Achievement goal theory: ‘An athlete’s motivation should always be to aim to be the best’ Essay

â€Å"Success and failure are not concrete events. They are psychological states consequent on the perception of reaching or not reaching goals† (Maehr & Nicholls, 1980. p. 228). The quality of an athlete’s sporting experience is shaped by the way in which success is defined, and by how capabilities are judged (Duda, 1993). Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) (Nicholls, 1984; 1989) outlines that people are motivated by the desire to fell competent. People can define competence and success in different ways, the main ones being ego and task orientations. Research is consistent in showing the motivational benefits of a task-orientation, either singly or in combination with an ego-orientation. In order to keep athletes involved in sport, success must mean being the best as well as task mastery and personal improvement (Duda, 1993). Drawing from past research, I will construct an essay to support the statement: ‘An athlete’s motivation should always be to aim to be the best’. I will firstly outline important tenants of AGT, in particular ego and task orientations, approach and avoidance goals, motivational climates, and TARGET guidelines. Secondly, I will use this information to provide a brief analysis of the motivational style that a coach of the Varsity rugby league team; Brent, performs, and the effects this style has on a particular 18-year-old athlete; Justin. Finally, I will describe specific theoretically based strategies that can be used by Brent, to adapt a more correct motivational atmosphere for Justin and his team. Coaches play an important role in determining the types of motivational orientations athletes perceive (Ames, 1992). Part 1: Theoretical Understanding. According to AGT (Nicholls, 1984, 1989), in achievement situations the goal of participants is to demonstrate competence or avoid demonstrating incompetence. AGT recognises at least two approaches athletes may adopt to judge their ability within a sporting context. A focus on comparing oneself to others (ego-orientated) or a focus on one’s own effort and improvement (task-orientated) Athletes, who are ego-orientated, perceive ability as limiting the effects of effort on performance (Nicholls, 1989). Here athletes show their high capacity of ability often at the expense of effort. Nicholls (1989) states that ego-orientated individuals judge their ability  relative to others, and try to demonstrate superior ability or outperform others to be satisfied. Those who are highly task-orientated use cues such as levels of effort and task completion to assess their competence, in a self-reflective manner. Here the athlete is satisfied if they perform to a level that reflects how they have mastered a task or made personal improvements (Ames, 1992). Much research points to the advantage of being task-involved when participating in sport and other achievement-related activities (Ames, 1992; Duda, 1993, 2001). Positive outcomes include health, well-being, and social and performance-related factors. When athletes report being task-oriented, they persist longer at sporting tasks, they are more engaged with their trainings, and they use more effective cognitive processing strategies (tennis). In comparison, ego-oriented goals may lead to negative outcomes, such as the tendency to drop out of sport (Duda & Balaguer, 2007). Adaptive cognitive, affective, and behavioral patterns are characteristics of task-orientated athletes as well as for those who are ego-oriented but who have high perceived competence or ability. Maladaptive patters are predicted for ego-oriented individuals who have low perceived ability (Nicholls, 1989). Athletes become predisposed to task and ego orientations because of social factors in their sport (i.e. the coach), and these orientations will subsequently influence what goal preference an athlete will adopt in a specific situation (Duda & Balaguer, 2007). Elliot (1999) & Pintrich (2000) state that task and ego goals are each divided into approach and avoidance goals. In terms of task goals, task-approach oriented athletes are interested in achieving mastery of a task; in contrast, task-avoidance oriented athletes are interested in avoiding misunderstanding the task. In terms of ego goals, ego-approach oriented athletes are interested in demonstrating that they are more competent than other athletes (i.e., have more ability than others); in contrast, performance-avoidance oriented students are interested in avoiding appearing incompetent or stupid. It is important to note that athletes can hold multiple goals simultaneously; thus, it is possible for an athlete to be both task-approach oriented and ego-approach oriented; here, this athlete  truly wants to learn and master the material but is also concerned with appearing more competent than others. The nature of the goal state (levels of task and ego-orientation) that is activated in a specific sport situation will be determined by individual preference (goal orientation) as well as situational cues (motivational climate). According to Roberts (2001) conceptions of competence are determined by both dispositional and situational factors. Research acknowledges that both students’ individual characteristics and contextual influences affect the types of goals that students adopt in various learning environments. Studies indicate that the environments in which athletes learn influence their goal orientations in important ways (Dweck, 1986; Cury, Biddle, Famose, Goudas, & Sarrazin, 1996; Spray, 2000). Whether an athlete is more task- or ego-orientated in sport depends partly on the motivational climate created by coaches. This can also be of two types: a mastery or task-oriented motivational climate, and a competitive or ego-oriented motivational climate (Ames, 1992). In this regard, athletes who have stronger ego-goal orientations are more likely to perceive an ego-oriented sport climate, whereas those with a dominant task-orientation are more likely to perceive a task-oriented motivational climate. The instructional practices that are used in trainings have an impact on the types of goal orientations that athletes adopt (Ntoumanis & Biddle, 1999) In a task-oriented motivational climate, the coach emphasises cooperation, rewards players’ effort, and ensures that everyone feels that they have clear and important roles to play on the team. When mistakes are made, the coach responds with information on how to correct the error. Here, coaches are more likely to produce athletes who are confident, coachable, willing to work hard for commonly agreed upon goals, and who enjoy their sport. In an Ego-orietated motivational climate, the coach emphasises rivalry between players, has a low tolerance for mistakes, and has favourites amongst the players. This environment has been related to athletes having greater performance anxiety and self-doubt and other behaviors which are counterproductive (Duda, & Balaguer, 2007; Ntoumanis & Biddle, 1999). In a task-orientated climate athletes experience greater enjoyment and  self-esteem, and reported less anxiety than in ego-involving climates. Athletes also report greater intrinsic motivation to play their sport when their coaches promote task involvement (Duda, & Balaguer, 2007; Ntoumanis & Biddle, 1999). Another critical area that defines the predominant motivational climate is the type of feedback given to athletes. The task-orientated climate will have responses that emphasize effort, improvement and skill mastery. The ego-involving climate will focus on the win-loss record and the athlete’s ability. In a given context, if a coach talks about and truly focuses on mastery, improvement, and self-comparisons, then athletes are likely to adopt mastery goals, and to perceive a task goal structure during training. In contrast, if a coach constantly talks about skill levels, game scores, and who is doing the best (or the worst), then athletes are likely to adopt performance goals, and perceive a performance goal structure at training. An athlete’s motivation should be to strive to be the best, but it is the perception of what is meant by ‘being the best’ that the athlete must be concerned with. Coaches can play an important role in determining what athletes perceive as being the best It is therefore important to provide the right types of goals, in the right type of motivation climate. Epstein (1989) identified that the task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation, and time (TARGET) structures as influential factors that can determine the motivation climate. Epstein (1989) developed a taxonomy as a way of summarising and providing order to the various dimensions. Later, Ames (1992) adopted the TARGET acronym to summarise the structures that foster a mastery motivational climate in achievement situations, and consequently, display positive patterns of behaviours in athletes. The Task (T) dimension outlines the design of the learning activities. The Authority (A) dimension refers to the type and frequency of participation in the decision-making process. The dimension of Recognition (R) concerns the use of rewards to recognise progress and achievement. The Grouping (G) dimension regards the way in which athletes are divided into groups. The  Evaluation (E) dimension involves the methods, standards, and criteria used to assess learning. The Time (T) dimension concerns the appropriateness of the time demands, the pace of instruction, and the time designated to complete tasks. This model can be used to identify and design a learning environment to help develop athletes perceived competence, enjoyment and intentions to participate. Conversely, Ego-orientated climates are created when athletes are not given varied tasks, the coach maintains authority, athletes are recoginised for their ability relative to others, homogeneous ability groups are used, evaluation is based on normative practices, and time for task’s completion is inflexible (Duda & Balaguer, 2007). The mastery TARGET structures of task, grouping, and time have shown to have the greatest positive effect on peoples activity levels (Bowler, 2009). I will now use the discussed theoretical assumptions to provide a brief analysis of the motivational style that a coach Brent employs, and the effects this style has on an athlete; Justin. Part 2: Case Study; a Brief Analysis. Justin, an athlete in Brent’s team, is not enjoying league as much as he has in the past. Justin believes it is the coaching style and team environment, which has caused this change in motivation. Brent, a rookie coach, feels that his experience he has had as a player and from having been coached himself by a number of different coaches, will lead him to be a successful coach. It is evident from the case study and from the literature that Brent’s motivational style is negatively affecting Justin’s motivation, to the point that he seems certain to drop out of the sport completely. It would advantage Brent to be more task-orientated during his coaching; he currently employs an ego-orientated motivational style. His ego-orientated motivational climate can be categorised into the six dimensions of the TARGET taxonomy (Epstein, 1989). As a dimension of (T) Task: Brent does not emphasise individual challenge or active involvement during his fitness training and he dominates conversations by explaining what he thought went wrong. As a dimension of (A) Authority: Brent does not ask for input from the team regarding training drills and he does not give the players much of a chance to give their opinions. As a dimension of (R) Recognition: Athletes are recognised for their ability relative to others during fitness sessions rather than on effort as a perceived indicator of achievement. As a dimension of Grouping (G): homogeneous groups are evident when comparing new and existing team members; there is a sense of an ‘us and them’ atmosphere. As a dimension of Evaluation (E): the coach bases evaluation on fitness levels rather than effort, with no tools to develop the progression towards individual goals. and finally as a dimension of Time (T): the time the team has for task completion is inflexible, he expects quick progression of skills and fitness, as well as this, his sessions are all planned out in advance not allowing appropriate time demands. These ego-orientated practices that Brent employs, has created a motivational climate that is of a highly ego-orientated nature. This will influence the types of goal orientations that Justin adopts. The nature of the goal state will be determined by individual preference as well as the motivational climate. Justin’s motivational preference seems also to be highly ego-orientated. There is a high chance that this is a function of Brent’s ego-orientated instructional practices (motivational climate). Justin believes that in order to be successful he has to focus comparing himself with others either during fitness training or in higher recognition situations (i.e. aiming to make national representative squads). Justin displays performance anxiety and self-doubt. He does not feel like he has been given the opportunity to improve his league skills, and is worried about losing his place on the NZ rep team. Rather than striving for task-orientated goals, he is displaying an ego-goal orientation. Another effect of having an ego-goal orientation in sport is that Justin may perceive his ability by limiting the effects of effort during trainings. This lack of effort may be the reason for his lack of game time. Justin also displays an ego-avoidance orientation; here Justin is interested in avoiding appearing incompetent. He feels the only reason he is still playing is that he would feel guilty if he did not see the season through to the end. It is still early on in the season and although things do not seem to be going well for Justin, there is still hope yet. I will know describe specific strategies that i would encourage Brent to use to structure a more  adaptive ‘motivational’ sport environment for Justin Part 2: Case Study; Strategies for a more adaptive ‘motivational’ sport environment. I believe Brent needs to reflect of the current coaching style and make changes to certain aspects, and if possible up-skill (i.e. a coaching course). In order to structure a more adaptive ‘motivational’ sport environment for Justin and his team I would encourage Brent to design strategies to enhance task-involvement. Brent could employ the TARGET (Epstein, 1989) conceptualization, which represents the six structures of the achievement context to influence his athlete’s motivation. These situational structures are assumed to be interdependent; one dimension can have direct implications on another dimension within the structure. I will now explain how Brent can structure a more adaptive motivational climate using the principals of the TARGET guidelines. As a dimension of task, Brent could provide the athletes with tools to help set self-referenced process and performance goals. For example, Brent may want to record the athletes initial and post fitness tests scores (i.e. Time it takes to run 3km) to provide athletes with individual times. Here the demand of the task is to emphasise individual challenge. This also recognises that individual ability can be a perceived indicator of achievement. As a dimension of authority, Brent could encourage input from his team by directing questions to athletes during review sessions (e.g. â€Å"how do you think we could improve on our performance from Saturday’s game†) or getting individual athletes to call out the tackle count for a set of six tackles during defensive drills. This would be a great opportunity to nominate athletes like Justin, because it provides active involvement, while also building confidence and leadership skills. As a dimension of recognition, Brent could approach each player during the training session to talk through individual strategies, progress, and evaluation. This gives individual feedback that can advantage athletes like Justin. As a dimension of grouping, Brent could use differing grouping arrangements. For example arranging groups by which state of origin team they support, what province they are from, or which position they play (i.e. a forward). By sub-dividing groups under similar characteristics can support cooperative grouping  arrangements. As a dimension of evaluation, Brent could encourage athletes to bring a notebook to training as a way of recording their own personal improvements. Brent should also acknowledge mastery of tasks and congratulate good effort rather than comparing athletes’ skill levels against each other. As a dimension of timing, Brent needs to recognise that athlete’s progress through skills and fitness at different levels, a good coach must cater for all athletes by providing optimal timing constraints. This may involve being open to training drills progressing longer or shorter than what he had planned for. By employing Epstein (1989) conceptualization of the TARGET guidelines to foster a task-involving motivational climate, athletes will experience greater confidence, enjoyment and self-esteem. Athletes will also be more intrinsically motivation to play league. An athlete’s motivation should always be to aim to be the best. It important that Brent can change his own perception of what he defines as the best from his current ego-involved definition to a more task-orientated definition. Creating this type of climate will hopefully help develop his own athletes’ perceptions of competence and enhance their sporting experience. In conclusion, this essay has outlined some specific theoretical assumptions of the achievement goal theory, and how these can be used to understand athletes’ behavioral patterns in sport. The coach-created motivational climate can play an important role in influencing athletes’ interpretation of their involvement in sport. Whether this influence is more positive or negative appears to depend on the degree to which the motivational atmosphere the coach establishes is more or less task-involving and ego-involving. I was able to assess Brent’s current motivational style using the TARGET taxonomy and its effects this style has on a athlete; Justin. Finally, I was also able to point out specific strategies of the TARGET taxonomy to help Brent create a more task-orientated motivational coaching climate. In doing so I have been able to support the statement that ‘an athlete’s motivation should always be to aim to be the best’, by acknowledging that ‘best’ can be defined from task-orientated goals. References Ames, C. (1992). Achievement goals and the classroom motivational climate. In J. L. Meece & D. H. Schunck (Eds.). Student perceptions in the classroom (pp. 327-348). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Bowler, M. 2009. The influence of the TARGET motivational climate structures on pupil physical activity levels during year 9 athletics lessons. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Manchester, 2-5 September, 2009. Cury, F., Biddle, S., Famose, J., Goudas, M., Sarrazin, P. & Durand, M. (1996). Personal and situational factors influencing intrinsic motivatiuon of adolescent girls in school physical education: A structural modeling analysis, Educational Psychology, 16: 305-315. Duda, J. L. (1993) Goals: A social cognitive approach to the study of achievement motivation in sport. In R. N. Singer,M.Murphey and L. K. Tennant (eds.), Handbook of Research on Sport Psychology, pp. 421–436, New York: Macmillan. Duda, J. L. (2001). Achievement goal research in sport: Pushing the boundaries and clarifying some misunderstandings. In G. C. Roberts (Ed.), Advances in motivation in sport and exercise (pp. 129-182). Leeds: Human Kinetics. Duda, J. L., & Balaguer, I. (2007). The coach-created motivational climate. In S. Jowett & D. Lavalee (Eds.), Social psychology of sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Dweck, C.M. (2000). Predicting participation in non-compulsory physical education: Do goal perspectives matter?. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 90: 1201-1215. Elliot, A. J. (1999). Approach and avoidance motivation and achievement goals. Educational Psychologist, 34, 169-189. Epstein, J. (1989). Family structures and student motivation: A developmental perspective. In C. Ames & R. Ames (Eds.). Research on motivation in Education, Vol. 3. New York, Academic Press. Maehr, M. L. and Nicholls, J. G. (1980) ‘Culture and achievement motivation: A second look’. In N.Warren (ed.), Studies in Cross-cultural Psychology, Vol. II, pp. 221–267, New York: Academic Press. Nicholls, J. G. (1989). The competitive ethos and democratic education. London: Harvard University Press. Nicholls, J. G. (1984). Achievement motivation: Conceptions of ability, subjective experience, task choice, and performance. Psychological Review, 97, 328-346. Ntoumanis, N., & Biddle, S. J. H. (1999). A review of motivational climate in physical activity. Journal of Sports Sciences, 17(8), 643-665. Pintrich, P. R. (2000). The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. In M.  Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, and Zeidner, M. (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 451–502). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Roberts, G. C. (2001). Understanding the dynamics of motivation in physical activity: the influence of achievement goals on motivational process. In G. C. Roberts (Ed.), Advances in motivation in sport and exercise (pp. 1-50). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Spray, C.M. (2000). Predicting participation in non-compulsory physical education: Do goal perspectives matter? Perceptual and Motor Skills, 90: 1207-1215.

Even Sigmund Freud participated Essay

Today the medical sphere may offer us good examples of how the existing diversification of approaches and methods towards the treatment of people is related to the fundamental shifts in our perception of the old problem of finding the connection between the human body and the mind. In fact, on one hand medicine as such is on the most fundamental level an inherently conservative filed of knowledge and practice because what is at stake for a doctor is often the very human life, the value of which overthrows any possible dubious methods of treatment that may lead to the lack of positive results, or even to negative ones. On the other hand, as we are constantly learning new things about such an intricate structure as the human body is, it becomes clear that phenomena that had been thought understandable in reality have a much more complicated nature, which requires elaboration of existing scientific approaches, or even demands refusal from some of the traditional medical postulates. To grasp challenges that arise from such shifts in our understanding of mind-body connection we may consider perhaps too extreme examples – numerous schools of the so-called New Age medicine which under the pretence of the break-through knowledge all too often advance simply untenable and absurd claims based on mere speculations (Reisser, Reisser, and Weldon, 1988, pp. 147-52), and the overly sceptical defenders of the traditional Western medicine who may tend to be too inflexible in their admission of the validity of alternative approaches to medical treatment of people. More specifically, the matter of the influence of human psychological processes on what has traditionally been considered purely physiological disorders is one of the most inflaming causes of disagreements between the mentioned approaches. This tension that in one form or another is ongoing between representatives of different medical camps to a large degree defines the modern discourse of approaches to the medical treatment (Miller, 2003, pp. 185-187). In this regard, it would be interesting to closely investigate the existing literature that represents the current state of affairs in the perception of the connection between the mind and the body. As a suitable object of our analysis may serve the book written by Doctor of Medicine John E. Sarno, a Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, and attending physician at the Howard A. Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at the New York University Medical Center. His best-selling work â€Å"The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain† belongs to the list of the most popular books that highlight academic and practical achievements in the field of psychosomatic medicine, a school of medicine which is based on the principle of unity of the mind and the body, and which aims to examine the mechanisms of the interdependency between emotions and bodily functions and to promote psychological methods of medical care (Levenson, 2004, pp. 3-66). The combination of the academic approaches of the author to the support of his material and the popularity of the book among lay people to whom it is largely addressed suggests that on the example of this work we may judge the level of penetration of what could unanimously be perceived alternative medicine not long time ago into the modern medical discourse. With all this in mind, let us examine the volume of John E. Sarno in the context of its connection as of a textbook of applied psychosomatic medicine with the modern medical paradigms. For this purpose, we will briefly outline the history of psychosomatic medicine, then will try to link it with the book of Sarno, and in the main body of the paper will provide the book report with relevant comments on the book`s contents. Background on psychosomatic medicine The origins of the psychosomatic medicine can be found in the teachings of early Western philosophers and physicians who acknowledged that emotions played an important role for the human health (Cacioppo, 1989, p. 589). Still, the Western medicine has traditionally been more inclined towards the study of the significance of bodily functions (Loudon, 1997, p. 238). However, by the middle of the nineteenth century the level of attention to the involvement of emotions in diseases development grew as the observational evidence was accumulating that had suggested that some disorders were not always accompanied by organic affections (U. S. National Library of Medicine, 2005). For example, only since the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries such a neurosis as hysteria began to be linked with emotional factors and the nervous system in general. Even Sigmund Freud participated in the study of symptoms of hysteria, and one of his conclusions was that they are based on memories linked to mental traumas which under certain conditions may intrude in the processes of somatic innervation. In this way, a possible mechanism for the interaction between mind and body was offered that was reminiscent of mechanisms that Sarno would be describing in his book. The German psychoanalysts Georg Groddeck even went as far as claiming that psychological mechanisms engendering hysteria can be applied to all somatic diseases which from this point of view are the bodily manifestations of unconscious psychological processes. In the 1930s psychoanalyst Franz Alexander attempted to find a compromise between the Freudian theory, such views as those of Groddeck, and existing knowledge of physiology. He was against excessively psychological interpretations that ignored the automatic mechanisms in the body that to a large degree directed emotional expressions. The theoretical basis developed by Alexander contributed in the United States to the invigorated extensive research of psychosomatic mechanisms, and psychosomatic medicine as a separate field of study was formed in 1939 when the medical journal dedicated to this branch of medicine was published. After that time, psychosomatic medicine was only gaining momentum. For example, World War II spurred the interest to it due to numerous manifestations of psychosomatic symptoms in soldiers. Eventually, by the 1950s interest to psychosomatic medicine and its scientific background grew so much that its concepts entered the popular culture as media started to publish numerous articles and thus popularized psychosomatic theories (U. S. National Library of Medicine, 2005). Now, fast forward to today, and we can witness that many of the postulates of psychosomatic medicine are already among the undisputed popular opinions of many people, and for instance the maxim that in order to stay healthy a person should avoid excessive stresses and disturbing emotional states is among the most frequently heard ones in both media sources and in our everyday interaction. However, after the surge of academic interest to it half a century ago, psychosomatic medicine, in contrast to its successful penetration into the public perception, somewhat lost momentum within scientific circles in the second half of the twentieth century (Kennedy, 2004, p. 400). So, it is in such circumstances that the book of John E. Sarno â€Å"The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain† saw the light of the day. The book of John E. Sarno in the larger social and historical context â€Å"The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain† builds upon themes from Sarno’s previous book â€Å"Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection† that advanced the idea that the cause of back pain, headache, slipped discs, and other chronic forms of pain is actually rooted in our psychology (Sarno, 1991). In â€Å"The Mindbody Prescription† Sarno adds new knowledge about the psychology of emotionally stimulated physical manifestations, and elucidates how such emotions as anger, anxiety, guilt, and other negative mental states can cause mental stimulation of negative physical symptoms. Thus, in both of those books the author touches upon very urgent topics for the modern American society in which an increasing number of people are plagued by back, neck, or limb pain. In fact, this is a serious economic problem as well, as industries in which large percentage of people are working at computers bear significant health insurance burden due to a variety of similar disorders causing pain, like fibromyalgia or repetitive stress injury (Sarno, 2005). More generally, pain as such in its different forms is a crippling problem for many individuals in both their professional and private lives (Margoles, 1998, pp. 9-32). So, â€Å"The Mindbody Prescription† addresses precisely this disturbing epidemic as it analyses clinical data to find the main cause of the pain disorders, and elaborates methods to treat those disorders. Importantly, in doing so the author tries to fill the gap existing in the traditional methods of chronic pain treatment that are apparently unable to stop this pain epidemic. From the very beginning of the main body of the volume it becomes clear for a reader that the author adopts a holistic approach to his subject. More specifically, Sarno opens the first chapter of the book with construction of various typical and stressful scenarios that in one form or another take place in lives of many of us and contribute to chronic physical pain that people experience. What is untypical, though, is that Sarno from the very beginning of the book begins to draw our attention to what could be considered as a minor element of those scenarios, but what in reality, according to the author, underlies the different manifestation of the pain disorders. This significant element is the factor of unconscious anger or outright rage that Sarno envisions as inevitably accompanying all of the scenarios that he delves in, like our troubles with private life, or within family, or career-related frustration, and many other different â€Å"or† that Sarno repeats in succession to bring home to us his case of unconscious mechanisms that generate anger in so many people. Now, this initial attention to the emotional side of our life is in a good agreement with our above observations about the widely acknowledged role that our mind plays in our health, and the author as if resumes that the existence of the definite connection between our emotional experiences and our bodily health is factual. But, judging from the way he begins his work, what we can expect from Sarno is the elaboration on the exact mechanisms that keep the mind-body connection running, especially as the author immediately claims that the disorders that he is about to discuss â€Å". . . are neither illnesses nor diseases, but rather symptomatic states induced by the brain to serve a psychological purpose† (Sarno, 1998, p. 3). After all, while general public does not always bother to verify its views, practitioners of classical pathophysiology would surely expect solid support of any claim related to the emotional aspects of diseases and illnesses and to the connection between pain problems and stress. At the same time, having chosen the non-technical style of presentation Sarno procured the easiness of reading for common people whose pain-related problems are the actual target of the book. The structure and the contents of the book â€Å"The Mindbody Prescription† consists of three parts preceded by an extended preface and an introduction that deals with a historical perspective of the book`s theme. The preface and the introduction of the book summarize theories and experience of Sarno with treatment of back pain and other types of musculoskeletal disturbances. Naturally, already in the opening parts of the work the emotional foundation of the pain is emphasized. In the end of the book we can find a thorough appendix, which provides supportive citations for conclusions of Sarno, and a bibliography which refers to articles that cover physical and psychoanalytic issues related to chronic pain and its treatment. In the first part of the book Sarno reflects upon concepts underlying mind-body medicine, and exemplifies influences that physical stress and such psychological states as feeling of guilt, anxiety, depression, or personality disorders have on the range of symptoms manifested in patients. Sarno categorizes the range of painful symptoms that may arise due to psychological processes as belonging to what he terms Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), which is a painful condition that develops in the back, shoulders, neck, or buttocks, and may equally arise in other parts of the body, and which throughout the whole book would be the main object of study for the author. But before shifting to investigation of concrete instances of TMS-related maladies, in order to justify his principal claim that chronic pain symptoms are in reality a kind of a defense mechanism used by our brain to distract our attention from our unconscious emotions of anger, Sarno copiously refers to the prominent figures whom we have discussed – Sigmund Freud, Franz Alexander, and some other defenders of the theory of psychoanalysis like Stanley Coen and Heinz Kohut. I believe that this approach is beneficial as it helps readers appreciate the historical inheritance that underlies basic conceptions of the psychosomatic medicine, and thus provides a firmer footing for beliefs held by many people who have had successful experiences with psychosomatic approaches to treatment of illnesses. Aside from the references to important figures in the history of psychosomatic medicine, the first part of the book also elaborates a distinct and well-structured explanation of the concepts constituting the basic principles of mind-body interaction. In the process of such explanation the author mentions such fields of study and such medical and psychological notions as neurophysiology of psychogenic disturbances, problems of psychosomatic origin, and reactions of conversion (which is one of the types of interaction between the mind and the body when unconscious elements of human psyche intrude into somatic processes) (Sarno, 1998, pp. 173-174). Sarno also mentions the findings of Candace Pert, a neuroscientist who found opiate receptors in the human brain, and who greatly contributed to the growth of our knowledge of links between biochemical processes in the brain and physiological phenomena. In this way, Sarno anchors the theme of his book in the history of psychosomatic medicine, and, even though he is mentioning some radical concepts that may be critically perceived by adherents of traditional pathophysiology, the style of Sarongs presentation is lucid and definitely absorbing. All in all, the first part of the book serves as a bridge between the general discussion of the psychological mechanisms of emotional influence on physical disorders and more detailed investigation of psychoneurophysiology that underlies psychogenic processes. In the second part of the book Sarno closely examines his clinical experience with emotionally caused physical disorders, and is primarily concerned with various manifestations of TMS and with the possibility to extend his theory of the mechanisms of TMS emergence to other diseases and illnesses. In fact, many of the clinical problems that he examines have already been known to have a connection to stress, which either produces them, or aggravates their effects. However, what makes the work of Sarno special is his approach to explanation of these disease states from the point of view of unconscious working of repressed anger and rage. To prove his case, Sarno has combined physical medicine with psychoanalytic theory in order to give what he believes is a proper account for TMS, which, according to his practice, is the main cause of musculoskeletal and back pain. For Sarno, the origin of painful manifestations of TMS lies in repressed emotions. And the pain in various parts of body as such is theorized by the author as being caused by a diminution of blood flow to the corresponding tissues. This process of blood flow reduction is mediated via the autonomic system as a stressful reaction of brain to repressed emotions. We may chart the TMS pathophysiology in the following way: The formation of unconscious repressed emotions (anger/rage); ? Abnormal patterns of autonomic system`s activity; ? Decrease of the level of local blood circulation; ? Development of mild oxygen deprivation; ? The resulting pain in muscles and other possible symptoms (for example pain in tendons, tingling, numbness, weakness). Having established such a mechanism of the emergence of pain, Sarno surmises that this approach from the TMS formation theory can as well be applied not only for the fixed number of cases of muscle and back pain, but to a wider range of physical disturbances. In this light, Sarno earlier pointed out that in a 1975 survey it had been found that â€Å"88 per cent of patients with TMS had histories of up to five common mindbody disorders† (Sarno, 1998, p. 29). And, indeed, Sarno manages to extend his theory of the emergence of pain disorders to migraine, to such various conditions as carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, colitis, peptic ulcer, post-polio syndrome, infections, skin disorders, and even to more unusual instances like the chronic pain that accompanies Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria transmitted through ticks. The author also mentions disorders in which emotions might be involved, among which are atherosclerosis, hypertension, one of the most common heart problems termed mitral valve prolapse, and even cancer. Of course, with such a broad scope of concern at hand Sarno has to offer an adequate methodology for unambiguous diagnosing of emotionally induced pain. For this purpose, his requirement is that the TMS diagnosis can be ascribed to a patient only if traditional physical exam failed to uncover existing abnormalities. However, according to the author, even in the presence of an abnormality TMS still can be working in a patient and exasperate the pain to the higher level than the found abnormality itself would be capable of. In the third part of the book Sarno discusses approaches that may effectively treat TMS and related physical disturbances. From what we have observed before it should already become clear that Sarno essentially assigns to the pain the function of a defense reaction that aims to divert our consciousness from the need to face repressed anger or other unbearable forms of emotional strain. On ground of this, as the only possible way of treatment of the real cause of TMS symptoms Sarno postulates the examination of the physical origins of repressed negative emotions as the way for the deliverance from pain. Generally speaking, a person has to find ways to single out those harmful emotions and roots of the unconscious anger that are undermining his or her psychological well-being. And what also makes the theory of Sarno special is that, according to him, the mere acknowledgement of certain emotional concerns, and not of any bodily abnormalities, as the ground of the deteriorated physical state is in many cases already a sufficient condition for healing. One may not even have to remove the psychological problem itself in order to procure a visible clinical improvement. This contrasts with some of the New Age schools of psychotherapy that also associate unconscious repressed emotions with various maladies, but which require that before the healing can take place such unconscious `problem spots` must be dissolved, like is proposed, for instance, by the so-called primal therapy, a school of psychotherapy elaborated by psychologist Arthur Janov (Janov, 1999). For Sarno, the identification of a problem is the main task for people suffering from emotionally induced physical disorders, and such identification can normally be implemented by means of an insightful self-examination, perhaps with the help of such techniques as meditation or self-affirmation (a method of compensation for the lowered self-esteem in one area by consideration of one`s proficiency in other areas (Sarno, 1998, p. 22; Nezu and Nezu, 2004, pp. 182-188). In this regard, from the point of view of Sarno it is also very important that a patient should have no doubts about the correctness of the TMS diagnosis, and that he or she fully realizes the exclusively psychosomatic origin of pain. To bolster this indispensable perception in patients, after the mentioned thorough physical examination needed for the elimination of possibility of the presence of real physical problems, Sarno accentuates the need to educate people and to assure them that the influence of repressed emotions is a sufficient condition for the reduction of the flow of blood to the affected areas of the body which leads to the pain and other troublesome symptoms, which nevertheless should not be viewed by people as those inflicting permanent damage to the body. Even if some structural abnormalities related to ordinary changes due to physical activity or aging are found, the patient should have a clear understanding of their nature. Basically, what is demanded from a patient is in no way the denial of the presence of the pain but rather the acceptance of its genuine origin. To help maintain such an attitude to chronic pain, Sarno recommends to patients who know that they have no physiological abnormalities to suspend physical therapy and to return to normal physical activity. In addition to that, patients should on the daily basis remind themselves the following points: I only have a mild oxygen deprivation and not structural abnormalities; my condition stems from repressed negative emotions and is not physically harmful; TMS exists to divert my attention from emotions; there is nothing to be afraid of for me; the physical pain is not dangerous; I will not allow pain to trouble and intimidated me; I will change the object of my concern from pain to emotional experiences; it is my conscious part that will have control, and not my subconscious mind; I have to think about psychological aspects of my life, and not so much about physical. When such a set of attitudes towards the role of one`s unconscious emotional experiences and towards one`s own body is obtained, Sarno believes that the brain that aims to contain the repressed emotions will no longer be able to fool us by drawing our attention to body. To illustrate how psychological relief may have a radica l influence on the chronic pain, the author offers examples of some practical cases. In one of such cases a patient knew about the most probable origin of her back pain but still did not have an improvement, and even had increased level of pain. According to Sarno, the worsening of the pain was brought about by the last efforts of the brain to keep hidden emotions unconscious, but when the feelings finally burst into the patient`s consciousness the pain, as if miraculously, went away. Sarno documents the account of this patient: â€Å". . . in an instant, I started to cry. . . Out of control tears, anger, rage, desperate tears. And I heard myself saying things like, Please take care of me, I don’t ever want to have to come out from under the covers, I’m so afraid, please take care of me, don’t hurt me, I want to cut my wrists, please let me die, I have to run away, I feel sick-and on and on, I couldn’t stop . . . And as I cried, and as I voiced these feelings, it was, literally, as if there was a channel, a pipeline, from my back and out through my eyes. I felt the pain almost pour out as I cried . . . I knew . . . that what I was feeling at that moment was what I felt as a child, when no one would or could take care of me . . . the feelings were there and they poured over me and out of me† (Sarno, 1998, p. 13). However, as in order to get rid of pain we have to use our insight to understand its foundation, one may wonder that if the real cause of the pain is the repressed anger, how helpful psychotherapy may be in the healing of TMS symptoms? The author says: â€Å"The therapists to whom I refer patients are trained to help them explore the unconscious and become aware of feelings that are buried there . . . When we become aware of these feelings . . . the physical symptoms . . . go away† (Sarno, 1998, p. 161). Still, according to Sarno, the need for psychotherapy should not arise too often. The author reports numerous cases when people did away with pain simply after having read the book and having followed suggestions contained there. In fact, Sarno claims that the percentage of those who report the improvement of their condition is as high as 90-95 percent, and that many of his patients had been living with physical disorders and pain for a large part of their lives and could not be treated by the traditional medical approaches. General critical observations Even though the belief that emotions and stressful circumstances are related to physical conditions of people is today generally accepted, the extent to which Sarno emphasizes the role of psychological factors will nevertheless surely seem too extreme for many clinicians. Indeed, formally speaking, the author of â€Å"The Mindbody Prescription† gives some reasons to relate him to those practitioners who denounce the traditional medical approaches as outdated ones, as he says that â€Å". . . poor medical advice . . . keep[s] your attention riveted on your body, which is your brain’s intention† (Sarno, 1998, p. 147), or that â€Å"Modern medical science studies the details of maladies but rejects unconscious emotional processes as the cause†¦ † (Sarno, 1998, p. 117). On the other hand, the effort of the author to extend the validity of his TMS theory to a range of disorders which in combination are shared by significant fractions of Western societies` populations may also seem to be too ambitious and at the same time not sufficiently verified according to strict scientific standards (Wilson, 1991). In this light, while Sarno rightfully remarks that â€Å". . . proper management [of TMS and related disorders] would alleviate much suffering and reduce the enormous cost of medical care that now burdens modern society† (Sarno, 1998, p. 126), he perhaps should also pay more attention to the fact that the majority of physicians still have doubts about the ability of psychological processes to cause chronic pain in the first place, and are more ready to agree that emotions may only aggravate physiological problems, but still in most cases should not be considered as their primary causes. In his turn, Sarno disputes that such processes as osteoarthritic changes and herniated vertebral discs are always the immediate sources of the pain and suggests that very often they may just be coincidentally present close to affected areas that due to emotional causes are deprived of oxygen. Such views further distantiate him from the conventional approaches to treatment of these disturbances. Moreover, Sarno insists that traditional medicine has no valid methods of TMS treatment because â€Å"If you thwart that purpose by taking away the symptoms without dealing with its cause, the brain will simply find a substitute symptom† (Sarno, 1998, p. 39). In any case, despite the unconventional elements of his methods of treatment, Sarno has numerous adherents who attest to the practical applicability and effectiveness of the theory of connection between psychological processes and manifestations of TMS. Therefore, I believe that even if Sarno is not able to provide a completely reliable from the academic point of view account of the mind-body connection, he may be practically exploring the mechanisms of the human body that the fundamental science is only beginning to test experimentally (Brush, 2005, p. 259). For example, consider the recent finding related to the famous placebo effect in which it was again confirmed that such a purely psychological factor as our expectations has not only psychological but as well physical effects on health. But in this particular research a new variety of the placebo effect was found, actually a kind of an anti-placebo effect, as it turned out that â€Å". . . once Alzheimer’s disease robs someone of the ability to expect that a proven painkiller will help them, it doesn’t work nearly as well. . . † (Neergaard, 2005). This fact testifies to the power of our psychology to intervene in the what might seem as purely physiological realm of our bodily functioning, and the data is being gathered to prove that at least such a psychological factor as the placebo effect â€Å". . . actually is physical, and that expecting benefit can trigger the same neurological pathways of healing as real medication does† (Neergaard, 2005). Now, this conclusion is in a perfect agreement with the principles underlying the theory of TMS origin advanced by Sarno. However, quite ironically, the specialists involved in the mentioned research were quick to point out that positive expectations â€Å"aren’t a substitute for real medicine† (Neergaard, 2005), which contradicts the reliance of Sarno on psychology as not only the cause of many physical disorders but at the same time as the only means of their healing. But I suppose that if Sarno produces an impression of being too confident in the self-sufficiency of his conclusions it could only mean that due to his extensive observational experience he may just be a little bit ahead of the vanguard of the mainstream medical science. And, after all, if we want to find what unites Sarno with the conservative part of the medical establishment it is his traditional recommendation for his patients to resume full activities of daily life, including physical exercises. Critical observations about Sarno`s view of migraine as an equivalent of TMS While Sarno devotes a large portion of his book to back pain, among other painful physical disturbances related to mechanisms that lead to TMS he mentions migraine, which is a very common condition that causes headaches, and physiological mechanisms of which are currently quite poorly understood (Cochran, 2004, p. 156). Sarno confesses his personal experience with migraine as he had had this condition for quite a long time before he was introduced to medical research which suggested that â€Å"migraine headache was the result of repressed anger† (Sarno, 1998, p. 111). As he was already amassing evidence in support of the significant influence of psychological factors on many widespread medical problems, he was inclined to test that idea. After trying to find out what anger that he could be repressing was causing his migraine, Sarno allegedly got rid of migraine headaches for the rest of his life. However, he himself acknowledged that some symptoms of migraine still continue to happen to him, which brings us to a question whether the method of the author of the book can be applied without reserve to all the types of chronic pains that seem to have no accompanying physical abnormalities. Indeed, it may be that our lack of understanding of the causes of migraine simply leaves us ignorant of possible physiological mechanisms that underlie it, and even though approaches borrowed from TMS treatment may often be effective for removal of painful symptoms, purely psychological vision of the migraine origins may hide from us its genuine cause. Besides, it may be somewhat alarming that the definition of migraine that Sarno advances is different from the one offered for example by the National Migraine Association. Sarno says that migraine is supposed to arise from â€Å". . . sudden constriction of a single blood vessel within the substance of the brain† (Sarno, 1999, p. 111), while on the website of the National Migraine Association it is stated that: â€Å"Migraine is disease, a headache is only a symptom. Migraine pain is caused by vasodilation in the cranial blood vessels (expansion of the blood vessels), while headache pain is caused by vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels). During a migraine, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain, i. e. , neurogenic inflammation, exacerbates the pain† (Coleman and Burchfield, 2006). Therefore, at least in the case of migraines it seems warranted to say that physiological mechanisms may be working to produce migraine independently from psychological processes, and that without knowing the exact causes and possible consequences of migraine-related tissue inflammation it is perhaps risky to adopt a strategy of assuring oneself that the pain is not physically harmful. The National Migraine Association again confirms this worry by pointing out that â€Å"The Migraine disease is a serious health and disability problem that affects approximately 11 to 18 million Americans .

Students Should Take Up Part-Time Jobs During School Holiday

1. America's love affair with Taylor Swift seems to have hit a rough patch. She quickly won over fans by sharing her everygirl boyfriend woes, including how she was dumped by Joe Jonas during a 27-second phone call. 2. The most recent blowback comes from her fan mail dumping scandal. As omg! reported Tuesday, hundreds of letters that had been carefully crafted (and decorated with stickers and glitter! ) by her loyal fangirls and boys and sent to the star were discovered, unopened, in a Nashville dumpster. Though a spokesperson for the singer explained it was an accident, there has been a strong backlash – even here on omg!Then there was the unnecessarily harsh comment Swift directed at Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for making a joke – again, a joke – about Swift's taste in younger men. Not only was the one-liner from the Golden Globes tame – and not so off-base considering her last two boyfriends were both 18 – but the star's love life is a daily punch l ine both on TV and the Internet, so it was unclear why she singled out the two very likable – and darn funny – comedians with the stinging comment to Vanity Fair that, â€Å"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women. 3. Perhaps the most damaging blowback has become Swift's ex-boyfriend bashing. While it was once charming to hear a story of her heartbreak woes (we have never ever ever felt the same about Joe Jonas! ), Swift has been blowing through famous boyfriends – others have included Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Taylor Lautner, and Conor Kennedy – and then making money off them by slamming (most of) them in her songs.Her performance at the Grammys, in which she was viewed to have mocked Styles by breaking into a faux British accent mid-song, especially raised eyebrows and prompted us to ask, â€Å"Is Taylor Swift the Worst Ex-Girlfriend Ever? † It's that unapologetic nature that rubs some the wrong way, especially when not all of her exes have the huge worldwide platform she does to defend themselves. 4. Taylor Swift has an incredibly strong brand and her earning power remains as high as just about anyone in music,† Forbes senior editor Zack O'Malley Greenburg tells. â€Å"She has done pretty well by writing about it. How many hit songs has she had? Maybe if she settles down – and perhaps gets married – there will be other things to write about. † Until then, she should keep in mind, â€Å"If you're talented and doing well – like she is – you really don' t need to take personally everything that everyone says about you. †

Compare the criminal justice system of the United States with England Term Paper

Compare the criminal justice system of the United States with England in their handling of cases of domestic violence, rape and - Term Paper Example The justice systems employ a punitive system that utilizes a court system, police and regional prisons. England and the United States are home to some the best justice systems in the world. Both countries have justice systems that aim at controlling crimes against women. The two systems seem similar on the surface, but have obtrusive differences when analyzed critically. The following report is a comparison of the justice systems of the two countries, their similarities, differences, as well as the efforts that each country has put in place to put an end to such crimes. Introduction to Justice Criminal Systems There are numerous types of criminal justice systems around the world, all aimed maintaining peace and order in their jurisdiction area. These justice systems forces individuals to abide by law in an attempt to deter them from disrupting peace and order. The systems achieve this by pressuring the individuals with the notion of punishment, which is either punitive or rehabilitat ive1. All criminal justice system is divided into three main parts; policing, courts and corrections. Policing refers to where the investigations are held, the courts are where judgment takes place whereas correction is where correctional authorities overlook the punishment passed in the courts. Every nation state varies in the criminal justice system that it employs on various issues such as rape, abortion and violence. This paper seeks to compare the systems of criminal justice in the US and the UK on the issues of domestic violence, rape and abortion. Globally, women have the right to undergo the justice system whenever they face sexual assault or even rape. Additionally, such women have the right to be safeguarded by the law and be offered any payment for the harm done to them by the offender2. In America, rape is regarded as the climax of any sexual offence and it is punishable by the laws of the land. This law of rape was adopted by the US colonies in the 17th and 18th century . However, each state in the US has a different definition of what rape is. All the states agree that when a man coerces a lady to have sex with him without her agreeing to it, then that may be deemed as rape. Currently, diverse states have been able to pass various laws of reform on what rape is. For instance, they have made the rape law to consist of certain occurrences that are nonconsensual, that need no coercion. Furthermore, marital rape has been included in the state laws3. Additionally, the laws state that any sexual activity performed on a child is rape. According to the law, any girl who is from the age of 14 to 18 that is coerced to have sex may file for rape. This is even in instances whereby the girl has agreed to perform the sexual act. Rape also may be charged on a person who has intercourse with a woman who is considered by the law to lack the ability to consent to the act. For example, in instances where the individual is drugged, mentally handicapped or even drunk. In most American states, rape shield laws have been enacted to safeguard the victims from the emotional trauma that may occur especially during court questioning on their sexual history. This is because most witnesses feared being put down and were demoralized from whether reporting rape or pursuing the charges. Hence, on a federal level, the American Congress passed Rule 412 of the

Diabetes Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Diabetes Today - Essay Example Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, which can potentially develop into type 2 diabetes later in life. Diabetes mellitus is characterized by long-term complications involving small and large blood vessels (micro and macroangiopathy) affecting the eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood and accounts for 5-10% of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is considered to be an autoimmune disease, where there is destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas, which produces insulin. This results in absolute insulin deficiency. Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1 and accounts for 90%-95% or more of all cases of diabetes. It is characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Although it usually occurs in adults over the age of 45, it is increasingly being seen in obese individuals of all age groups, including children and adolescents (New York State Department of Health, 2006). Other causes of diabetes include: due to chronic pancreatitis in alcoholics, hormonal abnormalities like pheochromocytoma, acromegaly, and Cushing’s syndrome, steroid hormone administration, endogenous release of glucagon and catecholamines following severe burns, acute myocardial infarction (â€Å"stress hyperglycemia†), diabetes caused by drugs or chemicals, diabetes caused by insulin receptor abnormalities, and diabetes associated with genetic syndromes like lipodystrophies, myotonic dystrophy and ataxia-telangiectasia (Foster,1998.) It has been suggested that modern food processing methods result in glycation end products, oxidized ascorbic acid and lipoic acid, all of which are potential causes of diabetes. High levels of glycation products are also found in infant formula, which also has added ascorbic acid. Adverse immune effects leading to diabetes can result from glycation of a casomorphin released from A1 beta-casein (Elliott, 2006). Since the 1960s, there has been

New Treatment of Aortic Stenosis by Transcatheter Aortic Valve Research Paper

New Treatment of Aortic Stenosis by Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation - Research Paper Example The most common of aortic stenosis undergo in patients 65 years of age and over (called senile calcific aortic stenosis) (Kulick, 2012). General symptom of aortic stenosis patients are exertional dyspnea (shorten fatigue), angina pectoris (chest pain), syncopy (fainting), and congestive heart failure. Every aortic stenosis patient will be investigated by multidisciplinary team; 2 interventional cardiologists, 1 cardiac surgeon, and an anaesthesiologist (Bedogni et al., 2011). In general, the treatment for aortic stenosis patients, who are not showing symptoms of the disease, is to take medicine while the severely symptomatic aortic stenosis patients must have surgical aortic valve replacement. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the new procedure for severe aortic stenosis treatment. The progression of this treatment makes it suitable for patients who are inoperable or very high risk with standard surgical aortic valve replacement. In addition, the procedure of TAVI is executed in a catheterization laboratory or hybrid operating room, under general anaesthesia and without cardiopulmonary bypass (Jean-Bernard et al., 2009). The procedure of TAVI is the device implant with two transcatheter aortic valves (the Edwards SAPIEN valve, ESV or the Medtronic Corevalve, MCV) with three approaches used (transfemoral, transaxillary, or transapical) (Godino et al., 2010). The transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was underwent with the first patient in 2002 (Rodes-Cabau, 2010). Furthermore, TAVI clearly achieved safety and efficacy of the percutaneous treatment in aortic stenosis towards the end of 2010 (success rates > 90% and 30 days procedural mortality rates < 10%) (Rodes-Cabau, 2010). The aim of this case study will be to capture the progression of transcatheter aortic valve implantation, for patients who are inoperable or with very high surgical risk in standard aortic valve replacement. Firstly, it will briefly review the cause of aortic stenos is, followed by an explanation of transcatheter aortic valve implantation procedure with two difference transcatheter aortic valves and three difference approaches. Finally, the major effective procedure of TAVI and future development of TAVI will be discussed. Impact of Aortic Stenosis Degenerative Aortic Stenosis is the most common valve disease, and its prevalence is projected to increase in the coming years due to aging populations. This has implications not only for those specializing in cardiovascular disease; Aortic Stenosis is increasingly diagnosed and treated by other medical specialties, including internal medicine, geriatrics and intensive care. This point to the increasing rang of the impacts that aortic Stenosis has been established to have. The Aorta, both ascending and descending, is responsible for the circulation of oxygenates blood throughout the body. It is no wonder that the partial or complete Stenosis of the Aorta would lead to varied conditions that can be de tected either in Intensive care Unit, when the patient is in a stupor, or by the gastric, as a result of ventral pooling of blood, caused by its stagnation in the veins, venules, and arterioles. This pooling is caused by the lack of, or limited pressure from the Aorta, to help in the circulation of

Socio-Economic Forces behind the Korean obsession with Plastic Surgery Essay - 35

Socio-Economic Forces behind the Korean obsession with Plastic Surgery - Essay Example From this study it is clear that traditionally, the Korean female ideal was one of submission and subjectlessness. Confucian men were encouraged to engage their minds and expand their territories while women were confined to domestic roles. Therefore, any alterations of the physical body would be done for the benefit of the male. However, times have changed; women in South Korea are now equal participants in the economy. They are well educated and career-driven. Therefore, a number of them now reject these traditional definitions of womanhood. As the study outlines Korean women today are highly empowered and now regard personal gratification as a priority in their lives. They want to feel better in their skin and will go for surgical procedures in order to satisfy themselves. Fairclough explains that most South East Asian women are accused of having sleepy or dull eyes. They thus seek to widen their eyes in order to have a youthful look. These individuals simply believe that they will have more fun if their eyes pop. Some critics claim that these surgeries perpetuate negative body self examination. However, most of these women go for body alterations voluntarily. Furthermore, a number of them already had negative views of themselves; therefore, surgeries are a solution that enhances their self image. One of the subjects in the above article affirmed that eye surgery allowed her to enjoy eye makeup more. In the past, this was not possible because of excess fat on the eyelids. Therefore, the subject explained that the surgical decision was not done to please anyone. Instead, it facilitated her own satisfaction with her body.

The Gospels--Mark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Gospels--Mark - Essay Example Some of the seeds fell on rocky grounds, others on fertile soil, some on the footpath; some fell on bushes and thistles. In this allegory, the sower represents Jesus while the seeds represent good news and the soil represent different type of people who hear the word and their responses to the gospel. The seeds that fell on rocky represent those who hear the word gladly while those that fell on footpath represent people who hear the word but does not safeguard since the devil snatches the word from them. Seeds that fell on good soil represent people who hear the word, believe in it and live according to its teachings. Those that fell on the bushes and thistles represent people who hear the word and they become believers for sometimes, they mix their faith with worries and riches of this world hence their faith never matures because it is interfered with. In Mark chapter 8 verses 27 to 38, he records the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi. Jesus asked his disciples, who do people say I am? In this incidence, Peter was able to identify Jesus as the true son of God and the only Messiah. One of the version that explain unpardonable sin states that God formed man from dust of the earth. This was God’s doing, but not man’s, and so due to this earthly sinful condition; man has natural alignment towards sin. Even after being saved or becoming a Christian, one is heavily inclined and influenced by this earthly nature. On the other hand, evangelists assert that those people who have rejected Jesus Christ for the last time have committed unpardonable sin. Jesus woke up, rebuked the wind and the waves on the seas by commanding it to be quiet and still. In this incident, he showed his power over the wind and the waves or nature. On the other hand, disciples were perplexed on what Jesus had done in that they concluded that he was God and Man. During the transfiguration, when Jesus was praying, his face changed, and his

Leadership------read the requirement i send you carefully Essay

Leadership------read the requirement i send you carefully - Essay Example Various research scholars such as Johnson (2000) and Howell and Costley (2001) have stated that organizations need to develop leadership skill among employees in order to provide direction, commitment and engagement to their work effort. This shows the increasing acceptability and desirability of leadership is various facets and situations in a business. According to John Maxwell (1997), â€Å"Leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.†In business terms, it can be defined as the ability to forecast or evaluate policies, long term planning and motivate the followers towards successful completion of the ongoing strategy. The objective of the current research is to identify and evaluate effectiveness and desirability of leadership. For this, attributes and traits of leadership in global as well as domestic environment will be discussed. Relevant examples will be demonstrated in order to strengthen the arguments. Importance of leadership Cultures can be explicitl y different, especially in terms of attitudes, values and behaviours or groups and individuals. This kind of divergence has various implications on leadership in companies (Dorfman, 1996). Majority of previous leadership studies have concentrated only on the leaders in terms of their styles, actions and philosophies as well as appropriateness and acceptance of various styles of leadership among them. However, increasing number of studies has revealed that different leader actions and behaviours are evaluated and interpreted differently. This difference arises because of the variation in cultural environment and in the ideas of individuals in terms of an ideal leader. Some approaches are favoured in some places while others are seen as less effective. The existence of these variations is due to the fact that the importance and meaning given to leadership concept varies across regions (Alas, Tafel and Tuulik, 2007). With the expansion of firms across borders and globalisation, numerou s opportunities and challenges have come into existence for leadership. With differing values and cultural beliefs, there is a bigger necessity for acknowledging and understanding leadership styles that are culturally linked (Avolio, Walumbwa and Weber, 2009). For making a leadership strategy effective, it is important to understand cultural sensitivities and be receptive towards it. In the present research, discussion will be covering the various domestic as well as international leadership skills and traits which aid understanding of the desirability and importance of leadership in the current scenario. Leadership theories and its influence in global and local firms Business around the globe displays various leadership styles. Typically, company culture plays an important role while choosing any leadership style in order to lead businesses and organizations. The leadership style and personality of the person hiring and conducting the recruitment also influences the choice of the t ype of leaders. The leadership style that is ultimately placed in charge determines the success of the company (Schein, 1992). It is also important to note that these styles vary in terms of culture and the functionality of the business. For example, local

Algebra Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Algebra - Essay Example After writing the augmented matrix for this system, use elementary row operations to reduce this to reduced row-echelon form. If the entries in the last column do not affect the values in the entries in the first n columns and if we take the same set of elementary row operations and apply them to A we will get In and so A is row equivalent to In since we can get to In by applying a finite set of row operations to A.   6) A is expressible as a product of elementary matrices, because every elementary matrices are invertible and its inverse is also an elementary matrices. A square matrix is only invertible if it can be written as a product of an elementary matrix. 7) A family of vectors is linearly independent if none of them can be written as a linear combination of finitely many other vectors in the collection. An alternative method uses the fact that n vectors in Rn are linearly dependent if and only if the determinant of the matrix formed by the vectors is zero. 8) To prove that columns span Rn, finding the basis of the column-space is essential. Then you must reduce the matrix and see if the rank = n; there has to be n linearly independent. columns, which is very easy to see if the matrix is reduced. The basis is the columns of the original matrix, not the columns of the reduced form. An invertible matrix A, determinant (A) != 0 (not equal to zero). 10) Rank A = n because in linear algebra, the column rank (row rank respectively) of a matrix A with entries in some field is defined to be the maximal number of columns (rows respectively) of A which are linearly

Teaching, planning and learning Essay Example for Free

Teaching, planning and learning Essay The school first opened its doors in 1958 with only 10 teachers who looked after a total of 222 pupils at that time. The new school was created from  several all-age schools from around the area of the small agricultural village. In 1976, the school was extended and now has over 800 mixed gender pupils age 11-16, mostly from working class backgrounds. Please refer to Appendix 1 on page 14, for a table that shows the attainment of pupils between 2011 and 2012. The Head Teacher states that the school will continually seek opportunities to develop personal, social, moral codes and independent thinking and learning skills that the pupils can apply to any given situation. The Ofsted Inspection Report (October 2012), regards this as a good school and that the recently appointed Head Teacher has given a vision for the future and has implemented considerable change in a short time. This has resulted in rapid, all round improvement within the school. The teaching group in which I will be discussing and evaluating in this paper is Year 8 Set 3 at KS3 level, in this class there are 30 pupils and two teaching assistants as well as the teacher. There is a strong gender balance and behaviour is okay overall. Pupils were previously ranging from level 5A to 5C and they were all expected to hit their target grades which tend to increase by 3 sublevels leaving them at a level 6A to 6C respectively by the end of the academic year. In this class, there is one SEN pupil with hearing difficulties and two vulnerable pupils who require extra support from the special support staff. Rationale Over a sequence of four lessons teaching fractions, percentages and decimals, a wide range of methods were used in relation to the particular group of pupils and the learning objectives. The structure of the lessons was taught generally in three parts, which consisted of a through the door starter, a main teaching and learning section and a plenary. At the beginning of each lesson, I settle the pupils down by telling them a mathematical joke related to the topic I am about to teach or by doing a  maths magic trick, which might include mental maths or using a calculator. Please refer to Appendix 2, for an example of a joke/magic trick and why this can be useful. I would then explain how to complete the starter if they had not already started to do so or if it was not self-explanatory. After the starter, I implement a literacy element into the lesson by selecting a few pupils to read the learning objectives out loud then they also have to write it into their books underlined with the date and level. I also display to them how I expect them to progress throughout the lesson using good, better and excellent as targets but I do not get them to copy this into their books as that has proven be time consuming. Bellamy (1999) supports the idea of learning objectives to be appropriately differentiated. Teacher praise is one tool that can be a powerful motivator for pupils. Surprisingly, research suggests that praise is underused in both general and special-education classrooms (Brophy, 1981; Hawkins Heflin, 2011; Kern, 2007), therefore I try to use praise as often as I can to reinforce good behaviour and build strong relationships with the pupils. I use an interesting method for questioning pupils whereby I have a jar of different coloured lollypop sticks with the pupils’ names on, so when I wish to ask a question it appears to be fair, random and it keeps the pupils engaged because I sometimes place the lollypop sticks back in the jar so the same person may get asked a question more than once. Sometimes, I might ask an open-ended question and aim it at the whole of the class, then ask the pupils to think about it independently or discuss it with the person sitting next to them, these questions usually involve problem solving. As well as questioning, there are several other methods, which can be incorporated into the planning of progress throughout a lesson for example, the use of mini white boards and traffic light cards, also getting the pupils to write a response in their books about how they feel about a certain topic. During this sequence of four lessons, there would usually be around 10-15  minutes of me teaching and the pupils listening, whereby the pupils may take notes and copy examples then the pupils would work quietly and independently to illustrate understanding. For those pupils who require a little more explaining, this would be a chance for them to receive some individual teaching from a member of staff in the class. I communicate to the teaching assistants when I would like them to walk around the class or hand out worksheets. Tracking pupils’ progress over time to inform the planning of teaching and planning teaching that is matched to pupils needs is key. Please refer to Appendix 3, for further guidance from LGfL – Learning Grid for Lancashire (2014) for Assessing Pupils Progress (APP) in Mathematics. Whilst the pupils are working independently, I would walk around the class systematically checking for progress making sure the pupils are setting their work out correctly and achieving the correct answers and also checking what speed they are working at, as some pupils work a lot quicker than others in this class. Therefore, I always have an extension worksheet or an additional task available of a slightly more challenging level. Rooney (2008) supports the need to provide extension work for the more able that will engage and challenge them, whereas Kompany (2005) believes pupils should be accelerated to the appropriate level earlier. I have used self-assessment and peer-assessment in these lessons whereby the pupils mark their own work or they swap books with the person sat next to them. I believe paired work for tasks and games is beneficial as the pupils can learn from each other. According to Ofsted, good assessment practice in mathematics includes: day-to-day assessment, marking and feedback, and the use of assessment to set targets. BECTA (2004) suggests that, using interactive whiteboards to enrich the teaching of mathematics and assist in managing the learning environment can be achieved by; the display and review of learning objectives and key vocabulary, save screens and move between them, remind pupils of materials covered in previous lessons, set up group work and discussion tasks, use the ‘hide and reveal’ features of the IWB software to work through the steps of a solution, provide a ‘count down’ for timed activities. I make use of ICT regularly in my lessons, whether it is a basic PowerPoint; one slide with the learning objectives on to save time; and interactive games on the white board. I always try to include a real life example into every topic I teach and this particular topic definitely has a functionality element to it as fractions, percentages and decimals are used in every day life even at the age of 12, the topic also links to other subjects such as science, food technology and business studies. As a plenary, I have used several methods, which I have found to be successful with this class for example exit cards or a GCSE exam question from previous papers. I believe that they get a real sense of achievement when they manage to complete a GCSE exam question because they are only in Year 8 and they are able to answer an exam question that they might get asked to complete in Year 11. I follow the schools marking policy using; WWW – what went well, EBI – even better if and MRI – my response is. This gives the pupils an opportunity to respond to feedback. Please refer to Appendix 4, to view an example of my marking and feedback. Pupils’ are expected to respond in the MRI section demonstrating communication between the teacher and the pupil. Evaluation Lessons in this school have sixty-minute duration; therefore I believe the three-part lesson structure to be substantial. Because of the age of the pupils, I found the mathematical jokes and maths magic tricks highly effective in the sense that it settled the pupils down at the beginning of the lesson, it helped to build a good relationship with the pupils also creating a little bit of fun and something to look forward to within the lesson, which in turn lead to better behavior and attitudes towards mathematics as a subject. It is also useful for practicing mental maths for improving skills like using a calculator. This approach may not be as  successful with a Year 11 class. In my experience, I have found it to be more effective to have the starter readily available for the pupils, either on their desks or on the board so that they are engaged as soon as they walk through the door and they are not waiting for pupils that are late. Please refer to Appendix 5, for an example of a st arter that is related to the topic in question and I usually display on the smart-board. Of course, starters do not have to be related to the topic all the time but in this case I used my starters to recap what we had covered in the previous lesson. Getting the pupils to read, listen and write the learning objectives is important for improving literacy which is important across the whole curriculum (old and new) and I do this at the beginning of every lesson for consistency, the pupils know what to expect and they enjoy being aware of what level or sublevel they are working at. I have developed my praising strategy by rationalising how and when I use praise because using praise excessively can lead to negative reactions from pupils not receiving praise even when they had ‘done their best’. Effective teacher praise consists of two elements: a description of noteworthy student academic performance or general behaviour and a signal of teacher approval (Brophy, 1981; Burnett, 2001). I have found the different coloured lollipop sticks method of questioning to be very successful as the pupils think it is a fair system but it isn’t entirely random, as I have actually coded the different sublevels of the pupils to th e different colours. For example, if I wanted to ask a hard question I would select a red stick which indicates the pupil is strong and confident but if I wanted to give a weaker pupil a confidence boost then I would select a green stick and ask a relatively easy question. This demonstrates an element of differentiation. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) believes effective questions are an integral part of a successful mathematics classroom. Some research suggests that as much as 50 percent of classroom time is spent asking questions and eliciting responses. Instruction that includes questions during lessons is more effective in producing achievement gains than instruction carried out without putting questions to students. Please refer to Appendix 6 on page 18, for some reasons as to why we ask questions particularly in mathematics. I have made use of mini white boards, traffic lights cards and pupil feedback within these lessons. I prefer the use of mini white boards  compared with the traffic light cards because the cards can be very vague and some pupils tend to follow the trend rather than being entirely truthful, whereas the mini white boards are excellent for AFL because the answers are independent and more detailed so its easier to identify errors and areas for improvement. The Guardian (2014) describes how teaching assistants are a vital source of support for teachers and knowing how to manage them can be tricky. I have found that giving the teaching assistants ownership within the classroom has made it easier to get them onboard with my ideas. It is important to communicate with them; show class interaction; share decision-making; building on the TAs strengths and share feedback with each other. I have found support staff to be very useful in lessons, as they can provide individual teaching for pupils’ that may be struggling, they support SEN and vulnerable pupils, they are also more than willing to assist in handing out worksheets or collecting homework. The Department for Education states that, all children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) should be able to reach their full potential in school. They should also be supported to make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training. Please refer to Appendix 7, for further information of how I have deployed support staff within lessons. According to Ofsted, good assessment practice in mathematics includes: day-to-day assessment, marking and feedback, and the use of assessment to set targets. Please refer to Appendix 8, for a summary of how Ofsted outline formative and summative assessment. I have adopted a number of effective methods outlined by Black and William (1998), that have developed approaches to self and peer-assessment with the aim of enabling pupils to: share the learning intentions so that they understand where they are heading; develop confidence and skills in judging their own performance and reflect on their work and that of others to learn how to improve it. I particularly like some of the additional uses of ICT that BECTA (2004) highlighted above and although I haven’t adopted some of the methods yet, I believe they would be very useful and I will be using them in future. But first, I will have to learn how to use these additional features of an interactive whiteboard and I will develop this during my next placement. Providing real life examples and relating functional skills to mathematics is important for supporting  the transfer of meaningful information at key transitional points and facilitating the setting of meaningful curricular targets that can be shared with pupils. The DfE state that functional skills aim to help people read, write, speak English and use mathematics at the level they need to function and progress both at school and elsewhere. Mathematics in everyday life refers to the way humans use math to complete certain tasks throughout the day, an example I used for this topic was: a person may use math when the y are out shopping and trying to calculate the total cost of the items they are buying after a 15% decrease in the January sale. I have found the use of exit cards or a GCSE exam question, as a plenary to be highly successful with this group due to their age. It appears to me that they actually enjoy writing on the little, colourful exit cards then handing them to me at the door as they leave. They are given a choice as to what they can write on the card, for example, they might write what they have learnt in the lesson or how they feel about the topic or they might write a question down for something they wish for me to address. This process allows me to assess for learning and plan how to progress in future lessons. As well as following the schools’ marking policy, I also provide additional oral feedback rather than relying almost exclusively on marking or written feedback in pupils’ books, and I help pupils develop skills in marking and reviewing their own work and that of their peers in order to involve pupils more in marking and feedback so that they can progress further. Overall, I have found most of my teaching methods to be effective and successful. The pupils’ have met their targets and achieved the learning objectives. I have adapted all the methods mentioned above and tried different approaches to establish this. In the future, I aim to satisfy the targets that I have set myself throughout the analysis to improve my teaching methods further. Review of Assessment Theory Ofsted (2013) outline, how effective assessment practice in mathematics is associated with systematic arrangements for actively promoting, monitoring  and recording pupils’ progress; also that it is used as a teaching tool for judging attainment. Teachers should review pupils’ progress closely as part of daily classroom practice, involving pupils in the assessment of their own strengths and weaknesses and provide feedback. According to Black and William (1998), effective formative assessment is a key factor in motivating learning and raising pupil standards of achievement. Formative assessment, is most effective when it: is embedded in the teaching and learning process; sharing learning objectives with pupils; it helps pupils to know and recognise the standards to aim for; it provides feedback for pupils to identify what they should do to improve; it involves teachers and pupils reviewing their performance and progress and it can involve pupils in self-assessment. For example, pupils’ marking and reviewing their own work. The provision of effective marking and feedback on work can raise pupil achievement; this use of assessment information is beginning to promote effective practice in mathematics. It is suggested that some teachers feel that they are spending a large amount of time marking but it seemed to have little impact on pupils’ subsequent work and that they would prefer to provide more oral feedback rather than relying on written feedback in pupils’ books. Teachers can overcome this challenge by helping pupils’ to develop skills in marking and reviewing their own work and that of their peers in order to involve pupils more in marking and feedback. (Ofsted reports, 2013) For pupils to learn effectively, they need to identify any gaps between their actual and optimal performance. Many approaches to self and peer-assessment have the aim of enabling pupils to: share the learning intentions so that they understand where they are heading; to develop confidence and skills in judging their own performance; and reflect on their work and that of others to learn how they can improve. (Hawkins Heflin, 2011) Kern, L. Clemens, N. H. (2007), highlight that due to recent changes to strategies, many good mathematics teachers make effective use of assessment data to set targets for individual pupils. This process is particularly effective when two targets are set with the higher one being more ambitious  than the prediction based on the data. The aim is for pupils to have an idea as to where they are in the process and where they are heading and what is possible if they are ambitious. In mathematics, Bellamy (1999) states that the most effective targets set for pupils are often curriculum-specific. These are: associated with a significant but manageable learning objective (e.g. simplify fractions by cancelling all common factors); discussed with pupils and expressed in a form that they can understand; relatively short-term and subject to regular revision and retained where they are accessible to pupils. To summarise, formative assessment is that undertaking the assessment constitutes a learning experience in its own right, for example; writing an essay or undertaking a class presentation, can be valuable formative activities as a means of enhancing knowledge as well as for developing research into mathematics, communication, intellectual and organisational skills. Formative assessment is not often included in the formal grading of work, and indeed many believe that it should not be. In contrast, summative assessment is not traditionally regarded as having any intrinsic learning value. It is usually undertaken at the end of a period of learning in order to generate a grade that reflects the student’s performance. The traditional unseen end of module examination is often presented as a typical form of summative assessment. But Black and William (1998) recommend: Frequent short tests are better than infrequent long ones. We have highlighted two important points from this differe ntiation. Firstly, there is no reason why only summative assessment should be included in any formal grading of pupil progress and performance, it is perfectly appropriate to have elements of formative assessment as part of the final grade as well. The second point is that the distinction between formative and summative assessment may be a false one. Whilst some elements of assessment may generate a greater formative learning experience than others, it can be argued that all forms of assessment have some formative element. For example, students undertaking a degree course where assessment consists of written assignments and end of module examinations will over the period of the course improve their examination technique, this is a formative learning experience. Perhaps  instead of becoming overly concerned with whether an assessment is formative or summative in nature it may be better to see various types of assessment as a continuum of the formative learning experience. In conclusion, research indicates that improving learning through assessment depends on five simple factors: the provision of effective feedback to students; the active involvement of students in their own learning; adjusting teaching to take into account res ults of assessment; a recognition of the profound influence assessment has on the motivation and self esteem of students; and lastly the need for students to be able to self assess themselves and understand how to improve. But at the same time, there are several other inhibiting factors, these include: the tendency for teachers to assess quantity of work and presentation rather than quality of learning; giving greater attention to marking and grading (much of it tending to lower the self esteem of students rather than provide advice for improvement); some teachers feedback to students often serves social and managerial purposes rather than to help them learn more effectively; and teachers not knowing enough about their students’ learning needs. The characteristics of assessment that promote learning, are highlighted by Ofsted as follows: it is imbedded in a view of teaching and learning of which it is an essential part; it involves sharing learning goals with students; it helps students know and recognise the standards they are aiming for; it involves students in self-assessment; it provides feedback which helps students recognise their next steps and how to take them; it is underpinned by confidence that every student can improve; and it involves both the teachers and students reviewing and reflecting on assessment data. If a teacher can adopt all or most of these characteristics into their assessment techniques then they are sure to be outstanding. The ways in which a teacher can achieve this in the classroom, when assessment is being used to help learning is through observation – this includes listening to how students describe their work and their reasoning. Questioning – using open-ended questions, phrased to invite students to  explore their ideas and their reasoning. Setting tasks in a way that requires students to use certain skills and apply ideas. Asking students to communicate their learning through drawings, actions, role-play, brainstorming key concepts, as well as writing. Discussing words and how they are used. Please refer to Appendix 3, for guidance from LGfL – Learning Grid for Lancashire (2014) for Assessing Pupils Progress (APP) in Mathematics. Analysis of Summative Assessment Task According to Glickman et al (2009), summative assessment refers to the assessment of the learning and summarises the development of learners at a particular time. After a period of work, e.g. a unit for two weeks, the learner sits for a test and then the teacher marks the test and assigns a score. The test aims to summarise learning up to that point. The test may also be used for diagnostic assessment to identify any weaknesses and then build on that using formative assessment. Black and William (1998) agree that, frequent short tests are better than infrequent long ones. This is the approach I have adopted for this summative assessment task. The summative assessment task that I have designed is aimed to check for knowledge, understanding and learning of the topic mentioned in the rationale. The medium term plan I set myself for this topic was to teach fractions, percentages and decimals, over a sequence of four lessons. Year 8 – Set 3 have mathematics on their timetable twice per week, therefore I was able to cover the content in two weeks. I informed them at the end of the fourth lesson that was on a Thursday, that they would be getting tested on Tuesday so they were aware that they were having a test to cover the content from the last four lessons. Hence, giving them a chance to revise over the weekend rather than overwhelming them on Tuesday. The areas covered in the four lessons and also included in the test are: simple percentages that can be calculated mentally, using a calculator to  work out percentages (including percentage increase and decrease), and to be able to convert between fractions and decimals. Please refer to Appendix 9, for a copy of the Summative Assessment and Answers. The instructions given on the day of the task were: use a calculator where appropriate for example, to calculate fractions/percentages of quantities/measurements, calculate percentages and find the outcome of a given percentage increase or decrease and please work silently and independently. There are 30 pupils in this class including one SEN pupil with hearing difficulties and two pupils’ that have recently been moved up from Set 4. Pupils were previously ranging from level 5A to 5C and they were all expected to hit their target grades which tend to increase by 3 sublevels leaving them at a level 6A to 6C respectively by the end of the academic year. At the end of the task, I was able to mark the test and give them a grade at the end. Please refer to Appendix 10, for a copy of my anonymous class list with the grades awarded included. In these anonymous pupil records, we can see that the SEN pupil is highlighted in yellow because they were absent on the day of the test and the target level is below average; the gifted and talented pupils’ are highlighted in green and by analysing the target grades we can establish that they may not necessarily be gifted and talented in mathematics, but rather in other subjects like Art, Dance and Physical Education. Althoug h, a few of them have met their targets grades which are above average. The majority of the class met their target grades and a lot of them improved upon their target grade as I expected. All the questions in the test relate to real life and the only question that they all made errors on was finding 17.5% and then adding it back on because it was VAT, even though I’d given them a little clue by typing cost in capital letters. As well as marking and awarding a grade, I also make use of target stickers at the end of any assessment so that pupils’ know and recognise the standards they are aiming for and it provides feedback which helps students recognise their next steps and how to take them. Please refer to Appendix 11, for an example of a target sticker that I might use at KS3 level. I tend to provide oral feedback as well rather than relying exclusively on marking  and written feedback. I found it difficult to decide on the assessment criteria for the marking and feedback on this given piece of work (for example, whether or not presentation is to be judged). So I decided to use the target grades as a guide to developing a mark scheme, which related to the test and the results as a percentage e.g. if they achieved 70% in the test then they would be awarded a grade 6A. It was difficult to determine these boundaries because the test was quite short and partly biased because it was only testing one topic in mathematics and they had all weekend to revise. There was potential for them to score over 90% and this wouldn’t be the case in an end of term test where many topics are combined into a longer test. This is one point that could be amended to improve the quality of this assessment in the future. Ofsted outline the characteristics of assessment that promote learning, to be imbedded in a view of teaching and learning of which it is an essential part and involves sharing learning objectives and goals with pupils. I have found the task to be successful in helping me determine the level of the pupils’ attainment and progress in mathematics. I believe that frequent short tests will over a period of time improve their examination technique, which is a formative learning experience. Black and William (1998) agree that, constantly assessing demonstrates confidence that every pupil can improve; and it involves both the teachers and pupils’ reviewing and reflecting on the assessment data. Assessing Pupils Progress at Key Stage 3 is vital to tracking pupils progress over time to inform the planning of teaching matched to pupils needs and gathering diagnostic information about the strengths and areas of development of individual pupils’ and groups of pupils. Appendices APPENDIX 1 The school are determined to close the achievement gap by ensuring that any pupils at risk of underachieving are identified early and support and intervention is provided for these pupils. In particular those pupils that are on FSM or classified as LAC. The following table shows the attainment of all pupils in Year 11 including those who were ‘looked after’ or on free school meals. The brackets show the number or percentage of students on free school meals and or who are looked after. (FSM and or LAC)/ All Pupils 2011 2012 No. of pupils in Year 11 (GCSE) (7)/126 (4)/140 % gaining 5+ A*-C in both English and Maths (57)/67 (25)/68.5 % gaining 5+ A*-C English (57)/69 (50)/75 % gaining 5+ A*-C Maths (100)/83 (50)/76 APPENDIX 2 Mathematical jokes relating to the topic: Who invented fractions? Henry the 1/8th! I believe five out of four people have trouble with fractions. There are three kinds of mathematicians those who can count and those who cant. Math Magic / Number fun / Maths Tricks: Trick 1: 2s trick Step1: Think of a number. Step2: Multiply it by 3. Step3: Add 6 with the getting result. Step4: divide it by 3. Step5: Subtract it from the first number used. Answer: 2 Trick 2: Any Number Step1: Think of any number. Step2: Double the number. Step3: Add 9 with result. Step4: sub 3 with the result. Step5: Divide the result by 2. Step6: Subtract the number with the number with first number started with. Answer: 3 Trick 3: Any three digit Number Step1: Add 7 to it. Step2: Multiply the number with 2. Step3: Subtract 4 with the result. Step4: Divide the result by 2. Step5: Subtract it from the number started with. Answer: 5 I found the mathematical jokes and maths magic tricks highly effective in the sense that it settled the pupils down at the beginning of the lesson, it helped to build a good relationship with the pupils, it created a little bit of fun and something to look forward to within the lesson, which in turn lead to better behaviour and attitudes towards maths as a subject. It is also useful for practising mental maths or for improving skills like using a calculator. APPENDIX 3 Assessing Pupils Progress (APP) in Mathematics Assessing Pupils Progress is a structured approach to pupil assessment in Key Stage 3 to support teachers with: making judgements about their pupils attainment, keyed into national standards developing and refining their understanding of progression in science gathering diagnostic information about the strengths and areas of development of individual pupils and groups of pupils tracking pupils progress over time to inform the planning of teaching planning teaching that is matched to pupils needs supporting the transfer of meaningful information at key transitional points facilitating the setting of meaningful curricular targets that can be shared with pupils and parents APPENDIX 4 Marking example WWW:You understand and can write a percentage/fraction/decimal in either form in order to compare values. You can also calculate a percentage of a quantity and use this to increase or decrease a value. EBI:When calculating a percentage increase/decrease of a quantity you use the multiplier method. Your work is excellent/good/satisfactory. MRI: (response to feedback from the pupil) APPENDIX 5 Starter related to percentages Find 10% of the following: a)  £300b) $200 c) 50gd) 30p e) 45pf)  £64 g) $32h) 12g APPENDIX 6 Why Ask Questions? The following is a partial list of the questions that teacher Peggy Lynn asked during her two lessons on direct and inverse variation. As you read each question below, think about Peggys purpose in asking it. Ask yourself, Why did she ask that question? How did you come up with your estimation? When you say pattern, what kind of pattern are you referring to? And what does that + 1 on the end mean? Any questions so far? Why did you do 100 ï ¿ ½ 100? You seem pretty certain of that. Why do you think its not [a direct proportion]? So how many gallons would there be in 920,000 barrels? Could a direct variation have a negative slope? If you have zero drops, how much area should you have? What just happened there, when you doubled your volume? What about if you made the area of the base get smaller and smaller, your diameter got smaller and smaller. Whats going to happen to the height of your water? Questions in the math classroom serve a variety of purposes, from increasing student comprehension and clarifying student thinking, to aiding in social development. The following list gives many of the reasons teachers ask questions. To involve students in the lesson by letting them share ideas that provide clarification and a deeper analysis of problems Example: You seem pretty certain of that. Why do you think its not [a direct proportion]? To provide assessment of what students know to help guide  instruction Example: Why did you do 100   100? To enhance retention of important information and to provide increased understanding of the major mathematical skills and concepts. †¨Example: If you have zero drops, how much area should you have? To aid in classroom management by redirecting discussions, making sure that students comprehend directions, and checking for understanding. (Many questions in this category are not prepared in advance teachers ask them as the need arises .) †¨Example: Any questions so far? APPENDIX 7 Deploying support staff Communication Be clear and specific: dont assume that your TA knows what you want them to do. Think about how you would feel walking into a lesson and trying to decipher what to support the pupils with while listening to the teaching segment. Its hard to manage all of this at once, especially because you were on break duty and missed the first seven minutes. Not all teachers have dedicated time to share and discuss lessons with their TA. But its essential to discuss your lessons plans, expectations, focus children and so on; this will help you build a relationship with your TA and enable them to anticipate what you and the pupils will need throughout the year. Class interaction Empowering your TA to be active in lessons not only enables them to raise their profile in the classroom, but also allows you to develop an engaging environment. Involve them in lessons and build a rapport where you can bounce off each other during sessions. The teachers and teaching assistants roles are different but both are important and your TA might have more experience in the school or with children. Be sure to acknowledge this, always speak in a professional way and when there is conflict, clear the air  and address the issue. Decision-making Allowing your TA to make independent decisions that are in line with your classroom rules and behavioural strategies is very empowering. Facilitating this will help keep the class running smoothly and promotes a team approach to teaching. As well as the benefit of building a good working environment, in the event that you are out of class for NQT time, off sick or on a course, you know that your classroom systems are being sustained, giving your pupils consistency, which is particularly vital in a primary classroom. Build on your TAs strengths Ask your TA about their hobbies, experiences and what they would like to do in the classroom. This will give you a great insight into their strengths, skills and interests. Over time you will find that building on your TAs skills and strengths will enable you to get the best out of them, to the benefit of you and your pupils. Also be aware that an increasing number of TAs are graduates and have very valuable transferable skills. Feedback Everyone benefits from feedback and your TA is no different. Give them details about what works well, remain positive and give clear requests. Make sure the feedback is constructive and help your TA to see the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve in your setting. If you would like to find out more, Maximising the impact of teaching assistants by Anthony Russell, Rob Webster and Peter Blatchford is well worth a read. Fundamentally, be conscious of planning for your support staff, it will empower them and allow you to have a greater impact on your pupils. APPENDIX 8 According to Ofsted, good assessment practice in mathematics includes: day-to-day assessment, marking and feedback, and the use of assessment to set targets. Formative assessment, or ‘assessment for learning’ is most effective when it: is embedded in the teaching and learning process   shares learning goals with pupils helps pupils to know and to recognise the standards to aim for provides feedback for pupils to identify what they should do to improve has a commitment that every pupil can improve  involves teachers and pupils reviewing pupils’ performance and progress involves pupils in self-assessment. Five key changes to marking and feedback:  decrease the use of extrinsic rewards (house credits) as a number of pupils reported negative reactions to not receiving rewards even when they had ‘done their best’ provide more oral feedback rather than relying almost exclusively on marking and/or written feedback in pupils’ books help pupils develop skills in marking and reviewing their own work and that of their peers in order to involve pupils more in marking and feedback decide on the assessment criteria for the marking and feedback on a given piece of work (for example, whether or not presentation is to be judged) be clear about whether to get pupils to correct their own work based on what purpose it will serve for a given piece of work. The most effective targets set by or for pupils are often curriculum-specific. These are: associated with a significant but manageable learning objective (e.g. simplify fractions by cancelling all common factors) discussed with p upils and expressed in a form that they can understand relatively short-term and subject to regular revision Bibliography Akin-Little, K. A., Eckert, T. L., Lovett, B. J., Little, S. G. (2004). Extrinsic reinforcement in the classroom: Bribery or best practice. School Psychology Review, 33, 344-362. Sources: Black, P., Wiliam, D. Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment, www.kcl.zc.uk/depsta/education/publications/blackbox.html Black, P., William, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5 (1), 7–74. Brophy, J. (1981). Teacher praise: A functional analysis. Review of Educational Research, 51, 5-32. Burnett, P. C. (2001). Elementary students preferences for teacher praise. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 36(1), 16-23. Daly, E. J., Martens, B. K., Barnett, D., Witt, J. C., Olson, S. C. (2007). Varying intervention delivery in response to intervention: Confronting and resolving challenges with measurement, instruction, and intensity. School Psychology Review, 36, 562-581. Glickman, C.D., Gordon, S.P., Ross-Gordon, J.M. (2009).Supervisi on and instructional leadership: a developmental approach Allyn and Bacon, Boston, MA. Haring, N.G., Lovitt, T.C., Eaton, M.D., Hansen, C.L. (1978). The fourth R: Research in the classroom. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co. Hawkins, S. M., Heflin, L. J. (2011). Increasing secondary teachers’ behavior-specific praise using a video self-modeling and visual performance feedback intervention. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions,13(2) 97–108. Kern, L. Clemens, N. H. (2007). Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 44, 65-75. http://www.learner.org/workshops/algebra/workshop7/teaching.html#4