Performance Management System of Banglalink Essay

The mark an employee receives in his/her evaluation plays a very important role in his/her chances of promotion. Banglalink uses the â€Å"Performance Review† form which is generally termed as â€Å"Adjective Checklist† The Performance Review forms are sent to all the people who act as supervisors of a certain number of employees. The supervisors are instructed to evaluate their subordinates They are specifically instructed to evaluate the â€Å"job performance† of the employee; and not to evaluate the employee himself or herself as a person. The supervisor fills out the form himself During his evaluation, he may consult with the employee if the supervisor has any remarks; he puts them on the form also. After all these are completed, he assigns marks on the rating. The marks are specified on the form. After the supervisor completes his evaluation, his section head reviews the form If he has other thoughts about the person evaluated, he then consults both the supervisor and the subordinate, whose performance was evaluated, and then clarifies the matter. He then gives his own remarks. Then the form is sent to the Departmental Head, who gives the final acknowledgement when he assesses that everything is in order. Thus all the filled out forms are gathered and sent to the Banglalink head-office, where these forms are sorted and arranged Then the top management reviews these forms. They evaluate the markings received. Then they can make a certain judgments on the employee’s abilities and performance The present position of the employee and his current salary along with the marks and recommendations he received are combined to make a matrix With this matrix, the employee’s increment is calculated. [pic] Appraisal Feedback After the evaluation has been done, the top management makes their decisions nd forms future plans Where the evaluation results are not satisfactory, the top management asks for more information After getting the information, they sit with the Departmental Head of the employee under scrutiny and then they proceed to assess the situation. Later they discuss the situation with the rater and the employee he rated and then they make their decision. When the evaluation results are positive and the top management has made their decisions about the employee’s increments or promotion, the employees are given the information in an informal manner. Thus, they are assured of the assessment that has been made of them. In this way they are kept motivated. 3. Research Methodology Type of Research The project falls in the category of exploratory and descriptive research, i. e, a research designed to evaluate the Performance Appraisal of Banglalink. This applies to the research part. Prior to that, the organizational part is helpful for the clear understanding of the existing position of Banglalink and also serves the purpose of the exploratory. Besides, a limited scale of causal research has been also included to examine the cause and effect relationship among variables. Basic Research Method The basic research method in this theoretical Knowledge, field survey and practical orientation. In that the annual report and websites were the major source of secondary data. Besides, the discussion with the concerned managers/employees (Primary data) yielded the additional information to fill up the gaps and helped in clear understanding. Sources and Method of data collection To carry out the research study, data has been collected both from primary and secondary sources Primary Data Primary data have been collected as follows Structured Questionnaire Keeping the problem statement in view, a number of questions in the form of checklist had been formulated. The checklist had been the main tool for relevant question to the primary data sources to formulated the operational definition of the problem statement and precisely find out the area of study. Questionnaire were developed incorporating mixed type of questions. One type of questionnaire for the managers at Banglalink and the other type is for employees. Some questions were common for all while some questions were exclusive for either group. Questionnaires were designed in such a way so that all-important elements of the performance appraisal system can be covered by it. After questionnaire formulation, an exhaustive and deliberate discussion was conducted and necessary adjustments were made. Pretest for screening of the questionnaire has been carried out. After pretest, the final questionnaire has been prepared.

People Management Case Study

The SITUATION: the Ben Brooks’ dilemma Ben Brook, 43 years old, a solid professional with 20 years of experience at Livingstone Corp. , is extremely disappointed for not having been promoted CEO of his company. For the first time in his life, he is reflecting about his personal and professional history and choices, trying to get some lessons for the future. He considers quitting his company for a CEO job in another one. The FACTS: Ben Brooks’ personal and professional life Our starting point will be to understand (through a 3 pages letter) who Ben is as a person, and as a professional.We can deduce several key personality clues, based on the facts in the letter: ? An â€Å"achiever†: born in 1935, graduated with honors, joins Livingstone at the age of 23, promoted to an important position after only 4 years in the company, promoted youngest ever Executive VP (35 years old) after 12 years in the company. ?Loyal to the company and proud of it: entire career at Livi ngstone (20 years) ? â€Å"Work-aholic† at the expense of his family: regularly spend evenings and weekends in the office. Forgets about taking vacation.Immersed by work, leaves all energies in the office and fails in dedicated some to his wife and kids. One anecdote: after divorce, lives in a NYC hotel close to the office. ?Self-confident: believes others will notice and reward him for his own professional skills. ?Small (or none) circle of friends: having written this letter, at this point in time, to a professor he has neither seen nor talked to in the past 20 years seems like a strong sign that he had nobody closer with whom share his dilemma. The ANALYSIS: Ben Brooks’ profile 1. Psychological TypeWith the limited information available in the letter, we can guess Ben is an NT TYPE (â€Å"Intuitive Rational†): Ben is fascinated by power, he is very ambitious and believes he will progress and be recognized / rewarded by others as a result of his own personal c ompetences. As we said, he is a â€Å"work-aholic†, his competence seems never enough to him and he lives permanently with the fear to â€Å"fail† (ie. to not getting as high as he believes he deserves). He is a â€Å"visionary† and permanently challenges the status-quo: a good example is the â€Å"direct cost model† Ben developed and implemented at Livingstone only 2 years after having joined the company.In his professional relationships with others, NT types are arrogant in that sense that they assume a small contribution from his peers and team since, ultimately, â€Å"they are not as good as I am†. At the same time, as contradictory as it may seem, he can be as highly demanding with others as he is with himself. The NT types could go as far as hurting others’ feelings without even noticing it. Worth noting: there is nevertheless one component in Ben’s personality which could have led us to classify him rather as an SJ type.Ben is committed to deliver on his promises and objectives and, in that respect, he values duty above all and dedicates all of his time and energy to his work. That said, an SJ type is also very sensitive to others, to bringing harmony to the relationships and his â€Å"duty sense† goes beyond work to also his family. This is clearly not the case for Ben. ? To further complete this picture, Ben seems to be more of an INTROVERTED type: difficult to say through the letter but he does not seem like a very social or externally-focused person.He does not seem to be sourcing his energy from others, but rather from himself and his work. He definitely prefers communicating in written, even to a professor he has not seen for the past 20 years (! ) which clearly shows how little genuine interest he has in knowing how others (the professor) are doing: he dedicates 3 pages to talking exclusively about himself and his dilemma. On the 4th axe, Ben seems more like a JUDGEMENT type: he enjoys plann ing is work and is excited about reaching objectives. That said, we do not have much more information about this topic. 2.Motivational profile Reading through his letter, we can sense Ben has consistently been moved by mostly INTRINSIC MOTIVATIONS, with some component of EXTRINSIC MOTIVATIONS but a total absence of TRANSCENDENT MOTIVATIONS. Let’s elaborate slightly more: Most important motivation for Ben seems to have been his own self-fulfillment at work, the satisfaction of being a competent professional facing challenges and delivering results (INTRINSIC MOTIVATION) with the objective of being rewarded by the company with increasingly important jobs, power and status (EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION).Economic compensation, although also important (as for most of us), seems to play a secondary role for Ben. In his letter, he explains his jobs and some key business achievements yet never mentions other people, his teams, the role they played on his success or the impact he, as a manage r, had on their development (lack of TRANSCENDENT MOTIVATIONS). This analysis is coherent with the conclusion we can drive from his (lack of) personal life: Ben acknowledges he failed in dedicating time and energy to his family and was not surprise when his wife left him.He talks about this â€Å"personal drama† in a very dispassionate manner, as a â€Å"logical fact†: another indication of the little relevancy of TRANSCENDENT MOTIVATIONS. How does this affect his LEADERSHIP ABILITY? Nobody, no matter how good of a manager he/she is, could be perceived as a true leader by his/her organization, if he/she does not display a minimum of TRANSCENDENT MOTIVATION, ie. a unique interest and empathy about others and about doing what is better for others’ well-being. This motivation is a must in order to be able to generate VALUES in the organization.Ben thought his personal needs would be fulfilled with MATERIAL and PROFESSIONAL components. He disregarded AFFECTIVE needs or, equally worrying, he thought it was other people’s role (his wife) to provide him unilaterally with some affection. 3. Leadership Style and Competencies Ben appears as an EXECUTIVE LEADER, a â€Å"DOER†. He has vision for the business and the skills to get there. He relentlessly focus on results, on delivering on objectives and is highly involved and committed to do so.This single-minded focus leaves little room for other people: he is egocentric and lacks genuine interest in others. He is a poor listener and could end up manipulating others (even unconsciously) in his will to get results at any cost. Ben is ambitious about his career and concerned about his own success above all. Through his 20 years of successful career progression, Ben has certainly demonstrated both BUSINESS and MANAGING COMPETENCIES (otherwise he would probably not have become Executive VP).As previously said, Ben has a vision for the business, knows how to administrate people and resources i n order to be effective in delivering results. On the contrary, lacking of Transcendent Motivations, Ben has been unable of bringing a SENSE OF MISSION to his leadership. Further, he has probably even been unconscious and unaware of the importance of this sense of mission. Ben has lacked the critical PERSONAL COMPETENCIES required to lead others behind a common â€Å"vision†, a higher level commitment than merely objectives or tasks.With strong Business and Managing competencies, Ben has been able through his career to deliver results and to motivate his teams â€Å"on the short-term† by merely leveraging on their extrinsic and intrinsic motivations (LIDERANCA TRANSFORMADORA). Nevertheless, as it is, Ben would be unable to motivate an organization behind a higher-end, longer-term mission (LIDERANCA TRANSCENDENTE), and this is certainly what Livingstone top management has identified as a gap for Ben to become the company CEO.In the words of another leadership specialist , Ben is certainly a COMPETENT MANAGER, he organizes people and resources to reach objectives. He is probably an EFFECTIVE LEADER, with a vision to engage others towards the pursuit of stretching goals. But he is not at the top leadership level, the LEVEL 5 EXECUTIVE, who builds solid organizations and preaches with his own example and humility, rallying the organization behind a common mission, one which transcends extrinsic and intrinsic motivations to truly make an impact on people’s well-being and, ultimately, on the society.Advice I would give to Ben Brooks Throughout the above analysis, the advice I would give to Ben is to take quality time and start a well-thought process of personal change. Any personal change process requires: -First, to acknowledge the need for a personal and a professional change: Ben has done so already, at least on the professional side, as we can see in his letter. He does not yet seem concerned about the importance of a well-balanced personal a nd emotional life and its positive impact on his leadership ability. Second, the willingness to change: Ben is starting to realize this as he says he will certainly behave differently if he joins a new company. -Third, to act, to plan the change and to execute it, as an iterative process. For a mid-aged person like Ben, with 20 years of professional experience in the same company (hence, already with a personal risk-aversion profile), changing profoundly anchored habits will be a very difficult exercise.Further, Ben is currently frustrated and angry about his top management decision and he will probably lack the necessary objectivity in analyzing his own case and the true reasons why they believe he is not ready to be the CEO the company needs. I would hence advice Ben to reach out to a professional coach who, same as psychiatrics do, will help him dissect the information and drive conclusions and who will design, with him, the steps needed for the change.I would advise him to start by complementing his own in-depth reflection with the feedback he could get from several peers, subordinates and friends/family about who is Ben, how does he behaves, how is he perceived. This will be the starting point, the raw material to start the work with the coach. Also importantly, this process will take significant time and effort, yet it is crucial if he wants to become not only a better rounded senior leader for an organization, but also a happier person. I would suggest that he puts aside, for the moment, his prospection for new jobs.Ideally, if this is financially possible, he would quit his job and dedicate some time (some months) entirely to himself and his change process. Probably 20 years of experience do â€Å"buy you† the right to do so and the personal â€Å"win† will be worth the time and the salary. Ultimately, I believe Ben will be better off leaving his company: he has accumulated significant frustration that will impact him in his daily work an d, as he says, he will probably not make it to CEO there in the mid-term. That said, I believe he should also think whether â€Å"becoming CEO† is his true objective.The title â€Å"per se† does not say much. He should be more factual in writing down the â€Å"must have† and the â€Å"negotiable elements† of the ideal job he wants and, with the help of his coach, identify the type of jobs and, as importantly, the type of companies where he could find it. In my opinion, these are the lessons Ben Brooks should learn for the future Driven by his own professional ambition, Ben has failed in taking a â€Å"helicopter view† to evaluate his personal and professional life on a permanent mode.He has failed in growing as a leader and as a person to go beyond efficacy (delivering on results), to leave a positive mark on those surrounding him and to make his beloved ones happier and his collaborators more profoundly committed about a mission. A leader is not a â€Å"top level† leader if he does not: -First, knows himself (â€Å"Self-Awareness†), his motivations, his style, his strengths and weaknesses, the impact he makes on others, -Leverages his own emotions and skills to be more effective and empathic in working with others, to get the most out of them (Emotional Intelligence) -Has a genuine interest for other people, Behaves as a change agent, an influential leader well beyond a â€Å"doer† delivering business results -Knows how to manage his own career and his personal time and, ultimately, balances both (Work Life Balance) to be an example as a professional but also as a human being. Ben invested all his time and energy on his own effectiveness as a manager and thought this would be enough to take him where he wanted to be.He invested all the time in his company, his projects and results and failed to dedicate time and energy to his beloved ones but also to himself. The best investment one can make, at any time in life, is the investment made to become a better person and a better leader, more genuine and more engaged to excel not only in results, but also in the positive impact we have on others. Ben is still on time to do so and excel in this new professional adventure, whatever makes him happier, with or without the â€Å"CEO† title in the business card.

Cafe D. Pownd Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cafe D. Pownd - Case Study Example This is prepared by two to one chef.Lastly; the cafe has a payment line (L3) that has two cashiers who work even in the peak hours. Due to huge number of the residence the cafà © has experienced major challenges in the congestions due to the layout of the cafeteria. Ordinarily the cafeteria that is found at the learning institutions should enable the student’s food without wastage of time whatoever.However; this has been in the opposite. The general layout of the cafà © including the serving area was not done appropriately. This is because most of the activities are done in the building thereby causing congestion. The problem with the cafà © is that it lacks space to accommodate the large number of people during the peak seasons. The congestion has caused more problems since there is confusion in the queues. This is because many people fail to understand the line they are in especially when there is much congestion during the peak season. This therefore wastes the time of people as they have to make several rotations to get the right line thereby wasting more time. The congestions have also affected the beverage service significantly. The customers have to cross the precooked and the interactive lines before going to the serving zones. This causes father congestions and more spillovers. The customers have also been affected financially as the beverage and the food timings are not congruent and therefore the customers have to buy more beverages compromising their budgets. As it has been seen there has been congestion in the cafeteria. These congestions have caused the customers to experience long waiting hour. The precooked average time to get the food is 5.8 minute. This means that this time will be used for student to get to the counter and order the food. The customer will take 5.12 minutes for him/her to pay the bills. This implies that the

Is surgery a good option for people to lose weight Essay

Is surgery a good option for people to lose weight - Essay Example discuss the different types of weight loss surgery available and highlight the associated risks and complications compared to the contemporary alternatives. To begin with, the history of weight loss surgery dates back to the 1960s when it was initially done through a loop configuration. This initial technique presented a problem of bile reflux to the patients who underwent the procedure (American Society for Metabolic& Bariatric Surgery [ASMBS], (n.d)). This method left the patient with a much larger stomach making the bile to enter the esophagus and the upper part of the stomach a condition termed as bile reflux. Bile reflux can result in the destruction of the mucosal lining of the esophagus hence altering the physiological functions of the layer (Sifrim, 2013). This prompted the surgeons to carry out a research to improve on the procedure. Over the years, the procedure has been improved with invention of different alternatives of the procedure including the famous â€Å"Roux-en-Y† bypass (ASMBS n.d). However, it is worth noting that the existing alternatives to the weight loss surgery seem to have less side effects or complications associated with them. Dieting for example has been in existence for a very long time even before the invention of weight loss surgery. Dieting involves daily monitoring of the type of foods consumed by the person intending to reduce weight. The only challenge of dieting procedure is that patients may be forced to consume foods which they are not used to or they don’t like. On the other hand, exercising is also an alternative to the weight loss surgery. Exercising has been used as a method to reduce weight in individuals for many years before the invention of other programmed techniques like well designed dieting pattern as well as surgical procedures. As opposed to the surgical procedure, less amount of money is spend to acquire resources needed for exercising making the method more popular among people who are have less

Discussion Board 6-1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Discussion Board 6-1 - Assignment Example Simple narration of personal experiences gives counselors a view of the nature of the family and things that precipitate particular problem(s). Certain techniques of Solution-Focused and Narrative Therapies can incorporate with other types of family therapy. To begin, the narrative aspect of Narrative Family Therapy can be compatible with Experiential Family Therapy. This relates to the fact that Experiential Family Therapy focuses on encouraging individual family members to communicate their emotions freely and honestly. Disclosing and sharing emotions enable therapists to understand clients and demonstrate appropriate sympathy. In the same manner, Narrative Therapy focuses on encouraging disclosure of unpleasant experiences, which then eases when therapists sympathize and delink clients from the problems (Nichols, 2013). A therapist can use Narrative Therapy to initiate narration of stories that disclose a client’s experiences and then introduce Experiential Approach to identify negative emotions and guide the client in reducing impacts of the emotions on the health of a family. The fact that Solution-Focused Family Therapy views family problems as results of failed and relaxed attempts to resolve family issues makes it easy to incorporate with Structural Approach that considers problems as maintained by dysfunctional family structures. The goal of Structural Therapists is to alter the dysfunctional systems (Nichols, 2013). The goal of Solution-Focused Therapists is to challenge families to explore alternative solutions to their problems. When incorporated, Structural Approach will help a therapist to alter dysfunctional systems to ease tension(s) and use Solution-Focused Approach to help family members identify alternative solutions to the given

Security issues involved with the transition of IPv4 to IPv6 Research Paper

Security issues involved with the transition of IPv4 to IPv6 - Research Paper Example This helps them stay connected to their colleagues or bosses at work as on the other hand helping them solve minor home based problems by use of the internet resources. As a matter of fact, many people are adopting the work from home formula from the benefit of readily available internet supply. This kind of technological change makes the internet a reliable resource on a varied range of applications. Above all, the internet is now one of the main channels of communication. For instance, business people use it to transfer information on their transactions and governments use it for conducting administrative functions. However, many governments are struggling to strengthen its security levels every new day. According to Hinden and Deering in the publication IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture 2006, it is true to state that the internet is a significant resource for the entire world. Below the application layer, where the above mentioned internet services are out in the open to the en d user, the network comprises of a number of routers, servers and other network enabled devices which transfer information/data by use of standard set of protocols. ... This leads to the security issues that link to the set standards of protocols in the networking systems. Today the generation of Internet Protocol is the IPV4 which is in existence since the 80’s. It plays a role in the internet growth since then. This internet protocol can be effortlessly installed and is interoperable using 32 bit address space to contain approximately 4 billion unique addresses. However, as the internet is growing rapidly, the IPV4 is facing a lot of challenges which include forthcoming exhaustion of the IPV4 address space, security issues, configuration problems and other technical complications at the IP stage. The IPV4 suffers Denial of Service (DOS) attacks which is an action to make the computer resource unavailable to its set users. This happens in flooding the target host with requests, consequently stopping authenticate network traffic to access the host. The IPV4 is a target for viruses and worms transfer as a result of the exhaustible address spac e of the IPV4. The IPV4 exposes confidential data of end users to attackers and hackers who can easily modify without their knowledge. The IPV4 faces fragmentation attacks where the victim host can crash, hang or reboot as a result of the fragmented ICMP packets that exceed the total allowable size for IP data address. There are technological ways to control the above mentioned security issues in connection with IPV4. The transition of IPV4 to IPV6 is one of the ways that involves the end users, administrators and the network operators (Sotillo 5). However, this transition comes with its own security issues. This transition process is conducted to ensure modest disturbance occurs in executing hosts and routers

The Doctrines of Pythagoras- Doing in Ovids The Metamorphoses Essay

The Doctrines of Pythagoras- Doing in Ovids The Metamorphoses - Essay Example Overall the stories and connected by idea of transformation, starting with the physical changes which created the world, and in the manner in which the gods, in their longing to disrupt with life on the continent, are persistently changing their own presence and form. However, the most famous changes in the book are those remarkable time when a living being is transformed into something else. Many of the stories of transformation are concerned with severe suffering. This grants to practically all them a naturally dramatic superiority because they irregularly focus on a vulnerable and objecting character suffering from godly or human vindictiveness. Further, the main characters are frequently innocent females, trailed by celestial or human rapists. In more simple terms, Metamorphoses is a catalogue of famous Greek and Roma stories, most which deal with violence, phenomenal transformation of appearance and suffering, organized in a loose series. Ovid’s style so frequently change s the relatively simple details of famous legend into convincing, extremely dramatic, and multifaceted tale (Due 12-30). Befitting Ovid’s continual poem, interest in the precise meaning of the Pythagoras’s speech in â€Å"Metamorphoses† 15 has proved to ever be unceasing. ... Since it appears in the final book, we can presume that it has some kind of programmatic function or, as is always is the case with Ovid, numerous functions. With regard to the preceding 14 books, Ovid incredibly regales to us with an enormous assortment of style and genres. Further, it is absolutely clear that this multiplicity as opposed to the analysis in terms of generic restraints, is the actual importance of the function of genre in the† Metamorphoses.† However, there has been the lack of philosophical disquisition until the last book. One of the many reasons, therefore, for Ovid’s insertion of this philosophical boastful bluster is merely to round out his whole virtuoso collection with, yet still, another magnificent piece (Mandelbaum 20-50). Secondly, the selection of Pythagoras was agreeable for that function and numerous others. At his time, Pythagoreanism represented a syncretistic assortment of the teachings of various philosophical schools, pseudo-scie ntific assumption, spirituality, and spiritual and religious dispensations. Accordingly, Ovid’s Pythagoras provides an diverse cause of mixture indebted to all types of philosophical teachings, including his own, Empedocles’, Heraclitus’s, and the Stoics’, alongside irregular insinuation, mostly for the purpose of counterargument, to Epicureans and Lucretius. The process finds its appropriate analogue in Ovid’s consideration of the material for the masterpiece â€Å"Metamorphoses†, which in the same way varies, not dogma, and inconsistency. For this case, Ovid’s poem is amid other things a collection of themes and styles. Meanwhile, Pythagoras speech is a collection of philosophers (Brunauer 40-50). Hardie thus argues that through the

Organisational Theory (Business Management) Essay

Organisational Theory (Business Management) - Essay Example The organizations also require their employees to be technological savvy so that they can cope up with rapidly evolving technologically driven environment. The future of organization is thus expected to be very different in terms of its operations form the current due to rapidly changing technological driven environment. Modernism (Ontology: Objectivism) This theory focuses on organization as an independent objective thus taking a positive approach in generating knowledge which is vital in increasing efficiency. This theory focuses on an organization as a community sustained through human relationships and use of subjective ontology in most of the everyday activities. This implies that instead of man treat organizations as webs of meaning that are jointly created and not as objects to be measured and analysed hence exploring meaning to realities made possible by those who participate in them. Post modernism generates health scepticism towards dominant theory hence licensing individua ls to try something different most of the time (Melaney, 2001). The organization culture is the collection of values and norms that people in a company share thus controlling the way in which individuals interact with one another in their day to day activities. The values represent beliefs and ideas especially in the organization goals which workers pursue thus achieving them in a particular pattern and behaviour which often differ from one person to another. These values over time develop norms and guidelines together with expectations that determine the behaviour of employees which in turn affects the behaviour of the management towards them. The organizational culture in most cases spans form the top management downwards thereby acting as a control mechanism which shapes the behaviour of the employees at different levels of management thus establishing organization behaviour. This promotes the employees effectiveness through mutual understanding between individuals and groups wit h the ultimate goal of achieving the best results for the company. This provides a continuous system in which employees work harmoniously thus controlling themselves while adhering to the norms of the company. This theory also focuses on how organization members make meaning and role that determine the direction of workplace. The art of moving cultural symbols is predominantly made by the press and the politicians thus changes the meaning of situations and locations in which they occur. The postmodern cultural studies often go beyond fragmentation assumption by asserting that reality is an illusion that aims to suppress and marginalize those who do not accept and support the dominant view. According to this theory, organization culture is just one more from form those in power to mask their manipulation and control of others thus leading to destructions (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006). Critical theory (Epistemology) This theory is an approach developed by Frankfurt school in Germany and it holds that every society is totality in which each feature is essentially connected with others constituted by forms of beliefs and understanding in the society. The theory argues that atomism and objectivism are false, the epistemology of critical theory combines historical materialism, Freudian

Aerobic capacity test Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Aerobic capacity test - Essay Example Maximal oxygen uptake is also known as maximal oxygen consumption, maximal aerobic power, aerobic capacity, or VO2 max. The maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is a measure of a person's capacity to take in and utilise oxygen during exercise. A subject with a greater VO2 max value will be more likely to sustain high intensity exercise for a longer period. Theoretically, subjects with greater VO2 max values possess greater concentrations of hemoglobin in the blood, thus enabling them to utilise more oxygen during intense exercise (McArdle, Katch, & Katch, 2001; Mierke, 2003). However, there are several factors that may have an affect on maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max). These factors include mode of exercise (i.e., treadmill exercise, cycle ergometry, arm crank, swimming, or bench stepping), heredity, gender, age, body size and composition, and state of training (McArdle, Katch, & Katch, 2001; Mierke, 2003).Aerobic capacity is measured in the laboratory using a graded exercise test du ring which the rate of oxygen uptake is measured continually using sophisticated equipment. A graded exercise test is a test typically administered on a treadmill or cycle ergometer in which the intensity of exercise is increasingly increased. The rate of aerobic metabolism and oxygen uptake increases as intensity of exercise increases up to the point at which the aerobic capacity is reached. At this point, even though the exercise intensity can be increased, the oxygen uptake no longer increases proportionally, and there is a plateau in the relation of the rate of oxygen uptake to work rate (exercise intensity).The rate of oxygen uptake at the plateau is aerobic capacity (Cureton and Plowman, n.d.). The main disadvantage of this type of test is that is technically demanding, requiring costly equipment and highly-trained technicians.Furthermore, it is time consuming; a test requires about 30 minutes and only one subject can be tested at any given time. Thus, the direct measurement of aerobic capacity is not possible or practical for most field settings, such as schools where large numbers of people must be tested (Cureton and Plowman, n.d.). The Bruce Treadmill Test is one of the most popular laboratory treadmill test protocols used in obtaining VO2 max measurements. The test consists of seven 3-minute stages, in which most subjects are able to walk the first three stages. During each stage, a set percent treadmill grade and speed is obtained. During the test, the subjects' breathing and heart rates are monitored through the use of respiratory and metabolic/gas equipment along with heart rate monitors. Subjects' heart rates are recorded every minute while the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is recorded every three minutes. Validity correlation coefficients of .90 and .91 have been reported between VO2 max and the 12 min run. A lower correlation has been reported between VO2 max and the 1.5 Mile Run (-.74). The test-retest reliability of maximal oxygen consumption tests is high (i.e., .95 - .99) (Mierke, 2003).The main advantage of this test is that it is a direct measurement of maximal oxygen consumption. However, ther e are quite a few disadvantages with this test including degree of difficulty, cost and sensitivity of equipment, and the need for highly-trained te

Talent Identification Sport Basketball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Talent Identification Sport Basketball - Essay Example Once the talent is identified, there are various measures these institutions undertake to help develop the talents spotted into developmental implications in the society. Basketball like any other sport finds success in the UK via institutions that promote the development of the talent (Williams & Franks, 1998, p 162). The support issued to develop talents is injected to the disciplines that are the target of promotion via funds that are relayed by separate bodies. The UK Sport is one body that has invested 100 million pounds annually in athletes to promote success especially in the forthcoming games scheduled for London this year. This paper seeks to highlight attributes that are applied in talent development the facilities involved, and the staff promoting the discipline, basketball to be specific. In the identification of the basketball talent, there needs to be physiological and various tactical abilities to assess the performance of the athlete (Solomon et al, 1996, p 43). There must be physical fitness involved and a stable medical condition that would enable the subject under consideration to meet the desired expectation (Young et al, 1977, p 243). The coaching staffs is usually charged with the role of identifying the proper physical, and tactical attributes while fitness is determined by the medicine staff or trained individuals capable of correcting or assessing the entity. Basketball requires certain skill and the proper height to be applied in playing the sport. Most subjects should be energetic and lack excessive body fat that may impair mobility, and reduce overall performance (Randak, 1998, p 47). Coaching has been earmarked as the major avenue for development according to UK sport. There are international standards set for the coaches as a quality to meet before they can be accorded uncommon freedom to oversee the nurturing of the talent. Basketball, as indicated requires specific rules. Apart from, the tall

Teaching Plan Essay Example for Free

Teaching Plan Essay Maria is a 23-year-old female on disability pension. She left school since she was 12 years old and currently staying with her grandmother in Dromana. She has a long history of Borderline Personality Disorder with a self-harming behaviour and been experiencing chronic suicidal thoughts which often occur spontaneously with clearly definable triggers. These thoughts can be managed effectively well by the use of distraction/relaxation techniques, however, her level of distress can quickly escalate to an acute crisis situation whereby Maria becomes overwhelmed by the desire to end her life and emotional pain. Maria will then attempt to self-lacerate to reduce her distress or overdose on over the counter or prescribed medication. One of the crisis plans that would prevent her from inflicting harm to self is by encouraging her to call a clinician or duty worker during business hours or call the Triage after business hours for phone coaching to de-escalate her current acute emotional state. As Maria is learning to move from her emotional mind to a ‘wise’ mind, we are encouraging her to try to balance these better. Maria understands that her emotional mind and wise mind are often unbalanced, which usually makes her emotions take hold which then often escalate, leading to self-harm behaviour. [Source: Out-Patient Record, Peninsula Community Health Service (2010)] Introduction Patient teaching plans are tools developed by nurses in facilitating a systematic and evaluative way used in communicating to their patients regarding a particular treatment or practice. According to Bastable (2008, p. 07), a teaching plan is a â€Å"blueprint for action to achieve the goal and the objectives that have been agreed upon by the educator and the learner. † In this context, the nurse is the educator while the patient is the learner where a teaching and learning activity will occur for a specific treatment of therapy will occur. Bastable (2008) further explained that patient teaching plans should have a â€Å"purpose, content, methods and tools, timing, and evaluation of instruction. † The purpose, content, methods and tools, timing and evaluation of instruction should be in line with the objectives nd goals of a teaching plan. In order to have a more comprehensive and effective teaching plan, there is a need to identify concisely the elements of an ideal education process (Bastable 2008). By using a case study of a patient with a Borderline Personality Disorder, this essay will explain the importance of a patient teaching plan. It will further discuss the underlying principles and practice in the development, implementation and evaluation of a teaching plan based on the case study cited. It will also discuss the underlying processes in the development of the patient teaching and learning plan. It will then discuss the issues that will occur in the implementation of the patient action plan. Finally, it will give an analysis of the impact of the teaching plan to the patient. Importance of Patient Teaching Plan to Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) patients have the tendency of â€Å"exercising aggression, self-mutilation, impulsive behavioural dyscontrol, or self-damaging behaviour† (Latalova Prasko, 2010 p. 239). Thus, there are chances that BPD patients have the behaviour to harm themselves like slashing, being violent to other people and they can also be impulsive. According to a letter written to the editor published in the Journal Academy of American Physicians Assistants (JAAP, 2000) by Roxane Head, the patients that have BPD â€Å"may experience simultaneous conflicting thoughts, images and emotions. † Hence, these conflicting thoughts, emotions and images could trigger higher level of suicidal tendencies. Incidence of BPD cases are brought about and associated to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which establishes the link that causes mood instability as a result of prior â€Å"parental abuse or neglect. (JAAPA, 2000) In this context, parental abuse can be attributed from childhood experience which can either be â€Å"physical or sexual. † (JAAPA, 2000) Based on the case study presented above, Maria has experienced sexual abuse from her step-grandfather. It has also been stated that she has the tendency to do self-harm and over-dosing herself with medications. Based on the symptoms of BPD, there is a need for an immediate treatment and intervention when a mental crisis occurs. However, some BPD patients are not confined in hospitals or treatment facilities but are in their homes and are away from the management of clinicians and therapists. The introduction of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a kind of treatment program for BPD patients that focus on the â€Å"teaching of behavioural skills in helping and facilitating individuals in replacing maladaptive behaviours with skillful behaviours. †(Neacsiu, Rizvi, Linehan, 2010) Phone coaching or therapy is one of the common DBT methods that are being used in treating BPD patients. Thus, there is a need for nurses and other medical practitioners to educate BPD patients on how to contact and communicate to clinicians and phone therapists. Hence, an effective teaching plan is needed to be designed and implemented which is tailor-made for BPD patients using some learning theories. Principles and Practices Development and Implementation of Teaching and Learning Plans Patient teaching and learning plans are aimed to assist nurses and other health educators in formulating a comprehensive of plan of teaching activities that for a certain type of patient, just like BPD (Falvo, 2010). Since BPD patients are known to have irregular emotions, DBT treatments such as phone coaching or therapies target emotion dysregulation and its after-effects by enhancing motivation and teaching skills aimed at areas of deficit (Vitaliano, Lynch Linehan 2010). Thus, in developing a teaching plan for BPD patients, it would be helpful to use specific learning theories that explains and targets the emotions and behaviours of individuals. One of the learning theories that could be applied in formulating a teaching plan is the Cognitive Learning Theory. According to Ziegler (2005, p. 60) Cognitive Learning Theory focuses on â€Å"cognitive restructuring† process of the mental state of the learner. Thus, it is beyond duplicating certain behaviour but rather it is more on storing and remembering some information in the learner’s mind. Emerson (2007, p. 19) suggested that the learning process using the cognitive learning theory would entail some cognitive steps in a progressive manner in â€Å"acquiring, processing, and structuring† information which makes the learning to be involved or â€Å"active† in the learning process. Hence, in formulating a teaching plan it is also essential to make the learner or the patient as the centre of the learning process. Nurses who are geared toward educating their patients or clients must initially focus and assess their patient’s behaviour as well as their mental and physical capacity (Sarman, Daugherty Riegel, 2000). Sarman, Daugherty Riegel (2000) further explained that it is important to consider the patient’s â€Å"physical condition, medications, culture, and psychosocial attributes but not always dependent on whether the patient perceives the need for change and is motivated to do so. Hence, the patient’s behaviour, especially with current mental illness or disorders should not be considered as a hindrance in patient teaching, but it is also part of a nurse’s â€Å"professional responsibility† to initiate a process in â€Å"teaching, motivating, providing resources to support in maintaining and sustaining the change† (Sarman, Daugherty Riegel, 2000). In Maria’s case, it is helpful to consider the Cognitive Learning Theory in formulating a teaching technique for phone coaching. According to Binks, Fenton, McCarthy, Lee, Adams Duggan, 2009) the initial step in teaching, is to help the client establish a link between their thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions to target a patient’s symptoms. † In Maria’s case, she has the tendency to harm herself when a crisis arises. Further, it is also essential to teach the client to â€Å"monitor his or her own thoughts, feelings and behaviours and also providing alternative ways of coping with regards to the specific symptoms of her current illness,† which is BPD (Binks, et. al 2009). In this step, it is essential to help Maria identify the level of feeling or emotion that she is currently experiencing or feeling at a specific attack. As part of the cognitive learning process, the use of visual aids such as mood charts and graphs would be helpful for the learner in acquiring, processing and structuring and applying it. According to Mountain (2008, p. 105), mood charts can help in understanding the â€Å"intensity of emotions, anxiety, emotions and the patient’s symptoms. † Mountain (2008, p. 105) further explained that mood chart will help in the learner to be â€Å"more aware on the moods and how they change. Thus, in the case study being cited, it will use a mood ring chart that classifies different emotions and level of anxiety with a corresponding colour. The mood ring chart would facilitate in Maria’s learning process as it would facilitate her in communicating to the phone coach therapist the level of emotion or anxiety she currently experiencing. The mood chart would be very helpful in Maria’s case since she will be seeking treatment from a phone therapist who would help her manage the crisis attack by either distraction or relaxation techniques, which would cause a change of her emotion or mood. Another teaching style that will be used is by demonstration. This teaching technique can be implemented and used in the case study since there is a need for the nurse-educator to teach the patient how to use the phone in contacting the phone therapist or clinician. In Maria’s case, it is very important that the nurse-educator should teach the patient a step-step process by demonstrating and giving instructions on where to locate a phone, who and what number to call, how to use the phone and how she will communicate to the phone therapist or clinician. In this way, the Maria will learn to use the phone with much confidence because the inability to use the phone and other technologies could hinder the success and effectiveness of the treatment. Evaluation of Te aching and Learning Plans In the development of a teaching in a patient education process, it is essential to consider the importance of evaluation. Bastable (2008, p. 558) argued that evaluation is defined as â€Å"a systematic process by which the worth or value of something-in this case, teaching-and learning- is judged. In this context, evaluation is a process in measuring the effectiveness of the development and implementation of patient teaching plans. The significance of the evaluation process is a critical aspect in the nurse teaching process and decision making since it would create an impact in its outcome and to future development and implementation of further patient teaching plans (Bastable, 2008). Hence, it is important to measure the effectiveness of the outcome of the teaching process to determine which aspects of the teaching plan needs to be improved and corrected as well as for the benefit of future teaching plans. In evaluating the teaching plan developed for Maria, it is essential to determine of what guidelines and methods to use in its evaluation. As the teaching plan has been developed for Maria which was patterned from Bastable (2008), the purpose, goal and objectives were clearly defined as well as its methods of instruction, resources needed and the methods of how it would be evaluated. To evaluate the teaching plan for Maria, it is essential to focus on the objectives set and its content outline which could be verifiable by the methods of evaluation being set. The first objective in the teaching plan is to help er recognize if she’s depressed or needs therapy, this can be recognized by post-testing. The second and third objective is to help her locate phone numbers of clinicians as well as how to use the phone to communicate with a clinician, this can be evaluated a return-demonstration by Maria after the nurse-educator teaches her how to perform these processes. The fourth and fifth objectives is to teach Maria how to distinguish the type of mood she is experiencing and associate it with the corresponding colour based on the mood chart and these processes can be evaluated by post-testing. The last objective is to teach Maria to listen and comprehend what the phone therapist is advising while is undergoing phone coaching and this could be evaluated through question and answer with the nurse-educator. Possible Issues that Might Occur in the Implementation of the Patient Teaching Plan In the implementation of patient teaching plans, there is a tendency that there is a difficulty in motivating patients to learn what have been taught in the patient teaching plans. There is also a possibility that the patient will not follow the skills and steps being taught. In the case of Maria, there will be a tendency that she will not listen of what the nurse-educator will be teaching her, like by recognizing her level of emotions. There also might be a possibility that she will insist a certain level of emotion which in reality is not real emotion that she is experiencing which would cause a contradicting intervention or treatment from the phone therapist. Impact of Teaching Plans to the Patient The evaluation on the implementation of patient teaching plans is not the ultimate indicator that the teaching plan for a certain patient is successful. However, Falvo (2010) argued that a teaching plan can be deliberately considered successful when a patient like Maria can be able to manage her crisis attacks even without the help of phone coaching therapists. By using the case study, Maria will be able to perform the prescribed distraction or relaxation techniques when she is experiencing depression or anxiety attacks. Conclusion The development of teaching and learning plans is a very important step in the treatment of mental disorder patients. It is vital that these teaching and learning plans should be meticulously developed in a way that would suit to specific individual needs, especially to patients with serious mental disorders like Maria who is suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. The development of patient teaching plans should be carefully planned and could be flexibly adjust depending on the circumstance that could possibly occur during its implementation. Lastly, careful monitoring and evaluation in the implementation of teaching plans is very important in the learning processes to identify positive results to be maintained and at the same time improve areas that needs to be addressed.

Board Game Essay Example for Free

Board Game Essay Introduction Board games used for a number of educational purposes, as have been proven to help stimulate the minds of children in a fun and informative way. Learning things like conservation of energy, mathematical operations can be difficult for young children, usually depending on their age and the amount of attention they have received on the object. It has also been long proven that most children have a better time learning skills when they are presented in a fun, interactive format, and giving educational math board games on which to make their stand. Sci Damaths ( Sci = Science, Dama = Pinoy game checker board, maths = mathematics) is one such board game which helps children to easily begin to master the skills of basic math and energy conservation. The game plays out across a table, much like Pinoy typical game DAMA . There are 24 chips in each set of the game, which come in editions for each basic math science skill. Some set focus on addition, while others help players learn their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills. The easy format helps any player to adapt quickly to the game and with a fun, slightly competitive atmosphere; the learning aspect of the game may even go entirely unseen. Sci Damaths can help children learn how to complete their math and science skills more quickly. This teaches children to think fast, trying to encourage them to learn how to complete the skills within a short time limit. However, players must be careful about the game, for if they end up with accumulated score in any turn. This game is incredibly popular, as it encourages quick thinking in an easy to learn, fun setting, and many children have greatly benefited from playing with it. Sci Damaths is a great example of a game that gives children the chance to learn a number of basic math science skills and the order of operations potentially without them even realizing it. Racing across a board made of different numbers, the players try to correctly solve variations. However, the game is not as simple as just taking chips by solving variations, for other players have the chance to either steal or swap chips, helping to complete their own and control another. This game raises the level of challenge, making the game excited, tough experience for any players participating. With such an exciting environment provided by the game, it is no wonder that Sci-Damaths game help players to learn their techniques so quickly. Teaching math and science to young children has never been easier or more enjoyable. Sci-damaths is a Mathematical board game invented by five time national awardee Jesus L. Huenda. It is coined from the Filipino checker board game â€Å"Dama†. It started in Sorsogon national High School. There were series of National Sci-Damaths competition sponsored by DepEd and other private firm. Sci-Damaths is a game designed for elementary pupils and high school students. It is a game of mind, which is governed by the moves of the players. It characterized a mental competition between two opposing players where the one with an alert mind and strength to achieve something, wins this battle of minds. It is a board game played by two players, with one player having 12 chips and the other player having 12 chips have individual uniqueness and can move only in a specific way. The decisive objective of the game Sci-Dama is to build up lesser points and for Damath game is to accumulate greater points. HOW TO PLAY SCI-DAMATHS? 1. Prepare the following: a. Sci- dama board for science and damath board for mathematics b. 24 chips C. Scoresheet SCI- DAMATHS SCORESHEET Player : ________________________ Win:_______ Lose: _______ c. calculator ( optional) d. arbiter/teacher 2. Set the position of the chips according to the level of the game. Damath MATHEMATICS Counting Damaths Whole Damaths Fraction Damaths Integer Damaths Rational Damaths Radical Damaths Polynomial Damaths Binary Damathan Sci Dama SCIENCE Water patrol Dama Power patrol sci dama Electro sci dama Dama Sci notation THI Sci Dama Thermo Sci Dama 3. Fill up the score sheet. SCI DAMATHS SCORESHEET 4. Follow the sci- damaths rules. RULES OF THE SCI DAMATHS TO BEGIN THE GAME†¦ 1. Toss a chip/coin to decide who move first. 2. The two players alternately take turn in moving a piece. ( Pass is not allowed) 3. Touch move shall be observed in the game. A player who touches a chip is required to move unless it is illegal to do so. 4. After making a move, a player shall record his move in one score sheet only. 5. Only one score sheet will be used by the two players in a game. 6. Each player is only allowed one minute to move including the recording. However in taking or capturing the chip or chips one minute rule will not use. 7. A warning is given to player by the arbiter if no move is made after one minute, and consequently, he is forced to move a chip. 8. Continuous violation of this rule # 7 will disqualify the player even if he is leading in the score sheet at the time of the violation, 4th violation means disqualification. 9. All moves should be in the forward direction except taking a chip ( forward or backward) or if a chip is already a dama. 10. A chip is declared a â€Å"dama† if it reaches and stops terminally in any of the following squares of the opposing player: (1,0) (3,0) (5,0) ( 7,0)similarly , the opposing player’s chip is declared a ‘dama† if it reaches and stops terminally in any of the following squares: (0,7) (2,7) ( 4,7) ( 6,7) 11. Once a chip is declared a â€Å"dama†, it could slide diagonally forward in any vacant square provided no opposing chip blocks it. It could take a chip or chips and double the score. 12. Similarly, if any ordinary chip takes a â€Å"dama† or a â€Å"dama† takes another â€Å"dama† the score in both situations is doubled . ( x two ) x ( four) 13. A player can take one chip or more than one chips with the required option to take the greater number of chips. 14. Between a â€Å" dama† taking a chip and a chip taking another chip, the former is obliged. Between a â€Å"dama† taking a chip and a â€Å"dama† takes two or more chips, the later prevails. 15. â€Å"Dama† chip should be identified by encircling the chip in the score sheet. 16. The game ends after 20 minutes. 17. The game also ends if: a. the moves are repetitive. b. A player has no more move. c. A player has no more chip. d. A chip is cornered. e. A player resign f. Both players agree to a draw 18. The remaining chips or chip of player is added to his total score. 19. If the remaining chip is a â€Å"dama†, the value of the chip is doubled. 20. The player with the greater accumulated total wins the games except sci-dama. 21. If both players have the same score or tie is recorded as ? ? , essentially half a point rather than the full point for a win. 22. The player may or may not use a calculator. 23. Only players are allowed to raise questions during the game through the arbiter and should be solved immediately. 24. Arbiter is always right in his decisions. SPECIAL MOVES AND SCORES â€Å"DAMA† chip can move or takes a piece to any unoccupied square along the diagonal path. DAMA takes Ordinary, times 2. Ordinary takes Dama , times 2. Dama takes Dama, times 4. Dama remaining chip, times 2. Mayor tatlo or dalawa, mayor tatlo, prevail. Mayor tatlo, dalawa over dama prevail. Illegal or incorrect move-entries must be corrected. The ‘taker’ chip is always the addend ( addition ), minuend ( subtraction ) multiplicand (multiplication), dividend ( division) and augend ( binary ). DRAWS Between evenly matched opponents, damath games will sometime end in draws. So whats a draw? Thats when nobody wins. In tournaments, draws are recorded as ? ? , essentially half a point rather than the full point for a win. There are two kinds of draws to discuss briefly. 1. Draws by agreement. This kind of draw is the most common. At any time in the game, you can offer a draw to your opponent. Be mindful of good etiquette, however. Dont offer a draw on every move! And be sure to offer the draw correctly. Make your move, offer the draw (I offer a draw is fine) and only then inform your arbiter (assuming that you have arbiter. An offer of a draw without making a move is NOT a legal offer and can be ignored by arbiter. 2. Threefold repetition regardless of score You or your opponent can claim a draw if the same position occurs fourth times in the same game, all with the same player to move. Such repetitions can easily occur in endgames when one player is using DAMA chips. To claim such a draw, you need to have an accurate scoresheet and demonstrate to the tournament arbiter that the claim is valid. To claimed such a draw both players must be correct, agreed to the draw! FOR TEACHERS Addition and subtraction of binary numbers When adding binary number A B . A is called the augend and B is called the addend. When subtracting binary number A, I, e. A – B = C, A is called the minuend, B is called the subtrahend and C is called the difference. When multiplying A by B to give C, i. e. A x B = C, A is called the multiplicand, B the multiplier and C the product. When dividing number a is called the dividend, B the divisor and C the qoutient. What is Sci- Damaths? Sci–Damaths ( Sci = Science, Dama = Pinoy game checker board, maths = mathematics) is a line of attact and sound addition, subtraction, multiplication and division game between two players that is enjoyed by pupils and students, from classroom to home. Though the game of sci-damaths has taken many variations over its long time, todays form entered the digital age, as games and tournaments are played online and via email. Using a Pinoy checker board composed of grids and diagonal lines , the game against anothers involves the use of strategic moves and techniques using the chips. Using the chips, players execute tactics to remove the challengers chips thru mathematical operations. Its significance to dramatize the importance of Science and Mathematics using the typical game of Pinoy called DAMA. It is played by two players who move by turns diagonally. How to play Sci-Damaths? Basically the rules in playing the Filipino checker board game DAMA will be used. CONSTRUCTION OF STANDARD SCI DAMATHS BOARD AND CHIPS ‘The Board’ the Sci-damaths board measures 32 cm x 32 cm with 8 x8 squares. It contains 24 chips in two colors ( 12 chips of each color). Each chip measure 2 cm in diameter. Notation Sci- Damath notation has its own system. Each row of squares across the board is numbered as 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 staring from left and right side of the board. Each column of squares running up the board is also numbered as 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 starting from left to right side of the board. Polynomial damath has its own notation ( 0,0), ( 0,0 ) ( 7,7) , ( 7,7) for corners of the sci-damath board. POWERS OF THE CHIPS The first example illustrates how the chip moves. It can move to any square marked with an X The chips can move to any vacant square. The chip can capture the opposing chip. The chip can move or capture in a diagonal way unless it is obstructed by a chip. The chip moves to square by going one square diagonally but not in a horizontal or vertical or form the square it occupies. The chip can jump over other chips in the course Of its move ( Pass is not allowed. ) The chip can capture diagonally forward or backward to the left or to the right. How to use the board? Set the starting position of the chips. Note that the chips must be arranged. According to position and the level of game. A move is the transfer of a chip diagonally From one square to another. A capture is the Removal of an opposing chip for the board; Mathematical operation will be used depending On the vacant square’s operation symbol where The â€Å" taker† chips land b jumping over the â€Å"taken† chip; it is accomplished by actually removing the â€Å" taken â€Å" chip. ( You cannot capture your own chip). Sci-Damath Operation Used ) will be used.? Mathematical operations ( + , -, x , Elementary Sci dama and counting damaths, plus and minus only. Secondary Sci Dama . THI only ( plus and minus). WRITING MOVES Suppose in the diagram below the white chips at ( 5,2) moves ( 6,3 ). This would be OPENING IS BEST: There is no answer to that question, its all a matter of style and personal fancy, its just the same with choice of defense, whatever actual openings you choose you must have a deep understanding of the ideas behind the opening play. Learning opening principle is easy it is really just a matter of knowing what not to do. Learning in a series of opening moves wont make you better damath player. There is no point in studying the opening if you don’t understand the middle game and if you don’t understand he end game. WHAT MAKES A DAMATH PLAYER? 1. The ability to calculate accurately and quickly will be useful. 2. A good memory will also be used. 3. The ability to think logically must help. 4. The ability to concentrate. HOW TO HANDLE TIME TROUBLE? 1. Concentrate on the position alone. 2. Time spent writing can’t be spent thinking. 3. Don’t keep looking at the clock. 4. Don’t panic. â€Å" YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING MAKES A GOOD PLAYER EXCEPT HARD WORK. † FINDING THE RIGHT MOVE The answer is to select one of the moves straight away, toss a coin if necessary! Check that it is good ,and play it. TAKING YOUR OPPONENTS SERIOUSLY Remember , you may not think your opponent is good enough to beat you, but you can always play badly enough to lose him! AVOIDING BLUNDERS To avoid making mistakes you should first understand why you make them. Blunders on the damath board are usually the result of carelessness or muddled thinking. You make mistake when you are tired or bored or when you have just win through the excitement of a complicated series of moves. Never relax and always stay calm. GAINING EXPERIENCE At every sci-damath club and contest there will be players keen to help and encourage you so long as you play and behave sensibly. Join a club, play in every contest you can, and don’t worry about losing by playing you gain experience. With experience you gain knowledge and become a better players†¦ good enough perhaps to become tomorrow’s champion!

A Study On Theoretical Perspectives In Maladaptive Behavior

A Study On Theoretical Perspectives In Maladaptive Behavior Maladaptive behavior is known as behavior that is different than normal. There are many ways to define behavior that is unusual. Antisocial Disorder is also known as abnormal. There are many perspectives known to help define and explain these behaviors. Scientific theories have been created to organize our thoughts and our beliefs to explain what it all means (Sarason, 2005). Biological Perspective explains the relationships between our brain and our behavior (Sarason, 2005). This would also cover heredity and genetics (Sarason, 2005). This perspective assumes that our bodily maladaptive behavior is due to a problem in our body (Sarason, 2005). Behavior genetics is known as a study of the effects of our genetic inheritance of behavior (Sarason, 2005). Psychodynamic Perspective is the idea that thoughts and emotions are important causes of behavior (Sarason, 2005). In most cases biological factors are important in the diagnosis of a patient. Most medical conditions require biological factors, (Sarason, 2005). Equipment such as the position emission tomography scan and the computerized tomography (CT scan) are starting to be used to demonstrate studies between the brain and behavior, (Sarason, 2005). In research of genetics and heredity it has shown that chromosomal defects are the cause of metabolic disorders that may lead to mental retardation, (Sarason, 2005). Phenylketonuria is an example of such a condition, (Sarason, 2005). Body refers to organs, muscles, bones, and the brain; mind refers to attitudes and feelings or thoughts, (Sarason, 2005). The separation between the two is intellectual intervention (Sarason, 2005). Although many people believe the separation to be complete. Cognitive and bodily functioning are closely working together (Sarason, 2005). It is known that maladaptive behavior is because of a dysfunction in the body and the way it functions (Sarason, 2005). Maladaptive behavior is a joint product of three major components; in the body or a hormonal deficiency, in physiological functioning or a tendency towards shyness, and in a social environment (Sarason, 2005). Chromosomes are threadlike that are present in the cells that make up our DNA (Sarason, 2005). Anomolies in the chromosomes are likely to cause abnormalities in our brain (Sarason, 2005). Someone with Down syndrome usually has 21 of these chromosomes as opposed to the usual 2 (Sarason, 2005). Each of these genes contains their own characteristic positions (Sarason, 2005). 60% of these genes are responsible for brain functions, (Sarason, 2005). 4,000 diseases are caused by abnormalities in these chromosomes, (Sarason, 2005). Psychologists study these genes; this is called behavior genetics (Sarason, 2005). As humans we inherit behavior (Sarason, 2005). This study is called pedigree studies. Here are some of the common studies of genetic research: Gene- Parts of your DNA that contain proteins that carries out tasks in your body (Sarason, 2005). Alleles- Variants of the same gene in a species(Sarason, 2005). Genome- All DNA processed by a person (Sarason, 2005). Genotype- the DNA makeup at the moment of conception (Sarason, 2005). Phenotype-Characteristics resulting from environment and genetics (Sarason, 2005) Heritability- A statistical estimate of characteristics affected by genetics (Sarason, 2005). Nervous System and the Brain The nervous system and the brain are also affecting who we are as humans. The nervous system is the brains control area and very important in the functioning of the brain (Sarason, 2005). The nervous system consists of neurons which have very special purposes (Sarason, 2005). The brain is now known as the most complex structure in the entire world (Sarason, 2005). The nervous system is split into two parts: the central nervous system, including the nerve cells or neurons, brain and spinal cords (Sarason, 2005). The Peripheral nervous system includes all the neurons that connect the central nervous system with the glands, muscles, and sensory system (Sarason, 2005). The Peripheral nervous system has two parts; the somatic system and the Autonomic system (Sarason, 2005). The somatic system transmits information from sense organs to the muscles that help us move (Sarason, 2005). Autonomic system directs activity of the glands and our internal organs (Sarason, 2005). It is said that the brain has a lot to do with our behavior. The way it functions and the way we perceive things when the brain is trying to transmit the information can also get lost in translation. There are so many ways that information can be misinterpreted when the brain is not correctly functioning. The behavioral state of a human is usually best observed through an EEG machine. This machine can measure alertness through tracings of the brain and its activity. It can measure if someone is alert or awake, resting, eyes closed, light sleep, deep sleep, or dreaming (Sarason, 2005). A healthy brain will also react to new experiences where a damaged brain might not react (Sarason, 2005). This can also be measure on an EEG machine. Freuds Theory of Personalities Sigmund Freud was a great neurologist from 1856-1939 (Sarason, 2005). He was also one of the most influential writers in the twentieth century. Freuds theory of Personality is also one of the most influential writings. It seems very complex to some. One of Freuds theories consists of psychic determinism. This states that behavior is determined by prior mental events in ones life (Sarason, 2005). Freud believed that there are two levels of consciousness. One is consciousness itself and the other is precociousness (Sarason, 2005). This means that if someone were thinking of one thing, they could easily store this in mind and move back to a previous thought. Freud found that this had a lot to do with overt behavior. He also believed that the greater the mental conflict in the conscious stayed there, the greater the stress would become (Sarason, 2005). Behavior Perspectives and Genetics The behavioral perspective focuses on behavior as a response to stimuli in the environment of the organism, (Sarason, 2005). An American psychologist names John B. Watson created was the founder of behaviorism (Sarason, 2005). Watson created this as a thoroughly mechanical affair, (Sarason, 2005). The complete personality was created for overt behavior and was built up out of the conditioning process (Sarason, 2005). Many psychologists did not believe Watson. They believed that behavior was much more complex. They believed that it is truly a hard process. Watson just believed that a little time would bring on a dynamic behavioral change. Behavioral Perspective was also created because psychologists found that Freuds ideas about the mind were too complex enough and very vague (Sarason, 2005). Psychologists believed that this could be explained in an easier way to understand. Many of them were having problems understanding so this led them to creation of their own theories. Both the psychoanalytical and behavioral approaches are deterministic but can be found in different places, (Sarason, 2005). Psychologists that use this type of behavioral perspective focus on what the patient is learning (Sarason, 2005). They view any type of behavior as stimuli-response and relationships (Sarason, 2005). In the process of changing someones behavior, they concentrate on altering the environment and rewards (Sarason, 2005). Early behavioral perspectives lacked certain elements. In the process of classical conditioning psychologists are watching for a response that an organism is automatically stimulated and transferred to a new one through an association between the two (Sarason, 2005). Ivan Pavlov was one of the most famous classical conditioning experimenters. Pavlov placed a hungry dog in a harness and turned on a light at certain intervals (Sarason, 2005). The dog did not salivate in response to the light making the light conditioned stimuli (Sarason, 2005). After a few times of trying this, meat powder was delivered after the dog was stimulated. Since the dog was hungry, he salivated an unconditional response (Sarason). Pavlov found that although there was no food delivered at certain points of the experiment, the dog was still salivating. Pavlov also tried the ringing of a bell as a stimulus (Sarason, 2005). In some cases there are unpleasant, avoidant or escape responses (Sarason, 2005). For example, the experiments that entails a mouse moving through a maze to find food. They use the electric charge to pulse through the mouse to help them find the food. Eventually the mouse is able to get to the food every time without the stimuli of the electric charge to show him the way. When these conditioned responses are reinforced during the process of conditioning, these responses dissipate (Sarason, 2005). The disappearance of early responses is called extinction (Sarason, 2005). Many students of maladaptive behavior begin to become fascinated with classical conditioning when they realize it explains a lot about many types of emotional responses (Sarason, 2005). There is also such a thing as accidental conditional responses For example, I almost drowned when I was 4 years old. Since that day I have been terrified of any body of water. If I were to tell a psychologist this, they might recommend systematic desensitization (Sarason, 2005). Here is a diagram of how this might work (Sarason, 2005). Unconditional Unconditional responses Drowning Fear Conditional Stimulus- Conditional response Pool or another body of water Fear Breaking down the steps of stimuli between the conditional stimuli and conditional responses could alleviate the fear of water or drowning. Operant response is also called instrumental conditioning, when the organism must make a particular response to the actions before the reinforcement starts to take affect (Sarason, 2005). The organism reflects its environment (Sarason, 2005). B. F. Skinner was the first psychologist to demonstrate this type of conditioning and its effectiveness (Sarason, 2005). He was also one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century (Sarason, 2005). Skinner created an experiment named Skinner box where a rat will press a bar repeatedly if this activity is reinforced by pellets of food falling into a dish (Sarason, 2005). Operant conditioning is responses that occur less prior to being reinforced (Sarason, 2005). Reinforcement, punishment, and extinction are all steps of operant conditioning (Sarason, 2005). A reinforce is an event that increases the possibility of a stimulus responding in a certain way (Sarason, 2005). A positive reinforce increases the possibility of the outcome being something good (Sarason, 2005). A negative reinforce increases the outcome being something negative (Sarason, 2005). Punishment is another way of changing behavior that is hit or miss. Sometimes it will be effective and other times it will not. Here are a few examples of a schedule of reinforcements used to research learning. Continuous reinforcement schedule- every response of a particular type is reinforced (Sarason, 2005). Partial or Intermittent reinforcement schedule- only some of these responses are reinforced (Sarason, 2005). Fixed-ratio schedule- reinforcement is given after a fixed number of these responses (Sarason, 2005). Variable-ration schedule-reinforcement varies around an average 10 responses (Sarason, 2005). Fixed-Interval schedule- reinforcement follows the first response that occurs after certain time intervals (Sarason, 2005). Variable-interval schedule- reinforcement occurs after a variable interval of time (Sarason, 2005). Psychodynamic Perspective The psychodynamic perspective the idea that thoughts and emotions are important causes of behavior, (Sarason, 2005). Many psychologists believe that rational thinking will produce personal and social adjustment (Sarason, 2005). In the 19th century this began to attract more and more attention. People were drawn to the fact that maladaptive behavior was not normal. The organic approach to psychological behavior is influenced by physiological and the anatomy of a human being (Sarason, 2005). Mental disorders are a direct reflection of what is going on in the brain and how we function with this (Sarason, 2005). People began to believe that brain cells were what were making us unhappy (Sarason, 2005). The bad thing about this belief system is that there is much more to it. We needed to dig deeper to figure out what the stem of the problem was. Psychologists were finding it harder to convince people that there was really something wrong as opposed to someone just being crazy. People wanted to believe what they wanted to, making it difficult for psychologist. Psychologists hope to find evidence that behavior was a reflection of the brain (Sarason, 2005). An interact ional or biopsychological approach currently directs the work of most clinicians and researchers, (Sarason, 2005). Coping, skills due to this perspective result in stress and vulnerabili ty (Sarason, 2005). Think of these as a coping mechanism (Sarason, 2005). Antisocial Disorder Anti-social disorder is typically associated with violence, delinquency and violence ( Sarason, 2005). Critical features of this disorder would be: Failure to conform to social norms, (Sarason, 2005) Deceitfulness or being manipulative (Sarason, 2005) Failure to plan ahead or being impulsive (Sarason, 2005) Irritability or being aggressive (Sarason, 2005) Disregard for other; being reckless (Sarason, 2005) Consistently being irresponsible (Sarason, 2005) Lack of remorse for their actions (Sarason, 2005) Anti-social disorder is inherited and it is not yet clear how (Sarason, 2005). Impulsive physical violence is related to low levels of serotonin and one of its metabolites in spinal fluid, (Sarason, 2005). Anxiety has also been studied. It has become a very consistent component of Anti-social disorder (Sarason, 2005). People with anti-social disorder lack the ability to feel for others and will most likely hurt the people that are closest to them without remorse (Sarason, 2005). People with anti-social disorder are very difficult to diagnose and help. Their tendencies and personalities are very hard to understand (Sarason, 2005). In conclusion, our behavior is not only altered by genetics but is also altered by our brain and our nervous system. It is very difficult to find a direct diagnosis of a person without all medical history. There are numerous things that could affect a humans train of thought and the ability to cope in day to day life. Freuds theory shows that people are able to be aware of their ability to consciously think. We are constantly thinking on two levels, giving us the ability to make choices. We are able to think on a level of good or bad. We are able to capacitate many types of brain alterations. The brain is so complex making it very difficult for us to truly understand. We have the basis of how behavior can affect us. We can chose to listen to our preconscious as opposed to the conscious that is telling us to do the wrong thing. Or we can run through life with reckless disregard for others. We have the ability to make these choices for ourselves, given that we are aware of the malfunct ioning of our brains. Despite this, technology and diagnosis will continue to expand and diagnosis will become easier and easier.

Michael Jordan: King Of The Court :: essays research papers

Michael Jordan: King of the Court   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I began my report I didn’t know much about Michael Jordan, but I did know that he was “undoubtedly the greatest player in the history of the NBA'; (“Michael Air Jordan'; 1). It seemed like every time I heard the word basketball I also heard the name Michael Jordan. There’s just no avoiding him. If you are watching television you might see him playing basketball or golf. If you were reading a magazine there will probably be an advertisement with his picture. If you were walking down the street you might see a kid wearing Air Jordan shoes or a Bulls jersey with “JORDAN'; on the back of it. This man is probably as recognizable as the Pope. When we were asked to start thinking of our topics for our research papers Michael Jordan had just announced his retirement from basketball. There were all of these specials on the sports channels and the news so I had to find out what all the commotion was about. This is why I chose Michael Jordan to be the topic of my research paper. I hoped to find out how he became to be considered the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. I learned about a lot about Michael during the first week of my search since he was getting so much attention from the media at the time. When Michael Jordan was attending Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina nobody thought that he would ever turn out to be the player he is today let alone make it to the NBA. In fact, James Jordan, Michael’s father, actually thought that Michael’s best sport was baseball. His high school didn’t think he was so great at basketball either so they cut him from the varsity team when he was a sophomore. To Michael playing basketball in the NBA “seemed something of a distant dream'; (Halberstam 20), but even after he was cut from the varsity team Michael still practiced every day. Michael’s practice paid off in his junior and senior years when he was the best player on the varsity team. After high school Michael was off to the University of North Carolina where for three years he would have some amazing accomplishments in basketball. Perhaps Michael’s most memorable collegiate moment occurred while he was a freshman. On March 29, 1982 the University of North Carolina basketball team was facing off against the University of Georgetown in the national championship game. Michael Jordan: King Of The Court :: essays research papers Michael Jordan: King of the Court   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I began my report I didn’t know much about Michael Jordan, but I did know that he was “undoubtedly the greatest player in the history of the NBA'; (“Michael Air Jordan'; 1). It seemed like every time I heard the word basketball I also heard the name Michael Jordan. There’s just no avoiding him. If you are watching television you might see him playing basketball or golf. If you were reading a magazine there will probably be an advertisement with his picture. If you were walking down the street you might see a kid wearing Air Jordan shoes or a Bulls jersey with “JORDAN'; on the back of it. This man is probably as recognizable as the Pope. When we were asked to start thinking of our topics for our research papers Michael Jordan had just announced his retirement from basketball. There were all of these specials on the sports channels and the news so I had to find out what all the commotion was about. This is why I chose Michael Jordan to be the topic of my research paper. I hoped to find out how he became to be considered the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. I learned about a lot about Michael during the first week of my search since he was getting so much attention from the media at the time. When Michael Jordan was attending Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina nobody thought that he would ever turn out to be the player he is today let alone make it to the NBA. In fact, James Jordan, Michael’s father, actually thought that Michael’s best sport was baseball. His high school didn’t think he was so great at basketball either so they cut him from the varsity team when he was a sophomore. To Michael playing basketball in the NBA “seemed something of a distant dream'; (Halberstam 20), but even after he was cut from the varsity team Michael still practiced every day. Michael’s practice paid off in his junior and senior years when he was the best player on the varsity team. After high school Michael was off to the University of North Carolina where for three years he would have some amazing accomplishments in basketball. Perhaps Michael’s most memorable collegiate moment occurred while he was a freshman. On March 29, 1982 the University of North Carolina basketball team was facing off against the University of Georgetown in the national championship game.

Free College Admissions Essays: Marching On :: College Admissions Essays

Marching On Sweat dripping down my face and butterflies fluttering around my stomach as if it was the Garden of Eden, I took in a deep breathe and asked myself: "Why am I so nervous? After all, it is just the most exciting day of my life." When the judges announced for the Parsippany Hills High School Marching Band to commence its show, my mind blanked out and I was on the verge of losing sanity. Giant's Stadium engulfed me, and as I pointed my instrument up to the judges' stand, I gathered my thoughts and placed my mouth into the ice-cold mouthpiece of the contrabass. "Ready or not," I beamed, "here comes the best show you will ever behold." There is no word to describe the feeling I obtain through music. However, there is no word to describe the pain I suffer through in order to be the best in the band either. When I switched my instrument to tuba from flute in seventh grade, little did I know the difference it would make in the four years of high school I was soon to experience. I joined marc hing band in ninth grade as my ongoing love for music waxed. When my instructor placed the 30 lb. sousaphone on my shoulder on the first day, I lost my balance and would have fallen had my friends not made the effort to catch me. During practices, I always attempted to ease the discomfort as the sousaphone cut through my collar bone, but eventually my shoulder started to agonize and bleed under the pressure. My endurance and my effort to play the best show without complaining about the weight paid off when I received the award for "Rookie of the Year." For the next three seasons of band practice, the ache and toil continued. Whenever the band had practice, followed by a football game and then a competition, my brain would blur from fatigue and my body would scream in agony. Nevertheless, I pointed my toes high in the air as I marched on, passionate about the activity. As a result, my band instructor saw my drive toward music and I was named Quartermaster for my junior year, being tr usted with organizing, distributing, and collecting uniforms for all seventy-five members of the band. The responsibility was tremendous. It took a bulk of my time, but the sentiment of knowing that I was an important part of band made it all worthwhile. Free College Admissions Essays: Marching On :: College Admissions Essays Marching On Sweat dripping down my face and butterflies fluttering around my stomach as if it was the Garden of Eden, I took in a deep breathe and asked myself: "Why am I so nervous? After all, it is just the most exciting day of my life." When the judges announced for the Parsippany Hills High School Marching Band to commence its show, my mind blanked out and I was on the verge of losing sanity. Giant's Stadium engulfed me, and as I pointed my instrument up to the judges' stand, I gathered my thoughts and placed my mouth into the ice-cold mouthpiece of the contrabass. "Ready or not," I beamed, "here comes the best show you will ever behold." There is no word to describe the feeling I obtain through music. However, there is no word to describe the pain I suffer through in order to be the best in the band either. When I switched my instrument to tuba from flute in seventh grade, little did I know the difference it would make in the four years of high school I was soon to experience. I joined marc hing band in ninth grade as my ongoing love for music waxed. When my instructor placed the 30 lb. sousaphone on my shoulder on the first day, I lost my balance and would have fallen had my friends not made the effort to catch me. During practices, I always attempted to ease the discomfort as the sousaphone cut through my collar bone, but eventually my shoulder started to agonize and bleed under the pressure. My endurance and my effort to play the best show without complaining about the weight paid off when I received the award for "Rookie of the Year." For the next three seasons of band practice, the ache and toil continued. Whenever the band had practice, followed by a football game and then a competition, my brain would blur from fatigue and my body would scream in agony. Nevertheless, I pointed my toes high in the air as I marched on, passionate about the activity. As a result, my band instructor saw my drive toward music and I was named Quartermaster for my junior year, being tr usted with organizing, distributing, and collecting uniforms for all seventy-five members of the band. The responsibility was tremendous. It took a bulk of my time, but the sentiment of knowing that I was an important part of band made it all worthwhile.

In what important ways is the American South Different to the North? Es

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American South represents the more agricultural sector of the United States; it was and in some places is still quite far behind the Northern sectors of America. Northerners tended to be better educated than their southern partners. The North also had a much larger population than the South with a 21.5 million population, whilst the south had a population of 9 million. The fundamental differences between the two can be classified through religion, the slave movement as well as the agricultural and industrial differences between the north and south of North America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Religion played a major role in the split between the north and south. The original migrants were purely Englishmen abroad, moving abroad to follow their own religion without the authoritarian Church of England. A split between the two appears to be evident in the naming of the states; all southern states were named after English monarchs, whilst in the North none are named after English monarchs, this is due to the mainly dissenting population of the north, who wanted nothing to do with England. This is due to the domination the Church of England had over the south, whilst the Northerners pursued newer approaches such as Protestantism, Baptist and Methodist movements. The Baptist and Methodist movements seemed to reflect the newer mood and plans of the nation, and it is this that attracted the new followers particularly in the North. The United States still has the highest population of church attendees, more so in the South, this is partly why those who travelle d around the country attempting to convert found most of their support in the south. The religious difference between the North and South was the start of the split.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first fundamental difference between the North and South was the slave trade, and subsequent racist hatred. All southern states with the exception of Texas had a slave population of between 25-30% of the entire population. Southerners saw slavery as a constructive measure, whilst northerners began to see slavery as immoral. The legalisation of slavery varied from state to state, and there was no overall law on slavery during most of the eighteenth century. The use of African slaves in tobacco fields proved successful and more slaves were gradually imported, the practice was by ... ...uch as bankers and lawyers. This helps to further illustrate the differing outlooks that the progressive North and the repressive South possessed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American South took on many meanings during this period; the South was seen as economically backwards, and socially and morally corrupt; through the slave owners and the agricultural movement that was followed. Fundamentally the Southerners followed a less liberal belief system than the Northerners, and also followed many traditions, religious and otherwise that the Northerners had wanted to leave behind in Britain. However it is unfair to portray the South as a completely backward movement, as the southerners did in fact have some progressive ideals and also succeeded agriculturally, but the two differed, and the Civil War can be accredited to the confrontational stance taken by both the North and the South during this time period. Bibliography Andrew Sinclair, A Concise History of the United States, Sutton Publishing Limited 1999 Maldwyn A. Jones, The Limits of Liberty American History 1607-1980, Oxford University Press 1983 Steve Collins, The Origins of Americas Civil War, Edward Arnold 1981

Frankenstein an early form of science fiction? Essay

† Many people believe that this was just an excuse for Victor’s mistakes, but I believe that it was Mary Shelley’s influence creeping into the storyline yet again. Shelley was a romantic; she spent her life against the facts of the world, hoping for the near impossible. She drove herself to the wonders of fate, much like Victor is doing at this time in the book. He told himself that he had little control, and that fate and mysterious wonders possessed him like a puppet on a string. Death is in a way the centre of the story. More then half of the characters themselves die, and the creature is made of dead matter. It is astonishing that Mary Shelley would write about death if she was a romantic. What is even more astounding is that she wrote so much about science! But I think there is a possible link that does not contradict any of the facts or motives. If Shelley wanted to prove how dreadful science was, then what could persuade people more then death? I think that she wrote the story to illustrate what science could really do to someone’s life. Whereas the â€Å"guardian angel† mentioned in the story (which I think is symbolic for the romantics Shelley loved), could have saved their lives. The death presented can be received as if it were a horror story, and it partially is, but the amount of death and pain suggests otherwise. Even though the idea of death is dire, without it the book would be pointless and boring. In fact, in this situation, the death creates life, the creature. â€Å"With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. † Victor’s experiments with dead matter and electricity must also give a massive input to the concluding decision. It contains scientific knowledge, experience and language, and therefore helps the science fiction appeal. Even the way that Victor speaks sounds scientific enough to make you think that it’s science fiction. â€Å"I thought that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption. † Although in the film certain parts of content are lost and an exaggeration of the electricity used is inputted, the outlines, structure and main plot remain. And if the film was defined as a sci-fi horror, then indubitably the book must also be regarded with similar merits. There are so many ways in which science is referred to in the book that it is almost impossible to imagine how many there actually are. If Victor as the main character is experimenting with science, then presumably the story is experimenting too, bringing to the conclusion that Frankenstein is an early from of science fiction, on the basis of the meaning of science fiction itself. Science fiction itself is defined as â€Å"a piece of fictional writing including a form of scientific knowledge or plot. † Therefore, theoretically Frankenstein would fall into this category. The only obstacle preventing this is whether or not it should be something else, like gothic horror or even romantic thriller. There are approximately equal amounts of evidence that would finally classify the novel. There are so many genres it could be that it is extremely difficult to comprehend which one it would distinctively fall into. The problem is how do we choose which one? But one thing most people do not consider is why can’t something be more than one thing? For years people have combined ideas to save time or just for the sake of it. Things like two in one shampoos, or multi vitamin tablets or even television programmes. So what some people agree upon in this situation is: why can’t Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein be three genres rolled up into one? After all, this essay has found no reason to suggest why it shouldn’t be pronounced science fiction, and I am sure that there will be no way to say how it is not any other genre. If we excluded one genre from the description then it would not fully describe the book to its full temperament. However, against anything else and for the sake of answering the original essay question, I will call it an early form of science fiction, only because there was nothing like it before it was written, and if it hadn’t been, there may not be a science fiction anyway. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.