Impact of Modern Digital Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Impact of Modern Digital Technologies - Essay Example However, modern digital technology has influenced it adopters and users both negatively and positively, considering that, the corporate world adopts technological advancement to improve quality of production and more so, efficiency and effectiveness in both production and communication. Digital Printing Industry The modern digital technology has revolutionized the printing industry from the ancient application of faded images and texts to come up with complete printed product. The printing industry has advanced technologically from the use of ancient dot matrix printers that were characterized with holes in a row, which fed the ream of printing papers to the digital printing. The old dot matrix printers were repeatedly accompanied by the challenge of jamming of printing papers. The impact of the modern digital technology in the printing industry is clearly depicted by the strikingly clear texts and images with the flexibility of a wide range of colors where digital printing can be ad vantageously used to display a wide range of products, ranging from photographs to marketing materials. Small companies and business entities in the printing industry are able to match up to the big names in the printing industry through the application of digital printing to come with less costly and high quality products. Big companies dominated the production of quality and large quantities of printing products at less costly products as compared to small business entities that had to incur huge costs to produce printing products of higher quality, thanks to the modern digital technology that has enabled them to compete fairly in the printing industry. Digital printing has replaced the making of photocopies that were of low quality and were not that clear enough for detailed representations. Adoption of digital printing can therefore be associated with the significant quality of printing and representation of detailed graphics. It has replaced the less quality printing products f rom the ordinary printing devices and photocopy machines, where the result could never achieve more quality that original copy. The old printing machines could never achieve much quality as the digital technology, since any slight depreciation in quality of the original copy was always highlighted by the printer. Digital technologies have the advantage of using original soft copy material unlike the physical hard copy whose quality can be compromised by handling complications such as creases, dust, and oil. However, companies operating within the printing industry have not fully embraced the digital printing technology, considering the rather huge costs involved in installing the digital printing devices. Large printing companies have been reluctant in installing newer printing devices that can produce large quantities at high speed. More over, in relation to huge costs incurred in installing high-speed digital printing devices, some companies in the industry generally have a slow p ace in innovation and adoption of new technologies other than the modern digital technology itself. Total digital printing represents two percent of the entire printing industry and it is projected to grow minimally in future, considering that there is limited modern digital printing equipment in the whole industry. Companies are reluctant to embrace digital printing technologies consideration the high capital costs incurred in

Walden by Henry David Thoreau Essay Example for Free

Walden by Henry David Thoreau Essay In a modern America where â€Å"liberal† means â€Å"amoral,† and â€Å"idealist† means â€Å"hopeless fool,† cell-phones â€Å"ring† to the tunes of Ashlee Simpson and Eminem; SUV’s growl and vomit fumes during rush hour; TV’s blast continuous images of sex and violence, reality and fiction combined in a way to fool and entice and unify all under the blanket of consumerist conformity. Peace is an abstract concept and quiet is for the dead. The world is fast, loud, scary, and smaller than anyone ever imagined. In these fearful times, conformity and resigned desperation are the king and queen. Individuality in American society is looked upon with suspicious eyes, as even feigned unity is preferable to sincere integrity. Even â€Å"freedom† has a new meaning, as leaders repeat it like a mantra to justify the latest horrifically comical atrocity. What better time than to disappear into the woods in the pastoral tradition of the transcendentalists? Walden Summary In an 1841 oration, leading transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson said, â€Å"The universal does not attract us until housed in an individual,† and nowhere is this truer than with his friend, Henry David Thoreau, who came embody an enlightened sense of natural awareness. At a remote lake on his friend Emerson’s property, found the inspiration for Thoreau to create his masterwork about nature, individuality, change—life. Walden captured the two years he spent on Emerson’s Concord property in the mid-1840s, Thoreau created a literary escape for those alienated by the ills of â€Å"proper† society. From the construction of his simple house, to his natural diet, to the woodland creatures that became his neighbors and lone company, every aspect of his simple existence is detailed. In eighteen chapters, Walden covers the world around Thoreau and his little cabin. With chapter titles like Economy, Where I Lived, and What I Lived For, and The Pond in Winter, the simple aspects of existence are the most important. Thoreau begins with a long chapter on Economy, in which he explains his incarceration for refusing to pay a poll-tax he saw as unjust, and his desire for simplicity. Thoreau spends a great deal of the book discussing the simplicity of Nature and how it relates to humanity, morality, and knowledge. While insight runs all through the book, Walden possesses some chapters that are particularly powerful and deal with knowledge, individualism, and friendship. In the chapter Reading, Thoreau explains the importance of books saying, â€Å"To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires training such as the athletes underwent the steady intention almost of the whole life to this object. † This quote is very important because Thoreau is saying that reading is not an easy task, but it also requires lots of practice and training just as athletes undergo. Throughout the chapter, Thoreau states how everyone should read books, and modern humans could end up like pygmies and manikins. â€Å"No wonder that Alexander carried the Iliad with him on his expeditions in a precious casket† (Thoreau). To Thoreau, reading and knowledge are the keys to civilization. In the chapter on Solitude, Thoreau explains how being alone is not at all a bad thing. â€Å"But for the most part it is as solitary where I live as on the prairies. It is as much Asia or Africa as New England, I have, as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself. † Thoreau does not look at solitude as being something bad or a punishment, but looks at it as if it were a gift. When he says that he has his own little world all to himself, it makes readers ponder their own solitude. To Americans in the twenty-first century, the concept of solitude is relatively foreign, but as described by Thoreau, it makes it more desirable. In the chapter Visitors, Thoreau talks about how having people around is just as good as being in solitude. â€Å"I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society. When visitors came in larger and unexpected numbers there was but the third chair for them all, but they generally economized the room by standing up. † When Thoreau said that he wanted to keep things as simple as possible, he meant it, offering only three chairs to his visitors. Thoreau says that it was amazing how he could fit twenty-five to thirty people in his tiny house, and how that brought him and all of his visitors closer together. â€Å"I could not but notice some of the peculiarities of my visitors. Girls and boys and young women generally seemed glad to be in the woods. They looked in the pond and at the flowers, and improved their time. † (Coleridge) Negative Criticisms Walden is required reading for many high school students unfamiliar with the things Thoreau discusses in the book. He explained the importance and necessity of reading, he showed how being alone is usually a good thing, and he also showed how great visitors can be. While many high school students appreciate visitors, reading and solitude are things they avoid. Today a majority of high school students do not read books because it is considered â€Å"boring,† and with todays technology, no one has to read. With news and TV, someone or something else often reads to most people. Despite the fact that many people in modern America do not read, Walden is still read by many reluctant students who would rather be online or on the phone. Thoreau defends his book against those who read and fail to understand what they are reading: â€Å"It is not all books that are as dull as their readers. † The people who might find the insights of Thoreau and the desire for the simple life boring, are in fact boring thinkers. Some others may find Thoreau’s distrust of modern civilization misplaced, as many find the progress of the industrial and computer revolutions to be ideal for humanity. The idea of sacrificing that for a rough life in the woods may seem ludicrous. Someone like Thoreau may be seen as a crazy hippie or mountain man, and today’s world favors the engineers, entertainers, and the high life. Society has not simplified one bit in the last one hundred fifty years, and this could signify that Walden has had little real effect on American culture. However, this is not the case in American literature. Positive Criticisms Few question the importance of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden in American literature. Thoreau’s descriptions of life in its simplest and most idyllic continue to inspire conservation efforts and serve as a testament to the value of Nature. From the construction of his house in the thick of the New England woods, to his diet, and to the woodland creatures that became his neighbors and lone company, every aspect of his simple existence is elegantly detailed. Much of his reverence for Nature leads contemporary Americans to believe Thoreau and Walden to be exclusively environmental and conversationalist, but those truly enamored with Thoreau and his transcendentalist ideals know better. Walden retains a timeless wisdom, reminding readers the value of smelling the proverbial roses. â€Å"Our life is frittered away by detail†¦ Simplify, simplify† (Thoreau 89). Whether in the throws of the Industrial Revolution as Thoreau, or in the era of ambitious terrorism and open-ended declarations of war as modern humans, details create confusion. Humans forget about life while they live it, often concerned mainly with conformity. â€Å"Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer† (317). Perhaps, the strongest issue put forth in the book is that of individuality, as themes of self-reliance and stoicism run throughout the work. Individualism, the importance of the individual, self-reliance, and personal independence is one of the leading characteristics of the era of Romanticism. Henry David Thoreau wrote about individualism and demonstrated his belief by the way he lived. Living at Walden Pond, standing up to his government, refusing to pay a poll-tax to a government with which he viewed as corrupt are examples of his fierce independence and individuality. Thoreau is a stellar example of what individuality can produce. A worthy goal is to make the effort to devote oneself to thought and work, to in fact nurture ones own individuality, rather than becoming lost in the mainstream of life. This will allow greater individuality and diversity to complement current day society. The true secret to Walden’s success and timelessness is that Americans still make the same mistakes and take the same things for granted as they did 150 years ago. Everything still applies, in nature and man. Only the details have changed. Technology still marches on; war still looms large over the landscape; America continues to grow and spread its influence, for better or worse. In the case of Thoreau, for better, at least according to George Eliot who said, â€Å"we have a bit of pure American life (not the go a-head species, but its opposite pole), animated by that energetic, yet calm spirit of innovation† (Eliot 46). In modern America, where the go a-head species lead us blindly into an abyss, it is the voices of Americans like Thoreau: peacefully simple. Perhaps, Emerson said it best when he eulogized his friend, â€Å"No truer American existed than Thoreau† (Emerson). And, there have been few books that have been more American than Walden. Conclusion Thoreau went to the woods to get to the most basic facts of life and to appreciate and enjoy everything about these most basic facts. Thoreau viewed the woods in particular, and Nature in general, as a teacher of life and living. Thoreau believed that the simpler his life became the greater his opportunity to appreciate life. Thoreau did not want to allow society to determine that which he knew as life. To live an existence based on the common experience of others would be as to neglect ones own experience. Individualism and an appreciation for nature and solitude do not necessarily mean living as a hermit. Thoreau believed that in order to truly appreciate life, to understand and experience life as ones own life, it is necessary to quiet the mind of all the surrounding trappings of society. To this day, Walden serves as one of the greatest examples of the benefits of living the simple life. References Coleridge, S. T. , (1969). The Collected Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. ed. Kathleen Coburn, Princeton: Princeton UP. , 6: 30. Eliot, G. (1988). â€Å"Review of Walden. † Critical Essays on Thoreau’s Walden. Ed. Joel Myerson. Boston: C. K. Hall Co. , 46. Emerson, R. W. (8 Dec. 1997). â€Å"The Eulogy of Henry David Thoreau. † RWE. org – The Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Accessed 29 Jan. 2007 from http://www. rwe. org/pages/eulogy_of_thoreau. htm Thoreau, H. D. (2004). Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition. Ed. Jeffery S. Cramer. New Haven: Yale University Press. (Original work published 1854)

Risk Assessments in Child Protection

Risk Assessments in Child Protection Before the introduction of risk assessment methods in child protection in the 1980’s the assessment and prediction of children at risk from abuse was a capricious business: care workers had no theory, or methodology and no strategy by which to determine which children were more at risk than others – they worked almost in the dark. When risk assessment strategies were introduced their enormous advantage was to give some orientation and means of prediction to social workers in their efforts to determine which children were at the highest risk. Moreover, in pre-risk assessment days, decisions about child protection were taken individually by scattered organizations and institutions without any inter-communication. The desperate consequence of this lack of cohesion was often complete confusion about which authority should make the decision about whether to and how to protect a child from abuse. Risk assessment required much closer participation between various agencies and therefore more efficient and individualistic protection care for children. Risk assessment takes into consideration a number of risk factors that affect a child – parental, family, environmental etc., – and analyzes these collectively to produce a total risk overview. Risk assessment has evolved considerably since its introduction in the 1980’s and various methods and theories of risk assessment have been experimented with; this essay looks at several of these methods, analyzing the relative worth of each. It also examines the introduction of schemes such as child protection conferences and child protection plans and evaluates the improvements to child protection brought by these schemes. Finally, this essay will discuss the future or risk assessment and its influence upon government policy and direction. Vulnerable children face five principal types of risk: sexual abuse, emotional abuse, institutional abuse, physical neglect, and non-organic failure to thrive. This essay now details and describes the implications for risk assessment of each of these types of abuse. The NSPCC gives the following definition of sexual abuse: ‘The sexual abuse of children may include sexual touching, masturbation, intercourse, indecent exposure, use of children in or showing children pornographic films or pictures, encouraging or forcing children into prostitution or encouraging or forcing children to witness sexual acts. Children and young people of all ages can be victims of abuse.’ (NSPCC). Children then are at potential risk from all of the types of abuse described in the above quotation; each of which, if undetected and unprevented causes a deep physical and emotional trauma for the child. Physical abuse is defined by the National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect as The physical injur y or maltreatment of a child under the age of eighteen by a person who is responsible for the childs welfare under circumstances which indicate that the childs health or welfare is harmed or threatened thereby’. Children may also encounter physical abuse by way of domestic violence, and this together with physical abuse is nationally one the most frequently experienced types of abuse against children. The emotional abuse of children is defined by the American National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse as ‘†¦ a pattern of behaviour that attacks a childs emotional development and sense of self-worth. Emotional abuse includes excessive, aggressive or unreasonable demands that place expectations on a child beyond his or her capacity. Constant criticizing, belittling, insulting, rejecting and teasing are some of the forms these verbal attacks can take. Emotional abuse also includes failure to provide the psychological nurturing necessary for a childs psycholog ical growth and development providing no love, support or guidance (National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, 1987). This definition then describes the myriad forms of emotional abuse that children can be subjected to – and thus the inherent difficulties of prediction and prevention in child protection. Non-organic failure to thrive is a further possible risk that children are exposed to. It is defined by the Lucy Packard Children’s Hospital as ‘†¦decelerated or arrested physical growth (height and weight measurements fall below the fifth percentile, or a downward change in growth across two major growth percentiles) associated with poor developmental and emotional functioning.’ Non-organic failure to thrive is often difficult to detect, and risk assessment is vital to guarantee this detection. Institutional abuse is also a broad term, but within its scope are included bullying, racial discrimination, disability discrimination and many ot hers. Risk assessment then has to draw together all of these potential risks and must consider factors that influence them. These factors include parenting capacity, child developmental needs, housing, the child’s family and the child’s environment. This essay now discusses each of these factors succinctly before describing the various methods used to assess them. Parenting capacity and the family environment are intimately connected as factors for assessment of possible risks to a child. A healthy relationship between his/her parents and a stable family environment is extremely important for the physical and emotional welfare of a child.   When this healthy environment deteriorates because of domestic violence, parental arguments, parental divorce, change of circumstances etc., the child is put at a higher risk of abuse. The influence of extended family (grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins etc.,) is likewise very considerable and must be considered as a risk assessment factor. Child developmental needs refer to the needs of a child for access to education and social development, and for children with learning disabilities to get access to professional help and services. If this development is negatively affected in some way, then the risk to a child increases significantly. Poor quality housing is clearly a risk factor for the welfare of a child, particularly those with disabilities. Children with disabilities require special facilities and equipment, and all children require basic amenities and utilities depending upon the age and development of that child. Interior and exterior conditions, hygiene, sleeping environment, and local surroundings can all become risk factors if neglected or abused. This essay now examines the three dominant theories or methods of risk assessment in the past decade of child protection: the actuarial model and the theoretical-empirical approach. (1) Theoretical-Empirical (Consensus-Based) Models. Within the theoretical-empirical model risk is determined according to a decided group of empirically grounded risk factors, and by these the social worker produces a total assessment of risk founded upon witnessed combinations of risk factors (Boer, Webster, 1997). Scientific research has demonstrated that the theoretical-empirical model achieves average predictive success. (Epperson, 1998). The inherent difficulty of this method is that the care worker must equate identified risk factors into a recidivism likelihood. The model can therefore be argued to be undermined   by its lack of integration of risk factors (Wolfe McGee, 1994) so important in child protection. Risk assessment for the theoretical-empirical model is founded upon theories about parental abuse of children. The classic model of this type was the Ecological Model of Maltreatment (Brofenbrenner 1979, Belsky, 1993). The idea within this model is that numerous factors and the identification of risk factors determine the likelihood of abuse. The Ecological Model of Maltreatment considers risks related to children themselves, to caregivers, caregiver and child interaction, the family, and wider social and institutional factors. According to the theoretical-empirical model potential risk is determined in the investigation and influences case-choice at the beginning of the assessment process, during investigations, decisions about beginning cases, service strategy, child placement, and at the closure of cases.  Ã‚   (2)PureActuarial Models. These models supply definite principles for integrating risk factors (identified by retrospective empirically founded case reviews) into certain probability figures. The difference with such models is that they are not tethered to any particular theory of child abuse, or theory of parental abuse of children, but instead make use of all factors that are empirically joined to a risk assessment decision and put these in the assessment scales nonetheless. An advantage of such models is that they give specific weights of scale to individual risk factors and so can be transformed into scales that show the important associations between risk variables and the resolution of interest. Thus these associations imply that a particular variable is present, so too is the concomitant variable – though one should not necessarily infer that one variable produces the other. Such a distinction is vital when evaluating whether the aim of risk assessment should be short te rm or long term prediction and prevention, and intervention. Recent scientific investigation reveals that actuarial scales such as these are better at prediction of risk than clinical judgement usually is (Groove Meehl, 1996). Nonetheless, several authorities and risk assessment theoreticians have implied that this actuarial superiority is based upon inaccurate research (Serin, 1995). Sjosted and Grann (2002) have further questioned the methodology of actuarial models.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (3)Clinically Adjusted Actuarial Models. The essential difference between pure actuarial models and clinically adjusted actuarial models is that the later use an actuarial method to ascertain risk factors as determined by a risk scale, but a medical or care practitioner can vary the actuarial level plus or minus depending upon the factor of his clinical judgement. Thus clinically adjusted models place are more individualistic since they permit the inclusion of possible individual risk factors that were unable to be documented empirically. There is much debate and argument about the strengths and weaknesses of these various methods. Within the actuarial school of thought there is a separate question as to which of the pure actuarial models or the clinically adjusted actuarial models is superior. It is probably true to say that actuarial models (of both types) are now thought to provide greater accuracy of prediction of child risk than theoretical-empirically based models. Clinically adjusted actuarial models are argued to give the best results, combining the advantages of an integrated risk assessment scale with the experience of a clinician and his ability to spot the individualistic risks in particular case that the model may not have noticed. The future of risk assessment perhaps lies then with a refinement of the clinically adjusted actuarial model. Important issues of methodology to be addressed include poor reliability, validity of measures, dilemmas of terminology, lack of base rate information, incorporation of individualistic risks and sensitivity of investigation.  Ã‚   In pre-risk assessment days a profound flaw of the child protection system was the failure of various independent agencies to pool together their skills and the knowledge they had acquired about the risk to a particular child; inter-agency communication was poor, and as a consequence many children were harmed, or even killed, who might otherwise have been saved. The advent of risk assessment in child protection improved the co-ordination of information between professional care services, and the recent introduction of child protection conferences have led to a far greater and more efficient sharing of information between agencies. Child protection conferences are convened after social services and the police have made initial inquiries about the health of a child and then seek to extend these enquires. A child protection conference brings together all professionals concerned with the welfare of a child, and thus has the enormous advantage of bringing all possible helpful information together at the same time. The purpose of such conferences is to determine the welfare of the child, to evaluate the risk of physical or emotional harm to the child, and to decide whether the child should be transferred onto the Child Protection Register. Conferences also consider whether legal proceedings ought to be brought on behalf of the child, and whether the police are required to investigate a crime against the child. If it is felt necessary to put a child on the Child Protection Register, then the conference must also produce a Child Protection Plan for the future welfare of the child. Such plans are essential because they explicitly stipulate what the responsibilities and duties are of each agency involved in the care of the child. The usefulness and thoroughness of these conferences is enhanced by the practice of a follow-up conferences after three months to determine progress, and then further conferences after six month intervals if necessary. Moreover, the inter-agency dialogue introduced by child conferences greatly improves the chances of these professionals spotting a specific risk to a child that might be missed by individual agencies. Child protection conferences are vital then to ensure and maximise the accuracy of individual risk assessments.   In short, child protection conferences have improved enormously the co-operation and inter-communication of the various agencies involved in the care of a particular child and so reduced considerably the risk posed to that child.   Ã‚   A further area that needs to be investigated by risk assessment is parental capacity to care for children. It is usually assumed that parents have a right to care for their children in all circumstances; an idea influenced by the normal reluctance of British society to tolerate intensive state intervention into private family life. It is believed that the state should remain at a distance, stepping in only in emergencies or cases of dire need. Professional care workers now argue however that this attitude of non-intervention often ignores the actual capacity of some parents to care for their children, particularly those with intensive needs. Thus this attitude can frequently threaten a child’s safety and security. Future risk assessment needs to develop a theoretical and practical model for possible state intervention in cases where parental ability to care for a child is suspect. The British government will be required to play a significant role here; updating existing legislation and creating new strong legislation to allow for intervention by care services in the most high risk cases of child abuse. This demand upon the government is an outcome of the philosophy of risk now prevalent in the United Kingdom, where it is assumed that the government has the ability to foresee and prevent abuse and maltreatment – and so the government is to be held to account when this does not happen. In the final analysis, it must be seen that risk assessment for child protection has had an   enormous success compared with the vacuum and capricious nature of prediction and prevention that existed before its introduction. Care workers and clinicians now have a theoretical, empirical and practical model by which to best determine the various risks that affect vulnerable children. The future progress and evolution of risk assessment seems to lie with an actuarial model – probably a clinically adjusted actuarial model. Such models at present appear to integrate risk factors most successfully and therefore to offer the best rates of prediction. This said, methodology needs to be thoroughly revised to evaluate and consider reliability of data, reliability of measures, integration of clinical opinion, individualistic risks etc., So too risk assessment needs to develop clear concepts and to push for government legislation to produce a model for state intervention into cases wher e parental ability to care for children is insufficient. Risk assessment theory must seek to modify the attitude of the British public that assumes parental right to care is absolute; showing that in certain circumstances this is not the case. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Journals   Ã‚   Belsky, J. (1993). Etiology of Child Maltreatment: A DevelopmentalEcological Analysis. Psychological Bulletin. Vol 114, No 3, 413-434. Boer, D.P. Webster, C.D. (1997) Manual for the Sexual Violence Risk 20. Vancouver, B.C. The British Colombia Institute Against Family Violence. Brofenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press. Corby, B. (1990) Risk Assessment in Child Protection Work. International Conference of Risk Assessment in Child Protection. Epperson, D.L. (1998). Final Report on the Development of the Sex Offender Screening Tool: Presentation at the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. 17th Annual Conference. Groove, W.M. Meehl, P.E. (1996). Comparative Efficiency of Informal and Formal Predictive Procedures: The Clinical-Statistical Controversy. Public Policy and Law, 2. 293-323.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kemshall, H. (2002). Risk, Social Policy and Welfare. Open University Press, Buckingham. Parsloe, P. (1999) (2001). Risk Assessment in Social Care and Social Work. Jessica Kingsley, London.    Serin, R.C. (1995). Violent Recidivism in Criminal Psychopaths. Law and Human Behaviour, 20, 207-217.    Sjostedt, G, Grann, M. (2002). Risk Assessment: What is Being Predicted by Actuarial Prediction Instruments. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health. Vol 1, No 2, 179-183. Websites National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Against Children, (NSPCC).   www.nspcc.org.uk    National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect  Ã‚   www.nccanch.acf.hhs.gov

Listening in Lectures Essay -- essays papers

Listening in Lectures Lectures are the main way of communicating knowledge in the classroom setting, so being able to listen well is an essential to success in one’s education. There are many different techniques that once practiced and mastered, can lead to success. The first step to good listening skills in lectures is to be prepared. By reading the chapter being covered, or re-reading notes it is easier to listen. Because the content is not being introduced for the first time, it is easier to comprehend it. Also by avoiding distractions, and picking a seat that is easy to pay attention in, the chances of listening well are increased, even before the teacher begins to speak. (Wells 1) A helpful hint to listening in a lecture is realizing that listening is a lot more than just hearing the words spoken at a lecture. In actuality listening is a cognitive activity that processes and interprets the information heard. There are certain things that a student may be able to say that can help their ability to listen well. By repeating â€Å"I am going to listen†, a student goes into the lecture with an objective, thus helping them stay on task. Also, by repeating the phrase â€Å"I am going to listen because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is another way to stay on track because it forces the student to have an objective. When an objective is present it is much easier to listen because it is like a goal is obtainable. (Boyd 1) Being an effective listener takes the ability to channel things out. A stu...

The Sins of the Father Essay example -- essays papers

The Sins of the Father What happens to children severely traumatized or neglected during the first years of life? This is an infinite topic, so the focus of this exploration will be limited to three personality disorders. The symptoms of these personality disorders are diagnosed in adulthood, but their roots lie in the first 4 years of life. Erikson's growth stages of trust vs. mistrust and autonomy vs. self-doubt will form the foundation for understanding. When a child is exposed to abusive, pathological parenting during these development stages the result is often a personality disorder. Personality disorders are enduring patterns of perception, which are maladaptive and cause significant functional impairment and/or subjective distress according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, edition 4. These disorders affect approximately 3% of our population and the number is probably significantly higher, except that many go undiagnosed. These people often suffer extraordinarily thro ughout an entire lifetime and cause a great deal of suffering to those who love and interact with them. It is my intent to provide a general understanding of the people afflicted with these disorders. But more importantly, the causes that take place during infancy so that possibly some day the diseases can be eradicated. I will begin with the infant who is unable to be successfully fed and soothed at birth. Infants have very minimal needs but each need is crucial. The failure to meet any of these needs causes significant difficulty in adulthood. Infants are completely helpless; a tiny baby is unable to think for itself. Almost all feelings are intense and require adult intervention to help the infant manage the intensity. Lastly, the infant has absolutely no physical ability to do anything for itself including any mobility. Take a moment to try and imagine total helplessness and dependency on another for everything, hunger, comfort, warmth, communication and even the ability to calm oneself. An infant is born in a symbiotic state in which it is unable to differentiate between itself and the primary care giver. This is the foundation of trust. The caregiver must anticipate the needs of the infant and be able to interpret non-verbal clues, since the infant has no verbal communication skills. When a primary caregiver is unable to sense when ... ...Burge Dorli Hammen Constance Borderline personality disorders: Symptoms of disfunction in young women Journal of abnormal psychology august 2000 volume 109 number 3 Firstman, Richard, and Talan, Jamie, â€Å"The Death of the Innocents†, copyright 1997, Bantam Books, New York, N.Y. Gabbard Glen O. MD, Psychodynamic psychiatry, copyright 2000 American Psyciatric press P.385-491 Gunderson, John G., â€Å"Borderline†, copyright 1984, R.R. Donnelly and Sons, United States of America. Kohut, Heinz, â€Å"The Search for Self†, volumes 3, 4, copyright 1991, International Universities Press, New York, N.Y. Roberts Donald D. Phd, Psychodynamic Psychology, Shorter term treatment of the borderline personality disorder: A developmental self-and object relations winter 2000 Volume 17 number 1 Scholte Everit M. Contemporary Psychology savage spawn: Reflections on violent children Dec 2000 Volume 95 number 6 Spitzer, Robert L., M.D., Chair at work group revision, â€Å"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders†, III R, copyright 1987, American Psychiatric Association, USA. Stern, Daniel, â€Å"The Interpersonal World of the Infant†, copyright 1985, Basic Book, United States of America.

Placing English Language Learners in Special Education Essay -- ELLs a

When do English language learners need to be placed in special education? In the United States, there has been an increase in in the number of children from Spanish speaking backgrounds. The English Language Learners, commonly known as ELL’s, are being placed in Special Education without being properly tested for a learning disability. However there are a large number of ELL’s with learning disabilities in elementary grades that truly have a learning disability and are over looked. Many school districts have problems placing ELL’s. As a result these students end up in special education whether they have a learning disability or language impairment. Teachers are also indecisive when dealing with ELL’s. Most teachers recommend that ELL’s be placed in special education from day one. It is not because the child has a learning disability, it’s because most teachers are not properly trained to interact with ELL’s. Teachers also find it difficult, due to lack of training, having ELL’s with learning disabil ities in their classrooms. More teachers would find their selves comfortable if they had training in dealing with ELL’s and ELL’s with learning disabilities. This paper discusses the issues and the concerns teachers have in dealing with ELLs and ELLs with disabilities, the challenges of identifying individuals with learning disabilities, and what type of assessments classify English Language Learners as having a learning disability. First, teachers are rarely prepared to handle the challenges of assessing students who have a learning disability coupled with limited English proficiency (Haung, Milczarski, Raby, 2011). Teachers usually have trouble distinguishing between a learning disorders and acquiring a second language. Eve... ..., K., Milczarski, E., & Raby, C. (2011). The Assessment of English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: Issues, Concerns, and Implications. Education, 131(4), 732-739. Kapantzoglou, M., Restrepo, M., & Thompson, M. S. (2012). Dynamic Assessment of Word Learning Skills: Identifying Language Impairment in Bilingual Children. Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools, 43(1), 81-96. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2011/10-0095) Wagner, R. K., Francis, D. J., & Morris, R. D. (2005). Identifying English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: Key Challenges and Possible Approaches. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice (Blackwell Publishing Limited), 20(1), 6-15. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2005.00115.x Sullivan, A. L. (2011). Disproportionality in Special Education Identification and Placement of English Language Learners. Exceptional Children, 77(3), 317-334.

Drug Abuse in Adolescents

Adolescence is a critical stage of change and confusion, full of promises and challenges for youngsters and parents alike. They undergo significant changes in biology, cognitive capacity and self-image. When they exhibit complex problems such as abuse of alcohol and other drug substance, delinquent behavior, serious depression or symptoms of psychosis would definitely need family support and guidance more than ever (Snyder, 1998).The causes of drug abuse and addiction were sought in qualities of the individual and historically have included such things as moral failure, psychological distress, and genetic disposition. Methamphetamine, for example, can cause psychotic delusions including homicidal or suicidal thoughts. Long-term use of the drug can lead to brain damage, similar with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, or epilepsy.Cocaine, on the other hand, could cause complications to heart, lungs, gastrointestinal and nervous system. This would further lead to delinquent behaviors, school dropouts and engagement to premarital sex that would affect not just the teen him/herself but his family, friends and the society as well.Excessive family conflicts, marital discord, verbal, physical and sexual abuse, early insecure attachment, poor parent/child relationships, lack of parental bonding, poor family management, lack of parenting skills and dysfunctional care giving put stress on teens which makes them vulnerable that could lead to drug abuse.The media, internets, peer pressure are also significant factors that could influence teens getting involve in drug abuse (Ashery, et al, 2000).Family-Centered treatment is offered in many outpatient settings in drug abuse treatment fields. These include public-private partnership with private programs delivering services under grants or contracts with Federal, State, or local governments. In these outpatient settings, families are often included in educational programs and individual and multifamily group therapy.In inpati ent settings, adolescents have historically been isolated from their families, often only being allowed to see them during brief visiting hours. Once the adolescent is admitted to an inpatient facility, the family is involved in many treatment activities such as educational presentation and individual and multifamily group therapy.Other settings are day treatment or partial hospitalization programs and variety of community-based self-help groups that target the families of troubled adolescents (Snyder, 1998).Drug abuse of adolescents can be prevented through strong economic base, achievement orientation, role adoptability, spirituality, extended family bonds, racial pride, respect and love, resourcefulness, community involvement and family unity (Ashery, et al, 2000).Reference:Rebecca S. Ashery, Elizabeth B. Robertson, Karol L. Kumpfer (2000). Drug Abuse Prevention Through Interventions. DIANE PublishingSnyder, Wendy (1998). Empowering Families, Helping Adolescents: Family-Centered Treatment of Adolescents with Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Problems  DIANE Publishing