Vietnam Bond Market free essay sample

In recent years, the issue of efficiently mobilizing capital has become the concern of all companies. There are some ways of doing this: borrowing from the banks, issuing stocks or issuing bonds. However, when the interest rate of borrowing from banks is very high due to high inflation, together with the stock market is quite instable; calling for capital from bond market is much more preferred by investors. In the context of this report, some major points regarding the bond market in Vietnam are presented. Firstly, a common picture about the Vietnam bond market is drawn. Next come the types of bonds and major participants in this market. Finally, several ways by which bonds are issued are described in details. I/ Overview of Vietnam bond market The Vietnam bond market was established in 2000, but it only developed sharply after 2002 when the government allowed issuing many types of bonds and especially after the appearance of the Ho Chi Minh stock exchange. We will write a custom essay sample on Vietnam Bond Market or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Recently, the outstanding volume of bonds has increased rapidly, as shown in the graph below. Figure 1. Bonds outstanding volume and bond outstanding/ GDP. Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) Up to the year 2006, the proportion of outstanding bond volume over GDP reached the figure of 13%, in comparison with only 3% in 2001. Nevertheless, compared with the Vietnam stock market that accounts for more than 40% of the total GDP, that of bonds is very low. In particular, this rate of Vietnam is far below the level of other countries in Asia. In most Asia countries, the bond accounts for more than half of the total GDP whereas in Vietnam, it takes less than 15% of GDP. Figure 2. Outstanding bond volume/GDP in some Asia countries. Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) All things considered, one of the main features easily to be realized in Vietnam now is that the bond market has not been attractive enough to most investors. Yet, according to many specialists, it is likely that this market will become an extremely attractive capital-mobilizing channel in the near future. II/ Types of bonds At the moment, there are three main types of bonds in Vietnam: government bonds, municip al bonds and corporate bonds. Here comes the pie chart showing the proportion of each types contributing to Vietnam bond market. Figure 3: Proportion of different types of bonds (Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) As can be seen, the government bonds, which are issued by both the State Treasury of Vietnam and the Vietnam Development Bank, dominate almost the market with 64% and 18% respectively. The municipal bonds currently issued by three local governments including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Dong Nai, account for only 7% of the total. The rest 11% belongs to the corporate bonds which are issued by the companies. Nevertheless, there are many intensive conditions of the government for issuing corporate bonds. Therefore, until now there are only 10 companies who meet enough conditions to issue corporate bonds, such as EVN, Vinashin, Song Da Corporation, etc. In comparison with other countries in the region, the structure of Vietnam bond market is quite different. Figure 4: Structure of bond market in some Asia countries (Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) While in Korea, Singapore and especially Malaysia, the contribution of government and corporate bonds to the market is quite balance, that of Vietnam shows a significant difference. Government bonds dominate more than three forts of the market, and the rest 11% belongs to corporate bonds. That large disparity warns that we are dealing with a strange situation in bond market and some actions need to be taken to balance the two types of bonds. III/ Major participants 1. Individual investors According to the SSC, until September 2008, the number of investors had increased by 47 per cent to 460,000 compared with last December. In fact, when in many other countries, institutional investors usually make up a large part of the securities market, the situation in Vietnam is on the contrary with individual holding 70% of the total accounts. However, Vietnamese individual investors still prove to be unprofessional for some reasons: Main source of capital usually coming from banks, lack of reliable information about the market, limitation in accurate evaluation of the value of bonds and the bond issuing organizations. Therefore, they have tendency to invest following the majority: sell immediately when prices of securities decrease and buy right away when prices increase. This will lead to the high fluctuation of the market, so easily results in the losses suffering of many investors. 2. Fund managers Fund management is the professional management of various securities (shares, bonds etc. ) to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of the investors. Fund management companies play an important part in the development of securities market. Since the establishment of VietFund Management, the first fund management company in Vietnam in 2003, until now, 38 fund managers have been granted operation licenses by SSC. Among them, FPT Fund Management Joint Stock Company has the highest chartered capital with 110 billion VND and Lotus IMC has lowest charter capital with 5 billion VND. . Brokers Broker has recently occupied the position of the hottest career for youngsters, although it is still new in Vietnam. The term â€Å"broker† is used to indicate a qualified and regulated professional who buys and sells all kinds of securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors. Brokers play a leading role in developing securities market, and since the esta blishment of bond market in Vietnam, the number of brokers has increased rapidly, with hundreds of people working for nearly 100 brokerages (according to vietbao. net). In 2008, due to the new regulation of The Ministry of Finance, brokerages are now the main target for the bond market. However, the lack of knowledge and experience has left Vietnamese brokers with some fatal weakness: limited in quantity, unable to perform all the service (in Vietnam, brokers only concentrate on execution, instead of advisory and discretionary dealing), lack of certificate and qualification, etc. IV/ The number of companies listed There exists an inequality in the number of securities in the Vietnam. Over 300 stocks and 600 bonds are now listed even though the stock market is more active than that of bond. Another noticeable feature is that bond market has only 10 corporate listings, compared to over 600 government listings, in which most issuers are state-owned corporations. V/ Issuance of bonds Basically, there are two ways of issuing bonds: private placement and public offering 1. Private placement This is the direct sale of securities to a limited number of investors, often the institutions such as mutual funds or insurance companies. Compared to public bonds, those bonds are more likely to have call provision. The issuers usually take their bonds back before the maturity date. Certainly, the bonds that are more callable are riskier because the investors whose bonds have been called have to face with reinvestment risk. However, investors can get higher rate of return as compensation for the risk they bear. Definitely, such bonds are more in favor of the risk-lovers. 2. Public offering Public offering means the issuance in which securities can be exchanged widely among the public. The separation of private placement and public offering aims at ensuring that the companies using public offering must have high-quality, good operations in order to protect the public from the default risk. Public offering can take the forms of underwriting or auction. 2. 1. Underwriting When a company wants to go public, the first thing it does is to hire an intermediary known as underwriter. In most situations, the underwriters are the investment banks that act as the middleman between the public and the corporation. If the investment bank and company reach an agreement to do underwriting then investment bank will buy the new securities for an agreed price, and resell them to the public at a markup, bearing all of the expenses associated with the sale. The company gets the guaranteed funds even if the investment bank does not sell all of the securities. Thus, the investment bank takes a significant risk in a firm commitment. 2. 2. Auction Auctions are designed to minimize the cost of financing the corporate debt by promoting broad, competitive bidding and liquid secondary market trading. A review of the auction process from the announcement of a new issue to the delivery of securities reveals how these objectives have been met. However, in the recent times, many of Vietnamese government bond auctions have not been successful. The major cause is supposed that the government can not match the coupon rate of private investors. Creditors usually applied a high level of coupon that the government can not offer. Both customers and suppliers cannot meet at the common point to bring bonds to market. Conclusion There have been much more debate among the issues of Vietnam bond market and some discussion points should be noticed. Regarding the domination of government compared to corporate bonds, two main causes have been drawn. Firstly, there are many intensive conditions for companies to issue corporate bonds. Beside the requirement of owning at least 10 billion chartered capital and making a profit of the previous year, the companies need to have no bad debts over 1 year and prepare the audited financial statements of the last year to ensure transparency for investors. Secondly, default risk is higher with corporate bonds than government bonds that also means a higher interest rate of corporate bonds. Therefore, very few companies can afford this type of cost and few companies issue corporate bonds as a result. Concerning the difference between Treasury Bills and Treasury Bonds, even they are both issued by the Government and bearing no default risk, their maturity dates are far different. Treasury Bills have the short terms of 3 months or 6 months whereas Treasury Bonds have long terms of 5 years, 10 years or more. The issue of high inflation has a significant influence on Vietnam bond market, one of which is the decrease in value of bonds. Apparently, the price of bond is equal to the coupon divided by the bond yield. Coupon is fixed, so when inflation rate is high, leading to high bond yield, the bond price falls accordingly. Noticeably, although bonds have lower default risk premium than stocks, their liquidity risk premium is considerably higher than that of stock. The low liquidity of bonds compared to stocks can be explained by two reasons. Firstly, the stock market is much more active than bond which pushes up the transactions of stocks among investors and increases liquidity of stocks. More importantly, the value of bonds in each transaction is quite large (about 500 million VND for each), few companies can afford them and therefore, makes it harder to exchange bonds in the market. After purchasing those bonds, investors tend to hold them until the maturity dates, which significantly reduces the liquidity of bonds. Moreover, it has been asked the reasons why the rate of individual investors in Vietnam is much higher than other countries (70% and 30% respectively). It is supposed that buying bonds is almost compulsory with individual employees in the workplace. Moreover, investment funds have not yet implemented their roles effectively in Vietnam, so small source of capital can not be gathered to make up the market for institutional investors. It is also important to differentiate between the brokers and market makers or dealers. The dealers act as both buyer and seller of bonds. They purchase bonds from investors and then resell them at a higher price to others. Meanwhile, the brokers do not actually make any purchasing, and only act as intermediaries between investors and dealers. Finally, the question about the difference in interest rate of bonds issued under private placement and public offering was raised. As mentioned in the report, the holders of private placement bonds often bear reinvestment risk, which in turn leads to higher return or higher interest rate. That is the reason why the interest rate of bonds issued by private placement is usually higher than that of public offering. All in all, there still exists a lot of concerning around the topic of the Vietnam bond market. General speaking, this market has not developed accordingly to its potential. However, with the efforts of Vietnam Government to enhance the bond market’ operations, a bright perspective has been open to this field. Vietnam Bond Market free essay sample In recent years, the issue of efficiently mobilizing capital has become the concern of all companies. There are some ways of doing this: borrowing from the banks, issuing stocks or issuing bonds. However, when the interest rate of borrowing from banks is very high due to high inflation, together with the stock market is quite instable; calling for capital from bond market is much more preferred by investors. In the context of this report, some major points regarding the bond market in Vietnam are presented. Firstly, a common picture about the Vietnam bond market is drawn. Next come the types of bonds and major participants in this market. Finally, several ways by which bonds are issued are described in details. I/ Overview of Vietnam bond market The Vietnam bond market was established in 2000, but it only developed sharply after 2002 when the government allowed issuing many types of bonds and especially after the appearance of the Ho Chi Minh stock exchange. We will write a custom essay sample on Vietnam Bond Market or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Recently, the outstanding volume of bonds has increased rapidly, as shown in the graph below. Figure 1. Bonds outstanding volume and bond outstanding/ GDP. Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) Up to the year 2006, the proportion of outstanding bond volume over GDP reached the figure of 13%, in comparison with only 3% in 2001. Nevertheless, compared with the Vietnam stock market that accounts for more than 40% of the total GDP, that of bonds is very low. In particular, this rate of Vietnam is far below the level of other countries in Asia. In most Asia countries, the bond accounts for more than half of the total GDP whereas in Vietnam, it takes less than 15% of GDP. Figure 2. Outstanding bond volume/GDP in some Asia countries. Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) All things considered, one of the main features easily to be realized in Vietnam now is that the bond market has not been attractive enough to most investors. Yet, according to many specialists, it is likely that this market will become an extremely attractive capital-mobilizing channel in the near future. II/ Types of bonds At the moment, there are three main types of bonds in Vietnam: government bonds, municipal bonds and corporate bonds. Here comes the pie chart showing the proportion of each types contributing to Vietnam bond market. Figure 3: Proportion of different types of bonds (Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) As can be seen, the government bonds, which are issued by both the State Treasury of Vietnam and the Vietnam Development Bank, dominate almost the market with 64% and 18% respectively. The municipal bonds currently issued by three local governments including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Dong Nai, account for only 7% of the total. The rest 11% belongs to the corporate bonds which are issued by the companies. Nevertheless, there are many intensive conditions of the government for issuing corporate bonds. Therefore, until now there are only 10 companies who meet enough conditions to issue corporate bonds, such as EVN, Vinashin, Song Da Corporation, etc. In comparison with other countries in the region, the structure of Vietnam bond market is quite different. Figure 4: Structure of bond market in some Asia countries (Source: Ministry of Finance of Vietnam) While in Korea, Singapore and especially Malaysia, the contribution of government and corporate bonds to the market is quite balance, that of Vietnam shows a significant difference. Government bonds dominate more than three forts of the market, and the rest 11% belongs to corporate bonds. That large disparity warns that we are dealing with a strange situation in bond market and some actions need to be taken to balance the two types of bonds. III/ Major participants 1. Individual investors According to the SSC, until September 2008, the number of investors had increased by 47 per cent to 460,000 compared with last December. In fact, when in many other countries, institutional investors usually make up a large part of the securities market, the situation in Vietnam is on the contrary with individual holding 70% of the total accounts. However, Vietnamese individual investors still prove to be unprofessional for some reasons: Main source of capital usually coming from banks, lack of reliable information about the market, limitation in accurate evaluation of the value of bonds and the bond issuing organizations. Therefore, they have tendency to invest following the majority: sell immediately when prices of securities decrease and buy right away when prices increase. This will lead to the high fluctuation of the market, so easily results in the losses suffering of many investors. 2. Fund managers Fund management is the professional management of various securities (shares, bonds etc. ) to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of the investors. Fund management companies play an important part in the development of securities market. Since the establishment of VietFund Management, the first fund management company in Vietnam in 2003, until now, 38 fund managers have been granted operation licenses by SSC. Among them, FPT Fund Management Joint Stock Company has the highest chartered capital with 110 billion VND and Lotus IMC has lowest charter capital with 5 billion VND. . Brokers Broker has recently occupied the position of the hottest career for youngsters, although it is still new in Vietnam. The term â€Å"broker† is used to indicate a qualified and regulated professional who buys and sells all kinds of securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors. Brokers play a leading role in developing securities market, and since the esta blishment of bond market in Vietnam, the number of brokers has increased rapidly, with hundreds of people working for nearly 100 brokerages (according to vietbao. net). In 2008, due to the new regulation of The Ministry of Finance, brokerages are now the main target for the bond market. However, the lack of knowledge and experience has left Vietnamese brokers with some fatal weakness: limited in quantity, unable to perform all the service (in Vietnam, brokers only concentrate on execution, instead of advisory and discretionary dealing), lack of certificate and qualification, etc. IV/ The number of companies listed There exists an inequality in the number of securities in the Vietnam. Over 300 stocks and 600 bonds are now listed even though the stock market is more active than that of bond. Another noticeable feature is that bond market has only 10 corporate listings, compared to over 600 government listings, in which most issuers are state-owned corporations. V/ Issuance of bonds Basically, there are two ways of issuing bonds: private placement and public offering 1. Private placement This is the direct sale of securities to a limited number of investors, often the institutions such as mutual funds or insurance companies. Compared to public bonds, those bonds are more likely to have call provision. The issuers usually take their bonds back before the maturity date. Certainly, the bonds that are more callable are riskier because the investors whose bonds have been called have to face with reinvestment risk. However, investors can get higher rate of return as compensation for the risk they bear. Definitely, such bonds are more in favor of the risk-lovers. 2. Public offering Public offering means the issuance in which securities can be exchanged widely among the public. The separation of private placement and public offering aims at ensuring that the companies using public offering must have high-quality, good operations in order to protect the public from the default risk. Public offering can take the forms of underwriting or auction. 2. 1. Underwriting When a company wants to go public, the first thing it does is to hire an intermediary known as underwriter. In most situations, the underwriters are the investment banks that act as the middleman between the public and the corporation. If the investment bank and company reach an agreement to do underwriting then investment bank will buy the new securities for an agreed price, and resell them to the public at a markup, bearing all of the expenses associated with the sale. The company gets the guaranteed funds even if the investment bank does not sell all of the securities. Thus, the investment bank takes a significant risk in a firm commitment. 2. 2. Auction Auctions are designed to minimize the cost of financing the corporate debt by promoting broad, competitive bidding and liquid secondary market trading. A review of the auction process from the announcement of a new issue to the delivery of securities reveals how these objectives have been met. However, in the recent times, many of Vietnamese government bond auctions have not been successful. The major cause is supposed that the government can not match the coupon rate of private investors. Creditors usually applied a high level of coupon that the government can not offer. Both customers and suppliers cannot meet at the common point to bring bonds to market. Conclusion There have been much more debate among the issues of Vietnam bond market and some discussion points should be noticed. Regarding the domination of government compared to corporate bonds, two main causes have been drawn. Firstly, there are many intensive conditions for companies to issue corporate bonds. Beside the requirement of owning at least 10 billion chartered capital and making a profit of the previous year, the companies need to have no bad debts over 1 year and prepare the audited financial statements of the last year to ensure transparency for investors. Secondly, default risk is higher with corporate bonds than government bonds that also means a higher interest rate of corporate bonds. Therefore, very few companies can afford this type of cost and few companies issue corporate bonds as a result. Concerning the difference between Treasury Bills and Treasury Bonds, even they are both issued by the Government and bearing no default risk, their maturity dates are far different. Treasury Bills have the short terms of 3 months or 6 months whereas Treasury Bonds have long terms of 5 years, 10 years or more. The issue of high inflation has a significant influence on Vietnam bond market, one of which is the decrease in value of bonds. Apparently, the price of bond is equal to the coupon divided by the bond yield. Coupon is fixed, so when inflation rate is high, leading to high bond yield, the bond price falls accordingly. Noticeably, although bonds have lower default risk premium than stocks, their liquidity risk premium is considerably higher than that of stock. The low liquidity of bonds compared to stocks can be explained by two reasons. Firstly, the stock market is much more active than bond which pushes up the transactions of stocks among investors and increases liquidity of stocks. More importantly, the value of bonds in each transaction is quite large (about 500 million VND for each), few companies can afford them and therefore, makes it harder to exchange bonds in the market. After purchasing those bonds, investors tend to hold them until the maturity dates, which significantly reduces the liquidity of bonds. Moreover, it has been asked the reasons why the rate of individual investors in Vietnam is much higher than other countries (70% and 30% respectively). It is supposed that buying bonds is almost compulsory with individual employees in the workplace. Moreover, investment funds have not yet implemented their roles effectively in Vietnam, so small source of capital can not be gathered to make up the market for institutional investors. It is also important to differentiate between the brokers and market makers or dealers. The dealers act as both buyer and seller of bonds. They purchase bonds from investors and then resell them at a higher price to others. Meanwhile, the brokers do not actually make any purchasing, and only act as intermediaries between investors and dealers. Finally, the question about the difference in interest rate of bonds issued under private placement and public offering was raised. As mentioned in the report, the holders of private placement bonds often bear reinvestment risk, which in turn leads to higher return or higher interest rate. That is the reason why the interest rate of bonds issued by private placement is usually higher than that of public offering. All in all, there still exists a lot of concerning around the topic of the Vietnam bond market. General speaking, this market has not developed accordingly to its potential. However, with the efforts of Vietnam Government to enhance the bond market’ operations, a bright perspective has been open to this field.

Experiential Learning Theory The WritePass Journal

Experiential Learning Theory Experiential Learning Theory IntroductionDescription of a case from my teachingLearning theory applicable to my teaching caseExperiential Learning Theory (Kolb)Principles of Experiential Learning:Four Stages of Kolb’s Learning CycleConcrete experience:Reflective observation:Abstract conceptualization:Active experimentation:Four Types of Learning Styles (Kolb, 1976)AssimilatorsConvergers   AccommodatorsDivergersRelevance of KOLB Learning theorY TO MY CASEConcrete Experience:Reflection: Abstract Conceptualisation:Active Experimentation:Some Practical Difficulties and Potential ImprovementsReferencesRelated Introduction It is difficult to define learning but I understand from my teachers that it is the acquisition of knowledge and skills from instructions or studies. The teachers have an inclination and desire to help our learners acquire, maintain or develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that they need in the context of their everyday work (Mann 2002). According to Knowles, learning is broadly defined as the occurrence of change in a person with regards to behaviour, skills, knowledge and attitude. (Knowles 2005).    Description of a case from my teaching This was an intra-operative training for a Core Medical Trainee doctor (CT Doctor) in the reconstruction of tissue defect using a local skin flap. The trainee had never done this procedure before independently but had seen similar procedures being done and is regularly seeing the postoperative results of cases operated by me and other colleagues in the out patient follow up clinics. The aim of this teaching was a one to one surgical skill teaching of how to do a rhomboid flap, which is a transposition flap to reconstruct the defect following excision of a lesion. Though it was a teaching of an operative technique, it involved three stages namely pre-operative planning, per-operative practical procedure and post-operative documentation and reflection on the performance. The student usually is required to have preliminary prior knowledge about the skin anatomy including the components of flaps, blood circulation and different types of flap configurations based on the design (transposition, rotation and advancement flaps). The student is taught about the preparation on the operating table, draping the operation site, observing all aseptic precautions, removal of the skin lesion (this part is done me in this teaching session), planning of the flap, raising the flap, insetting the flap to fill the defect, suturing the flap and donor site, applying the dressing, documentation of operation notes, reflection on the performance and agreeing on what changes needed to improve the performance next time. Learning theory applicable to my teaching case Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb) The experiential learning theory was developed by Kolb emphasizing the importance of experience in the learning process and based his theory on the work of Dewey, Lewin and Piaget (Kolb 1984). Kolb offers a working definition of learning as â€Å"a process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience† and emphasizes the importance of adaptation, as knowledge is not static but changing, as we learn and relearn through the process of ongoing experience which changes the practice. Kolb built this upon six propositions (Kolb 1984): Learning is best conceived as a process, not in terms of outcomes    Learning is a continuous process grounded in experience    The process of learning requires the resolution of conflicts between dialectically opposed modes of adaptation to the world    Learning is an holistic process of adaptation to the world    Learning results from synergistic transactions between the person and the environment    Learning is a process of creating knowledge Principles of Experiential Learning: Learning occurs best when people learn through their own experiences and from the reflections of their own experiences rather than through lectures and theories to generate knowledge and skills. In learning what the learners do is more important rather than what they know Experiential learning makes the learners’ behaviour and attitudes explicit so that they can be assessed to construct it better for the future experiences. It is not just sufficient to teach the learner what to do but they need to be actually shown how to do and also how to improve it. The cyclical learning offers the learners continuous improvement by repeating the learning wheel over and over. Continuous use of the experiential learning cycle guides individuals and groups or teams towards improved performance and high quality outcomes. Experiential learning is not just about acquiring knowledge and skills but generating experience in the learner to discover what it is like, how it made them feel and what it meant to them, which in turn is the key to generating greater skills. The new experiences not only generate new ideas but also dispose of or modify the old ones. Experiential learning gives importance to the key aspect of learning which is to achieve change in behaviour and attitude by the holistic approach of addressing cognitive, emotional and the physical aspect of the learner. Many learners feel experiential learning process gives a sense of satisfaction, reward or gift because of its value is appreciated by the learner as a vital learning tool Kolb developed a cyclical learning process consisting of four stages (abilities): Concrete experience (abilities)    â€Å"Doing something† Reflective observation (abilities)    â€Å"Observing and reflecting on the action† Abstract conceptualization (abilities) â€Å"Thinking and finding where the action fits in with theory† Active experimentation (abilities) â€Å"Planning to implement the idea to solve actual problems The learning can begin at any of the four stages (Kolb Fry 1975) but needs to go through all four stages to complete and progress further for learning to continue. Kolb and Fry developed four types of learning styles people use and they can be placed between concrete experience and abstract conceptualization; and active experimentation and reflective observation as shown below: Four Stages of Kolb’s Learning Cycle Concrete experience: The learner performs an activity and gains experience. The activity can be a demonstration, a case study or learning a skill such as assisting an operation or performing an operation under supervision. The learner links this awareness or experience with his prior knowledge or experience resulting in a new experience or knowledge and this forms a basis for future experience. Reflective observation: The learner reflects upon the performance as a self-reflection, with that of the observer who is usually the teacher or from a small group in the form of discussion or constructive criticism. This is very important for the learner to link in with his prior knowledge and experience and move forward.    Abstract conceptualization: The learner develops a concept or theory from the knowledge gained through this experience and makes some plans to alter or change his future practice. Active experimentation: At this stage the learner puts into practice of the lessons learnt from this experience to experiment the solutions to improve the new experiential cycle. Four Types of Learning Styles (Kolb, 1976) Assimilators (Abstract conceptualisation reflective observation): This group has a strong ability to learn better when provided with sound logical theories to practice and reflect. They are concerned with abstract concepts than people. Convergers   (Abstract conceptualisation active experimentation): This group learn better when exposed to practical applications of concepts and theories. They are focussed on solving specific problems by reasoning. Accommodators (Concrete experience active experimentation): Their greatest strength is doing things and learn better when given opportunity to have â€Å"hands-on† experiences. They perform well when required to react to immediate circumstances Divergers (Concrete experience reflective observation): This group is strong in imaginative ability and are good at generating ideas and seeing things from different perspectives. They are interested in people. Though there are different predominant styles of learning in each learner, there is considerable overlap and mixture of different situations that is likely to complement the learning. Kolb’s model provides an invaluable practical framework for designing experiential learning for adults. Relevance of KOLB Learning theorY TO MY CASE Concrete Experience: The CT doctor started from the stage of concrete experience when the flap procedure was planned. He has seen me doing the flap procedure before and he has also assisted me to perform this procedure before. We had discussion pre-operatively, which triggered his pre-existing knowledge about the flap and his prior knowledge of anatomy, technique of flap elevation, insetting, and suturing in place. This is followed by the operative procedure done by him and I assisted him. This practical experience imparted new level of understanding to him and assimilated with his prior knowledge. Reflection: After the completion of the operation and documentation, we had time to reflect on this new experience and consolidate the experience with the prior knowledge to form a new knowledge.   During the discussion, I have acknowledged the good points and both have agreed the importance of tissue handling, suture placements in relation to tissue planes and the need to trim off the excess bulky tissues in the flap to fill the defect better. Abstract Conceptualisation: As a result of above discussion and feedback, we have identified areas for improvement as mentioned above for the transposition flap. We have agreed that I will assist him again in another similar case when he can apply those principles during the procedure. I also introduced the concept of rotation flap and advancement flap as in some cases, after removal of lesion and creating the defect, it is not always possible to perform transposition flap. The learner has some prior theoretical knowledge about the configuration and surgical technique of rotation and advancement flaps. I gave further guidance regarding reading materials – flap books and specific articles. This fine-tuning has helped in preparing the learner for active experimentation in a new cycle. Active Experimentation: After two weeks, the learner developed further reading related to the new concepts following the above discussion and attended my skin cancer clinics. We selected two cases needing operation to remove the lesion and reconstruction using local flaps. We applied his knowledge and prior experience to formulate the new treatment plan to carry out very soon. This has prepared him for the new encounter of active experimentation stage described by Kolb. Some Practical Difficulties and Potential Improvements I have come across problems and difficulties during the flap teaching sessions and I have enumerated them with the possible solutions, which I hope will improve my future teaching and make it more beneficial to the trainee and safer to the patients. Reflection of the learners with that of teachers’ observation is an important part of this learning cycle. Problem: The operative technique teaching of the flap to cover a tissue defect is mostly done under local anaesthesia with the patient awake. It is not always easy to talk all the aspects explicitly during the procedure. How to overcome it: One of the options would be to plan the first cycle of operative learning in patient who wanted the procedure under general anaesthesia. Problem: In some instances we have missed out this session of reflection due to lack of time, busy operating list and the learner had to attend ward patients or dressing clinic patients. How to overcome it: I need to plan this teaching session when the learner has a protected time to attend my appropriate theatre session. In cases of unforeseen circumstances causing this, I instruct the learner to write down his thoughts of reflection of the session and send it by email which will enable me give my impressions to him personally at a mutually agreeable time to move forward with an agreed plan for future experiences. The other option is to hand over the further continuity of learning to another colleague. Problem: Quite often Core Trainees in Plastic Surgery do not attend the Dressing Clinic to see the post-operative results when the patient returns for the suture removal and they also miss the opportunity when the patient returns to out patient clinic subsequently for pathology results. Reviewing the patients on these two occasions is equally important to complete the learning process. How to overcome it: I have started including in the post-operative instruction to call that particular Trainee doctor (for specific cases) when the patient returns for suture removal. Another option is to book the patient into my dressing clinic session and encourage the learner to attend. I also inform the trainee that the assessment form will be completed after he has seen the patients’ post-operative result. This is an incentive for them to attend the clinic. Problem: Kolb cycle may be difficult to apply to all trainees and there are some cultural differences the way the trainees are trained, for example trainees from Indian subcontinent or from Europe. How to overcome it: I will use spiral method of learning proposed by Dewey in this type of surgical technique teaching so that the learner follows it through the spirals to modify and improve the quality of outcome performance. I would also incorporate four-stage process of teaching in theatre (Walker Peyton, 1998) as part of the Kolb cycle depending on the pre-existing experience of the learner. Stage I involves my demonstration of the normal procedure at normal speed. In stage II, I will carry out the procedure again with full explanation and trainee is encouraged to ask questions. I perform the procedure for a third time during the III stage with trainee describing the steps, being questioned on key issues and providing any necessary correction. This stage continues until I am satisfied that the trainee fully understands the procedure. Now we move on to the final stage when the trainee carries out the procedure under close supervision, describing each step before it is undertaken . Thus this drilling of four-stage surgical skill development is followed by repetition to increase the confidence and further practicing of the skills to master it to apply in different situations. I will employ flexibility as to where to start the training depending on the individual trainees’ abilities and their prior knowledge and experience. Here is a framework I plan to use for the future flap teaching sessions:       References    Mann K V. (2002) Thinking about learning: Implications for Principle-Based Professional Education, The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 22: 69-76 Knowles M S, Holton E F, Swanson R A. (2005) What is Learning, The Adult Learner, Elsevier, Burlington, MA Kolb D A. (1984) Experiential Learning, Experience as the source of Learning and Development, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Kolb D A. (1976) The Learning Style Inventory: Technical Manual, Boston, Ma.: McBer. Kolb D A. (1981) Learning styles and disciplinary differences. in A. W. Chickering (ed.) The Modern American College, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Kolb D A, Fry R. (1975) Toward an applied theory of experiential learning;, in C. Cooper (ed.) Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley. Walker M, Peyton R. (1998) Teaching in the Theatre, Teaching and learning in medical practice, Manticore Europe, Pages 171-180

Review the sound recording and music industry Essay

Review the sound recording and music industry - Essay Example Another important role in the music/audio industry that requires music technology and audio recording skills is the role of the Sound engineers. They must also possess the ability to recognise and describe the quality of musical sounds and other sounds, in order to be able to adjust and balance these sounds creatively. â€Å"Sound engineers also need to listen for different types of distortion. Music producers need to listen for intonation and timing problems, and DJs need to refine their listening skills in order to match speeds and keys and to recognise points at which to mix.† (http://www.wolvcoll.ac.uk/international/courses/music_tech.html) When working in the audio/music industry, whether as a recording or creative artist, or even in a managerial or supporting role, it is vital to plan and work towards the production of effective final studio products, so that these products can be marketed to the right target audience. Thus, during the planning of a recording session, or any music project, â€Å"effective teamwork is essential and is only possible when everyone involved understands the process.† (http://www.ehow.com/way_5471252_effective-teamwork-care-settings.html).

How Do We Know What We Think We Know Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

How Do We Know What We Think We Know - Essay Example Most of us get our daily news from a variety of sources. At one time, these sources were limited to perhaps one of three nightly news programs and/or one of a few available newspapers. Everyone essentially read or heard the same thing. Today, news is available everywhere, from serious news programs to satire comedy to internet web pages to Twitter text messages. What holds true for our general news also holds true for what we think of scientific news. New approaches, policies, and inventions are quickly reported on and then we're off to a new topic. If they've managed to capture our attention at all, we always have the option of Googling for them during the commercial breaks and are then at the mercy of the search engine spiders, delivering ranked results based on the highest bidder or the most popular. What we know about the world of science today is largely based on where we get our information from. This, in turn, strongly influences our decisions when voting in elections, when ch oosing to support various non-profit or beginning businesses, and in shaping our overall view of the world and where it's heading. Yet how do we know that information is correct? What is it about the way that the news is conveyed that convinces us we have been given the truth? In order to resist naive belief and make better decisions for ourselves and the world at large, we need to carefully examine the scientific stories we read, such as those which warn of global warming, as a means of understanding the various ways journalists use words to shape our understanding. The problem of global warming has been written about since at least the 1970s, but it is starting to gain some ground in more recent years as evidence becomes harder to deny or refute. For example, an article in the New York Times published in March 2012 uses terms that make it clear the author is still trying to convince his readers that global warming is occurring as a result of human activity and yet provide few opti ons as to what else might be contributing to the evidence found. The evidence that the author is attempting to convince his audience is found in the second sentence of the article: "Warnings from the scientific community are becoming louder, as an increasing body of science points to rising dangers from the ongoing buildup of human-related greenhouse gases - produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests." Not only does the author squarely place blame on "human-related greenhouse gases," leaving no room for argument or other possibilities, the sources of these gases are specifically named, further removing any possibility for argument. While it is possible that the author simply chose this form of expression as a means of concisely identifying his topic in keeping with Grice's (1975) maxim of quantity, to provide just as much information as necessary to make the meaning clear, it also reveals evidence of previous conversation. For example, it is not necessarily important that the term human-related be included in the above-quoted sentence to remain in accord with Grice's maxim, yet the inclusion here suggests either recency (Garrod and Anderson, 1987), in that the author may have been recently discussing the issue.

What Problems Face Historians History Essay

What Problems Face Historians History Essay History may be the past but the reflections on that past and the different mediums that inform and shape us about the past must be examined for their veracity and usefulness. These documents and sources present the historian with many problems as they are often used as a cumulative examination of a period under study. Yet what are the difficulties that are inherent in these sources and testimonies. Both primary and secondary sources contain pitfalls that can trap and blind the historian in his pursuit of historical accuracy. The veracity of the particular source, the motives behind the source and the origins of the evidence are all concerns for the historian. In conjunction with these problems can be the temptation to subsume personal and contemporary reports and evidence for the purposes of a grander and more wide-ranging historical narrative. Hew Strachan believes that hindsight can disfigure and reduce the essence of history. Hindsight refers to the ability to understand an event or situation only after it has happened  [i]  1and Strachan believes that this can imbue the historian with an arrogant view of those who did not see the bigger picture or understand the deeper motives behind historical events. Does this have some truth and if so can it distort history to such a degree that it almost erases the individual struggle or achievement? Or does this problem exist merely within a wider spectrum of historical concerns? History must be about balance so is a merging of both the personal and the panoramic possible? Strachan writes that hindsight distorts history through fostering arrogance. In his book The First World War he talks of the fact that just because other ideas and ideologies seem foreign to us, this does not deny their charge for those who went to war in 1914  [ii]  so therefore this muting of the past does not push us to understand it merely obfuscates the truth. Yet what is history, but an attempt to see the grander picture and how ideas fit into individual histories and testimonies. The primary sources that are around for historical examination bring with them not just their face value but an attempt to recreate the conceits and facets behind them. In 1946 Ellen Hammer wrote in an article on Americas relations with the Vichy government that throughout the war information filtered into neutral capitals but only on the spot sources could report with any authority  [iii]  , but just how problematic are these on the spot accounts? It is certainly true that primary sources retain an immediacy and relevance that is difficult to ignore. It is through letters, diaries and newspapers that we have built up much of our knowledge of the First World War. Without these sources we would be dependent on fractious second-hand testimony or oral traditions resplendent with hyperbole. For the historian it is necessary to look at the facts behind the facts. The researcher must certainly avail himself of hindsight and retrospection but must not allow themselves to become victims of them. Isaac Deutscher wrote that the historian deals with fixed and irreversible patterns of events; all weapons have already been fired  [iv]  and as the historical inquiry gathers pace the historian is aware that he is surveying a spent battlefield but how accurate are the bullets he has examined? There is perhaps nothing more alive in the consciousness of Europe than the concerted attempt to exterminate European Jewry by the Nazis during the Second World War. According to Gilbert in his study of the subject merely to give witness by ones own testimony was, in the end, to contribute to a moral victory. Simply to survive was a victory  [v]  and it is a testament to the human condition that so many survived. These terrible events have continued to be explored in witness accounts and literature and another event that has been extensively written about has been the Great or First World War. The last remaining survivor of that conflagration recently passed away so now that the survivors have died out and can no longer contribute to their own victories, will future generations have their knowledge shaped by hindsight and retrospection when it comes to those times? It is important to note that both hindsight and retrospection can give us many valuable lessons on historical experience. Dr Johnson wrote that when a design has ended in marriage or success, when every eye and every ear is witness to general discontent or general satisfaction, it is then a proper time to disentangle confusion and illustrate obscurity  [vi]  2and it is within this statement that a major part of the rationale behind history can be identified. Although the canvas of history is vast, the minutiae helps build up the overall picture and hence hindsight aids that process as well as retrospection. There are certain elements in any event that are not known and cannot possibly be known at the time of the event. At the end of the Great War who could have known that the aftermath would provide the bedrock for the Soviet Union and force a reluctant United States onto the world stage  [vii]  but these were the consequences of that conflict, although not recognized in thei r scope at the time. The problem that the historian faces is that this knowledge can give special onus to events that had none and rob other events of their posterity. However, how can we disentangle and illustrate without letting individual values and beliefs, perhaps vastly removed from those we are studying, intrude on the historians research? This is what Strachan talks of when he mentions the disadvantages of hindsight. Kenneth Baker writes that memory plays tricks with the past, events are sometimes remembered only in part  [viii]  3and in todays contemporary media saturated society, it may seem strange to consider just how diverse and varied accounts of the past were. Yet this removal from the events that unfolded can give us, real and imagined distance, between the understanding and interpretation. The two biggest conflagrations of the twentieth century, both World Wars, are probably two of the most written about subjects in history. Their respective arcs spanned the globe and brought devastation and change to many aspects of peoples lives. However, their documenting and recording throw up countless testimonies and accounts of those times which are not always possible to examine with straight forward simplicity. One of the first problems that the historian is presented with is the sheer dearth of material that is available. Fest writes that once in a while it is necessary for the chronicler to put aside his magnifying glass. For the way things fit together has a significance of its own and can give us information that no mere examination of details can  [ix]  but this chronicle involves thousands upon thousands of minute details that are its integral parts. The motivations and recollections of those at the time as well as their possessions and other sources can easily be brushed aside as hindsight condemns them to the undergrowth of history. After Austria-Hungarys declaration of war on Serbia, accounts have been written of the jubilation that greeted the announcement. The joy and euphoria may have been real but despite the later disillusionment with the war, this does not mean we can learn nothing from that day. These testimonies are still valid and tell us more about attitudes to war th an about the war itself. The temptation for the historian is to conclude that the destruction of WW1 shows how the enthusiasm evaporated but up until the very end, there were those who embraced the war. Adolf Hitler, then an obscure corporal speaks of the war years as the greatest and most unforgettable time of my earthly existence  [x]  but despite what we know about Hitlers later life and his absent moral compass, this testimony is still relevant because of its immediacy. The combination of personal and professional in the recollections and remembrances of participants can add interesting texture and nuance to historical investigation. Strachan writes in his book on the Great War about Conrad Von Hotzendorff, the Austrian Chief of the General Staff and of how Hotzendorff was in love with a married woman. Hotzendorff saw a triumphant return from the battlefield as an integral part of gaining acceptability for this relationship and Strachan writes that Conrads response to Franz Ferdinands assassination was more visceral than rational  [xi]  . This highlights an important problem when dealing with sources. The actions and motivations of participants can seem indicative of one course of action but this motivation can contain a number of individual facets and aims. As well as the difficulty of gleaning motive, testimonies and documents of the period can fall victim to retrospective thinking. The particular feelings and emotions of a person can undergo transformation as time flows and if that particular person is not around at that moment, then the historians interpretation could be colored by emotions that only resurfaced at a present time. The human condition is so multi-faceted that it constantly fluctuates and seeks to change into a particular set of perceptions that are prevalent at the time. The actions and thoughts of individuals also present problems when constructing historical timelines as they are often belied by diplomatic effort and political reflection. Strachan again writes of the events leading up to the Great War that the experience of earlier crises had conditioned statesman to put events in the broader context of European international relations  [xii]  and this goes in tandem with subjective testimonies related by individuals or groups. Richard J Evans argues that the historians questions should be formulated not by some present theory but from the historical sources themselves  [xiii]  which leads to the observation that whose history is being recorded? The emphasis on high politics and political history has a tendency to negate the other factors that can determine events. In the case of primary sources, the testimonies of survivors can be brushed off as subjective ruminations that incorporate too much personal experience. It is the major players in the games of politics and power, the elite, which therefore can and must be relied on because they are the ones who were in the driving seat. This rationale takes on the very characteristics of the people it reveres as it reduces history to an elite club of statesmen and hierarchies whose actions were the engine in world history. Yet a solitary emphasis on the actions of the people or social history can be just as exclusivist. Much of the writing on the First World War concerns the massive loss of life during the military campaigns of The Somme and Ypres and in this sense it can give a picture of an event being merely the sum of its battles and military maneuvers. Yet Strachan writes of the Home Front that at the end of 1917, the British people were desperately tired  [xiv]  and Gilbert observes all over Europe, and in every country that had sent men to fight in Europe, the memorials to those who had been killed were being designed and put in place  [xv]  so any reliance on one type of source of history can in Johnsons words obfuscate and hide the greater picture. The reason for statements and articulations also have to be taken into account when considering historical evidence and never more so than when considered in a war situation. The Great War threw up some such examples of this practice. It is natural in wartime to seek to demonstrate how much of a threat the enemy is. Strachan uses this example in his book citing the Governor of Bosnia in 1914 as saying of the Serbs that towards such a population all humanity and all kindness are out of place  [xvi]  and this can be contrasted with Hitlers utterances to his Generals during the Second World War regarding the Russians and Jews. Propaganda and the uses that particular pieces of testimony were created for can create an obstacle in tackling historical sources. Stanley Weintraub writes in his book Silent Night, which deals with the Christmas truce of 1914 that for rival governments, for which war was politics conducted by persuasive force, it was imperative to make even temporary peace unappealing and workable  [xvii]  which for todays Western governments seems even more callous than war itself. Politicians of all persuasions unite to cite how this episode was a call to arms for us all and how in the madness of war, sanity was temporarily regained. This is in itself an example of both hindsight and retrospection. The ideals that were being fought for during that war were those of liberalism against force, freedom versus tyranny and since those ideas have been won for a majority of the world, it is seen as an episode of hope amidst war. This may be true but it was these exact governments that frowned upon this truce at the time and now in retrospect see its benefits. Thus, in some measure history can be distorted. Weintraub goes on to write that this impromptu truce seemed dangerously akin to the populist politics of the streets, the spontaneous movements that topple tyrants and autocrats  [xviii]  and one does not need to go far to see just how Strachan might be right in writing of hindsight as arrogance. The not too distant past saw a sitting government ignore the protests and cries of its people during the recent Iraq debacle. Once again it seems that the lessons of history are that those in power know best. It is important to remember that much of the sources that we have from the end of World War One were from captured documents but most importantly from the views of the Allies themselves, the victors. In such an environment it is possible for particular viewpoints to emerge that reinforce such origins. Wohlsetter writes that after the crisis, memories fade and recriminations take their place  [xix]  and this underscores much of what we know of our own history. The aftermath of both wars saw the division of Europe into different spheres of interest and thus once again the victors to an extent dictated the course of history. This use of sources could take place within the sphere of Eurocentrism. Nordenbo describes this as an historical point of view which perceives modernity, first and foremost as a unique modern European invention  [xx]  , a construct which sees the West as the leader in civilization and invention and the rest of the world as a kind of other. This Europe appears to non-Europeans as a land of milk and honey, a promised land and certainly contains the seeds of a European hegemonic system. Edward Said writes in his thesis Orientalism about the construction of this other. It is contained in Marxs maxim that they cannot represent themselves, so they must be represented and Said argues that to the West, the Orient is an other-worldly realm peopled by exotic, hedonistic infidels  [xxi]  and though dealing with the Orient this can be transposed to the examination of sources. It is possible because of the difficulty of obtaining documents in many places to merely stereotype and generalize using Western maxims and rationales. The problems of translation from other languages can also impede investigation and again ties in with this idea of Eurocentrism, that English lexicons and idioms are the natural record of history. To maintain this thought system is to deliver an irrevocable blow to the historical mindset. Hindsight also relies on the process of causation. This links a series of causes and sketches a rough timeline between events. This can blur the line between reality and impression. It is sometimes asserted that the Treaty of Versailles and its perceived harshness was instrumental in causing the Second World War. This was not the only factor and its overall impact can be negated. Several other factors must be considered, such as Hitlers own personal bent and drive, the expansionist drive of the German military and political elite and the notion of a Messianic savior, a Strong Man, destined to lead Germany to greatness. It is possible to agree with Strachan that hindsight does breed arrogance. The ideas and realities of contemporary life are quite removed from the realities of yesteryear. It is the job of the historian to make sense of these past times and draw conclusions and lessons from them. This can be problematic as the sources are as rich and varied as the events that shaped them. There is arrogance in history, people find it hard to laud and identify people who gave themselves for ideals and causes, and hence label them with contemporary judgments However just as hindsight does not give us the complete picture, so not all historical investigation is tainted by this thinking. The problems and difficulties of looking at sources are myriad and sometimes frustrating but only through careful sifting and collaboration of method can we attain that knowledge of the past that so informs the historians rumination on the present.

Guide to Web Research and MLA Essay

The World Wide Web is the broadest source of information today. Other than this fact, it is also accessible through the computer, given that it has Internet access. Since it has a broad source of information, people use it for academic research, besides its use for entertainment. However, one major problem with Web searches is the published material’s credibility since it is often open to a wide variety of audiences and contributors. Since the students’ reliability on Web research is increasing, then there is a need to address the issue about the web sources’ credibility. One way to ensure the sources’ credibility is to evaluate the details on the website itself—like the author, date published, and web site title. These details can help one to understand the worth and uniqueness of the information on the website since some information tend to be rehashes of the original one. To make things simpler, it is quite advisable to look at academic websites—like university databases—and online scholarly journal sites. Most of the time, the information here is quite credible since the authors from such websites have the credentials to prove their words’ worth. I believe everyone already had their fair share of frustration from web research. More often than not, the information that appears on the first page tend to come from websites ranging from slightly reliable to non-reliable. Other than that, I have also encountered links to websites wherein payment is required in order to gain access to the information—like many online libraries. These problems can discourage students and force them into accepting the information regardless of its credibility. Furthermore, it can also exhaust the energy of students, making them more timid. The Modern Language Association or MLA is a language and writing institution developed in order to create a common guide of academic writing that the students, scholars, and members of the academe could follow. It basically provides a network upon which members from different places could share information and academic trends with others (MLA, 2008). Since the organization has a myriad of members wherein most are experts in the academe, their guide becomes a requirement in order to help the students and other members of the academe to organize their academic papers properly. Fighting Until the Very End of Life The poem Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas shares the struggle of a dying person or a person’s grief on the gradual loss of a dying loved one. Basically, the poem centers on the theme of not giving up and fighting until death. Once a person succumbs to the thought of death, then he or she may already be considered dead. In a nutshell, the first stanza entails a persona telling the reader (or to whom the poem is dedicated) to not give up easily and go fight against death and weakness—basically, to become fierce. In stanzas two to five, the persona gives out specific examples of fierce men never giving up, which in turn supports the first stanza. In stanza six, the persona addresses the reader (or to whom the poem is dedicated) to show him or her the fierceness that he or she once had, or the fierceness of his or her soul, which would make the persona happy (Thomas, 1971). The persona of the poem may be Dylan Thomas himself, as he wrote this poem for his dying father—growing weaker from old age and blindness. Throughout the poem, he sought to encourage his father to fight on for his life, no matter how inevitable death was (citation). Besides him being the persona, it could also assume the role of a dying person who encourages others to fight on and to never give up until the very end. The persona assumes a sad yet encouraging tone throughout the poem. The phrases Do not go gentle into that good night and Rage, rage against the dying light are also reiterated throughout the poem in order to give emphasis to the theme of the poem. The persona also constantly reminds the reader and the target person to never go down without a fight since giving up life early would mean that the person is just as good as dead already. The two connotative words that have been heavily used throughout the poem is night and (dying) light. Basically, night here could be referring to the dying person (not the persona) accepting his or her fate peacefully, although there may as well be other connotations for this word. On the other hand, light or the phrase dying of the light could be pertaining to death, or at least weakness. The poem follows an alternating rhyme scheme, wherein the key words to follow are night and day. There is also a repetition of the two phrases Do not go gentle into that good night and Rage, rage against the dying light which gives more emphasis to the theme of the poem. The poem’s form and tone seem too soft and gentle for the poem’s subject which is death. This creates an irony that the persona is asking the dying person to become enraged against death. Metaphors and personifications are used throughout the poem, in order to give a hopeful tone for the persona’s beseeching of the dying person, instead of a tone associated with grief and loss. An example would be the stanza: â€Å"Though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightning they / Do not go gentle into that good night† (4-6). References Thomas, D. (1971). Do not go gentle into that good night. Poets. org. Retrieved July 4, 2009 from http://www. poets. org/viewmedia. php/prmMID/15377. MLA. (2008). About the MLA. Retrieved July 4, 2009 from http://www. mla. org/about.

The Teachers Place In Society Education Essay

The instructor ‘s topographic point in society is of critical importance. He acts as a pivot for the transmittal of rational traditions and proficient accomplishments from coevals to coevals and helps to maintain the lamp of civilisation combustion. The instructors are literally the supreme authorities of a state ‘s fate. He is being recognized as the most critical factor in the educational system. Upon his preparation, dedication and efficiency stands the whole construction of instruction. He is the key of quality instruction and the surrogate parent of the kid. Child looks to him for cognition, wisdom, manners ethical motives inspiration, and what non. A instructor performs many maps in the schoolroom for the comprehensive development of the pupils. Teacher maintain the pupils safe, make up one's mind what is of import for pupils to larn, show a rich and organized organic structure of information to the pupils, protect and better the pupils ‘ self-pride, supply an environment for the pupils to research a assortment of experiences, aid pupils use computing machines and other technology-related tools to carry through specific undertakings, arrange the pupils ‘ environment to maximise the chance that they will larn what you want them to larn, do certain pupils are prepared for the following degree of their instruction, do certain pupils learn what other people ( national, province, and/or territory educational professionals ; parents ) think is of import for them to larn, love and foster the pupils. In order to successfully accomplish the above-named maps, a instructor needs to move as a director in his/her schoolroom. In other words, the instructor should possess some of import managerial accomplishments. A director is usually defined as person who is in charge of his/her administration and is responsible for the proper working the organising in every facet. Among the 10 direction functions that Henry Mintzberg ( 1973 ) identified in his thesis entitled â€Å" The Nature of Managerial Work † , he suggested eight set of managerial accomplishments, viz. : Peer Skills Leadership Skills Conflict Resolution Skills Information Processing Skills Skills in Decision-Making Under Ambiguity Resource Allocation Skills Entrepreneurial Skills Introspection Skills Chapter Two – Necessary Managerial Skills for Teachers Harmonizing to the Oxford lexicon, a accomplishment is defined to be the ability to make something good or an expertness. In add-on, a accomplishment is an facet of behavior that can be learnt. In the undermentioned lines, the different managerial accomplishments that are indispensable, in my sentiment, for a instructor so as to supply the best acquisition environment for his/her pupils will be elaborated. 2.1 Skill One: Leadership Skill Sharma ( 2002 ) believes that the function of the instructor is really of import and he/she demands to move as a leader in his/her schoolroom. Associating to Mintzberg ( 1973 ) , this accomplishment is concerned with the ability of the instructor to actuate and assist his/her pupils and at the same clip, to cover with their jobs efficaciously. For those pupils who are per se motivated, the instructor merely acts as an instigator and a facilitator. However, for those pupils who are non motivated ( and harmonizing to my experience, there is a big bulk of them ) , the instructor ‘s leading function is critical of import to actuate those pupils. Motivation, harmonizing to me, can be defined as a force that awakes a individual from his/her sleepy manner to force him/her in an active and dynamic manner. Lavoie ( 2011 ) identified eight forces that motivate people, viz. , gregariousness, liberty, position, curiousness, ( positive ) aggression, power, acknowledgment and association. Bing a Mathematics instructor, in my sentiment, the undermentioned schemes can be adopted to actuate the pupils: The instructor himself/herself must be seen as being motivated Teacher motive can be defined as â€Å" willingness, thrust or desire to prosecute in good instruction † ( Michaelowa, 2002, p.5 ) . Hence, mathematically talking, teacher, motive is tantamount to efficient instruction and accordingly, efficient acquisition. Find suited ways to do pupils love the topic One of the grounds why some pupils dislike mathematics and happen it deadening is the fact that they do non cognize about its application in real-life. Hence, the instructor needs to teach the pupils about the real-life application of mathematics on the first twenty-four hours to do them cognizant of its importance in the mundane life and how, without mathematics, many things would be unattainable or about impossible. State the purposes and aims of the capable affair This should be done on the first twenty-four hours of the class. It is of import to do them aware what is expected from them and in bend, what qualities or behaviours they are expected to hold at the terminal of the class twelvemonth. Let the pupils know that the instructor is ever available whenever person is holding troubles in his surveies. Set-up the schoolroom regulations and ordinances in coaction with the pupils. Use different instruction manners in order to fit the diverse larning manners of the pupils. In order to extrinsically actuate the pupils, the instructor can assure his/her pupils that the best two among them will be rewarded at the terminal of each term. Of class, the instructor needs to maintain his promise. 2.2 Skill Two: Peer Skill Peer accomplishment would mention to the ability of the instructor to move, at one clip, as a director of the schoolroom and at another clip, as a friend to his/her pupils. This friendly relationship should be to some bound and the pupils should be made cognizant of it. Otherwise, being excessively friendly would do pandemonium and undiscipline in the category and later, the larning environment of the category would be to a great extent and severely affected. In general, a pupil, like any other individual, has a demand to experience a sense of belongingness to his/her category, his/her classmates every bit good as his/her instructor. Research has shown that when a pupil feels he/she ‘belongs ‘ to the category, he/she has a higher grade of intrinsic motive and has more assurance academically. Freeman et Al. ( 2007 ) claimed that, harmonizing to pupils, their sense of belongingness for a category is raised by a instructor that demonstrates heats and openness, encourages pupil engagement, is enthusiastic, friendly and helpful, and is organised and prepared for category. 2.3 Skill Three: Conflict Resolution Skill Life in a schoolroom is non ever sweet. On and off, things get rancid between the pupils or even between the pupil and the instructor for diverse grounds. Classroom struggles, may it be a minor or a major one, must be dealt with every bit shortly as they arise so as to forestall the state of affairs from acquiring out of control. Otherwise, they would botch the instruction and larning environment of the schoolroom. For minor instances, the instructor needs to utilize his/her managerial accomplishments of go-between and negotiant rapidly and reasonably. The first measure is to garner information about the causes of the incident, guaranting that the information obtained is from echt beginnings. The 2nd measure would be to listen attentively to both students/groups. The last measure would be to work jointly with those involved towards a solution. In my sentiment, by continuing in this manner, the pupils would experience closer to their instructor in that they know they can swear their instructor and at the same clip, they are larning this really of import accomplishment of deciding struggles, which they may use it subsequently in their ain life. In line with the above, Feldman ( 1989 ) argues that pupils would be more positively disposed to the schoolroom activities and to the instructor if they think that the instructor cares about them. However, for major instances of undiscipline, such as sexual maltreatment, the instructor needs to follow the regulations and ordinances of the school subject. The best solution would be to direct those involved to the Discipline Master who would cover with them consequently. 2.4 Skill Four: Information Processing Skill This accomplishment is about the instructor ‘s ability to pull out, collect and portion information relevant to the capable affair or subject. In the traditional position of instruction and acquisition, the instructor was the exclusive beginning of cognition and hence, the category was dominantly teacher-oriented. However, despite the fact that this attack to learning and acquisition is regarded as being disused, some topics, like mathematics, are most of the clip teacher-centred. But, a good mathematics instructor would happen ways to do his/her category an gratifying and fruitful experience. Personally, since about all subjects are inter-related in mathematics, I ever start a subject by giving the basic information and from that, other regulations are derived with the aid of the pupils. In this manner, the instruction manner is shifted from the expository one to a more synergistic more where each pupil is able to lend something in the building of new cognition. The constructivist attack leads to effectual mathematics learning and larning ( Van de Walle, 1995 ) . In add-on, this attack requires the pupils to be brooding and to work on their old cognition in order to obtain new cognition. Furthermore, their problem-solving ability is enhanced. Brooks & A ; Brooks ( 1993 ) relate that the followers is implied in a constructivist schoolroom: Student liberty and enterprise are accepted and encouraged. The instructor asks open-ended inquiries and allows delay clip for responses. Higher-level thought is encouraged. Students are engaged in duologue with the instructor and with each other. Students are engaged in experiences that challenge hypotheses and promote treatment. The category uses natural informations, primary beginnings, manipulatives, and physical, synergistic stuffs. A good mathematics instructor should be able to utilize a assortment of learning manners in order to do the topic appear interesting and easy, and at the same clip, cater for the different acquisition manners of his/her pupils. For case, to learn the subject Vectors in 3-Dimension, it is really hard for pupils to understand the constructs involved utilizing the traditional attack as the subject is instead an abstract one. But when the job is modelled utilizing appropriate technological tools, the pupils are able to visualize the job and accordingly, they learn how to pattern the jobs on their ain utilizing paper and pencil. Hence, using the right mathematical constructs, they are able to work out any jobs on Vectors in 3-Dimension. 2.5 Skill Five: Resource Allocation Skill This skill trades with the instructor ‘s ability to pull off his/her clip decently and to make out to each pupil ‘s encountered troubles. The best manner to accomplish these is through proper lesson planning. It is true that to fix a lesson is a cumbrous undertaking but at the terminal of the twenty-four hours, it helps salvage a batch of clip and more things can be done. In fact, it can be said that lesson planning is a one measure rearward and two stairss frontward approach. From past experience, the followers should be taken into consideration when fixing a lesson program: Carry out one lesson at a clip The purpose and aims of the lesson should be good set and the pupils should be made cognizant of it Since about all subjects in mathematics is based on some pre-requisites, ever recall those old cognition in order to acquire the pupils in the temper Based on the trouble of the subject, take a considerable sum of clip to to the full explicate the subject, taking into consideration the jobs pupils are holding and blow no clip to unclutter these misconceptions Allow pupils to hold sufficient sum of clip to pattern some jobs in category and at the same clip, utilize this ‘free ‘ clip to cover separately with those holding farther jobs Summarize the whole lesson Give a sensible sum of prep Reserve the following session for rectifying prep and for farther pattern ( remedial plants if needed ) A well-prepared lesson program non merely affect the resource allotment accomplishment but besides the entrepreneurial accomplishment of the teacher-manager as the latter trades with the ability of the instructor to look for jobs and chances that may originate during a lesson and thereof, implement the necessary alteration swimmingly. For case, while explicating a subject, the instructor noticed that the bulk of pupils are non hold oning the lesson, so, he/she should be able to alter the instruction manner consequently. This is why it is of import to ever hold a Plan B. 2.6 Skill Six: Introspection Skill This maybe the most of import accomplishment needed by a teacher-manager. It deals with the instructor ‘s ability to reflect upon his/her ain work and the impact it has on his/her pupils. In other words, after each lesson, the instructor needs to self-evaluate himself/herself. Successful rating would be that learning and acquisition has occurred and each pupil has understood the lesson and all plants have been completed. Else, the instructor needs to alter his/her learning schemes and/or behavior in category. Chapter 3 – Decision To be a good and effectual instructor, a blend of managerial accomplishments is required by the instructor in order to advance a successful instruction and acquisition environment. It is of import to observe that instructors are born with these accomplishments but it takes clip every bit good as tonss of pattern to get and get the hang these accomplishments.