Restorative justice canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restorative justice canada - Essay Example th the victim and the offenders are actively involved in seeking for solutions to the problem of crime, with the offender being actively involved in seeking for forgiveness, by returning the stolen goods, repairing any property damaged or by conducting community service3. On the other hand, the victim is actively involved in creating forgiveness and then supporting the offender in the reform process. The principle of restorative justice is established on the basis that any crime that is committed by an offender does not only affect the victim, but the society at large4. In this respect, by merely fulfilling the legal needs of the criminal justice system which provides for nothing more than the punishment of the criminals, the society would still be left hurting, because both the offender and the victim have not benefited in the process. However, through the application of the restorative justice principle, the society is the main beneficiary, since both the offender and the victim and reconciled, and the community therefore establishes a platform for all people to live together in harmony, despite the mistakes previously committed5. The restorative justice system in Canada is based on a practical theory of justice, which focuses on crimes as offences against the victim and against the community, as opposed to the focusing on crimes as offences against the state6. The concept of victim-offender encounter was experimented in the 1970s in different Canadian communities, and it proved to be a worth course for establishing peace within the community, thus serving as a productive alternative to the criminal justice system7. Thus, the restorative justice system in Canada is based on three fundamental pillars. First, it is pitched on the aboriginal thought that defines crimes as an offence against the victim and the community, and not the state. This simply requires that a truce should be established between the offender and the victim, because they are components of the

The Kite Runner - Deep Thoughts Essay Example for Free

The Kite Runner Deep Thoughts Essay Guilt is an emotional experience when a person believes or realizes that they have done an unethical action. Many people regard guilt as an unnecessary, even harmful, emotion. Contrary to popular opinion, guilt can be a good emotion. Without guilt, individuals might lack the motivation to act morally. Guilt plays a major role in The Kite Runner, Amir attempts to redeem himself by his feelings of guilt. One of the positive attributes of guilt is that guilt teaches us not to make the same mistake twice. Making mistakes is part of being human, but it is the guilt we feel which prevents us from repeating our mistakes. If a student plagiarizes, then they would feel guilty. Guilt tells the student that this behavior is wrong because we have broken the trust of the teacher. Regardless of whether or not the student gets caught, the guilt prevents him or her from plagiarizing again. In The Kite Runner, Amir often treats Hassan as if he was only a servant rather than a friend. Despite this mistreatment, Hassan remains loyal to Amir and his family throughout the novel. Eventually, this combination makes Amir feel awfully guilty. Amir does not want to repeat his mistake with how he treats Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He said to Soharb,â€Å"Assef hurt your father in a really bad way, and I couldn’t save your father the way your father saved me†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. I won’t hurt you, I promise (pg. 344).† Amir has implies to Sohrab that he had done an action sinful to Hassan. Guilt has changed the characteristics of Amir from a selfish person to a more caring human being. Another honorable characteristic of guilt is that it motivates us human beings to complete a task. Guilt is a motivator because we are motivated to act in order to make ourselves feel better about our transgression. If a student does not complete their homework, they would feel guilty because it is our duty and obligation to complete what we are intended to accomplish. With a low guilt score, we would not be driven to do anything because nothing is actually necessary or our responsiblity to be done. Amir, in The Kite Runner, is motivated by guilt to save Sohrab, who is an orphan in the war-zone Kabul. Without the motivation of guilt, Amir would not act on the rescue because it is not his duty plus it is possible for others to complete the burden for him. â€Å"There is a way to be good again. A way to end the cycle. With a boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul.(pg. 245)† Clearly, Amir feels guilt of the action he has done to Hassan. Because of the guilt, Amir would want to redeem himself after doing a sinful deed. Rescuing Sohrab was â€Å"the way to be good again.† Although the feeling of guilt is a virtuous nature, too much of guilt would be paralyzing to an individual. Just like every other emotion, too much reaction leads to a psychological malady. Too much of guilt creates distorted thinking, the inability to perform tasks and other physical diseases. General Taheri, from The Kite Runner, meets this description perfectly. General Taheri was a high-ranked general back in Afghanistan. After the Soviet War of Afghanistan started, he fled from home to America. This action has build up the guilt within him because he had turned down on his country when the country needed him the most. â€Å"The general believes that Afghanistan would be freed. So every day, he donned his gray suit, wound his pocket watch, and waited (pg.191)† The believed excess guilt causes the general to escape reality. General Taheri goes to the flee market every day just so it seems like home, he does not have a job so he only receives welfare from the government, and he has headaches monthly and locks himself in his room. These all mostly symptoms of excess guilt. Guilt is rather a good characteristic than a harmful one, even though, there is a limit to positive guilt. The novel, The Kite Runner, has demonstrated to us various ways on how guilt could be a righteous nature. â€Å"A way to be good again†, the most well known quote from the novel is create by the guilt that has brought to all of us. The novel lacks its significance without the essence of guilt. Reference: Hosseini, Khaled. Chapter 13. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Mass-market International Edition ed. New York: Riverhead, 2007. 191. Print. Hosseini, Khaled. Chapter 18. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Mass-market International Edition ed. New York: Riverhead, 2007. 245. Print. Hosseini, Khaled. Chapter 24. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Mass-market International Edition ed. New York: Riverhead, 2007. 344. Print.

Learning Through Play: School Development

Learning Through Play: School Development Introduction Children in a pre school are aged around five to six years old. How can they learn something through play in Pre School? How effective is learning through play and its value to their development? With this kind of notion, it gives me the courage to explore on what play is all about to children especially for those who are in Pre School. Most teachers and parents believe that young children learn best through play. This is supported by the Early Childhood Education Reform (ECEF) (1998:52) that children in the Foundation Stage learn best through play, experience and conversation. In this essay, I will explore on different types of play, which are usually used in a pre school classroom. Most importantly, I will explore on how play relates to the childrens development in terms of their physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional development with the supports from acknowledged theorists. I will also point out the importance and benefits of play and how it can be effective with the help of teachers. Moreover, I will also give out examples from Brunei context based from my experience throughout my teaching in Brunei Pre School which relates their learning through play in their school curriculum. Definition of play According to Isaacs (1954:23), he states that play is the childs means of living and understanding life. It proves that learning through play is essential for young childrens development in which they can they can gain experience, and knowledge in this life as it enables them to make sense of their world as they learn through exploration and experimentation. Moreover, play can also make a significant contribution to the childs mental health and social well-being (Miller et al., 2005). Conversely, Dodds (2009) argues that many authors and researchers would agree that it is nearly impossible to try and explain the difference between work and play as well as to try and define the notion of play or even categorise different forms of play. Play is a non threatening thing. Bennett et al (1997:51) state that there is a contrast between play and work where play is seen as being fun and enjoyable, whereas work is serious and even onerous. Meanwhile, Hughes (1999:3) states that play differs in a number of ways from what is usually regarded as work. Both play and work is enjoyable. However, play is intrinsically motivated while work is extrinsically motivated (Hughes, 1999). The Plowden report (DES, 1967) also states that adults who criticize teachers for allowing children to play are unaware that play is the principal means of learning. Types of play It is possible to classify different types of play which represent, and contribute to progress in different areas of development (Sheridan, 1999). As revealed by Miller et al. (2005), they argue that children can be seen playing in all types of different situations. Consequently, what they do when they play has many common features in spite of the context, materials and equipment available. Therefore, in light of the above, they also believe that practitioners use a number of different terms to describe types of play. Although some may appear self-explanatory, but it is necessary to understand what each involves in terms of the relationships between them and the value of their contribution to the childs growth and development both as an individual and a learner (Miller et al., 2005). In a Pre school, teachers use different types of play which relevance to the school curriculum and have an effect to the childrens development. Basically, with these types of play, it can help teachers to observe and understand better what is happening to the children when they play. Play is often categorised in a number of ways but is normally grouped into four different categories. There are creative play, physical play, manipulative play and imaginative play (Tassoni et al., 2007). Most of these plays are practiced in Pre schools. Firstly, creative play encourages children to experiment and explore the world around them. If the children are given a wide range of activities, they can develop in all areas as well as gaining an immense deal of satisfaction from the play itself as it can actually increase their confidence and self-esteem. Although it also supports the childrens creativity, it is important not to make the children worry about the end product and there should not be any competition. This is due to the childs sense of self-worth which can easily be destroyed if their creation is not praised or is questioned in some ways. They also supported that in that way, it will enable children to enjoy the process rather than the end of product (Tassoni et al., 2007). As supported by Duncan and Lockwood (2008), they state that creative play is all about creative arts play such as painting, drawing, music, dance and model making in which are the ways of expressing ideas and feelings. They are also a form of communication. Basically, they also argue that children discover the medium in which they learn how it works and what they can do with it. Secondly, Tassoni et al., (2007) believe that physical play encourages children to use their large muscles and exercises their body in which they learn to control their muscles and develop coordination. This is also supported by Miller et al., (2005:87), they define that physical play is rough and tumble which is a fun, free flowing and physical and children can develop their physical abilities and refine their motor control. Meanwhile, Lindon (2001:42) who defines that rough and tumble is such a close encounter play that is playful and obviously enjoyed by children. It is actually a type of play that is not genuine fighting where children can use the involvement of touching, tickling and chasing in activities given. Moreover, Duncan and Lockwood (2008:99) argue that physical play is a kind of play that often predominates in outdoor provision. Thirdly, a manipulative play is a type of play which concentrates upon how a child uses his or her hands. Sight and touch are the essential part of this play with hand-eye coordination. It is primarily divided into gross and fine manipulative play whereas in the gross manipulative play such as throwing a ball, climbing or kicking a ball and in the fine manipulative play is where children discover to use their fingers independently such as unscrewing a lid and using a pencil (Tassoni et al, 2007). Fourthly, an imaginative play is vital for the development of cognitive competence (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008: 98). They also believed that children can go beyond the here and now; they can pretend to be someone else, to act out adult roles. This is also argued by Bergen (2002) that there may be negative consequences for intellectual development in the long term if children do not have the opportunity of imaginative play. Moreover, Tassoni et al., (2007) support that children can act out situations spontaneously by taking on the role of other people or situations. By providing provide a number of imaginative play activities and support by adults can allow children to safely explore their own feelings and the world around them. They also argue that there are four terms that connect with imaginative play, and there is pretend play, fantasy play, socio-dramatic play and symbolic play. As for symbolic play, Miller et al. (2005:86) states that it provides children with opportunities to explore and extend their world as well as materials and objects are used to represent all kinds of things and people. This shows that in this kind of play, objects, actions and functions take on responsibilities. Meanwhile, Lindon (2001:42) states that symbolic play allows children to exercise control and explore without the risk of being out of their depth. For instance, a piece of wood may symbolize a person. A socio-dramatic play involves interaction and communication with others as children can act out stories on their own and with others. This can actually allow them to explore the nature of the role, adapting and modifying it as a result of interacting with others (Miller, et al., 2005:87). As for a pretend play, Tassoni et al, (2007:277) argues that it is a play that considers how children act out in a range of ways such as going shopping or cooking a meal. On the other hand, according to Miller et al., (2005:87), they define that a fantasy play is a form of role play where children produce their own stories and challenge accepted norms and expectations which involves make-believe, where objects and people take on new, innovative functions and roles. This is supported by Lindon (2001:43) by giving an example of children may fantasise about flying an aeroplane or being incredibly rich. The effect of play in childrens development Learning through play can be influenced by all aspects of childrens development. This is supported by Tassoni et al. (2007) as they state about how children develop through play in terms of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural, intellectual and communication and language development. However, according to Duncan and Lockwood (2008:61), they state that progression and regression in one area will impact on the others. As for the Physical development, children actually develop both physically and intellectually through movement that they make. As stated below, they argue that: Through repetition of action, connections are made in the brain. The more complex the movement or pattern created, the greater the cognitive process. Children explore their environment, manipulate tools and learn new skills, with greater control and dexterity. Their ability to plan and organize their movements influences their ability to write, draw and manipulate fine objects as well as develop their gross motor skills. This gives them the opportunity to represent language in symbols for themselves. By repetition and practice children also master control over their bodies, thus developing physical competence and spatial awareness. (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008:61) On the other hand, in terms of the language and cognitive development, children express their ideas and feelings as well as describing their experiences through language. This is because that the role of language in the development of thinking in which they can use it to control the world around them, recognize meaning and represent their understanding. Moreover, positive relationships encourage communication and are the important factor in language development and thinking. Language accompanied by action helps children to understand what is being said (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008). Lastly, the social and emotional development which also gives effect to the childrens learning. As stated by Duncan and Lockwood (2008), they argue that sociable children can interact properly in order to learn from their peer group, parents and other adults. This means they have the essential skills to cooperate in a group situation where they are able to stick to decisions made and take both a lead and subsidiary role in decision-making. They are sensitive of the needs of others and can understand different viewpoints and perspectives and how one event may affect another. They can also learn to develop socially acceptable behaviour in different circumstances. Conversely, Goleman (1996) argue that there are five abilities associated with emotional intelligence and there are self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others and handling relationships. Duncan and Lockwood (2008:63) also believed that emotional upheaval at sometime in childrens lives may impact negatively upon learning, which in turn may affect their self-esteem. The influence of theorists about childrens play Basically, no one theory has ever been able to explain completely the significance of play in childrens development. Hughes (1999:16) argues that theories must be seen as only tentative models, helpful frameworks within which child development and behaviour can be better understood. I will focus on three theorists in whom they think that play as part of childrens thinking and there are Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner. It proves how effective play is in the childrens cognitive development where they can actually understand ideas and learn to think. Lindon (2001) states that the theory developed by Jean Piaget has been hugely influential for early years practice in United Kingdom. However, other theorist such as Lev Vygotsky has shown contrasting perspectives that can support adults in an effort to understand childrens thinking and how it relates to play. Jean Piaget believed that child as an active learner and proposed that children were active participants in their own learning. He also proposed that through a series of stages that unfolded in a definite sequence, the childrens cognitive development progressed. He also interested in childrens play activities in order to support his theory about their language and thinking. He did not focus on other aspects of childrens development such as communication, social interaction or emotional development. Piagets theory that children constructed their own understanding led him to emphasise that adults should create environments in which children could discover for themselves. Self discovery by children has sometimes been interpreted to mean that adults should scarcely intervene at all in childrens play (Lindon, 2001). Moreover, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), they state that Vygotsky was interested in a mastery play where children can take up information from the world around them and shape it to fit in with their own understanding and experience as well as changing their actions to meet the demands of their personal world. These processes are called assimilation accommodation. Similar to Vygotsky, he believed that by observing a child at play, the adult gained much knowledge of the childs stage of development. He categorised three stages of the development of intelligence and there is sensory motor which corresponds to mastery play, pre-operational which corresponds to symbolic or pretend play, and lastly operational which corresponds to games with rules. Since I am exploring about children in Pre schools, I would use the information from Piagets developmental model which argues on the stage of symbolic play which takes place between the ages of two and seven years which relevant with the pre-operational stage. This is where the children transform themselves or objects into something else. For instance, a child engaged in pretend play about pirates and may pick up a cardboard cylinder and use it as a telescope. For the child, it has become a telescope and the transformation is a very real one (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Basically, it shows that using the view from Piaget; pretend play emerged spontaneously at a stage well into the pre school period. However, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), it is only relatively recently since the translation of Vygotskys work and through the writing of more recent researchers, that this view has been challenged and argued that pretend play is considered to be the product of social collaboration rather than a developmental process. Meanwhile, in the contribution of Vygotsky to the childrens learning through, Lindon (2001:31) states that he placed greater emphasis than Piaget on the social context in which children explored and learned. He also focused on language as a vital social tool and described learning within social interaction. Lindon (2001:31) also states that Vygotsky felt that early language, during the years when children speak out loud to themselves in play, was an important instrument of their thinking. Moreover, Vygotsky believes that in terms of the role of play, he emphasized: The ingenuity of children as active participants in their own learning and creative users of play from whatever was available. He felt that play led childrens development. In their play activity, children could step outside the restrictions of their real lives and explore meaning free from the constraints of what was possible as a child. Vygotsky also believed that all forms of play had some imaginary component and that play was rule bound within those imaginary elements. (Lindon, 2001:31). It shows that play is important for childrens learning, but of course there are barriers such as risk, safety and both the childrens social and emotional are needed to be focused on. As supported by Vygotsky, he did not see play as the only way that children learned and warned against the risks if adults focused too much on the possible intellectual content of play and ignored the emotional content (Lindon, 2001). Hughes (1999) also states that Vygotsky believed about the importance of the social context. He believes about his zones of proximal development. If a child is asked to work independently on a problem, such as sorting objects according to shape or function, he will display a particular level of performance for the childs performance may not reflect his or her true potential. However, if the same child is allowed to work with other children on the problem or is given even a small amount of direction by an adult, he or she might perform at a higher level than when working alone and potential ability in a different social context is the zone of proximal development. Obviously, the social context can do more than provide information about development as it can also facilitate the development by allowing children to achieve their true potential (Hughes,1999). In terms of play, Maynard and Thomas (2004) state that Vygotsky stresses that in childrens development in the earliest years of life, the role of pretend play is important. He placed play in the socio-cultural context where the context in which childrens play can and should be extended and nurtured by both adults and peers. This is also further supported that pretend play provides an inimitable context within which children can reach for and attain increasingly higher levels of cognitive development (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Vygotsky believed that pretend play is a major means by which young children can extend their cognitive skills, and they can also learn about the social constructs of their own culture at the same time by the encouragement given by adults for them to become active participants in the social world around them. He also believed that by identifying the main features of play, the observer is able to understand how it influences childrens development (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Lastly, about Jerome Bruner who was actually influenced by Vygotskys ideas and developed the idea for the concept of the spiral curriculum. According to Lindon (2001), he states that Bruner described how children learn through discovery with the direct help of adults and by repeating to the same materials or ideas. He also proposed that children were able to broaden their understanding over a period of years, and they could build on what they had learned previously and through sensitive help from adults in the later learning. In terms of play, whereas Piagets developmental theory minimalists the role of the adult in childrens development, Bruner similar to Vygotsky who considers the role of the adult in nurturing childrens development through play to be critical. He also argues that children learn from modelled adult behaviour rather than over-directed intervention (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Moreover, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), Bruner identifies two major functions of play. First, play situations allow children to test out and modify the consequences of their actions which provide them with a meaningful situation in which they can learn about things without risk of fear and failure and second, it gives children an opportunity for them not to engage in behaviours if under adult pressure. Like Vygotsky, Bruner also subscribes to a socio-constructivist theory of play in which he emphasizes the important of symbolic or pretend play. This is a type of play which enables children to work through difficulties, and fulfil secret desires at a make-believe level as well as helping children to learn how to cope with rules and social conventions at the same time (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Overall, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), they state that Vygotsky and Bruner subscribe to the socio-constructivist theory of play that it needs to be scaffolded by sensitive and intelligent adult intervention. In order for children to progress to higher levels of cognitive functioning, there must be social interaction with peers. However, Piaget argues that that play was developmental and that it took place at a particular stage regardless of adult intervention. It shows that Piagets theory is in contrast to the socio-constructivist view of the play. Despite their differences, the classical theorists emphasise the vital importance of pretend play to childrens development. Since pretend play presents a much greater cognitive challenge than non-pretend activities such as puzzles and jigsaws, young children who have ample time to engage in it do enjoy enhanced intellectual development. The importance and benefit of play It is believed that play can help children to understand life and their surrounding. This is supported by Duncan and Lockwood (2008), they state that through play, children have a natural instinct to learn about the world. Moreover, Hughes (1999:20) states cognitive theorists regard play a stool for facilitating intellectual growth. In addition, play is spontaneous as children can engage in it from choice (Moyles, 1994). This is further supported by Jerome Bruner (1972) and Brian Sutton-Smith (1967) cited in Hughes (1999:20), they state that play provides a comfortable, and relaxed atmosphere in which children can learn to solve a variety of problems. They also believe that later, when children are confronted with the more complex problems of the real world, the learning that took place during play is of great benefit to them. Play affords the opportunity for intellectual and social development as well as for emotional release (Hughes, 1999). In the studies of Bruner (1960) cited in Maynard and Thomas (2004), he states that similar to Piaget and Vygotsky; he examines the way in which children are able to explore hopes and anxieties and trying things out safely in pretend play as well as attributing to it a cathartic function. According to Maynard and Thomas (2004: 192), they state that when one observes children at play, certain common characteristics emerge. First, play is fun, children enjoy engaging in it. It maybe accompanied by laughter, talk, propose indeed, none of these things. It may be solitary or involve groups of children; it may also involve adult participation. Although an episode of play may lead to significant learning outcomes, these are not planned at its outset. True play is an impromptu experience and other than the intention of having fun, its outcomes do not exist in childrens minds when they initiate it. However, parents often misunderstood about play and early childhood educators notice it as a natural part of childhood but one that has little developmental value (Hartley, 1971). Moreover, David (1996) cited in Nutbrown also highlights the way in which increasing fears for childrens safety is understandably causing parents to confine and restrict their children more. According to Hughes (1999), he argues that it is understood that children should play as it affords the opportunity for intellectual and social development as well as for emotional release. Meanwhile, as stated by Gammage (2006) argue that childrens learning has led to some misunderstanding in which children are not just investments for the future, but they have a right to freely chosen opportunities for play and self-directed exploration as well as structured play activities rather than being made to follow a restricted or narrow curriculum. Other feature of learning through play is that it helps the children to develop their language by expressing their ideas and feeling and describe their experiences (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008). Moreover, Moyles (2005:235) states that children are in control of the way in which they want their play to develop and give themselves tasks in their play, not really for an outcome, but to shape the play-process itself. Hughes (1999) states that Vygotsky argued that there is a number of acquired and shared tools that aid in human thinking and behaviour-skills that allow us to think more clearly than if we did not have them and to better understand our own thinking processes. He also stated about the importance of the social context. This is his belief in zones of proximal development. If asked to work independently on a problem, such as sorting objects according to shape or function, a child will display a particular level of performance. However, Vygotsky believed that the childs performance may not reflect his or her true potential. If the same child is allowed to work with other children on the problem on the problem, or is given even a small amount of direction by an adult, he or she might perform at a higher level than when working alone and potential ability in a different social context is the zone of proximal development. Role of adults and their intervention to make a play to work effectively Teachers need to be supportive as children should enjoy it. Lindon (2001) identifies some possible roles for Pre school teachers in play such as the teacher as companion, learner and observer, facilitator, provider, a model, mediator as well as safety officer. Miller et al., (2005:92) state that play is vulnerable that it is important to provide appropriate experiences, activities and resources that will help children to develop their ability to play and learn. Moyles (1994) argues that it is practitioners who are best placed to observe and channel the value of childrens play into powerful contexts for learning. Moreover, by observation it is important for childrens learning through play. This is supported by Duncan and Lockwood (2008:21) who believe that observation will give you information about childrens learning through play and about the learning environment. Johnston et al., (2010) state that through play, children can develop intellectually, creatively, physically, socially and emotionally. By providing well planned experiences in both indoor and outdoor which are based on childrens spontaneous play are an important way which practitioners support young children to learn with enjoyment and challenge. Furthermore, observation also gives feedback on management issues, the effectiveness of resources and the play environment and information about diversity, inequalities, prejudices and stereotyping (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008:20). There are many ways in supporting and reflecting childrens play in extending specific areas such as language and communication. As stated by Bruce (2001) in supporting play are to establish a conducive environment, an adult must have interest and be part of the play in a background way as well as to be alert on how to manage things during the play without intervene it. However, those with learning difficulties and disabilities may need more specific and specialised help in playing and communicating with others. There is a place for scaffolding childrens understanding of and ability to play, just as there is for scaffolding their learning, to take account of their diverse life experiences (Bruner, 1972). Moreover, Vygotsky stated on how adults could best help children to learn and on the other hand, he also believed that children could and did help each other through play. He used his concept of the zone of proximal development to explain how childrens learning could be supported. The zone of proximal development is the area of possibilities that lie between what individual children can manage on their own and what they could achieve or understand with some appropriate help. He also argues that focused help could come from wither an alert adult or from another child whose understanding or skills were slightly more mature (Lindon, 2001). The impact of learning through play in Brunei context on Pre School children Based from where I came from, Pre schools in Brunei also practice learning through play in part of the school curriculum. As stated by the Curriculum Development Department (CDD) of the Brunei Ministry of Education (2009), the Pre school syllabus emphasises on the implementation of the instructional activities which are provided following the educational field and skill levels as well as abilities in accordance with the development of their learning. The educational field is divided into five developments. There is personal and social development, cognitive development, the development of aesthetics and creativity, physical development and ICT development. On the other hand, some teachers tend not to focus on the childrens learning through play as they believed that it is just a waste of time and rather follow in meeting the curriculum demands and syllabus given. This is argued by the Plowden report (DES, 1967) that although the play is the central activity in all schools but it often leads to accusations that children are wasting their time in school in which they should be working. Principals in Brunei Pre Schools encourage Pre class teachers to modify and decorate their classrooms where they accommodate the class with varieties of learning corners areas such as a book corner, kitchen corner, block corner and drawing corner. This is suitable for dramatic play, books and literacy, block and construction play and manipulative play.ÂÂ   These areas can help the pupils to develop their skills needed. The class teachers make sure that the play activities are relevant to the development of the pre school pupils. Most importantly, the teachers provide plenty of open space area for them to play independently. This can lead the pupils to be engaged in learning through play effectively. Basically, class teachers in Brunei use primitive materials for some of the play activities such as sand, water and clay where it can attract the pupils and evoke their interest and concentration. This is supported by Hughes (1999:198) who highlights that a number of play materials and activities have been identified as being highly likely to stimulate intellectual growth. Hughes (1999:211) states that certain types of play materials and activities have been found to be helpful in encouraging social integration. Moreover, the use of materials in play can develop pupils confidence in learning with others. Moyles (2005) states that the activity which develop their confidence and actually demonstrate their understanding to groups of children even if they are unfamiliar with as they can start their conversation and friendship. Most importantly, the toys and play materials are kept on low sized shelves so that they can reach them easily. Most teachers do use the outdoor play but this is only when they are having a Physical Education. Basically, children must also have opportunities to play out door since outdoor has a large space with nature. The pupils can play freely which can sometimes pose a threat for risk and accidents. As stated by Gill (2007:16), he summarizes that by undertaking risky activities carries beneficial side effects for childrens health and development. Based from my teaching experience, the pupils in my class love to play during their Break time. It could be observed that it was the time when they are having fun especially at the playground. Although children play, they actually learn something. For instance, th

Feelings of Incompetency :: Personal Narrative Writing

Feelings of Incompetency In my experiences at the Writing Resource Center, I have found that the biggest area of concern that I have run into is the feeling that I am an ineffective tutor as far as tutoring the students that come in search of writing assistance. I feel that I am a very inadequate means of relief for these people, yet they still come to me for help. In this paper, I will explore these thoughts and try to find out what it is that makes me feel so ineffective. In recent discussions with my peers at the Writing Resource Center, I have found that, though these feelings of inadequacy are somewhat consistent throughout the center, I feel that my feelings are a bit more strong when it comes to that of helping the student. I feel that what I am doing in helping the student is exactly what we're taught not to do, as far as assisting. The most glaring thing that I feel that I am doing wrong is that when I read a paper that is loaded with commas, I tend to point them out without much help from the tutee. Take the following paragraph, for example (which is a rough copy from a tutee of mine - who wasn't a foreigner to our country): Snowmobiles, on the other hand, are, for example, a very effective, yet costly, means of transportation. They are, as said before, expensive, but, the fact that they're worth it only enhances their, let's say, worthiness. I mean, you can buy one, for cheap, but, on the other hand, why buy a cheap one when spending a little bit more would mean fewer problems down the road. Now, after reading this paragraph, I read it aloud to him exaggerating the pauses wherever the commas were placed. Next, I asked him to tell me if the whole paragraph sounded strange to him or not. He promptly replied that it sounded perfectly fine. Upon hearing this, I tried a different approach: I had him paraphrase, or restate, what he was trying to say in the paragraph while I wrote it down. I then had him read what I had just written down and asked him what he felt about that for his paragraph instead of the one that he had on his paper. He abruptly said "no" and looked at me defiantly. Next, after trying to tell him how commas were supposed to function in a sentence, I asked him again if he felt that there were any places in his paragraph that seemed awkward and/or over "comma-ized.

The Future of Nursing

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) will have a great effect on nursing. According to this article nursing will have to change it role in the ACA and the three main categories that need to be changed and redeveloped is transforming practice, education and leadership. â€Å"The ACA outlines some new health care arrangements, and with these structures will come new opportunities for new roles. Nurses have the opportunity to play a central role in transforming the health care system to create a more accessible, high-quality, and value-driven environment for patients.If the system is to capitalize on this opportunity, however, the constraints of outdated policies, regulations, and cultural barriers, including those related to scope of practice, will have to be lifted, most notably for advanced practice registered nurses. † (IOM, 2010, p. 85) â€Å"The ACA will place many demands on health professionals. The legislation has begun the long process of shifting the focus of the U. S. health care system away from acute and specialty care. † (IOM, 2010, p.86) â€Å"When the system takes on another additional 32 million people soon to be covered by health insurance under the ACA would receive care in the coming years, it identified as a serious barrier. † (, 2010, p. 96) â€Å"If the United States is to achieve the necessary transformation of its health care system, the evidence points to the importance of relying on nurses in enhanced roles. † (IOM, 2010, pg. 87) This article however complain about number of educational grants and scholarships available and most individuals seek nursing education must finance it themselves.Yes because all college nursing programs are filled every year and cannot support more nursing programs these are filled by the private sector which requires student loans. However there is an abundance of money offered by United States’ government does provide more federal student loans than ever before.â€Å"Stud ent loan debt as of first quarter of 2012 was up to $904 billion which is up $241 Billion form a decade ago and it is said to reach well over trillion dollars by the end of the year. † (American Progress, 2012) â€Å"There is not enough nursing faculty to teach the current  number of nursing students, let alone the number of qualified applicants who wish to pursue nursing. † (Allan & Aldebron, 2008, p. 214) â€Å"The ACA and the need for APRNs, nurse faculty, and nurse researchers would have increased dramatically under any scenario. † (L R Cronenwett [RWJF Iniative on the Future of Nursing], 2010, table 1). â€Å"Not only must schools of nursing build their capacity to prepare more students. Nursing need to focus on fundamental improvements in the delivery of nursing care to improve patient safety and quality is key. † (IOM, 2010, p.  208)Those involved in the health care system—nurses, physicians, patients, and others—play increasingly interdependent roles. Leaders who merely give directions and expect them to be followed will not succeed in this environment. What is needed is a style of leadership that involves working with others as full partners in a context of mutual respect and collaboration (A Pearson, H Laschinger, K Porritt, Z Jordan, D Tucker and L Long [International Journal of Evidence-Based health Care], 2007, p. 224). Looking to the future, nurse leaders will need the skills and knowledge to understand and anticipate population trends.  (IOM, 2010, p. 234)In conclusion The Affordable Care Act of 2010 will place many demands on health care professionals, and it will offer many opportunities to create a system that is more patient centered. The will be much focus on these three initial roles practice, education and leadership. We still must remember the system is getting 34 more million people and a push for changing our current system from acute care to a preventive system and this will not happen ov ernight. It is 2014 and most of us still do not know what is in this health care law, how it will affect us and what it will cost us?Let alone what it will take to change practice, education and leadership across the whole country. This undertaking may take decades to implement. We could have only wished this law was written by doctors and nursing professional with details about where and how the system would be changing yet it was written by lawyer, lobbyist and our Congress that was more concerned about pushing it through than reading it. Nursing is definitely going to play a huge role in this transformation and yes the practice, education and leadership is going to be part of the key of getting this done.

How to Write a Descriptive Essay on Food

How to Write a Descriptive Essay on Food Writing a descriptive essay on food can be a very interesting activity. This is particularly so because every person has a liking for a specific type of food. Therefore, one can decide to write an essay that describes the various methods of preparing a given food. In a similar way, a descriptive essay on food can focus on discussing what a balanced diet should include. Likewise, one can elect to focus his or her essay on organic foods, a topic that has generated substantial debate in the recent years. Whichever the topic one chooses, the descriptive essay should be highly informative. In general, the prime objective of a descriptive essay is to highlight the outstanding features of a particular concept. With reference to food, the descriptive essay must outline the key characteristics of a given food type, if this is the approach that the writer chooses to adopt. In order to inform the reader adequately, a person doing a descriptive essay must first conduct thorough research on the topic. It is well understood that food is a broad theme that cannot be explored logically in a broad sense. Accordingly, the duty of the writer is to narrow the scope and choose an appropriate subtopic that can sufficiently be tackled. Selecting a subtopic might require the writer to list a range of possible areas, and then choose the one that has sufficient research evidence to back it up. Consider the example of a descriptive essay that investigates organic foods. The writer will start by giving a short introduction, wherein he or she can report the increasing adoption of genetically modified foods in developed and developing economies. It is always advisable to formulate a thesis that captures the reader’s attention, making him/her want to read the entire essay. After so doing, the next step is to provide a concise definition of the term â€Å"organic foods.† This is crucial because not all readers will have an idea about organic foods. It is equally prudent to give a list of common foods, which the reader understands, that fall in the category of organic foods. The writer will then proceed to supply the reader with facts or features that distinguish natural foods from organic foods. As a writer, you should always keep in mind that a descriptive essay should contain as many facts as possible. However, the bottom-line is that the language used should be kept as simple as possible. The rationale behind this contention is that a person who does not fully understand the native language could use the essay. In such a scenario, complex terminologies in the essay could confuse the reader even more, hence negating the ultimate usefulness of the essay. Another useful concept to include when writing a descriptive essay on food is to incorporate natural foods that are better supplements of the organic foods listed. In doing so, the writer will make the reader comprehend that organic foods should at best be avoided. Do you need a custom descriptive essay on Food topics? Visit CustomWritings.com professional writing service now!

Complete List Weird Scholarships You Can Win (Updated)

Complete List Weird Scholarships You Can Win (Updated) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may have thought that scholarships were only for those who had great grades or were top athletes. Well, think again! There are a lot of organizations willing to give you some college cash in recognition of your interesting habits, unusual attributes, or willingness to do something a little bit quirky! Here's a complete collection of the best weird, unusual scholarships we could find. The good news is they're often a lot easier to apply to than other scholarships. Why Do These Weird Scholarships Exist? These scholarships mostly come from three main sources: Special Interest Groups and Clubs These organizations are very passionate about certain topics – like agriculture or the Klingon language – and they love to see students who share those passions. By offering these crazy scholarships, they're encouraging students to actively stay involved in these areas of interest. People Who Want to Help People Just Like Them You’ll notice a number of unique scholarships based on last name or physical features. These tend to be from people or groups who feel they are special for some reason, and want to share the wealth with others who are lucky enough to have the same trait. Quirky Companies Out for a Laugh Some of the most unusual scholarships are from companies that are just looking to have a good time, and they want to share the love with students who get their sense of humor and are willing to do something a little daring. So even if you didn't think you were the scholarship-winning type of student, remember that there are scholarship opportunities out there for almost anyone, including students who†¦. Scholarships for People With Interesting Physical Attributes The Scholarship for Redheads This scholarship is awarded to a natural red-head who is a junior or senior in high school with a GPA of 2.5+. You have to submit two photos to prove the authenticity of your gingery locks, and also create a creative piece – can be an essay, picture, or video, that tells what it means to you to be a red head. The deadline this year was May 4, and the prize is a one-time award of $500. The Tall Club Scholarship The Tall Club Scholarshipis awarded to exceptionally tall high school seniors. If you are female and over 5’10†, or male and over 6’2†, this scholarship could be for you! Apply through your local Tall Club (there are 53 branches nationwide). You’ll have to provide transcripts and test scores, letters of recommendation, details about extracurricular activities and awards, a photo and an essay.Awards vary by chapter but are up to $1,000. The deadline is March 1. The Left-Handed Scholarship If you're left-handed, you’re in luck! The Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarshipfrom Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania is for you. Current students of Juniata College who are left-handed are allowed to apply for the award, which ranges from $1,000 - $1,500. Grades and financial circumstance are also taken into consideration. Scholarships for People Who Have Prepared for the End of the World (or Want to Save the World) Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship If you’ve spent time thinking over how you would fare if the world were overrun by the walking dead, then the Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship is for you! Students aged 13 and older can apply by writing a 250 word essay about what would happen if their school were overrun by zombies. The deadline is October 31, and the award is $2,000. Superpower Scholarship The Superpower Scholarship awards $2,500 to a student who, in 250 words or less, best answers the question, â€Å"Which superhero or villain would you want to change places with for a day and why?† You have to be 13 years of age or older to apply. The deadline is March 31st. Scholarships for People Who†¦Sound Like a Duck Chick and Sophie Major Duck Calling Contest High school seniors are eligible to compete for this scholarship in Stuttgart, Arkansas every fall. The student best able to woo ducks will be awarded $2,000. There are also prizes for second place ($1,000), third place ($750), and fourth place ($500). The competition is on November 23 this year. Scholarships for People Who Love Sweets, or Want to Be Sweets American Association of Candy Technologists John Kitt Memorial Scholarship College sophomores, juniors, and seniors who love candy so much that they want to study it should apply for this scholarship.You’ll need to be majoring in food, chemistry, or biological sciences with a GPA of 3.0 or higherand have shown an interest in candy technology through a project or research. One student will win a scholarship of $5,000. The deadline is in April. Flavor of the Month Scholarship TheFlavor of the Month Scholarship is open to students aged 13+ who write a 250-word essay that answers the question, â€Å"If you were an ice cream flavor, which would you be and why?† The prize is $1,500 and the deadline is July 31st. Scholarships for People Who REALLY Love Star Trek Starfleet Scholarship Program Trekkies are in luck when looking for college funding. TheStarfleet Scholarship Program awards up to $1,000 scholarships to students (senior year of high school or above) who have been Starfleet members for at least a year prior to applying. Applications are due in June. Klingon Scholarship If you are a Trekkie AND a language lover, you are even more in luck. Students majoring in a foreign language can receive scholarships from the Klingon Language Institute for showing a love of international languages. You do NOT need to know Klingon to qualify. Awards are $500 and the deadline is in June. Scholarships for People Who Have a Lucky Last Name John Gatling Grant Program This scholarshipat North Carolina State University awards $9,000 to in-state students and $18,000 to out-of-state students who are lucky enough to be born with the last name â€Å"Gatling† or â€Å"Gatlin†. You need to be able to show proof that you were born with the name, and the application is turned it at the same time you apply for financial aid. Charles Downer Scholarship Fund This scholarshipgives students attending Harvard and who have the last name â€Å"Downer† a chance to get some money. Preference is given to students from Vermont and who are descendants of Harvard graduates. Leavenworth Scholarship The Leavenworth Scholarshipat Hamilton College in New York is for – you guessed it – students with the last name â€Å"Leavenworth†. The award amount isn’t specified. Lambert and Annetje Van Valkenburg Memorial Scholarship Competition This competition awards $1,000 every two years to a student who can prove they are related to the Van Valkenburg family who immigrated to the USA from the Netherlands in 1643. The last name can have slight variations, but you’ll have to be able to prove the lineage. Applicants must write an essay about what the family heritage means to you. The award can be used at any university, and the deadline is March 1st. Zolp Scholarship Catholic students attending Loyola University Chicago with the last name Zolpare in for a treat – they are eligible to win money if they file their birth certificate along with their applications. Award amount varies depending on availability of funds and the number of applicants. Scholarships for People Who Have a Sense of Humor About Fashion Stuck at Prom The Stuck at Promcontest rewards couples who create entire prom outfits from Duck Tape, and then wear them to a school-organized prom. Applicants must submit photos of their handiwork – which is usually quite impressive! Each student in the winning couples gets a full scholarship for themselves, plus one individual grand prize winner gets a bonus. Every year there are 21 winners. First place is $10,000, second is $5,000, third is $3,000, and seven runner up couples get $500. The individual bonus is $500. Scholarships for People Who Are Hard-Core Gamers Gamers Helping Gamers This scholarshipis for fans of Magic: The Gathering. High school applicants must write four essays about how Magic has influenced them, how to improve the game, and what their academic and career goals are. Up to two awards of $5,000 will be given, and applications are due on March 31st. Scholarships for People Who Are Messy Eaters and Drinkers Milk Mustache Scholarship Do you tend to miss your mouth when consuming dairy products? Do you also attend (or plan to attend) college in Arizona? The Dairy Council of Arizona runs the Milk Mustache Scholarship for people like you! And applying doesn’t get much easier. Simply take a video that's 30 seconds or less that features your favorite dairy products.The video can be any style (funny, suspenseful, etc.) The contest opens in August, and weekly winners will be chosen between Septemberand November. Winnerswill receive cool prizes, like free tickets to football games at Arizona schools. At the end of the football season, several finalists will be chosen from the weekly winners to submit autobiographies, transcripts, and a letter of recommendation. These finalists will not only receive a great prize automatically – tickets to the Fiesta Bowl – but will also be eligible to win one of three cash prizes. The first place winner will get $12,000 in scholarship money, $10,000 will go to the second place student, and $8,000 to third place. Winners will be announced at the Fiesta Bowl. Scholarships for People Who Are Lazy and Sober The Deppen Scholarship and the Voris Auten Scholarship Do you stay away from drugs and alcohol? Do you also stay away from physical activity? If so, Bucknell University in Pennsylvania offers two endowed scholarships to students who fit that description and have also lived in Mount Carmel, PA for ten years and attended a Mount Carmel public high school. Scholarships for People Who Love to Write Essays Ayn Rand Scholarships If you want to get some practice writing essays on really long books, never fear! Short essays (of around 1,000 words on Ayn Rand'sreally long books can make you eligible to win some serious cash. Different topics are available depending on grade level. 8th, 9th and 10th graders can win between $30 and $2,000 for writing about Anthem; th and 12th graders can win between $50 and $10,000 for writing about The Fountainhead; and college students can win between $50 and $20,000 for writing about Atlas Shrugged. Deadlines vary based on which book you're writing about. Scholarships for People Who Hate to Write Essays No Essay Scholarship The No Essay Scholarshipclaims to be the easiest scholarship out there – no tedious essay writing here! College students (or prospective college students) simply need to enter their details online for a chance to win $2,000. A new winner is chosen every month, and you can re-apply as much as you like! Scholarships for People Who Love Sprinklers American Fire Sprinkler Association This scholarship isopen to almost anyone willing to put in a bit of effort! High school seniors can fill out the application form for the scholarship. Ten randomly chosen winners will get $2,000 each in scholarship money. No longer a high school senior? No problem. Enter the second chance contest for college students, and five winners will be awarded $1,000 scholarships. Scholarships for People Who Are Gay Pilots National Gay Pilots Association TheNational Gay Pilots Association gives LGBT students and allies who are interested in professional aviation a chance to help cover some college costs. Students should be at least 18 years old, have a private pilot license, have accomplishments in aviation, and have contributed to the LGBT community. Scholarship amounts vary. Scholarships for People Who Are Passionate About Specific Kinds of Food Vegetarian Resource Group Students who are committed to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian lifestyle can win up to $10,000 for school from the Vegetarian Resource Group.You’ll have to write an essay about your experience being vegetarian and promoting it within your community, and at least three letters of recommendation. One award of $10,000 will be given, as well as two $5,000 prizes. The deadline is February 19th, 2019. Beef Industry Scholarship On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Beef Industry Scholarshipawards ten $1,500 scholarships every year to high school seniors or undergrads who are pursuing careers in the beef industry. You’ll have to have demonstrated a commitment to the beef industry, write an essay about solving a problem in the beef industry, and have two letters of recommendation from professionals in the beef industry. And if your love affair with beef is long-lasting, you can re-apply every year! Asparagus Club Scholarship The National Grocers Association awards this scholarshipto college juniors and seniors who are pursuing careers in the grocery industry. Scholarships are $2,000 per semester and can be renewed for up to four semesters if a 2.5+ GPA is maintained. Up to ten scholarships are awarded per year. Scholarships for People Who Like to Make Others Laugh Make Me Laugh Scholarship This scholarshipfor you budding comedians out there. Students over the age of 13 can apply for a $1,500 scholarship by telling a funny or embarrassing story (real or made up) in 250 words or less that makes the judges laugh out loud. Deadline is August 31st. Scholarships for People Who Love Golf But Don’t Play It Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation If you are dedicated to the art of being a golf caddie, you are in luck. TheWestern Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation gives out hundreds of full-ride scholarships to students who can show a record of successful and regular caddying throughout high school (spanning at least two years). You should also have strong academics and a good ACT score, and be able to demonstrate financial need. The scholarships are available at 14 colleges across the country that have scholarship houses – winners are expected to be active members in the house. Applications are due October 31st. Scholarships for People Just Love Applying for Scholarships Scholarship For Aggressive Scholarship Applicants Debt.com sponsors this scholarship. The main idea? They want to award students who have shown persistence and courage in applying for all the free college money that is out there. All you have to do is apply for loads of scholarships (past winners have applied for over 30 each – and don’t worry, you don’t have to win them!) and send copies of the submission receipts, along with a letter saying a bit about yourself, your goals, and how you felt doing all those applications. You can win $500. The best part? They choose a new winner every 2 months, so you have a lot of chances to try for this one! What's Next? If you want to apply to some great scholarships not listed above, check out our guides to theNational Merit Scholarship,McDonald's Scholarship, andTylenol Scholarship. Did you know that sometimes getting a schoalrship is as easy as applying to your school of choice? Check out thislist of schools that automatically offer schoalrships based on grades and test scores. Need a letter of recommendation for a scholarship? Here's how to get one. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

About online gaming essays

About online gaming essays Ask anyone that had ever played an online game and they will most probably tell you that it is addictive. Indeed it is. Its an MMORPG also known as massive multiplayer online role playing game is one of those that had made millions of hardcore gamers lose sleep over. So whats the beauty behind it? One may question. The reason is simple. It provides the player with another world. In there, there are no boundaries. They can be whoever they want to be and accomplish the things that in real life, they may never ever do. Behind the screen, over the net, no one knows who you are, you maybe jobless but online you can be a millionaire, you may be in your late 40s but in there you are back to you prime. Yes, it gives us a sense of satisfaction that we can only dream about having in real life. Another selling point about this sort of games is the challenge that it can create. Instead of playing again mindless AI controlled opponents, you are now pitting your skills against real people around the world. Being triumphant against them meaning you are actually better then them, at least in the game you are better. And the joy that you get out from it is just like outdoing your peers in school or outperforming your colleagues at work. Yes its real life satisfaction. These points above are enough to get them hooked to the game but sooner or later, once they have grown tired of winning, or losing, you need some other things to keep them in game. MMORPG offers you the reason to stay. Most, if not all MMORPG allows users to create a community in the form of clans or parties. You can now socialize in the comfort of your home with people thousand miles away, you can gain friendships within the game itself, now this is dangerous if not carefully juggled. Some may become too involved in the online world and began to neglect the people around them. Online friends becomes more important then their childhood friends, som ...

John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums - Essay Example Speaking of the chrysanthemums as a symbolizing womanhood, one notices that symbols in this story are used with keen gender awareness. Elisa sees her husband talking to unknown men, engrossed - in a way, we suspect, that she is not used to being spoken to by her husband. The men are merely â€Å"business suits† who smoke while they talk. Because of the amazing brevity of this story, these men are never commented upon at length, and their â€Å"business suits† become symbolic of a professional life that Elisa has no access to. The business suits from, again symbolically enough, the â€Å"Western Meat Company† becomes a reminder of Elisa’s own trapped and restricted situation. To contrast this, the bearded vagabond and his wagon become symbolic of the unrestricted life on the road that Elisa so envies.Elisa’s situation of silent repression is expressed through these subtle symbols. Certain lines address this concern directly also.

Explain Socrates' claim that the unexamined life is not worth living Essay

Explain Socrates' claim that the unexamined life is not worth living (Apology) - Essay Example Therefore, Socrates claimed that for a human being to live a worthy life, everyone should question, examine and re-examine the values of their lives daily. This paper explores the meaning and the significance of the Socrates claim that â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living† focusing on the Apology and Euthyphro. The words, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’ by Socrates comes from Plato’s Apology when Socrates is sentenced to death after being accused of corrupting the youth and impiety. Patterson (16) posits that apology is one historical account of Socrates’ defense during his trial, and these words appear at the end of the Apology when Socrates is going through possible punishments for charges against him. Socrates utters these words when the jury has already found him guilty and has to decide on what kind of punishment to impose on him, which was agreed to be a death sentence. After being sentenced to death, he has to choose an alte rnative punishment like life sentence or exile but he declines the offer claiming that giving up philosophy would be disobedient to god. Therefore, by ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’, Socrates meant that he was ready to face death instead of living a simple life where he is not capable of examining claims of knowledge from other people, to challenge them and be able to ask them hard questions about reality. He urged people to be concerned about virtue to examine themselves and others because unexamined life is not worth living (Patterson 15). The dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro revolve around the issue of piety. Briefly, both Socrates and Euthyphro are involved in this aspect of piety. Euthyphro suggests that piety is all about prosecuting anyone who is guilty of murder but after challenged by Socrates, he states that piety is something that is dear to gods, arguing that piety is what all the gods love whereas impiety is what all the gods hate. Socrate s refused to accept many popular tales about activities of gods (Patterson, 11). According to Socrates, piety represents unexamined life, which is not worth living, and as such, he was accused of creating new gods and ignoring the traditional Athens gods. Therefore, by stating that unexamined life is not worth living, Socrates was informing individuals to look within and get the true value of life by carefully analyzing their actions in order to live a happy life where no one gets hurt. Critical examination of life is necessary as it involves evaluation of events from both the past and present. Through this, one is able to learn from the past mistakes and correct them, watch his actions and live a more fulfilling life; this is because without thorough examination of life, life is worthless. In a situation where a person fails to examine his life, he will keep on repeating past mistakes and stagnation is inevitable. People should try to be virtuous, try to find out and realize what t hey do not know in life to have a broader view of the world (Kamtekar 154). Socrates claim about unexamined life is unworthy can be seen as implying that a life without introspection, with no personal reflection is totally a waste since lack of self-understanding and analysis is likely to lead to repetition of past mistakes and blaming others. Failure to have a deep personal understanding makes a person to live unexamined life. Moreover, lack of meaningful life and progress is a waste of time; it

Understanding the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Understanding the Law - Essay Example While the binding principle of judicial precedents applies to ratio decidendi as applied in the original case, obiter dicta do not bind. This means that in cases where a judge is bound to use a precedent, the judge must apply the rules of law that were applied by the former judge as ratio decidendi. Other elements of the precedent case that do not form part of the precedent’s ratio decidendi are not binding (Robertson, 2010, p. 20). Types of judicial precedents Application of judicial precedents defines the types of precedents that have been identified in the judicial system. A judicial precedent can be original, binding, or persuasive. An original precedent is a first establishment of rule of law in cases where no precedent has been laid. This occurs when the facts of the case at hand does not correspond to facts of any other case for which a rule of law has been established in interpretation of the law. The presiding judge therefore establishes a precedent to the case called original precedent. A binding precedent is on the other hand a judicial decision that has already been established in a previous decision and whose application binds a judge. The principle of a binding precedent imputes a judge’s obligation to apply an already established precedent irrespective of the judge’s opinion over the principle of law as was established in the earlier case. This application is based on the rule that decision of a higher court binds judges of lower courts (Robertson, 2010, p.18- 19). Persuasive precedents are however not strictly binding to a judge as the judge has the freedom to either apply the precedent or not. This means that unlike in the case of a binding precedent, application of a persuasive precedent is at the... Understanding the law The paper will explore concepts of the two legal applications. Judicial precedents Judicial precedents, as defined by Robertson, are a source of law that originates from the judicial system. The doctrine of precedents establishes former decisions by judges to form ground for decisions to be made by other judges in future cases. The doctrine is based on the principle that an established rule of law through decisions of judges should remain standing. Robertson argues that the doctrine establishes ground for â€Å"fairness and certainty of law†. The doctrine of judicial precedence is a deviation from the traditionally perceived judicial role of interpretation of the law for implementation. While the primary role of the judiciary is to determine the best meaning in application of law in litigations, the doctrine of judicial precedents offers the judiciary a law making authority. This is because judicial precedents are recognized source of law in which an already established decisi on is to be applied in future cases involving similar facts. Application of judicial precedents however relies on two principles, ratio decidendi and obiter dicta. While the jury limits the powers of the judge in determining the case, the judge ensures that jurors are properly selected to eliminate chances of bias. The above views are therefore completely justified within the concept of democracy, openness, and fairness of the jury process.

Biography of Peter Paul Rubens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biography of Peter Paul Rubens - Essay Example His parents Jan Rubens and Maria Pypelinckx left Antwerp because it was largely Spanish and dominated by the Catholic Church; they were Calvinists. Rubens’ father was nearly killed because of an affair with the princess of Orange, but Maria was able to have her husband released with the acceptance that the family would be exiled to Siegen, Westphalia. It was in Siegen that their last child would be born, who was Peter Paul (Rubens par. 3). Rubens’ education came from the humanists and he was also an art collector in his own right. He was a diplomat as well and was knighted by two kings: Philip IV, the king of Spain and King Charles I, who was at that time the king of England (Rubens par. 2). Rubens studied Latin and classical literature. At the age of 14, Rubens studied art as an apprentice under Tobias Verhaeght and under two artists that lived in the city, Adam van Noort and Otto van Veen (â€Å"Biography† par. 4). One of the ways that Rubens began his art was to copy the art of other artists. He was very interested in woodcuts by â€Å"Hans Holbein the Younger and Marcantonio Raimondis engravings† (Rubens â€Å"Biography† par. 4). Between 1600 and 1608, Rubens traveled to Italy and he studied the paintings of Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto who would influence his later paintings. He eventually went to Mantua and became part of the court of duke Vincenzo I of Gonzaga. With the duke financing him, he was able to go to Rome and Florence. He studied Greek and Roman Art and began to copy the work of Italian master artists. Eventually Rubens would have several experiences in Italy that would impact his work and he basically fell in love with the language and the people of this area (Rubens â€Å"Biography†). Rubens died May 30, 1640 of gout and left eight children and a wife behind. He was buried in Saint Jacobs church in Antwerp (Rubens â€Å"Biography† par. 20). The â€Å"Wolf and Fox Hunt† was one of a series

Trends in Labor in the United States Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trends in Labor in the United States - Assignment Example Ltd., 2013). Another factor that contributes to the growth of outsourcing is the availability of cheaper labor offered by some countries, without sacrificing the quality of the products or services (Flatworld Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2013). Aside from work expertise and cheap cost of labor that a company can gain from outsourcing, their resources can be focused on the more essential aspects of their business. Outsourcing presents several advantages and disadvantages for both corporations and the domestic economy. Some of the advantages of outsourcing are the swiftness and expertise of the outsourced labor, the concentration on the crucial business processes rather on the minor ones, the risk sharing between the outsourced vendor and the organization outsourcing and the reduction in the operational and recruitment costs (Flatworld Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2013). Outsourcing has its drawbacks too. These include the risk of exposing the organization’s confidential information, lack of control with schedules and delivery times, possible hidden costs and a lack of concern for the customers’ needs (Flatworld Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2013). A significant effect of outsourcing on the US labor market is the rise in the unemployment rate among Americans. The technological and engineering jobs are mostly diverted to India and China which offers lower wage rates but matched with superior talent (Miah, 2007). The bottom line for most companies is that outsourcing gives better profits. Nationalism is put aside because the business decision makers consider their responsibility to their shareholders the priority (Miah, 2007). The result of this attitude is the American working middle class are up in arms against outsourcing (Miah, 2007). Another major effect of outsourcing on the US labor market is the weakening of the workers’ bargaining power. Since it is very easy for

Quantitative Methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quantitative Methods - Research Paper Example The importance of the co integration concept in the economic literature is due to the possibility of linking. The linking is due to the information about long run equilibrium of LTK and LOBC. The statistical evidence of short run dynamics in observed series helps in estimating the integration between the values. The each element of a vector of time series need to have a unit root. If there exists a linear combination, then it is stationary. A non parametric approach can be proposed to study the co integrated system. A discrete time p variate integrated process of order d with drift can be defined by square of Yt. Yt is the integration of values from Y1 to Yt. In 2001 the IMF board meeting held in 2001 paved the way for long awaiting IMF loans that have exceeded the limit of US$16 billion. These will have supplementary facilities also. The financial markets have been swarmed with a flow of good news and the application of banking reacpitalisation and the international cojuncture will be variables that divert the direction of the markets. The redemption of USD61 billion of domestic by treasury and the borrowing of USD 46.5 billion has initiated the availability of investments for the industries. The treasury aimed to reduce the total debt stock to Gross national product ration to 86.9 percent in 2002. The previous one is 94.7 percent. This indicates the increase of GNP and a chance of increase of productivity and share prices. It is believed that the longer dated T-bills and other higher real returns around 20 percent annualized comparison to shorter dated issues depend on O/N repo. This was based on inflation estimates and the moderate inflation resulted in increase of share prices and productivity. Though there is an intensive agenda the daily volume of equities in Istanbul stock exchange fluctuated around USD 400 million. This is due to the jitters over the political disputes that can effect the economy. As 2001 is a dismal year of performance the bench mark index of ISE eased down in January. This is due to the new letter intent coupled with the December inflation. This was posted lower than expected. The result of decreasing of USD in 2001 did not interfere in the business much. The harmonization bill, the expectation of US attack on Iraq, the banking recapitalization scheme, acceleration of the privatization process and other various laws passed by the parliament are indicators that made the business grow. This resulted in ISE 100 index inclined by 5.3 percent in terms of dollar. The USD 16 billion and the IMF credit facilities resulted in structural and infrastructure reforms and resulted in private bank recapitalization scheme being most significant of all the milestones. The rehabilitation of the state banking system and the segregation of the ailing private banks from the system reinforced the private banks and made robust step in banking reforms. The asset management companies were established and the hurdles intimidating the foreign and domestic investors were eliminated. The harmonization of privatization by EU has generated USD 1.5 billion in 2002.

Biography of Peter Paul Rubens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biography of Peter Paul Rubens - Essay Example His parents Jan Rubens and Maria Pypelinckx left Antwerp because it was largely Spanish and dominated by the Catholic Church; they were Calvinists. Rubens’ father was nearly killed because of an affair with the princess of Orange, but Maria was able to have her husband released with the acceptance that the family would be exiled to Siegen, Westphalia. It was in Siegen that their last child would be born, who was Peter Paul (Rubens par. 3). Rubens’ education came from the humanists and he was also an art collector in his own right. He was a diplomat as well and was knighted by two kings: Philip IV, the king of Spain and King Charles I, who was at that time the king of England (Rubens par. 2). Rubens studied Latin and classical literature. At the age of 14, Rubens studied art as an apprentice under Tobias Verhaeght and under two artists that lived in the city, Adam van Noort and Otto van Veen (â€Å"Biography† par. 4). One of the ways that Rubens began his art was to copy the art of other artists. He was very interested in woodcuts by â€Å"Hans Holbein the Younger and Marcantonio Raimondis engravings† (Rubens â€Å"Biography† par. 4). Between 1600 and 1608, Rubens traveled to Italy and he studied the paintings of Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto who would influence his later paintings. He eventually went to Mantua and became part of the court of duke Vincenzo I of Gonzaga. With the duke financing him, he was able to go to Rome and Florence. He studied Greek and Roman Art and began to copy the work of Italian master artists. Eventually Rubens would have several experiences in Italy that would impact his work and he basically fell in love with the language and the people of this area (Rubens â€Å"Biography†). Rubens died May 30, 1640 of gout and left eight children and a wife behind. He was buried in Saint Jacobs church in Antwerp (Rubens â€Å"Biography† par. 20). The â€Å"Wolf and Fox Hunt† was one of a series

Quantitative Methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quantitative Methods - Research Paper Example The importance of the co integration concept in the economic literature is due to the possibility of linking. The linking is due to the information about long run equilibrium of LTK and LOBC. The statistical evidence of short run dynamics in observed series helps in estimating the integration between the values. The each element of a vector of time series need to have a unit root. If there exists a linear combination, then it is stationary. A non parametric approach can be proposed to study the co integrated system. A discrete time p variate integrated process of order d with drift can be defined by square of Yt. Yt is the integration of values from Y1 to Yt. In 2001 the IMF board meeting held in 2001 paved the way for long awaiting IMF loans that have exceeded the limit of US$16 billion. These will have supplementary facilities also. The financial markets have been swarmed with a flow of good news and the application of banking reacpitalisation and the international cojuncture will be variables that divert the direction of the markets. The redemption of USD61 billion of domestic by treasury and the borrowing of USD 46.5 billion has initiated the availability of investments for the industries. The treasury aimed to reduce the total debt stock to Gross national product ration to 86.9 percent in 2002. The previous one is 94.7 percent. This indicates the increase of GNP and a chance of increase of productivity and share prices. It is believed that the longer dated T-bills and other higher real returns around 20 percent annualized comparison to shorter dated issues depend on O/N repo. This was based on inflation estimates and the moderate inflation resulted in increase of share prices and productivity. Though there is an intensive agenda the daily volume of equities in Istanbul stock exchange fluctuated around USD 400 million. This is due to the jitters over the political disputes that can effect the economy. As 2001 is a dismal year of performance the bench mark index of ISE eased down in January. This is due to the new letter intent coupled with the December inflation. This was posted lower than expected. The result of decreasing of USD in 2001 did not interfere in the business much. The harmonization bill, the expectation of US attack on Iraq, the banking recapitalization scheme, acceleration of the privatization process and other various laws passed by the parliament are indicators that made the business grow. This resulted in ISE 100 index inclined by 5.3 percent in terms of dollar. The USD 16 billion and the IMF credit facilities resulted in structural and infrastructure reforms and resulted in private bank recapitalization scheme being most significant of all the milestones. The rehabilitation of the state banking system and the segregation of the ailing private banks from the system reinforced the private banks and made robust step in banking reforms. The asset management companies were established and the hurdles intimidating the foreign and domestic investors were eliminated. The harmonization of privatization by EU has generated USD 1.5 billion in 2002.

Conclusion and implication Essay Example for Free

Conclusion and implication Essay Failure to make use of available hazard-reduction information and measures of known effectiveness constitutes another general policy issue. It is one that assists to stimulate the ongoing UN-sponsored International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (Mitchell, 1988). In many places it would be potential to mitigate losses simply by putting what is known into effect. For instance, the value of warning and evacuation systems has been proven repeatedly; yet such systems are often underused. Likewise, hazard-mitigation schemes offer consistent paths toward reducing the long-term costs of disasters but they are often resisted in favour of instant post-disaster relief, insurance, and compensation programmes. Why do individuals and governments fail to make optimal use of available knowledge? There is no single answer to this question. A large number of factors are involved. Lack of agreement about definition and identification of problem; †¢ Lack of attentiveness of hazards; †¢ Misperception or misjudgement of risks; †¢ Lack of awareness of suitable responses; †¢ Lack of proficiency to make use of responses; †¢ Lack of money or resources to pay for responses; †¢ Lack of harmonization among institutions; †¢ Lack of attention to correlation between â€Å"disasters† and â€Å"development†; †¢ Failure to treat hazards as related problems whose components require simultaneous attention (i. e. reciprocity); †¢ Lack of access by affected populations to decision-making; †¢ Lack of public confidence in scientific knowledge; †¢ Conflicting goals among populations at risk; †¢ Fluctuating salience of hazards (competing priorities); †¢ Public opposition by negatively affected individuals and groups. Underlying all of these explicit reasons is a larger problem. It is this: society fails to take care of natural hazards as complex systems with several components that often require simultaneous attention. We tinker with one or another aspect of these systems when what are required are system-wide strategies. Perhaps even more significant, we fail to address the direct connection between natural hazard systems and economic investment decisions that drive the procedure of â€Å"development† and affect the potential for disasters. That such links subsist has been known for a very long time: If a man owes a debt, and the storm engulfs his field and carries away the produce, or if the grain has not grown in the field, in that year he shall not make any revisit to the creditor, he shall alter his contract and he shall not pay interest for that year. But mainly of the decisions that are taken to build new facilities or redevelop old ones, or to take on new production and distribution processes, or to develop new land, or to effectuate a myriad of other development goals are not currently very receptive to considerations of natural hazards. They must become so. And that is a task that will require a great deal of effort by natural hazard scientists to go beyond the laboratory and the research office or the field study site to obtain an understanding of how best to apply their expertise in public settings. It will also need the users of scientific information about hazards (architects, engineers, planners, banks and mortgage companies, international development agencies, and investment financiers) to foster a mutually interactive correlation with the scientists who are producers of that information. â€Å"Development† is only one of the main public issues that overlap with natural hazards reduction. Others include: environmental management; public health; security (personal, social, and national); and urbanization. All of them are major hitch sets in their own right, each patterned by philosophical and managerial disputes and unsettled issues. Efforts to work out commonly supportive policies and programmes raise entirely new sets of appropriate issues for hazards experts. References: †¢ Dombrowsky, Wolf R. 1995. â€Å"Again and Again: Is a Disaster What We Call ‘Disaster’? Some Conceptual Notes on Conceptualizing the Object of Disaster Sociology. † International Journal of mass Emergencies and Disasters (Nov. ), Vol. 13, No. 3, 241-254. †¢ Crozier, M. and Friedberg, E. (1979) Macht und Organisation, Berlin: Athenaum. (in German). †¢ IDNDR (International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction). 1996. Cities at risk: Making cities safer †¦ before disaster strikes. Supplement to No. 28, Stop Disasters. Geneva: IDNDR. †¢ Maskrey, Andrew. 1989. Disaster mitigation: A community based approach. Development Guidelines No. 3. Oxford: Oxfam. †¢ Mitchell, James K. 1988. â€Å"Confronting natural disasters: An international decade for natural hazard reduction. † Environment 30(2): 25–29. †¢ Mitchell, James K. 1989. â€Å"Hazards research. † In Gary Gaile and Cort Willmott (eds. ), Geography in America. Columbus, OH: Merrill Publishing Company, pp. 410– 424. †¢ Mitchell, James K. 1993b. â€Å"Recent developments in hazards research: A geographers perspective. In E. L. Quarantelli and K. Popov (eds.), Proceedings of the United States–Former Soviet Union Seminar on Social Science Research on Mitigation for and Recovery from Disasters and Large Scale Hazards. Moscow, April 19– 26, 1993. Vol. I: The American participation. Newark: University of Delaware, Disaster Research Center, pp. 43–62. †¢ Mitchell, James K. and Neil Ericksen. 1992. â€Å"Effects of climate changes on weather-related disasters. † In Irving Mintzer (ed. ), Confronting climate change: Risks, implications and responses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 141–152. †¢ Mitchell, James K. , Neal Devine, and Kathleen Jagger.1989. â€Å"A contextual model of natural hazard. † Geographical Review 89(4): 391–409. †¢ Myers, Mary Fran and Gilbert F. White. 1993. â€Å"The challenge of the Mississippi flood. † Environment 35(10): 6–9, 25–35. †¢ Parker, D. J. and J. W. Handmer, eds. 1992. Hazard management and emergency planning: Perspectives on Britain. London: James James. †¢ Showalter, Pamela S. and Mary F. Myers. 1994. â€Å"Natural disasters in the United States as release agents of oil, chemicals or radiological materials between 1980–1989: Analysis and recommendations. † Risk Analysis 14(2): 169–182. †¢ Setchell, C. A. 1995. â€Å"The growing environmental crisis in the worlds megacities: The case of Bangkok. † Third World Planning Review 17(1): 1–18. †¢ Wynne, Brian. 1992. â€Å"Uncertainty and environmental learning: Reconceiving science and policy in the preventive paradigm. † Global Environmental Change 2(2): 111– 127. †¢ Yath, A. Y. 1995. â€Å"On the expulsion of rural inmigrants from Greater Khartoum – The example of the Dinka in Suq el Markazi. † GeoJournal 36(1): 93–101. †¢ Zelinsky, W. and L. Kosinski, L. 1991. Emergency evacuation of cities. London: Unwin Hyman.

Empowering Users of Health Social Care Services

Empowering Users of Health Social Care Services Table of Contents Introduction Case Study 1 Case Study 2 Question 1 Analyzing the presenting factors affecting decisions to self-medicate The risks most likely to occur Measures to minimize the risk Advantages and Disadvantages of Jean’s self-medication Should Jean be encouraged to self-medicate at this time Case Study 3 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Conclusion Bibliography Introduction With the passage of laws and legislations, organizations in the health and social care sector have adapted their policies and systems to ensure the service users’ rights. Increasing importance is being given to promoting and maximizing the empowerment of service users in residential cares. Factors affecting loss of independence, non-participation and social exclusion of service users are being addressed with greater importance. Organizations are adapting according to the needs of the users. Case Study 1 Care plan: Goals of need Desired Outcomes Ways of achieving it Who is responsible Time Scale Employment Improved self-respect Partnership with day center Care Manager 2 months Entertainment Decreased level of stress and boredom Engaging in creative activities Care Manager 2 months Social Interaction and Emotional Needs Increased level of belongingness and connecting to other residents Engaging in group activities Care Manager 4 months During the last 20 years or so there have been many changes in the health and social caresystems. The catalyst for changes has been the legislations and laws to ensure and maximize the rights of service users. With the passage of such legislations organizations had to change their policies and practices. And thus the organizations had to follow a standard of service to sustain. These legislations have given increasing amount of rights and empowerment to the users. The NHS and community act of 1990 introduced a system of care which encouraged users to exercise their rights and make informed decisions about their health care. (Thomas, Mason, Ford) The acceptance of these laws made service providers design their services centering on the needs of the individual. And therefore, has brought significant changes in company policies and practices. Another legislation promoting the rights of users is human rights act of 1998. (Thomas, Mason, Ford) It has given the recourse to individuals wi thin UK courts if they feel their rights have been infringed. It includes 16 rights including right to life, right to freedom, security and right to a fair trial. While making policies organizations have to be aware this act, and realize every person has the same right. The organization will need to make sure one person’s rights are not infringed while maintaining another person’s rights. Participation and independence of users is vital to achieve the best possible outcome. Organizations promote service users’ participation by implementing an effective care planning system. A care plan is a written documentation of an individual’s fundamental needs and desired outcomes. It also includes how the desired outcomes will be attained. In managing the process, it is central to carefully consider the individual in the process. To promote participation of residents, the organization needs to reflect that it is planning a service around the agreed upon needs and desired outcomes of the user rather than fitting a person into the service it offers. The design and content of the care plan might vary. But it is important to correctly identify the desired outcomes. All aspects of daily living should be considered while preparing a care plan, and the process should start by gathering information from important sources. It is important to involve the user in the process. Involvement of the residents in the 6 stages of care planning is essential in order to provide better service. (Thomas, Mason, Ford) Need Assessment: Involving the user by agreeing dates and times, explaining how it works and ensuring the staff will involve the user from the early stage of the care planning process. Developing the care plan: The opinions, expectations and worries of the residents should be considered while developing the care plan. The staff will need to make sure the resident has clearly understood the process. Intervention and support: Once the goals have been agreed upon, the staff will need to start on implementation of the plan. Ongoing negotiations with the user must be considered in achieving the best end result. Monitoring and review: Encouraging the users to provide feedback is essential. It is also important to note the progress made and take into account any weaknesses. Statutory review of the package: The residents view is important; it also involves the view of outside agencies. Agreement on goal setting: The residents should be full involved in future goal setting process. The user should be encouraged to share what he has achieved. The organization needs to reflect on these stages and clear understanding of the issues should be ensured. The process should have options to monitor progress and make changes accordingly. There should be the option of trying something different if the initial plan doesn’t work. This way the individual will be more involved. Case Study 2 Question 1 Analyzing the presenting factors affecting decisions to self-medicate Fast Relief from ailments: Self-medication gives the individual quick relief from ailments. Identifying the ailment as trivial: When patients consider the ailment or sickness to be trivial that can be cured easily, they don’t go to the doctor. Rather they self-medicate themselves. Perceived Medication Knowledge: If the individual perceives his/her medication knowledge to be sufficient, he/she decides to self-medicate. Saving time and money: Going to the doctor means spending valuable time and money, self-medicating saves the hassle of going to the doctor and spending money. More control in care: when an individual self-medicates, he/she is in full control of her treatment. This gives the person an independence of care. Education Level: The education level and understanding of the risks might also affect the decision to self-medicate. Easy availability of drugs without prescriptions: The ease of access to drugs without prescriptions is also a factor affecting the decision to self-medicate. The risks most likely to occur Incorrect diagnosis: The individual might incorrectly diagnose his/her illness, and incorrect medication can worsen the medical condition even more. Delaying Medical help: Self-medication can provide temporary relief. However it can further worsen the situation if the individual delays to obtain medical help by temporarily relieving illness. Adverse reactions: Medications might have severe re-actions that are not so frequent. And the same medication might have different reaction on different people. What works on most people might have a severe reaction on an individual. Self -medication can be dangerous in this respect. Drug Interactions: If an individual on a prescribed meditation routine takes additional medications without consulting his/her doctor; the combined effect of the drugs can have severe impacts. Wrong dosage: A drug that might be very effective and crucial in the relief of a particular ailment can have the opposite effect if taken in a wrong dosage. Measures to minimize the risk Since the practice of self-medication is unavoidable; authorities need to take measures to minimize the risks associated with it. Health Education campaigns: Making people educated about the risks of self-medication can decrease the risks to a certain extent. Running health campaigns will develop the user’s skill in diagnosing oneself with trifling sicknesses, without asking a doctor. It will also help the patient to know the right drug, right dosage, right way of taking it and potential side-effects of a drug. Implementation of legislations: Authorities should ensure that laws and legislations on providing drugs from pharmacies are strictly followed. Drugs that can cause life threatening situations should never be provided without prescriptions. Clearly communication the crucial information: The drugs that are commonly takenforailments considered as self-recognizable; should contain the information on their packaging about how to take the drugs,how they react when taken with other drugs, the side-effects as and how tomonitor them, how long the drug can be taken, the dosage above which the drug can become dangerous etc. Advantages and Disadvantages of Jean’s self-medication Self-medication can be favorable for patients, healthcare specialists, and the pharmaceutical industry if the drugs are used in the proper way. However, it can create life threatening situations as well. Advantages: Self-medication givesJean greater independence and empowerment in making decisions about treatment of minor sicknesses. It helps Jean to prevent ailments that do not require a doctor. It helps her save precious time and money. Disadvantages: She has the risk of misdiagnosing a disease. She might take drugs in the wrong doses. The drugs can have side effects that might not be frequent and apparent at the beginning, but they might gradually develop life-threatening illnesses without showing any symptoms. The drugs might have adverse reaction while taken with other drugs. If she takes self-medications and temporarily treats ailments avoiding professional help when it is necessary, the ailment might become more severe. This might ultimately cause her to spend more money. Should Jean be encouraged to self-medicate at this time No, Jean shouldn’t be encouraged to self-medicate at this time. She has just been discharged from the hospital and she might not be fully recovered. The drugs that she took during her stay at the hospital might still have effects on her body and self-medication may have adverse reactions with those drugs. Also, before her admission at the hospital she had faced difficulty sleeping and had been forgetful. These could be signs of side-effects caused by self-medications which weren’t apparent at the beginning. But due to prolonged duration of self-medicating these problems have manifested over the years without showing prior symptoms. Continuing her self-medication at this time would be very risky because of these reasons. Case Study 3 Question 2 When a person reaches adulthood his/ her nutritional needs reduce. Generally, adults need to eat a healthy diet containing carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, rice or pasta, protein such as meat, eggs, cheese or à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ sh, and fruit and vegetables. The intake of fatty and sugary foods should be little.To support Mr. H in meeting his dietary needs, it is essential to recognize if he has any deficits as well. With the help of a nutritionist, his dietary needs should be properly identified. A chart should be made listing the daily nutrients necessary for Mr. H and the foods that can meet these needs. However, the care doesn’t end there. Good Nutritional care doesn’t only include providing safe and nutritious food according to the specific needs of the individual. It goes beyond that. Mr. H should be provided what he wants, when he wants, and where he wants it. And in doing so, maintain the safety of the Mr. H and others around him should be ensured. Moreover, it is fundamental in providing quality service to ensure that Mr. H’s choices are respected and heard, and his independence is promoted. Since Mr. H has mood swings, however; it might not be possible to listen to his every whim. But it should be made sure that he doesn’t feel frustrated. As he is forgetful, it is necessary to make sure he takes his food in time. And keeping a track of his food intake will also be useful. It is also necessary to make his meal times enjoyable. It might have greater and significant impact in his mental health. Dining with other members might also improve his learning abilities and social skills. Providing quality service entails giving the service user independence and empowerment. Because of this, it is important to support Mr. H to cook his meal. It will make him feel empowered and give control. Also, not giving him the chance to cook might make him frustrated which might cause him to do something harmful to others and himself. Since he is semi-independent, it is necessary to appoint a supervisor to make sure he doesn’t harm himself or others. The materials used to cook or cut the ingredients should be safeguarded. He should be under constant supervision the whole time. Question 3 Risk taking can be petrifying, for the individual concerned as well as the family members. According to the National Minimum Standard relating to risk states that service users should be supported to take risks as they are free to lead an independent lifestyle. By following a system and identifying how risks can be analyzed and lessened, calculated risks can be taken. There can be various benefits of risk management for the service users including learning new skills, amplified independence, self-esteem and participation. (Thomas, Mason, Ford)The risk management systems and policies should include recording recommendations and actions. A good risk assessment tool should be used, one that is not too lengthy but user friendly. Finally, review is also a crucial point in risk management. Putting all the policies at work, more responsible risks can be taken. Question 4 The management of medication is perhaps one of the most precarious tasks of a care worker. Regulation13 of theHealthandSocialCareAct2008talks about the management of medication in a residential care. It mentions that the registered individual is supposed to protect users against the associated risks resulting from unsafe use of medications, by different means of necessary arrangements for obtaining, recording, using, safe keeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines used for the purpose of the regulated activity. (The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010) People who follow this regulation will managemedicinescarefullyandappropriately,make surethatmedicinesareprescribedandgivenbypeoplesafely,maintain the guidanceonusing medication in a safe way. The management of medication follows a standard procedure including receipt, recording, storage, handling, administration and disposal. (Thomas, Mason, Ford). Receipt involves identifying what is required for each service user and attaining those medications. A clear ordering system should be maintained in order to ensuring effectiveness of the process. Clear records should be kept about medications of individuals, taking into account the confidentiality issues. Medications are personal information and should be kept confidential. The record should be in accordance with data protection act and National Minimum Standards. Planning storage of medication is very important. All medications should be under lock and key. Medicines should be taken out of the locked cabinet only when required and should be put back in it immediately after using. Question 5 Effective communication is the basis for involving service users in the decision-making process. For data to be valuable, it requires to be in a format that is understandable, reachable to people who need it. The communication procedures of an organization must consider the needs of service users and staff. a) Feedback:Creating an effective feedback mechanism can develop effective communication. By considering constant feedback from users, the organization can make sure the rights of the users are maintained. b) To promote and maximize the rights of service users the organization can create an effective information and communication strategy, suited accordingly to the needs of service users and staff. c) To make sure information is readily available, an integrated information technology system can be introduced which will enhance the quality of care and delivery of services. d) The organization should have clear communication principles including: transparency and honesty, use of apt language and variety in approaches of communication; compassion and understanding; effective listening. e) The organization should provide training for staff on how to communicate with users and care workers. f) It should develop efficient procedures for obtaining valid consent for examination, treatment and/or care; h) The organization canpublish a range of updated information about services, situations, and treatment, care and support options available. Question 6 Viewing people in residential cares as passive recipients of care, who are incapable to make choice and take control, contributes to loss of independence. Perceiving service users as powerless suggests that they cannot have both care and empowerment. Society’s negative view and attitude towards people who require social care services can also cause loss of independence. Lack of acceptance and dignity can also cause social exclusion and non-participation. When a service user feels he/she is not being listened to or being cared with dignity, the individual tends to participate less. When the individual thinks he/she has a choice and control over his/her health care decisions, the person is naturally encouraged to participate more. Above all, the general mindset of people who are around about people in residential care can significantly impact participation and independence of service users. Viewing them as incapable, powerless, and showing gestures that suggests they are differe nt can cause non-participation and social exclusion. Conclusion Empowering individuals in health and social care is vital to their treatment and wellbeing. However, organizations might face barriers and difficulties in doing so. The organization can achieve the best possible outcomes through careful planning, policy making, risk assessment, management of medication, providing what the service users wants and involving them in the decision making process. Bibliography The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2010/9780111491942 Thomas, A., Mason, L., Ford, S. Care Management in Practice for the Registered Manager Award NVQ 4. Empowering Users of Health Social Care Services Empowering Users of Health Social Care Services Table of Contents Introduction Case Study 1 Desired Outcomes and Care Plan for Bob Small Case Study 2: Question 1 Factors Affecting Decisions to Self Medicate Possible Risks of Self Medication Measures to Minimize Risks Advantage and Disadvantage of Self Medication Should Jean be Encouraged to Self Medicate? Case Study 3: Question 2 Meeting Mr H’s Dietary Needs Managing the Tension to Help Mr H Cook Safely Question 3 Effectiveness of Organizational Risk Assessment Policies and Procedures Question 4 Current Legislation, Codes of Practice and Policies of Medical Administration Organization Medication Policy Question 5 Promoting Maximizing Rights of Service through Effective Communication Question 6 Factors Contributing to Loss of Independence, Non Participation Social Exclusion Conclusion Bibliography Introduction Empowerment in health and social care reflects the balancing of rights among the various stakeholders in this sector such as the users, the governments and the service providers. The rights of the user are mostly focused on with an aim of maximizing it, while government and the service providers set policies and procedures to do so. Case Study 1 Desired Outcomes and Care Plan for Bob Small Goals of Need Desired Outcome Ways of Achieving It Who is Responsible Time Scale Reduced Stress Reduce Boredom Reduce Frustration More Relaxed Enjoying Life Stop Self Harm Have calm work that he enjoys such as art with no hard deadlines. Find people of similar tastes and socialize Give recognition for his creative work and try to manufacture some success at what he does. Domestic Carer Self but Carer can help Friends and Relatives Permanently Permanently Periodically Case Study 2: Question 1 Factors Affecting Decisions to Self Medicate The main driving factor for individuals to self medicate in most of the world today is mostly due to budgetary constraints leading to the inability of these people to seek proper medical care. In the case however this is not the situation. However Jean Barlow, may self medicate here due to due to wholly different reasons. The reasons would probably be due to mental reasons rather than financial. As stated in the case she did develop anxiety after getting discharged from the hospital. Since the reason for getting admitted to the hospital were not really conventional physical problems that make people go to the hospital in the first place such anxiety and dip in confidence is very much expected. This is because being forgetful and lack of sleep is usually considered human traits and general minor life problems rather than something that requires medical attention. This social status about these disorders may have caused her to be embarrassed about seeking medical attention in the first place. Therefore in situations such as these one may easily be subject to self doubt and therefore lose self confidence. This factors will in turn cause her to self medicate instead of seeking further medical attention. Possible Risks of Self Medication The risk likely occur from self medication are widely spread. The most common form is addiction. This is because people who self medicate generally tend to do so by unconventional and sometimes illegal drugs such as cannabis and alcohol. Due to its availability alcohol is most commonly used by most self medicating patients especially when trying to alleviate anxiety. Not only alcohol is an abusive substance, what it does is worsen anxiety and cause depression among alcoholics in the long term. Although in the short term they tend to alleviate these symptoms. Such benefits encourages the person the consume alcohol over and over again causing addiction and worsening their base situation in general. Addiction in turn makes the person suffer from more symptoms and worsens the current situation. If such problems keep on persisting the person may eventually become a suicide risk. These above risks do very well apply to the case in question here. Other ways of self medication include over t he counter medicines and sometimes, if the law is not stringent where she lives, antibiotics and anti depressants. These medications also if not taken in correct doses does possess the risk of addiction along with dangerous side effects. Moreover the risk of misdiagnosis and over dosage are very common amongst self medicating individuals. Measures to Minimize Risks The best way to reduce this risk would to educate Jean Barlow about the risk and benefits of it. Although somebody suffering from low self confidence and high levels of anxiety is very much likely to make judgmental errors but proper knowledge of what she is dealing with will obviously help her regardless of her impaired judgmental abilities. There would be less risk of misdiagnosis. However excessive dosages and the risk of long term usage would tend to persist. To avoid such a situation continuous monitoring would be required. This risk can be reduced if individuals close to Jean Barlow are educated on these grounds or have access to primary care. The hospital could also reduce this risk by scheduling successive checkups in regular intervals so that she could be monitored. Advantage and Disadvantage of Self Medication The chief advantage that Jean would benefit from self medication would be the save in costs. Moreover it would save her time which she can dedicate to her other work. If more people like Jean could successfully self medicate them it would greatly reduce the pressure on the healthcare system in the society which would be able to focus its effort elsewhere to more major healthcare problems. Day to day healthcare problems such as acnes and common flu have routine and standard medications which can easily be self medicated although the risk of misdiagnosis does persist. However in Jean’s case, it is not so. Her problem is mainly due to self confidence along with forgetfulness and difficulty in sleeping. If she can successfully medicate her own problems, it is very well. The chief disadvantage in doing so however is the so many risks that have been discussed previously in detail. If gone wrong it could worsen the situation and even create new problems for Jean. Moreover the solutio n to the current problem without expert monitoring may cause problems such as addiction to sleeping pill for example which would be much harder to solve. Should Jean be Encouraged to Self Medicate? In my opinion Jean should not be encouraged to self medicate at this time cause she is suffering from low self confidence. Her initials problems may have been very standard and be self diagnosed but her low self confidence would impair her judgment and can cause her to take wrong decisions therefore increasing the chances of the risks. She should rather seek medical attention whenever she suffers her symptoms. However going to the doctor every time something minor happens may cause a further dent in her confidence leading to fear and frustration among everything she does. She may be encouraged under certain situations to self medicate. If self medication is done successfully it would help her increase in self confidence leading to an overall development in life for Jean. This can become a bit of a gamble but would bring positive for Jane if successful. Case Study 3: Question 2 Meeting Mr H’s Dietary Needs To support Mr. H’s dietary needs we need to make sure, there are enough omega-3 fats in his diet. This means there should be lots of fish in his diet. This not only deals with the attention span problem but also with his problem of mood swings by keeping it at a minimum level. A low-GL diet should also be maintained. This means that there should be very low glucose in the diet as well as a minimum of any types of stimulants such as tea, coffee and alcohol. Magnesium and potassium also has displayed abilities to calm the brain and reduce mood swings as well as increase concentration. So to support Mr. H’s dietary needs, we have to give him lots of fish, sources of magnesium and potassium such as pumpkin seeds and bananas while at the same time try to avoid stimulants such as alcohol and caffeine. Managing the Tension to Help Mr H Cook Safely Mr. H is not independent. His mood swings and short attention span can cause a variety of accidents while cooking such a meal. Therefore to enable Mr. H to cook safely without any disruptions I first need to make sure that he is continuously monitored throughout the process. He should not be left alone or ignored at any point in time during the whole event. I also need to study and remember his entire recipe for cooking such a meal. Care has to be taken that the room temperature is comfortable and not too hot as an uncomfortable temperature may unsettle him. Moreover I need to make sure that there is a fire extinguisher somewhere very nearby preferably in the room in case of any kind of cooking emergency. I would also need to keep him engaged in the cooking process and help him if he tends to forget any steps in a manner which does not offend him or unsettle him in any other way. In case of emergency I would also need somebody nearby in case there is an apparent need for any relating reason to force him to retire his task. Continuous monitoring would probably stop any unprecedented event from taking place and therefore there would not be much tension if done right and Mr. H would be able to cook his favourite meal. Question 3 Effectiveness of Organizational Risk Assessment Policies and Procedures The organizational risk assessment policies is essential to finding out all the risk the organization possesses. These include risks to the staff, users and anyone else that is involved with the organization. The organization tries to promote a dynamic method in identification of risk management by working closely with users and other agencies in order to find the triggers of these risk and find risk histories. The objective is to preempt these ricks before they occur. This assessment procedure considers every stakeholder of the organization in question and tries to avoid all manners of risks. After risks are identified the organization decides on the management technique of these risks in order to avoid them from happening in the near future. They also tend to try to consider if any of their risk management plans give rise to any further risks or harassment for the users. When all of this is done, the organization trains its entire staff, usually annually on the various risk managem ent procedures within the organization. They also take steps within the infrastructural work of the organization in order to avoid any risk. For example, setting up a grill in the room of a user who maybe prone to jumping out of the window. These benefit the organization in many ways. The users mostly get their rights as they are free from any sort of harm. Moreover the organization is saved from a lot of accidents which might have affected both financially and operationally. Being saved from these costs are therefore highly beneficial to the organization. Question 4 Current Legislation, Codes of Practice and Policies of Medical Administration Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) is responsible for covering the administration and management in care homes of medicines. The act is passed by an act of parliament and it states that: â€Å"The registered person must protect service users against the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines, by means of the making of appropriate arrangements for the obtaining, recording, handling, using, safe keeping, dispensing, safe administration and disposal of medicines used for the purposes of the regulated activity.† While in accordance to the above â€Å"the registered person must have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State or an appropriate expert body in relation to the safe handling and use of medicines† The objective of the regulation is that the users of the service: will get their medicines at the correct times and in a manner which is safe will have information about the medicines which have been prescribed to them and are available to them or the people acting on their behalf The Care Quality Commission is responsible for monitoring compliance with the regulations for all registered services. The Misuse of Drugs Acts Regulations also under various circumstances regulates controlled drugs handling. Other code of practices and procedures relating to this matter is provided by the Nurse and Midwifery Council and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Britain. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in its Guidance called The Handling of Medicine in Social Care, calls upon 8 principles that should be in place for safely administering drugs in residential homes. Organization Medication Policy The organizations medicine administration policy is basically in line with the 8 principles of Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The first principle gives the user the choice and independence to choose the pharmaceutical provider for his/her medicines including dispensed medicines. These give individuals a lot of independence and makes sure everything is done with their consent and not against their will. However under certain circumstances this principle can be bent, when there is no choice. For example, the person is having extreme breathing difficulty and not in a position to communicate but needs emergency medication. By complying to the second principle, the organization’s staff keeps a detailed record what medicines are currently available within the organizations stores and all the records of each user’s medicine intake and therefore be able to refill stocks whenever required to make sure that there is never a shortage at key moments. The third principle also applies to the organization as the care workers when joining take part in a short training period where they learn to administer each type of medicine for people who are unable to do it by themselves. They learn how to feed tablets, capsules, eye drops, nasal drops etc. Compliance with the fourth principle ensures that the organization gives users exactly the medication prescribed for them and at the right time in the right way. The 5th principle states that unnecessary or unwanted medication is disposed of safely and the correct medicines are available whenever required. The organization stores all the medicines safely and out of reach of people who are not supposed to take the medicine. There is also a pharmacist who regularly advices the residential home on medication related issues. Lastly medications are only used to prevent diseases or relieve symptoms, not to punish people or encourage certain behaviors. Question 5 Promoting Maximizing Rights of Service through Effective Communication Effective communication is when the sender of a communication message sends a message that is completely understood by the receiver exactly as intended by the sender. When there is effective communication efficiency tends to rise regardless of the task at hand. This is no different for the health and social care service. The whole service depends on the user getting his rights maximized. When there is effective communication the user would know exactly what his rights are, what he will be getting out of the service and what he will be not. This will help him manage his expectations from the service and plan accordingly. Moreover the service provider’s work would also increase in efficiency if there is highly effective communications. The service would be able to provide for the user to his requirements, therefore maximizing his rights. If there is effective communication the service will unlikely to be unable to provide for the user anything that his rights cover. This is two- way communication is therefore extremely vital in health and social care aspects. Effective communication will always help the user to maximize his rights in this way. Question 6 Factors Contributing to Loss of Independence, Non Participation Social Exclusion Stigma is one of the most important factors that cause these problems for service users. Social stigma is especially for people with mental health problems affect people of all ages, at all levels of job and education levels. Society tends to have a negative impression about this problem unlike cancer or any other physical diseases. Therefore how other people judge them becomes a great barrier to the users. Not Just Sticks Stones’(Jim Read Sue Baker November 1996), a survey of the people with mental health problems in the matters of discrimination, taboo and stigma found out that: For the fear of unfair treatment, a large majority was put off for applying for jobs. Being treated unfairly by general health care services was something half the respondent felt. Harassment and abuse in public and sometimes even physical abuse was face by many Most people believed that discrimination has increased in the last 5 years but some thought it decreased as well. Due to these various problems the fear of stigma and discrimination sometimes makes the users stop talking about their mental distress with others therefore there is a communication gap and they fail to avail their full rights of the service. These factors therefore directly contribute to their social exclusion and non participation in service. Most people tend to stay at home and take small local jobs depending on their level of independence in fear of abuse from the uneducated society. The social stigma and the media terming most of them as ‘lunatics’ and ‘psychos,’ create a very bad impression in a lot of people’s minds therefore making lots of luxuries of life unable to these people causing a huge loss of independence for them. Conclusion Finally we can say that the various laws and legislations that the UK Government has put into place in order to maximize the rights of users are very well enforced and maintained. The way service in current times is designed is based on the objective of maximizing the rights of the users. Participation is on the rise leading to greater independence for users. Excellent management of risks and commendable practices of drug administration has led to much fewer service accidents and has ensured the rights of the users. Bibliography CM Hughes, J. M. (2001). Benefits and Risks of Self Medication. Drug Safety , 1027-37. Cowley, D. S. (1992). Alcohol abuse, substance abuse, and panic disorder. The American Journal of Medicine , 41S-48S. Galliot, B. (November 2007). The Physiology of Willpower: Linking Blood Glucose to Self-Control. Personality and Social Psychology Review, Vol 11 , 303-27. Kasten, B. P. (1999). Self-Medication With Alcohol and Drugs by Persons With Severe Mental Illness. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association , 80-87. Khantzian, E. (2003). The self-medication hypothesis of drug use disorders: A reconsideration and recent applications. Harvard Review of Psychiatry , 231-244. Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Handling of Medicine in Social Care. Sinn, N. (October 2008). Nutritional and dietary influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nutrition Reviews, Vol. 66 , 558-68. The Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability. (December 2006). Promoting the Social Inclusion of People With a Mental Health Problem and Learning Disability. World Health Organization. (2000). The Benefits and Risk of Self Medication. WHO Drug Information Vol. 14, No. 1 , 2-3.