Inside the mind of a savant Essay

Treffert and Christensen’s article (2005), touches on the important and curious issue: the differences among humans. It is not to hide that jealous and curious species desire to possess what others possess and desire to know how it is possible. The description of savant individual, Kim Peek, leaves the readers wonder about the possibilities that have a mere possibility and right to existence. These authors begin their article with a concrete description of what does it mean to be savant. Their description is well poised and not an eggeduration. They, straightforwardly, describe the concrete features that Kim had without forgetting to mention that Kim also has serious physical disabilities. Kim’s listed abilities are though impressive. I do not know a person who would think twice to have what Kim had – but knot with the price that Kim had to pay. Enduring difficult attitude from others or enduring physical differences are quite different things. Kim endured physical differences that simply made him more different. Now, when he is a grown man (and way into his 50th), researchers took a serious interest in him due to the uniqueness of his case. The authors mentioned in the article that, even in childhood, Kim was missing Corpus Colossum, the connecting neural network that connects left and right human hemispheres. The writers write, â€Å"Yet in people whose corpus callosum has been severed in adulthood, generally in an effort to prevent epileptic seizures from spreading from one hemisphere to the other, a characteristic â€Å"split-brain† syndrome arises in which the estranged hemispheres begin to work almost independently of each other. † This statement, by itself, points out at the materialistic approach that without the synaptic connections between the right and left hemisphere the connection between right and left hemisphere is impossible. There were some ‘guesses’ among the appropriate researchers but no one wanted to mention a possibility that that here is a hidden purpose behind such appearances. The authors conjecture lies within a science fiction, however plausible. They wrote that the person born without corpus collossum learn to connect right and left hemisphere with the non-traditional ways. Their hypothesis consists of an idea that two separated hemispheres learn to act as one, in unison. One major point that the authors noticed was that the ‘abnormalities’ stem form the damage in the left hemisphere only. Furthermore, the suggested that males, per ce, display more frequent number of cases of savanism, stuttering, dyslexia, and autism. Their response to this theory was straightforward: one possible explanation lies within the fetus development in which they suggest that the make fetus has higher levels chemically dependent and left-brained situation. In to this hypothesis the understanding that the left hemisphere develops with a slower rate than that of right has a big part of their study. To evidence the above, the authors use the examples of so called â€Å"acquired savant syndrome† which is resulted in older children after the accidental damage to the left hemisphere. Further, the article speculates upon the implication of the significance behind the corpus collossum. One possibility includes a rationale, which suggests that, the possibility of the right brain compensation if the left-brain cannot function properly. Another possibility makes the readers think that inability to function within one hemisphere unravels the latent ability in another. The latter theory suggests that the left-brain dominance is due to the fact that we live in the techno logical society that prizes the left-brain achievements. Thus, the function of the left-brain, which is prone to science, math, and logic, leads us to what we call Human Rational, the human species that uses conscious analogies in their day-to-day operations (Read, 1997). The dysfunction of the left hemisphere all of the sudden opens new possibilities hidden and latent within the right hemisphere that holds the key to what we call today Human Conscious. It is of interest to the readers that traditional intelligence tests did not really work with the above subject: some parts showed below average while other superior range performance. In another excursion into the case, the authors noted Kim’s unusual versatility with a tremendously large lexicon of vocabulary in his possession. With Kim’s inability to explain the meaning behind the proverbs he finds amazing associations and is being quite effective in long-term memory recall. Such has been evidenced by his unusual abilities dealt with music, as per complex line up of tones and musical styles as well as the names and works of various artists. Here, and despite his dexterous prior complications, he can seat at piano and play a piece he had discussed â€Å"shifting effortlessly from one mode to another. † Even Greehan, the Mozart scholar commented positively about Kim’s abilities. In summary, the authors, refer to the fictional Rain Man produced after Kim’s life story, although the the writer Barry Morrow decided not to outline Kim’s life story. Similarities are striking, however, and cause one is thinking about not-discovered human abilities. References Darold A. Treffert and Daniel D. Christensen (2005). Onside the mind of a savant. Scientific American. Retrieved July 22, 2007 from http://www. condition. org/sa5c. htm Read, S. G. (Ed. ). (1997). Psychiatry in Learning Disability. Edinburgh: W. B. Saunders. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=100737215.

Brick and Mortar Business to an E-Business Essay

Company Background Sam Walton, who was convinced that the American consumers wanted something more than retail shops, opened his own discount and retail shop in Rogers, Arkansas. Walton realized he could do better by passing on the savings to his customers and earning his profits through volume. This insight would form a cornerstone of Walton’s business strategy when he launched Wal-Mart in 1962. Cost-cutting was an obsession in the Wal-Mart culture, and Walton understood that a major requirement for keeping costs down was controlling the payroll. In 2012, Wal-Mart celebrated 50 years of helping people save money so they can live better. The company employs 2. 2 million associates worldwide and serves 200 million customers each week at more than 10,000 stores in 27 countries. Among the many business enterprises and organizations that changed the world, Wal-Mart holds a very important position. As compared to other genuine companies that changed a lot in the world of entrepreneurs, Wal-Mart has a short, yet highly-acclaimed story of success that is backed by brute force of efforts put in by many members and employees. Wal-Mart adopt E-business What business processes were changed? Possibly the single greatest success story of e-business and B2B implementation is that of the rise to dominance by Wal-Mart in the North American retail market. Wal-Mart has impressive growth in such a short time span and the single most important factor in this rise was their harnessing of the power of e-business. Wal-Mart built an inventory and supply chain management system that changed the face of business making it very competitive as an e-business. Like many companies, Wal-Mart started down the road to total integration by first linking its internal systems. Then the focus shifted toward an emphasis on integrating Wal-Mart’s systems with those of its suppliers. More recently, Wal-Mart has initiated efforts to bring processes and systems from the customer side of its business into the loop. What’s left is a customer-to-supplier architecture that allows Wal-Mart to follow its customer’s shopping habits so closely as to know their likes and dislikes and to parlay that information into pinpoint promotions. (Robinson ;amp; Kalakota, 2004) Wal-Mart has revolutionized supply chain management by using a pull model where customer demands drive the suppliers. Inventory control is finely honed and purchasing trends are available to suppliers, whom now must be able to quickly respond to the needs of millions of customers. The business decision to decentralize the procurement process means that front-line staff in every store can immediately order the appropriate stock electronically, which will in turn require rapid turnout of product from the suppliers. This rapid replenishment system, coupled with accurate purchasing forecasting, helps Wal-Mart reduce overall costs. While not always good for suppliers in general, Wal-Mart’s power as a giant in business has helped in establishing new standards for B2B e-commerce. Wal-Mart’s mindset of cutting costs at all costs resulted in them deploying EDI over the Internet to eliminate the costly VAN altogether. EDI over the Internet (EDI-INT) uses a new standard called AS2, a communication protocol that attempts to make EDI communications over the Internet both secure and reliable. By mandating their suppliers to use AS2, Wal-Mart leads the way in creating a demand for a new generation of EDI, and in turn drives the whole world of e-business forward. Early on, Wal-Mart saw the value of sharing that data with suppliers, and it eventually moved that information online on its Retail Link Web site. Opening its sales and inventory databases to suppliers is what made Wal-Mart the powerhouse it is today. Would the company survive without the E-Business aspect? Why or why not? Wal-Mart has so many great strengths to leverage throughout the global market, and Wal-Mart will survive without E-business. Some of those strengths are that Wal-Mart best-positioned global retail, and it has a strong price leadership. There is no doubt that Wal-Mart is the best-positioned global retailer to address the needs of customers around the world. Wal-Mart’s growth through new stores remains a priority, with supercenters the primary driver because they continue to offer the greatest returns and allow customers a one-stop shopping experience through more than 3,800 stores and over 617 million square feet of selling space. Wal-Mart reinvigorated their fundamental price promise of provide low prices day-in and day-out on the broadest assortment. Their price message, backed by the strongest ad match policy in the industry, ensures that we are driving price separation with competitors. The certainty of great values throughout the store such as best-positioned global retail and a strong price leadership has been fundamental to Wal-Mart for 50 years, and this company will to survive. Would the company survive without the Brick-and-Mortar aspect? Why or why not? Wal-Mart e-commerce websites is not going to replace bricks-and Mortar stores, because the key to Wal-Mart’s emerging e-commerce strategy is integrating store and online marketing. This strategy is product of ideas such as pick up at store. â€Å"Wal-Mart launched on Tuesday its Site to Store program, in which Walmart. com customers can opt for free shipping–provided they are willing to pick up their order at a Wal-Mart store instead of having it sent to their home. The items ordered are shipped within 7 to 10 business days to a Wal-Mart store, and then an e-mail is sent to the buyer that alerts him or her to pick up the order. † (McCarthy , 2007) Retailers say that tying online and in-store inventory together lets them sell more products to more customers. Nordstrom recently combined its inventory so that if the online stockroom is out of a jacket, a store that has it can ship it to the Web customer. Encouraging customers to retrieve items they have ordered online in a store increases visits to the stores, which usually increases sales. What were the unique advantages of this IT solution? Any noticeable drawbacks? Wal-Mart is strengthening their Global e-Commerce business by investing in new talent and technology such as Wal-Mart new iPhone application that allows

Governments and corporations Essay

There was no question of ownership of oil, water and other resources freely available in the environment before governments and/or private companies claimed ownership of these resources with the pronouncement that they would process and distribute these resources fairly. Poverty is a result of unfair distribution of resources. Moreover, environmental degradation ensues when governments or corporations are too greedy for immediate profits to consider the environmental impact of their business decisions. Surely environmental degradation accompanies loss of life. On the other hand, sustainable development is defined as â€Å"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (â€Å"Adaptation to Climate Change in the Context of Sustainable Development†). The United Nations Economic and Social Council reports the following as an illustration of the ill effects of unsustainable development: †¦[The] rate of agricultural production growth at the global level has been about 2. 3 per cent between 1970 and 1990 and thus has exceeded population growth so that per capita supplies of food have increased. However, wide regional disparities remain: the situation improved greatly in East Asia but worsened in sub-Saharan Africa. There still remain large numbers of under-nourished people in developing countries†¦ The relentless exploitation of the natural resource base to achieve an increased level of agricultural production has resulted in increased natural resource scarcity and environmental degradation (â€Å"Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development†). The following case of the Aral Sea sheds greater light on the fact of natural resources being exploited when governments and/or corporations refuse to consider the trade-off that the concept of sustainable development is built upon. Situated southwest of Kazakhstan, northwest of Uzbekistan, and east of the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea is presently a salt lake. Until the 1970s, the Aral Sea was the world’s fourth largest lake, fed by the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers (â€Å"Aral Sea†). When the dictator Josef Stalin rose to power in 1941, and right up to his death in 1953, he desired to make the Soviet Union self-sufficient in cotton, which is used for both gunpowder and clothing. Hence, the successors of Stalin during the 1960s and 1970s allowed an unlimited amount of irrigation water to be tapped from both the Amu Darya in the south and the Syr Darya in the northeast – to quench the thirst of the cotton fields (â€Å"Dike Built To Revive Aral Sea; Soviet-Era Policies Turned World’s Third-Largest Lake into Saline Hazard†). According to environmentalists, cotton grown in a desert is sure to result in immense wastage of water. On the other hand, smaller quantities of water may be used to produce abundant food. Moreover, it has been claimed that the Uzbeks use a rather wasteful procedure to irrigate their cotton from the Amu Darya. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of its republics, the government of Uzbekistan has continued its old ruinous policy, as cotton happens to be the principle hard-currency earner for the landlocked republic in west central Asia. Hence, the world’s fourth largest lake that once supplied approximately fifty thousand tons of fish every year or one hundred pounds of fish per acre has lost a staggering ninety percent of its volume. And, this has happened in the past half century alone. Most of the fish in the Aral Sea have died because the water has turned too salty to be inhabitable (â€Å"Dike Built To Revive†). The Soviet policy of using unlimited water from the rivers that fed the Aral Sea has been referred to as a bad one because the successors of Stalin, and now Uzbekistan’s government, failed to take into consideration the science behind dried former sea beds. As though the death of fish is not a big deal, a dried former sea bed also spawns dust storms spreading salt, pesticides and fertilizers. This is exactly what happened in the case of the Aral Sea, as the area’s already fragile semi desert was ultimately damaged, turning its people into some of the unhealthiest on the planet. Here, anemia figures top ninety percent (â€Å"Dike Built To Revive†). Of course, the Aral Sea disaster is a typical illustration of governmental policies gone astray. Then there are corporations that refuse to consider that the natural environment is built on cause-and-effect relationships just like business management. In early September 2006, a toxic waste dumping scandal of truly globalized proportions came to light in the Ivory Coast. The Probo-Koala, a tanker chartered by the London-based shipping company, Tranfigura, set off from Amsterdam carrying four hundred metric tons of petrochemical waste to dump in Abidjan, the port city of the Ivory Coast (Vidal; â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker Impounded by Estonia†). Tranfigura informed the Amsterdam Port Services that the waste was absolutely â€Å"conventional† (Vidal). However, it was later discovered that the waste contained hydrogen sulfide, which happens to be a poisonous gas, smelling as rotten eggs (â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker†). At least ten people lost their lives in the weeks immediately following the incident in the Ivory Coast (Vidal). Moreover, seventy five thousand people sought medical treatment with complaints of nausea, nose bleeds, breathlessness, vomiting, diarrhea, skin damage, headaches, and swollen stomachs (Vidal; â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker†). Undoubtedly, if the corporation responsible for sending toxic waste to the Ivory Coast had been conscientious to begin with, lives would have been saved. Even so, maximization of profits is the goal of all producers. Depending on the moralities of their owners and managers, they may or may not believe in the need to behave ethically. Unfortunately, many for-profit businesses around the globe are known to engage in unethical practices, which is the reason why the government must step in to regulate markets and the practices of various business ventures when it is believed that doing so would be of benefit to society. Governments have the right to charge corporations for the damages they inflict upon people and their environment. Then again, as the example of Aral Sea shows, even governments may fail to understand that the environment, like business, is built on cause and effect relationships. As expected, governments that make bad policies or wrong choices may only profit in the short run. In the long run, everyone must pay for faulty policies. Those who are subjected to such governments have to pay through the disastrous effects of bad policies on an immediate level. Their fault seems to be that they did not protest soon enough the bad policies of their governments. Regardless of whether they are able to do so, the fact remains that unbridled profit seeking behavior at the expense of the environment costs lives. Works Cited â€Å"Adaptation to Climate Change in the Context of Sustainable Development. † United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Sustainable Development. 8 May 2009. . â€Å"Aral Sea. † The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. â€Å"Dike Built To Revive Aral Sea; Soviet-Era Policies Turned World’s Third-Largest Lake into Saline Hazard. † The Washington Times (1 Oct 2005), p. A08. â€Å"Ivory Coast Toxic Tanker Impounded by Estonia. † Environmental News Service. 28 Sep 2006. 8 May 2009. . â€Å"Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. † United Nations Economic and Social Council. 11-28 Apr 1995. 8 May 2009. .

Psychotherapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Psychotherapy - Essay Example Using this technique requires the therapist or counsellor to have unconditional positive regard, genuineness and empathic understanding. (Wikipedia "Psychotherapy" 3) Carl Rogers in the 1950's was the proponent of this system and he became very controversial because he used the term "counselling" to connote a softer and more positive and humanistic approach to psychotherapy. The technique used in PCT is non-directive, where the therapists use effective listening skills in facilitating the face-to-face communication. "Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy based on modifying everyday thoughts and behaviours, with the aim of positively influencing emotions." (Wikipedia: "Cognitive" 1) According to Wikipedia, CBT is based on the thoughts, the emotions and the behaviour, which are, how we think, how we feel and therefore how we act as a result of the interactions of how we think and feel. In other words, how we think influence how we feel and behave on a certain situation. The problem is created because of some irrational or unrealistic thinking that gives rise to a negative a feeling and leads to a problematic behaviour. An example of which, is a child who thinks his mother does not love him because he is "dumb" therefore keeps getting his mother's attention by being excessively naughty. CBT is applied to situations like this, sometimes ranging from ordinary problems to abnormal psychological conditions and are treated through series of face-to-face sessions with a trained psychoth erapist.Other Similar Approaches Person-Centred Therapy, considered "a founding work in the humanistic schools of psychotherapies" (Wikipedia "Client-Centred" 1), is a positive approach to psychotherapy that uses the concept "here and now" and self awareness. Carl Rogers patterned his works from the existentialism theories of Abraham Maslow and the hierarchy of human needs. Other approaches that were developed from this concept but branched out to more specific systems were the Feminist therapy, Somatic Psychology, Expressive therapy, Brief therapy, Systems therapy, all of which use the modern approach of valuing the client's will to heal himself. (Wikipedia "Psychotherapy" 3) The Cognitive Behavioural Therapy does not stand on its own. In other words, it is a general term for a classification of techniques, an "umbrella term for many different therapies that share common elements" (Wikipedia "Cognitive" 2). Albert Ellis in the 1950's was the first to develop the combination of cognitive and behavioural approaches, the Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT) and Aaron T. Beck developed the Cognitive Therapy. Richard Heimberg based his Cognitive Behavioural Group Therapy (CBGT) on CBT applying group therapy which made patients feel better when they knew that

Making Morality and Making Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Making Morality and Making Community - Essay Example Development and existence of Community in society is a bridge to human relationship and removing the notion of isolation from individuals within the community. It is only in community that the love of God and his grace can be extensively developed and experienced. There should be positive relationships to thrive in the community to enable individuals to be themselves being free to develop into what God wants us to be. Most societies promote individualism for the purpose of quick successes, but the reality is that humanity should work collaboratively to beat the fear of loneliness and isolation. There are various morals existing within the Christian community influencing its functionality in the environment. The moral system living within the Christian community has diverse influence within the community circle and the society as a whole. The Christian community morals would affect the environment by inculcating new thoughts and culture to existing lifestyles within the society. The M aking of morality and community In the making of morality within the Christian community, there is a domain of regular unlimited players in the community. The transformation of a Christian takes place through God’s love and the notion of constant faith by Christian individuals. Basic commandments guarding the members of the Christian community include loving God with all our heart, soul, and might. The idea would direct Christian community and the society around them to exercise love so that they keep the society conducive to life.

The endocrine regulation of metamorphosis in lepidoperons and anurans Essay

The endocrine regulation of metamorphosis in lepidoperons and anurans - Essay Example The order Lepidoptera is considered as being the "second largest order in the class Insecta and includes the butterflies, skippers, and moths. Members of the order are referred to as lepidopterans" (Wikipedia, 2007). This particular order has more than 180,000 species in 128 families and 47 superfamilies. Lepidopterans undergo a complete and full metamorphosis, as they go through a four-stage life cycle of egg: larva/caterpillar - pupa/chrysalis - imago/adult. When we look at the anurans, which are considered as being the most successful and diverse of the amphibians and anura is considered as being an order of animals in the class amphibian, and this includes both frogs and toads. At the present time in the world there are about 5,280 species that are considered as being in this order, and those that are living are divided into three particular suborders, which are: Archaeobatrachia, Mesobatrachia and Neobatrachia. In regards to the metamorphosis process of the anurans, the beginning is the larval stage, where it is a tadpole, and after a certain period of growth, the tadpole undergoes metamorphosis, in which the tail is lost and limbs appear.

Social Organized Crime Perspective Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Organized Crime Perspective Paper - Essay Example These criminals socialize their group members in their own criminal way to engage them in unlawful activities for earning money. (Taylor, 2005) The type of social organization depends upon the social context. In the context of organized crime it may be a cohesive and highly centralized group of individuals perusing a common role of a single or a composite crime. They are socialized within a group about their roles and co-ordination process for committing the particular crime. Such organized groups engage in offenses such as robbery, fraud, kidnapping and gambling for money. They are allotted different hierarchical ranks with different responsibilities. Their duties include the coordinated tricks among sub-groups in their group area with a pledge to keep full secrecy. They are even socialized and trained to use the violence against law enforcement agencies, opponent associations and informers etc. When criminal organization is detected by police, it is obvious that an individual belonging to that particular organization will be punished and not that he/she committed the crime individually. (Cressey, 1992) Nowadays Online organized crime is also being practiced in which the criminals obtain money by threat from the people who use internet for E-commerce. E-commerce was started with the hope that a gap between small and large business would be filled, but due to organized crime the hope is lost. The organized crime on internet cannot be traced down easily because the police and other law enforcement agencies perform their duties within the boundaries of their own countries. The criminal organizations perform their criminal tasks across such boundaries without any fear of being caught or traced. Similarly another type of criminal organization is busy against humanity polluting the residential environment. Some people install the factories in prohibited areas by giving bribery to the concerned

The Dark Ages and Some of the Challenges Paople Faced during the Essay

The Dark Ages and Some of the Challenges Paople Faced during the Period - Essay Example Famine came about because of the breakdown of societal order which the Romans had maintained. The system of trade and tribute had been regulated by the Romans, and the network had been maintained across vast distances to ensure that the Empire could move troops around at will, and sustain mobile armies in the case of any rebellions or invasions. When these networks faltered, communities became more isolated, and the consequences of bad harvests were more severe, since no help was at hand. Plagues arrived from the East and spread through the region, but there were few people who had the knowledge and the wealth that would have enabled them to heal the sick or avoid infection. Aside from these physical threats from famine and disease, there was also an increase in violent conflict between rival tribes. In the absence of a single overlord, such as the Romans had been, the smaller tribes jostled for position, and engaged in many skirmishes and boundary disputes in an effort to gain contr ol of wealth and resources. This made life very dangerous for ordinary people, since many were slaves, or bound by oath to the service of a chieftain, and they were obliged to take up arms if commanded to do so. The strict Roman laws gave way to the more fragmented social order of competing tribes. Many leaders were cruel, and there was considerable injustice and chaos. Another factor which presented a huge challenge in the Dark Ages was that of religion. Under Roman rule, Christians and pagans had co-existed, and as time went on, more and more of the Empire adopted Christianity. In the Dark Ages, however, Islam emerged from the East and advanced across North Africa, heading up through Spain and into Gaul, bringing bitter religious warfare to the continent. Religious persecution increased, and minorities were often robbed and killed in the name of religion. Christianity brought some advantages, in so far as the monasteries served as educational institutions and places where the poor and the sick could hope for some relief. Once again, however, this benefited the wealthy who sent their children there to be educated, but it meant servitude and exploitation for the poorest members of society, who had to labor in the fields or work as lowly tradesmen to provide the raw materials that were needed to sustain monastic communities. The lack of an effective legal system meant that disputes were solved by violence, and when coupled with the devastating effects of plagues, and poor nutrition, the consequences for population size were very serious. In this period infant mortality was very high, life expectancy was short, and huge numbers of citizens were wiped out due to infection. It would have been very hard for a poor family to bring up children to healthy adulthood. Depopulation meant that communities could no longer find enough workers to take in the harvest, and maintain basic infrastructure. Skills were lost, and architectural masterpieces just crumbled out of negl ect, or were looted to enable poor people to build their own rustic dwellings. In many ways it seemed that civilization was taking a backwards step, and the former glories of Europe were

Describe the evolution of military technology. What innovations are in Research Paper

Describe the evolution of military technology. What innovations are in store for the future and what will be its impact on war - Research Paper Example The arrow was also made from simple technology often requiring a straight body called shaft with the tip being made from stone while a feather was attached at the rear end of the arrow to create stability. This technology provided human beings with the ability to kill a target from a distance with a relatively higher degree of accuracy. This technology evolved with the discovery of copper, bronze and finally irons with these technologies replacing the stone tip of the arrow heads over time. Archery was military technology for armies in New Egyptian Kingdom and the Shang Dynasty as far back as 2000 BC (Woods and Woods 14-15). Archery was later used by other nations and kingdoms in Europe and Asia as they were used on the battlefields of Asia Minor with Eastern Europe, Egypt China, Japan, Mediterranean basin, Korea and Mesopotamia societies all developed their own adaptations of the composite bow. The domestication of horses was also an important occurrence for the ancient societies as they now had an effective form of transport. Transport by horse led to the discovery of the chariot which further improved transpiration and attack during war with the effectiveness of the chariot in war being one man controlling the movement of the chariot while a bowman shoot arrows at enemy soldiers (Woods and Woods 21). Another military technology that influenced the way wars were fought in the middle ages is the trebuchet. This is a machine used for throwing missiles towards the enemy soldiers or at their fortification. The working concept of a trebuchet involves long pivoted beam with one side being longer than the other. During its functioning, the short side is pulled down with the longer side of the beam being forced to rise rapidly causing the sling that is connected to the end of the long side of the beam to lash over thereby releasing itself and hurling the pellet it held. There are

DISCUSS HOW YOU HAVE PROVIDED PERSON-CENTRED CARE FOR A SERVICE USER, Essay

DISCUSS HOW YOU HAVE PROVIDED PERSON-CENTRED CARE FOR A SERVICE USER, INCORPORATING PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL OR ETHICAL ISSUES UNDERP - Essay Example For the best functionality, service providers are expected to be experienced in handling patients on an individual level. In the case of dementia we take into account their needs to be attended to for basic activities like bathing. As clinicians we deal with patients as unique in their demands and study them each time for new features which are not in the other service users and that may call for special attention. We ought to seek their consent to whatever activities we undertake for them. For purposes of ethics for example we need to ensure that our services users not only receive those services but that they are comfortable with them. When addressing the woman in this case we ensure that she likes her food and that she is comfortable taking it. She is given her bath at a nurse’s discretion and under the best hygienic facilities available. Her medication is administered to her accordingly. We make sure that she is attended to by the nurse she seems to feel most comfortable w ith. This we do by studying her facial expressions and the comments she mumbles to the best of our ability. We try to interpret that when addressing her needs. When necessary, service providers avail themselves at the homes of their patients to tend them there. This happens especially where the patient is not comfortable at the clinical facility and prefers to stay at home. Some service users for example require home care by clinical staff. They may demand more time in order to keep them well balanced emotionally and to avoid loneliness(Brown, McCormack, B., 2005). In the case of dementia and any other psychological treatment process are more involving than in cases of physical treatment. A psychological patient requires attention most of the time and may take longer to heal as compared to physically ailing patient. This is because psychological treatment involves the clinicians own psychological self so that their jobs become more stressful. Treating the physically frail persons on ly involves their physical dimensions and is thus less stressful. It is evident that we at the facility should thereforeoffer close watch on our patient from the condition of her health. Since she does not have relatives, the woman requires close company to ensure that she feels as secure as possible. Her condition is complicated further by her faith that she complies to. In the event that her faith collides with medical practices, we should respect her opinion and ensure she is treated in accordance with the codes that follow for persons under dementia. It is legally wrong to let her suffer lack of treatment for the sake of belief and the facility may be allowed to make reasonable decisions that are useful for her health. This implies as an ethical and legal fact since her condition does not dictate rational decision making. We should exercise empathy by taking the position of the patient. We should inquire from themselves what they would do in the event that they were in the patie nt’s situation. They use such methods to find solutions and give the best services to patients. We should lean on the patients’ side to treat them with dignity and respect. Staff should have a positive attitude in handling patients for efficiency. They should reflect responsiveness and care in order to build stronger

Fixed Income Securities Essay Example for Free

Fixed Income Securities Essay Objectives: This course is intended to analyze the fixed income securities markets and its implications for investments. It will analyze the market characteristics, instruments, selling techniques, pricing and valuation issues, floating rate instruments, risk and return of fixed income securities, portfolio management techniques, term structure modeling, corporate debt and convertibles, bonds with embedded options, sub-national debt analysis, credit risk analysis, and interest rate risk management with swaps, options and futures. The course intends to cover the specific features of the Indian Fixed Income Securities Markets. The course will construct several Excel based techniques to analyze bond cashflows analytics. Course Structure: The course will include lectures, bond cash flows analysis, term paper assignments and class exercises. Contents: Lecture 1: Indian Fixed Income Markets, Institutional Arrangements, Market Participants and Instruments, Investors Perspectives, Market Conventions, Debt Management Monetary policies Lecture 2: Bond Valuation, Time Value of Money, Price and Yield Conventions, Bond Valuation using Yield Curve, Yield return, horizon return; Valuation of Repo Reverse Repo Lecture 3: Valuation of other Bonds: Floating Rate securities, Inflation index bonds, bonds with embedded options Lecture 4: Introduction to Bloomberg, Interpretations of Fixed Income Instruments using Bloomberg Templates, Understanding Market Quotes and Conventions Lecture 5: Corporate Bonds, Valuation, Implications for Rating Migration, Investment Grade and Low Rated Bonds, Valuation of Convertibles Lecture 6 7: Risk Identification in Bonds: Duration, Convexity, and Portfolio Immunization Lecture 8 : Yield Curve Analysis, Par Bootstrapping, Modeling YC using Nelson-Seigel and Spline Methods, Spot Forward rates, , Valuation of STRIPS Lecture 9: Term Structure of Interest Rates theories; Interest Rate Models (Cox-Ingersoll-Ross, Vasicek, HJM Model) Lecture 10: Government Securities Auction, Market Implications, WI Markets, Auction Primary Dealers Lecture 11: Auction Bidding: Game (students play bidding game and trade online in Computer Lab) Lecture 12: Bond Portfolio Construction Management; Bullet, Barbell Ladder Strategies, Construction of Bond Portfolio; Portfolio with Corporate Bonds Lecture 13, 14 15: Interest Rate Derivatives: FRAs, Swaps, Futures, Options, Eurodollar Futures, OIS(Overnight Index Swaps), OIS Trading Arbitrage Lecture 16: Bonds with embedded options, BDT Model(Modeling Interest Rate Tree) Lecture 17: Mortgage-Backed Securities, Prepayments, Option Adjusted Spreads(OAS) Lecture 18: Credit Derivatives, Valuation of Credit Default Swaps, Indian CDS Lecture 19 20: Assignment Discussions Presentations Other handouts: The course will provide several articles in debt and fixed income securities, circulars of RBI and FIMMDA, empirical techniques dealing with bond management, as well as my presentations, excel spreadsheet calculations, valuation templates from Bloomberg as well as web resources. Expectations: My expectation is that students work hard during the course, understand bond mathematics, how Indian bond market works and its implications on fixed income investing as an asset class, and portfolio implications for banks and financial institutions.

Blue Tooth Technology Essay Example for Free

Blue Tooth Technology Essay Bluetooth is an open standard for speech and data transmission. Besides the applications for this new technology, e. g. the wireless connection between mobile station and terminal equipment, also the structure of the Bluetooth system architecture is presented. The set-up of so-called short-range ad hoc networks (piconets and scatternets) will be introduced. Bluetooth wireless technology is an open, accepted standard for wireless communication which means that Bluetooth electronic equipment can communicate as long as they are within approx. 10 meters of each other, making it possible to transfer data, speech, music or images without a physical connection. The mobile telephone manufacturer Ericsson invented Bluetooth technology, naming it after the Viking King Harald Bluetooth. Just as King Harald Bluetooth united Denmark and Norway, Bluetooth technology â€Å"unites† various types of electronic equipment to form a coherent whole. Ericsson formed the foundation for Bluetooth as early as 1994, but the standard was not ready for use until 1998. The first Bluetooth products came on the market in 2000. Today, Bluetooth technology can be found in all types of electronic equipment – including mobile phones, mobile headsets, PCs, keyboards, mouse devices, printers, GPS navigation units, video cameras and pocket PCs – and new products are emerging every day. Today, Bluetooth technology is an essential everyday tool to be found in a variety of electronic equipment. The technology makes it easy to transfer speech between a mobile phone and a headset, a mobile phone and a pocket computer or images from a digital video camera to a PC. Even though two Bluetooth units can find each other and be connected, because they both comply with the standard, it may not necessarily make sense for them to speak to each other. For instance, a Bluetooth mouse would not profit much from a connection with a digital camera, or a headset with a keyboard. The basic requirement for Bluetooth units to be able to communicate is that they are located within 10 meters of each other. That is the range of the Bluetooth radio waves – at least under the current standard. The study intents to (1) know the key features of Bluetooth technology; (2) evaluate Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and its key role in maintaining specifications of the protocol, profiles, testing and qualification, interoperability and compatibility and; (3) how Bluetooth applies to wireless technology. II. Background As Bluetooth technology becomes more common, however, we will undoubtedly see CD players that send sound to amplifiers via Bluetooth, which then transfer the sound to speakers in the same way. A Bluetooth enabled pocket computer will automatically synchronise with a company’s diary and make sure that the day’s e-mails are ready to be read on the screen. And car radios will turn the music down and transfer the speech from a mobile phone when it rings (see â€Å"Bluetooth†. New Standard Encyclopedia, pp. 36-38). Moreover, the Bluetooth brand is now recognized worldwide on products with short range wireless communication capabilities. The brand is a label that is not a single company technology but is shared by many members of the Bluetooth SIG. The brand is applied to devices implementing the Bluetooth technology; even if it says little about the way the technology works (see â€Å"Bluetooth†. New Standard Encyclopedia, pp. 36-38). III. Discussion A. Features of Bluetooth Technology The logo for Bluetooth is based on Runes surrounding the legend of Harald Bluetooth. Bluetooth the technology is based on communications central to man’s own personal space. Fundamentally Bluetooth operates within the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band at 2. 4 GHz. It is a short-range wireless communication standard defined as cable replacement for a Personal Area Network (PAN) (see â€Å"Bluetooth†. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, pp. 87-94). Figure 1 is the Bluetooth Logo. A cable replacement standard has been defined because cables limit mobility of the consumer; they are cumbersome to carry around, are easily lost or broken. Often connectors are prone to difficult to diagnose failures; or are proprietary. To counteract these limitations Bluetooth is designed to be light and portable. It can be embedded to take the riggers of physical knocks and shocks. It includes standards and protocols to make it mobile, robust, reliable and not limited to one manufacturer (see â€Å"Bluetooth†. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, pp. 87-94). The operating band also fits the goals of Bluetooth, imposing requirements as a cable replacement. The cost needs to be comparable with cable. Reductions can be achieved by operating in the licence free 2. 4 GHz ISM band, keeping backward compatibility wherever possible lowers the cost of ownership by avoiding upgrades and having a relaxed radio specification enables single chip integrated circuit solutions. It also needs to be as reliable and resilient as cable and cope with errors and degradation caused by interference. For mobile devices it must be compact, lightweight, low power and easy to use (see â€Å"Bluetooth†. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, pp. 87-94). A. 1 Frequency Hopping We have addressed the reasons for the Bluetooth without delving into the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the technology to discover how it operates. For the majority of countries the ISM band used by Bluetooth is available from 2. 40-2. 4835 GHz, although some countries impose restrictions. In this band Bluetooth uses Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) techniques in order to improve its immunity from interference (see J. Bray and C. F. Sturman, Bluetooth: Connect Without Cables†, Prentice Hall). In unrestricted countries the radios hop in pseudo random sequences around all available channels, this equates to 79 RF channels with a channel spacing of 1 MHz. Starting at a base frequency of 2402 MHz then the frequency of the channels, f, can be expressed as: f =2402 + n MHz where, n, is the channel number with an integer value in the range of 0 to 78. In restricted countries a limited frequency hopping schemes with just 23 channels is used and is catered for in the Bluetooth specification. Both hopping schemes have a 1 MHz channel spacing making it possible to design a simple radio interface whereby the baseband only has to specify a channel number and the radio multiplies this up to the appropriate frequency offset (see J. Bray and C. F. Sturman, Bluetooth: Connect Without Cables†, Prentice Hall). In this FHSS scheme there are 1600 hops per second, which is a hop every 625  µs. Part of this hop timing is taken up by the guard time of 220  µs allowing the synthesizer time to settle. The frequency hopping implements time division multiplexing as shown in Figure 2. The basis of the scheme has the Master device transmitting in the first 625 us slot, k, and here the Slave receives. In the next slot k = 1 the Slave is permitted to transmit and the master listens (see J. Bray and C. F. Sturman, Bluetooth: Connect Without Cables†, Prentice Hall). Figure 2: Frequency Hopping, master and slave interact on corresponding slots The radio must be able to retune and stabilise on a new frequency within tight time constraints. This is pushed further when establishing a connection; the hop rate can be shortened to every 312. 5 us. As the radios are constantly hopping to different radio channels, this ensures that packets affected by interference on one channel can be retransmitted on a different frequency channel. To further enhance resilience both ARQ (Automatic Repeat reQuest) and FEC (Forward Error Correction) form part of the specification (see J. Bray and C. F. Sturman, Bluetooth: Connect Without Cables†, Prentice Hall). One drawback with the normal hop sequence is the time taken for production testing. Bluetooth ensures adequate frequency coverage with a test sequence allowing the radios to be tested at a faster rate (see J. Bray and C. F. Sturman, Bluetooth: Connect Without Cables†, Prentice Hall). A. 2 The Bluetooth SIG and Specifications If the success of Bluetooth is measured by its initial interest alone then its prominence has already been assured. Before products were on sale, hundreds of companies joined the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Bluetooth brand became recognized worldwide. Before investigating the technology further it is appropriate to comment about the role played by the SIG, the administrative structure of which is outlined in Figure 3. With membership of the SIG nearing 2500 members it is only right to look at how the SIG works to promote, shape and define the specification and position Bluetooth in the market place. Positioning of the technology is important when you consider other wireless technologies that share the same ISM band, e. g. IEEE802. 11b, HomeRF and DECT. Differentiation is key in avoiding confusion of potential users.

Education Via Facebook Benefits And Challenges Education Essay

Education Via Facebook Benefits And Challenges Education Essay As many teachers might attest, students diligently clicking away at their laptops during class are not always taking notes or interacting with class material. If their minds are wondering, chances are they are browsing the Internet. Though the internet provides many options for diversion, statistics show that one of the most likely places students are spending a portion of their class time is on Facebook. As likely as Facebook is to be a distraction in the classroom it also has the potential to be a teaching tool when used strategically and creatively. Social Media is an emerging technology with growing popularity. Most students and educators are familiar with Facebook. Some argue that Facebook isnt a reliable mean to transform knowledge between educators and students and is viewed as rather distracting than beneficiary. In this paper, I will review findings by some researchers to understand the relationship between Facebook and education, and whether it could be a reliable mean to b e used in Education by educators and students as nowadays, people are divided into two major groups in terms of familiarly with technology: digital immigrants and digital natives (Siegle 2011). Digital natives are those who have always relied on technology as a way of life where Digital Immigrants are people who live in two worlds, one of which technology is overlooked. In the second world, it dominated our lives and became a recognized necessity (Siegle 2011); e.g. while digital immigrants prefer to use emails; digital natives prefer to use text messaging. Conventional media such as radio, television, and newspapers are associated with many challenges related to high costs and access limitations. Social media, on the other hand, is highly accessible anytime and anywhere the internet can reach (Tiryakioglu and Erzurum 2011). Conventional media cannot be changed after production, whereas social media can be immediately changed and/or updated via comments, likes, and dislikes. According to researchers, social networks can help developing communication skills and encourage participation and social commitment (Tiryakioglu and Erzurum 2011) Facebook can be defined as an online platform where users can create profiles, generate and share content and information, and interact with other known and unknown contacts (Boyd and Ellison 2007). Following its launch in 2006, Facebook has grown rapidly in terms of the number of users and the amount of time its users spend browsing compared to other websites. Facebook is now considered to be the dominant network of all the international social networks and has led people to abandon other websites like MySpace, which some have gone so far as to refer to as the ghetto of social networks (Siegle 2011). In this paper, I will present and discuss what other scholars have concluded from their research on the use and effects of social networks (i.e. Facebook) in education. The studies used in this paper were conducted on teachers, university professors, college students, and high school students to understand and assess the usage of social networks in the light of education and its effect on students academic achievements as well as fulfilling the desire of promoting knowledge and maintaining effective and efficient student interaction with educators. This paper will eventually answer the following question: does Facebook usage by students and educators improve the interaction between both parties to promote knowledge? The objective of this essay is to present the benefits and challenges that face students and educators in practicing their role in education in the light of using Facebook. Communication through Facebook is different from traditional face-to-face communication. First, friendships through Facebook are explicit, where traditional friendships usually tend to be implicit. Secondly, conversations through Facebook are persistent. They are permanently stored and easily retrieved at any point in time. Finally, Facebook conversations are shared with all friends who can access someones profile (Siegle 2011). While Facebook enhances the process of communication, it is important to perceive it as a possible threat to its users privacy, which may in turn cost them educational and career opportunities (Siegle 2011). Fortunately, this threat can be avoided by a simple application of personal judgement before sharing private matters a person does not desire to be shareable with anyone at any point in time. Before I discuss the usage of Facebook by college students, lets take an overview on the first time Facebook is used by young users (teenagers, for example). Unlike the past, teens dont need to physically leave the house to socialize. Facebook is used as a primary communication activity through which they post, comment, and share information with each other. To preserve this tool, young users ought to be advised from the beginning as to how to use social networks responsibly and be aware of all the issues that might arise from such activity including exposed privacy. Facebook can provide a window into anyones life. Given that fact, it is the responsibility of the parents to monitor and provide guidelines to their children once they start using Facebook. The use of Facebook by students entails education-related interactions, while some use it to obtain information on a missed class, others may use Facebook to engage in humorous comments about their own and their teachers actions. Todays classroom lexicon contains words with different meanings, including post, message, tag, poke, and inbox (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). No one can deny the fact that Facebook broke down the barriers between students and educators because the informal learning that occurs in the context of sharing media offers important opportunities for increased student involvement in formal learning settings (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). Psychologists have argued that a learning community would perform its best if the characteristics of connectedness and trust have been established amongst the learners (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). For this reason, education remains one of the areas most heavily impacted by technology. Although some argue that technologies like Facebook could involve some challenges for students, that is, when implementing new technologies in classrooms, it is important that teachers focus on promoting knowledge rather than simply being a source of information (Siegle 2011). Moreover, the nature of multimedia can captivate students easily; too much multimedia stimulation can interfere with the deeper cognitive processing that is critical to learning (The American Psychological Association). Aaron M. Fewkes and Mike McCabe conducted a survey on a sample of students at Waterloo Regional District School Board after the latter had made a decision to embrace the growing popularity of Facebook to verify if their vision of using Facebook in schools aligns with the actual behaviour of the students. The results show that 48% of students do log on to Facebook at least once during class time, moreover, the research exposed a possible disconnect between school board and students due to improper implementation of this policy. Facebook, however, can be a powerful communication tool that could serve as a professional resource for educators. ( Pilgrim and Bledsoe, 2011). Educators can respond to the use of technology in their classrooms in five ways: 1 1. Ban it: This has been deemed ineffective due to the fact that technology is becoming a part of our life that we constantly use. Typical workarounds are hiding devices behind books and texting from pockets. 2. Do business as usual: I disagree with this behaviour of educators as it is the educators responsibility to engage the students in their classrooms 3. Limit the use of Technology: a clear guideline indicating what is to be tolerated and what would be unacceptable. 4. Enhance traditional practice: Technology is dependent on users. 5. Use the technology to restructure the educational process: encourage students to use technology for inquiry, problem solving and/or instruction. If I was an instructor, my choice would be the fifth option, as it is the most effective and efficient according to the studies conducted by Pilgrim, Beldsoe, and Siegle, who all have concluded in their studies the importance of learning how to incorporate Facebook into the education process. The use of technology allows students to use social media websites like Facebook to engage in formal or informal discussions with their instructor as well as their fellow students. There are many ways educators and students can connect using Facebook. For instance, the teacher can post comments for the students, students can post their final work for their peers to review and provide feedback, and also students can use the wall feature to ask questions and respond to each other. In addition, I would set up a central page where all classroom mates can join to participate at any time of their choice to exchange knowledge and understanding of the subject being studied. Using social media should be, however, accompanied by some important precautions which educators should adhere to when using Facebook as a tool for educating students:2 1. Teachers should consider setting up a separate Facebook account 2. Educators should obtain signed parental consent prior to interacting with young students on Facebook. 3. Teachers should refrain from installing any applications on their page that would negatively affect their professional image. 4. Educators should remind students that they need to transfer the respectful tone teachers expect in class to their online interactions with them and ensure that students are aware that a teachers ethical responsibility will continue online. According to some studies (Seigle 2011), educators who relied on Facebook to follow professional organizations were more knowledgeable than those who did not (Pilgrim and Bledsoe 2011). We live in an age in which we are fully dependent on instant updates and information, the rationale behind using Facebook as a tool for professional learning adopts the idea that the internet is this generations defining technology for literacy (Pilgrim and Bledsoe 2011). Facebook is indeed an important source of information for educators who seek to continue their learning. According to a study conducted on university instructors in Turkey, all instructors who participated in the survey somehow use Facebook in their courses; even the instructor with the lowest frequency had used Facebook to make announcements about the course by creating a group. The study concludes that instructors have adopted Facebook and they are using it intensively, with a greater tendency toward its use for educational purpose s. According to my cited sources, the studies recognized Facebook as a reliable source for academicians because it is flexible and user friendly, in addition, the sources emphasized on the role of Facebook as a medium between students and instructors and argued that Facebook can neither be solely dependable for conducting courses nor can it be ignored. After I have explored the usage of Facebook by educators as well as students and identified the benefits and challenges of such usage by each party, I can assert that Facebook is a dependable, reliable, and popular medium through which both educators and students can interact appropriately. In order for this medium of communication to work in its most effective and efficient way, students need to be trustful and self-regulated, that is, to refrain from the over- use of Facebook and eventually the addiction to it leading to damage to their potential academic achievement. In conclusion, Educators and students use Facebook; the education process should be focused on the interaction of each party with the other and not the technology itself. Facebook opens new doors to students and allows their knowledge to grow. Facebook also allows them to learn about themselves from their peers. It is my belief that social networks like Facebook will continue to evolve and optimize the education channels in the context of human communication. Educators should consider Facebook as a mean of enhanced communication that provides traceability to what has been discussed and a source of feedback and/or evaluation on whether the discussion has fulfilled what it is mandated for or not.

Effect of temperature on raction rate :: essays research papers

Effect of temperature on RXN rate Factors affecting rate of reaction: Surface area – as we increase surface area, we increase the reaction rate. The more the collisions the faster the reaction. Concentration – as we increase concentration we increase the reaction rate. In reaction with between gases, increasing the pressure, increase the reaction rate. Temperature –  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  as we increase the temperature, we increase the reaction rate. Raising the temperature makes particles collide more often in a certain time, and makes it more likely that collision results in a reaction. Catalyst -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  catalyst is a substance, which speed up a chemical reaction. At the end of the reaction the catalyst is chemically unchanged. Aim: Effect of temperature on rate of reaction. Hypothesis: I predict that the rate of reaction will increase in speed by increasing the temperature, because Raising the temperature makes particles collide more often in a certain time, and makes it more likely that collision results in a reaction. Apparatus required: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 conical flasks 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An amount of HCl 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An amount of Na2S2O3 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Timer (stop-watch) 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A tile with a mark (X) on it 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 measuring cylinders 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 empty beaker Procedure: 2-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use 20cm3 of water with 30cm3 of HCl 3-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Add the solution to 30cm3 of Na2S2O3 4-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Put a conical flask on a tile with a mark (X) on it. 5-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Put the first solution in the flask. 6-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Put the flask in a water bath at a controlled temperature of 30 ºC. 7-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quickly add the second solution and start timing 8-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stop timing when you can no longer see the mark (X) on the tile. 9-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat steps 1 to 4 but using a different temperature each time. 10-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final time use the same amount but at 70 ºC. Fair test: Changing Variable:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Temperature ( ºC) Constant Variables   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amount, and concentration of HCl, and Na2S2O3 Results:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Temperature/ ºC  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time/sec 20  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  28 25  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  27 30  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  22 35  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20 40  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  16 45  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion: From my results I have concluded that temperature has a great affect on the reaction rate of HCl and Na2S2O3, because as we see from he graph the slope is increasing gradually, this is because increasing the temperature makes particles collide more often in a certain time and makes it more likely that a collision will result in a reaction. Because there are more effective collisions, temperature has a great affect on reaction rate, if you raise the temperature by 10 ºC the time will decrease by nearly 6 seconds indicating the increase in speed of the reaction.

Lost in translation Essay -- essays research papers

Lost In Translation â€Å"Lost In Translation† is one of those movies that seek to be something having something extra something that is more than a regular movie. Moreover, it does so effectively without being pretentious, all through the movie it does not seem like it is trying too hard to be something other than what is there. It is skillfully written, well directed and it boasts of a solid cast not very spectacular but full of good actors. Jointly, this eventually results in an enjoyable and interesting movie. The important thing is that it has a message to it. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson play two individuals lost in the new and unfamiliar surroundings, restlessly moving around a Tokyo hotel in the middle of the night, who fall into talk about their marriages, their pleasure and the significance of it all. What occurs between them is very deep they open their hearts to one another letting the other know about the feelings and problems they are having with their marriages. In my view, t hese conversations can in fact only be held with strangers. We all need to talk about metaphysics, but those who are close to us want information and details; outsiders let us function more loosely on a cosmic scale. Murray plays Bob Harris, an American movie star in Japan to make commercials for whiskey. His relationship with is wife is disjointed, they seem to be on a different wavelength, and they are sticking around because it is easier. A good example is when his wife asks over the p...

Observation in Daisy Miller Essay -- Henry James, Daisy Miller

He said to himself that she was too light and childish, too uncultivated and unreasoning, too provincial, to have reflected upon the ostracism or even to have perceived it. Then at other moments he believed that she carried about in her elegant and irresponsible organism a defiant, passionate, perfectly observant consciousness of the impression she produced. (43) The socialites in Daisy Miller's world aspire to a perfection, a nobility, and a superlative of character. But character is a misleading word; interiority is important only insofar as it reflects the assumed depths that come with an appearance of refinement, for the relationships in "Daisy Miller: A Study" are formed by observation, not by conversation. Winterbourne's penetrating gaze dissects and complicates Daisy's appearance and, subsequently, personality, beyond what her own projection of an personality warrants. The narrator of Henry James's story furthers this atmosphere, peppering visual and even abstract sentences with modifiers and other syntactical strokes to force a system of visual refinement on the reader. The reader, however, must engage his imagination to form a picture of Daisy, her most evident quality, while he is kept privy to her relatively blank consciousness, thus ensuring an emotional detachment from her which allows him to "see" her as she really is. The heroi ne captivates Winterbourne, on the other hand, for most of the story, because he can only surmise as to the mystery, or "riddle," as the narrator calls it, of the "ambiguity of Daisy's behavior" beneath her deceptive exterior (46). His recognition of his reliance on the gaze, and on Daisy's vacuity otherwise, triggers his final disgust and enables him to select an answer from the ... ...he right way of regarding Miss Daisy Miller. (46) The vocabulary of observational terms which can double as evaluative verbs†¹"reflecting," "regarding"†¹strikes the philosophical change in Winterbourne's literal outlook, as does his using her full formal name as a way of sapping her of any suggestive mystery behind the ambiguous "she." He later repents slightly after Daisy's death, but seems not to take the lesson to heart. The real "study" of "Daisy Miller: A Study," then, is Winterbourne, whose faltering attempts to "study" Daisy we follow until his brief redemption, and of whom the final line of the narrative†¹reinforcing his return to the gaze, albeit now directed at an ostensibly more deserving, but still "very" refined foreigner†¹should come as no surprise: "...he is "'studying hard'†¹an intimation that he is much interested in a very clever foreign lady" (50). Observation in Daisy Miller Essay -- Henry James, Daisy Miller He said to himself that she was too light and childish, too uncultivated and unreasoning, too provincial, to have reflected upon the ostracism or even to have perceived it. Then at other moments he believed that she carried about in her elegant and irresponsible organism a defiant, passionate, perfectly observant consciousness of the impression she produced. (43) The socialites in Daisy Miller's world aspire to a perfection, a nobility, and a superlative of character. But character is a misleading word; interiority is important only insofar as it reflects the assumed depths that come with an appearance of refinement, for the relationships in "Daisy Miller: A Study" are formed by observation, not by conversation. Winterbourne's penetrating gaze dissects and complicates Daisy's appearance and, subsequently, personality, beyond what her own projection of an personality warrants. The narrator of Henry James's story furthers this atmosphere, peppering visual and even abstract sentences with modifiers and other syntactical strokes to force a system of visual refinement on the reader. The reader, however, must engage his imagination to form a picture of Daisy, her most evident quality, while he is kept privy to her relatively blank consciousness, thus ensuring an emotional detachment from her which allows him to "see" her as she really is. The heroi ne captivates Winterbourne, on the other hand, for most of the story, because he can only surmise as to the mystery, or "riddle," as the narrator calls it, of the "ambiguity of Daisy's behavior" beneath her deceptive exterior (46). His recognition of his reliance on the gaze, and on Daisy's vacuity otherwise, triggers his final disgust and enables him to select an answer from the ... ...he right way of regarding Miss Daisy Miller. (46) The vocabulary of observational terms which can double as evaluative verbs†¹"reflecting," "regarding"†¹strikes the philosophical change in Winterbourne's literal outlook, as does his using her full formal name as a way of sapping her of any suggestive mystery behind the ambiguous "she." He later repents slightly after Daisy's death, but seems not to take the lesson to heart. The real "study" of "Daisy Miller: A Study," then, is Winterbourne, whose faltering attempts to "study" Daisy we follow until his brief redemption, and of whom the final line of the narrative†¹reinforcing his return to the gaze, albeit now directed at an ostensibly more deserving, but still "very" refined foreigner†¹should come as no surprise: "...he is "'studying hard'†¹an intimation that he is much interested in a very clever foreign lady" (50).

A Study on the Interpretation of Dreams

Interpreting dreams has been a subject of interest for thousands of years. There have been many theories formed by top scientists and psychologists, but dreams still remain a mystery. There are websites all over the Internet that promise to decode dreams in just a few easy steps, but most of those are for fun and entertainment.What do professionals have to say about the interpretation of dreams? That is the question this paper seeks to answer. As with any somewhat scientific subject, there are as many answers as questions. The writer will start with the earliest information about dreams, and explain the prevalent theories, both past and present, about dream interpretation.Dreams have been fascinating people for as long as there have been people on the Earth. The very first mention of a dream comes from ancient Babylon, around the year 3000 B.C. (Biele and Piotrowski, 1986).The dream is only mentioned in passing on a stela carved to commemorate a great achievement by a â€Å"God-fear ing man,† but the fact that it was mentioned at all gives us an idea of how important dreams were to the ancients (Biele and Piotrowski, 1986). People made â€Å"consulting dreams† before taking any action a regular part of life up to the 16th Century, A.D., and no doubt many people still follow the practice (Biele and Piotrowski, 1986).Perhaps the two most noted â€Å"dream interpreters† were Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Freud wrote his book, The Interpretation of Dreams , in 1955, and it immediately caused a stir. Freud asserted that, â€Å"the scientific theories of dreams leave no room for any problem of interpreting them, since in their view a dream is not a mental act at all . . . † (p.96).He highly disagreed with the idea that dreams meant nothing. He did not agree with the ideas of dreams being interpreted â€Å"symbolically† or by â€Å"decoding† (Freud, 1955, p. 96-97). Instead, he claimed to have found a â€Å"scientific methodâ⠂¬  to interpreting dreams (Freud, 1955, p. 100).Freud explained that he had attempted to â€Å"unravel . . . hysterical phobias, obsessional ideas, and so on† for years (p. 100). He finally came upon the notion â€Å"that if a dream can be inserted into the psychical chain†Ã‚   than the dream could be â€Å"treated as a symptom† (Freud, 1955, p. 101). Freud believed that interpreting dreams in a scientific way would reveal the true problem troubling the patient. The problem could then be treated, and the person would become well (Freud, 1955).Common knowledge of Freud includes the fact that he believed that dreams had to do with â€Å"unconscious sexual and aggressive wishes and fantasies unacceptable to the conscious ego† (Marszalek and Myers, 2006, p. 18) Carl Jung agreed that some dreams could have those implications, but not all (Marszalek and Myers, 2006). He believed that dreams were not just â€Å"disguises† for unmentionable feelings, but they were also â€Å"metaphors† and showed â€Å"creativity† and â€Å"individualization† (Marszalek and Myers, 2006, p. 19). Jung found seven â€Å"archetypes† that seem to appear â€Å"in every culture throughout time† (dreammoods.com).A few of these are the â€Å"Persona,† or the person you show to others, the â€Å"Shadow,† or things you do not like about yourself, and the â€Å"Divine Child,† you as your â€Å"true self†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (dreammoods.com).   Jung’s ideas have proven very helpful in some forms of   â€Å"counseling therapy† because they allow a person to make sense of their dreams and often realize what is behind their problems (Marszalek and Myers, 2006, p.22).Not everyone believes that dreams really mean anything, but most health professionals agree that dreams are very beneficial to people (Waters, 2002). For example, they can â€Å"reveal hidden anxiety, help consolidate memories, regul ate moods, and help to process emotions† (Waters, 2002).One physician notes that major depressives often have a hard time in the morning because their dreams were inadequate to solve their problems (Waters, 2002). Dreams are a time for â€Å"reflection . . . and creativity† (Waters, 2002). However, many physicians warn against getting â€Å"carried away† with interpreting dreams, as not every dream is going to have a â€Å"practical† function (Waters, 2002).However, some lay people do not agree with that assessment. Understand-your-dreams.com has several articles written by Dave Lappin, a self-appointed dream interpreter. Lappin believes that dreams â€Å"speak to us on a spiritual level† because we are â€Å"spiritual beings† (2006).Dreams hold the key to â€Å"a vast storehouse of knowledge† (Lappin, 2006). If we keep having the same dream over and over, it is because we â€Å"have not fully understood the dream message and used it in our waking state† (Lappin, 2006). For Lappin, and those like him, dreams always have a purpose and â€Å"information† for the dreamer.The book, Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them, is something of a middle ground between believing all dreams have messages and no dreams have messages. For the authors, â€Å"ordinary† dreams simply â€Å"reflect daily experiences.† â€Å"Extraordinary† dreams, however, have many functions.They can be â€Å"telepathic, clairvoyant, and precognitive, and some can even be â€Å"out of body, lucid,† and   involve a past life or a visitation (Bogzaran, Krippner, and Percia de Carvalho, 2002). These studies show the cultural differences between groups of people. Many people from other countries and cultures were involved in the studies, and while they have â€Å"ordinary† dreams, they also have fantastic dreams that most modern cultures would be quick to dismiss.The concept of interpreting dre ams runs the gamut from no dream being particularly special to dreams directing our lives. It is difficult to determine what theory, if any, is correct. The truth is that we do dream, and we do often see and act out strange things in our dreams. We see people we have not seen in years, and we work out problems. We dream of ordinary things, and we dream of flying.Perhaps dreams are what a person makes of them. There is no need to believe that every dream will have an earthshattering message, but if a dream comforts a person or stirs them to act, that is all the better. In the end, your dream falls under your own interpretation. Your interpretation is better than what anyone else can give to you, for only you know your true self.AbstractInterpreting dreams has been of great interest to people for thousands of years. Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung are known as two of the authorities on interpreting dreams, even though they have different ideas on the interpretations.Many medical practitio ners see great mental benefits from dreaming, but they caution people to not get too wrapped up in analyzing dreams. Other people take note of their dreams constantly and model their lives around them. Different cultures have different ideas of what is normal in a dream, but in the end we must decide what is normal for ourselves. Regardless of all the information floating about, only we know ourselves well enough to know what our dreams really mean to us.Reference PageBiele, A. and Piotrowski, Z. (1986) Dreams: a key to self knowledge. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: New Jersey.Bogzaran, F., Krippner, S., and Percia de Carvalho. (2002) Extraordinary dreams and how to work with them. State University of New York Press: New York.www.dreammoods.com. Carl jung’s archetypes. http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamtheory/jung3.htm Accessed September 14, 2006.Lappin, Dave. (2006) The spirituality of dreams. http://www.understand-your-dreams.com/spirituality_dreams.html Accesse d September 14, 2006.Freud, Sigmund. (1955) The interpretation of dreams. Basic Books: New York.Marszalek, J. and Myers, J. (2006) Dream interpretation: a developmental counseling and therapy approach. Journal of Mental Health Counseling. 28:1, pgs. 18-30.Waters, J. (7/23/2002) Why do we dream? experts differ on the meaning. The Washington Times: B 01.

Discussion Boards Hsa 520

Has 505 The major online computer services such as Health Grades, America Online Inc. , and WebMD provide health news and medical and health forums where users can access medical libraries, exchange messages, and discuss health problems. In what ways might the growing use of these services by consumers affect future strategies for: Family practitioners? HMOs? Technology refers to the innovations or inventions from applied science and research. According to the book, adult use of the Internet as a health information source has increased dramatically. A lot of people use the Internet to find out different diseases and illness. From a family practitioner perspective use of the Internet could be a god thing. Most people find their health care providers from the Internet and also find out about health care issues. The Internet sites allow patients to gain knowledge about what is going on with their health and help solve questions they might have. Health care coverage through the use of an HMO costs less than comparable traditional health insurance, with a trade-off of limitations on the range of treatments available. HMO might view the internet site as an advantage because that’s where majority of people to research information and this could better help HMO reach out to the general population. They can get information from potential health care seekers based off the information they are providing on the sites, it could also help them use advertise strategies to put information out there to people. Internet sites have their advantages and their disadvantages but it seems there are more advantages than not. A primary care medical group has a list of patients who had once used the group on a regular basis as their primary source of care. However, in scanning their records, these patients had not been in for an appointment in the past two (2) years. The senior partner wants to send them an informational flyer about the practice and a refrigerator magnet that has the group’s telephone number and after-hours service number. As the marketing director for the practice, evaluate this approach in light of the HIPAA regulations. Is it acceptable to implement this marketing plan under the current regulations? Explain your answer. HIPPA is used to facilitate health insurance portability, protect patient security and privacy of information, and further reduce health care fraud and abuse. HIPPA requires all health care providers to have patient consent for access to their medical records or information. According to the book, data will need to be aggregated so that medical information cannot be attached to names and addresses of individual patients. Patient identifiable information cannot be use of marketing items. Under the current regulations there are some marketing strategies that can take place but it cannot have any patient information if it is not related to treatment or payment of their care. If the organization does not have the consent of the individuals to use their information that I don’t think that it would be acceptable. Has 520 Discuss the factors that should be considered when developing a consistent IM / IT strategy. Explain your rationale. Information systems should support the strategic goals, and objectives, and priorities of the organization they serve. The factors that should be considered when developing a consistent IM/IT strategy are: 1. Aligning IM/IT with organizational strategy: This is important because there is a need for interrelationships among IM/IT, the rest of the organization and the external environment. 2. Developing IM/IT infrastructure, architecture, and policies: This plan should identify the major types of information required to support strategic objectives and establish priorities for installation for computer applications. 3. Setting IM/IT project priorities, and overseeing investments: The organization needs to be aware of the investments and where their money is going and for what projects it is going to. They have to set boundaries and have set priorities. 4. Using IM/IT benefits assessment to enhance accountability: Accountability is very important to any organization. Knowing what they have and what they are missing is very vital. Analyze the various approaches to reviewing software and hardware standards and make at least three recommendations for improvement. Provide specific examples to support your response. Three recommendations for the various approaches to reviewing software and hardware standards are: 1. Data compatibility-use of common codes and data definitions for electronic information exchange across an organization. Its important that any organization make sure the soft ware and hardware is compatible to the systems they are trying to use. 2. Central review ensures that hardware and software will ne of a type that can receive technical support and maintenance from the information system staff. . Central review can help prevent illegal use of unlicensed software within the organization. Integration discusses the advantages and disadvantages of end-user computing and determines if this is an application that should be progressively pursued. Explain your rationale. End-user computing offers the potential to expand the base of IM/IT development and overcome issues that arise when a low priority is assigned to certain applications that are nevertheless viewed as important to units within the organization. Some of the advantages of end user computing are overcoming shortages of professionals, establishment of user friendly and responsive systems, and overcoming implementation problems. Some other advantages are the systems tailored to users, enables creative use of IS, generates competitive advantage, overcomes backlog by providing systems that IS could not get round to doing, puts users nearer the information, allows for variety, Increases user awareness of IS, and Relieves work load of IT professional. The disadvantages are that they produce inappropriate systems, causes duplication, takes users away from their real job, ignores long range and technical issues, courts disaster due to lack of attention to procedures, and causes integration problems. From the e-Activity, discuss what additional challenges exist with systems integration between / among health care organizations and possible solutions to those challenges.

Roles of Women in the Early Europe

In early, medieval Europe, everyday life and the duties of people were greatly different than they are today. Obviously, there was no technology and life was a lot simpler. However, some of the former ways of life are not always praised as something good. For example, women during the time were treated very inadequately. Yes, this has happened in just about every society in history, but it seems like most women during this period were used and disrespected more notably than in others. In Philippa Gregory’s novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, this theme is seen greatly. In the story, the narrator, Mary, is defending her sister, Anne, after she is sentenced to death for producing an incest baby instead of a son for the king, King Henry. Mary, pleading for her sister, yells out â€Å"We did nothing more than that was ordered. We only ever did as we were commanded. Is she to die for being an obedient daughter? †(Pg. 650). During this time period, many women in the royal courts were used to produce male heirs, mainly to keep the name of the king and the family continuing. I strongly agree with the quote by Mary because killing a human being for a reason such as that is immoral and women are not just objects for men. In the story, Henry did have a choice to kill Anne or not, but I understood why he did end up taking her life. When Mary claims that the two Boleyn girls â€Å"did as they were commanded†, something drew to my attention. Mary was completely valid in saying that. Anne and Mary were mainly just used to birth a son. Several members of their family, including their uncle, demanded for one of them to bed the king. At first it was Mary who had an affair with the already married king. Even though Mary produces two children, one being a boy, it is not legitimate due to the fact that Mary is merely a mistress and not the queen. When he was done with Mary, King Henry moved on to Anne, who was more determined to become queen and have the child be legitimate. She eventually becomes the Queen of England, but it is proven that Henry was just using her for her child after he kills her. I do not agree with this concept by any means. However, this was a common role for women at the time. Kings and royal families were so concerned about keeping their name going in the court that they would risk the lives of women in doing so. You would think that one of King Henry’s seven wives would pick up on this trend at some point, or any woman in any court for that matter. It seems like women were treated as objects in the royal courts. The women were the croc pot that prepared the kings’ stew. And, if that stew was not one hundred percent correct, the croc pot would be set aside and replaced with a new one. I do not feel this is morally acceptable at all. I understand that kings wanted to have a male heir to keep the name going, but they should have had to complete that task so viciously. In this case, I do not agree with King Henry’s tactics at all, but I understand why he killed Anne. I believe that it was so common to banish or kill a wife for such crimes as adultery or incest that Henry had no choice, but to kill her. He was a very strong, determined man with a bold reputation for being so. By beheading Anne, he was retaining his reputation, but also proved that it was never true love between him and Anne. He had women lined up to take the place of Anne. â€Å"He is at her house every night. He is as he was in the old days, when it was her. † (656). This quote just proves the fact that Henry wanted nothing more of Anne than a son, which is a common theme of the roles of women during this time period. I do not agree with the concept of using women for the production of male heirs because it is immoral and women should not be viewed as objects. That is a major theme in The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. It is prevalent throughout the story and in history that King Henry of England used women as devices used to produce male heirs. This was also seen throughout history. Kings were so determined to keep their name going that they would execute their wives for such faults as not producing a boy, or in this case, birthing an incest baby. The kings had to maintain a strong reputation. I understand that, but do not agree with how they did so.

John Downe

John Downe In John Downe’s letter to his wife, he strategically establishes and develops ethos as well as pathos to convince her to join him in the United States with their children. Throughout the letter, Downe develops his credibility through his use of ethos which includes the repetition of â€Å"I. † â€Å"I have got a situation,† â€Å"I dined with him,† â€Å"I went into the market yesterday,† all progress towards the establishment of his plausibility in his wife’s eyes. He provides his wife with examples of the many positive situations he, himself has endured while being in the country of America.Downe hopes that his persuading words will convince her to emigrate with their children to America. â€Å"I know you will like America† is Downe’s primary hope and purpose for writing this persuasive letter. By describing all the things that he has been able to do in this country, â€Å"I can go into a store, and have as much br andy as I like to drink for three half-pence and all other spirits are in proportion,† Downe hopes that these credential words will be approved by his wife.His elaborations on the things he has managed to do in America are essentially used to provoke his wife’s interest in this country. These descriptions are used as reassurance for his wife to know of the great opportunities he has found in America but not back home in England. Downe believes this will strike his wife as another reason why she will enjoy her new life in America and compares their troublesome life in England to the great possibilities that can be accomplished in this new country.He explains, â€Å"this is a country where a man can stand as a man, and where he can enjoy the fruits of his own exertions, with rational liberty to its fullest extent†, hoping that his comparisons to the life in England and the life in America will evoke in his wife a sense of longing for this kind of living. Downe†™s convincing words showing all of the achievements he has experienced in America lead his wife to want this same kind of exposure.Downe continues to expand on the things he has accomplished in America with his development of pathos through long, periodic sentences. He mentions that on the table there was â€Å"pudding, pyes, and fruit of all kind that was in season†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"they do not think of locking the doors in this country† to assure his wife of the safety and prosperity of this country. He then goes on to acknowledge, with emotional appeal, that all he â€Å"wants now is to see you, and the dear children here, and then I shall be happy, and not before†.This is Downe’s development of pathos for the purpose of persuading and influencing his wife to make her decision much easier about emigrating to America with the children. He hopes to influence her decision by explaining how much better off they would be as a family, together in one count ry. Although he announces that he will only be happy if his family comes to America to live with him, Downe concludes that he does not â€Å"repent of coming† and he â€Å"would rather cross the Atlantic ten times than hear my children cry†.By his mentioning that he does not regret one bit coming to America, Downe hopes to display for his wife how great of a country America is. The pathos are purposefully placed there by Downe to show to his wife that although he has left his family, he would do it all over again just to live in the convenient country of America- hoping this will stir some kind of desire in his wife’s mind.Through his emotional words, Downe demonstrates that the travel to America is nothing compared to what this country holds in store for their family. Although he explains to his wife there will be â€Å"a few inconveniences in crossing the Atlantic†, in the end she will enjoy the United States of America. In the midst of his pathos, it i s possible to conclude that Downe’s reason for leaving his family behind is to find opportunity for a new life, which America provides.Through his use of repetition and periodic sentences, John Downe develops credibility and emotional appeal. Through his repetition of â€Å"I†, he is able to bestow upon his wife a feeling of longing for the same freedom and prosperity he has gained when coming to America by showing her all of the things he has accomplished while living in this country. With Downe’s strategic pathos, he manages to convince his wife that all he wants for their family is wealth, health, and land- all of which can be found in America.

Guidance and Counselling Thesis

Comprehensive Guidance Programs That Work II Norman Gysbers and Patricia Henderson A Model Comprehensive Guidance Program Chapter 1 Norman C. Gysbers The Comprehensive Guidance Program Model described in this chapter had its genesis in the early 1970s. In 1972, the staff of a federally funded project at the University of Missouri-Columbia conducted a national conference on guidance and developed a manual to be used by state guidance leaders as a guide to developing their own manuals for state and local school district use. The manual was published in early 1974 and provided the original description of the Comprehensive Guidance Program Model. From the 1940s to the 1970s, the position orientation to guidance dominated professional training and practice in our schools. The focus was on a position (counselor) and a process (counseling), not on a program (guidance). Administratively, guidance, with its position orientation, was included in pupil personnel services along with other such services as attendance, social work, psychological, psychiatric, speech and hearing, nursing, and medical (Eckerson & Smith, 1966). The position orientation had its beginnings when guidance was first introduced in the schools as vocational guidance. As early as 1910, vocational counselors had been appointed in the elementary and secondary schools of Boston, and by 1915 a central office Department of Vocational Guidance had been established with a director, Susan J. Ginn. The vocational counselors in Boston were teachers who took on the work with no financial return and often no relief from other duties (Ginn, 1924). What were the duties of vocational counselors? The Duties of a Vocational Counselor: 1. To be the representative of the Department of Vocational Guidance in the district; 2. To attend all meetings of counselors called by the director of Vocational Guidance; 3. To be responsible for all material sent out to the school by the Vocational Guidance Department; 4. To gather and keep on file occupational information; 5. To arrange with the local branch librarians about shelves of books bearing upon educational and vocational guidance; 6. To arrange for some lessons in occupations in connection with classes in Oral English and Vocational Civics, or wherever principal and counselor deem it wise; 7. To recommend that teachers show the relationship of their work to occupational problems; 8. To interview pupils in grades 6 and above who are failing, attempt to find the reason, and suggest remedy. 9. To make use of the cumulative record card when advising children; 10. To consult records of intelligence tests when advising children; 11. To make a careful study with grade 7 and grade 8 of the bulletin â€Å"A Guide to the Choice of Secondary School†; 12. To urge children to remain in school; 13. To recommend conferences with parents of children who are failing or leaving school; 14. To interview and check cards of all children leaving school, making clear to them the requirements for obtaining working certificates; 15. To be responsible for the filling in of Blank 249 and communicate with recommendations to the Department of Vocational Guidance when children are in need of employment. (Ginn, 1924, pp. 5-7) As more and more positions titled vocational counselor were filled in schools across the country, concern was expressed about the lack of centralization, the lack of a unified program. In a review of the Boston system, Brewer (1922) stated that work was â€Å"commendable and promising† (p. 36). At the same time, however, he expressed concern about the lack of effective centralization: In most schools two or more teachers are allowed part-time for counseling individuals, but there seems to be no committee of cooperation between the several schools, and no attempt to supervise the work. It is well done or indifferently done, apparently according to the interest and enthusiasm of the individual principal or counselor. p. 35) Myers (1923) made the same point when he stated that â€Å"a centralized, unified program of vocational guidance for the entire school of a city is essential to the most effective work† (p. 139). The lack of a centralized and unified program of guidance in the schools to define and focus the work of vocational counselors presented a serious problem. If there was no agreed-upon, centralized structure to organize and direct the work of building-level vocational counselors, then â€Å"other duties as assigned† could become a problem. As early as 1923 this problem was recognized by Myers (1923). Another tendency dangerous to the cause of vocational guidance is the tendency to load the vocational counselor with so many duties foreign to the office that little real counseling can be done. The principal, and often the counselor himself, has a very indefinite idea of the proper duties of this new office. The counselor’s time is more free from definite assignments with groups or classes of pupils than is that of the ordinary teacher. If well chosen he has administrative ability. It is perfectly natural, therefore, for the principal to assign one administrative duty after another to the counselor until he becomes practically assistant principal, with little time for the real work of a counselor. (p. 141) During the 1920s and 1930s, as formal education was being shaped and reshaped as to its role in society, a broader mission for education emerged. Added to the educational mission was a vocational mission. How did education respond to these additional tasks and challenges? One response was to add pupil personnel work to the education system. What was pupil personnel work? According to Myers (1935), â€Å"pupil personnel work is a sort of handmaiden of organized education. It is concerned primarily with bringing the pupils of the community into the educational environment of the schools in such condition and under circumstances as will enable them to obtain the maximum of the desired development† (p. 804). In his article, Myers (1935) contrasted pupil personnel work and personnel work in industry. He then listed eight activities he would include in pupil personnel work and the personnel who would be involved, including attendance officers, visiting teachers, school nurses, school physicians, as well as vocational counselors. In his discussion of all the activities involved in pupil personnel work and the personnel involved, he stated that â€Å"Probably no activity in the entire list suffers so much from lack of a coordinated programs as does guidance, and especially the counseling part of it† (p. 807). In the late 1920s, in response to the lack of an organized approach to guidance, the services model of guidance was initiated to guide the work of individuals designated as counselors. Various services were identified as necessary to provide to students, including the individual inventory service, information service, counseling service, placement service, and follow-up service (Smith, 1951). By this time too, the traditional way of describing guidance as having three aspects – vocational, educational, and personal-social – was well established. Vocational guidance, instead of being guidance, had become only one part of guidance. By the 1940s and 1950s, guidance was firmly established as a part of pupil personnel services with its emphasis on the position of counselor. Beginning in the 1960s, but particularly in the 1970s, the concept of guidance for development emerged. During this period, the call came to re-orient guidance from what had become an ancillary set of services delivered by a person in a position (the counselor) to a comprehensive, developmental program. The call for reorientation came from diverse sources, including a renewed interest in vocational-career guidance (and its theoretical base, career development), a renewed interest in developmental guidance, concern about the efficacy of the prevailing approach to guidance in the school, and concern about accountability and evaluation. The work of putting comprehensive guidance programs into place in the schools continued in the 1980s. Increasingly, sophisticated models began to be translated into practical, workable programs to be implemented in the schools. As we near the close of the 1990s, comprehensive guidance programs are rapidly encompassing the position orientation to guidance. Comprehensive guidance programs are becoming the major way of organizing and managing guidance in the schools across the country. This chapter begins with a brief review of traditional organizational patterns for guidance. Next, the development of a Comprehensive Guidance Program Model that had its genesis in the early 1970s is presented. The content of the model is described, ollowed by a presentation of the structure of the program, the processes used in the program, and the time allocations of staff required to carry out the program. Finally, there is discussion of the program resources required for the model if it is to function effectively. Traditional Organizational Patterns By the 1960s, the evolution of guidance in the schools had reached a peak. The guidance provisions of the National Defense Education Act of 1958 (Public Law 85-864) caused the nu mber of secondary counselors in schools to increase substantially. Later, due to an expansion of the guidance provisions of the act, elementary guidance was supported and as a result, the number of elementary counselors in schools increased rapidly. Counselors put their expertise to work in schools where three traditional organizational patterns for guidance were prevalent, often under the administrative structure called pupil personnel services or student services; the services model, the process model, or the duties model. In many schools, combinations of these three approaches were used. Services The ervices model had its origins in the 1920s and consists of organizing the activities of counselors around major services including assessment, information, counseling, placement and follow-up. Although the activities that are usually listed under each of these services are important and useful, it is a limited model for three reasons. First, it is primarily oriented to secondary schools. Second, it does not lend itself easily to the identification of student outcomes. And third, it does not specify how the time of counselors should be allocated. Processes The process model had its origins in the 1940s. It emphasizes the clinical and therapeutic aspects of counseling, particularly the processes of counseling, consulting, and coordinating. This model is appealing because it is equally applicable to elementary and secondary counselors. However, the process model has some of the same limitations as the services model: It does not lend itself easily to the identification of student outcomes and it does not specify allocations of counselor time. Duties Often, instead of describing some organizational pattern such as the services model or the process model, counselor duties are simply listed (duties model). Sometimes these lists contain as many as 20-30 duties and the last duty is often â€Å"and perform other duties as assigned from time to time. † Although equally applicable to elementary school and secondary school counselors, student outcomes are difficult to identify and counselor time is almost impossible to allocate effectively. Position Oriented Rather Than Program Focused One result of these traditional organizational patterns has been to emphasize the position of the counselor, not the program of guidance. Over the years, as guidance evolved in the schools, it became position oriented rather than program focused. As a result, guidance was an ancillary support service in the eyes of many people. This pattern placed counselors mainly in a remedial-reactive role – a role that is not seen as mainstream in education. What was worse, this pattern reinforced the practice of counselors performing many administrative-clerical duties because these duties could be defended as being â€Å"of service to somebody. † Because of the lack of an adequate organization framework, guidance had become an undefined program. Guidance had become the add-on profession, while counselors were seen as the â€Å"you-might-as-well† group (â€Å"While you are oing this task, you might as well do this one too†). Because of the absence of a clear organizational framework for guidance, it was easy to assign counselors new duties. Counselors had flexible schedules. And, since time was not a consideration, why worry about removing current duties when new ones were added? Origin of the Comprehensive Gu idance Program Model In October of 1969, the University of Missouri-Columbia conducted a national conference on career guidance, counseling and placement that led to regional conferences held across the country during the spring of 1970. Then in 1971, the University of Missouri-Columbia was awarded a U. S. Office of Education grant under the direction of Norman C. Gysbers to assist each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in developing models or guides for implementing career guidance, counseling and placement programs in their local schools. Project staff in Missouri conducted a national conference in St. Louis in January of 1972 and developed a manual (Gysbers & Moore, 1974) to be used by the states as they developed their own guides. The manual that was published in February of 1974 provided the first description of an organizational framework for the Comprehensive Guidance Program Model that was to be refined in later work (Gysbers, 1978; Gysbers & Henderson, 1994; Gysbers & Moore, 1981; Hargens & Gysbers, 1984). The original organizational framework for the Comprehensive Guidance Program Model contained three interrelated categories of functions, and on-call functions. The curriculum-based category brought together those guidance activities which took place primarily in the context of regularly scheduled courses of study in an educational setting. These activities were a part of regular school subjects or were organized around special topics in the form of units, mini courses, or modules. They were based on need statements and translated into goals and objectives and activities necessary for the development of all students. Typical topics focused on self-understanding, interpersonal relationships, decision making, and information about the education, work, and leisure worlds. School counselors were involved directly with students through class instruction, group processes, or individual discussions. In other instances, school counselors worked directly and cooperatively with teachers, providing resources and consultation. Individual facilitation functions included those systematic activities of the comprehensive guidance program designed to assist students in monitoring and understanding their development in regard to their personal, educational, and occupational goals, values, abilities, aptitudes, and interests. School counselors served in the capacity of â€Å"advisers,† â€Å"learner managers,† or â€Å"development specialists. Personalized contact and involvement were stressed instead of superficial contact with each student once a year to fill out a schedule. The functions in this category provided for the accountability needed in an educational setting to ensure that students’ uniqueness remained intact and that educational resources were used to facilitate their life career development. On-call functions focused on direct, immediate responses to stu dents needs such as information seeking, crisis counseling, and teacher/parent/specialist consultation. In addition, on-call functions were supportive of the curriculum-based and individual facilitation functions. Adjunct guidance staff (peers, paraprofessionals, and volunteers/support staff) aided school counselors in carrying out on-call functions. Peers were involved in tutorial programs, orientation activities, ombudsman centers, and (with special training) cross-age counseling and leadership in informal dialogue centers. Paraprofessionals and volunteers provided meaningful services in placement and followup activities, community liaison, career information centers, and club leadership activities. The 1974 version of the model focused on the importance of counselor time usage by featuring â€Å"time distribution wheels† to show how counselors’ time could be distributed to carry out a developmental guidance program. A chart was provided to show how counselors’ time could be distributed across a typical school week using the three categories as organizers. REFINEMENTS TO THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE PROGRAM MODEL In 1978, Gysbers described refinements that had been made to the model since 1974. By 1978, the focus was on a total comprehensive, developmental guidance program. It included the following elements: definition, rationale, assumptions, content model, and process model. The content model described the knowledge and skills that students would acquire with the help of activities in the guidance program. The process model grouped the guidance activities and processes used in the program into four interrelated categories: curriculum-based processes, individual-development processes, on-call responsive processes, and systems support processes. It is interesting to note the changes that had been made between 1974 and 1978 in the model. The concepts of definition, rationale, and assumptions had been added. The model itself was now organized into two parts. The first part listed the content to be learned by students, while the second part organized into four categories the guidance activities and processes needed in a program. The category of individual facilitation was changed to individual development, the word responsive was added to on-call, and a new category – systems support – was added. Also in 1978, Gysbers described seven steps required to â€Å"remodel a guidance program while living in it†: 1. Decide you want to change. 2. Form work groups. . Assess current programs. 4. Select program model. 5. Compare current program with program model. 6. Establish transition timetable. 7. Evaluate. Between 1978 and 1981, further refinements were made in the model. These refinements appeared in Improving Guidance Programs by Gysbers and Moore (1981). By then, the basic structure of the model was est ablished. The terms â€Å"content model† and â€Å"process model† had been dropped. Also, the steps for remodeling a guidance program, first delineated in 1978, formed the basis for the organization the chapters in Improving Guidance Programs and were described in detail. Between 1981 and 1988, the model was being used by state departments of education and local school districts with increasing frequency. During these years, two school districts in particular became involved: St. Joseph School District, St. Joseph, Missouri and Northside Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas. Hargens and Gysbers (1984), writing in The School Counselor, presented a case study of how the model was implemented in the St. Joseph School District. The work in the Northside Independent School District became the basis for much of the most recent description of the model (Gysbers & Henderson, 1994). As the 1980s progressed, a number of states and a number of additional school districts across the country began to adapt the model to fit their needs. In 1988, the first edition of Gysbers and Henderson’s book Developing and Managing Your School Guidance Program was published by the American Association for Counseling and Development, AACD (now the American Counseling Association, ACA). Using the framework of the model presented in 1981, Gysbers and Henderson expanded and extended the model substantially. Building upon the experiences of a number of local school districts and states and with particular emphasis on the experiences of the Northside Independent School District, the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation phases of the model were elaborated upon in much more detail. Sample forms, procedures, and methods, particularly those from Northside, were used extensively to illustrate the model and its implementation. The second edition of the book Developing and Managing Your School Guidance Program by Gysbers and Henderson was published in 1994. DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE PROGRAM MODEL Conceptual Foundation The perspective of human development that serves as the foundation for the model and as a basis for identifying the guidance knowledge, skills, and attitudes (competencies) that students need to master is called life career development. Life career development is defined as self-development over a person’s life span through the integration of the roles, setting, and events in a person’s life. The word life in the definition indicates that the focus of this conception of human development is on the total person – the human career. The word career identifies and relates the many often varied roles that individuals assume (student, worker, consumer, citizen, parent); the settings in which individuals find themselves (home, school, community); and the events that occur over their lifetimes (entry job, marriage, divorce, retirement). The word development is used to indicate that individuals are always in the process of becoming. When used in sequence, the words life career development bring these separate meaning words together, but at the same time a greater meaning evolves. Life career development describes total individuals – unique individuals, with their own lifestyles (Gysbers & Moore, 1974, 1975, 1981). The meaning of the word career in the phrase life career development differs substantially from the usual definition of the term. Career focuses on all aspects of life as interrelated parts of the whole person. The term career, when viewed from this broad perspective, is not a synonym for occupation. People have careers; the marketplace has occupations. Unfortunately, too many people use the word career when they hould use the word occupation. All people have careers – their lives are their careers. Finally, the words, life career development do not delineate and describe only one part of human growth and development. Although it is useful to focus at times on different areas (e. g. , physical, emotional, and intellectual), it is also necessary to integrate these areas. Life career development is an organizing and integrating concept f or understanding and facilitating human development. Wolfe and Kolb (1980) summed up the life view of career development as follows: Career development involves one’s whole life, not just occupation. As such, it concerns the whole person, needs and wants, capacities and potentials, excitements and anxieties, insights and blind spots, warts and all. More than that, it concerns his/her life. The environment pressures and constraints, the bonds that tie him/her to significant others, responsibilities to children and aging parents, the total structure of one’s circumstances are also factors that must be understood and reckoned with, in these terms, career development and personal development converge. Self and circumstances – evolving, changing, unfolding in mutual interaction – constitute the focus and the drama of career development. (pp. 1-2) COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE PROGRAM MODEL ELEMENTS The model program (see Figure 1. 1) consists of three elements: content, organizational framework, and resources. CONTENT There are many examples today of content (student knowledge and skills) for guidance. The content is generally organized around areas or domains such as career, educational, and personal-social. Most often, the content is stated in a student competency format. For purposes of this chapter, the three domains of human development that are featured in the life career development concept are presented here: self-knowledge and interpersonal skills; life roles, setting and events; and life career planning (Gysbers & Henderson, 1994; Gysbers & Moore, 1974, 1981). Student competencies are generated from these domains to provide example program content for the model. Self-knowledge and Interpersonal Skills In the self-knowledge and interpersonal skills domain of life career development, the focus is on helping students understand themselves and others. The main concepts of this domain focus on students’ awareness and acceptance of themselves, their awareness and acceptance of others, and their development of interpersonal skills. Within this domain, students begin to develop an awareness of their interpersonal characteristics – interests, aspirations, and abilities. Students learn techniques for self-appraisal and the analysis of their personal characteristics in terms of a real-ideal self-continuum. They begin to formulate plans for self-improvement in such areas as physical and mental health. Individuals become knowledgeable about the interactive relationship of self and environment in such a way that they develop personal standards and a sense of purpose in life. Students learn how to create and maintain relationships and develop skills that allow for beneficial interaction within those relationships. They can use self-knowledge in life career planning. They have positive interpersonal relations and are self-directed in that they accept responsibility for their own behavior. See Figure 1. 1 Below The model program consists of three elements: content, organizational framework, and resources. Comprehensive Guidance Program Elements Content Organizational Framework, Activities, Time Resources COMPETENCIES †¢ †¢ †¢ Student Competencies Grouped by domains STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS †¢ Definition †¢ Assumptions †¢ Rational PROGRAM COMPONENTS SAMPLE PROCESSES Guidance Curriculum Structured Groups Classroom presentations Individual Planning Advisement Assessment Placement & Follow-up †¢ Responsive Services Individual counseling Small group counseling Consultation Referral System Support Management activities Consultation Community outreach Public relations †¢ †¢ RESOURCES †¢ Human †¢ Financial †¢ Political SUGGESTED DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL COUNSELOR TIME Elementary School 35-45% 5-10% 30-40% 10-15% Middle/Junior School 25-35% 15-25% 30-40% 10-15% High School 15-25% 25-35% 25-35% 15-20% Guidance Curriculum Individual Planning Responsive Services System Support Life Roles, Settings, and Events The emphasis in this domain of lif e career development is on the interrelatedness of various life roles (learner, citizen, consumer), settings (home, school, work, and community), and events (job entry, marriage, retirement) in which students participate over the life span. Emphasis is given to the knowledge and understanding of the sociological, psychological, and economic dimensions and structure of their worlds. As students explore the different aspects of their roles, they learn how stereotypes affect their own lives and others’ lives. The implications of futuristic concerns is examined and related to their current lives. Students learn the potential impact of change in modern society and the necessity of being able to project themselves into the future. In this way, they begin to predict the future, foresee alternatives they may choose, and plan to meet the requirements of the life career alternatives they may choose. As a result of learning about the multiple options and dimensions of their worlds, students understand the reciprocal influences of life roles, settings, and events, and they can consider various lifestyle patterns. Life Career Planning The life career planning domain in life career development is designed to help students understand that decision making and planning are important tasks in everyday life and to recognize the need for life career planning. Students learn about the many occupations and industries in the work world and of their groupings according to occupational requirements and characteristics, as well as learning about their own personal skills, interests, values, and aspirations. Emphasis is placed on students’ learning of various rights and responsibilities associated with their involvement in a life career. The central focus of this domain is on the mastery of decision-making skills as a part of life career planning. Students develop skills in this area by learning the elements of the decision-making process. They develop skills in gathering information from relevant sources, both external and internal, and learn to use the collected information in making informed and reasoned decisions. A major aspect of this process involves the appraisal of personal values as they may relate to prospective plans and decisions. Students engage in planning activities and begin to understand that they can influence their future by applying such skill. They accept responsibility for making their own choices, for managing their own resources, and for directing the future course of their own lives. ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK The model program (see Figure 1. 1) contains seven components organized around two major categories: structural components and program components (Gysbers & Henderson, 1994; Gysbers & Moore, 1981). The three structural components describe the student focus of the program and how the program connects to other educational programs (definition), offer reasons why the program is important and needed (rational), and provide the premises upon which the program rests (assumptions). The four program components delineate the major activities and the roles and responsibilities of personnel involved in carrying out the guidance program. These four program elements are as follows: guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support. Structural Components Definition The program definition includes the mission statement of the guidance program and its centrality within the school district’s total educational program. It delineates the competencies that individuals will possess as a result of their involvement in the program, summarizes the components, and identifies the program’s clientele. Rational The rationale discusses the importance of guidance as an equal partner in the educational system and provides reasons why students need to acquire the competencies that will accrue as a result of their involvement in a comprehensive guidance program. Included are conclusions drawn from student and community needs assessments and statements of the goals of the local school district. Assumptions Assumptions are the principles that shape and guide the program. They include statements regarding the contributions that school counselors and guidance programs make to students’ development, the premises that undergird the comprehensiveness and the balanced nature of the program, and the relationships between the guidance program and the other educational programs. Program Components An examination of the needs of students, the variety of guidance methods, techniques, and resources available, and the increases expectations of policy-makers and consumers indicates that a new structure for guidance programs in the schools is needed. The position orientation organized around the traditional services (information, assessment, counseling, placement, and follow-up) and three aspects (educational, personal-social, and vocational) of guidance is no longer adequate to carry the needed guidance activities in today’s schools. When cast as a position and organized around services, guidance is often seen as ancillary and only supportive to instruction, rather than equal and complementary. The â€Å"three aspects† view of guidance frequently has resulted in fragmented and eventoriented activities and, in some instances, the creation of separate kinds of counselors. For example, educational guidance is stressed by academic-college counselors, personalsocial guidance becomes the territory of mental health counselors, and vocational guidance is the focus of vocational counselors. If the traditional structures for guidance in the schools are no longer adequate, what structure is needed? One way to answer this question is to ask and answer the following questions: Are all students in need of specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are the instructional province of guidance programs? Do all students need assistance with their personal, educational, and occupational plans? Do some students require special assistance in dealing with developmental problems and immediate crises? Do educational programs in the school and the staff involved require support that can be best supplied by school counselors? An affirmative answer to these four questions implies a structure that is different from the traditional position model. A review of the variety of guidance methods, techniques, and resources available today and an understanding of the expectations of national and state policy-makers and consumers of guidance also suggests the needs for a different model. The structure suggested by an affirmative answer to the four questions and by a review of the literature is a program model of guidance techniques, methods, and resources organized around four interactive program components: guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support (Gysbers & Henderson, 1994; Gysbers & Moore, 1981). The curriculum component was chosen because a curriculum provides a vehicle to impart guidance content to all students in a systematic way. Individual planning was included as a part of the model because of the increasing need for all students to systematically plan, monitor, and manager their development and to consider and take action on their next steps personally, educationally, and occupationally. The responsive services component was included because of the need to respond to the direct, immediate concerns of students, whether these concerns involve crisis counseling, referral, or consultation with parents, teachers, or other specialists. Finally, the system support component was included because, if the other guidance processes are to be effective, a variety of support activities such as staff development, research, and curriculum development are required. Also, system support encompasses the need for the guidance program to provide appropriate support to other programs in including assuming â€Å"fair share† responsibilities in operating the school. These components, then, serve as organizers for the many guidance methods, techniques, and resources required in a comprehensive guidance program. In addition, they also serve as a check on the comprehensiveness of the program. A program is not comprehensive unless counselors are providing activities to students, parents, and staff in all four program components. Guidance Curriculum This model of guidance is based on the assumption that guidance programs include content that all students should learn in a systematic, sequential way. In order for this to happen, counselors must be involved in teaching, team teaching, or serving as a resource for those who teach a guidance curriculum. This is not a new idea; the notion of guidance curriculum has deep, historical roots. What is new however, is the array of guidance and counseling techniques, methods, and resources currently available that work best as part of a curriculum. Also new is the concept that a comprehensive guidance program has an organized and sequential curriculum. The guidance curriculum typically consists of student competencies (organized by domain) and structured activities presented systematically through such strategies as the following: †¢ Classroom Activities Counselors teach, team teach, or support the teaching of guidance curriculum learning activities or unites in classrooms. Teachers also may teach such units. The guidance curriculum is not limited to being part of only one or two subjects but should be included in as many subjects as possible throughout the total school curriculum. These activities may be conducted in the classroom, guidance center, or other school facilities. †¢ Group Activities Counselors organize large-group sessions such as career days and educational/college/vocational days. Other members of the guidance team, including teachers and administrators, may be involved in organizing and conducting such sessions. Although counselors’ responsibilities include organizing and implementing the guidance curriculum, the cooperation and support of the entire faculty are necessary for its successful implementation. Individual Planning Concern for individual student development in a complex society has been a cornerstone of the guidance movement since the days of Frank Parsons. In recent years the concern for individual student development has intensified as society has become more complex. This concern is manifested in many ways, but perhaps is expressed most succinctly in a frequently stated guidance goal: â€Å"Helping all students become the persons they are capable of becoming. † To accomplish the purposes of this component of the Model, activities and procedures are provided to assist students in understanding and periodically monitoring their development. Students come to terms with their goals, values, abilities, aptitudes, and interests (competencies) so they can continue to progress educationally and occupationally. Counselors become â€Å"person-development-and-placement specialists. † Individual planning consists of activities that help students to plan, monitor, and manage their own learning and their personal and career development. The focus is on assisting students, in close collaboration with parents, to develop, analyze, and evaluate their educational, occupational, and personal goals and plans. Individual planning is implemented through such strategies as: †¢ Individual Appraisal Counselors assist students to assess and interpret their abilities, interests, skills, and achievement. The use of test information and other data about students is an important part of helping them develop immediate and long-range goals and plans. †¢ Individual Advisement Counselors assist students to use self-appraisal information along with personal-social, educational, career, and labor market information to help them plan and realize their personal, educational, and occupational goals. †¢ Placement Counselors and other educational personnel assist students to make the transition from school to work or to additional education and training. Responsive Services Problems relating to academic learning, personal identity issues, drugs, and peer and family relationships are increasingly a part of the educational scene. Crisis counseling, diagnostic and remediation activities, and consultation and referral must continue to be included as an ongoing part of a comprehensive guidance program. In addition, a continuing need exists for the guidance program to respond to the immediate information-seeking needs of students, parents, and teachers. The responsive services component organizes guidance techniques and methods to respond to these concerns and needs as they occur; it is supportive of the guidance curriculum and individual planning components as well. Responsive services consist of activities to meet the immediate needs and concerns of students, teachers, and parents, whether these needs or concerns require counseling, consultation, referral, or information. Although counselors have special training and possess skills to respond to immediate needs and concerns, the cooperation and support of the entire faculty are necessary for this component’s successful implementation. Responsive services are implemented through such strategies as: †¢ Consultation Counselors consult with parents, teachers, other educators, and community agencies regarding strategies to help students deal with and resolve personal, educational, and career concerns. †¢ Personal Counseling Counseling is provided on a small-group and individual basis for students who have problems or difficulties dealing with relationships, personal concerns, or normal developmental tasks. The focus is on assisting students to identify problems and causes, alternatives, possible consequences, and to take action when appropriate. †¢ Crisis Counseling Counseling and support are provided to students or their families facing emergency situations. Such counseling is normally short term and temporary in nature. When necessary, appropriate referral sources are used. †¢ Referral Counselors use other professional resources of the school and community to refer students when appropriate. These referral sources may include: mental health agencies employment and training programs vocational rehabilitation juvenile services social services special school programs (special or compensatory education) The responsive services component also provides for small-group counseling. Small groups of students with similar concerns can be helped by intensive small-group counseling. All students may not need such assistance, but it is available in a comprehensive program. Adjunct guidance staff—peers, paraprofessionals, volunteers—can aid counselors in carrying out their responsive activities. Peers can be involved in tutorial programs, orientation activities, ombudsman functions and, with special training, cross-age counseling and leadership in informal dialog. Paraprofessionals and volunteers can provide assistance in such areas as placement, follow-up, and community-school-home liaison activities. System Support The administration and management of a comprehensive guidance program require an ongoing support system. That is why system support is a major program component. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked or only minimally appreciated. And yet, the system support component is as important as the other three components. Without continuing support, the other three components of the guidance program are ineffective. This component is implemented and carried out through such activities as the following: †¢ Research and Development Guidance program evaluation, follow-up studies, and the continued development and updating of guidance learning activities are some examples of the research and development work of counselors. †¢ Staff/Community Public Relations The orientation of staff and the community to the comprehensive guidance program through the use of newsletters, local media, and school and community presentations are examples of public relations work. †¢ Professional Development Counselors must regularly update their professional knowledge and skills. This may include participation in school inservice training, attendance at professional meetings, completion of postgraduate course work, and contributions to the professional literature. †¢ Committee/Advisory Boards Serving on departmental curriculum committees and community committees or advisory boards are examples of activities in this area. †¢ Community Outreach Included in this area are activities designed to help counselors become knowledgeable about community resources, employment opportunities, and the local labor market. This may involve counselors visiting local businesses and industries and social services agencies. Program Management and Operations This area includes the planning and management tasks needed to support the activities of a comprehensive guidance program. Also included in the system support component are activities that support programs other than guidance. These activities may include counselors being involved in helping interpret student test re sults to teachers, parents, and administrators, serving on departmental curriculum committees (helping interpret student needs data for curriculum revision), and working with school administrators (helping interpret student needs and behaviors). Care must be taken, however, to watch the time given to these duties because the primary focus for counselors is their work in the first three components of the comprehensive guidance program. It is important to realize that if the guidance program is well run, focusing heavily on the first three components, it will provide substantial support for other programs and personnel in the school and the community. Program Time Counselors’ professional time is a critical element in the Model. How should professional certified counselors spend their time? How should this time be spread across the total program? In this Model, the four program components provide the structure for making judgments about appropriate allocations of counselors’ time. One criterion to be used in making such judgments is the concept of program balance. The assumption is that counselor time should be spread across all program components, but particularly the first three. Another criterion is that different grade levels require different allocations of counselor time across the program components. For example, at the elementary level, more counselor time is spent working in the curriculum with less time spent in individual planning. In the high school, these time allocations are reversed. How counselors in a school district or school building plan and allocate their time depends on the needs of their students and their community. Once chosen, time allocations are not fixed forever. The purpose for making them is to provide direction to the program and to the administrators and counselors involved. Since the Model is a â€Å"100 percent program,† 100 % of counselors’ time must be spread across the four program components. Time allocations are changed as new needs arise, but nothing new can be added unless something else is removed. The assumption is that professional counselors spend 100 % of their time on task, implementing the guidance program. What are some suggested percentages? As an example, the state of Missouri (Starr & Gysbers, 1997) has adopted suggested percentages of counselor time to be spent on each program component. These suggested percentages were recommended by Missouri counselors and administrators who had participated in the field-testing of the Missouri adaptation of the Comprehensive Guidance Program Model: Percent ES M/JH HS Guidance Curriculum 35-45 25-35 15-25 Individual Planning 05-10 15-25 25-35 Responsive Services 30-40 30-40 25-35 System Support 10-15 10-15 15-20 Resources Human Human resources for the guidance program include such individuals as counselors, teachers, administrators, parents, students, community members, and business and labor personnel. All have roles to play in the guidance program. While counselors are the main providers of guidance and counseling services and coordinators of the program, the involvement, cooperation, and support of teachers and administrators is necessary for the program to be successful. The involvement, cooperation, and support of parents, community members, and business and labor personnel also is critical. A SchoolCommunity Advisory Committee is recommended to bring together the talent and energy of school and community personnel. The School-Community Advisory Committee acts as a liaison between the school and community and provides recommendations concerning the needs of students and the community. A primary duty of this committee is to advise those involved in the guidance program. The committee is not a policy- or decision-making body; rather, it is a source of advice, counsel, and support and is a communication link between those involved in the guidance program and the school and community. The committee is a permanent part of the guidance program. A community person should be the chairperson. The use and involvement of an advisory committee will vary according to the program and the community. It is important, however, that membership be more than in name only. Members will be particularly helpful in developing and implementing the public relations plan for the community. Financial The financial resources of a comprehensive guidance program are crucial to its success. Examples of financial resources include budget, material, equipment, and facilities. The Model highlights the need for these resources through its focus on the physical space and equipment required to conduct a comprehensive program in a school district. To make the guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support components function effectively, adequate guidance facilities are required. Traditionally, guidance facilities have consisted of an office or suite of offices designed primarily to provide one-to-one counseling or consultation assistance. Such arrangements have frequently included reception or waiting areas that serve as browsing rooms where students have access to displays or files of educational and occupational information. Also, this space has typically been placed in the administrative wing of the school so that the counseling staff can be near the records and the administration. The need for individual offices is obvious because of the continuing need to carry on individual counseling sessions. A need also exists, however, to open up guidance facilities and make them more accessible to all students, teachers, parents, and community members. One way to make guidance facilities more usable and accessible is to reorganize traditional space into a guidance center. A guidance center brings together available guidance information and resources and makes them easily accessible to students. The center is used for such activities as group sessions, student self-exploration, and personalized research and planning. At the high school level, students receive assistance in areas such as occupational planning, job entry and placement, financial aid information and postsecondary educational opportunities. At the elementary school level, students and their parents receive information about the school, the community, and parenting skills; they also read books about personal growth and development. An area for play therapy can be provided in the guidance center. Although the center is available for use to school staff and community members, it is student centered, and many of the center activities are student planned as well as student directed. At the same time, the center is a valuable resource for teachers in their program planning and implementation. Employers, too, will find the center useful when seeking part-time or full-time workers. Clearly, the impact of the center on school and community can be substantial. If community members and parents are involved in the planning and implementation of the center and its activities, their interest could provide an impetus for the involvement of other community members. When parents and community members become involved in programs housed in the center, they experience the guidance program firsthand. Through these experiences, new support for the program may develop. The guidance center is furnished as comfortably as possible for all users. Provision is made for group as well as individual activities. Coordinating the operation of the guidance center is the responsibility of the guidance staff, but all school staff can be involved. It is recommended that at least one paraprofessional be a part of the staff to ensure that clerical tasks are carried out in a consistent and ongoing manner. Political Education is not simply influenced by politics, it is politics. The mobilization of political resources is key to a successful guidance program. Full endorsement of the guidance program by the Board of Education as a â€Å"program of studies of the district† is one example of mobilizing political resources. Another example is a clear and concise school district policy statement that highlights the integral and central nature of the school district’s comprehensive guidance program to other programs in the school district. Putting It All Together What does the Program Model look like when all of the Model’s elements are brought together? Figure 1 (see page 12) presents the Model on one page so that the three program elements can be seen in relationship to each other. Notice that the three program elements (program content, program structure, processes, and time, and program resources) represent the â€Å"means† of the program. Without these means in place, it is impossible to achieve the full results of the program and to fully evaluate the impact of the program on the students, the school, and the community. Some Final Thoughts The Program Model, by definition, leads to guidance activities and structured group experiences for all students. It de-emphasizes administrative and clerical tasks, one-toone counseling only, and limited accountability. It is proactive rather than reactive. Counselors are busy and unavailable for unrelated administrative and clerical duties because they have a guidance program to implement. Counselors are expected to do personal and crisis counseling as well as provide structured activities to all students. To fully implement the Program Model it is important that the program be as follows: 1. Understood as student-development oriented, not school maintenance-administrativeoriented. 2. Operated as a 100 % program; the four program components constitute the total program; there are no add-ons. 3. Started the first day of school and ended on the last day of school; not started in the middle of October with an ending time in April so that administrative, nonguidance tasks can be completed. . Understood as program focused, not position focused. 5. Understood as education-based, not agency or clinic based. References Brewer, J. M. (1922). The vocational guidance movement: Its problems and possibilities. New York: The Macmillan Company. Eckerson, L. O. , & Smith, H. M. (1966). Scope of pupil personnel services. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office. Ginn, S. J. (19 24). Vocational guidance in Boston Public Schools. The Vocational Guidance Magazine, 3, 3-7. Gysbers, N. C. (1978). Remodeling your guidance program while living in it. Texas Personnel and Guidance Association Journal, 6, 53-61. Gysbers, N. C. , & Henderson, P. (1994). Developing and managing your school guidance program (2nd ed. ). Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling and Development. Gysbers, N. C. , & Moore, E. J. (1974). Career guidance, counseling and placement: Elements of an illustrative program guide (A life career development perspective). Columbia, MO: University of Missouri, Columbia. Gysbers, N. C. , & Moore, E. J. (1975). 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M. , & Kolb, D. A. (1980). Career Development, personal growth, and experimental learning. In J. W. Springer (Ed. ), Issues in career and human resource development (pp. 1-56). Madison, WI: American Society for Training and Development.