive feedbackMatch learning objective to needs in order to provide challenges and set appropriate targets Praise success throughout the learning activity Reflective Log:As part of the Joinery Apprenticeship Diploma the students have to complete and pass a Construction Skills Certificate Scheme CSCS. In order to be  allowed on site. They each individually complete this test online, which is out of 40 questions and the pass mark is 36. The summary identifies the right and wrong answers. I speak to the students during the activity and ask what the reasoning behind them choosing a particular answer was. At times they are placed in pairs so they can work together and accumulate each other knowledge to increase their mark. They are continually told of their last mark and their target each time is just to increase it by 1 mark. We celebrate success and the students gain satisfaction on their own progress and increase confidence that they â€Å"can do† it. JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-123 .2 LISTEN CAREFULLY TO LEARNERS AND POSITIVELY ENCOURAGE THEM TO COMMUNICATE THEIR NEEDS AND IDEAS FOR FUTURE LEARNING.All teaching staff has to listen to all learners in order to identify their own particular strengths and weaknesses in each learning objective. They have to be given the opportunity to converse so that they know and recognise the standard for which they should aim. Via feedback from the learner informs teachers on how to be pro-active to their needs. Consequently, learners discover what they should do next in order to improve. Their own particular learning style has to be considered, for example intrapersonal learners do not thrive doing collaborative group work. By communicating their own personal preferences and ideas helps individuals to own and drive their own attainment. Learners should be encouraged to adopt their own personalised learning approach, which involves taking a highly structured and responsive approach to each learner, in order that they everybody is able to progress achieve and participate.This allows them to explore their own particular interests and reflect on their individual aspirations and learning habits. Research has shown that young people will produce better quality work when dealing with content they have an interest in. Positive encouragement can greatly enhance a learner; it promotes confidence and can give them the boost they needs when they are struggling with a particular task. A constructive comment can help achieve the objective and gain success criteria. This helps the learner to remain engaged and on task in addition to them gaining satisfaction regarding their own progress.Schools have strategies to check on pupils’ learning: Traffic light system- Pupils like to fit in with the class and do not like to be seen asking for help or lack  confidence in requesting it, a pupil has a picture at the top of the page and can colour 1 of 3 lights which indicates on how their coping with the learning activit y, red=help, amber just about on task, green no problems, therefore teachers can identify if help is required. Foggy bits- pupils are given the opportunity to write down or articulate the parts of the session or activity that have not been clear, Write a sentence- pupils are able to put in a sentence the key points of the learning at the end of a unit of work or learning activity.Talk partner review- pupils are given the opportunity to talk to their partner about what they found difficult and what they enjoyed in the learning activity. This can also be done at the beginning of a session to see what the already know. Post it notes/white boards- pupils can easily write down what they have learnt, found easy or hard. JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-153.3 SUPPORT LEARNERS IN USING PEER ASSESSMENT AND SELF-ASESSMENT TO EVALUATE THEIR LEARNING ACHIEVEMENTS.When pupils are involved in assessing their own performance, they can often provide teachers and teaching assistants with insights into their o wn learning. Research has indicated that pupil involvement is likely to encourage pupils to become more focused upon the teacher’s intended learning outcomes, helps them to become more aware of personal areas in which they have strengths and weaknesses and in some instances assist in the management of behaviour.Assessment information is only of value when it is used to improve teaching or learning. Pupils need to know how they are progressing and appreciate being involved in discussions about their own learning. Even on a informal basis teaching staff should find opportunities to engage pupils in discussions about how they feel they are getting on with their work. Supporting pupils with self-assessment techniques:Clarify the purpose of the task – This is so pupils understand why they are doing it Keep assessment criteria simple – Be very clear on what pupils are being assessed against. If there are more than two criteria make them very specific. Encourage pupils to periodically check learning against the criteria – This will keep them focused on what they have to do. Ask pupils to tell you what they think they are doing and why – This enables the teacher to check that children have understood the task and how their learning will be measured. An ideal technique for pupils to build up their assessment skills is through working with adults and their peers.This method enables them to look more objectively at their own achievements. Collaboration in peer assessment allows each pupil to look at one another’s work and notice how it relates to the assessment criteria. They are then able to discuss what they have been asked to do and how their work reflects this, as well as bring to their attention to what teachers are looking for when measuring achievement. Peer assessment should not be used to compare pupils’ grades and achievements. That is why it is important to make it clear to pupils on what they will be assessed a gainst. Peer assessment can also assist in peer learning whereas one pupil can obtain hints and tips from another.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-153.4 SUPPORT LEARNERS TO: A) REFLECT ON THEIR LEARNING B) IDENTIFY THE PROGRESS THEY HAVE MADE C) IDENTIFY THEIR EMERGING LEARNING NEEDS D) IDENTIFY THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THEIR LEARNING STRATEGIES AND PLAN HOW TO IMPROVE THEM. A) Reflect on their learning:Pupils need to be encouraged to reflect on their learning during the process, and not just when it is completed. This is in order to reveal what is the best approach as well as if they are taking the best way towards achieving success criteria.This helps them to understand their own personalised learning and develop thinking skills for improvement. Techniques are to question the pupil to check he understands the purpose of the task, ask what they are doing and why, notify them on what they are being assessed on and be very specific and encourage them to check periodically against the le arning criteria, to ensure they are keeping focused. B) Identify the progress they have made:Teachers need to check that pupils are able to assess their own progress that they have made when working. This can be done through self or peer assessment. Throughout the learning session teachers/teaching assistant should maintain continuous dialogue about the progress they have made. This can be identified by asking questions for example, tell me what you have learnt during this session, and if a question is asked see if another pupil can answer it, or by asking pupils to write down what areas of the topic they found difficult. C) Identify their emerging needs:As a pupil looks at their learning they will begin to know what they need to improve on. They should be told which level they have presently attainted and what they need to do to achieve the next level. For a pupil who is performing beneath their capability a discussion may provide formative points which indicate how they could impr ove. D) Identify the strengths and weaknesses of their learning strategies and plan how to improve on them: The strengths and weaknesses of pupils learning has to be brought to their attention.Assessment materials/resources can be useful and re-assuring to identify to pupils their weaknesses. Or recognize their misconception and use it as a basis to work upon, as this can lead to a more positive to learning from their mistakes. Notify the pupil the area they need more practice on and encourage them to be resilient in their studies. For the pupil who is doing well, a discussion of an assessed piece of work may help them to improve even further by developing those strengths which have been identified to them. Another way of supporting learners is to allow them to keep a journal, in which they can keep a note of their learning and own personalised targets. Self-esteem should always be promoted.4.1 PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THE TEACHER ON: A) LEARNERS PARTICIPATION AND PROGRESS IN THE LEARNIN G ACTIVITIES B) LEARNERS ENGAGEMENT IN AND RESPONSE TO ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING C) LEARNERS PROGRESS IN TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING.A) Learners participation and progress in the learning activities: When doing assessment for learning techniques the teacher assistant must work closely with the teacher to plan how they are going to fit it into the learning activity. Discussion before the lesson will enable the best opportunities to be sort that then can be included into the activity. The teaching assistant must then provide feedback to the teacher on how the learner contributed to the lesson and how much improvement they have made.This is  in order to find the best strategies to use in the future. Different techniques need to be considered depending on the learner, as some students find some more thought provoking than others. B) Learners engagement in and response to assessment for learning: A Teaching Assistant must consider the different aspect s of assessment for learning when giving feedback to the teacher. The teaching assistant must attempt to connect the learners with their own learning and provide feedback to the teacher on how successful it was. This can be done by completing an observation sheet or orally. Another good method is jotting down comments from the learners during the activity.The teacher may find it useful to know whether the pupil was more responsive and eager to participate if they were told that they doing assessment for learning. Alternatively feedback can be given through group feedback, in which the learners discuss the results of peer assessment with adults. In this way the teacher can find about their learning and feed back is given direct at the same time. C) Learners progress in taking responsibility for their own learning: Learners have to be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. Teaching assistant must notify the teacher on how the learner is managing to deal with it. During assessment for learning learners should be asked â€Å"where they are up to in their learning, where they are going and how to get there.† By this method pupils will come to understand that they are the drive behind the force as well as the teaching staff. Usually a successful learning activity identifies that the students have taken responsibility for their own learning. Attempts should be made to empower the learner, for example tell children when working out maths problems include your working out which also creates marks.JAYNE WEBB 2012-05-16 4.2 USE THE OUTCOME OF ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING TO REFLECT ON AND IMPROVE OWN CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT LEARNING.Following learning activities the teacher and teacher assistant need to discuss and reflect on its outcome. This identifies whether or not the learning activity has been successful. A Teaching Assistant must look at their own approach to the learning activity and judge whether their own  approach could be improved when supporting pupils l earning. It should be considered whether different strategies could have worked better with pupils. What can be done to challenge the pupils more and did I question them correctly. There is always room for improvement and reflection on activities gives the opportunity for it to be corrected. Regarding reflection one should think about:How they questioned and encouraged the pupils to look closely at the assessment criteria. How they gave feedback to pupils. How they supported both peer and self assessment. Did they remain non judgemental. Did they focus on strengths? Work through one thing as a time. Give constructive advice where needed and guidance on how a child could improve. Link feedback directly to what has been observed or written. Did the session end positively?Reflective log:I assisted a student working through a maths booklet. I found the students was not co-operating in the activity and was distracted with other happenings in the classroom. I continued with the activity, asking questions, explaining methods etc. Till completed. On reflection it appeared to me that I had done too much of the practicalities and not supported the learner. I should have abandoned the learning activity as it was not vital to the days learning and include the student with the rest of the classes learning activity. That approach would have worked better as the student would have been more engaged.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-16 3.2 LISTEN CAREFULLY TO LEARNERS AND POSITIVELY ENCOURAGE THEM TO COMMUNICATE THEIR NEEDS AND IDEAS FOR FUTURE LEARNINGReflective Log: Whilst checking the students’ diploma booklet I noticed two students were struggling with spelling, punctuation and grammar and the aims of each question. I spoke to them each separately and explained would they like me  to help them as that was my purpose being here. They both divulged that they were finding the theory difficult. I worked with each student looking through their booklet and asked them to identify their problems in order for me to help them.I discovered that the key words on each question, for example, compare, contrast, analyse, justify etc the students did not comprehend. Afterwards I diligently assessed the booklet making a note of key words and wrote a summary of them together with a dictionary definition, which I stapled to the work booklet. This I showed to the learners assuring them they would find it helpful. I reiterated to them any further problems would they please speak to me and confirmed I would observe them closely in the classroom.3.3 SUPPORT LEARNERS IN USING PEER ASSESSMENT AND SELF-ASSESSMENT TO EVALUATE THEIR LEARNING ACHIEVEMENTS Reflective Log:Regarding the above students I spoke to the tutor and identified their needs and suggested if he and the students agreed could I coach them with their English whenever possible. Presently, we sit together and work through communication and spelling books and I reveal little tips for example, necessary â€Å"rememb er a shirt has 1 collar and 2 sleeves† etc. The students do not cope well with self-assessment; they have not got a long concentration span and poor resilience.But I do continually positively encourage it. I have found that peer assessment has worked well as there is a competitive spirit involved with both of the learners. They have commented on their surprise at their own progress. I confirm to them the importance of English not only to achieve their joinery diploma but an essential life skill.JAYNE WEBB MAY 2012-05-263.4 SUPPORT LEARNERS TO A) REFLECT ON THEIR LEARNING B) IDENTIFY THE PROGRESS THEY HAVE MADE C) IDENTIFY THE LEARNERS EMERGING NEEDS D) IDENTIFY THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS OF THEIR LEARNING STRATEGIES AND PLAN HOW TO IMPROVE THEM. Reflective Log:I was assisting students in a functional skills maths class, the learning objective was to teach the students area, volume and perimeter. The students were not very motivated and I explained the importance of these topic s to achieve their hairdressing diploma as well as in everyday life. I observed each student and commented on their correct formula and suggested they look at parts again.Peer assessment worked quite well in the session as they liaised with each other and gained tips to further their learning. At the end of the session we asked what they found difficult and identified topics to revisit. I liaised with the Tutor and we decided to redo the learning activity at a later date but decided the best approach was to visit each topic- area, formula and perimeter on a separate day as we felt that the students were overloaded with all the different formulas.4.1 PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THE TEACHER ON: A) LEARNERS PARTICIPATION AND PROGRESS IN THE LEARNING ACTIVITY B) LEARNERS ENGAGEMENT IN AND RESPONSE TO ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING C) LEARNERS PROGRESS IN TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING. Reflective Log:I was asked by the Tutor to observe a student who was completing a ratio booklet and rep ort to her verbally on her progress. This particular student is deemed as lazy and sluggish and has no work ethic. She was reluctant to participate and wanted too much help, in the hope that I would do it for her. As I was keyed up to her approach I engaged her as much as I dared, by explaining then asking questions to check if she understood. I made clear the importance of ratio in hairdressing and her aim to achieve it. She had to begin taking responsibility for her own learning.Surprisingly, she was quite competent with the learning objective. I praised her success and reiterated she had to start working with the tutors and commented, â€Å"Where are you up to in your vocation at the moment? Not interested in maths, you know where you going- hairdressing, How are you going to get there- by working with the tutors and taking notice in the maths class. I spoke to the Tutor and she agreed that was the best approach and we would continue to use these tactics.

Health Care Solutions Case Study Answers Essay

1.Assess the current strategy of HCOS toward its most critical market (mid-sized physician office). The current strategy of HCOS towards mid-sized physician’s offices is to increase their market share and profits by expanding the operation to the point that HCOS is nearly everywhere that there are mid-sized physician’s offices. This â€Å"increased market share by expansion† approach has worked for the most part. They have expanded operations to cover almost all main cities in the United States and thereby acquired a considerable portion of the market share in the third- party (small to mid-sized) physician’s office management industry. The pillars of HCOS’s approach to acquiring and retaining clients are to deliver superior customer service along with a high quality of products and services. This was a good strategy in part. The expansion strategy has worked by enabling HCOS to gain more customers. However, HCOS has recently noticed slowed growth and the loss of new business at an increasing rate. Their competitors are winning contracts over them. Their client’s feedback is that their once superior levels of customer service (competitive edge) have declined. 2.Can you offer any suggestions on how HCOS can improve its relationships with existing customers and develop new business opportunities more effectively? It is clear that with the expansion of their operations, HCOS has lost the high level of customer service that they were delivering to their clients when they were smaller. A couple of theories need to be examined in further detail to come to an accurate conclusion that can be acted upon. As the physician’s offices have grown they have incrementally required more and more from HCOS’s sales people. It is possible that the current sales force is spread too thin to cater to the increased needs of priority customers along with those of the rest of the region including new contracts. If this is the case, one possible solution is to hire more sales people to cover the gaps. At this point, HCOS has a solid core of experienced salespeople (more expensive salary) they can deviate from the previous hiring model and hire good sales people that do not have a healthcare background (less expensive salary) which can be mentored by the existing sales force. Another theory that needs to be examined is whether or not the experienced sales force has simply become complacent making 80k per year on average and have reduced their attention to customer service and to acquiring new contracts. If this is the case, the sales people that have become complacent need to be put on notice by hiring new salespeople and possibly reassigning existing accounts to those who earn them based on merit, such as those who acquire the most new accounts within a year or those who receive the most accolades for excellent levels of customer service from their clients.

Urban Sociology Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Urban Sociology - Article Example Based on the article written by Mousseau & Mittal (2006: 66), stakeholders who greatly benefit from food aid are not really the less benefit individuals who live in developing countries but the U.S. food manufacturer, U.S. shipping companies, the NGOs, and relief organizations. In the case of food manufacturer, Horizon Milling – a U.S. based company that produces wheat and flour products (Horizon Milling, 2008) sold as much as $1.09 billion worth of grain for food aid operation since 1995. By establishing a strong ties with the U.S. government, the company was able to earn significantly large amount of profit without having to worry about potential competitors that could offer the U.S. government with cheaper prices of similar food products. Since most of the U.S. food aid is given to developing countries in the form of ‘in-kind’, U.S. based manufacturing companies that produces food, seeds, and other farming related products are the ones that earns profit out of the food aid program. The same is true in the case of the U.S. shipping companies since the 1985 Farm Bill requires 75% of the U.S. food aid to be shipped solely by U.S. vessels. (Mousseau & Mittal, 2006: 66) Given that the United States is considered a developed country, the volume of food products that is shipped to developing countries under the said food aid program is significantly less because of the high prices of U.S. food products and the shipping cost via U.S. vessels. For this reason, it is arguable that the U.S. food aid program is not really focused on minimizing the global hunger but a way of strengthening its own economy by allowing the food manufacturing and U.S. shipping companies to earn more profit from the said program. The main focus of the U.S. food aid program is to increase the sales and profitability of its local food manufacturers and shipping companies rather than

Team Creation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Creation Paper - Essay Example Failure to establish these two very important components that should characterise the qualities of the team members will likely to impact negatively on the project. Another consideration when selecting team members is the aspect of availability. This entails that people who are flexible and committed to the project and can be readily available are given preference than chancers. Another consideration in selecting the team members is that they should have something to contribute to the overall project. Team members are selected on the basis of the knowledge and skills they possess about that particular project. In the same vein, these members should show a willingness to get along with the other team members towards the attainment of the goals of the project. Another strategy that can be used to select project team members is through the establishment of the members’ willingness to abide by the rules and the parameters of the project. Those who are not prepared to learn or shar e their ideas may not be capable to be selected as team members. b. Some of the team building strategies are going to be outlined in detail below. First and foremost, a task breakdown is the foundation for team building which helps the project manager to assign the right people to the right project tasks (Morris 2008). This foundation stage of team building is concerned with setting the vision, goals and objectives of the team. This strategy is very important in team building in that it clearly spells the direction upon which all the members of the team should follow towards the attainment of the project goals set. The other strategy in team building involves clarifying the roles of the team members. This helps minimise conflicts and misunderstanding as each and every member of the team will be aware of the role expectation in the project. The other strategy of team building is centred on establishing group norms that will shape the conduct of all the team members. Determining the t ask processes is another strategic factor in building a project team which will promote team cohesiveness. Dynamics related to the team such as issues related to interaction of the team members, communication, decision making process as well measures for conflict resolution are some of the strategies that can be taken into consideration when building a project team. These factors play a pivotal role as they are meant to ensure that the goals of the team are clearly spelled as well as attempting to minimise the chances of conflicts in the team. c. Within a diverse project team, potential areas of conflict may be a result of negative behaviour among members of the team where the members may disagree with one another or the direction of the team (Kerzner 2006). The major cause of conflict in a team is the aspect of diversity which encompasses such factors as age, culture, gender and work values. In some instances, senior employees may attempt to insubordinate their junior by virtue of seniority in terms of age which is a cause of conflict. This can also go hand in hand with the aspect of gender where in some cases women may be looked down upon by virtue of their sex and gender. This is a major cause of conflict where there is unfair treatment of the members of the team on the basis of gender. Cultural factors in a diverse proje

Designing a training course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Designing a training course - Essay Example The above sections would be combination of discussion as well as an interactive lecture on the continuum of the employee involvement. The participants would be asked to write/inform the current structure of the organization along with level of decisions they can take (empowerment), roles and responsibilities of the training session’s participants. Participants would present the graphical representation of their organizational model and employee involvement model. Projected Goal: The goal of the lesson is to find out the prevailing models in the organization and suggest/recommend on how to develop a model based on the issues in the existing organizational and employee involvement model. Note: After adding the miscellaneous and contingencies cost, the total cost for the first day training would be $20,000. Moreover, the participants and the instructors would not be given either travelling or daily allowance, because the employees would be trained in the auditorium of their office and the instructors would be hired locally. However, the cost of equipment, printing etc. would be catered from the allocated cost of the miscellaneous and the contingencies. After the first day it would be expected from the participants that they would have knowledge of modern concepts of the management, familiarities with numerous terminologies taught in the first day training. Moreover, they can somehow develop diverse models (organizational and employee involvement) to get quality work within time and less cost as compared to the existing models of the Delta Airline. As there are two modules, therefore, in order to assess the impact of training program, I have selected two different strategies include: the self assessment for module one of the training course and impact assessment for module two of the training course. For the self-assessment, the participants would be provided a number of documents for their self

2. What is the difference between an alliance problem and an alliance Essay

2. What is the difference between an alliance problem and an alliance symptom, and what does this difference mean in terms of managerial intervention - Essay Example Most of the time differencing between alliance problems and symptoms becomes a challenge for the organization. There is always a difference between these two. Problems are usually not visible on the front line and symptoms on the other hand are quite clear and are a constant reminder of an upcoming problem. In strategic alliances the organizations usually consider a symptom as a problem and instead of doing an in-depth analysis of that symptom they take initiatives to solve it. This false interpretation of problems and symptoms can lead towards greater hazards. An example of difference between alliance symptom and problem is: when an organization observes an unenthusiastic change in the behavior of its partner it should not immediately take initiatives to change this behavior instead it should try to find out the root cause of this change. This change in behavior can be a result of lack of trust among the partners, in-competitive behavior of one of the partners, difference in the atm osphere of the two organizations or a difference between work schedule and strategies of the two organizations. If the organization over-looks these core problems and misinterprets the symptom as a problem then it can endanger the alliance. This misinterpretation is the cause of failure of more than 66 percent of the alliances. Even though the above mentioned factor can be a hurdle in the success of an alliance but proper and effective senior management is the most important factor for overcoming these hazards. If the top management is committed to the success of the alliance then it should take proper steps in order to avoid these problems and their misinterpretation with the symptoms. The management should try to understand the philosophies of the management of their partner organization. If the attitudes and thinking of both the managements would be similar then most of the core problems would be avoided. Another important factor is effective

Cancer Registry Annual Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cancer Registry Annual Report - Coursework Example ology program will move, it evaluates the protocols and the quality of care available using both external and internal sources of data and puts forward recommendations that could help to bring about improvements to meet the required regulatory standards. The total number of patients treated for cancer this year was 590, of which 268 were male and 249 were female. Lung and breast cancer reported the highest incidence of cancer; among the males the highest incidences were of lung and colon cancer, while among the females, the highest incidences were of breast and cervical cancer. The largest number of all cancer types occurs between the ages of 41 to 60, followed by the ages 61 to 75. During the diagnosis stage, 262 cancer cases were localized, while 230 were regional. In most instances, i.e., 49 cases, diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy, while 22 were made by percutaneous biopsy. There has been a steady rise in the number of lung cancer cases from 2001 to 2005, with the steepest rise occurring between 2003-4. The most common age when a lung cancer diagnosis has been made is between the ages of 65 to 74. The Oncology standards at this hospital are quite high, because the primary purpose of the Oncology Committee is to direct and evaluate the Oncology program and to suggest recommendations for improvement. The organization has received commendation by the Commission on Cancer, which is also the reason why it has received funding. The hospital specializes in lung cancer, but various other forms of cancer are also treated. Mr. Johannson, the CEO has set achievement of quality as one of the most important organizational goals, which has led to the achievement of awards and accreditation for the hospital. The head of the Oncology program is Nancy Turlick and she has been the prime mover behind implementing these quality of care standards and based upon the results the hospital has achieved, the standards of care at the hospital have been revised. Hospital data is

External Environment Analysis of Rio International Company in Dubai Essay

External Environment Analysis of Rio International Company in Dubai - Essay Example The company currently provides its services to the Middle East and other Asian countries at large. It is believed that it is through its lengthy relations that the company has stronger networks and connections. Locally, the company extends its services to airports, resorts, catering suppliers, restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets, and Multi Star Hotels (Atninfo, 2013). In as much as the company can rejoice and celebrate so many years of existence, there is much that it should do about its environmental factors that directly affect its performance and its future success. To be able to do this, the company needs to carry out an environmental analysis that would involve analyzing all the factors in its external environment that directly affect its performance. In analyzing Rio International’s external environment, we use the following tools: Most of the equipment that are provided by the companies in the food processing industry in Dubai are manufactured and imported from Switzerland and Germany. This has inhibited adequate growth in the industry as most of the revenues earned taken back to the countries where the products come to purchase more. When the industry depends so much on other countries for the supply of the equipment, it loses the independence to keep itself in business without overreliance on other countries. The industry can, therefore, face easy extinction in case the countries supplying it with the equipment decides to put unfriendly policies that would make it hard for bilateral or multilateral trade between the countries. The government of Dubai is involved largely in the key sectors of the economy. Manufacturing and processing being one such sector, the government can use its political influences to protect such sectors from external exploitation. Therefore, the industry is protected politically through formulation of appropriate legal conditions to make it grow and survive without much

Interpersonal Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interpersonal Communications - Essay Example (Guffey, 2006; Bonnet, 2000) The incident that I am going to cite here is actually observed by one of my friends in his internship at a software house last summer. My friend was there at the business analysis department and the incident took place in the same department. The incident shows that how the poor listening can lead to negative consequences. It was Friday morning, the weekend was about to start in few hours and was a signal of relaxation after the week long tiresome efforts of business analysis. The last task for the week that Ms. Jenifer Mitchells, the supervisor of my friend, had to make the last visit of the day to New Star and Company for the purpose of requirement analysis for the decision support system the Soft Tech, the company to which Ms. Jenifer belonged, was developing. This project meant a lot to the Soft Tech because New Start Company was a very big client for them. This was the first time Soft Tech was given any information system development project by New Star and Company, an organization dealing in logistics. On that day my friend also accompanied her. My friend told that he got a feeling that on one hand Ms. Jenifer is a bit in hurry for one of his personal commitments few hours later (she herself told this to my friend) that's why she wanted to end the meeting soon. Moreover, Ms. Jenifer was a fresh graduate of a renowned technical university with the gold medal. This, according to my friend, made Ms. Jenifer a bit arrogant. After reaching there, the formal introduction and greeting was done. Then the discussion moved to the main point that was business requirements. Since the new system that was supposed to be designed was the decision support system that would help the strategic managers and decision makers in resource optimization and the supervisor of my friend Ms. Jenifer had done her final year project on decision support system that is why she was not at all interested in listening what the customers want, rather time and again she used to start telling about her project and pra ising about it, trying to let the clients know that she is a gold medalist. According to my friend, when the customers were telling to her about their requirements, she was repeatedly looking at her wrist watch, probably that was giving a gesture that she is running out of time. Moreover she was not noting down their requirements on paper as much. When the reason for it was asked by friend, she said that she had done such project earlier too, so now doing such project again is not an issue for her, thus she did not need to note each and everything down on paper. It was suggested by the person briefing to us that we should conduct interviews from people involved in decision making who would be using the system that they develop so as to have the better understanding of what they exactly want. Ms. Jenifer was not interested in even that too. Finally the meeting ended with all 'hearing' but no 'listening'. On Monday when Ms. Jenifer came to work again, she presented the meeting report to her manager. Her

Writing problems for high school students Research Paper

Writing problems for high school students - Research Paper Example On top of the list is the anxiety that many students have when the adjustment to college writing is a necessity. According to â€Å"Writing Anxiety†, since many are not accustomed to it, there is the feeling of mild confusion. As expected, when this issue goes unnoticed and unresolved, it leaves the student in an awkward position. This is because many fear asking questions lest they seem daft but it is not the way it ought to be. In order to resolve this, the teachers should explain in details what college-writing entails. Secondly, letting the students understand that it is normal for anxiety to exist where one has never been before is a great help to them. Additionally, anxiety can also be overcome by showing the students their strengths as opposed to highlighting weaknesses. In other words, whenever a student feels inferior because of not understanding the style of college writing, it is vital to show them that there are other strong areas to focus on. Unlike in high school where students would write using any words, college-level writing prohibits usage of some words. Normally, this puts a block in the inexperienced student’s way because formal language has to be used. For instance, in college writing, the use of pronouns is hardly allowed; colloquialism and abbreviation of names are strictly to be avoided.

Trying to Understand Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Essay Example for Free

Trying to Understand Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Essay Catch 22 is a satirical war novel that was written in the 1950’s, but was published in 1961. Joseph Heller, the American author, was known for his novels to represent a comic vision of modern society with serious moral connections. His major theme throughout his writing is the conflict that occurs when individuals interact with such powerful institutions, such as: corporations, the military, and the government. Catch 22 was written in the post modernism era of the literature timeline. In the 1950’s, the Korean War was beginning, World War II ended, and Castro became the dictator of Cuba. All of these events had an influence on Heller as he was writing this novel about the WWII bombardier, Yossarian, and his struggle to stay sane with bombs bursting all around him. Chapter 1: The Texan * Summary: Yossarian is hiding from the war in a hospital ward with a â€Å"liver disease† when he meets Dunbar, the bigoted Texan, and the soldier in white. * The Texan: an obnoxious patient that annoys all the patients in the ward and talks to the soldier in white all the time. * â€Å"You fellas are crazy† (Heller 11) Chapter 2: Clevinger * Summary: Yossarian is paranoid about the crazy people in the camp: Havermeyer, McWatt, Orr, and Nately; but, Clevinger insists Yossarian is the crazy one and Doc Daneeka cannot and will not release him because Cathcart raised the missions yet again. * Clevinger: An ingenious Harvard graduate who is the first to call Yossarian crazy. He is picked on in cadet training by lieutenant Scheisskopf, who brings him up on contrived charges before the action board. He is presumed dead when his plane crashes. * â€Å"Who’s they?.. Who, specifically, do you think is trying to murder you?† (Heller 17) Chapter 3: Havermeyer * Summary: Yossarian is accompanied by a dead soldier in his tent (Mudd), Orr, and Hungry Joe who are driving him crazy, but Doc Daneeka still refuses to diagnose Yossarian as crazy in order to send him home; telling him he needs be more like Havermeyer. * Havermeyer: The best bombardier in the whole squadron. He loves peanut brittle, never misses a target, and never takes evasive action. Doc Daneeka told Yossarian to become more like Havermeyer. * â€Å" Chapter 4: Doc Daneeka * Summary: Yossarian argues with Hungry Joe, trying to explain that he is the crazy one, when Doc Daneeka begins to ponder why he of all the doctors was forced to deal with these babbling buffoons. * Doc Daneeka: A flight surgeon who resents his position and is bitter about the war taking away his practice in the states. Doc Daneeka is the one who explains catch 22. He is afraid to fly, so has McWatt sign his name. McWatt’s plane crashed, and people believed he was dead. * â€Å"I’m not on the plane.† (Heller 339) Chapter 5: Chief White Halfoat * Summary: Doc Daneeka was yearning for his practice back home and explains to Yossarian that catch 22 prevents him from grounding him when Chief White Halfoat enters the tent to begin telling stories of before the war; expressing his hate for the white men that kicked him and his family from home to home because of the unearthing of oil. * Chief White Halfoat: A Native American chief is the intelligence officer. He despises white men for kicking him off his home settlements and claims he will die of pneumonia, and he jokingly says he will slit his throat. Chapter 6: Hungry Joe * Summary: Hungry Joe had his way with the prostitutes in Rome, had flown the most missions in the in the whole squadron, and had horrible nightmares resulting with bone chilling screams, but Doc Daneeka, despite Yossarian’s despondent pleas, could not even declare Hungry Joe as crazy thanks to catch 22. * Hungry Joe: Hungry Joe is the soldier with the most missions flown in the entire squadron, but his orders to return home never come. He has horrible nightmares that cause him to scream in horror, however, he is very good with the whores in Rome. He dies one night in his sleep because Huple’s cat suffocated him. Chapter 7: McWatt * Summary: McWatt is Yossarian’s pilot whose bed sheet was stolen by Milo Minderbender, the new mess officer that is involved in black market deals and Yossarian becomes his new friend that he confides in about these actions. * McWatt: McWatt is a cheerful pilot who often flies Yossarian’s planes, but he likes to joke around a lot, such as buzzing the beaches. One day sliced Kid Sampson in half, and flew into a mountain immediately afterwards. Chapter 8: Lieutenant Scheisskopf * Summary: Yossarian has an affair with Lieutenant Scheisskopf’s wife, but he is too obsessed with trying to beat Clevinger in the weekly parades and finally wins two years in a row; ending Scheisskopf’s precious parades. * Lieutenant Scheisskopf: Lieutenant Scheisskopf was the colonel that trained Yossarian’s squadron in America and is fascinated with the military parades, and later on, he is promoted to general due to a misunderstanding of memos by General Peckem. Chapter 9: Major Major Major Major * Summary: Major is a man who was promoted to squadron commander, but rather than helping his reputation, it made him resort to being a recluse; until Yossarian tackled him in the woods. * Major Major: Major Major is very shy, awkward, and submissive. He resembles Henry Fonda and was promoted to squadron commander, which made the soldiers loathe him, causing him to become reclusive and distancing himself from the others. Chapter 10: Wintergreen * Summary: Yossarian tells ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen, a loser forced to dig punishment holes for going AWOL, about Clevenger’s disappearance, and Dr. Stubbs snickers at the fact everyone sees Yossarian as crazy because he may be the last one in the camp that is sane. * Wintergreen: Ex- P.F.C. Wintergreen was a mail clerk at the Air Force Headquarters, but Wintergreen refuses to go to work; resulting in his rank being stripped and digging punishment hole. Chapter 11: Captain Black * Summary: Major Major was chosen as the new squadron commander over Captain Black, and Captain Black created the Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade to make all the men miserable until Major de Coverley returns and puts an end to the crusade. * Captain Black: Captain Black is the squadron’s intelligence officer, but he longs to become the squadron commander. He adores watching his men suffer and taunts them just to be a jerk. Chapter 12: Bologna * Summary: Yossarian moves the bomb line on the map over night to avoid the mission to Bologna and results with General Peckem receiving a medal, the men getting drunk, stealing a car, and Clevenger returning back to the camp; fussing at the men when the stolen car flips. Chapter 13: Major de Coverley * Summary: Major de Coverley rents apartments for all the enlisted men and officers to retreat to when on leave and has a transparent eye patch, but Yossarian’s team that went to bomb the bridge in Bologna all missed their target; resulting in a second trip that has to be covered up. * Major de Coverley: Everyone idolizes and fears Major de Coverly. He also rents apartments for men on their rest leaves. Chapter 14: Kid Sampson * Summary: Yossarian ordered Kid Sampson to turn the plane around in Bologna because of a â€Å"defective intercom,† and when they return safely back to base, Yossarian sneaks away to the beach for a nap when he realizes that the planes that were his companions left once more. * Kid Sampson: Kid Sampson was a pilot in Yossarian’s squadron. He was sliced in half on the beach as a result of McWatt’s reckless flying. Chapter 15: Piltchard and Wren * Summary: Following Captains Piltchard and Wren request that no one decides to leave the mission for no reason, Yossarian begins to panic over Bologna because of the flack and tells McWatt to drop the bomb and leave as fast as he could when he noticed his fellow planes were missing, but when he returned home, he finds missing his comrades, begins to feel relieved, and leaves to Rome to find Luciana. * Piltchard and Wren: Captain Piltchard and Captain Wren are the joint squadron operation officers. They love to fly missions. Chapter 16: Luciana * Summary: Luciana was a whore in Rome that mooched off of Yossarian, a man jealous of the women magnet, Aarfy, and Coronel Cathcart raised the missions again to 40. * Luciana: A beautiful young girl that lives in Rome. She and Yossarian have an affair, and he impulsively asks her to marry him. Instead of saying yes, she gives him her address, and Yossarian rips it up and regrets it later. * â€Å"You don’t want to sleep with me?† (Heller 154) Chapter 17: The Soldier in White * Summary: Yossarian returns to the hospital once again to seek a safe haven from the brutality of the war when he encounters the soldier in white, a helpless body encased in white gauze, but Dunbar, maddened by malaria, creates a ruckus about the sheathed soldier. * The Soldier in White: The soldier in white is a broken soldier who is encased in a full body cast. The nurses must do everything for him, and Dunbar makes a huge commotion over him. Chapter 18: The Soldier Who Saw Everything * Summary: The hospital staff are irritated because there is nothing wrong with Yossarian because he is faking his liver condition, but one day another soldier claims he is seeing doubles; giving Yossarian the idea to copy his illness. Chapter 19: Coronel Cathcart * Summary: Colonel Cathcart will do anything to become general and wants to be famous (mentioned in newspaper), so he calls in the chaplain to â€Å"pray† without bringing religion into the act to make him famous. The chaplain tells Coronel Cathcart the missions are beginning to reach a ridiculous height. * Colonel Cathcart: Coronal Cathcart is the commanding colonel who yearns to be general. Colonel Cathcart is the main antagonist of the novel because he volunteers his men for dangerous missions and constantly raises the number of missions needed to be dismissed. * â€Å"He’s the best damned bombardier we’ve got.† (Heller 29) Chapter 20: Corporal Whitcomb * Summary: Corporal Whitcomb talked to a CID man, who was investigating the big â€Å"Washington Irving† scandal, and blames the chaplain of signing â€Å"Washington Irving† on some of the censored letters and documents and stealing Coronel Cathcart’s plum tomato. * Corporal Whitcomb: Corporal Whitcomb it the chaplain’s assistant, and he is later promoted to sergeant. He blames the chaplain for being a roadblock in his career, and tells the CID men that the chaplain was the one signing â€Å"Washington Irving† and who stole Colonel Cathcart’s plume tomato. * â€Å"I threw it away as soon as I tore it open and read it.† (Heller 275) Chapter 21: General Dreedle * Summary: General Dreedle has no tolerance for Yossarian or his son-in-law; however, he does have his own nurse that the men always stare at; irritating General Dreedle. * General Dreedle: General Dreedle is in charge of the wing containing Yossarian’s squadron. General Peckem is always trying to over throw General Dreedle; annoying him tremendously. Chapter 22: Milo the Mayor * Summary: Milo became the mayor of Palermo because he managed to manipulate the economy of Palermo to put them on the map along with Malta, Oran, and Cairo; and, Milo puts Yossarian to work hauling bananas, another of his black market crops. Chapter 23: Nately’s Old Man * Summary: The nasty old man in Rome is the same man who threw the puncturing rose Major de Coverley’s eye, and he believes Italy will triumph over America and Nately argues about his political values. Nately realizes his whore is missing. * Old Man: This old man is a very disgusting old man in Rome. He is the man responsible for throwing the rose that abolished Major de Coverley’s eye. He does not side with the Americans at all, and believes the Italians will be triumphant. This old man is an important character because he is the one who argues with Nately about political beliefs. Chapter 24: Milo * Summary: Milo is so blinded by his want for profit that he will do anything for a profit, such as selling his surplus of Egyptian cotton to the U. S. like Yossarian had suggested. * Milo Minderbinder: Milo is the mess hall officer who creates a colossal black market scandal to bring in vast amounts of profits. He is so successful in dealing with other countries even, that he was elected to several public offices within the countries he dealt with. Milo desires his profit so much that he even makes a deal with the Germans to bomb his own unit for profit. * â€Å"In a democracy, the government is the people.† (Heller 259) Chapter 25: The Chaplain * Summary: The chaplain is a massive pushover that will not stand up for himself and is â€Å"unimportant† to the new Sergeant Whitcomb. * Chaplain A. T. Tappman: Anabaptist minister who is shy and pushed arpund by almost all the officials and even Whitcomb, his assistant. He changes from the beginning on the novel when he is super shy never say anything to the end of the novel when he tells Coronel Cathcart the number of missions are too high and the burst of confidence he received from Yossarian leaving to Sweden. Chapter 26: Aarfy * Summary: Aarfy was on the plane with Yossarian and simply watched Yossarian bleed due to the shot in his thigh rather than helping, but McWatt rushed to help the bleeding captain. * Aarfy: Captain Aardvark is Captain Yossarian’s navigator, however, he has no sense of direction. Aarfy is completely oblivious to the calls of his flight crew for help when Yossarian wounded his leg. He is an ex-fraternity boy who brags about not having to pay for the sex given from the whores in Rome. * â€Å"I don’t think we’re at the target yet. Are we?† (Heller 30) Chapter 27: Nurse Duckett * Summary: Yossarian and Dunbar harass Nurse Duckett and are fussed at, resulting in them being forced to talk to the psychiatrist, Major Sanderson; Yossarian making up diseases as they talk. * Nurse Duckett: Nurse Duckett is a nurse at the hospital Yossarian is staying. She is the â€Å"love of Yossarian’s life† after they have an affair, but she quickly tells Yossarian that she is going to marry a doctor. Chapter 28: Dobbs * Summary: Dobbs created a big scheme to assassinate Coronel Cathcart due to the ridiculous mission requirements rising, but he changes his mind. Orr’s plane went down over the sea on the way to Bologna, faking his death, but his crew and he actually swam safely to shore and escaped to Sweden. * Dobbs: Dobbs was Yossarian’s co-pilot. He is the one who took control of the plane for Huple on the way to Avignon. Chapter 29: Peckem * Summary: General Peckem and Scheisskopf do not get along, but all the men, McWatt, Dunbar, Major Danby, and others, agree that bombing the small mountain town is very vindictive act to do, but Coronel Korn disagrees. * General Peckem: General Peckem is the special operations general who is constantly trying to figure out how to over throw General Dreedle. He finally over throws him, but Lieutenant Scheisskopf is promoted rather than Peckem. Chapter 30: Dunbar * Summary: Dunbar has become crazy from staying in the hospital for so long; falling on his face every morning. Yossarian did not mind McWatt as his pilot, but his foolish act of buzzing the beach sliced Kid Sampson in half. McWatt immediately flew his plane into a nearby mountain; killing himself. * Dunbar: Dunbar is one of Yossarian’s good friends who always manages to cause a scene. He is taken by officials and mysteriously â€Å"disappeared.† Chapter 31: Mrs. Daneeka * Summary: Doc Daneeka was pronounced dead when the plane he was supposed to be on crashed, but despite the fact the squadron knew he was still alive, they sent a letter of condolence to Mrs. Daneeka. Doc Daneeka fought this and sent letters to his wife telling her he was fine, but she loved the money she was receiving for his death more than him; leaving Doc Daneeka unloved and invisible to the men in the squadron. Chapter 32: Yo- Yo’s Roomies * Summary: All of Yossarian’s comrades are either dead or missing, so they are being replaced with new people that are obnoxious and unbearable. Chapter 33: Nately’s Whore * Summary: Yossarian and Nately finally found Nately’s missing whore and convinced the American coronel she was with to give her back, but when Nately brought her home and took care of her, she told him she did not want to stop hustling. * Nately’s Whore: Nately’s whore is a whore that lives in Rome with her little sister in the apartments, but Nately has fallen madly in love with her. She does not like the fact that he tries to control her life; however, when she was heard about Nately’s death from Yossarian, she became vindictive, chasing him around trying to kill him. Chapter 34: Thanksgiving * Summary: The new men in the squadron act recklessly, shooting guns and stabbing each other, but when they wake Yossarian, he goes crazy, badly injured and hospitalized Nately, who was trying to hold him back. Chapter 35: Milo the Militant * Summary: Nately wants to fly more missions so he can be closer to his beloved whore (Yossarian advises him not to volunteer), but Yossarian and Nately were both forced to go on that last mission. There was so much flak, ground fire, that Havermeyer took evasive action, but it was too late; Nately was dead. Chapter 36: The Cellar * Summary: The chaplain was accused of false crimes and took a writing test to prove he was innocent, but they said the test was wrong and he faked his handwriting; leaving the chaplain out of work. Chapter 37: General Scheisskopf * Summary: Peckem believed he was going to fill in as general for Dreedle, but it was discovered that General Scheisskopf was now the heading officer. Chapter 38: Kid Sister * Summary: Yossarian was sent to Rome to relax when he saw Nately’s whore and told her about his death. The whore and her little sister tried killing him and even stalked Yossarian back to Pianosa. * Michela: â€Å"Kid Sister† was Nately’s whore’s twelve year old sister. She constantly imitates her big sister, and follows her everywhere. Chapter 39: The Eternal City * Summary: Yossarian returns to Rome with Milo when they realize the city is in total ruins. Yossarian saw police brutality and drunks all throughout the city, when he saw the 12 year old Michela’s limp body in the street. Yossarian went into the apartment, where Aarfy has raped the young girl and threw her through a window, to tell him he will be arrested for murder, but Yossarian was the one who was arrested, brought back to Coronel Korn, and is told â€Å"go home.† Chapter 40: Catch 22 * Summary: General Scheisskopf and Peckem agreed to send Yossarian home as long as he talked gallantly of them or he would be court marshaled and arrested. Nately’s whore wanted to throw all of her anger at Yossarian, so she took out her wrath by stabbing him when he left the conference. Chapter 41: Snowden * Summary: Yossarian is in surgery, but afterwards he speaks with the chaplain to learn that Hungry Joe had died in his sleep and this begins to trigger the memories of Snowden’s fatal death and his attempt to try and mend his wounded leg, but he gets a lap full of his guts. * Snowden: Snowden was a gunner on the Avignon mission. His death haunts Yossarian throughout the entire novel because it was much worse than he thought it was; spilling guts everywhere. His death killed Yossarian’s courage and gave him a taste of what war really is. Chapter 42: Yossarian * Summary: Major Danby explains the deal is coming along nicely, but Yossarian is going to run away because he had realized that Orr had faked his death to escape the war, as Yossarian does by fleeing to Sweden with Orr. * Yossarian: Yossarian is the novel’s protagonist and hero. He is a captain in the Air Force and a lead bombardier in his squadron, but he hates the war. He believes that everyone is out to kill him, including his own squadron. He is haunted by Snowden’s death. The settings play a major role in all the madness within this novel as well. The two main settings are Pianosa, an island off the coast of Italy, and Rome, Italy in 1944. Joseph Heller could have created any size island he wanted, but he chose to put all of this action on a tiny island. Pianosa is a fictional island that is very small because the size of the island contradicts the large amount of action going on in the novel. Located on the island of Pianosa is the squadron’s base camp, where a lot of the trouble is started. Another major setting in this novel is the air. The planes were always in the air for a mission, and the air is where all the bombs were. Also, the soldiers would often take leave and go to Rome and stay in apartments with the whores. Rome was normal looking until one day Yossarian and Milo go to Rome and it is all in ruins. This time period was 1944, during World War II. The time sequences between all these settings are very disjointed. In the beginning of the novel Yossarian is faking a liver disease when he begins to have flashbacks to Snowden’s death, and the novel jumps before Snowden’s death to after Snowden’s death throughout the whole novel. The time frame of the events going on are at the end of WWII and in the summer of 1944- the winter of 1944 and a flash back to 1942. The main conflict that is tossed throughout the entire book is Catch 22 itself. Within several of the chapters, a catch 22 will appear. The main catch is that of Catch 22. It seemed as though it was Yossarian against the military. Every time Yossarian finds a loop hole, his commanding officers would just tell him to go back to his missions. Yossarian just could not win. When Yossarian was in the hospital with his â€Å"liver disease†, he was forced to go back out to the missions again. He cannot win. Many people cannot stand Yossarian and want him dead. His other main conflict is that it is everyone else against him. These two conflicts intertwine because Yossarian is still fighting for something. Without his life, the military would not have anything to control, so Yossarian’s conflicts go together because without one, the other would not happened. The two climaxes in the novel happen simultaneously. The first occurs when Yossarian is offered a choice: he can either face a court martial or be sent home and talk good about his commanding officers. The second climax, however, occurs as Yossarian has his final flashback about Snowden’s death in which all details are revealed. Yossarian has had a rough life in the military and absolutely hated it with everything he had. The worst experience he has had was the gruesome death of his comrade, Snowden.

Freuds Concept of the Unconscious Hitchcocks Psycho

Freuds Concept of the Unconscious Hitchcocks Psycho In this essay I have analysed the famous Hitchcock film psycho using Freuds concept of the unconscious. The bleak, monochrome film is made more effective by Bernard Herrmanns sparse, but driving, recognisable score, first played under the frantic credits. The criss-crossing patterns, like mirror-images, are correlated to the split, schizophrenic personality of a major protagonist. The initial usage of staccato chords immediately provides us with a hint of detachment of a character to be involved, this along with the titles created by Saul Bass, (who was known for his style reminiscent of 1920s Soviet poster art) immediately provide the audience with apprehension. The screech of the violins is representative of birds, which we later see depicted throughout the film. Many of Hitchcocks recurring images are important in Freudian dream interpretation. It is apparent right from the beginning what lies ahead is no ordinary story, and a strange feeling of anxiety swells with the visual and musical intro. Screenwriter Joseph Stefano adapted Robert Blochs novel Psycho into what would become one of Alfred Hitchcocks influential works and one of the classic films of all time. We are led to believe Psycho is a film about cloak-and-dagger affairs, misappropriation, murder, secrets, and mental struggle; although in the darkness, there lies an examination of the temptations of wealth, sexual identity, gender roles, sexual expression, it depicts the appalling events which can occur with the departure of normal advancement. Psycho reiterates to its viewers that people sometimes provide a visual falsity of who they are and stories we have read as children of a bad person visually representative of their character traits in life are not often the case, and when the personal development has not reached an expected level that immoral crimes may occur. Sigmund Freud wrote about the human psyche in the 1920 essay Beyond the Pleasure Principle, and fully elaborated upon it in The Ego and the Id (1923). Freuds theory of the subconscious consists of three parts, the Id, the Ego, and the Super Ego and the interaction between them all. The Id is considered to be chaotic, the center for animalistic impulses, and is governed by the pleasure principle, otherwise known as instant gratification. It is also the location of the libido, which is our life force or our sexual drive. The Ids driving instinct is for self-preservation. The Ego is quite different from the Id, it is the broker between the Id and the Super Ego. The Ego is also the personality we show others, founded upon the reality formula. The Super Ego represents our conscience or moral standards, ideas of right and wrong which are permanently instilled in our minds by our parents or other authority figures. Freud regarded the mind to be like an Iceberg (see Figure 1) where the uncon scious lies below the surface, and the conscious above. To conclude: the Id demands gratification, the Ego responds to reality (civilization), and the Superego which is our moral code and also is dictated by the demands of society. The storyline of this film involves a young woman who through the pleasure principle of the id steals $40,000 from her employer. Marion is motivated by her desire to settle down and have a family with her lover Sam and to have financial freedom. Her super ego and the moral side have been outbalanced by her personal desires to live the perfect life with her lover. She ends up on a personal odyssey towards terror when she encounters a disturbed young hotel proprietor who is dominated by his mother. Throughout the film is a parallel to psychoanalysis as it attempts to piece together limited parts to understand as a coherent whole. Even the films cinematographic techniques reinforce individual images as being composed of fragmentary pieces. Part of Psychos visual appeal comes from Hitchcocks use of montage. James Naremore quotes Hitchcock describing montage as puttinglittle bits and pieces of film together Marion drives to her lover and a curtain of rain leads her to check into the Bates Motel. Paths and steps and roads are prevelant in Pyscho , the path between the motel and house which symbolises a path between the normal and the insane, in Psycho stairs lead to madness. In his documentary The PervertHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perverts_Guide_to_CinemaHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perverts_Guide_to_Cinemas Guide to Cinema, Slavoj Ã…Â ½iÃ…Â ¾ek remarks that Norman Bates mansion has three floors, paralleling the three levels that psychoanalysis attributes to the human mind: the first floor would be the superego (Figure 2a), where Bates mother lives on; the ground floor is then Bates ego (Figure 2b), where he functions as an apparently normal human being; and finally, the basement would be Bates id (Figure 2c). For Freud, most repressed memories relate to sexuality. One type, for example, derives from the primal scene, where the child witnesses his parents having sex, then represses the memory of the scene. In Psycho, Norman Bates is said to have murdered his mother and her lover after finding them in bed together. Freud identified the tendency of a person who has experienced a traumatic event to re-live the negative event over and over, in action, in memory, or in dreams. A key aspect of the theory is the urge to put oneself into situations where the traumatic experience is likely to recur. Some forms of sexual dysfunction are interpreted as examples of repetition compulsion for example, an individual spanked as a child may seek out masochistic sexual experiences The best known of Freuds theories about childhood sexuality is named from the mythological king Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother. As Freud described the complex, a young boy is sexually attracted to his mother, and as a result desires to kill his father in order to possess the mother. This forbidden desire is then repressed, only to return later in neurotic form. In popular Freudianism, mothers are often seen as encouraging the Oedipal complex through possessive or flirtatious behavior toward sons. As Norman Bates tells Marion Crane, a boys best friend is his mother. (But also: A son is a poor substitute for a lover.). Freud believed the purpose of psychoanalysis is to recover these repressed memories so that the patient can deal with them in the conscious mind. In Freudianism, a successfully integrated personality is under control of the Ego. We see Norman engage in a discussion with Marion in the parlour where he reveals a desire to escape from mothers tyrannical grip, but cannot gain the will to do so. Norman fails to achieve the self-mastery which Freud claimed psychoanalysis may provide. At this stage Marion retires to her room and decides to return to her old life. In the parlour adjacent to Marions room we see Norman remove a painting to reveal a spy-hole. The audience is forced into Normans secret world as he watches her undress. Normal develops masculine and sexual feelings towards Marion. Bates alter ego of his mother is not happy about the prospect of an attractive young woman disrupting the love affair between mother and son. He even holds conversations with himself thinking hes speaking to his mother. While dressed as his mother, Bates with knife in hand murders Crane while she is taking a shower in one of the Bates motel rooms. During the shower scene the piercing violin strings play a large part in creating sheer terror during the horrific scene, screaming begins before Marions own shrieks. The murder during the shower scene destabilises the audience as the blade is pointed at her abdominal womb area, attacking the site of motherhood is perhaps a gesture to prevent her giving birth to men like himself see Figure 3a and 3b. From Freud we learn Normans id becomes the core of the psyche and determining force causing the mother half of Norman Bates to commit murder. Normans psyche represses this information causing the fear of reappearance. The compulsion to repeat is a manifestation of the power of the repressed (Freud, 1920), illustrating the strength of the influence of the repressed and the unconscious.ÂÂ   After the murder of Marion and Norman disposing of her in the swamp next to the house, the spectators turn to Norman to replace Marion as its main focus in its subjective role. Later on, when Sam and Lila search for evidence regarding Marions disapparance, Sam Loomis distracts Norman as Lila quietly walks up to the house to talk to Normans mother. She finds in the lower floor Normans mothers dead body which has been removed from its grave and preserved. At this point we realise Norman is two people. Norman is metamorphosised and revealed as his Mother when as he attempts to kill again his disguise is stripped away and ripped off. The Norman self completely dies, while his macabre Mother self is brought to life, shown by his mothers hysterically-laughing face, animated and resurrected by the light. Normans restricted personal growth this can be linked with the Oedipus complex. During the development of the Oedipus Complex the child develops a strong sense and powerful urges for sexual possession of the opposite sex parent. This urge gives rise to serious problems. The boy identifies with his father, and in doing so, internalises the fathers moral standards consequently the boy takes on the morals from his father, forming the superego. In Normans case, the absense of his father has resulted in an unresolved oedipus complex which results in a weak superego. Perhaps its this reason why he struggles with identity disorder as he houses his mothers superego in attempt to compensate for the one which he never developed as a result of his fathers absence. At the end of the film the psychiatrist explains: When reality came too close, when danger or desire threatened that illusion, he dressed up, even to a cheap wig he bought. Hed walk about the house, sit in her chair, speak in her voice. He was never all Norman, but he was often only Mother. Freud believed that traumatic events, usually from childhood, are repressed by the conscious mind. However, these destructive memories remain in the subconscious, where they are the source of neuroses and psychoses. The purpose of psychoanalysis is to recover these repressed memories so that the patient can deal with them in the conscious mind. The audience, although they had received an explanation for Normans actions, is left terrified and confused by the last scene of Norman and the manifestation of his split personality. Faced with this spectacle, Hitchcock forces the audience to examine their conscious self in relation to the events that they had just played a role in. Psycho creates a fear not necessarily from the brutality of the murders but from the subconscious identification with the films characters. To conclude, Hitchcock enforces the idea that all the basic emotions and sentiments derived from the film can be felt by anyone as the unending battle between good and evil exists in all aspects of life. The effective use of character parallels and the creation of the audiences subjective role in the plot enables Hitchcock to entice terror and convey a lingering sense of anxiety within the audience through a progressively intensifying theme. Freuds concept of the unconscious is so explicitly mirrored throughout the film. We have a seemingly normal woman whose balance is offset by a desire and which drives her to commit a financial crime. At the other end of the spectre we have again a man who most would think was harmless enough but due to his childhood and developmental restrictions has for other reasons allowed his unconscious to take full control of his conscious. According to Freud the essence of repression lies simply in the turning something away, and keeping it at a distance f or the conscious; Freud believed traumatic memories usually of childhood events are repressed as a defence mechanism which keeps the ego free of conflict and tension, however something can induce the momentary retrieval of a repressed memory and in the case of Norman Bates this triggered a psychotic in his mother psyche episode.

Ethical And Effective Practice With Service Users Social Work Essay

Ethical And Effective Practice With Service Users Social Work Essay Selecting an appropriate method of intervention is central to ethical and effective practice with service users. The aim of this essay is to define what is meant my method of intervention, explore the main factors which influence the worker when selecting a method and critically consider the role of partnership working and empowerment. Intervention is rarely defined. It originates from the Latin inter (between) and venire (to come) and means coming between (Trevithick, 2005: 66). Interventions are at the heart of everyday social interactions and make inevitably make up a substantial majority of human behaviour and are made by those who desire and intend to influence some part of the world and the beings within it (Kennard et al. 1993:3). Social work interventions are purposeful actions we undertake as workers which are based on knowledge and understanding acquired, skills learnt and values adopted. Therefore, interventions are knowledge, skills, understanding and values in action. Intervention may focus on individuals, families, communities, or groups and be in different forms depending on their purpose and whether directive or non-directive. Generally, interventions that are directive aim to purposefully change the course of events and can be highly influenced by agency policy and practice or by the practitioners perspective on how to move events forward. This may involve offering advice, providing information and suggestions about what to do, or how to behave and can be important and a professional requirement where immediate danger or risk is involved. In non-directive interventions the worker does not attempt to decide for people, or to lead, guide or persuade them to accept his/her specific conclusions (Coulshed and Orme, 1998: 216). Work is done in a way to enable individuals to decide for themselves and involves helping people to problem solve or talk about their thoughts, feelings and the different courses of action they may take (Lishman, 1994). Counselling skills can be beneficial or important in this regard (Thompson 2000b). Work with service users can therefore involve both directive and non-directive elements and both types have advantages and disadvantages (Mayo, 1994). Behaviourist, cognitive and psychosocial approaches tend to be directive but this depends on perspective adopted and the practitioners character. In contrast, community work is generally non-directive and person-centred. Interventions have different time periods and levels of intensity which are dependent on several factors such as setting where the work is located, problem presented, individuals involved and agency policy and practice. Several practice approaches have a time limited factor such as task-centred work, crisis intervention and some behavioural approaches and are often preferred by agencies for this reason. In addition, practice approaches that are designed to be used for a considerable time such as psychosocial are often geared towards more planned short-term, time limited and focused work (Fanger 1995). Although negotiation should take place with service users to ensure their needs and expectations are taken into account, it is not common practice for practitioners to offer choice on whether they would prefer a directive or non-directive approach or the practice approach adopted (Lishman, 1994). However, this lack of choice is now being recognised and addressed with the involvement of service users and others in the decision-making process in relation to agency policy, practice and service delivery (Barton, 2002; Croft and Beresford, 2000). The purpose and use of different interventions is contentious. Payne (1996: 43) argues that the term intervention is oppressive as it indicates the moral and political authority of the social worker. This concern is also shared by others with Langan and Lee (1989:83) describing the potentially invasive nature of interventions and how they can be used to control others. Jones suggests that in relation to power differences and the attitude of social workers especially with regards to people living in poverty: the working class poor have been generally antagonistic toward social work intervention and have rejected social works downward gaze and highly interventionist and moralistic approach to their poverty and associated difficulties (Jones, 2002a: 12). It is recognised that intervention can be oppressive, delivered with no clear purpose or in-depth experience however, some seek and find interventions that are empathic, caring and non-judgemental due to practitioners demonstrating rele vant experience and show appropriate knowledge (Lishman, 1994:14). For many practitioners, these attributes are essential in any intervention and are demonstrated through commitment, concern and respect for others which are qualities that are valued by service users (Cheetham et al. 1992; Wilson, 2000). Dependent on the nature of help sought there are different opinions on whether interventions should be targeted on personal change or wider societal, environmental or political change. Some may want assistance in accessing a particular service or other forms of help and not embrace interventions that may take them in a particular direction i.e. social action (Payne et al. 2002). In contrast, problems may recur or become worse if no collective action is taken. Importance has reduced in relation to methods of intervention over recent years as social work agencies have given more focus to assessment and immediate or short-term solutions (Howe, 1996; Lymbery 2001). This is strengthened by the reactive nature of service provision which is more concerned with practical results than with theories and principles. This has a reduced effect on workers knowledge of a range of methods resulting in workers using a preferred method which is not evidenced in their practice (Thompson, 2000). Methods of intervention should be the basis of ongoing intervention with service users, but often lacks structured planning and is reactive to crisis. This reactive response with emphasis on assessment frameworks is concerning, as workers are still managing high caseloads and if not supervised and supported appropriately, workers are at risk of stress and eventual burn-out (Jones, 2001; Charles and Butler, 2004). Effective use of methods of intervention allows work to be planned, structured and prioritised depending on service users needs. Methods can be complicated as they are underpinned by a wide range of skills and influenced by the approach of the worker. Most methods tend to follow similar processes of application: assessment, planning of goals, implementation, termination, evaluation and review. Although the process of some methods is completed in three/four interactions others take longer. This difference shows how some methods place more or less importance on factors such as personality or society, which then informs the type of intervention required to resolve issues in the service users situation (Watson and West, 2006). More than one method can be used in conjunction with another, depending on how comprehensive work with service users needs to be (Milner and OByrne, 1998). However, each method has different assessment and an implementation process which looks for different types of information about the service users situation for example, task centred looks for causes and solutions in the present situation and psychosocial explores past experiences. Additionally, the method of assessment may require that at least two assessments be undertaken: the first to explore the necessity of involvement and secondly, to negotiate the method of intervention with the service user. An effective assessment framework that is flexible and has various options is beneficial but should not awkward or time consuming to either the worker or the service user. As Dalrymple and Burke (1995) suggest, a biography framework is an ideal way as it enables service users to locate present issues in the context of their life both past and present. Workers should aim to practice in a way which is empowering and the process of information gathering should attempt to fit into the exchange model of assessment, irrespective of the method of intervention and should be the basis of a working relationship which moves towards partnership (Watson and West, 2006). As part of the engagement and assessment process, the worker needs to negotiate with the service user to understand the issue(s) that need to be addressed and method(s) employed and take into account not only the nature of the problem but also the urgency and potential consequences of not intervening (Doel and Marsh, 1992). Importance should be placed on presenting and underlying issues early in the assessment process as it enables the worker to look at an assessment framework and approach that assists short or long-term methods of intervention. An inclusive and holistic assessment enables the service user to have a direct influence on the method of intervention selected and be at the heart of the process. The process of assessment must be shared with and understood by the service user for any method of intervention to be successful (Watson and West, 2006). The workers approach also has an influence on method selection as this will affect how they perceive and adapt to specific situations. The implementation of methods is affected by both the values of the method and value base of the individual worker. The worker will also influence how the method is applied in practice through implementation, evaluation, perceived expertise and attitude to empowerment and partnership. Methods such as task centred are seen to be empowering with ethnic minority and other oppressed groups as service users are seen to be able to define their own problems (Ahmad, 1990). However, when an approach is used which is worker or agency focused the service user may not be fully enabled to define the problem and results in informing but not engaging them in determining priorities. Empowerment and partnership involves sharing and involving service users in method selection, application of the method, allocation of tasks, responsibilities, evaluation and review and is crucial in enabling facing challenges in their situations and lives. However, service users can have difficulty with this level of information-sharing and may prefer that the worker take the lead role rather than negotiating something different and not wish to acquire new skills to have full advantage of the partnership offered. Selecting a method of intervention should not be a technical process of information gathering and a tick box process to achieve a desired outcome. Milner and OByrne (2002) suggest it requires combining various components such as analysis and understanding of the service user, worker and the mandate of the agency providing the service otherwise intervention could be is restrictive and limit available options. However, negotiation and the competing demands of all involved parties must be considered and the basis of anti-oppresive practice established. Methods of intervention can be a complex and demanding activity especially in terms of time and energy and therefore, short-term term methods are seen as less intensive and demanding of the worker as well as more successful in practice. However, Watson and West (2006: 62) see this as a misconception, as the popular more short-term methods often make extensive demands on the workers time and energy. Workers are often dealing with uncertainty as each service user have different capabilities, levels of confidence and support networks. Therefore, there is no one ideal method for any given situation but a range of methods that have both advantages and disadvantages and as Trethivick (2005: 1) suggests workers need to have a toolkit to begin to understand people and need to widen the range of options available in order for them to respond flexibly and appropriately to each new situation (Parker and Bradley, 2003). When using methods of intervention, workers have to be organised to ensure that the task is proactively carried out and often attempt to prioritise involvement with service users against both local and national contexts and provide an appropriate level of service within managerial constraints. This prioritisation means in practice that, given the extensive demands, work using methods can only be with four or five service users at any one time and with the additional pressure of monitoring and supervising service users and reports, risk response is often responsive and crisis driven (Watson and West, 2006). To work in an empowering and anti-oppressive perspective is to ensure that intervention focuses clearly on the needs of the service user, is appropriate to the situation than the needs of the service. An understanding of these competing demands and the workers ability to influence decision-making processes does impact on method selection however, this should not mean that the service is diluted and methods be partially implemented as this is not conducive to managerial or professional agendas on good practice. Thompson (2000:43) sees this as the set of common patterns, assumptions, values and norms that become established within an organisation over time and a concern of workers is competitive workplace cultures where ability is based on the number of cases managed rather than the quality that is provided to service users which may result in use of less time-consuming methods. For work to be effective, an ethical and a professional not just a bureaucratic response to pressures faced is required and is not about the service user fitting into the worker or agencys preferred way of working but looking at what is best for the service user and finding creative ways to make this happen. Workers need to be careful not to seen as the expert who will resolve the situation as even the most established and experienced practitioners have skills gaps and often develop skills when working with the service users. This process of learning in practice requires good support and supervision, enabling the worker to reflect on assumptions about service users and their capabilities especially in relation to gender, race, age or disability to prevent internalised bias to impact on what the service user requires to work on to change the situation (Watson and West, 2006). It is crucial to appreciate the situation from the service users perspective and see them as unique individuals as Taylor and Devine (1993: 4) state the clients perception of the situation has to be the basis of effective social work. This concern is also shared by Howe (1987:3) describing the clients perception is an integral part of the practice of social work. Service users often have their own assumptions about what social work is and what workers are able to provide which is generally based on past relationships and experiences for example, black service users experience may reflect a service which in the past was not appropriate to their needs (Milner and Byrne, 1998: 23) but to alleviate this practitioners need to work in an open, honest and empowering manner and recognise that although service users may be in negative situations they also have strengths and skills that need to be utilised in the social work relationship. Workers should ensure that written agreements are developed that acknowledge all participants roles and responsibilities and avoid assumptions or issues (Lishman, 1994), this avoids breakdown in trust and encourages honesty and open shared responsibility between service user and worker. This involves negotiation on what should be achieved, by whom, including agency input. Agreements can provide the potential for empowering practice that involves partnership. However, cognisance has to be taken to ensure that the agreement does not become a set of non-negotiated tasks that service users have no possibility of achieving, combined with no reciprocal commitment or obligations by the worker as this does not address the issue of empowerment or oppression and can reinforce the power difference (Rojek and Collins, 1988). The final stage of the process is termination which should be planned and allow both parties time and opportunity to prepare for the future however, it has to be carefully and sensitively constructed and is much easier to achieve if the work has been methodical with clear goals as it demonstrates what has been achieved. Evaluation is beneficial as it enables the service user and worker to be reminded of timescales and can acknowledge the service users increasing skills, empowerment, confidence and self-esteem which can be utilised after the intervention has ended. Endings can however, be difficult for both the worker and service user resulting from various factors such as complexity of service users situation, issues of dependency and lack of clarity about purpose and intervention. This lack of clarity can result in a situation of uncertainty for both worker and service user (Watson and West, 2006). Finally, termination as part of the change process creates opportunities but also fea r, anxiety and loss (Coulshed and Orme, 1998). It is important for workers to take a step back and reflect on their practice and review their experiences to ensure that they are providing the best possible service in the most ethical and effective manner. Reflective practice provides support and enables workers to not just meet the needs of the organisation but also develop their own knowledge and skills and increased understanding of their own approach and the situation experienced by service users. A good tool to facilitate this is the use of reflective diaries. Reflecting in action and on action both influences and enhances current and future practice. The use of effective supervision is another process where workload management, forum for learning and problem-solving should take place which should be supportive and enabling to the worker (Kadushin and Harkness, 2002). However, the workers role in supervision is often viewed as passive as the supervisor sets the agenda. This can lead to disempowerment of the worker in relation to the agency and is potentially oppressive and discriminatory and provides a poor role model for work with service users and therefore consideration must be given on how they can create a positive and empowering relationship (Thompson, 2002). In conclusion, good practice requires workers to have knowledge to understand the person in situation, (Hollis, 1972) understanding both sociological (society and community) and psychological (personality and life span) and the interrelation and impact on the service user (Howe, 1987). A critical skill for effective and ethical practice is empowerment which is based on knowledge and values and is the difference between informing and genuine partnership and the importance of active participation of service users throughout the process. Social work is a value based activity and workers through reflection and supervision can all learn from experiences, adapt and enhance these to develop practice and gain self-awareness to understand how they themselves and their approach impacts on service users.