Learning theories Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Learning theories - Research Paper Example Teachers are regularly struck with suggestions for reforms. They are often asked to use different curricula, new assessment and novel teaching strategies. They are constantly been directed to prepare learners for new standardized test or to assess learner’s work by way of conducting portfolios and performance assessments. They are often advised to practice research based approaches to teach learners in order to enhance their performances (Wilson & Peterson, 2006). Traditionally, learning was perceived as just acquisition of skills and knowledge whereas currently, the concept has been viewed to include emotional as well as social and various societal dimensions. Additionally, learning theories attempts to describe and understand the various ways in which the people learn. Very often, the theories are considered to be the important resource of the educational research as they have the potential to guide in constructing new educational approaches and analyzing along with improvin g the existing approaches and trends (Navarro & Hoek, n.d.). With this concern, the paper intends to critically explore three learning theories of Malcolm Knowles’s learning theory of andragogy, transformative learning theory of Jack Mezirow and experiential learning theory belonging to D. A. Kolb. Brief Explanation of Theories Malcolm Shepherd Knowles and the Theory of Andragogy Malcolm shepherd Knowles is often been considered as the fundamental figure in the segment of adult education particularly in the region of United States during the middle of twentieth century. During the year 1950, he was assigned with the responsibility of Executive Director of the Adult Education Association of the US. The first work of Knowles was termed as informal adult education. Later, he developed a unique theoretical basis for adult education and learning through highlighting upon the notion of andragogy. This work of his was greatly appreciated in the US. Furthermore, his work was consider ed to be the crucial factor that has contributed in changing the views of adult teachers from ‘educating people’ to ‘helping them learn’. Knowles was able to convince that learning practices of adults are different from those of children. He was engaged in building inclusive theory concerning with adult learning that was closely related with the features of adult learners. Earlier work of Knowles concerning ‘informal adult education’ had postulated certain basic elements of process as well as settings. Later, he intended to combine all the elements in order to propose new conceptual basis for improving the adult learning practices. The mechanism or the learning theory that postulated by him was termed as andragogy. According to Knowles, the theory concerning andragogy was primarily based upon four pioneer assumptions that were based upon the characteristics of adult learners. These assumptions were related with the adult learners that are quite dissimilar from the assumptions that dealt with the children learners (Mark K. Smith, 2002). Later, a fifth assumption was added to the theory. Thus, the five basic assumptions relating to andragogy theory that developed by Knowles have been portrayed hereunder. Self-Concept According to Knowles, the maturity that occurs in an individual with the passage of times lead towards self-concept moves wherein an individual tends to become more self-directed person from being a reliant personality (Mark K. Smith, 2002). Experience Similarly, Knowles admitted that as an individual becomes

Effective communication within my time at BP Essay Example for Free

Effective communication within my time at BP Essay While on my internship I wanted to show effective communication. This involved me communicating with my team, working well within my team and giving many presentations to them. At the end of my internship I got feedback from my manager who explained how I was able to show effective communication within my time at BP. Goal To improve my communication. 1. Introduce and talk to people who I don’t know. 2. Share ideas with colleagues. 3. Ask for help when needed. Feedback Being able to communicate effectively was an important part of her’ role, as she was dealing with numerous personnel for whom English was not their first language. In her first week she was tasked with composing an email to send to all the regionally based team members. She proved straight away that her written communications skills were good, although she was naturally looking for reassurance of her emails were as required. By the end of the internship, both her written and verbal communication could only be described as â€Å"excellent†. Goal To improve my ability to ask questions 1. List down any questions that come to mind during work or home. 2. Do some research on the questions before hand and find an answer. 3. If I cannot find an answer I will ask a college or supervisor. Feedback When she did have any questions she was happy to ask, and did so in a polite and concise manner. If she needed help on tasks or wanted extra elaboration on certain topics she was able to do so. Goal To improve team working with new people 1. Introduce myself to the new people in my team. 2. Think of questions and ideas to contribute to the team. 3. Contribute my ideas to them and ask questions. 4. Use the information gained and adapt it to my work. Feedback She fitted into the team from day one, she is reliable, punctual and always polite and courteous. Her attitude to work was excellent, she was always willing to give something ago, with minimal instruction. Goal – To improve my presentation skills 1. Plan a presentation and practice it. 2. Ask for feedback from colleagues. 3. Take the feedback into consideration and improve the presentation. 4. Invite colleagues, managers to listen to the presentation. The first time I met her, she highlighted that she wanted to improve her presentation skills during her time with us. So, on her first day I asked her to help me present the safety moment in our team meeting; and she did a great job! Over the next few weeks she had other opportunities to both help compile presentation material, and also present to others on her own. By the end on the internship when it was time to present to a room full of peers, parents and work colleagues, she was a professional! In conclusion, it’s always very important to show effective communication skills in the workplace as they are vital for teamwork and overall success. These skills were skills that I wanted to improve greatly as I know they will be beneficial in the future. The majority of the feedback from my line manager was very positive and I will take into account the comments for improvement.

Film Analysis of Under the Moon Essay -- Analysis Movie Film

Introduction The sacrifices of a mother for her child can never be underestimated. The film Under the Moon depicts this precise example of a mother’s unconditional love for her son to the point of sacrifice. According to Lynch this mother followed the normal process for migration: preparatory stage, the decision to leave; act of migration, the process; the period of overcompensation, realizing the changes and doubting the decision; the period of decompensation, conflicting times and transgenerational impact, the migration process (Marci Hanson and E. Lynch, Developing Cross Cultural Competence, p.185). The family is Mexican. This line has roots in El Paso, Texas but Rosario, a single parent has migrated to Los Angeles, California in hopes of providing a better life for her nine year old son, Carlitos. California was the state of choice for many Mexicans, as many as 57 percent were legal immigrants according to Taylor (R. Taylor, Minority in the Families, p.89). Carlitos is left with his grandmother, who apparently has health issues. His godmother also has agreed to care of him as well. Carlitos watched his godmother’s calculating plans assist Mexicans in their escape to the United States; he wanted to receive the same assistance because he wanted to join his mother in the United States. The Structure of the Family This Mexican family is unique in that Rosario was a single mother. The culture of the Mexicans was very family oriented, and it was not common to have single parents among their culture during this time. According to Taylor the population of female headed household has steadily increased in the last decade but less appropriate in the Hispanic population (Taylor, p. 93). Her mother, apparently very ill too... ...as working for, seemingly was running the household. It is interesting not a father to come into focus until Carlitos has almost completed his journey and yet his father, Oscar doesn’t step up to do those things that would be expected of a machismo male. This review does not fit the practical norm of the Mexican culture according to the reading as I understood it. I would say this family was more Americanize although they held some views Taylor and Hanson shared they were not overwhelming. Works Cited Lynch, Eleanor W. & Hanson =, Marci J, (2004). A guide for working with children and families: Developing cross-cultural competence (3rd edition). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Taylor, Ronald L. (2002). Minority families in the United States: A multicultural perspective (3rd edition). Upper saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ted Bundy was a brutal serial killer Essay examples -- essays research

Works Cited â€Å"A Condemned Man’s Last Bequest†. People 6 February, 1989 p. 44-51. Gerdes, Louise. Serial Killers. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc.2000. Knappaman, Edward W. Great American Trials. Detroit: New England Publishing, Associates, Inc. 1994. Ted Bundy was a brutal serial killer. He was also very charming and handsome to the ladies, which made it easier to prey on them. He admitted to killing over twenty people just before his execution. Many families were relieved when he was finally executed. Ted Bundy thought of himself as very smart, because he was able to outsmart the authorities multiple times throughout the years of being a serial killer ( Gerdes 41). His victims of choice were young, college age, women ( Gerdes 128). He was in Colorado, on trial, for the brutal murder of a twenty-three year old woman. He used his intelligent mind to escape the prison. He went on and made his way to Florida for no apparent reason. He went to the Chi Omega House at Florida State University and unleashed his wrath on some of the students. He killed one student named Lisa Leavy. He also injured a couple other students severely. One and a half hours later, just after visiting the Chi Omega House, Ted killed another student just six blocks away. Later, the police were trying to pull him over for a minor traffic violation when he fled causing them to chase him. Shortly, they realized he was in a car stolen from near the Chi Omega House. Just days before he killed a twelve ye...

Federal Government Essay

To what extent did the Federalist administrations of George Washington and John Adams promote national unity and advance the authority of the federal government? George Washington and John Adams were the first two presidents of the United States. As they had just fought a civil war against their oppressive mother country, it was only fitting that they were federalists. Federalists believed in national unity and a strong central government. They knew that in order for the country to succeed, a strong central government was needed. As a result, their administrations were built around promotion of national unity and advancements of the authority of the federal government. However, there was a limit to what extent they were successful. In my opinion, Washington was highly successful in promoting national unity. Starting from his first inaugural address into his second term, Washington set a tone and example in all his actions that advanced the authority of the federal government. In his first inaugural address, he said that the federal government would not be exceeding its limits and it will be respected by all others. This gives the rest of the country a feeling of unity and authority. Then, Washington’s secretary, Alexander Hamilton, goes against Thomas Jefferson to say and back up his view that the National Bank was constitutional. Washington, along with Adams, stood by this notion throughout their respective terms. This also increased the idea that the federal government had authority. Since Jefferson was preaching that the constitution should be interpreted strictly and therefore, the bank was not constitutional, and both Washington and Adams went against him openly on this idea, this showed the country that the federal government had power and it gave them more authority. In addition, The Sedition Act of July 1798 went ahead and increased the  authority of the government. It stopped anyone and everyone from talking, writing, and publishing anything false and malicious about the government. This way, the media could no longer talk bad about anyone associated with the federal government. This act did not unify the nation, but it advanced the authority of the federal government. As you can see, this is why I believe that George Washington and John Adams, and their administrations, promoted national unity and advanced the authority of the federal government. They were strict federalists, who believed in loose interpretation of the constitution and a strong federal government. Heeding well to their ideals, they built a strong federal government that possessed powerful authority. In addition, their administrations promoted nation unity and did in fact unify citizens all around the country, save a few radicals. In conclusion, I believe both Washington and Adams went to great extents to follow their federalists ideals and as a result, they were successful.

Free Essays on Mentally Ill Discrimination

In forty-seven out of the fifty great states in the US, there are laws that specifically set out to protect the mentally ill from discrimination in the workplace (Steckner 1). The problem is that Arizona does not classify a mental illness as an actual disability. The lack of sufficient laws has allowed corporations to unfairly discriminate against or terminate employees with mental impairments and leaves the employee without a real court case. If the current laws were sufficient, they would protect the mentally ill from job discrimination, provide on the job accommodations to make working easier, and in case of on-the-job discrimination, provide help in any lawsuit. In Arizona, any discrimination suit brought against an employer for a mental disability can not be prosecuted through the attorney general. They must go through the federal court system, which is often a much longer process that is much more expensive, and overall, inconvenient. Many bills have been introduced, hoping to change the laws, but they have been killed every time. Under the new proposed law, the term â€Å"mental impairment† will be added to the current disability law, covering mental illness as a disability. Also, under this law, the impaired would be afforded some reasonable job accommodations. According to the ADA, a â€Å"reasonable accommodation is a modification or an adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions† (ADA 2). Employment is an important part of recovery and treatment for people with severe mental illnesses (NAMI 1-2). The problem with that is they are being discriminated against and without new laws to protect them, the discrimination will continue. Business owners are among those who are greatly opposed to the suggested laws. They are afraid of the idea of going to court and having to... Free Essays on Mentally Ill Discrimination Free Essays on Mentally Ill Discrimination In forty-seven out of the fifty great states in the US, there are laws that specifically set out to protect the mentally ill from discrimination in the workplace (Steckner 1). The problem is that Arizona does not classify a mental illness as an actual disability. The lack of sufficient laws has allowed corporations to unfairly discriminate against or terminate employees with mental impairments and leaves the employee without a real court case. If the current laws were sufficient, they would protect the mentally ill from job discrimination, provide on the job accommodations to make working easier, and in case of on-the-job discrimination, provide help in any lawsuit. In Arizona, any discrimination suit brought against an employer for a mental disability can not be prosecuted through the attorney general. They must go through the federal court system, which is often a much longer process that is much more expensive, and overall, inconvenient. Many bills have been introduced, hoping to change the laws, but they have been killed every time. Under the new proposed law, the term â€Å"mental impairment† will be added to the current disability law, covering mental illness as a disability. Also, under this law, the impaired would be afforded some reasonable job accommodations. According to the ADA, a â€Å"reasonable accommodation is a modification or an adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions† (ADA 2). Employment is an important part of recovery and treatment for people with severe mental illnesses (NAMI 1-2). The problem with that is they are being discriminated against and without new laws to protect them, the discrimination will continue. Business owners are among those who are greatly opposed to the suggested laws. They are afraid of the idea of going to court and having to...

Cross-Price and Own-Price Elasticity of Demand

Cross-Price and Own-Price Elasticity of Demand The Cross-Price and Own-Price Elasticity of Demand  are essential to understanding the market exchange rate of goods or services because the concepts determine the rate the quantity demanded of a good fluctuates due to the price change of another good involved in its manufacturing or creation. In this, cross-price and own-price go hand-in-hand, conversely affecting the other wherein cross-price determines the price and demand of one good when another substitutes price changes and the own-price determines the price of a good when the quantity demanded of that good changes. As is the case with most economic terms, the elasticity of demand is best demonstrated through an example. In the following scenario, well observe the market elasticity of demand for butter and margarine by examining a decrease in the price of butter. An Example of the Market Elasticity of Demand In this scenario, a market research firm that reports to a farm co-operative (which produces and sells butter) that the estimate of the cross-price elasticity between margarine and butter is approximately 1.6%; the co-op price of butter is 60 cents per kilo with sales of 1000 kilos per month; and the price of margarine is 25 cents per kilo with sales of 3500 kilos per month wherein the own-price elasticity of butter is estimated to be -3.   What would be the effect on the revenue and sales of the co-op and margarine sellers if the co-op decided to cut the price of butter to 54p? The article Cross-Price Elasticity of Demand assumes that if two goods are substitutes, we should expect to see consumers purchase more of one good when the price of its substitute increases, so according to this principle, we should see a decrease in revenue since the price is expected to drop for this particular farm. Cross-Price Demand of Butter and Margarine We saw that the price of butter dropped 10% from 60 cents to 54 cents, and since the cross-price elasticity margarine and butter is approximately 1.6, suggesting that the quantity demanded of margarine and the price of butter are positively related and that a drop in the price of butter by 1% leads to a drop in the quantity demanded of margarine of 1.6%. Since we saw a price drop of 10%, our quantity demanded of margarine has dropped 16%; the quantity demanded margarine was originally 3500 kilos - it is now 16% less or 2940 kilos. (3500 * (1 - 0.16)) 2940. Before the change in the price of butter, margarine sellers were selling 3500 kilos at a price of 25 cents a kilo, for a revenue of $875. After the change in the price of butter, margarine sellers are selling 2940 kilos at a price of 25 cents a kilo, for a revenue of $735 - a drop of $140. Own-Price Demand of Butter We saw that the price of butter dropped 10% from 60 cents to 54 cents. The own price elasticity of butter is estimated to be -3, suggesting that the quantity demanded of butter and the price of butter are negatively related and that a drop in the price of butter by 1% leads to a rise in the quantity demanded of butter of 3%. Since we saw a price drop of 10%, our quantity demanded of butter has risen 30%; the quantity demanded butter was originally 1000 kilos, whereas it is now 30% less at 1300 kilos. Before the change in the price of butter, butter sellers were selling 1000 kilos at a price of 60 cents a kilo, for a revenue of $600. After the change in the price of butter, margarine sellers are selling 1300 kilos at a price of 54 cents a kilo, for a revenue of $702 - an increase of $102.