Essay on Change in America - 550 Words

Every four years, Americans go to the polls and vote. Experts say approximately 23% of America have unregistered voters. Voting is vital. Every single vote counts on election day. The Presidential Election brings out the most Americans. Democratic and Republican parties go head to head in the race to become the nation’s president. In 2008, the presidential hopeful will be Barack Obama. He will provide citizens with affordable healthcare insurance. Obama will give tax breaks to the working class and improve the education systems. Education systems all across America deal with major issues. George W. Bush created the law, No Child Left Behind. The law didn’t go well when it was created. The were no proper funding and not enough teachers†¦show more content†¦I don’t want that future for my daughters. I don’t want that future for your sons. I don’t want that future for America.† Obama wants to help children, he doesn’t want childr en to fail in society, that’s Obama’ vision. An Obama ad campaign stated 47 million do not contain healthcare insurance. Obama’s plan solves this problem with a national healthcare system. He will make comparable rates as Americans in Congress. Small businesses will get tax credits to cover 50% of the cost of insuring their employees. Obama will make sure that healthcare insurance work for Americans, and small businesses, not drug companies. The national healthcare system will defiantly change the system for the better. The financial bailout on Wall Street rescued the economy from total collapse from faulty mortgage loans. Obama’s plans include reworking and changing the way the economy works for the better. George W. Bush gave tax cuts to Americans who earned over $1,000,000. A large sum of people don’t believe it was a fine idea. Obama will give tax cuts to working class people and small businesses, not to the wealthy. He will create tax credits of $500 per person and $1,000 per working families. Obama will also eliminate income taxes to senior citizens who less than $50,000 a year. In the Republican party, John McCain is running for president. McCain isn’t change, He’s more of the same. He voted 90% of the time with George W. Bush. AtShow MoreRelatedChange in America1045 Words   |  5 PagesChange in Society Within today’s society, people are constantly open to new technological and intellectual improvements, but when it comes to any disruptive alteration in the life that American citizens know, love, and are accustomed to, no measures can be taken in order to implement new innovations, even if it were for the welfare of the people themselves. The majority of the society today is resistant to great shifts in the American culture that would possibly cause some differentiation to theirRead MoreAmerica: United in Change1005 Words   |  4 Pages When other nations jumped into WWI in 1914, America adopted a policy of neutrality. 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The 1920s revealed a conflict between traditional America and the new attitude and lifestyle through the changing role of women, continued dominance of ChristianRead More102 Minutes that Change America - Essay800 Words   |  4 Pages102 Minutes that Change America A moment may change everything to evil or good in our life and community. Some events occurred may have affects in several ways. September 11, 2001 was a historic day in the United States. Four airplanes were hijacked by terrorists. The first one crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The second plane was stopped by passengers. The two of them crashed the biggest towers in the U.S which are the World Trade Center in New York. On that day 3,000 peopleRead MoreDemographic Changes in America (1607-1914)1167 Words   |  5 PagesDemographic Changes in America (1607-1914) Historical records of American demography start with the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. 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The Three Strangers by Thomas Hardy and The Darkness out...

Explore the themes of justace and things not being as they seem in The three Strangers by Thomas Hardy and The Darkness out there by Penelope Lively Explore the themes of injustice and things not being as they seem in The Three Strangers (Thomas Hardy) and The Darkness out There (Penelope Lively) The Three Strangers is a pre 20th century story that was written in 1883 but set in 1820. The Darkness Out There was written in 1970. From the titles of the stories we assume they would be a mystery or horror story. We think this because the word darkness is used and this gives you the idea that it is a horror. The Three Strangers makes it seem mysterious, because they are people you dont know and there are three of†¦show more content†¦In The Darkness Out There we assume it is set in the 1960s because the story is telling the tale of an old lady Mrs Rutter, who is talking about her past (about 25years before) and there is the German pilot that had been shot down. The story is set around a wood called Packers End, but it is also set around a cottage that lies next to Packers End. The only other similarity in the two stories is that they are both set around a cottage otherwise there seem to be no other similarities between the stories. The writers have chosen these settings because they have a dark and mysterious feel to them, even though in The Darkness Out There it starts with Sandra, the girl in it, walking on a hot day through a field with flowers around her and the wind blowing in her hair, but then she gets to the wood and immediately it becomes more of a spooky setting. In The Three Strangers you can see straight away that the setting is mysterious because it is misty rainy and windy and these combined give the feeling of an eerie setting. In both stories there is a character that is introduced that seems to be one thing but then turns out to be another. Sandra in The Three Strangers seems to be the nice character as she goes to the Good Neighbours Club and she seems generally a nice person, but then we find out that Sandra was only going to the Good Neighbours Club because her friends were doing it and she said its was kind of a trend. When

Introduction to Events Tennis Tournament

Question: Discuss about the Introduction to Eventsfor Tennis Tournament. Answer: Introduction The Australian Open is one of the most important tennis tournament which is held in Melbourne, Australia, every year in January. It is considered as the first Grand Slam event of every year. The tournament has been played on Rebound Ace (green colored) till 2007 and there have been use of blue Plexicushion after that (Coche 2013). This event has the record for high attendance, which is equivalent to US Open. It also has the record for highest ever attendance at one of the Grand Slam events. The Australian event was the first to feature indoor play events at the time of extreme hot weather or wet weather. Australian Open Tennis Championship The Australian Open event is managed by the Tennis Australia and it was first played at Warehousemans Cricket Ground during 1905. It has been staged at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide (Ausopen.com 2017). The prize money of the events mens and womens single tournament is distributed equally. The overall prize money of the Australian event 2017 was AUD $50,000,000 (Ausopen.com 2017). It is considered as the highest prize money in a tennis tournament. The womens singles winner is given Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and that of mens single is presented with Norman Brookes Challenge Cup (Ausopen.com 2017). The Australian open can be classified by its content. It has mens and womens singles, where there is competition between either the males or females playing solo. There can be mixed doubles in which the men and women play together in a tournament (Ausopen.com 2017). There are also junior championships. There are womens doubles and mens doubles also. There are also womens wheelchair doubles and mens wheelchair doubles for the physically disabled players. The tournament records a very high rate of attendance and the average growth rate of the event attendance is 7%. The attendance in the year 2017 was 728,763 as compared to 703,899 in the year 2015 (Rowe 2016.). The tournament is a part of the Grand Slam events, which comprises of four important annual tennis events. The Grand slam events are known to offer good ranks, high prize money, media attention, public attention, huge strength, premium quality fields and big size of fields. The Australian Open tournaments is played on hard courts and takes place in the last fortnight of the month of January every year (Ausopen.com 2017). The event is broadcasted on online mediums as well as televisions all around the world (Quayle et al. 2017). In Australia, the event is being broadcasted by the Seven Networks since the year 1973. It was also co-broadcast by Fox Sports. Conclusion Australian Open Tennis Tournament is a part of the prestigious Grand Slam events, which has worldwide reputation. This essay discussed the type of the event and the nature of the event in a detailed manner. It also classified the event as per its content, form and size for gaining clarity. This research essay would help in greater clarity for understanding the concepts of Australian Open Tennis Tournaments. References Coche, R., 2013. Is ESPN really the womens sports network? A content analysis of ESPNs Internet coverage of the Australian Open.Electronic News,7(2), pp.72-88. Quayle, M., Wurm, A., Barnes, H., Barr, T., Beal, E., Fallon, M., Flynn, R., McGrath, D., McKenna, R., Mernagh, D. and Pilch, M., 2017. Stereotyping by omission and commission: Creating distinctive gendered spectacles in the televised coverage of the 2015 Australian Open mens and womens tennis singles semi-finals and finals.International Review for the Sociology of Sport, p.1012690217701889. Rowe, D., 2016. Cultural citizenship, media and sport in contemporary Australia.International Review for the Sociology of Sport, p.1012690216641147. www.ausopen.com, 2017. Home - Australian Open Tennis Championships 2017 - The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific - Official Site by IBM. (2017).Ausopen.com. Retrieved 9 April 2017, from https:// www.ausopen.com

Marketing environment free essay sample

Analyze the marketing environment and the forces shaping eBay’s business over the years. What conclusions can you draw? The market eBay takes place in is primarily the Internet market. Around 1995 the Internet market was just beginning. â€Å"there will be more than 500 million users by 2003 and a rapid increase in e- commerce turnover, rising from US$500 billion worldwide in 2001 to more than US$3 trillion in 2004† (Fichter, 2003) EBay was a pioneer in Internet market until competitors such as Amazon and Wal-Mart began to sell products online as well. â€Å"Online marketing is now the fastest-growing form of marketing† (Armstrong, 2013). The difference between eBay and its competitors was that eBay allowed consumers to bid on items while the competitors allowed for consumers to buy products at barging prices and no shipping fee. The buying trend of the consumers was leaving the bidding arena and entering the traditional buy now at a bargain price type of consumerism. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing environment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is when eBay decided a change is necessary to continue to strive but they did not just want to strive they wanted to soar so they began to innovate and jump into the creation of mobile apps for their company. EBay did what was necessary to be a â€Å"big dog† competitor in their marketing niche, if they continue to be innovative and continue to succeed in being one step ahead of competitors, I have no doubt they will accomplish being the number one ecommerce company. 2. How was the change in the nature of eBay sellers affected the creation of value for buyers? EBay began its business as an auction company. Therefore they grew selling peoples possessions at low moderation volume. But as time pass and consume behavior changed and new competitors entered the market eBay noticed that their competitors were receiving their goods from whole sellers in bulk. â€Å"E-commerce causes structural change of the economy and affects lifestyles and consumption patterns† (Fichter, 2003) and they were also receiving what the consumer was buying. Therefore eBay starts to get sellers that also sell in bulk instead of at low volume. This created an environment where consumers were receiving what they desired and also at higher volume creating profits. â€Å" Donahoe- â€Å"We have to create a marketplace where we’re helping our sellers give our buyers what they want†Ã¢â‚¬  (Armstrong, 2013). Giving the customers what they desire created profit and growth for eBay. 3. Do you agree or disagree with CEO Donahoe that eBay’s turnaround strategy is the best way to go? Yes I agree with Donahoe’s decision on his turnaround strategy. Change can be difficult but adapting and innovation is the key to success. â€Å" The â€Å"power of mass procurement† can be utilized to ensure that only those systems that meet the defined criteria for sustainability are considered for purchase† (Fichter, 2003). Change is something all companies have to go through and the ones that make the transitions the most smooth are the ones that excel. † Given that expert projections suggest that mobile commerce will top $119 billion by 2015, being on top of this trend s a great place to be† (Armstrong, 2013). This is exactly what eBay did, they found a new leader and he lead them through new changes and it is paying off. Yes at first there was â€Å"growing pains† but their profits are increasing in areas do to their innovation and changes they had to make. † We have gone from turnaround to offensive† (Armstrong, 2013) 4. Based on eBay’s current developments with PayPal and mobile apps, what do you predict the outcome for the company will be in five years? PayPal and mobile apps are both booming now and are only going to get bigger. PayPal creates a secure network for wireless transactions between bank accounts and with ecommerce on a rise with no sign of decline, PayPal is a â€Å"Star† â€Å"Stars are high–growth, high-share businesses or products. Mobile apps in general are definitely sky rocketing as well, depending on the individual apps convenience and attributes determines if the actual app will be a hit or miss. â€Å"the number of users worldwide with mobile Internet access is projected to rise from 16 million in 2001 to almost 500 million in 2005† (Fichter, 2003). Based on how this case explained eBay’s new app it sounds like it will be a hit for those who shop online, due to its convenience and suave. With these two things helping push eBay upward I can only predict in five years positive things for eBay to come.  But the way business goes its always a gamble, there may be a product, company, or app more desirable than the one eBay produces and this is just the way business occurs. Marketing Environment free essay sample Before we start with marketing environment it is important to know what a market is and how can marketing be defined as. A market is any structure that allows buyers and sellers to exchange any type of goods, services and information. †¢The market facilitates trade and enables the distribution and allocation of resources in a society. †¢Markets allow any tradable item to be evaluated and priced. A market emerges more or less spontaneously or is constructed deliberately by human interaction in order. †¢Marketing can basically be looked upon as the interaction between marketing mix variables and environmental variables. †¢It is only with the help of marketing variables, that the market managers tackle the environmental variables. †¢Marketing is an ongoing process of planning and executing the marketing mix for products, services or ideas to create exchange between individuals and organizations. According to Kotler â€Å"Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtains what they need and want through creating, offering and exchanging products of value with others†. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Environment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The American Marketing Association defines marketing as:- â€Å"The performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producers to consumers or users†. †¢Marketing tends to be seen as a creative industry, which includes advertising, distribution and selling. †¢ It is also concerned with anticipating the customers future needs and wants, which are often discovered through market research. †¢Essentially, marketing is the process of creating or directing an organization to be successful in selling a product or service that people not only desire, but are willing to buy. In the words of Stanton â€Å" Marketing is a total system of interacting business activities designed to plan ,price, promote and distribute want satisfying products and services to present and potential customers†. Therefore good marketing must be able to create a proposition or set of benefits for the end customer that delivers value through products or services. Government agencies, political parties, pressure groups and laws create tremendous pressure and constraints for marketing management. †¢Laws affect product design, pricing and promotion. Irrespective of the political ideologies, intervention in the marketing process has become common in every nation. †¢The legal environment is also referred to as public policy environment. The vast government network of laws and regulation, policy decisions, government bureaucracy and the legislative processes have varied impact on marketing strategies. †¢Multinationals like Coca Cola and IBM had to flee India during 1977 due to a hostile political environment. The positive political situation has permitted these corporations to again operate in the country. The impact of political and legal forces may be summarized as under: ? Substantial amount of legislation regulating business exists to protect consumers from unfair business practices, to avoid unfair competition, to safeguard small firms and to conserve foreign exchange. ?Marketing managers are required to get full knowledge and understanding of political and legal forces for achieving their goals. Political factors include government regulations and legal issues and define both the formal and informal rules under which the firm must operate. For example †¢Tax policy †¢Employment laws †¢Environmental regulations †¢Trade restrictions and tariffs †¢Political stability †¢Study and knowledge of economic forces is essential to preparing effective marketing plans. †¢Anticipation of future economic conditions will enable the firm to devise appropriate marketing strategies. Under economic environment, a marketing manager generally studies the following factors and trends: †¢Trends in cross national product and real income growth †¢Pattern of income distribution †¢Variations in geographical income distribution and trends †¢Expenditure patterns and trends Trends of consumer savings and how consumers like to hold their savings †¢Borrowing pattern, trends and governmental and legal restrictions †¢Major economic variables Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firms cost of capital. For example †¢Economic growth †¢Interest r ate †¢Exchange rates †¢Inflation rates †¢Economic conditions affect marketing directly because such organizations are themselves a part of the market place. For instance, the costs of all inputs positively respond to upward swing of economic condition. †¢This will affect the output price and consequentially affect the sales. Marketing Environment free essay sample The Marketing Environment Learning Objectives 1. Describe the environmental forces that affect the company’s ability to serve its customers. 2. Explain how changes in the demographic and economic environments affect marketing decisions. 3. Identify the major trends in the firm’s natural and technological environments. 4. Explain the key changes in the political and cultural environments. 5. Discuss how companies can react to the marketing environment. Chapter Overview In order to correctly identify opportunities and monitor threats, the company must begin with a thorough understanding of the marketing environment in which the firm operates. The marketing environment consists of all the factors and forces outside marketing that affect the marketing management’s ability to develop and maintain successful relation ¬ships with its target customers. Though these factors and forces may vary depending on the specific company and industrial group, they can generally be divided into broad microenvironmental and macroenvironmental components. For most companies, the microenvironmental components are: the company, suppliers, marketing channel firms (intermediaries), customer markets, competitors, and publics. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Environment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The macroenvironmental components are thought to be: demographic, economic, natural, technological, political, and cultural forces. The wise marketing manager knows that he or she cannot always affect environmental forces. Smart managers can take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to the marketing environment. As a company’s marketing management collects and processes data on these environ-ments, it must be ever vigilant in its efforts to apply what it learns to developing opportunities and dealing with threats. Studies have shown that excellent companies not only have a keen sense of customer but an appreciation of the environmental forces swirling around them. By constantly looking at the dynamic changes that are occurring in the aforementioned environments, companies are better prepared to adapt to change, prepare long-range strategy, meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s customers, and compete with the intense competition present in the global marketplace. Chapter Outline 1. The Company’s Microenvironment The Company a. In designing marketing plans, marketing management takes other company groups into account. These interrelated groups form the internal environment. b. Marketing managers must work closely with other company departments. Suppliers c. Suppliers form an important link in the company’s overall customer value delivery system. d. Marketing managers must watch supply availability. They also monitor the price trends of their key inputs. e. Most marketers today treat their suppliers as partners in creating and delivering customer value. Marketing Intermediaries f. Marketing intermediaries help the company to promote, sell, and distribute its goods to final buyers. i. Resellers are distribution channel firms that help the company find customers or make sales to them. ii.

My son is having a growth problem essays

My son is having a growth problem essays My assigned lot in life is that of the mother of a fifteen-year-old son. My son has not yet gone through the growth spurt that always accompanies I can imagine that as my son, I would feel extremely self-conscious at all times. Speaking from experience, its hard to be so different than all your classmates are. Many high-school students dislike having distinguishing features that set them apart from the rest, such as being short. These features can be the basis for a lot of teasing and humiliation. Being a female, I dont have any first-hand experience dealing with a males perspective, but I would think it would be even harder to be a short boy. Males in our society are stereotypically strong and muscular. Rarely do we see couples in which the wife is taller than the husband. My son must feel humiliated by his peers because he does not fit the Teenagers are very impressionable. They are still trying to form their own identity, separate from that of their parents. Most adolescents want to be a person that everyone else likes and accepts, and some will take drastic measures to be just that. It could get to a point where my son would try to take some sort of growth supplement from the back cover of a magazine, which would not be a healthy idea. Teenagers often have such a burning desire to fit in that they hate themselves when they cannot. I say all of this from experience, currently going through "the The thing to remember, though, is that everyone grows at a different rate, and not everyone is truly laughing at you. This information will be extremely hard for my son to believe, because I as a teenager myself still dont get it. When you walk into a room, it is impossible for everyone to be staring at you and laughing about your appearance, because th ...

Learn How to Conjugate Saisir (to Seize) in French

Learn How to Conjugate Saisir (to Seize) in French A regular French verb,  saisir  means to seize. Its a relatively easy verb to conjugate and this lesson will show you how to say things such as she seized in the past tense and we are seizing in the present tense. The Basic Conjugations of  Saisir Many French students fear verb conjugations because there are so many words to remember. While these can be a challenge, a verb like  saisir  is just a little easier because it  is a  regular -ir verb. This means you can apply the same endings you learned with similar verbs to this one. The first step in any conjugation is to identify the verb stem. For  saisir, that is  sais-. With that, you can find the appropriate endings to apply using the indicative mood chart. Simply find the subject pronoun you need, then match that to either the present, future, or imperfect past tense. Youll get results such as  je saisis  (I am seizing) and  nous saisirons  (we will seize). Present Future Imperfect je saisis saisirai saisissais tu saisis saisiras saisissais il saisit saisira saisissait nous saisissons saisirons saisissions vous saisissez saisirez saisissiez ils saisissent saisiront saisissaient The Present Participle of  Saisir As a regular -ir  verb, youll add  -issant  to the verb stem of  saisir  to form the  present participle. This produces the word  saisissant. Saisir  in the Compound Past Tense You will use  saisirs  past participle  saisi to form the compound past tense. In French, this is known as  passà © composà ©.  The only other requirement is a present tense conjugate of the auxiliary verb  avoir. For example, I seized is  jai saisi  and we seized is  nous avons saisi. More Simple Conjugations of  Saisir Should you have doubts about something being seized, you can use  the subjunctive  forms of  saisir.  The conditional, on the other hand, is used in an if...then sentence. You should only encounter  the passà © simple  and  the imperfect subjunctive  in written French as these are literary tenses. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je saisisse saisirais saisis saisisse tu saisisses saisirais saisis saisisses il saisisse saisirait saisit saist nous saisissions saisirions saismes saisissions vous saisissiez saisiriez saistes saisissiez ils saisissent saisiraient saisirent saisissent The imperative  is used most often in exclamations and short, direct statements. This is the one time when the subject pronoun is not required, so you can shorten  tu saisis  to  saisis. Imperative (tu) saisis (nous) saisissons (vous) saisissez

Principles of Criminal Investigation Term Paper

Principles of Criminal Investigation - Term Paper Example However, lack of advanced forensic technology in the 1980s can be regarded as one of the reasons it took too long to link someone with the Green River killings. In 1982, authorities found five murdered women in the Green River. One unique thing about the murders is that all the killings had happened through strangling and the murdered women practiced prostitution. The discovery of the bodies alerted the locals on a possibility of having a serial killer targeting prostitutes. The area where the murdered bodies were discovered had Sheriff Officers and everyone had optimism that the murders would be resolved as soon as possible. Contrary to locals’ expectations, more bodies were discovered in and around the Green River. The bodies mostly include those of teenage women found naked and without any possession (Morehead, 2012). The police department remained to collect skeletons of unknown women without any trace of the murderer. Over a period of two years (1982-84), the police department listed 49 murder victims and described them victims of the Green River Killer. This could be later followed by the formation of the Green River Task Force that had the mandate of looking into the increased serial killings. The task force comprised of detectives from police departments across the United States. The task force conducted investigations on the murders and obtained a lot of evidence from hundreds of suspects. Unfortunately, none of the evidence gave any definitive evidence that could link anyone to the serial killing (Morehead, 2012). The continued delays in getting hold of the serial killer added budget constraints on the task force, which led to reduction of personnel within the task force. By 1992, only one detective had remained to deal with the Green River case (Reichert, 2005). According to Reichert (2005), in the 1980s, forensic technology was less advanced, which posed numerous challenges during the collection of evidence. In such cases,

Marketing analysis of Bupa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Marketing analysis of Bupa - Essay Example Bupa is the leading provider of private health care insurance and health care services in the UK. Based on your assessment of Bupa’s intermediate and longer term Objectives, and an analysis of their business and marketing environment, please prepare a full Marketing Plan for Bupa. Your Marketing Plan must cover all key elements including: 1. the corporate and marketing objectives 2. key macro and micro considerations, including SWOT 3. target markets selected and corporate/brand position 4. main aspects of your recommended marketing mix strategy, including o Product/Services strategy o Pricing strategy o Channel management o Promotional (Integrated Marketing Communications) strategy o the extended marketing mix 1.0 The corporate and marketing objectives at Bupa Bupa identifies its strategic priorities as: †¢ The development of differentiated products and services, through the provision of health care and health care promotion to allow customers to take control of their own healthcare as a lifetime partnership (Bupa, 2011, p.1). †¢ Building leadership in healthcare: Focus is given to relationship management related to individuals, companies, government and health care providers to improve quality and governance of the health care system and improve affordable health care services (Bupa). †¢ Improving quality of healthcare expertise internationally.... Assessment Task A: 2200 words Bupa is the leading provider of private health care insurance and health care services in the UK. Based on your assessment of Bupa’s intermediate and longer term Objectives, and an analysis of their business and marketing environment, please prepare a full Marketing Plan for Bupa. Your Marketing Plan must cover all key elements including: 1. the corporate and marketing objectives 2. key macro and micro considerations, including SWOT 3. target markets selected and corporate/brand position 4. main aspects of your recommended marketing mix strategy, including o Product/Services strategy o Pricing strategy o Channel management o Promotional (Integrated Marketing Communications) strategy o the extended marketing mix 1.0 The corporate and marketing objectives at Bupa Bupa identifies its strategic priorities as: The development of differentiated products and services, through the provision of health care and health care promotion to allow customers to ta ke control of their own healthcare as a lifetime partnership (Bupa, 2011, p.1). Building leadership in healthcare: Focus is given to relationship management related to individuals, companies, government and health care providers to improve quality and governance of the health care system and improve affordable health care services (Bupa). Improving quality of healthcare expertise internationally. Bupa has experienced significant revenue growth in the last five years, with current equity at $4.37 billion. $1.18 billion of this revenue comes from care home services sustaining resident care for elderly and those with specialized needs (bupa.com, 2010). Because of the diversity and vastness of the products and services offered, Bupa’s marketing objectives consist of: Improve revenue

Personal Computers Essay Example for Free

Personal Computers Essay Background. The Personal Computers at their advent were simple machines with less number of parts and limited capabilities. Less power was required to operate the computers and computer heating was never a major problem. However with the development in microprocessor and solid state technologies there was a revolution in how people used computers. The computers today can be configured according to ones needs and many add on components like graphics cards, Modems, USB devices etc. can be fitted on computers . Motherboards today also come with an increased number of components. However with the increase in components a new problem of heating has surfaced in computers. Problems and Motivation Although these components have increased the functionality of computers tremendously it has raised a serious problem of heating. With the increase in number of components the demand for power supply has increased. The components consume more energy and generate large amount heat. Electronic devices perform inefficiently or even get damaged as a result of excessive heat. Hence new challenges to protect these components from getting damaged by proper cooling of heat has emerged. Though the components have increased in numbers the size of PCs has kept reducing. People today prefer smaller PCs for space constraints and aesthetics. In order to keep in line with the reducing sizes the Power supply and the cooling system should also go transformation in sizes. One needs to design cooling systems with greater performances yet at a reduced scale. As the power supply and cooling are the components of PC case there is a need to renovate these cases to protect computer components from getting overheated and damaged. At the same time the it should be scaled down and match the aesthetics of other parts such as monitors, keyboards etc which come in designer shapes today. Research Aims and Objectives With reference to the above discussed problem there is a need to develop PC cases which are responsible for computer cooling. The aim of the project is to create simulation in order to find a better solution over the existing PC Cases and prevent spreading of heat to other components. The project will achieve three main objectives The initial objective would be to understand the principle of fluid dynamics and apply it to the PC Case problem. Secondly we will design a model to convert humid air by applying Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) The final objective would be to provide recommendations for the PC Case. Literature Review The preliminary literature was done on the existing problems in PC Cases and the sources of heat in computer system . The current methodologies implemented for cooling were also studied. Basic literature on application of fluid dynamics and use of Computational Fluid Dynamics to solve problems was also reviewed Methodology The Research will be experimental in nature. simulation model of the existing PC Cases will be developed in CFD. The models will be simulated again with modification for the proposed air cooling. The comparison between the two simulation will help in developing the cooling system and designing of the PC Cases. The results obtained will be experimental in nature and the problem is achievable theoretically with the help of CFD. As the project intends to suggest changes over the existing models the use of Simulation is justified to obtain outcomes as the existing systems are already simulated for cooling by making use of CFD. Triangulation: Mathematical models for the fluid dynamics of air can be constructed and solved for various conditions and the outcomes of these can be cross examined with the that of computer simulations. An experimental set-up can be created to check the prototype of cooling system and the results can be compared. Reliability : The prototype and the simulated models can be tested over a number of systems/components from different manufacturers and checked for reliability. Ethics: The project will adhere to all the guidelines and protocols of electronic manufacturing devices in terms of manufacturing, quality and safety. Environment : The proposed PC cases will be environment friendly. It may be manufactured from environmental friendly recycled materials to reducing global warming. Noise reduction will be achieved considerably with the improved change in design. Analysis The outcomes of the project will help in analyzing the reduction achieved in heat generated and the prevention of components. It will also analyze the cost of implementation and its economic feasibility. Conclusion With correct implementation of fluid dynamics modification in the existing PC cases can be achieved to cool heat efficiently and prevent components from overheating. Although the project is experimental in nature and relies mainly on simulation there may be a variation in its actual implementations. Whether the PC Cases behave as recommended can only be judged only by their practical application the project can be a strong foundation to extend this future scope.

Desertification in Beijing Essay -- China Desert Environment Climate E

Chinese climatic history is colored with desertification. Desertification is the transformation of arable or habitable land to desert, by means of a change in climate or destructive land use.1 China is covered by deserts, however this becomes problematic during times of drought and aridity as the deserts expand and threaten local populations. The Gobi desert is the most threatening to Beijing, the capital of China. A study of desertification illustrates Beijing and China ’s weather, climate, and society of both the past and the present. Chinese climatic history of desertification should be taken as both a guide and a warning to scientists and policy makers concerned about current climatic conditions in Beijing. Several documented events in Chinese history hint that increasing aridity and drought associated with desertification presented problems to ancient peoples. In 1500 BC the ancient Chinese Yang-shao and Lung-shan cultures were overwhelmed by horse-riding people, invading from central Asia, a presumable signal of an early stage of increasing aridity and/or colder winters.3 A climate like the present one in China fostered great droughts around 1100 BC. This time marked a retraction of bamboo lines and disappearance of papyrus reeds hinting at a drying trend in climate.4 An analysis of trade and migrations can also be used as an indication that drought and desertification occurred and forced people from their place of origin. From 150 BC until AD 300, the Great Silk Road extended across Asia and acted as a mechanism for trade in luxuries from China.5 The Silk Road served as an avenue of cultural exposure and integration: introducing new languages, religions (Buddhism and Confucism), and commodities between the east and ... ...ngs and fences), chemical methods (bonding agents added to loose shifting sand to form a nonerodible crust), and land management practices.16 180,000 people living near Beijing will be forced to relocate, not because of immediate desertification danger, but to make room to implement these desertification stalling methods.17 Desertification has consistently haunted Chinese climatic history. However, recent evidence suggests that the Chinese might have a little more on their hands than the global climate change experienced by generations before them. While global warming and climate change are a world concern, the Chinese have an invested interest in combating the desert destruction of their capital city. If these methods prove futile and anthropogenic forces accelerate desertification, then Beijing could be the first victim in the battle against global warming.

Online Games Is Formative Way of Learning

Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment A research paper Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment A research paper Elizabeth Dunphy, EdD Commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA  © NCCA 2008 24 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 www. ncca. ie Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Contents Glossary 5 Introduction 6 Section 1: General background Purpose of the paper Assessment and curriculum The Irish context The practice context The legislative context Ethical IssuesTowards a definition of formative assessment Supporting learning and development 8 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 12 Section 2: The nature of early learning Characteristics of early learning The complexity of early learning Key theoretical constructs for assessment Ecological perspectives Socio-cultural perspectives Activity theory Children’s agency Children’s collaboration in learning Intersubjectivity and collaboration Childr en as co-constructors of knowledge Play as a context for formative assessment Emerging approaches to assessment Performance assessment and authentic assessment Summary 13 13 13 3 14 14 14 15 15 17 17 18 18 19 21 Section 3: What to assess in early learning The essentials of learning Dispositions A range of cognitive abilities Emotional well-being Self-concept and sociability Summary 22 22 22 23 23 24 24 Section 4: How to assess early learning A narrative approach to assessment of learning in early childhood Learning stories: A credit-focused approach A fully-contextualised account of learning Methods for collecting information on children’s learning Observing and empathising Conversations with children Clinical interviews Making sense of children’s learningSustaining learning and development through documentation Portfolios Summary 25 25 25 26 27 28 29 29 30 30 31 33 3 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Section 5: Assessment and the practitioner Professio nal knowledge Skills base Ethical considerations Manageability of assessment Tensions 34 34 34 35 35 36 Concluding comments 37 References 38 Table 1: Gardner’s understanding of human development and assessment and Shepard’s guiding principles of assessment 19 4 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Glossary Glossary Agency: Children are active in their own learning.Some ways in which they display their agency is by taking the initiative in learning situations, by observing and becoming involved in ongoing events, or by initiating conversations with others. Authentic assessment: Assessing children on tasks that are part of their ordinary everyday experiences in their early education and care settings. Co-construction: This occurs when children and/or practitioners construct meaning and knowledge about the world together in interaction. Collaborative learning: This is learning that takes place in social contexts and using the resources of the environment.Form ative assessment: This is assessment that informs teaching and learning. It is concerned with the shortterm collection and use of evidence for the guidance of learning. Intersubjectivity: This is the mutual understanding achieved by people in communication. Meta-cognition: This refers to what children think about their own learning, thinking and remembering and how the act of thinking about these processes affect the ways in which children then go about intentionally learning, thinking and remembering. It is a process whereby children become aware of their own thought processes.Pedagogy of mutuality: This perspective recognises that both child and adult bring beliefs and ideas to the learning situation and that discussion and interaction are the means by which a shared frame of reference is established. This results in an exchange of understandings between the child and the practitioner. Pedagogical content knowledge: This is a form of professional understanding which brings togethe r content knowledge and knowledge about pedagogy. It is based on an understanding of how best to organise and present ideas and adapt them in response to the diverse interests and abilities of children.Performance assessment: Assessing children’s early learning and development through observing, recording, and evaluating children’s performance or work. Scaffolding: This refers to the practice of providing guidance and support to children as they move from one level of competence to another. It is a metaphor that is used to describe interactional support for children’s efforts. The assistance offered to the child is sensitive to and contingent on the amount of support needed. Schema: These are patterns of early repeatable behaviours which children engage in and which lead them through a process of co-ordination, to make generalisations.Socio-cultural theories: These are a family of theories that have arisen from the work of Vygotsky and which have in common their emphasis on the role that social and cultural factors play in children’s development and learning. Theory of mind: Children gradually acquire the understanding that other people can hold beliefs about the world that differ from what the child him/herself believes or appears to be true. Transformation of participation: From a socio-cultural perspective, children are seen as developing through a process of participating in activities of their communities, and in doing so their participation changes.They become progressively more expert through engagement in cultural practice and through social interactions that guide them in taking on new roles and responsibilities. 5 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Introduction This research paper, Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment responds to the questions – What’s the purpose of formative assessment in early childhood? What should we assess? How should we assess?The paper is one of four research papers commissioned by the NCCA to set out the theory trail behind the Framework for Early Learning1. This paper is being used to develop guidelines on assessment for inclusion in the Framework. While there are a number of different types and functions of assessment this paper focuses on formative assessment as this offers most potential in terms of assessing to support learning in the day-to-day interactions between adults and children in early childhood. Section 1 of the paper, General background explores the meaning of assessment and its relationship with teaching and learning.Though still very much an emerging area, what we know about how to support early learning and development through the formative assessment process has advanced somewhat in recent years. In many ways the advances in assessment practices in early childhood education and care mirror those in the field of assessment g enerally. In particular, the articulation of the interrelatedness between teaching, learning and assessment and the complexity of the relationships between these processes and curriculum is of as much importance to those concerned with early learning and development, as it is to those concerned with later stages of development.The term assessment, as applied in early childhood education and care, generally implies the intention to provide a rich picture of the ways in which children act, think and learn. In order to orient the discussion about assessment in early childhood education and care, the initial section of the paper outlines the general context in relation to the assessment of early learning and development. While a number of different reasons for assessing early learning and development can be identified, this paper focuses on using formative assessment to support teaching and learning.Section 2, The nature of early learning begins from the premise that in assessing early learning and development it is critical to acknowledge and take account of the nature of early learning and development. We know that in early childhood learning and development is rapid, episodic and holistic. It is also highly influenced by the extent of support that is available for that learning. The adults around the child, and the extent to which they can and do support early learning and development, are crucial elements in determining the extent of learning.Because of their stage of development, children’s abilities in some areas are not yet mature. Their verbal abilities are still emerging, and so assessment of learning and development is often through observation of, and inference from, the children’s actions and reactions in particular situations. It is also essential to acknowledge and take account of the fact that there are considerable cultural variations in children’s experiences. These will result in differences in the course and content of early learning and development. They may also result in considerable differences in how children learn and in how they display their learning.It is important to focus on the breadth of children’s early learning and development. Section 3, What to assess in early learning focuses on assessing children’s dispositions, well-being, cognitive abilities and self-concept and sociability. Assessment in early childhood is shaped by how children from birth to six years learn and develop. A narrative approach offers great potential for making assessment of early learning visible. Documentation of evidence of early learning and development in various ways, using a variety of media and tools, is important for both reflecting on and communicating about children’s achievements.There appears to be general agreement that assessment of early learning and development should be informal, carried out over time, and in the context of the child’s interactions with materials, objects and other people. It should also be authentic in the sense that it should take place in real-life contexts where it is embedded in tasks that children see as significant, meaningful and worthwhile. Informal assessments, carried out as children engage in experiences they see as relevant and meaningful, are likely to produce the best assessments of early learning and development.These issues are considered in Section 4, How to assess early learning. 1 The Framework for Early Learning was renamed Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework in 2009. 6 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 5, Assessment and the practitioner discusses the need for professional development for early childhood practitioners. Good assessment practice requires understanding about how children learn and develop, the process of assessment, and skills to manageably assess in ways that respect children and that are e thically sound.The concluding comments clarify and summarise the key messages across the paper. Key points arising from the discussion are presented in shaded boxes throughout the paper. Some of these points relate to key messages arising from theory and research while others are aspirational. 7 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 1: General background This section of the paper explores what is meant by assessment in early childhood and discusses its relationship with teaching and learning.Informed by this, a definition of formative assessment is presented. The section concludes by describing the current practice and legislative context in which assessment takes place in Ireland. Purpose of the paper The purpose of this paper is to review issues related to formative assessment of early learning. The findings of the paper will be used to support the development of the assessment guidelines in the Framework for Early Learning2. The paper responds to questions related to the what, why and how of formative assessment in early childhood. Assessment and curriculumWays of assessing children’s learning and development cannot be separated from features of the curriculum (for example, the degree of formality or informality that characterises it), and from views of learners and learning which are embodied in that curriculum. Kelly (1992) identifies the interrelating of curriculum and assessment as †¦ a highly complex and sophisticated matter (p. 16). He argues that the interplay of one with the other is crucial in determining the effectiveness of either. The NCCA is developing a curriculum framework for children between the ages of birth and six years.The Framework embraces a particular view of the child, of learning and of how that learning may be celebrated and extended. In the Framework for Early Learning, learning is presented in four broad and complementary theme s:  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Well-being  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Identity and Belonging  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Communicating  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Exploring and Thinking. Some of the principles related to how children develop and learn which underpin the Framework include the following:  ¦Ã‚ ¦ holistic learning and development  ¦Ã‚ ¦ active learning  ¦Ã‚ ¦ play and first-hand experiences  ¦Ã‚ ¦ relevant and meaningful experiences  ¦Ã‚ ¦ communication and language  ¦ a well-planned and well-resourced outdoor and indoor learning environment. It will be important to identify an approach to assessment that will help practitioners identify and support children’s learning as it relates to the Framework’s principles and themes. Assessment and teaching are now generally considered to be as much inseparable processes in early childhood as they are in any other period of life (Shepard, Kagan and Wurtz, 1998; Bowman et al. , 2001). We now know that children learn by building new understandings on those that they already have ( Wood, 1998).In order to support children’s learning then, practitioners first collect information about children’s well-being, identity and belonging, communication, and exploration and thinking. What children engage with, think, know, feel or can do are all of importance in the assessment process. Reflection on this information helps the practitioner to establish 2 As noted earlier, the Framework for Early Learning was renamed Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework in 2009. 8 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment ow best to advance children’s learning and development. Once this is established the practitioner is then in a position to plan worthwhile, interesting and challenging learning experiences to further progress learning. Clearly then, assessment in early childhood is not something that can be considered independent of either curriculum or learning. It is critica l that the assessment of early learning recognises the unique nature of development in early childhood. It is also critical that we learn from the experiences of countries with a longer history of appraising assessment practices and processes than we have here in Ireland.Working in the context of the United States, where there has been considerable interest in finding appropriate assessment formats for use by early childhood practitioners, Shepard et al. (1998, pp. 8-9) devised a set of principles to guide practice and policy for the assessment of children’s learning. These represented a synthesis of understandings in respect of the most appropriate approaches to assessment in early childhood and the authors advised that they should apply to any situation in which assessments are used to make decisions about children’s learning:  ¦Ã‚ ¦Assessments should bring about benefits for children.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessments should be tailored to a specific purpose and should be reli able, valid and fair for that purpose.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessment policies should be designed recognising that reliability and validity of assessments increases with children’s age.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessments should be age-appropriate in both content and the method of data collection.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Assessments should be linguistically appropriate, recognising that to some extent all assessments are measures of language.  ¦Ã‚ ¦Parents should be a valued source of assessment information, as well as an audience for assessment results. The Irish context The practice context Assessment in the early years of a child’s life can be viewed from a number of perspectives. David (2003) identifies three perspectives  ¦Ã‚ ¦ the day-to-day informal assessments made by the adults with whom the child comes in contact. In most cases these are early years practitioners who may or may not document such assessments.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ the physical assessments by paediatricians, public health nurses and family doc tors.These aim to identify any physical problems that may impede children’s progression and seek to alleviate them as much as possible.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ diagnostic assessments that can have a range of functions, including identifying children with special educational needs, and helping practitioners to support their learning more effectively. No single type of assessment can serve all of the purposes identified in the perspectives outlined above. Each perspective has a role to play, especially in the case of children with special needs where diagnostic assessments are of paramount importance.Babies, toddlers and young children may experience various types of assessments in early childhood. Some may occur frequently, others occasionally. Multi-agency and multi-disciplinary communication is a critical means by which information related to the child’s development and learning can be shared for the benefit of the child. It is imperative that practitioners in early childhood settin gs have access to any information that is of use in making sure learning opportunities in the setting are appropriate for each individual child.The practice of practitioners building on assessments carried out by other professionals such as therapists can be facilitated by significant levels of inter- and/or multidisciplinary teamwork. 9 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Where children spend some or all of their day in out-of-home settings the practitioners with whom they are in contact engage in ongoing assessment for supporting learning and development.Traditionally, observation is the primary method used in assessing children’s learning and development in the range of early education settings in Ireland. For instance, close observations of children’s play in a range of childcare services in Ireland provide the basis for learning and teaching stories (Brennan, 2004). Many practitio ners use checklists to record aspects of their observations. These are often used to record observations in relation to the assessment of children’s skills and understandings, particularly in the area of identifying children with special educational needs and in supporting their learning and development.In relation to their use of assessment practices to support children’s learning in curriculum areas, only about half of infant teachers who participated in Phase 1 of the Primary Curriculum Review (NCCA, 2005) reported that they used observation and about three-quarters reported using documentation. Infant teachers in primary schools also use a range of developmental and diagnostic assessments, for example, in the area of early literacy, to assess specific aspects of children’s development and learning. (See Section 4 for a more extensive discussion on observation as an assessment method. )Increasingly there is an awareness that children live different childhoods : their social, cultural, linguistic and ecological experiences and opportunities differ and all of this influences assessment. Practitioners who are in daily contact with children are in a good position to familiarise themselves with these diverse aspects of children’s lives and of their possibilities for early learning and development. Consequently, on a day-to-day basis, the practitioner’s own assessments are the ones that have the most potential in terms of planning for children’s learning and of making judgements regarding children’s progress.Using assessment for this purpose is the central focus of this paper. Key point A range of assessments are appropriate in assessing children’s learning. The focus of the assessment depends on its purpose. The central focus of this paper is on formative assessment where practitioners’ own assessments are used to support and plan for children’s learning. The legislative context There is a long history of informal assessment of children’s learning in Ireland. However, for various reasons early childhood practitioners now find it necessary to document learning in ways that were not general practice previously.Both legislative requirements and practitioners’ own desires to better understand early learning and how best to extend it, are to the fore in encouraging the documentation of information related to children’s early learning and development. In relation to young children attending primary schools, The Education Act (Department of Education and Science, 1998) requires principals and teachers to regularly evaluate students and periodically report the results of the evaluation to the students and their parents. The implications of this requirement for teachers and schools include  ¦ developing assessment procedures which provide an accurate account of children’s progress and achievement  ¦Ã‚ ¦ creating and maintaining records of childrenâ €™s progress and achievement while they are attending the school  ¦Ã‚ ¦ providing parents with assessment reports which contain accurate and clearly accessible information about their children’s progress and achievement (NCCA, 2007a, p. 95). The Equal Status Act (The Equality Authority, 2000) has implications for the assessment policy in early education settings.In particular, it requires settings to be aware of the effects of context, culture and language in assessing children’s learning and development. 10 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (EPSEN) (Department of Health and Children, 2004) requires that where a child has or may have special educational needs an assessment of those needs should be carried out. With children not attending formal schooling this is the responsibility of the relevant health board.Where th e child is a student then the Act requires schools to identify when a child is not benefiting from the education programme on offer and to investigate the reasons behind this. The school, or in the case of a child not at school the relevant health board, is mandated to ensure that an individual education plan (IEP) for an appropriate education for the child is drawn up in consultation with the child’s parents. The Act outlines the statutory requirements for educational planning for children with special educational needs (SEN).It requires that a multi-disciplinary assessment be carried out in situations where it is considered that the child may have special educational needs. An IEP must then be prepared for each child identified as having such needs. Discussion and agreement regarding the abilities, skills and talents as well as the nature and degree of the child’s special educational needs, together with an analysis of how these needs affect the child’s learni ng and development is required. The plan must include these and must also specify goals for learning and development for the child over a period not exceeding ne year. It must also specify the supports that need to be put in place to enable the child to participate in and benefit from education. The Disability Act (Department of Health and Children, 2005) enables provision for the assessment of health and education needs for persons with disabilities, arising from their situation. The Act provides for access for people with disabilities to health and education services. In relation to educational needs, Part 2 Section 8 (9) states that where an assessment is applied for it must be carried out by or at the request of an assessment officer who then identifies the need for the provision of an educational service to the child, he or she shall, in case the child is enrolled in a school, refer the matter to the principal of that school†¦in any other case, refer the matter to the coun cil for the purposes of an assessment. The Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations (Department of Health and Children, 2006) set out the regulations and requirements pertaining to all aspects of the operation of pre-school settings. Regulation 5 explicitly requires that:A person carrying on a pre-school service shall ensure that each child’s learning, development and well-being is facilitated within the daily life of the service through the provision of the appropriate opportunities, experiences, activities, interaction, materials and equipment, having regard to the age and state of development of the child and the child’s cultural context. To fulfil this requirement it is necessary for practitioners to engage in making important judgements about children’s learning and development and how best to extend and enrich it. By implication this involves the practitioner in assessing learning and development.Indeed, the explanatory guide directs practitione rs to be pro-active in ensuring that appropriate action is taken to address each child’s individual needs with his/her parents and following consultation, where appropriate, with other relevant services (p. 39). While there are other pieces of legislation which impact on aspects of assessment such as the transfer of assessment information between settings, the focus of this paper is on the actual process of using assessment to support early learning and development. How best to comply with the above demands in ways that are respectful to hildren; capture the complexity of early learning; and are helpful in planning future learning experiences has now become a key issue for consideration for early childhood practitioners. Key point Assessment takes place within a particular legislative framework in Ireland. Ethical Issues The nature of the power relations between babies, toddlers and young children and the practitioners with whom they come into contact needs to be acknowledged in the assessment situation. The power of the adult and the relative dependency of children make it imperative that ethical issues are given serious consideration by practitioners.Some of these issues are discussed later in Section 5. 11 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Towards a definition of formative assessment Bowman, Donovan and Burns (2001) suggest that the term assessment, as applied in early childhood education and care, generally implies the intention to provide a rich picture of the ways in which children act, think and learn. Such a picture focuses on the individual’s learning, is built up over time and provides evidence of learning in a number of different contexts.In relation to its importance, they argue that: Assessment has an important role to play in revealing a child’s prior knowledge, development of concepts and ways of interacting with and understanding the worl d so that teachers can choose a pedagogical approach and curricular materials that will support the child’s further learning and development. (p. 259) Pelligrini (1998) describes assessment in early childhood as being about the collection of information about children. This is generally understood to encompass a number of other processes besides collecting. For example, Lally nd Hurst (1992) describe how assessment also involves practitioners in documenting, analysing and reflecting on the information collected, and using this to plan and support further learning. This definition is very similar to that used in Assessment in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools (NCCA, 2007a). While similar methods may be useful in both early childhood settings and in primary school settings, in early childhood assessment particular account needs to be taken of the characteristics of babies, toddlers and young children and to the unique ways in which these children learn.Early childhood assessment focuses specifically on finding out what children are interested in, understand, think, feel, and are able to do. It seeks to document this information in order to understand children’s thinking and learning styles, to chart children’s progress and to support further learning. It is developmental in that it focuses on processes rather than on content or product. Key point Assessment of early learning provides a rich picture of children’s learning by collecting and documenting information. Through reflecting on and using this information, children’s future learning is supported and enhanced.Supporting learning and development Assessment in early childhood has been identified as having a number of functions – ipsative, diagnostic, summative, evaluative and informative (Wood and Attfield, 2005). Assessment in early childhood has enormous potential to support learning and development. A recent large-scale longitudinal study of ear ly learning settings in England confirmed the importance of assessment in meeting children’s needs and in supporting their cognitive progress (Siraj-Blatchford, Sylva, Muttock, Gilden and Bell, 2002).The ultimate purpose of assessment in early childhood is to make learning more interesting, enjoyable and successful for children. Drummond (1993) suggests that assessment must work for children: We can use our assessments to shape and enrich our curriculum, our interactions, our provision as a whole: we can use our assessments as a way of identifying what children will be able to learn next, so that we can support and extend that learning. Assessment is part of our daily practice in striving for quality. (p. 13) Key pointAssessment in early childhood promotes the extension and enrichment of children’s early learning and development. The following section looks at the nature of early learning and the implications for assessing early learning. 12 Aistear: the Early Childhoo d Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 2: The nature of early learning This section of the paper discusses the characteristics of early learning and identifies some key theoretical constructs that guide the teaching, learning and assessment processes during early childhood.Theoretical considerations have been influential in shaping new and emerging approaches to assessment and the most salient of these are discussed in relation to their implications for the assessment of early learning and development. Characteristics of early learning During the early childhood period children’s learning across the various dimensions of development (for example, physical, motor, linguistic, emotional) is greater than at any other period, but is also highly variable across the dimensions.It also occurs very rapidly, is episodic in nature and is very susceptible to environmental conditions (Shepard et al. , 1998). These factors con tribute to making the assessment of early learning and development very challenging. The complexity of early learning We have a great deal of evidence that early learning and development is both extensive and complex (e. g. Drummond, 1993; Bowman et al. , 2001; Carr, 2002). The research paper, Children’s early learning and development (French, 2007) provides information on many facets of early learning and development.Early childhood educators have consistently sought to convey the extent of this complexity and over the years they have provided evidence of exactly how much learning children can demonstrate, provided that it is approached in appropriate ways. For instance, Donaldson (1983) clearly demonstrates how children display different levels of proficiency/learning in different contexts. In her seminal work, Children’s Minds, she reviewed research that illustrated the dramatic effect of the inclusion or omission of a single adjective in questioning children on so- called ‘logical’ tasks.She argues (p. 59) that the young child †¦ first makes sense of situations (and perhaps especially those involving human intentions) and then uses this kind of understanding to help him make sense of what is said to him. Looking not at what children say but at what they do, the work of Athey (1990) and that of Nutbrown (1999) clearly demonstrates how, as children pursue certain schema for considerable periods of time, these can be identified and supported by practitioners. Early learning is seen, for instance in Athey’s work, to have its own recognisable and valid characteristics.Nutbrown (1999) draws out the implication of that work for the assessment of children’s pathways and patterns of development and interest. This work along with that of Drummond (1993) exemplifies vividly how much of children’s learning there is to see if practitioners are open to seeing it by looking beyond what children can tell us and instead o bserving what they actually can do. Play provides an important vehicle and context for this work. Key point During the early childhood period, children’s learning is highly complex and is made visible through assessing carefully and thoughtfully.Key theoretical constructs for assessment Dahlberg, Moss and Pence (1999) observe that in recent years, especially in Western Europe, there has been a process of rethinking childhood that has led to new constructions of the child. They locate this process in a number of interrelated developments with respect to learning theories; philosophy; psychology; sociology; and a concurrent questioning of previous understandings in these fields. From this post-modern perspective, the young child is seen, from the start of life, as a construction of his or her own world.This is very similar to the perspective adopted by Malaguzzi (1993), the founder of the world-renowned Reggio Emilia pre-schools in Italy. Dahlberg et al. (1999) describe how in Reggio Emilia pre-schools, the young child is understood as a unique, complex individual who is rich in the sense that he or she is equipped from the start to engage fully and actively in their world. A wider discussion of these perspectives follows. 13 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessmentEcological perspectives Ecological and socio-cultural theories of learning have largely dominated explanations of development and learning in early childhood in recent years. For instance, ecological (Bronfenbrenner 1979) and bioecological (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 1998) models of human development have been influential in efforts to understand learning and development and associated processes such as assessment. These models emphasise the role in human development of both the environment and of processes.The research paper, Perspectives on the relationship between education and care (Hayes, 2007) in turn highligh ts both the importance of care and education in facilitating children’s overall development. From this perspective, human development is seen as taking place as a result of progressively more complex reciprocal interactions (p. 996) between the young child and the people, objects and symbols in the environment. To be effective the interactions must occur on a fairly regular basis over extended periods of time (p. 996).These enduring forms of interaction (proximal processes) are seen as key to learning and development and we must study these interactions over time and alongside the observation of behaviour in natural settings. From an ecologicaltheory perspective, Bronfenbrenner (1979) describes how the learner can participate in increasingly more complex learning situations and in doing so take increasingly greater responsibility in the learning situation. The perspective also emphasises the agency or active nature of children in their interactions with adults, objects and sy mbols.The model can be used to draw attention to the interpersonal and situational aspects of assessment, for example: the importance of the personal characteristics of the child and the adult in the assessment context, the importance of reciprocal interactions between child and adult and the importance of assessing children’s level of engagement with the objects and symbols provided in the immediate environment. Thus the ecological approach emphasises assessment of children engaged in real tasks in natural settings.This perspective sits very well with the socio-cultural perspective that we look at next. Socio-cultural perspectives In the past two decades socio-cultural perspectives, that is perspectives that highlight the social and cultural nature of learning, are increasingly used to explain the ways that learning and development occur in early childhood (Anning, Cullen and Fleer, 2004). Socio-cultural theories of learning suggest that the process of learning is as much a social construction as it is an individual one. Rogoff (1998, p. 91) describes development as transformation of participation. Transformation occurs at a number of levels: for instance, the learner changes at the level of their involvement, in the role they play in the learning situation, in the ability they demonstrate in moving flexibly from one learning context to another, and in the amount of responsibility taken in the situation. Activity theory also concentrates on the social aspects of learning. Activity theory Activity theory, which is a development of aspects of Vygotsky’s work (See for example, Engerstrom et al. 1999), is also being highlighted as a theoretical framework that may be useful in explaining the complexity of learning–related issues in early childhood. Fleer, Anning and Cullen (2004) explain how activity theory, in common with Rogoff’s discussion of socio-cultural theory, focuses on the study of the complexity of human behaviour in social g roups and in specific contexts. The theory is premised on the notion that the contextual features of a task contribute to †¦ performance on that task (p. 178).Furthermore, children use tools such as language, a particular action or resource to mediate knowledge in interactions with others. But the cultural features of the context in which they use these tools influences the way activities are performed and understood. Key point If socio-cultural theory informs our understanding of how children learn, it also by implication informs our understanding of assessment. 14 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessmentWhat all of these perspectives hold in common is their emphasis on the socially constructed nature of learning and of assessment. There are a number of other important constructs that also unite them to greater or lesser degrees. These include children’s agency, the importance of collaborati on, and the co-construction of meaning and knowledge. These constructs are particularly helpful when thinking about the quality of the interactions between practitioners and young learners. Quality interactions are increasingly recognised as central to pedagogy (Black and Wiliam 1998a; Siraj-Blatchford et al. , 2002).The next sub-section discusses these ideas in some detail, and in doing so, draws out the implications for assessment practices in early childhood. Children’s agency Bruner (1999a) argues that advances in the study of human development provide us with a profile of the child as an active, intentional being; with knowledge as ‘man-made’ rather than simply there; with ways to negotiate with others in the construction of knowledge. (See French (2007) for more detailed information. ) A crucial aspect of identity and self-esteem is that the child sees him/her self as an agent in control of his/her own actions.Some ways in which children display their agenc y is by taking the initiative in learning situations, by observing and becoming involved in ongoing events, or by initiating conversations with others. Agency is about taking more control of your own mental activity (Bruner, 1996, p. 87). Bruner argues that the agentive mind is not only active in nature but it seeks out dialogue and discourse with other active minds (p. 93). Bruner (1999a) identifies efforts to recognise children’s perspectives in the processes of learning as highly significant and he uses the term pedagogy of mutuality (p. 3) to describe the pedagogy that arises from such endeavours. It is premised on the belief that children are able to reason; to make sense (both alone and in discourse with others); to reflect and to hold theories about self and about the world. The practitioner, according to Bruner (p. 12) is concerned with understanding what the child thinks and how he/she arrives at what he/she believes. He identifies four key research constructs which have enriched this perspective on teaching and learning (and by implication assessment):  ¦Ã‚ ¦Intersubjectivity – how the child develops the ability to read other minds  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Theory of mind – the child’s grasp of another’s intentional state  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Meta-cognition – what the child thinks about learning, remembering thinking  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Collaborative learning – how children, through talk and discussion, explain and revise their thinking. These theoretical ideas are important also in the analysis of assessment as it relates to early learning and development. Children’s collaboration in learning is also important and this is considered below. Key pointThe active role which children themselves play in their interactions with others needs to be recognised and taken into account in any assessment of learning. Children’s collaboration in learning Zone of proximal development Vygotsky’s theory of learning (1978; 1986) has bee n highly influential in helping to explain the processes of learning in early childhood. In particular, his notion of the zone of proximal development has provided the foundation and potential for some of the most important recent initiatives in the assessment of individual children’s learning (Lunt, 2000).Berk and Winsler (1995) describe Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) as a dynamic zone of sensitivity in which learning and cognitive development occur. Tasks that children cannot do individually but they can do with help from others invoke mental functioning that are currently in the process of developing, rather than those that have already matured (p. 26). It appears that Vygotsky originally introduced the ZPD in the context of arguing against intelligence testing which he felt was seeking to assess something static and did not reflect the dynamic and ever-changing 5 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and developm ent through formative assessment nature of human cognition. Adult-child collaboration within the ZPD is critical for effective teaching and learning interactions because it is within such interactions that the practitioner identifies how the child may be assisted in learning and what the child is capable of doing with appropriate support. The practitioner also has the opportunity to assess the impact of such support on the child’s progress.This approach to assessment effectively merges the teaching and assessment processes. It is commonly referred to as dynamic assessment. When Feuerstein (1979) first proposed this form of assessment he was envisioning, in essence, a joint problem-solving situation during which the practitioner gauges the nature and extent of assistance required by the child in order to solve the problem. Children’s responsiveness to appropriate instructional interactions is a key factor in dynamic assessment situations and it is now considered to be a n important predictor of learning potential (Berk and Winsler, 1995).Lidz (1991) emphasises that: The focus of dynamic assessment is on the assessor’s ability to discover the means of facilitating the learning of the child, not on the child’s demonstration of ability to the assessor (as cited in Berk and Winsler, 1995, p. 139). Dynamic assessment is considered by Berk and Winsler (ibid. ) as especially useful for making visible the learning potential of those children whose early experiences do not include experiences that prepare them for learning in group/institutional settings. (For a comprehensive discussion of dynamic assessment and emerging approaches to such assessment, see Lunt, 2000).The concept of scaffolding is often associated with ZPD and it is this which we turn our attention to next. Key point Practitioner’s interactions with children often incorporate both teaching and assessment. It is critical that the practitioner is capable of engaging certai n interactive skills in such situations since these will be necessary to ensure optimal learning and development. Scaffolding Effective scaffolding (Wood, Bruner and Ross, 1976), where the adult guides the child’s learning in the ZPD, is an important feature of the engagement of the child in joint problem solving.Here, the child interacts with the practitioner while the two are jointly trying to reach a goal and this results in the establishment of intersubjectivity (Newson and Newson, 1975). Intersubjectivity refers to the process whereby two participants achieve a shared understanding whilst undertaking a task that they approach from different perspectives. The parties co-construct meanings in activities that involve higher–order thinking (Vygotsky, 1978). Rogoff (1998) emphasises the ongoing mutual process of understanding, which is inherent in joint problemsolving interactions.She also draws attention to the institutional and cultural aspects of joint problemsolvin g activities. She distinguishes between her socio-cultural approach to studying experts’ support of novices’ learning and other approaches which focus on particular techniques such as scaffolding. Rogoff distinguishes between the concepts of ‘scaffolding’ and of working in the zone of proximal development. She describes scaffolding as a specific technique focusing on what experts provide for novices; it focuses on the tutor’s efforts as they relate contingently to the novice’s successes and failures (p. 699).However, working in the zone of proximal development is, in her view, wider than scaffolding. It focuses on the processes of communication that builds a continually evolving mutual perspective. It is a way of describing an activity in which someone with greater expertise assists someone else †¦ to participate in socio-cultural activities in a way that exceeds what they could do otherwise (p. 699). Mutual contribution is an essential consideration so interactions and communicative and collaborative processes all form part of the picture, rather than just the child’s successes or errors as in scaffolding.Rogoff argues that The concept of scaffolding does not refer to the institutional and cultural context in which it occurs, whereas the concept of zone of proximal development requires attention to processes of communication and the relation of the interaction at hand to institutional, cultural and historic processes. (p. 700) 16 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Key point Supporting children’s learning is an important part of assessment. For the practitioner this is often far more complex than simply applying a technique such as scaffolding.Learners make an equally important contribution. Intersubjectivity and collaboration are important in scaffolding children’s learning and we look at these two concepts b elow. Intersubjectivity and collaboration Rogoff (1990; 1998) has illustrated how children make an important contribution in collaborating in the process of establishing joint understanding. Children, including infants in the first year of life, can sometimes be observed to be deliberately taking the lead in collaborative activities by seeking information or by directing activities.Rogoff’s analysis, consistent with Vygotsky, suggests that the intersubjectivity as achieved by adults and babies is different from that achieved by adults and children who can use linguistic (verbal and gestural) communication to achieve mutual understandings. This then has implications for the assessment process across the age range birth to six years. Working in the zone of proximal development with a toddler will include the adult engaging in the demonstration of objects, collaborative activity with objects and the focusing of the child’s attention.Rogoff (1998) points out that the child , for example in seeking to help the adult in everyday chores, very often initiates such activity. Older toddlers and young children will often seek to assert their independence in doing a particular task themselves but Rogoff’s analysis of the research suggests that they also will actively seek assistance when they are stuck. Recently a question has arisen about the capacity of early years settings to support the kinds of relationships and shared experiences that enable children to engage in the types of social participation that promote optimum learning (Parker-Rees, 2007).The research indicates that the nature and scope of babies, toddlers and children’s interactions with parents, the playful quality of these interactions and the extent to which relationships can influence reciprocal imitative behaviour (an important process of learning especially in the first year) must all be fully appreciated by practitioners and be seen as desirable conditions for learning in th e setting. Key point The concept of collaboration is key when considering assessment from a socio-cultural perspective.In collaborating, the child and the practitioner are involved in each other’s thinking processes through shared efforts. In order to assess certain aspects of learning by babies, toddlers and young children, it is essential for adults to collaborate with the children in order to understand their learning. The co-construction of knowledge is supported by intersubjectivity and collaboration and it is to this that we next draw our attention. Children as co-constructors of knowledgeIn recent times the term ‘co-construction’ has featured prominently in influential early childhood publications, although it was implicit in the last century in the work of Dewey (1933) who emphasised the ways in which children construct their learning by actively engaging in, and shaping, their experiences and environments. For instance, Jordan (2004) discusses the term s caffolding and compares it with coconstruction. The specific pattern of interaction that characterised early accounts of scaffolding, according to Jordan (ibid. and Rogoff (1998), generally maintained the power and control with the adult. They argue that the term co-construction emphasises the child as a powerful player in his/her own learning. An example of how this process of co-construction works in practice is illustrated in the discussions of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education (Edwards, Gandini and Forman, 1998). Co-construction refers to adults and children making meaning and knowledge together (MacNaughton and Williams, 2004).Co-construction recognises the child’s expertise and in order to understand this, the practitioner needs to interact with the child and become aware of the child’s thoughts and thereby to establish intersubjectivity. 17 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through f ormative assessment Recent research (Siraj-Blatchford et al. , 2002) also highlighted the process of co-construction and found it to be a key factor in terms of promoting children’s learning.Essentially a co-construction perspective emphasises understanding and meaning on the part of both child and adult, rather than the acquisition of facts by the child. Jordan (2004) concludes that the two concepts, scaffolding and co-construction have different applicability depending on whether the goal of the practitioner is the exploration of thinking or the achievement of pre-specified learning goals. Key point Co-construction of meaning and knowledge is central to teaching, learning and assessment and it occurs when both child and practitioner engage together in achieving mutual understanding.Play as a context for formative assessment As this paper demonstrates, children’s learning is complex and assessment approaches need to take cognisance of this. In early childhood, this co mplexity is abundantly evident as children engage in play. The importance of play to young children’s learning and development is a key principle for early childhood practitioners (Wood, 2004). Assessing children’s understandings and progress as they play, either alone or with others, is a crucial activity in early year’s settings. In assessing the child’s learning through play the adult can use a range of approaches and methods.Practitioners make assessments by focusing on children’s play interests, their levels of engagement and participation. They make assessments while skilfully engaging with children in play. Skilful engagement includes intervention in play as and when appropriate. Such interventions may serve to initiate or sustain interactions, thereby leading to shared talking and thinking. They may also involve scaffolding children in order to enable them to reach their potential at a particular time. (See the research paper, Play as a con text for early learning and development (Kernan, 2007) for detailed information on play. Children’s learning is a complex matter and assessment approaches need to take cognisance of this. The paper now looks at emerging approaches to assessment, all of which take account of play as a vehicle for learning and development. Key point Assessing children’s understandings and progress as they play, either alone or with others, is a crucial activity in early year’s settings. Emerging approaches to assessment The rationale for using assessment to enrich and extend children’s learning can be located in recent developments in society’s understandings of learning in the early years.For instance, in recent decades there have been very big changes in our understandings of human nature and of learning. Gardner (1999, p. 91) reviews what he describes as several lines of evidence from the cognitive, neural, and developmental sciences which point to a far more capa cious view of the human mind and of human learning than that which informed earlier conceptions. He presents a picture of assessment that builds on the newly emerging picture of human development (see Table 1). Gardner’s principles complement the earlier principles presented by Shepard et al. 1998). (See pages 16-17. ) 18 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Table 1: Gardner’s understanding of human development and assessment and Shepard’s guiding principles of assessment Features of human development Features of assessment In understanding human development, there is Assessment should  ¦Ã‚ ¦ be simple, natural and occurring on a reliable schedule evidence for the existence of multiple faculties or ‘intelligences’  ¦Ã‚ ¦ have ecological validity (be done in situations hat are real)  ¦Ã‚ ¦ recognition of vast individual differences;  ¦Ã‚ ¦  ¦Ã‚ ¦ the desirab ility of assessing learning in context utilise instruments that are intelligence-fair and not dependent on language or logical faculties  ¦Ã‚ ¦ locating competence and skill ‘outside the head of the individual’.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ use multiple measures  ¦Ã‚ ¦ be sensitive to individual differences, developmental levels and forms of expertise  ¦Ã‚ ¦ use materials which are intrinsically interesting and motivating  ¦Ã‚ ¦ yield information to be used for the learner’s benefit.  ¦Ã‚ ¦ a necessity for a developmental perspective  ¦Ã‚ ¦ n emergence of a symbol-system perspective  ¦Ã‚ ¦ Performance and authentic assessment incorporate some of Gardner’s ideas and a discussion of these follows below. Performance assessment and authentic assessment Emerging approaches to assessment take account of developments in theories about learning and about human development. Performance assessment is currently seen as an approach that is particularly appropriate for asses sing many aspects of early learning and development (see Bowman et al. , 2001). Meisels (1999) describes performance assessment as assessments that are ounded on the notion that learning and development can only be assessed over time and in interactions with materials, objects and other people. In this approach to assessment, the expectation is that tasks must be practical, realistic and challenging for children (Torrance, 2001). Performance assessment implies observation of children as they undertake a number of routine tasks in early learning settings. According to Meisels (1999, p. 58) these should meet a number of criteria:  ¦Ã‚ ¦ tasks should bring together various skills that children display and demonstrate during the course of interactions  ¦ children should be assisted to perform to the very best of their ability  ¦Ã‚ ¦ tasks should be guided by developmental standards  ¦Ã‚ ¦ tasks should engage children in reflection about their work and in articulating their ideas about their learning. Authentic assessment is a type of performance assessment. It is described as compatible with the prevailing philosophy that emphasises whole child development (Puckett and Black 2000, p. 6). This philosophy explains development across a range of domains (for example social, moral, emotional, language and cognitive).It also recognises the diversity of early learning and the role of environmental factors in shaping that learning. From an authentic assessment perspective, curriculum and assessment are interwoven and emphasise relevant and meaningful experiences. Assessment focuses on what children do, and on how they do it in the context of meaningful tasks. Authentic assessment has a number of identifiable features (Puckett and Black, 2000, p. 7), including the following: 19 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment  ¦Ã‚ ¦ an emphasis on emerging development  ¦ a focus on the youn g child’s individual strengths and weaknesses  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is based on principles of child growth and development  ¦Ã‚ ¦ emanates from logical, meaningful, relevant and applicable curricula  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is performance based  ¦Ã‚ ¦ recognises different intelligence and learning styles  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is reflective and analytic  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is ongoing and occurs in many contexts  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is collaborative with learners, parents and others involved in children’s learning  ¦Ã‚ ¦ is interwoven with teaching. Key point Authentic assessment is compatible with a whole child perspective on learning and development. 20 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum FrameworkSupporting early learning and development through formative assessment Summary Where the purpose of assessment is to promote further learning, assessment becomes a particular type of teaching strategy. (See Marshall and Drummond, 2006). Assessment from a socio-cultural perspective takes account of the key learning processes as de termined by socio-cultural theory. In particular, collaboration and the importance in that process of the establishment of mutual understanding (intersubjectivity) need to be emphasised, as do ideas about children’s agency and those related to the co-construction of knowledge and understanding.An understanding of the different processes that contribute to children’s learning, and the types of interactions that promote it are key to understanding how such learning can best be assessed. The recognition of these processes at work is also central in conceptualising assessment approaches that take account of and display the key role of children themselves in the assessment process. Authentic assessment reflects new understandings about learning and about human development, and recognises the holistic, contextualised and dynamic nature of learning in early childhood.Having discussed the interconnection between how children learn and approaches to assessment, the next section looks at what to assess in children’s early learning and development. 21 Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment Section 3: What to assess in early learning This section of the paper identifies aspects of learning that are of concern in assessing children’s early learning and development. The challenges of assessing a wide range of learning and development in a balanced way are discussed.The essentials of learning Skills and knowledge are important in respect of early learning. However, increasingly there are calls for a wider view of what it is that children are learning in the years from birth to six, and for explicitness about other areas of children’s development that are now recognised as critical for long term success. For instance, Bertram and Pascal (2002) identify social competence, emotional well-being and dispositions to learn as core constituent elements of the effectiv e learner.In relation to each of these areas they identify elements that characterise the effective learner. Indicators related to disposition include independence, creativity, self-motivation and resilience. Those related to emotional literacy include empowerment, connectedness, and positive self-esteem. Those related to social competence inco