Third World Democracy and Media - 909 Words

When I was a kid I wanted to be a cricketer or an astronaut. An unusually high backlift contributed to the demise of my juvenile cricketing career. (I still harbor hopes of being a part-time astronaut). I withdrew to a life of reading. A sense of the wider world gradually imprinted itself upon me. In my adolescence I turned, I now realize, an idealist. Perhaps that explains my trying to start an unmanned Honesty Cafe (I lost my investment ) and actually trying to sell my angsty, somewhat dubious poetry (with surprising success). My activist chops were built protesting student stipend-cuts. I visited Sri Lanka on an internship after the brutal civil war, trying to understand what suffering and resilience meant. There, I taught Tamil†¦show more content†¦Being in such an environment that is close to and intersects the real world of news reporting would make my transition from a rookie to a fully equipped international journalist relatively easy. The faculty at Mizzou, some of whose work Ive read and admired, were a major reason for considering this Program, coupled with the fact that Im offered almost unparalleled flexibility in course structuring. I value in-depth, indefatigably researched and elegantly written or produced journalism that both exposes and explains the human condition, and this is something I aspire to do. I want to be able to produce stories that shed light on the choices facing our world and how the actions of some influence the lives and livelihoods of millions of others, even if the actions be undramatic or unsensational. 3. How accurately does Media in Western democracies portray the Third World, and what is its relationship with Western policy? When it is not the site of disaster, war or terrorism, much of the Third World is largely ignored by Western media. An exception is made when Western interests are perceived, correctly or not, to be involved. In all of the above scenarios an unhealthy proportion of Western Media coverage has been superficial, inaccurate and in certain cases, obfuscatory. This leaves the citizenry in Western democracies powerless to gauge the natureShow MoreRelatedIn This Part Of The Essay, Tunisia And Libya Are Discussed1716 Words   |  7 Pagesmembers of the media. In an observation released by the Freedom House website, a US- based non-governmental organization that advocates human rights and freedom rated Tunisia as ‘not free’ and scored bad marks on freedom rating, civil liberties and political rights. The analysis was made on numerous elements that representing the media and civilian freedom and how the authority exerting their power to manipulate the election’s result. F or so long under Ben Ali’s rule, the members of the media and humanRead MoreSocial Media and Democratic Reform868 Words   |  4 Pages Social Media and Democratic Reform I) In this paper I prove that the TedTalk related to Political and Cultural Globalization by focusing on social media use in The Pro-democracy Revolution and how it has affected democratic reformation. A) A comparative essay between the Jasmine Revolution of Tunisia and the Jasmine Revolution of China. B) How social media affected the outcomes of both of the revolutions. 1) Social Media was the leading force in Tunisia 2) Social Media did not win the ChineseRead MoreThe Main Components Of A Democratic Political System1388 Words   |  6 PagesAbraham Lincoln perfectly touches upon the essence of democracies. In this essay, I will describe the different types and aspects, as well as the components of a democratic political system. 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Sports Psychology Essay - 602 Words

It has been identified that through sports psychology one can improve their physical ability and performance. Sports psychology is the study of how the mind, mental states and behaviour effect sporting performance. There are several sport psychology techniques, which have helped me become a better volleyball player. These techniques include planning for performance, controlling arousal levels, mental rehearsal and concentration. The first technique of planning for performance is all about goal setting and rating your performance. Goal setting can be broken down into three distinct categories, outcome, performance and process. An outcome goal is when a goal is set purely about the outcome of an event/game. In volleyball my outcome goal†¦show more content†¦Personally I find being calm and collected works best for my performance, in order to get into this state of mind I find it better not to think about the stakes of the game. To combat pre match nerves the techniques of mental rehearsal and concentration are best used. Mental rehearsal is when an athlete plays a certain situation or technique over and over in their head to better capitalise on the situation in the future. An example of this may be mentally viewing the best technique to serve the volleyball. By using mental rehearsal and athlete will be able to adapt to situations with a greater ease. The second technique to combat nerves is centering. Centering is when an athlete blocks out all the unimportant details of a situation and just focuses at the task at hand. Centering can be achieved my controlled breathing and not thinking about past mistakes. Personally I use the technique centering to help combat my pre match nerves. By using this technique I am able to block out all the unimportant factors and think about one thing at a time. 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Project Communication and Risk Management Former Organization

Question: Describe about the Project Communication and Risk Management for Former Organization. Answer: 1.1 Based on the case study, a deal was sanctioned between ACME Fabricators and Arbor Industries for developing a landscape project for the former organization at the chosen location in a semi-rural Angle Vale. The particular agreement between the two agencies was sealed with an agreed price range of $175,000, which represents a fixed price contract without the involvement of contingency amounts. However, the project was concluded three weeks before the scheduled time of delivery with Arbor experiencing an over budget amount for completing the project at 14.3%. it is determined by assessing the case study that the specific scenario was faced by Arbor due to the involvement of several project risks like heavy machineries or damages caused by the wild animals in the newly prepared and levelled lawn as part of the project construction site. The overall situation faced by the both parties critically signifies the questions regarding the involvement of a proper risk management plan in the right place for the landscaping project (Burke 2013). In order to investigate the answer, certain concepts related to the necessary elements of project risk management should need to be evaluated and discussed adequately. Based on the suggestions obtained from Burke (2013), risk management plan is generally referred as the document representing some important set of methods for managing the key risks by assigning responsibilities to the people handling such risks. Apart from that, the effective involvement of the risk management plan is responsible for outlining the risks associated with budget, defining the categories of different risks, and recognising the probability and effects of the overall matrix. It is worth to mention that a planning activity is conducted after the accomplishment of other planning exercises like scopes, schedule, and communication associated with the identified project (Phillips 2013). Therefore, the efficacy of the planning activity depends on the identified factors involving the project management. The inherent risks of the project are assessed by conducting suitable examination of the mentioned variables. The development of an ideal risk management plan depends on analysin g all activities of a certain project plan, where the project managers including the project team need to study the necessary baselines. In this case, cost, scopes, schedule, and quality of the projects are the integral parts of the subsidiary management of the specific project, as the investigation should need to be conducted by considering these indispensable factors. The next phase suggests the project charter requiring all high-level of information including the milestones, requirements, assumptions, and constraints of the project (Schwalbe 2015). After that, the project team must need to form a document containing the information such as the roles, interest, and levels associated with the project stakeholders influencing the overall context. Here, the project team of Arbor has developed its risk management plan based on its experiences related to the similar jobs formerly performed in the city sides. The management team did not think the need of a formal project management plan by relying mostly on their faulty knowledge and skills regarding the handling of a project. A formal project management plan relies heavily on the predefined steps, where the informal planning process only articulates some faint assumptions about the specific milestones, scopes, and costs associated with the identified job (Kerzner 2013). Therefore, it can be stated that the landscaping project initiated and engaged by Arbor was carried out without the involvement of a risk management plan in the proper place. 1.2 The particular project analysed within the case study is known to be a landscaping project requiring proper budget and beautification. The expected quality of the project depends profoundly on the level of similarity with the provided drawing on or before the tender stage. Therefore, the management or the project team is extensively required providing careful attention to each step and activities performed during the critical stages of the project. The process of landscaping is practiced by the individuals over the centuries, where countless ideas and concepts are generating over the time. In case of modern landscaping, the processes are developed for bringing key changes to an area of land by decorating or planting plants, terrain, and structures (Kendrick 2015). Hence, overflowing options are there in the landscaping project, where the specific case study provides priority on the softscape type. In order to promote a safe and risk-free environment for its staffs, ACME had devel oped an aim of creating a sustainable landscape and ensuring natural habitat. Based on this particular understanding, it is substantiated that the particular category of project largely deals with different kinds of risks, which require proper classifications by the project team in a mean to handle and mitigate those professionally. Therefore, the necessary involvement of a risk management plan should be involved for structuring and controlling the performance of the project (Binder 2016). Based on the feedback provided by Haimes (2015), potential amount of threats and risks associated with the project is largely influenced by the activities of human population and changes in the respective climate. Considering such fact, the risk management aspect of the company must need to emphasise on assessment, measurement, and mitigation of the identified risks. The management is expected to conduct these processes by taking a wide range of values including the entire property, air and water quality, and biodiversity. From the analysis, it is clear that the industrial risks are highly integrated with the specific type of project, where the project management team is needed to compose with a realistic workforce by determining the impacts of weather and uncertain delivery of the project materials. Hence, the risk management team should need to act from the beginning of the process due to identifying the certain kinds of project risks that are present in the particular job (Marchewka 2014). Based on the case study, both ACME and Arbor failed to develop a successful project based on the outlined developed initially. The failure of the project is critically caused by the frequent unawareness of the managers from the certain project team regarding the big hammers that were about to hit in different stages of completion process. One of the most common incidents related to this particular nature of projects is that someone from the team or the organization actually knew about the challenges, but did not i nform the project manager about its possible occurrence. Therefore, the certain risk is significantly observed in the communication associated with the multiple stages of project management (Hwang and Ng 2013). Managers must need to pay due attention for classifying the individuals risks and promote a well-desired delivery of the project outcomes. 1.3 From the analysis of the provided case study, it is clear that difficulties and inefficacies in the communication are largely responsible for downsizing the actual outcomes of the project. Kendrick (2015) has signified the importance of communication in managing and developing a project appropriately in line with the previously set targets and expectations. The inefficiencies involving in the communication ultimately lead to the inadequate responses to the identified risks occurring during the different parts of project. For not only this project, but every project requires the involvement of proper strategies for formulating and shaping up the responses according to the particular risks encounter in different environments. Risks usually carry a negative connotation with the outcomes and activities of the project; where there are positive risks found in the project as well (Verzuh 2015). The overall concern should need to be provided to the negative risks affecting the configurat ion of useful responses by the project team. The uncertain events are mostly accounted for such impacts impinging on the project objectives largely as acknowledged by the case study. From the application of landscaping project, the responses according to the risk events can be categorised in two different categories, such as threats and opportunities, as opined by Cooke (2016). The key responses like avoiding, transferring, reducing, accepting, and contingency significantly influence the emergence of threats to a project. Alternatively, sharing, exploiting, enhancing, and rejecting are the certain types of response adequately provide opportunity to the similar project (Alhawari et al. 2012). Risk responses causing Threats As mentioned earlier, avoid, transfer, reduce, accept, or contingency are the major responses from the members of project team to cause substantial threats to the entire process. Risks are often avoided for bypassing them through changing the project in some way. The similar type of response is observed within the particular case study related to ACME and Arbor. Some or entire portion of the Risk is also transferred to a third party, for example insurance agencies. Apart from that, the risks reduction action is the frequently used response to the risks where the approach is based on reducing either the likelihood of the risk occurrence or the potential impact it will have on the entire project (Turner 2016). In some cases, the risk may be accepted conceivably due to the lower impact of its likelihood. In such cases, the project team requires to identify a potential contingency plan in the right time. The example of risk acceptance is majorly observed i n the provided case study, where Arbor attempted to make the savings from somewhere else within the project. Lastly, the contingency plan is put forwarded by the project team for responding the specific risk if it is realised. Risk Responses causing Opportunities The earlier mentioned factors significantly provide multiple opportunities to the overall project to develop sizeable opportunities from different perspectives. Initially, the risks are shared within the project team, partners, or suppliers for maximising the understanding of appropriate requirement resource or technology for reducing the same while expanding the opportunities (McNeil, Frey, and Embrechts 2015). Often the change in technology or market creates extended risks for the whole project. Exploiting these risks can sufficiently help the team to make adjustments and extract benefits from the certain changes. As mentioned earlier, every risk can be categorised in both favourable and unfavourable types. Enhancement is a response developed by the team member for cutting down the associated risks and increasing the probability of opportunities could have on the project. Lastly, risks are rejected and certain benefits from the identified oppor tunities are discarded at the same time. The specific type of response requires the application of a contingency plan in the right place for ensure the opportunities to occur (Karlsen, Folke-Olsen, and Torvatn, 2013). The specific type of risk response is noted during the handling of project by Arbor within the case study where the heavy damages to the lawn caused by the heavy machineries are rejected by the project team. Figure 1: Risk Response to the Certain Type of Project (Source: As created by the author) 1.4 It is clear from the application of the case study that the either the managers from the project team or the financial manager from ACME did not provide proper response to the different hazardous events associated with the landscaping project. Neither some of the appropriate responses reflected from the previous discussion are regarded by the project team nor the managers of Arbor or spokesperson from ACME. As a result, developing an affluent risk management plan by the manager of the project team had encountered a significant amount of stress during the development of entire landscape well according to the plan. Therefore, the managers of the entire project team responsible for accomplishing the job could have included some useful steps for guiding the overall outcomes with accordance to the possible expectations. According to Kerzner (2013), as a project manager or member of a project team, risks are needed to be managed sufficiently on a day-to-day basis. In order to achieve such objective, employing a systematic risk management framework is highly necessary by the project team with the inclusion of five core risk management processes in a well-organized manner (Gido and Clements 2014). With the application of such process, possible benefits can be transferred to the project for facilitating their comfortable functioning and ultimately providing positive experience to every party involved with the project. Here, determining the positive or negative aspects of an identified risk is an imperative concern for the project manager for developing a smarter, profitable, and streamlined project by sorting out the risks and capitalising on the specific risks providing positive opportunities. All of these estimated factors contribute to the five risk management steps for driving the delivery of a simp le and effective risks management procedure. Step 1: Risk Identification Based on the case study, the managers from the project team could have uncover, identify, and explain the risks caused by different diverse activities having their impacts on the project goals or outcomes (Haimes 2015). A wide range of techniques is available from the project management context to find the project risks. The management team could have applied a formal project management process to prepare a Project Risk Register supporting the specified process. Step 2: Risk Analysis The likelihood and consequence of each risk should have needed to be determined by the project team once after their identification. In this step, the managers and members of the project team developed by Arbor were required developing certain understanding regarding the nature and potentiality of the risks concerning the goals and objectives of overall project. The information gathered from the step is also needed to be incorporated within the project risk register (Pritchard and PMP 2014). Step 3: Risk Evaluation and Ranking Based on the magnitude of the identified risks, the manager of the Arbor project team could have evaluate or rank the risks organised by their combination of likelihood and consequence. The proposed process certainly helps the management to understand whether the risk is tolerable or it is momentous enough to warrant the existing treatment. From the analysis of the case study, it is observed that the project team of Arbor has put forwarded a limited effort in evaluating or ranking the risks occurring in different course of time to alter their existing approaches and treatment to the project. Step 4: Risk Treatment Risk treatment is also referred to as Risk Response Planning, which is the most significant step of project management for assessing the top ranked risks and setting out a plan for treating or modifying those and achieve the acceptable levels (Heldman 2013). In case of Arbor, the inappropriate or inadequate risk responses were developed by the project team causing the materialization of noteworthy challenges experienced by the both parties. Neither the risk mitigation strategies and preventive plans nor the contingency plans were in suitable place causing specific level of struggles in the activities and treatment. Step 5: Risk Monitoring and Review The implication of the project risk register comes significantly within this particular step. The utilisation of the risk register helps to track, monitor, and review the identified and assessed risks (Glendon, Clarke, and McKenna 2016). The absence of a formal risk register throughout the project had substantially caused different dilemmas to overall process. Figure 2: Recommended Risk Management Planning Process (Source: As created by the Author) 2.1 Communication is the integral factor in the process of developing a project and aligning the process in line with the expected outcomes. Hence, the project manager is responsible for creating a superior communication plan by providing guidelines to the different aspects of a project. There are different elements combined to support the formation of an efficient communication plan. These components mostly cover the method and frequency, which vary according to the specific needs of the project (Teller, Kock, and Gemnden 2014). Hence, the managers must need to understand the inherited risks associated with the project with the aim of developing a precise knowledge of the communication plan. The specific process importantly guides the managers realise specific goals associated with the project outcomes and delivery. Based on the application of the case study, proper communication was not present in the entire project between the service provider and receiver. The particular factor h ad helped to surface challenging outcomes during the closure of the project. Hence, some of the useful evidence strengthening the importance of communication should need to be outlined specifically in the following paragraphs. Expectations The imperative involvement of a project communication plan helps to set the standards on how and when the communication will take place (Archibald and Archibald 2016). Edwards and Bowen (2013) have indicated that setting the exact tone of communication concerning the project is one of the vital responsibilities included in the roles played by the project managers. Furthermore, accurate execution of the process helps the manager to control the project while ensuring the necessary information is fairly distributed amongst the various stakeholders. Therefore, setting the standards of communication can effectively helps to determine the project progress among the all involving parties to think about the necessary changes that could influence on meeting the project standards. Consistency Consistency is an important factor for handing each dilemma associated with the project. Binder (2016) believes that a solid communication plan applied within the project sufficiently helps to enrich consistency among each participant of the project team after following the steps mentioned in the plan. It makes sure the similar information of the changes and requirements related to the project is delivered to all the stakeholders (Lundgren and McMakin 2013). Hence, communication within the project management process restricts the spread of misleading information among the all stakeholders to prevent delays in the undertaken job. Productivity Productivity highly contributes to the successful delivery of a project, which is highly enhanced by the involvement of regular communication. According to Karlsen et al. (2013), members of a project team will deliver successful performance regarding the identified job based on the level of comfort, which is significantly driven in the positive direction by keeping them in the loop on different occurrences. In case of developing a project team, the members should need to be equipped with all the compulsory information about their roles; otherwise, they will frequently abandon their works for seeking the missing information (Bryde, Broquetas, and Volm 2013). Hence, a successfully integrated approach can be developed with the critical involvement of communication facilitating the comprehensive and collaborative performance regarding the project. Outcomes As opined by Hilson and Simon (2012), project manager should need to play the responsibility of leading the project team to achieve the desired outcomes as expected by the key stakeholders associated with the job. The requirements of the project are extensively impeded by the deficiency of proper communication in the right place to develop advanced connection with the major stakeholders (Hillson and Simon 2012). Developing a superior connection with the stakeholders influenced by the advanced communication will appropriately help the project manager to realise the actual needs and requirements of the project. Subsequently, it helps to provide positive influence on the development of final product meeting all the expectations. Figure 3: Importance of Communication in Project Management (Source: As created by the Author) 2.2 Teller and Kock (2013) explained that there are different modes of communication, on which the manager of project should need to be familiar, as the individual is responsible for managing the project successfully toward its outcome. The communication involving a project has multiple facets, which a manager should need to have the capability to handle them effectively. The mode of communication depends on the particular perspective influenced by its overall nature (Crawford 2014). Here, the project manager should need to develop awareness based on the primary modes of communication, which are distributed in four different perceptions: Project Perspective Organizational Perspective Formality Perspective Channel Perspective From the viewpoint of the provided case study, communication can be segregated from the perspective of formality stating the process to be formal or informal. Considering the primary communication between the finance manager of ACME and the project manager from Arbor, it can be treated as the informal mode of communication. This particular type of communication involves informal discussions and meetings among the concerning parties. It is importantly observed that formal communication provides a considerable amount of influence on the day-to-day functioning of the organization, where another set of communication network provides dramatic impact on the regular activities performed within the organization (Coombs 2014). This particular type of communication network is called informal communication. It is worth to mention that the individual type of communication does not exist in the hierarchical structure of project management or a firm. Though a great deal of functions and activities happen as a result of informal communication network, proper importance is not provided to the specific mode of communication due to its failure to establish a formal network among the major parties (Fang and Marle 2012). The analysis regarding the manner of informal communication used to develop the project, it can be proposed that Grapevine Communication Network is used for delivering the final outcome. Figure 4: Communication Mode used in the Specific Project (Source: As created by the Author) 2.3 As identified from the case study, the regular submission of project progress report to ACME could have improved the outcomes of overall job at its closure. Based on the earlier discussion, advanced communication would have helped to improve the scenario driving the project manager of Arbor to submit the progress report in multiple intervals to the finance department of ACME until the completion of overall project. The successful delivery of the projects requires addressing specific needs, based on which the project managers should need develop their awareness. The increasing awareness for the project managers depends on the establishment of some important methods, such control, collation of information, and communication (Wachinger et al. 2013). However, the manager and team members of a project need to provide high level of importance to determine the level of control and reporting required. Controlling the progress of the project relies profoundly on the information highlighted in the progress report, and the regular submission of such report would support the managers figuring out ways to facilitate the success of project outcomes. In this particular process, the managers need to consider two important factors. Firstly, they need to balance the information regarding time, cost, efforts, and collection of data for achieving the optimum benefits. Secondly, the proper communication can be established suggesting clearly the importance of information and its vital ability to provide success (Blais 2015). 3. As revealed from the previous analysis, communication is always held to be the number one driving factor behind the success of a project. Based on the collected information, it is believed to be the foremost priority regarding the roles played by the project managers. Therefore, the project manager must need to be master communicator for landscaping the hope of success, especially during the high chances of the project is expected to meet its potential failure. However, some significant barriers should need to be identified and overcome by the organizational managers for driving the establishment of successful communication and developing a vivid flow of information (Hopkin 2014). Barriers to Project Communication in an Organization Uncertainty of Message Incorrect reflection of the actual scenario or failure to provide viable understanding to the responsible stakeholders about the project progress critically causes various uncertainties in the message. Faulty Presentation Due to the ineffective choice of communicational medium with the key stakeholders of the project often provides faulty presentation related to the vital aspects of the project. Unstated Assumption Unstated assumptions refers to the different assumptions assumed by the both party based on the specific message or information. Incompatible Viewpoints Due to the involvement of dissimilar perspectives between the both parties, the channel of communication is largely affected to meet failure (Crawford 2014). Overcoming the Barriers of Communication Mitigation of Differences in Perception Engaging the right individuals in the project team and appointing a skilful manager in the management post of the entire project through the proper induction program would help them to develop policies for eliminating the difference among the perception of both parties. Use of Simple Channels or Mediums for Communication Instead of focusing on the utilisation of complicated approaches and techniques, managers of the project team should need to apply simple and easy to understand channels or mediums for generating a clear understanding to the primary stakeholders. Avoiding Information Overload In order to avoid the overloading of information, manager of project should need to prioritise their works with maintaining proper sequencing (Bryde, Broquetas, and Volm 2013). With the help of the process, the problems associated in different phases of the project can be assessed and determined by the managers to develop a precise progress report to the responsible party. 4. Based on the analysis of the case study related to the project management agreement between ACME Fabricators and Arbor Industries, the 4.5-hectare site as the new premises of the office at Angle Vale requires a huge sum of investment as determined by the senior executives of ACME. In order to avoid the large manufacturing cost for the business, the senior administration of ACME had decided to form a tender document and initiating the production of the proposed site until a project management firm is agreed to accept the tender for the certain quantity. The fundamental reason driving the management or executive of ACME to take such decision is based on significantly avoiding the risks associated with manufacturing and constructing an office premise for the company (Gido and Clements 2014). The senior executive group of ACME had pictured some land contouring to allocate a sum of $232,000 notionally for the identified project. Subsequently, the company passed the tender to Arbor with an agreed bid price of $175,000 for completing the project within the allocated time schedule. Therefore, it can be arguably noted that the specific approach was adopted by ACME comprehensively with the aim of providing assistance in the area of project risk management. Additionally, based on the case study, the fact is also reflected that application of learning curves are used by the management of ACME ensure accomplishment of entire project within the deadline (Alhawari et al. 2012). Referencing to the suggestion provided by Burke (2013), the principal involvement of learning curve demonstrate the completion of a particular project will require less time if the associated tasks are performed in a repeated manner. Due to such understanding, the entire responsibility of completing the project is handed over to Arbor for attaining the aims of project management. References Alhawari, S., Karadsheh, L., Talet, A.N. and Mansour, E., 2012. Knowledge-based risk management framework for information technology project.International Journal of Information Management,32(1), pp.50-65. Archibald, R.D. and Archibald, S., 2016.Leading and Managing Innovation: What Every Executive Team Must Know about Project, Program, and Portfolio Management(Vol. 22). CRC Press. Binder, J., 2016.Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. CRC Press. Blais, K., 2015.Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives. Pearson. Bryde, D., Broquetas, M. and Volm, J.M., 2013. The project benefits of building information modelling (BIM).International Journal of Project Management,31(7), pp.971-980. Burke, R., 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Coombs, W.T., 2014.Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding. Sage Publications. Crawford, J.K., 2014.Project management maturity model. CRC Press. Edwards, P. and Bowen, P., 2013.Risk management in project organisations. Routledge. Fang, C. and Marle, F., 2012. A simulation-based risk network model for decision support in project risk management.Decision Support Systems,52(3), pp.635-644. Gido, J. and Clements, J.P., 2014.Successful project management. Nelson Education. Glendon, A.I., Clarke, S. and McKenna, E., 2016.Human safety and risk management. Crc Press. Haimes, Y.Y., 2015.Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley Sons. Heldman, K., 2013.PMP: project management professional exam study guide. John Wiley Sons. Hillson, D. and Simon, P., 2012.Practical project risk management: The ATOM methodology. Management Concepts Inc.. Hopkin, P., 2014.Fundamentals of risk management: understanding, evaluating and implementing effective risk management. Kogan Page Publishers. Hwang, B.G. and Ng, W.J., 2013. Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges.International Journal of Project Management,31(2), pp.272-284. Karlsen, J.T., Folke-Olsen, O. and Torvatn, T., 2013. Project Risk Management: Use and Benefit of Various Tools.International Journal of Risk and Contingency Management (IJRCM),2(4), pp.79-101. Kendrick, T., 2015.Identifying and managing project risk: essential tools for failure-proofing your project. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Kerzner, H.R., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Lundgren, R.E. and McMakin, A.H., 2013.Risk communication: A handbook for communicating environmental, safety, and health risks. John Wiley Sons. Marchewka, J.T., 2014.Information technology project management. John Wiley Sons. McNeil, A.J., Frey, R. and Embrechts, P., 2015.Quantitative risk management: Concepts, techniques and tools. Princeton university press. Phillips, J., 2013.PMP, Project Management Professional (Certification Study Guides). McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. Pritchard, C.L. and PMP, P.R., 2014.Risk management: concepts and guidance. CRC Press. Schwalbe, K., 2015.Information technology project management. Cengage Learning. Teller, J., Kock, A. and Gemnden, H.G., 2014. Risk management in project portfolios is more than managing project risks: A contingency perspective on risk management.Project Management Journal,45(4), pp.67-80. Turner, R., 2016.Gower handbook of project management. Routledge. Verzuh, E., 2015.The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley Sons. Wachinger, G., Renn, O., Begg, C. and Kuhlicke, C., 2013. The risk perception paradoximplications for governance and communication of natural hazards.Risk analysis,33(6), pp.1049-1065.

Italian Baroque Characteristics Essay Example For Students

Italian Baroque Characteristics Essay One of the characteristics of the Italian Baroque is the realistic depiction of human figures, vivid use of color and foreshadowing techniques, especially in the paintings In addition, the figures of the paintings seem to emerge from the background, giving huge differences between light and dark. The Italian baroque structure has a sense of movement and that of energy when in static form. The sculptures make the observers to have multiple viewpoints. The Baroque architecture has characteristic domes, colonnades, giving an impression Of illume and void. Michelangelo ¶s David does not react with the surroundings but it stands alone With the little movements disguised behind it. The sculpture brings out David as a soldier preparing for war and not a person engaged in a battle (Miller, Bandore, Newscaster, 2010). The hands are larger than normal and the arms are longer than his body. This is meant to illustrate the renaissance period. In contrast, the Berings David has aspects of motion, showing that he was already engaged in the battle with Goliath, The idea of went is enhanced by the loosely flowing robes. In addition, the sculpture demonstrates that unlike Michelangelo David that has longer hands, Berings David has contracted muscles. The Michelangelo sculpture was created during Renascence period while the Berings sculpture was done during the Baroque period. Aggravations painting is unique due to its wonderful use of chiaroscuro, which is the contrast between light and dark, For example, the painting Supper at Museum (1 602) illustrates Jesus and his disciples in bright colors and uses a ark tint for the background (Miller, Bandore, Newscaster, 201 0), Looking at the painting The Incredibility of Saint Thomas, the power seems to lie in the skepticism exhibited by Apostle Thomas. The painter seems interested in Thomas doubt at the time he is pushed to the limits to believe about Jesus resurrection (Miller, Bandore, Newscaster, 2010). Enlightenment deals with the use of human reason to combat ignorance and enhance political, religious and educational achievements. The enlightenment period enhanced art and evolutionists the themes and topics that relate to this area of study. The subjects and topics that used to be discussed in arts have now been altered and turned into political and economic issues. One of the paintings done by Rococo was that of a girl in a field, in the presence of string wind that blowing up her dress and hair. This painting uses a wide range of pastel colors and has graceful curves that embellish the ladys figure (Adams, Adams, 2010). The background is also well developed due to the wonderful combination of colors and the right background. Jacques Lois David painted The Oath of Horntail, which was illustrates soldiers holding swords up high, The simplicity of the painting makes it one of the most spectacular pieces tot art. The art is subdivided into three different components, including three swords, three brothers and three people in a group (Adams, Adams, 2010). The background also has three people and this gives the painting a triangular perspective. This painting demonstrates Jacques creativity as he used it to represent a time when the world was slowly

Essay Topics That You Must Research Before Writing Your Essay

Essay Topics That You Must Research Before Writing Your EssayThere are several topics of a persuasive essay that you must try to research first before writing your essay. These topics can help you see which ones to include in your essays. There are several strategies that can help you see whether the essay is effective or not. Here are some of the topics of a persuasive essay.Using personal opinions and views of other people in your essay helps you avoid sounding like an expert. What you need to do is make sure that you write from your perspective and not from an authority. Make sure that the topic of your essay is a reasonable one. This is not the time to make up facts and then mention them in your essay. You will just confuse your reader.One of the topics of persuasive essay is going to be getting and using people's loyalty. When writing an essay, try to read your audience first before writing about them. If you get their loyalty by being very generous with your information, it wil l surely be very hard for them to reject your argument later on. Another good thing about this is that you can use these to persuade other people. So when you want to impress someone, you can use this topic of persuasive essay.Another topic of persuasive essay is going to be the power of words. You have to avoid using big words as this can give your essay a poor reputation. Try to be more descriptive with your sentences, and do not make them so long as they make you look boring.The topic of persuasive essay that you must always try to focus on is to convince your readers. In order to persuade, you have to convince them. When you want to persuade them, you have to present them what you want them to believe. Then give them proof that you are right about it. People love to be convinced by others.One of the topics of a persuasive essay that you need to try to focus on is that you need to persuade them without making them feel awkward. Many people get nervous when they are forced to talk about something they don't want to. This is why you should never force them to talk about something they don't want to. You can also avoid making them feel uncomfortable by asking them something that is related to the topic of your essay. However, this requires a lot of patience.Another topic of persuasive essay that you must try to concentrate on is the relationship between words and action. When you want to write an essay, it is important that you actually put your thoughts into words. However, you also need to keep in mind that writing an essay has to be done in a logical manner so that you get the right idea and not just go with your feelings.

Education in Iceland

Introduction Traditionally, education was viewed as a need that was optional and could be substituted to meet other life’s important basics. Today, provision of education has become a government’s social responsibility in a majority of the countries.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Education in Iceland specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the challenge remains on the provision of inclusive education and schooling, and how best to tailor the country’s educational system to produce citizens who can effectively meet the society’s desired qualities. The needs of the society have been continuously transformed by globalization and as such, countries and societies have had to constantly undertake reforms in their educational systems. Background Information on Education in Iceland In Iceland, the provision of compulsory education is the responsibility of the government. According to the r eforms made by the government in 2008 on compulsory education, it is the responsibility of the local municipalities to provide education to all the children in the pre-primary and compulsory school level (European Commission. 2009). Compulsory education is applicable to all children between the ages six and sixteen. The state is charged with the responsibility of providing upper secondary and higher education (European Commission. 2009). The law requires that pupils attending compulsory education to do so on a full time basis and. In addition, the state has also defined the roles of the parent as that of ensuring that children register for school (European Commission, 2009). It is also the parent’s role to ensure that children attend school. The local municipalities ensure that pupils are given instructions recommended by the law while the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture supervises the implementation process. According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Cult ure (2010), the educational structure of schools in Iceland comprise of the pre-primary level, the compulsory level, the upper secondary level and finally, the higher education. The compulsory level comprise of the single structure-primary and the lower secondary. Pre-primary education is available for children between the ages of 3 and 5, after which they progress to primary schools at the age six and later on enter lower secondary schools at age 11. Students enter upper secondary schools at age 14 after completing their tenth grade and graduate from the upper secondary in the thirteenth grade at age 16 or 17 (UNESCO, 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More All the state and municipality levels, schools are expected to follow the national curriculum provided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. At the pre-primary level, the teachers in the schools are given the responsib ility of determining the school’s curriculum. According to the European Commission, (2009), the subjects covered at the compulsory level of education include Mathematics, natural sciences, English, social sciences (including History and Geography), art and craft, Physical Education, religious studies, as well as equal rights affairs. The pupils at this level of education are also taught Icelandic as a second language. The curriculum also includes information and communication technology, life skills as well as other foreign languages like Danish, Spanish, or French. At the upper secondary level, the students are taught Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, information technology, Economics, History, arts and craft, psychology, environmental systems as well as other languages. Teaching of the Icelandic curriculum is done using the country’s native language, Icelandic (European Commission, 2009). The curriculum also provides for extra-curricular and social activi ties which are incorporated in the daily school activities. Teachers have the autonomy to decide on the teaching methods and materials appropriate for achieving the objectives in each situation. However, instructions for each subject are clearly defined in the curriculum and those that require exposure of learners to their immediate environment normally takes place in the form of field trips. The curriculum requires that assessment be done regularly so as to monitor the learners’ progress. There is no examination at the end of the compulsory curriculum in grade ten, however, the principal of the compulsory school awards the learner with a certificate of completion (European Commission, 2009). However, at the upper secondary and tertiary levels of education, the subjects are divided into modules and students are assessed at the end of every semester and are graded according to the unit-credit system. Theories of learning supporting Education in Iceland This approach is derived from the Humanistic theories of learning which emphasize on the natural desire by learners to always gain more knowledge and the need to allow learners to control their learning process as the teachers are reduced to facilitators of the learning process.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Education in Iceland specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Constructivism Theory One such humanistic theory is the constructivism theory which argues that human beings develop knowledge and meaning through the interaction of their ideas and experiences. Thus, learners would normally build knowledge upon that that they have already acquired. It also implies learning from experience is very important and therefore it is essential to apply teaching and learning process that incorporates learning through experience. According to Wertsch, (1997), the learner takes an active role in the learning process. This theory recognizes that each lea rner is unique and has complex needs and therefore it is important that teachers understand the entry behavior of each learner and the learner’s unique learning ability. According to Wertsch, (1997), the learners background and culture help shape the knowledge and facts that the learner discovers and acquires during the learning process. The teacher has to consider all these when planning any learning content to be delivered to the learners. Social constructivism theory According to the social constructivism theory, learners learn best through experience and therefore discovery approach should be aimed at providing experience that would enable learners construct knowledge and make sense of the concepts being learnt (Pajares and Schunk, 2001). It also states that learners can conceptualize any information no matter the level or the age of the learner provided that the knowledge is reinforced. Thus a learner centered approach should prepare learners with the specific capacities that are necessary for the learner to interact with and in the world that may not be acquired in any other social settings (Pajares and Schunk, 2001). This theory suggests that teachers should take into consideration learner’s interest. It is also important for teachers to provide an environment and learning opportunities that enable learners to articulate the knowledge. Repeated experience on the concepts being learnt will enable learners to internalize and apply the concepts in a more sophisticated constructs (Gardner, 2005 and; Pajares and Schunk, 2001).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These experiences provided in terms of experiments should not be provided in the school setting alone but should include the wider society so as to integrate societal experience and school experience (Gardner, 2005). This theory also suggests that there should be no limits to learning and therefore learners should always be encouraged to gain more knowledge. Purpose and Scope of the Study The main purpose of the study is to investigate the education system in Iceland. It seeks to find out what the government and the Icelandic society as a whole is doing in order to achieve an inclusive education and schooling for its multicultural society. The aim of the study is to acquire best practices employed in the Icelandic educational systems and to analyse the deficiencies that exist in the education system that needs to be improved. The objective of the study is to enable the education providers achieve highest quality of professional development for their learners especially at the primar y and secondary levels of education. This study was done so as to provide future education reformers with base line or reference for carrying out reforms. The scope of this study covers the Icelandic curriculum and pedagogical strategies applied in imparting the society’s desired knowledge, skills, values and morals. It discusses the assessment strategies applied to gauge the level of learning in the learners. The study also looks into the role played by the school environment including collaboration with the school parents in shaping the behaviuor of the learners and the learning outcomes. The study also covers the role played by the school culture in the learning process as well as the roles played by the school curriculum and school community in shaping the leadership and organization of the individuals. Methodology The study critically examined incidences in educational systems and practices so as to discover factors that help teachers and the general school community pro vide quality and an all inclusive education and schooling. This was done in order to determine the activities and practices which best foster successful learning in Iceland Schools. The research methodology that was used to collect information was a one-to-one interview. Selecting the school of study involved an underground research through the internet. The selection of the school was based on how modern, the school environment and the school’s mission statement. Finally I decided on Nordlingaskoli , a new school in Reykjavishire. The principal of Nordllingaskoli was contacted to request for a meeting with him which he confirmed and thereafter an appointment was booked. A questionnaire was designed to cover all the areas of study. The questionnaire prepared consisted of open-ended questions only; to help gather more information and the attitude of the principle towards the education system. The School’s Background Information Nordlingaskoli is a new school located in the rural Reykjavishire in RVS District. It has a small student population of about 200 students but this is anticipated to increase before the end of the year. The school uses the national curriculum guidelines in planning its school activities. However, the school’s educational system is unique since it applies a mixed-age group in its teaching and learning programmes. Besides, the system focuses more on provision of art and craft and environmental studies. The school has a very unique system of education which applies mixed-age group learning. The principal’s name is Sif Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir. Findings Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir explained that the school uses the national curriculum guide to plan and carry out its school activities although the planning of the school activities is also based on the aspirations and objectives of the school. Besides, teachers joining the school have to pass an orientation system and be fully info rmed on the objectives of the school and how the school is meeting the learners’ unique needs. The principal also explained that the assessment of learners takes different forms. Learners can be assessed in their learning groups or individually. The assessment includes both formal and informal evaluation done by the individual teachers. The school has various electives available for the learners. Although it focuses more on art and environment studies, there are also other practical and interesting programmes like home economics, music, drama, information technology among others. The school provides many elective subjects to give the students wide options to choose from and to offer flexibility to learners as well as to give the teachers the time to offer individual tutorials to learners. The school also has plans to increase the number of teachers, introduce more programmes and expand its facilities in order to meet the speculated increase in demand for its services. The sch ools programme of differentiation has been successful according to the school principal. Students are allowed and helped to choose the groups they prefer to join according to their learning abilities and their learning aspirations. Differentiation and mixed-age groupings enables pupils learn from each other particularly from the older members and therefore pupils are better enabled to grasp knowledge and thus they are better enabled to achieve their learning outcomes. Besides, the teachers can easily provide for the needs of the groups rather than for an individual. Differentiation enables teachers to plan for every individual and at the same time makes school activities to be flexible. Differentiation and mixed-age groups enable learners achieve maximum results and inner motivation to acquire more knowledge and skills. The learner identifies the area of interest and both the teacher and parent help the learner choose his or her area of interest. The teacher discusses the ability of the learner with the parent in order to help the learner choose the area of interest that best suits his or her abilities and meets is or her needs. The school is very much prepared to meet the needs of learners who join the school while they are still very young. The instruction materials are tailored to motivate them and help them concentrate in learning activities. The instruction contents given to them do not cover wider learning content and also involved more activities that develop their motor skills like play and other outdoor activities. According to the principal, school systems with shorter working periods are not able to complete their programmes or even adequately provide for the individual needs of their learners. This means that in most cases learners have to endure with daily classroom activities which may be boring if done continuously. Besides, the teachers do not get the time to expose learners to the realities in their environment and thus the learners may not be able to apply or connect the knowledge and skills learnt in class to the real world. According to the principal, the students are easily assimilated in other learning systems particularly in the upper secondary schools since most of their learning is practical. The workshops which the school organizes for the learners impart practical skills which are very much related to the vocational training offered in the upper secondary schools or even in job applications. The practical skills offered to the learners make them more competent and better equipped to solve problems that occur in real life situations. The outdoor activities and the mixed-age groups in the school enable learners develop life skills and social skills which are very important in socializing within the society. Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir explained that the school operates in accordance with the guidelines provided by the national curriculum which require that learners should be automatically promoted to the next class . Therefore the age and the year of entry determine the promotion to the next level. Surroundings and material The outdoor activities carried out as part of school activities are normally under the close supervision of the teacher who provides guidance on the activities. Besides, students are normally in their groups hence easier to manage since members of a group are responsible for each individual in the group. Students’ health is the responsibility of both the teacher and the parents. Since the goals of the school are shared by the parents and they understand what the school plans to achieve, they understand that their children need to keep their children warm always. This helps the school protect the lives of the learners from the weather conditions that might affect the learners’ lives. Besides, the learners also have free health care provided by the government. Enhancing the students’ concentration while in class is very important in the school, therefore the teachers ensure that the instructional materials provided are interesting and that the learning content and the instructional materials have been decided upon by the learners and the teacher. These enhance the learners’ concentration and also motivate the learners. Conflict resolution is a very important aspect of education in a multicultural education today. According to Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir, the school is committed to promoting learners’ appreciation of diversity and how to overcome prejudice. According to Wendy (1994), it is also important to teach the learners how to manager their anger and be tolerant to each other. This enables learners control their emotions (Banks and Banks, 2005). The guidance and counseling department takes the lead in helping the learners understand the need to exist in unity in diversity. According to the principal, the school understands that wherever the learners come from, there is normally prejudice instilled into them by their respective societies; therefore it is very important to teach learners to avoid acting on their prejudice that they come with from their respective communities. The school organises bonding workshops at the beginning of each academic year in autumn in what the school considers to be the biggest workshop in the school called the â€Å"The Homestead†. Since the school exists in an environment with trees it is not difficult acquiring the materials for the wood work lessons. Again, since the school is a public one, these materials are provided for by the government (European Commission, 2009). According the principal, some materials are also bought by the school and at the same time, learners are given the chance to go for field trips to observe what happens in woodwork workshops or tree forests. According to Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir, the school organises and sponsor many local and international community outreach programmes such as Habit for Humans. Learners collaborate with t he school community activities such as cleaning the environment, garbage collections and sorting, tree planting and many others. Languages of the school The official languages that the learners are supposed to use while in school are English and Icelandic. However, learners are also encouraged to keep their native languages since the school believes that one can better learn a second language through his or her mother tongue. According to Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir, the school does not find it difficult dealing with the diversity of languages since the teaching staff also comprises of diverse languages. The staff operates as a team, shares and cooperatively solves problems that they meet while dealing with the learners. School culture: Communication, collaboration and atmosphere The uniqueness of the school system is not at all a barrier to the learners’ interaction with the outside world. According to the principle, the school is involved in many programmes which ensure that they are not cut out of the outside world. They are involved in music, drama and sports activities such as basketball, football, volleyball and baseball, and tennis, dance, cheerleading, and swimming among many others. These activities are distributed across the three seasons of autumn, winter and spring which find the learners in school. The sports activities give the learners a chance to compete and interact with other schools and the outside community. Besides, the learners are also given the opportunity to participate in inter-school academic activities, science congress and other students’ forums. The school has computer laboratory connected to the internet. This gives the learners the opportunity to connect to the outside world and to even invite community resource persons of their own choice. The school also invites experts, professionals, artists and other community resources persons to come share with the learners. The school appreciates the uniqueness of the other n eighbouring schools and organises collaborative activities with the neighbouring schools to gain from the different learning experiences that the other learners are exposed to. The school also organises collaborative activities with the neighbouring schools to enable its learners better develop their social skills and to increase their network of friends. The school is aware of the diversity of cultural backgrounds among the teachers, learners and teachers. According to Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir, the teachers have in mind the school’s code of conduct and code of ethics. The code of conduct provides them with a guideline on how they are supposed to carry out their duties and how they are supposed to interact. It also provides a guideline on how they are supposed to enhance teamwork in the various groups that exist in the staff which include academic departments and other activities; as well as in the staff as a whole. Besides, the leadership structures within the school admini stration enable the teachers work harmoniously as a team. They also use the internet to share the learning contents, learning materials and other resources which enhance teaching and learning. The environment created by the diversity in teachers, learners and parents is stimulating and provides the learners with a rich experience and exposure. The diversity that exists in the school community gives the school an international image and in turn an international exposure and international understanding of other people’s culture. The diversity in the school community especially the involvement of parents in the learning activities of school enriches the learners’ learning content. Since its inception, the school has applied teaching strategies that involve differentiation and co-operative learning which have ensured that each student’s work and learning corresponds to his or her needs. Nordlingaskoli believes in the uniqueness of its learners and provides the best environment for optimum achievement of learners’ objectives. The school offers tailor-made conditions that meet individual learners’ needs. The school is also on course to developing a new reference table which would better enable the school to apply its differentiation programmes to the speculated large numbers of learners in the near future. The programme is being developed in collaboration with the municipal as well as the national education authorities. This would ensure that the programme meets the national education standards in provision of learners’ areas of interest such as art and craft, environmental studies and many more. According to Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir, this would enhance flexibility in meeting the needs of the learners. Besides, the diversity in the staff would enable individual learners’ attendance. The principal also noted that the school plans to recruit even more diverse teachers to meet the needs of the expected increase in cultu re. According to Ragnarsdà ³ttir, (2010), it is important to develop a common organizational culture which respects every idea from other cultures. More teachers from different cultures will enable provision of more languages taught in the school and hence help teachers provide for individual tutorial programmes to the learners (Bennett, 1999). Collaboration with homes/families and communities Although fully engaging parents has been a bit challenging since much of their time is consumed by their work, most parents have occasionally turned up whenever called upon. The parents are very much committed to their children’s development. The first day of the learner’s attendance at school takes place at home and two teachers, male and female visit the learner and the parent(s). According to the principal of the school, the parents are involved in setting the objectives of the outcomes of their children, assessing the progress of their children, providing resources, counseli ng their children and evaluating the performance of the school. All the teachers and the administration have access to the parents’ email addresses which are available in each learner’s file and the school’s database. This makes communication with the parents to be easier in case of problems or any issue that requires the parent’s involvement. The surrounding community has also been involved in the various school activities. The surrounding school community provides security to the learners and the school as a whole. They also protect the surrounding environment which includes the local river and the nearby forest which are used by the teachers to provide the needed experience during outdoor activities. The school also collaborates with surrounding community in community outreach programmes such as tree planting and other environment conservation measures. The principal explained that modeling the school culture and environment to fit in the community inv olves creating a common organizational culture that understands the needs and applies the ideas of the community. The teaching materials and learning contents have been tailored to utilize the resources from the local community. Most outdoor activities take place in the local community environment and the experiences which learners are exposed to are derived from the local community. Leadership and organization The principal explains that the school has various outbound activities, workshops, outdoor activities and mixed-age groups which enrich the development of leadership skills and also provide opportunities for learners to practise their leadership skills. The students therefore behave responsibly and are responsible for their friends. There are student leaders in various respective levels of leadership including group leaders, class leaders and other capacities. The students are given guidance and counseling on leadership and management skills by the guidance and counseling dep artment to enable them carry out their responsibilities and duties effectively and efficiently. The student leaders are also given the opportunity to attend leadership workshops and forums with students from other schools. Besides, the school administration recognises and awards students who have demonstrated strong leadership skills in the school community. According to the principal teachers undergo an orientation process to inform them of the mission and, the objectives, the shared aspirations and goals of the school, the parents and learners and the school programmes in order to enable them adapt to the school system. This is done by the school principle, the respective department and all the teachers. The school has room teachers who are responsible for all the activities and needs of each mixed-age groups. The learners’ workshops are organized through a coordination of the respective subject teacher, the class teacher, the room teachers, the department involved and the school administration headed by the principal. Learners are also involved in deciding the learning activities of the workshops. These workshops are part of mainstream learning activities and therefore do not involve other schools. According to the principal, the teaching and learning structure of the school is unique since it involves the mixed-age groups and therefore can not be integrated with the teaching in the neighbouring schools. School development and school policy According to the school’s principal, the school is more concerned with providing education that meets individual learner’s needs and aspirations. Therefore it is in the process of completing the reference time table to enhance differentiation. According to the principal, the school is also developing a software that would enable it disseminate information to learners. The software would enable the school link its website to the National Library Consortium which is owned by the state. The school also encourages and supports teachers’ innovative programmes for developing better teaching strategies and instructional contents and materials. The school policy, according to Và ­gà ¾Ãƒ ³rsdà ³ttir, is to ensure that each learner is exposed to learning experiences which best meets his or her objectives and aspirations so as to enable the learner complete his or her education as a happy, independent and strong individual. To ensure that this is achieved, the teachers evaluate the outcome of the learners and the feedback from both the parents and the learners. The teacher and the learner sign a study contract and both set the objectives for the outcome of the study contract. They decide the learning content and the instructional materials. At the end of the programme, the teacher and learner evaluate achievement of the objectives. Evaluation of learners involves the teachers and the parents and discusses the progress of each student. Theories of Learning Explaining the Educatio n System at Nordlingaskoli The school uses the cognitive theories of learning and in particular, the social cognitive learning theory as well as the multiple intelligence theory of learning. Multiple intelligence theory of learning argues that learners should be allowed to exploit their strengths. It states that each learner has multiple intelligence levels therefore the learner should be exposed to various learning experiences in order to help the learner develop all the learning forms (Gardner, 2005). Learners are always curious to acquire knowledge by themselves and therefore should be given the opportunity to do so. What the government is doing According to the European Commission, (2009), the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture provides the national curriculum guidelines for all schools. The curriculum provides pedagogical guidelines, instructional organisations and policies to be applied in schools. It also stipulates the guidelines for the organisation of school activi ties as well as the objectives for the respective levels of education. The ministry also develops and distributes instructional materials to compulsory schools for free through its National Centre for Educational Materials and is coordinated by the District School Boards. The District School Boards are also responsible for monitoring the implementation of schooling as well as instruction in the respective municipalities. They also monitor the school curriculum structure and make recommendations to the local government or the principal of the school on improvements that could be made to improve the school’s operations (European Commission. 2009). The government also recognises that the country’s demography is diverse and therefore has included many foreign languages in the curriculum as well as employs teachers from diverse backgrounds. According to Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (2004), the government has increased the parents’ participation by trans ferring the management to the municipals. The national curriculum guidelines require that the schools should enable learners acquire Christian and charity values as well as tolerance to each culture and towards each other. It requires that the education offered should enable learners who are Icelanders acquire cultural consciousness and to respect other nations cultures. Recommendations Given that the parents are given the opportunity to participate forums for discussing their children’s schooling, it is important that those heading each parents association to consider ways in which their objectives could better help each school achieve its objectives. It is also important for schools to help learners develop a common organizational culture that respects all cultures. Finally, the curriculum gives the learners more authority to control their learning process. Teachers and parents should be enabled to have more control over the learning process particularly for the younger age s in the primary level of education. Summary The study discusses the Icelandic education system and in particular the compulsory education. Provision of compulsory education is the responsibility of municipalities while upper secondary and higher education is provided by the state. The municipality monitors the progress of the education system in accordance with the national education guidelines. However, the challenge for provision of education to the Icelandic community is providing an education system which meets the needs of the multicultural society. The study discusses the measures that have been taken by Nordlingaskoli to ensure provision of education that meets the needs of all learners including their objectives and aspirations while at the same time respecting and shaping their cultural backgrounds. The study discusses theories of learning that form the basis of the Icelandic curriculum which are cognitive and social cognitive theories of learning as well as multiple intel ligence theory of learning. The major characteristic of the school is that it uses mixed-age groups in providing learning experiences for learners. Conclusion Education in Iceland has succeeded in providing multicultural education to its citizens. This programme should be recommended for many nations in Europe and other parts of the world still struggling to provide multicultural education to their citizens. However, in adopting this system the particular nation should consider its population. Reference List Banks, J.A., Banks, C. A. M. (2005). Multicultural education: Issues perspectives. New York: John Wiley Sons. Bennett, C. I. (1999). Comprehensive multicultural education. Theory and practice Boston o.fl.: Allyn and Bacon. Gardner, H. (2005). Multiple lenses on the mind. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. European Commission. (2009). Organisation of the education system in Iceland 2008/09. Armsterdam: EU. Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. (2010). The Educational system in Iceland Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. (2004). The national curriculum guide for compulsory school. Pajares, F., Schunk, D. H. (2001). Self-beliefs and school success: Self-efficacy, self-concept, and school achievement. In R. Riding S. Rayner (Eds.), Self- perception. London: Ablex Publishing. Ragnarsdà ³ttir, H. (2010). Internationally educated teachers and student teachers in Iceland: Two qualitative studies. Helsinki: CJEAP. UNESCO (2008). Inclusive education and schooling in Iceland. Helsinki: International Bureau of Education. Wendy, S. (1994). Anti-bias and conflict resolution curricula: Theory and practice. New York: ERIC Clearinghouse. Wertsch, J.V. (1997). Vygotsky and the formation of the mind. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. This essay on Education in Iceland was written and submitted by user J0nah to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Relationship Between Stress and Smiling

Relationship Between Stress and Smiling Free Online Research Papers Investigation 1 hypothesis: In the present study I wanted to test the relationship between stress and the number of smiles because, based on what we learned in class, I expect there to be negative correlation between the variables. I predict that, as stress increases the number of smiles I give will decrease because in chapter 1 it gives the example of a student who studies more will decrease in parting with friends. See figure 1 for a scatter plot of these two variables. Investigation 1 results: according to the scatter plot, the variables seem to be negative though strongly correlated. It appears that stress and smiles (given) are related. This may be due to a number of factors, like I recorded my variables at the same exact time each class period (11:20a.m.), making sure I had a consistent recording time that did not affect my variables. Investigation 1 discussion: The results suggest a negative relationship between the variables of interest. This was stronger than expected and could be because of the consistent time recording my variables and setting a phone alarm to make sure I recorded at that exact time. As a person with respect to the variables is why I may have a stronger correlation compared to someone who does not respect the variables. Some may say that due to my irregular sleep may case for my stress to differ therefore change my smile (given) variable. Overall, I believe there is a negative correlation between these variables for most people, and while it did show up for me, my consistency in recording as well as keeping track of my personal variable strengthen the relationship for me. Investigation 2 hypothesis: For my second investigation, I predict a positive correlation between variables: sleep and mood. As I get more sleep each night, my mood improves tremendously. In class we discussed the relationship between getting proper sleep and overall well being. When you are well rested you have a tendency to be in a better mood and have a better day. The better I sleep, the more attentive I am in class and less easily irritated I am. Also, we talked about how sleep can give you more energy inter having a better mood. See Figure 2 for a scatter-plot of these variables. Investigation 2 results: According to the scatter-plot, my hypothesis appears to have been supported. The variables are closely linked and travel in a positive direction. As my hours of sleep increase, my mood improves. When I get fewer hours of sleep, my mood scores are lower. Investigation 2 discussion: I expected this relationship, and I believe it is true of most people, not just me. Sleep helps you to have more energy and relax, which improves your mood. I was very consistent in recording my variables, which caused this relationship to be strong on the chart. However, because the relationship was expected and is probably true to most people, I do consider this a great concern because more people would get more done on the job and in school. It is interesting to examine variables that exist within me and see that they are related in some meaningful way. Research Papers on Relationship Between Stress and SmilingResearch Process Part OneEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Fifth HorsemanThree Concepts of PsychodynamicComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and