Developmental Theories Essays

Developmental Theories Essays Developmental Theories Essay Developmental Theories Essay â€Å"All developmental theories can be distilled into one powerful statement – if there is no development, there is no learning. † Do you agree? Use examples from some of the theories that you have encountered to justify your response. Over the years, many psychologists, scholars, mathematicians, teachers and counsellors have pondered this exact statement. I, at the risk of being predictable, agree with this statement but then also think that the idea can be reversed – saying that without learning, there will be limited development. This is not a hasty decision, the studies of Piaget and Vygotsky, along with numerous others cited in Educational Psychology (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and academic journals all point to the conclusive outcome that development is essential to learning. Development, on a biological, social, emotional and cognitive level is defined in Educational Psychology as â€Å"certain changes that occur in human beings†¦between conception and death† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and â€Å"[these changes] are generally assumed to be for the better and result in behaviour that is more adaptive, more organised, more effective and more complex† (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984). Development is therefore essentially PROGRESSION. Another source even says â€Å"the development of children unfolds along individual pathways whose trajectories are characterized by continuities and discontinuities, as well as by a series of significant transitions† (Shonkoff and Phillips 2000), showing that development is a process and a period of transition. Jean Piaget (1954) is explained in Educational Psychology to believe that â€Å"our thinking processes change radically, though slowly, from birth to maturity because we constantly strive to make sense of the world† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). Piaget also â€Å"began to suspect that the key to human knowledge might be discovered by observing how the childs mind develops† (Papert, 1999). He then went on to discuss the term â€Å"social transmission† which means learning from others, and commented that â€Å"the amount people can learn from social transmission varies according to their stage of cognitive development† (Piaget in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). Piaget essentially believed that â€Å"cognitive development has to come before learning – the child has to be ‘ready’ to learn† (Piaget in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and Diana Fox repeated this in her essay, Ages and Stages – â€Å"it is often said that the early childhood years are the getting ready phase of development and learning† (Fox, 2002). Jean Piaget pioneered the concept of the four major stages of cognitive development, the sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete-operational and formal-operation. All of these stages are very closely linked to the idea that development and learning go side by side, for instance, in the pre-operational stage, Educational Psychology states that you can â€Å"see the rapid development of that very important symbol system, language† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). The child therefore needs to â€Å"develop† the capacity to learn the language and if they didn’t develop, they wouldn’t learn. So from Piaget’s teachings about the stages of operation and the way in which we learn, it is clear that learning can only come about with cognitive development. Lev Vygotsky (1978) recognised that â€Å"the child’s culture shapes cognitive development by determining what and how the child will learn about the world† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007), thus confirming the other statement being made in this essay – that the lack of learning will affect the development of the child. Vygotsky said that â€Å"interaction encourages development by creating cognitive conflict that motivated change† (Vygotsky in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). This shows that through social interactions between peers (learning), it fosters development to a higher learning level – hence moving into the territory of Piaget’s work. Vygotsky had the theory of â€Å"the zone of proximal development† which is â€Å"the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers†. He shows that â€Å"the key to hearty intellectual growth was for children to be supported in this zone. That way, learning could actually shape development† (Thurber, 2003). For the child to be assisted by a supportive and non-judgemental elder, the potential development is far greater then if the child was left to perform in his or her own capacity. For a child trying to learn un-assisted, cognitive development that is â€Å"more adaptive, more organised, ore effective and more complex† (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984) would be lesser than learning with an experienced other because, according to Thurber, â€Å"physical and sensory exploration boost cognitive development† (Thurber, 2003). The statement, â€Å"children are active participants in their own development, reflecting the intrinsic human drive to explore and master ones environment† (Shonkoff and Phillips 2000), can also support the notion that development and learning go hand-in-hand. The drive to explore and master is obviously a means of learning about ones surroundings and the statement shows that through this learning, development occurs. Furthermore, Shonkoff and Phillips (2000) also go on to say that â€Å"human development is shaped by a dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience†. Therefore children require â€Å"continuous interaction† with wiser mentors (Vygotskyan theory) and their development occurs while they attempt to â€Å"master† their environments (Piaget). When commenting on Piaget’s work, another source commented that â€Å"as children grow older, they develop progressively better rules and strategies for solving problems and thinking logically† (Seigler in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). He then went on to say that teachers can help students develop their capacities for learning. This infers that students or children need to develop in order to learn. Without the development of these learning capacities, learning will not take place. But as we look at Vygotsky, we can see an extension of Piaget’s theories, detailing that without learning, development will be limited.

Motivation Tips For Students

Motivation Tips For Students Do you need motivation for doing your homework? Sometimes we all need a little prodding when it comes to getting our work done. If you ever feel like homework is pointless, you may find inspiration in the following tips. The problems below have been submitted by real students. Get Perspective! You’ve probably heard the old saying â€Å"I’ll never use this knowledge in the real world.† It’s time to set the record straight once and for all- that saying is completely false! When you start feeling like homework is a drag, it might help to start thinking about the reason you’re doing homework in the first place. The work you do now really is important, even though it’s probably hard to see sometimes. In truth, your nightly homework is work that will form the foundation for your future. Right now you are probably being forced to study topics that don’t interest you at all. It may seem cruel and unfair now, but it’s really an important and necessary â€Å"evil.† Why? Because a strong foundation must include a good mix of ingredients. You see, you may not believe that you’ll need your algebra skills later in life, but algebra sets the stage for understanding principles of science, economics, and business. It’s the same for English homework. You’ll need those skills desperately in college, and you’ll certainly need them to succeed in the world. Get an Attitude! Are you a math whiz? A great writer? Are you artistic- or maybe good at solving puzzles? Most students have a special talent in one particular area, so they enjoy doing homework on that topic. The problem comes when they avoid doing the other stuff. Sound familiar? The good news is that you don’t need to love everything. Just pick one area you love and become the self-appointed expert in your school. Get a serious attitude! Think of yourself as the very best on that one topic, and then make it a reality. For inspiration, you can create a web site or perhaps a series of podcasts about your topic. Become a star! Once you become an expert in your field, you will gain confidence in yourself and become more tolerant of the topics you don’t enjoy so much. You’ll start thinking of all your least favorite topics as â€Å"supporting† actors in your quest for a career in the area you love. Get Competitive! This problem could be real or imagined. Either way, this problem is the best kind! If you have a competitive spirit, you can have a lot of fun with this one. If you think you’re at a disadvantage to other students, you can turn things around by getting a competitive attitude. Think of every project as a challenge and set out to do your assignment better than anybody else. Try to surprise everyone- including the teacher- by doing outstanding work. If you feel like you are part of a misfit crowd, then it might help to team up with a friend or two. Put your heads together and plot to outdo the popular crowd. You’ll find that this can be very inspiring! Get Your Eye on the Prize! If you get bored just thinking about homework, then you may need to focus on setting and reaching goals. For instance, if you are having trouble getting started on a big science project, then divide your project into steps. Then, reward yourself each time you finish a step successfully. Your first step could be library research. Set a timeline for visiting the library and completing your research. Think of a good way to reward yourself, like a frothy iced coffee drink or another favorite treat. Then focus on the prize and make it happen! Your parents will probably support you in this endeavor. Just ask! There are many variations to the â€Å"eye on the prize† system. You may want to create a dream box or a bulletin board with pictures of big prizes, like the college of your dreams. Fill the box or board with the objects of your dreams and make a habit of looking at them often. In other words, keep your eyes on those prizes! Get Support! It’s unfortunate but true that some students don’t receive much encouragement or support when it comes to school work. Some students don’t have any encouragement from family or don’t even have any family at all. But that doesn’t mean nobody cares. There are lots of people who care very much that you succeed in school. Just think about it- this web site wouldn’t exist if somebody didn’t want you to succeed. There are many people who care. People in your school have a big stake in your success. They are judged on your performance. If you don’t do well, they don’t do well. Adults from all walks of life are concerned about education and the plight of students just like you. The state of education is a big topic of discussion and debate among adults. If you feel like you don’t get support at home, then find an education forum and talk about it. You’ll find that there are lots of people who are interested and willing to cheer you on!

Motivation. (Literature review) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Motivation. (Literature review) - Essay Example Motivation in different areas of life and work is an important requisite and is perhaps the pathway for success in any field. Consequently, motivation is a widely recognized problem area and hence is an area of research for many years (Stauber, 31-47). As a result, there is a considerable body of literature in this area. This work would undertake a literature review on motivation applied to academic area (Rawsthorne and Elliot, 326-344). Thus, a simple strategy of literature search based on the key words, "academic", "motivation", and "academic motivation" was undertaken on the available literatures in both electronic and print media. Many journals have articles published on this topic, and the most recent were chosen to critically review them. Interesting to note is that a vast amount of literature is on management education. Mele, in his book, Motivation and Agency, has reviewed many studies to characterize motivation. Motivation is an animal instinct but is not universal across animal kingdom. Motivation is a goal-governed phenomenon. Motivated individuals have a capacity to represent goals. Therefore an attitude encompassed by motivation would have either a goal or a means to achieve it. Different individuals have different intensities of motivations, and an intentional agency to do something is always involved in a motivated attitude (Spera, 456-490). While applied to learning or motivation in academic education, it can happen in one of the two main forms, self-directed learning, where the learner has sufficient control over the process and hence over the purpose, form, content, and pace of the learning, and intrinsic motivation can only generate this. The other form of learning is expressive that need to be elucidated by the external environment, hence may need extrinsic stimulation, and goal always do not elucidate that (Mele, 4-58). Elliot and Dweck in their seminal work, competence and motivation, have correlated motivation to presence of competence, and in this book, in the section of motivation, they have conducted a literature review to define the elusive motivation. They have also commented that there are several different kinds of motivation, and as supported in the literature, the first kind of motivation is the motivation to achieve (Elliott and Dweck, 5-12). It has been demonstrated that people who are high in achievement motivation, take moderate risks and challenges to achieve. These people are attracted to tasks that are neither very hard nor very easy. These people often are motivated to strive constantly to better themselves and their accomplishments. The second kind of motivation is competence or self-efficacy motivation that refers to the persons' beliefs in their own ability to solve the problem at hand (Kinlaw and Kurtz-Costes, 295-311). Achievement motivations theorists tend to explain the ene rgization and direction of competence-based behaviour. The traditional motive theory has been replaced by finding casual attributions that are directed by the development of cognitive psychology (Boggiano, Barrett, Weiher, McClelland, and Lusk, 866-879). Debnath and coworkers deal with the problem of student motivation within the classroom, and the authors examine the influence of appropriate classroom

Different Concepts Of Crime. Classification Of Crime Essay

Different Concepts Of Crime. Classification Of Crime - Essay Example This implies that no harm was caused, and no damage was created to a person, the society or the state. Oxford dictionaries define crime as an act or omission that constitutes and offence which is punishable by law. A crime is a wrong committed against an individual, society and the state as defined in law and carries a punishment of fines, incarceration and, in some instances death. The numerous definitions of crime by different people and different entities, states, and scholars make the concept of crime to be among the hardest things questions. There are endless types of conduct that are prohibited and which may somehow be the subject of formal punishment. The kind of punishment may also change among diverse types of crimes, which creates room for disagreement over whether certain behavior should be prohibited by the criminal rule, and so punished at all. Equally, there may be conduct that people deem think should be criminal but which left untouched by the criminal law. Further, t he status of crime and criminology is undoubtedly informed by the methods and insights of social sciences, and these insights continue to have a fragile position within the legal scholarship. A close relationship between legal constructions of crime (criminal law) and social constructions of crime and criminality (criminology and criminal justice) arise (Lacey, nd). Certain kinds of conduct are acknowledged as crimes by the criminal law and the wider body of ordinary people. Examples of such acts are such as murder, stealing, damaging property and raping. These acts may be described as injurious to the victim as the injury may have been caused directly or indirectly. Moving a note higher, the concept of crime extends not only to causing injury and harm to incorporate only the perceived potential for harm. For instance, speeding may not look like real crime, but speeding may result in injury and death. The prospective danger of the person speeding is greater than that of the trivial pickpocket, but few people doubt that a pickpocket is a criminal, unless there are persuasive avoiding factors (Abadinsky, 2010). Classification of crime There are several types of crimes committed by individuals, some of which are taken as serious and some like trespass is considered less serious. Though all acts of crime are considered as the contravention of law, there are different punishments that may be enforced on a criminal. Classification of crime may be based on diverse standards like the extent of punishment, by type, by common law, and mode of trial. States might vary as to the categorization of any particular misdeed. Offense perpetrated in a certain region may be categorized differently than where the same crime was committed in another place. This study will explore classification of crime depending on the types of crimes. These are the organized crime, white collar crime, crimes of theft, property crimes, corporate crimes, as well as other property crimes. Generally, crimes may be classified in two main categories; felony and misdemeanor, depending on the severity of a crime. Felony is taken as grave crimes, which carry a punishment of more than one year in prison such as murder, arson and kidnapping. Misdemeanor misdeed is less severe and carries a punishment of less than one year in prison (Abadinsky, 2010). These are such as trespassing, prostitution and public intoxication. White collar crimes Sutherland of the American sociological society (2010) defines white collar crime as crime perpetrated by an individual of decorum and high societal standing in the

Diet Nutrition Weight

Diet Nutrition Weight HEALING AMERICAS POPULATION THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF DISEASE AND NUTRITION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH Introduction Though the United States is one of the most powerful nations on earth, as far as developing new fields of science and technology, the one area in which America does not dominate nor excel is health. Specifically, America is dying from illness that is related to a diet poor in nutrition. This issue is due in part to societys ignorance which stems from a lack of unified and reliable scientific information. The different disciplines that study these nutrition related diseases all have a different perspective on how to fix this endemic. This conflict of view causes the people to be mislead on how they should indeed live their dietary lives. If the people of America are to follow the nutritional trends they have set, the future will be doomed by disease and chronic illness. The American people have not been given the appropriate knowledge about the causes of disease and nutritional ways to prevent them. The human body is a miraculous system that once understood, can be the vehicle to gain a better quality of life for the individual and for the nation as a whole. Almost a third of young children are obese and many more over weight (Oz, 2003). The number one killer in this country is heart disease and as we will see later heart disease and other chronic illnesses stem from poor nutrition. The majority of adults are overweight and undernourished. Though this country has the resources to provide high quality, nutrition-rich foods, Americans are drawn to unhealthy, refined and processed foods. Across the whole country there is no major difference in the peoples level of health between cities or states. In other , the level of health in America is Nutrition 2 distributed evenly from city to city. This goes to show that no matter what background or financial class, the American people are eating the same foods that are causing such drastic effects on their health. This poor nutrition can also cause less productivity at work or school, and hyperactivity and mood swings among children and youth. Poor nutrition can in time push the typical American adult to depression, diabetes and hypertension and increase the risks of death in all ages and ethnic groups whether man or woman (Oz, 2003). â€Å" The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that 300,000 deaths annually are caused by or related to obesity. The incidence of diabetes alone has risen by a third since 1990, and treatment costs one hundred billion a year† (Oz, 2003, 2). This problem affects everyone because of the drastic social and economic tolls it takes on the American people. With a strong dedication towards a movement involving the abolishment of nutritional ignorance through health and science education, the American people can be freed from the war on nutrition-related illness and stop the high number of casualties. According to Allen Repko (2005), there is a definite need for an interdisciplinary approach to this issue because of its inability to be comprehensively resolved through the use of only one discipline, its complexity, and the large amount of relevance it displays throughout every home in America. There are many disciplines needed in order to show the necessity for good nutrition and the significance of educating the American people about healthy living. The disciplines most pertinent to this issue are Biology, Chemistry, and Human Nutrition. Biology is needed because of its perspective on the causes of disease, how Nutrition 3 they function, and how they affect the body. There are many sub-disciplines within the field of Biology that will be needed to help the reader understand the drastic affects of chronic illness. These sub-groups include Pathology and Physiology. Chemistry is a very useful discipline because it will show the reader the different chemical properties of the elements contributing to good and bad nutrition. Also, upon explaining disease, there is a necessity to understand the natural chemicals the human body uses to perform its functions, and the toxic chemicals synthesized to treat illness. The last discipline, Health Education, is very important in understanding the problem because of its view on illness and its approach to healing America through preventative practices. There will be diligent studies of literature done on the mechanisms dealing with chronic illness and metabolism. Most research done in the fields of Biology, Chemistry and Human Nutrition will come from methods such as laboratory experiments, data collection, surveys, and personal interviews. There will also be reports on statistical analysis to help strengthen main ideas. The purpose of this paper is to show the reader how dangerous and destructive the American diet is and how there could be a possibility of changing it. This involves finding the source for misleading the American people. The disciplines will delve into the science of diseases and how they take over the body and introduce all the vital chemicals that the body needs for normal function. Also, the perspectives of how to cure the illness and the actual measures that have been taken will be discussed. Once the perspectives of all the disciplines have been understood, the conflict can be found. Nutrition 4 Upon realizing the conflict, there can then be an attempt to find areas of common ground and integrate them into a unified and plausible solution. Background Before explaining the insights of each discipline on the problem at hand, it is important to understand the severity of the nations health risks and the characteristics of the diet that has brought them to this point. The current state of Americas health is not due to a spontaneous sequence of events. In other , due mainly to societal changes in dietary behavior, there has been an influx of weight related illnesses in the U.S. The American diet however, has not always been so detrimental to health. There have been many societal changes that have led to the demand for this diet. Just in the past fifty years the average American family has changed its lifestyle from gathering around the table for home cooked meals to a high-paced lifestyle of grab-and-go eating (personal communication, February 24, 2008). This change in lifestyle, along with others, has contributed to the majority of food industries responding to the new demands by increasing the production of processed, preserved and refined foods. In 1978, only 18 percent of the calories consumed in the average American diet took place away from home and now the amount has reached 36 percent (Oz, 2003). In 2000, Americans ate 110 billion dollars in fast food meals as opposed to the 6 billion dollars worth eaten in 1970 (Robbins, 2003). Not only have people become accustomed to Nutrition 5 eating this high-calorie and nutrient-deficient food, but many of the store bought foods have also become overly processed and refined to the point of nutrient depletion. Natural sugar for example, is being consumed less due to the increase in High Fructose Corn Syrup production (Forristal, 2001). Sugar used to be extracted naturally from sugar cane but is now replaced by a different type that comes from corn. There is no need to go into each individual food for the majority of foods eaten by the average American have the same nutritional properties. The affects of eating these foods will be discussed in detail later. Forty percent of the calorie intake in the American diet comes from refined sugars and refined grains which have been proven to contribute to poor health (Fuhrman, 2005). These refined substances include high fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose (milk), and fruit juice concentrates. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration makes a relatively close estimate that the average American consumes an unbelievable 32 teaspoons of added sugar a day (Kantor, 1999). Another major factor contributing to the high prevalence of weight related disease is the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle (Berenson, Srinivasan, Nicklas, 1998). The adoption of a sedentary lifestyle has affected almost everyone in the United States (Fuhrman, 2003). This can be attributed to an increase in entertainment that forces the individual to be less physically active (Oz, 2003). These forms of entertainment include video and computer games, movies, television and internet surfing. The internet has provided a whole new way to have access to the world without leaving the comfort of the individuals couch Nutrition 6 (Fuhrman, 2003). For example, people no longer have to leave their house to do their shopping. Though the main issue is about disease, it is also important to note the other affects of the American diet. Poor nutrition has resulted in less productivity at school or work, increased feelings of anxiety, stress and insecurity, and many more issues concerning quality-of-life. These concerns, though important, are miniscule compared to the paramount dilemma of obesity and its related diseases. Thirty four percent of all Americans are obese and many more over weight (Fuhrman, 2003). Twenty five percent of schoolchildren today are obese (Gauthier, Hicker, Noel, 2000). Obesity not only has been proven to cause many illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and depression, but also to increase death rates in all ages and in almost every gender and ethnic group (Alterwein, 2003). The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that 300,000 deaths per year are caused by or associat ed with obesity (Bouchard, 1996). The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has risen by a third since 1990, and the cost for treatment has exceeded 100 billion dollars a year (Oz, 2003). Though there are many more statistics regarding the state of Americas health, enough has already been stated to validate the point that the people of America are in dire need for help. For the purposes of this paper, there are a few topics and related issues that will be excluded in order to narrow down the focus to the particular issues regarding the main problem. People excluded from the focus are the Americans who have adopted a Nutrition 7 vegan or vegetarian diet, athletes and other individuals who have been educated in fields of nutrition that take action towards a healthier lifestyle. Genetic factors will not be discussed due to the relatively little amount of information able to prove dietary and nutritional setbacks. Economic and cost related information will not be discussed for the topic at hand is about finding a solution to illness under any means necessary; even if that involves the high cost of healthier foods. When discussing illnesses, only the main weight related diseases will be discussed. These include Type II diabetes, heart attack, hypertension, and colon cancer. The main ideas to be included are directly related to diet and weight. These parameters have been set strictly due to the fact that what Americans are putting into their bodies has a direct correlation with what is causing these catastrophic illnesses. Now that the truths about our overweight society have been identified, there can be a dissection of the problem by the most relevant disciplines. In order for the reader to understand the issue thoroughly, it is important that the disciplines are introduced in an appropriate sequence. Biology will be the first discipline whose insights will be discussed. It is important to discuss these insights first because they introduce the reader to the main weight related illnesses America faces, and shows how they are caused. Before one can show the treatments and the mechanisms involved on a molecular level, one must understand what is happening on the larger cellular level. Therefore, after illness and its consequences have been discussed from a Biological standpoint, Chemistrys perspectives will be discussed to show an alternative view. Human Nutrition comes last because its perspective deals mainly with finding certain Nutrition 8 foods that contain certain helpful or harmful chemicals or elements that will be understood best after reading the Chemistry section. In other , before finding out what foods are high in fiber or low in cholesterol, it is important to see first what those compounds are and how they affect the body. The main goal of the paper is to discuss illness, perspectives on treatment and insights on dietary nutrition in order to provide a solution to the problem of a malnourished and nutritionally uneducated society that is looking for answers which, until now, have not been effectively provided. This lack of answers is due to these disciplines becoming too focused and too specialized in their particular field. When this narrowed view is encompassed by such a wide array of disciplines, it is almost impossible and definitely improbable that a practical and generic solution can be created to ensure a healing process for a physically unhealthy society. In other , this paper will use an interdisciplinary approach in order to educate the reader on the contrasting insights of the disciplines, and to integrate these insights into a practical, comprehensive, and unified solution (Repko, 2005). References Oz, Mehmet C. (2003). [Forward]. In Eat to Live (pp. ix-xi). New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. Repko, A. (2005). Interdisciplinary practice: A student guide to research and writing. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing. Fuhrman, J. (2003). Eat to Live. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. Robbins, J. (2003). [Introduction]. In Eat to Live. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. Forristal, L. (Fall 2001). The Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup. The Weston A. Price Foundation. Retrieved February 14, 2008, from http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html. Alterwein, R. (2003). [Introduction]. In Eat to Live. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. Kantor, L.S. (1999). A dietary assessment of the U.S. food supply. Nutrition Week 29 (3): 4-5. Berenson G.S., Srinivasan S.R., Nicklas T.A. (1998). Atheriosclerosis: a nutritional disease of childhood. American Journal of Cardiology. 82 (10B): 22-29T Gauthier, B.M., Hicker, J.M., Noel, M.N. (2000). High prevelance of overweight children in Michigan primary care practices. J. Family Practice 49 (1): 73-76. Bouchard, C. (1996). The causes of obesity: advances in molecular biology but stagnation on the genetic front. Biabetologia 39 (12): 1532-33.

The Law Making Process in Congress

In USA the political arena is dominated by two political parties namely the Democrats and the Republicans. Each of the two parties has significant bearing in the governance of US. In them are bred the presidential candidates. When the president wins the elections, it is either because of the Democrats party or because of the Republicans party. What the party does is offering the technical and financial support during the presidential campaigns in form of fund-raising and organizing of the campaign activities (Bacevich, 2009)Out of them will also be born the law makers since they act as a vehicle in which the politicians travel into the senate or the house to make laws. The governments at the city, provincial and national levels are composed by members of law makers who emanate from the political parties. Upon getting into their offices the leaders who were elected from the political parties in US are taken to the noble task of setting up the government strategic plans they will then form judicial system in the government to oversee the constitutional matters including the legal matters as well.It is the also the role of the political parties to furnish the congress with the senators whose hands the public bills pass for approval as laws. The senators can kill the bill or approve it and leave it for presidential decision. The ministers, supervisors and financiers in public offices come from these political parties. The government departments that play pivotal role in the US make up the ministries which are spearheaded by the ministers and supervisors. They therefore have great influence here. (Beard, 1920)Consequently, in the event of enforcing their mandate in the law making process, the individual politicians earn a great deal of benefits. When they see a potential gain in a particular bill to be enacted, they have nothing but to bulldoze it through the obstacles into being a law. When the bill will potentially take something from them, they suppress and kill it. If defeated, they weaken it with amendments (Schmidt ,2008). Besides, as a way of assuring their constituents of their worthy action in the house or senate, they introduce the public bills quite often.By so doing they win the favor of the public and build good grounds for the next election. The Law making process in Congress What gets into the congress as a bill meets a set of steps set to try it out and validate it as a law. These trials mainly done by the law makers in the Senate or the House, sometimes with inclusion of the public or the lobbyists. The steps they subject the bill to makes a total of nine, along which the fate of whether the bill will make it to be a law will be judged.Each step is almost a roadblock to the bill and in most cases, the bill that makes it to a law does so having been distorted through amendments (Hamilton, 2004). The first step introduces the bill into the house or the senate as a new number, denoted as ‘HR’ if introduced to the hou se or ‘S’ if to the senate. Here, the number and the influential ability of the senators introducing the bill have a bearing on its fate. The second step subjects the bill to a blazing fire of a committee which in turn toughens its influence on the bill by assigning it to yet another fire of Sub committee that it selects.If the bill survives death in the hands of the Sub committee, it gets to the committee level. If it survives the second time, it gets approved into the full chamber in the congress. The survival of the bill is owed to the kind of committee spearheading its approval. It could be friendly or not (Schmidt et. al, 2008). The bill then has to secure a place in the agenda for discussion in the House. Placing it on the agenda is the work of Rules Committee drawn from the senior members of each party.As in the name, they give the bill the rule or procedure with which it can be discussed. The bill then proceeds to the fourth step in the full chamber where all th e senators throw in cards in the process of making the amendments in the bill. The participation in this is however restricted depending on whether the bill goes through the open rule or the closed rule. The source of the rule dictates this. In the former any legislator in the house can amend while in the latter the committee member reporting it makes the amendment.Then it enters the 5th step in the senate where, like in the House of Representatives has to go through the same committees with the exception of the rules committee. The passage through this takes it to the floor of the senate where it can be discussed by the full chamber. This step through the other chamber is calling since it can kill the bill if the senators chose to take longer time in discussing it. The bill then gets to the conference committee which harmonizes its form at the house and at the senate to come up with the form that can be accepted by the president.Then it gets into further refinery at the congress by both chambers for acceptance changes or rejection. The accepted bill is sent to the president who will approve, veto or do nothing. The veto may be overridden by two thirds voting from each chamber of congress. The functions and powers of the president The functions of the US president lie within his execution of powers that he has. Being the head of state, he is considered the commander in chief of the armed forces. This mainly gives him a better hand in commanding the defense of the state from external attacks.He also basks in the glory of forgiving federal criminals especially during public functions. He is the one whose call is heard by the congress when there is need for a special session. During the national functions and the international meetings, the president speaks on behalf of the nation, receive ambassadors from other nations. When the US laws have been passed in the house, it is the duty of the president to ensure that they are enforced. The work of appointing officia ls within the executive arm of the government as well as judges in the judicial arm is also a reserve for the president.It is him who is responsible for signing agreements with other nations. In the senate, the president will be the final man to approve the law. Therein, he can sign it, veto it or do nothing to it. This has great implication on the bills. With all these many responsibilities, the nation grants him powers accordingly. In his executive position, he is the man with the power to enforce the law, to make appointments in the executive branch and the senate, to remove officers, to enjoy executive privileges besides commanding the armed forces (Schmidt et. l, 2008).In the legislature, he influence a lot in the law making process, either in calling for meeting or approving laws. The judiciary gives him the powers of appointing the judges and pardoning criminals who have been judged. The president can declare the state of emergency if he sees the government is in a pending da nger. President is one with the power in ensuring the financial stability of the country in addition to maintaining good relationship with foreign nations (Forman, 2008).

Competence in Communication Essay - 1143 Words

Communication competence is the capability an individual has in choosing the correct communication behavior which is not only effective, but also appropriate for a particular situation. Competent, effective communication among group members establishes an atmosphere of reliance and feeling that one belongs. When the level that group members feel appreciated and valued is great, the more likely these individuals will be committed to the group and the organization, which in turn, makes for the easy attainment of goals as a team. In order for an individual to be competent in communication, they must be capable of recognizing the particular skills deemed necessary all specific situations, and be motivated and able to put these skills to use.†¦show more content†¦This is ineffective communication because the group members did not receive the proper instruction to complete the project. There was not enough knowledge to deliver effective direction to the group members. Skill Communication competence incorporates the ability to apply knowledge in actual situations, as well as combining this knowledge with skill (Rothwell, 2013, p. 27). In order to have skill in when communicating, an individual must be able to repeat the successful performance of a communication behavior. It is important that in order to master skill in communication, one must practice. Skills without knowledge can be both useless and harmful. An example of lacking skill in communication would be a real life example I can share. I have a supervisor who speaks extremely fast, and she has been told time and time again that in order to share the information effectively with employees, she must obtain the skill of communicating in a manner that we can understand. This is ineffective communication because we are unable to comprehend the information provided by management. Sensitivity According to the text, â€Å"Sensitivity is receptive accuracy whereby you can detect, decode, and comprehend signals and emotional cues sent within groups†. (Rothwell, 2013. p. 29). Being sensitive in communication means you are able to pick up on signals from individuals in a group that might imply emotions such as resentment or hostility, anxiety or tension, ire, annoyance,Show MoreRelatedCommunication Competence1087 Words   |  5 Pages1 Communication Effectiveness Have you ever had to communicate important information to a diverse group of people you share unique working relationships with? Carrying the responsibility of managing the day to day operation of a fifty five million dollar medical Distribution Company forces me into communication instances which require care and precision for effective delivery. 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