Platos Theory of Knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Platos Theory of Knowledge - Essay Example The theory rests in the myth that describes people chained within a cave. The only images they see are the shadows of objects and animals held in front of a fire that is behind them that reflects on the cave walls in front of them. That is all they had ever seen so that is what they believe to be real. One day a man escaped the cave and went outside. With the sun he saw what was real in the world and realized all he ever saw were just shadows. He went back to the men in the cave and told them all this. He told them that they too could see the outside if they broke free of their chains but they didn't believe him. The environment of the cave to Plato symbolizes the physical world of appearances. Escaping into the sun-filled world means the transition into the real world that is full and perfect. A world where things are not viewed only in a material sense. It is here that the whole of Plato's philosophy is summed up. Plato's theory of knowledge is devoted to definitions of science and knowledge. Developing the argument from the lower consciousness to the higher consciousness, in which perception, opinion, reasoning are closely examined. Cornford F.M in his interpretations "Plato's Theory of Knowledge", the phrase "degrees of reality" is found in many commentaries to describe the aforementioned hierarchy. Vlastos' "A Metaphysical Paradox" and "Degrees of Reality in Plato." Cornford describes this as "a distinct order of realities." Plato's ethical theory rests on the assumption that virtue is knowledge and can be taught, which has to be understood in terms of his theory of Forms. One of his famous arguments is that to "know the good is to do the good". Being the world of forms, which is the proper object of knowledge. Of interest to our discussion is his later work that features Socrates and his pupil theaetetus in a dialogue named after the latter. Theaetetus is introduced to us as a valiant and a hero of the battle of Corinth and of the dialogue. He is a disciple of Theodorus, a reputed geometrician, whose specialization is thus indicated to be the propaedeutic to philosophy. Theaetetus is introduced as wounded and also as having several similarities with Socrates, same contrast sharp mind and the unattractive features. Theodorus presents the younger man as courageous, intelligent and selfless. These qualities are seen as dialogue heats up.. Socrates is impressed by these credentials and invites theaetetus in a witty discussion on different issues. After overcoming the initial sense of wonder, he rises to the occasion, and begins to follow the flow of the discussion eventually he's able to comprehend the consequences of his own answers. The question about the "nature of knowledge" opens his mind and encourages him to think not only in a mathematical sense which he is used to but also in metaphysical sense. Eventually it dawns on him that "there are universal conceptions of being, likeness, sameness, number, which the mind contemplates in her." In the dialogues Plato devotes himself to coining definitions of knowledge, conception, science and the like but at the same time tearing down the same definitions in an attempt to invoke in the mind of the student a desperation that will cause critical thinking. In the first part when asked his opinion

Making China Modern Essay Example for Free

Making China Modern Essay In Chapter eight of â€Å"The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism,† Max Webber makes a comparison of the eastern philosophy of Confucianism with the western religion of Puritanism. He makes the connection between the how Confucianism has shaped China historically from an individuals personal goals to its economic and commercial conditions. Webber first describes the rationalization of a religion using two different yard-sticks, â€Å"one is the degree to which the religion has divested itself of magic; the other is the degree to which it has systematically unified the relation between God and the world and therewith its own ethical relationship to the world. † Webber denotes that in western Protestant rationalism, magic has been eradicated entirely and was sometimes even viewed as â€Å"devilish†, cutting off all trust in magical superstitions and manipulations. However, in the Confucian ethics, the significance of magic was left untouched. All natural scientific knowledge was lacking due to a cause and elemental forces. It also vested interest in the income opportunities of prebendal office. Webber states that Confucianism and Puritanism both take different stands against the world, Puritanism believed in a God where as Confucianism did not believe in a supra-mundane God, both in time met tensions with the world’s irrationalities. This all constituted in the development of China and its people. The Confucian ethic is to reduce tensions in the world to an absolute minimum. All human nature was disposed to be ethically good and as such, was to be indifferent from one another, capable of unlimited perfection. There was a lack of â€Å"nerves† with unlimited patience and slowness to reacting especially in the intellectual sphere. China taught as a form of philosophical-literary education, learning from old classics and hence it lacked insufficient educational such as economic provisions. It endeavored to remove all tensions from humanity and hence left no leverage for influencing conduct through inner forces freed of tradition and convention. Wealth was the main success measurement in the Confucian mentality, as a means to keep â€Å"face†. It has been recorded in the oldest documents of Chinese political economy where â€Å"balance of trade† and the usefulness of wealth were emphasized. It came to a point where storeowners would haggle for every penny, however despite this lust for wealth, no economic mentality of capitalism was created. The Chinese lacked a system for commercial correspondence and the numerous technical inventions were little used for economic purposes. It is Webbers intention that even though China was capable of assimilating capitalism, the varied conditions and circumstances, most notably the Confucian teachings, had hindered it. The difference between Puritan and Confucian rationalism was that Puritans had enthusiasm, which the Confucians lacked. It is this rationalism that allowed the typical Puritan to invest his income as capital in rational capitalist enterprise out of an asceticist compulsion to save. Webber believes that these attitudes have effected China’s capitalist development negatively.

Management of a Care Facility

Management of a Care Facility Introduction Managers are tasked to create their organisation’s vision in such a way that it will aide in assuring future stability. This academic paper will discuss how an organisation’s vision is created, communicated and implemented and how this vision will pave the way for conceptualizing its strategic direction in a chosen residential home. The residential home care that was discussed in this paper is a home care that provides older adult services to about 60-70 residents with various geriatric needs. The residential home care is divided into units depending on the needs assessments made on each resident during their admission. There are about four nearby residential home cares providing the same services. The home care is the newest of the four and is gradually gaining recognition within the serviceable area. In its everyday operations, bulk of the employees consists of nurses and health care aides. Major problems faced by the organisation are the shortage of nursing staff along with the need to expand the business due to increase influx of clients being admitted. The vision and its stakeholders An organisational vision is a statement of what the organisation wants to do and hopes to become in the future (Nagelkerk, 2005). In creating a vision, it must first be congruent with mission and philosophy of the organisation and anchored on shared values and beliefs (Polifko-Harris, 2005). At the same time, the vision must be dynamic and motivational to its stakeholders because the vision is said to be meaningful only to those who are involved in its creation (Roussel, 2011; Thamm, 2011; Allen, 2007) A stakeholder is a person or a group that takes strong interest on organisation (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013). In health care industries such as the residential home care, the stakeholders include the patients or clients, nurses, medical practitioners, insurers, administrators, and accrediting bodies (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013). In vision planning, consideration of the stakeholders and fostering a good relationship with them are very crucial as their involvement and engagement in the organisation can bring the vision into reality (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013; Malloch and Porter-O’Grady, 2010). They must be adequately represented as they are expected to support management initiatives and perform certain roles for fulfilling organisational success (Gantz, 2010; Harris et al, 2010). As Sare and Ogilvie (2010) say, nursing is a people-centered profession and thrives in involvement. The more we get to involve people to share in the organisational vision, there is higher likelihood that the visi on will be put to reality. Oftentimes, it is heard that only those in the middle and upper management make decisions and policies for the organisation. However, it is not only them who must be involved in creating the vision. In the chosen health care setting, the stakeholders include the elderly residents and their families, the nursing personnel and other employees, unit managers and supervisors and the board of directors. Feedbacks and perceptions of service users are crucial in service improvements. Thus, satisfaction of the elderly residents and their families must be solicited from them. Moreover, the people working for the company especially the nursing staff who provide direct nursing care must be considered. Nurse leaders need to make the employees committed to the organisation and gain ownership of its goals and objectives so that the vision can be brought to reality (McIntyre and McDonald, 2013). Nurses who are motivated and satisfied in their work are more likely to perform better that contribute t o better patient outcomes (Potter et al, 2014). As mentioned, the home care is now facing a shortage of nursing staff which can affect their level of dedication and work quality (McGilton et al, 2013; Peng et al, 2013). This should be one of the things that must be considered if the management would want to make the nursing staff form a sense of ownership of the vision. Factors that may impact the organisational vision Aside from the stakeholders, there are influential factors that must be paid attention to if the organisation is to create a feasible vision. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors can be assessed using SWOT analysis (Kelly and Tazbir, 2013). These factors that need consideration include the areas of operation, finances, competition, changing needs of clients, technological advances, changing political climate, market conditions, economy, competition, current trends and issues in healthcare (Nagelkerk, 2005). Organisational vision and strategic decision In consideration of the characteristics of the residential home care, its stakeholders and other environmental factors, the created vision is written below: â€Å"Our vision is to be the foremost residential home care for older adults in the community that promotes independence and higher quality of life through excellent and safe nursing care. The next step would be to create the strategic direction for the organisation. In the strategic management process, the strategic direction is the long term goals and objectives of the organisation that outlines the purposes of the organisation and its operational scope (Enz, 2009). It must be anchored on the organisation’s mission and vision statements (Enz, 2009). In consideration of the strategic direction, the organisational competencies will be assessed together with surrounding environmental factors (Wilson, 2005). In developing the strategic direction, answers to the following questions will be sought with the help of the management and key stakeholders: 1) What are the expertise of the home care?; 2) What kind of home care will it be in three or five years?; 3) What type of population will we be serving?; 4) What additional functions or services are we going to provide given the evolving market?; 5) What are the technology requirements given the evolving market?; and 6 ) What changes are taking place in the internal and external market that will affect the home care? (Paley, 1999). Communicating the vision One of the qualities of a highly effective leader is the ability to make the people involved in the organisation understand and remain committed to the vision (Gill, 2011). Continuous and sustainable communication of the vision enables members to be clearly informed of the current status of the organisation and its future directions (Gill, 2011). When properly communicated, shared vision prospers and stakeholders will most likely understand their roles and responsibilities in realising the vision inspite of uncertainties and problems along the way (Papp, 2001). The created vision will be communicated by: 1) finding key persons who will motivate others to listen and be engaged in the vision; 2) setting-up a formal communication team who will disseminate the new vision through advertisements and staff education; 3) including the vision in marketing ads of the home care; 4) place posters containing the vision in strategic locations within the organisation; 5) spark conversations among p eople around about the new vision; 6) create activities such as contests that are themed based on the vision; 7) get other’s feedback and perception of the new vision through personal interviews and group discussions; and 8) use social media and other information-dissemination technology that will keep others informed and reminded of the vision (Center for Creative Leadership, Cartwright and Baldwin, 2011). Right leadership for vision sharing For the organisation to see the fulfillment of its vision, everyone with vested interest in it must work collectively through appropriate leadership and management behaviours. Making everybody feel that they own and share a common vision is a major focus of transformational leadership. According to Bass and Riggio (2006), leaders must appeal to the followers’ sense of self-worth to ensure their commitment and involvement in the entire efforts and activities of the organisation. Transformational leaders motivate their followers to always put their best in what they do, empower them by making them involved in crucial organisational activities, and allow them to expand their potentials and abilities (Bass and Riggio, 2006). Followers are able also to develop a strong sense of identification with the organisation that moves them to working and thinking not just to suffice their self-interests (Hutchinson and Jackson, 2012).In nursing, transformational leadership has been seen as a model of leadership that is enabling, empowering and suitable for nurses to remain committed to excellent and safe care practises (Lievens and Vlerick, 2014; Ross et al, 2014; Schwartz et al, 2011). To embed the vision to the followers, the leaders must employ the four components of transformational leadership. These are idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration (Doody and Doody, 2012; Schwartz et al, 2011). In idealised influence, the leader must be seen by the followers as a role model (Doody and Doody, 2012). The manager of the home care must set an example by ensuring that all personal actions are in accordance with the vision. They must be the frontline communicator of the vision to the staff and be the first person to act when everyone is having difficulty fulfilling the vision (Doody and Doody, 2012). Inspirational motivation must also be applied by encouraging followers to always work to achieve organisational goals and objectives while at the same time achieving their own goals (Bally, 2007). Allowing members to participate in decision and policy-making exemplifies intellectual stimulation (Schwartz et al, 2011) . For example, the nursing staff can be involved in projects and programmes that will be launched to achieve the vision and strategic direction of the home care. Lastly, leaders in the home care must be open to the individual needs of the followers by supporting them in their actions, giving them recognition for their efforts and allowing them to achieve professional growth (Schwartz et al, 2011). Rewards and incentives can be given to those staff who exceptionally performed to achieve the goals set by the home care. They may also be given opportunities for further trainings and in-service education to make them more competent. In turn, these activities can bring about better services and improved patient outcomes. Organisational objectives Organisational objectives are the prescribed actions that will be used to achieve and evaluate organisational goals (Kelly, 2011). Based on the vision, the following are the organisational objectives: Our residential home care aims to: Deliver client-centered and holistic care to our residents Create a therapeutic environment for our clients Provide compassionate, ethical, safe, caring and dependable nursing services Commit ourselves to quality improvement and safety standards Increase the services we provide based on our clients’ changing needs Put the organisation and clients’ needs first before our own interests Respect, value and empower people within the organisation Support individual growth and opportunities Increase stakeholders’ satisfaction Move for organisational stability and viability Strategic planning process Strategic planning is the process of setting the future direction of the organisation through alignment of its mission and vision with its actions to achieve the desired outcomes (Feldman and Alexander, 2012). The strategic planning process that will be done follows Odiorne’s recommendations (as cited in Swansburg, 1996): Gap analysis. This involves identification of the problems of the organisation in order to determine what the organisation wants to do about it in the future. Examining extrinsic factors. Assess outside influences that contribute to the problems identified. Enumerate the critical issues. From a pool of problems identified, select the most pressing issues and those which more likely create a high-impact on the organisation. Ranking the important. Plan according to the most important issues for the organisation. Decide. Decide on the issues by involving all key stakeholders. Time and resource planning. Construct a time frame as to when the objectives should be met. This will also include identifying who will be responsible and the resources that will be needed. Summary and Conclusion Managing an organisation is never an easy task. It gets more difficult as the organisation becomes more complex and the needs of stakeholders continue to rise. Nurse managers and leaders must be able to consider all factors inside and outside of the organisation and every individual who has an interest to it. Leaders and managers must craft a well-defined and shared vision to make everyone involved in the organisation to remain committed and motivated towards fulfilling it. Such work will entail the need to adopt transformational leadership through idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. With the new vision, it is likewise necessary to craft the strategic direction and objectives of the organisation. In doing so, leader-managers must be able to align these to the vision, mission, philosophy, and values of the organisation. When all of these are in place, the organisation can now move to making a strategic plan for the entire organisation.

Economic Impact Analysis on a High-Speed Railway System for Central Flo

Economic Impact Analysis on a High-Speed Railway System for Central Florida Introduction High-speed railway (HRL) systems have been used primarily over in such countries as Japan since 1964 and France since 1984. Recently the United States has generated interest in the high-speed railway as well. The proposed system would stretch from Miami through Orlando and end in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area. With bullet trains operating at top speeds of 220 miles an hour, the express travel time from downtown Miami to Orlando would take approximately 2.5 hours. Intercity travelers (trips between metropolitan regions) along with longer-distance commuters would enjoy the benefits of a system designed to connect with existing rail, air, and highway systems. The strategy behind the high-speed railway system would be to relieve highway congestion, air traffic congestion, and help reduce the necessity of expansion of highways and air systems (which is limited due to the inability to build new air space). Also, with this type of system (this system works on magnetic levitation), you would have a significant reduction in air pollution that would result as high-speed captures a large portion of the intercity travel market from automobiles and airlines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Context Tampa  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The chosen locations for the high-speed railway will be three different cities, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa/St.Petersburg area. The economic and industrial structures for Tampa has created more than 22,000 jobs May 2004, ranking the area #1 in Florida and among the best in the nation for job growth. Job gains in the region were largely in professional and business services. Florida is creating jobs faster than any other state in the nation, adding 171,800 jobs from May 2003 to May 2004. Tampa/Hillsborough County with its dynamic and positive business climate is one of the leading business locations in the world. As the economic hub of Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay region, Tampa enjoys ongoing and remarkable job growth, affordable business and living costs, an able and abundant workforce, excellent educational opportunities, and unmatched weather and amenities. Service, retail, finance, insurance, and real estate sectors lead regional industry. Bioscience and other high-tech industries are expanding, thanks in part to research at university and college campuses throughout the area. Manu... ...rkforce. Reference: 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keating, O. (2004). Are High Speed Trains are the best form of transport for Consumers and Society? Retrieved April 16, 2005, from http://www.o-keating.com/hsr/best.htm 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  City Overviews (2004). Socio-economic overview. Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.carterusa.com/cityoverview/co_orlando1.html 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Highlights of the economic and business growth in the Tampa Bay region (2004). Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.tampabay.org/admin/editor/upload/PRN_July2004.pdf 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lynch, T (2004). Florida High Speed Ground Transportation Economic Benefit and Cost Impact Study. Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.floridabullettrain.com/content/economics.pdf 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cox, W. (1997). Evaluation of the FDOT-FOX Miami, Orlando, Tampa High Speed Rail Proposal. Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.hotpolitics.com/hispeedrail.htm 6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Economic Development of Tampa Bay (2004). Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.tampachamber.com/economic_development.asp 7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  High Speed Line Study (2004). Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_032564.pdf Economic Impact Analysis on a High-Speed Railway System for Central Flo Economic Impact Analysis on a High-Speed Railway System for Central Florida Introduction High-speed railway (HRL) systems have been used primarily over in such countries as Japan since 1964 and France since 1984. Recently the United States has generated interest in the high-speed railway as well. The proposed system would stretch from Miami through Orlando and end in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area. With bullet trains operating at top speeds of 220 miles an hour, the express travel time from downtown Miami to Orlando would take approximately 2.5 hours. Intercity travelers (trips between metropolitan regions) along with longer-distance commuters would enjoy the benefits of a system designed to connect with existing rail, air, and highway systems. The strategy behind the high-speed railway system would be to relieve highway congestion, air traffic congestion, and help reduce the necessity of expansion of highways and air systems (which is limited due to the inability to build new air space). Also, with this type of system (this system works on magnetic levitation), you would have a significant reduction in air pollution that would result as high-speed captures a large portion of the intercity travel market from automobiles and airlines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Context Tampa  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The chosen locations for the high-speed railway will be three different cities, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa/St.Petersburg area. The economic and industrial structures for Tampa has created more than 22,000 jobs May 2004, ranking the area #1 in Florida and among the best in the nation for job growth. Job gains in the region were largely in professional and business services. Florida is creating jobs faster than any other state in the nation, adding 171,800 jobs from May 2003 to May 2004. Tampa/Hillsborough County with its dynamic and positive business climate is one of the leading business locations in the world. As the economic hub of Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay region, Tampa enjoys ongoing and remarkable job growth, affordable business and living costs, an able and abundant workforce, excellent educational opportunities, and unmatched weather and amenities. Service, retail, finance, insurance, and real estate sectors lead regional industry. Bioscience and other high-tech industries are expanding, thanks in part to research at university and college campuses throughout the area. Manu... ...rkforce. Reference: 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keating, O. (2004). Are High Speed Trains are the best form of transport for Consumers and Society? Retrieved April 16, 2005, from http://www.o-keating.com/hsr/best.htm 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  City Overviews (2004). Socio-economic overview. Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.carterusa.com/cityoverview/co_orlando1.html 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Highlights of the economic and business growth in the Tampa Bay region (2004). Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.tampabay.org/admin/editor/upload/PRN_July2004.pdf 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lynch, T (2004). Florida High Speed Ground Transportation Economic Benefit and Cost Impact Study. Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.floridabullettrain.com/content/economics.pdf 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cox, W. (1997). Evaluation of the FDOT-FOX Miami, Orlando, Tampa High Speed Rail Proposal. Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.hotpolitics.com/hispeedrail.htm 6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Economic Development of Tampa Bay (2004). Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.tampachamber.com/economic_development.asp 7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  High Speed Line Study (2004). Retrieved on April 16, 2005, from http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_032564.pdf

Effective teachers Essay

I. The Power of an Effective Teacher and Why We Should Assess It This is the value of the teacher, who looks at a face and says there’s something behind that and I want to reach that person, I want to influence that person, I want to encourage that person, I want to enrich, I want to call out that person who is behind that face, behind that colour, behind that language, behind that tradition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done for me. The transformative power of an effective teacher is something almost all of us have experienced and understand on a personal level. If we were particularly fortunate, we had numerous exceptional teachers who made school an exciting and interesting place. Those teachers possessed a passion for the subjects that they taught and genuine care for the students with whom they worked. They inspired us to play with ideas, think deeply about the subject matter, take on more challenging work, and even pursue careers in a particular field of study. Some exceptional teachers achieve celebrity status, such as Jaime Escalante, the math teacher who inspired the film Stand and Deliver, but thousands of unsung heroes go unrecognized in their remarkable work with students on a daily basis. ? II. Qualities of an Effective teacher Think back to when you were in school. Who was your favourite teacher? Who was the teacher you dreaded having? Almost everyone will instantly be able to answer these two questions. We’ve all had terrific teachers and, unfortunately, most of us have had teachers that were not effective. So what qualities does an effective teacher have that an ineffective teacher does not? The answer is that it takes a perfect blend of several qualities to create a truly effective teacher who can have a lasting impact on virtually every student. In this article, we examine ten qualities that virtually every effective teacher will possess. a)An effective teacher loves to teach. The single most important quality that every teacher should possess is a love and passion for teaching young people. Unfortunately, there are teachers who do not love what they do. This  single factor can destroy a teacher’s effectiveness quicker than anything else. Teachers who do not enjoy their job cannot possibly be effective day in and day out. There are too many discouraging factors associated with teaching that is difficult enough on a teacher who absolutely loves what they do, much less on one who doesn’t have the drive, passion, or enthusiasm for it. On top of that, kids are smarter than what we give them credit for. They will spot a phony quicker than anyone and thus destroy any credibility that the teacher may have. b)An effective teacher demonstrates a caring attitude. Even teachers who love their job can struggle in this area, not because they don’t care, but because they get caught up so much in the day to day routine of teaching that they can forget that their students have lives outside of school. Taking the time to get to know a student on a personal level takes a lot of time and dedication. There is also a line that no teacher wants to cross where their relationship becomes too personal. Elite teachers know how to balance this without crossing that line and once a student believes the teacher truly cares for them, then there is no limit to what that student can achieve. c)An effective teacher can relate to his or her students. The best teachers work hard to figure out how to relate to each of their students. Common interest can be hard to find, but exceptional teachers will find a way to connect with their students even if they have to fake it. For instance, you may have a student who is a Lego fanatic. You can relate to that student if you do something as simple as ordering a Lego catalogue and then going through it and discussing it with that student. Even if you have no actual interest in Lego’s, the student will think you do and thus naturally create a connection. d)An effective teacher is willing to think outside the box. There is no one set cookie cutter way to teach. A cookie cutter approach would likely be boring for both teachers and students. What makes teaching so exciting is that kids learn differently, and we have to find and utilize different strategies and differentiated learning to reach every student. What works for one student, will not work for every student. Teachers have to be willing to be creative and adaptive in their lessons, thinking outside the box on a continual basis. If you try to teach every concept in the same manner, there will be students who miss out on key factors because they aren’t wired to learn that way. e)An effective teacher is an excellent communicator. To be the best possible teacher you must be an effective communicator. However, in this area you are not just limited to being a skilled communicator to your students although that is a must. You must also be a strong communicator with parents of your students as well as your faculty/staff team within in your building. If you have a difficulty communicating with any of these three groups, then you limit your overall effectiveness as a teacher. f)An effective teacher is proactive rather than reactive. This can be one of most difficult aspects for a teacher to conquer. Intense planning and organization can ultimately make your job all the more less difficult. Teachers who plan ahead, looking for aspects that they might have issues with, and proactively looking for solutions to solve those problems will have less stress on them, than those teachers who wait until a problem arises and then tries to address it. Being proactive does not replace being adaptive. No matter how well you plan, there will be surprises. However, being proactive can cut down on these surprises tremendously, thus making you more effective overall. g)An effective teacher strives to be better. A teacher who has grown complacent in what they do is the most ineffective kind of teacher. Any teacher who is not looking for new and better teaching strategies isn’t being an effective teacher. No matter how long you have taught, you should always want to grow as a teacher. Every year there is new research, new technology, and new educational tools that could make you a better teacher. Seek out professional development opportunities and try to apply something new to your class every year. h)An effective teacher uses a variety of media in their lessons. Like it or not we are in the 21st century, and this generation of students was born in the digital age. These students have been bombarded by technological advances unlike any other generation. They have embraced it, and if we as teachers do not, then we are falling behind. This is not to say that we should eliminate textbooks and worksheets completely, but effective teachers are not afraid to implement other forms of media within their lessons. i)An effective teacher challenges their students. The most effective teachers, are often the ones that many students think are the most difficult. This is because they challenge their students and push them harder than the average teacher does. These are the teachers who are often students’ least favourite teachers at the time, but then later on in life they are the ones that we all remember and want to thank, because of how well they prepared us for life after our time with them. Being an effective teacher does not mean you are easy. It means that you challenge every one of your students and maximize your time with them so that they learn more than they ever thought they could learn. j)An effective teacher understands the content that they teach and knows how to explain that content in a manner that their students understand. There are teachers who do not know the content well enough to effectively teach it. There are teachers who are truly experts on the content, but struggle to effectively explain it to their students. The highly effective teacher both understands the content and explains it on level. This can be a difficult skill to accomplish, but the teachers who can, maximize their effectiveness as a teacher. III. Effective teaching strategies Six keys to classroom Excel a) Interest and explanation – â€Å"When our interest is aroused in something, whether it is an academic subject or a hobby, we enjoy working hard at it. We come to feel that we can in some way own it and use it to make sense of the world around us. † (p. 98). Coupled with the need to establish the relevance of content, instructors need to craft explanations that enable students to understand the material. This involves knowing what students understand and then forging connections between what is known and what is new. b) Concern and respect for students and student learning – Rams den starts with the negative about which he is assertive and unequivocal. â€Å"Truly awful teaching in higher education is most often revealed by a sheer lack of interest in and compassion for students and student learning. It repeatedly displays the classic symptom of making a subject seem more demanding than it actually is. Some people may get pleasure from this kind of masquerade. They are teaching very badly if they do. Good teaching is nothing to do with making things hard. It is nothing to do with frightening students. It is everything to do with benevolence and humility; it always tries to help students feel that a subject can be mastered; it encourages them to try things out for themselves and succeed at something quickly. † (p. 98) c) Appropriate assessment and feedback – This principle involves using a variety of assessment techniques and allowing students to demonstrate their mastery of the material in different ways. It avoids those assessment methods that encourage students to memorize and regurgitate. It recognizes the power of feedback to motivate more effort to learn. d)Clear goals and intellectual challenge – Effective teachers set high standards for students. They also articulate clear goals. Students should know up front what they will learn and what they will be expected to do with what they know. e)Independence, control and active engagement – â€Å"Good teaching fosters [a] sense of student control over learning and interest in the subject matter. † (p. 100). Good teachers create learning tasks appropriate to the student’s level of understanding. They also recognize the uniqueness of individual learners and avoid the temptation to impose â€Å"mass production† standards that treat all learners as if they were exactly the same. â€Å"It is worth stressing that we know that students who experience teaching of the kind that permits control by the learner not only learn better, but that they enjoy learning more. † (p. 102. ) f)Learning from students – â€Å"Effective teaching refuses to take its effect on students for granted. It sees the relation between teaching and learning as problematic, uncertain and relative. Good teaching is open to change: it involves constantly trying to find out what the effects of instruction are on learning, and modifying the instruction in the light of the evidence collected. † ?

Internship Final Paper Essay

Introduction Getting an internship can help students to find out what they want to do with their future careers. (â€Å"Internship.†) As a fashion student, I was always interested in the publication or magazine industry and I now want to have a career in the department of a fashion magazine. Seeking a writing-related internship in the fashion industry will fulfill my interests. It was very fortunate for me to come across Retail Assembly as they were searching for intern. They were looking for an intern to support their products with smart content focused on global retail innovation, growth and strategy as well as trend forecast. I am glad that I had found a internship that offers a challenge and was a perfect match for my career goal. When I started to study my master degree in fashion and got to know more about the fashion industry, I realized that there were a variety of interesting jobs. Fashion buyers and trend forecasters are some of them. In the retail industry, a buyer is an individual who selects what items will be stocked in a store, based on the predictions about what will be popular with shoppers. (Loxley) Retail buyers usually work closely with designers and their designated sales representatives and attend trade fairs, wholesale showrooms and fashion shows to observe trends. As for trend forecasters, the goal is to identify a trend years before it comes to fruition, and to break down the context of that trend for those who don’t have time to travel the world searching for inspiration. (Scully & Cobb 43) These two jobs might be seen as â€Å"fancy jobs† which include a lot of traveling and shopping around the world. In fact, scouring cultural events, fashion shows, trade shows, and design er showrooms in search of the â€Å"Next Big Thing† must have some degree of difficluty reality. I was interested in both careers of buyers and trend forecasters and I wanted to explore these two jobs during in my summer internship. Retail Assembly is an agency of consultants and E-learning for fashion and retial business. They offer counsels and courses such as buying, marketing, and branding for any business starter. (â€Å"Retail â€Å") To fulfill the content of their product, they needed someone who could tell interesting stories about their clients. It was a great experience to work with Retail Assembly because not only did I have the chance to understand the business side of fashion, I also get to improve on my creative writing skills. This summer internship helped me to build up my resume and enriched my knowledge of retail business. History of Retail Assembly As the namesake, Retail Assembly is a group of top educational and retail professionals gathered together, developing fundamental online courses and news for the industry.(â€Å"Who†) Retail Assembly is the latest source of education for those who are seeking a career in fashion, and those who are looking to supplement their knowledge in the fashion and business field. The website offers a selection of courses and workshops, from Fashion Buying, Branding and marketing to Product Development and Retail Math. (Bajaja 55) Catering to busy schedules, the courses are taught through online approaches by professionals who are currently active in fashion and creative businesses. The keynote of Retail Assembly is that self-learning is a lifestyle and the courses are very flexible to access at anytime and anywhere. Jennifer Pilkington, a graduate from Ryerson’s fashion marketing program, launched Retail Assembly in 2007 after years spent marketing and fashion buying for big companies in Canada. Jennifer has had a career in buying and product development that spans from luxury to sports. She has worked for Canada’s greatest retailers in the country’s best cities – Aritzia in Vancouver, Holt Renfrew in Toronto, and Garage in Montreal. (â€Å"People†) She wasn’t always interested in fashion but she was always interested in design, colour and shape. During her second year of fashion student at Ryerson, she obtained an internship at Holt Renfrew. It was an eye-opening experience when she started to work at their corporate offices. There was so much passion injected into fashion by much intelligence. The concept of merging E-learning with current and update industry news was born after Jennifer Pilkington left her buying job at the Bay. (Bajaja 54) She felt frustrated and wanted to give her team a good opportunity to learn on the job and progress. There was a lot going on in terms of learning really niche things. Jennifer found that textbooks were always a little bit stale, not really current or reflective of the marketplace. It was really important to consider time constraints and flexibility for a working person whom had left the school life. The people who are working in the industry come from great PR firms, advertising and social media companies as well as high academic background. (Tiu) They either provided the content or input. Every single course was designed by the contributions of multiple people. This ensured that each course reflected the scope of the industry. By bringing in a lot of people who have worked in the industry to look at each and every course, the content of the news was unbiased and fully structured. Moreover, Retail As sembly has people come from boutiques and also corporate levels who are currently working in the industry. It creates space for new instructors to come in and contribute. Internship Learning Goal As contributors for the blog of Retail Asembly, interns have to offer latest Canadian retail & fashion news and an in depth analysis of business model and marketing strategy, which are related to the main courses provided by Retail Assembly. I am also incharge of the colour forecast, style analysis, beauty trend and China scoop. To reach the goal of being a brand content intern, I have to create headlines, crawl news feeds, suggest and write stories to blog, suggest or develop and edit campaign written content. Furthermore, I need to contribute to the broader content and social media strategies as well as contribute to the media monitoring report. I have also touched on the topic in marketing strategy of luxury and high street brands. For example, the shifting guidance of LVMH and Coach, as well as H&M’s move on sustainability and celebreity collaboration. Additionally, I had a full-scale discussion of how different brands, including Celine, J Crew, and Gap are using colour blocking as their main design concept. Colour forecasting is a global career that focuses on upcoming colour trends.(Scully & Cobb ) A fashion forecaster predicts the colors, fabrics and styles that will be presented on the runway and in the stores for the upcoming seasons. The predicted concept or theme can applies to all levels of the fashion industry including haute couture, ready-to-wear, mass market, and street wear. The purpose of forecasting trend is to attract consumers, help retail businesses and designers to sell their brands. (Orrell) I have contributed several stories that focused on my interest in colour forecast, style and trend analysis, as well as beauty industry. I had finished a couple of runway reviews, such as the Spring/Summer 2014 Bridal Fashion week in New York and Spring/Summer 2014 Menswear. I also dedicated a colour forecast for Spring/Summer 2014 and made a full mood board for our clients. I believe that the best fashion show is on the street, so doing street style analysis is one of my passions. It can be really inspiring to see how people mix and match their personal style creatively. Weather it is in Paris, London, New York, Milan or any other zmazing cities, photographers are there capturing the best style. For designers and the magazine editors, the photographs are the tool to help dictate the trends. For the photographers and the models, it is art and expression. For the regular man/women form the street, it is a door to the fantast fashion – a world of glamour and excietment. Street style photography had managed to bridge the gap between the normal real world and the dizzing world of fashion. To analyze street style was a great oppertunity to examine fashion not only from the trend perspective, but also from a social and economical angle of how style transits from one to the next. As someone who has a background in pharmaceutical and fragrance, I couldn not help but notice that beauty trends are getting more attention than usual. Fragrances and cosmetics are usually the main entry point for luxury brands, which is why controlling the beauty product’s communication and marketing strategy is key.( â€Å"Burberrys†) It is not rare that the luxury brand want to put their hand on the fragrance and cosmetics business because they are the primary tool for attracting aspirational consumers. I had a closer look at Burberry’s move on fragrance and the development of Sephora, a fast-growning fragrance and cosmetic retailer. I also explored issues relating to China, taking a stance on how fashion industry has invested in Asia market. China is bursting into the luxury retail world. The power of the Chinese consumer is growing. To succeed in the global market, companies need to capture the hearts of the 1.3 billion Chinese consumers. ( Bi et al. 253) With a proliferation of news on Chinese luxury consumers at home and abroad, I try to offer the best angle to some of the most relevant content on luxury brands and Chinese consumer preferences. For example, the influence of the New Chinese first Lady and ASOS’s advanced in Asia. Researching in consumer behaviors, I had hoped to find headline-worthy news and the lastest insights behind the red flag. Learning Value During this internship, I have imporved my fashion editorial and creative writing. I have also expanded my knowledge of retail business, the importance of net working and team work, as well as the asset of visial communication. I published a large amount of fashion editorials and trend reports independently. These are my proudest references to my work and are wonderful additions to my portfolio. I truly appreicate that I was given the freedon to offer my own perspective on different affairs that were happening in the industry. It was a really good training process of critical thinking and creative writing. I had also actively did interviews with many talents in the fashion industry, sharing their philosophy of fashion with our readers. Some pieces were very successful because they are different from what the blog had before and brought a fresh air to the content. I was amazed by both the artistry of fashion and the analytical business aspects. I liked that Retail Assembly offered participants different elements and perspectives of the business to stimulate critical thinking and promote life-long learning. I can now constantly probe into the strengths and weaknesses in a business strategy, providing me with greater market awareness. I am also glad to have met Jennifer Pilkington, the founder of the Retail Assembly and Guidiance and Consaltant. She is a senior merchant, also an instructor at Ryerson University, collaborator for the retail buying courses and workshops. Her personality and experience are the best model for me to strive toward my dream job. She makes me believe that fashion has the a side of intelligence. The importance of team work and net working was highlighted during my internship. It is interesting that a team can brainstorm together and stir up a sparkle in a discussion. The Retail Assembly team basically met once a week and discussed the latest fashion and retail news, searching for a good topic for the upcoming week. Interns also networked with each other, which can help one another in the future by sharing job and contact information. Having valuable, experienced contacts is helpful in the future for starting new business or job hunting. Visual communication is strongly emphasized in fashion industry. (Barnard 29 )The design concepts are communicated through visual aid and are described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon, such as illustration, colour, media and electronic resources. For me, the process of analyzing rumway and street style photos, my observation has become even more acute. It was a spectacular training process for eyes on colors and details, such as fabrics, texture or embellishment. Conclusion Internships provide a glimpse into different industries, allowing the interns to see whether they want to work in that field or not. Internships is important becase it allows to gain valuable experience in our areas of career interest. Often, the more experience students have, the stronger they are as the job candidate in the future. To search a position that fit my career goal is crucial. I had excellent exposure to the global industry and learned the importance of great relationships with great people. What I really loved about Retail Assembly is that how well-operated they are. They started from a strong place – a lot of academic- and industry-based research. The number of brilliant people who touch each one is remarkable. An interest in editorial work grew from my love for writing, and as an extension of that, I’ve always had a insatiable curiosity for information, whatever the subject. I enjoy keeping up on the latest developments in culture, art, music, film and fashion. Trend reporting is a way to connect the dots by looking for patterns and shifts in fashion; similar to crafting an academic thesis, but one pertinent to business. Last but not least, this internship has taught me that casual learning has always been a part of our daily lives. The key is to want to know the knowledge instead of rigidly adhering to formalities. The working experience and learning process are â€Å"invisible† but the most valuable asset that we can gain. Taking initiative with passion is a chance to step ahead from other people in fashion industry. Being attentive to everything detail happen around will give you a nice surprise and new thoughts. Work Cited Bajaj, Rahul. â€Å"Retail Assembly† KNOWMAG. July 2013. P54-55 Barnard, Malcolm. Fashion as Communication. London: Routledge, 1996. Print. Bi, Xiaogang, et al. â€Å"Chinese consumer ethnocentrism: A field experiment.† Journal of Consumer Behaviour (May 2012), 11 (3), pg. 252-263 Chang, Wendi. â€Å"Burberrys Move on Fragrance.† Web log post. Retail Assembly. N.p., 29 May 2013. Web. 27 July 2013. Loxley, T. (1996, Jan 04). â€Å"Fashion buyers’ forecast for spring.† The Globe and Mail (1936-Current). â€Å"Internship.† The Economist 27 Feb. 2010: 37EU. Academic One File. Web. 1 Aug. 2013. Orrell, Rita Catinella. â€Å"The Mysterious Art Of Color Forecasting.†Architectural Record 200.11 (2012): 53. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Aug. 2013. â€Å"People : Jennifer Pilkington.† Interview. Weblog post. Retail Assembly. N.p., 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 3 Aug. 2013. â€Å"Retail Assembly X KNOWSHOW.† KNOWSHOW-BLOG. KNOWSHOW, 25 June 2013. Web. 28 July 2013. Scully, Kate, and Debra Johnston Cobb. â€Å"Colour Forecasting for Fashion.† London: Laurence King, 2012. Print. Tiu, Valerie. â€Å"THE INSEAM VOL. 71: RETAIL ASSEMBLY — Vancouver Is Awesome.† THE INSEAM VOL. 71: RETAIL ASSEMBLY — Vancouver Is Awesome. Vancouver Is Awesome, 19 June 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2013.