Essay on Police and Corruption - 1393 Words

Police and Corruption The police. Twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year, this division of our government has a mandate to enforce the criminal law and preserve public peace. Understood in this mandate is an obligation to police everyday life matters that originate in the daily lives and activities of citizens within their community. Police interact in some form with the average citizen more often than any other government official. In society today the police play a key role in maintaining a civil society. This role assumes a substantial amount of power and authority over the general public. With power comes corruption and/or misuse of power. The question that is presented is, how and why do the police†¦show more content†¦That also leads to the fact that citizens who behave antagonistically towards an officer are more likely to be arrested than those who are civil or very differential. Donald J. Black reported in â€Å"Police control of Juveniles†, American sociolo gical Review February 1970, that when Complaints are present 72 percent of adults who behave antagonistically toward the police are arrested in the field while only 45 percent who are civil and 40 percent who are differential toward the police are arrested. This is an obvious misuse of discretion. When a police officer treats a citizen antagonistically there is not much the citizen can do, but when it is the citizen acting antagonistically it more than likely will be a determination of guilt. When a police officers judgment is constantly questioned and his sense of justice is not validated he may lose his commitment to the system. Police are often alienated in the criminal justice system, in a sense there status is demeaned by the decisions of lawyers and judges. They are treated as less of a professional. To see a person who in the officers discretion was guilty be released time after time, it is difficult for the officer to keep his commitment to the system. â€Å"Where moral commitment is lost, subcultural practices take over. One such practice that exacerbates the relationship of the police with the public is harassment† (Reiss, p.138) Therefore police create their ownShow MoreRelatedThe Corruption Of Police Corruption1484 Words   |  6 Pagesconcerning police officers, police corruption has become a major topic. Police officers seem to be making more questionable and unethical decisions according to the media. With these questionable actions, the idea that police officers are corrupt has been a steadily growing opinion. I will be focusing this literature review on the history of police corruption, mostly in major cities/countries; the nature of police corruption; the ethics involved in law enforcement; causes for police corruption and finallyRead MorePolice Corruption And Corruption1538 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen around for as long as the police have, is corruption. Police corruption has been defined as the abuse of police authority for personal gain (Police Corruption and Misconduct. Wests Ency clopedia of American Law, edition 2. 2008. The Gale Group 4 Dec. 2017) . Corruption can be as limited as one officer, or can be group of officers as well. There is the rotten apple theory, which attempts to explain police corruption and where it comes from. While all corruption fits under abuse of authorityRead MorePolice Corruption969 Words   |  4 PagesPolice Corruption Second Essay for AJ 101 Krystal Lamas Victor Valley Community College Author Note This paper was prepared for AJ 101 for Mr. Ronald M. Field .M.A. Abstract Police corruption is a complex issue. Police corruption or the abuse of authority by a police officer, acting officially to fulfill personal needs or wants, is a growing problem in the United States today. Things such as an Internal Affairs department, a strong leadership organization, and community support are justRead MorePolice corruption770 Words   |  4 Pagesdefinition of Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial gain, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. One common form of police corruption is taking bribes in exchange for not reporting organized drug or prostitution rings or other illegal activities. Another example is police officers misusing the police code of conductRead MorePolice Corruption968 Words   |  4 Pageselection law violations; (13) corruption of public officials; (14) copyright violations; (15) computer crimes; (16) environmental crimes; and (17) receiving stolen property This assignment requires us to write a paper on a form of white-collar crime that we feel is the must dangerous form and why. I feel the most dangerous form of white-collar crime is police corruption, which is also defined as public corruption. Public or police corruption is defined as; Public corruption involves a breach of publicRead MorePolice Corruption1032 Words   |  5 Pages In Edwin J. Deltarres book Character and Cops he explores three hypotheses for police corruption in the United States. Some are somewhat historical, but they are still relevant to the problem of corruption today. The first hypothesis is called the society at-large theory by former Chicago Police Superintendent O. W. Wilson. Wilson was superintendent of the Chicago Police Department during the early nineteen sixties. The second hypothesis is called the structural theory. The thirdRead MorePolice Corruption2291 Words   |  10 Pagesand discretion in police work produces great potential for abuse. Police corruption has been a problem in American society since the early days of policing. An ancient natural tendency of human beings is to attempt to placate or win over those in positions of authority over them. This tendency is complicated in today’s materialistic society by greed and by the personal and financial benefit to be derived from evading law. The temptations toward illegality offered to police range from freeRead MorePolice Corruption2879 Words   |  12 PagesStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy corruption is defined as the abuse of power by a public official for private gain. Police corruption is the abuse of power by a police officer for their own personal gain. Police officers become corrupt mainly for monetary gain because most feel that police officers do not make enough money and they want to make more. Police corruption can be costly to society and it can even violate the rights of society. Police corruption can show favoritism to some and unfairness Read MorePolice Corruption3338 Words   |  14 PagesAnalysis of Police Corruption Police corruption is a complex phenomenon, which does not readily submit to simple analysis. It is a problem that has and will continue to affect us all, whether we are civilians or law enforcement officers. Since its beginnings, may aspects of policing have changed; however, one aspect that has remained relatively unchanged is the existence of corruption. An examination of a local newspaper or any police-related publication on any given day will have an articleRead MorePolice Corruption9501 Words   |  39 PagesPolice Corruption: A Perspective View Into the Definition, Cause, Harm Randy Botelho BSLS Capstone, LS498-01 – Unit 9 Professor Odim December 17, 2011 Thesis Statement Corruption in law enforcement is not victimless and creates a negative perception of the United States legal system. Introduction There are few professions in the United States that are entrusted with protecting society’s safety and system of laws that have been established throughout the course of American

Events Of The American Revolution - 1264 Words

Events That Led to The American Revolution Throughout history there has been many wars, some wars were fought for world domination and others were fought for independence. One war that fought for independence was the American Revolution. The American Revolution was fought between the colonists and the English with the French aiding the colonists. There are many causes for the American Revolution some of the causes are the French and Indian War, The Sugar and Stamp Act, The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts. The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War, was a conflict involving Austria, England, France, Great Britain, and Sweden. The war took place in Europe, India and North America. The†¦show more content†¦Which angered the colonist because it was done without their consent and without a representative in the parliament to speak for them. This was the beginning of open hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain. After months of protest, and an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the British house of Commons, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act in March, 1766. However, the very same day, Parliament passed other act. The Declaratory act. The Declaratory Act was passed by the British parliament to affirm its power to legislate for the colonies â€Å"in all cases whatsoever†. According to Berris (2015), the declaration stated the Parliament authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament’s authority to pass laws that were binding on the American colonies. The colonies did not dispute the notion of Parliamentary supremacy over the law. In fact, most of the colonist at that time wanted to be part of the British empire, and were horrified at the idea of breaking away from England. But the Declaratory Act allowed the colonies to be taxed without representation. Which infuriated the colonist and caused them to truly start thinking about breaking away. By 1767, a series of taxations were introduced to the English Parliament by Charles Townshend called The Townshend Revenue Acts. These

Nazi Germany Free Essays

Nazi Germany relied heavily on control of the mass media of communications and expression and the mighty propaganda machine played a vital role in the Nazi party. In 1933 Hitler commented that (Lee, 30) â€Å"the art of propaganda lies in understanding the emotional ideas of the great masses and finding a way to the heart of the broad masses. † Propaganda was a means to gain and keep the support of the masses and the crude and over simplified weltanschaung (psychology) projected by Nazi propaganda inspired and overwhelmed millions of Germans, promoting the ideological goals of the regime and the creation of the ‘Fuhrer myth’. We will write a custom essay sample on Nazi Germany or any similar topic only for you Order Now Passive acceptance of the new regime was converted into active support and used to encourage Germans to pursue national socialistic goals. Through deliberate attempts to create a new social ritual, the Heil Hitler salute, Horst Wessel song and the supremacy of Militaristic uniforms were fabricated to strengthen the individuals identity with the regime. Music was carefully scrutinized and Jewish musicians such as Mendelson were removed from the list of composers, whilst special places were given to Opera’s of men such as Richard Wagner as they dealt with heroic German Legends from the past. Modern art was condemned as degenerate and any war and anti nazi ideology literature were burned in the ‘burning of the books’ on the 10th May 1933. Control of expression and communication is vital for a totalitarian state to be upheld and the Nazi’s were successful in indoctrinating its peoples and controlling both their expression and communication. According to Kershaw a totalitarian state requires passive and isolated population who are unable to respond however Gobbels turned passive Germans into active Germans. Propaganda during the Nazi regime was totalitarian in intent, however did not fulfill a totalitarian outcome. From a cultural perspective, Nazi Germany does not fit the social attributes of a totalitarian state whereby the people of the state are a passive population. Germans were encouraged to become part of the greater Volksgemeinschat (peoples community), and this is demonstrated in the Nuremberg rallies, where over one million Germans pledged their support to the Nazi Party through their presence. â€Å"Strength of Joy† a creation company that organised concerts where people would flock together, all in support of the Nazi Regime. The emphasis on group participation in social activities infiltrated all sections of society especially the youth. Young girls form the age of fourteen joined the Bund Deutscher Madel (League of German matrons and boys were encouraged to join the â€Å"Hitler Jugend. † Hitler youth had a membership of 3 500 000 14-18 year olds, a level of voluntary participation before it became law in 1936. Social activities and education for the youth were extremely well coordinated and schools were used for the purpose of indoctrination. All subjects particularly History and Biology were influenced by both the Nazi’s determinations to shape the minds of the younger generation as well as trying to achieve an Aryan Herronvolk (master race). Physical education (compromising 15% of school time), was important to encourage competition, enforce discipline and keep them young and healthy- in short pre-war training. Special schools – National Political Institute of Education- were provided for the most gifted and talented who were considered to be the future leaders of the third Reich. Despite the indoctrination of student, minority youth resistance groups still existed within the period of 1933-1942. White Rose, amongst the most effective condemned the killing of Jews as well as the ‘Swing; resistance group who opposed Hitler’s beliefs that Jazz and swing music were degenerate. Both groups however were ineffective and exposing led to imprisonment or death. Despite these splinter groups, all sections of society succumbed to the Nazi’s party direction for participation in both social activities and active support for the regime. The majority of the people embraced Hitler and Nazism with enthusiasm and willingness to support all of their endeavors. How to cite Nazi Germany, Papers Nazi Germany Free Essays

Demographics free essay sample

I often find myself pondering, to certain lengths, the precise purpose of the â€Å"demographics† section of most official documents. Its not that it bothers me much, really – on the contrary, Ive hardly given it any notice in the past. It is simply that, being an incoming senior and college-applicant, I have had to fill in quite a few of these little surveys in the past ten or so months – be it for SAT forms, or resumes, or even the applications themselves. Always, it seems, it takes me a few moments more than most others to decide how to reply to the questions listed. Should I bubble in the â€Å"Black or African American† option? Or perhaps the â€Å"Native American† line? Usually, I end up selecting the â€Å"White or Caucasian† choice, simply because, quite frankly, I look more white than anything else. The truth is, however, my ancestry is quite unique, and much more complicated than a simple paper scantron can attest to. And although the lines tracing my ethnicity are twisted and entangled, and sometimes not completely clear, I have always done my best to try to take on the burden of learning it, understanding it, and, most importantly, embracing it. My maternal grandfather, you see – the great source of my unique ethnic blend – comes from two â€Å"legally Black† parents. Although my great-grandmother was more strongly of white descent than black, it was the official doctrine in those days that a single drop of African American blood made a person â€Å"Black†, de jure. My grandfather, on the other hand, was mostly African American, with quite a bit of Native American blood. This, in my opinion, is where things get really interesting. My Native American great-great-great-grandmother went by the acquired name of â€Å"Mertie Outlaw†. Quite a jump from the traditional â€Å"Red Bear, Little Creek† nomenclature, yes? Thats because she was no teepee-squatting earth-mother; she ran with the infamous Jesse James (James-Younger) party, the legendary â€Å"Wild West† gangsters of the late 1800s. Despite much research, we are not sure who exactly fathered her baby – my great-great-grand-mother or -father – or what his ethnic roots entailed. We can infer, however, that the child they bore eventually grew up to marry the illegitimate child of an English plantation-owner and his secret Black slave mistress. Together, this pairing yielded my great-grandfather, who eventually coupled with a Ms. Hattie Speller, my aforementioned, partially-white, but â€Å"legally Black† great-grandmother. My grandfather, Mr. Thomas Bond, went on to fight some of the fiercest stigmas of American history to marry a white Englishwoman by the name of Joy Toms, and to become a pioneer in Black medicine for the State of New York, as well as for the nation during the Korean War. Sent overseas as a lead medical professor, he helped to set up the very first Venereal Disease clinic for American soldiers in Europe. That makes me, by the end of this lengthy trail, roughly two-thirds white, one-fourth black, and one-twelfth Native American (my mother married an Englishman named Mark Carlson who, despite having been born and raised for many years in South Africa, carries 100% Caucasian blood). By all appearances, I could be considered white – at most, Ive been called â€Å"exotic-looking†. Most people are quite shocked when I share my â€Å"secret ethnicity† – hesitantly titled, because I am not purposely keeping it a secret, by any means. Quite honestly, I simply dont very often see any reason to share the fact, because it has nothing to do with who I am, and thus should have no bearing on the way people perceive me. Ill confess, though, that I tend to keep my tongue locked away regarding the subject, simply for the sheer guilty pleasure of observation. Growing up in a town like Summit, New Jersey – a small, wealthy, upper-middle-class, mostly-white community – Ive been granted a unique sort of â€Å"fly on the wall† experience, by which I can observe the way in which people talk about race, without their knowledge that I come from the very peoples about which they are joking. Believe me, I am no cruel manipulator – I am not the type who would take pleasure in politely listening to a Black joke, and then calmly informing the person of the fact that I am partially African American, watching as their jocular grin transforms into an expression of horror. I have never done anything of the sort. I can shamelessly admit, however, that Ive come to see myself as a sort of undercover rogue spy without a team to which I am loyal. The most intriguing part comes out of the reactions of the people who I do tell. At first, they dont believe me; then, theyll look sort of nervous – ask a few tentative questions, indulge in a detail or two; and finally, theyll laugh, and say things like â€Å"Ohh, I can see it now! In your nose and your eyes!† With my close friends, I guess Ive become a sort of novelty – they show me off like a baby being passed around at a party. They never cease to find amusement in it: that thrilled moment, standing with a group of friendly acquaintances, when they take me by the arm and say proudly, eyes full of ecstasy and voices quivering dramatically â€Å"Carolines black!† I just laugh and nod in uncomfortable affirmation while the people gush. The questions pour out, the shocked laughter reverberates – and for a few moments, Im a celebrity. Its strange, really – after that, I never hear another black joke within that group of people again. It makes me feel almost guilty, as if Ive ruined their fun. Naturally, though, my ethnicity never been a problem of any kind with people; for this, I am thankful. My mother often tells me about what it was like growing up as a child, living in fear each day that they would go outside to find a cross-burning on the lawn. Im proud of who I am, and so Im proud of where I come from. The unique perspective Ive been given throughout life has taught me a lot about people, and I wouldnt trade the experience for anything in the world. Just the other day, in fact, I was at lunch with a good friend of mine, and, as the bread-sticks arrived, the topic of conversation turned to college applications – a common topic over the past year or so. â€Å"You dont have anything to worry about,† she said, reaching across the table for the butter. â€Å"Youre black. Colleges eat that stuff right up.† A part of me wanted to tell her how silly she sounded – how stupid it was to think that the skin-color of a few dead people whom I have never met should have any effect on my future, and what university I end up attending. But I just sort of shrugged, smiling bemusedly. Perhaps she was right. At the end of it all, though – after everything I had ever seen and learned – I didnt want that to be all it added up to.

Thomas Edison Essays (4475 words) - Thomas Edison, Deists

Thomas Edison Thomas A. Edison earned his reputation as one of America's greatest inventors and heroes. Full of innovation, ingenuity, and enterprise, Edison "embodie[d] much of what Americans have felt was positive about the national experience. " Edison can put claim to 1093 US patents in addition to thousands more international patents. His works include such major contributions as advancements in telegraphy, the phonograph, a perfected nickel-iron-alkaline battery, and the first commercially successful incandescent lighting system. As shown by his many patents, Edison not only contributed innovative technologies to society, but he was also a successful entrepreneur. Edison's success with the incandescent light was not only one of his greatest achievements, but also one of man's greatest achievements. Edison began tinkering with the notion of incandescence in 1876 up to 1878, when he dedicated his efforts to produce an economical electric light. He combined both his stunning intellect with his spirit for hard work to produce some of the world's greatest inventions. Finally in 1879, after nearly four years of tedious work, Edison's first success came about with the use of a carbonized cotton thread. History of Thomas A. Edison Born on February 11, 1847 to Samuel and Nancy Edison, Thomas spent the first seven years of his life in Milan, Ohio, his place of birth. In 1854, opportunity took the Edison family to Port Huron, Michigan, a city twice the size of Milan. Edison's formal education ended after only three months of private schooling; he "responded poorly to the regimented atmosphere of the school," which caused some to see Edison as a "problem child. " However, Edison's mother, a former school teacher, began educating Thomas at home. Edison credits some of his creativity to his non-formal education, claiming that formal education, "cast 'the brain into a mould' and '[did] not encourage original thought or reasoning,' laying 'more stress on memory than on observation.' ". Early on, Nancy provided Edison with physical science and chemistry books, from which he would experiment. This set in motion Edison's interest and fascination with the scientific and inventive processes. At the age of twelve, Edison began his work as a railroad concessionist, selling newspapers and snacks on trains. During his breaks, Edison would experiment in the baggage cars, one of which he later set on fire. Edison's shift in career to telegraphy was a fortunate event for him. "One day he saved a boy's life and in gratitude the father taught Edison how to become a telegraph operator. " Later, Edison migrated to New York and found himself in a high paying job for having repaired a broken stock ticker machine during a financial crisis. In 1869, Edison swore to move from being a simple operator to a scientific inventor, and later, he sold an improved stock ticker, which allowed him to open a workshop in New Jersey to become a full-time inventor. "The laboratory was a forerunner of today's modern research facility, and itself was a great invention. " Here, Edison improved the typewriter, making it possible for the first time to type faster than could be written by hand. And in 1876, Edison moved to the famous Menlo Park in New Jersey, where one of his first inventions included an improved telephone with a carbon transmitter so people would no longer need to shout into the phone. Over the next six years, Edison and the Menlo Park team produced more than 400 patents. One such major invention includes the phonograph, Edison's personal favorite and "one of the most original inventions ever devised ", which he again later improved for commercial use. He was trying to find a way to record telegraph messages automatically with the application of a paraffin-coated paper tape, embossed by a stylus with dots and dashes. The tape made a similar sound to human speach, and so Edison attempted to connect a telephone diaphragm to the embossing needle. In his first demonstration, Edison recited "Mary Had A Little Lamb," which the phonograph was perfectly able to reproduce. With the ability to record, the phonograph led to the development of the music industry today. This invention earned Edison the nickname, "The Wizard of Menlo Park". While the Wizard's earliest hopes for the phonograph focused on education and business, Edison envisioned the phonograph as a "way to record books for blind people, to teach elocution, to record lectures, to preserve the voices of historically important people, to perform office dictation, to log telephone messages, and finally to record music. " He even imagined the application of the phonograph towards talking dolls and other toys.

Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Example

Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Example Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Please note that this content is based on the Skills for Life Assessment and Learning guidance booklet Initial and diagnostic assessment a learner-centered process. The original booklet can be found at: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentguidence.aspx. This adapted version is part of the Being functional resource which builds on effective practice to support the planning and delivery of functional skills. For more information, go to www.excellencegateway.org.uk/beingfunctional. What is an initial and diagnostic assessment? Initial and diagnostic assessment begins the process of getting to know learners and building a relationship with them. Initial assessment happens at the time of a learnerâ„ ¢s transition into a new learning programme. It is a holistic process, during which you and the learner start to build up a picture of their achievements, skills, interests, previous learning experiences and goals, and the learning needs associated with those goals. This information is used as a basis for negotiating a course or programme. Diagnostic assessment helps to identify specific learning strengths and needs. It determines learning targets and appropriate teaching and learning strategies to achieve them. This is important because many learners have higher-level skills in some areas than in others. Diagnostic assessment happens initially at the beginning of a learning programme and subsequently when the need arises. It is related to specific skills needed for tasks. The two processes are closely linked: diagnostic assessment adds to the information gathered from initial assessment. Together they help you and the learners to use this information in order to: * personalise learning; * develop individual learning plans; * begin the process of assessment for learning that will continue throughout the learnersâ„ ¢ programme; and * make links to progression routes and prepare for the next steps. A positive experience Initial and diagnostic assessment can be among learnersâ„ ¢ first experiences of your organisation and will influence their early impressions. If the experience is positive, active and involving, this will help to create a climate in which learners are able to negotiate and take responsibility for their learning. You can help make the experience positive for learners by: involving them â€Å" do the assessment with themâ„ ¢ not to themâ„ ¢; helping learners to take an active part will encourage motivation and independence; building their self-esteem and sense of self-worth; recognising their strengths and achievements, not just their weaknesses; linking initial and diagnostic assessment to their own aspirations, such as their career choices or aspects of their everyday lives; taking the opportunity to discuss issues such as cultural perceptions, learning difficulties or disabilities that might form barriers to success and lead to career stereotyping; using active listening skills to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, build relationships with learners and make each learner feel valued; encouraging and establishing a level of trust so that issues for learning can be discussed openly, in context, and dealt with constructively; and making the assessment relevant to their specific context for learning, which will enhance their confidence and self-esteem. Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approaches Initial and diagnostic assessment should involve a range of methods and approaches, none of which is sufficient on its own. It is important to evaluate the quality of information obtained from particular methods. Once you have begun to get to know the learners and their learning preferences, you will be better able to select the appropriate assessment methods. The diagram below shows a range of possible methods. Adapted from The initial assessment toolkit (Key Skills Support Programme, 2007). Documents and records give evidence of achievements and include qualifications, records of achievement, references, non-academic certificates and awards. Self-assessment gives learners some idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie. It is vital to take learnersâ„ ¢ own views into account and to make the most of this knowledge. Discussions and interviews allow teachers and learners to get to know each other. They also provide an excellent opportunity to feed back the results of other assessment methods and to probe more deeply. Assessment tools can play an important role in objective initial and diagnostic assessment of functional skills. Tools are also sometimes used to assess occupational skills and learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Structured group or individual activities during induction and early parts of the programme allow learners to apply specific skills. A free writing task, for example, gives a rounded picture of how someone actually writes. Such a task also helps to put learners at the centre of the assessment process because they can write about themselves and their interests. Observation gives a broader picture of the whole person and how they perform in a range of contexts. This will give insights into learnersâ„ ¢ strengths, how they work with others, how they think, how confident they are and how willing they are to ask for help. Try this: 1.Make the assessment relevant to learnersâ„ ¢ context and interests. This may mean planning activities or using assessment tools related to learnersâ„ ¢ vocational areas or everyday interests. Providing a context for the assessment helps the learners to see how skills can be transferred. 2.Gather information from activities that learners carry out in other parts of their programme. For example, you can: a.observe them on a work placement; b.use examples of their writing to assess their skills. 3.Select a blend of assessment methods to suit individual learners and their circumstances. Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life Tools that have effectively supported the assessment of Skills for Life could be adapted to provide support for assessing functional English and functional mathematics and incorporate functional ICT. It is important that the following points are understood. Functional skills standards should be applied and adhered to. For more information on functional skills and the standards, go to www.qcda.gov.uk or the Ofqual website at www.ofqual.gov.uk/. It is important to recognise that the levelâ„ ¢ of a functional skill is determined by a combination of factors: familiarity of the situation or problem to the learners; independence of the learners in identifying and selecting the skills they will need, and in tackling the situation or problem; complexity of the situation or problem the learners are tackling; and technical demand of the skill required. Learners whose functional English, functional mathematics or functional ICT is being assessed should be able to: consider a problem or task; identify the functional skills (whether English, mathematics or ICT) that will help them to solve it; select from the range of skills in which they are competent (or know what help they need and who to ask); and apply their skills appropriately. Any terminology used should be consistent with that of functional skills (for example, LLNâ„ ¢ should be replaced with functional Englishâ„ ¢ and/or functional mathematicsâ„ ¢, as required). Assessment may highlight areas of individual support learners may need which could enable them to achieve goals and targets agreed as part of their individual learning plans. Initial assessment tools provide information about learnersâ„ ¢ current levels of functional skills, measured against national standards. They are useful in helping to match learners to an appropriate learning programme and in directing further, more in-depth, assessment. Diagnostic assessment materials assess all aspects of functional skills. There are also materials that can be used to explore whether learners would benefit from further assessment for specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia). Specific diagnostic tasks should be selected and used at the start of a learning programme but also regularly throughout the programme to assess particular skills as further needs are identified. Diagnostic materials help you to discuss and agree with individual learners: learning targets for both consolidating existing skills and developing new ones; recommendations about how the learner will tackle new learning; and their own priorities: for example, skills needed at work. For details on functional skills standards and tools built specifically for the assessment of functional skills, see the Want to know moreâ„ ¢ section on page 8. Who carries out initial and diagnostic assessment What skills are needed Staff who carry out initial assessment are able to: understand the whole assessment process; present it to learners in a positive and constructive way; value and engage with learners; use a variety of approaches appropriate to individual learners and their context for learning; interpret results appropriately and give professional feedback to learners; recommend learning programmes; and refer learners for further expert assessment. In addition to the above, staff who carry out diagnostic assessment can also: use the outcomes to plan individual and group learning; and monitor progress. It is important that staff involved in initial and diagnostic assessment are well trained and able to use professional judgement. A team approach ensures consistency and reliability and increases staff confidence and skills. If tools are used as part of the assessment process, staff need to have training in using them effectively. Feedback from assessment Giving timely, constructive feedback to individuals is crucial to effective initial and diagnostic assessment. Try this: 1.Stress the positive. Always celebrate what learners have done well. This helps to build confidence. 2.Seek learnersâ„ ¢ views and value their contribution. This will help them to get better at assessing their own work, which is vital to their becoming independent learners. 3.Frame questions carefully and use prompts such as Would you like to say more about thatâ„ ¢. 4.Pause for a few seconds after questions have been posed or responses have been given, to encourage learners to carefully consider and expand on what they say or have said. 5.Be specific. Avoid generalisations such as There are a lot of inaccuraciesâ„ ¢ and instead focus on individual points which you can discuss with the learners. This will enable them to set their own individual short-term targets with guidance from assessment as evidence. 6.Focus on things learners can change, and avoid overloading them with too much feedback at once. 7.Look for ways forward together. Share ideas and explore solutions rather than always putting forward your own suggestions. 8.Agree what you will both do as a result. This could include agreeing new targets or planning learning opportunities. Feedback is not a one-way process. Invite learners to comment on what you do as well. Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessment For you and the learners Information from the initial and diagnostic assessment process should be used to develop individual learning goals and targets and to inform appropriate teaching and learning strategies and use of resources. It should be recorded in the individual learning plans, session plans and schemes of work. Effective use of assessment data: makes sure that planned learning is grounded in the learnersâ„ ¢ needs and priorities; avoids learners wasting time by going over old ground unnecessarily; and reduces the risk of learners being frustrated by tasks that are beyond them. Data should be shared with all staff supporting the learners so that all learning can be differentiated to take account of their strengths and needs. It is important that where learners are following vocational pathways, vocational and functional skills staff work together to plan learning in response to the findings from initial and diagnostic assessment. This ensures that learners have opportunities to develop functional skills in their vocational context. For managers and the organisation Good initial and diagnostic assessment make a significant contribution to the overall quality of provision by: ensuring that learners are on the right course or programme; maintaining motivation; and improving learnersâ„ ¢ achievement and progression. Your organisation should require you to record assessment results on the Management Information System (MIS). Assessment data should be collated and analysed to ensure that programmes offered are appropriate for learnersâ„ ¢ skills profiles. Key messages from the assessment data relating to particular programmes should be fed back to curriculum teams to inform the development of appropriate teaching and learning strategies, so that all learners are provided with suitable opportunities to develop and progress. How initial and diagnostic assessment fit in with other assessment processes Want to know more To find out more about functional skills: www.qcda.gov.uk For support with functional skills: www.fssupport.org/ Rethinking induction (cross-curricular): http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/xcurricula/index.html Rethinking induction (Engineering): http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/eng/resource/rethinkinginduc/index.html Motivational dialogue: http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/personalisation/md/resource/#content.php Top tips introduction If you are a manager or teacher with responsibility for teaching and learning, the curriculum or quality assurance, using these booklets will support you in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating high-quality assessment practices for functional skills provision. Just as in other programmes, your assessment practices for functional skills need to align themselves to the needs of learners and to help deliverers to provide the best possible advice and feedback, so that the learners are able to develop English, mathematics and ICT skills and become more aware of their skills and how they select and use these skills to achieve their educational, employment and life goals. Everything we know about good assessment can be transferred to assessing functional skills. In particular, the assessment for learning principles, which encourage learners to take a role in their assessment as a way to develop awareness and independence, are very useful to functional skills managers and practi tioners. This resource allows you to benefit from best practice in assessment using lessons from assessment for learning. The following practical tips can be used to address particular issues or development needs in your organisation. The booklets contain key messages, checklists and flowcharts that can be adapted for a wide range of audiences and purposes, such as staff/team development, working with learners, guidance notes or handouts. The booklets can be used together to support improvement at each stage and type of learner assessment: initial, diagnostic, formative and summative. The Top Tips leaflets listed below offer some practical suggestions for getting the most out of the information and guidance contained in the accompanying booklets. 1.High-quality assessment processes â€Å" guidance for managers 2.Using skills checks 3.Initial and diagnostic assessment 4.Individual learning plans 5.Assessment for learning All the leaflets can be downloaded as Word documents and customised with your own logos and text to suit your individual purposes. Please note that in the resource Being functional, numbers 2, 3 and 5 accompany CPD activity 1: Assessment for learning and numbers 1 and 4 accompany CPD activity 3: Whole organisation approach. Initial and diagnostic assessment Top Tips â€Å" some practical suggestions For staff Use the leaflet as a staff development tool, together with the initial and diagnostic assessment checklist which can be downloaded from: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentresources.aspx Tailor this to your organisation to provide a focus on what is well-developed practice and practice that needs further development. The Feedback from assessmentâ„ ¢ section on page 5 provides an effective checklist for staff involved in assessing learners. This good-practice guidance applies to giving all feedback, and you could use it in staff training â€Å" perhaps using role play. Remember that functional skills focuses on how learners select and apply their skills in context. So ensure that your initial and diagnostic assessments look at how well, how confidently and how independently learners use their skills. Allow them to comment on their confidence and how well they feel they used their skills. For learners The information can be adapted for learners to explain the assessment processes that will happen, often during induction sessions. This will enable you to tailor the information to your own organisationâ„ ¢s assessment processes. For example, the information from page 1 may be adapted to speak directly to the learner: Initial and diagnostic assessment begin the process of getting to know you and working together. Initial assessment happens when you move onto a new learning programme and helps us to build up a picture of you and your skills, interests and achievements ¦ Ask learners to comment on their skills and confidence themselves, allowing you to note their speaking skills and self-awareness while promoting their ownership of their skills and of their learning. For managers You could adapt the Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessmentâ„ ¢ section on page 6 as a memo or notice to staff, particularly at key points during programmes. The information could be used to develop staff practice in effective information sharing and underline the importance of completing and reporting such data in an accurate and timely manner. It can also raise awareness of the importance of this information in enabling managers to make decisions and to monitor systems. The Information Mapping Action Plan, which can be downloaded from http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentresources.aspx provides additional resources for identifying who needs what information from assessment processes and why. The visual representation of how initial and diagnostic assessment fit with other assessment processes (page 7) could be adapted to make a poster for display in staff workrooms and resource centres. Information For staff The text of the leaflet or relevant sections e.g. Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢ on page 2, could be customised to your particular organisation so that staff involved in assessment have access to up-to-date and focused information about the processes in place. Changes to systems and processes (such as data collection or use of specific tools) can then be made easily and speedily. For learners Information about your vision to ensure a positive experience of assessment for learners could be adapted from the A positive experienceâ„ ¢ section on page 1. This could be used in course brochures and programme information for parents and learners to promote understanding and good practice. This could also be used in learner feedback, allowing you to judge how positive the experience has been for learners. For managers You could adapt information on approaches, tools and data management from the following sections: Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢ (page 2); Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life (page 3); and Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessmentâ„ ¢ (page 6). Use these sources to create a brief summary for managers to use with a range of audiences such as governors, inspectorate, programme funders and cross-organisation sharers of information (such as diploma consortia). Used together with information from other leaflets in the series, specifically High-quality assessment processes: guidance for managers, this could provide a comprehensive overview of assessment to support effective practice and disseminate these approaches more widely. Sections on Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢(page 2) and Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life (page 3) could be used to develop an audit and review process for assessment materials currently in use in your organisation. This could also include protocol for evaluating potential new materials and methods supported by a reflective cycle (which might include processes support by the IfL: www.ifl.ac.uk/cpd). Examples of key prompts: What Establish key definitions and main priorities. Agree on what this means to you and your organisation and identify both positives and negatives. So what Reflect on why this is important and the impact that it could have, both on your practice and, ultimately, on your learners. Now what Explore opportunities to improve and agree next steps. Record and reflect on the steps as you take them.

Cultural and Economic Forces in the Maintenance of Reproduction of Essay

Cultural and Economic Forces in the Maintenance of Reproduction of Social Inequality - Essay Example There is certainly the difference of social class due to economic differences. The wealthy and poor are discriminated not only by money but by their appearance and cloths also. The social class has mobility unlike racial stratification. For e.g. some maids may be working to support their studies and after which they will be working in higher paying and more skilled jobs which would take them to higher class socially. The maids and the hotel guests are two poles of different social class based on their economic conditions. The two groups have homogeneity within the group while great difference between the groups. Hence it is better explained by economic polarization of Esteban and Ray (As cited in Palacios-Gonzlez and Garca-Fernndez 1). The polarization differs from inequality in the sense that as the income increases the inequality decreases. The income is considered around the global mean while the polarization centers on many factors. As the polarization increases the social confli ct also increases (Mogues and Carter (4). It is true, though, that the different class of hotel maids put them at culturally disadvantaged position as well. They are excluded from high culture group and restricted in their cultural practices (Benett et al 268). It is to be noted here that the cultural capital alone is not sufficient to remove such class inequality, possession of social capital is necessary to give future generations advantages or being the high social class citizen. In other words the social class with economic capital provide transmission and reproduction of social advantages to next generation while lack of these results in exclusion from advantageous social class (Benett et al 268-269). Case 2- Minorities in the bus (William Harry Shipps) : The minorities including the black Americans had taken to travel en mass in particular buses and avoid those carrying predominantly white people. The racial and ethnic basis of social inequality still continues despite the abolition of slavery in USA. The Marxist view considers inequalities unacceptable though at the same time it finds these inevitable as consequences of unequal availability of cultural and economic capital. According to them the system allows uninterrupted access to strategic and basic resources to some people while restricting access of these to others. Moreover, different groups in social hierarchy are placed at various social distances in terms of cultural and other factors. This different access to opportunities is explained by a number of ideological explanation that not only maintain the social distances but also make these look normal and inevitable (Bartlett 199-200). As a result Marxist explain class as group's ability to own or access a good and that whe re blacks and other American minorities are still at disadvantage. The other reasons for persistence, of this social inequality, is non-mobility that makes racial categories inert for very long time compared to the social class categories. For e.g. blacks are considered as racially subordinate group when it comes to education and occupational opportunities. These opportunities overlook the individual qualities and