Importance of Learning Styles in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Importance of Learning Styles in Nursing - Essay Example Due to different background, nurses offer a continuum of experiences and attributes during training such as varied learning styles. Therefore, training courses should focus on meeting the particular learning needs of individuals (Young & Paterson, 2007). Every individual shows preference for a particular learning style and this in turn accelerates an individual’s ability to learn. It has been stated that the primary goal of training courses is to upgrade an individual’s functioning; however, little effort or attention goes into appraising training methods. Research about successful training indicates that problem-focuses, pragmatic learning schemes based on skilful clinical monitoring and mentorship should be established. It was also revealed that nurses prefer on the job training; these results were similar to those of another research. It has been demonstrated that passive learning is futile and does not lead to improvement as opposed to active learning. Such research es have shown the need to remodel training schemes to embrace a work-oriented and learner-focused method. A logical approach and reasoning is encouraged by imparting education in practical clinical situation. This clinical setting assists in incorporating theoretical knowledge in actual practice for provision of better care of patients. The potential to learn and further application of this learning into practice plays an integral role in providing quality clinical service. Proficient and highly skilled staff guarantees the well-being of patients. In addition, such competent workforce will have to ability to identify and react aptly to clinical requirements. Incorporation of knowledge, learning styles, conceptions is the cornerstone for establishing an effective learning atmosphere. Thereby, an eclectic model is suggested that would integrate the complexities of individual learning into the association’s practices. Honey and Mumford’s Learning Style Questionnaire The à ¢â‚¬Ëœlearning style inventory model’ presented by Kolb inspired numerous theorists. His model served as the foundation stone for Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles Questionnaire. The distinguishing element between the two models is that the latter investigates general behavioural predisposition whereas Kolb’s model revolves around straightforward queries. Honey and Mumford advocated that majority of individuals have never put thought into how they acquire knowledge (Honey & Mumford, 2006). Essentially, the two models are similar but with minor differences, for instance the terms of Kolb’s model have been substituted: divergers with reflector, assimilators with theorist, convergers with pragmatist and accommodators with activist (Sims & Sims, 1995). 1. Reflector--- finds lecturers beneficial if they are based on expert expositions and analysis. He is fond of learning through watching, thinking and reviewing over events. He utilizes journals and brainstor ms. 2. Theorist— prefers lectures, case studies, books, structure, standards, and examples. He adopts a step-by-step approach to deal with problems and is not in favour of expert talk. 3. Pragmatist— fond of feedback, teaching and establishes evident ties between ongoing task and a difficulty. He applies novel knowledge to practice; and is inclined towards laboratories, actual work and examination. 4. Activist—

Description of IT Methodology Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Description of IT Methodology - Coursework Example Quantitative research explores and describes facts quantitatively while qualitative research explores facts in a more qualitative manner. For the present research project, both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been employed. The data was evaluated using a quantitative approach and the attributes of the data were evaluated through a qualitative approach. The qualitative approach has also been used to scrutinize the various approaches to data mining. As per the requirements of this project, qualitative research was conducted in accordance with the objectives. This research was carried out to formulate the questions to be asked by the subjects. The subjects were the medical personnel of Abu Dhabi police hospital. The questions were based on diabetes and they were planned so as to enable the gathering of appropriate data for fulfilling the objectives of the present project. Qualitative research was carried out using books, the web, and other sources. The questions asked and t he answers obtained for the questions have been listed in appendix 1 at the end of the document. The data set obtained after analyzing the answers given by the medical staff was collected through data mining. The data was then examined. This is the quantitative aspect of the research project. Qualitative and quantitative research methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. The utility of each method depends on the objectives of the research. 2.2. Qualitative and Quantitative Research Advantages and disadvantages of qualitative research The major advantage of qualitative research is that the analysis is credible and it requires thoughtful processing of the data to derive a comprehensive conclusion from it. The disadvantage of this kind of research is that it is based only a limited amount of information and that the conclusions derived from the data may vary depending the individual’s ideas and thought process. Advantages and disadvantages of quantitative research The major advantage of quantitative research is that it is cheaper. The data for the research can be acquired easily and compared with other research. The disadvantage of quantitative research is that some types of data may not be easy to get or the data obtained could be incomplete in some aspects. In this research project, it was difficult to obtain medical data due to concerns related to privacy. The quantitative research was based on the data obtained from the hospitals in the UAE. Sequential Language was used to alter the acquired data. This step was required in order to test the objectives of this project. Despite the difficulty in obtaining medical data, the entire project is based on collected data. Review of literature and creation of data file A literature review was carried out before carrying out further research. All kinds of publications including journals, books, textbooks, and online sources that detailed information on data mining were intensively reviewed. Aspects of data mining and their methods were studied and applied to information on diabetes. A data spreadsheet by the name Diabetes.arff was designed keeping the information on diabetes in view. The quality of the acquired data was examined and data mining algorithms then applied to the file containing the collected data. Data processing The data on diabetes obtained from various sources along with information obtained from the

Vygotsky’s Theory

Vygotsky’s Theory Explain and Evaluate Vygotskys Theory of the Role of Language in Childrens Cognitive Development Vygotsky described developmental changes in childrens thinking in terms of cultural tools; they use these to make sense of their world. Generally, they use technical tools to change objects or gain mastery over the environment. Moreover, they used psychological tools to organise behavior or thought. According to Vygotskys view, society shapes a childs mind through the transmission of tools which are appropriate for their culture. Both the culture and the childs experiences are necessary to understand childrens cognitive development (â€Å"Social Development Theory,† n.d.) Vygotskys theory was an attempt to explain awareness the product of socialization. For example, in the learning of language or first words, peers or adults are noticing the first utterance and the purpose of communication but after they recognize that they become internalized and allow â€Å"inner speech† (Bransford, Brown, Cocking, 2000). Vygotsky believed that language was one of the most important psychological tools that effects childrens cognitive development. He identified that there are three different stages in the childrens use of language. Firstly, language is an essential factor for communication (social speech). Next, children begin to use egocentric or private speech to control their own thinking. The last stage is language development. Children use verbal thoughts to guide what they are thinking and their actions. (referance). Vygotsky also believed that language and thought first become independent after them being interdependent. He suggested that attainment of a new word was the beginning of the development of a concept. This is supported by a classic study by Carmichael (1932) who gave participants one of two labels for certain drawings. A kidney shape was described either kidney bean or canoe. Following that participants were asked to draw the shape. If the drawing was different form their label according to which label they had been given. As a result of this words can help us to remember things. On the other hand, Sinclair- de -Zward (1969) tried to teach children who could not use comparative terms that were not in their vocabulary. (p116). Such as, bigger or shorter, she found that there was very little improvement in their ability to conserve. The major theme of Vygotskys theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygotsky (1978) states: Every function in the childs cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals. (p57). Moreover, Vygotsky also identified three concepts in particular for cognitive development to proceed effectively. â€Å"The zone of proximal development is the distance between what children can do by themselves and the next learning that they can be helped to achieve with competent assistance† (Raymond, 2000, p.176). The scaffolding teaching strategy provides individualized support based on the learners ZPD (Chang, Sung, Chen, 2002). The first is the Zone of proximal development. This zone describes the range of difficult tasks or it is very hard for the learners complete this task alone. However, learners can complete this task with appropriate assistance or someone who is more knowledgeable. Thus according to Vygotsky, cognitive development will occur when a learner is confronted by a task that lies within the zone, if a task is easy to complete for task learners then no cognitive development will occur. Also if the task is too hard for a learner to complete the task alone or even with assistance then no cognitive development will occur. (Bransford, Brown, Cocking, 2000). Evidence for ZPD was produced by McNaughton and Leyland (1990). They observed young children working with their mothers on jigsaw puzzles of increasing difficulty and then after one week the child was working on their own. The children reached higher difficulty when working with their mother. Thus it is explaining their ZPD. The Zone of Proximal Development was related to a kind of scaffolding which is used by the mothers. The mothers were worried about keeping their child on task. During this time generally mothers were focused on helping the children solve the puzzle for themselves, Previous studies looked at middle- income families. Researchers suggested that using different ZPD â€Å"region of sensitivity to instruction,† this term using for mothers and preschoolers in a copying task and it is help to predict childrens subsequent skills on this task. Furthermore, researchers found some differences in how well mothers change their level of encouragement style based on the childs performance (â€Å"i.e., providing less support after the child succeeded and more support after failure† and these differences were also helping to predict a childrens ability to gain understanding and learn information . (Wood et al., 1976; Wood Middleton, 1975). The second concept is that the scaffolding which describes the nature of the assistantce given by the more knowledgeable person. In this time the learner completes the task with the Zone of Proximal development (with assistance). Infants cognitive development depends on the assistance level. If the assistance is great at first and then it is slightly reduced as the learners skill improves, ultimately, the learner will be able to complete the task but the cognitive development will only continue if the task is replaced with another task or a more complex task which is modified to the new zone. (Bransford, Brown, Cocking, 2000). Vygotsky defined scaffolding instruction as the â€Å"role of teachers and others in supporting the learners development and providing support structures to get to that next stage or level† (Raymond, 2000, p. 176).An important aspect of scaffolding instruction is that the scaffolds are temporary. As the learners abilities increase the scaffolding provided by the more knowledgeable other is progressively withdrawn. Finally the learner is able to complete the task or master the concepts independently (Chang, Sung, Chen, 2002, p. 7). Therefore, the goal of the teacher when using the scaffolding teaching technique is for the student to become an independent and self- regulating learner and problem solver (Hartman, 2002). There is one study which examined the relation of maternal scaffolding and childrens attention regulation abilities in preschool children from low-income families within the context of a parent-child interaction task and in a child-alone task. According to this maternal scaffolding behaviors are different between mothers of children with attention regulation skills. For example, whose children show poor attention regulation skills, it emerges that parent and child interactions are more likely to engage verbally with their children, more strategic questions, â€Å"verbal hints and verbal prompt† (Olson and Platt, 2000, p.180). The amount of childrens attention regulation skills is related to the mothers level of scaffolding to predict child performance when they are alone to complete a task. Attention regulation skills are also related to independent performance when contexts including high maternal scaffolding. Findings provide important information parents promote attention regulation skills in children especially who are at risk for poor academic outcomes (Blair, 2002; Sethi, Mischel, Aber, Shoda, Rodriguez, 2000). The current study focused on a parent-child puzzle matching task to understand how children regulate their attention process when with their mother and when alone. How specific mothers behavior are related to childrens abilities to understand to regulate their own behavior and transfer these abilities to independent tasks. Researchers especially focused on verbal behaviors of mothers which are related to childrens attention regulation skills. (Norman, Breznitz, 1992) Researchers have focused on different socioeconomic status in families. An empirical research has exposed that there has been significant differences in interactional characteristics in families of different socioeconomic levels (Gottfried, 1984; Hart Risley, 1992, 1995; Heath, 1989). According to research results show that different socioeconomic status has been shown to influence the nature parent-child interactions. Another research was done by Wood (1976) who observed children aged 4-5 who were working with their mother on problem solving tasks. Some mothers gave verbal encouragement and others more specific help including demonstrations of what to do. The most effective strategy was combined both general and specific instructions, the mother was adapting to the learners achievement and failures. The mother gave instructions when the learner had difficulty but mothers gave general encouragement when the child was coping well. Kopp (1987) reported that specific types of control technique used by caregivers affected childrens self regulation skills. For instance, middle income families who encouraged their children to be independen,t their children were more likely to have low rate on impulsivity, problems of cconcentration and hyperactivity, and high on self-control measures. Similarly, Grolnick and Ryan (1989) have found that high levesl of parental support of independence was associated with more self regulation and they are more likely to less acting behavior. Based on these studies, the amount of caregiver control affects childs behavior and it is also related to childrens self- regulation abilities. When children get older parents give their children a number of responsibilities for example, children become independent regulators of their own thinking processes. According to Vygotsky (1978) view of socio-cognitive transaction makes it easy to improve childrens cognitive development is the ability to become same structure situation like an adults, it is depends to the childs ability levels. The third concept is psychological tools give another reason that â€Å"social interaction† is an essential factor in cognitive development. Psychological tools are â€Å"intellectual mechanisms or operations† which people use to examine their environment and interact with others. Here is some examples of psychological tools â€Å"written language, symbols, maps and scientific method and oral language† (Gredler and Shields, 2004). Evaluation of Vygotskys theory; There has been very little empirical investigation research on Vygorskys theory however there are much more research on Piagets theory. Further limitation relates to Vygotskys social emphasis. Whereas Piagets give minimise attention to social influences, Vygotskys give too much weight to social influences. There has been also some strengths, for example, Vygotskys approach provides an association between social and cognitive domains. (Vygotsky, 1978) There are a number of important distinctions between Piagets and Vygotskys theories. The most important ones are that teachers worry about the role of language and learning in development. But Piaget believed that egocentric speech is not a useful function in young childrens development. Vygotsky argued that egocentric speech is the way children recognise and regulate their thoughts and actions. Piaget claimed that childrens development is limited and it is associated with what children are able to learn from social experiences (Vygotsky, 1978) Vygotsky( 1934/1986) disagree with Piagets conclusions. Language helps children to think about mental abilities, behaviors and select courses of action. He believed that it is the foundation for all higher cognitive processes including controlled attention, deliberate memorization, recall categorization, planning problem solving, abstract reasoning and self reflection. Vygotskys view is that children speak themselves for self guidance. When they get older they find some tasks easier, their self directed speech isinternalised as salient in inner speech and the internal speech verbal dialogs people always carry on while thinking and acting in everyday situations. ( Vygotsky, 1986) To conclude vygotskys theory of socio-cultural theory is important to understand child cognitive development. Especially, he divided into three concepts which gave more clear information and each zone gives completely different information. However there have been some negative aspects of this theory, it does not tell how children internalize social experience to advance their mental functioning. He just gave a little information about biological contributions to childs cognition. However, his theory emphasised cognitive change Vygotsky theory leads up to expect diverse path of development. ( Vygotsky, 1978) References: Blair, C. (2002). Integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of childrens functioning at school entry. American Psychologist, 57, 111−127. Bransford, J., Brown, A., Cocking, R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, and Experience School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Chang, K., Chen, I., Sung, Y. (2002). The effect of concept mapping to enhance text comprehension and summarization. The Journal of Experimental Education 71(1), 5-23. Hartman, H. (2002). Scaffolding Cooperative Learning. Human Learning and Instruction (pp. 23-69). New York: City College of City University of New York. Hart, B., Risley, T. R. (1992). American parenting of language-learning children: Persisting differences in family-child interactions observed in natural home environments. Developmental Psychology, 28, 1096−1105. Hart, B., Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Heath, S. B. (1989). Oral and literate traditions among Black Americans living in poverty. American Psychologist, 44, 367−373. Kopp, C. B. (1987). The growth of self-regulation: Caregivers and children. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Contemporary topics in developmental psychology (pp. 34−35). New York: Wiley. Gredler, M., Shields, C. (2004). Does no one read Vygotskys words? Commentary on Glass Commentary on Glassman. Educational Researcher, 33(2), 21 25. Gottfried, A. W. (1984). Home environment and early cognitive environment. Integration, meta-analysis, and conclusions. In A. W. Gottfried (Ed.), Home environment and early cognitive development: Longitudinal research (pp. 329−342). Orlando, FL: Academic Pres Grolnick, W. S., Ryan, R. M. (1989). Parent styles associated with childrens self-regulation and competence in school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 143−154 Norman, G., Breznitz, Z. (1992). Difference in the ability to concentrate in first grade Israeli pupils of low and high socioeconomic status. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 153, 5−17. Olson, J. and Platt, J. (2000). The Instructional Cycle. Teaching Children and Adolescents with Special Needs (pp. 170-197). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc Raymond, E. (2000). Cognitive Characteristics. Learners with Mild Disabilities (pp. 169-201). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn Bacon, A Pearson Education Company. Sethi, A., Mischel, W., Aber, J. L., Shoda, Y., Rodriguez, M. L. (2000). The role of strategic attention deployment in development of self-regulation: Predicting preschoolers delay of gratification from mother-toddler interactions. Developmental Psychology, 36, 767−777. Social Development Theory. (No date). Retrieved November 3, 2002, from http:// tip.psychology.org/vygotsky.html Norman, G., Breznitz, Z. (1992). Difference in the ability to concentrate in first grade Israeli pupils of low and high socioeconomic status. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 153, 5−17. Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, Lev. 1986. Thought and Language (translated by Alex Kozulin). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. (Original work published 1934.) Wertsch, J.V. (1985). Cultural, Communication, and Cognition: Vygotskian Perspectives. Cambridge University Press. Wood, D., Bruner, J., Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 17, 89−100. Wood, D., Middleton, D. (1975). A study of assisted problem-solving. British Journal of Psychology, 66(2), 181−191.

Extremism Revealed in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown :: Young Goodman Brown YGB

Extremism Revealed in Young Goodman Brown Hawthorne depicts a 17th century Puritan attempting to reach justification as Brown’s faith required. Upon completing his journey, however, Brown could not confront the terrors of evil in his heart and chose to reject all of society. Puritan justification was a topic Hawthorne was aware of as a journey to hell necessary for a moral man. Having referred to the heart of man as hell, Puritans founds themselves in the midst of Satan and his multitude of devils as he established his kingdom in man’s heart. This was a dreadful revelation that caused Brown to grow bitter and distrustful. Puritan communities, secured by their orthodox faith, dealt with the ungodly wilderness around them. Set in Salem during the early witchcraft day of then, Young Goodman Brown’s experience in the dark, evil forest correlated and would have been recognized by Puritans as a symbol of mistrust of their own corrupt hearts and faculties. Just as man could not trust the shadows and figures he saw hidden in the forest, he could not trust his own desires. Those desires had to be tested through his journey into the forest. Those evil spirits constantly tortured the Puritan, constantly reminding him of his sin and the battle in his own heart. Hawthorne used the presence of this demon in "Young Goodman Brown" by demonstrating, through Brown, the Puritan Journey towards Justification. Going through the forest towards Justification was marked by the disappearance of the self. In place of the self, was the awareness of helplessness and the illusions of sin. This awareness would then assist the moral man to no longer depend upon material things or people, but to put his faith solely upon God . Hawthorne’s knowledge of the historical background of Puritanism combined with the personal experience of his early life and the history of his own family merge into the statement that "Young Goodman Brown" makes. A system in which individuals cannot trust themselves, their neighbors, their instructors or even their ministers cannot create and atmosphere where faith exists. Hawthorne’s tale places the newly wed Puritan Brown upon the road to what may or may not be a true conversion experience. The conversion experience, a sudden realization brought about by divine intervention, a vision, or perhaps a dream, easily translates into the dream of Hawthorne’s work and allows the author to use Puritan doctrine and the history of Salem to argue the merits and consequences of such a belief.

Change and Continuity 1492-1750 Essay

An example of continuity during this time period is how Spain continued to try to spread Christianity. They spread Christianity to the Americas in an attempt to convert them from â€Å"savages†. They expelled anyone who did not follow their religion just as Spain had for years. Conquistadors continued to spread this religion throughout the New World and also killed any opposition. One example of a change during this time period could be the introduction of the Triangular Trading Route which connected the Americas to Africa and Europe. The implication of this new system of trade was completely new to the natives of the Americas and brought them new goods. The implementation of the new trading route had a primarily negative effect on the natives of the Americas in the sense that it introduced new diseases to the Americas to which the natives were not immune. The reason they were not immune to these diseases was because they were never exposed to them and therefore had no opportunity to build up and immunity to them. These diseases ranged from small pox to measles. They killed millions of natives. This also lead to the start of the slave trade so that a new labor force could be used. Another example of change during this time period could be how the natives of the New World were forced into Christianity by the Catholic country of Spain. Originally, the natives of the Americas practiced a polytheistic religion which included human sacrifice, cannibalism, and of course multiple gods. When the Spanish arrived to the New World, they were appalled to see the rituals of these natives and thereby forced them into the monotheistic religion of Christianity. The way they thought Christianity was they took a child and educated them on the ways of Christianity and then sent the child back to the tribe to spread the ideas of Christianity. Zheng He could have discovered the Americas in as early as 1405, because he had the technology but he instead traveled around the Indian Ocean. If he had discovered the Americas, he could have made China a world power and spread the chinese culture to the Americas. Yet another example of change during the time period of 1492 to 1750 was the introduction of the encomienda system in the New World. The encomienda system is a form of feudalism introduced to the New World by Spain from the 1400s to the 1700s. The Spaniards would be paid by the native population for â€Å"protection†. The initial goal of the encomienda system was to spread Christianity throughout the New World. As stated previously they spread the religion by taking one child and teaching him to read, write, and comprehend the Christian religion. They would send the child back and instruct him to spread the religion. This forced the natives to convert to the Christian religion. The Spaniards offered little to no protection to the native population, but rather exploited them. The natives acted as a free labor force making Spain richer than ever before. This lead to yet another example of change, a dramatic reduction in the native population due to poor working conditions. Millions more died due to disease and violence inflected upon them by the Spaniards. In the end the native population was reduced by over 150 million. This also lead to an increase in the need for a labor force and so the Atlantic Slave Trade was introduced. In its time millions of Africans will be transported via boat and those who died or became sick on the treacherous voyage would simply be dumped overboard. The reason African slaves were a safe alternative to the Natives of the Americas was because they were immune to many diseases that that had wiped out the Natives of the Americas. That is why Africans were a more reliable slave labor force. This is why even though the time period of 1492 to 1750 had a lot of continuities, it had more changes.

The Role of Organization Development

Importance of Organization Development Organizational Development (OD) comprises the long-range effort to improve an organization's ability to cope with change and its problem-solving and renewal processes through effective and collaborative management of organization culture. Organizational change develops the potential of individual members and achieves corporate excellence by integrating the desires of individuals with organizational goals. (Brown ; Harvey, 2006)Furthermore, organizational change stresses learning as a characteristic of an adaptive organization – the ability to sense changes in signals from both internal and external environment and adapt accordingly. Organizations incorporate continuous learning into its renewal process to keep pace with changing industry conditions. Albert (2006, 17) and Karp (2004, 350) state that organizations can create a key source of competitive advantage by developing its capability to learn and change faster than its competitors.Th e scarcest resource in many organizations today is not financial capital but innovation from human talent. Thus, the ability to compete and excel in the global economy goes beyond commercial trading and flows of capital and investment. Given the accelerating rate of global-scale change, learning and adaptation have become increasingly critical to organization success and ultimate survival.How OD and HR personnel should be integrated as one Within the last decade Human Resource's administrative and record keeper roles have begun to evolve into a more strategic one, which requires HR practitioners to use their knowledge of workforce trends coupled with knowledge of the business of the organization to work closely with senior management to develop long-term plans that link HR goals to organizational goals (Meisinger, 2003).When the goals of the HR department purposefully support overall organizational goals, the integration of human resources management (HRM) and organizational develop ment (OD) has occurred. Integrating OD concepts and techniques into HRM activities through such strategies as job analysis, work redesign, team building, and change management serve the purpose of enhancing the performance and capacity of the organization and its workforce and ensure that HR practitioners are proactively meeting the needs of the organization (Meisinger, 2003).