Health and Social Communication Skills

Group Interaction. Basic Details/Work Context. It is important to be able to communicate effectively in a health and social context, in order to transmit the appropriate care values appropriate to people’s specific needs. Just like my one to one interaction, I had to demonstrate my communication skills. I undertook an interaction with a group of young children that were at a primary school. But before undertaking this interaction I had to do some research on group interactions in order for me to do this interaction correctly. Walsh et all [2000] explains a group as â€Å"Groups are collections of people who come together because they have a common purpose or goal and who gradually develop a shared sense of belonging, or group identity† There are four groups in total which people can be classified when communicating together; two of these were identified by Burnard [1992]. The first one he identifies is Primary groups, these involved face to face contact and members will get to know each other. While as Secondary groups are more widely distributed these may include membership of a club such as Trade Unions. The other two groups are Task Orientated Group and Socially Orientated Groups. The Task Orientated Groups are groups that achieve a common goal/objective, a group like this may be a doctor meeting to discuss a patient’s care, and these groups tend to happen cause of a purpose or a point. The last group is the Socially Orientated Groups, these are the friendship groups, and they will share personal reasons and views with each other. As I did my group interaction within a Primary School, I was able to sit one side of the classroom with my group, which was an advantage as the children and I was still in a classroom, an environment where teaching and learning is done. I undertook the role of a teacher’s assistant and had a teacher’s assistant observing me which filled out my ‘Group Observation Sheet’. They were able to comment and feed back to me what I was doing correctly and what I could improve on. I was able to evaluate and take in their comments as they work with groups of children every day. My group interaction consisted of myself, a teacher’s assistant and five children aged from 4-5. I decided to read a story to them relating to a subject they were currently studying and during and after the story I asked questions. Asking questions allowed the children to make them feel more involved, I asked questions such as ‘What do you think is going to happen next? ’ and ‘Do you think that’s a good or bad thing they had done and why? This abled those to express what they thought were going to happen next in the story and compare their ideas with other children. Communication Skills [A01, A02 and A04] Groups can develop over a period of time, and different kinds of groups come together in different ways. A friendship group goes through mutual attraction while as working groups form by a leader. These groups formations can take time, some may be longer or shorter compared to others, but each group will gradually go through four stages of development which is suggested by Tuckman. Tuckman suggests that groups go through four basic shapes in order to become effective. The first stage is Forming, this is when a group comes together and will find out about each other and a leader may emerge. Following onto the second stage is Storming, this is when conflict occurs as group members will argue over purpose, the group members will disagree with the leader. The purpose will become clearer as the arguments are won and lost. The third stage is Norming this is when the group identify develops with a strong set of shared values and norms, their group identity begin to develop. The group becomes Cohesive, this is when all group members begin to work together for the good of the whole. Groups can be affected by the communication strategies that individuals use while being in a group which split into positive and negative. Bales [1970] identifies these types of communication behaviour used by group members. Bales identifies the following types as positive: * Proposing, are communications that offer new ideas and are constructive. * Building is the communications that develop the ideas of others. Supporting, communications that support or agree with the comments of others in the group, this is it good for cohesion. * Summarising involves summing up the contributions and discussions of the group. * Information seeking is when you seek new ideas or information from other group members. * And the last positive communication behaviour is Information giving, these are communications that contribute the ideas and information. Bales also identifies there are also neg ative types that occur when communication with a group. These are: * Disagreeing, this is ommunicating a difference which could be done in a positive or negative way. * Defensive, this is where group members with defend their idea when under attack. * Attacking, communications that challenge other group members, * Blocking, this is when obstacles are placed in the way of others. * And the last negative communication behaviour is Exclusive, this is the opposite to Inclusive, their aim is to block out specific group members. As I was able to do my group interaction within a Primary School they had a colour scheme which represents their level and how they are progressing. Within these ‘colour groups’ there are a group of 4-6 children where they are all working at a similar level. I took one of these groups for my interaction. The children all knew each other well and were able to communicate together in a sensible manner. When doing my interaction I was able to see that ‘Tuckmans’ four stages of group formation had already taken place. I think this particular group was at Tuckmans suggested stage of Storming. There seemed to be conflict between the children as they argued over where they were all sitting and some did challenge others ideas. There also seemed to be a leader of the group that decided on everything and wanted to be the centre of attention. Although once the children had calmed down I think the children had formed into the Norming stage. The group of children was able to identify similar ideas towards the story most of the time. Most of the children agreed on what were right and wrong in the story and all had similar ideas on what the ending of the story will be. The suggested leader of the group was quieter when settled when starting the task we had to complete together. Within the Norming stage Tuckman also suggested that the group becomes cohesive, when a group becomes cohesive, all group members begin to work together for the good of the whole. This was clearly shown within in the group interaction, when little tasks were asked to be completed throughout the story. Little tasks included things such as role-playing the previous chapter of the book and drawing on A3 paper to show to the rest of class when they join back together. There can be a number of factors that can influence the effectiveness of communication; some can enhance it while others can weaken it. The type of communication and the skills that are used within the communication can vary. Communication will differ between within a hospital and a pharmacy; the health care user will also affect the different types of communication you will use. There are four types of communication that can be used within the health care’s sector although I am looking at Non-Verbal Communication and Verbal Communication. Promoting effective communication should contain a balance of power in care workers and client relationships. Listening to others is essential when promoting effective communication. During my group interaction with young children I used the following skills: Non-Verbal Communication. Non-Verbal Communication is as important as Verbal Communication, According to Gahagan [1984], he believes that â€Å"Non-verbal communication is communication though any means other than language† This includes, body posture, gaze, proximity and touch, personal appearance and use of space and props and also gesture and facial expressions. Other research on Non-Verbal communication is that Argyle [1967] suggests that non-verbal communication functions in 3 ways. The first function is that non-verbal communication communicates inter-personal attitudes and emotions are a key part of interaction, this includes facial expression. Another function is that it supports verbal communication, e. g. listening is a key part of interaction and non-verbal communication establishes evidence that it is happening. The last function is that non-verbal communication replaces speech, e. g. sign language. Eye Contact. Eye contact can send a particular message to a health care user. We often get eye contact messages mixed up, an example of this would be. Long broken eye contact, this can show two very different messages, one of them being attraction or unfriendly staring. Eye contact can also show that you’re listening to what the other person is saying and that you are generally interested in what they have to say. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Skill I was able to demonstrate this skill of eye contact correctly by viewing everyone equally and not just focusing on one particular child. I didn’t use long direct eye contact as this would have made the children feel uncomfortable. Eye contact is a great way to show Bales inclusiveness, I was able to correctly show this, by looking at everyone in the group; I was able to involve everyone in the group by bringing them together and asked for their opinions and views on what’s going to happen next in the story. I extremely focused on children that were more isolated and quiet and often shy, although I ensured that I used eye contact at a comfortable gaze comfortable eye as to much direct eye contact can make an individual feel uncomfortable, anxious and even nervous with the children. I also ensured that all my attention was spread out to everyone; I just encouraged the shy children to bring out their opinion. Contexts of the Skill. Comparing the skill of eye contact and the use of it when communicating with younger children is much easier when using the skill for Therapy groups with the clients being Alcohol Anonymous. With children my group was at a smallish number and they all seemed generally interested except for some of the disruptions. When talking and running a therapy group for Alcohol Anonymous the leader of the group will need to focus on all the group members which tends to be a much larger group. I would need to use eye contact in an appropriate way; it can help to show reassurance and interest which is essential when talking to people in an Alcohol Anonymous. The eye contact will need to be comfortable and not to overpowering when talking to the group, as people within the group will be finding this situation very sensitive and you don’t want to offend them by overpowering eye contact. Body Language. Body language can refer to many various things, such as eye contact, facial expressions and posture. An individual’s posture refers to how an individual sits or stands; this is one way how messages and emotions can be transmitted to the receiving person. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Skill During the interaction I ensured my body posture was open so it could be transmitted onto the group of children. With my body posture being positive and open it allowed the chance of all the children to know that I was relaxed and open to talk and teach. This would be a positive effect on the children’s self-concept on the whole, with my body posture giving of the impression I want to listen to what the children have to say, would of made their self-esteem positive, the way they value themselves would be higher as well. I think my open posture also transmitted that I was confident in what I was going to do with the children, read them a story and various tasks. My body posture remained open throughout the whole of the interaction, during reading the story and helping them with their tasks. Having an open body posture is also a way of letting of positive energy and made the children feel good as I wanted to take all the time to teach and talk to them, especially as I was new visitor in the class. Contexts of the Skill As body posture is an important skill to transmit the right feelings and expressions across to the receiving person, a health care professional needs to be able to transmit the right expressions correctly. In a dentist context, I would need to be able to transmit a happy comfortable body posture to my patient. A dentist can be a scary uncomfortable place for many individuals, so a positive posture is needed to almost comfort their patient. I would demonstrate this skill by welcoming the patient gently and using hand gestures to guide them to the seat. I wouldn’t be standing upright as this would suggest I’m tense or serious, but my posture would be open which a sign of relaxation and comfort is. The patient would able to recognise and read my body posture, which would be able to keep them calm and the feeling of being able to trust me would also appear. The patient should be able to feel in safe arms with me being the dentist. Facial Expressions. Facial expressions can also be used to show and express what an individual may be thinking or feeling and can replace verbal communication. During my interaction with the children I ensured I made my facial expressions match what I was actually saying, as this was going to avoid confusion with the children. As most of the interaction was reading a story to the children and stopping at parts of the story to discuss what had happened and what was going to happen next. I was able to show excitement during the story by using my mouth to smile and my eyes were large as this is seen as a sign of interest and excitement. Although I doubt the children would notice about the eyes as they haven’t been exposed to pick up the signs of eye contact. Along with my facial expressions I also used hand gestures; this also helped explain what was saying to the children. Strengths and Weakness of the Skill. Being able to perform the skill of facial expression was one of the easiest skills to perform to the children. I was able to correctly use facial expression to match what I was saying verbally. Examples of this is when a sad part of the story came up and I was told to discuss what had happened and how the child would feel if they were in that position. I was able to show the sadness by facial expressions by making my mouth frown almost like and showed emotion through my eyes. The use of gestures was also used by suggesting what it could feel like with my hands. I was able to use the ‘OK’ hand gesture to a child sitting at the back of the group, as they asked to go to the toilet. When I first replied the children did not hear me, but when I repeated the answer again and did the ‘OK’ hand gesture, the child understood what I was saying. Contexts of the Skill Hand gestures and facial expression would be extremely important if you are communicating with a child who has learning difficulties. In a context of a Nursery the child may have difficulties understanding verbal language. The use of facial expressions would be extremely useful to the child as they would be able to pick up key signs such as smiling would mean something positive is being said and would be able to digest that easily. I would also use hand gestures would also be useful as I would use my hand to suggest where the toilet is, or where a particular item is. Hand gestures can also be used to do sign language to help the child. Verbal Communication. Asking Questions. The workers in the health and social care sector need the ability to help people discuss and talk about their feelings, thoughts and concerns. Burnard’s theory refers to this as drawing out. He suggests there are four main components to this process. These include, Open questions, reflection, understanding the checks and Empathy building statements, which I have previously explained in my one to one interaction. There are two different types of questions that can be used in communication, closed and open questions. I used more of the open questions, as this allowed the children to think and discuss their ideas of the story with their peers and myself. There are also Prompts and Probes which can be used within asking questions. I used both types, but used Probes much more then Prompts. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Skill I think I was able to perform the skill of opening questions correctly and precisely each time, open questions are great to keep the conversation flowing. The children were able to say their views and listen to what the other children had to say, the children argued on certain points which in general turned out to be a healthy debate about the story we was currently reading together. I used many probes during my interaction; Probes are a very short question that usually follows on from an answer that the other individual has given. I used Probes as they are used to dig deeper into the child’s answer. Which is great when discussing, it abled me to probe into what a child had and then for them to reply with a more detailed answer and often allowed them to explain their answer in a more detailed context. A weakness of this skill of asking questions is that I didn’t use as many Prompts as I should of, prompts are short questions or words which you can offer to person in order to prompt them to answer. There were a couple of shy children who might of distanced their selves from the group when discussing the story, even though they are shy they might of felt excluded as I didn’t try to involve them as much as I should of. This would have affected their self-concept negatively; their self-image and self-esteem could have been affected by this. I should have used more Prompts in order for the shy children to join in with the group discussion 100%, using such words as ‘and what does that mean to you? ’ ‘what do you think is going to happen next? ’ could of provoked more responses out of the shy children which would of made them feel more part the group and feel way more involved. Contexts of the Skill The way you ask questions can vary on what the context of the situation is, the way you ask questions to a young child will be far easier then asking an adult. The questions will be far more complex when speaking to adults comparing it to young children. With each client a health care professional must be able to adapt asking the appropriate questions to their client user. In the context of a doctor asking their patient what is wrong with them, i will need to ask the essential questions to find the diagnosis. A doctor uses questions daily when interacting with their patient; I would use a persistent use of probes and prompts to get the information out of the patient. This allows me to get the correct symptoms out of the patient and for them to prescribe a prescription if needed. There are some cases where a patient is embarrassed or shy when visiting them. If this was to happen I would approach the situation delicately, I would slowly ask questions but allowing the patient to think of their answer and wait for them to reply. I may begin the conversation with an open question such as ‘Hello, what can I do for you today’ and the patient will then explain their symptoms or illness. I would then prompt the patient to answer questions relating to the illness I think they have. I wouldn’t s use too many prompt questions, as this will be pressuring the patient into answering and will make them feel highly un-comfortable. A doctor needs to enrol the role of a professional in which the patient feels they can trust them. Tone ,Pace and Volume of Voice. During my group interaction I had to adjust my tone, pace and volume to fits with the children’s acquirements and needs. I had to speak directly to all the children, so I made sure I projected my voice so that every child could hear what I was saying and wouldn’t be left out. I ensured i kept my sentences short as they were young children. My sentences remained quite simple and not as complex to if I was speaking to an adult. I also used traightforward language and vocab due to the children’s young age. I made sure I used straightforward language and vocab so they could actually understand what I was talking about, wouldn’t want to use over complicated words and for the children to get confused about what is being said. I also maintained comfortable eye contact with all the children when they were speaking; this showed that I w as listening and generally interested in what he was going to say. I was able to speed up my pace of voice, which showed excitement when reading the story which was able to transmit onto the children. Speeding up will invariably makes the tone of voice more urgent and compelling. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Skill I was able to demonstrate my tone, pace and volume effectively during my group interaction with the children. I was able to adjust my voice with the children. I ensured I had a positive tone of voice as they made the children want to communicate back with me. This was because my tone of voice was soft and inviting which convinced the children I wanted to talk to them and listen to what they had to say. As the children are quite young, I did speak a bit slower than usual so the children could digest and understand what I was saying. I made sure I wasn’t patronising to the children with my slow voice, but ensured they felt comfortable to talk to me. I think I was promoted the children’s self-concept during the interaction, by congratulating them when they said a good answer or point. I really allowed the children to talk and express their opinions thoughtfully. As I was a new visitor to the class, I needed the children to trust me and feel comfortable to talk to me as they were unsure of whom I was. My tone of voice had to invite the children in and make them want to talk to me about the story they were currently studying. My volume of voice stayed stable during the whole conversation, it was a comfortable relaxed volume of voice. The observer of the interaction said ‘my tone, pace and volume ‘were at a correct level when speaking to a group of children’ My observer who is also a teacher’s assistant followed on to say that ‘ I was well spoken and had a voice that edged the children to speak to me perfectly fine. After my observer commented on my tone, pace and volume they then followed onto to say that ‘Although she did sometimes use to over complicated words which the children couldn’t understand and enquired about’. As this all comes under the vocab I used, I should have researched more into what words the children would know and what they wouldn’t. I could have overcome this weakness by speaking to the teacher or even the teacher assistant that works with the group of children every school day what kind of reading level they were all at. This would of abled me to research on the amount of knowledge the children would have. A good thing I could have done was asked the teacher or teacher assistant what words they have recently learnt and ensured I used them in my interaction. Contexts of the Skill Adjusting your tone, pace and volume of your voice varies on what service user you are talking to. If I was a nurse working with an elderly person in a care home, I would have to adjust my voice to ensure the individual could hear me properly and for them to communicate back with me. It is typical to stereotype that all elderly people are death and need hearing aids, although there hearing does deterates over time, we can’t assume they are deaf. As this would hurt their self-esteem. I would be very sensitive towards the matter, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions that all people struggle with their hearing when speaking to them. I would address them I would with any other people, as they would reduce them feeling patronised. I would adapt their volume of voice to suit the service user. I would not shout at the individual as this may make them feel intimidated, although I may speak a tad louder so they could hear them. As older peoples hearing does deteriorate over time, they may have difficulties in what I was talking about so they may ask to repeat what I was saying. I would not get angry towards them for not being able to understand me, as this would make the individual to feel little and worthless. I would simply repeat what i said over and over again until they understood properly. For all of this to be possible for the elderly person to communicate back with me. I would ensure to make myself seen clearly and would face the care user, so this allows my mouth to be visible to the elderly person. I would then continue to speak clearly and slowly. I would also have to reduce the background noise, so this wouldn’t interfere with the conversation. I could also make the communication easier for the elderly person by using non-verbal signals where it’s appropriate. Care Values and Transmission [AO1, AO2 and AO4] Maintaining Confidentiality. During my group interaction I was able to demonstrate the care value of Confidentiality precisely. I was able to do this by not mentioning any specific names in this coursework; I always refer to the ‘children’ or the ‘child’. This shows that I was protecting the children’s identity and keeping them protected. Also on the observation sheet that I made sure my observer didn’t comment on any specific children that were in the group I was interacting with. I was also able to demonstrate the skill of confidentiality by saying to the children before the interaction had started what I was going to do through the interaction and ensured that no names would be use when writing about it in my coursework. I also got the children to sign a sheet which explained what was going to happen and that their identity would be kept safe and anonymous. (This sheet is attached to the coursework) The teacher also went through what was going to happen with the children to guarantee they knew what was happening, I also asked if any of the children had any questions before the interaction took place which I would be happily to answer. Contexts of the Care Value. Every Health and Social Care Sector needs to be able to stick and demonstrate the Care Value of Confidentiality with every client they are presented with. Confidentiality can be easily shown in an Alcohol Anonymous group. As a group leader I would ensure and stress that all members are safe to talk about their previous experiences and thoughts, and must allow the members to feel comfortable with the group knowing that they are all together as one. I could show confidentiality at the beginning of the session by saying ‘Whatever is said today stays within the walls of this room and doesn’t travel out of it’. This should make all the group members feel safe and ready to share their experiences. Promoting Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Anti-Discriminatory practice involves challenging unfair discrimination and counteracting any effects that it has already had on an individual. Discrimination can be done in many ways such as: age, sex, disability and even homophobia. It is important to keep within this care value as I was working with a group of children and within this group I had many children who shared different cultures and beliefs. I was able to treat every child equally and didn’t favor or disfavor and particular child. I ensured that every child felt included, secure and valued. I was able to show this Anti-Discriminatory practice by allowing the children to form a circle, also known as ‘circle time’ to discuss ideas about the cultures within the story. The children are more likely to feel comfortable about exploring issues if they feel that what they say and do is cared about. Circle times allowed children to help listen to each other, talk about other cultures they knew and religion. Contexts of the Care Value. My context is going to be within a primary school with children, I will explain how Anti-discriminatory practice takes place within schools, as I wasn’t able to show this as much as I wanted to during my interaction. Children need to hear songs and stories from a range of cultures, Music and dance offer opportunities for expression regardless of language; however, there is a need for sensitivity around dancing in some cultural groups. Music and dancing allows the children to feel as if they were in that particular culture and for them to express themselves, which would be making their self-image and self-esteem positive. The way the children see theirs selves and value themselves will be much higher than before. Dressing up clothes can also represent the styles of different communities, allowing children to take on roles and develop imaginative play skills. The school can also have a large selection of books that introduce different cultures which can be introduced to the children and for them to become aware of them and well educated. The book corner should also involve traditional stories from around the world. Strengths and Weakness of the Care Value. I think I was able to demonstrate the care value correctly, as I kept everyone equal and didn’t favour any of the children. Although there were children who had different culture backgrounds and shared different beliefs compared to other children but I wasn’t able to investigate and promote Anti-Discriminatory Practice within the rest of the children. If I was undertaking a activity with the children talking about religion and cultures I would have been able to promote the differences and make the children more aware that there are many different cultures and religions in the world. Promoting Effective Communication. During my group interaction, I showed the way how projected the sound of my voice when speaking to the whole of the group. As my group were young children, I had to adjust the vocabulary I used; this was due to their age. I couldn’t use over complicated vocabulary as the children wouldn’t of understood and would then be confused. I was able to promote an Effective Communication with all the children during the story and smaller group activities. I was encouraged to use ‘Circle Time’ as this would influence the children to talk and discuss their ideas. To encourage the children to discuss their ideas I used a range of prompts and probes to get information out of the children. This encouraged the children to really express his thoughts and feelings towards the book. I asked every child in turn, what their thoughts were and ensured them that there was no wrong answer. I praised each child when they told the rest of the group their thoughts, praising the child made the children’s self-esteem more positive. The way they value themselves would increase as I praised them for their good work and made them feel good about their self. When asking these questions I allowed enough time for the children to think of a response, and when they replied I ensured I listened to their reply and commented back. All these things show that I was able to Promote Effective Communication with all the children, due to them having happy facial expressions and smiling throughout the whole interaction. Contexts of the Care Value. In the situation of a support group for giving up smoking with the NHS sector, the leader/host of the group would need to show Effective communication throughout the whole group towards everyone. I would have to show support and encourage group members to quit together. I would also show praise towards people that have achieved a goal or a target. A simple thing like praising the individual will affect their self-concept on a whole. Their self-image will be positive and their image will also look more appealing to their selves. I could have given up smoking 10 years ago and knows what the struggles are when trying to give up. This means that I would be able to sympathise with all the group members as I have been through the whole situation herself. When sympathising with a member, I would ensure I speak directly to the individual and ask them to express their feelings as best they can. The best ways to show sympathy is to listen attentively while the other person talks. Asking questions can also make individuals feel more comfortable in the group and will also make them feel welcomed and part as a group, as a leader, a target is to include everyone in the conversation. Finding out information about the individuals can do great good both for the individual and me. The individual may feel like something has been lifted of their chest, by explaining their situation, thoughts and feelings. I would also ensure that I listen thoughtfully when the individual is replying and would use head gestures and ‘replying with yes’ gives the individual that they are being listened to. Promotion of Equality And Diversity. This care value was easy to transmit in the group interaction, when talking about the story I made sure the children was in ‘Circle Time’ so we could discuss the children’s ideas and thoughts. Following on Circle Time I asked the children to get into smaller groups (pairs) for some activities and then asked them to go alone to complete the given task. I went round and gave attention to every child equally and didn’t leave anyone out. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Care Value. I gave attention to each child when discussing what they thought was going to happen next in the story. I asked every child in my group to ensure no one felt left out. I spent roughly the same amount of time on each child when discussing with them about the story, I was giving out my divided attention equally to everyone. During the activities we had to complete, the children were put into smaller groups or by their selves for some activities. In their solo activities I went round and gave them my divided attention, I asked what they were doing and encouraged them to do their best. I did this with every child so again they didn’t felt left out but felt involved just like other group members. I also ensured that I kept an eye on what the other group was doing with their teacher; we were both doing the exact same activity and had a routine/plan to stick to. When the teacher moved onto the next section I also did the same. All the children in class 1 had the same amount of time to complete the tasks; no one had any extra time as this would be making a child seem more important than the others. Contexts of the Care Value. In the situation of working within A&E, it is constantly busy throughout the day and workers need to be able to deal with the rush of patients needing emergency medical attention. A nurse or doctor needs to be able to give every patient the same quality of care and support, they must all treat every individual the same. Every patient that comes to the A&E is unique and nurses and doctors need to recognise their individual differences. For example, they need to address how serious the injury is and if they need to be prior due to the fatal accident and if addressed quickly and lead to serve consequences for the patient. All different service users will use A&E and the workers need to figure out what care to give them, different service users need different care, such as elderly care will be different compared to young children. If a young child came in with a serve injury such as cracking their head open due to something landing on their head, and their head is full of blood and is not stopping, and another service user came in A&E with a ‘sore wrist’ which comes out to be just a sprained wrist. The nurses will put the child first as without immediate attention the child will bleed to death while as the client with a ‘sore wrist’ is not a major injury, although the nurses will give the appropriate care to the client but will put the child first as its more serious. Promoting Anti-Discriminatory Practice In my interaction it was essential and so important not to discriminate against of the children because of their age, sex, race or religion. Within my small group I had a child who suffered from a learning disability they was diagnosed with dyslexia. This made certain school work activities hard for him to complete and took him longer to do so compared to the other children. I didn’t discriminate against their learning disabilities and treated him equally like I did with any of the other children. I influenced the children to voice their opinion and thoughts and share them with the other children. When discussing thoughts in ‘Circle Time’ I influenced and persuaded the children to talk about what they really thought. There was children in the group who had different religious beliefs and culture compared to me and the other children, which meant they had different opinions to certain subjects. I welcomed any new ideas and thoughts from the children and listened to them with an open mind and didn’t reject their opinions. I praised the children when they voiced their opinion and told them what I thought about their opinion in a positive way which influenced their self-esteem, the way individuals think about their selves positive. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Care Value. I don’t think I was able to transmit their Care Value as much as I wanted to; this was because the teacher told and advised me to do a range of particular ideas so I couldn’t really demonstrate what I would do to promote Anti-Discriminatory Practice. If I was given the chance to transmit this Care Value I would of asked to be in a religious studies (RE) lesson, this would mean that I could explain many different religions and cultures. I may tell the children all the ifferent religions we have in our country, after doing so I would then further on to explain some of the religious beliefs they have and similar ones we share. I would get a group discussion going with the children so they could express their own thoughts and would answer any questions about different religions beliefs if children asked. After telling them loads of information about the religions, I could get the children to do a task in small groups, this would c onsist the children being given a particular religion and them to draw/write on an A3 bit of paper about the religion. Then the groups of children would have to explain what they had written/drawn on the A3 sheet to the rest of the class, every group would do this in turn. Work Related Issues/Problems [A03] Encouragement of Independence and Choice. During my interaction I allowed the freedom of choice to all of the children when interacting with them. Even though I was instructed by the teacher to do certain actives I did allowed the children to choose what small group they wanted to work with. I noticed that the children worked with the people who they were sitting next to, and they seemed quite happy to all be working together. This may suggest that they were working with their friends, and by doing this they produced great group work by working as a team. I supported the children’s opinion when expressing in ‘Circle Time’, I often praised the children when they spoke their thoughts and feelings. This would have made every child’s self-esteem value much higher than usual. The way the children values themselves should be positive due to my positive comments I made throughout the interaction. I also allowed the choice and independence of the children going to the toilet by themselves. Adjusted Vocabulary I was able to present myself in a happy positive way when being introduced to the group of children. I tried to use a range of sentences to gain the children’s attention due to my self being a new visitor to the class and the children had never met me before so they seemed to be very anxious of me. so Bob wouldn’t get to confused, this was done so that he could digest the conversation we was having. I also allowed enough time for Bob to think what I had previously said; I didn’t hesitate when he asked me to re-peat what I had said. Even though I tried to use simple vocab, my observer did comment on the ‘use of over complicated words’ which of made Bob struggle. I should have done more research on the language and vocab disability children can understand, to overcome this barrier I could of seeked permission from his mother to look through his school books and completed home work so I could get an idea on what language and vocab Bob uses himself. Interferences/Disturbances. Ensuring the environment is comfortable and not to over powerful is an important factor to effective communication. It is important to make the perfect environment for the interaction to take place. My interaction was completed in a room where my group of children felt comfortable, relaxed and defiantly not anxious of where they were. This was because my room was the classroom the children are used to. This is where they come five days a week to learn and be in school. This made the children easier to settle down as they were in their normal environment. If I had asked the teacher to be placed in a separate room, separated from the rest of the children, it could of made the children feel un-easy and uncomfortable and this could of cause problems such as the children playing up and not setterling down. It could of made me interaction very difficult and negative which would then be picked up by the children. Although I did ensure the place where my interaction took place was in view of the rest of the children and teacher, but was at the other end of the class. This made sure there wasn’t too much background noise, as this would have affected my communication with the children. Being to close to the rest of the class could have intruded on the conversation I was having with the group, this again would cause distraction and make the group hard to settle down and be quiet. This also might have made it hard for the children to pay focus to me, if they could overhear the teachers voice and other children discussing. The lighting was not to bring nor to dark, as this can effect non-verbal communication. This was already done due to being in a school environment. Too much darkness reduces the ability to read non-verbal messages, It can affect people with degrading eye sight or with people who have bad eye sight but use glasses; poor light would of enable the children to see my face clearly. Therefore making it difficult for them to communicate and understand properly what I was saying. Positively Establishing a Friendly Relationship. I effectively promoted a friendly relationship with the whole class. Although it was a struggle at the beginning, this was because I was a new face to the class. The children had never met me and I had never met them either. It took time for the children to pay attention to me; I had to start the interaction by introducing myself and asking the children’s names. The children were still a bit weary of me at that time, so I started a conversation by saying ‘I use to go to this school’ this opened up a lot of conversation between me and the group of children. By saying a true statement like that it abled the children to trust me and feel comfortable with my presence. I also relaxed and wasn’t so tense, which the children could of picked up on. I treated all the children in a sensible manner and treated them all equally. I didn’t pick or favourite any child. By allowing a positive friendly relationship to form I ensured my body posture and facial expressions were transmitting positive ideas to establish this relationship to the group of children. I made sure I smiled when I was listening to the childrens ideas and also nodded which transmitted to the children that I was generally happy to speak to them and listen to all what they had to say. Comparison [AO4] During the one to one interaction with ‘Bob’ I could easily communicate and get them to pay attention to me without struggling to much, but in the group interaction with the small group of school children was much harder to ensure that every child was paying attention to me. I was dealing with a group of children instead of just one person. Although it was only a small group of children, I had never interacted with them before, so this made the children unaware of me and did take a while to settle and actually listen to me. Even after the children were comfortable with my presence it was hard to give them all my focus and attention, as I had to share it out equally between a group of them. There were some children who craved for more attention from me then the other children, so if I was giving them attention by answering questions. I would be giving my divided attention onto just one child instead of the group. Even though some children weren’t afraid to ask more questions, there was still one child who was highly shy and hardly asked or answered questions when I directed it at them. So that particular child wasn’t getting the same divided attention as the other children. This could have had an effect on the child’s self-concept. Also my one to one interaction was with a child who had a learning disability, Bob easily got upset when he couldn’t accomplish tasks that were set. Bob found school life more complicated and frustrating then other school children. Even though Bob had a learning disability, I was able to go through some of his school books and talk to his mother before the interaction so I could gather up an idea what it was like for Bob himself. Also just being a one to one interaction, I was able to communicate with Bob and get him to open up to me about what specific things he found hard and how these things had an effect on the way he felt. I was able to get Bob to confide in me and tell me how he really felt, while playing one of his favourite games. We were in a familiar environment which made myself and Bob feel comfortable and not out of place. While as the group interaction I felt highly uncomfortable at first as I was in an environment which I wasn’t comfortable with and I think the children could see this. Which made the interaction difficult at first, I had to get the children to know me first before they started answering questions and asking questions about the book we were reading together. Even though Bob had a learning disability and this did make me think more carefully about what I was going to say and what I shouldn’t say, I found this interaction easier to complete, as I was only dealing with one individual. While as the group interaction I was dealing with a group of children and had more responsibility then the one to one, I had to ensure I didn’t offend any of the children so I had to watch what I said. Although the children were roughly the same age, the one to one interaction with Bob was much easier to complete then the group interaction. Also when dealing with a group of different individuals, they all have different views and thoughts compared to each other, they all have different perspective views into their religion and their beliefs. I had to take this into account as I didn’t want to offend anyone in what I was saying. This made things more complicated as some of the children had different religious beliefs then the other children and me. So I ensured that I didn’t say anything insulting or anything which may seem insulting to a particular child and single them out. With the one to one interaction I only had to talk to one person, and Bobs religious beliefs were the same as mine, so I knew what to say and not what to say. Conclusion [AO4] During this assignment comparing the two interactions it made me think how different communication techniques are used when interacting one to one or to a group. You also use different techniques and skills when communicating with different client groups and different ages. It is important to ensure Health and Social care professions are able to transmit care values to their users and clients. It is important for these care values to be in place as these care values such as Maintaining Confidentiality, Promoting Anti-Discriminatory Practice and Promoting Effective Communication protect and help the individuals that use the services. If these services didn’t provide these care values such as Maintaining Confidentiality, patients at a Doctors surgery’s personal details would be on show and no long anonymous. People would be able to ask for other people’s personal information without people questioning it. Service users use this care value, to keep their details anonymous and to protect themselves. In the one to one interaction I was in Bobs family home, this made things easier for myself and Bob. Bob was comfortable when talking to me as he was in a friendly well known environment which made him feel comfortable when speaking to me. I think if the interaction took place in a different environment which was not known to Bob, then possibly Bob wouldn’t have been so open with me and wouldn’t of told me how he was really feeling when discussing what he thought about school and his school work. Bob could of possibly not trusted me like he did during our interaction, if you’re in a comfortable environment you’re going to feel comfortable enough to talk to anyone as you feel safe in your own family home. Knowing that Bob felt comfortable it also made me relax a little bit more, which is why me and Bob got along so well! Even though I think both my interactions went well, there are still improvements to be made to make the interactions more successful if I was to do them again. Both my interactions could have been better, but if I was to re-do the one to one interaction I would of done some internet research and textbook research on Bobs learning disability so it would make the interaction possibly more easier. Doing that extra research could reveal doing specific tasks in which Bob would be better at, for example. ‘Bob might find visual tasks easier then memory ones’ These interactions have made me realised how important communication is in a Health Care Profession, without good communication the workers and service users relationship would be very poor. Essential communication is needed to sort out problems and ask for advice and even book appointments in a doctor’s surgery or dentist. I will be able to use all my skills that I have learnt during the interaction in future situations. I can use the communication skills when communicating with my family, my work colleagues and even teachers. These interactions have taught me how we use eye contact, facial expressions, and hand gestures along with verbal communication to transmit excellent communication to other individuals. This can be extremely useful when working in a health/care and even retail environment, as all these services should provide excellent customer service, and using the above skills can help these services please service users, in which means they will be willing to come back.

A Comparison between Hills Like White Elephants

Below is a free essay on â€Å"Compare† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Comparison between â€Å"Hills like white Elephants† and † Cat in the Rain† Similarities between â€Å"Cat in the Rain† and â€Å"Hills like white Elephants†: 1) Characters are couples in both. â€Å"Cat in the Rain† – â€Å"There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel† â€Å"Hills like white Elephants† – â€Å"The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside building† 2) The place where actions occur is not home, characters stayed there for a while. ‘Cat in the Rain† – â€Å"There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel† â€Å"Hills like white Elephants† – â€Å"He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks† 3) In both works one of characters is girl an d she wants something, she was looking for something. †Cat in the Rain† – † And I want to eat at a table with my own silver and I want candles.And I want it to be spring and I want to brush my hair out in front of a mirror and I want a kitty and I want some new clothes† â€Å"Hills like white Elephants† – â€Å"Could we try it? â€Å", â€Å"We want two Anis del Toro†, â€Å"I wanted to try this new drink† 4) Secondary characters are speaking another language. â€Å"Cat in the Rain†- † The maid looked up at her. â€Å"Ha perduto qualche cosa, Signora? â€Å"Hills like white Elephants† – â€Å"Dos cervezas,† the man said into the curtain 5) Also secondary characters are staff. â€Å"Cat in the Rain† – The maid looked up at her â€Å"ha perdute qualche cosa, Signora? † â€Å"Hills like white Elephants† – The Man called â€Å"listen† through the curt ain. The Woman came out from the bar. 6) Characters a little bit nervous. â€Å"Cat in the Rain† – â€Å"I get so tired of it†, she said. â€Å"I get so tired of looking like a boy† â€Å"Hills like white

Culture Day Topic Essay

History of Judo was created by Jigoro Kano. He was a highly educated man; he was considered the founder of the modern Japanese education system. He wanted to preserve and combine the ancient martial traditions of Japan. One of the most important innovations was the emphasis of â€Å"randori†, or non-cooperative free sparring practice. The majority was based on pre-arranged sequences of attack and defense known as â€Å"kata†. For several years Kodokan Judo reigned supreme. Kudo was challenged by a man named Mataemon Tanabae. Maeda Mitsuyo Maeda became one of the greatest fighters in the history of Judo. Maeda retired without ever losing a fight. The Gracies, Maeda settled in Brazil and created an academy of â€Å"Jiu Jitsu†. One of his students was Carlos Gracie. After studying for several years he opened his own academy. He and Maeda created the â€Å"Gracie Challenge†, all challengers were welcome to compete in the challenge. The Gracie fighters were victorious against all kinds of fighters from different backgrounds. Several members of the Gracie family began to go to the US in the late 1980’s. The Gracies and their particular brand of fighting has had a major impact on martial arts today. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was very similar in many ways with to Judo and other systems of Japanese Jiu Jitsu. Judo was originally designed as a powerful system of self-defense. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is divided into three categories: self-defense, free fighting competition, and sport grappling. The fighting strategy of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is to make a physically smaller or weaker person be able to defend from a larger or stronger attacker. When applying BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) techniques leverage is key. As leverage is the secret to the most use of force.

The Points Based System makes migration work for Britain Essay

The Points Based System makes migration work for Britain - Essay Example Second, regulation of migration has become necessary in the face of the threat of terrorism and abuse (Sutherland, 2009). Third, to protect the interests of the citizens of Britain and the society. Combining all these factors together, it becomes clear why there is a ongoing effort from various sectors of the government in coming up with plans and programmes that will limit the influx of migrant applicants without discouraging those talented people who are needed in UK and contribute to UK’s economy. In order to achieve this end, one of several measures that have been undertaken is the implementation of the Point Based System. The Point Based System is primarily intended to replace the ‘80 work permits and entry scheme’. The ‘80 work permits and entry scheme’ are the 80 different ways and routes that can be used if one seeks to work, study to train in UK. This migration policy has been developed piecemeal depending on whatever need arises (Casciani, 2 008). In this regard, the migration network of UK is considered complex. However, with the implementation of the Point Based System, the 80 scheme is superseded, and it has made UK migration system a lot simpler and more effective in identifying people and talents that are needed in UK. As such, the Point based System will make it easier and faster for employers and education to identify the people that they will need. In the Point Based System, the more skills the person has, and the more the skills, that the person has is in demand, the higher the points that one gets, thus increasing the likelihood that the person may enter UK. In this regard, the Point Based System intends to identify and attract workers that can contribute most to UK, to achieve a more efficient and transparent system of application, increased support from employers and educational organization, thereby increasing g compliance and reducing abuse and finally, it seeks to curb low skilled workers from outside EU (www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk). This set up is patterned after Australian Point System, which is considered as one of the simplest and most effective migration in the world. The system will not affect the mobility of European Union workers (Casciani, 2008). The Point Based System is made up of five tiers. Tier One: Highly Skilled. In this tier, the most skilled can have the opportunity to enter UK even without any job offers or employee certification. This means that if the application is successful, then the applicant can have the right to immigrate to UK and have full and free access to the employment market. This includes scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs and business people. As such, a successful applicant under Tier 1 will be permitted to live and work in the UK, seek and undertake employment, establish business, make a substantial investment, or be self-employed (www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk). There are four classifications under Tier 1; general visa, post study work visa, entrep reneur visa and the investor visa. A minimum of 80 points is required to qualify in Tier 1 general visa. The categories in which points are awarded include age, qualifications and earnings. This tier offers the opportunity for the successful applicant in becoming naturalise British citizen. Tier Two: Skilled Work Permits. This is similar with the previous work permit scheme. This tier intends to cater to people who have

Critical review for movie Casablanca Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical review for movie Casablanca - Essay Example Then by train, car or on foot through North Africa in Casablanca, French Morocco. Here, the lucky ones, thanks to money or friends, could get exit visas and run further, in Lisbon and thence to the New World. Others had to wait in Casablanca. Victor and Ilsa tried to get out of Casablanca by all means, because Gestapo trailed them and Major Strasser has arrived to the city. With the support of the Prefect of Police, Captain Renault, Strasser tries to block Laszlo’s path to freedom. In this complex situation, it appears that the only person who can help the Laszlos is Rick. Everything is clear with the first character, Rick Blaine. Hiding under the guise of fictitious skepticism and indifference he stays the inspired fighter for justice. It’s much harder with Ilsa Lund. On the one hand, it seems she is naive, trusting and maybe even spineless, if we look at how torn she is between two men. On the other hand, she has tragic experience and has a strong moral compass. Behind her crystal clear purity we see hiding pain of loss, when she was losing one beloved man after another. Michael Curtiz was the one who tried to understand that complex psychological drama of the characters and make that story appealing. The general set-up is clear, but lets add to all this the bloody war, human struggle, nobility, dignity, faith and you will get Casablanca - the film that became the genuine classic of cinematograph. This romantic drama does not reflect the realities of war, but gives a general feeling that prevailed in the American and European societies at tha t time. Films are not called the classics just for nothing. Curtiz’s film has all the most faithful reasons to be one. Behind the apparent truism (or even banality) we see a hidden socio-political conflict, which does not spoil the movie; instead it raises it to another level. The problems of three little people don’t really amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Love or

Goldman Sachs (see the description) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Goldman Sachs (see the description) - Essay Example Financial indicators of the company and industry are used to determine financial trend and performance of the company. Economic environment of the business was recorded mixed in the early period of 2014 globally. Market of the company was improved in the second quarter of 2014. The first quarter of 2014 was proved to be the declining period for emerging market assets. The assets were affected by the declining position of GDP in China (Mandis, 2013). Another perspective was the political tension going on in Ukraine and Russia. The two problems were significantly controlled in the second quarter of 2014. Real GDP of Japan was accelerated in the first quarter and shown in the report of second quarter. In all the cases the effort was shown in the second quarter of 2014 when there was a consumption tax hike on consumer spending (McEvoy, 2014). In the first quarter, it was noticed that global equity price was improved, interest rate fell down and the credit spreading was contracted. The levels of Volatility were noticed declining further. Equity and debt was strong in the first quarter of 2014. Industry-wide announced that the acquisitions and mergers had increased in the first three months but the situation was somehow opposite to that. The mergers and equity were decreased as compared to the period of first quarter of 2013 (The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., 2014). In the case of European countries, real GDP of the country was increasing to some extent in the first six months of 2014. The European Central Bank noticed inflation in the economy and reduces the rate of interest. Central bank of Europe also announced to increase lending to private sectors and includes targeted long term refinancing operations. The currency of Europe was depreciated by 1 percent because there was an increased in unemployment. The domestic demand in United States was low in the first quarter. The Bank

Personal statement about translation (English-Arabic)

About translation (English-Arabic) - Personal Statement Example Moreover, a translating major would land me into a great career. A major in translating Arabic to English will be great for me. This is because the English language is the most recognized international language. It has surpassed languages such as Russian, German and French and Arabic. English language is the most used language in the business world globally. On the contrary, a major in Arabic to English would enhance me to understand the western civilization as well as the language for me. This means that I can fit in any English speaking country and that which uses English as a second language around the world. On the other hand, it would land me into a great career opportunity. For instance, I could get at a job in the Hague as an Arabic to English translator. I can also pursue a career as a lecturer in the university teaching English literature. I could even end up in the media industry as well as a career in the government as a diplomat in an English speaking nation and also in a country using the English language as a second language (Dickin s 2002). Therefore, a major in Arabic to English language translation would take my career to a whole new level. It would help me understand and appreciate the western civilization, culture and English language. English language is the most spoken language around the globe and most accepted language to transact international businesses. Above all, it would land me into great careers in the world such as translation jobs in the Hague, lecture job, media or even a government job. Therefore, it is my sincere hope that a major in English translation would be great for me not to mention the broad career it would offer me in the

What Makes for a Good Cut Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What Makes for a Good Cut - Essay Example The example shown on the film pertains to the film â€Å"Jaws† where editing made the shark scenes more realistic and believable, and it elicited fear from the audience because the scenes were cut just in the right places where the fake shark wouldn’t be seen as a fake one but a real one. Another thing the editor considers is the shot which is being used. A good editor knows when a long shot or a close-up would be appropriate, or whether the focus on one actor or the other would be better enhanced. Melodramas made ample use of the close-ups during the early years of film, and this practice has been adapted to focus on the element of emotions up to now. There is also the aspect of the fluid movement. The editor is concerned with the fluidity of movement from one scene to the next. In old films as well as in recent ones, there are scenes where a long shot is made which cuts to a next frame which utilizes a much closer shot. The fluid movement from one frame to the next is the handiwork of the editor and the almost invisible cut in between determines how skillfully the editor performs his craft. A good editor also knows how to maximize the use of sounds and images to get the film’s message across. During early times, films were used for purposes of propaganda and in influencing people. Whether it is suspense, action, comedy, drama, an erotic film or a horror flick, the editor knows the exact sound and image to show the audience so that they are moved to respond in a certain way.  

Enviromental concerns of overpopulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enviromental concerns of overpopulation - Essay Example Despite this, the technology has had negative effects on some aspects of the human existence. In the recent past, the population increase has been alarming. This has posed some challenges in the maintenance of our environment. This paper seeks to give an in-depth analysis of environmental concerns of overpopulation. Environmental concerns of overpopulation The population growth rate in the twenty first century has been alarming. This has resulted in the exploitation of natural resources, which has exposed the world to more danger. Despite this, most of the stakeholders in population issues have not been active enough to sensitize the threat posed to all persons across the globe. According to research conducted by global footprint network, the water necessary to provide the resources we currently use has declined. Taking into consideration the population at hand, and the food and water they consume, great risk is evidence. To be able to handle the problem effectively, the current tech nologies in recycling have helped a great deal. Despite this, if the population continuously increases, the technology may not be able to sustain future global needs. Currently, various cities around the globe are experiencing water shortages, which were not experienced in the past. On the other hand, technological advancements have resulted in machinery replacing persons in various industries. This creates unemployment, which becomes alarming due to the large population. Thus, population control and education is necessary so that no resources to be used in the future are exploited now posing future generations into trouble. It would be too late for us to respond when the disaster have befallen (Friedman 1). Human population has increased to alarming numbers resulting to overuse of the currently available resources. These exploitations have affected various aspects of life not only in human race but also in the animal kingdom. Global warming has resulted from alteration of the norma l environmental conditions of various regions posing danger to the existence of humankind. In the United States of America, well-informed and equipped institutions such as NASA should provide sufficient information without exaggeration on the current state of global warming. It is evident that the living conditions have been affected and according to Friedman, â€Å"The weather gets weird. The hots are expected to get hotter, the wets wetter, the dries drier and the most violent storms more numerous† (Friedman 1). Through too much pollution by the large number of the world’s population, more heat is trapped resulting into the alterations of the temperatures (Frazier 1). This affects the world in social, political, and economic aspects (Krugman 1). As a result, various institutions across the globe have been conduction numerous researches on renewable energy and increased efficiency. This has been brought forth by the reality that most human activities are catastrophic and irreversible. In most countries such as china, Russia and Iran among others, various transformations are being conducted in transport and energy sources to ensure that the damage caused by the enormous population on the environment is curtailed. This is because the world population may have increased by about a third translating to about 9.2 billion by 2050. Thus, lack of proper implementation of effective strategies, the world may become inhabitable in future (Diamond 5). In some cases, issues relating to overpopulation have encountered rejection from various persons who directly or indirectly benefit from natural resources exploitation activities. This contributes, to enormous pollution and exploitation of natural

Criminal identification procedures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal identification procedures - Essay Example Just as many other things have during the course of the last decade, the technological advancement in the pursuit of legal justice has been astonishing. Never before in history have investigators had tools at their disposal to solve a case and as such, giving the victim(s) some much needed closure for healing and getting the sense of justice which is entitled to them. With all of this advancement, each innovation in its own right played an instrumental role in crime solving. In that case, two of the specific advancements in technology to observe are DNA Analysis and the use of Intra-agency databases for DNA. DNA plays such a crucial role in legal matters with the fact that it is a genetic picture of a person. DNA is defined as, "Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules. The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the use of this genetic information," ("DNA" p.1). As for how exactly forensic experts can use DNA in their investigations, the online Encyclopedia Wikipedia answers this further down in their discussion on the subject of DNA and the multiple roles in which it can play a part. "Forensic scientists can use DNA in blood, semen, skin, saliva or hair at a crime scene to identify a perpetrator. This process is called genetic fingerprinting, or more accurately, DNA profiling. In DNA profiling, the lengths of variable sections of repetitive DNA, such as short tandem repeats and minisatellites, are compared between people. This method is usually an extremely reliable technique for identifying a criminal.[104] However, identification can be complicated if the scene is contaminated with DNA from several people.[105] DNA profiling was developed in 1984 by British geneticist Sir Alec Jeffreys,[106] and first used in forensic science to convict Colin Pitchfork in the 1988 Enderby murders case.[107] People convicted of certain types of crimes may be required to provide a sample of DNA for a database. This has helped investigators solve old cases where only a DNA sample was obtained from the scene. DNA profiling can also be used to identify victims of mass casualty incid ents, [108" ("DNA" p.1). An advantage for the use of DNA Analysis and by extension having Intra-agency databases for DNA is that DNA itself acts as a blueprint for the criminal who chose to commit the crime in the first place and with tools for analysis and a database to maintain the information achieved through the study of the DNA, investigators will be able to maintain a cohesive list of DNA evidence from criminal cases which may otherwise have been far more difficult to have solved had it not been for the technology in the first place. Within recent years, many people have been freed from jail after spending numerous years behind bars for crimes that, had the technology been there at the time of trial; they would not have been convicted in the first plac

WHY PLAGIARISM IS CONSIDERED TO BE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Essay

WHY PLAGIARISM IS CONSIDERED TO BE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY - Essay Example By cheating with plagiarism, the student is using someone else’s work but letting their instructor or professor believe that the work is of their own creation. This can also be accomplished if the person writing the paper does not acknowledge work they adapted from someone else. Just as a student is capable of looking at their friend’s answers during a test and then using those answers on their own exam, a student who plagiarizes uses someone else’s words for their own purpose (Gilmore, 2008). They treat another’s work as if it were their own. When a student plagiarizes and resorts to academic dishonesty, they are cheating themselves out of learning. Instead of doing what they must to understand the topic or subject matter, they take the ideas or words that someone else has come up with to trick the instructor or professor into thinking that the student has come up with the ideas. As such, plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty, and cheating, because the student used immoral means of completing their assignment, claiming someone else’s hard work and unique thoughts for themselves (Whitley & Spiegel, 2002).

A Characters View, Drugstore Cowboy Essay Example for Free

A Characters View, Drugstore Cowboy Essay One page essay for Theater 19 acting class Due March 13 2012 By Charles (Chuck) Borges March 13th 5:30am This short essay is about a character in the film â€Å"Drugstore Cowboy† Bob. This is what I think his character is like, and what’s going on in his life before this next scene. Bob is a ringleader or mastermind of an underdeveloped group of drug store robbing addicts who Procure their vices by stealing them from local pharmacies. Bob likes doing drugs. He likes the whole lifestyle. While in the proses of robbing these establishments, Bob gets a euphoric Sense of power. The adrenalin rush is like no other. He risks going to jail, and losing his Freedom to obtain that rush at any expense. As long as it doesn’t come out of pocket. You see, Bob is a poor man He’s a hype that can shoot up enough dope to kill a horse. But that was then, and this is now. As he sits and ponders his mass confusion that he Called a life, in a small room, in some apartment complex, ran by a person like himself. An X Junkie named Tom. To say the last six months have been easy on Bob would be a lie. Sobriety Is kicking his ass and He’s starting to feel bored and becoming restless at work. Not a good sign. The daily grind was starting to bore into Bob like a drill bit. The addiction was winning its way Back into his life and he knew it. Bob’s life was better now. He has his boring job, boring apartment, boring life. But all in all, a respectable existence, surrounded by regular people with regular, Similar lives. But he’s still feeling alone and thinking of the good times he used to have with a Certain somebody he shared his tawdry past with. He’s feeling melancholy about the way he left her, but knowing that deep in his heart , it was the best solution from a destructive path. But still he is wondering to himself ,† I wonder what ever happened to my buddy who’s girlfriend died, and if they will ever find her body . † I’m thinking , he’s wondering â€Å" Is Diane alright?

The Beginning Of Modernity In Europe Sociology Essay

The Beginning Of Modernity In Europe Sociology Essay Modernity, began in Europe, but yet it affected every nation in the West and, to some degree, all the nations of the world. The transition from traditional medieval society to modernity is easy to identify. The Enlightenment brought about a period of change. God was no longer thought to be at the centre of the universe, there was a move from agriculture to industry which saw three revolutions signalling the advent of modernity in the forms of the industrial revolution in England 1780-1840 the democratic revolutions of the United States of America in 1776 and France in 1789 and the The scientific revolution (1500-1700). Capitalism became the predominant economic force and sociological concept of modernity is therefore associated with industrialization, urbanization, secularization, bureaucracy and progress. Kramnick, Isaac. Thematic Essay: Political and Social Thought of the Enlightenment, Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopaedia 2009 http://encarta.msn.com  © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Essentially, the English and French revolutions were significantly different. The nature of the Industrial Revolution within England provided the people with an ideal towards greater freedom and cultural expression, as consumerism began to dominate society. France on the other hand, was more visibly concerned with the issue of religion than England was. Medieval Europe thought the authority was the word of God and was revealed through the teachings of the Roman church. The enlightenment challenged this whilst accepting new ideas of religion, myth and tradition thus helping create a new faith through knowledge and reason. The enlightenment ushered a period of uncertainty for religion in Europe, and Christianity in particular was criticised by the enlightenment writers. One theory that gained wide attention in the enlightenment suggested that religion was the invention of cultic leaders or priests, whose prime consideration was the furtherance of their own interests (Yolton et al 1996: 447). Yolton, J et al (1996) Enlightenment (Blackwell) Galileo was in fact imprisoned and nearly killed because of his beliefs and theories that questioned the traditional ideas and attitudes of the church. In order to escape Galileo had to swallow his pride and admit he was wrong, even though he knew has was correct. Although the philosophers involved in the enlightenment continued to believe in God, the findings they made meant the basis of knowledge was no longer seen as the word of God as the church believed, as described by Hamilton in his book The Enlightenment and the Birth of Social Science (1992: 55-56). For the first time man could dare know about the social arrangements under which he lived, rather than have them presented to him through the obscuring haze of a religious ideology. By knowing about these social arrangements their operation would become clear and thus open to change. In other words the enlightenment leads to science and natural philosophy replacing religion as the means of knowledge. During the enlightenment faith in divine revelation, and the authority of the Church, were increasingly undermined by the new confidence in the ability of human reason to provide an understanding of the world. Similarly, the understanding of history as the chronicle of the fall of man from Gods grace, with spiritual salvation only attainable in the next world, was largely replaced by a belief in human perfectibility and the increasing faith in mans power and ability to use his new-found knowledge to improve mankinds state. (Badham 1986:79) Badham (1986) Theories of Industrial Society Enlightenment brought about a cultural change in what creates knowledge and what the purpose of knowledge is. After the enlightenment, history was no longer seen as synonymous with God working his purpose out. (Smart, 1992, Pg8) Smart, B (1992) Modern Conditions, Postmodern Controversies (Routledge) Power of human reason was now used to create knowledge. The enlightenment period challenged sources of authority dramatically, never before had people dare question the word of church until this time, and the enlightenment brought about a great deal of change in the way people perceived the world. The idea of a social contract is another important feature of the Enlightenment. The central concept in Jean-Jacques Rousseaus thought is liberty and most of his works deal with the mechanisms through which humans are forced to give up their liberty. . This issue which Rousseau confronted most of his life is summed up in the first sentence of his most famous work, The Social Contract: Man is born free but everywhere in chains. (Rousseau (1762), 1973: 165).Rousseau, J.J ([1762] 1973) The Social Contract, Everyman The liberals welcomed the dramatic changes because individuals are naturally rational and should be able to pursue their own interests, the removal of traditional restraints and the emergence of governments which guaranteed the rights of the individual were therefore seen as progressive developments. For socialists this did not go far enough, human beings are naturally sociable and their needs can only be met collectively, this necessitates the replacement for capitalism which divides people by socialism which enables them to cooperate. On the other hand to these two optimistic responses to social change, conservatives exhibited horror; human beings are naturally a member of a social organism, unequal but depending on each other. These revolutions in their disregard for tradition and their rupture of the natural order were seen as dangerous developments. The three most commonly mentioned sociological perspectives are Functionalism, which is a system theory. Marxism which is often seen as a conflict theory and in addition there is also Social Action Theory. August Comte, Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons are known as the three best-known Functionalists. When you look into the Social Action Theory you come across many articles by Max Weber, who is one of the earliest known Social Actionist and George Herbert Mead. Very few sociologists actually write about Marxism other than Karl Marx himself. Functionalism is a theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can be best explained in terms of the functions they perform, that is the contributions they make to the continuity of society. Moreover, they view society as a complex system whose various parts work in relationship to each other in a way that needs to be understood. (Giddens 4th Edition, 2001, page 689). Functionalism is based on a systems theory. The ideas behind the perspective are that our behaviour is governed and constrained by social forces. In other words, we are what we are because of the social groups that we belong to. Functionalists see society as a system based upon the same lines as the human body. The analysis used to describe functionalism is often compared to the working of the human body. Therefore, if you describe how the human body works, you can compare society to the same system. Each part of the body i.e. the heart/family, lungs/workplace and brain/government, have a particular j ob to fulfil within the overall system. However, you need them to be working in conjunction for the system to work properly. In a similar way it is the contribution we make within our society, which enable us to flourish. The various parts of the society, such as the family or religion must be seen in relation to society as a whole. (Haalambos and Halborn, 5th Edition, 2001,page 9) The term sociology was coined by a French man named Auguste Comte (1798-1857) in 1838. He wanted to understand the great social changes that had occurred around him and made the earliest contribution to the development of sociological thinking. He set about devising a science of sociology. A science in the manner set down by the scientist and philosophers of the Enlightenment. He believed that the methods used in the natural sciences could be applied to the study of society, thus Comte was a proponent of Positivism, defined as an epistemological position that advocates the application of the methods of the natural sciences to the study of social reality and beyond (Bryman, A, 2004: 542). Bryman A. (2004) Social Research Methods, New York: Oxford University Press Comte has particular prominence given to him because his thinking reflected the turbulent times of his age and also because he coined the word sociology in other to be different from other thinkers. He was a French man who no ticed that the French revolution had introduced significant changes into the society and he also sought to explain and create a science of the society that could explain the social laws of the world just as science explained the laws of the physical world. He argued that the society conforms to the invariable laws in much the same way that the physical world does. His law of three stages claims that the human efforts to understand the world have passed through the theological and metaphysical and positive stages. He was keenly aware of the state of the society that he lived. He was concerned with the inequalities being produced by industrialization and the threat they posed to social cohesion. In his view, the long term solution was the production of moral consensus that would help to regulate or hold the society together. His visions for the society were never realized, his contribution to systemizing and unifying the science of society. Another Key thinker is Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), He did draw on many aspects of Comtes Work but he believed that Comtes ideas where too speculative and vague and that Comte had not successfully carried out his programme (Giddens, 2001: 8). Giddens, A. (2001) sociology (4th edition), Cambridge: polity Durkheim did believe that social life could be studied with the same objectivity as the natural world and he developed the concept of social facts, which should be studied by sociologists; social facts are aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals, such as the state of economy or the influence of religion (Giddens, 2001: 9). Giddens, A. (2001) sociology (4th edition), Cambridge: polity for him his main intellectual concern of sociology is the study of social facts. He stated that the aspects of social life shape our actions as individuals, such as the state of the economy or the influence of religion. However, he conceded that social facts are difficult to study beca use they are invisible and intangible and they cannot be observed directly. He instead states that they must be revealed indirectly which is by analyzing their effects or by considering attempts that have been made at their expression, such as laws, religious texts or written rules of conduct. He was concerned with the changes that were transforming society in his own lifetime. He was particularly interested in social and moral solidarity; this was in other words what held the society together and held it from descending into chaos. He stated that there are two types of solidarity and he contrasted them together, mechanical and organic, relating them to the division of labour and the growth and distinctions between the different occupations. However, the forces of industrialization and urbanization led to a growing division of labour that contributed to the breakdown of solidarity. Karl Marx (1818-1883) Marxs ideas were strikingly different from that of Comtes and Durkheim. Marx ideas where inspired by the industrial revolution and argued that the system of capitalism affected human experience. He focused on conflicts between the classes, and the need for substantial social change to a communist society. His political activities brought him into conflict with the German authorities, after a brief stay in France, he settled permanently in exile in Britain. He however witnessed the growth of factories and the inequalities that resulted. His viewpoints were grounded in what he called the materialist conception of history. According to this view, it is not ideas or values human beings hold that are the main sources of social change. Rather social change is prompted primarily by the economic influences. He believed in the inevitability of a workers revolution which would overthrow the capitalist system and usher in a new society in which there would be no classes, t he rich and the poor. Marx gave names to the haves and have nots, they are known as the Bourgeoise and the Proletariats. One way of assessing the power of the upper class is through the study of elites (people who fill the top positions in each of the major institutions of society); most of the sociological debates have centered on economic elites and political elites. (Sociology in focus 5th Edition, 2000, page 53) They differ from functionalists in the way that they see the difference. He did not mean that inequalities would disappear; he rather stated that society would no longer be split into a small class that monopolizes economic and political power and the large mass of people who benefit little from the wealth their work creates. He believed that in the society of the future production would be more advanced and efficient than production under capitalism. Karl Marx is quoted as saying ideology is a distortion of reality, it binds members of society to the contradictions and conflicts of interest that are built into their societys. (Haralambos and Holborn, 5th Edition, 2002, page 13) Max Weber (1864-1920) was influenced by Marx, but saw class conflict as less significant and believed that ideas and values had as much impact on social change. He developed the idea of ideal types, which are conceptual and analytical models that can be used to understand the world. Weber made use of ideal types in his writing on forms of bureaucracy and the market. He therefore simply cannot be labelled a sociologist as his interest and concerns ranged across many areas. He was born in Germany where he spent most of his academic career. He was most concerned with the development of modern capitalism and the ways in which modern society was different from earlier forms of social organization. In common with thinkers of his time, he sought to understand the nature and causes of social change; he was influenced by Marx but was also critical of some of his views. He saw class conflict as less significant than Marx. ` He believed that sociology should focus on social action, not structur es; he argued that human motivation and ideas were the forces behind change. According to him, individuals have the free will to act and shape their future. Social Action Theory is often described as the alternative theory. Social Actionists see people as individuals who have a right to react as and how they wish. They say that how we react with each other in our society is largely up to us as individual social being. It is a social perspective that focuses on the meaning and intensions that underpin human actions. Social active perspectives are concerned with the way in which the human actively and creatively interprets the world around them. Rather than the external forces which could be used as a guide (Giddens 4th Edition, 2001, page 698) It is worth pointing out here that sociology did not become the institutionalised and professional discipline that we know today until the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. As Jenkins puts it Comte first gave it a name and Marx sketched out some of its most enduring ideasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sociology as we know it today was establishedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by Weber, Simmel, Durkheim and Mead (Jenkins, 2002:21). Jenkins R. (2002) foundations of sociology, Basingstoke: Palgrave The enlightenment period is often referred to as the age of reason. The enlightenment influenced people lives a great deal, and without this period, the world would not be how it is today. It enabled people to have the right to express their views freely and publicly without the fear of being imprisoned or even killed.

Personality Interests And Career Suitability

Personality Interests And Career Suitability The purpose of this report is to examine my suitability for the career I wish to pursue as well as look at other areas that maybe more suited to my personality and interests. I will highlight my suitability to the career in which I have chosen through self-awareness and career exercises. I will be analysing these findings and determining my suitability for my chosen career as well as the implications that I may face. I will then review potential career opportunities of interest to me and why I have chosen this particular career as well as reviewing the selection procedure that I would have to go through in order to join the Metropolitan police service. Finally, I will produce an action plan for the next 5 years based on my career and life goals and the steps I would need to take in order to achieve my goals. Throughout this report I will be referring to material that I have used that can be located at the end of this report in the appendixes. A Future on the Front Line Initial Reflections In my Career Planning Preparation Questionnaire  [1]  (See Appendix I), I outlined occupations that I was considering. After further thought into this, I have decided that my main goal is to join the Metropolitan Police Service, although I will be conducting research into Mi5 as a back up option if I was not successful in joining the Police service. The report was very accurate in that it stated that I was a very confident person and knew what interests me and what sort of career I would like to pursue which I believe will be evident throughout this report. In the comments section at the end of each section I set my self tasks to complete, I have done all of these I purchased the book stated, this proved useful when completing assignment one in for which I got a very good grade. I have completed the Prospects Planner  [2]  (Appendix V) and this will be referred to throughout. I have also conducted extensive research into the Metropolitan Police service and Mi5. Self- Awareness Analysis and Reflection Following the Type Dynamics Indicator  [3]   In order to understand the type of person I am and what sort of job my personality would be best suited to and that implications that may arise I conducted the Type Dynamics Indicator Exercise (Appendix II) After answering a number of questions, the indicator suggested that I preferred the style of co-ordinator. This is one of the most organised and responsible of the types. A more detailed analysis can be found in the appendix. When I read the report and compared it to how I view myself and how this would fit into the police force, I found it to be very useful and insightful. Throughout my career I have always preferred an ordered and disciplined work environment, hands on roles rather than office based work, and I loathe work which is unstructured or wastes time. My preferred style also explains why creative writing and performing arts have never interested me, as this is not typical of a co-ordinator. I enjoy taking responsibility in teams, which is evident throughout my academic and voluntary roles. I was form representative throughout secondary school, college and university. I was also chair of Basildon Youth council for 3 years. According to the report, the above elements are very typical of a co-ordinator. I can be a very tough leader. I am very organised and ensure everyone has a task and a deadline by which to complete it by. I will also put equal if not more work into the task as well and respect those who do too. Many co-ordinators are found in the police force. This is because they are organised, traditional, loyal and efficient and the job gives them a role where duty, courage and a sense of responsibility are the foundations and together with purpose, direction and delivery. I think my preferred style is very suited to a career in the Police force. Although areas I may wish to improve are flexibility, allowing people to do things in their own way and being more appreciative to other peoples feelings. My Strengths and Weaknesses I used the activity How Well Do You Know Yourself  [4]  to help me highlight my strengths and weaknesses. I had to select five words that described me, including at least one weakness, I asked two of my house mates whom I have lived with for 2 years to do the same. The results are outlined below. How I see myself: Outgoing Moody Driven Reliable Authoritative How others see me: Aggressive Outgoing Confident Driven Authoritative It appears that I see myself very similar to how others see me. Both my friends and I also stated that I was driven which hopefully will stand out when I go for through the selection process and promotions. One of my weaknesses that I put down was that I can be moody, this was not picked up on by my friends by they did state that I can be aggressive. This may prove a problem when in the police force and so I should try to be less aggressive and abrupt when dealing with people as this may aggravate situations, instead I will be more authoritative as this will also resolve situations. Because I have been involved in voluntary work from a young age this is also one of my major strengths as not only do the police view those who have undertaken voluntary work very highly I have also worked in a wide range of different teams with different police and developed numerous skills such as communication, presenting, leadership, teamwork, delegation and compromising. The work I have also undertaken with the police with add to my strengths further as I have a more in depth knowledge of the workings of the police that not a lot of other candidates will. Analysis of Career Interests To assist me to identify my career interests I used the John Holland Career Interest Inventory  [5]  . My Results stated that my code was ESI. A description of the different aspects is below. Realistic Investigative Artistic Social Enterprising Conventional People who have athletic or mechanical ability, prefer to work with objects, machines, tools, plants or animals, or to be outdoors. People who like to observe,learn, investigate, analyze, evaluate or solve problems. People who have artistic, innovating or intuitional abilities and like to work in unstructured situations using their imagination and creativity. People who like to work with people to enlighten, inform, help, train, or cure them, or are skilled with words. People who like to work with people, influencing, persuading, performing, leading or managing for organizational goals or economic gain. People who like to work with data, have clerical or numerical ability, carry out tasks in detail or follow through on others instructions 6 My most popular interest area was enterprising. A more detailed analysis of this on the same website, said that I am self confident, assertive, ambitious, popular and extroverted  [7]  which are similar qualities to those highlighted in my strengths and weakness section. It also stated that I enjoy heading meetings, evidence of which is my 3 years as chair of Basildon Youth Council and achieving awards, something that of course I always enjoy. Occupations that matched my code included, computer operators, paramedic and stoke brooking, although none of these careers has ever interested me. A police officer matches the Holland code of SER. I matched the social and enterprising aspect but lacked in the realistic aspect as in the description it stated that the interests include working with machinery, plants, and tools which is something that does not appeal to me. I still believe my interests match closely with that of a Police officer and that my interests will still be fulfilled. Analysis of Career motivators and Drivers I completed an exercise  [8]  developed by Dave Francis in order to highlight my career drivers (Appendix III). The two highest scoring elements were material rewards and power/influence. I was not surprised by the power/influence element as I enjoy taking on responsibility and believe I perform better in teams that I am leading. I was surprised by the material rewards element. I have never considered myself a material person, but that maybe because I have never been in a strong financial position as I am from a low-income background. My need for a better life where I do not have to worry about money maybe what is driving me to succeed and may be why I have chosen to take a degree in order to be able to apply for the high development scheme within the police force to aid my promotion prospects. I maybe further motivate to gain promotion because power and influence drives me to succeed. I dont think I would be happy in a career which does not allow me to develop or where there is no opportunity for promotion. Prospects Planner Results I completed a personal profile on the prospectus website  [9]  (Appendix IV). In the skills area I matched 100% in three areas, counselling, social and guidance services, human resources and employment and legal services. I believe this is a good match to me as I have been involved in a lot of youth and community engagement work through my voluntary roles and I enjoyed this very much. I also undertook a 4-week work placement while I was at school with McCormacks Criminal Defence Solicitors that I enjoyed too. I was surprised that I scored so highly on human resources as this is an area I have never considered or interested me before. My highest scoring on my interests and motivations was again counselling at 71% and teaching at 69%. I was surprised that I scored highly on teaching as this is another area that has never interested me. My combined profile matched most highly with counselling with legal services very close behind. Both of these have interested me throughout my life and I would consider a career in these areas if I were unsuccessful in my original career plans or wanted a change of career later in life. Appendix V demonstrates how well my combined profile matches the job of a police officer. My overall match was good however; there are some areas that I scored ok or poorly in. After looking at the report the areas in which I have said I would like to avoid or be a minor part of my job are those that I would not mind incorporating into my career. They are things I am competent at so I do not think they will prevent me from enjoying or performing my role as a police officer My Career and Life Goals Pass my driving test Have a degree with a 2.1 or first class classification Successfully gain employment with the metropolitan police service Gain promotion Career opportunities Although a large part of this report will be based on the Police force I have also conducted research into Mi5 as I will need a back up option if I were not successful in joining the police. Mi5 Graduate Positions Graduate positions within Mi5 are advertised on their website (http://www.mi5careers.gov.uk) a specification of a job that would appeal to me is attached to this report  [10]  (Appendix VI). Before you apply for the job you are invited to complete a short test  [11]  of scenarios with possible responses which you have to select in order to test your suitability to the role. I conducted this exercise and a copy of my results can be found under appendix VII. Eligibility Criteria In order to join you have to be at least 18 years old, you must be a British citizen and one of your parents also has to be. You have to have been resident in Britain for at least 9 out of the last 10 years prior to your application. This does not apply to those who have been serving abroad with HM Forces. You also have to be of good mental and physical health. Depending on the role you apply for you may have to meet other requirements such as degree classification or previous experience. Recruitment Process The recruitment process is quite lengthy and can last up to 6 months. The first step is to get an application form from one of the services external recruitment agencies. If your application meets the required standard you will then be shot listed and the best candidates on the short list will be invited for a competency based interview with the services graduate recruitment team. If successful you will then attend a one day assessment centre where a range of competencies will be tested. Successful completion of this will lead onto another interview this time with the services vetting section. This will last for at least 2 hours and will involve personal questions about your background and lifestyle to ensure you are suitable to having access to sensitive material. Those who pass this element will return for a final interview with the final selection board. If successful the vetting process is then complete and a job offer will be made. Depending on what role you are applying for you may need to do additional assessments such as fitness tests, medical examinations and in the case of the vacancy attached to this report you also have to do a 2 hour driving assessment. Training Once you have been appointed you undertake a week long initial induction course prior to taking up then post and then you will undertake a two-year training programme. Metropolitan Police Service Graduate Positions The recruitment process is open to everybody and is not limited to graduates only. In order to apply for the Metropolitan Police Service you have to complete an application form, in which it asks you to give examples of a number of competences. The only way you can get one is to attend one of the recruitment events that are held throughout the year in various different areas of London, details of the events can be found on their website http://www.met.police.uk/careers/events.html. This is to assess your dedication to the force to which you are applying. Eligibility Criteria In order to join the police you must be a British Citizen, a citizen of the EU or other states in the EEA, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK. The minimum age is 181/2 but you can apply to join at 18. There are no formal qualifications needed although you will be required to be able to pass the tests. You must also be physically and mentally fit enough to perform the duties of a police officer. Recruitment Process The recruitment process can take in excess of 12 months. If you are successful in the application stage, which 65-75% of people are not due to poorly filled out application forms  [12]  , you will be sent notification of your assessment centre date and information regarding the process. While at the assessment centre, you will be a customer service officer and the scenarios and exercises will be based around a fictitious shopping centre called the Westshire Centre. During the assessment centre, you will undertake two 20 minute written exercises, which could be a report and a letter for example. This will test your problem solving, communication and written skills. The interview is the next part. It generally last 15-20 minutes and you will be asked 4 different questions and you will have to provide examples of things you have done in the past to demonstrate you competency in different areas. You will then go through four interactive role-play stations. At each station you will be given five minutes preparation time at each station in which to study the background information to the role play and make any notes which you can take in with you. When the five minutes are up you will enter a room, interact with a role-play actor, and deal with the situation for five minutes. The last exercise you complete at the assessment centre is the Police Initial Recruitment Test, which consists of two papers; Numeric (12 minutes), and Verbal Logical Reasoning (25 minutes). You will receive results of your assessment centre within 14 days. Each of the competencies tested will be graded between A-D, D being the lowest. If you have passed, you will also be sent details of the next stage of the assessment, which is the fitness tests and medical. Firstly, you will undergo a medical in which your hearing, vision, blood pressure, body fat etc will be tested. Your height and weight will also be taken. If you pass the medical, you can progress to the fitness test. The first stage of the fitness test will measure your upper body strength. There is two parts pushing and pulling, these will both be measured on a Dyno machine. You need pull at 35kg and push at least 34kg to pass. The next test is a bleep test. In this test, you will run between two points 15 meters apart. You will run to one end turn around wait for the beep and run back to the other end before the other beep. As the test, progresses the beeps will get closer and closer together through the levels. You will have to reach at least level 5.4 to pass. Once you have completed this section successfully you will go through the final vetting and reference checks, if this is successful you will then be formally offered employment and fitted for your uniform. Training When you start, you will initially undertake a 5-week module at Hendon Recruit Training School after which you are designated a borough where you will carry out a remaining 26 weeks training as part of the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme.  [13]   Every recruit will undergo a 2-year probationary period before they will become a fully trained constable. High Potential Development Scheme Those who show potential during training will automatically be invited to join the High Potential Development Scheme, you can also apply to join the High Development Potential Scheme after one year with the service, you do not need to have a degree to apply, but you must be able to cope with the academic demands. It is anticipated that there will only be 60 places on the scheme in the Metropolitan Police Force for 2009  [14]  . In order to apply you will have to fill out an application form when they become available, you can find out when they are available from your boroughs HDPS representative. If you are successful the assessment takes place in three stages. Stage one an in-force assessment where candidates will demonstrate the ability to meet the high level eligibility criteria. Forces will be asked to recommend their very best officers. Stage two is a series of ability tests, including tests of your verbal, numerical and non-verbal ability, and a test of your judgement and decision making in a range of managerial scenarios. These tests are designed along the same lines as the selection tests used for the Strategic Command Course, they will ensure that candidates have the ability to deal with the required academic programme. However, dependent on how many people are recommended, these tests may also be used to select the best officers on merit to attend the assessment centre at Stage 3. Stage three is an assessment centre incorporating; written exercises, interactive exercises, an oral briefing exercise and a competency-based interview. Candidates will also take a personality questionnaire. The feedback from the questionnaire will only be used to give all applicants developmental feedback; it is not part of the selection process  [15]  . If you are successful, you will then embark on a two-year development programme leading to a postgraduate diploma related to policing in which you will be assessed throughout the whole process. Workplace support and development is also available. Those who are successful at this stage and still show potential to reach Chief Officer level can go onto the next level where they will undertake further development leading on to a masters. Promotion will be given to those who can show the Chief Officer that they are competent in the next rank and pass the relevant exams; the advantage to this is that they do not have to wait for vacancies to come up and therefore move through the ranks quicker than those who are not on the scheme. Even those who are not on the Scheme can still apply for promotion once they have completed their 2-year probationary period. There are numerous opportunities to specialise further. There are various different departments that you can work in such as the dog section, CID, Scenes of Crime, Intelligence, Terrorist Division, armed response, air support etc. Pay and Benefits During training you will be paid  £28,497 and after completion of training this will rise to  £31,068  [16]  .A more detailed break down of the salary for officers at all different levels can be found as Appendix VIII of this report. You will also have access to a comprehensive pension scheme and free travel within your borough. Why the Police Service? When I was 10 I attended an open day at the local police station. I was amazed at the variety of work they undertook and the job really appealed to me. I started getting involved in volunteer work I became a member of the Basildon Youth Council and this lead on to further opportunities to work closely with the police where I learnt a lot about the force and the job. I continued aiming to become a police officer and decided to study Public Services at college. I wanted a vocational course that enabled me to learn more about the jobs within the police as well as giving me opportunity to work with the police and other organisations. Now I am at University studying the degree of Policing and Criminal Investigation. I chose this I get to study various aspects of the work of the Police in detail as well as learn English law in great depth too. The degree will also assist me when I join the police and apply for the High Development Potential Scheme. A career in the police force appeals to me, as I would like a job that is both challenging and rewarding whilst giving something back to the community and making a different in the lives of those around us. Although it does have some drawbacks. It is a very dangerous career as you are the first response to most violent incidents, some incidents you attend can also be very traumatic. Because of the shift patterns it can leave very little time for a social life and plans which you make may have to be cancelled due to more pressing work. Action Plan I am now going to create an action plan for myself based on my career and life goals previously mentioned. Pass my driving test By the end of summer 2009 I will have passed my driving test. I am going to achieve this by taking a week long crash course in Blackpool, costing around  £1000; this cost will include 40 hours worth of driving, my theory and practical test costs as well. This will assist me when applying for Mi5 and the police service. Have a degree with a 2.1 or first class classification By then end of summer 2010 I hope to have gained my degree with a 2.1 classification or higher. I will achieve this by attending all my lectures and seminars, conducting extra reading and research. Planning assignments in advance and conducting extensive research and reading to enable me to complete my assignments to the best of my ability. I will also be continually revising throughout the year to ensure I am ready for my exams. Successfully gain employment with the Metropolitan Police Service During my last semester at university I will regularly check the metropolitan police website to see where the recruitment events are where I can obtain an application form. After obtaining this I will spend a lot of time filling this out correcting with good examples. If I am successful at this stage I will then conduct practise for the assessment centre by rehearsing interviews studying the information regarding the assessments and build on my fitness. Gain Promotion If I gain employment with the police service I will continually work hard to show my willing and ability to join the High Development Scheme. I will request an application form when they become available and if I am successful in joining the scheme I will work hard to complete the exercises that are required of me and continually show my enthusiasm and capabilities, Conclusion After completing the self-awareness and career tests, I discovered that my personality would be very suited to a job in the police force. In the Type Dynamics Indicator  [17]  , my preferred style was a co-ordinator and one of the better suited occupations to this style is a police officer. My strengths that were highlighted in the how well do you know yourself  [18]  exercise will assist me while I am in the Police force as both my friends and I said I was authoritative. Although being moody and aggressive were my weaknesses I can work on these issues and they shouldnt pose a problem when I join the Police force. Although my career interests inventory did not match exactly with that of a Police Office I still had two elements, social and enterprising, that matches a police office so I still will be a good match for the job and my interests do not differ majorily. My career drivers, material rewards and power and influence, will help motivate me and encourage me to go for promotions and which is why I want to apply for the High Potential Development Scheme in the police force which I discussed earlier in the report. Finally, whilst my prospects planner results did not highlight the police force as being one of the best matches the occupations I did match had elements that were needed in the police force and when I matched my profile with a police officer it proved a good match. Overall, I believe the exercises did not highlight many implications for my career choice. After conducting research into Mi5 and the Metropolitan Police Service I decided that I will defiantly be applying for the Metropolitan Police service as my first choice employer and if I were successful in gaining employment I will be applying to join the High Potential Development scheme as well. Although, if I were not successful I believe Mi5 will also provide me with just as an exciting and challenging career that I would be happy in. In conclusion, I will work towards the targets that I have set myself in this report and hopefully I will be successful in reaching my career aims.