Practical Sports Coaching Essay Example for Free

Practical Sports Coaching Essay Introduction In this assignment I am going to identify, describe and analyse some of the main techniques of a successful coach, while considering how they could be used in both individual and team sports. Purpose of coaching Coaching is helping to develop a person through the improvement of their athletic performance. It involves the physical and psychological development of the person to take them beyond their present level. Successful coaching To be a successful coach you have to take some of the following into account: * Planning and organisation If you want to get the best from a coaching session it is essential that you are well organised. Before starting coaching, a session plan should be made out. This allows us to run a session in a professional and organised manner. The session plan should get progressively more difficult, not suddenly jump from relatively simple to hard with no stages in between. * Communication When coaching it should be remembered that younger children would require a lot more help and advice than older athletes will. So when coaching we should adjust are techniques accordingly to make sure whoever we are coaching understands clearly what they have to do. * Monitoring and evaluating Performance of the athletes should be well monitored throughout all sessions, this way a coach can adjust his/ her session according to performance. It is important to keep progression at a tempo suitable to all the athletes in the group so nobody gets left behind and so everybody understands all the drills they do, so when putting it into a competitive situation they understand what to do. * Analysing and problem solving During training a coach should not only analyse the group as a whole, but individuals. Some individuals will be able to perform drills more quickly than others. It is important that you make sure that the weaker individuals are given a bit of extra help. * Tactics A coach will need to make sure that athletes use the skills they have developed at the right time. This will involve coaches creating role-play situations in training and letting athletes decide how best to handle the situation. * Sports science As well as all this a coach must be aware of the role of sport science, many of the things associated with sport science are applicable to coaching. * Health and safety A coach must ensure that they have taken every precaution possible to prevent an athlete suffering an injury. Psychological techniques Successful coaches have to have a good Psychological side to the game so that they no what is required and what they have to face in the future. They also have to not buckle under pressure and always be strong for the players and the team. If a player sees that their coach is finding it difficult, then they no that they are not doing the right job and their confidence level drops. A successful coach has to always try to take something good out of a game so that they can build on places were they went wrong and try and fix them. If they find something good in the game then the players confidence level gradually builds and they start to play better. They have to get the players into good habits and a routine for training. They have to have a good idea of what routine they are going to take the players for and be able to plan a good training programme. A successful coach also has to develop a mental toughness. They have to teach the players to work and play as part of a team and not to play for themselves. They have to be able to interact in a competitive environment. The coach must always bear in mind that sport is an area of life that people enter into in order to have fun and enjoy themselves. The coach must prepare teams and individuals to maximise their chances of winning, but they must not lose sight of the pleasure that sport can bring. This development of skills must always be practised in a safe environment and ensure the safety of participants and the coach. Physical techniques A successful coach has to try to kept the physical level of all of the players to a high standard so that then are able to last the full game. If they are not used to training very much and they go and play a full game then their muscles become over used because the body can not cope with the pressure that is being put upon it and it results in an injury. If the coach gets the players into a routine of training, then the players improve on places were they are lacking and try to improve their performance on the pitch and please the coach. It then relates back to the mental side because if the performance of the players is good and the players are happy then the coach is happy. Coaches have to aim to improve speed, strength, flexibility and endurance. To minimise the chances of any player getting injured, the coach has to strengthen and develop techniques to unable this to occur. They have to get the players into good habits and a routine for training. They have to have a good idea of what routine they are going to take the players for and be able to plan a good training programme. Personal skills of a coach There are many different styles of coaching, and most coaches nowadays have there own views on how things should be done. These are many different personalities and styles throughout the world. However the very best coaches always seem to have at least five things in common. * A professional approach Modern coaches are now paying more attention to the small things that make all the difference. They also know that they have to conduct themselves in professional and appropriate manner, and always act in the best interests of the club or team. * They are good role models Coaches must set a standard, which their athletes should aspire to. Their personal habits must be good and should be the example setter at the club. If athletes see that there coach is arriving late then they will consider this to be acceptable and do the same themselves. * Knowledge of the sport they are coaching A coach needs to have a thorough understanding of the rules, techniques and tactical requirements of their chosen sport. This will make them a good role model for their players because if a coach is aware of all this it will be passed onto the athletes. It also shows that they will be able to understand the skills and will teach and evaluate the correctly. * Motivational skills Coaches must be able to keep their athletes motivated if they want them perform at the highest level they possibly can. If a coach can keep them motivated it means players are more likely to recognise their full potential. * Communication skills This includes not only what we say, but what we do as well. Coaches have to consider their body language as well as their verbal communication in creating the right type of atmosphere. Issues to be considered when coaching Coaches are in a position of responsibility to make sure nobody suffers injury so it is important that coaches understand the responsibility of what they are doing. They have a duty of care to everyone they coach. There are 10 legal duties a coach should fulfil: 1. Plan the session thoroughly 2. Ensure method of coaching is safe and correct 3. Ensure the environment is safe 4. Provide good, up to date equipment 5. Check all equipment is working before use 6. Make sure nobody is suffering from an injury before starting 7. Make sure athletes are adequately prepared and warmed up properly 8. Make sure athletes know the risks and how to minimise these 9. Once started make sure you supervise the session carefully 10. Be prepared for an emergency situation, and be able to provide emergency assistance. Insurance It may seem strange that insurance is considered important in effective coaching, but it is essential. Coaching should never be undertaken unless you know the proper insurance is in place. However insurance is complex so just having insurance is just not enough. You need to know the following things about the insurance: 1. What activities are covered? 2. Where am I covered to coach? 3. What events are covered? 4. How much loss am I insured for? 5. What equipment and property are covered? 6. Are there any special conditions that are excluded? 7. What should I do in the event of a claim? Child protection When coaching children it is essential that they be protected. Coaches are placed in a position of trust by parents, and these parents, and these parents have a right to know that a coach will not abuse his position. To be a good coach you must be responsible for the childrens welfare. Sports organisations are aware that some shady people will use sport as a means to get access to children an abuse them in one way or another. Some positive steps have been taken to make sure children are safe: 1. In January 2001, a child protection in sport unit (CPSU) was set up. This is based at the training centre of the NSPCC and is funded by the training staff. 2. There are now laws that require that organisations have child protection procedures in place and that is supported by training their staff. 3. The Criminal Records Bureau now provides information about the suitability of a person to work with children 4. Sport England requires evidence that child protection procedures are in place before any sport can take place. Enjoyment For a coach to really successful they really have to enjoy what they are doing, they need to share the athletes dreams and help them achieve it. A coach will then be able to share in the success their athletes achieve. If a coach doesnt enjoy what they are doing then there is really no point because athletes wont gain anything from a coach who isnt interested. Practical sports coaching Task 2 Feedback After taking the Millburn primary school children for a 15 minute warm up session before there soccer coaching I have decided to analyse my performance. When I first took control of the group they were loud and full of energy. I managed to get the group under control, which was very important to make sure no injuries occurred and the session stayed organised. I did a warm up drill which involved each child having a football, although this was a sport specific warm-up it was hard to maintain control. Some of the children were more capable of keeping the ball at their feet than others and this inevitably led to balls going astray. When I noticed this I got the group to stop and talk them through the drill again, this time getting them to walk through it an keep ball closer to them. Within the group we had a couple of quite talented boys who were keen to show the fact they were better than the rest and kept running with the ball, it was hard to instruct the other kids who were not so talented because concentrated too much on getting the others to slow down. Before the end of the session the children started to get bored and admittedly I did myself. I tried to introduce a different drill to try capturing the attention of the children again. This attempt failed badly, because I had not organised anything and then lost control until instructor took over and ended the session. Overall I dont think it was a bad first attempt, with more confidence and better organisation it could have been better. I have also added my session plan for the warm up drill on next page. Coaching session plan Venue: Coleraine leisure centre Date of session: 04-12-04 Time 10:30 Duration: 15 mins Name of group: Millburn P.S Number of participants: 15 Equipment needed: 15 balls, cones, whistle. Warm up 15 minutes 1. Stop the ball 2. Sit on the ball 3. Double touch 4. Knee to ball 5. Change direction Give each child a ball and tell them to use whole area. Tell them what each of the commands are and issue them while they are running round hall with ball at their feet. . Summary: keep control of group and make sure the pacing is correct to avoid loss of control. Record all injuries no matter how minor. Practical sports coaching Task 3 Introduction For this assignment I have to analyse two performers, describe and explain what techniques and equipment could be used to improve their performance. For this assignment I have chosen to base my two performers on and 8-year-old girl and a 15-year-old Down syndrome child. For the 8 year old girl some of the equipment that might be required to help them get a feel for the game. You might use a lighter football and smaller football because it would be easier to pass the ball with a smaller and lighter ball. You might even make the ball pink to attract their attention better. If you use a lighter ball then it is easier for them to header it instead of throwing a hard ball for them to header because it will put them of playing football. You might play indoors because it help the ball move at a faster pace than if you were outside on the grass. When playing indoors bring the players closer to each other when passing the ball because then you make sure the ball reaches the other person and the ball doesnt go all over the place and interrupt the other participants. For a 15-year-old Down syndrome child some of the equipment that might be used are, a bigger ball and play indoors. It would be better to play them indoors because it is a more compacted and relaxed space. You would be better to use a bigger ball like a beach ball for them to use. It would be better for them to use the bigger ball because they have bad co-ordination and bad balance and using a smaller ball would give them a better advantage of hitting the ball. You would also use a beach ball because it doesnt bounce as much and that means it would be easier for them to control it.

Louise Bourgeois Essay Example for Free

Louise Bourgeois Essay Much can be learned from the environment within which we live. What we see tells a lot about the society in which we live: belief system; politics; economic undertakings; kinship and material culture among others. Through material culture, we can get insight into the world that existed long before us. Culture can be defined as the way of life of people depicting their shared experiences, political and religious beliefs, technology, insights, attitudes, and material objects. (Li Karakowsky) The sublime can be defined as the priced greatness or vast intensity in terms of biological, moral, mental, metaphysical, beauty, art or religion. Sublime is experienced over and over. It is embedded in our history, being, values, thoughts, concepts, world views, beliefs, and is responsible for our personalities (Bernadac 2007 p20) Main Body One of America’s renowned artist and sculptor, Louise Bourgeois, managed to capture the American Sublime through her artistic undertaking. She was born in Paris, France in December 25, 1911 but traveled to America in 1938 to perfect her artistic endeavor. She studied mathematics at the Sorbonne, and painting and sculpture in Ecole du Louvre, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and Art Students League of New York. She worked as an assistant to Fernand Henri Leger- a French sculptor, painter, and film maker. She is popular for her work that depicts spiders, sculptures, drawings and literary work (National Gallery of Canada 2005 p16). As a way of depicting the society in which she was living, Bourgeois work is full of inanimate images of horrifying fear, ghosts, darkness, tortured people, and disabling mental illness to attempt to get at the source of these emotions and to uphold normality even in times of chaos. Her works helped depict the intellectual climate, social and historical conditions that existed then. (Gorovoy et al 2006 pp 27 -28) She captured the effects of the First World War through carving limbless sculptures and detached limbs and had most of his paintings and sculptures painted black to depict death and mourning, (Gorovoy et al 2006 p 24) e. g. the two headless fabric bodies attempting to make love shown below. She depicts the revolution of the western politics, largely constructivism, through posters that expressed sympathy towards the Russian regime which she displayed in Moscow. The Tate Modern exhibition catalogue indicates her inclination towards Communism. Bourgeois made abstract art pieces that reflected on her childhood experiences showing how relationships within the family were entwined together thus bringing in the aspect of kinship, socialization and acculturation. This depicts how her art gives us insight to how children were brought up back then. (Lippard 2003 pp 9-10) Her Femme Maison and Fallen woman series introduced the aspect of liberation of women. They depicted a female struggling to outgrow some house like structures within which she is trapped – that is attempting to outgrow the masculinity into which the women were entrapped. She depicts a rebellion against the negative masculinity through her work, The Destruction of a Father, in which rock figures surround a sacrificial slab full of butchered body parts. Thus: It has been suggested that her sculpture, The Blind Leading the Blind, has a religious connotation. According to Desmond Michael and Lloyd Michael (1870-1970) Bourgeois, inspired by the Cold War, made this sculpture and that the title was picked from the New Testament verse (Matthew 15:14) that describes how a blind man leading another blind man would end up in a ditch. The structure is shown below (Bernadac 2007) Bourgeois contribution to the American Sublime is best captured in New Yorks Guggenheim Museum, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and Londons Tate Modern with their massive collection of her art work. In conclusion, the American Sublime has been captured through art in poetry, carvings, paintings, songs, books, and which take us back to the origins of the cultures of past American societies. Just like the origins of the American sublime can be traced through studying works of art, similarly, so can we understand much about its revolution from the contemporary art works. Louise Bourgeois has managed to get this through her sculptures, drawings and works of art – reflecting abstract as well as tangible aspects of living that relate to feelings, political standing, material culture, religious inclination, beliefs and kinship. References Bernadac, M (2007) â€Å"Louise Bourgeois† Rizzoli International North America pp 18 24 Gorovoy, J. , Carver R. Read C. (2006) â€Å"Louise Bourgeois† Bellport Press University of Michigan pp 21-35 Lippard R (2003) â€Å"Overlay: contemporary art and the art of prehistory† Pantheon Books NY pp 7-16 National Gallery of Canada (2005) â€Å"Louise Bourgeois Maman† National Gallery Canada press pp 14-17

Ship Machinery And Equipment Maintenance

Ship Machinery And Equipment Maintenance Ship machinery maintenance is of predominant importance for accurate operation of each ship. For this purpose, the ships machinery plant should be kept well maintained and clean at all times for assuring safe and smooth operation and functionality of the ship. Furthermore, it is most significant that ample new spare parts and equipments are carried on board in order to correctly accomplish maintenance in due time under the supervision of fully competent staff according to the manufacturers instructions. Moreover, Crankshaft deflections need to be taken frequently at regular intervals. Fuel oil and Lube oil must be analyzed in order to ensure that they do not contain any debris or contamination. Main as well as auxiliary engines result in a breakdown that cause severe damage like fire that may require the ship from terminating its services until lengthy and costly repairs and maintenance measures are accomplished. Experts acknowledge the fact that maintenance requirements are not standardized. However, these requirements will differ substantially from one ship to another. Some ship owners employ a fundamental preventative maintenance policy, while others operate more sophisticated systems based on condition monitoring. This is why machinery surveys are adopted in flexible basis so as to plan according to owners existing business processes and schedules. An approach that is based on operating at schedules intervals offers a manageable and controlled maintenance program. Although, it may not be most efficient, a maintenance program is tailored to operational performance trends, and manifested by individual elements of machinery. Furthermore, by evaluating the condition monitoring data, the extent to which machinery is opened for surveys is considerably reduced. This approach may be applied to a vast variety of reciprocating and rotating shipboard machinery. For instance, Tail-shafts can be contr olled and monitored on frequent basis, thereby allowing lengthy periods between withdrawals for accurate inspection. The time interval between raising main stream turbine casings may be extended in a similar fashion. As a result of this, unproductive repair as well as dry dock downtime may be kept to a minimum level. Interestingly, based on Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), further optimization of the maintenance program can be obtained. This technique employs a structured assessment of functions for deriving the most efficient maintenance strategy. Also, operational performance can be improved by maintaining ship availability and keeping downtime minimal. For proper machinery maintenance and loss prevention, following measures must be undertaken: Lubricating Oil: Lubricating or lube oil sampling should be maintained at frequent levels and regularly recorded as a recommended practice. Also, lube oil purifiers must be operated continuously and adequately. The gravity disc should be chosen so as to achieve the desired oil-water interface at a maximal level of temperature nearing 90 deg C according to the specifications. Furthermore, the lube oil feed system applied to the purifiers must be evaluated for ensuring the optimum flow rate between the feed pump and the purifiers capacity. Old lube oil feed system designs utilize a direct drive pump that bears a large capacity as against the recommended flow through the purifiers. If the system contains heavy contamination of water, the lube oil in the sump tank should be transported to a settling tank, the sump tank must be cleaned, and new fresh oil must be filed to the minimum level as recommended by the engine manufacturer. Moreover, the contaminated lube oil is drained and circulated by the purifiers and after analysis, the future use if the oil is assessed. If solid particles are determined in the system, the piping system should be cleaned and the entire engine must be flushed. Crankshaft Safety: The engine should be stopped as soon as the oil mist detector alarm rings or overheating of engine is detected. To avoid further damage, the main cause of overheating of engine must be identified and correction measures must be taken before the engine is restarted. The lube oil must be kept clean as far as possible by continuously using the lube oil purifiers at the recommended temperature over 90 deg C. Also, lube oil filters must be maintained and placed in clean and suitable environment by frequent routines. Crankshaft deflections should be regularly taken in order to ensure that the operation of the engine is within the limit as permitted by the manufacturer. Bunkers: Bunkering processes that includes fuel-testing procedures must be carefully reviewed for ensuring accuracy in procedures while dealing with off-specification bunkers. Each precaution must taken to make sure that adequate amount of bunker supplies are made available in order to allow proper testing before any new bunkers are used. Furthermore, water, high ash and total sediment potential content also must be considered as well as high sodium and water content that indicates the presence of seawater within the bunkers. At sea, loss of structural integrity due to grounding and collision are the most significant contributors to accidental pollution. Hulls must be designed by considering two most important factors; (1) improvement in the hull strength as well as energy absorption, and (2) sufficient residual strength subsequent to damage for allowing salvage operations. So far, the major focus is on preventing pollution from tankers. Nevertheless, there is now greater concern related to the potential consequences of damage and accidents to bunker tanks and other types of ships, some which may be carrying thousand tones of fuel oil. Present R D, as far as improving hull strength and energy absorption is concerned, is focusing on the development and advancement of modified calculation methods that are to be used for measuring the ability of varying structural assemblies to withstand ground forces and collision. When the entire numerical simulations done by the finite element method is taken into accoun t, examining the experimental results have proven the significance of including the vertical motion of the ship especially for grounding simulations along with the motion of the struck object or striking ship to evaluate collision simulations. Moreover, significant amount of research has been dedicated to the evaluation of existing as well as proposed design solutions for improvement of collision and grounding strength. 2-D methods have been employed for evaluation of relatively simple post-accident strength for the anticipation of the collapse strength of a hull girder. By using these methods, the capability of the damaged ship to survive can be assessed by a skillful comparison between the measured strength and the environmental loads; the latter being calculated without considering the result of the accidental damage on the loads and motions acting on the ship. Therefore, research is on-going with the main objective on improvement of ship response calculation methods corresponding to the effects of damage for both mobile offshore units and the ships. The following are said to be the major R D requirements in these areas: Conceptions about ship subdivision in order to minimize the effect of impacts on the hull, as well as concepts for hull structure design for increasing the residual strength and the resistance to impact after damage. Particularly, further development and enhancement of energy absorbing side and double bottom shell designs and their evaluation through full-scale tests and models along with comprehensive numerical models. Integrating numerical models for external dynamics, i.e. ship motions, and internal mechanics. Developing ways of securing bunker tanks from grounding and collisions for new ship designs. Developing simplified calculation techniques and methods for prediction of energy absorption abilities of particular structural solutions. Developing design criteria for prevention of pollution as a result of collision and grounding Analysis of collected casualty information on grounding and collision with the main goal to develop environmental impact indexes and reference design scenarios able to talk for the energy absorption and varying structural configurations. Apart from grounding and collision, other major causes of loss of hull integrity are fatigue/fracture problems, excessive loading, and consequences of corrosion. Corrosion is reduced by supplying additional thickness to the plate at the design stage and employing corrosion protection systems, many of which are based on coatings requiring maintenance throughout the life of the ship. Also, corrosion problems can be dealt with by good detail design of the hull structure. A factor that provides potential is design for maintenance; for instance, by ensuring suitable access for inspecting local structures as well as for applying coatings. Thus, the main R D needs covering this area are concerned with the design and structuring of ship hulls for corrosion reduction/prevention and for easier inspection and maintenance. Planned maintenance system (PMS) deals with scheduling, planning and performance of each and every important machinery on board a ship. Furthermore, PMS software is deployed to every ship for carrying out the operations of the ship in an efficient manner. All the PMS functionalities are carried out according to their schedules. This not only ensures efficient working of the machinery but also help in avoiding any sort of mishap caused due to poor maintenance. To carry out all the maintenance works in a timely manner, PMS software is used. A PMS software is fabricated for a ship based on the type and number of machinery the ship possesses. A job card is assigned to every machine that consists of every detail about the machinery. Each job card has three main components. A PMS software gives an accurate estimation of the maintenance schedule overdue or nearing, and enables the user to plan and submit the completion report, by which the next maintenance date is automatically rescheduled (Hayman et al).

are you a good leader? :: essays research papers

Are you a good leader? A good leader must be articulate so he can understand everyone he leads. A good leader must also be strong minded so he can convince people to do what is right for the group. Last but not least you must be intelligent to one, know what is right for the group and two to back up your other two traits. The best leaders are articulate, strong minded, and intelligent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A good leader must be articulate, in order to reach all the different types of people in the group. Someone who can speak well can convince all the people of the group to do as you wish. One who speaks well can impose their thoughts on the group. Also, someone who does not speak well is less likely to be listened to than someone that does speak well. One who speaks well will benefit the group the most.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although you must be articulate, you must also be strong-minded to back up you statements. Being strong-minded can help to convince people to do as you would like. If someone can keep a group under control they can keep everyone working and bettering the group, and this takes a strong-minded person. If one is strong minded they could keep everyone on task and getting along. And most importantly a strong-minded person can keep himself on task.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be a good leader you must be strong-minded, but more importantly you have to be intelligent. Someone who is smart can back up his or her statements with fact. If someone is intelligent people are more likely to listen to their ideas before someone who is less intelligent. If one is intelligent they have the ability to instruct a group properly. And if one is intelligent they can organize all of the groups projects better the a less intelligent person.

Legitimizing Final Causes :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The word "telos" in ancient Greek meant: "goal, target, mission, completion, perfection". The Greeks seem to have associated the attaining of a goal with perfection. Modern scientific thought is much less sanguine about teleology, the belief that causes are preceded by their effects. The idea is less zany than it sounds. It was Aristotle who postulated the existence of four types of causes. It all started with the attempt to differentiate explanatory theories from theories concerning the nature of explanation (and the nature of explanatory theories). To explain is to provoke an understanding in a listener as to why and how something is as it is. Thales, Empedocles and Anaxagoras were mostly concerned with offering explanations to natural phenomena. The very idea that there must be an explanation is revolutionary. We are so used to it that we fail to see its extraordinary nature. Why not assume that everything is precisely as it is because this is how it should be, or because there is no better way (Leibnitz), or because someone designed it this way (religious thought)? Plato carried this revolution further by seeking not only to explain things - but also to construct a systematic, connective epistemology. His Forms and Ideas are (not so primitive) attempts to elucidate the mechanism which we employ to cope with the world of things, on the one hand, and the vessels throu gh which the world impresses itself upon us, on the other hand. Aristotle made this distinction explicit: he said that there is a difference between the chains of causes of effects (what leads to what by way of causation) and the enquiry regarding the very nature of causation and causality. In this text, we will use the word causation in the sense of: "the action of causes that brings on their effects" and causality as: "the relation between causes and their effects". Studying this subtle distinction, Aristotle came across his "four causes". All, according to him, could be employed in explaining the world of natural phenomena. This is his point of departure from modern science. Current science does not admit the possibility of a final cause in action. But, first things first. The formal cause is why a thing is the type of thing that it is. The material cause is the matter in which the formal reason is impressed.

Giving Universities the Business Essay -- essays papers

Giving Universities the Business "The business of America is business." Calvin Coolidge "To talk in public, to think in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire and answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar." Samuel Johnson In the last ten years there has been a concerted movement in this country to re-design schools according to the Business Model--a movement which has recently gained an apparently unstoppable momentum. We hear continually of the university's need to open up "new markets," to learn new ways to "compete" and create new "customer bases"; simultaneously, we are bombarded with demands from the politicians and administrators who control our public funds to increase our "productivity" and "accountability." (1) Justifications for this evangelical urge are various, but usually take one of two forms: the Times Are Tough argument, which assumes that the traditional sources of university revenues (tuition and public funds) are "drying up," and that the logical substitute are Product Dollars, i.e., money "customers" will only spend for a "product" they have been convinced they either want or need; and the Schools Are Lazy argument, which assumes that universities are islands of idleness and inefficiency in the ocean of American business success, and that the missionaries from the business world can redeem our scholars by converting them to habits of rigor and accountability. Both of these models take their inspiration from the definitions of "business" which usually go something like "a commercial or industrial establishment where the demands of profit rule all other considerations." Interestingly enough, this and related definitions seem to assume "profit" can only be achieved through activitie s practical,... ...orgotten all about teaching: "... [the] culprit is 'process'--the belief that we can teach our children how to think without troubling them to learn anything worth thinking about." Quoted in Cultural Pedagogy: Art/Education/Politics, David Trend, Bergin & Garvey, New York, 1992. 3 As I know this figure will be greeted by some with skepticism,a more detailed breakdown of the average academic work week is available in the WWW document Work Load Figures. 4 Though it may finally be dawning on some that business does not equal efficiency and success when it comes to education, as with Baltimore's recent decision to terminate its contract with EAI. 5 For instance, the recent reorganization of GEDs was a perfect opportunity to negotiate a matching reduction in teaching load, from 4/4 to the much saner (and standard) 3/3. Was a single word spoken about such a "deal"? Giving Universities the Business Essay -- essays papers Giving Universities the Business "The business of America is business." Calvin Coolidge "To talk in public, to think in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire and answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar." Samuel Johnson In the last ten years there has been a concerted movement in this country to re-design schools according to the Business Model--a movement which has recently gained an apparently unstoppable momentum. We hear continually of the university's need to open up "new markets," to learn new ways to "compete" and create new "customer bases"; simultaneously, we are bombarded with demands from the politicians and administrators who control our public funds to increase our "productivity" and "accountability." (1) Justifications for this evangelical urge are various, but usually take one of two forms: the Times Are Tough argument, which assumes that the traditional sources of university revenues (tuition and public funds) are "drying up," and that the logical substitute are Product Dollars, i.e., money "customers" will only spend for a "product" they have been convinced they either want or need; and the Schools Are Lazy argument, which assumes that universities are islands of idleness and inefficiency in the ocean of American business success, and that the missionaries from the business world can redeem our scholars by converting them to habits of rigor and accountability. Both of these models take their inspiration from the definitions of "business" which usually go something like "a commercial or industrial establishment where the demands of profit rule all other considerations." Interestingly enough, this and related definitions seem to assume "profit" can only be achieved through activitie s practical,... ...orgotten all about teaching: "... [the] culprit is 'process'--the belief that we can teach our children how to think without troubling them to learn anything worth thinking about." Quoted in Cultural Pedagogy: Art/Education/Politics, David Trend, Bergin & Garvey, New York, 1992. 3 As I know this figure will be greeted by some with skepticism,a more detailed breakdown of the average academic work week is available in the WWW document Work Load Figures. 4 Though it may finally be dawning on some that business does not equal efficiency and success when it comes to education, as with Baltimore's recent decision to terminate its contract with EAI. 5 For instance, the recent reorganization of GEDs was a perfect opportunity to negotiate a matching reduction in teaching load, from 4/4 to the much saner (and standard) 3/3. Was a single word spoken about such a "deal"?

Psychological Perspectives of Understanding Essay

Introduction This booklet will introduce you to the main psychological perspectives to the understanding of a child’s behaviour development. Each perspective will be described in as much detail as possible, and the theorist that are linked to them. The main perspectives are; * Psychodynamic * Freud * Behaviourist * Skinner * Cognitive * Piget * Humanist * Rogers, Maslow, Cooley and mead * Social learning The psychodynamic perspective This perspective is very much based on the early work of Sigmund Freud. It is believed that behaviour is made from a child’s subconscious feelings, which all come from life experiences. It is viewed as a child’s problem as an outward and visible symptom of invisible conflicts. All the conflicts may come from trauma, loss, or from a strained/troubled relationship with parents or carers. Children do not have any inner resources that help them understand their feelings completely so they may be shown in inappropriate and difficult behaviour. Sigmund Freud said that â€Å"when a child’s too painful or too difficult feelings are left untalked about, they leak out in difficult and challenging behaviour or in neurotic symptoms.† The source of a painful feeling is buried under a defensive mechanism that is very hard to find in a child; because of this most children do not understand why they are behaving this way. A psychodynamic assessments are always carried out by psychiatrist as they use techniques that are designed to provide an insight into their past. To do this they use the response of the child to make inferences about sub-conscious motives for behaviour. Once they have understood the child’s behaviour the psychologists will start an intervention which will help the child express their feelings instead of it coming through their behaviour. These can be done through the following;  * Build a supportive relationship with a significant adult * Help the child to talk about what they are feeling in an secure environment * Express painful feeling through drama, storytelling, play or cartoons The behaviourist perspective This perspective is based from the work Skinner. It was said â€Å"Law of Effect† is the behaviour that leads to strengthened behaviour which is ignored or unsatisfying which is all weakened. Behaviourists claim that all behaviour of children are learned and can be changed by systems, such as rewards or punishment. There are two types of rewards behaviourists use, these are informal and formal. * Informal – acknowledgement or praise * Formal – clear targets for example stickers, tokens or points which all then lead to bigger rewards. The behaviourists also claimed that the behaviour requires a scientific approach which is completely based on objectivity and experimentation. The methods they were use were considered to be unscientific, so instead it was all placed on observations on their behaviour rather than a searches for the cause of the behaviour through the child’s past. Behavioural assessments in schools involve observation and recording of a child’s behaviour. When they are observing it is all taken down on an observation checklist, which includes the following titles; * Antecedent * Behaviour * Consequences All this is then used to form a baseline for a post-intervention can be assessed. The Cognitive perspective This perspective shows how a child’s develops understanding what is around them. This refers to different mental activities such as; * Listening * Speaking * Learning * Understanding All the theories of cognitive development concentrate on developments of  their intellectual skills. All the skills that we have are the ones that have been learnt through cognitive development. If none of the children have cognitive skills then they wouldn’t be able to put past experiences or plan future events, cognitive development is very much concerned with how the mental processes work and develop. There were two psychologists who studied cognitive development, there name was Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Jean Piaget was a psychologist who looked at a child’s developing their reasoning skills. Piaget carried out detailed observations of them and as his work started taking shape on how our understanding a child’s intellectual skills and as a result of this he has made changes in education. Piaget understood that cognitive developments occurred in stages, his research concentrated on how children learn and start to gain an understanding of their stage of development to be able to learn new concepts. He identified a four-stage process of cognitive development all the way through childhood. He stated that every child would go through each stage but not at the same time, but he also said that some children would sometimes never reach the later stages. The four stages are; * Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years) * Children at very young ages start to learn by their own activity and movement. Everything babies touch or see they put into their mouths or hold them tight and they examine them closely. A child develops an understanding through something called schema. Schema is a mental construction which contains all the information a child has about a particular aspect of the world. * Pre-operational stage (2-7 years) * At this stage children start to show evidence of thinking but it’s not logical thinking, they are not able to perform mental operations. Children will start to use symbolic behaviour such as pretend play, language and drawings. * Concrete operations stage (7-11 years) * At this stage children are able to understand any ideas in a much more logical way but they sometimes still find it hard to understand concepts. * Formal operational stage (age 12 to adult) * At this stage children are able to think in a way which is more abstract and logical way, they can use reasoning skills; they are applying a general principle to a particular situation. Children are more flexible in the way they think. There are two people who have been highly interested in cognitive styles of therapy. Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck has used methods of cognitive behavioural therapy to treat many people who have or are suicidal, depressed or may have personality disorders. Whereas Albert Ellis looked at the different ways to change their behaviour my using methods of Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy, he used this to show his patients that their feelings were results of different habits by conditioning rather than being realistic. Therapists that use this approach use training and role-play techniques to modify their behaviour. The humanist perspective This perspective makes positive aspects of development and growth, this emphasises a person’s unique experiences to a personal thoughts. There are four psychologists that are specialised in this perspective, these four are; * Carl Rogers * Rogers developed the concept on self-esteem. According to him everyone has an idea of what someone’s ideal self should be. He believed that if your image of your self is the same as your ideal self then you have good self-esteem. Rogers said that the development of self-esteem all depends on positive regard from others, the effect of a child’s self-esteem will come from their parents’ unconditional love and affection. Children will start to cope with different situations as they get older, for example a sense of achievement or failure in either sports or their educational skills. Rogers also considered cultural factors, gender and physical attributes to come to his conclusion. * Abraham Maslow * Maslow’s theory is based on individuals that are being motivated through seeking to develop through five levels of need. The most basic needs are physiological which are survival instinct, which is then followed by safety needs, belonging and loving needs, self-esteem needs and at the very top is personals achievements and growth. * Cooley * Cooley proposed â€Å"looking glass† theory, which means that the behaviour from children to others acts like a looking glass which gives us a reflection of ourselves. It raises people’s self-esteem. * Mead * Mead had the view that everyone has two aspects â€Å"I† and â€Å"me†. This means that â€Å"I† is the social responses of individual and â€Å"me† being the responses and attitudes of others. It was important of the communication with others for the development of self-esteem. The Social learning perspective Social psychology looks at aspects of development such as behaviour such as being in a group, leadership, non-verbal behaviour and aggression. The social perspective looks at the environment, interactions with others that have influenced the child’s behaviour and attitudes. Bandura theory emphasises on the environment and the social steps of learning. His view is that it would be part of a child’s self development, is what they have observed and imitated from people around them.