Theory assessment Essay Example for Free

Theory assessment Essay As a trainer, teacher and assessor my roles are many and varied. As part of my day to day work I may not only deliver lessons but also carry out theory assessments, practical assessments and sometimes interviews. I may have to motivate and liaise as well as guide and assess. I will have to keep records and be a subject specialist as well as liaise internally and impart information and advice sometimes on a personal level. The first impact I play regarding my role is either interviewing possible candidates or meeting and greeting them on the first day of their course. Meeting potential apprentices/apprentices on their first day induction requires me to make a good first impression and aim to create a degree of respect and professionalism from the onset. Geoff Petty says in his book. â€Å"When you go for an interview you put your best clothes on. Employers are affected by first impressions, but so are you as a teacher. We do this because we want to know how to behave towards a person and how we can expect them to behave towards us. It would of course be fairer to suspend judgement, but few of us manage this in practise†. (Petty G 2009) It has been proven (Petty G: 2009) that students’ that don’t look interested in studies or that have a â€Å"don’t care attitude† are more likely to do worse on their course that those that appear bright and willing to learn. This is partly due to our â€Å"first impressions† leading to the student being taught differently even though this may be subconscious. This is when it is important in your role as teacher to be the needs identifier and try to teach to the needs of the students’ as individuals and not to teach to the needs of the class as a whole when designing the learning and implementing it. Every student is an individual that has their own preferred learning styles one of the most common and widely used categorizations of the various types of learning styles is Fleming’s VARK model (sometimes VAK) consisting of visual learners, auditory learners, kinaesthetic learners or tactile learners. Flemming claimed that visual learners have a preference for seeing (think in picture; visual aids such as overhead slides, diagrams, hand-outs, etc. ). Auditory learner’s best learn through listening. Tactile/kinaesthetic learners prefer to learn via experience, moving, touching and doing (active exploration of the world; science projects; experiments, etc. ) Its use in pedagogy allows teachers to prepare classes that address each of these areas. Students can also use the model to identify their preferred learning style and maximize their educational experience by focusing on what benefits them most(Wikipedia. org/learning styles). During my lessons I always try to give students a mixture of learning styles so overall the lessons are more varied. I find this keeps the levels of interest much higher and it caters for the group as a whole, this way each student gets to learn at some point in their preferred learning style, this helps me confirm that they have knowledge and understanding from classroom based auditory and visual learning and that they can demonstrate through practical assessments that they have the skills and ability to perform tasks to a standard which can be deemed competent. I insist my students must understand how, when, where and why they should perform tasks. By giving students as much information as possible I believe this empowers the individual and gives them more incentive for learning. As a railway trainer assessor it is my responsibility to ensure support and guidance is available to help support students with various needs and personal issues, any apprentices who report a problem to me it is my duty to speak to the respective students and help deal with their learner needs, if it is anything regarding personal issues it is then my job to involve the appropriate person that deals with those issues, from the designated safe guarding officer to councillors within the affiliated colleges, chaplains or in some cases if the severity of the matter is such by contacting police. All aspects on quality and diversity must be considered at all times and any issues must be kept confidential as the tutor has a duty of care to his/her students. As a railway assessor I am responsible for a class of up to 26 students as their supervisor/mentor it is my duty to inform the student of any relevant legislation and codes of practice. One of the first subjects covered is Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) giving students information on company safety policies and information regarding fire and first aid. Week one of their initial six week course involves presentations and QA regarding legislation that is applicable to the railway such as COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health), RIDDOR (reporting of diseases dangerous occurrence Regs) as well as HAVS (hand arm vibration syndrome) Noise Regs, LOLER (lifting operations lifting equipment Regs), Railway Regs and manual handling. â€Å"Recording provides the platform from which teachers can base their reporting to others and is a mechanism for evaluating learning and teaching. (highlandschools) One of the most important roles of a teacher (and assessor) is record keeping. From day one it is my responsibility to start with a course register as the course progresses I am responsible for gathering evidence that students produce assessing it, evaluating it, marking it and keeping it filled away safely. Data protection is very important because as a teacher we deal with personal details. Part of my job entails collecting apprentice’s bank details and personal details this documentation needs to be collected and passed on to the wage department safely and securely. Weekly reports are carried out on each candidate this information must be kept in a secure location because any misuse could be detrimental to the welfare of students and break any trust built up between student and teacher. Keeping records is a very important reflexive tool for both teachers and learners. Accurate records taken throughout a course enables both teacher and students to continually reassess the effectiveness of the teaching/learning relationship by giving an ongoing measurement against what the candidate should be learning, what they have been taught, whether or not they are making progress and whether the structure of the lesson plan is sufficient or not. Indications on whether the student needs more additional help can also be highlighted. Holistic record keeping is beneficial as it can give an indication if there is external problems for example poor attendance may be due to a multitude of reasons and as a tutor this gives you an initial warning that there may be an underlying problem with this information you can then look deeper and begin to analyse behavioural patterns to identify whether or not there is any issue that might require the notification of other professional bodies. Keeping accurate records of candidates work is necessary for progress, monitoring student achievement, ability and skill through ongoing assessment is essential to track their progress with the additional constructive feedback helps teachers set realistic targets for the candidate to achieve. Once these targets are met the end product is passed on to the awarding bodies for certification. My personal interpretation is that the role of a teacher is a very varied and flexible one. Structured by lesson plans and course criteria the simple fact that individual students can be so diverse due to background, ability, age, and motive for learning makes the role of a teacher unique each and every day. It is my opinion that there is a great responsibility of a tutor to pass on knowledge in a positive and passionate way, the tutor creates his/her own environment for learning and in that environment all the needs of the learner should be met. The teacher should be able to relate to individuals to develop a good personal teaching relationship and to understand what gets the best results out of each student to maximise learning outcome.

College Admissions Essay: An Intense Learning Experience :: College Admissions Essays

An Intense Learning Experience    My semester of study abroad is best described as an intense learning experience, without which I feel that my education would have been incomplete. The lessons learned were far different from those I encountered in high school, but of equal or greater importance. I gained new perspective about international affairs and also found I was challenged as an individual to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally. There is no doubt that this experience has changed me, and I am certainly better for it.    The most obvious gain from my study abroad was the academic coursework for that semester. I studied Shakespeare in London, and was able to visit not only the Globe Theatre, but also parts of the city that existed during the Elizabethan period. Another course, which focused on the history of East End London, took us through the dynamic past of this problematic portion of the city, not just with texts, but walking tours through the East End. My theatre course likewise capitalized on the opportunities unique to London, incorporating nine of the several hundred shows that were running in the city throughout the spring semester. This course supplemented my internship experience, in which I took a part-time position at the Bridewell Theatre, and small fringe theatre in the heart of the city. The internship was the most beneficial component of the academic program, in that I was immersed in British culture through biweekly interaction (2 workdays) with the Bridewell staff. I was able to wit ness the inner-workings of its administration, and observe some of the problems facing London theatres in general.    Outside the classroom, the study abroad experience provided for constant change and self-reflection. I learned to recognize my own hidden prejudices and confront them, as my beliefs were constantly challenged by experiences and people I encountered. For someone who had never traveled outside the United States, this experience led me to perceive my own nation in a different way, and to confront feelings of both pride and shame in my background. While a challenging and shocking change, this has led me to define and strengthen my beliefs and opinions while gaining a new understanding for different perspectives.

Unions at the Work Place

Work dominates modern life. Work can be satisfying, enjoyable and rewarding. Many of the difficulties which face several nations today arise from the fact that, over many years, a lot of people who want to work have been denied the chance to do so. Most employers treat their workers fairly. But some do not. Complaints about the way they were treated by their employer are rampant. Even the best bosses can make mistakes from time to time. Unions exist to help people at work and make the work place a better place. Basically, unions work on the simple principle that while an employer might be able to ignore the views of a single worker, if all workers speak with one voice the employer has to take notice. Unions encourage their members to take part in collective decisions on workplace issues and these views are then put to the employer. From time to time, Union members in the same workplace will get together to talk about common problems. The issues most likely to come up are pay, safety, unfair treatment of a group or individual, or simply the way the work is organized. The union members will usually elect someone to speak on their behalf – a shop steward or office representative. The rep will then discuss their concerns with management. Where the union has a recognition agreement with management they reach decisions together on key issues. In bigger workplaces there will be a number of representatives, sometimes from different unions, speaking on behalf of different groups of workers. And in very big workplaces some of these union representatives will spend much of their working day dealing with union business, talking to management helping solve problems on behalf of their members. Most sensible employers welcome these arrangements. They understand it is better for workers to have an independent means of dealing with problems rather than letting them fester or hoping they will be sorted out by the supervisors or line managers who are sometimes the cause of the problems. However, is that enough? Shall Unions' responsibility be limited to those of their kinds or should it be widened to apply coverage to the whole society at large? Ross M. Martin, in the book Trade Unionism – Purposes and Forms, p. 62 wrote: â€Å"The responsibility of the part to the whole is inseparable from the idea that society is an organism. For the trade union that means a responsibility which extends beyond the membership, beyond the class, to society at large.† When we talk of trade union, we talk of association of workers for the purpose of improving their economic status and working conditions through collective bargaining. Historically there have been two major types of labor unions: the horizontal, or craft, union, in which all the members are skilled in a certain craft (e.g., carpenters); and the vertical, or industrial, union, composed of workers in the same industry, whatever their particular skills (e.g., automobile workers). A company union is an employee-controlled union having no affiliation with other labor organizations. The term closed shop refers to a company that hires only union members. In a union shop, employees are required to join a union within a specified time after being hired. An open shop does not restrict its employees to union members. Labor unions are essentially the product of the industrial revolution of the 19th century. In Great Britain, miners and textile workers were organized in the 1860s. Most European labor organizations today are either political parties or are affiliated with political parties, usually left-wing ones. In Britain today there are almost 23 million people in paid employment. Most of them spend up to a quarter of their lives at work – longer, on average, than anywhere else in Europe. Today almost seven million people in Europe belong to TUC unions (founded in Manchester in 1868) that is almost one worker in every three. Wherever people work there are union members – or potential union members. They include men and women; full-time and part-time workers; people in big businesses, and those in small ones; people who work for the government and those who work for themselves. Union members are no different from anyone else, except they tend to be better paid and have better working conditions because they have someone to stand up for them. Unions contribute to the success of an enterprise by helping employers plan for the future and manage change. Some of the most dynamic companies work routinely with the unions to keep their workforce informed on crucial issues. The development of worker and union involvement in an enterprise is known in Europe as ‘social partnership'. In some workplaces arrangements to involve workers more closely have been developed with formal â€Å"works councils†. European regulations require such works councils for large companies that operate in more than one EU country. They also require consultation where big changes or redundancies are planned. Sometimes companies and unions have to find imaginative solutions to changes in demand for goods and services. The social partnership approach allows both sides to explore ways of working to the benefit of employees as well as the enterprise. Many union movements in the underdeveloped countries have led anticolonial campaigns toward political independence. In the United States, Unions began developing in the 1830s. Among the important early organizations were the Knights of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World. A milestone in the history of American unionism came in 1886 with the formation of a group that eventually became the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), an association that includes nearly all of the larger U.S. Unions. The U.S. Labor movement gained support from such new deal laws as the Wagner Act (1935), creating the National Labor Relations Board, but later was restricted by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959. By the late 1970s some 20 states had banned the closed shop through right-to-work laws. In bargaining with companies in economically troubled industries in the 1980s, U.S. Unions often sought to save existing jobs through concessions (give-backs) of earlier gains, and in 1993 unions unsuccessfully fought passage of the North American free trade agreement, fearing job losses if it were ratified. U.S. Union membership has steadily declined from its peak of 35.5% of the nonagricultural workforce in 1945; in 1992, when U.S. Unions had 16,390,000 members, it stood at 15.8%. Today there are unions in virtually every country in the world. In countries as far apart as South Africa and Poland unions have been at the forefront of campaigns for social change. Internationally, world trade unionism was split after 1949 between two rival organizations: the World Federation of Trade Unions (1945) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (1949). The International Labor Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Obesity And The United States - 951 Words

Obesity in the United States Obesity is raging in the United States. America is the fattest country on this earth. It has become a major health concern. It is not only increasing at an alarming rate in adults, but also in children. The risk of obesity is serious; it can cause many problems in the body. In order to cut down on obesity, Americans need to be more aware of what they eat every day, make healthier choices, and get the proper amount of exercise and nutrition. In many cases obesity can be caused by bad eating habits, a traumatic experience, or bad eating habits as a child. In many instances, if the parents are overweight, there is a good chance that the child will be overweight as well. Children who are overweight at a young age are almost certain to be overweight when they grow up. Not only does being overweight make you less active, it also causes long term damage to your health. Being overweight can cause a number of risk factors and diseases. These can include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and c ancer. These are growing problems everywhere in the United States. It has been known for years that being overweight causes an early death. There have been many sides to what actually causes obesity. Some say that is it caused by the environment. For example, lack of neighborhood sidewalks, or safe places for children to play, this is a problem for many. Another big cause is advertising. Americans are surrounded by ads from food companies. Children are the target ofShow MoreRelatedObesity On The United States981 Words   |  4 Pagesis made home doesn’t mean is healthy. According to article â€Å"The state of obesity† by better policies of America more than one third of adults (34.9) are obese in the United States. But why is there so much obesity on the United States and who is there to blame? We can go ahead and blame the fast food restaurants or we can blame the people itself. In my opinion the individuals are the ones to blame for the obesity in the United States because they rather have fast and easy food even though it’s notRead MoreObesity And The United States1430 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to an article, â€Å"Obesity in Children†, published through the medicine health website, the issue on childhood obesity in the United States has increased within recent years. â€Å"Today, nearly a third of youths are overweight or obese. That’s more than 23 million children and teenagers,† (Childhood Obesity in the United States). Obesity can eventually lead to different and more serious health issues. Fast food restaurants attract the attention of our younger generation and are some of the mainRead MoreObesity : The United States1268 Words   |  6 PagesOctober, 2015 Obesity in America Over the past few decades, obesity rate has grown drastically in the United States. â€Å"A third of U.S. adults are obese† (Brady 519), placing them at a higher risk for diseases, and increased healthcare spending. It a preventable nutritional problem that affects people of all ages, gender and race, with minority groups and people of low socioeconomic status disproportionately affected. It is a multifaceted problem with many issues at its root. Obesity is the resultRead MoreObesity And The United States1265 Words   |  6 Pages Obesity in the United States has been a serious problem affecting Americans and has been continually growing higher in numbers each year. American obesity has nearly doubled within the last 40 years and is now considered to be an epidemic that is affecting millions of people around the nation. According to the National institute of Diabetes and digestive and kidney Diseases, 31% of men and 35% of women are considered seriously overweight, along with 15% of children between the ages of six and nineteenRead MoreObesity in the United States1115 Words   |  4 PagesIn the United States today, obesity has become an enormous burden on both the health and healthcare of those affected. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. According to the Centers of Disease Control, as of 2013, 34.9% of our population is considered overweight or obese. America is the richest yet the fattest nation in the world, and our obese backsides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein, 1994). Obesity is defined as having excess bodyRead MoreObesity And The United States1317 Words   |  6 PagesObesity in the United States In today’s world, obesity rate has been increased significantly. Among 196 countries of the world, the Unites States is ranked 19th, and one third of the population in the U.S. have obesity. Reason that people care about how much population is obsessed is that it is â€Å"linked to many of the major causes of death in the United States, including heart disease, some types of cancer, strokes, diabetes, and atherosclerosis† (Himes 73). 19th of the world may not seem very highRead MoreObesity And The United States973 Words   |  4 Pagesbecause is made home doesn’t mean is healthy. According to the article â€Å"The state of obesity† by better policies of America more than one third of adults (34.9) are obese in the United States. But why is there so much obesity in the United States and who is there to blame? We can go ahead and blame the fast food restaurants or we can blame the people itself. Individuals are the ones to blame for the obesity in the Unit ed States because they have this idea of eating fast and easy, but just cause is fastRead MoreObesity And The United States975 Words   |  4 PagesObesity is an issue that has been growing constantly in the United States. Due to the growing number of fast food restaurants and everything becoming more and more convenient to the human race, the population has been gaining an abundance of weight over the last several decades. The United States has the highest obesity rate among all of the countries in the world. The rates of obesity for each individual state in the United States all exceed 20 percent (Adult Obesity). Gary Stocklaufer, was a marriedRead MoreObesity And The United States1334 Words   |  6 PagesObesity is an ongoing epidemic in our county and our world. Carrying around excess weight isn’t just uncomfortable, it also poses a variety of very serious health threats, such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers, osteoarthritis, and go ut. Also some breathing problems, such as sleep apnea and asthma. My peers talked about the difference of being obese and overweight. The difference of the two is how your BMI ranges. BMI stands for body mass index meaning that yourRead MoreObesity And The United States1960 Words   |  8 PagesIn the United States, more than one third of adults are obese. One in five American deaths are now associated with obesity. The prevalence of obesity has increased at an alarming rate in the USA: in 1960 only 13% of Americans were obese. Obesity has become an epidemic and the number of preventable deaths from obesity-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease continues to rise. Despite the well-documented association between obesity and significant morbidity and mortality