Monday, December 31, 2012

PTLLS Theory - Ground Rules, Roles, Responsibilities and Boundaries

Hello guys, this is my own assignment from my PTLLS course for which I achieved Level 4. I havn't included my references or bibliography but if would like them, then just email me and i shall pass them over.

Obviously this is only to be used as reference, its on your own conscience if you plagiarise and more importantly if your found out to have done so, you wont be treated lightly.

PTTLS Assessment Task 1: Theory - Ground Rules, Roles, Responsibilities & Boundaries

PTLLS Theory - Ground Rules, Roles, Responsibilities and Boundaries

The aim of this assignment is to define ground rules, roles, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher and how they connected with the teaching cycle. I will start first with defining ground rules.
 
Ground rules are used to lay down order, responsibility and accepted behaviours amongst learners. Ground rules are used because 'all learners require boundaries and rules within which to work' cites Gravells (2010a:7) with which I concur as we all need rules to work within yet they are used for other reasons such as to reduce anxiety. We set ground rules like 'all to participate' and 'constructive criticism only' to include all learners and to avoid unconstructive replies which may lead to a sense of being bullied.

I could set ground rules by simply stating some common ground rules that I have chosen to my learners and write them up on the board for the learners to see. Another way would be to sit down with the learners on their first day and have a group discussion or break the class into groups and have the learners brainstorm their own rules and writing the suggestions up on a board and then democratically voting for the most appropriate rules. Alternatively in a similar manner each learner could each say a rule aloud and we could instate the modal rules.

I always keep the first rule of teaching in mind; 'ASSUME NOTHING!', (Wilson 2008:8) when setting my ground rules, although I have some predetermined rules in my mind such as 'punctuality' and 'mobiles on silent'. I would set my ground rules by grouping the class into teams and asking them to choose five rules per team, once that was completed I could then write all the suggestions on a board and invite the class to discuss which ones are appropriate and ones that are not and choose accordingly. Equality and diversity is promoted because the learners get their voice within making the ground rules fair.

I consider my role as a Numeracy Teacher to be a coalescence of facilitating specialist knowledge and a duty of care for my learners, though my role is much more than that, it sometimes requires me to be mentor or even an absent friend to support my learners emotionally through their learning. All of this provides me the means to facilitate learning the best I can, through the application of my roles in relation to the teaching cycle as detailed below and defined at the rear of this assignment.

Starting with the initial assessment stage I would go about this by conducting interviews with new applicants and assessing their subject knowledge and also discover their learning style using Fleming's (1987) aural, visual and kinaesthetic definitions in conjunction with Honey & Mumford's (1986) learning styles to plan their learning journey. I would then decide their aims and record these on the learners ILP (Individual learning plan). It is cited by Gravells (2010a:27) and Wilson (2008:15) that you can start at any point within the teaching cycle for which I agree with as in the case of taking over a colleagues class.

When planning schemes of work and lesson plans, I include equality and diversity by making references from all cultures and making sure to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (2005: Part 4). I use Maslow's (1954) Hieracrchy of Needs when developing the course to make sure all the needs are met by applying his pyramid to my SOW and lesson plans to make sure all his needs are met. I could ask for feedback from my learners aswell to further ensure I met theHieracrchy of Needs from their perspective and actioning any problems as they arise.

My roles concerning delivery are to keep up to date with teaching theory and subject knowledge via continuing personal development and promoting a wide range of active learning via use of available media and practicals. This is so the students can comprehend more as suggested by Laird's (1985) sensory theory, where he belives greater learning will take place if the senses are engaged. I feel assesment should take place continually within mathematics to ensure mastery has taken by means of recapping what was taught and to pinpoint difficulties as noted by Petty (1998:402-3).

Evaluation and review is is important because 'only people who reflect on, and learn from, past successes are failures are able to improve' asserts Petty (1998:377) and as such this is true both for teacher and student because without realizing the mistake and learning how to correct it we will never understand why we went wrong in the first place. For the student I would provide them feedback on how to improve. For the teacher this is achieved through peer observations, student feedback and external moderation. At this point in the cycle we would look at what is relevant or if the lesson plans, content and delivery methods needed to be simplified or removed to enhance the learning.

I consider my roles and responsbilites to be an amalgamation of ideas that flow and are hard to define individually. However there are several responsibilities that are in place to safeguard my learners, myself and all of the stakeholders, therefore these must be seperated and are stated below:

IFL Code of Practice;

IMA (Institute of Mathematics and its Aplications) Code of Conduct;

Health and Safety at Work Act (1976);

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999);

Risk Assesments;

Child Protection Guidelines;

Disability Discrimination Act (1995 and onwards);

Copyright Guidelines;

Data Protection;

Inclusion of every student;

Duty of Care towards students and in loco parentis for younger students;

Equality and Diversity legislations;

Disciplinary policies;

Terms and conditions of my employment.

There are many responsibilities that I enforce for the protection and they are paramount thus are included within my teaching cycle. For Instance if I failed to ensure my students complied with copyright guidelines then they would all fail and this only proves the importance of fulfilling my roles and responsibilities.

There are professional boundaries that I must work within in the same sense that my learners must work within the ground rules. My boundaries exist not only with my students but also with colleagues, superiors and outside agencies. I have personal boundaries that I must not cross with students such as socializing.Knowing when to refer is an important part of my boundaries because even though 'we might like to help,... are we really the most effective person for the learner to consult?' cites Wilson (2008:23) and the answer is that if its to their personal, fiscal or social needs then we will have to refer so they can get the specialist help they need. For example if I suspected that a student is suffering abuse at home and I am obliged to report this to appropriate authorities.The way to handle this is by alerting superiors to what I have noticed and allow those trained to handle the situation with which there could be serious consequences if not handled correctly.Here I allow the specialist help to intervene with my learner and thus realizing the boundaries of my role as a teacher and utilzing the appropriate help.

So in conclusion I find that boundaries and ground rules are in place to keep us and students within our means, to avoid incidents and to help create a utopian enviroment for learning. However in contrast 'the roles and responsibility of the teacher is a complex one' expresses Wilson (2008:4), and I agree to the complexness of these as they are hard to define as separate parts of a teacher, yet are so integral to me being a successful teacher that it is vital for me as a new teacher to understand my place within a students education. In my opinion they are a flowing entity to ground me as a teacher and also give me the tools to become a better educator.

PTLLS Theory - Ground Rules, Roles, Responsibilities and Boundaries
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Monday, December 17, 2012

A Brief History of Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a graceful and artistic sport that requires a combination of strength, balance, agility, and muscle coordination, usually performed on specialized apparatus. Gymnasts perform sequences of movements requiring flexibility, endurance, and kinesthetic awareness, such as handsprings, handstands, split leaps, aerials and cartwheels.

Gymnastics as we know it dates back to ancient Greece. The early Greeks practiced gymnastics to prepare for war. Activities like jumping, running, discus throwing, wrestling, and boxing helped develop the muscles needed for hand-to-hand combat. Additional fitness practices used by the ancient Greeks included methods for mounting and dismounting a horses and a variety of circus performance skills.

Gymnastics became a central component of ancient Greek education and was mandatory for all students. Gymnasia, buildings with open-air courts where the training took place, evolved into schools where gymnastics, rhetoric, music, and mathematics were taught. The ancinet Olympic Games were born near this time.

A Brief History of Gymnastics

As the Roman Empire ascended, Greek gymnastics for was more or less turned into military training. In 393 AD the Emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympic Games completely. The games had become corrupt, and gymnastics, along with other sports declined. For centuries, gymnastics was all but forgotten.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries two pioneer physical educators, Johann Friedrich GutsMuth and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn created exercises for boys and young men on sseveral apparatus they had designed. This innovation ultimately led to what is considered modern gymnastics. As a result, Friedrich Jahn became known as the "father of gymnastics". Jahn introduced the horizontal bar, parallel bars, side horse with pommels, balance beam, ladder, and vaulting horse.

In the early nineteenth century, educators in the United States followed suit and adopted German and Swedish gymnastics training programs. By the early twentieth century, the armed services began publishing drill manuals featuring all manner of gymnastic exercises. According to the US Army Manual of Physical Drill, these important drills provided proper instruction for the bodies of active young men.

As time went by, however, military activity moved away from hand-to-hand combat and toward fighter planes and contemporary computer-controlled weapons. As a result of the development of modern warfare, gymnastics training as the mind and body connection, so important for the Greek, German, and Swedish educational traditions, began to lose force. Gymnastics once again took on the aura of being a competitive sport.

By the end of the nineteenth century, men's gymnastics was popular enough to be included in the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896. The sport was a little different from what we currently know as gymnastics however. Up until the early 1950s, both national and international competitions involved a changing variety of exercises the modern gymnast may find a bit odd such as synchronized team floor calisthenics, rope climbing, high jumping, running, and horizontal ladder just to name a few.

Women first started to participate in gymnastics events in the 1920s and the first women's Olympic competition was held in the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, although the only event was synchronized calisthenics. Combined exercises for women were first held in 1928, and the 1952 Olympics featured the first full regime of events for women.

By the 1954 Olympic Games apparatus and events for both men and women had been standardized in modern format, and scoring standards, including a point system from 1 to 10, were implemented.
Modern Men's gymnastics events are scored on an individual and team basis, and presently include the floor exercise, horizontal bar, parallel bars, rings, pommel horse, vaulting, and the all-around, which combines the scores of the other six events.

Women's gymnastic events include balance beam, uneven parallel bars, combined exercises, floor exercises, vaulting, and rhythmic sportive gymnastics.

Until 1972, gymnastics for men emphasized power and strength, while women performed routines focused on grace of movement. That year, however, a 17-year-old Soviet gymnast named Olga Korbut captivated a television audience with her innovative and explosive routines.

Nadia Comaneci received the first perfect score, at the 1976 Olympic Games held in Montreal, Canada. She was coached by the famous Romanian, Bela Karolyi. Comaneci scored four of her perfect tens on the uneven bars, two on the balance beam and one in the floor exercise. Nadia will always be remembered as "a fourteen year old, ponytailed little girl" who showed the world that perfection could be achieved.

Mary Lou Retton became America's sweetheart with her two perfect scores and her gold medal in the All-Around competition in front of the home crowd in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

These days gymnastics is a household name and many children participate in gymnastics at one time or another as they grow up. Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci, and Mary Lou Retton, along with all those gymnasts since, have helped popularize women's competitive gymnastics, making it one of the most watched Olympic events. Both men's and women's gymnastics now attract considerable international interest, and excellent gymnasts can be found on every continent.

A Brief History of Gymnastics
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Denise Villani is an author and the webmaster of several websites and article directories. Find more articles and information on gymnastics at Gymnastics-Stuff.com.

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Saturday, December 8, 2012

Cloud Computing - The Advantages & Disadvantages

Cloud Computing is the use of common software, functionality add-ins, or business applications from a remote server that is accessed via the Internet. Basically, the Internet is the "cloud" of applications and services that are available for access by subscribers utilising a modem from their computer. With Cloud Computing, one simply logs into desired computer applications - such as sales force or office automation programs, web services, data storage services, spam filtering, or even blog sites. Generally, access to such programs is by monthly or annual paid subscription. Through Cloud Computing, businesses may prevent financial waste, better track employee activities, and avert technological headaches such as computer viruses, system crashes, and loss of data.

Without Cloud Computing, a business must generally house one or more computer servers, from which all employees access the company's licensed programs. Through Cloud Computing, the servers which house the software are entirely off-site, with program usage licensed on an as-needed basis through subscription. This may bring down the cost per employee, in that access through a Cloud will generally be more cost effective than purchase of in-house licenses and hardware, and subscriptions are scalable per actual need. Thus, with software pay-per-use, savings are realised from the avoidance of extraneous software licenses and more immediate access to additional programs is possible almost at a whim, without having to go through the upload process on the IT side, as required for in-house servers.

Cloud Computing programs offer great manageability and oversight, from the employee supervision standpoint. Particularly in sales force automation, wherein tracking the activities of a sales team and resulting data can be critical to the success and continuance of a company, being able to obtain a quick view of an employee's work is both time saving (in reporting) and financially beneficial. Whilst also enabling the sharing of information company-wide, allowing the entire organisation awareness of company objectives and individual and team progress.

Cloud Computing - The Advantages & Disadvantages

As is apparent in any company of one or more employees, modern organisations are at the mercy of their information servers. What once occupied tens to thousands of square feet of company real estate in file cabinets and storage boxes - all of the intellectual property of a company or brand - is now held within the confines of our most critical piece of the company: our servers. These servers are prone to technological failure, crashes, and viral vulnerabilities. Not only can we suffer damages at the mercy of a virus, but we may also spread that damage to organisations with whom we do business.

Through Cloud Computing, programs are contained, troubleshooted, and maintained entirely off-site from the company subscriber. Thus, businesses lose less time from system outages, maintenance, and data loss. Much less frequently does a business need to concern itself with viruses, Trojans, or other threats.

Noted disadvantages to Cloud Computing are: reliance upon network connectivity, peripheral communication (or lack thereof), legal issues (ownership of data), and absence of a hard drive. The most obvious of the negative concerns is the network connectivity. If the network goes down for any reason, the company loses access to Cloud Computing applications, data and services. Of course, there can be temporary use of off-site or wireless connections, but for a company focused on forward momentum, a technical issue such as this can be a daunting risk. Generally such issues are very short-lived and can be immediately addressed through the company's network provider.

The second concern today is communication of peripheral and connected devices. Before plunging into Cloud Computing full force, one must ensure that the organisation's devices will all communicate and work well with Cloud applications. This is primarily just an issue with lesser known or older technologies, printers, and devices. Most mainstream devices communicate with Cloud Computing programs and applications, as ensuring wide usability is the number one goal for those offering Cloud Computing.

When initiating sign-up or agreement for services with a Cloud Computing provider, ensuring fine print is thoroughly understood is key. A company must know its data loss variables, prior to utilising the service at full force. One major question to ask is, "Will our data be regularly backed up, and how often?" Also query whether immediate denial of service may be enacted at any time, for how long, and if so, what causes such denial. It is highly important to know what sort of "offenses" may bar you from potentially accessing your own data, as well as whether your data is truly protected in the event of system failure.

Absence of a hard drive - while very attractive at face value - can lead to some issues and concerns with Cloud Computing. Some applications (particularly in design and a more technological realm) require hardware attached to the hard drive for use. Ensure the company's necessary applications and uses for Cloud Computing do not require hardware attached to a hard drive, prior to forgoing the individual workstation hardware, altogether.

There is no denying the present and future of Cloud Computing. One of the most beneficial realms of use is telecommuting. Cloud Computing has averted the need for constant updating of work performed outside of the office, and enabled workers to log onto their everyday applications wherever they are: in the office, in the airport, at home, or even in the back seat of a car. No longer are days "out of the office" days of lost progress.

Cloud Computing will not only remain a staple in modern business, but will likely streamline organisational operations in many new ways, as well as expanding upon its current uses. Cloud Computing offers a solid answer to the ongoing question all computer users have had since the onset of the computer age, "Will our data communicate with yours?" Most major technology organisations see the bright future of this technology, and are thus throwing hundreds of millions of pounds into development and implementation of new pathways into the Cloud.

Cloud Computing - The Advantages & Disadvantages
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The http://www.daywatcher.com blog by Imran Zaman aims to make available free unique articles covering Business, Technology, Innovation and Digital Media.

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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Organizational Structure, Creativity, Innovation

Organizational structure can inhibit or foster creativity and innovation. The problem with organizational structure though, is that it is resultant of many factors, including history, organic growth, strategy, operational design, product diversity, logistics, marketing, client base, supplier base and so forth. Therefore, what managers need, are not recipes for complete structural change, but insights into the properties of fostering structures that can be adapted into the existing structure.

To start, it is useful to analyse the preferred structures against the not so preferred. There are many definitions of types of organizational structure, but one example is:

a) Mechanistic structures (generally not preferred) - includes centralised control and authority, clearly defined tasks, vertical communication links, obedience to supervisors, rigidity and inflexibility.

Organizational Structure, Creativity, Innovation

b) Organic structures (generally preferred) - decentralisation of authority, tasks loosely defined, horizontal communications, greater individual authority, flexible, adaptable.

Experience shows that the above can be misleading. For example, flat organisations are generally preferred and hierarchical ones not preferred, however, even flat organisations are in reality hierarchical.

Importantly, if we have a mechanistic structure, what factors allow us to move in the right direction without wholesale change?

Some answers include:

a) Direct communication links to decision makers.

b) Communication and information flow between departments.

c) Tangible progression of ideas from problem to solution, product development to commercialisation.

d) Creative teams working outside but linked into the organization, whose culture, processes etc diffuse into the existing structure.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

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Organizational Structure, Creativity, Innovation
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Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com.

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Saturday, December 1, 2012

Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Part of the romanticism of entrepreneurship is the thought that entrepreneurs are creative, innovative, go-getters, risk takers, driven. All of that implies a high self-esteem and determination. In reality, having a clear understanding of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship allows managers of institutions and corporations, as well as individual, manage each area differently to get the best results.

People like creativity simply because it is fun. We reconnect with the pure pleasure of getting something that did not exist before. When we create we forget our problems, we are just being, the child comes out, we connect with ourselves and it simply feels good. Our energy pours from the inside to the outside and leaves our imprint, the object of our creation becomes an extended part of ourselves. Creativity also lives in a time and purpose vacuum. The worst enemy of creativity is a good idea.

People like innovation because it implies progress. When we innovate, we have a structure. Innovation becomes change. To change we need the reference, the constraints, the structure, the present, what is there. When we do things differently, we are also creating, but we create with a purpose, fun stops until we reach our goal. Thus, innovation has less power as a self-expression than creativity.

Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Then we come to the field of entrepreneurship, one of my favorite topics. Entrepreneurship is more about creating wealth than it is about creating a company. It is closely linked to creativity, entrepreneurs MUST have something NEW to offer. It is related to innovation, entrepreneurs MUST find new ways of getting in the market, making something new, doing things differently.

When we check most new businesses, they are me-too's, and most so-called entrepreneurs are people who have bought themselves a job. They don't create, innovate or add wealth. They shift what exists to a different person.

Entrepreneurship then is the process of exploring how to add value to others in a new or different way. Entrepreneurs capture that value in the form of wealth, and then that wealth with others: clients, users, employees, suppliers, community, governments, etc. To understand that being creative and being innovative is not enough and to be aware that there is a maximized value waiting to be discovered or created, is what entrepreneurs do best when they plan, then they take action, and finally, they evolve.

It is not a matter of luck as most people link entrepreneurship with creativity and innovation. If you don't have anything, you create. If you have an unwanted present, you innovate. If you want to create wealth, you give that creation or innovation, the best chance. You don't need money to create wealth, you need creativity and innovation.

It is by thinking and taking action, by consciously discovering where the creations or innovations have the highest perceived value that entrepreneurs build their wealth... and by doing so, create prosperity beyond themselves. It is not about becoming rich but building wealth.

Without the notion of creating wealth, creativity and innovation can't find a place in the market. To be able to distinguish where the highest value is, who is the ideal customer or client is to bring prosperity to our communities, and to act upon that thought, is what entrepreneurs thrive at.

There are many tools and methods that capture how entrepreneurs create wealth. It is not an art, or a science. It is the conscious effort of making the best of a product or a service, to find those who value it best, and capture that value, what lies inside the entrepreneur.

Creating wealth escapes the obvious, and creates new valued propositions. Sometimes we use innovation to improve what is there, but most likely, the best results come from a free, playful, fun exercise of creating wealth. Whatever you do to create wealth will improve your skills and build up that wealthing muscle. Even if you compose a song in tribute to your wealth when you are showering!

Here is to your wealth and joy,

Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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Alicia Castillo Holley is an international expert on entrepreneurship and innovation. She has started 9 companies and one not-for-profit, raised millions of dollars and trained thousands of people. She's a recognized author, speaker and seminar leader.
http://www.wealthing.com

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