The Kidnapping essays

The Kidnapping essays It was 9 am on a Thursday morning. High clouds had drifted across the sun a few minutes ago, and the sky was an ominous gray. The sky grew darker, and the thickening fog made everything seem eerie and menacing, Kirsten thought to herself as she looked through the living room window, which gave her a full view of the weather outside. Kirstens parents were at work, and they wouldnt be back until 6 pm that evening, because of a conference meeting they were both attending. Conference meetings were always long. And there she was, waiting by the window for her best friend Jennifer, who had called her earlier to tell her that she would come over and keep her company, so that she wouldnt get bored on her own. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud, deafening knock on the front door. She grinned to herself as she made her way towards it. Kirsten then stood on the tip of her toes and looked through the peephole. There was no one in sight. She opened the door without hesitating, and took a step outside the house, expecting Jennifer to jump out of a corner and say Gotcha ya! Like she always did. Kirsten was surprised that Jennifer never gave up on that stupid trick she was always playing on her friend. Suddenly, without warning, a dark figure whose features Kirsten couldnt make out because of the foggy air surrounding her, approached her from behind tugged onto her shirt as she struggled to get away and threw her into the back seat of his car. Kirsten instantly made an attempt to get out of the car, but then he grabbed her by the arm, twisted it and dug his fingernails into her skin, threatening to kill her if she didnt follow his orders step by step. ...

Christmas at the White House In the 19th Century

Christmas at the White House In the 19th Century Christmas celebrations at the White House have fascinated the public for decades. And especially since the 1960s, when Jacqueline Kennedy had the presidents house decorated based on the theme of The Nutcracker, First Ladies have supervised elaborate transformations for the holiday season. In the 1800s things were quite different. That isnt entirely surprising. In the early decades of the 19th century Americans viewed Christmas as a religious holiday to be celebrated in a modest manner with family members. And the high point of the holiday social season at the White House would have taken place on New Years Day. Tradition throughout the 1800s was that the president hosted an open house on the first day of each year. He would patiently stand for hours, and people who had waited on a long line stretching out to Pennsylvania Avenue would file in to shake the presidents hand and wish him Happy New Year.   Despite the apparent lack of Christmas celebrations at the White House in the early 1800s, a number of  legends of White House Christmases circulated a century later. After Christmas had become a widely celebrated and very public holiday, newspapers in the early 1900s routinely published articles presenting some highly questionable history. In these creative versions, Christmas traditions which hadnt been observed until decades later were sometimes ascribed to early presidents. For instance, an article in the Evening Star, a Washington, D.C. newspaper, published on December 16, 1906, related how Thomas Jeffersons daughter Martha decorated the White House with Christmas trees. That seems unlikely. There are reports of Christmas trees appearing in America in the late 1700s in specific regions. But the custom of Christmas trees did not become common in America until decades later. The same article also claimed that the family of Ulysses S. Grant family celebrated with elaborate Christmas trees in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Yet the White House Historical Society claims the first White House Christmas tree appeared fairly late in the century, in 1889. Its easy to see that many stories of early Christmases in the White House are either greatly exaggerated or simply untrue. In part, thats because an essentially private holiday celebrated with family members would naturally have gone unreported. And the absence of reliable information led to the creation of comfortable yet  fake history. An apparent need to exaggerate the history of Christmas in the White House may have been motivated in part by something often overlooked today. For much of its early history, the White House was a residence seemingly cursed with a number of tragedies. A number of presidents were in mourning throughout part of their time in office, including Abraham Lincoln, whose son Willie died in the White House in 1862. Andrew Jacksons wife Rachel died just days before Christmas in 1828, a month after he was elected president. Jackson traveled to Washington and took up residence in the Presidents House, as it was known at the time, as a grieving  widower. Two 19th century presidents died in office before celebrating a Christmas (William Henry Harrison and James Garfield), while one died after celebrating only one Christmas (Zachary Taylor). Two wives of 19th century presidents died while their husbands were in office.Letitia Tyler, the wife of John Tyler, suffered a stroke and later died in the White House on September 10, 1842. And Caroline Scott Harrison, wife of Benjamin Harrison, died of tuberculosis in the White House on October 25, 1892. It could seem that the story of Christmas in the first century of the White House is simply too depressing to think about. Yet, one of those who would be touched by tragedy in the White House was, a few years previously, the unlikely hero who emerged late in the 1800s to make Christmas a major celebration in the big mansion on Pennsylvania Avenue. People today tend to only remember Benjamin Harrison because he holds a unique place in presidential trivia. His single term in office came between the two non-consecutive terms of Grover Cleveland. Harrison holds another distinction. He was the president credited with having the first White House Christmas tree, installed during his first Christmas in the White House, in 1889. He was not just enthusiastic about Christmas. Harrison seemed eager to let the public know he was celebrating it in grand style. Benjamin Harrisons Lavish Christmas Benjamin Harrison was not known for celebrations. He was generally considered to have a fairly bland personality. He was quiet and scholarly, and after serving as president he wrote a textbook on government. Voters knew that he taught Sunday school. His reputation was not for frivolity, so it seems odd that he would be known for having the first White House Christmas tree. He took office in March 1889, at a time when most Americans had adapted to the idea of Christmas as a celebratory holiday symbolized by Santa Claus and Christmas trees. So its possible that Harrisons Christmas cheer was simply a matter of timing. It is also conceivable that Harrison took a great interest in Christmas because of his own family history. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was elected president when Benjamin was seven years old. And, the elder Harrison served the shortest term of any president. A cold he caught, probably while delivering his inaugural address, turned into pneumonia. William Henry Harrison died in the White House on April 4, 1841, only a month after taking office. His grandson never got to enjoy a Christmas in the White House as a child. Perhaps thats why Harrison made an effort to have elaborate Christmas celebrations in the White House focused on the amusement of his own grandchildren. Harrisons grandfather, though born on a Virginia plantation, had campaigned in 1840 by aligning himself with common folk with the Log Cabin and Hard Cider campaign. His grandson, taking office at the height of the Gilded Age, had no embarrassment about showcasing an affluent lifestyle in the White House . The newspaper accounts of the Harrison family Christmas in 1889 are packed full of details which must have been willingly passed along for public consumption. A story on the front page of the New York Times on Christmas Day 1889 began by noting that many presents intended for the presidents grandchildren had been stowed away in a White House bedroom. The article also mentioned the wonderful Christmas tree, which is to dazzle the eyes of the White House babies... The tree was described as a foxtail hemock, 8 or 9 feet tall, liberally decked with glittering glass balls and pendants, while from the topmost branch to the edge of the square table on which the tree stands it is showered over with countless strands of gold tinsel. To add to the brilliant effect, the end of every branch is capped with four-sided lanterns of various colors and finished with a long point of shining glass filled with quicksilver. The New York Times article also described a lavish array of toys President Harrison would be giving to his grandson on Christmas morning: Among the many things which the President has purchased for his favorite grandchild is a mechanical toy an engine which, on being wound up, puffs and snorts at a terrific rate as it speeds over the floor, carrying behind a train of cars. There there is a sled, a drum, guns, horns without number, tiny blackboards on miniature easels, with crayons of every hue and color for the baby fingers, a hook-and-ladder apparatus which would send a thrill of delight to the heart of any little boy in creation, and a long slim box containing parlor croquet. The article also noted that the presidents young granddaughter would be receiving a number of gifts, including jumping jacks with cap and bells, a tiny piano, rocking chairs, all manner of furry coated animals, and bits of jewelry, and last, but by no means least, at the base of the tree is to stand a real Santa Claus, three feet high, laden with toys, dolls, and stockings filled with bonbons. The article concluded with a florid description of how the tree would be lit late on Christmas Day:   In the evening, between 4 and 5 oclock, the tree is to be lighted, that the children may view it in its full glory, when they will be joined by several little friends, who will add their quota to the joyous clatter and din incident to Christmas. The first White House Christmas tree to be decorated with electric lights appeared in December 1894, during the second term of Grover Cleveland. According to the White House Historical Association, the tree lit with electric bulbs was placed in the second floor library and was enjoyed by Clevelands two young daughters. A small front-page item in the New York Times on Christmas Eve 1894 seemed to refer to that tree when it stated, A gorgeous Christmas tree will be lighted at twilight with vari-colored electric lamps. The way Christmas was celebrated in the White House at the end of the 19th century was vastly different than when the century began. First White House Christmas The first president to live in the Presidents House was John Adams. He arrived to take up residence on November 1, 1800, in the final year of his single term as president. The building was still unfinished, and when his wife, Abigail Adams, arrived weeks later, she found herself living in a mansion that was partly a construction site. The first residents of the White House were almost immediately plunged into mourning. On November 30, 1800, their son Charles Adams, who had suffered from alcoholism for years, died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 30. Bad news continued for John Adams as he learned in early December that his attempt to gain a second term as president had been thwarted. On Christmas Eve 1800 a Washington, D.C., newspaper, the National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, published a front-page article showing that two candidates, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, would surely place ahead of Adams. The election of 1800 was eventually decided by balloting in the House of Representatives when Jefferson and Burr became locked in a tie in the electoral college. Despite this cascade of bad news, it is believed that John and Abigail Adams held a small Christmas celebration for a four-year-old granddaughter. And other children of official Washington may have been invited. A week later, Adams began the tradition of holding an open house on New Years Day. That practice continued well into the 20th century.

Strategic Analysis for Tui Travel PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Analysis for Tui Travel PLC - Essay Example Additionally, while other companies in similar marketplaces are experiencing drops in share value, based on the current economic crisis across the globe, TUI Travel, Plc. has witnessed a 42 percent increase in share value (TUI Travel, 2009). What this suggests is an organisation which is satisfying stakeholder expectations and is reaping the profit of having a very solid business model and diverse line of company brand names. Perhaps this high share value can be attributed to having a business model which recognises opportunities for improvement and looks continuously for methods to make the business even stronger. For example, in 2009, TUI Travel entered a strategic alliance with Air Berlin and will now own almost 20 percent of Air Berlin (Done and Wiesmann, 2009). This new strategic alliance will give TUI Travel a multitude of new opportunities for customer air travel and give the firm more destinations to provide to their many customers. Even though TUI is not invested into this alliance for a long-term, ownership agreement, TUI is actively looking for opportunities to expand its brand presence and keep the TUI name both flexible and financially-strong in the minds of its customers and investors. TUI also seems to have a very high cash availability, which is something that many companies in today’s economic climate cannot say. Cash increased by a considerable margin from 2007 to 2008, suggesting that TUI has the financial capabilities to consider many different alliances or acquisitions in the pursuit of giving the company a stronger brand image and more options for holiday for its many travel customers. There are many strengths under TUI’s current business model, one of which is the external environment which is prompting many positive changes to how the business performs internally. Arends and Niththyananthan (2009) suggest that TUI is now facing much lower fuel prices, lower

Prison and National Probation Service cooperation Essay

Prison and National Probation Service cooperation - Essay Example While some perceived of it as a constructive step toward the reduction of reoffending rates and a positive contribution towards the greater national aim of crime reduction, others critiqued it as a misinformed strategy which would confuse the boundaries between prison' and community.' Such confusion, as critics maintain, will have dire societal consequences insofar as it is predicated on the assumption that inmate and out-mate offender management subscribe to the same concern, principles, aims and, thus, paradigms (Valios, 2004; Palmer, 2003; Peters, LeVasseur and Chandler, 2004). Proceeding from the background and controversy outlined in the above, the dissertation shall focus on the aims of the proposed justice system reform, critically analysing Noms from the perspective of best practices managerial theories. The rationale for selection did not simply emanate from the contemporaneous nature of the issue, or solely from its societal value but because the researcher has been professionally involved in both prison and probation services for a number of years and is, consequently, in a position to analyse Noms and argue the exigencies of its implementation on the basis of experiential evidence. Apart from the experiential knowledge and both subjective and professional interest in the issue, the topic was further selected consequent to the fact that the researcher's professional background places him in a position whereby he can collect primary data, conduct the requisite surveys and administer the necessary questionnaires with comparative ease. In other words, the researcher's professional background and awareness of the fact that community safety and societal interests are best served through the articulation and implementation of an effective and...As earlier stated, the primary areas of co ncern are the National Offender Management Service and organisational and people management theory. As pertains to either of these two issues, the existent wealth of academic literature testifies to their respective values and the extent to which the latter may be constructively informed by the former. Over the past two decades, offender management literature has articulated the imperatives of utilising existent people and organisational management tools and strategies in order to attain the managerial efficiency and effectiveness level upon which the goals of the justice system are predicated. The justice system, operating according to the principles of offender exclusion and rehabilitation within a prison system, followed by the release of offenders into society and under the supervisory guidance of the probation service, has been largely incapable of satisfying the justice system’s expressed goal of reducing overall offence rates and eliminating reoffending. The persistent inability to satisfy the articulated goals exposes what some have identified as a fundamentally flawed people and organisational management paradigm. According to the aforementioned perspective, the failure of the justice system to either reduce crime rates or rehabilitate offenders, thereby offsetting reoffense potentialities, is indicative of the greater failure to embrace effective and efficient people and organisational management paradigms.

Meditation In Zen Buddhism Philosophy Essay

Meditation In Zen Buddhism Philosophy Essay Meditation is the foundation of Zen Buddhism. Zen literally means to meditate. Meditation, in Zen, is the path and the goal. The goal is to meditate. Like all religions, Zen Buddhism has split into sections. Zen has two schools of thought, the gradual and the sudden approach to enlightenment. In the gradual school, there is only one way to practice Zen meditation, which is seated meditation, called zazen. Zazen can be performed in several different ways, but the positions have no spiritual significance. The positions are mainly to create comfort, stability, and ability to breathe through the diaphragm properly. The sudden school believes enlightenment could potentially occur instantly. They use koans, mondos, and turning phrases to help the practitioner gain more insight, and hopefully be enlightened. Koans, mondos, and turning phrases are irrational dialogues or statements that practitioners contemplate upon. The main topics to point out when discussing meditation in Zen Buddhism ar e the goals of their meditation, the gradual school of thought, and the sudden school of thought. In Zen, the path of meditation is the goal. It is similar to riding your bicycle just to ride your bicycle. Through mediation, Zen Buddhists do not attempt to do anything, but to be in the moment. The Vietnamese Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, says, We practice so that each moment of our life becomes real life. There is no goal in Zen, but to focus on ones being, moment by moment. While practicing meditation, one may also find other benefits, like better health and a more relaxed state of my mind. Unlike many sects of Buddhism, as well as many other religions, Zen Buddhists do not have scriptures to which they should study, but they may do so if they choose. Zen Buddhists focus primarily on one simple act, which is meditation. They believe that achievement of the Buddhahood comes from silence. Zen has two popular sections, gradual and sudden. They both are means to enlightenment, but have two different points of view. In the gradual school of Zen, there is only one technique of meditation, which is called zazen. Zazen literally means sitting meditation. Zazens motto is: To be a Buddha is to sit like a Buddha. That is, while sitting, sit completely. Be aware of the stillness of everything while enjoying not having to do anything but be in the moment. Although there are no doctrines or disciplines in Zen, there are many instructions for meditation postures. In Zen culture, there was less of a difference between body, breath, and mind than in the west. Zen practitioners believe if one aligns their spine correctly, fold their legs properly, sit properly, and keep still; they can achieve stillness of the mind. Much of the stillness of the mind in Zen is believed to be achieved through the correct posture of the body. Many of the Zen postures come from ancient Indian yogic positions developed to increase alignment and awareness. Although they come from yogic postures, they have no divine meaning them; they are only intended to increase comfort, stability, and the ability to breathe well. In Zen, it is believed that awakening must penetrate every cell of the body, so they must engage the body as well as the mind when meditating. Zazen is typically done in one way with several variations. The most effective way of seated meditation is done is with ones legs crossed and spine aligned straight up and curved, giving a pyramid shape to ones posture. It is usually done on the floor, with a soft mat and pillow to sit on to raise the body a little so that ones knees can touch the ground. With ones knees touching the ground, it creates three points of contact with the ground to give the practitioner a sturdy base. The easiest form of zazen is the Burmese position. In the Burmese position, one has their legs crossed, and their feet flat on the floor. In this position it is very easy to keep ones back straight because putting ones feet on the floor forces the practitioner to keep his back curved, which is an essential part of zazen. Two other positions are the half lotus and the full lotus. Both positions are very similar, but the half lotus requires less flexibility, and is easier for most people. To perform the half lotus, one foot placed over the opposite thigh, and the other foot is placed under the opposite leg. The full lotus position is when both legs are put on both thighs. This position is more recommended because it gives the practitioner much more balance. There are also two other zazen positions which are commonly used. The first position is the sieza position. The sieza position is kneeling, with your buttocks on both feet. You can sit on either a pillow, or your bare legs. You can also use a sieza bench to kneel on. The second position is the chair position. The bench keeps ones back straight, and takes the weight off of ones feet. The other position is to simply sit on a chair with ones feet on the floor, arching the back. It is important to keep ones back straight while meditating so that one can breathe with the diaphragm properly. A good sitting posture as well as good hand position allows the body to give uninhibited deep breaths. While doing Zen meditation, one should use the Dhyani mudra hand position. The Dhyani mudra is a way to position ones hands so that they can take deep breaths from their diaphragm. To do so, the practitioner will place both hands on top of one another, with their palms facing up. Their knuckles should be on top of one another as well, with their thumbs touching gently together. Breathing through the diaphragm creates deep, slow breaths, which is quite useful when practicing zazen. Breathing is not only useful while meditating, but it is useful in all aspects of our health. Andrew Weil M.D., an author and physician said, Improper breathing is a common cause of ill health. If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly. Theres no single more powerful or simpler daily practice to further your health and well-being than breath-work. ~ Andrew Weil, M.D. The sudden school of Zen, which believes in sudden enlightenment, has koans as a focal point of meditation. In The Complete Idiots Guide to Buddhism, Gary Gach says that koans are seemingly illogical riddles, like Two hands come together in a clap. What is the sound of one hand? A koan is not a riddle. It doesnt call for a solution (its not a math puzzle with an equation waiting in an answer book); rather, it is a personal breakthrough with a flash of enlightenment. In other words, it is a statement or conversation that cannot be understood by rational thinking; it can only be understood by intuition. Zen Buddhists believe that scriptures will lead scholars to misinterpretations of the original meanings, which is why Zen masters made Koans. Koans go beyond words. They attempt to go beyond the boundaries of intellect and language, and find awakening or enlightenment. Zen master Hakuin, author of the koan, What is the sound of one hand? has said, Whats true meditation? Its to make it all coughing, swallowing, gestures, motion, stillness, words, action, good and evil, success and shame, win and lose, right and wrong into one single koan. Although Zen Buddhists are not against words, they try to limit the amount of description to leave the interpreting to the practitioner who is attempting to gain insight. The primary beginning of using koans in Zen Buddhism originated from Hui Neng, a poor man who gathered and sold firewood for a living. He achieved enlightenment suddenly while he overheard a man reciting the Diamond Sutra, a scripture on emptiness and wisdom which requires great insight to understand. When he overheard the man say, Awaken your mind without fixing it anywhere, he was enlightened on the spot. Koans are meant to be contemplated until they are realized. While one meditates is the optimal time to think about them, but they can also be taken home to contemplate. According to The Complete Idiots Guide to Buddhism, there are about 400 indexed koans and about 1700 in all. There are so many koans because they deal with particular parts of the Way of enlightenment. Many of the koans, such as Hakuins koan, What is the sound of one hand? are designed to take the practitioner past the normal self into Buddha mind. There are also koan related Zen dialogues called mondos. Mondos are question-and-answer banter between people. They are similar to koans because they have the same non-sense questions and statements. An example of a mondo is in the Milindapanha, which reads, King Milinda said to learned monk Nagasena, Im going to ask you a question. Can you answer it? Nagasena replied, Please, ask your question. The King: Ive already asked. Nagasena: Ive already answered. The King: What did you answer? Nagasena: What did you ask? The King: I asked nothing. Nagasena: I answered nothing Also similar to koans and mondos, the sudden school of Zen also used turning phrases to help promote enlightenment and understanding. Examples of a turning phrases are, Not one, not two, Chop wood: carry water, and Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. These are all mottos that are used to help the practitioner gain more insight, and hopefully find sudden enlightenment. Being the foundation of Zen Buddhism, meditation is the main aspect of the religion. Zen essentially is meditation. In Zen, the path is the goal. It is like riding your bicycle simply to ride your bicycle. Zen Buddhism has split into two schools of thought, the gradual and the sudden approach to enlightenment. In the gradual school, there is only one way to practice Zen meditation, which is seated meditation, called zazen. Zazen can be performed in several different ways, but the positions have no significance other than comfort and stability. Breathing is an important part of meditation as well. The sudden school believes enlightenment could potentially occur instantly. They use koans, mondos, and turning phrases to help the practitioner gain more insight, and hopefully be enlightened. Koans, mondos, and turning phrases are irrational dialogues or statements that practitioners contemplate upon. The main topics to point out when discussing meditation in Zen Buddhism are the goals of their meditation, the gradual school of thought, and the sudden school of thought. Gach, Gary. The Complete Idiots Guide to Buddhism. 3rd. New York City, New York: Alpha Books, 2009. 183-200. Print. Saint-Hilaire, J.Barthelemy. The Buddha and His Religion. 1st edition. London: New York E.P. Dutton and Company, 1914. 267-87. Print. Zazen. DharmaRain.org. Dharma Rain Zen Center, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Zazen Posture. DharmaRain.org. Dharma Rain Zen Center, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Zazen breathing techniques. DharmaRain.org. Dharma Rain Zen Center, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Zen Meditation Instructions. mro.org. Mountains and Rivers Order, 2010. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Phelan, Josho Pat. Zazen Posture. intrex.net. Josho Pat Phelan, 1997. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . About Zen Meditation. Zazen.rutgers.edu. N.P., 04/21/2010. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Phillips, Fred. A Primer on Zazen. omcl.ogi.edu. Fred Phillips, 1998. Web. 20 Sep 2010. . Breathing and Medicine. oxygengenesis.org. Oxygen Genesis Institute, 2003. Web. 20 Sep 2010. .

Communication Cycle Health and Social Care

P2 Theories of communication -The communication cycle Effective communication involves a two-way process in which each person tries to understand the viewpoint of the other person. † According to Argyle, skilled interpersonal interaction (social skills) involves a cycle in which you have to translate or ‘decode' what other people are communicating and constantly adapt your own. Communication is a cycle because when two people communicate they need to check that their ideas have been understood†.An example of good communication involves the process of checking understanding, using reflective or active listening. Argyle's stages of the communication cycle were an idea occurs, message coded, message sent, message received, message decoded, message understood. Verbal and non-verbal communication is not always straightforward. The communication cycle involves a kind of code that has to be translated. There are 5 stages in the â€Å"communication cycle† which are: 1. Idea occurs: this is the stage when an individual thinks what he is going to say and who to. 2.Message coded: this is the way that an individual puts his thoughts together with the way he is going to communicate, putting the thoughts into language or into some other code such as sign language. 3. Message sent: this is stage is when an individual speaks or sign what they are going to say, in few words is the way the message is sent. 4. Message received: this is where the person you are speaking to has listened to what you said and they have to sense the message by hearing or watching. 5. Message decoded: The receiver has to understand the message that the sender has just sent.This could be misunderstood easily by interpreting words differently or they might make assumptions about your body language as well as words. 6. Message understood: at this stage the message should be understood but it does not always happen at the first time, and if so the cycle needs to start all over agai n. Without just any one of these stages the cycle would not work. An example of a difficult situation is when your service user tells you they are in pain, but can’t describe the pain they are in.This is difficult because you need to understand what the pain is and what the source of the pain is so that you can resolve the pain and provide a diagnosis, so if they can’t describe the pain you are unable to do so. You can be asking simple questions which may help you understand what sort of pain they are suffering, also by feeling where they claim the problem is and you can see from their reaction if it is painful, but not inflicting too much pain upon them. Using the communication cycle effectively will help. M1 How communication cycle may be used to communicate sensitive issues. Ideas occur: the nurse will start thinking on how communicate to the wife and that she is going to be the one to tell her. She will ask herself what could be the best way to communicate and when and where she needs to communicate about the husband’s condition. This promotes effective communication. * Message coded: the nurse has thought about the ideas and has organized her thoughts; she knows exactly what she is going to say. She has to think about the voice tonality she should use in order to prevent the wife thinking the nurse is not bothered about the loss.Body language plays an important role and could show that the nurse cares about the situation. The nurse will start thinking about the language she is going to use and ask herself what the wife already knows about it e. g. the husband is ill. The nurse will take the wife through to a private room where it's only them two; by doing this the wife should know that the nurse is going to tell her something terrible, the seating would be a barrier if the seats are too far away from each other; the nurse should sit close to the wife. * Message sent: the nurse has now told the wife about her husband.She has used the c ommunication cycle to encode the information correctly and therefore, said something like â€Å"I'm afraid that your husband passed away last night in his sleep, we did everything we could to save him, we're sorry,† rather than something like â€Å"Your husband died last night,†. The first of which is a correct way of putting it, and the second way is a much more insensitive way of saying it. * Message received: now the wife has to sense the message the nurse has just sent her by hearing the words or looking at the body language. Message decoded: the wife now needs to decode the message or to interpret it. She has to observe the body language and the way the message is expressed by the nurse. * Message understood: at this stage the patient should have understood the message by the nurse should but this does not always happen at the first time and this can be identified from the wife’s reaction and behavior. If this does not happen the cycle needs to start all ov er again. P2 theories of communication/ M1 how communication cycle may be used to communicate sensitive issues. Tuckman’s cycle In 1965, Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, suggested that most groups go through four stages in group interactionas and described them as Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. He did this after he had observed many small groups in various environments and concluded that all groups went through certain â€Å"stages† before they became optimally effective. Name of stage | Description of stage and scenario| Forming| The first stage is forming; this is an important stage because the forming of the team takes place.This stage is also called â€Å"ice-breaking† because it is a stage where all the team members get to know each other and become friendly, they are unsure about who everybody is and what their roles are. The individual’s behavior is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or con flict. The psychologist, doctor and surgeon should meet and discuss about the situation, sharing informations concerns and questions. | Storming| The second stage is storming; at this stage the individual start to show their real feelings and their personalities too.This is because they start to relax and be comfortable around others in their group. Also others in the group may start to have conflict were they have different opinions about ideas, and they don't agree on others, relationships between members will be made or broken and some may never recover. In extreme cases the team can become stuck in the Storming phaseThe professionals starts questioning themselves what their role and duties in the group are or what they are responsible for. Each professional hould say what their solution is and how long it will take, followed by the risk that will come with it. This is a stage where patience is fundamental as there will be disagreements and they will avoid listening to each other ; this is the reason why it will take time. | Norming| As the team moves out from the storming phase they enter the third stage which is norming; this is when the group starts working as a team after having had their arguments and they start to trust themselves as they accept the vital contribution of each member of the team.The team members know each other better, they may be socializing together, and they are able to ask each other for help. At this stage they all should bring the ideas together and reach a conclusion on what they are going to do. They start working as a team and must agree with the decisions made, and if they do not agree they should at least follow the team to avoid the time being wasted. They need to take in consideration how dangerous the procedure will be. Performing| This is the last stage. Many groups never reach the performing stage. Everyone knows each other well enough to be able to work together, and trusts each other enough to allow independent activit y. There is a high level of accepting others, listening to others, and helping others. Performance is delivered through people working effectively together. The team has come to a conclusion and their plan will be applied soon. A timeline needs to be made | Communication Cycle Health and Social Care P2 Theories of communication -The communication cycle Effective communication involves a two-way process in which each person tries to understand the viewpoint of the other person. † According to Argyle, skilled interpersonal interaction (social skills) involves a cycle in which you have to translate or ‘decode' what other people are communicating and constantly adapt your own. Communication is a cycle because when two people communicate they need to check that their ideas have been understood†.An example of good communication involves the process of checking understanding, using reflective or active listening. Argyle's stages of the communication cycle were an idea occurs, message coded, message sent, message received, message decoded, message understood. Verbal and non-verbal communication is not always straightforward. The communication cycle involves a kind of code that has to be translated. There are 5 stages in the â€Å"communication cycle† which are: 1. Idea occurs: this is the stage when an individual thinks what he is going to say and who to. 2.Message coded: this is the way that an individual puts his thoughts together with the way he is going to communicate, putting the thoughts into language or into some other code such as sign language. 3. Message sent: this is stage is when an individual speaks or sign what they are going to say, in few words is the way the message is sent. 4. Message received: this is where the person you are speaking to has listened to what you said and they have to sense the message by hearing or watching. 5. Message decoded: The receiver has to understand the message that the sender has just sent.This could be misunderstood easily by interpreting words differently or they might make assumptions about your body language as well as words. 6. Message understood: at this stage the message should be understood but it does not always happen at the first time, and if so the cycle needs to start all over agai n. Without just any one of these stages the cycle would not work. An example of a difficult situation is when your service user tells you they are in pain, but can’t describe the pain they are in.This is difficult because you need to understand what the pain is and what the source of the pain is so that you can resolve the pain and provide a diagnosis, so if they can’t describe the pain you are unable to do so. You can be asking simple questions which may help you understand what sort of pain they are suffering, also by feeling where they claim the problem is and you can see from their reaction if it is painful, but not inflicting too much pain upon them. Using the communication cycle effectively will help. M1 How communication cycle may be used to communicate sensitive issues. Ideas occur: the nurse will start thinking on how communicate to the wife and that she is going to be the one to tell her. She will ask herself what could be the best way to communicate and when and where she needs to communicate about the husband’s condition. This promotes effective communication. * Message coded: the nurse has thought about the ideas and has organized her thoughts; she knows exactly what she is going to say. She has to think about the voice tonality she should use in order to prevent the wife thinking the nurse is not bothered about the loss.Body language plays an important role and could show that the nurse cares about the situation. The nurse will start thinking about the language she is going to use and ask herself what the wife already knows about it e. g. the husband is ill. The nurse will take the wife through to a private room where it's only them two; by doing this the wife should know that the nurse is going to tell her something terrible, the seating would be a barrier if the seats are too far away from each other; the nurse should sit close to the wife. * Message sent: the nurse has now told the wife about her husband.She has used the c ommunication cycle to encode the information correctly and therefore, said something like â€Å"I'm afraid that your husband passed away last night in his sleep, we did everything we could to save him, we're sorry,† rather than something like â€Å"Your husband died last night,†. The first of which is a correct way of putting it, and the second way is a much more insensitive way of saying it. * Message received: now the wife has to sense the message the nurse has just sent her by hearing the words or looking at the body language. Message decoded: the wife now needs to decode the message or to interpret it. She has to observe the body language and the way the message is expressed by the nurse. * Message understood: at this stage the patient should have understood the message by the nurse should but this does not always happen at the first time and this can be identified from the wife’s reaction and behavior. If this does not happen the cycle needs to start all ov er again. P2 theories of communication/ M1 how communication cycle may be used to communicate sensitive issues. Tuckman’s cycle In 1965, Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, suggested that most groups go through four stages in group interactionas and described them as Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. He did this after he had observed many small groups in various environments and concluded that all groups went through certain â€Å"stages† before they became optimally effective. Name of stage | Description of stage and scenario| Forming| The first stage is forming; this is an important stage because the forming of the team takes place.This stage is also called â€Å"ice-breaking† because it is a stage where all the team members get to know each other and become friendly, they are unsure about who everybody is and what their roles are. The individual’s behavior is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or con flict. The psychologist, doctor and surgeon should meet and discuss about the situation, sharing informations concerns and questions. | Storming| The second stage is storming; at this stage the individual start to show their real feelings and their personalities too.This is because they start to relax and be comfortable around others in their group. Also others in the group may start to have conflict were they have different opinions about ideas, and they don't agree on others, relationships between members will be made or broken and some may never recover. In extreme cases the team can become stuck in the Storming phaseThe professionals starts questioning themselves what their role and duties in the group are or what they are responsible for. Each professional hould say what their solution is and how long it will take, followed by the risk that will come with it. This is a stage where patience is fundamental as there will be disagreements and they will avoid listening to each other ; this is the reason why it will take time. | Norming| As the team moves out from the storming phase they enter the third stage which is norming; this is when the group starts working as a team after having had their arguments and they start to trust themselves as they accept the vital contribution of each member of the team.The team members know each other better, they may be socializing together, and they are able to ask each other for help. At this stage they all should bring the ideas together and reach a conclusion on what they are going to do. They start working as a team and must agree with the decisions made, and if they do not agree they should at least follow the team to avoid the time being wasted. They need to take in consideration how dangerous the procedure will be. Performing| This is the last stage. Many groups never reach the performing stage. Everyone knows each other well enough to be able to work together, and trusts each other enough to allow independent activit y. There is a high level of accepting others, listening to others, and helping others. Performance is delivered through people working effectively together. The team has come to a conclusion and their plan will be applied soon. A timeline needs to be made |

Teachers and Technology Essay - 828 Words

With advancements in technology rapidly developing, it is no surprise that it is affecting schools and teaching methods in a big way. The National Center for Educational Statistics reports that in the year 2001 ninety-nine percent of all schools had internet access and eighty seven percent had access in the classroom. Now, not only are the students being educated in using computers and other technological tools, but is now almost a requirement for most teachers to be skilled in that area. In addition to having adequate knowledge in their subject area and knowledge in the teaching field, technology and computers have become an integral part of a teachers job requirements. Unfortunately, because the most important technological†¦show more content†¦III. Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. IV. Assessment and Evaluation Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. V. Productivity and Professional Practice Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. VI. Social, Ethical, and Human Issues Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply that understanding in practice. These standards are important to the advancement of technology in schools. The more the teachers know about computers and technology; the more they can pass on to their students. The advantage to all of these new technological advances in education are that students and teachers, using the internet, have many more resources at their disposal than there have been in the past. The research requires little effort and can be done in short periods of time. 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