The Important Things

The Important Things What are the most important things in my life? Family is the number one most important thing in my life. My girlfriend, education, career, money and happiness are also very important to me in life. Without my family I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I couldn’t ask for better parents. And I have a little brother I wouldn’t be able to live without. My parents work very hard to provide a wonderful life for us. We really enjoy going camping and taking other vacations together. It gives us a lot of quality time to spend together.My family helps me through the hard times in life. I have the best grandparents in the world that would do anything for me. I have been very fortunate being able to spend lots of time with them while growing up. We have made many special memories together that I will always hold close to my heart. There were six brothers and sisters on my dad’s side and four sisters on my mom’s side. Combining the two, I h ave twelve amazing cousins. We are all very close and get together to celebrate all of the birthdays and holidays.I love my family with all my heart and could never ask for a better one. My girlfriend means the world to me. Not only is she my girlfriend, she is my best friend. She knows how to make me smile when I’m not in a good mood. She is the one person I know I can count on. I love her with all my heart. I will never let her go. We have been together since the beginning of high school. We have a special connection with each other; there is something that will never break us apart. Education is a very important event in my life.Getting laid off for the second winter really inspired me to go back to school. I am now in a four semester program to become a Process Operator. Lewis and Clark provide a great education. I have been working hard and keeping my grades up so that I can graduate on time and look for a better job. My career is what I am working hard in school for now . The right job is out there for me somewhere. After I complete my education, I will find it. I am very determined. I feel that being younger I might have some advantages. My oal is to get hired on at Phillips 66. They will be hiring for the foreseeable future. Nine out of twenty people were hired from the last class that graduated from the program that I am in now. My cousin was one of them. Can money buy happiness? Some people are extremely wealthy but also very lonely, while others are poor but happy with their surrounding family and friends they have. You can buy many things with money but not happiness. There are many ways to obtain money. Some people may work for it while others might win the lottery.I am the type of person who works hard for my money and saves it. The more money I have available the happier I am with myself. I don’t let money take over my life though. I have a roof over my head and a meal to eat every night, so for that I am very happy. Being around my family and girlfriend is what truly brings happiness to my heart. The most important thing is to enjoy your life. Being happy is all that truly matters. Hold close those who are close to your heart. The love of family and the admiration of friends are much more important than wealth or privilege. The Important Things The Important Things What are the most important things in my life? Family is the number one most important thing in my life. My girlfriend, education, career, money and happiness are also very important to me in life. Without my family I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I couldn’t ask for better parents. And I have a little brother I wouldn’t be able to live without. My parents work very hard to provide a wonderful life for us. We really enjoy going camping and taking other vacations together. It gives us a lot of quality time to spend together.My family helps me through the hard times in life. I have the best grandparents in the world that would do anything for me. I have been very fortunate being able to spend lots of time with them while growing up. We have made many special memories together that I will always hold close to my heart. There were six brothers and sisters on my dad’s side and four sisters on my mom’s side. Combining the two, I h ave twelve amazing cousins. We are all very close and get together to celebrate all of the birthdays and holidays.I love my family with all my heart and could never ask for a better one. My girlfriend means the world to me. Not only is she my girlfriend, she is my best friend. She knows how to make me smile when I’m not in a good mood. She is the one person I know I can count on. I love her with all my heart. I will never let her go. We have been together since the beginning of high school. We have a special connection with each other; there is something that will never break us apart. Education is a very important event in my life.Getting laid off for the second winter really inspired me to go back to school. I am now in a four semester program to become a Process Operator. Lewis and Clark provide a great education. I have been working hard and keeping my grades up so that I can graduate on time and look for a better job. My career is what I am working hard in school for now . The right job is out there for me somewhere. After I complete my education, I will find it. I am very determined. I feel that being younger I might have some advantages. My oal is to get hired on at Phillips 66. They will be hiring for the foreseeable future. Nine out of twenty people were hired from the last class that graduated from the program that I am in now. My cousin was one of them. Can money buy happiness? Some people are extremely wealthy but also very lonely, while others are poor but happy with their surrounding family and friends they have. You can buy many things with money but not happiness. There are many ways to obtain money. Some people may work for it while others might win the lottery.I am the type of person who works hard for my money and saves it. The more money I have available the happier I am with myself. I don’t let money take over my life though. I have a roof over my head and a meal to eat every night, so for that I am very happy. Being around my family and girlfriend is what truly brings happiness to my heart. The most important thing is to enjoy your life. Being happy is all that truly matters. Hold close those who are close to your heart. The love of family and the admiration of friends are much more important than wealth or privilege.

Bureaucracy & Formal Organizations

Chapter Summary Society is organized â€Å"to get its job done†. It does so through formal organizations and bureaucracies. The same system that can be frustrating and impersonal is also the one on which we rely for our personal welfare and to fulfill our daily needs. The society of today, however is not the society of yesterday, nor will it be the society of tomorrow. The rationalization of society refers to a transformation in people's thinking and behavior over the past 150 years, shifting the focus from personal relationships to efficiency and results.Karl Marx attributed this transformation to capitalism, while Max Weber, who disagreed with Marx, related it to Protestant theology. As a result of rationality, formal organizations, secondary groups designed to achieve specific objectives, have become a central feature of contemporary society. With industrialization, secondary groups have become common. Today, their existence is taken for granted. They become a part of our l ives at birth and seem to get more and more complex as we move through the life course.The larger the formal organization, the more likely it will turn into a bureaucracy. Bureaucracies are defined as formal organizations characterized by five features that help them reach their goals, to grow, and endure. These five features are (1) clear levels, with assignments flowing downward and accountability flowing upward, (2) a division of labor, (3) written rules, (4) written communications with records, and (5) impartiality. Although bureaucracies are the most efficient forms of social organization, they can also be dysfunctional.Dysfunctions of bureaucracies can include red tape, lack of communication between units, and alienation. Examples of these dysfunctions include an overly rigid interpretation of rules and the failure of members of the same organization to communicate among one another. According to Max Weber, the impersonality of bureaucracies tends to produce workers who feel d etached from the organization and each other. According to Karl Marx, workers experience alienation when they lose control over their work and are cut off from the finished product of their labor.To resist alienation, workers form primary groups, banding together in informal settings during the workday to offer each other support and validation. They also personalize their work space with family photographs and personal decorations. Not all workers, however, succeed in resisting alienation. One reason bureaucracies endure and are so resilient is because they tend to take on a life of their own through a process called goal displacement. Once a bureaucracy has achieved its original goals, it adopts new goals in order to perpetuate its existence.A classic example of goal displacement involves the March of Dimes. Originally founded to fight polio, the organization was faced with being phased out after Jonas Salk discovered the polio vaccine. Rather than disband, it adopted a new missio n, â€Å"fighting birth defects†, which was recently changed to a vaguer goal of â€Å"breakthrough for babies†. In addition to bureaucracies, many people in the United States become involved with voluntary organizations, groups made up of volunteers who organize on the basis of some mutual interest.But even voluntary organizations are not immune from the affect of bureaucratization. Although formal organizations provide numerous beneficial functions, they also tend to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite, a phenomenon Robert Michel referred to as the iron law of oligarchy. Even volunteer and non-profit organizations are affected by the iron law of oligarchy. Sociologists use the term, â€Å"corporate culture† to refer to an organization's traditions, values, and unwritten norms. Much of what goes on in corporate culture, however, is hidden.To ensure that the corporate culture reproduces itself at the top levels, people in positions of power groom ot her people they perceive to be â€Å"just like them† for similar positions of power. In the United States, personal achievement is central; workers are hired on the basis of what they can contribute to the organization that hires them. To counter the negative side of bureaucracies, many corporations have begun taking steps to better humanize work settings. This includes the establishment of work teams, corporate day care, employee stock ownership plans, and the quality circles.There has been a great deal of research directed at comparing the Japanese corporate culture to the American corporate culture. The Japanese corporate model differs significantly from the American corporate model in the way it views work, workers, and work organizations. Although considered as superior to the American corporate culture, more recent inspection shows this to be more of a myth than a reality. Successful Japanese businesses have adopted many of the American methods. The real bottom line is that we live in a global marketplace of ideas as well as products, with no single set of cultural values being universally superior.Key Terms in Chapter Seven alienation: Marx's term for the experience of being cut off from the product of one’s labor that results in a sense of powerlessness and normlessness. (p. 181) bureaucracy: A formal organization with a hierarchy of authority; a clear division of labor; emphasis on written rules, communications, and records; and impersonality of positions. (p. 176) capitalism: An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of producing goods and services, the pursuit of profit, and market competition. (p. 176) corporate culture: The orientations that characterize corporate work settings. p. 186) formal organization: A secondary group designed to achieve explicit objectives. (p. 176) goal displacement: A goal displaced by another; in this context, the adoption of new goals by an organization; also known as goal replace ment. (p. 182) humanizing a work setting: Organizing a workplace in such a way that it develops, rather than impedes, human potential. (p. 188) Peter principle: A bureaucratic â€Å"law† according to which the members of an organization are promoted for good work until they reach their level of incompetence, the level at which they can no longer do good work. p. 182) rationality: The acceptance of rules, efficiency, and practical results as the right way to approach human affairs. (p. 174) rationalization of society: A widespread acceptance of rationality and a social organization largely built around this idea. (p. 174) self-fulfilling prophecy: As applied to corporate culture, predictions that later come true based upon values and stereotypes. (p. 186) the iron law of oligarchy: Robert Michels’ phrase for the tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite. (p. 185) he McDonaldization of society: The process by which ordinary aspe cts of life are rationalized and efficiency comes to rule such things as food preparation. (p. 179) traditional orientation: The idea, characteristic of tribal, peasant, and feudal societies, that the past is the best guide for the present. (p. 174) voluntary association: A group made up of volunteers who have organized on the basis of some mutual interest. (p. 183) Key People in Chapter Seven Alexis de Tocqueville: In his report of his travels across the United States, Democracy in America, Tocqueville observed the tendency of Americans to join voluntary associations. p. 183) Peter Evans and James Rauch: Evans and Rauch found that the most prosperous countries are those with central bureaucracies that hire workers on the basis of merit and offer them rewarding careers. (p. 182) Elaine Fox and George Arquitt: Studying local posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fox and Arquitt found that leadership positions in organizations are typically decided behind the scenes with current lead ers choosing their favorite candidates for other leadership roles. (p. 185)Rosabeth Moss Kanter: In her organizational studies of corporations, Kanter discovered that corporate cultures reproduce themselves at the top levels by selecting workers that they think best match the corporate model; providing those workers with the opportunities and resources to do well; and after they succeed, promoting them to high-level positions. (p. 186). Gary Marx: Noting technology’s role in the control of workers, Gary Marx warned of a maximum-security workplace where computers keep track of every movement workers make on the job. (p. 190)Karl Marx: According to Karl Marx, the rationalization of society was due to the transformation to capitalism, which, in turn, created alienation—workers who lost control of their work and were cut off from the finished product of their labor. (p. 174) Robert Michels: Michels coined the phrase â€Å"the iron law of oligarchy† to describe the t endency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite. (p. 185) William Ouchi: Ouchi identified five ways that the Japanese corporate model differed from the American corporate model. p. 191) George Ritzer: Ritzer coined the term â€Å"the McDonaldization of society† to describe the process by which ordinary aspects of life are becoming more and more rationalized. (p. 179) David Sills: Sills identified four of the seven functions of voluntary associations. (p. 184) Max Weber: According to Weber, a change in people’s religious orientation and their way of thinking produced capitalism. Weber also argued that the impersonality of bureaucracies tends to produce workers who feel detached from their organizations and each other. (p. 175)

Eagle Scout App Essay

Attach to this application a statement of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp, community, or other organizations during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards received during this service. All of my days on this planet, I have dreamed of being a professional musician. I’ve been taking piano lessons for about ten years now and I see it as the only route to satisfaction in my life. Teachers, fellow musicians, and professionals constantly stimulate this dire need to create for the rest of my life. I play drums, piano, guitar, xylophone, and I also strum the vocal chords. I plan to audition for Berkeley among many other music schools next year, but even if I don’t succeed in making the auditions, I still plan to continue writing and spreading music for the rest of my life. Scouting has helped me in this regard in many ways. Technically scouting doesn’t have a very significant connection to the arts, but it has shown me many other concepts that I’ve utilized in maintaining a self motivating and ever-evolving life. Scouting has first showed me that to gain an experience in the world, you must try new things, that might be out of your comfort zone. I’ve learned how to truly help other people along with gaining self confidence in the things I was doing. To explore, camp, and spend an extensive amount of time with a group of boys for over 10 years has also exposed to me to the comforts and discomforts of confinement. I’ve learned to cope a variety of situations, and it’s only rounded my understanding of human nature and my place in it.

Finance and its importance In the Business world Essay

Finance and its importance In the Business world - Essay Example Usually corporations only give 7 days credit term at most is 15 days credit term. If it will go more than that then they have to seek bank loans in order to provide buffer or answer the shortfall of cash for its operating cost. A lending company has available funds for $300.00. The average amount borrowed in a month is usually $200.00. If in case, one borrower name Sally cannot pay the amount of $100.00, they still has a buffer left in the amount of $100.00. In case the borrowings on that week go as high as $300.00, then they are going to the bank to make a short term loan in lower interest rate. This thereby affects their income since the interests that they paid with the bank already eat up a portion of the income that they generate out of the transaction. Still they have to put up the funds, otherwise they cannot maintain their line of borrowers. It is the idea of financing of contingencies and seasonal peaks in working capital. Inventory is the art of warehousing. It entails a list of the raw materials, equipment and parts, office supplies needed to run the business or production without faltering. The list is readily available at the stores section or at the warehouse for the requisition of other departments.

Discrimination Against Chinese Indonesian Research Paper

Discrimination Against Chinese Indonesian - Research Paper Example Native Indonesians have been discriminating Chinese locals until today. However, efforts have been made to eliminate racism now. According to â€Å"dictionary.com†, the definition of racism is defined as a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. Jealousy and pride are possible causes of the discrimination towards Chinese-Indonesians, although a democratic-based philosophical principles ‘Pancasila’ is being implemented to every Indonesian (Chang 155). Chinese Indonesians have been discriminated against in Indonesia, and this should not happen. Discrimination from native Indonesians to Chinese Indonesians was and sometimes is still obvious, because although Chinese Indonesians are the minority, they dominate vital business and play a vital role in the country’s economy. Phillip She non, author of The Gazette, states that â€Å"The success of the Chinese is widely envied - and resented - in Indonesia, an archipelago of 180 million people and the fourth most populous nation on earth. The average annual per capita income is about $600† (ProQuest). Jealousy arises as native people tend to be low-classed workers, while Chinese Indonesians are marked as a ‘high-classed’ society. ... In fact, Chinese Indonesians have become the target of crime in Indonesia, because many native Indonesians have envied their success in financial, education, etc. Unlike in the United States and South Africa where racism is seen to manifest itself in terms of color, racism in Indonesia has gone beyond and has given rise to human right violations in the social, economic, political, legal, and cultural spheres of the society (Chang 152). The policy of â€Å"divide and rule† which was endorsed by colonial rulers aimed at distorting peaceful coexistence of native Indonesians and Chinese Indonesians. In fact, this policy was later advanced by government led by Sukarno whereby legislation was passed by the government which prohibited Chinese from conducting business in the country side (Chang 153). In 1998, there was anti-Chinese Indonesians violence in some cities, including Solo. I was 4 years old at that time, and I didn’t really understand anything. Apparently, the Asian financial crisis in May 1998 caused political turmoil in Indonesia; this led to anti-Chinese Indonesians riots. Greg Barton, author of Abdurrahman Wahid: Muslim Democrat, Indonesian President, clarifies that â€Å"Further adding to this uncertainty was an outbreak of sudden episodes of violence in small towns in Central and East Java, mostly directed against the ethnic Chinese† (Barton 233). My whole family escaped to a safer place in Semarang. As Medy Loekito asserts in her poem titledâ€Å"14 May 1998†, the riot was traumatizing and terrible, many cars were burnt on streets, and many Chinese Indonesians’ houses were burnt and destroyed as well. The television was showing how a mountain of men screamed and cried as they were losing their loved ones, their valuable properties,

What are the main practical considerations which are likely to Essay

What are the main practical considerations which are likely to influence a firm's capital structure - Essay Example Their study was based upon the assumption that perfect capital markets existed, i.e, there was an absence of taxes, bankruptcy costs and other market friction. Under such a condition, their conclusion was one of capital structure irrelevance, which means that the kind of capital structure chosen by a firm will not impact upon its value and hence there is no advantage to be gained through the creation of debt. The value of the firm will be totally dependent upon its assets and their expected value, as well as the risk of cash flow generated from those assets. However, these same authors later took taxation into consideration and their conclusion then was that one of the features that would promote an optimal capital structure for the firm was the employment of as much debt capital as possible. (Modigliani and Miller, 1963). Once corporate earnings taxes are introduced, then there is an advantage to the firm to be gained by the firm, because the tax shield that can be provided by debt results in a gain from leverage. In this context, Miller (1977) also introduced personal taxes into the equation and he discerns three distinct tax rates in the United States that determine the total value of the firm, which are (a) corporate tax rate (b) tax rate imposed on income of dividends and (c) tax rates imposed on the inflows of interest. Miller stated that the capital structure of a firm will depend upon the relative height of each of the tax rates as compared to the other two. When tax rates on income from stocks and bonds are equal, then the advantage from leverage is zero, hence capital structure of the firm becomes irrelevant. However, for example when the tax rates on the income from the stock is lower than the tax rate on incomes from the debt, then leverage will negatively affect the value of the untaxed firm. With non trivial bankruptcy costs, the introduction of leverage creates a negative effect of debt financing

Healthy People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthy People - Essay Example The objective seeks to promote â€Å"wellness check† among adolescents, to improve physical activeness among the group and to facilitate adult influence over the target population (Healthypeople, n.d., p. 59). Other major aspects of the objective include facilitating ‘self-reliance’ among dependent adolescents, promoting education and reducing access and consumption of drugs within school compounds. Another objective of the Healthy People that will have great impact on public health is to control cancer deaths. This objective will be significant because cancer continues to spread, affecting the society from different perspective. Aspects of the objective include reducing registered cases of cancer related deaths and increasing cancer facilities and counseling services. â€Å"Early and middle childhood† is another objective of Healthy People initiative (Healthypeople, n.d., p. 59). This objective seeks to promote children’s readiness for school, †Å"positive parenting, quality of sleep in children and school health education† (Healthypeople, n.d., p. 59). I believe these objectives are realistic because their application in other scopes has been significantly effective. The necessary effort for achieving the objectives is financial investment into their implementation, as this will attract necessary human resource to realizing the

The Greater Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Greater Freedom - Essay Example To begin with, the influence of the political class on judicial proceedings will be limited or completely prohibited. This is because politicians often threaten fair administration of justice, hence hindering citizen from airing grievances. The judiciary is thus not autonomous, and prevalence of justice is sabotaged. Secondly, the government will be held accountable through democratic platforms. This would be essential in promoting media freedom in covering proceedings of government business in parliament, and the experts airing views on governance. Lack of questioning or critique of the government breeds corruption and other dubious deals whose burden and effects are borne by the citizens. Thirdly, it will be beneficial to carry over the freedom of rights article from the First Amendment to the new nation, which includes speech, religion, petition, peaceful assembly, and free press. This is because the amendment was made at a time when the United States was experiencing a lot of turbulence due to the then government’s discrimination against those who defied its rulings no matter how weird they were. It was during this period that the people were allowed to be affiliated with their religious groups of choice, and speak freely unless in the case of slander or malice. However, this freedom of expression will be under certain limitations that will include obscenity, advertisement of harmful substances, offensive symbolic expressions, and inappropriate music.America is a technological hub.

Corporate Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate Investment - Essay Example Some of the junk bonds are very profitable but they have the highest risk for investment losses. Individuals and corporations must carry out appropriate risk management when purchasing bonds. The issuer make announcement that bonds are to be issued. Usually, the bond is associated with a face value that is redeemed when it is sold by the purchaser in open market. The bond is issued at a value less than the face value, the difference is the profit for the purchaser. The underwriter takes its commission also. Once the purchaser buys the bond, he/she can sell it in the open secondary market or can keep it till maturity when full face value of the bond will be returned by the issuer. If bond is traded before maturity, the selling price is lower than the face value to accommodate profits for the next purchaser. Though bond and stock markets operate separately, yet stock market does have an impact on bond market. The company whose shares are trading at premium in stock market has a better chance to get its bonds purchased by many purchasers. Also, they are in a position to sell bonds at a higher discount rate to minimize its own losses when the bond face value is to be returned at the time of maturity. A company that is not doing well on stock market also faces difficulty in selling its bonds in bond market. I think lower taxes on dividend and ca... A company that is not doing well on stock market also faces difficulty in selling its bonds in bond market. PART 2 Data: 500 shares at $30 per share = $15,000 Initial Margin requirements = 55% = (15000)(0.55) = $8,250 Hence, Loan amount = 15,000 - 8,250 = $6,750 Interest payment = 13% = (6750)(0.13) = $877.5 Dividends received = $1 per share = $500 (for 500 shares) 1. Sold stock for $40 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(40) = $20,000 Total earnings + dividends = 20,000 + 500 = $20,500 Total expenses = $878 Net earnings = $19,622 Hence, rate of return = (19,622 - 8,250) / 8,250 Rate of Return on investment = 137.84% 2. Sold stock for $20 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(20) = $10,000 Total earnings + dividends = 10,000 + 500 = $10,500 Total expenses = $878 Net earnings = $9,622 Hence, rate of return = (9,622 - 8,250) / 8,250 Rate of Return on investment = 16.66% 3. Cash Purchases: (i) Sold stock for $40 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(40) = $20,000 Total earnings + dividends = 20,000 + 500 = $20,500 Total expenses = $15,000 Net earnings = $5,500 Hence, rate of return = 5,500 / 15,000 Rate of Return on investment = 36.67% (ii) Sold stock for $20 per share: Total earnings from sale = (500)(20) = $10,000 Total earnings + dividends = 10,000 + 500 = $10,500 Total expenses = $15,000 Net earnings = ($4,500) Hence, rate of return = (4,500) / 15,000 Rate of Return on investment = -30% PART 3 I think lower taxes on dividend and capital gains can enhance economic development. This is because if taxes are low, the individuals are able to save

ECO201-MicroEconomics Mod 5 CBT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ECO201-MicroEconomics Mod 5 CBT - Essay Example With higher profitability, the company is able to have the financial capacity to improve its technology through additional investment. Improvement in technology and bargaining power over its suppliers make it harder for small-scale players to compete with the existing large-scale companies. Not only will the company with highly improved technology be able to produce more product to meet the market demand but also offer a better quality product to the consumers. Therefore, it is more likely that the market structure with cartels is an oligopoly – also known as having a fewer big-time players in the market. Basically, a cartel prohibits a perfect competition to occur since big players within the same industry are able to openly discuss about the fixed price big multinational companies will impose on homogenous products. to compete more on improving the quality of homogenous products they offer to the consumers aside from its marketing and promotional activities. In the process, these companies are required to compete in the market through product differentiation and product diversification. (Salin, 1996: pp. 37 – 38) Basically, the profitability of a large multinational company that manufacture shampoo product may invest some money in research and development in order to enable the company to innovate new product that could stimulate the interest of its target consumers. A good example was when arometherapy gain popularity in the market. In line with aromatherapy, a well-known shampoo brand called Palmolive under Colgate-Palmolive started to produce shampoo with different scent of aromatherapy. (Colgate, 2008) Given that large-scale multinational companies that are into cartel situation still has to compete for the same market. For this reason businesses that are able to continuously develop new strategies and innovates new products that could arouse the interest of its target market are the

HarperCollins Publishers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HarperCollins Publishers - Essay Example Personal research on the development milestones of HarperCollins publishers revealed that the company is an auxiliary of News Corporation. The company has experienced different acquisitions and mergers with the latest acquisition of Thomas Nelson, a Christian book publisher in 2011 (Mu?Hlbacher, Dahringer & Leihs, 2006, p. 67). The company publishes a wide range of imprints that are either new or from earlier independent publishing companies. The most recent influential marketing strategy is the web approach whereby book sales and reach is achieved through the online market (Blythe & Zimmerman, 2005 p. 43). This strategy is advantageous whereby the consumers could access selected extracts from a book before purchasing. On the other hand, the downfall of the same is as a result of concern from other publishers who believe that the availability of books online could be exploited through file sharing. HarperCollins publishers have managed to maintain their competitive advantage by devel oping imprints that are unique from other publishing companies such as MacMillan and Random house. ... The operating profits shown to have increased by over 100% indicated that the restructuring strategies in the past two decades were successful. Presently, HarperCollins publishers continue to explore innovative strategies to enhance its growth. Marketing strategy review blog 2: value HarperCollins publishers enjoy the business strength of publishing literature in spiritual and religious books, cookbooks, mystery and romance, literary and children’s books. With consumers spread all over the world, corporate value is a very vital concept in the development of the company. This review explores the extent to which customer relation can be implemented. The company offers customer value on a different basis. The readers have the satisfaction of pleasurable and affordable reading experiences. The authors on the other hand, have the satisfaction of their work being published by a globally reputable brand; enjoy editorial support and widespread marketing reach (Gay, Charlesworth & Esen , 2006, p. 89). The value proposition of customer satisfaction would enhance the company’s position in the global market that is increasingly becoming a village due to technological advancements. HarperCollins publishers have adopted the target marketing initiative in order to position their highly competitive products in the minds of the target consumers. Market segmentation adds value to customers by providing dynamic, user friendly and customized products (Hall, 1992, p 84). This has been achieved using different innovative mediums such as technology for example, the progressive expansion of the e-book collection developed the â€Å"HarperCollins 360† initiative that ensures that every book published in the different

The Quality Time Essay Example for Free

The Quality Time Essay I was sitting in my grandfather’s dark house, sitting in front of my father’s big stereo with his huge gray Sony headphones listening to his Boys II Men cd. I feel a tap on my shoulder; I turn around and it’s my father. He said, â€Å"Come outside, dad’s going to teach you how to change the oil in the truck. † The first thing that came to my mind was why in the world would I want to learn how to change oil in a car. I am only 11 and I don’t have a car. My mom would always say â€Å" Felicia before you were born your father wanted you to be a boy so he didn’t want to know the sex of the baby. He wanted to be surprised because he just knew you were going to be a boy. † I figured hey I guess this was the closest he would get so I always went a long with it. On top of that I was a tomboy so I guess it made it easier for him to ask me to come learn about something so minuscule in my life at the time. I went out to the car with my father and he had a smirk on his face and said,† Felicia, dad’s going to teach you how to change your oil because when you get older and you finally get yourself a car this will save you a lot of money. As always I said â€Å"ok,† When he gave me the smirk I think he knew deep inside how much I didn’t care or if I would even remember, but he did it anyway. He slid under the car and just talked and talked and talked the whole time. I didn’t remember anything he said because I couldn’t see it for myself so my mind would just start wondering. The most I did was hand him tools, but that was as good as it got. My father lived with his father, and that’s where I would stay. I was riding my bike in a circle around the house because I wasn’t aloud to leave the 2 acres of land that we had. Off in the distance I noticed my father and my oldest brother mowing the lawn and it looked fun. I was a very bored so I decided to ask my father if I could help mow the lawn. I jump off my bike leaving it in the drive way and run over to my father in the shed. I see my father in the shed putting oil in the lawn mower. I noticed that the lawn mower that my father was putting oil in didn’t look anything like the lawn mower my brother was pushing in the extremely hot sun. This lawn mower I could sit on and ride. So I walk over to ask him. I said I said â€Å" Hey dad what are you doing? he said, â€Å" putting in the oil to mow the lawn. † So I asked â€Å" Can I mow the lawn? † He was very hesitant for a min and looked at me and smirked and said â€Å" Now Felicia your to young to mow the lawn, this isn’t a toy. † I was determined to ride on that lawn mower even more because he didn’t think I could. I just said â€Å" I know its not a toy, but I’m not doing anything else. † He didn’t respond back to me let alone give me eye contact so I went back into the house. After that I didn’t feel like doing anything, not even ride my bike so I just sat down and watched the 5 channels of television that we did have. About 20 minutes later he came in the house and said â€Å" Felicia, come on Imma teach you how to ride the lawn mower. † I was kind of surprised that he changed his mind, but then again I really wasn’t. Once I went out there and learned it, I had the most fun! Now I will admit I didn’t cut the grass as neatly as he did because most of the time I acted as if I was driving a car. My father would stand in the yard and watch me. He never corrected me or told me to slow down. It was as if he was proud and I took interest in something that he liked to do. Every weekend when a thing calmed down and there wasn’t much left to do around the house my father and I would go for a car ride. He lived in Hereford, MD, which is very country with a ton of land, and he would drive all around the windy roads and talk to me about life and how I need to work hard to get to where I want to be in life. After everything he would always end his rants with, â€Å" Felicia you don’t understand now, but you will when you get older. † I hated hearing that. I always knew that I understood him now, but I really didn’t. Just the other day my father and I went for a ride. It wasn’t an intentional ride, but I was helping him move furniture. My father and I haven’t had a ride like this since I was about 14 years old. I am now 27. A lot has changed since our talks. Once again I caught myself trying to convince my father how I understand everything he is saying, but this time I truly did understand and he didn’t question my understanding either. My father and I didn’t do the typical things that I young girl would do with her father. I can actually tell you how many times that we actually went anywhere that was really fun. We would play catch, tennis, and badminton and have big cookouts. We had our times at the movies and the pizza buffet, but the times that meant most to me were the car rides and the little life lessons. As I am older now I reflect upon the struggles that my father would speak of. I wish that I could remember how to change my oil, but the only thing I can remember now is how to check my oil. I now understand that my father never really knew how to be sensitive or tell me about boys, but he showed me that he loved me in the only way that he could. I think that I always knew that, that’s why I have always aimed to please him and have him be proud of me. My father is a very stern man and he shows tough love. I have learned that love comes in all forms, and just because someone may not show it like the next person doesn’t mean that its not there. I know now that the way he loves has passed down to me because I tend to treat my children the same way. I am not as sensitive with my children because I was never really given hugs all the time and shown affection. I never once doubted that I wasn’t loved, but I try to embrace my children more and not only show them but tell them.

Sports Psychology: History, Theories and Applications

Sports Psychology: History, Theories and Applications Emergence from Traditional Psychology Practice Practice of applied psychology emerged with the sport psychology experiences becoming more prominent every other day. This prominence highlighted the necessity for the development of athlete hostility (Friesen Orlick 2011). According to the definition of American Psychological Association (APA), scientific study of the psychological factors that are linked with the performance and participation in sport, exercise and other types of physical activities is known as sport psychology. Coleman Griffith is considered to be the founder for applying psychological principles in a systematic way to improve sport performance. He did this when he was first employed in Chicago Cubs in 1938 (APA n.d). He focused on the psychomotor skills and motor learning that enabled a link between physical performance and personality variables. However, Griffith’s ideas were not fully supported and accepted by the experts in the field of psychology (APA n.d). From the beginning of 1950s and till 1980s, sport psychology acquired an individual identity, free from exercise psychology, motor control and motor learning. At this time, sport psychology was linked with the performance, especially physical performance. With the publishing of one of the first books on sport psychology by Ogilvie and Tutko, psychologists began taking interest in the world of sports, by focusing their psychological theories on different sports personalities (APA n.d). Traditional psychological practice emerged with the study of individual personalities of human beings. Moreover, when factors, such as, aggression, sentiments, anger, motivation, confidence, grief and joy were studied, psychologists realize their role in individual personality and performances. Likewise, sport psychology is one of the types of individual performances. Theories and Theoretical Models causing separate Specialism The theory for coaching provides a set of guiding principles for coaching practice that identifies major principles and beliefs, which can help coaches achieve their aims and objectives. One of the theoretical models for sports psychology is â€Å"non-linear pedagogy†. Non-linear pedagogy is the application of concepts and tools or non-linear dynamics. This theory is based on the claim that learner is like a human movement system, which is characteristically non-linear. This theory explains ideas, such as, self-organization, stabilities and instabilities, etc. this theory let the functional movement patterns, such as, and decision-making behaviors in sport activities emerge (Renshaw, Davids, Shuttleworth Chow 2009). One of the other sport psychology theories is the â€Å"Dynamical Systems Theory†, which says that after the process of self-organization shaped by the interaction of individual constraints, task and environment, sport behavior emerges. Stable movement patterns can only be developed if all these constraints are kept constant. Likewise, any kind of changes in all these constraints can cause instabilities in learners and re-organization of the system, along with new patterns of behavior. In the light of this theory, instabilities are generally perceived as an integral part of learning process. This theory can be understood through the example of children coaching, where size of a child’s hand and grip strength is the factor determining quality of ball pass rather than technique (Renshaw, Davids, Shuttleworth Chow 2009). Figure 1: Neurobiological Model. Source: Sturmey 2007. Neurobiological Model of psychology interprets that how neurological science can contribute towards better coaching and athlete performances. This model represents the fear circuit, which is present in every athlete’s body. Amygdale, medial and orbital regions play an important role in the management of anxiety. On the other hand, cortex controls emotional regulation that may cause hyperactivity and lack of motor response. All the factors, such as, anxiety, fear, stress, etc can be calculated, in terms of their effect on sports players through Neurobiological Model. All these factors cause unintended alterations in the motor behavior of an athlete, causing poor performance (Sturmey 2007). Current Practices Currently, psychologists focus more on personality psychology rather than performance psychology in connection to various sports personalities. However, efforts are still being made to fill this loop hole. Counseling psychology focuses on doing psychological counseling of a person who has been sportsman earlier. This kind of counseling is being done keeping in mind the organizational, environmental and system issues of sportspersons. All these categories include issues, such as, coaching, team dynamics, etc. psychologist go through additional trainings, which enable them to work effectively with teams, coaches and organizations. On the other hand, performance psychology is also one of the most important fields of current sport psychology (APA n.d). Performance psychology says that people should be able to find happiness and meaning in life, then only they will be able to perform well in their fields. However, according to other variables in psychology, finding meaning and happiness in life does not always guarantee that a person shall be able to perform excellent in all the fields. But it does approve of some kind of success in life. Psychologists are trying to work on this principle by assisting sportsmen in their physical and mental problems. Their issues and problems are catered in such a way that a person does not lose hope in their continuing profession of sports or any other physical activity (APA n.d). Performance psychologists make use of the consultation model of intervention, along with the individual interventions, to develop certain issues in their patients (APA n.d). In addition, currently, kinesiology is also very popular in giving the consultation and psychology of performance knowledge. However, there is nothing very extraordinary about this practice. Instead of giving this psychological knowledge in kinesiology departments, it should rather be given in sport psychology departments (APA n.d). Aims and Objectives Field of sport psychology aims to bring competence in the psychological performances that include interventions and theories of optimal performance, coaching and leadership, motivation, team dynamics, emotions, human growth and development. Moreover, it also aims to provide mental health counseling by developing and maintaining a working alliance, clinical interviews, facilitating behavioral changes, motivating interviews, multilevel and systematic diagnosis interventions and group facilitations. Through all these aims and objectives, field of psychology shall be able to focus in building the competence in performance specialty domain. This domain includes performing arts, business, high-risk occupations and sports (Prodaniuk, Plotnikoff, Spence Wilson 2004). Moreover, there is also an evident need for the supervised practicum experiences (APA n.d). Experience makes a person a very good teacher, but the field of psychology cannot solely rely on experienced practitioners. Only experience cannot develop competence in individuals. Practitioners also vary in terms of their self-awareness. Confidence may not always guarantee accuracy of skills employed by all the practitioners. Sport psychology aims to produce practitioners, which are not just competent in confidence and experience but also in their skills and contemporary knowledge related to psychology. In addition, performance sport psychologists need to have grip over advanced knowledge of ethics (Gaag 2012). This makes them become aware of the nature of context in which they are working (APA n.d). Sport psychology professionals should be aimed to take multiple roles, challenges to confidentiality, boundary crossings and informed consent to allure to the environment of their field performance. Professionals of this field should also realize that the single therapy with individuals is not sport psychology. Sport psychology should aim at giving services to almost every other sport organization in the country, along with the excellent therapeutic services. Teaching should be one of the major steps in making sportsmen realize the importance of stable psychological condition. Sport psychology believes that there should be effective communication between coaches and team psychologists (APA n.d). Demonstration of Applications, Approaches and Techniques in Various Contexts Performance psychology applications are connected with the field of counseling and clinical psychology. Some of the major areas of focus for this study are using clinical interviewing skills, working alliance and understanding the behavioral change process. Performance psychology gives challenges and opportunities that provide the basis for the training of sports psychologists for future. These trainings include various contexts, interventions and issues that may become a part of professional practice in future. Performance psychologists approach sportsmen by focusing on their basic mental skills. These skills gives them the knowledge of probable mental and physical challenges a person is currently having or may go through in future (APA n.d). One of the other sport psychology applications is the experiential learning programs, which rely on the principle of, learn by doing. Direct involvement in the experience makes a person learn through it. Kolb developed a model, which explained that how learning occurs in individuals when they are directly involved in an experience. This model is based on the step of Do, Review, Learn and Apply. This model is very effective in the team development and providing a psychological rationale for learning. Four stages based on psychological concepts form the basis of this model. This model is depicted in the figure 2(Boyle 2002): Figure 2: Experiential Learning Model. Source: Boyle 2002. Sport injury management is another type of approach and techniques, which is a fruit of the field of sport psychology. sport injury management have planned designs and techniques, which makes sports management in educational institutions able to deal with any kind of sport circumstances with students. Sport injury management have planned their sport psychology approach in such a way that it makes teachers, peers and parents of students also get involved in the physical and psychological recovery of patient students. Figure 3 shows the breadth of sport injury management, where all the people become the part of care scenario (Comfort Abrahamson 2010): Figure 3: Sport Injury Management. Source: Comfort Abrahamson 2010. Barriers in Application and Delivery Referring trainings and knowledge with the labels of kinesiology, psychology or ESS is one of the biggest barriers in the discussion that is needed for the advancement of the field of psychology. The debate between kinesiology and psychology hinders the knowledge and trainings in psychology of performance, ethics, consulting, etc (APA n.d). Injuries, weather, change in family or working patterns that makes trainings less convenient are some of the major barriers in the field of sport psychology (Jarvis 2006). According to Karageorghis and Terry (2011), four barriers that stood between every sportsman’s performances is his view of strength, size, his negative view of snap and his recent interpretation to take the snap. Parents, peers and some other members of the society often becomes a barrier in psychological process when they are playing a negative role in the overall treatment (Melchert 2011). Furthermore, sport psychology is a field that has derived from the umbrella field of psychology. It can only work effectively if psychology is being discussed and practiced with regard to other fields as well. For example, ecological psychology also plays a significant role in the development of psychological answers (Renshaw, Davids, Shuttleworth Chow 2009). Lack of knowledge becomes a significant barrier in the development of sport psychology. One of the other barriers in sport psychology is the collection of data (Somekh Lewin 2011). Mostly, students do not participate in data collection activities. Best sport psychology data can only be collected if student athletes become a part of the sort psychology data collection (Somekh Lewin 2011). Similarly, one of the biggest barriers of sportsmen, especially young sportsmen is to adopt sport psychology methods and techniques individually (Sturmey 2007). Often young athletes are not completely able to understand any particular sport psychology approach or application. Most of the times, individuals have to try their technique on their own. Ultimately, this creates a problem for young athletes and they are unable to accomplish the desired results. Critical Evaluation of Theories and Models of Cognition and Condition Relevant to Sports Environment and Applications Hemmings and Holder conducted an experiment on Shane, an athlete. They told him recall different inspirational and meaningful quotes or statements. As a reaction, Shane found all these statements cognitively stimulating for both competition and practice situations. However, he did not agree with all the statements himself. All these inspirational statements have cognitive affirmations, self-instructions and personally symbolic reminders. All these statements facilitated behavioral intensity, emotional and attention control for self-assessment on courts and physical training sessions. This tool played a significant role in increasing the efficacy by doing verbal persuasion; however, it was a kind of self-persuasion in Shane’s case (Hemmings Holder 2009). These phrases were selected in such a way that Shane should be able to refer any one of them to any athletic situation he faces. This Alphabet Motivator acted as a verbal persuasion for Shane. It increased his self-regulation and confidence to increase success on different tasks. Figure 4 represents the words that were selected for Shane’s Alphabet Motivator: Figure 4: Selected Cognitive and Emotive Statements from Shane’s Alphabet Motivator. Source: Hemmings Holder 2009. In addition, there were mental rehearsal exercises, which were conducted on Shane regularly during his on-court practices and physical trainings. Motivational General Mastery Imagery is a sport psychology application, which is used to enhance confidence in athletes (Hemmings Holder 2009). This application focused on Shane’s strengths and all the tactical, technical, physical and psychological responses, which are required by Shane is any of his athletic sessions. Shane was asked to visualize scenarios, where he would feel a need to remember motivational statements that can make him successful in the session ahead. Control-related and confidence-related images are given to Shane to select them for physical, technical and psychological aspects of the game. In this application, Shane was also asked to select role model figures of sports and imagine himself in the body of these role models at the time he feels any difficulty during his sports sessions (Hemmings Holder 2009). Historical Development of Models and their Adaptation according to the Aims and Objectives of Applications Psychological consultants had taken the challenge of studying athlete’s ego-oriented, self-defeated beliefs to support them in the athletic sessions and work-outs. Throughout psychological assessment, high level of articulation and encouraged reflection of a good degree of personal capacity and awareness was demonstrated on athlete’s behalf. High level of commitment demonstration developed the psychological approach, which a sportsperson can appropriately take under his current performance-related belief structure. This also enabled the development of coaching and mentoring as a part of nurturing individuals abilities of behavior and performance (Deans Oakley 2006). This psychological application was based on the variety of psychological references (Ryba 2005). This variety of references does not suggest that the entire sport psychologist should be confused within the information they give but rather it can be used to broaden the vision of sport psychology (Ryba 2005). All the factors associated with sport psychology emerged immediately after the emergence of mental counseling. Psychologists realize that factors, such as, motivation, emotions, energy level, self-esteem, confidence, patriotism, etc play an integral role in the development of a certain personality. Although a person may be playing in a team, every team player has his individual personality. If all these factors play a significant role in personality making, then they also play a role in effecting sport performance of an individual.

Homeless Youth Facilitators and Barriers

Homeless Youth Facilitators and Barriers When considering the problem of homelessness, we may think of the stereotypical skid row bums, drug addicts, or perhaps the mentally ill living on the sidewalks begging for change from passerby (Letiecq, Anderson, Koblinsky, 1996). All people that are homeless do not live on the streets. Homeless people can be someone who stays with a friend or a family member, someone living in overcrowded conditions, someone living in poor conditions that may affect their health, someone living away from their loved ones because of certain conditions. Many of these people are youth who lacks proper shelter. Homelessness among young people is a major social concern in the United States. Youth homelessness is not a new phenomenon and it has become more and more severe over the years. We ask what youth homelessness is. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, homeless youth are individuals under the age of eighteen who lack parental, foster, or institutional care (2008). Homeless youth i ncludes runaways, throwaways, and street youth. They are also referred to as unaccompanied youth (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2008). ÂÂ  Homelessness for youth has been an ongoing issue and is at greater risk due to the greater vulnerability due to the background factors related with their life style. Homeless youth can be found anywhere throughout the U.S. and most of these youth are age 18 or below. Many of these homeless youth comes from low-income communities or from dysfunctional families. Although the prevalence of youth homelessness is difficult to measure, researchers estimate that about 5 to 7.7 percent of youth- about 1 million to 1.6 million youth, under the age of 18 experience homelessness each year (Pope, 2013). As an estimated report by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the US Department of Justice, there are about 1,682,900 homeless and runaway youth (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). ÂÂ  Children and youth identified as homeless by the Department of Education in FY2000, only 35% lived in shelters; 34% lived doubled-up with family or friends, and 23% lived in motels and other locations (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). These children and youth may not immediately be recognized as homeless and are sometimes denied access to shelter or the protections and services of the McKinney-Vento Act (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). Youth that are homeless can become this way for a variety of reasons. Many youth become homeless as a result of family problems and financial difficulties. Some of the causes of homelessness are due to physical or sexual abuses, family that has a drug addiction, or because of parental neglect. Often the young people experience more than one of these factors in their homes. For example runaways usually leave their home without letting their parents or a legal caregiver know about their whereabouts. They often tend to have a history of hardship in school and behavioral problems with other peers. Children from families that have always been poor are likely to be worse off than children in families that experience sudden hardship due, for example, to the recession and foreclosure crisis (NCSL, 2103).ÂÂ   Parents are the majority of the time a primary reason these youth becomes homeless. A dysfunctional family can be one of many reasons why these youth would leave their home. The youths become homeless due to some disruptions of their families caused by divorce. If the families break up, the youths are forced to search for new places to live and this becomes very difficult for them. They may lack suitable places to go or stay as they may lack the required funds.ÂÂ  The number of homeless youth has been growing and it has become a serious problem in our society. In a study, 46% of runaway and homeless youth had been physically abused and 17% were forced into unwanted sexual activity by a family or household member (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2007). Some of these young people becomes homeless when their families suffers financial crisis resulting from lack of affordable housing, no job opportunities, no medical insurance or inadequate welfare benefits. ÂÂ  They are not only in need of money, but they are also in need of attention and support. Youth homelessness face gets involve in a high-risk survival behaviors in order to meet their basic needs. Youth on the streets fall prey to substance abuse, develop mental illness, and victimization. Young homeless people are most likely to have high-risk behaviors in such like engaging in unprotected sex, having multiple sex partners and gain access to substance abuse. Some of the homeless youth are forced to involve themselves in prostitution in order to obtain their daily bread and survival. For instance, they participate in unsafe sex in the exchange of basic necessities such as food, shelter and money. This is so because the greater percentage of the youths is sexually active at the average age of thirteen and fourteen years.ÂÂ   Homeless youth use prostitution as ways to survive, in which it can cause lots of unwanted pregnancies. Chronic health conditions, including asthma, other lung problems, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, diabetes, hepatitis, or HIV/AIDS, are prev alent among homeless youth (Pope, 2013). To obtain money, food, or a place to sleep, homeless youth may panhandle or resort to extreme measures such as theft, drug sales and abuse, prostitution, or survival sex (Pope, 2013). Homeless youth can also become mentally unstable. Mental health problems may develop as a result of violence or other trauma experienced while homeless (Beharry, 2012). Homeless youth can be face with traumatic and stressful events which can cause them to be in constant fear or become mentally unstable. They have a greater risk of severe anxiety and depression, suicide, poor health and nutrition and even low self-esteem. Drug and alcohol use are often seen by homeless youth as self-medication for depression and other mental health issues, as a social outlet for connection with peers, or as an otherwise adaptive coping strategy for survival on the streets (Christiani, Hudson, Nyamathi, Mutere, Sweat, 2008). These mental problems can or most likely interfere with their activities such as learning and communicating in school. ÂÂ  Homelessness can lead to an interruption of their education and therefore affects their future ability to live comfortably and independently. These youth that lacks education can set them to experience s evere financial and emotional challenges as not being able to secure any employment in the United States of America. The presence of uneducated and unemployed homeless youths affects the development processes of the societies. Homelessness can affect their educational opportunities for future success. Homeless children and youth who are able to enroll in school still face barriers to regular attendance: while 87% of homeless youth are enrolled in school, only 77% attend school regularly. (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). Youth that are from families who are struggling seems to move around a lot in search of something that is affordable for them such as housing and for employment. These children or youth experiences changes of school messes up their education because their family has to find a place where shelter is affordable for them. According to the Institute for Children and Poverty, homeless children are nine times more likely to repeat a grade, four more times more likely to drop out of school, and three times more likely to be placed in special education programs than their housed peers (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). ÂÂ  Homeless youth need access to services that will help them regain stability in their lives, such as obtaining a job and affordable housing. What does homeless youth need? They would need housing which includes shelter, transitional living programs, and supportive housing that is permanent for youth with mental illness. Homeless youth benefit from programs that meet immediate needs first and then help them address other aspects of their lives.ÂÂ   States can provide homeless youth with access to educational outreach programs, job training and employment programs, transitional living programs, and services for mental health and life skills trainings (NCSL, 2013). There are many programs run by government and voluntary organizations that are aimed to help homelessness by providing advice, financial support, a place to stay and other assistance. There are programs such as housing subsidy, local or federal government assistances. When there is no shelter it becomes a problem for these youth. A lack of affordable housing and limited scale of housing assistance program have contributed to the current housing crisis and to homelessness (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). Income and housing-related factors continue to play a significant role in the growth of homeless families (Anderson Koblinsky, 1995). When parents cannot provide for their kids, these youth are also affected as well. Housing is the key to ending homelessness to help these young people and their families. There are only a small percentage of all homeless youth that seek shelter (Pope, 2013). There are ways to help house these youth. Youth housing programs include group homes, residential treatment, host homes, shared homes, youth shelters, and community-based transitional living programs (NCSL, 2013). As according to LaKesha P. Pope, there are the five strategies to house homeless youth (2013): Develop stable housing without time limits specifically designed to meet the needs of youth which link services for future independent living. Include set-aside unites for youth in existing or newly developed mainstream affordable housing. Allow youth to be integrated into the local Continuum of Care planning and implementation process and as consumers of affordable housing stock. Market housing resources in places where youth will see them. Educate private landlords about the special needs of homeless youth and the existence of programs willing to offer supervision and assistance to youth tenants. These strategies can bring in some positive attitudes to these youth when they know that there is some kind of help or assistance that is set up. What homeless youth need the most is a home. Programs are out to help these youth but it can be a challenge to get the services. It can be a challenge for homeless youth to find help and assistance shelters. They can lack transportation to get to their destination for help. Many youth feel that agencies favors are usually with people who need help the least. Connecting youth to resources is a critical service and especially when a program that lacks funding to provide shelters. A barrier that homeless youth can experience in accessing housing are (Pope, 2013): No rental history Age discrimination No job or not enough income to afford market-rate rents Lack of standing to sign lease Trouble with mobility due to few public transportation options Exposure to domestic violence, sexual assault and adults who solicit youth for illegal activity in exchange for housing Teen parents Past abuse and trauma resulting in mental or cognitive disabilities Failure to find housing with proficiencies in various youth cultures Youth often find themselves homeless because of family breakdowns, system failures, and marginal resources (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2013). Homeless youth who are not able to live with their families, other options should be made available for them to contribute and take care of themselves. However, we cannot change how people treat their youth, but we can try to change the outcome of a youths life. There are many risks that these youth can face being on the streets with no shelter or help. Some youth may never want to find help or look for assistance but we as human service worker, should try to reach out the best we can.

Religion In America, 1492-1790 :: essays research papers

Religion in the New World exploded into the land with the colonization of thousands of immigrants. It played an important role in the development of thought in the West. Religion was one of the first concepts to spark the desires of people from other countries to emigrate to the new lands. While many religions blossomed on the American shores of the Atlantic, a basic structure held for most of them, being predominantly derived from Puritanism. Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, showed the link the new settlers had to God when Sir Thomas Dale said the following in 1610: Be not dismayed at all For scandall cannot doe us wrong, God will not let us fall. Let England knowe our willingnesse, For that our work is good; Wee hope to plant a nation Where none before hath stood. (Morison, pg. 89) Originally, when Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of America en route to Asia, he was not interested in discovering new lands. Most Europeans at the time were looking for a way to get at the oldest part of the Old World, the East Indies. An ocean route was sought to the countries that were believed to contain riches beyond European comprehension, thus avoiding having to pay hundreds of miscellaneous middlemen involved with trade, also making for a shorter journey. These motivations were accompanied by the desire to convert the heathen to Christianity, which had been declining since the rise of Islam. By uniting some of the Western Asian countries with Christianity, Europeans hoped to form a formidable team against the Turks and recover the valuable Holy Land (Morison, p.55). Columbus was sure that God had sent him to complete this task and that he was destined to carry the good Christian ways to heathen lands. A Spanish settlement was made in 1609 named Santa Fe in what is now New Mexico (Curti, p.167). Hundreds of thousands of Pueblo Indians were then converted to Christianity. At the same time, across the country, England was establishing its first settlement at Jamestown. Originally the English, who colonized alongside the French, saw settlements in the New World as strictly trading posts, but they soon realized the valuable opportunities that lay in the virgin lands of America, such as cotton, tobacco, and several other agricultural products that could not be found anywhere else. Many of England’s problems could be solved in America, and so colonization began. When the earliest settlers came, England had the responsibility to continue the Protestant Church, and prevent the Catholic Church from converting the entire Native American population of North America (Morison, p.105) A potential Protestant refuge could be based there in the threat of civil wars or a change of religion. Religion In America, 1492-1790 :: essays research papers Religion in the New World exploded into the land with the colonization of thousands of immigrants. It played an important role in the development of thought in the West. Religion was one of the first concepts to spark the desires of people from other countries to emigrate to the new lands. While many religions blossomed on the American shores of the Atlantic, a basic structure held for most of them, being predominantly derived from Puritanism. Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, showed the link the new settlers had to God when Sir Thomas Dale said the following in 1610: Be not dismayed at all For scandall cannot doe us wrong, God will not let us fall. Let England knowe our willingnesse, For that our work is good; Wee hope to plant a nation Where none before hath stood. (Morison, pg. 89) Originally, when Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of America en route to Asia, he was not interested in discovering new lands. Most Europeans at the time were looking for a way to get at the oldest part of the Old World, the East Indies. An ocean route was sought to the countries that were believed to contain riches beyond European comprehension, thus avoiding having to pay hundreds of miscellaneous middlemen involved with trade, also making for a shorter journey. These motivations were accompanied by the desire to convert the heathen to Christianity, which had been declining since the rise of Islam. By uniting some of the Western Asian countries with Christianity, Europeans hoped to form a formidable team against the Turks and recover the valuable Holy Land (Morison, p.55). Columbus was sure that God had sent him to complete this task and that he was destined to carry the good Christian ways to heathen lands. A Spanish settlement was made in 1609 named Santa Fe in what is now New Mexico (Curti, p.167). Hundreds of thousands of Pueblo Indians were then converted to Christianity. At the same time, across the country, England was establishing its first settlement at Jamestown. Originally the English, who colonized alongside the French, saw settlements in the New World as strictly trading posts, but they soon realized the valuable opportunities that lay in the virgin lands of America, such as cotton, tobacco, and several other agricultural products that could not be found anywhere else. Many of England’s problems could be solved in America, and so colonization began. When the earliest settlers came, England had the responsibility to continue the Protestant Church, and prevent the Catholic Church from converting the entire Native American population of North America (Morison, p.105) A potential Protestant refuge could be based there in the threat of civil wars or a change of religion.

The Exploitation of Little People :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Exploitation of Little People Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful maiden Pallid Powder amidst seven dwarfs.There was a dwarf who worked in a sideshow display at the local circus, a dwarf who was frequently cast by Galactic Studios for the dancing baby parts, and all the other dwarfs locked themselves in their isolated cabin in the woods so that the nearby villagers wouldn’t laugh.These snippets—both fictional and real—are all most people know about the lives of dwarfs, or little people as they prefer to be called.But Ursula Hegi’s novel Stones from the River suggests that dwarfs were stereotyped, and although the information I found was limited, I found enough to satisfy myself that many dwarfs in the past—and even today—have been exploited or treated unjustly by others. In order to understand why dwarfs are exploited, one must understand the genetic disorder itself.Dwarfism, according to the Little People of America Research Fund, â€Å"is the result of the disproportionate growth of the skeleton,† a condition mostly predetermined by the genetic code.Some symptoms, according to WebMD, include short stature, the appearance of a larger head, abnormally shaped hands, a waddling walk, along with â€Å"increased inward curve of [the] lower back making the buttocks appear more prominent (lordosis), and increased outward curve of [the] upper back making [the] back appear slightly hunched (kyphosis)† Clearly, dwarfs have physical differences that make everyday life more difficult for them—even without exploitation by others.The simplest aspects of life are often difficult for dwarfs.They have difficulties finding furniture to fit their small bodies, and household chores such as washing dishes become almost impossible without the use of a stool.Other things, such as finding clothing to fit or just being able to drive a car, are also difficult for them. But beyond the inevitable difficulties presented by their size, there are other ways that dwarfs—because of their size—are intentionally exploited by others.One way they are exploited is being used to make money for others.A researcher on the topic, Laurence Bathurst wrote in his reply to Judith Irving, a dwarf, about such mistreatment: There are some really gross and demeaning ways in which short statured people are exploited such as dwarf throwing contests, dwarf wrestling, and generally, the portrayal of short statured people in movies and television that endows them with ‘special’ characteristics (either evil or good). Circuses and sideshows use dwarfs as exhibits and often claim ownership of them as well.

The Truly Tragic Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Macbeth: Truly Tragic Macbeth is the epitome of what the literary world regards as a "tragic hero". His admirable qualities are supplanted with greed and hate when three witches dupe him. The three witches enter with the first scene from William Shakespeare's, Macbeth, a tragic tale of one man's quest for power that leads to his ultimate defeat. The story revolves around our tragic hero, Macbeth, and how an admirable and noble man, so established in society, can fall so greatly. Throughout the play, he is driven by an obsession to become King of Scotland, and in the process commits acts of betrayal and treachery to achieve this goal. However, Macbeth is not the only character involved in this sordid affair. His wife, the manipulative Lady Macbeth, three prophetic witches and members of the Scottish aristocracy all play pivotal roles in the drama. Lady Macbeth, the great woman of influence behind the Macbeth, plots, schemes and propels her husband into a nightmare of falsehood and guilt. The witches, or w eird sisters, (Shouldn’t â€Å"weird sisters† be in quotes and cited?) embody the supernatural element of this tragedy. With their imperfect predictions and calculated duplicity, they created chaos in Macbeth's mind as they toy with his sense of security. (Be careful of matching tenses. â€Å"Created† is past tense and â€Å"toy† is present.) The Scottish aristocracy comprises of King Duncan, the two princes - Malcolm and Donalbain, and various other thanes and nobles, including Macbeth's friend Banquo. They all serve as barriers for Macbeth and, regardless of friend or foe, he chooses to either fall down or overcome these hurdles. However, one hurdle that proves too great is his nemesis: Macduff. After Macbeth's false sense of security is shattered, a mighty swipe of Macduff's sword releases Macbeth from a tangled web of desire, design and deceit. (What is your thesis? That Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero? Make sure you stick to your topic a nd don’t get sidetracked.) Macbeth has, as his wife says, the milk of human kindness, the kind of affection that many people have for others when self-interest is not rampant. He has a high regard for Duncan and Banquo, defaming the latter only once (III.i.74 ff.). He differs from Duncan in that the King's charity is of a quality that works to transform human society into a family and that makes the spirit of Duncan persist through the play after his death. The Truly Tragic Shakespeare's Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework Macbeth: Truly Tragic Macbeth is the epitome of what the literary world regards as a "tragic hero". His admirable qualities are supplanted with greed and hate when three witches dupe him. The three witches enter with the first scene from William Shakespeare's, Macbeth, a tragic tale of one man's quest for power that leads to his ultimate defeat. The story revolves around our tragic hero, Macbeth, and how an admirable and noble man, so established in society, can fall so greatly. Throughout the play, he is driven by an obsession to become King of Scotland, and in the process commits acts of betrayal and treachery to achieve this goal. However, Macbeth is not the only character involved in this sordid affair. His wife, the manipulative Lady Macbeth, three prophetic witches and members of the Scottish aristocracy all play pivotal roles in the drama. Lady Macbeth, the great woman of influence behind the Macbeth, plots, schemes and propels her husband into a nightmare of falsehood and guilt. The witches, or w eird sisters, (Shouldn’t â€Å"weird sisters† be in quotes and cited?) embody the supernatural element of this tragedy. With their imperfect predictions and calculated duplicity, they created chaos in Macbeth's mind as they toy with his sense of security. (Be careful of matching tenses. â€Å"Created† is past tense and â€Å"toy† is present.) The Scottish aristocracy comprises of King Duncan, the two princes - Malcolm and Donalbain, and various other thanes and nobles, including Macbeth's friend Banquo. They all serve as barriers for Macbeth and, regardless of friend or foe, he chooses to either fall down or overcome these hurdles. However, one hurdle that proves too great is his nemesis: Macduff. After Macbeth's false sense of security is shattered, a mighty swipe of Macduff's sword releases Macbeth from a tangled web of desire, design and deceit. (What is your thesis? That Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero? Make sure you stick to your topic a nd don’t get sidetracked.) Macbeth has, as his wife says, the milk of human kindness, the kind of affection that many people have for others when self-interest is not rampant. He has a high regard for Duncan and Banquo, defaming the latter only once (III.i.74 ff.). He differs from Duncan in that the King's charity is of a quality that works to transform human society into a family and that makes the spirit of Duncan persist through the play after his death.

Online Games Is Formative Way of Learning

Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment A research paper Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment A research paper Elizabeth Dunphy, EdD Commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA  © NCCA 2008 24 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 www. ncca. ie Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Contents Glossary 5 Introduction 6 Section 1: General background Purpose of the paper Assessment and curriculum The Irish context The practice context The legislative context Ethical IssuesTowards a definition of formative assessment Supporting learning and development 8 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 12 Section 2: The nature of early learning Characteristics of early learning The complexity of early learning Key theoretical constructs for assessment Ecological perspectives Socio-cultural perspectives Activity theory Children’s agency Children’s collaboration in learning Intersubjectivity and collaboration Childr en as co-constructors of knowledge Play as a context for formative assessment Emerging approaches to assessment Performance assessment and authentic assessment Summary 13 13 13 3 14 14 14 15 15 17 17 18 18 19 21 Section 3: What to assess in early learning The essentials of learning Dispositions A range of cognitive abilities Emotional well-being Self-concept and sociability Summary 22 22 22 23 23 24 24 Section 4: How to assess early learning A narrative approach to assessment of learning in early childhood Learning stories: A credit-focused approach A fully-contextualised account of learning Methods for collecting information on children’s learning Observing and empathising Conversations with children Clinical interviews Making sense of children’s learningSustaining learning and development through documentation Portfolios Summary 25 25 25 26 27 28 29 29 30 30 31 33 3 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Section 5: Assessment and the practitioner Professio nal knowledge Skills base Ethical considerations Manageability of assessment Tensions 34 34 34 35 35 36 Concluding comments 37 References 38 Table 1: Gardner’s understanding of human development and assessment and Shepard’s guiding principles of assessment 19 4 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Glossary Glossary Agency: Children are active in their own learning.Some ways in which they display their agency is by taking the initiative in learning situations, by observing and becoming involved in ongoing events, or by initiating conversations with others. Authentic assessment: Assessing children on tasks that are part of their ordinary everyday experiences in their early education and care settings. Co-construction: This occurs when children and/or practitioners construct meaning and knowledge about the world together in interaction. Collaborative learning: This is learning that takes place in social contexts and using the resources of the environment.Form ative assessment: This is assessment that informs teaching and learning. It is concerned with the shortterm collection and use of evidence for the guidance of learning. Intersubjectivity: This is the mutual understanding achieved by people in communication. Meta-cognition: This refers to what children think about their own learning, thinking and remembering and how the act of thinking about these processes affect the ways in which children then go about intentionally learning, thinking and remembering. It is a process whereby children become aware of their own thought processes.Pedagogy of mutuality: This perspective recognises that both child and adult bring beliefs and ideas to the learning situation and that discussion and interaction are the means by which a shared frame of reference is established. This results in an exchange of understandings between the child and the practitioner. Pedagogical content knowledge: This is a form of professional understanding which brings togethe r content knowledge and knowledge about pedagogy. It is based on an understanding of how best to organise and present ideas and adapt them in response to the diverse interests and abilities of children.Performance assessment: Assessing children’s early learning and development through observing, recording, and evaluating children’s performance or work. Scaffolding: This refers to the practice of providing guidance and support to children as they move from one level of competence to another. It is a metaphor that is used to describe interactional support for children’s efforts. The assistance offered to the child is sensitive to and contingent on the amount of support needed. Schema: These are patterns of early repeatable behaviours which children engage in and which lead them through a process of co-ordination, to make generalisations.Socio-cultural theories: These are a family of theories that have arisen from the work of Vygotsky and which have in common their emphasis on the role that social and cultural factors play in children’s development and learning. Theory of mind: Children gradually acquire the understanding that other people can hold beliefs about the world that differ from what the child him/herself believes or appears to be true. Transformation of participation: From a socio-cultural perspective, children are seen as developing through a process of participating in activities of their communities, and in doing so their participation changes.They become progressively more expert through engagement in cultural practice and through social interactions that guide them in taking on new roles and responsibilities. 5 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Introduction This research paper, Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment responds to the questions – What’s the purpose of formative assessment in early childhood? What should we assess? How should we assess?The paper is one of four research papers commissioned by the NCCA to set out the theory trail behind the Framework for Early Learning1. This paper is being used to develop guidelines on assessment for inclusion in the Framework. While there are a number of different types and functions of assessment this paper focuses on formative assessment as this offers most potential in terms of assessing to support learning in the day-to-day interactions between adults and children in early childhood. Section 1 of the paper, General background explores the meaning of assessment and its relationship with teaching and learning.Though still very much an emerging area, what we know about how to support early learning and development through the formative assessment process has advanced somewhat in recent years. In many ways the advances in assessment practices in early childhood education and care mirror those in the field of assessment g enerally. In particular, the articulation of the interrelatedness between teaching, learning and assessment and the complexity of the relationships between these processes and curriculum is of as much importance to those concerned with early learning and development, as it is to those concerned with later stages of development.The term assessment, as applied in early childhood education and care, generally implies the intention to provide a rich picture of the ways in which children act, think and learn. In order to orient the discussion about assessment in early childhood education and care, the initial section of the paper outlines the general context in relation to the assessment of early learning and development. While a number of different reasons for assessing early learning and development can be identified, this paper focuses on using formative assessment to support teaching and learning.Section 2, The nature of early learning begins from the premise that in assessing early learning and development it is critical to acknowledge and take account of the nature of early learning and development. We know that in early childhood learning and development is rapid, episodic and holistic. It is also highly influenced by the extent of support that is available for that learning. The adults around the child, and the extent to which they can and do support early learning and development, are crucial elements in determining the extent of learning.Because of their stage of development, children’s abilities in some areas are not yet mature. Their verbal abilities are still emerging, and so assessment of learning and development is often through observation of, and inference from, the children’s actions and reactions in particular situations. It is also essential to acknowledge and take account of the fact that there are considerable cultural variations in children’s experiences. These will result in differences in the course and content of early learning and development. They may also result in considerable differences in how children learn and in how they display their learning.It is important to focus on the breadth of children’s early learning and development. Section 3, What to assess in early learning focuses on assessing children’s dispositions, well-being, cognitive abilities and self-concept and sociability. Assessment in early childhood is shaped by how children from birth to six years learn and develop. A narrative approach offers great potential for making assessment of early learning visible. Documentation of evidence of early learning and development in various ways, using a variety of media and tools, is important for both reflecting on and communicating about children’s achievements.There appears to be general agreement that assessment of early learning and development should be informal, carried out over time, and in the context of the child’s interactions with materials, objects and other people. It should also be authentic in the sense that it should take place in real-life contexts where it is embedded in tasks that children see as significant, meaningful and worthwhile. Informal assessments, carried out as children engage in experiences they see as relevant and meaningful, are likely to produce the best assessments of early learning and development.These issues are considered in Section 4, How to assess early learning. 1 The Framework for Early Learning was renamed Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework in 2009. 6 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 5, Assessment and the practitioner discusses the need for professional development for early childhood practitioners. Good assessment practice requires understanding about how children learn and develop, the process of assessment, and skills to manageably assess in ways that respect children and that are e thically sound.The concluding comments clarify and summarise the key messages across the paper. Key points arising from the discussion are presented in shaded boxes throughout the paper. Some of these points relate to key messages arising from theory and research while others are aspirational. 7 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 1: General background This section of the paper explores what is meant by assessment in early childhood and discusses its relationship with teaching and learning.Informed by this, a definition of formative assessment is presented. The section concludes by describing the current practice and legislative context in which assessment takes place in Ireland. Purpose of the paper The purpose of this paper is to review issues related to formative assessment of early learning. The findings of the paper will be used to support the development of the assessment guidelines in the Framework for Early Learning2. The paper responds to questions related to the what, why and how of formative assessment in early childhood. Assessment and curriculumWays of assessing children’s learning and development cannot be separated from features of the curriculum (for example, the degree of formality or informality that characterises it), and from views of learners and learning which are embodied in that curriculum. Kelly (1992) identifies the interrelating of curriculum and assessment as †¦ a highly complex and sophisticated matter (p. 16). He argues that the interplay of one with the other is crucial in determining the effectiveness of either. The NCCA is developing a curriculum framework for children between the ages of birth and six years.The Framework embraces a particular view of the child, of learning and of how that learning may be celebrated and extended. In the Framework for Early Learning, learning is presented in four broad and complementary theme s:  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Well-being  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Identity and Belonging  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Communicating  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Exploring and Thinking. Some of the principles related to how children develop and learn which underpin the Framework include the following:  ¦Ã‚ ¦ holistic learning and development  ¦Ã‚ ¦ active learning  ¦Ã‚ ¦ play and first-hand experiences  ¦Ã‚ ¦ relevant and meaningful experiences  ¦Ã‚ ¦ communication and language  ¦ a well-planned and well-resourced outdoor and indoor learning environment. It will be important to identify an approach to assessment that will help practitioners identify and support children’s learning as it relates to the Framework’s principles and themes. Assessment and teaching are now generally considered to be as much inseparable processes in early childhood as they are in any other period of life (Shepard, Kagan and Wurtz, 1998; Bowman et al. , 2001). We now know that children learn by building new understandings on those that they already have ( Wood, 1998).In order to support children’s learning then, practitioners first collect information about children’s well-being, identity and belonging, communication, and exploration and thinking. What children engage with, think, know, feel or can do are all of importance in the assessment process. Reflection on this information helps the practitioner to establish 2 As noted earlier, the Framework for Early Learning was renamed Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework in 2009. 8 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment ow best to advance children’s learning and development. Once this is established the practitioner is then in a position to plan worthwhile, interesting and challenging learning experiences to further progress learning. Clearly then, assessment in early childhood is not something that can be considered independent of either curriculum or learning. It is critica l that the assessment of early learning recognises the unique nature of development in early childhood. It is also critical that we learn from the experiences of countries with a longer history of appraising assessment practices and processes than we have here in Ireland.Working in the context of the United States, where there has been considerable interest in finding appropriate assessment formats for use by early childhood practitioners, Shepard et al. (1998, pp. 8-9) devised a set of principles to guide practice and policy for the assessment of children’s learning. These represented a synthesis of understandings in respect of the most appropriate approaches to assessment in early childhood and the authors advised that they should apply to any situation in which assessments are used to make decisions about children’s learning:  ¦Ã‚ ¦Assessments should bring about benefits for children.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessments should be tailored to a specific purpose and should be reli able, valid and fair for that purpose.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessment policies should be designed recognising that reliability and validity of assessments increases with children’s age.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessments should be age-appropriate in both content and the method of data collection.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessments should be linguistically appropriate, recognising that to some extent all assessments are measures of language.  ¦Ã‚ ¦Parents should be a valued source of assessment information, as well as an audience for assessment results. The Irish context The practice context Assessment in the early years of a child’s life can be viewed from a number of perspectives. David (2003) identifies three perspectives  ¦Ã‚ ¦ the day-to-day informal assessments made by the adults with whom the child comes in contact. In most cases these are early years practitioners who may or may not document such assessments.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ the physical assessments by paediatricians, public health nurses and family doc tors.These aim to identify any physical problems that may impede children’s progression and seek to alleviate them as much as possible.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ diagnostic assessments that can have a range of functions, including identifying children with special educational needs, and helping practitioners to support their learning more effectively. No single type of assessment can serve all of the purposes identified in the perspectives outlined above. Each perspective has a role to play, especially in the case of children with special needs where diagnostic assessments are of paramount importance.Babies, toddlers and young children may experience various types of assessments in early childhood. Some may occur frequently, others occasionally. Multi-agency and multi-disciplinary communication is a critical means by which information related to the child’s development and learning can be shared for the benefit of the child. It is imperative that practitioners in early childhood settin gs have access to any information that is of use in making sure learning opportunities in the setting are appropriate for each individual child.The practice of practitioners building on assessments carried out by other professionals such as therapists can be facilitated by significant levels of inter- and/or multidisciplinary teamwork. 9 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Where children spend some or all of their day in out-of-home settings the practitioners with whom they are in contact engage in ongoing assessment for supporting learning and development.Traditionally, observation is the primary method used in assessing children’s learning and development in the range of early education settings in Ireland. For instance, close observations of children’s play in a range of childcare services in Ireland provide the basis for learning and teaching stories (Brennan, 2004). Many practitio ners use checklists to record aspects of their observations. These are often used to record observations in relation to the assessment of children’s skills and understandings, particularly in the area of identifying children with special educational needs and in supporting their learning and development.In relation to their use of assessment practices to support children’s learning in curriculum areas, only about half of infant teachers who participated in Phase 1 of the Primary Curriculum Review (NCCA, 2005) reported that they used observation and about three-quarters reported using documentation. Infant teachers in primary schools also use a range of developmental and diagnostic assessments, for example, in the area of early literacy, to assess specific aspects of children’s development and learning. (See Section 4 for a more extensive discussion on observation as an assessment method. )Increasingly there is an awareness that children live different childhoods : their social, cultural, linguistic and ecological experiences and opportunities differ and all of this influences assessment. Practitioners who are in daily contact with children are in a good position to familiarise themselves with these diverse aspects of children’s lives and of their possibilities for early learning and development. Consequently, on a day-to-day basis, the practitioner’s own assessments are the ones that have the most potential in terms of planning for children’s learning and of making judgements regarding children’s progress.Using assessment for this purpose is the central focus of this paper. Key point A range of assessments are appropriate in assessing children’s learning. The focus of the assessment depends on its purpose. The central focus of this paper is on formative assessment where practitioners’ own assessments are used to support and plan for children’s learning. The legislative context There is a long history of informal assessment of children’s learning in Ireland. However, for various reasons early childhood practitioners now find it necessary to document learning in ways that were not general practice previously.Both legislative requirements and practitioners’ own desires to better understand early learning and how best to extend it, are to the fore in encouraging the documentation of information related to children’s early learning and development. In relation to young children attending primary schools, The Education Act (Department of Education and Science, 1998) requires principals and teachers to regularly evaluate students and periodically report the results of the evaluation to the students and their parents. The implications of this requirement for teachers and schools include  ¦ developing assessment procedures which provide an accurate account of children’s progress and achievement  ¦Ã‚ ¦ creating and maintaining records of childrenâ €™s progress and achievement while they are attending the school  ¦Ã‚ ¦ providing parents with assessment reports which contain accurate and clearly accessible information about their children’s progress and achievement (NCCA, 2007a, p. 95). The Equal Status Act (The Equality Authority, 2000) has implications for the assessment policy in early education settings.In particular, it requires settings to be aware of the effects of context, culture and language in assessing children’s learning and development. 10 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (EPSEN) (Department of Health and Children, 2004) requires that where a child has or may have special educational needs an assessment of those needs should be carried out. With children not attending formal schooling this is the responsibility of the relevant health board.Where th e child is a student then the Act requires schools to identify when a child is not benefiting from the education programme on offer and to investigate the reasons behind this. The school, or in the case of a child not at school the relevant health board, is mandated to ensure that an individual education plan (IEP) for an appropriate education for the child is drawn up in consultation with the child’s parents. The Act outlines the statutory requirements for educational planning for children with special educational needs (SEN).It requires that a multi-disciplinary assessment be carried out in situations where it is considered that the child may have special educational needs. An IEP must then be prepared for each child identified as having such needs. Discussion and agreement regarding the abilities, skills and talents as well as the nature and degree of the child’s special educational needs, together with an analysis of how these needs affect the child’s learni ng and development is required. The plan must include these and must also specify goals for learning and development for the child over a period not exceeding ne year. It must also specify the supports that need to be put in place to enable the child to participate in and benefit from education. The Disability Act (Department of Health and Children, 2005) enables provision for the assessment of health and education needs for persons with disabilities, arising from their situation. The Act provides for access for people with disabilities to health and education services. In relation to educational needs, Part 2 Section 8 (9) states that where an assessment is applied for it must be carried out by or at the request of an assessment officer who then identifies the need for the provision of an educational service to the child, he or she shall, in case the child is enrolled in a school, refer the matter to the principal of that school†¦in any other case, refer the matter to the coun cil for the purposes of an assessment. The Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations (Department of Health and Children, 2006) set out the regulations and requirements pertaining to all aspects of the operation of pre-school settings. Regulation 5 explicitly requires that:A person carrying on a pre-school service shall ensure that each child’s learning, development and well-being is facilitated within the daily life of the service through the provision of the appropriate opportunities, experiences, activities, interaction, materials and equipment, having regard to the age and state of development of the child and the child’s cultural context. To fulfil this requirement it is necessary for practitioners to engage in making important judgements about children’s learning and development and how best to extend and enrich it. By implication this involves the practitioner in assessing learning and development.Indeed, the explanatory guide directs practitione rs to be pro-active in ensuring that appropriate action is taken to address each child’s individual needs with his/her parents and following consultation, where appropriate, with other relevant services (p. 39). While there are other pieces of legislation which impact on aspects of assessment such as the transfer of assessment information between settings, the focus of this paper is on the actual process of using assessment to support early learning and development. How best to comply with the above demands in ways that are respectful to hildren; capture the complexity of early learning; and are helpful in planning future learning experiences has now become a key issue for consideration for early childhood practitioners. Key point Assessment takes place within a particular legislative framework in Ireland. Ethical Issues The nature of the power relations between babies, toddlers and young children and the practitioners with whom they come into contact needs to be acknowledged in the assessment situation. The power of the adult and the relative dependency of children make it imperative that ethical issues are given serious consideration by practitioners.Some of these issues are discussed later in Section 5. 11 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Towards a definition of formative assessment Bowman, Donovan and Burns (2001) suggest that the term assessment, as applied in early childhood education and care, generally implies the intention to provide a rich picture of the ways in which children act, think and learn. Such a picture focuses on the individual’s learning, is built up over time and provides evidence of learning in a number of different contexts.In relation to its importance, they argue that: Assessment has an important role to play in revealing a child’s prior knowledge, development of concepts and ways of interacting with and understanding the worl d so that teachers can choose a pedagogical approach and curricular materials that will support the child’s further learning and development. (p. 259) Pelligrini (1998) describes assessment in early childhood as being about the collection of information about children. This is generally understood to encompass a number of other processes besides collecting. For example, Lally nd Hurst (1992) describe how assessment also involves practitioners in documenting, analysing and reflecting on the information collected, and using this to plan and support further learning. This definition is very similar to that used in Assessment in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools (NCCA, 2007a). While similar methods may be useful in both early childhood settings and in primary school settings, in early childhood assessment particular account needs to be taken of the characteristics of babies, toddlers and young children and to the unique ways in which these children learn.Early childhood assessment focuses specifically on finding out what children are interested in, understand, think, feel, and are able to do. It seeks to document this information in order to understand children’s thinking and learning styles, to chart children’s progress and to support further learning. It is developmental in that it focuses on processes rather than on content or product. Key point Assessment of early learning provides a rich picture of children’s learning by collecting and documenting information. Through reflecting on and using this information, children’s future learning is supported and enhanced.Supporting learning and development Assessment in early childhood has been identified as having a number of functions – ipsative, diagnostic, summative, evaluative and informative (Wood and Attfield, 2005). Assessment in early childhood has enormous potential to support learning and development. A recent large-scale longitudinal study of ear ly learning settings in England confirmed the importance of assessment in meeting children’s needs and in supporting their cognitive progress (Siraj-Blatchford, Sylva, Muttock, Gilden and Bell, 2002).The ultimate purpose of assessment in early childhood is to make learning more interesting, enjoyable and successful for children. Drummond (1993) suggests that assessment must work for children: We can use our assessments to shape and enrich our curriculum, our interactions, our provision as a whole: we can use our assessments as a way of identifying what children will be able to learn next, so that we can support and extend that learning. Assessment is part of our daily practice in striving for quality. (p. 13) Key pointAssessment in early childhood promotes the extension and enrichment of children’s early learning and development. The following section looks at the nature of early learning and the implications for assessing early learning. 12 Aistear: the Early Childhoo d Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 2: The nature of early learning This section of the paper discusses the characteristics of early learning and identifies some key theoretical constructs that guide the teaching, learning and assessment processes during early childhood.Theoretical considerations have been influential in shaping new and emerging approaches to assessment and the most salient of these are discussed in relation to their implications for the assessment of early learning and development. Characteristics of early learning During the early childhood period children’s learning across the various dimensions of development (for example, physical, motor, linguistic, emotional) is greater than at any other period, but is also highly variable across the dimensions.It also occurs very rapidly, is episodic in nature and is very susceptible to environmental conditions (Shepard et al. , 1998). These factors con tribute to making the assessment of early learning and development very challenging. The complexity of early learning We have a great deal of evidence that early learning and development is both extensive and complex (e. g. Drummond, 1993; Bowman et al. , 2001; Carr, 2002). The research paper, Children’s early learning and development (French, 2007) provides information on many facets of early learning and development.Early childhood educators have consistently sought to convey the extent of this complexity and over the years they have provided evidence of exactly how much learning children can demonstrate, provided that it is approached in appropriate ways. For instance, Donaldson (1983) clearly demonstrates how children display different levels of proficiency/learning in different contexts. In her seminal work, Children’s Minds, she reviewed research that illustrated the dramatic effect of the inclusion or omission of a single adjective in questioning children on so- called ‘logical’ tasks.She argues (p. 59) that the young child †¦ first makes sense of situations (and perhaps especially those involving human intentions) and then uses this kind of understanding to help him make sense of what is said to him. Looking not at what children say but at what they do, the work of Athey (1990) and that of Nutbrown (1999) clearly demonstrates how, as children pursue certain schema for considerable periods of time, these can be identified and supported by practitioners. Early learning is seen, for instance in Athey’s work, to have its own recognisable and valid characteristics.Nutbrown (1999) draws out the implication of that work for the assessment of children’s pathways and patterns of development and interest. This work along with that of Drummond (1993) exemplifies vividly how much of children’s learning there is to see if practitioners are open to seeing it by looking beyond what children can tell us and instead o bserving what they actually can do. Play provides an important vehicle and context for this work. Key point During the early childhood period, children’s learning is highly complex and is made visible through assessing carefully and thoughtfully.Key theoretical constructs for assessment Dahlberg, Moss and Pence (1999) observe that in recent years, especially in Western Europe, there has been a process of rethinking childhood that has led to new constructions of the child. They locate this process in a number of interrelated developments with respect to learning theories; philosophy; psychology; sociology; and a concurrent questioning of previous understandings in these fields. From this post-modern perspective, the young child is seen, from the start of life, as a construction of his or her own world.This is very similar to the perspective adopted by Malaguzzi (1993), the founder of the world-renowned Reggio Emilia pre-schools in Italy. Dahlberg et al. (1999) describe how in Reggio Emilia pre-schools, the young child is understood as a unique, complex individual who is rich in the sense that he or she is equipped from the start to engage fully and actively in their world. A wider discussion of these perspectives follows. 13 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessmentEcological perspectives Ecological and socio-cultural theories of learning have largely dominated explanations of development and learning in early childhood in recent years. For instance, ecological (Bronfenbrenner 1979) and bioecological (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 1998) models of human development have been influential in efforts to understand learning and development and associated processes such as assessment. These models emphasise the role in human development of both the environment and of processes.The research paper, Perspectives on the relationship between education and care (Hayes, 2007) in turn highligh ts both the importance of care and education in facilitating children’s overall development. From this perspective, human development is seen as taking place as a result of progressively more complex reciprocal interactions (p. 996) between the young child and the people, objects and symbols in the environment. To be effective the interactions must occur on a fairly regular basis over extended periods of time (p. 996).These enduring forms of interaction (proximal processes) are seen as key to learning and development and we must study these interactions over time and alongside the observation of behaviour in natural settings. From an ecologicaltheory perspective, Bronfenbrenner (1979) describes how the learner can participate in increasingly more complex learning situations and in doing so take increasingly greater responsibility in the learning situation. The perspective also emphasises the agency or active nature of children in their interactions with adults, objects and sy mbols.The model can be used to draw attention to the interpersonal and situational aspects of assessment, for example: the importance of the personal characteristics of the child and the adult in the assessment context, the importance of reciprocal interactions between child and adult and the importance of assessing children’s level of engagement with the objects and symbols provided in the immediate environment. Thus the ecological approach emphasises assessment of children engaged in real tasks in natural settings.This perspective sits very well with the socio-cultural perspective that we look at next. Socio-cultural perspectives In the past two decades socio-cultural perspectives, that is perspectives that highlight the social and cultural nature of learning, are increasingly used to explain the ways that learning and development occur in early childhood (Anning, Cullen and Fleer, 2004). Socio-cultural theories of learning suggest that the process of learning is as much a social construction as it is an individual one. Rogoff (1998, p. 91) describes development as transformation of participation. Transformation occurs at a number of levels: for instance, the learner changes at the level of their involvement, in the role they play in the learning situation, in the ability they demonstrate in moving flexibly from one learning context to another, and in the amount of responsibility taken in the situation. Activity theory also concentrates on the social aspects of learning. Activity theory Activity theory, which is a development of aspects of Vygotsky’s work (See for example, Engerstrom et al. 1999), is also being highlighted as a theoretical framework that may be useful in explaining the complexity of learning–related issues in early childhood. Fleer, Anning and Cullen (2004) explain how activity theory, in common with Rogoff’s discussion of socio-cultural theory, focuses on the study of the complexity of human behaviour in social g roups and in specific contexts. The theory is premised on the notion that the contextual features of a task contribute to †¦ performance on that task (p. 178).Furthermore, children use tools such as language, a particular action or resource to mediate knowledge in interactions with others. But the cultural features of the context in which they use these tools influences the way activities are performed and understood. Key point If socio-cultural theory informs our understanding of how children learn, it also by implication informs our understanding of assessment. 14 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessmentWhat all of these perspectives hold in common is their emphasis on the socially constructed nature of learning and of assessment. There are a number of other important constructs that also unite them to greater or lesser degrees. These include children’s agency, the importance of collaborati on, and the co-construction of meaning and knowledge. These constructs are particularly helpful when thinking about the quality of the interactions between practitioners and young learners. Quality interactions are increasingly recognised as central to pedagogy (Black and Wiliam 1998a; Siraj-Blatchford et al. , 2002).The next sub-section discusses these ideas in some detail, and in doing so, draws out the implications for assessment practices in early childhood. Children’s agency Bruner (1999a) argues that advances in the study of human development provide us with a profile of the child as an active, intentional being; with knowledge as ‘man-made’ rather than simply there; with ways to negotiate with others in the construction of knowledge. (See French (2007) for more detailed information. ) A crucial aspect of identity and self-esteem is that the child sees him/her self as an agent in control of his/her own actions.Some ways in which children display their agenc y is by taking the initiative in learning situations, by observing and becoming involved in ongoing events, or by initiating conversations with others. Agency is about taking more control of your own mental activity (Bruner, 1996, p. 87). Bruner argues that the agentive mind is not only active in nature but it seeks out dialogue and discourse with other active minds (p. 93). Bruner (1999a) identifies efforts to recognise children’s perspectives in the processes of learning as highly significant and he uses the term pedagogy of mutuality (p. 3) to describe the pedagogy that arises from such endeavours. It is premised on the belief that children are able to reason; to make sense (both alone and in discourse with others); to reflect and to hold theories about self and about the world. The practitioner, according to Bruner (p. 12) is concerned with understanding what the child thinks and how he/she arrives at what he/she believes. He identifies four key research constructs which have enriched this perspective on teaching and learning (and by implication assessment):  ¦Ã‚ ¦Intersubjectivity – how the child develops the ability to read other minds  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Theory of mind – the child’s grasp of another’s intentional state  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Meta-cognition – what the child thinks about learning, remembering thinking  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Collaborative learning – how children, through talk and discussion, explain and revise their thinking. These theoretical ideas are important also in the analysis of assessment as it relates to early learning and development. Children’s collaboration in learning is also important and this is considered below. Key pointThe active role which children themselves play in their interactions with others needs to be recognised and taken into account in any assessment of learning. Children’s collaboration in learning Zone of proximal development Vygotsky’s theory of learning (1978; 1986) has bee n highly influential in helping to explain the processes of learning in early childhood. In particular, his notion of the zone of proximal development has provided the foundation and potential for some of the most important recent initiatives in the assessment of individual children’s learning (Lunt, 2000).Berk and Winsler (1995) describe Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) as a dynamic zone of sensitivity in which learning and cognitive development occur. Tasks that children cannot do individually but they can do with help from others invoke mental functioning that are currently in the process of developing, rather than those that have already matured (p. 26). It appears that Vygotsky originally introduced the ZPD in the context of arguing against intelligence testing which he felt was seeking to assess something static and did not reflect the dynamic and ever-changing 5 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and developm ent through formative assessment nature of human cognition. Adult-child collaboration within the ZPD is critical for effective teaching and learning interactions because it is within such interactions that the practitioner identifies how the child may be assisted in learning and what the child is capable of doing with appropriate support. The practitioner also has the opportunity to assess the impact of such support on the child’s progress.This approach to assessment effectively merges the teaching and assessment processes. It is commonly referred to as dynamic assessment. When Feuerstein (1979) first proposed this form of assessment he was envisioning, in essence, a joint problem-solving situation during which the practitioner gauges the nature and extent of assistance required by the child in order to solve the problem. Children’s responsiveness to appropriate instructional interactions is a key factor in dynamic assessment situations and it is now considered to be a n important predictor of learning potential (Berk and Winsler, 1995).Lidz (1991) emphasises that: The focus of dynamic assessment is on the assessor’s ability to discover the means of facilitating the learning of the child, not on the child’s demonstration of ability to the assessor (as cited in Berk and Winsler, 1995, p. 139). Dynamic assessment is considered by Berk and Winsler (ibid. ) as especially useful for making visible the learning potential of those children whose early experiences do not include experiences that prepare them for learning in group/institutional settings. (For a comprehensive discussion of dynamic assessment and emerging approaches to such assessment, see Lunt, 2000).The concept of scaffolding is often associated with ZPD and it is this which we turn our attention to next. Key point Practitioner’s interactions with children often incorporate both teaching and assessment. It is critical that the practitioner is capable of engaging certai n interactive skills in such situations since these will be necessary to ensure optimal learning and development. Scaffolding Effective scaffolding (Wood, Bruner and Ross, 1976), where the adult guides the child’s learning in the ZPD, is an important feature of the engagement of the child in joint problem solving.Here, the child interacts with the practitioner while the two are jointly trying to reach a goal and this results in the establishment of intersubjectivity (Newson and Newson, 1975). Intersubjectivity refers to the process whereby two participants achieve a shared understanding whilst undertaking a task that they approach from different perspectives. The parties co-construct meanings in activities that involve higher–order thinking (Vygotsky, 1978). Rogoff (1998) emphasises the ongoing mutual process of understanding, which is inherent in joint problemsolving interactions.She also draws attention to the institutional and cultural aspects of joint problemsolvin g activities. She distinguishes between her socio-cultural approach to studying experts’ support of novices’ learning and other approaches which focus on particular techniques such as scaffolding. Rogoff distinguishes between the concepts of ‘scaffolding’ and of working in the zone of proximal development. She describes scaffolding as a specific technique focusing on what experts provide for novices; it focuses on the tutor’s efforts as they relate contingently to the novice’s successes and failures (p. 699).However, working in the zone of proximal development is, in her view, wider than scaffolding. It focuses on the processes of communication that builds a continually evolving mutual perspective. It is a way of describing an activity in which someone with greater expertise assists someone else †¦ to participate in socio-cultural activities in a way that exceeds what they could do otherwise (p. 699). Mutual contribution is an essential consideration so interactions and communicative and collaborative processes all form part of the picture, rather than just the child’s successes or errors as in scaffolding.Rogoff argues that The concept of scaffolding does not refer to the institutional and cultural context in which it occurs, whereas the concept of zone of proximal development requires attention to processes of communication and the relation of the interaction at hand to institutional, cultural and historic processes. (p. 700) 16 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Key point Supporting children’s learning is an important part of assessment. For the practitioner this is often far more complex than simply applying a technique such as scaffolding.Learners make an equally important contribution. Intersubjectivity and collaboration are important in scaffolding children’s learning and we look at these two concepts b elow. Intersubjectivity and collaboration Rogoff (1990; 1998) has illustrated how children make an important contribution in collaborating in the process of establishing joint understanding. Children, including infants in the first year of life, can sometimes be observed to be deliberately taking the lead in collaborative activities by seeking information or by directing activities.Rogoff’s analysis, consistent with Vygotsky, suggests that the intersubjectivity as achieved by adults and babies is different from that achieved by adults and children who can use linguistic (verbal and gestural) communication to achieve mutual understandings. This then has implications for the assessment process across the age range birth to six years. Working in the zone of proximal development with a toddler will include the adult engaging in the demonstration of objects, collaborative activity with objects and the focusing of the child’s attention.Rogoff (1998) points out that the child , for example in seeking to help the adult in everyday chores, very often initiates such activity. Older toddlers and young children will often seek to assert their independence in doing a particular task themselves but Rogoff’s analysis of the research suggests that they also will actively seek assistance when they are stuck. Recently a question has arisen about the capacity of early years settings to support the kinds of relationships and shared experiences that enable children to engage in the types of social participation that promote optimum learning (Parker-Rees, 2007).The research indicates that the nature and scope of babies, toddlers and children’s interactions with parents, the playful quality of these interactions and the extent to which relationships can influence reciprocal imitative behaviour (an important process of learning especially in the first year) must all be fully appreciated by practitioners and be seen as desirable conditions for learning in th e setting. Key point The concept of collaboration is key when considering assessment from a socio-cultural perspective.In collaborating, the child and the practitioner are involved in each other’s thinking processes through shared efforts. In order to assess certain aspects of learning by babies, toddlers and young children, it is essential for adults to collaborate with the children in order to understand their learning. The co-construction of knowledge is supported by intersubjectivity and collaboration and it is to this that we next draw our attention. Children as co-constructors of knowledgeIn recent times the term ‘co-construction’ has featured prominently in influential early childhood publications, although it was implicit in the last century in the work of Dewey (1933) who emphasised the ways in which children construct their learning by actively engaging in, and shaping, their experiences and environments. For instance, Jordan (2004) discusses the term s caffolding and compares it with coconstruction. The specific pattern of interaction that characterised early accounts of scaffolding, according to Jordan (ibid. and Rogoff (1998), generally maintained the power and control with the adult. They argue that the term co-construction emphasises the child as a powerful player in his/her own learning. An example of how this process of co-construction works in practice is illustrated in the discussions of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education (Edwards, Gandini and Forman, 1998). Co-construction refers to adults and children making meaning and knowledge together (MacNaughton and Williams, 2004).Co-construction recognises the child’s expertise and in order to understand this, the practitioner needs to interact with the child and become aware of the child’s thoughts and thereby to establish intersubjectivity. 17 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through f ormative assessment Recent research (Siraj-Blatchford et al. , 2002) also highlighted the process of co-construction and found it to be a key factor in terms of promoting children’s learning.Essentially a co-construction perspective emphasises understanding and meaning on the part of both child and adult, rather than the acquisition of facts by the child. Jordan (2004) concludes that the two concepts, scaffolding and co-construction have different applicability depending on whether the goal of the practitioner is the exploration of thinking or the achievement of pre-specified learning goals. Key point Co-construction of meaning and knowledge is central to teaching, learning and assessment and it occurs when both child and practitioner engage together in achieving mutual understanding.Play as a context for formative assessment As this paper demonstrates, children’s learning is complex and assessment approaches need to take cognisance of this. In early childhood, this co mplexity is abundantly evident as children engage in play. The importance of play to young children’s learning and development is a key principle for early childhood practitioners (Wood, 2004). Assessing children’s understandings and progress as they play, either alone or with others, is a crucial activity in early year’s settings. In assessing the child’s learning through play the adult can use a range of approaches and methods.Practitioners make assessments by focusing on children’s play interests, their levels of engagement and participation. They make assessments while skilfully engaging with children in play. Skilful engagement includes intervention in play as and when appropriate. Such interventions may serve to initiate or sustain interactions, thereby leading to shared talking and thinking. They may also involve scaffolding children in order to enable them to reach their potential at a particular time. (See the research paper, Play as a con text for early learning and development (Kernan, 2007) for detailed information on play. Children’s learning is a complex matter and assessment approaches need to take cognisance of this. The paper now looks at emerging approaches to assessment, all of which take account of play as a vehicle for learning and development. Key point Assessing children’s understandings and progress as they play, either alone or with others, is a crucial activity in early year’s settings. Emerging approaches to assessment The rationale for using assessment to enrich and extend children’s learning can be located in recent developments in society’s understandings of learning in the early years.For instance, in recent decades there have been very big changes in our understandings of human nature and of learning. Gardner (1999, p. 91) reviews what he describes as several lines of evidence from the cognitive, neural, and developmental sciences which point to a far more capa cious view of the human mind and of human learning than that which informed earlier conceptions. He presents a picture of assessment that builds on the newly emerging picture of human development (see Table 1). Gardner’s principles complement the earlier principles presented by Shepard et al. 1998). (See pages 16-17. ) 18 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Table 1: Gardner’s understanding of human development and assessment and Shepard’s guiding principles of assessment Features of human development Features of assessment In understanding human development, there is Assessment should  ¦Ã‚ ¦ be simple, natural and occurring on a reliable schedule evidence for the existence of multiple faculties or ‘intelligences’  ¦Ã‚ ¦ have ecological validity (be done in situations hat are real)  ¦Ã‚ ¦ recognition of vast individual differences;  ¦Ã‚ ¦  ¦Ã‚ ¦ the desirab ility of assessing learning in context utilise instruments that are intelligence-fair and not dependent on language or logical faculties  ¦Ã‚ ¦ locating competence and skill ‘outside the head of the individual’.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ use multiple measures  ¦Ã‚ ¦ be sensitive to individual differences, developmental levels and forms of expertise  ¦Ã‚ ¦ use materials which are intrinsically interesting and motivating  ¦Ã‚ ¦ yield information to be used for the learner’s benefit.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ a necessity for a developmental perspective  ¦Ã‚ ¦ n emergence of a symbol-system perspective  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Performance and authentic assessment incorporate some of Gardner’s ideas and a discussion of these follows below. Performance assessment and authentic assessment Emerging approaches to assessment take account of developments in theories about learning and about human development. Performance assessment is currently seen as an approach that is particularly appropriate for asses sing many aspects of early learning and development (see Bowman et al. , 2001). Meisels (1999) describes performance assessment as assessments that are ounded on the notion that learning and development can only be assessed over time and in interactions with materials, objects and other people. In this approach to assessment, the expectation is that tasks must be practical, realistic and challenging for children (Torrance, 2001). Performance assessment implies observation of children as they undertake a number of routine tasks in early learning settings. According to Meisels (1999, p. 58) these should meet a number of criteria:  ¦Ã‚ ¦ tasks should bring together various skills that children display and demonstrate during the course of interactions  ¦ children should be assisted to perform to the very best of their ability  ¦Ã‚ ¦ tasks should be guided by developmental standards  ¦Ã‚ ¦ tasks should engage children in reflection about their work and in articulating their ideas about their learning. Authentic assessment is a type of performance assessment. It is described as compatible with the prevailing philosophy that emphasises whole child development (Puckett and Black 2000, p. 6). This philosophy explains development across a range of domains (for example social, moral, emotional, language and cognitive).It also recognises the diversity of early learning and the role of environmental factors in shaping that learning. From an authentic assessment perspective, curriculum and assessment are interwoven and emphasise relevant and meaningful experiences. Assessment focuses on what children do, and on how they do it in the context of meaningful tasks. Authentic assessment has a number of identifiable features (Puckett and Black, 2000, p. 7), including the following: 19 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment  ¦Ã‚ ¦ an emphasis on emerging development  ¦ a focus on the youn g child’s individual strengths and weaknesses  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is based on principles of child growth and development  ¦Ã‚ ¦ emanates from logical, meaningful, relevant and applicable curricula  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is performance based  ¦Ã‚ ¦ recognises different intelligence and learning styles  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is reflective and analytic  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is ongoing and occurs in many contexts  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is collaborative with learners, parents and others involved in children’s learning  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is interwoven with teaching. Key point Authentic assessment is compatible with a whole child perspective on learning and development. 20 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum FrameworkSupporting early learning and development through formative assessment Summary Where the purpose of assessment is to promote further learning, assessment becomes a particular type of teaching strategy. (See Marshall and Drummond, 2006). Assessment from a socio-cultural perspective takes account of the key learning processes as de termined by socio-cultural theory. In particular, collaboration and the importance in that process of the establishment of mutual understanding (intersubjectivity) need to be emphasised, as do ideas about children’s agency and those related to the co-construction of knowledge and understanding.An understanding of the different processes that contribute to children’s learning, and the types of interactions that promote it are key to understanding how such learning can best be assessed. The recognition of these processes at work is also central in conceptualising assessment approaches that take account of and display the key role of children themselves in the assessment process. Authentic assessment reflects new understandings about learning and about human development, and recognises the holistic, contextualised and dynamic nature of learning in early childhood.Having discussed the interconnection between how children learn and approaches to assessment, the next section looks at what to assess in children’s early learning and development. 21 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 3: What to assess in early learning This section of the paper identifies aspects of learning that are of concern in assessing children’s early learning and development. The challenges of assessing a wide range of learning and development in a balanced way are discussed.The essentials of learning Skills and knowledge are important in respect of early learning. However, increasingly there are calls for a wider view of what it is that children are learning in the years from birth to six, and for explicitness about other areas of children’s development that are now recognised as critical for long term success. For instance, Bertram and Pascal (2002) identify social competence, emotional well-being and dispositions to learn as core constituent elements of the effectiv e learner.In relation to each of these areas they identify elements that characterise the effective learner. Indicators related to disposition include independence, creativity, self-motivation and resilience. Those related to emotional literacy include empowerment, connectedness, and positive self-esteem. Those related to social competence inco