The number of adult learners continues to increase on a daily basis. Learning opportunities exist in different settings, such as formal institutions and places of work (Fink 19). Adult learners are different from their younger counterparts. Consequently, teaching them has its unique challenges. One of them is frustration and resistance among this group.
Project Type and Specific Topic
Instructors dealing with adult learners face various challenges in the course of their work. One issue is frustration and resistance from these individuals. Adult students have their own set of expectations and reasons for learning (Galbraith 59). However, they are easily frustrated and become resistant when things do not turn out as expected.
Rationale for Choosing the Topic
The reason for choosing this topic is because most instructors dealing with adult learners report facing the aforementioned problem when dealing with them. Adult students have different levels of motivations, expectations, and experiences. According to McKeachie and Svinicki, some of them have been out of the classroom setting for a long time (77). Consequently, getting back to school may be an intimidating experience. Within the course of learning, adult students get frustrated and discouraged when they feel that they are making little or no progress. In addition, some resist learning in instances where they do not see the importance of a specific activity. Such attitudes are infectious.
Conclusion
Adult learners are more sophisticated and experienced compared to young students. Teaching them is both rewarding and challenging. By understanding their needs and behavior patterns, instructors can effectively manage the challenges posed by these learners.
Nature of Educational Setting and Program Taught
The interview took place within a formal adult learning education center. Students attend classes from Monday to Thursday between 6:30pm to 9:00pm. All the learners enrolled in the institution are eighteen years and above. Their primary aim of attending school is to evaluate their learning experiences.
The interviewee teaches composition to these learners. The unit entails teaching different writing skills (Boshier 66). The scholars are taught how to compose essays in both descriptive and persuasive manners.
Interview Questions
What is the Average Age of yours Students?
Most of the students in the classroom are aged between 20 and 30 years. However, a few are in their 50s. In spite of the differences in age, all students are treated in the same way. Respect is of utmost importance.
What do you like about your Job?
Teachers are happy when they make an impact on the life of their student (Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner 54). The educator likes the fact that most of the learners find writing to be interesting and relevant to their careers. Majority of them work for different institutions. As such, they take the course as part of their management program. When learners love a course, teaching becomes enjoyable.
What are the Challenges of Teaching Adult Students?
One of the challenges outlined by the educator is time constraint. Most adult students juggle between personal and professional obligations outside the classroom (Hoare 79). In addition, some are faced with financial difficulties. Such problems affect their learning process and ability to absorb concepts. Due to the busy schedule of these learners, the teacher is at times forced to go against class policies and deadlines. The reason for this is to allow for flexibility.
What have you Learned in your Position?
The teacher cited having learned different things within the course of their career as an adult educator. Instructors dealing with grown-ups are able to accommodate and manage a group of different people with ease (Boshier 61). In addition, the teacher has been able to better understand adult learners and their expectations. The understanding enables instructors to know how to give instructions and assignments.
What are some of the Advantages of Teaching Adults?
The tutor outlined several benefits of teaching adults. Adult learners are more organized and prepared for classes than young students (Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner 58). In addition, they are more interested in what the instructor is teaching. The reason is because most courses are relevant to their profession. Another advantage of teaching adult students is that they bring different perceptions and experiences to the classroom.
What Advice do you have for someone starting out?
According to the instructor, teachers dealing with adults should not pretend to know everything. The reason is because they are experts in teaching whereas their learners are specialists in their fields of profession. Tutors starting out should understand they have a lot to learn from grown-up learners (Hoare 77). The papers written by such scholars in class are full of enriching information on various topics.
Comparison between the Interview and Class Teaching
Most of the instructors responses were similar to what was learned in class. Some of the similarities include the issues touching on the fact that young and adult learners have different characteristics. For example, adults are more organized compared to their younger counterparts. In addition, grown-ups have more experience. As a result, these learners are able to solve problems much better using their extensive knowledge. Adults are also more concerned and focused on their education compared to young learners.
Works Cited
Boshier, Peter. Perspectives of Quality in Adult Learning, London: Continuum, 2006. Print.
Galbraith, Michael. Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction. 3rd ed. 2004. Malabar, Fla.: Krieger Pub. Print.
Hoare, Carol. Handbook of Adult Development and Learning, Oxford: Oxford UP, 2006. Print.
McKeachie, James, and Marilla Svinicki. McKeachies Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 12th ed. 2006. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Print.
Merriam, Sharan, Rosemary Caffarella, and Leonard Baumgartner. Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide. 3rd ed. 2007. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Print.
Education process involves the transmission of knowledge from one source to a recipient or recipients with an intention of creating awareness on a given range in a particular field. This may happen in a school set up or in an informal set-up. The education process includes implementation of diverse programs which are drafted by the relevant governments departments entrusted with the role of education transmission.
Main body
In most cases this role is normally assigned to the ministry of education. For the majority of the government plans to be implemented, there is a need to have well laid programs by the relevant ministry. A good educational program is one that will determine the progress achieved by each of the individual stages of either formal or informal education (Creswell, 2005).
This paper wishes to explore the methods that are open for a program implementer to use with a sole aim of looking at ways in which the data can be collected, compiled and analyzed. The method to be used may in some cases depend on the program in question although in most cases the contents of a program may in most cases have minimal variances (Creswell, 2005).
The program selected by the writer of this paper involves administering formal education to adults from less privileged from a given area. The first stage will involve the establishment of the number of adults who may be affected by the problem of illiteracy so as to identify the amount of resources that may need to be allocated by the ministry of education. The data collection methods will involve sampling of the data after seeking permission from the relevant authorities (Embassy of the United states Department of states nd). In order to collect data perfectly, there is need for random sampling of the data.
This particular paper will involve administration of open ended interviews and making observations from those observations. This will make it possible for the interviewer to float questions to the interviewees in an interview all geared to extracting information from the people. However, the right protocol ought to be followed by the people carrying out the interview. Reliable instruments ought to be used while doing the actual collection of data. The sampling should be done purposefully to avoid unnecessary information.
The strategies that are available for use and each one has a purpose that it serves in the sampling process. The differences between the variables ought to be maximized as much as possible so as to ensure that in each. In most cases the variables may include race, academic level and the gender of the interviewees.
The data is then recorded systematically in interview forms, audiotapes, photographs and other recording devices. To ensure that it is successfully done, it may be coded so as to
Conclusion
In general the method used by a researcher to gather information from a given source for a particular purpose depends on a number of factors. It is the role of the interviewer to organize the factors so as to come up with a complete report on the information required. The above factors need to be adhered to for this to be done successfully. It is only after these things have been met that the research becomes useful.
References
Creswell, J.W. (2005). Educational research: planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative techniques research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Person Education.
Embassy of the United States Department of States. 2010. Web.
Required Text: Myers, D.G. (2013). Psychology. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Purpose: The purpose of the course is to introduce students to central concepts and principles of psychology.
Student learning outcomes
to understand major concepts, theories and principles in psychology;
to understand similarities, differences and ties among theories and concepts in psychology;
to apply theories, concepts, methods in students life;
to develop the necessary skills to continue studies in the field.
Course structure
Week 1: History of psychology, modern methods, ethical issues in psychology.
Week 2: Biological psychology, human brain and its functioning, neurons.
Week 3: Human perception, behavior, perceptual development.
Week 4: Consciousness, hypnosis, dreaming.
Week 5: Learning, types of conditioning, reinforcement.
Week 6: Intelligence, creativity, memory.
Week 7: Emotions and motivation, Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, positive psychology.
Week 8: Personality, genetic and social effects on personality, Freudian theory, personality traits.
Week 9: Social psychology, stereotypes, aggression.
Week 10: Psychological disorders and their treatment.
Evaluation
Participation points will be provided to students who take an active part in the discussion. The discussion will be based on materials provided in class (videos, texts, online resources). The points will be given in terms of relevance of contribution and novelty as compared to contributions of other students.
Written assignments will also be a part of the evaluation. Each week, students will provide a brief reflection essay on the week discussion (with a focus on their learning process). Students will also write 5 papers (700-1000 words) during the course. One paper will be written each two weeks.
The final exam will include a test of 100 multiple-choice questions and a paper (1000-1300 words) on an issue discussed during the course.
Evaluation of the Syllabus
The syllabus is developed in terms of the principles of heutagogical principles. Gazxi (2014) states that heutagogical is based on the principle of students self-determination and reflection as well as orientation on students. It is also stressed that adult education should include these components as adult learners are somewhat different from younger students and methods used for younger learners may be less efficient. Hence, the course in question contains these elements. Of course, it equips students with a set of knowledge and skills on particular topics in psychology. Importantly, it presupposes a lot of students reflection and development of skills of a lifelong learner. Blaschke (2012) stresses that the heutagogical learning involves development of learners skills as well as capacity to learn.
The written assignments (which are prevalent types of assessment) focus on reflection and they are consistent with the heutagogical principles. They will be central in achieving this heutagogical goal. These tasks will help unveil students ideas on learning, their own academic goals and learning peculiarities. These assignments will also help them explore the challenges they face or might face and their own capacity to learn. Students will be able to reflect on their progress and ways they have developed to address the challenges they face. Importantly, these reflections should also be a part of the class discussion. The educator will guide students in their self-exploration and will draw students attention on the skills necessary for lifelong learning. Notably, some topics are closely connected with perception, learning and motivation. These sessions will be especially important for the heutagogical component of the course. The educator will draw students attention to various techniques and methods of learning they can apply in their studies. Again, it essential to launch discussions and encourage students to share their ideas and the techniques they use.
Importantly, a lot of attention will be paid to discussion and students contributions. Mundhe and Herkal (2013) note that heutagogical approach requires a special focus on learners needs and development of students capability to learn. The discussions will help the educator as well as students identify students needs. Msila (2013) claims that higher education should be characterized by the use of interactive methods and materials as this equips students with skills necessary for lifelong learning. Wang and Kania-Gosche (2011) also stress that the use of technology is vital for adult learners as it facilitates the learning process and makes it more student-centered.
It is possible to note that the syllabus incorporates certain traces of MOOC as it involves interaction of students and interactive tasks. Researchers stress that MOOCs are effective in adult learning as they help develop lifelong learners through interaction and availability of resources (Beaven, Hauck, Comas-Quinn, Lewis & De Los Arcos, 2014). This course involves the use of various online resources that will help students to gain the necessary knowledge and skills.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that the course in question is based on heutagogical principles as it helps students develop skills necessary for lifelong learning. The students will not simply learn some information on psychology but they will develop certain skills to become effective learners. Discussion and reflection as well as the use of a variety of resources will help achieve this educational goal.
Reference List
Beaven, T., Hauck, M., Comas-Quinn, A., Lewis, T. & De Los Arcos, B. (2014). MOOCs: Striking the right balance between facilitation and self-determination. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 31-43.
Gazxi, Y. (2014). Proceedings from 121st ASEE: Issues surrounding a heutagogical approach in global engineering education. Indianapolis, IN: Texas A&M University.
Msila, V. (2013). Teacher-learners search for relevance: Lessons from a principals leadership/management qualification in South Africa. Int J Edu Sci, 5(4), 443-452.
Mundhe, K.L., & Herkal, S.C. (2013). Life long learning: Progression from pedagogy to andragogy then to heutagogy. An International Peer Reviewed Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies. Web.
Wang, V.C.X., & Kania-Gosche, B. (2011). Assessing adult learners using Web 2.0 technologies. International Journal of Technology in teaching and Learning, 7(1), 61-78.
Planning for a career is as important as any part of working to achieve the necessary requirement for the career as having the necessary qualifications without having a clear direction as to where one is heading to in terms of the career is not feasible (Department of Civil Service, 2007, para. 4). I intend to become an Early Intervention Specialist in the future and I have started the process by pursuing a Social Sciences Degree which is required in that field of work. I met with an Early Intervention Specialist in one of the Institutions offering Early Intervention Services to children and learned the following about the job market, the career requirements, both academic and otherwise as well as the monetary and nonmonetary benefits that come with working in the industry.
The Education requirements include a High School Diploma or a Graduate Equivalence Diploma (GED) as well as a post-secondary Bachelorss Degree in a relevant field. Seeing as I am a Social Sciences Major and I already have a High School Diploma, I fit within the requirements of the job industry. I was informed that certification from relevant organizations such as the Child Development Associate would be of importance as it will prove the acquisition of relevant training and knowledge of the necessary and required standards as is expected of all professionals working in the field.
The Early Intervention Specialist I interviewed gave me a detailed description of the general duties of an Intervention Specialist which include but are not limited to the following: First it is necessary for the specialist to come up with a schedule that is specifically created for the child who requires the services as well as the childs family. This is necessary as it acts as a guideline for the whole program and offers a sense of stability and consistency for the child and the family. Record keeping is a necessary requirement for the job as it is in such records that the childs progress is documented. Dealing with the childs family is also necessary and in most cases, one is supposed to offer advice to the families on how to handle the child therefore it is necessary for the specialist to be well trained in this sector. Constant evaluation and supervision of the childs and familys progress are also necessary and it should also be documented. Most of the duties center on the child and may vary depending on the childs condition and progress.
I learned that the working environment also depends on the general schedule and may even take place in the familys home and is not necessarily limited to classrooms and daycare facilities. This, therefore, requires a lot of flexibility on the part of the Early Intervention Specialist. The salary scale is reasonable and varies depending on the institution that one is employed in. The institutions are found both in the private and public sector and include government institutions, companies, and non-profit-making organizations. The salary and other nonmonetary benefits are dependent on ones level of experience and education. The sector offers a lot of room for career development both in terms of promotions and opportunities for advancing ones education. This is beneficial in my case as I plan to pursue a Post Graduate Degree in my field of education.
My interviewees were quick to point out that experience is very important in that line of work and advised that I attend Internship programs and also volunteer in institutions that offer such programs. The job also requires a lot of commitment and discipline as one is at times required to work for longer than necessary hours.
Career Plan
Mission and Objectives
When I come to the end of my career, I want to have accomplished a lot such that I will be recognized as one of the people who made a difference in the lives of children and their families and organizations in which I worked in as well as others which were associated with my line of work. Such recognition does not come easily and therefore hard work and dedication are imperative as I seek to make a difference in the lives of people. The Education I am acquiring at the moment is of great importance in helping me jumpstart my career but I also recognize the importance of acquiring practical skills and Internships are part of my plans to acquire such experience.
I am a Social Science major and upon the completion of my coursework I intend to immediately start looking for a job in order to kick off my intended career as an Early Intervention Specialist. At the moment I am sending out applications to various organizations looking for internship opportunities. In case this does not work, I plan to volunteer in any Early Intervention organization that will require volunteers as this is also a viable way of acquiring experience as well as exposure in the working environment. My goals are both short-term and long-term. The short-term goal is to seek employment in a viable institution and from there work on my long-term goals which include career development as well as furthering my Education to the Postgraduate and Doctorate level. I am also seeking to be enrolled in an Early Intervention Specialist program in order to acquire the necessary certification. After the acquisition of the necessary education and experience, I hope to seek a higher level of employment in a management position either in the organization I will be working with at the time or any other that will offer me that opportunity.
Career Path
First Job: Early Intervention Specialist I
The Educational requirements for this level include a High School Diploma and a Bachelorss Degree in a relevant field. But the time I complete my degree course I will be eligible for a position in this level of employment. The main duties for this level of work include planning, organizing, coordinating, and keeping records regarding the childrens progress as well as other duties as may be required by the organization. I will be able to carry out these duties efficiently and effectively by then as I will also have acquired practical work experience.
Second Job: Early Intervention Specialist II
The Education requirements at this level are similar to those of an Early Intervention Specialist I but require an additional certificate or license from a recognized professional body such as the Child Development Associate. I plan to have acquired the certificate by then. Additional duties will include supervision and development of family-based plans as opposed to childrens plans, team, and services coordination. I will have the necessary experience to be able to work at this level. I plan to be studying for my post-graduate degree as I continue working at this level.
Third Job: Early Intervention Specialist II
This level will be attained based on experience, say five years which I plan to have by then. This will mean even more responsibilities at an organization level and supervision level such as supervising Early Intervention Specialists in the first and second levels. While at this level, I plan to have completed my post-graduate degree and will thus be eligible for an even higher position, probably at the management level.
Fourth Job: Management Level Position
I will have the necessary experience and education qualifications for a management-level position. The experience required at this level will be high but coupled with my Education qualifications I believe I will be eligible. By then my experience will be between seven and ten years. The salary scale at this level is high and it will enable me to pay for my doctorate degree. These jobs need not be in the same organization as I will explore opportunities from various institutions in order to diversify my knowledge to include the industry level apart from that acquired in a specific institution. I also hope to have formed the necessary networks that will help me reach my goals and objectives in making an impact on peoples lives.
Summary
Organization, commitment, and hard work are necessary in order to follow through with a career plan (Baby Watch, 2010, para. 2). I am committed to mine. It is important to note that challenges will be faced and I have alternative plans that will ensure continuity and stability in case things do not work out as I have planned them. In order to cope well with the requirements of this industry, one needs to be flexible, open-minded and rounded which I am and so far it has helped me adapt well in different situations. Early Intervention Specialist is a career path that I have always been drawn to and personal interests fit well within its job description and with that, I stand to make a difference.
References
Baby Watch. (2010). Early Intervention Credentialing Guide and Portfolio Planner. Web.
Department of Civil Service. (2007). Early Intervention Specialist 1, 2, 3. Web.
In the present-day world, the reputation of every single Epson is measured by his/her success, and that is something to think about. While the idea of obtaining a valuable experience even at the cost of failure is somewhat admitted as a good one, the focus of the society is still on the achievements rather than on lifes lessons and what they have taught one. In his paper, Zinsser explains that the constant focus on the positive result forces the American youth into an extremely exhausting lifestyle: I see four kinds of pressure working on college students today: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure (Zinsser). Moreover, according to the author, with a well though-out plan of victories and the crowning achievement, in the end, the life of the American youth becomes rather dull: They want a map right now that they can follow unswervingly to career security, financial security, social security and, presumably, a prepaid grave (Zinsser).
Too Much of a Good Thing: Zinsser Has a Point
It must be admitted that at certain point, Zinsser pins down the basic negative aspect of the whole idea of the American Dream; indeed, the key problem of the present-day youth is that they are in a rush for their highest peak, with no regard for the current achievements and not being able to evaluate the positive and the negative aspects of a certain experience. As Zinsser explains, Achievement is the national god, venerated in our media the million-dollar athlete, the wealthy executive and the glorified in our praise of possessions (Zinsser). Obviously, there is a grain of truth in Zinssers train of thoughts the focus on success presupposes that the young people will not be able to analyze the results of their work, deriving both the negative and the positive information they will take a failure as an utter defeat, and the success as the complete victory, without analyzing the benefits and the drawbacks of their current state of affairs. Thus, one must admit that Zinssers argument seems rather legitimate.
Savoring the Victory: My Experience of Success
Despite the arguments offered above in support of Zinssers ideas, it is necessary to mention that experiencing a moment of success is much harder in terms of its analysis; once tasting the victory, one is bound to aim at reliving the moment of triumph again and again without the concern for the significance of experience derived from a negative result. Moreover, fear of negative results can arise. For example, my personal experience of success could have led to my following the blazed trail of the American Dream and fearing any possible negative results. Once, writing an assignment from school, I came up with the idea that led beyond the topic area and pushed me into philosophical reflections. After putting much effort into this task, I was really delighted to see that I received an excellent mark for it, and at the same time it hurt me to realize that the next paper might not match the excellence of this one, which made me spend days polishing the next paper. The given consequence would have seemed rather good if I had analyzed what exactly brought me an excellent mark. Instead, I was just keeping my fingers crossed to get an excellent mark next time, which, of course, led to nothing or, in my case, to another B.
The Definition of Successful Life: In Search for the Grail
When it comes to defining the essence of success, the concept of eternal triumph does seem somewhat unrealistic. Personally, I believe that having bad days is not that tragic and that negative experience is essential for the shaping of ones personality; however, this is what I believe as long as my own life is successful enough. To be honest, I have to admit that for me, utter success means that none of my actions leads to any trouble of major scale and that I can handle any difficulties that may possibly arise.
Thus, my definition of success is that I do not have any record of the actions that I feel ashamed for and that my actions lead me gradually to the goal, which I have in mind. Even with a couple of events that I can possibly have some regrets for, I can feel quite satisfied as long as I know that I can plan something meaningful and put my ideas to practice efficiently.
My Ideas Related to Zinssers and Levines Experiences
The truth is that both Zinsser and Levine are right in their idea of success and peoples evaluation of achievements, and both of them are actually trying to convey the same idea, yet in a different manner. While Zinsser explains the increase of the modern life pace as a result of running to achieve something grand and be bin time for the moment of success, Levine points out that each culture has its specific pace of life, and there is hardly anything one can do about it. According to Levine, Seemingly simple words like now, snapped out by an impatient New Yorker, and later, said by a relaxed Californian, suggest a world of difference (Levine).
Therefore, while Zinsser does leave people some chance for redemption and attempts to pace out their lives in a more realistic and reasonable way, Levine makes it obvious that it is the national spirit that sets the pace. Hence, according to Levine, to reset ones own success clock , one has to change the national perception of time, which is a million times harder. Although it seems to me that Levine makes more sense talking about the national pace of life as something that can be changed only nationwide, I would rather bring it to an even greater level the level of epoch. It is the era that predetermines the pace of life, and the difference between various nations is only due to the cultural specifics.
Conclusion: Failure as Another Step Towards Success
Hence, it is clear that true success is impossible without any single experience of failure; only knowing how deep one can fall, one will be able to fly really high. Like it is truly impossible to cognize the good without actually knowing the good from the bad, one will not be able to achieve success or, for that matters, know that (s)he has achieved success without learning previously what actually failure is.
However, the mentality of success, which makes the youth of the USA push themselves to the breaking point with their studying and careers, is quite understood as well. Admitting the very possibility of failure, one can become rather vulnerable to a variety of factors and become far more careful in his/her decisions than it is desirable. Hence, where the person who knows nothing about failure goes fearless, the cautious ones fear to tread, thus, losing a number of chances to succeed. Thus, it must be admitted that there must be a golden mean between reckless chase for success and excessive caution.
Works Cited
Levine, Robert. Social Time: The Heartbeat of Culture . Psychology Today (1985): 28-35. Web.
This report consists of data collected in two reading interest surveys conducted in various schools and at different levels (elementary school grade 1 to 3 and primary level grade 6 to 8). The problem of reading among the student population was documented through these surveys and teachers observations. The data compiled indicated that most students were selective in their reading patterns due to low self esteem, negative attitude towards learning and reading, lack of parental intervention and interest in the reading patterns of the students and low motivational factors towards reading. The survey questionnaires consisted of specific questions which aimed at establishing the reading interests of the student as regarding to the type of literature, motivational factors, access to books and the students attitude towards reading. They were also inclusive of the parents comment and contribution to the reading patterns of their children.
Introduction
Getting an education is by far the most important aspect in human lives. A good education guarantees a brighter future and a chance to succeed through the various challenges that we may come across as we try to fulfill our career objectives and goals. As such, various scholars and researchers have over the years tried to understand the motivational factors that influence our reading interests as well as our attitudes towards reading. Reading interest surveys have as a result been developed with an aim of assisting the teachers and parents understand the strengths and weaknesses of the students in regards to their reading behaviors and preferences. The aim of such surveys is often to equip the teachers and parents with the necessary knowledge on how best they can assist these students to work through their challenges and capitalize on their strengths (Reif & Heimburge, 2007). This paper shall review two such surveys carried out in elementary and primary school levels. The data shall be analyzed in a bid to understand the difference in reading perceptions among the students as well as the reasons behind the reading choices that these students make. A summary of each survey shall be compiled in relation to reading likes and dislikes, reading habits and attitudes of the students, the parents attitudes towards reading, motivational factors and finally, the students perception to e-learning (digital readings).
Survey review (A Study of Reading Motivation Techniques with Primary Elementary School Students)
Data report
According to Burlew, Gordon & Holst (2000) the main aim of their survey was to address the general lack of interest in reading for enjoyment exhibited by children in the first, second and third grade classes. Data collected in this survey indicated that the lack of reading motivation was as a result of the students allocating very little time for reading during their free times. In addition to this, Burlew, Gordon & Holst (2000) states that motivated readers generate their own learning opportunities. However, in this survey, it was discovered that most of the students lacked the opportunities and motivations to practice skills and strategies to further improve their reading capabilities. This they claim is due to low self esteem by these students as well as lack of adequate moral support from the teachers and parents. Additionally, they discovered that motivation to reading is developed through curiosity, involvement, social interchange and emotional satisfaction (Burlew, Gordon & Holst, 2000) .
Summary of results
The questions asked in the student survey were designed to determine whether the students liked reading, if they were good at reading, if they read for fun at home, if they liked to receive books as presents, if they had reading books at home and the things they liked doing during their free time (choices included T.V/ computer, reading and playing). In addition to this, there was a home reading log which indicated the time spent reading by these children at home and a parent information letter which would determine the assistance level the parents should offer to their children as pertaining to their choice of books and reading habits.
Data collected from the student survey indicated that 52% of the students population liked reading for fun, 54% agreed that they were good at reading, 68.9% stated that they enjoyed books as presents and nearly 40% of the students preferred T.V, computers and playing than reading during their free time especially during the fall season.
In addition to this, having a home reading log and parent intervention seemed to motivate more students to read, the reading habits of the students during the winter season was higher than during the fall and most parents consented to the parent information letter indicating that they had a positive attitude towards reading. On the same note, Burlew, Gordon & Holst (2000) reiterates that the fact the students spent most of their free time on the computers is an indication that they preferred e-books and digital readings since the computer has a vast array of knowledge and evokes curiosity among the students.
Conclusion
From this study, it is evident that most students have great interest in reading. However the lack of access to reading materials, motivation, priority, time organization and parental intervention may lead to low self esteem to the students as pertaining to reading and as a result, cause them to dislike reading. As such, it is important that both the teachers and the parents work together to ensure that they understand the childrens reading needs and help them realize them.
Survey review (Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District reading survey)
Data report
This survey was conducted in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District in Jan.2010. Data collected comprised of engagement and attitude questions which would provide a qualitative analysis of the reading habits, preferences and general attitude of the students towards reading. The data was evaluated in a percentile form depending on the questions asked and the answers provided by the students. The parameters used in the survey were; no interest, a little interest, some interest, a great deal of interest.
Summary of results
According to the survey, 42% of the students attested that they had a great deal of interest in reading fictional and non fictional books, 38% had some interest, 12% a little interest and 8% had no interest at all in such literature. In addition to this, 28% of the students preferred reading comics and graphic novels while 25% of the surveyed population showed no interest in the same. Also, it was noted that only 18% read newspapers while 38% had no interest in reading the newspapers. As regarding to reading motivations, 30% claimed that the authors of the books they chose to read were not important and only 10% viewed this as a cause to read a book. On the same note, 11% admitted to reading a book due to the cover design while 37% claimed that the cover had little importance as to why they read any book. Also, it was discovered that recommendations offered by friends motivated 40% of the students to read these books. 19% viewed such recommendations as very important, 29% claimed it was a little important and 13% said that it was not at all important.
On the other hand, reading habits exhibited by different students indicated that 60% of the students spent on average 0-30 minutes reading during school days while 19% never read at all. Additionally, 47% confessed to reading outside school for an average of 0-30 for their school work, 8% never read outside school and only 11% read for more that an hour under the same circumstances. Also, the survey data indicated that 29% of the students read for fun while 21% dont. On the same note, 41% of the surveyed students preferred to read in their spare time at home and during class time, 33% proffered to read at home and 13% read in their spare time. Also, only 35% agreed that they visited the library at least once every month, 16% never went to the library and 24% confirmed that they went once or more times each week to check for reading materials of their choice.
Data regarding the reading attitude of the students in this survey revealed that 43% felt positive about reading (liked reading) while 15% showed little interest and 7% had no interest in reading books. Also, 50% of the students stated that they were excellent readers, 39% said they were good readers with little difficulties and only 3% confessed that they actually struggled to read. On the same note, 41% acclaimed that reading was important to them while 6% said that it was not important. Additionally, 53% of the students indicated that they read because they enjoy reading, gathering new information and doing well in school, 8% said that they read in order to complete school work only and 14% said that they read so that they can complete school work and get descent grades. Conclusively, on matters pertaining to performance, 43% said that they were doing well in school, 3% were struggling, 41% excellent and 13% okay.
As per the preferences and choice of reading material, 36% stated that the material of the book influenced their decision and 13% said that the material was of no consequence to their choices. The survey also indicated that 45% of the total student population enjoyed reading adventure fictional books while 38% of the students showed little interest to romance fictions. Also, 56% of the students did not show any affiliated preference to book types. This means that they could read anything without prejudice or biasness to the theme, topic or type of the books. However, 4% claimed that the type of the book was important.
In regards to e-books and digital text, data collected during the survey indicated that 36% of the students had some interest in online materials, 24% showed a great deal of interest in the same, 29% had little interest and 10% had no interest at all. On the same note, 41% showed no interest in blogs, 30% had little interest and only 9% had a great detail in blogging. Additionally, 36% of the students showed some interest in emails and an equivalent figure had a great deal of interest in the same. This showed that the students in this school were well conversant with the internet and as the results indicate they had some interest in online materials.
The survey did not however cover the family attitude towards reading but from he data collected it is evident that most families encourage a reading culture in their homes. This can be deduced from the fact that 33% of the students preferred to read at home, a considerable figure read for fun and did most of their school work at home.
Conclusion
From this survey, the reading habits, preferences attitude and motivational factors of the students in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District have been analyzed. The findings therein indicate that the students in this region have truly grasped the essence of reading. However the teaches and parents should ensure that more is done in order to assist those students with low reading potentials in order to establish a knowledgeable and balanced future for these students.
References
Burlew, W, Gordon, T & Holst, C. (2000). A Study of Reading Motivation Techniques with Primary Elementary School Students. Web.
MCPASD. (2010). Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District reading survey. Web.
Reif, S, A & Heimburge, J, A. (2007). How to reach and teach all children through balanced literacy: user-friendly strategies, tools, activities, and ready-to-use materials. USA: John Wiley and Sons.
Test administration is meant to conclusively help the teacher gauge the level of achievement and skills learnt by the student in the relevant area. Mathematics and reading are the two areas of learning upon which this test is to be administered. In the assessment of the skills attained, the tests are formal with the reading area test diagnostic while the mathematics area is standardized but all are applied to the 5th Grade learner.
Mathematics Assessment Test for Fifth Grade
This assessment test is designed for a fifth grade learner. It is a standardized formal assessment based on the FCAT of 2007. The purpose of the assessment is to test the ability of the learner in the study areas of fractions, numbers and weights, probability, problem solving, time, distance, algebra and measurements according to the benchmark standards required by the Florida state for fifth grade.
The administration considerations include: each correctly answered question earns two points, a partially correct answer earns one point, while a wrong answer earns no point. It takes into consideration the grade level and current performance of the student. It is a test with fifty questions that are mostly based on multiple choice responses and other individual responses. The test is recommended to be administered occasionally throughout the course.
The skills to be measured for fifth grade assessment include: computational skills of basic mathematics, applications of mental computations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, basic arithmetic skills, comprehension skills in mathematical cases, application skills to real life situations and estimation abilities.
This standardized mathematics test has the strength of being summative hence can be used to measure the level of achievement of the learner in various topics and allows for no discrimination (McLoughlin & Lewis, 2005).
It also allows for validity in interpretation, convenience, effective revision, comparison and relating the topics of study as well as quick implementation while being comprehensive and convenient to be applied at many other times. The weakness of the test is its limitation in terms of scores, questions and multiple choices used.
Reading Assessment Test for Fifth Grade
This test is a standardized formal and diagnostic assessment test for fifth grade applied to Florida Sunshine State. The diagnostic test is to be applied formally and has criterion applications through the use of multiple choice responses. The purpose of the test is to identify the problem areas the student may have in reading.
The administration considerations are based on the Florida State standards and take into consideration the grade level of the student and the current performance. The considerations for answering the test is reading of the article provided as Betsy Brandon meets the president by Pollock, the poem Washington by Turner, What is an Ecosystem by Quinlan, Hernie, Hanato, Paniolo , The secret of summer , What are you figuring now by Ferris and Bricks by Jones.
The skills to be measured include the ability of the student to read English with speed and accuracy, the ability to write coherent sentences and short essays, comprehension abilities, vocabulary understanding, words analysis, decoding skills, phonemic analysis, cause/ effect interpretations, synonyms and anonyms, character analysis, comparison skills and interpretation including graphical interpretations. This mode of assessment has several strengths which are based on its validity.
It is also comprehensive and short enough to be done in one sitting or session and allows for comparisons (Sitlington, Neubert, Begun, Lombard & Lecconte, 2007). Further, the test allows for objectivity to include all the students despite their disabilities. The weakness of the test is that it did not cover all the areas of English that are taught at the students current level.
Conclusion
This paper has provided a summative analysis of the assessments in the areas of mathematics and reading for a fifth grade learner. The tests are standardized to the Florida Sunshine State requirements. The skills measured, strengths and weaknesses of the assessments have also been established.
Reference List
McLoughlin, A., & Lewis, R. (2005). Assessing Students with Special Needs (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
Sitlington, P., Neubert, D., Begun, W., Lombard, C., & Lecconte, J. (2007). Assessing for Success: A Practitioners Handbook on Transition Assessment (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Living in the modern world, people understand that education is extremely important. Only knowledgeable and well-educated people can reach the highest spots in their careers. A great attention in the world is paid to disabled people who do not have an opportunity to go to University but want to get proficient knowledge. The life situation can be different and the accidents may happen at any time. One of the world known educational establishments that offers such possibilities is the Open University in the United Kingdom. The Open University has been considered as one of the most popular educational establishments in the world which offers a variety of facilities for their students. The facilities offered by the Open University are numerous. First of all, the distant and full day forms of learning are available. The University opens its doors not only to the students of the United Kingdom, but the whole students society in the world. Students from different parts of the world are able to conduct the education. Oral and written assignments are checked via the internet. Therefore, the university has created official forums and sites where the remote learner can obtain all necessary information about the different academic programs and career opportunities. Moreover, online-conferences and internet communication via mailing is widespread that helps to promote students education and direct it to the necessary stream.
The Open Universities cares of the students and the quality of knowledge they are to possess. It is crucial for the University to implement different kinds of facilities and new teaching strategies to be sure that the quality of education they offer is on the high level. The virtual world of learning is closely considered as it the base for the distant education. The level of innovative technology support is rather high. Both, distant and mandatory school day education is impossible without high quality technologies. Still, being one of the greatest Universities in the world, teaching a great number of students both mandatory and distantly, the University faces some challenges that should be considered.
The situation
Considering the main idea of the Open University, it is significant to mention that opening sufficient advantages before students some problems still exist within the system and they need the consideration. The Open University in the United Kingdom is the educational establishment which, being on the highest level of offering services, still has some problems that should be considered. First of all, the University offers services to those students who have some health problems. The problems may be of any kind and this creates a number of difficulties. Having offered the possibility of distance education, the University managed to solve a number of problems. Thus, students from all over the world with the musculoskeletal system disabilities now have an opportunity to get qualified knowledge.
One of the main concerns that should bother the University staff is the structural organization of the courses and syllabus for distant learners. Dealing with the students who have absolutely different health problems, it is impossible to create the general educational system that is structured properly and meets the necessities and desires of all disabled students. With regard to this situation, the following concepts should be considered and deeply analyzed. First, the University should choose the learning strategy in relation to those students in such a way that all the peculiarities and student desires were met. Second, the leadership concept should be person oriented, now way the task oriented one. Third, the negotiating approach to the decision making should be implemented with the relation to the opportunistic perspective. The opportunistic perspective should be used with regard to the fact that all the information should be gathered and only then the appropriate decision should be made. Relating the situation to teachers and students, the research should be directed at the distance learning of disabled students in the Open University.
Group Concepts for the Analysis
For our project, we have chosen a multidimensional approach for detecting the main reasons of conflicts and devising different solutions. In our case, the main problem emerged is the value disparities and styles of education, as disabled people cannot easily adjust to normal conditions of the academic process. Therefore, the concept of win-win conflict resolution should be applied for regulating the conflicts at distance. This type of outcome can be also achieved much easier, as the problem is considered within the framework of the learning organization that often integrates multi-cultural communication.
For our project, opportunistic and contingencies decision making will be applied, as both ways are directed at searching for alternative, creative and innovative opportunities for each particular situation. The opportunistic perspective of decision-making is expected to provide a flow of current needs and resources encapsulated in our combination for achieving multiple objectives which are hard to predict at distance. In order to facilitate the solution seeking process, it is better to apply the negotiated approach, as the main goal of the teaching staff is to meet the requirements of disabled people learning distantly.
The main goal of our organization is restructuring and systematization, it is necessary create an alternative leadership concept that will be focused on the meeting the needs of each individual. In this respect, we are going to follow the Adairs leadership concept (2007), where the leaders goal consists of three overlapping areas of responsibility: achieving the task, building and maintaining the team, and developing the individual. All three pillars task, team, and individuals are embodied into one concept of action-centered leadership. This action-centered and individual-oriented leadership is directed the concept of learning styles which are also subjected to persons needs. In this case, it is better to choose learning concept to learn focusing on self-regulation and control as the best mode for distant learning. Finally, our concept of organizational structure will be based on six dimensions proposed by Hofstede (1997) where the main focus will be made on people-oriented culture encouraging concern for personal and group values and open communication clime providing an access of distant students to the organization (Hofstede, 1997).
The Plan Accomplishment
The approximate timetable for carrying out the analysis is dividing into four phases of development. The first one involved the identification of conflicts and problems connected with distant systems. During the phase of understanding, it is necessary to analyze the conflicts and their nature. During the phase of deciding, it is necessary to work out the strategies for the distant organization of the learning process (online monitoring, organizational cultural of distant learning and the system of knowledge acquisition for people with different kinds of disabilities). The final stage will be connected with creating and improving the learning programs for distant learning.
Upon the implementation of the analysis, some additional ideas should be included for the project success. For example, in order to apply the alternative method for improving the organizational culture, it is necessary to create a firm technological ground (software programs and hardware equipment) that can enhance online communication between disabled students and teachers. The creating of specialized training sites is also necessary to include into the plan fulfillment.
Sensing Stage
It is recognized that distant learning generates numerous problems both for teachers and for students. In this respect, such aspects as program evaluation, technical support, organizational culture and leadership management should restructured and reevaluated to adjust to off-campus study. The sensing stage presupposes the evaluation of the situation from the angle of feeling and emotion provoked by the existed experience.
Considering distant learning for disabled students in general, the main problem that appears is lack of high-tech equipment necessary. In our situation, classes should be equipped with specific equipment for student with writing and reading disorder causing no harm to their health. It means, the software and the electronic material should be reliable and available so that student can easily handle it. Finally, remote student should keep in constant touch with their tutors at any time, which is not always possible.
Another problem is connected with the teachers credentials. Thus, there are few programs allowing teacher to acquire the knowledge about the peculiarities of conducting online lessons with disabled persons. This leads to numerous conflicts caused by teachers incompetency and impossibility to resolve the problem. Conflict situations negatively influence students emotional and physical state.
Distant learning in terms of leadership concept of person-orientation should be directed meeting the needs of students group and the interest of each individual. However, it is not an easy matter, as organizational restructure demands alternative ways for leadership introduction, which is more problematic as the instructor should preserve equal relations with each student irrespective of abilities and talents. More importantly, instructors does not have particular reward systems for disabled students and therefore they are less reluctant to achieve favourable results.
Traditionally the organizational culture of each educational establishment is based on responsibility and moral awareness. Teacher methods, therefore, are aimed at encouraging and cultivating students desire to learn hard. This is especially hard for disabled student because they are limited in their possibilities and methods in acquiring knowledge. They have few incentives and they are more absorbed with their physical disabilities and health problems. Open University provides a plethora of health promotion programs for their students, but there are practically no opportunities for effective study for those learning distantly.
The assessment programs also present some minor disadvantages that should be properly tackled by the teaching staff. According to assessment plans, student should present on campus in order to pass an examination. This creates a lot of difficulties for those who far away from the university. Besides, there are few examination programs that are devised for remote learners so that there is no possibility to evaluate their actual skills and abilities. In this respect, the assessment programs designed for full-day students cannot be reliable and valid for remote students with disorders.
Apart from their professional knowledge in peculiar subject area, teaching staff dealing with remote learner should be able to handle the latest software and hardware innovation. However, there are cases when instructors ignore some technical opportunities because of their incompetence in this particular sphere. The situation is aggravated, when there is no sufficient technical support that can provoke unnecessary conflicts between the teachers and students.
Understanding Phase
The application of spray diagram will promote the understanding of the problem of distant learning and communication and define additional aspects influencing this problem and provoking others. This type of diagram can systemize and evaluate the relevance and logical connection between the main idea and the problems arising from it.
Spray Diagram for the Problems of Distant Learning
The above diagram illustrates the main problems caused when studying distantly. The diagram enables us to analyze each aspect of the problems in each detail. As it can be seen from the diagram, the main problems of distant learning lies in insufficient quality of instructions and materials delivered online, the emergence of additional costs, misuse of technology and lack of appropriate equipment, and unequal opportunities for people with different disorders. Let us consider these problems in more detail.
Insufficient Quality of Instruction and Material
The quality of instruction is usually approved by the learning programs provided online. The main factor provoking the creation of conflicting situations is the attitude of instructors and administrators to the online education as itself. This is basically predetermined by the absence of face-to-face communication that influence the delivery of the material. Therefore, the level of teaching is always of equal or even lower quality in comparison with teaching conducted in classes. Then, the organization cannot guarantee an absolute quality and security of data received via the internet, especially if taking into consideration the variety of target students.
The Emergence of Additional Costs
It is impossible to identify the real cost-effectiveness of the learning programs and material used by distant instructors. In case students do not have an opportunity to check their knowledge on campus, the off-campus examination may also turn unreliable and invalid. The costs are often connected with the necessity to acquire specific equipment designed for disabled students and facilities for proper distant education. Besides, the video and audio materials for distant education are also necessary for students who want to acquire an excellent command of all academic disciplines. There are also cost connected with training the instructors and technical staff dealing with remote students with disabilities.
Unequal Opportunities for People with Different Disorders
Distance teachers should be aware of different types of disorders, as their students have to provide the appropriate instructions and relevant material. For example, people with hearing disorders should be provided with visual aids and instructions. Students with visual dyslexia should also receive specific material, etc. There are cases when teachers lack the information about their students and, therefore, they can deliver inappropriate instructions.
Misuse of Technology and Lack of Appropriate Equipment
Software and hardware factor is the leading for providing effective distance education. The main problem is that student with disabilities may have problems in managing non-specialized equipment. This is why technological advancement may even provoke more problems in case teacher fails to attach relevant instructions. A particular attention should be given to the electronic assignments and their modification and accommodation for the specific target group this assignment is destined for. Certainly, there are a lot of automatic devices calculating the results of the assignment and recording them on the students account. Still, there is guarantee that students pass those exams independently, as teacher do not have an opportunity to see the testing process.
Rich Picture: Teachers and Student Conflicts
Due to the fact that disabled students and teacher lack face-to-face communication, there arise different concerns on students part and on teachers part. Hence, teachers experience difficulties in conducting learning classes, as they cannot control the work of all students at the same time. The problem is even more aggravated, as the target students are disabled students requiring more attention, flexibility, and tolerance. Teacher cannot be convinced that student understand the material in full extent. As the Open University is a specialized organization for disabled people, they should also put an emphasis for working out the strategies for administering the work between the teachers and the students. In other words, indirect relations hamper the off-campus learning thus worsening the quality of knowledge acquisition. Our analysis should be also focused on what problems occur in terms of organizational culture of online education. In this respect, the problem is that the Open University failed to devise strict method for student division according to disabilities they, the absence of this structure does not allow teachers to select the relevant material and instruction for each disability student.
Influence Diagram: Opportunities Provided by the Open University
The given diagram depicts the interaction between teacher and student through the internet encouraged by technical support. As it can be seen, the enhancement of the technical side will improve and amplify the relations between the teaching stuff and remote learners.
Consequences of improper online organization
The understanding phase also allows to define the main outcomes of the problems connected with online education. In particular, the main consequence, and, perhaps, the most crucial one, is a low quality of education and improper examination. The lack of proper technology and software required for examination, like television charts can lead to the insufficient teacher-student interaction. In addition, as this new mode of education excludes the direct participation and evaluation of student abilities. Students receiving this degree cannot be fully convinced that they get enough theoretical and practical information for future profession.
Another problem that has been not taken into account is that the facilities of off-campus student may not correspond with facilities and equipment of on-campus premises. Concerning the technological and organization side, it is always hard for teachers to organize an optimal timetable acceptable for students in different places and at different times. This means that they do not always have enough experience and appropriate skills contributing to more effective delivery of classes. Besides, as they deal with student with a wide range of disorders they should be more concerned with the psychological aspect of the learning process. This can be caused by the lack of specialized programs for teachers that would upgrade their qualification and help them adjust to different difficulties and conflicts arising from this problem.
Deciding and Acting Phase
In order to provide effective and comprehensive solutions for the problem, it is vital to present system maps or structure diagrams disclosing the relations between the problems and decision. System maps place each structural element into one subject group to show bound elements and the issues that are placed outside the system. The presented system map is based on the main decision-making and leadership concepts. Hence, the solutions presented below are connected with problems predictions at the understanding phase. Besides, the diagram also shows that interaction between elements describing solutions to problems. For instance the solutions to technical problems can solve the problems connected with low quality of the delivered material and actual methods of teaching.
System Map: Solutions to the problem of distant learning organization
Let us consider the solutions to the existed problems connected with technical base and data quality. Relying on the opportunistic strategy of decision making, three solutions have been identified: the implementation of Cisco programs allowing, the introduction of technical support, or mediator between teachers and disabled students and creation of specific online charts accompanied with appropriate facilities. All the solutions are identified according to person and need-oriented perspective in terms of decision-making, organization culture, and leadership management.
The application of Cisco presents effective mobilization programs for people who lead an active way of life or who do not have possibility to work and to study outside home. Therefore, their programs and mobile facilities constitute a reliable technical support. Cisco can also provide disabled students with online telecommunication. This technology allows to organize full-fledged classes where teacher can watch the learning process and the work of students. Online telecommunication and online conversations should psychologically oriented to avoid conflicts and misunderstanding between students and teachers. Therefore, teachers should be properly trained and compromise in different situations. It is also important for disabled students to feel equal during the class conduct.
The concept organizational culture based on Hostedes principles is also more focused on individuals needs and the results of the launched programs. In particular, the programs destined for student with different disabilities should take into account both the persons welfare and health state and the accomplishment of the goals settled in the beginning of the academic course. A deeper specification of programs can belong to a person-oriented approach. Hence, it is proposed to divide students into those with visual dyslexia, hearing problems and visual disabilities. For students suffering from visual dyslexia, it is necessary to introduce smart graphics where words can be substitutes by pictures, symbols and other images. People with hearing disabilities should be presented with a high-quality video material where a student can understand the instruction and assignment. Students that have problems with vision should be granted with appropriate audio recording for students to listen to the oral information and send the oral recordings.
Multiple-cause diagram: New Opportunities for Disabled People
There is no doubt that the introduction of Cisco TelePresence will improve the quality of the learning process and contribute to the rise of self-awareness and confidence among the disabled students who always need the support from their instructors.
Sign Graph: Viewing the Results
Summary
In summary, it should be noted that a great deal of work has been done to complete the paper and present it in the necessary stream. First of all, the concept groups for the analysis were considered. It is crucial to remind that a multidimensional approach for detecting the main reasons of conflicts and devising different solutions was taken. With regard to the situation we have, the main problem is that dealing with disabled people the commonly accepted methods and strategies of education are of no use. Furthermore, the use of the commonly accepted strategies may harm the whole educational process. Relating to the problem, the project is devoted to the solving the case by means of working out the approaches and concepts that are to be used while teaching and programs that are to suit specific students needs.
Using the win-win conflict resolution concept, the conflicts in distance may be easily solved. The win-win strategy is mostly used for open culture society and perfectly suits our situation. Furthermore, the win-win conflict resolution approach involves each participant of the situation and makes it easy to satisfy all the sides. Using the negotiating approach in communication, it will be easy to meet the needs of disabled people. The stress on the person oriented leadership should be made, as people with different disabled problems should be differently treated. Still, the problem is rather widespread and the Open University should come with all responsibility to its solution. To solve the problem with the best outcomes and manage to satisfy the needs of different people, the reorganization and restructuring of the educational process directed on people with specific needs should be accomplished.
Besides, the Open University with distant form of education focused on disabled people faces the problem of technological change. Having possessed the high quality technologies, the Open University may enlarge the opportunities it possesses. The Cisco Company managed to do the next step in the distant communication. Having created the virtual room the new technologies make the vision of being present in one and the same room (2010). The Cisco TelePresence System may greatly help in educational process. Distant education provides some limitations in the educational process. First of all, it is the absence of the face-to-face communication. The Cisco TelePresence System allows create the place where people will have an opportunity to feel the presence of a tutor and ask him/her questions directly. Moreover, a sort of discussions and conferences should be conducted with the help of this equipment, as well as lectures and seminars.
The problem of absence of the common program for disabled people and inability to implement the same strategy may be also easily decided. The Open University should create groups for students with the same disorders. This will help to create one and the same curriculum for a group of people. For example, students with dyslexia may be offered the courses on the basis of different pictures and charts. This will help them absorb the information faster and with fewer attempts. Still, some intensions should be made to use the background information and implement it in the learning. Those students with defective eyesight can be suggested the programs with audio support. Thus, the reorganization and restructuring of the distant education for those who have some health problems may increase the effectiveness of the learning and provide the students with qualitative knowledge they are dreaming of.
Moreover, it is crucial to mention that due to the fact that the education is provided o0nthe basis of online communication, the teachers cannot be available the whole day. Thus, the kind of support team should be affordable for the students and ask all the questions to make the distant education more interesting and clear for students.
Conclusion
Thereby, the Open University in United Kingdom may offer a number of facilities for students with health problems. First of all, the education should be conducted in distance. Obviously, distant education via the Internet is not new; still, the group of students with health disabilities should be treated absolutely differently. Second, owning to the innovative process and the Cisco TelePresence System, it is possible to create virtual classes. Students will have an opportunity to visit the classes without leaving their homes. Such practice may be useful while conferences, lectures and discussion classes. Third, the structuring of students programs according to the health problems may be also positively affect the education.
The above information was possible for concluding with the help of the four-phase analysis model. Having chosen the topic, the work was continued with the reference to this four-phase analysis model. While sensing phase the conflict problem was identified. Furthermore, in the understanding phase it became possible to analyze the problem and consider it from different angles. The deciding phase made it possible for us to check the strategies in term of organizational culture and highlight some peculiar features of different groups. On the last, acting stage, we devoted our time to educational model design.
The main strength of the model is that it directs attention to the work that should be done. All specific and obligatory stages are followed and important phases are not skipped. Still, some preferences and limitations to the model should be offered. The model offers to state the problem and then conduct the analysis. Still, there are situations when the problem appears after the research is conducted and analysis is accomplished. The other limitation in using this approach is that not all aspects of the research are included in the model. Being busy with the research according to the offered four-phase model, students are sure to skip the literature review analysis and methodology identification. Nevertheless, the opportunity to consider the situation form multiple perspectives, be able to relate to different problems and case studies on the chosen topic, formulate solutions and make use of maps and diagrams are the main skill that are going to be possessed while using the mentioned model.
To the point, using the four-phase analysis model, the problem of distant education for disabled students was considered. It was possible to relate to some problems and consider some solutions for them. Such stages as sensing, understanding, deciding and action accompanied by the group concepts contributes to a complete disclosure of the problems and solutions proposed for them.
Reference List
Adair, J. (2007) Decision making and problem solving strategies. US: Kogan Page Publishers.
From the interviews, it is clear that an inclusive setting in the school context is established once the school is able to provide a balanced learning environment for typical children and students with special needs. Another requisite ingredient is co-teaching, which normally involves pairing one general education instructor with one special education instructor in an inclusive classroom setting of general education and special education students (Scruggs et al., 2007). The third critical ingredient is the adoption and implementation of one or multiple co-teaching variations identified in the education literature (Friend et al., 2010). From the interviews, it is clear that parallel teaching is favored since it provides teachers with an opportunity to work together to teach one lesson, thus allowing students to gain perspective in various ways. In station teaching, a variety of learning stations are developed and the co-instructors avail individualized support at the different stations (Scruggs et al., 2007).
Role of Administration
From the interviews, it is clear that the administration should be part of the IEP team that is involved with the development of the students goals and objectives. In inclusive settings, the administration is charged with the critical role of maintaining an ongoing focus on school improvement and support for change to ensure that students with special needs are well accommodated, while their counterparts of general or exceptional capabilities are not held back by the shift in the schools policy and culture (Salisbury & McGregor, 2002).
Furthermore, it is been demonstrated in the literature that the behavior and actions of the administration directly determines the schools climate as well as its effectiveness. This observation implies that the administration is centrally placed to determine the success of the inclusive setting by not only initiating changes in school schedules and spearheading effective and balanced deployment of personnel, but also pursuing productive assignment of students within the existing structures of the school (Salisbury & McGregor, 2002). Lastly, it should be the role of the administration to address the attitudinal and knowledge hindrances that can adversely influence the participation and membership of learners with disabilities in inclusive school settings (Keefe & Moore, 2004).
Challenges faced by Students and Instructors
There are innumerable challenges faced by students and instructors in inclusive settings. From the interviews, the challenges faced by instructors include: difficulties working on the goals and objectives of one lesson due to lack of shared vision; lack of cooperation among the teachers; broad variations of teaching styles; handling large classes; difficulties in maintaining close contact with parents; difficulties in instructional adaptation; lack of proper understanding of the guiding policy or the needs of the child; dealing with challenging personalities, and; lack of time to cover what is needed. These challenges have been well documented in the literature (Keefe & Moore, 2004).
In inclusive settings, exceptional students may feel as if they are being held back, while those with special needs may feel disenfranchised by the pace of instruction or perceived lack of inclusion. Both instances, according to Keefe & Moore (2004), lead to lack of motivation among students, ultimately lowering classroom experience as well as performance.
Benefits & Obstacles for all Students and Instructors
While it can be argued that the interview items failed to capture the benefits and obstacles of inclusive education for instructors, available literature demonstrates that instructors benefit from enhanced instruction skills such as differentiated instruction, increased training opportunities, enhanced support from parents and the school administration, as well as considerably reduced class sizes (Phelan, 2012). However, the obstacles facing them include incapacity to balance the requirements of high-stakes accountability while meeting the needs and expectations of diverse students within their classroom, fear of non-proficient scores, discontent from the school administration, and potential risk of embarrassment due to a wide difference of scores that may exist between students with special needs and their non-disabled peers (Friend et al., 2010).
The benefits for all students include: greater access to the general curriculum; empathy acquisition; development of strong social and communication skills; improved reading performance; increased social opportunities and appropriate role models; enhanced parent participation; fostering a sense of belonging and friendships with neighborhood peers, and; increased self-respect, self-esteem and confidence (Phelan, 2012). Some of the obstacles that face students in inclusive settings, as noted in the interviews, include dealing with adverse behavior issues that may be exhibited by students with special needs, failure to meet educational needs due to the diversity of learning, and classroom organization difficulties.
References
Friend, M., Cook, L., Hurley-Chamberlain, D., & Shamberger, C. (2010). Co-teaching: An illustration of the complexity of collaboration in special education. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 20(1), 9-27.
Keefe, E.B., & Moore, V. (2004). The challenge of co-teaching in inclusive classrooms at the high school level: What the teachers told us. American Secondary Education, 32(3), 77-88.
Currently, I am a final year student undertaking a course in finance. After clearing my course, I intend to further my career by venturing into the finance field. This will contribute towards the attainment of my career objective- to be a financial analyst- by gaining a high level of competency. In order to achieve this, I plan to go to Dubai and work at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The decision to go to DIFC is due to the fact that DIFC is the ranked as an international financial centre with the highest growth rate. Going to Dubai will increase the chances of accessing NASDAQ which is classified as a world class financial and stock exchange market. In addition, the centre serves a wide range of countries in East Asia and Western Europe ( Your gateway to growth para.1-3). This will contribute towards an improvement in my financial analyst skills by associating with a wide range of individuals in the finance field. In addition, DIFC will give me an opportunity to enhance my financial skills considering the fact that the institution deals with diverse financial activities.
In order to exploit the opportunities presented within the financial field, it is my objective to establish a financial consultancy firm which will be located in Dubai. In order to achieve this, it is my objective that I will complete my bachelor degree in finance successfully. After graduating, I intend to continue with my industrial attachment within a well established financial institution in US. The institution of choice where the industrial attachment will be conducted is Standard and Poors and New York Life Investment Management LLC. This will contribute towards attainment of a wide range of knowledge in relation to financial techniques. This will increase the probability of getting a chance to work at DIFC.
Mission statement
To be well positioned in my career, more emphasis will be given on how to improve my personal skills in relation to financial analysis. This will be aimed at attaining a high level of specialization. To achieve this, I will ensure that I acquire diverse financial skills from US financial institutions. Some of the US institutions which I will consider working in before going to Dubai include investment and commercial bank, insurance companies and stock exchange firms. Attainment of these skills will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of executing the assigned duties. In addition, the organization within which I will be working will be able to receive a high value from my services. In the course of my duties, it will be ensured that all the international financial and accounting standards are adhered. This will contribute towards enhancing the integrity which is required within the finance field.
Personal marketing objectives
To acquire substantial financial skills which can enable me to serve in a wide range of financial institutions within the next 3 years.
Some of the key skills intended to be acquired within three years include financial analysis skills, forecasting on the return of a given investment vehicle and conducting investment advisory services on wealth and asset management, insurance, equity and debt instrument management practices. The advisory services will help potential investors to make viable investment decisions in different economic sectors.
It is my objective that within 3 years I will have acquired enough skills to help me enhance my career as a financial analyst.
Personal SWOT analysis
Strengths -Strong technical knowledge on how to conduct investment appraisal of projects in different economic sectors. -Effective communication in relation to both oral and written. Transferable skills Integration of the concept of teamwork has enhanced my leadership skills. Personal characteristics -Incorporation of strong work ethics. -Self discipline in execution of duties by observing time and job specification. -Effectiveness in working under immense pressure. -Creativity which increases efficiency in conducting innovation in an optimistic manner. -Interaction with professional financial institutions has enabled me to attain diverse skills and establish a successful network.
Weaknesses -Lack of substantial skills in relation to financial investment. -Currently, I am not well versed with emerging technologies in relation to finance.
Opportunities -Enhancement of my educational skills. Increased innovation in Information Communication Technology presents an opportunity to enhance my career by undertaking on-line studies. -Increased demand of financial advisory services especially by potential investors. -A high rate in which investors are considering financial sector as a viable investment destination. -Increased development of financial investment products.
Threats Downsizing in the number of investors within the financial sector due to effects of economic recession which started from the stock market. -Cut throat competition. Increased competition from the existing financial analysts who have already acquired substantial knowledge and skills in relation to financial investment. -Competition from other college graduates.
Distinctive competencies and competitive advantage
Considering the competitiveness within the labor market, is paramount for individuals to develop their competiveness. This can be attained through development of distinctive competencies. Over the years, I have managed to develop a number of key competencies as outlined below.
Investment appraisal
Over the course of my study, I have managed to develop key competence in relation to evaluation of investment projects. This has been attained through extensive reading of investment materials concerning investments in diverse economic sectors. As a result, skills concerning the key elements to consider in determining the feasibility of a given investment vehicle have been amassed. Some of the skills relate to determining the degree of risk associated with certain investment products. Currently, the financial environment is characterized by the emergence of a wide range of investment products. As a result, determining the effectiveness of the investing in such products is paramount. Due to the effects of the recent economic crisis, investors have become more risk averse and demand a high certainty of their investment return.
Efficiency in learning
As a finance student, I have managed to attain effective learning skills. This has been achieved by being keen on details. In addition, different learning resources have been utilized in the learning process. Some of these include use of books and financial journals available in hard copy and electronically. Examples of the methods which have been utilized include use of simulation. Development of the internet technology will improve my competitive advantage in offering consultancy services in relation to investment. This is due to the fact that intense financial skills will be acquired by utilizing online learning and reading financial reports posted on the internet.
Competency in learning will also contribute towards improvement of competitive advantage in the market. This is due to the fact that I will be able to conduct environmental analysis by scanning the external environment. As a result, effectiveness and efficiency in analyzing the trend within the financial sector will be attained. This means that the effectiveness of conducting advisory services in relation to investment will be effective by reflecting the effects of the external environment.
Segmentation and target market
In the course of my career, the financial services will target both individual and institutional investors located within the Gulf region. Selection of this region resulted from the fact that most of the countries within the Gulf region are undergoing a high rate of economic growth. My preferred operation base is Dubai.
The choice of these customers resulted from realization of the fact that both individual and institutional customers are increasingly considering financial assets as investment products. In order to be effective in their investment, managers of these companies are increasingly seeking skills related to the best investment destination in order to guarantee the investors their return. As a result, a large number of investment companies have emerged and provide diverse investment products. In developing my career, my activities will mainly focus on investors in financial stocks. This is due to the fact that both individual and institutional investors have the capacity to invest in stocks and equities. This will be attained by establishing a close relation with the investment companies. In beginning my career, the preferred company to work with is New York Life Investment Management Limited Liability Company. The firm is well established and deals with provision of asset management practices. The company has also incorporated a wide range of investment vehicles in relation to retail and institutional investors.
Marketing Mix
Product
In order to be competitive in the market, I will enhance my financial analysis skills through incorporation of emerging financial accounting technologies. One of the technologies that will be considered includes the emerging financial analysis software. To be effective, more training will be obtained on how to conduct professional financial analysis using the emerging technologies. This will increase the ease with which complex financial data is analyzed.
Effectiveness of reporting and communicating with the clients is also paramount. In order to attain efficiency in communication, Arabic language will be learned. This is due to the fact that it is the common language of communication within the Gulf region. This will be achieved by attending Arabic lessons to learn writing and talking in Arabic. As a result, constancy services will be offered more efficiently.
Place
The efficiency with which investors access the financial services offered will be increased by establishing a number of offices within different cities in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE). However, the headquarters will be located at Dubai. This is due to the fact that Dubai has a well established financial system considering the fact that DIFC is located in this city. To limit the cost involved, consultancy services will be conducted by booking a room in major restaurants in UAE towns. A comprehensive time table will be developed depicting how the services will be provided in the other UAE towns.
Price
It is my objective that the provision of consultancy services to the investor will result into a high level of financial return. This will ensure that sufficient benefits are received so as to develop a substantial amount to cater for retirement. Considering that high quality of financial services will be offered to the investors, the services will be charged accordingly. Pricing of the services will be determined in relation to the nature of the clients. Individual clients will be charged at a relatively lower level compared to institutional investors. In addition, pricing of the services will also depend on the type of information that the investors are seeking.
Promotion
Creating market awareness is one of the factors that contribute towards the success of an individual in his or her career (Scribner, Pratt & Sautter para.5). This is due to the fact that a wide range of potential clients become aware of the respective services. In order to be effective in creating market awareness, the concept of integrated market communication will be incorporated. This will be attained by integrating diverse market communication tools. Both the traditional and emerging market communication tools will be used. The traditional methods will include use of advertisements through mediums such as television, radio and print media. The advertisement will entail provision of my personal experience within the financial accounting field. This will contribute towards an increment in the level of confidence amongst the potential investors. The advertisement message will be effectively designed to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in communication. The core message of the advertisement will entail increasing effectiveness of making investment decisions amongst investors in different economic sectors. In relation to the emerging communication technologies, the internet will be incorporated. This will be achieved by designing a website in which the consultancy services offered will be posted. It will be ensured that al that all the skills attained are posted on the website for clients to see. As a result, potential clients (both individual and institutional) will be able to appreciate the importance of acquiring knowledge relevant for them to make effective investment decision. By explaining the importance of effectiveness in making investment decision in various investment vehicles, the current and potential investors will develop a desire to acquire these skills from professional financial analysts. A comprehensive description of the knowledge and skills acquired will be integrated to ensure that the investors prefer my consultancy services instead of other competitors.
In addition, a blog page through which potential clients can enquire about the financial services offered will be designed. Through the blog pages, it will be possible to create an effective network with the potential clients. To improve on networking with the clients, other emerging social networking tools which will be utilized includes use of Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Awareness of the address to these social networking tools to the general public will be made through advertisements in the radio, television and print media specifically the daily newspaper. These social networking tools will not only act as market communication tools but will also improve the interaction with the clients. This is due to the fact that a large number of individuals access these tools daily.
Conclusion
In order to develop my career, the above strategies shall be implemented to the letter. A high level of personal discipline will be integrated to ensure that there are no deviations from the identified objectives. In addition, the mission statement will be continuously evaluated from time to time to determine whether it is contributing to my career objective. By targeting the market, it will be possible to focus on the identified customers thus offering the required financial services more effectively. This will contribute to a high level of satisfaction. The marketing strategies formulated will be reviewed from time to time to ensure that they meet the changes in the market.
Works Cited
Dubai International Financial Center. Your gateway to growth. 2010. Web.
Scribner, Ed, Pratt, Eric and Sautter, Elsie. Roadmap for your career: your personal marketing plan. New Mexico: New Mexico State University. 2010. Web.
