Cognitive and Language Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cognitive and Language Development - Essay Example (Jumpstart Tulsa, 2009). Although the lower portion of the brain is well developed at birth to support a child's initial survival, the upper portion is not. This portion contains a brain structure called the cerebral cortex which is responsible for human attributes such as memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. Synaptic connections in the cerebral cortex are developed and peaks during elementary school age. Beginning middle school age to adolescence, the number of synapses decline to adult levels (Zero to Three, 2009). According to B.F. Skinner, the father of behaviorism, language is learned through reinforcement and imitation. According to the behaviorist theory, like any other behavior, language has to be taught and positively reinforced otherwise, it cannot be learned. This theory is not widely accepted because it does not consider the biological aspects of language acquisition. According to Chomsky and his nativist theory, children have an innate language acquisition device and that it is in their nature to learn a language because of the presence of language areas in the brain, the sensitive period for language development and a child's ability to invent a new language system.

Marks And Spencer: Growth and Global Strategy

Marks And Spencer: Growth and Global Strategy Marks and Spencer, originally known as Penny Bazaars, was founded by Michael Marks in 1884 as a clothing sales company in Northern England. Thomas Spencer joined Michael Marks ten years after its startup, becoming co-owner of the company. The company has continued to work under the name of Marks Spencer (MS) since 1894. It became a phenomenon, first in its country of origin, the UK, and later internationally. American chain stores influenced MS to start selling both food and clothes in the 1920s. The company saw itself grow from 1894 to 1939, by opening a staggering 234 stores. MS worked in close cooperation with its suppliers and made strategies for the use of new technologies which in turn led to the highest quality in its products. The company had future foresight thus adding internationalization and product diversification to its strategy in the late 80s. Over the years it took over its competitors, as a major retailer selling diverse product ranges under their own exclusive bra nd in more than 30 countries. Marks and Spencer can be proud of leading the race over all its major competitors in the key areas of quantity, quality, and trust, breadth of range and customer service. MS decided to close one of its stores in Edmonton, along with 14 other stores in Canada, with the 8 remaining stores being closed in a short span of one month. This brought an end to Marks and Spencers 26-year run in Canada. Marks and Spencer were never successful in Canada, said Fin, director of Canadian Institute of Retailing and Services Studies at the University of Alberta. Mounting losses and a retail economy that was fierce and competitive had forced them out of the Canadian market. (Le Riche 1999). The expansion into new retail territory is part of MSs pledge to create a viable business in the Peoples Republic within the next five years. MS has endured a difficult introduction to the retail scene in China from the prosaic and workaday supply chain problems and sizing and pricing issues, to the sacking of the China boss and a death in-store shortly after opening. MS with the help of market research and focus groups are making improvements. At present they have their own buying team in China and their sizing is much better. (Thorniley 2010) In comparison, their entry strategies into Indian Market were a different predicament that MS had to face. Most Indian shoppers were of the idea that MS did not offer the same products as they did internationally. (Jack 2011). MS undermined the Indian market due to its vastness and complexities thus their strategies were deformed leading to problems such as products being over priced which lacked the affordability factor. From 2000 till 2007, MS allowed its former franchisee in India, Planet Retail, to treat it as an up-market rather than a mid-market brand, pricing MS goods even higher than in the UK, and it failed to adapt what it offered to local tastes. In 2008, frustrated that Planet Retail had opened just 10 stores in the seven years since it signed up with MS, the UK-based supermarket chain ended the relationship and in the same year re-launched in a joint venture with Reliance Industries. During its substantial growth, one can note changes in the methods of operation undertaken by Marks Spencer. They were confident they knew what was right for their customers and would be able to satisfy their needs in the long run and this level of belief would help them succeed. This is why they refused to bring changes to the things they did. On examining the expansion of Marks Spencer, one can conclude that the primary reason for their failure to succeed was that they tried to force their tried-and-tested strategy on a market that had their own unique culture and refused to change. As a result, Marks Spencer was forced to bring their expansion plans to a standstill and eventually pulled out. MS always had a much conformed formula which included identical layout, store design, training and so on. They also insisted on using only British suppliers. It was not a very wise decision in 1998 as at the time, plans were made to conquer the European and American markets which had totally different cultures to the British. They believed that customers thought that they received higher quality from British suppliers. From past experience, they implemented their tried and tested formula in various overseas markets. This strategy backfired bringing in a drastic fall in the share price and profits. However, the CEO at the time, Sir Richard Greenbury, insisted that the profit loss was due to the competitive environment. There were many reports that MS no longer understood the customers needs and had misread its target market. Looking into various factors as to why internationalization failed in regard to MS, there are various inter-connecting reasons. Analysts suggest that Greenbury gave focus only to the day-to-day operations of the organization rather than give priority to their long-term strategic plans which needed to be altered. Elements that contributed to the success of Marks and Spencer in UK did not apply to the global market. The long-sustained buy-British policy, the distinctiveness of the retail operation, the priority on a British brand alone and the lack of clear retail positioning and design, all presented problems in the global situation. Another reason behind it was the inexperience of  decentralized control of businesses. When the crisis became inevitable, the reaction was to quickly to distance themselves from this global operation. As Lassarre (2007) commented on Global Strategy, a company needs to possess Global ambitions, Global position, Global business system and Global organization structure processes along with the coordination of human resource management to have a competitive advantage. MS needs to improve on its management and global supply chain. For an organization to survive, change management is critically important in their respective market. It is essential for an organization to understand that every market is in a state of imbalance. Marks and Spencer lacked itself in analyzing their market, finding out what the current trends were, what their customers wanted, and this is one reason why they struggle to keep their customers. The company failed to change with the changing times of their market though being dominant for many years. Finally they found themselves struggling to keep their customers satisfied or even keep their customers. Looking closely at the MS business model, Mellahi (2005) stresses that marketing strategy and its supply chain are some of the reasons for the deterioration of this companys sales and its profits. The buying team behind MS had no contact with customers. MS defines its new creations completely blindly from its customers or its potential customers expectations and demands. Another reason behind the financial decline of MS was the inaccurate supply chain strategy. MS was capable of a well-defined warehouse, sufficient suppliers, structured store network and also had a cost-efficient supply chain. Although a boon, such a supply chain lacks in flexibility. In this scenario MS found it difficult to restructure its  production planning during the one-year product development phase. If a new trend occurred during the one-year development period, it was too late to change all its orders because its suppliers already ordered all the raw materials. Another weakness in the MS supply chain was that it was completely decentralized. MS lacked in one aspect namely being a self-supplier for any products sold in its store. Although St.Micheal was its own brand, it was produced by suppliers. Since all its suppliers were external, it had no flexibility to change any order or to manage the purchase of raw materials or the purchase of semi-finished products. After a century of being leaders in the textile industry, MS should rectify its economic situation and its market image in order to regain its place in the competition among its adversaries. If MS changed its supply chain by using a responsive supply chain instead of the cost-efficient one, like Zara, it would have more flexibility to follow the trend changes and adapt its product to market demand. This will prevent MS from losing its customers because of inaccurate forecasts and building up inaccurate inventory. MS could also adapt its marketing strategy to the growing trends in the textile market. MS should maintain a direct contact with customers thus directing their creations based on the desires of prospective customers. Using this method, it can attract new customers without the fear of losing its loyal customers. This method can also enable MS to have adequate inventory to respond the market demand and to avoid build up of the unneeded inventory. The company needs more changes in order to avoid further  financial problems.(Rankine 1998).To prevent troubles in the future, MS should work and coordinate closely with its suppliers to implement a flexible  production system within their plants. This will allow suppliers to respond to any order changes on time with demanded products. MS obtains most of its products from suppliers implemented in the UK which are relatively expensive than those in European or Asian countries. MS should adopt a new global sourcing strategy where purchasing products from cheaper sources can reduce supplies cost thereby increasing profit margin. Philosophy of Education: Reflection Paper Philosophy of Education: Reflection Paper ABSTRACT My philosophy of education stems from the years of seeing my mother in-law attend classes in order to attain a more lucrative position in her field of business. The visions of her sitting at the table with a pencil in one hand, a highlighter in the other and her Bible perusing several books, newspaper articles, and her personal notes, gave me the insight to strive for a better life. My mother in-law was and still is a firm believer the she can achieve anything with Christ and that her degree was attainable. Seeing my mother in-law so engaged helped me realize the importance of education, becoming a lifelong learner and the possibilities that could be discovered by being a continuous and active learner. Getting a good education was a constant phrase reiterated daily in my household with my children. I understood that education was the common denominator for success and the foundation in which all other professions are based. My goal is to impart into children to be productive citizens , lifelong learners and have a love for God and learning. Keywords: learning, education, children, success Introduction Working in the public educational setting as a Parent Liaison has afforded me the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for education and its importance. In my past experiences, I have noticed the number of students entering school being unable to read, recall, infer or comprehend. These situations with students caused my heart to ache for their learning. I have witnessed beginning kindergartners with no phonemic awareness, very little sight word recognition, and little to no awareness of school and its importance. My daily mission is to instill the value of education in my students and its direct alignment to both their salvation and success in their life. Regularly, I question students regarding their future goals, dreams, and how education will play an intricate part in their success and achieving those goals. Education is the core element in which all other professions are based and rooted. Every profession involves the human connection of educating and pouring into the spir it. I believe that all students can learn and that learning is a lifelong process that can be achieved with students, parents, and the community. Worldview Philosophy of Life Having received grace to be able to walk through this universe for over 50 years, I have come to realize the result of your daily life is the efforts that put forth into the universe. Understanding that people are complicated and hold various experiences is the key to maturity and adult growth. Recognizing this can be a difficult task if the individual is not conscientious in the moment. We are human beings and continuously deal in the flesh. Our emotions can sometimes overtake our conscientiousness which causes the head to lead as opposed to the heart. This view is shared daily with my students as I try to promote the value of education. School life is my life, and my daily mission is not a job but a calling. It is an opportunity to have a positive impact on students and their futures. Pouring quality information into my students in most cases is the only positive affirmation some of them may receive. My ability to breathe positivity into my students spirit may be the only spark that ignites the spirit and assist the students in moving forward within this world. Life challenges my daily practice as a Parent Liaison (educator). However, I am solid in my belief of knowing that education and true quality of education is the foundation and path to any successful career. The connection between school and active learning is synonymous with success and prosperity. Active learning is essential for a full and productive life. With education, one must be intentional, attentive and conscientious of and recognize the value of the presented opportunities. This active involvement makes the work meaningful and creates success. According to Froebels educational philosophy in order for this to take place the student must be in a happy, harmonious environment in which he or she can grow and the whole person can be built (Gutek, 1995). Christians are human beings, and the flesh is part of that existence. The challenges of a Christians daily walk are directly aligned with some of the issues facing our educational system. Christians and teachers (who are Christians) are passionate regarding showing others the purpose of life and being grounded in their personal beliefs, owning that belief, and sharing that belief. In some cases, both teachers and Christians are held in high regard. Their actions must correlate with internal beliefs and be an example for their students and others. Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Philosophy of Schools Learning Being in public education for over twenty years, I have come to realize that building positive relationships is the connection between school and learning. Students come to school with various experiences and unclaimed baggage. As educators, it is important that we recognize and attend and teach the whole child while leaving no stone unturned. Todays educational system and its students does not allow for antiquated and traditional settings and behaviors. The structural settings no longer require students to stay seated in straight rows while the teacher lectures. Because todays students are different, the learning must be different and presented in a manner at the students present level of understanding. Teachers must utilize various pedagogical methods to meet the varying needs of the learners. The learners must be able to actively engage in the process of learning, which includes but not limited to developing critical thinking skills through open dialogue and peer interaction. In addition, teachers should ask thought provoking, deep, probing questions, which extends the learners thinking. Because the learner has various learning styles, it is imperative the teacher is equipped with a multitude of instructional practices in order to differentiate the instruction to meet students at their present level of understanding. Active engagement and the promotion of meaningful technology usage assists in bridging the deficit gap and critical understanding. Teachers must educate themselves to become familiar with todays students and their learning styles. Understanding learning styles assists the teacher with the improvement of instructional delivery and overall classroom management. Regarding improved instructional practices, teachers can assist the various learners by creating learning centers that involves active engagement in order to successfully complete an assigned task. Positive peer interaction can motivate each student to do their best. Pestalozzi and Froebels educational philosophies closely relates to what I believe about education students. Johann Pestalozzi believed that every individual could learn and individuals should have a right to an education. He believed that as a society we had a duty to put these things into practice (Bowers and Gehring, 2004). Froebels kindergarten method is not just for kindergarten students, but can be conducive for all students. Educational Practice A Christians beliefs are directly aligned with their daily practices. Both Christians and teachers  travel a path of selflessness while pouring and teaching valuable, eternal lessons. As an educator  we are always looking for ways to be innovative, but we must remember our students. My  educational practice would be more in line with progressivism and social reconstuctionism,  viewing the learner as the central focus. When working with students I will serve as a guide and  facilitator assisting the student in reaching their learning goals. Students will be introduced to  learning centers and work in with partners. Students will take ownership of their work and their  classroom. My goal is assist to students to prepare for the future and to be independent-thinkers.   When presenting new material to our students, make sure that we clarify the purpose and the  learning goals to our students show them models and examples. According to Graham (2009), we  are to apply biblical truth to all of education, and not just parts of it. Our goal is for the student to  be successful. As colleagues we discuss if something is working or not, so why not take the time  with our students to hold classroom discussions about their learning. In this way educators will  be able to observe how the student is grasping the material and if something needs to change. It  is important that students receive feedback from assignments and to give the teacher feedback  about the learning process. Metacognitive strategies will be implemented to so that students are  given the opportunities to plan, monitor their learning, and self-reflect along the learning process.   Teacher-Learner Relationships   Being a teacher is a true calling that only special people can and should answer. The old adage regarding those who can do and those who cannot teach is meaningless and degrading to all who are in the educational profession. Being a teacher is not just standing in front of a class lecturing and students utilizing pencil and paper to record the transferred information. Being a teacher is about the human experience and making a spiritual connection with those whom you are in contact. According to Graham (2009), we are to apply biblical truth to all of the educational process, not just part of it. The role of a both learner and teacher are important for the others existence. The learner is one who challenges the teacher to critically think and ask probing questions in order to extend their mental capacity. In addition, the learner actively engages in the lesson/conversation and acquires relevant information that is prudent to their success. Ultimately, the learner has to be intrinsically motivated to gain knowledge. The role of a quality teacher is able to reach deep within their learners and appeal to their hearts. By doing this, the teacher can make a connection with the learners and guide them appropriately while communicating the importance of an education and allowing them to see and understand to true benefits of their educational journey. Once the connection between learner and teacher have been established, the teacher can speak words of encouragement, life, and longevity into the learner and giving them a great appreciation for education and its value. One cannot exist without each other. Success can only be experienced if the two (learner and teacher) are united. In the public school setting, building teacher/learner relationship is essential. Witnessing various classrooms, I have noticed that teachers who positively interact with their students experience success on a greater level compared to those teachers who do not buy into their students. Mutual respects are the foundation to a successful teacher-student relationship it is the teacher who sets the tone for and models respectful behavior. Once the relationship is established, the ability to pour into our learners is durable. Titus 2:7-8 (ESV), show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Diversity It is very important for teachers to know their learners and how they learn. As stated earlier, life experiences varies and that must be taken into account when educating our youth. Understanding your learners and appreciating their differences is crucial to both their success and the success of the teacher. Being willing to explore those differences give the teacher a concrete understanding of instructional practices that would be benefit their learner. Teachers should be able to utilize various instructional practices to reach their learners and allow them to be successful. It is extremely important to meet the learner at their present level of understanding and grow their knowledge base. The learners life experiences has an impact on their instructional understanding whether positive or negative. As it relates to diversity, Ruby Payne (2001) noted that students experiences and their ability to attain resources plays an intricate part of the learners success. Payne noted that emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical resources are vital learners of diverse background. Colossians 3:11 (ESV), Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised,  barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. As educators with diverse learners, we should remember it is not about us, but Christ in us and in our students. Conclusion As stated earlier, education is the root in which all other professions grow. Educating students about the world and the beauty of Gods glory is the most rewarding mission that can ever be experienced. Conflict occurs when teachers are not kept abreast with the change of society. Just as some ministers must utilize unorthodox methods to capture the attention of our youth in order to move them into the church to learn of Gods love, the teacher, in the classroom setting, must research and stay abreast of the various needs of students and their learning styles in order to meet their academic, social and emotional needs. References Bowers, F., Gehring, T. (2004). Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi: 18th Century Swiss Educator and Correctional Reformer. Journal of Correctional Education, 55(4), 306-319. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23292096 Graham, D. L. (2009).  Teaching redemptively: Bringing grace and truth into your classroom (2nd ed.). Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications. ISBN: 9781583310588. Gutek, G.L. (1995). A history of Western educational experience (2nd ed.) Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. ISBN: 9780881338188. Johnson, L. (2011). Teaching outside the box: how to grab students by their brains. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand. Payne, R.K. (2001). A framework for understanding poverty. Highlands, TX: Aha! Process, Inc. Russell, K.A., Aldridge, J. (2009). Play, unity and symbols: Parallels in the works of Froebel and Jung. International Journal of Psychology and Counseling, 1 (1), 001-004.

Aylmers Sin and Guilt Essay -- Character Analysis, Georginas Birthmar

The sin that Aylmer shows throughout the story is in relation to Georgina’s birthmark, which dramatically and suddenly grabs hold of his character. Aylmer becomes egotistic in the ways of his actions and thoughts, not considering that he himself has a problem but that his wife’s imperfection is the problem. By Aylmer’s immoral and obsessive desire for perfection, he took Georgina’s liberty and self-confidence away, which reveales his sins. First, before the marriage, Aylmer had not been bothered by the birth-mark on Georgiana’s cheek. James Quinn and Ross Baldessarini note that â€Å"[s]oon after marrying, however, Aylmer discovered that he can think of little else but the birth-mark,† and that it disturbed him and took away from her true beauty. In relation, it is implied that this omission in Aylmer â€Å"seems to suggest that insights into human behavior are likely to be subjective, imperfect, unsatisfying† (Quinn and Baldessarini). Subsequently, Aylmer’s sin is presented through a dream in which he is conducting a surgery on Georgina to perfect her beauty. Aylmer’s idea of having a perfect wife â€Å"is characterized by Hawthorne as a mark of ‘original sin’† (Quinn and Baldessarini) or even that mankind’s race is born with imperfection. This is stated by Hawthorne as â€Å"the fatal flaw of humanity, which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her production . . . to imply that they are temporary and finite† (120). Most considerable is with the intention of Aylmer’s dream, clearly â€Å"suggests the intense, violent and remarkably sexual reaction the birth-mark evokes in Aylmer† (Quinn and Baldessarini). Alymer is so wrapped up in his own world that he forgets reality, for he â€Å"senses that escape from the human condition is hubr... ...n Aylmer’s obsession of removing her birthmark, so she encourages him to do what is required so that their lives won’t be torn apart by this birthmark of hers, as to have it removed, even if it is to take her life. Through the actions of Aylmer’s obsession, greed, guilt, sin, his intolerance to imperfection and his ability to not except himself for who he is, he must therefore, reap what he sowed. Giving Georgiana the poison to drink, watching as the mark faded away; Aylmer feels he had successfully rid himself from the imperfection that troubled him so, unknowing the birthmark was actually the key to Georgiana’s heart and her life. As the poison took hold of her life she said to Aylmer â€Å"do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer† (Fetterly 172) and then she died, leaving Aylmer alone and empty.

American football and high school Essay

ballFootball is life. football change everything. i started playing football when i was eleven years old. but before that, my father want me to play basketball. it was not nice playing basketball for me because i do not fit on these game. Here comes football which was introduce to me by may childhood friend. we always play a small sided game in our village and then i found out that i was good on it. so i trained to play football. i have been playing football for six and a half years and now, i am in college. but football here in the Philippines is not well organize and they do not recognize it. i do not want to end my career as a football player and i do not want to end my career as a football player with no good things happened. my dream, is to go to a country that organize football and to be a professional football player like the the young super star Cristiano Ronaldo and the like. God gave me a gift to play football and the skill to play football so i am going to use it to work and train hard to make may dreams come true. My family can not afford to send me abroud to play football or to enroll me in to a football school. so i am just hoping that miracle could happen and a school or somebody would conact me and offer me a full scholarship or to sponsor me in to a football school . My contact number is09065885273 or you can email me at nehemiahsimms@gmail. com if you know someone who could help me please tell them about my situation and contact me. Becoming a professional football player is a dream of many young men around the country. While many dream of the opportunity only a few get to make it a reality. If you’re serious about being a football player and think you have what it takes, keep reading. To become a professional football player, you’ll not only need be very good at playing football, but also to think strategically and make the best use of your talent. There are things you can do in both high school and college to boost your chances of being able to join a league, including developing your skills, knowing how to perform for scouts, and choosing the right school for your skill level. You may want to consider putting together a press kit to send out to college and league recruiters. If you’re having trouble getting schools or leagues interested in you, you might want to work with a sports agent as well. If you can’t get into the National Football League (NFL) or United Football League (UFL) immediately, then it’s important to try to keep playing in another one, like the Canadian Football League (CFL) or Arena Football League (AFL); or a semiprofessional league. Pre-College Experience While you’re in high school, it’s essential to develop your physical skills and play as much as possible. Most college football players are scouted from high school teams, and getting a scholarship to play football is seen as a good indicator of talent. You can also join local football leagues and camps to help develop yourself physically and build your sports resume. Make sure to find out what scouts in your area or college of choice are looking for — common criteria include agility, jump height, the amount of weight you can bench press, and your 40 yard dash time. If possible, try to make highlight videos of yourself to send to coaches and schools, and attend any college football camps that you can. You should also start considering which colleges you want to go to while you still have a few years of high school left. Most professional leagues tend to recruit from bigger schools, but if you think you’ll be in over your head or won’t get any playing time, then look at smaller schools where you know you can excel. If you do end up needing to go to a smaller college, then try to choose one that’s near a bigger college that gets a lot of scouts, as recruiters will be more likely to visit your school if they’re already in the area. You can start looking for open tryouts at this time. Though most college football teams send personal invitations before allowing players to try out, some hold open tryouts for anyone interested. You can check out the teams’ official websites to keep updated on any information, such as the dates, venues, and other requirements and documents needed for enlistment. If you start getting a lot of media buzz or interest from colleges, you should make sure you understand the recruiting process in your country. In the US, college football recruiting is done under the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) guidelines, which include regulations on the ways, times, and frequency with which college recruiters can contact players. They also detail the legal aspects of National Letters of Intent (NLI), which is a legally binding agreement in which a high school student agrees to play for a specific college for at least one year. If you don’t get any invitations or scholarship offers, then you can try to go to a school that plays in a lower division and work your way up, or you can try to join a college team as a walk on. College Experience Once you’re in college playing for a team, you should continue to hone your physical skills. Look for players on professional teams who are in the position you want to play, and try to get to the point where you can match their playing statistics. You should develop your sense of teamwork and character as well, as this is an important aspect to many league scouts. It’s important to have a good relationship with your coach too, since many coaches know scouts and having a good recommendation from them can make a big difference in whether you get chosen or not. Similarly to when you were in high school, try to play as much as you can and generate media buzz, especially if you’re from a smaller school or one that plays in a lower division. If a scout does visit your school, it’s crucial that you are on your best behavior before, during, and after practice. Besides the physical aspects, scouts look for things like how you treat your teammates, what your relationship with your coach is like, how energetic you are during warm ups, and whether or not you have a good attitude. If you get scouting feedback that’s negative, use it as an opportunity to improve. You should start thinking about what league you want to join, and educate yourself about their recruiting process and what specific things they look for in players. Though many college players hope to be drafted by the National Football League (NFL), if that doesn’t happen immediately you shouldn’t give up. Keep playing for any league you can so that you can keep yourself in top shape and you won’t have gaps in your playing experience. Press Kit Whether you’re in high school or in college, you can often benefit by having a resume or press kit that you can send to teams you want to play for. Your resume should include your basic information, the position you play for, and your accomplishments as a football player. A press kit, on the other hand, can include copies of articles where you or your team had been previously mentioned, photographs, and even a CD that contains a video of some of your best performances on the field. All these will help you stand out among other candidates and increase your chances of becoming a professional football player. It is important that you follow up on your submissions by calling or sending e-mails, to express your sincerity and to keep track of  your application status. Working with an Agent You may also want to find your own sports agent who will help establish your career as a professional football player. An agent often has connections with football teams and can represent and endorse you as a competent and valuable player. He or she keeps your best interest at heart by being involved in contract and salary negotiations, finance management, and even in monitoring your practice schedules. In this way, you can focus on honing your football skills without having to worry much about the legal and financial issues that come with being a professional athlete. How to Become a Professional Football Player Answer This Question Report as Glamorousbulb:1 year ago Join your high school football team. The road to football stardom usually begins in high school. Scouts regularly check standout high school seniors, and performing well in high school is what leads to a college scholarship. Then, know and understand the game. You can’t hope to be a professional football player if you don’t understand how the game works from all sides. It’s not just important for you to know your position, but all the positions on the field and how they work together to create the game. Next, practice. Become the best at whatever your position is. There are thousands of boys around the country who are vying for the same opportunity so the more you practice the better your chances of being a standout at your position. Also, land a scholarship to a D-1 school. If you follow Steps 1 through 3 then you will position yourself to get that all-important scholarship. If you don’t get a scholarship, attend a D-1 university and walk onto the team. This makes it a lot harder to become a professional football player but your chances will be better than sitting at home uneducated. Become a standout on your college team. However you make it onto the team you want to make sure you’re one of the star players of that team. This means applying Steps 2 and 3 to your college career. Get an invite to the Combine and impress the scouts. If you’ve been a standout on the college team and garnered some All-American honors you may be asked to the Combine. This is your chance to impress the scouts who are responsible for drafting for the pro teams. While not getting invited doesn’t mean you won’t be in the NFL, it definitely increases your chances. Lastly, sit back and wait to be drafted. Your dream of being a professional football player is around the corner.

How Does Iago Corrup Othello in Shakespear’s Othello

Finally, the most effective way Iago poisons Othello’s mind is by changing the appearance of reality. He will cover it up with lies and Othello will be forced to believe him because he will be too submerged in doubt and suspicion to see the truth. In act 3, scene 3, when Cassion parts from Desdemona, Iago makes it appear as if Cassio â€Å"steal away so guilty-like†(Shakespeare, act 3, scene 3) because he did not want to be seen with Desdemona. While it appears really bad from Othello point of view, the reality of it is completely different. Cassio, who has been demoted, wishes to gain back his good will with Othello with Desdemona’s help. Iago tricks Othello by making him believe that every seemingly harmless encounter between Cassio and Desdemona are actually lies and that they are seeing each other behind his back. To the readers of the play it is quite obvious the nature of their encounter but to Othello who judges with eyes clouded by jealousy, he can only see the harm being done. Othello is unable to make a rational decision because he is too deep in madness. Iago has poisoned his mind and ruined his judgement. To further poison Othello’s mind, Iago will set up Cassio and Othello. In act 4, scene 1, while Othello is hidden in the shadows; Iago approaches Cassio and starts a conversation with him. Othello believes the base of the conversation will be about his wife Desdemona because it is what Iago told him he would do: interrogate Cassio about Desdemona. But the reality of it is different. Iago is actually talking to Cassio about Bianca. Othello is caught up in the illusion; he now truly believes that Desdemona is unfaithful towards him. Jealousy clouds one’s mind. Othello in able to see that Iago is playing him; he is too deep in his own illusions to notice that he is being used. Because Othello’s judgement is clouded, Iago is able to make things appear differently. With his rational thinking gone, Othello is incapable of differencing reality from lies. The more he is poison, the more he degrades. His speech deteriorates, he has epileptic attacks and burst into rage. His actions are proof of his mental state. He is turmoil because of what Iago has made him believe, because of what Iago has made him see. Not only does Iago make scenes appear differently, he himself is an example of appearance vs. reality. Trough out the eyes of the other characters in the play, Iago appears â€Å"full of love and honesty†; Othello even says that â€Å"Iago is most honest†. In Criminal Types in Shakespeare, August Goll cites: â€Å"Iago appears to every one as the clever head, the man who knows the world and sees things clearly, who describes things as he sees them without mincing matters-the free-spoken, honest friend bold and rough: for this reason they all seek him in their various difficulties, Desdemona, Cassio, Emilia, Roderigo. (Goll, 218) Iago makes himself appear intentioned to the feeling of others. When they are faced with difficulties he offers them advices. Othello looks to Iago for advice on how to deal with the situation he faces, he asks him to help him in his vengeance. Iago true personality is someone who is egocentric, full of malice. He only thinks about himself. He does not help the Moor with good intention; he believes that he cheated with his wife and thus wishes to get his revenge. He does not give advice to Cassio because he feels obliged to help a comrade; he does it to fulfill his plan. To conclude, Iago is one of Shakespeare most vile villain. He made Othello fall into despair; he made him believe that Desdemona was unfaithful to him when it was nothing but lies. He used many tricks to poison Othello’s mind, he became his friend with him and trick him, and he withheld information from him and made things appear differently. With his superior intellect, he manipulated Othello like a puppet. Manipulators are among us. Would you be able to tell if you were manipulated?WORK CITEDBROCK, James Harry Ernest, Iago & some Shakespearean Villians, New York, AMS Press, 1973 COE, Charles Norton, Shakespeares’s Villains, New York, AMS Press, 1972 GOLL, August, Criminal Types in Shakespeare, New York, Haskell House, 1966 NAZARE-AGA, Isabelle, Les Manipulateurs sont parmis nous: Qui sont-ils? Comment s’en protà ©ger?, Montreal, Les Éditions de L’Homme, 1997 SHAKESPEARE, William, Othello, New York, Washington Square Press, 1993 WEILGART, Wolfgang J. Shakespeare Pschognostic: Character Evolution and Transformation, AMS Press, 1972 â€Å"Jalousie Illusoir†, 2010, http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/fr/Delusional_jealousy, consulted on November 9th 2010

Free Essays on Help Desk

Structure of the Help Desk Computers are a becoming a way life for the world today. They are used in both homes and businesses alike. Everyone will, at least, some time in their life use a computer. A majority of the populace use them everyday, especially the business world. Computer technology is such a huge part of both big and small businesses. Businesses rely so heavily on computer technology that when there is a problem with the system, it could mean huge losses in productivity and profits. So where does one turn when errors like this occur? Towards the help desk, of course. The help desk is a single-point of contact within a company to manage customer problems and to provide solutions for these problems. However, the help desk is not so cut and dry as the definition may indicate. There are many different types of problems that can occur within system. These can range from simple software bugs to complete hard drive crashes. Each type of these problems may have a simple quick fix or one that may take much longer to resolve. However you look at it, time is money and problems in the computer systems don't make things any easier. In order to resolve these problems as fast and efficiently as possible, the help desks are often structured in a series of levels commonly known as a multi-level support model. Within this model are four levels, each with it's own requirements on how to handle these problems and what to do to resolve them. The life of a computer problem, or other technology-related error, begins with the customer, or level zero. The user runs into a problem and the first thought of most computer literate people is try to find a solution on your own. There are several help desk self-services available to make problem resolution that much faster by having the customer solve it themselves. With the ever-expanding Internet, most customers can choose to visit a site that contains FAQs, or frequently aske... Free Essays on Help Desk Free Essays on Help Desk Structure of the Help Desk Computers are a becoming a way life for the world today. They are used in both homes and businesses alike. Everyone will, at least, some time in their life use a computer. A majority of the populace use them everyday, especially the business world. Computer technology is such a huge part of both big and small businesses. Businesses rely so heavily on computer technology that when there is a problem with the system, it could mean huge losses in productivity and profits. So where does one turn when errors like this occur? Towards the help desk, of course. The help desk is a single-point of contact within a company to manage customer problems and to provide solutions for these problems. However, the help desk is not so cut and dry as the definition may indicate. There are many different types of problems that can occur within system. These can range from simple software bugs to complete hard drive crashes. Each type of these problems may have a simple quick fix or one that may take much longer to resolve. However you look at it, time is money and problems in the computer systems don't make things any easier. In order to resolve these problems as fast and efficiently as possible, the help desks are often structured in a series of levels commonly known as a multi-level support model. Within this model are four levels, each with it's own requirements on how to handle these problems and what to do to resolve them. The life of a computer problem, or other technology-related error, begins with the customer, or level zero. The user runs into a problem and the first thought of most computer literate people is try to find a solution on your own. There are several help desk self-services available to make problem resolution that much faster by having the customer solve it themselves. With the ever-expanding Internet, most customers can choose to visit a site that contains FAQs, or frequently aske...

sexual pressures essays

sexual pressures essays The media is just one of the factors responsible for the increase in teen sexuality. Throughout a humans adolescents years they are subject to a number of sexual pressures. Through research I have found that peers are among the most influential. An adolescent is not limited to peer pressure though. They face pressures from the media as well. I believe that media pressure is just a influential as peer pressure. There is also other pressure, from people such as older friends, parents, and just adults in general. Peers is a term that can be defined as friends. I have found that many teens have friends that are athletes. In high schools, boy athletes outscore all of the other boys with the girls(Elias 1). On the other hand , girls on sports teams are much less sexually active than other females who do not play sports(Elias 1). This shows that male athletes are far more pressuring each other on the issue of sexuality. So for males who are into sports they are subjected to a host of pressures and can as a result do things they would not normally do. On the contrary, I found that females who do sports are far less pressured and influenced about sex. In fact they are far less likely to be sexually active than teen females who do not I believe that all teens in general should know the results of being a sexually active teen. There are many consequences of being sexually active, one of the major one being sexually transmitted diseases. A sexually transmitted disease might not sound so bad but, some can cause sterility and even worse , death. Even when condoms are used, a STD can still be transmitted. Depending on the type of std they can or can not be cured. A few diseases that can not be cured include herpes, HPV, And HIV, which later turns into the virus AIDS. "The disease HPV can cause cervical cancer and ...

Customer Journey Mapping How to Create One the Best Way (Template)

Customer Journey Mapping How to Create One the Best Way (Template) As a marketer, it would be helpful to be inside the heads of our customers for a little bit. Wouldn’t it be nice to know the answers to questions like: What are they feeling and thinking when they first start to search for a solution to their problem? What caused them to quit looking at a certain product before they purchased? What led them to choose one solution over another? While you can’t read minds, you can answer the questions above. Once you have that information you can create the right messages to send at the best time to capture your customer’s attention and encourage them to buy. How can you do all of this? With a customer journey map. Customer journey maps are detailed frameworks that give everyone (not just your marketing team) the information they need to put your customer at the forefront of what you do. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to gather the data you need. You’ll be able to see how your customers are moving while they shop for a product and how they feel about their experience. You’ll also be able to map high points and low points to see what portions of their journey are going well and ways your company can improve their overall shopping experience. At the end of this post, you’ll have a detailed journey map that will help guide your entire company to create the right content and experiences that leaves your customers loving your brand and coming back for more. How to Make an Effective Customer Journey Map The Best Way via @Download Your Free Customer Journey Mapping Template Before you continue reading download your customer journey mapping template. This spreadsheet will help you sort and organize the data that you’ve gathered about their experiences searching for a product. From there you can easily spot gaps in their experiences that your company can fill with the right information and attract the right customers to increase your conversions.Get Your Free Customer Journey Mapping Template Bundle via @What Is Customer Journey Mapping? Customer journey mapping is: An exercise that allows a brand to understand and improve a customer’s experience when they attempt to shop for their product. It tells the story of a person’s experience when they first start shopping for a product and continues through to the process of them purchasing a solution. What is customer journey mapping, and why do marketers need to understand it?6 Customer Journey Map Examples Each customer journey map is different depending on the organization or industry that creates it. Look at these seven industries and businesses and notice how different their maps are. Health Insurance Industry This health insurance customer journey map from Heart of the Customer  integrates goals that their customer wants to achieve during their shopping process. Preact Preact follows a more traditional path  for creating a customer journey map. Instead of focusing on a variety of different emotions, Preact focus on the frustrations their customers feel during their shopping experience. Online Travel Company This online travel company customer journey  is unique in the fact that it has broken down it’s stages into multiple parts instead of the standard four. Starbucks Starbucks’ customer journey map  follows a timeline style layout more than others. B2B Customer Journey This B2B customer journey map  is laid out like a designed infographic rather than a traditional customer journey map. Yahoo Yahoo’s customer journey map  is structured more like a flow chart, making it easy to track customer progress. Recommended Reading: How to Map Content to the Marketing Funnel to Boost Conversions By 69.77% 11 Steps To Properly Map Your Customer Journey The following eleven steps will help you gather the data you need to create a customer journey map that summarizes their experiences shopping for a product. Each phase of your map will follow the marketing funnel and help guide you in creating the right message at the right time to encourage conversions. As a quick review, the stages in your map (and your marketing funnel) are: Discovery:  Your customers are just beginning to understand what your brand is about. They are experiencing some pain point in their life, and they aren’t sure how to fix it. Consideration:  They are now aware that there are solutions to the problem they are facing and that your brand offers one. What they don’t know is that your brand provides the best solution to their problems. Purchase:  They know about your solution and think you are the best option, but they need one last little shove over the line to buy your product. Retention: Your product has been bought by your customer, and you give them additional information to ensure they continue to love their products. Here are the 11 steps you’ll need to take to complete your map: Here's how to create a customer journey map in 11 steps via @Step One: Gather Any Existing Data On Your Audience The ultimate goal for you is to attract customers like your existing best customers.Therefore the first step is to gather any existing data the organization has on your target market. This is important because existing data can give you the information you need for who you have been or are currently targeting. By knowing who you’re targeting you’ll be able to learn more about their personality and how they handle their shopping experience. However, if your target audience has changed, you need to be able to see if any of the old information you have is useful. Look for old audience personas, surveys, or collections of data that may have been gathered. You may need to check in with upper management to find where that data has been stored. As you read through old data answer the following: Does the persona here still reflect our current potential buyer? Is our product or service still helping solve the problems these people were experiencing? When was the data collected? Action Items: Talk to upper management and find places where older audience data and personas may be stored. Look through data to see if it still applies to the customers you want to focus on now. Keep what is applicable and file away the rest. Step Two: Gather Data From Your Website And Social Media Once you have gone through research that has already been collected by your organization, you can move on to gathering data from your website and your social media channels to see the types of people you are attracting to your website. Your website analytics can give you information about where your audience is coming from and what kind of roadblocks they are running into while they search for information on your site. Your social media can show you more about who is following your organization and who is interested in your product. Collecting Website Data Using Google Analytics, you can collect data points on: Age Gender Location Interests Language And even the device that they’re browsing your website from. To access this information go to Audience Overview: As you pull your data look for trends and patterns that may indicate that people belonging to a particular age group, job category, or location are consistently visiting your site. Another section of your Google Analytics that will provide useful information for your customer journey map is your User Flows. This section of your analytics will show you the first and second touchpoints that your users are reaching when they first enter your site. You can access this data by going to Audience User Flow. This information can be vital to show you where users are getting hung up and exiting your site. By locating those hang-ups and finding what information you need to include, you can patch the leak and potentially raise conversions. Now each of your social media channels will gather its internal demographics that you can collect and record. Here is where to find that information on every social media channel. Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn On each channel that your organization is active on, pull the demographic data and see where the data from your Google Analytics and the data from your social media pages overlap. Action Items: Run a Google Analytics audience report for the past six months. Note demographic data in a separate data sheet. Run a User Flow for the past six months. Note which paths your audience is taking and where they are dropping off and leaving your website. Record those flows. Gather demographic data from your social media sites and record them. Look for trends and overlapping patterns. Step Three: Talk To Co-Workers In Customer-Facing Operations You have a lot of data on your hands by now, but you’re not done yet. Creating a customer journey map means that you need to know every detail about your customer’s experience to tell their story accurately. Next, you need to talk with co-workers who interact with your customers daily. Why would something like this be relevant? Because your co-workers in these roles are in front of your audience all the time. They are the first ones to hear when something has gone well or when something is a disaster. They hear about their shopping experience first hand. Start with the following questions to help gather qualitative data on your audience: What are common problems that our customers experience? What experiences have impressed our customers? What roadblocks have our customers ran into in the past? What questions come up as they search for a solution to their problem? What feelings have they experienced as they search for a product? Remember, that this is an initial list and you can always expand or change questions based on the information you need to gather about their experiences. Action Items: Create the questions you’d like your co-workers to answer. Set up brief 15-minute interviews. Send them the questions in advance. Chat and record answers. Look for recurring patterns. Step Four: Set Up In Person Interviews It’s easy to send out a survey and have your target audience respond to questions. However, are your customers going to divulge their shopping experiences with you over a survey? Probably not. Which is why taking the time to sit down with your customers one on one is so important. You’re more likely to get the honest, in-depth answers that can help you shape the story of your customer’s journey. What questions should you include in those interviews to get the answers you’re looking for? Start with these: What was your first thought when you realized you needed [Product]? If you didn’t buy [Product] what made you decide to seek another solution? What problem did you hope this product would solve? What information did you have trouble finding? How easy was it for you to find options? What would have made your purchase process easier? What would have made your shopping experience easier? Set up five to ten interviews and remember, your meeting should be a conversation, not a dull question and answer session. Action Items: Create your interview questions. Choose 10 to 15 customers you believe would be good interview candidates. Confirm five to ten interviews. Send your interview questions in advance. Attend the interview with a recording device (it’s easier than trying to take notes). Transcribe your interview and look for data or patterns. Step Five: Create A Survey To Gather Qualitative And Quantitative Data The last data gathering step in this process is creating a survey to send to customers. You can’t be everywhere at once and talking to five to ten customers alone won’t give you enough data to accurately recreate their shopping experiences. How can you ensure you’ll get the answers you need? Try adding these questions: Qualitative Questions: What is it like using [Product]? What was your experience with buying [product]? What information could have been that would have made your purchasing process easier? What would make you reconsider buying a product? What has your shopping experience been like? Quantitative Questions: How likely are you to purchase [Product] again? How did you hear about [Product]? How frequently do you use [Product]? What gender do you identify as? What nationality are you? Once you have your questions figured out, you can upload them to tools like  Survey Monkey, Google Forms  or Polldaddy. After that share your survey link with your customers via email or social media. Set a goal for the number of responses you want to get. Action Items: Create your questions. Run your questions by co-workers. Upload your questions into a survey tool. Share the link via email or social media. Set a time frame to establish how long you'll collect answers. Record your data and look for patterns. Step Six: Use Your Data To Build An Update Audience Persona Now you need to sort through the data you collected to create your audience persona. What is an audience persona? At we define them as: Your marketing persona is a document that details your target audience’s who, what, when, where, and why, in addition to understanding general demographic information such as gender, job title, job function, business size, team size, needs, pain points, and challenges. As you go through your data, look for recurring themes, like a typical job type, age range, location, etc. Note which qualities are overlapping and add them to your audience persona. You should also look for overlapping interests and common problems that your target audience is experiencing that would cause them to need your product. Use the following template to help get your persona started: {Insert your company} creates content to attract {insert target audience} so they can {insert desired outcome} better. Action Items: Gather all of your data into one document. Highlight recurring trends and qualities. Use the template to start formatting your persona. Add in frequent problems your audience’s experiences that would cause them to want to buy your product. Step Seven: Map Out The Discovery Phase Of Your Customer Journey Map Now that you have your audience persona and your customer data you can begin to develop your customer journey map. The first phase is centered around discovery. This phase of your map should include: The reason they are searching for a product. Their motivation for wanting to buy a product. How they are getting their information. The actions they take. The initial touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. The pain points they’re experiencing. Any questions they have. So how does this look in practice? Let’s say that you wanted to create a customer journey map for online clothing subscription boxes. Our persona, Lisa is a 25-year-old marketing manager, who has an upcoming wedding. What is Lisa’s story? You can also pull out the customer journey mapping template that you downloaded earlier and see how to fill it in. The Reason They Are Buying A Product First, establish the reason behind why someone wants to buy a product. They are searching for a solution to the problem they are experiencing and can no longer fix it themselves. In the case of our example, a reason could be that Lisa has a wedding coming up and she doesn’t have enough time to go to the mall and shop for an outfit. Record the reason why your customers would be interested in your product in your template: The Motivation Behind Buying A Product There is always a reason for buying a product. In this case, Lisa needs an outfit for the wedding. However, there is also a motivating factor which in the case of our clothing example could be that Lisa wants an outfit that will make her stand out and look good at this wedding. In your template, motivations can go into one section: How Are They Getting Their Information Depending on your customers, they may prefer to get their information in different ways. This could be through newspapers, advertisements, blogs, social media, etc. You need to identify how they prefer to get their information in this phase of their journey. In this case, because Lisa doesn’t have time to go to the mall she’ll be getting her information from the websites of clothing stores she visits. Record how they are getting their information in your template: The Actions They Take Next, is outlining the actions they’ll take to get the information they need. What does your customer need to do to find the solution they are looking for? Lisa decides that going to the mall is too much work. Then again so is online shopping, she doesn’t have time to scroll, through every website to find the right dress. So she types â€Å"personal shopper† into Google and sees an ad for a clothing subscription company. Lisa decides to click on the ad which takes her to the website. List all the actions that your customer could take in your template: What Are The Initial Touchpoints A Customer Has With Your Company? Your initial touchpoints in a customer journey map revolve around the first time they interact with an organization that sells the product or service they are looking for. (Remember this is a generalized experience, not just the experience they have with your brand.) In Lisa’s case her initial touchpoints will be: She sees the ad in her Google results. She clicks on the ad. She sees the homepage (or landing page) for the first time. List out your customer’s touchpoints in your template. Document How Your Customer Is Feeling Part of telling your story involves explaining how your customer feels. You can’t leave out that kind of information because how the customer feels affects their entire experience. And it doesn’t begin once they click an ad and learn about your organization. This starts before they even begin to search for your product. In Lisa’s case, she was feeling stressed because she needed a great outfit for an upcoming wedding and was worried she didn’t have enough time to shop. She thought about online shopping, but that just made her frustrated because she didn’t have time to scroll through pages of dresses. But, she feels defeated because she doesn’t have a choice. She starts her search and becomes intrigued with an ad that talks about someone who could do her shopping for her. Record those emotional highs and lows in your template: Their Experience Thus Far Next, you need to document their experience. How are things going? For Lisa, it’s going pretty well; there’s a chance that someone will do all of the shopping for her! The Pain Points They’re Having At this point, you need to address any pain points that your potential customer may be having. Lisa’s pain points revolve around the fact that: She has a wedding that she doesn’t have time to shop for. She has to resort to online shopping, but she hates scrolling through page after page of dresses. What Questions Do They Currently Have You need to identify any questions they might have at this phase in their journey. Why? Because by anticipating questions that occur during their shopping experience, your organization can be proactive and already have them answered. For Lisa the following questions might come up in this phase of her journey: Is there a better way to shop online? Can someone do this for me? What is this site? What Recommendations Do You Have? Now that the discovery phase of this customer journey map is over you can list any recommendations that would help improve the shopping experience for your potential customers. For this example, we might suggest adding additional ad copy that explains how a clothing subscription box can do all of the shopping for their customers. So what does this look like formatted into an actual map? Something like this: Step Eight: Map Out The Consideration Phase Of Your Customer Journey. Now that your potential customers know that your product exists they are going to start to consider if they want to buy your product. You’ll need to outline the following information in your template: Their motivation for wanting to learn more about a product. The actions they take. The touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. The pain points they’re experiencing. Any questions they have. Remember to include your answers in your spreadsheet under the Consideration column. What Is Motivating Them To Learn More About Your Product At this point, your customer knows you might have the solution to their problem. You need to identify what message they need to hear that would entice them learn more. If we go back to our example, Lisa’s motivation to learn more would be to see if someone really would do her clothes shopping for her. What Actions Do They Take You’ve got your customer hooked in and motivated to learn more. Identify what actions they will take to do this. For example, those actions could look like this. She clicks the about us page and sees that it’s a personalized box of clothing delivered straight to her door. She reads more about how the process works and learns that she needs to take a quiz before they send her clothes. She clicks the quiz and sees she needs to create an account to continue. She creates an account and starts the quiz. After about 20 questions, she realizes it’s extensive. She sees that the company needs her measurements and has to google what size she is. She is asked about her price range and is curious about how cheap the cheapest option is. She leaves the quiz and searches online for reviews. She finds a few blogs that have positive reviews about the boxes. From the reviews, she sees that the clothes are spendy, but she can swing it. She wants to continue the quiz again. She can’t find the quiz. She looks in the help docs to find where the quiz is. She continues the quiz. She asked how often she wants a box delivered, so she leaves the page to see if she can do the box once. She scrolls through four help documents before seeing that she can schedule a one time box. Now she has to deal with the hassle of finding the quiz again. She is warned about a service fee. She wants to find what the service fee is for. She can’t find anything on the website, so she goes back to the reviews. She finds out what the service fee is. She finishes the quiz and is asked for payment. That list is extensive. However, when it comes to mapping out your customer journey, you need to lay out every possible action they could take while they are shopping. The Touchpoints Your Potential Customers Have At this phase in your customer’s journey, they are going to have multiple touchpoints with an organization. It’s up to you to list out point they could come into contact with. For our example, that list could be: The homepage The account creation page Their â€Å"my account† page The quiz they take The help center The frequently asked questions page Articles that review the products a customer is looking for. How Are They Feeling? For each action that your customer takes they’re probably experiencing some emotional shift. For example: Lisa is excited because she learns that someone can do her shopping for her. However, after finding out she needs to create an account to take the quiz, she’s a little annoyed but optimistic. She becomes frustrated with how long the quiz is. Then she’s confused because she doesn’t know her measurements. Now she’s a little nervous because how expensive are these clothes? She’s on a budget after all. After a few reviews, she’s confident she can afford a box. And now she’s flustered again because she can’t find the quiz and will be angry if she has to fill out all those questions again. She’s hesitant now because she only wants to order the box once to try it. So she goes back to the review to see if they said anything about only ordering a box once. She’s happy again because she can schedule one box. After the service fee is introduced, she’s annoyed because now they want her to spend more money? Now, she’s angry because she can’t find out what the service fee is for and has to go back to the reviews again. Once she’s read a little more, she sees it can be applied towards her total. She’s relieved that she’s finally finished the quiz and is brought to the payment screen. What Is Their Experience? Documenting your customer’s experience during this phase is essential because it can show you the gaps you need to fill. Filling those gaps allows you get ahead of a problem before it begins. In our example, you can see that Lisa had to spend a lot of time going off the website to find the information she was looking for. Not to mention she was already caught off guard by how long the quiz was and frustrated when she couldn’t find it again right away. What Pain Points Are They Having? It’s important to identify pain points in the consideration phase of your customer journey because these are incidences that could potentially cause your customers to choose one business over another. If you can eliminate those pain points for them why wouldn’t they choose you? In Lisa’s case, had the information she was looking for been easily found on the website, she may not have gotten so frustrated trying to get answers. What Questions Do They Have? In the consideration phase knowing the questions that your customers will have when learning about your product will save you time in the long run. Why? Because you can anticipate those questions and have them answered before they even come up. Some questions that might come up in our example are: How many boxes can I order? Do I have to order more than one box? How much is the service fee and what is it for? What are my actual measurements? How can I find the quiz again if I left it in progress? How long is this quiz? Remember to include recommendations for changes your company can make to improve your customer’s experience. In this case, you could suggest a widget that contains answers to frequently asked questions. Here is what the consideration phase of your customer journey looks like mapped out. Step Nine: Map Out The Purchase Phase Of Your Customer Journey The next part of your customer journey involves making a purchase (hopefully from you). Tracking their journey through this process is crucial because you want their experience to be as hassle-free as possible. Here’s what you’ll need to outline in your template: Their motivation for buying a product. The actions they take. The touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. The pain points they’re experiencing. Any questions they have. The Motivation To Buy A Product What caused your customer to take the plunge and buy a product? Was there a specific benefit that one choice provided over another? You need to identify what that final push was and see if you can create something better to compete with it. In our example, we could say that Lisa was motivated to choose Company A over Company B because they offered a free box for every five purchased. Recommended Reading: Why Should Startups Always Follow the Customer? The Actions They Take Now it may seem simple to track the actions they take during the purchase phase. They give their payment information, and they’re done. However, you want to ensure that this process is as smooth as possible, so they don’t leave the transaction halfway through. In our example, Lisa would take the following actions: Continue to the pricing page. Fill out her billing and shipping address. Enter her credit card information. Confirm the purchase. Receive an instant email with the estimated delivery time and tracking information. The Touchpoints They Have With The Company At this point, all the of the touchpoints are centered around one specific company. If you’re in the process of buying something it usually involves a touchpoint or two like: Proceeding to the billing page. Receiving an email with the invoice. Seeing the link to FAQ pages around product shipment. Their Experience Tracking how this process goes for your customers can let you see snags and get in front of them to make sure you don’t miss out. If other brands are missing out on customers, what is it about their process that is turning people away? How can you avoid that? In Lisa’s case, her experience was smooth because the website had code built in that automatically filled in her billing, shipping and payment information. If other brands are missing out on customers, what is it about their process that is turning people...The Pain Points They’re Experiencing At this phase in your customer’s journey, you need to make sure all the kinks are smoothed out. Does this process smoothly flow from point A to point B? If it doesn’t what can you do to make it easier? In our example, Lisa didn’t have too many problems in this step because the company she chose automatically filled in her forms, saving her time. Recommended Reading: How to Create Opt-In Forms: 5 Ways to Convert Traffic What Questions Do They Have? Once your customer is ready to convert, you should have all of their questions answered right? Wrong. They need to know when they’re getting their product and what to expect when it gets here. What if something goes wrong? How long do they have to return it? Anticipate those questions in advance and call them out in the purchasing process, so people don’t have to wonder. How do you know what questions they might have? By going through your customer interviews! Some example questions Lisa might have are: When will my box get here? Is shipping free? What if I don’t like what’s in the box? How do I pay for the items I like? How long do I have to return the items? Record your questions and your recommendations for improvement in your template. Your fully mapped out purchase phase should look like this. Step Ten: Map Out The Retention Phase Of Your Customer Journey The last phase of your journey is retention. This is how you create loyal customers and keep them coming back to buy your product. At this point, your customer has purchased your product, but you want to follow up to make sure their experience was as memorable as possible. And hopefully, convince them to buy from you again in the future. So what should be outlined in your customer journey map? Their motivation to order again. The actions they take after the product has been purchased. The touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. Any questions they have.

Nursing Ethical Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example Obviously, the therapy directed specifically to the cancer is not working any more. The medical decision was to provide palliative care at home. The nurse in this case has also been requested by the family to refrain from disclosing her diagnosis to her. The patient asks about a particular medication given to her by the nurse. While the medication actually is an anticancer drug, the nurse is instructed by the family members to tell that it is a stool softener. The client does not have any clear directives about end of life care. The family wants her to be kept out of the loop in care. Although family can provide further information about the clients characteristics, lifestyle, value, and beliefs, here they are clearly paternalistic and have decided to violate patients autonomy. The nurse at any cost must preserve autonomy of the patient regarding her own care. When the nurse is asked to tell the patient a lie about the medicine she is taking, the principle of fidelity or faithfulness is violated (Ferrell and Coyle, 2006). This ethical dilemma will be analyzed from the nursing ethical principles based on Bandman and Bandman shared decision making model. The nurse in this situation is indirectly forced to lie for the family to the patient. Not complying with the familys wishes may cause dismissal of the nurses service to the patient. This is an ethical dilemma (Teno, 2004). It is clear that the family has denied the client’s right to self determination. The American Nurses Association advocates full autonomy to the patient will total disclosure of facts regarding healthcare and healthcare decisions. It is clear that she has not been fully informed, and she is not being helped to comprehend her conditions. According to this principle, the nurse should provide the patient with the opportunity to make her own decisions related to her health-care needs. Moreover, misinforming patients regarding their care or medications violates the principle of

BHM 443 Legal Aspects of Health Care (Module 2CBT) Essay

BHM 443 Legal Aspects of Health Care (Module 2CBT) - Essay Example Care should be taken to review the details like filling time period, exclusivity, retaining medical records for defined period of time, and similar clauses. This section includes details of the period of the contract. Generally, the managed care contracts lock the parties for multiple years with consistent increase of charges each year. However, other terms and termination clauses may also be recorded in the managed care contract. Other details like address of health care provider, laws and regulations to be used in case of arbitration, rights of both parties in case of legal proceeding, etc. are documented in general provision section. It may also state other clauses like severability clause. This phase include gathering information about the plan, its scope, general market sentiments, and its applicability in provider's area. This assists in deciding if the provider wants to enter into a relationship with health plan; and also assist in contract formulation stage where bargaining power can increase if the parties have sufficient information about each other. This flows from information gathering phase. It is always good to know one's strengths and weaknesses. For example, if a health plan is new to an area, the provider can leverage this information to negotiate a better deal; as oppose to negotiating the same prices if the health plan is widely known and popular in the locality. Alternatively, if the health plan is in existence for years, the health provider may find it difficult to get any negotiating power while dealing with the health plan. The balance would thus be shifted towards health plan. Finances This is a sensitive area and warrants careful analysis before locking oneself up in a contract. This includes an assessment of health plan's fee schedule, capitation and other items that require both parties to jointly manage the risk. Some of the concern areas include capitation as per age, gender, employer specific capitation, financial incentives, etc. Financial evaluation may be termed as one of the most critical factors during contract negotiation stage and may be the showstopper if not carried out carefully. Contract A contract is the underlying legal document that defines the responsibilities, rights and obligations, termination clauses, etc. The final stage of contract negotiation is signing the contract. Care should be taken while reviewing contractual terms for both parties to determine if the contract is skewed towards one party. Additionally, all legally unenforceable clauses should be removed prior to signing the contract. What if a contract contains provisions for performing illegal activities If a contract contains provisions to allow illegal activities, then this contract is not enforceable by law. Thus, neither of the party is bound to do as obligated by the contract.

Management Evolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management Evolution - Research Paper Example One cannot possibly stick to a single strategy and move about using it in all organisations thus it is very necessary to be flexible within the context of managing people. It has been observed that the styles for managing people have evolved and changed within years. In the past a more traditional approach was usually undertaken; however, as extensive changes in technology took place a more flexible approach was adapted toward managing people. Managing people is a very important phenomenon from what I observed within my own studying environment. If teachers do not put in extra effort towards the behavioural approach of the students they do not intend to attain successful results. Teachers who tend to be more dominating whilst not encouraging much of the feedback usually encounter students that are highly pressurized, under stress or carefree students who don’t give importance to their education since their ideas are not given importance to by their teachers. On the other hand those teachers who tend to be more involved with their students also tend to have extremely good results with their students. But then again one more thing that I noticed was that involving students is not necessarily the best way since sometimes student do take advantage of this benefit. Personally what I feel is that it gives the student the impression that the teacher will not really mind if he does not do his homework or submit in his assignment since he/she is extremely friendly thus there is no chance of being punished. This only implies the fact that within our studying environments we do have different teachers with different styles of handling students. I guess the best way is to be involved with students but then in the end the final decision should be that of a teacher. But again I believe that it is not at all necessary that this same tactic is applied in every class at my school. Instead, one should undertake handling approaches using the contingency theory which means handling students in accordance with their behaviour. For example, in a class of non serious students one should use a democratic approach since they need to be shown that there is somebody who does care about them and their ideas. On the other hand in a class where there is a mix of naughty and studious students a teacher should adapt the paternalistic approach which means taking their feedback but in the end the final decision is that of the teacher. Thus, my studying environment, if I observe, is a combination of all leadership styles and I believe this is extremely effective since every class has students with different attitudes and therefore it is very necessary for a teacher to adapt to the class according to the particular culture associated with those students. The approach towards managing people was first laid down by Robert Owen. He laid down the theory for improvement towards human relations. Therefore he was the one who believed in improving the living of works. Charle s Babbage, on the other hand, was the father of modern computing who laid down the theory of specialization which involves giving various tasks to different individuals according to their expertise. Specialization basically implies that a person will feel motivated because he has been given the job he/she is best at. Thus gaining an expertise will allow him to increase the productivity of the organisation. The problem, however, with specialization is that it tends to

Post a file describing your sample. How you plan to get it; how you Essay

Post a file describing your sample. How you plan to get it; how you actually got it, and any characteristics of your sample, e.g., the demographics of it, how large it is, etc - Essay Example I felt myself close to university students because of my linkage to the same age group and also they are available in the university timings. The sample population comprised of four ethnic groups that were Hispanics, Africans, Asians and Americans by birth or their parents were related to areas such as Mexico, Italy, South Africa, Sri Lanka and United States of America as a whole. I have provided the questionnaires to one hundred and fifty students who belonged to the ethnic groups that I have listed above. From them sixty nine were White American nationals by birth, twenty eight were African Americans, forty two were Hispanics and twelve were Asians. I prepared the questionnaires and asked the university students to fill it within an hour as the survey form or questionnaire was not too lengthy. I kept it short so that the students do not feel to fill it problematic and also to keep their interest with it. For assembling all the students, I went to their class teachers and asked them to give the students the questionnaires that were needed to be filled in. the students appeared very supportive and also the teachers supported me by facilitating me with the filled in questionnaires with ease. I informed the students that the questionnaires are needed to be filled with free will and students are not required to give any forced answers for the questions. All the questions that I included in the questionnaire were very simple and straight forward and the students faced no problem in filling them. All the students gave responses that were beneficial for the research. The sample population is a clear indication of a multicultural society and also indicate the larger ratio of immigrants from various parts of the world to United States of America. Along with quantitative research, I also commenced qualitative research in which, I searched the articles and writings by writers who wrote on the issue of immigration and multicultural society in America that were

Income Taxation Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Income Taxation Project - Research Paper Example He is thinking on the various aspects and benefits of loan like tax implications, deductions, and alternative minimum tax (AMT) etc. He wants to be wise in taking the loan, so that he doesn’t miss any of the tax benefits. He is also seeking further tax advice on this and wants to know if the tax deductions for house owners will cause him to pay more AMT than which he normally pays because of his high income. 2. Mr. Block can avail tax benefits on as per the regulations specified in IRS Publication 936 Main Content. This includes mortgage interest, mortgage interest premiums etc. He can also detect the payments made during purchase such as Real Estate Taxes (IRS Publication 530, Main content). If he prepays the interest for mortgage that interest can also be deducted as mortgage interest as per Topic 504, Home Mortgage Points. 4. The amount of loan Mr. Block requires is greater than $100,000. In that case, he will not be able to deduct all the interest he pays towards the loan. This is present in Topic 504, Home Mortgage points. The loan period also plays a major role in the deductions he can avail. He can avail benefits if the loan period is not greater than 30 years. Also, Mr. Block can reduce the interest only if the debt is a secured debt. Further details can be obtained from IRS Publication 936 Main Content. 5. Mr. Block should also be concerned about the various Fraud practices and schemes such as property flipping, more than one settlement statement for the same house etc. as mentioned in the IRS Mortgage and Real estate Fraud section. 1. Does his earlier investment or salary have any impact on the maximum loan amount that he can get? What will be the case if he does not have a steady income and investment? Will he be able to buy the house? Generally, home mortgage interest is any interest you pay on a loan secured by your home (main home or a second home).

Essay 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

3 - Essay Example Siddhartha Gautama was the pioneer of Buddhism and the religion is based on psychological expressions and representations like yoga. The religion is based on several doctrines. Some of these doctrines are the four noble truths, eight-fold path, and ideas of impermanence and anatman The four noble truths are; life is characterized by suffering, suffering is caused by desire or grasping, cease grasping and follow the eight-fold path. The eight-fold path consists of right view, right intention, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Impermanence and anatman relies on the understanding that everything fluctuates and it is dependent upon everything else. During its spread in Asia, Buddhism blended with other cultures in Korea, China and Japan. In China, Buddhists absorbed some sections of Daoism and Confucian religion. In Japan, Buddhism has several denominations like Tendai, Pure Land, Nichiren, Shingon and Zen. In Korea, Buddhism has been absorbed in other religions such as indigenous shamanism, new religions, Christianity, Confucianism and Daoism. Muslims use one sacred book called the Holy Qur’an and the Buddhists use several sacred books. Buddhists concentrate more on the psychological wellbeing than the spiritual wellbeing. In Buddhism, spirituality is attained one when dies and your actions determine what you shall gain. On the other hand, Muslims’ spirituality wellness in the world is the key to attaining eternity. What happens after death is explained differently in each case. Buddhists believe that every being will undergo cycles of transformation according to their actions into other beings. In contrast, Muslims believe that there will be paradise after death, no transformation into other beings will occur. A creator does not exist in Buddhism, existence of such means suffering

Income Taxation Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Income Taxation Project - Research Paper Example He is thinking on the various aspects and benefits of loan like tax implications, deductions, and alternative minimum tax (AMT) etc. He wants to be wise in taking the loan, so that he doesn’t miss any of the tax benefits. He is also seeking further tax advice on this and wants to know if the tax deductions for house owners will cause him to pay more AMT than which he normally pays because of his high income. 2. Mr. Block can avail tax benefits on as per the regulations specified in IRS Publication 936 Main Content. This includes mortgage interest, mortgage interest premiums etc. He can also detect the payments made during purchase such as Real Estate Taxes (IRS Publication 530, Main content). If he prepays the interest for mortgage that interest can also be deducted as mortgage interest as per Topic 504, Home Mortgage Points. 4. The amount of loan Mr. Block requires is greater than $100,000. In that case, he will not be able to deduct all the interest he pays towards the loan. This is present in Topic 504, Home Mortgage points. The loan period also plays a major role in the deductions he can avail. He can avail benefits if the loan period is not greater than 30 years. Also, Mr. Block can reduce the interest only if the debt is a secured debt. Further details can be obtained from IRS Publication 936 Main Content. 5. Mr. Block should also be concerned about the various Fraud practices and schemes such as property flipping, more than one settlement statement for the same house etc. as mentioned in the IRS Mortgage and Real estate Fraud section. 1. Does his earlier investment or salary have any impact on the maximum loan amount that he can get? What will be the case if he does not have a steady income and investment? Will he be able to buy the house? Generally, home mortgage interest is any interest you pay on a loan secured by your home (main home or a second home).

Jeremy Bentham Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Jeremy Bentham - Essay Example The main basis behind this theory is that an act can be considered to be good or bad depending on the amount of people it is able to help against the number of people who may be inconvenienced so to speak by that same act. In short it can be said that the theory tends to focus on the greater good capacity of an act when determining whether the subject matter is to be considered good or detrimental towards the society (Bykvist, 2009). This is clearly seen in Jeremy Bentham’s claim that it is actually the largest happiness from the biggest number of people that can be considered to be the measure of right and wrong. To put it simply, whether an act is good or not is determined upon the maximization of that utility in question. Something can be considered to be good or bad based on whether it brings more good or bad as an end result. This theory can be said to be both supported and contradicted by a number of nursing and healthcare practices. This can be explained by the diversity of the healthcare sector which means that hardly any two cases are exactly the same thus there are times when the theory may apply to healthcare practices while at other times it does not (Bykvist, 2009). A good example of a healthcare practice that supports this theory is the action of quarantining an individual with a contagious disease. Though such a move may be considered reclusive and even impersonal as the person is kept away from family and friends or any other support system to help them get through such hard times, it is for the greater good that it is done as allowing them contact with others may prove deadly to those who remain uninfected. A practice that may not fit into the greater good system would be the elimination of a ground zero subject who is putting other people at risk as the code of ethics does not support murder under any circumstance. In this instance the greater good is not enough to justify such an act. Two sections of the ANA Code of Ethics

Ideas about child development

Ideas about child development Three Big Ideas about Child Development that all Teachers and Parents Should Know Understanding child development means that we as carers and parents can understand skills and typical behaviours of children within our care, providing an environment which is nurturing and one that will foster growth. Laura Berk (2000) provides a simple definition of child development; â€Å"a field of study devoted to understanding all aspects of human growth and change from conception through adolescence.† (Berk: 2000, p4). This paper will look at three important theories of child development that you as a teacher or parent should know in order to understand the changes that take place from birth to adulthood. When we talk about child development we refer to three stages called development areas;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Physical development involves the growth and change in a persons body and body functions. In this domain we look at the physiological and motor development as well as the influences of health, illness and nutrition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cognitive development refers to the growth and change of a persons ability to process information, solve problems and gain knowledge. In this area we consider the study of brain development, memory, learning, thinking, language and creativity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Social-emotional development involves the growth and change of our interactions with others and our feelings. Included in this area is the study of relationships, emotions, personality and moral development. Whilst we discuss each area of development separately it is important to realise that they do overlap. One domain can influence the other. Interest in the field of child development began early in the 20th-century. (ref) Many theories have been put forward to explain why and how children develop. Theorist Jean Piaget played a major influence on the way we understand children. He explained childrens development in terms of their cognitive development in a theory known as Piagets theory of cognitive development. Piaget believed that children think differently from adults, arguing that its not that children know less than adults but their thinking skills are qualitatively different. (ref) Many of his ideas came from observing his own children. Piaget was convinced that intellect grows through processes he termed assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation refers to using existing mental patterns in new situations. (ref) In accommodation, existing ideas are modified to fit new requirements. Thus, new situations are assimilated to existing ideas, and new ideas are created to accommodate new experiences. In his theory children mature through a series of distinct stages in intellectual development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Sensorimotor (0-2years): Piaget believed that an infant is born with no way of making sense of the world. Infants use reflexes which act on the world in specific ways so that the child gradually adapts to the world. Motor movements are seen as the basis for the eventual development of intelligence. These slowly become separated from motor activity as the child learns to represent objects, actions and thoughts through play and language. According to Piaget, object permanence emerges during infancy. This relates to the understanding that objects continue to exist even though they are out of sight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Preoperational (2-7 years): Piaget describes toddlers thinking as illogical. This is due to two main characteristics of their thinking processes; egocentricism and centation. Piaget sees young childrens thinking as egocentric; meaning they can only see things from their point of view. They cannot take into account the ideas or needs of others. Due to their stage of cognitive development their thinking is not yet flexible enough to consider more than one aspect of a given situation. They are now in a stage of self-centred thinking. (ref). Centration is the term Piaget uses to describe young childrens tendency to focus their attention on a single aspect of a situation or object. This is where Piagets experiment for the conservation of volume. This stage of development also describes toddlers having improved memory skills, problem solving skills and begin to understand concepts; for example, words such as ‘big and ‘small, colours and the ability to recite numbers . (ref) As children progress into pre-school, children practise mental representations by using mental imagery and language symbols. (Ref)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Concreter Operational (7-12years): The typical school aged child is entering this stage of development. Children begin to think logically however, they tend to need concrete objects to help them solve problems rather than being able to use abstract ideas. (ref). Piaget would describe the school age child as less egocentric. According to his theory a child is now able to view the world and themselves from other perspectives. (ref) Children at this stage have a longer attention span, a better concept of time and distance and their ability to remember improves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Formal Operational (12-15years): Children at this stage break away from concrete objects and thinking is based more on abstract principles, such as ‘honour or ‘democracy. (ref). Full adult intellectual ability is attained during this stage. For Piaget, the development of scientific reasoning is the pinnacle of development. (Vialle, Lysaght, and Verenikina: 2008, p55). At this stage older adolescents can comprehend math, physics and other abstract systems. (ref). Some critics have faulted Piagets theory on several grounds but mostly for its vagueness. Some would say that Piagets theory has limited our perception of childrens capabilities- particularly in the pre-school years. (ref). Others may say there has been too much focus on what children cant do rather than what they can. According to Siegler (2004) children continuously gain specific knowledge; they do not undergo stage like leaps in general mental ability. (more) However, Piagets work has encouraged us to see childrens cognitive skills as being different from those of adults. His theory is valuable for understanding how children think. If we understand how children think and learn we can provide a stimulating environment that will support their learning. Using Piagets theory of cognitive development, a teacher or parents role is to provide the stimulation and observe carefully to see when to step in and interact or change experiences (ref). (125 more) While Piaget stressed the role of maturation in cognitive development, Lev Vygotsky focused on the impact of socio-cultural factors. His Socio-cultural theory of cognitive development saw that social interaction and language has a major influence on the development of childrens thinking. Vygotsky places great importance on the tole of significant adults such as teachers, parents and also peers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  The zone of proximal development: Like Piaget, Vygotsky believed that children actively seek to discover new principles. However there is emphasis that many of a childs most important discoveries are guided by these significant adults. (ref). Vygotsky realises that some tasks can be beyond a childs reach. The child is close to having the mental skills needed to do the task, but it may be slightly too complex to be mastered alone. The zone of proximal development means children learn with the guidance and assistance of those within their environment. Parents, teachers or other sensitive caregivers will know that children will need assistance, guiding the child to support them in the learning process. Vygosky argued that childrens thinking is highly influenced by interactions and conversations with other peoples. If we want to understand how children think and learn, Vygotsky proposes that we need to observe them when they are relating with others. (ref). Vygotsky proposed that language plays a critical role in learning. He noted that preschoolers often talk to themselves as they complete activities and tasks. He called this Private speech. According to Vygotsky, private speech enables children to talk through problems (ref). Erik Erikson proposed a theory of development that focuses on the emotional and social aspects of development and how these impact on the overall development of the person from infancy to old age. (ref). He called it a Psychosocial theory of development focusing on the social experiences we have in life that shape our psychological make- up. Erikson was a student of Sigmund Freud and believed that the social interactions an individual experiences has a greater influence on development. (ref). Erikson identified eight stages of development over the entire human lifespan, each stage marked by a crisis. If each crisis is resolved in a positive way then the child would develop high self esteem and was more likely to respond to the next crisis in a positive way, developing a healthy personality. If the crisis was resolved in a negative way then it was likely the child would develop low self esteem and have difficulty resolving future crisis. (ref). His theory, particularly the first four stages hold vital considerations for you as a teacher or parent, ensuring that young children develop and maintain a positive sense of emotional wellbeing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Stage one (0-1 years) Trust vs Mistrust: According to Erikson, a critical emotional struggle in infancy is between trust and mistrust. Emotionally healthy babies come to understand they have nurturing, responsive caregivers who meet their basic needs. They view the world as safe and enter into trusting relationships with caregivers and later, other individuals. However, a degree of mistrust is also important to keep infants safe from harm. But for the most part, the emotionally healthy baby is trusting of the world. (ref) A critical part of achieving trust from Eriksons view is the ability of infants to come to know and develop an emotional tie with caregivers; also known as attachment. Mary Ainsworth described attachment as â€Å"the affectional tie that one person forms to another specific person, binding them together in space and enduring over time† (Ainsworth: 1973).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Stage two: (1-3 years) Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt: Once toddlers have developed a sense of trust with significant adults and understand their basic needs will be met, they are willing to venture away from the safety of parents and caregivers. We see this as striving for control over their environment. (ref). Children express their growing self control by climbing, touching, exploring and trying to do things for themselves (Coon Mitterer: 2007). Offering support, achievable tasks and time, children are more likely to experience success and thus feel autonomous and develop feelings of positive self-esteem. (ref). However, if we are impatient, provide tasks that are too difficult or become unsupportive with their efforts, children will develop feelings of shame and doubt about their abilities, resulting in low self esteem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Stage three: (3-5 years) Initiative vs Guilt: In this psychosocial theory of development, Erikson saw the preschool years as a time when children develop a sense of initiative. Preschoolers develop an increasing sense of their own ability and have a desire to make things happen. Through play, children learn to make plans and carry out tasks. Parents can reinforce initiative by giving children freedom to play, ask questions, use imagination and choose their own activities. (ref). When encouraged, this sense of initiative will support the development of high self esteem. However, when preschoolers receive negative feedback, prevent play or punished for trying to plan and make things happen they will develop a sense of guilt, thus developing low self esteem. (ref.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Stage Four (6-12 years) Industry vs Inferiority: Middle childhood is the time to resolve the crisis of industry versus inferiority, according to Erikson. Primary school years are a childs ‘entrance into life, where children begin to learn skills valued by society. His theory states that as children gain positive feedback from developing skills required for their particular culture, they will develop a sense of industry if they win praise for productive activities such as building, painting, cooking, reading and studying. This high self esteem will motivate children to challenge new tasks. However, if children receive negative feedback and have trouble developing skills and a sense of inferiority will arise, resulting in low self esteem and less motivation to try new tasks. (160 more)