Middle eastern cuisine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Middle eastern cuisine - Essay Example Marriage entails two individuals to be together, living under the same roof, hopefully for the rest of their lives. Now what can one expect if this marriage is composed of spouses whose cultures greatly differ from each other?3 In answer to this, the paper aims to explore the different causes of issues in interracial marriages in an effort to find answers to why some individuals and societies view such marriages with hostility. Arab Religion and Culture Islam dominates the Arab world, 4 with their laws and culture revolving mainly around the beliefs and practices deemed lawful or acceptable by the religion.5 If one is aware of the Arab culture and beliefs, it is easy to see centuries-old practices and stereotypes that could be strikingly different from other cultures around the world. Even non-Muslim Arabs have a set of practices that are unique to this race. This region of the world is highly patriarchal, and even though the western idea of gender equality may have reached some soci eties, particularly non-Muslim societies, there is still a segregation of gender roles in every family unit.

A Historical Perspective on Reading Research and Practice Essay Example for Free

A Historical Perspective on Reading Research and Practice Essay This article has responded to both internal and external forces resulting from gradual and dramatic transitions based on historical perspectives. This has permitted a reasonable reflection and a sense of wisdom that is susceptible to loss when one engages in it. The underlying reason is the critical dimension to the present day events and issues analysis resulting from the broadened reading culture. In the late 20th century, reading became a recognized study field with systematic research programs aiming at ascertaining its fundamental nature and its acquisition process. This resulted from the confluence of social, educational, political and economic factors. Quantitative and qualitative changes in U. S. public schools’ systems after the World War II provided favorable environment for the reading transitions. Reading processes and skills were broken down into constituent parts which were practiced and reinforced in a systematic and orderly manner during classroom sections. Reading became a conditioned behavior based on certain environmental contingencies. Individuals positively responded to learning from repeated and controlled stimulation from the environment. This stimulus-response relationship was accompanied by rewards and punishments led to the habituation of the reading act (Alexander Fox, 2004). Therefore, academic learning involved identification of the preferred behaviors prerequisites and training. This aimed at untangling the chained links in reading so as to train the learner in each component skill. In addition, material effectiveness was structured and controlled in the delivery of environmental stimulation and practice opportunities. Emphasis on studying observable behavior focused on reading as a perceptual activity which included identification of visual signals and validating diagnostic instruments and remedial techniques. However, alternative human learning theories which focused on perceptual process as a whole still operated on underground which examined that reading is per introspection rather than through behavior. Human beings could make a coherent sense out of the perceptional data through whole-word recognition, context comprehension and word identification thus considering reading as a unique human activity owning definitive characteristics. Increased interest in internal mental structures and processes ignited by the advancements in neurology and artificial intelligence has caused transformations in the learning institutions. Moreover, the dissatisfaction with behaviorism as an explanatory system caused changes. The article points that present institutions should conceptualize learning as a natural process rather than conditioning and that language should be developed through a meaningful use. Also learning to read should be viewed as an inherent ability rather than a reflective action with laborious skill acquisition. As a result, reading research unified the literacy field through language arts. Learning to read became a matter of arriving at a facility due to the understanding quest within a language-rich environment. The growing attention to the structure and processes of the human mind and increased federal funding by the Unites States led to creation of research centers caused another theoretical transformation. These new researchers explained human language as an interaction between symbol system and mind. Learning as a natural metaphor was replaced with a mechanistic information processing metaphor. Text-based as a form of learning, involved knowledge which was organized and stored within the individual mind (Alexander Fox, 2004). In addition, Knowledge base was depicted as powerful, persuasive, individualistic and modifiable since it was linked to the individual’s perspectives on what they had read, their interpretation and recall out of the written text. The information processing of this period resulted in cognition-related constructs which strengthened the aforementioned characteristics of knowledge. Furthermore, it focused on the individual mind. This was because the computer-based guiding had little considerations of socio-cultural influences in processing linguistic information. To add on, the research studies stressed on individualistic interpretations of written text and exhibited that the knowledge of the students could be greatly modified through training, direct intervention and/or overt instructions. Other contributors of improved text comprehension were instructional environments and pedagogical techniques. In view of any reading approach, there must be a shift away from the neurological argument to much concern for naturalism in the materials and procedures used to teach reading. Moreover, they should create unity within the language arts. The cognitive psychology gave a new viewpoint for literacy and educational researchers. It studied literacy with naturally occurring texts in natural settings with holistic and aesthetic school of thought. It aimed creating a mutual understanding arising in the social interaction of individuals in particular contexts at a time (Alexander Fox, 2004). The dominant perspective was learning being a socio-cultural collaborative experience and the learner being a member of the learning community. Reform on modern schools  Present day schools should anticipate for motivation in the form of readers’ achievement of goals, interest and involvement in the learning experience with change in perception of texts, reader and reading. This can be achieved due to the introduction of the hypermedia and hypertext forms of learning which has increased the attention in classroom discourse thus improving the students’ academic. Effective orientation has to be done so as to capture the complexity of reading and recognize the changing nature of reading as the reader engages in a range of reading-related, goal-directed activities. With the dichotomization of reading into learning to read and reading to learn, it has led to integrated and developmental learning perspective. Engaged learning has led to the acknowledgement of the fact that reading extends to the texts students come across daily such as nonlinear, interactive, dynamic and visually complex materials transmitted using audiovisual media. Current learning institutions should learn about the potentials of alternatives nonlinear media and examine how pedagogical techniques and learning environments can be adapted to aid readers from struggling with traditional texts. Students should be encouraged to participate in meaningful and goal-directed text-based learning. Moreover, attention should be drawn to create a personally and socially valuable body of knowledge. Strategies are put in place to promote reflection, choice and deliberate execution on the learner’s part which actively engages the leaner thus developing the reading perspective. To be complete, readers, and learners should focus on demonstrating fluency in reading and other basic linguistic skills. Workable solutions  Some of workable solutions would include provision of personally relevant texts, both traditional and alternative that will promote deeper and wider student engagement in their learning. Putting in place technological advancements capable of transforming learning and teaching through production of proliferated information sources and different text types can also be productive. Involving high-stakes testing and efforts to institute national standards have hastened the students’ learning since they prescribe the content and skills learners should have acquired at various institutional levels. Investments in basic reading skills and components in special education institutions have helped struggling readers since researchers have greatly supported. Changes which might improve things One of major consideration that should be put in place is recognition of the fact that reading is invariably physiological, psychological and sociological thus an integrated orientation is a prerequisite. Therefore physical, visual, and neurological stimuli to the learning processes should also be employed. In addition, every reading process needs to enhance the psychological interpretation, storage and retrieval of text, goals formulation and expression of interests. Sociologically, a reading culture that focuses in intra-individual and inter-individual communication through linguistic media that are socio-culturally influenced can also play a big role in changing the existing education. Lastly, a fine-grained reading view that incorporate brain structures and mental activities of an individual and social behavior have to be integrated meaningfully throughout these orientations.

Libertarianism Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Successful Love   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How can couples have successful love? Very seldom do couple start a loving relationship, and keep loving each other. Most relationships go down the drain usually between six months to two years. In the beginning, relationships are new, exciting, and passionate. After some time passes, things change and everything becomes predictable. When this happens, partners get sick of each other and start to fight and argue with each other. Basically, you just get on each others’ nerves. Authors Deborah Tannen, John Gray, Susan Page, and John Gottman explain certain solutions to have successful love. These authors have experience in analyzing relationships. Tannen is a linguistics professor at Georgetown University, specializing in language and communications. Gray is an inspirational writer on relationships. Page has done much work in workshops specializing in relationships and communications. Finally, Gottman is a psychology professor, who has done research on relati onships between two thousand married couples. They all mention that in order to keep a strong relationship, there are particular skills that you need to know. For men and women to successfully communicate, they must be able to listen to each other, understand each other, and not criticize one another. You must have these components to make a relationship successful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Listening is one of the most important aspects of successful communication between men and women. Listening is the act of paying attention in order to hear one another. When couples communicate, they usually think about talking instead of listening, even though â€Å"98% of good communication is listening.† (Page,28)Page states, â€Å"Listening means putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. It means trying to understand a different point of view before you try to make yourself understand. (Page,28) This explains the fact that what you are saying to someone may mean something totally different than what you wanted to say. To stay away from this problem you must speak as if you were listening. In other words, you have to hear the words that you are saying before they come out of your mouth. â€Å"To some people listening is a highly refined skill that is reserved for deep, intimate conversations or delicate negotiations.† (Page,28) To othe r pe... ...e him for who he is and the things he does for you.† (42) On the other hand, Tannen and Gray agree that you must be positive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you can tell, there are many tips to have a great relationship. After reading the authors’ essays, I have learned what to do and what not to do in a relationship. So next time my boyfriend starts to drift away, I will handle it differently. Instead of getting upset and crying because he doesn’t want to be with me; I will just let him be. I can understand that â€Å"he is going into his cave† and wants to be left alone. I will realize that it isn’t my fault. (Gray, 21) As author Deborah Tannen discusses the differences between men and women, she says â€Å"different perspectives on expressing or concealing dissatisfactions and doubts may reflect a difference in men’s and women’s awareness of the power of their words to affect others.† (15) If you are in a relationship and you want it to be successful, make sure that you listen to your partner, you understand men and women’s communication differences, and ne ver criticize-just compliment. If you work on these elements, you will achieve â€Å"Successful Love.†

Health of Children

| |Healthy minds | | |Promoting emotional health and well-being in schools | | | | Contents Executive summary1 Key findings4 Recommendations6The role of schools in providing for pupils with mental health difficulties7 Whole-school approaches to promoting good mental health10 Recognising and providing for individual needs17 Working in partnership with other agencies17 Relationships with parents24 Informal arrangements27 Provision through professional referral31 Notes34 Further information35 Publications35 Websites36 Executive summary This report examines the vital role played by schools in promoting the emotional well-being of their pupils.It analyses practice based on evidence gathered from visits by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) to 72 schools and reports on the impact of the guidance provided to schools four years ago by the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) and the National Healthy Schools Standards (NHSS), agreed in 1999. [1],[2] Both clarify the importance of goo d provision to ensure that schools meet the needs of pupils with mental health difficulties. Schools’ lack of knowledge of the DfES guidance results from a missed opportunity to improve the quality of provision for pupils with mental health difficulties.The large number of schools visited for this survey who were not working towards meeting the NHSS is of serious concern. Only just over half of them were aware that such standards existed. Of these, only a very small minority of schools were working towards or had met the criteria for providing for pupils’ emotional health and well-being. One barrier was the low level of awareness of the importance of the issue. It is unsurprising, therefore, that training for staff on mental health difficulties was found to be needed in three quarters of the schools.Most training tended to focus on strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour rather than on promoting positive approaches to relationships and resolving conflicts. Des pite such a lack of awareness in schools of mental health issues, there was good practice in one third of the schools in the survey, including: †¢ an ethos which valued and respected individuals †¢ a serious approach to bullying and pupils’ difficulties with relationships, and swift resolution of problems †¢ good arrangements for listening carefully to pupils’ views †¢ the involvement of parents in identifying problems and making provision for their children.Good joint working between health services, social services and schools was at the heart of effective planning and provision for individual pupils. Although multi-agency working was becoming better established within local education authorities, it was unsatisfactory in a quarter of the schools. Schools, parents and pupils were not always aware of how they might gain access to services. The best arrangements included regular meetings attended by a range of professionals, where work was coordinat ed, referrals made and difficulties followed up.Health services, social services and schools used different terms to describe mental health difficulties. The lack of a common language added to difficulties in recognising and meeting pupils’ needs. Schools identified about one in twenty pupils with mental health problems, although the Department of Health suggests a figure nearer one in ten. Arrangements for pupils to refer themselves for support and help were popular with them, as well as effective. This was particularly so where a pupil was struggling emotionally but where the school had not noticed changes in the pupil’s behaviour.Mentoring and support from peers was also very effective at providing a listening ear and opportunities for positive friendships. The report concludes that schools should make the promotion of pupils’ emotional health and well-being a priority and ensure all staff are aware of the guidance available. Key findings were nearly all prim ary or special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs). Secondary schools found it most difficult to make arrangements for multi-agency working a priority and they rarely took the lead in improving this aspect of their work.The lack of common language between education, health and social services professionals contributed to the difficulties in establishing good partnership working. Recommendations Local authorities and other agencies should: †¢ ensure that services for pupils with mental health difficulties are co-ordinated effectively within their area and that access to services is clear to schools, parents, children, young people and other service users †¢ commission, where appropriate, the services of voluntary organisations. Schools and other settings should: use the DfES national guidance on mental health difficulties to develop clear procedures, that are known and used by all staff, for identifying and supporting pupils †¢ ensure that issues concerning mental health are tackled successfully, either through the National Healthy School Standard (NHSS) programme or the PSHE curriculum †¢ establish arrangements for preventing bullying and promoting positive relationships and monitor their effectiveness †¢ work together to ensure that the DfES guidance is disseminated to all staff.The role of schools in providing for pupils with mental health difficulties 1. Many services play an important role in promoting pupils’ emotional health and well-being, including health services, social services, voluntary organisations, early years provision and schools. However, the notion of mental health difficulties carried a considerable stigma for many pupils and their parents. This, together with the need to attend a clinic, created difficulties for Child and Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in working with young people and their parents.A few pupils in the survey said that they did not wish to attend clinics for their appointments and did no t want to be labelled as mentally ill. Schools, therefore, play an important role in supporting children and young people in this area. 2. Guidance provided by the DfES in 2001 aimed to help teachers and others, working alongside mental health professionals, to promote children’s mental health and to intervene effectively. [3] It provides a useful description of the nature of pupils with mental health difficulties and a thorough overview of the issues relating to joint working between health services, social ervices and education. It suggests helpful strategies for schools to use. Few schools, however, were aware of the guidance which should have provided a good opportunity to improve the quality of provision for pupils with mental health difficulties. 3. A survey referred to in the DfES guidance indicated that about 10% of pupils experience clinically defined mental health difficulties. The schools visited, however, identified only between 4% and 6% of pupils overall with so me form of mental health difficulty, indicating some under-identification.This might go some way to explaining why schools struggle to manage the behaviour and attendance of some pupils, if they are not correctly identifying their difficulties and providing for them. 4. The 1999 Mental Health Foundation publication Bright futures defined children who are mentally healthy as able to: †¢ develop psychologically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually †¢ initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying personal relationships †¢ use and enjoy solitude †¢ become aware of others and empathise with them †¢ play and learn develop a sense of right and wrong †¢ resolve (face) problems and setbacks and learn from them. [4] 5. Health services, social services and schools all use different terms to describe pupils and their conditions. There are many definitions of the term ‘mental health difficulty’ ranging from the highly categorised, commonly u sed by many health services, to those based on more descriptive terms which are prevalent in schools and other educational settings. 6. ‘Mental health’ and ‘mental health difficulties’ are more commonly used terms within health and social care.Schools and local authorities are increasingly using the term ‘emotional health and well-being’ in relation to both the care they take of pupils and the curriculum they provide. 7. The lack of shared definitions and understanding of mental health problems, however, makes it difficult for schools to identify and discuss these pupils. In a small proportion of primary schools, boys were pinpointed as more likely to exhibit mental health difficulties, but most schools reported no pattern. Some secondary schools identified more girls who were depressed, self-harming or who had eating disorders.However, no real gender differences were apparent and boys and girls were equally likely to have mental health problem s which were evident in school. Whole-school approaches to promoting good mental health 8. The best schools promoted good emotional health and well-being by valuing and respecting every individual. In the schools visited, those which embodied a value system that embraced all children identified fewer children with mental health problems. These schools promoted many and varied opportunities for pupils to share their thoughts and feelings.They used the curriculum to develop pupils’ listening skills and an understanding of other people’s points of view: this culture permeated school life. Case study A primary school in a disadvantaged area had a caring and supportive ethos in which the personal development and emotional well-being of pupils was very effectively promoted. There was a strong emphasis on developing all pupils’ self-esteem and ensuring that they had the language and opportunities to express their feelings and emotional needs.The school council and staf f were concerned that some pupils did not have friends to play with at break time. Very good initiatives, including ‘Playground Buddies’ and a ‘Friendship Area’, were introduced in response to these concerns. The school worked very hard to build up and maintain supportive relationships with parents and guardians, who felt that the school was a very safe and caring place for the children. The whole staff, including teachers, teaching assistants, administrative staff, catering staff, the site manager and cleaning staff contributed to this whole-school thos. 9. Pupils interviewed for the survey identified a lack of friendships and bullying as reasons for emotional difficulties in school. In all the schools with good arrangements for promoting health and well-being, bullying was not tolerated at any level. Pupils were able to discuss any incidents where they felt bullied and matters were discussed sensitively and resolved speedily. In these schools the pupils s pecifically commented that they were happy at school because they could talk to an adult if they had problems and know that action would be taken. 10.All schools taught a programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE). Nearly all primary and special schools discussed some elements of anger management, conflict resolution, bullying and friendship difficulties through such programmes. The provision was always at least satisfactory, and was good in over half of all schools visited. 11. Very few of the schools, however, tackled mental health difficulties specifically. These were missed opportunities to promote pupils’ general emotional well-being, particularly so in secondary schools where there were generally fewer opportunities to explore such issues.Only a third of the secondary schools visited taught PSHE programmes which included topics such as bereavement, stress and bullying. 12. The Primary National Strategy has provided training and curriculum materials for sc hools which focus on the social and emotional aspects of learning. At the heart of the materials is the belief that positive behaviour requires an active, whole-school approach to developing children's social, emotional and behavioural skills within a community that promotes the emotional well-being of all its members.A few of the schools visited were involved in the pilot stage of this work to very good effect. These schools were teaching pupils how to understand their own feelings and those of others, persevere when things became difficult, resolve conflict and manage worries. Staff found the training helpful and were in a good position to ensure their pupils learned how to take responsibility for their relationships and their learning. Following successful piloting, the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum resource was made available to all primary schools in June 2005. [5]Case study A Year 5 class explored what it felt like to join a new group. Pupils talke d freely about their own experiences of joining clubs, moving to a new school and trying to make new friends. They used a good range of vocabulary to describe the feelings associated with newness and change, ranging from ‘scared’ and ‘excited’ to ‘apprehensive’ and ‘excluded’. Groups then planned what they would put in a welcome pack for a newcomer to their school. They gave careful thought to the kinds of information that would be helpful and to the ways in which they, as individuals, could be supportive. 3. No similar national programme was observed in secondary schools although one is currently being developed. Overall, secondary schools were less successful than primary and special schools at tackling issues of emotional health and well-being through whole-school initiatives. 14. In over half of the secondary schools visited, behaviour policies created stress or tensions for pupils. For example, in one school, exclusion was a c ommon response to difficult behaviour; as a result, the pupils felt under-valued.Schools made only very limited efforts to provide a suitable curriculum to meet these pupils’ emotional and learning needs. In one learning support centre within a school, pupils were taught by unskilled staff in poor surroundings which contributed to their low self-esteem. In a PRU, Year 11 pupils involved in a transition programme jointly run with the youth offending team reported that they were sent home on study leave two months before their official leaving date, even though they were not taking any formal examinations. They felt unwanted and this has had a negative effect on their self esteem, behaviour and attendance. 5. A significant minority of the secondary schools found ways to promote emotional well-being through their behaviour policies. For example, one large secondary school was developing ways to ensure that older pupils remained engaged with their school, even though they were so on to leave. A group of Year 11 pupils received two days’ training to develop skills of listening and helping pupils to find their own solutions to problems. The pupils subsequently provided a non-threatening opportunity for pupils who were experiencing difficulties to confide in someone and share their problems.The trained listeners received an external accreditation award for completing their training. 16. One barrier to improving provision for pupils’ emotional well-being was the low level of awareness amongst staff of its importance. Hardly any schools were aware of the comprehensive guidance issued by the DfES in 2001. [6] Even fewer schools had provided any staff training to raise awareness of the issues and the strategies described in the guidance. 17. Training for staff on mental health difficulties was unsatisfactory in just over a third of the schools visited and good in only just under a quarter.Most training tended to focus on managing pupils’ behavi our rather than on promoting a positive approach to relationships and resolving conflicts. However, a few secondary mainstream and special schools were developing an approach to conflict resolution based on ‘restorative justice’. This ensured that, where there were conflicts, all points of view were aired and discussed. The pupils valued this: they felt they could ‘have their say’ and that their views were respected. The training programme for staff was effective: teachers and support staff felt able to implement the programme successfully. 8. The National Healthy Schools Standard (NHSS) is at the core of the government’s healthy schools programme. [7] It was introduced in October 1999 to support the teaching of PSHE and citizenship in schools and to provide schools with practical ways to create a safe and productive learning environment and minimise potential health risks. One of its eight key areas of activity is emotional health and well-being (in cluding bullying). Of serious concern, however, was the large number of schools in the survey who were not working towards meeting the standard. Only just over a half were ware that the NHSS existed and, of these, only a very small minority were working towards or had met the criteria for emotional health and well-being in their school. 19. Small schools often had informal but effective arrangements for recording and discussing concerns about pupils’ well-being. Staff quickly perceived changes in pupils’ behaviour, demeanour or progress. An important feature of these effective schools was the quality of the communication between staff, for example between class teachers, teaching assistants and the special educational needs co-ordinator.Recognising and providing for individual needs Working in partnership with other agencies 20. All schools and LEAs recognised the importance of working well with professionals from the health and social services. Joint working with thes e other agencies was crucial in planning and providing for pupils’ individual needs. The challenge, however, for professionals from a range of disciplines was to achieve a common understanding of the problems of pupils with mental health difficulties. The following case study shows the benefits of effective joint working. Case studyA counsellor in a secondary school was working with a pupil who had referred herself for support. The pupil’s mother did not know this. A mental health worker from CAMHS, who worked in a local clinic, was also working with the pupil and approached the counsellor to see if they could work together with the pupil and parent. The counsellor discussed this with the pupil who gave permission for her mother to be contacted. Both professionals became engaged in supporting the parent and child. The consistent approach agreed between the adults ensured more straightforward discussions and properly agreed resolutions to problems. 1. Many of the local authorities visited were in a period of reorganisation as they set up Children’s Services to meet the requirements of the Children Act 2004. Practice is beginning to develop to establish the joint planning and working at the heart of this legislation. For example, one LEA was developing multi-agency patch teams and common referral procedures were being considered. Despite this, the survey showed that there was a long way to go to ensure that the legislative intentions result in better practice in schools. 22.Partnerships with external services were unsatisfactory in nearly a quarter of the schools visited and significant improvements were required in two thirds of them. Only a few of the secondary schools had good arrangements for multi-agency working. Relationships between schools and social services were particularly variable. 23. Unsatisfactory relationships between schools and other agencies were typified by: †¢ the unavailability of social workers, even for urgent c ases †¢ schools’ inflexibilities in approaching the planning of programmes to meet the needs of some of their pupils †¢ frequent staff changes long waiting lists for referrals †¢ reliance on personal informal contacts rather than agreed systems †¢ issues relating to geographical boundaries which remain unresolved. In the third of schools where multi-agency work was good, all the agencies had found ways of resolving such difficulties. 24. The most effective strategies which promoted good joint working included regular, frequent meetings attended by all agencies. Pupils’ needs were discussed and plans agreed and recorded. Case study A Vulnerable Students’ Panel effectively identified students xperiencing emotional health difficulties and provided appropriate multi-agency support for them. The panel met monthly and included representatives from a range of agencies. It was chaired by a deputy headteacher and a psychiatric nurse who was the manage r of the school support centre. All school staff were informed confidentially about the students who had been discussed and this dissemination aided further identification. Decisions made by the panel ensured that agencies were deployed to work most effectively in their areas of greatest competence and avoided unnecessary duplication of effort.Importantly, the school and agency representatives were charged with taking action and reporting back on its success at the next meeting. In this way each organisation was accountable to the panel. 25. Identifying one person to be responsible for co-ordinating and liaising with health and social services helped communication and ensured important information about pupils was disseminated effectively. 26. In a few LEAs, networks of professionals working in the same area met regularly to share effective strategies.They learnt about each other’s working practices and this promoted a shared understanding of issues. There was good practice i n schools where a wide range of professionals including counsellors, therapists, social workers and psychologists were employed by the school. Case study A primary school had formal procedures for logging concerns about a child’s academic, personal, social or emotional development. A nurture group also provided a way of identifying pupils who might have mental health difficulties. The school used short-term charitable funding to employ a family officer.She maintained close links with families identified as being in crisis and was therefore easily able to identify pupils at risk of developing difficulties in their emotional health and well-being. This approach encouraged partnership working so that parents referred their child to the family officer, headteacher or special educational needs coordinator if they had concerns. 27. Regular visits by other professionals helped schools to identify pupils who might be experiencing mental health difficulties. Case study The headteacher attended the school’s breakfast club every day and a mental health worker attended once a week.The club provided an effective method of identification through direct observation of children and regular communication with parents. 28. Sometimes other agencies initiated the joint working and the schools grasped the opportunity to participate. Case study A consultant paediatrician at a local hospital initiated collaboration amongst different schools to promote emotional literacy amongst pupils. The initiative was inspired by an attempt to deal with bullying, cited as a problem by many children who attended the hospital.The project, now in its fourth year, involved pupils from a primary school, special school, high school and the local tuition service. The project’s activities were based on posters which depicted problems faced by pupils. They were encouraged to develop listening skills, understand the perspective of others and to negotiate and compromise. Hospital staff encouraged the use of a common language by colleagues and the project fostered strong links between the health and education services. The result was fewer individual referrals to the hospital. Pupils who experienced bullying were usually referred directly to the project for support. 9. The pupils who were least mentally well were those who were withdrawn or depressed and who were underachieving as a result. Schools commonly identified pupils whose attendance was unsatisfactory and who did not participate fully in school life. Typically, these pupils had few or no friends and were isolated in the play ground. However, they presented few challenges to teachers and, too often, their problems were not followed up. Few schools saw non-attendance, lateness or falling behind in course work and homework as indicative of deeper problems. 30.Schools relied too much on informal methods to identify vulnerable pupils. Primary schools, particularly, insisted that they were able to identify such pupils easily because they knew their pupils very well. 31. Only a minority of the secondary schools used information from pupils’ previous schools to help recognise those who might experience mental health difficulties. Relationships with parents 32. A key to effective identification and provision lay in schools’ relationships with parents. Links with parents and other agencies were closest in the early years.Home visits, where parents could talk openly about their concerns and their children’s behaviour, and initiatives such as parenting classes, supported the identification of any problems or difficulties. As pupils grew older, schools found it harder to sustain such relationships, although there were examples of very good practice in primary, secondary and special schools. The main characteristics of good practice were: †¢ home visits by teachers and other support staff †¢ training for parents in developing healthy minds †¢ parental support gr oups †¢ regular meetings and telephone contact co-ordination with other agencies so that parents had to attend only one meeting. 33. Parental support groups were particularly common in the schools visited. In the following case study, the support groups were run by a local CAMHS team based in the school. The workers were able to talk to teachers while they were in the school and to ensure that information about individual pupils was discussed with them when appropriate. Case study A group of six parents met for ten two-hour sessions. The aim of the group was to help parents enjoy rather than simply manage their children.Parents learned how to play games and stimulate their children, thus strengthening their relationship. They particularly appreciated the opportunity to share their concerns with other parents who understood the problems. One parent reported, ‘You realise you’re not on your own; you don’t feel so bad’. The project was in its infancy, bu t there were signs that it was helping parents to develop confidence and to help each other do better. 34. Difficulties in working with parents stemmed from: †¢ late diagnosis of a pupil’s problems †¢ uncoordinated support from a range of agencies poor information provided for parents about whom to contact †¢ inadequate account taken of parents’ childcare arrangements, so that they sometimes had difficulties in attending meetings †¢ negative feedback to parents about their children †¢ parents’ perceptions that the school had ‘given up’ on their child. One parent observed, ‘Nobody ever said what was available; you had to find out for yourself or hear it from someone else’. 35. Most, but not all, of the pupils identified with mental health difficulties also had emotional, social and behavioural difficulties (EBSD).Some had more than one such difficulty. Ofsted has reported recently on the provision for these pupil s and its effectiveness. [8] This report focuses on the provision required for pupils who do not necessarily have special educational needs but who require additional emotional support to succeed at school. Informal arrangements 36. Half the schools in the survey operated self-referral or drop-in schemes run by peer counsellors, youth and community workers, school nurses, in-school counsellors and those from voluntary organisations.These arrangements enabled the pupils to identify themselves and seek the help they wanted and needed. Case study A secondary school appointed a health practitioner who dealt with a wide range of issues: developing self-esteem, anger management, relaxation and stress management. Pupils were able to make their own appointments and the work was completely confidential. She also did some teaching. This made her more accessible and reduced the stigma for pupils of ‘knocking at the door’. 37. A very small minority of primary schools offered pupils opportunities for self-referral to staff.In these schools, pupils could draw or write about themselves in a ‘reflections book’ or a ‘feelings book’, make use of a ‘bullying box’, and write or talk directly to the headteacher or the PSHE co-ordinator. Pupils who had such opportunities reported that this was supportive and gave them confidence. A Year 6 pupil said of her ‘reflections book’: ‘It helps me to have a confidential conversation with my teacher about things that are worrying me. ’ 38. A programme of education about values also helped pupils to talk freely and openly about their feelings.Each pupil was given a book in which they could write or draw a picture about the things that had made them happy or sad. Teachers monitored the books regularly to ensure that a pupil’s personal difficulties were identified early; they were powerful additions in a school where the ethos was already strongly supportive of pupils’ emotional well-being. 39. Clubs and after-school activities also enabled schools to support vulnerable pupils in a way which reduced the stigma of referrals. 40. In one primary school, 50 pupils regularly attended the ‘happy/sad’ club, where they talked about positive or negative experiences that concerned them.Clear ground rules had been established, which were understood by pupils, such as respecting what had been discussed and not gossiping. Pupils could put a photograph in a scrapbook of people that were special to them. The teacher usually led a short, directed session based on an appropriate text and provided an opportunity for meditation and reflection. The high number attending reduced the possibility of negative labelling and pupils had good opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings openly with their peers. 1. Pupils often commented that they particularly valued opportunities to talk and be listened to. The extent to which pupils with m ental health difficulties have problems in making and sustaining friendships may explain, to some extent, the success of peer support schemes. 42. Nearly half the primary schools visited had effective initiatives which were based on pupils helping each other to resolve difficulties. One school focused on socially isolated pupils by appointing ‘playground angels’.The ‘angels’ had weekly meetings with a teacher and were also represented on the school council. Pupils involved in these activities felt that they helped them to show responsibility towards younger children and to develop into mature and sensible people. 43. Others schools focused on the difficult point of transition between primary and secondary school. Pupils who struggled to make friends were considered by a few primary schools to be particularly at risk of experiencing problems. These schools developed a range of peer support programmes, as in the following example: Case studyA group of Year 4 pupils were considered to be at risk of difficulties on transition and the school decided to make provision in collaboration with the local secondary school. Year 8 pupils were invited to apply for posts of pupil mentors. They were interviewed and successful applicants were trained. Over two years, the primary pupils visited the secondary school at least once each half term for lessons, lunchtimes and social activities. On each occasion they were met by their individual mentor and had time to discuss issues with them. Primary pupils really enjoyed the programme.They were very clear how the transitional programme had helped them to prepare for secondary education. 44. Two thirds of the secondary schools visited had good peer counselling, support and mediation systems. Peer mentors who had themselves experienced difficulties in the past commented on how much they valued helping younger pupils who were also experiencing problems. The most successful schemes provided thorough training f or the pupils offering the support, as well as careful monitoring from the teachers responsible for it. Provision through professional referral 45. Referral systems differed widely.In one area, the consultant psychiatrists responded to requests for information about pupils; the service accepted referrals from any involved professional. More commonly, however, panels of professionals considered referrals. The latter arrangement had some advantages in that there was discussion and agreement on the type of intervention which was most likely to succeed. However, this arrangement also tended to create delays in responding to pupils’ needs. 46. Not all professionals were clear about how referrals should be made, and who ought to make them, for particular types of provision.This lack of clarity meant that pupils who might have benefited from services were not given access to them since the school was unaware that it could make such a referral. 47. Schools and pupil referral units (P RUs) did not always receive an equitable service from other agencies, especially where education, social services and health services had not agreed how resources should be allocated and work prioritised. It was common to find that a CAMHS worker was based in a school in one part of a local authority, while, in the same authority, another school had to make referrals to a panel.The schools were unaware of why these differences existed. 48. The most common types of provision were: †¢ counselling †¢ family work †¢ mentoring and support workers who visited the pupils regularly and provided advocacy and support through discussion and activities †¢ a modified curriculum and timetable †¢ nurture groups and sanctuary space. 49. This provision was largely effective when it was matched well to the assessment of the pupils’ needs. However not all schools were able to attract the additional resources required to provide these types of opportunities.Larger school s had more funding to be able to establish support centres specifically for pupils with mental health problems. 50. Local and national voluntary organisations played an important role in working with schools and local authorities to provide services for children and young people with mental health difficulties, and they were often represented on local CAMHS strategy groups. In some local authorities, partnerships with voluntary organisations provided helpful services for schools and parents, such as counselling and family therapy.Voluntary groups were often better at monitoring and evaluating the impact of their work since they depended on such evidence to attract further funding. Case study In one local authority a charity had been working in some schools for five years. For an annual fee, the school received a large amount of support from the charity which provided an art therapist and a dance instructor who worked with pupils identified by the school and provided counsellors, sup ervised by team leaders, from the charity. NotesThis survey is based on the findings of a survey of 72 settings in eight local authorities. The settings and almost all the authorities were selected randomly to represent a mixture of shire and unitary authorities. One authority was chosen because of known good work in the area of mental health. Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) visited early years settings, primary and secondary schools, pupil referral units, hospital schools and settings, maintained and independent schools for pupils with EBSD and learning difficulties, and specialist provision for pupils who had been bullied.HMI observed lessons and other activities, scrutinised policies and records and held discussions with 269 pupils and 115 parents. Discussions were also held with a range of local authority staff, headteachers and senior managers, teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentors, and representatives of voluntary organisations. They also met CAMHS regional dev elopment workers. Further information Publications Promoting children’s mental health within early years and school settings, (DfEE 0121/2001), DfEE, 2001. SEN and disability: towards inclusive schools (HMI 2276), Ofsted, 2004.Managing challenging behaviour (HMI 2363), Ofsted, 2005. Mental Health and Social Exclusion, Social Exclusion Unit Report, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004. http://www. socialexclusionunit. gov. uk/downloaddoc. asp? id=134 Promoting social, emotional and behavioural skills in primary schools, Primary National Strategy, DfES, 2004. Developing emotional health and well-being: a whole-school approach to improving behaviour and attendance, Key Stage 3 National Strategy, DfES, 2004. Behaviour and attendance toolkits, Key Stage 3 National Strategy, DfES, 2005. http://www. standards. fes. gov. uk/keystage3/respub/ba_toolu Promoting emotional health and well-being through the national healthy school standard (NHSS), NHS Health Development Agency, 2004. http://www. hda-online. org. uk/Documents/promoting_health_wellbeing. pdf Guidance on new ways of working for psychiatrists in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency context: national steering group interim report, NIMHE, CWP, Royal College of Psychiatrists and Department of Health, 2004. http://www. dh. gov. uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4087352=01RXVr Effective joint working between child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and schools, Research report no. 412, Bridget Pettitt, Mental Health Foundation, DfES, 2003. Websites www. dfes. gov. uk/mentalhealth DfES Mental Health www. rcpsych. ac. uk Royal College of Psychiatrists www. socialexclusionunit. gov. uk Mental health and social exclusion www. standards. dfes. gov. uk/primary DfES guidance on developing children’s social, emotional and behavioural skills www. teachernet. gov. uk/management/atoz/n/nhss/ National Heal thy Schools Standard ———————– 1] Promoting children’s mental health within early years and school settings (DfES 0121/2001), DfES, 2001. [2]Promoting emotional health and well-being through the national healthy school standard (NHSS), NHS Health Development Agency, 2004. [3] Promoting children’s health within early years and school settings, DfES, 2001. [4] Bright futures: promoting children and young people’s mental health, Mental Health Foundation, 1999. [5] The SEAL resource box can be ordered from Prolog, Tel. 0845 602 2260, [email  protected] uk. com (ref: DFES 0110 – 2005 KIT), or viewed and ordered from the Teachernet website: www. eachernet. gov. uk/seal. [6] Promoting children’s mental health within the early years and school settings, DfES, 2001. [7] The NHSS is funded jointly by the DfES and the Department of Health, hosted by the Health Development Agency (HDA). It forms part of the government’s drive to reduce health inequalities, promote social inclusion and raise educational standards through school improvement. [8] Managing challenging behaviour (HMI 2363), Ofsted, 2005. ———————– Primary and SecondaryJuly 2005 HMI 2457 ———————–

Political Theory and the Great Gatsby

In his article â€Å"‘A New World, Material Without Being Real': Fitzgerald's Critique of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby,† Ross Posnock establishes Fitzgerald's interest in Marxism by placing him as a Nietzschean Marxist and contemporizing him with Georg Lukacs's History and Class Consciousness, printed in 1923, and with Marx's theories by extension, attempting to â€Å"demonstrate how deeply Marx's critique is assimilated into the novel's imaginative life,† although he is careful to point out that Fitzgerald â€Å"does not share their abhorrence of capitalism† [201]. Posnock offers a close reading of material objects and Gatsby's subsequent mystification with them to analyze the conflict between the individual and society, Nietzsche and Marx. I would suggest a revision to Posnock's analysis of The Great Gatsby, reidentifying the material world Posnock places as â€Å"Gatsby's† as that of the Buchanans, with Gatsby an implicit imposter. As Habermas summarizes, Nietzsche's theory of knowledge is replaced by a perspectival theory of the affects whose highest principle is â€Å"that every belief, every taking-for-true, is necessarily false because there is no true world† [Habermas 122]. In analyzing the material acquisitions of Gatsby, Posnock seems to demonstrate how Gatsby attempts to create himself, to make his world real, through the material values of the Buchanans. Yet his past and his characteristics, his â€Å"old sport† catchphrase, are all a smokescreen diverting us from knowing the true character of Gatsby. Nietzsche would seem to offer the explanation that there is no real Gatsby. Coppola similarly provides a material reading of Gatsby in the opening sequence of his screenplay, as he moves the audience from Gatsby's cars to his concert Steinway, crystal decanters, a toilet set of pure dull gold, rows and rows of fine suits (plus one military uniform), and an emerald ring [Coppola 1-3]. Posnock and Coppola seem to see a system of material enclosure created by the Tom Buchanans of the world, the American aristocracy, complete with moral values. The system has created the parameters by which Gatsby may define himself, by his possessions. Reexaminations of Marxism, such as the thought of Jurgen Habermas, investigates the social and cultural implications about which Marx wrote, allowing for deeper analysis than Posnock's superficial offering. If my understanding is correct, in Legitimation Crisis, Habermas looks at socio-cultural crisis tendencies and how they reflect political and economic systems crises, saying that input crises of the socio-cultural system are output crises of economic and political systems, or that the crises of the political and economic systems manifest themselves through the socio-cultural system. Thus, the crisis of an impostor illegally climbing the class hierarchy, acquiring power and influence, manifests itself socially, in the conflict between Tom and Gatsby for Daisy's love. But this social crisis has political and economic consequences as well, reflected through our narrator. According to Habermas, â€Å"In advanced capitalism, [changes in the socio-cultural system] are becoming apparent at the level of cultural tradition (moral systems, world views) as well as at the level of structural change †¦ and core components of the bourgeois ideology become questionable (endangering civil and familial-professional privatism)† [48-49]. The socio-cultural system lagged behind while the economic system moved from traditional to liberal capitalism (laissez-faire capitalism). As the economic system moved into advanced capitalism with the power of the Progressives (beginning with Theodore Roosevelt), the socio-cultural system caught up as well, forcing changes in input from the political system. Consequently, the political system has interfered more with civic privatism, including the New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's â€Å"Great Society† programs, in a search to build new, satisfactory normative structures while older but imperative normative structures, like education, have lagged behind, jeopardizing the economic system. The Great Gatsby is set at the socio-cultural junction that Habermas describes. Essentially, our nation was coming of age, and the booming period of the 1920s could be interpreted as a dysfunctional attempt to enjoy the newly-available economic riches. In terms of Gatsby, the conflict between Gatsby and Buchanan really focuses on Nick Carraway, our narrator. In the same way that Gatsby has already chosen to define himself via the social norms established, Nick must now also decide how to define himself as he claims his voice as narrator. According to Judith Butler, who is interpreting Lacan, â€Å"Entrance into language comes at a price: the norms that govern the inception of the speaking subject differentiate the subject from the unspeakable, that is, produce an unspeakability as the condition of subject formation† [Butler 135]. We encounter Nick after his coming of age, marked by his 30th birthday on the evening of Tom and Gatsby's confrontation, a day when â€Å"the transition from libertine to prig was so complete† [Fitzgerald 137], after he is allowed a voice. In fact, Carraway is only offered the opportunity to speak by his laissez-faire reaction to the moral dilemma. According to Butler: Although psychoanalysis refers to this inception of the subject as taking place in infancy, this primary relation to speech, the subject's entry into language by way of the originary ‘bar' is reinvoked in political life when the question of being able to speak is once again a condition of the subject's survival. The question of the ‘cost' of this survival is not simply that an unconscious is produced that cannot be fully assimilated to the ego, or that a ‘real' is produced that can never be presented within language. The condition for the subject's survival is precisely the foreclosure of what threatens the subject most fundamentally; thus, the ‘bar' produces the threat and defends against it at the same time [135]. The conflict of The Great Gatsby, if we apply Butler, focuses on Nick Carraway through the threat of Jay Gatsby's impediment on social hierarchy. The foreclosure of the threat, the execution of Gatsby, presents the ‘bar', the moral dilemma to which Nick must react. According to Saussure, â€Å"The social uses of language owe their specifically social value to the fact that they tend to be organized in systems of difference †¦ which reproduce †¦ the system of social difference. †¦ To speak is to appropriate one or another of the expressive styles already constituted in and through usage and objectively marked by their position in a hierarchy of styles which expresses the hierarchy of corresponding social groups† [Butler 157]. As Butler points out, Saussure is rehabilitating the base/superstructure model through the relationship of language and the social system [Butler 157]. The fight of Gatsby is really over cultural norms, and how Nick reacts in the last chapter is essential to the American future, in terms of Habermas, but also presents the threat of Nick being cast into the realm of the unspeakable. In his final encounter with Jordan Baker, Nick learns that turning 30, with the â€Å"portentous menacing road of a new decade† before him [Fitzgerald 143], comes final responsibility in speaking. When he says to her, â€Å"I'm thirty. †¦ I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor† [Fitzgerald 186], Nick realizes he insults Jordan, casting her into the unspeakable by citing their age difference: â€Å"She didn't answer. Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, I turned away† [Fitzgerald 186]. Not knowing exactly how he feels about Jordan and speaking without knowing, Nick comes to understanding the importance of speech through the guilt and shame he feels. That his ambivalent feelings toward Jordan, being half in love with her, mirror his feelings toward Gatsby, the contradictions that Donaldson points out would indicate that Nick comes to an informed decision about Gatsby before telling the story. At some point between Nick telling Gatsby â€Å"They're a rotten crowd. †¦ You're worth the whole damn bunch put together† [Fitzgerald 162] and telling the reader, â€Å"I disapproved of him from beginning to end† [Fitzgerald 162], one sentence later, Nick came to a moral understanding with socio-cultural and political implications.

Food Inc. Essays

Food Inc. Essays Food Inc. Essay Food Inc. Essay Food Inc. The documentary Food Inc. by Robert Kenner is a documentary about the food industry and some of the issues that have emerged with the modernization of said food industry. Robert Kenner presents his arguments in sorts of subtitle such as The dollar menu, and The cornucopia to help identify his main points. Robert Kenner also brings in some experts such as Michael Pollen and Barbara Kowalcyk, into his documentary to bring some credibility to his argument, as well as adding specific music at particular times to tug at the emotions of the viewers. In this documentary Robert Kenner not only shows what happens to those who eat the products produced by the corporate food industry but also those who help in the production. In the first segment of Kenners documentary he brings up the topic of chicken farming in the modern food industry, and how there are many dangerous or unethical changes in the food industry. He then shows that chicken are now treated less like an animal and more like a product, less like a living thing and more like an object. Kenner shows this by showing some dark chicken house in which the chickens never even see any light. Then we are shown how chicken have been genetically altered for the new demands of the food industry. Chickens would grow to their full potential in seventy two days but now they grow to their full potential in forty eight days and not only that but they are twice the size of the ones that would grow in seventy two days. He then has a chicken farmer give us information about the company they are contracted with. : The farmer then shares some of the unethical behavior of the company how the company keeps the farmers under their thumb by constantly requiring upgrades on the farmers equipment. Another example of the unethical behavior is that the company hires illegal immigrants to do a lot of their labor. During this part of the documentary Robert Kenner plays some rock music that sounds almost angry to persuade the viewer to feel angry about the way the farmers as well as the chickens themselves are being treated. Robert Kenner then goes on to show us about the applications of corn in the modern food industry as well as some of the draw backs. Kenner then has Michael Pollen author of The Omnivores Dilemma tell us about his personal experience with the food industry. Pollen tells us he did some investigating and found that a lot of our food was leading to a corn field in Iowa he then says, so much of our industrial food turns out to be clever rearrangements of corn. Corn has help make many things, things from ketchup to even tires and the reason corn is used to help make all of these things is because it is cheap to make. However because of this same reason corn is used as the sustenance for animals. Cows are have evolved to eat grass not corn, and because cows are being fed corn instead of grass it causes physiological problems. One such problem is the E-coli virus the virus can and has caused death. In tne documentary Rooert Kenner empnaslzes one case In particular In wnlcn a two year old named Kevin dies from E-coli that he had contracted from a fast food restaurant. Kevins mother Barbara Kowalcyk became an advocate for food safety along with her mother Patricia Buck to help prevent anymore cases of E-coli from emerging. Mrs. Kowalcyk and her mother are trying to get Kevins law to pass; Robert Kenner then tells us what Kevins law is, Kevins law would give back to the USDA the power to shut down plants that repeatedly produce contaminated meat. However in the six years since the bill was written up it still has not passed. During this time of the documentary Robert Kenner brings in a very sad slow song to convey the sadness that Mrs. Kowalcyk feels everyday over the loss of her son. Robert Kenner continues to speak about the issues associated to E-coli and how it relates to the meat packing industry. Michael Pollen tells us If you take a food lot cow and take it off its corn diet and feed it grass for five days the cow will shed eighty percent of the E-coli in its system. He then goes on to say that this doesnt happen ut rather the companies come up with radical ways to solve the E-coli problem. One such example is the Beef Products Incorporated located in South Sioux City, Nebraska what this company does is it takes all of the meat taken from the cows and put them in these containers and cleans the meat with ammonia. This companys meat is in seventy percent of the countries fast food. Also the company believes that within the next five years they will supply one hundred percent of the countries fast food hamburger meat. We are then given information about the meat packing industry its elf, and how after 1906 after Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle the meat industry was getting better, and by the 1950s being in the meat packing industry was considered a good Job. However now the way workers are being dehumanized and having to repeat one Job over and over similar to a machine a Job in the meat packing industry is becoming more and more dangerous. Lastly Kenner addresses a recent strain put on corn farmers by Monsanto Corporations. Monsanto Corporations engineered a soy seed that resist the harmful effects of pesticides. In 2008 ninety percent of soybeans in the U. S contained Monsantos patented gene this tells us that the usage of these patented soybeans is growing. Now this patented soybean is a problem because farmers have to buy new seeds each year as opposed to keeping some from each of their batch each year like they use to. If somebody is caught saving seeds they are accused of copyright infringement and are sued. At this point of the documentary a mixture of music is playing again some rock music to convey anger, as well as some slow downbeat music to convey the sadness of the farmers who are loosing money because of the Monsantos patented soy beans. In Robert Kenners documentary Food Incorporated Kenner shows us that the modern food industry has its flaws. The food industry has become a big business conglomerate in which it tries to produce as much as it can with putting very little into it. At this point the very personal relationship between the producer and the customer becomes cold and very robotic. Throughout the documentary Robert Kenner uses OITTerent persuaslve strategies sucn as Drlnglng In expert testlmonles, and music to tug at various emotions. Work Cited Food Inc. Robert Kenner Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2009

Youth Antisocial Behaviour Britain

Youth Antisocial Behaviour Britain The problem of the youth antisocial behaviour in the British society is discussed at several levels. Today definite Antisocial Behaviour Orders are developed by the government as one of the main measures in order to control and correct the facts of antisocial behaviours in community.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Youth Antisocial Behaviour: Britain specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nevertheless, the effectiveness of this practice is argued by the researchers, sociologists, and psychologists because of the complexity of the notion of antisocial behaviour and its connection with the adolescents’ behaviour (Burney 2009; Connell et al. 2011). That is why the major issues which are discussed in the literature on the topic of reducing youth antisocial behaviour with the help of legislative programmes are associated with the questions of the definition of the term, the problem of the programmes’ effectiveness , the possible success in the usage of the community-related programmes, and the role of the family in the process. The term ‘antisocial behaviour’ is rather broad and has different variants of its interpretation from the position of the governors, psychologists, and sociologists. There is also a number of associated notions. Thus, Burney states that it is necessary to distinct between the notions which can be discussed by the public as equal ones because they refer to the same field, but are connected with different problems. These terms are, for instance, ‘disorder’, ‘crime’, and ‘antisocial behaviour’. According to Burney, â€Å"‘disorder’ is a term applied collectively to communities; ‘anti-social behaviour’ is something done by individuals who are thereby singled out and blamed for the harm they inflict upon communities† (Burney 2009, p. 2). Following Burney’s considerations, it is possi ble to say that antisocial behaviour is predominantly connected with the specific behaviour of a person or a group of person which influences the character of their interactions with other representatives of the community negatively. Moreover, it is also important to pay attention to the fact that the term of ‘antisocial behaviour’ also involves the problem of the intrusive measures realized against individuals (Burney 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To define the term more clearly, it is significant to focus on the examples or patterns of realizing by the youth their antisocial behaviour in communities. Connell, Cook, Aklin, Vanderplong, and Brex developed the study in which they concentrated on the analysis of the most typical patterns of antisocial behaviour using the results of conducting the survey (latent class analysis) in a nonmetropolitan r egion of Britain (Connell et al. 2011). According to their survey, such types or patterns of the youth antisocial behaviour as damaging property, stealing, vandalism, and fighting were determined. Furthermore, the evidences stated that the fact of antisocial behaviour was in the most cases fixed by police (Connell et al. 2011). Having determined the most frequent patterns of antisocial behaviour typical for the youth in Britain, the researchers analysed the results of the survey and proposed the groups or classes of antisocial behaviours (ASBs) organised according to their severity. These classes are a non-ASB class, a mild ASB, a moderate ASB, and a serious ASB class (Connell et al. 2011). If Connell and the group of researchers’ classification is based on the level of severity of the definite antisocial behaviour (according to the determined patterns), the types of antisocial behaviour provided by Frick and White depend on such a characteristic as callous-unemotional (CU) t raits (Frick White 2008). Concentrating on this term, the researchers determine such influential traits as the absence of empathy presented by the adolescents in their personal interactions, the lack of guilt as the determiner of the level of their responsibility and tolerance (Frick White 2008). Therefore, callous-unemotional traits are important factors for forming the youth model of antisocial behaviour. The focus on the problem of antisocial behaviour in Britain resulted in the development of the practice of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) as the measure to realise the antisocial behaviour policy in the country. The project of ASBOs was presented in 1998. It was worked out as the measure to control and regulate the level of antisocial behaviours in society. Today this order is associated with the antisocial behaviour of adolescents who are inclined to realising different antisocial behaviour patterns. In his research, Donoghue discusses the problem of ASB and ASBO with ref erences to such terms as ‘reflexive modernity’ and ‘risk society’ (Donoghue 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Youth Antisocial Behaviour: Britain specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From this point of view ASBOs are considered not only as the ways of the legislative control but also as the facts of the social control. Explaining the aspects of the notion of ‘risk society’, Donoghue states that ‘risk society’ provokes the occurrences of the youth antisocial behaviours (Donoghue 2008). That is why the effectiveness of realising ASBOs in the context of modern ‘risk societies’ depends on reformatting the main principles of providing ASBOs as the key controlling and regulating measures. However, there are many categories according to which it is necessary to analyse the aspects of ASBOs. In their research, Flint and Nixon concentrate on the concepts of ci tizenship, self-regulation, and responsibilities as the basic ones for determining the idea of a socially appropriate behaviour. The authors of the research focus on the discussion of ASBs from the point of Antisocial Behaviour Orders, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, and tenancy agreements (Flint Nixon 2008). However, along with paying much attention to the government’s role in providing the legislative programmes for controlling the situation and reducing ASBs Flint and Nixon emphasise the role of communities in regulating the youth antisocial behaviour (Flint Nixon 2008). They also make accents on the fact that the effectiveness of the governmental measures and legislative programmes significantly depends on the range of the regulatory mechanisms used. In spite of the fact Flint and Nixon discuss the issue with focusing on the character of interactions and antisocial behaviour in definite residential areas, their conclusions can be used for the proper analysis of the situ ation with the occurrences of antisocial behaviour at individual and community levels (Flint Nixon 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, legislative programmes can become more effective, if they are implemented with referring to the development of the system of community control. Many researchers agree that the social effect of involving the community in the process of controlling and regulating the youth antisocial behaviour is higher than the effectiveness of such programmes as, for instance, ASBO (Burney 2009; Donoghue 2008; Flint Nixon 2008). Moreover, to regulate the issue of antisocial behaviour which is typical for adolescents in Britain, it is necessary to use all the opportunities to predict it (Flint Nixon 2008). That is why researchers accentuate the role of community and family in forming the individual vision of possible positive interactions in society which do not abuse the interests of the other people (Donoghue 2008). Psychologists state that antisocial behaviour of adolescents is in many cases a result of reflecting the situation at home, the character of relations between parents and the re lations of the individual with his or her parents (Burney 2009; Donoghue 2008). Analysing the role of the relations between parents and their children, Connell, Cook, Aklin, Vanderplong, and Brex states that positive relations in families which are based on the principles of mutual understanding between the members of the family can be considered as the protective factor or as a key aspect for predicting the further antisocial behaviour of adolescents. Moreover, this protective factor can be discussed as effective for different levels of antisocial behaviour (Connell et al. 2011). To understand the nature of the adolescents’ possible antisocial behaviour, Ensor, Marks, Jacobs, and Hughes concentrates on the examination of the aspects of the relations between the siblings in the family (Ensor et al. 2010). The fact of demonstrating aggression, anxiety, and hatred directed toward the other children in the family is typical for many families. Nevertheless, to state that such sit uation in the family can provoke the adolescents’ further antisocial behaviour, it is necessary to analyse all the aspects of the problem. The researchers determined three factors according to which they examined the siblings’ behaviour. These factors were the refusal to interact with each other, the frequency of the occurrences of bullying and harming each other (Ensor et al. 2010). The results of the research confirm the psychological visions of the nature of relations between siblings. Moreover, they can be discussed as significant for the development of the possible strategies of predicting the issues of antisocial behaviour in the future (Ensor et al. 2010). The role of the community and family is also significant with references to the factors which can stimulate children and adolescents’ antisocial behaviour. Paying much attention to CU traits, Frick and White focus on the connection between the realization of these traits in childhood and adolescence and the role of the community in regulating the development of CU traits which can lead to the formation of the antisocial and aggressive youth. Mahoney, Stattin, and Lord conducted the investigation on the base of the sample from Sweden. The researchers examined the peculiarities of the unstructured youth recreation centre participation and concluded that the participation in such centres also cannot be considered as the effective measures to regulate the adolescents’ behaviour and predict their further antisocial behaviour (Mahoney, Stattin, Lord 2004). Such conclusions are the result of the analysis of the adolescents’ relations between each other and between them and their peers in the centres. Thus, according to the research’s evidences, many peers can provoke, stimulate, and promote the adolescents’ antisocial behaviour (Mahoney, Stattin, Lord 2004). The controversial question of the effectiveness of legislative programmes as the measures to control the youth antisocial behaviour is also associated with the problem of predicting and regulating. In their research, Rutten, Biesta, Dekovic, Stams, Schuengel, and Verweel state that it is possible to use such methods as a forum theatre intervention in order to create the necessary positive atmosphere in the group of adolescents and avoid or correct the issues of antisocial behaviour (Rutten et al. 2010). Nevertheless, the findings of the research accentuated the fact that the changes in the antisocial behaviour of the youth are not significant in comparison with the other methods to correct the ASBs (Rutten et al. 2010). To provide the effective research of the problem of reducing youth antisocial behaviour through legislative programmes in Britain, it is important to concentrate on the methods used for conducting the investigation, collecting the necessary data and evidences, and analysing the findings. The issue of antisocial behaviour is closely connected with the aspects of psyc hology of children and adolescents. That is why it is effective to use the research methods which are generally utilised while conducting the psychological surveys and investigations (Breakwell 2006). Sekaran proposes a range of research methods which can be successfully used in providing the studies in the field of social sciences (Sekaran 2006). According to the criteria presented in the book by Sekaran, the research on the topic of reducing youth antisocial behaviour in Britain should be realised with the help of combination of such methods as the elements of the quantitative research and the aspects of the descriptive study (Sekaran 2006). The priorities of the programmes developed to solve the problem of antisocial behaviour in the British society are generally changed according to the main principles provided by this or that prime-minister. According to the findings presented in the researched literature, the existing policies should be reformed with references to the new soci al demands and requirements because of the fact that community control and definite measures provided at the community level can work more effectively in comparison with the effectiveness of the legislative programmes. There were several stages in discussing the effectiveness of ASBOs which reflected the public and governmental vision of the issue. Thus, the whole campaign has faced a lot of criticism from different sides. It is possible to say that the majority of the British society agrees that the Antisocial Behavior Orders are not really successful in stopping the development of antisocial behavior in Britain (Squires Stephen 2005). Reference List Breakwell, GM 2006, Research methods in psychology. Sage Publications Ltd, London. Burney, E 2009, Making people behave: anti-social behaviour, politics and policy, Willan Publishing, Cullompton, UK. Connell, CM, Cook, EC, Aklin, WM, Vanderplong, JJ, Brex, RA 2011, â€Å"Risk and protective factors associated with patterns of antiso cial behaviour among nonmetropolitan adolescents†. Aggressive Behaviour, vol. 37 no. 1, pp. 98-106. Donoghue, J 2008, â€Å"Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBO’s) in Britain: contextualizing risk and reflexive modernization†. Sociology, vol. 42 no. 2, pp. 337-355. Ensor, R, Marks, A, Jacobs, L, Hughes, C 2010, â€Å"Trajectories of antisocial behaviour towards siblings predict antisocial behaviour towards peers†. Journal of Child Psychology Psychiatry, vol. 51 no. 11, pp. 1208-1216. Flint, J Nixon, J 2006, â€Å"Governing neighbours: Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and new forms of regulating conduct in the UK†. Urban Studies, vol. 43 no. 5-6, pp. 939-955. Frick, PJ White, SF 2008, â€Å"Research review: the importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behaviour†. Journal of Child Psychology Psychiatry, vol. 49 no. 4, pp. 359-375. Mahoney, J, Stattin, H, Lord, H 2004, â€Å"Unstructured yout h recreation centre participation and antisocial behaviour development: selection influences and the moderating role of antisocial peers†. International Journal of Behavioural Development, vol. 28 no. 6, pp. 553-560. Rutten, EA, Biesta, GJJ, Dekovic, M, Stams, GJJM, Schuengel, C, Verweel, P 2010, â€Å"Using forum theatre in organized youth soccer to positively influence antisocial and prosocial behaviour: a pilot study†. Journal of Moral Education, vol. 39 no. 1, pp. 65-78. Sekaran, U 2006, Research methods for business: a skill building approach. Wiley-India, Mumbai. Squires, P Stephen, DE 2005, Rougher justice: anti-social behaviour and young people, Willan Publishing, Cullompton.

Why Career Planning is Important With Expert Dorothy Tannahill-Moran

Why Career Planning is Important With Expert Dorothy Tannahill-Moran While using online job sites are an important component to a well-rounded search, it’s even more important that those hunting for new positions invest time and energy into professional relationships. Many job seekers don’t realize that networking is THE critical component to their job search and then fail to do it or do it effectively, says career development expert Dorothy Tannahill-Moran.â€Å"It’s important to understand that you must nurture your network all the time, not just when you need something like a job,† she adds. â€Å"The saying that you need to plant a tree 20 years ago and not when you need it applies. If you wait to network when you are looking for a job, it most likely isn’t going to work too well for you.†As far as where to network, Dorothy recommends seeking people you have something in common with – ideally through a professionally aligned organization, which should help more directly connect you to where you want to work. These people will know what opportunities exist.â€Å"Avoid ‘generic’ networking groups, as they tend to not be a good source for expanding your network. You have nothing in common, and that is key to forming relationships,† she says.What do you think are the most common mistakes people make when it comes to their careers?The first mistake is to lack planning and to make huge, sweeping assumptions about careers. It is fairly inaccurate for an outsider to look at a job and think what they see is the job. Usually they only see a small portion of it, much like an iceberg. When they finally get to that career, many people are in for a rude awakening.Another fairly common mistake is to not realize that the biggest path to career success is how well you interact with others – your boss, management, peers, etc. It’s called emotional intelligence. It can be learned, but a big issue is not mastering, much less realizing you need to. We go to school to learn specific things, but the one thing we’re left to figure out on our own is soft skills. Very little is actually taught to help people with this aspect. Some people figure it out on their own; others sputter along being victimized by their own lack of insight.What advice do you have on using online job searches to find your next job†¦what are some best practices?A job candidate can’t rely solely on posted jobs to find a job. They want to still connect with people inside the companies they want to work in. You have to assume that the posted jobs are only a small representation of what actually exists for available jobs. That means you do want to obtain referrals to people you can connect to and do informational interviews with.In terms of online job search, you need to ensure your resume has key words specific to the position you are seeking. About 80 percent of most companies use some form of applicant tracking system, which means your resume needs to be à ¢â‚¬Å"computer friendly† so it can be found in the system. Key words help the computer find your resume when the hiring person is ready.How do you think online job sites can make the job-hunting process easier for both employers and job seekers?The job sites don’t just have job descriptions; they are a rich search engine that a job seeker can use to find appropriate jobs. The job seeker should be able to search on all types of variables ranging from location, industry to job requirements. Some job seekers make the mistake of thinking they improve their chances by applying to jobs they really aren’t qualified for. In fact, they are wasting their time, as their resume will never be selected due to lack of qualifications that the computer can search for.An employer needs to take advantage of communicating all types of information about the job and the company in order to allow candidates to not just find the job but to self-select in or out of the process. Itâ€℠¢s important for employers to think not just in terms of the candidate flow in to them but that the flow is of highly qualified candidates. Part of that is providing enough information that some people will not opt to apply.What other tools or resources do you recommend for people in search of a new job?There are many good career sites with valuable information for a job seeker. Career Attraction is one of the best sites and offers good content and programs especially for job seekers.Can you offer some dos and don’ts for effective networking?You must first think of the other person and what is important to them. That means you need to get to know them. This will allow you to be a good support and resource to the other person. All relationships exist due to reciprocity, and if that isn’t in place, you can’t make any demands on the relationship. Again, there is a time component to relationships. It does take time to meet people and form a relationship, which means you can’t expect to go somewhere and instantly meet people who can help you find a job or new clients.Follow Dorothy on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Nursing 'Combating Compassion Fatigue ' - Essay Example There are five concepts of compassion fatigue that include emotional, somatic, cognitive, behavioral and spiritual concepts. All these concepts have certain warning signs to show that one is in the brink of experiencing compassion fatigue. With respect to the cognitive concept, warning signs include decrease in self-esteem, poor judgment, short attention span, disordered thinking, forgetfulness and disinterest in introspection. Generally, this means that the mental ability of a caregiver to perform their duties decreases. One’s colleagues will notice a reduced work rate and a form of laziness or disinterest in normal activities and a lot of negativity around the working environment. With respect to emotional concept, the warning signs could include distancing oneself from others, expressing anger to work situations, becoming apathetic, having a desire to leave nursing, going into depression and experiencing irritability. Here, a nurse feels that the normal responsibilities hav e become a burden and does not need such issues. In terms of the behavioral concept, the warning signs could include unresponsiveness, indifference, callousness, isolation and avoidance of emotionally charged situations. A nurse experiences a change in behavior in response to normal events or situations at the work place and acts like he or she is not in the right work environment even if they have worked there for years (Bush, 2009). With respect to the somatic concept, an individual will experience warning signs such as headaches, exhaustion, becoming accident-prone, becoming susceptible to infection and having difficulty in sleeping. Individuals feel physically exhausted and drained to the extent that they feel pain such as headaches, sweating, rapid heartbeat and dizziness among others. They may not respond normally to their normal duties because of the above symptoms. In respect to spiritual concepts, an individual will feel laziness to

Answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 21

Answer questions - Essay Example We all know that scientifically, humans are related to primates. In the early times, at a point of time the chimpanzee developed a variant in gene and thus human version of predators started to develop. The chimpanzee and the humans lived in a same natural environment and the way they hunted food was through spontaneous process. Man too had same techniques and procedures to hunt food as he carried genetic similarity on a large basis with chimpanzees. If we look at the diet system both chimpanzees and humans have same routine. Chimpanzees as well as humans are omnivorous and had to acquire food from same weather condition. So it is sensible to state that the chimpanzee predators are a model for human hunting. -building and there are two chimpanzees staying apart and are indulging in care taking. Their locomotive limb behavior is also very evident in the video. We can observe here that the primates have a limb movement which is abducted during arboreal locomotion to a greater extent, and more variably overall, than during terrestrial locomotion. We can also observe that the, the social behavior of the chimpanzee is almost similar to human being as they care for each other and imitate what other chimpanzees does like peeping through the