Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Burns Essays

Skin Disorders/Burns Essays Skin Disorders/Burns Essay Skin Disorders/Burns Essay The incidence of burn injuries has been declining during the past several decades. Approximately 2 million people require medical attention for burn injury in the United States each year (Kao Garner, 2000). The risk of death increases significantly if the patient has sustained both a cutaneous burn injury and a smoke inhalation injury.Young children and elderly people are at particularly high risk for burn injury. The skin in people in these two age groups is thin and fragile; therefore, even a limited period of contact with a source of heat can create a full-thickness burn. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control lists â€Å"fire/burn† among the categories of the 1998 Unintentional Injuries and Adverse Effects.Most burn injuries occur in the home, usually in the kitchen while cooking and in the bathroom by means of scalds or improper use of electrical appliances around water sources (Gordon Goodwin, 2001). Careless cooking is one of the leading causes of household fires in the United States. The U.S. Fire Administration reports that nearly one third of all residential fires begin in the kitchen. The major factors contributing to cooking fires include unattended cooking, grease, and combustible materials on the stovetop.Burns can also occur from work-related injuries. Education to prevent burn injuries in the workplace should include safe handling of chemicals and chemical products and increasing awareness of the potential for injuries caused by hot objects and substances. The national Institute for Burn Medicine, which collects statistical data from burn centers throughout the United States, notes that most patients (75%) are victims of their own actions. Contributing to the statistics are scalds in toddlers, school-age children playing with matches, electrical injury in teenage boys, and smoking in adults combined with the use of drugs and alcohol. One of the major culprits of burn injuries is the inappropriate u se of gasoline. The U.S. Home Product Report, 1993-1997 (2001), indicated that there were over 140,000 gasoline-related fires and approximately 500 people died from gasoline-related injuries during this period.Many burns can be prevented. Medical personnel can play an active role in preventing fires and burns by teaching prevention concepts and promoting the use of smoke alarms has had the greatest impact on decreasing fire deaths in the United States.There are four major goals relating to burns:PreventionInstitution of lifesaving measures for the severely burned personPrevention of disability and disfigurement through early, specialized, individualized treatmentRehabilitation through reconstructive surgery and rehabilitative programsII. DiscussionA. Classification of BurnsBurn injuries are described according to the depth of the injury and the extent of body surface area injured.a.)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Burn DepthBurns are classified according to the depth of tissue destruction as superfici al partial-thickness injuries, deep partial-thickness injuries, or full-thickness injuries. Burn depth determines whether epithelialization will occur. Determining burn depth can be difficult even for the experienced burn care provider.In a superficial partial-thickness burn, the epidermis is destroyed or injured and a portion of the dermis may be injured. The damaged skin may be painful and appear red and dry, as in sunburn, or it may blister.A deep partial-thickness burn involves destruction of the epidermis and upper layers of the dermis and injury to deeper portions of the dermis. The wound is painful, appears red, and exudes fluid. Capillary refill follows tissue blanching. Hair follicles remain intact. Deep partial-thickness burns take longer to heal and are more likely to result in hypertrophic scars.A full-thickness burn involves total destruction of epidermis and dermis and, in some cases, underlying tissue as well. Wound color ranges widely from white to red, brown, or bla ck. The burned are is painless because nerve fibers are destroyed. The wound appears leathery; hair follicles and sweat glands are destroyed.The following factors are considered in determining the depth of the burn: ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How the injury occurred ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Causative agent, such as flame, or scalding liquid ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Temperature of the burning agent ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Duration of contact with the agent ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thickness of the skinB. Management of the Patient with a Burn InjuryBurn care must be planned according to the burn depth and local response, the extent of the injury, and the presence of a systematic response. Burn care then proceeds through three phases: emergent/resuscitative phase, acute/intermediate phase, and rehabilitation phase. Although priorities exist for each of the phases, the phases overlap, and assessment and management of specific problem s and complications are not limited to these phases but take place throughout burn care.C. Planning and GoalsThe major goals for the patient may include restoration of normal fluid balance, absence of infection, attainment of anabolic state and normal weight, improved skin integrity, reduction of pain and discomfort, optimal physical mobility, adequate patient and family coping, adequate patient and family knowledge of burn treatment, and absence of complications. Achieving these goals requires a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to patient management.III. ConclusionContinued assessment of the burn patient during the early weeks after the burn injury-focuses in hemodynamic alterations, wound healing, pain and psychosocial responses, and early detection of complications.Other significant and ongoing assessment focus on pain and psychosocial responses, daily body weights, caloric intake, general hydration, and serum electrolyte, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels. Assessment fo r excessive bleeding from blood vessels adjacent to areas of surgical exploration and debridement is necessary as well.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Definition and Examples of Kennings in English

Definition and Examples of Kennings in English A kenning is a  figurative expression, usually compound in form, that is used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English. Kenning as Metaphor The kenning has been described as a kind of compressed metaphor with the referent suppressed. Commonly used kennings in Old English and Norse poetry include whale-road (for sea), sea-horse (for ship), and iron-shower (for the rain of spears or arrows during a battle). Examples Old English poetry used a special poetic vocabulary. . . . [The word] ban-cofa (n) had a special meaning: its two elements were bone-den, but it meant body. Such an expression is a paraphrase, a reference to a thing by concentration on one of its attributes. A person could be called a reord-berend (speech-bearer) because speech is uniquely human. This device of paraphrase was frequent in Old English poetry, and it goes now by the name (borrowed from Old Norse) of kenning.(W.F. Bolton, A Living Language: The History and Structure of English. Random House, 1982)The poets loved kennings because they were opportunities to vary their descriptions when they told long stories of heroes and battles. . . .So, what could a ship be? A wave floater, sea goer, sea-house or sea steed. And the sea? A seal bath, fish home, swan road or whale way. Anything could be described using a kenning. A woman is a peace-weaver, a traveller is an earth-walker, a sword is a wolf of wounds, the sun is a sky candl e, the sky is the curtain of the gods, blood is battle sweat or battle icicle. There are hundreds more. (David Crystal, The Story of English in 100 Words. St. Martins Press, 2012) Circumlocutions The poets of medieval Scandinavia developed a system of naming by circumlocution, or kennings, which they could expand to a dizzying degree of complexity. They might call the sea earth of the fish. Next, they could replace the word fish by the expression snake of the fjord. Then, they might substitute for fjord the phrase bench of the ship. The result was a strange, prolix thing: earth of the snake of the bench of the shipwhich, of course, simply meant sea. But only those familiar with the conceits of poetry would know it.(Daniel Heller-Roazen, Learn to Talk in Beggars’ Cant. The New York Times, August 18, 2013) Contemporary Kennings We clearly see kenning variation . . . in the seventh of the sequence Glanmore Sonnets in [Seamus] Heaneys next volume, Field Work [1979], when names of the BBC Radio 4 shipping forecast (itself possessing the sonority of a formulaic catalogue from early heroic poetry) prompt the poet to expand on the metaphor in the Old English kenning for the sea hronrad (whale-road, Beowulf, l. 10): Sirens of the tundra,Of eel-road, seal-road, keel-road, whale-road, raiseTheir wind-compounded keen behind the baizeAnd drive the trawlers to the lee of Wicklow. . . . Heaney performs variation not just on the concept signified, but on the signifier itself, echoing the hypnotic chant of the shipping forecast. (Chris Jones, Strange Likeness: The Use of Old English in Twentieth-Century Poetry. Oxford University Press, 2006) Etymologyfrom the Old Norse, to know Pronunciation: KEN-ing

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Why is the dispute settlement body of the WTO so important,and how is Essay

Why is the dispute settlement body of the WTO so important,and how is it affecting the EU - Essay Example te resolution committee has so much power over domestic regulation and has contributed to its criticism in European countries and others that the organization has ruled against. This essay embark on analyzing the effectiveness of WTO dispute resolution in the EU vs. US Hormone Treated Beef Dispute, Asbestos Containing Product case and other effective role. The case of the European Communities on the issue of asbestos presented a big challenge to the World Trade Organization because the matter are relatively incline to domestic health and safety more than the synonymous of the constitution framework of WTO dispute resolution tribunal on free trade practices (Footer & ZIa-Zarifi, 2002). The use of asbestos as an industrial product date back over 100 years ago, but its effect on human health was document in the 19th Century when it deposits were found in products in Ural and Quebec in Canada (Footer & ZIa-Zarifi, 2002). It was found to have a considerable effect in human health by causing life threatening illness such as lung cancer, asbestosis, pneumoconiosis and Pleural cancer (Footer & ZIa-Zarifi, 2002). For this reason scholars and medical practitioner have called for control use of the product to minimize and mitigate the adverse effect of asbestos. France has restricted the importation of asbestos product from Canada as a result of the effect of the deadly carcinogen. Moreover, the country has provided favorable conditions to other commodities that came in the country from Canada and other countries. Therefore, Canada was aggrieved by the discrimination of it product and took the issue to the WTO dispute tribunal which upon hearing the case found France to have faulted the Article III: 4 of GATT regulations (Howse & Tuerk, n.d.). The economic situation of the period before the start of the Second World War was characterized by discrimination among trade partners where one country would export more goods and restrict others to access their own market in their

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Identity - the influence between a person and crowd Dissertation

Identity - the influence between a person and crowd - Dissertation Example This proposal provides the exegesis to study the issue of individual and group behaviour in relation to an art or group activity. The point of reference is the film industry in general and marketing commercials in particular. Zimbardo (2010) argues that people often have a profound effect on others. This effect tends to make people on the wider scale tend to behave along lines that are similar to them (Ariely, 2009). In this wise, we can examine the role of directors and important stage managers who get others in a larger crowd to go in a given direction. Knippeberd and Baaren (2009) identify that one of the biggest ways that people tend to influence groups of people is though mimicry. They define mimicry as the process of consciously or unconsciously doing what other people do in a given society. Mimicking is one of the ways people learn and also gain social acceptance. Thus, for instance, we might want to check the impact of an important star in a film or TV commercial on the wider audience. Will the audiences mimic him or her? Or will their countenance and activities change to suit their presence. This provides a basis for studies of the relationship between individuals and the wider group. ... Secondly, what is the role of the crew and production authorities in creating herd behaviour amongst the group? How do the individuals blend into the bigger picture? Thirdly, does the presence of significant personalities in the group affect individuality amongst members of the group? The research questions above will be answered to provide a holistic picture of the main enquiry. To this end, we will want to test a single hypothesis. A hypothesis is a temporal statement made at the beginning of a research, which is tested for its truthfulness or falsity in the actual research (Kothari, 2005). The hypothesis is that â€Å"lesser known actors in groups lose their individuality in order to blend with the wider group†. Thus, the research will reconcile the primary research question with the sub-questions in order to identify whether less known actors and actresses keep their unique identity in films and commercials or they cede it to the group identity. The sub-questions will prov ide an exegesis of why the lesser known actors cede or retain their individuality in group scenes. Research Positioning This section of the proposal will examine the research report. The research approach will involve the application of significant and core concepts of individualism and group identity in the filming of movies and commercials. This heading will discuss important theories and a framework of cases that would be studied in the research. This will set the tone for the discussion of the three cases that would be examined to draw conclusions on the research questions and prove or disprove the hypothesis. The core concept that will be used in this research is the boiling point concept of Gladwell (2000). Gladwell sought to study the point off transition from individualism

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Sickle Cell Disease Essay Example for Free

Sickle Cell Disease Essay Sickle cell disease is more prevalent in people whose ancestors resided in tropical or sub-tropical climates, for the reason that having one recessive sickle cell gene causes resistance to malaria, which is a common disease in those areas. Thus, those of African-American or Hispanic descent have a higher likelihood of having the disease. Today, nearly 72,000 Americans have sickle cell disease, with 1-in-2,000 newborns having the disease. Symptoms The misshapen blood cells that are formed as a result of sickle cell disease can cause multiple problems and patients show many symptoms as a result. The majority of the symptoms are caused by the blockages that can form in the blood vessels of the patients. Due to the irregular shape of the red blood cells, they cannot easily flow through the blood vessels in a linear formation like regular red blood cells, but instead they can clump together and form clots, constricting blood flow and oxygen supply. Symptoms of sickle cell disease include: irregular blood pressure, jaundice skin or eyes, pale skin, bone or joint pain, delayed growth, skin ulcers (common on the legs), anemia, constant headaches, dizziness, fatigue, organ or tissue damage, pulmonary hypertension, shortness of breath, numbness in the extremities, and stroke. Sickle cell disease is known to be extremely painful in many instances due to the damage of the blood vessels and organs in a patient’s body. Complications Sickle cell disease is extremely detrimental to one’s body, and due to the complications involved with the disease, it can become deadly. Many suffering from sickle cell disease are susceptible to strokes caused by arterial blockages near the brain, this is one of the deadlier complications involved with the disease. Patients can also develop acute chest syndrome (ACS) from blockages in the lungs. From the high blood pressure caused by the arterial blockages in the lungs, patients are commonly known to develop Pulmonary Hypertension as well. Due to blood clots and lack of oxygen, organs in patients with sickle cell disease commonly receive damage, which can cause these organs to malfunction. This can become especially life threatening when it occurs in the body’s vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, or brain. Blindness can also occur in those with sickle cell disease due to decreased blood flow to the eyes. Skin ulcers are common in patients with the disease. This is especially dangerous because ulcers are open wounds that cause the body to become extremely susceptible to infection and disease. Priapism can become prevalent in males with sickle cell anemia, due to the decreased amount of blood flow from the scrotum area that clots can cause. Treatment The standard of treatment with sickle cell disease has increased exponentially in the last few decades due to the latest medical advances. Yet, sadly, the goal of sickle cell disease treatment is to treat the symptoms so that they become less prevalent, because no cure for the disease has been developed. Although, hematologists are conducting promising research involving the disease. For example, bone marrow transplants are becoming increasingly effective in treating patients with sickle cell disease, with the success rate of transplants steadily climbing. Blood transfusions are becoming a biweekly occurrence for those suffering from the disease in an attempt to increase the level of normal red blood cells in a patient’s blood stream, preventing the worsening of said patient’s anemia. Common medications used to treat the symptoms of sickle cell anemia include: antibiotics (for treating infection), NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, for pain), opioids (for pain), and hydroxyurea (for pain). Nitric oxide has begun to show promise as a treatment for blood clots in the eyes of many hematologists. Nitric oxide has been shown to temporarily expand blood vessels, acting as an anticlotting agent, potentially preventing the major symptoms caused by sickle cell disease, but the administering of nitric oxide is still relatively new. Gene therapy research is accepted as an eventual cure for sickle cell disease and many inherited diseases, yet we currently lack the technology to manipulate genes in the specific manner desired. Prognosis Currently the average life expectancy for people with sickle cell disease is much higher than in the past, with many patients living well into their 50’s and older. Statistically, females with sickle cell disease live longer than their male counterparts. Sickle cell patients will inevitably experience pain as a result of the disease, and most suffer from small blockages in the arteries that are known to cause strokes and various other symptoms that are previously mentioned. Acute chest syndrome is also common in those with sickle cell disease. Ultimately, Sickle cell disease is harsh and constant, but the number of treatments and their levels of success are ever increasing. Sources Used United States. Department of Health and Human Services. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH). NHLBI, NIH. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. Sickle Cell Information Center. Sickle Cell Disease Sickle Cell Information Center. Â  Sickle Cell Disease Sickle Cell Information Center. Sickle Cell Information Center, 28 Apr. 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. Staff, Mayo Clinic. Definition. Â  Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 26 Mar. 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. Bownas, Jennifer. Sickle Cell Anemia Disease Profile. Â  Sickle Cell Anemia Disease Profile. Ornl. gov, 5 May 2005. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Organ Donation Essay examples -- Papers Organ Donor Medical Health Ess

Organ Donation Organ donation is a topic which contains many conflicting views. To some of the public population organ donation is a genuine way of saving the life of another, to some it is mistrusted and to others it is not fully understood. There are some techniques that can be used to increase donation. Of these techniques the most crucial would be being educated. If the life threatening and the critical shortage of organs was fully understood by the public, organ donation would more likely be on the rise. An effort is needed throughout the world to make people aware of the benefits this process contains. Advances in medical technology have made it possible to save someone?s life by a process of organ donation. However, the scarcity of available organs is bringing the beneficial process down. By becoming an organ donor, people engage in improving someone else?s life at no cost. Although the question of religious or moral cost comes into effect, virtually there is no physical cost of becoming an organ donor. Organ donation should be seen as the "gift of life" but there are not enough logical explanations to explain this phrase. Whether people are donors, non-donors or recipients, all the public should be aware that organ donation is for the common welfare. Organ Donation-Why People Become Donors The main reason an individual becomes an organ donor is to give someone the "gift of life." By giving someone this privilege a person feels they are adding to another person?s life. Some reasons people give this gift is simply from having a kind heart, they may find the other person?s use for the organ more important than their need or maybe just because they just have no use for t... ...ic is underway. This effort is referred to as the Coalition on Donation and Advertising Council. The goal of this coalition is to ensure every individual in the U.S. understands the need for organ donation and accepts it as a human responsibility. Organ Donation-Ways to Increase Awareness organ donation is in serious need for more participants. Medical technology has made it possible to give people a second chance at life and our public population is bringing this chance down. Educational efforts remain most important to increase the success of donation. The public needs to recognize the benefits of such a process. The role of a family must also improve. Although families have the authority to refuse donation of their deceased one, they also have the opportunity to give a person a second chance of life, or better said the ?gift of life."

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Inclusive Education Essay

In this assignment I will be critiquing a peer reviewed research article which explores an aspect of interprofessional practice. I will reflect on my practice and identify how the research discussed with in the article impacts and challenges my thinking and approach. By critiquing the journal – Early Years: An International Research Journal, I will show knowledge and understanding of other professional roles in early years under pinned by theory I have researched. My own understanding of inclusive practice in early years is that – â€Å"All children, irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability should have the opportunity to experience a challenging and enjoyable programme of learning and development.† (Early Years Statutory Framework, 2014, 1.15) The journal focuses on 52 early years practitioners from England, their experience of interprofessional working, woven together and their level of confidence and competence also different settings such as children’s centres, preschool settings and private settings as well as community preschool as it has been the fore front of government policy in UK since the inquiry into Victoria Climbie I have focused on three prime aspects from the journal: training, communication with multiagencies and support which I think is key regarding my own reflection of my practice as well as the impact on my thinking approach. The writers of the journal are Jane Payler and Jan Georgeson (2009) but nowhere in the journal are their qualifications and backgrounds cited. It is unclear that the writers are professional s or have had any practical experience in early years. It does not tell you where the settings are located and which back ground the children and families are from. I believe if all this information was given it may have been clear to the readers why we believe that research done in the deprived area has a  huge impact on their achieving when it comes to budget training and skills. If it was a deprived area they might be struggling with the funds, resources and support. On page b385 it states that they sent the questionnaires out but I believe all the methods used had weaknesses as it does not say anywhere what language they were using and what sort of questions were asked. Throughout the journal the writers praise the efforts that are made from the children’s centre in terms of working with inter professionals. As a reader I felt they were biased towards the children centre as throughout their article they have mentioned several times about how well children centres are doing, in comparison to preschool and private nurseries. Even the tables indicate that the children’s centres are performing at the top and preschool and private settings are nowhere near their achievement and successes. On page 387 of the journal it states that during her research it clearly showed that the children’s centres showed a secure understanding of procedure as well as confidence in approaching other agencies. The first aspect explored was training needs. The Journal article states that â€Å"the survey done was completed by 52 early years practitioners who were either undergoing, or had recently completed training for early years professional status.† Due to the level of education, it is clear to me why most of them were confident when working with outer agencies and writing reports according to the NutBrown review of early education and childcare qualifications interim report (March 2012) – â€Å"Getting qualifications right will help to ensure that women and men enter the profession with the skills and experiences they need to do the best work with young children and their families. Well taught courses and learning routes that lead to reliable qualifications can help early year’s practitioners to improve their skills, knowledge and understanding, constantly developing in their roles.â€Å" This has made me reflect on my own training in regards to what I need to attend in terms of inclusive education and its importance as it is clearly shows in the journal on pg381 that the staff members with high qualifications and training were more confident in approaching and writing IEPS (Individual Educational Plan). As I was reading the journal one thing which really drew my attention was that it talked about the staff training being inconsistent. In some places staff seemed confident and in some places they were not. My  self being an early year’s practitioner and working in a private sector I can relate to the problems as staff are expected to go on training in their own time. Working within the Borough of Hounslow I have experienced first-hand cuts that have definitely been made in regards to training. According to the Guardian published in 2011 heading â€Å"The government is putting training out of reach of those who need it most in early years’’. (Th e Guardian, 2011) It goes on further to state thatâ€Å" From August colleges and training providers, in the main, will receive only half the cost of courses’’. This results in training being harder to gain. In order to go onto training you now have to firstly go onto a waiting list. Not only has that had an impact on your practice but also a staff member’s confidence with dealing with any situation which that training may have addressed. Another issue is that we now, as a setting, have to pay for the training. If a setting is low on funds the training cannot take place and so the staff members, as well as, children, parents and the setting, miss out. Covering the staff on training and courses exacerbates the situation.† It is also shown on page 390 of the journal that due to the cuts the speech and language therapist who will come to the setting one day fortnightly was reduced to once a week which impacts on the children having to refer somewhere else and not having an inc lusive service. I have been affected by this last year as I was told that there was no money left in Hounslow borough to give out for inclusion support staff which resulted on my having to use the staff I had already to support the child’s need . Despite the above and reflecting on my own practice, I believe early years practitioners do the best when it comes to identifying a child with a need, as they are the primary carers after the parents. In my belief, other agencies might have the qualifications but we as practitioners are the ones who identify the problem and so refer them on. As stated in the new EYFS (2014 3.20) â€Å"providers must support staff to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to ensure they offer equality, learning and development that continually improves.† The second aspect which came to my attention was the different level of support throughout the children’s centre, preschool and private nursery. It was astonishing to see that the children’s centres were given the most support and due to this it is not a surprise that they were the most confident in approaching the  outside agencies and writing reports. This is clear due to their inter links with the outside agencies. According to the article they state that in every child’s centre in London they have family support, speech and language therapists as well as health visitors who are designated to each children’s centre. Due to that reason, I believe that they have far more support including regular meetings, interactions and support; however, private nurseries and preschools do not get that support and rely on communication based on letters as well as emails and phone calls, which is not always reliable and as effective as meetings. From my own experience I have noticed that once you identify a concern with a child’s speech and language, the referral takes over six months to completely get a response from a speech and language therapist. In Hounslow alone there is a long waiting list of children waiting to be seen by a speech and language therapist. Due to this, it is no doubt in my mind that having an in-house speech and language therapist or to even have a type of training in order to help and support children with their need as now out of? â€Å"Children coming to school are in need of some sort of speech and language support’’. (I CAN Talk Series – Issue 6) This has challenged my thinking and approach I would definitely like in my setting, as a manager, ascend a staff member to see how the speech and therapist works so they can come back and continue with the therapist approach. It was described by one of the practitioners that sitting with a child whilst seen by the therapist helped her to support the child page 389. I would love to be able to do so in my setting. I can support children with some support while the child is waiting to be seen by the speech and language therapist. Once the child has been seen by the speech and language therapist I make sure I have the copy of the recommendations and advice made by the therapist, so I can use the same strategies used by the therapist. According to I CAN, an organisation that helps children to communicate, ‘‘In some parts of the UK, particularly in areas of poverty over half of children start school with speech, language and communication needs.’’ â€Å"That means 2 to 3 students in every classroom have significant communication difficulties.’’ (I CAN Talk Series – Issue 6) One of the other aspects which came to my attention was that throughout the article it is c lear to me that there has been effective communication within the children‘s centre as there have been professional  staff on site; therefore all communication is face to face especially with speech and language therapists. Whereas private and other settings do not have this capacity and funds so all the communication involving outside agencies is on paper. It is clearly shown in figure 1 page387 that the children’s centres were 100 % on target when it comes to face to face contact with outside agencies. Other settings like independent preschools where I am employed are only doing 75% of face to face contact when it comes to communication and although it’s only 75% contact it is effective within that percentage. I agree with this as my own private setting has to rely on emails, phone calls and paper. This is also clearly stated in the journal on page 387. On page 395 it tells you about the need of the effective inter professionals practice in early years and their belief that it will be possible once the two year old check for disadvantaged children is extended. Since the 2 year check has been introduced I have experienced more regular contact with the health visitor. I have experienced di fferent types of response when it comes to effective communication. As in the document one part needs to be done by the practitioner one by the parents and one need to be done by the health visitor regarding any concern with the child. Some health visitors will be very particular in writing about the child’s health and on other hand some health visitors will write little information concerning the child and leave it as ‘no concerns’. Conclusion: The article helped me to reflect on my practice and identify key issues that impact and challenge my thinking and approach. For me, inclusion is not simply the toleration of all pupils, but the active provision of opportunities for all to feel good about themselves and to have the chance to flourish, whatever their individual needs and potential barriers to learn might be. Whatever difficulties may arise in dealing with the outside agencies ,distance between the professionals and resources and funds available as a particular I believe we have a legal duty to make sure we do the best when it comes to equality and diversity (inclusive and inclusion). In my setting and practice I have made sure that I provide and implement a clear policy and procedure to promote equality and support to every child in need as up held by the legal frame work in EYFS 3.66. It was also clearly stated in the journal on page 389 that settings doing their best when it comes to competence in developing their knowledge and network for inter-professionals over a period  of time were based on their knowledge and greater experience of integrated provision. Effective working practice with outside agencies should occur whatever the contact is, face to face or remote. As a practitioner it is our responsibility to make sure the child is covered within the inclusion policy. The second part of my assignment will be focusing on communication and the importance of communication in settings between other agencies, staff and parents/guardians. The word â€Å"communication† comes from the Latin word â€Å"communis,† meaning â€Å"to share.† (Communication studies). I believe sharing is a very important element when working within your practice, with parents and outside agencies. Personally I believe communication â€Å"is the act of conveying information for the purpose of creating a shared understanding. And includes verbal, non-verbal and electronic means† (Communication studies) According to Pietroni (1992) – â€Å"We should not underestimate the many factors that challenge working relationships between professionals. Most fundamental is communication.† â€Å"To achieve better integration of services and organisation, The Children’s Act 2004 required local authorities to enter into partnership arrangements with parents who, in turn, carried reciprocal duties to cooperate.† -Aubrey Carol. â€Å"As suggested by the Laming Report, the Common Assessment Framework(CAF) was introduced as a standardised approach to assessing children’s additional needs. CAF supports the identification of a child’s additional needs which are not currently being met at the earliest possible stage.† (How children learn, Pg. 59) As an early years professional it is very important that I use communication effectively regardless of the type of setting, the ability to communicate effectively is crucial for developing positive relationships with children, young people and their families, colleagues and other professionals. Not only does it pave the way for a happy working environment but it is also a core unit of study for most children and young people especially when working with inclusion. In my setting I am the manager and the SENCO. I believe we are at the stage of norming as described by Tuckman in his performing team development models. Consensus largely forms among the team, our team responds well to reinforcement by a leader. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and important decisions are discussed and agreed upon by the entire team. Smaller decisions may be delegated to  individuals or small teams within a group not only to empower the members of staff but to ensure each staff member understands how to handle decision making and help them to gain experience. Our team also discusses and develops our processes and working styles and are always adapting and evolving in parallel to new research and studies. There is overall respect for team leaders and leadership is shared by the team. Leader facilitates and enables (similar to the Situational Leadership ‘Participating’ mode). Working beside staff is very important to make sure we have an e ffective chain of communication which is strong and healthy. In support of this â€Å"Good communication practices need to be built into the policies and procedures of a setting† (Communication studies: what is communication) In our setting we make sure we work alongside parents as they are the â€Å"first educators† (Early Years Foundation Stage – EYFS, 2.2.) To help children achieve their full potential we make sure that practitioners investigate the experiences families and children receive when they attend our setting. Their feedback is essential to us as it helps us to further improve and meet the needs of parents more successfully. As part of gaining insight into the experiences of children and parents in our setting we send out surveys and questionnaires for parents to express their opinion through, this is especially effective if the parent does not feel comfortable expressing their opinion face to face with a member of staff. In addition to this our setting has an open door policy where every morning members of st aff are available to talk to; our staffs are multilingual and can communicate with a vast range of parents. We also have a text and email system in place for the parents who are working and don’t have time to complete surveys or get in touch with the staff. All these systems are in place to ensure effective communication. Coffee mornings are also in place and provide greater opportunities for parents to discuss their feelings in an informal atmosphere. Some settings invite parents to attend a short nursery rhyme performance and a chat about their experiences of the setting. We, at our setting take the ethos of â€Å"parents as partners†. Research tells us that the parents have the most influence over child development and so practitioners will serve children better by working in partnership with the parents. Practitioners also need to be mindful of the parents’ readiness to engage. There are many factors that should be considered when communicating or  attempting to communicate with parents such as communication barriers. Some of these barriers include time constrain ts regarding parents working hours, story time and language issues and if the parent may have special needs. Another communication barrier is if the engagement may be difficult due to family issues (such as a new baby, caring for a relative, domestic violence, health issues, and unusual working patterns.) It is only by understanding parents and valuing their input that practitioners will be able to acknowledge their readiness to engage with the setting. Strong and positive communication and relationships between staff, parents and children will help to develop an atmosphere of trust and comfort. Some children may receive additional support from agencies for their communication development. It is essential that practitioners work in partnership with these agencies to maximize the benefit for the child as it also states in EYFS â€Å"When parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on children’s development and learning.† (EYFS, 2.2) Our setting works closely alongside outside agencies and take the multi-agency approach to make sure we provide the best care to the children. We also follow EYFS guide lines which states in i.16 – â€Å"Close working between early year’s practitioners and parents is vital for the identification of children’s learning needs and to ensure a quick response to any area of particular difficulty. Parents and families are central to a child’s wellbeing and practitioners should support this important relationship by sharing information and offering support for extending learning in the home†. – To make sure this is happening effectively we have implemented a key person system. Each child has a key person allocated before they start at the setting; it is established before the child starts the setting and on the basis of the initial meeting on induction day and the information gathered from paperwork. An example of this in practice is during introduction staff members meet all the parents and the children. If during the meeting we identify any information about the child’s specific needs such as speech/language/physical issues and the parents need e.g. parents first language is not English, the key person is chosen to suit the need of the child’s /parents so they have better communication and feel more comfortable and at ease. Parents can feel confident in communication with staff members and between their children and staff. The role of the key  person is too gather as much information as possible before the child starts the setting so that the settling in time can be arranged according to the child’s needs and interest. On the child’s first day the key person sets the activity of the child according to the child’s perceived interest and ability to ensure comfort and a sense of safety for the child. In addition to this the key person is responsible for noting and observing the activities of the child. After the initial meeting of the child and pare nts the SENCO of the setting (me) sit down and asses and evaluate any issues or concerns. An example of this is a child who attended my setting and during the induction day the mother had mentioned that the child is shy and an introvert. However upon observing the child during induction activities I learnt that the child may be more than just shy or anti-social. I came to this conclusion as I had noticed the child avoided eye contact and would only play with one toy, a toy car in which he would move it up and down in a continuous pose. The child also flapped their hands as a result of excitement. After the introduction I sat with my staff and talked about the day and mentioned the particular child. I then allocated myself as the child’s key person. I felt I had more rapport with the child and insight than any other member of staff. I then shared my thoughts and observations I had made during the day and offered some solutions and plans of action. During the first few weeks of the child attending the setting I conducted many observations and also got in touch with m y local SENCO and shared my concern over the phone. We then collectively arranged a day for her to come and observe the child. I double checked and ensured there was no further help I could provide and did all that was possible for the child e.g. the child enjoyed sticking doodles wherever he could and so I made a little post-box in each corner of the classroom and moved any hazards such as televisions as he loved sticking notes on the screens of television and computers. I also maintained daily contact with the mother and even asked her if it was possible to come earlier to pick him up as he became very upset when seeing other parents pick up their children. And made the mother aware of the assistance I was receiving from my local SENCO. I explained how it was vital to contact my area SENCO as they could provide advice which would further help me to support her child to the best of my ability. On the mothers agreement permission my area SENCO visited me and observed the child  she later introduced herself to the mother, she explained her role and what she could do for her child. We arranged a meeting to discuss the concern we have as a team and our plans to set up a IEP so that we are to help and support the child on confirming the date we made sure that all the people involved are available such as the mother, area SENCO and myself the setting SENCO. We explained everything to the mother for example what an IEP is and what we were trying to accomplish with it. My role was to arrange a support worker who would work alongside the child to support his needs. On our meeting day we all sat down together with all staff members who were going to support the child. Everyone shared their thoughts individually and expressed their opinions. In the end we set up IEP targets to help the child develop skills and improve, these targets were made in shared agreement. Each individual involved was given a copy of the IEP targets, this ensured that all staff members involved in relation to the child was aware of the child’s difficulties and aware of processes to help overcome them and that we all were all shared same vision to establish positive relation, both with each other and what’s best for the child. I personally believe â€Å"A trusting relationship between the practitioner and parents begins with the initial contact and it is crucial that from the start, parents appreciate that staff value their knowledge and understanding of their child.† (Working in partnership with parents, EYFS Principle) â€Å"a professional and honest approach by all staff will be the baseline in building the feeling of trust† as also reinforced in the government good practice guide as well as in Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2013 states – â€Å"all professionals contribute to whatever actions are needed to safeguard and pr omote a child’s welfare and take part in regularly reviewing the outcomes for the child against specific plans and outcomes;† according to the report published a HM inspector in 2007 talks about working together with professionals and has stated that it is important that we as a practitioner enable ‘’parents to play a stronger role as partners in their child’s learning and development.† The staff also share the IEP so all the other staff are also aware of what is our common goals as a team as I believe it is very important to work as an effective team and to have the common goals. For me teamwork is like an oil that makes the team work. It can enable smoother movement towards targets, can prolong forward momentum, and can help teams to overcome  obstacles. In my setting I make sure when I communicate to my staff, parents and professionals I perform as an adult as a model of Berne’s transactional analysis theory. As I believe if you talk like a child you will get a reaction like a child so it is very important that you make sure you come across as someone you want to be, as an adult or someone representing an accounting function or model. We need to be communicating like an adult. To make sure the staff is confident in doing the targets I arrange for the staff to go on training to be able to support the child as it is vital to me to make a â€Å"quality lea rning experience for children and this requires a quality workforce†¦ providers should regularly consider the training and development needs of all staff members to ensure that they offer a quality learning experience for children that continually improve† (Department of Education 2012). We also have professionals come to our setting to train the staff on the IEP targets such as bucket time. Intensive interaction and especial time in the setting – â€Å"the staff trained that share their experience and knowledge with less experienced staff, in order to ensure that continuing professional development takes place†. (EYE VOLUME 14) The professionals who train the staff come to the setting to work with the key person to see if they are using the training effectively. I have regular contact with the professional through phone, email, and through paper. We have regular interaction with the outside agency and termly meetings in which the child’s progress and next steps to take are addressed. During the meetings the child’s transition is also discussed as it is very important to make sure the child moves to the next setting with all the support and the hard work achieved by us at our setting is implemented and continued. I sat with the mum and the area SENCO to explain to mum the options she has to choose from as in the end it’s what she wants for the child that is important.as it is clearly stated in the SEN code of practice working in partnership with parents 2.2 â€Å"parents too have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education.† They hold key information and have a critical role to play in their children’s education. It continues to state that parents have â€Å"knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs and the best ways of supporting them.† So I believe it is very important that professionals (schools, LEAs and other agencies) actively seek to work with parents and value the contribution they make. It  is my belief that â€Å"The work of professionals can be more effective when parents are involved and account is taken of their wishes, feelings and perspectives on their children’s development.â €  In the document it continues stating â€Å"When practitioners are friendly and have a genuine interest in the children, parents come to like and trust them, and mutual respect can flourish.† According to B Sandra who is the consultant and director of Early Years gives some recommendation on effective communication according to her recommendation we need to give full attention to the person who we were communication, we need to be aware of our body language, need to resist any ways to interrupt. We need to take account of individual need and be flexible in the way they communicate and be ready to ask for help when required, be honest about what we know and what we don’t know, one of the other recommendation is that we need to be sensitive to culture differences as in some cultures direct eye contact is class as been rude in other culture satin cultures certain gestures are classed as rude.so care is needed when communication. While communication with a person with English as a additional needs we need to use photos, and visual aid. Someone with hearing aid needs to be communicating visual aid as well as use of British sigh language to make sure effective communication is taking place. To conclude my assignment I believe that a happier, healthier and better-informed workforce leads to a better setting. And that engaging your workforce with the right kind of communication, delivered regularly and efficiently through appropriate channels and means can make a big difference to all involved, for example you, your staff, child, parents and outside agencies.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Self Awareness and Opportunity Awareness

I have undertaken 5 classes to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses on various topics associated with employability and careers. The classes use a variety of tests and other methods to analyse me in order to produce reports on each topic. This report will summarise these topics and my conclusions from the classes, as well as reflecting on the exercises and how I found the results and their consequences. Employability Skills Employability skills are one of the most important skills a person can learn. It is one thing having the necessary qualifications for a job, but if you don't have the employability skills required, you will not succeed. From Class 1 on â€Å"Employability Strengths and Weaknesses† I found out that my main strengths were my organisation and work skills. For organisation, the class discovered that my main strengths were setting and reaching targets, prioritising tasks and meeting deadlines. These points are all related and vital at University and also at a job in â€Å"the real world†. Without being able to set targets and accomplish them, nothing would ever get done and in life targets need to be set and reached in order to progress. They can be used to monitor you and see improvement, which is a large benefit. My main weakness in my organisation category is my motivation. Sometimes I can't get motivated into doing a piece of work, but once I start and get flowing, I do it till it's finished. Its one of the areas that I have improved on, but there is still room to develop. For work skills, the class confirmed that I am good at using and applying financial information which I gained and developed at college studying maths and business studies which could open up different types of careers, associated with computing also. My weakness in work is teamwork, but only with something academical. I have no problems team working in a sport or socially, but would often prefer to complete a piece of work individually rather than in a group of people as I get more control in the content. The skill that is my main weakness is my adaptability. My strength in this area is the ability to learn from experiences and develop new strategies for tasks that I experience. My weaknesses in this skill are finding creative solutions to problems and I think this is because overall I am not a particularly creative person. Another weakness in this area is that I am not resilient to change and the exercise states that most of us have this as a weakness but its something that is always going to happen and we need to accept change and thrive upon it. Another possible weakness in this area is transferring skills from one situation to another. The test results for this class state that people often have many skills that they have attained from every day life that they do not realise and these skills can be transferred into University or the work place. To improve in this area I have completed the exercises that are contained within this class and this will help me to identify improvements that can be made so that I can turn weaknesses into strengths to maximise my chances of getting a successful career. For this class, I found that I had done most of the activities before gaining similar results so I didn't actually learn much about myself, rather confirming the thoughts that I previously had. The most beneficial part of this class was getting a summary of each individual area of employability that related to me. It showed a graph as an overview of the skills and then described them in detail, which was really helpful as it stated what I am good at and what needs further work on. Occupational Interests Class 2's aim was to help me identify the nature of occupation that was suitable for me and to learn about why it is important to recognise career preferences for choosing an occupation. The test that I completed in this section didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know. The main point that the test found out was that I am not very artistic, which I have known for a long time and anyone else that knows me will know this also. For the other 5 areas, it found that my interests were divided across the board. Apparently this will lead to a â€Å"conflict† in terms of career choice as â€Å"it may prove difficult to find a career area that satisfies all of my interests†. It implied that my answers may have been incorrect, but I feel this is because the questions were too general and could only be answered with a â€Å"yes† or a â€Å"no†. As this was the case, I answered â€Å"yes† for most questions as I felt that it was either correct or partially so. Due to the format of the questions, I felt the summary of answers was irrelevant and conclusions could not be formed from the questions asked. An improvement to the questions could have been to answer on a scale of 1 to 10 and make conclusions based on the scale; this would have given a more in-depth summary on career interests which would have made it more relevant to each person, rather than general answers. Learning Style & Team Working The aim of class 3 was to identify my role when working in a team and my strengths and weaknesses of team working and my learning style when working alone and in a team. Although I participated in the Belbin method of identifying team roles before, it was in the first week that I was at University and my role has changed over this time as I have became more involved in groups and grown as a person. After completing the test as part of the class, the team role that best suited me was â€Å"Team Worker†. The main points of this role are that I support members in their strengths and improve communications between members and help create team spirit within the group. Qualities in this role contain humility, flexibility, popularity and good listening skills, all of which I believe to have. Weaknesses are a lack of decisiveness and toughness and distaste for friction. When I originally did the Belbin test, I didn't rate it highly and didn't pay much attention to the role it gave me. After completing it this time, I agree with the entire summary and believe the method to be informative and helpful in deciding roles for members within a group in order to get the best out of the team members. Employment Opportunities The main employment opportunity that I have in the near future is the year long industrial placement that takes place after my current year. The industrial placement will refine my employability skills in the workplace and also teach me new skills that will increase my knowledge and level of work ready for the final year and progressing from there onwards. Experience in industry for a year will also increase my job prospects once I leave University, as many jobs now require that people have at least 1 year's experience, but to get experience you need a job. It's a cycle that is hard to enter but the industrial placement joins the cycle and gets that valuable experience required. My current employment is working in a high street electrical store. Working with them has improved my communication and team working skills as I work as part of a small team which requires constant communication for us to function efficiently. As part of a team, we get assigned roles and each role in the team is vital for the running of the store. I took this job mainly to fund myself at University but it has taught me skills that I can transfer into my work and for future jobs and career opportunities. Career Decisions The aim of class 4 was to identify my own decision making style and find out and use two methods of improving the quality of my decision making. Also this class helped to prepare to take appropriate action to progress to career plans. I am a mixture of decision making types, including rational, intuitive and â€Å"please everyone†. I discovered that I tend to collect information about the possibilities and weigh up the pros and cons of each outcome to base my decision upon. Other times, I tend to know intuitively which decision to make. I can often not explain or justify these reasons for choosing a particular decision, but I'm drawn towards it. I also like to please as many people as I can when making a decision. If I have no preference on a decision, or would be pleased with a number of outcomes, I would choose the most popular vote to prevent conflict and make the most people happy. The test on Career Decision Making stated that I have a good idea of where I am heading in career terms and that I may have a good record of successful decisions and a strong idea of what career I wish to enter. I agree with this summary of my career progress but was unsure that the test would come to this justification. In the test, there were only 3 options per question and only 12 questions in total so I was sceptical whether it would come to an accurate decision given the lack of depth of the questions, but seeing as though it proved accurate for me, I cannot fault the process too much. Conclusion These classes have enhanced my knowledge of myself and the current skills that I obtain, and also the skills that I need further development on. Some of the classes have exercises that I have experienced before and weren't particularly useful as they told me nothing new, but they confirmed the results that previous tests had found. Other classes and exercises were new that I hadn't done before showed me my learning style which I hadn't previously known and I found out which team role I belong in, which has changed from the last time I did the exercise 14 months ago. One improvement that could have been made to the course was if there were practical classes, roughly once every 2 weeks that we could attend and get a better idea of what was happening and receive any help if we required it and a physical class would have been easier to keep up to date with the certificate than it all being online. Overall I think that these classes, and exercises within then, have been worthwhile as I ha ve learnt which skills I posses and am good at, and also which skills I need to work on to improve my employability.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

What Does a College Acceptance Letter Say Expert Guide

What Does a College Acceptance Letter Say Expert Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Whereas fall means college application season, spring means admission notifications time. All high school seniors want to get a college acceptance letter to their top-choice school. But what exactly does an admittance letter look like? And what does it say? In this article, we go over what information a typical college acceptance letter includes and show you real college acceptance letter samples so you can get an idea of what they look like. We also give you our top four tips for what to do after you get an admittance letter. What Does a College Acceptance Letter Say? A typical college acceptance letter usually says exactly what you’d expect it to say: that you've been admitted to the school and offered a place in the incoming class. Most of the time, a college acceptance letter will get straight to the point: it’ll start off clear and congratulatory so you’ll have no doubt about whether or not you’ve been admitted. Below are examples of the types of words and phrases commonly used in the first paragraph of an admittance letter: "Congratulations!" "I am delighted to inform you that you have been admitted to †¦" "We are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to †¦" "We are pleased/happy to offer you admission to ... " "It is my/our pleasure to offer you admission to †¦" "It is with great pleasure that I/we offer you admission to †¦" Naturally, there’s a lot of variation with the phrases here, but the examples above are fairly representative of what you’ll see in the opening of a college acceptance letter. After the paragraph containing the offer of admission, you'll typically get a couple of sentences (which are really just compliments) about how your application stood out, how competitive the applicant pool was this year, and/or how you should be proud of yourself for getting in. The next paragraph or two will vary depending on the school. Many colleges inform admitted applicants of an admittees-only event on campus, which is usually a weekend similar to freshman orientation. These events teach you more about the campus and what kinds of opportunities and support the school offers; they also encourage you to attend the school. The ending paragraphs in a typical college acceptance letter give you details about the deadline by which you must make and submit your college decision (i.e., whether or not you’ll be attending the school). This deadline is almost always May 1. By that point, you should have gotten admissions decisions from all the schools you've applied to (unless you’ve been waitlisted somewhere and are waiting to see whether you’ll get off the waitlist). This is just the gist of what you can expect a college acceptance letter to say. But what exactly does an admittance letter look like? 4 Real College Acceptance Letter Samples Now that we’ve gone over what a typical admittance letter says, you’re probably wondering what this letter can look like. We’ve published four real college acceptance letter samples for you to look at. These show you what acceptance letters look like overall, how they’re often worded and organized, and what kind of information they generally include. Click the links below to see each college acceptance letter sample and to learn more about what these top colleges say to admitted applicants: Harvard Acceptance Letter Princeton Acceptance Letter Stanford Acceptance Letter MIT Acceptance Letter Oftentimes, after you receive an admittance letter, you'll get subsequent letters from the school giving you more information on admittees-only events, how to submit your decision, and so on. Click here to see a real follow-up letter to a college acceptance letter from NYU. When Can You Expect a College Acceptance Letter? These days, most colleges will first and sometimes only notify applicants of their admissions decisions electronically, either through an online portal or by email. That said, most colleges will also follow up their online offer with a formal college acceptance letter that is mailed directly to the applicant. When you can expect to hear back from colleges regarding your admission decisions can vary. The vast majority of colleges get back to applicants with their admission decisions by the first week of April, with many releasing their decisions in mid- to late March. If you applied early action or early decision to a school, you’ll most likely hear back in December, January, or February. For more info about when you can expect to receive an admissions decision, check out our guide to when college acceptance letters arrive. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Got a College Admittance Letter? 4 Steps to Take Next If you’ve gotten a college acceptance letter, congratulations! You've just been admitted to a college you applied to- a great accomplishment. Once you've celebrated a little, though, what should you do next? Here are four critical steps to take after you get a college acceptance letter. Step 1: Wait for Any Other Decision Notifications to Arrive Most students apply to multiple colleges at once, so even if you’ve received one college acceptance letter, it’s a good idea to wait to make your decision about where to go for college until after you’ve gotten all the admissions decisions from the colleges you applied to. This means that you should expect to wait, latest, until the first week of April, as most colleges should have sent out (electronically, by mail, or both) their decision notifications by this time. The only exception to this rule is if the school from which you got your college acceptance letter is your top choice. In this case, you already know you for sure want to attend this school, so go right on ahead to Step 3! Step 2: Choose a College to Attend Once you've gotten responses from all the colleges you applied to, it’s time to tally your results. You obviously can’t attend any colleges you’ve been rejected at, so this leaves you with only the schools you’ve been admitted to and waitlisted at. You now have to make an important decision: of the colleges you’ve been accepted at, which one do you want to attend the most? In other words, where do you see yourself thriving? If you're struggling to decide, ask yourself what you’re looking for in terms of the school campus, academics/majors, extracurriculars, overall atmosphere, location, cost, etc. We offer more tips in our guide on how to choose the best college for you. Step 3: Confirm Your Spot and Submit Your Deposit After you’ve figured out which college you want to attend, it’s time to confirm your spot in the new freshman class. To do this, you’ll usually need to fill out a form and return it to the college letting them know you intend to enroll in the fall. The deadline for your response will most likely be May 1, so be sure to contact your chosen college by this date. At this time, you should also submit your non-refundable deposit to the college. This college tuition deposit ensures you’ll have a spot in the new class. Note that this deposit may not be refunded under any circumstances, even if you change your mind or get admitted off the waitlist for a different college you’d rather attend. Step 4: Decline Your Admission Offers From Other Colleges Once you accept your offer of admission to your top-choice school, it's time to decline any other offers of admission you received. All you'll typically have to do is fill out a form letting the school know whether you intend to enroll. Again, this usually needs to be done by May 1. Recap: What to Know About the College Acceptance Letter If you’ve been accepted to a college, you’ll receive a college acceptance letter from that school, most likely at first electronically and then later as a hard copy in the mail. Most college decisions are released in the spring, typically no later than the first week of April. However, if you applied early action/early decision, you can expect to hear back in either December, January, or February. If you’ve received an admittance letter, that’s wonderful! Once you’ve finished celebrating, it’s time to figure out the next steps to take. First, you'll need to wait to hear back from all the colleges you applied to, as you might get accepted to other schools as well. After you’ve heard back, it’s time to make a decision about where you want to go for college. Once you’ve decided, you must confirm your enrollment at the school you've chosen, usually by May 1. You’ll also need to submit a non-refundable tuition deposit. Around this time, you can get started on declining any other acceptances you received from colleges. What’s Next? You know what a college acceptance letter looks like- but exactly when will your decision notification arrive? Check out our guide to college acceptance letter arrival dates to learn more. In order to snag an admittance letter to a college, you need to have a great application. Get tips on how to put together a great college application and learn how to estimate your chances of admission with our college acceptance calculator. Aiming for the Ivy League? Our expert guide explains how you, too, can get accepted to Harvard, Princeton, and more! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How Women Can Maximize Their Leadership Skills

How Women Can Maximize Their Leadership Skills There’s a long way to go before we can say that we have gender equality in the workforce. That ideal  world would include total guaranteed pay equity, family leave, and a host of other less tangible things on the equality laundry list- most which would involve women getting the respect they deserve, not to mention recognition for their performance and the freedom to go about their workdays without having to deflect sexism or misogyny. Maybe you work in an environment that feels well ahead of the curve. If so, that’s awesome. But perhaps you don’t, and you are striving to understand how you can have the kind of career you want despite the minefield of obstacles that seem to stand in your path. Either way, let’s face it. Women can- and often are- treated differently in the workplace.Have you ever been called â€Å"honey† or â€Å"doll† by a client or a superior? Have you ever been the only person asked to fetch coffee in a meeting of mostly m en? Have you been passed over for promotions in favor of male colleagues who haven’t been working there as long as you have and, at least as far as you can tell, haven’t matched your performance or achievements? These are but a few of the many ways in which women are still being left behind professionally.According to the latest accounting by Catalyst, women currently hold only 5.8% of CEO positions at SP 500 companies. That’s a pretty measly slice of the pie. How, you might be wondering, can those odds be changed? There’s a lot of chatter (online and in bestselling books and inspirational speeches) about what women need to do to get to the top. â€Å"Leaning in† is just one strategy. Dressing or acting less feminine is another popular one- that means upping your aggression, going in for the kill, learning to be a mercenary in a cutthroat business world. But if these strategies feel a little severe to you, or abrasive, or you just can’t imag ine these tactics working for you, there are other ways.Embrace Your Natural Leadership AbilitiesKeep in mind, women have a wealth of natural leadership skills- and have for generations. Think about the hardworking, iron-willed and purposeful women in your family. Think about how your family has been held together and shepherded through tough times over the years. Chances are a woman is responsible for some or most of that. Think for a second about the unsung skills of your foremothers. Just because they aren’t recognized as they should be doesn’t mean their skills aren’t praiseworthy- and aren’t just the kind of leadership qualities you might innately possess.Things like emotional intelligence, instinct, crisis management, multitasking, troubleshooting, and opportunity managing. Women have (mostly) run the domestic show for a long time, and so effectively and seamlessly that nobody thinks to notice their labors, or their wealth of skills- or to notice ho w those skills might so easily translate into assets in the corporate world.Every woman is different. And gender differences don’t always fall along cookie-cutter lines. There are plenty of women who wouldn’t identify with all or any of the above traits, and plenty of men who would. But, generally speaking, most women do tend to be more collaborative and to take a slightly different tack in decision-making and leadership matters.Just because there are these marked and observable differences in most cases, it is also true that there aren’t any real substantive differences in what it takes to be a good leader that would disqualify a woman or more naturally recommend a man. Women are just as passionate, just as entrepreneurial, just as driven, just as strategic, and every bit as capable. Humans are humans, after all.According to a Gallup poll in 2015, employees with female managers were found to be more engaged in their work than those with male managers. Despite t his- and despite the fact that women are 51% of the population, only 33% of employees in the U.S. have female bosses or supervisors. At the 2013 World Economic Forum, founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab said that â€Å"A world where women make up less than 20% of the global decision-makers is a world that is missing a huge opportunity for growth and ignoring an untapped reservoir of potential†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was (and still is) right. The more diversity of decision-makers in the workplace and the world, the better off the world and the workplace will be.Develop Key SkillsStart by leveraging the authentic qualities you started out with, rather than downplaying those traits in favor of more stereotypically masculine ones. Embrace your empathy and intuition. They can be invaluable tools for innovation and strategic marketing. Lead by example. â€Å"Go high† when everybody else is going low (thanks, Michelle Obama!). Use your problem-solving skills rather than studying f rom some male-written business manual. Trust your own ideas. Speak when you feel you should, but not just for the sake of speaking. Stay quiet and listen when you feel that’s most appropriate- you’ll never know what you might learn or how your patience might be rewarded when you finally do interject and lobby for your ideas.Cultivate ConfidenceThis may be a tough one, but it’s necessary. Ever met a male CEO or industry leader without it? Start by faking it; eventually you’ll make it. And remember, you won’t get where you want to go by trying to please everyone you come across. If you’ve done your homework and you know your industry and your job inside and out, then speak up; join the fray. Trust yourself. You know what you’re talking about. Speak up and share it. Don’t be afraid to show the world that you are well aware of your own merits and qualifications and that you feel quite strongly when you’ve got the right idea. Be an Actor, Not a ReactorKeep an eye out for opportunities to make a real impact and create a reputation for being a real contributor to projects and causes that matter. But also try to balance that a bit. Work-life balance is important. You can’t rise to the top if you’re too stressed and exhausted to support yourself on the way up. Your contributions will be most valuable when they’re backed up by good stores of sleep and health and verve.Work to Build a Matriarchy from WithinHelp other women. Pull your sisters up to the next promontory as you reach it. Mentor women and girls in your field. But also keep in mind that (most) men aren’t adversaries. Reach out for other, very different perspectives and advice. Seek out both male and female mentors and learn to navigate a path that feels right to you between their unique points of view. Learn to see what all good leaders have in common, regardless of their gender. (Hint: this will be a long list.)Above All : Listen for Your Own VoiceSeek out the stories of women who have made it to those coveted top rungs. Many top women leaders will say that there are a few qualities most crucial to the kind of success in leadership that you crave. Things like being proactive, constantly striving to learn new things and move your business (and indeed your industry) forward. Being able to negotiate confidently, rather than settle quietly. Being flexible, and able to adapt to any situation or crisis you may confront, open enough to think outside the box for a solution. But also keeping your eyes open, using your listening skills and powers of observation. Staying focused, despite all of the noise. Being authentic, true to yourself, but never keeping silent. Being outspoken, even if that means learning to get comfortable not being universally liked.Remember, you are your best (and sometimes only) advocate. Only you can be truly confident in your capabilities. It’s up to you to convince everyone e lse. Toot your own horn and the horns of the women you work with. No one will do it for you. Strike that power pose and unleash your creative forces. Pitch your ideas. Be audacious. Soon, you’ll be respected, even if not universally everyone’s best pal or favorite colleague. Respect, above all else, is key.In an ideal world, the burden wouldn’t fall so squarely on women to prove their mettle and earn the respect their male colleagues seem to start with at the bottom rung. But the world won’t always be so lopsided. You could be one of tomorrow’s leaders, a captain of industry who commands respect and changes lives. You could help shape a better, brighter world- not just for women in the workplace, but for all of us. So go ahead and take your seat at the conference table. And don’t be afraid to stand up and grab the mic.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 6

Research proposal - Essay Example rious industries, including the UK banking sector is also making vital use of IT networks in their processing of customer services (Ho & Mallick, 2006; Samakovitis, 2006). It is often argued that IT systems hold considerable significance in the building cooperative associations with customer groups that further facilitates better customer serving and hence, contributes to augmented customer loyalty. Both these spectrums, i.e. customer loyalty linked with better customer serving, have been many a time associated with the longevity and continuous expansion of any service sector today, and likely to be apparent in the banking sector as well. Keeping speculations aside, the UK service sector, which is the other dimension in focus of the title chosen for this study, has been reported as growing impressively over the past few years even if its particular drawbacks remain to be consistent (Mullineux, 2012). The three key dimensions of the UK financial sector, vis-Ã  -vis, and its banking sector involve payment services, insurance services against risk and intermediation services between lenders and borrowers. While all these three dimensions present different challenges for the banking institutions in the UK, the continuously changing demands and shifts in the market functions have somewhat forced these banks to build a close and strong relationship with its customers (Davies & et. al., 2010). The particular problems presented by the UK banking services sector have thus been attempted to be resolved with the usage of IT innovations (Aliyu & Tasmin, 2012). Nevertheless, this topic yet remains as negligibly studied among the modern scholars, indicating a gap in the literature obtainable to test such speculations. Hence, emphasizing this gap currently present in the scholar society, the proposed study will aim at deriving firm conclusions on the strength of influences imposed by IT innovations and developments on the UK banking industry. From a mere tool for communication,