School Development Planning Process | Research Study

School Development Planning Process | Research Study School Development Planning is an ongoing process that helps schools as complex communities to meet the dual challenge of enhancing quality and managing change. (DES, 1999:9, Online). In recent years schools started giving more thought to how the planning and management of change need to be taken more into account and carefully planned. Decentralisation, a common characteristic of quite a few of the national educational systems worldwide such as the USA, Canada, England and Wales (Anderson, 2005) and in Malaysia, Honk Kong, Singapore, China and Korea has opened doors to development and effectiveness in schools (Bolam, 2006:77). Over the years, the education scene in Malta has likewise witnessed a paradigm shift from an essentially centralised system to one that encourages self-government. One of the most effective implications of this shift is that of a systematic and whole school approach to development planning enhancing freedom [and] allowing institutions to shape the possibilities provided by greater autonomy (Lumby, 2007a:86). Moreover, Bush and Coleman, (2006) argue that, placed in a competitive environment, self-managing schools have to meet the students needs efficiently if they are to achieve survival and success. While increasing autonomy (Karstanje, 1999), self-managing schools are encouraged to shoulder more responsibilities and promote their own identity and character. One of the most beneficial implications of this shift is that a School Development Plan (SDP) can be tailored by the same school. Considering that, the Maltese Education Authorities are at present discussing at length the process and the implementation of a national reform in the education system, the topic seriously appears to be of great interest. This study may be expected to serve as an eye-opener to the strengths and weaknesses of the SDP being currently implemented at St.Helen Girls Secondary School. Consequently, the study might be envisaged to be an asset to the school, before it actually starts to negotiate the tailoring of a new SDP as will be suggested in the education reform to take place. The purpose of this study is to investigate the SDP as an effective tool to enhance appraisal and collegiality among the teaching staff and to promote improvement among the learners. The Literature review shall briefly justify the need for and the process of development planning in relation to what literature has to say about the subject. Furthermore, the following research questions will be discussed and analysed, mainly: What is the importance of a SDP to the school? How is the planning process carried out? Who is involved in the planning process? Is the SDP opening doors to school improvement? After conducting a case study through qualitative and quantitative research, an analysis will emerge, based on a questionnaire distributed to teachers and an open-ended interview with the Head of School. The research findings will be analysed and compared to the literature findings. Finally, suggestions will emerge in respect to what can be done in order to evaluate, maintain and/or change what has been done during the past seven years since development planning has started to be organised in an official way at St.Helen Girls Secondary School. Literature Review Introduction All schools should have a vision of where they hope to go and what they hope to achieve. This implies that a school plan should aim at leading the whole school community in the direction for improvement and growth. With its insistence on schools to have their own SDP, the Maltese National Minimum Curriculum (NMC) came into effect on the 1st of October 2000. Following is a brief description of the SDP both as a process as well as a product. It examines the concepts of development, improvement, collegiality and appraisal through effective planning. What is the importance of a SDP to the school? A school without planning is like a boat without a rudder. We cannot achieve goals unless we plan ways and means of getting there. (Bezzina, 1999:58) In order to keep on course, schools require a clear sense of direction, expressed in vision and mission statements and aims and objectives, as well as an effective strategic plan and good efficient action plans (DES, 1999, Online). The SDP can be a great asset to the school in various ways. Bezzina claims that it: helps in giving the school a sense of direction establishes aims and priorities identifies the needs to be done in order to bring about improvement identifies staff needs monitors the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process evaluates the success of the changes made, and implements any changes to the planning cycle (1999:35). The SDP is a means whereby the vision, believed by Jenkins to be the strategic intent which guides planning (1991:38), is transformed into reality through clear priorities, targets and actions. It is an instrument, through which schools are able to articulate their needs and also their priorities (Ministry of Education, 2001:14). Moreover, it is meant to indicate the institutions capacities and limitations and thus open doors to school improvement. An English publication defines the SDP in that: It will be based on the schools analysis of current levels of performance, its assessment of how current trends and future factors may impact on the school and set out priorities and targets for improvement for the period ahead. (DOE, 2005:1, Online). This implies that the concept underpinning a SDP is that each school would undertake, on an on-going basis, a limited number of small-scale development projects, which the staff identifies as significant priorities. The SDP has at its heart the learning of all students while raising standards of attainment. It is a process of learning and growth for all those involved in it. Moreover, it allows schools to organise their programmes of innovation and change with much greater efficiency and success (Hargreaves and Hopkins, 1991). Furthermore, the SDP is highly beneficial for schools since it is worked out by those who put their heads together in a common effort to develop a realistic strategy as to how the educational goals are to be reached (NMC:85). How is the process of School Development Planning carried out? The School Development Plan Initiative (SDPI) in Ireland considers the Mission, Vision and Aims of the plan to be the core of the SDP process (DES, 1999:16, Online). As depicted by Hargreaves and Hopkins (1991), Bezzina (1999) and Nathan, a SDP is made up of four stages, mainly: Audit when the school analyses its strengths and weaknesses and assesses its own needs Planning and decision making generation and evaluation of options Implementation putting the plan into action, and Evaluation checking the success of implementation and reviewing targets (1996:61) This entails that the SDP works in a cycle. Furthermore, the SDPI suggests three features through which the SDP is accomplished, mainly through: Initiation: where the school decides to embark on school development planning,  ensuring that there is commitment to it among members of staff and preparing for participation. Familiarisation: when the school community is learning how to carry out the whole process. Embedding: when school development Planning becomes part of the school life and of the normal way of doing things at school. (DOE, 1999, Online). The Irish Document (1999) further argues that the SDP process needs to be systematic, collaborative, ongoing, progressive, enhancing and flexible to work properly. It therefore involves a systematic approach to the planning work, which draws the whole school community together in shaping the schools future. This needs to be an on-going process, rooted in a school culture where policies and plans are continuously being developed, implemented, evaluated and revised according to the schools aims and the changes which continuously take place in the community. It is also flexible since it offers a framework for collaborative creativity and each school is free to adopt the framework to suit its own particular needs. Who is involved in the planning process? Nathan (1996) maintains that, to a large extent, the work entailed in the school plan is performed by the Head of school and the SMT. However, Bradley (1988) argues that a partnership in which people work together will lead to the successful achievement of their goals. This is also depicted in an English publication. The document highlights parental, pupil and staff involvement in the planning process as one of the factors that will help schools achieve high standards and improve the quality of learning and teaching (DOE, 2005:6, Online). Through partnership, the educational needs will be identified and action will be taken accordingly (DES, 1999:15, Online). Bradley (1988) further claims that partnerships are encouraged when they are willing to yield to some of their autonomy. Their sense of joint ownership strengthens and encourages partnership and is extended beyond the planning process into the actual implementation of the activity. Parent participation is seen as very important in schools. According to Braithwaite (1994) 22 Actions are involved in the Australians SDP process, among which is parental involvement. The NMC (2000) claims that parents should be seen as partners in the education of their children, so much that it believes in site-based curriculum development, where teachers and administrators can work alongside with parents and the local community to be able to respond to the needs of that particular school. In explaining how a shared vision is achieved, Lumby (2007a:89) holds that notwithstanding the principal leading the planning process, all staff [should] share in the re-creation and adjustment of vision. Furthermore, Jenkins considers staff involvement as the most useful part of the planning process (1991:38) in not only arriving at plans but also in raising the chances of their successful implementation (Lumby, 2007a:98). While being a threshold to school improvement, Newton and Tarrant declare that Evaluation needs the co-operation of the whole organisation to be effective and accurate. (1992:33). Is the School Development Plan opening doors to school improvement? Bush and Coleman say it quite simply: The origins of school development planning lie in the move towards school improvement and effectiveness (2006:75). The SDP enables the school community to develop a clear vision of what the school is about and where it is going, a shared sense of purpose, a common set of goals and consensus on the means of achieving them. It characterises the school as a learning organisation that focuses on meeting the professional needs of teachers in order to meet the educational needs of pupils. The Irish National Progress Report 2002, states that This focus is essential if SDP is to achieve its core purpose: school improvement. (DES, 2003:55, Online). As seen by Law and Glover (2000), school improvement is the result of a three-stage process: establishing targets, planning to attain them and finally monitoring and evaluating them. Moreover, studies conducted by Gray et al. lead an improving school to be measured and defined as one that increased in its effectiveness over time (1999:137). It is also worth mentioning that, an English publication states that Appraisal should support development planning and vice versa. (DES:1991) According to Jones (1993:12), improvement in the teaching and learning is guaranteed when appraisal is considered an integral part of the SDP. Likewise, through their research, Horne and Pearce maintain that integrating appraisal into the SDP resulted in a way of improving the quality of education for the pupils and of raising standards (1996:62). One reason to which Davies attributes an ineffective school is to the teachers lack of punctuality resulting from a low motivation that keeps the teachers lingering in the staffroom till the last minute (1994:35). This implies that lack of appraisal may lead to low motivation in teachers, which in turn will result in ineffectiveness. Furthermore, in discussing the issue about strategic planning, Sergiovanni compares the Traditional with the Alternative rule of planning. He suggests that the latter brings about school improvement in that it emphasizes first the means appraising people involved, then the ways allowing them to discern what needs to be done, and finally the ends in that they themselves will decide on and attain aims (2009:95). Conclusion Dalin and Rust believe that: A good school is one which itself learns; it is a learning school, a living institution that changes in order to remain an institution that stimulates learning. (1996:7) This implies that, the changes that take place in a school, must support the preservation of what has worked well in that school, to be able to give it stability and reputation. The schools SDP is a means of implementing change. It must, in the process, provide a way of dealing effectively with new developments so as to ensure school improvement whereby, all stakeholders are empowered to make decisions and engage in planning their own educational future. Investigation Introduction The first part of this section presents the aim and objectives of this study. Some methodological considerations are then examined. Subsequently, the research instruments are considered. Finally, this section gives an account of the ethical framework considered, the school context, the procedure and the data analysis used. The Aim and Objectives of this Research This research was undertaken in an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of the process of school development planning of the school under consideration. Also, the research project has more specific objectives, mainly to investigate: the importance of a SDP to the school how the process is carried out who is involved in the planning process whether the SDP is opening doors to school improvement. Methodological Considerations There are two approaches to academic research that can be adopted by a researcher quantitative and qualitative (Bell, 2008; Briggs and Coleman, 2007). In this study, an educational case study (Bassey, 2007:142) was used, conducted through both qualitative and quantitative research. According to Bassey, one of the strengths of case study research is that it is carried in its natural context [it] entails being where the action is (2007:143). The case study is aimed at improving educational action (Bassey, 2007:142) and which has theory seeking and theory testing as an end point (Basset, 2007:147). This leads to a theoretical structure that not only provides sound data and limits assumptions but also attempts to tease out why a situation is good, bad or mediocre (Bassey, 2007:154). In this research project, an interview with the Head of School was carried out in order to seek insights rather than statistical perceptions of the world (Bell, 2008:7). One should say that the major advantage of qualitative approach is adaptability (Bell, 2005:157) as it emphasises direct human experience. On the other hand, the major disadvantage is that it is time-consuming and generalisation is much more limited (Bell, 2005:157). In an attempt to take advantage from the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative approaches, Triangulation is used to cross-check findings (Bell, 2005:116). In this manner, the findings are compared in order to determine the accuracy of information (Bush, 2007:100) rendering them more reliable. The Research Instruments used for Data collection The Interview with the Head Teacher (HT) An approximately one hour-long unstructured interview was carried out with the HT. Although it takes a great deal of time to analyse, the unstructured interview was deemed best for this research as the interviewee is free to talk about what is of central significance (Bell, 2005; Ribbins, 2007). The interview consisted of ten questions aimed to elicit detailed information about the HTs personal view of the SDP, how the process is managed and who is involved to participate and whether the SDP is opening doors to school improvement (see Appendix 1). The face-to-face interview (Ribbins, 2007:212) served as a means of getting the real feelings of the HT, regarding the content, the process and the implementation of the SDP. The Teachers Questionnaire Quantitative research was also used in a questionnaire consisting of ten closed statements and one open-ended question (see Appendix 2). In order to select a group which is as representative as possible (Bell, 2005), stratified sampling was used (Fogelman and Comber, 2007). In fact, the questionnaire was distributed to eighteen teachers one teacher from every subject being taught. The respondents were asked to tick one of three options: Yes, No, or Do not know. Statements 1-8 were intended to investigate positive perceptions on the SDP while statements 9 and 10 were intended to bring to light any negative perceptions, if any. Moreover, an open-ended question was set in order to give the respondents the opportunity to give their personal views on SDP matters at school. This question placed each teacher in a position to reflect and answer freely, thus reducing the interviewer effects regarding emotionality and free response (Cohen et al., 2000). Procedure and Ethical Considerations An appointment was made with the HT of St.Helen School (a pseudonym used to maintain confidentiality) and the date for the interview was agreed. Permission to carry out the research was informal, due to the fact that the investigation was carried out in ones own institution. The interview with the HT was carried out onsite (Busher and James, 2007:110) and in the Heads office. At the beginning of the interview, the Head of school was shown the set of questions prepared for the interview as well as other relevant material that proved the interview was required for the research. Though very time-consuming to transcribe, the interview was recorded to ensure data collection and maintain eye contact with the interviewee (Bell, 2005). The HT was given assurance of confidentiality. It is also worth mentioning that the questionnaires were anonymised so as to assure protection to the participants. Moreover, the respondents were made aware of what the research was about and also of its purpose (Bell, 2005:156) (see Appendix 2). Consent for answering the questionnaires was granted freely and without force. The School Context The investigation was carried out at St. Helen Girls Secondary School one of the 22 church schools on the island operating at secondary level. A profile of the school is given in the Table below. ST.HELEN GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL PROFILE Year founded 1999 Secretary Clerk Affiliation Church Librarian Student Admission Feeder Area Counsellor Student Population 364 Guidance Teacher Number of Classes 15 Spiritual Director Average Class size 24 Pastoral Care Team No. of Assistant Heads 2 Discipline Team Teaching Staff 37 P.T.A. Classroom Support Staff 4 Student Council Ancillary Staff 3 Eco School Council Table 1: School Profile Conclusion This section has served the purpose of describing and giving an explanation for the methodology used in carrying out this research supported with all the necessary ethical issues arising from the same research. Following is an analysis of the findings that emerged from the investigation. Analysis Introduction This section includes the significant features that emerge from the Teachers Questionnaire as well as the Head Teachers Interview. Both research tools were based on the following research questions: What is the importance of a SDP to the school? How is the process of development planning carried out? Who is involved in the planning process? Is the SDP opening doors to school improvement? The presentation and discussion of the findings that follow, aim at providing answers to these questions. Presentation of Findings Teachers Questionnaire The questionnaire, consisting of ten statements and one open-ended question was distributed to 18 teachers. All questionnaires were collected. Following are the results for statements 1-10 of the questionnaire. Open-ended question The teachers questionnaire ended with an open-ended question asking the respondents to comment in general about the SDP at their school. Only 6 (33.3%) out of 18 respondents answered this question. Four respondents agreed that the SDP is of utmost importance both for the teaching staff as well as for the students improvement. They claim that at their school, the SDP is discussed thoroughly most especially during the Staff Development Days. However, they argue that it is hardly mentioned during the rest of the scholastic year. Another respondent states that more time should be allocated to see if everything planned has been carried out, and if not, why. Similarly, another respondent argued that the SDP should be more carefully monitored and evaluated, and that while it is frequently very cautiously planned, however, it is not adequately implemented. The Head Teachers Interview Following is a summary of the Head Teachers responses to the Interview (see Appendix 1). The Head Teacher (HT) of the school under investigation holds that the SDP conducted since 2002 plays a very important role in the life of every school. Asked about who is involved in the process, the HT mentioned various stakeholders. Regarding the process, the HT states that it takes place in different stages. The difficulties encountered during the process are time and the staffs interest and cooperation. However, since the latter has become an annual process, nearly all teachers help in formulating objectives and action plans. The HT declares that the SDP definitely provides a framework for evaluation and improvement; otherwise it will be of no value. Finally the HT expressed her hopes that the SDP will lead to open wide the doors to school improvement. Analysing the Findings The following section is an attempt to go into the main concerns and interests raised during research. After being collected and classified, the research findings will be discussed and analysed in relation to the research questions and compared to the literature review. What is the importance of a SDP to the school? As shown in Table 2, all 18 teachers interviewed consider the SDP as important to their institution. Moreover, in an attempt to answer the open-ended question at the end of the questionnaire, one teacher claims that the SDP is of utmost importance both for the teaching staff as well as for the students improvement. As suggested by Bezzina (1999), another teacher claims that the SDP is important to enhance the students potential and that it must be used to tackle all their needs. While Bezzina acknowledges that a SDP encourages team effort (1999:37), the Irish document holds that it is a great benefit to the whole school community (DES, 1999, Online). Similarly, the HT holds that: It is a great opportunity to enhance teamwork, collaboration and collegiality among the whole school community, that is, the Senior Management Team, the staff, the students and their parents, and all those who rightly give their share. (Interview with HT). Also, this implies that the style of leadership of the HT at St.Helen is participative (Coleman, 2005a:18), as the issue of decision-making is shared with other stakeholders. Moreover, the HT confirms what is suggested in the DES document (1999, Online), mainly that the SDP gives the teachers a sense of direction as They all know what the school is after (Interview with HT). Who is involved in the process? Bezzina claims that A SDP calls for a co-ordinated effort, a belief in each others worth, and a sincere willingness to work together to achieve set goals (1999:36) Similarly, Lumby maintains that even though the principal may lead in the process, all staff is responsible for the recreation and adjustment of vision on a daily basis (2007a:89). This is evident at St.Helen, so much that the HT mentions the following as stakeholders: Staff Members, P.T.A Members, Ladies Circle, the School Handyman, Parents, Students Council and Students. Moreover the participation of groups such as the Pastoral Team, The Green/Eco-School Team and Discipline Team is encouraged. The HT claims that, All these groups give their contribution. Different meetings are held with different groups on different topics; they all do their utmost to achieve goals. (Interview with HT) Teachers Participation Although The Principal plays a prominent role in the leadership and management of the planning process (DES, 1999:26, Online) 83.3% of the questionnaire responses claim that teachers participation is encouraged in the planning process. Researchers like Bush and Coleman (2006) and Lumby (2007b) hold that the involvement of staff might cause difficulties. However, Early (2007) maintains that staff involvement in becoming increasingly important for school success. Moreover, the above mentioned Irish document states that The whole-hearted participation of the teaching staff is crucial to the success of the planning process and that the whole staff should be actively involved to enable all members of staff to participate in discussion and decision-making (DES, 1999:27, Online). In fact, 55.6% of the responses show that the teaching staff is committed to the SDP. Also, this implies that the staff should be made aware of what the SDP is, why it is inevitable and how it is to be organised. If not, there will be the risk of having staff members who are uninterested, sceptical of the whole process and determined to resist change (Lumby, 2007b:97). In fact, this might be the case with a couple of teachers who joined the school only recently and who in the questionnaire (11.1%) expressed their doubt whether the SDP is threatening to the school or not, while another (5.6%) does not know whether or not the SDP is an added burden to the school (see Table 11). This implies that while the rest of the respondents (94.4%) are rooted in the three features constituting the SDP process (DOE, 1999, Online), these newly recruited teachers are not. According to the HT, the teachers are called in for SDP consultation through questionnaires and also on Staff Development Days. In addition to this, some teachers volunteer to work together in teams and in collaboration with the SMT in order to analyse audit results as well as to prioritise and draw strategic plans (Interview with HT). The response of 83.3% of the respondents shows that at St.Helen teacher participation is quite evident. Nevertheless, the HT feels that some teachers still need to be reminded to give their contribution. Also worth mentioning is the fact that, once a month or twice in a term, the HT holds subject meetings with teachers in order to sustain continuity and on-going monitoring (Interview with HT). Parent Participation Epstein (1992) states that parental involvement is an asset to their childs education in that the school equips them with the necessary tools to help them. While learning more about educational programmes they also get familiar with how the school functions. The NMC also holds that parents or guardians should be involved as partners in their childrens education (NMC 1999:31). Although this idea is confirmed by the HT, however it is not so in style with 44.4% of the teachers who have doubts as to whether or not the SDP has brought about greater parental involvement (see Table 8). This also implies that the teachers at St.Helen are not yet embedded with parental involvement in the SDP process (DOE, 1999, Online). Student Participation The HT believes that feedback from students is an essential input to the school (Interview with HT) so much that Hargreaves holds that they play an active role in implementing the plan and have an interest in the outcomes (1989:17). This implies that the students are to be involved throughout the whole process. This is likely so at St.Helen where the SMT takes into great consideration any suggestions proposed by the student council especially when they have to do with any aspect of the SDP. Also, a questionnaire is distributed annually to the students so as to ascertain their views (DES, 1999, Online). How is the process of development planning carried out? The HT gave very vivid and clear explanations of how the school goes about the process of development planning. As expressed in the Irish document (DES, 1999, Online), the HT maintains that it takes place at different stages, mainly at three Staff Development Days together with monthly afternoon staff meetings. On such days, the teachers are grouped according to their subject, interest or specialisation, and so they are more motivated to contribute to the discussions which usually focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the targets implemented. From these elements, decisions are taken as to what the school will be tackling as aims. Moreover, these meetings offer the SMT and the Staff an ideal opportunity to audit and evaluate progress. Furthermore, the HT asserts that, speakers who are authority on different subjects as well as Personnel from the Education Department also give their contribution during these meetings. Most of the teachers feel a sense of ownership and commitment when carrying out the SDP tasks assigned to them. This emerges quite plainly in the questionnaire with 83.3% of the respondents considering the SDP to be an on-going process while 55.6% believing that the school community is motivated to implement plans. According to the HT, the SDP establishes a clear programme to follow; it defines targets, implements strategies, time limits, necessary resources and evaluation procedures. Similar to what Hargreaves and Hopkins (1991), Nathan (1996), Bezzina (1999), the Irish document (DES, 1999, Online), and Bush and Coleman (2006) suggest, the HT identifies four main processes to SDP in St.Helen, mainly, the Audit, Construction, Implementation and Evaluation. This implies that St.Helen Girls Secondary is meeting the standards that are required by the SDP. Is the SDP opening doors to school improvement? Sammons, Khamis and Coleman state that The normal measurement of effectiveness is usually to do with better than expected academic outcomes (2005:137). Consequently, 77.8% of the questionnaire responses show that the SDP promotes improvement among students. Following are three positive outcomes in addition to the acquisition of examination results (Ouston, 1999:176) and as elicited from the HTs interview, in which the process to SDP implemented at St.Helen proves to be fruitful in being effective and in bringing about improvement. Improving the attitude towards Literature Literature is Fun is one of the target-titles listed for implementation in this years SDP. The HT argues that after finding that Literature and Culture of Languages was weakening, the management provided a Literature Room, which h

Principles of Assessment in Lifelong Learning Essay

1.1 Analyse how types of assessment are used in lifelong learning: â€Å"Assessments should be a regular process; it might not always be formalised, but you should be observing what your students are doing, asking questions and reviewing their progress throughout their time with you†. Gravells A. Page 113. Has the outcome of my teaching been as expected; was there room for improvement? This can be measured through assessment; there are different ways to carry out this out. Initial Assessment It is my responsibility to do this before a lesson or course is delivered. This will help determine how I will plan for the session so it sets and meets expectations for me the teacher and also the students. This will identify any prior knowledge, the stages the students are at and any special or specific requirements that are needed. Types of initial assessments are: * Tutor observations * One-to-one interviews. This will help me learn if the learner is on the right course and what assignments they must do to complete the course. * Competency tests (maths, ICT and literacy). This will help me see if the students are competent in these skills. If there is any weakness I can then pinpoint those to the right people to help with them improve. * Essay writing. This will show me if the student is competent with their literacy skills. There will be a lot of written work throughout the course. Formative Assessment is an on-going process. These will take place during the lesson. This can take the form of * Quizzes and puzzles. With multiple choice answers will help me to see if the students have learned anything from their previous set of lessons. * Verbal question and answers. This will help me see if the students comprehend the topic. * Journals. Also can be used; to help the student record their feelings about the lessons, what went right and what can be improved on. This will enable me to assess whether I am teaching at the correct level or if I need to adjust my plan and methods. * Observations. I can walk around the room and observe the student’s work while taking anecdotal notes. Summative Assessments are carried out at the end of a course to measure how much has been retained and where necessary can be articulated. This is usually through: * End of year formal tests or exams. To see what they have learnt over the year. * Portfolio: This is a collect ion of the students work throughout the course. 1.2 Analyse how assessment methods are used in lifelong learning: * To identify what prior knowledge a student has, I would create a self-assessment questionnaire that requires specific answers, (tick boxes). I would then build this into my session plan. * Diaries or Learning Journals would be used to document on-going learning from each session. Progress can then be measured and any gaps in teaching or learning can be then addressed. * Simulation would be used to see if students are able to understand instructions and how well they are able to reproduce what they have seen or heard, and how they might use them in everyday life. * Assignments would evaluate how well student are able to research particular subjects then put their findings into words. * Discussions or debates are a good vehicle for assessment when other methods may be difficult to manage. * Peer feedback where fellow students give their comments and ask questions for clarity. 1.3 Evaluate strengths of assessments methods to meet individual leaner needs: * Quizzes and puzzles can be used as an informal way to assess if learning is taking place. However if the purpose is to measure individual learning the questions would need to be varied. The most effective way to do this would be to have the assessment computer generated; this is not always possible if the correct software or facility is not available. * Diaries or learning journals, aid to literacy and language skills. The student would also be able to reflect back on what they have learnt; this will also build their confidence to self-assess. In order for this to work, there needs to be clear aims and objectives so the outcome is properly measured. * A portfolio is a formal way to gather evidence that has been produced over a period of time covering all topics taught on a course. This would need to be checked for things such as plagiarism; if the information used was current and properly referenced. * Role play is another assessment method. The students will be given a scenario from their lesson; they will then have the opportunity to act out what they have understood, linking theory to practice. There needs to be clear explanations given as this can be time consuming and not all students may feel comfortable doing role plays. * Examinations can assess what students have retained. By just recalling information they have learnt or by using ‘open book’ method whereby they refer to notes or reference books. The down side of this is that students may have only been taught what is needed to pass the exam and not retain any of the other theories they may need at a later stage. 2.1 Evaluate how to involve learners in the assessment process: As a teacher I will carry out various methods of assessment. To maintain continuous improvement I will involve my students in the process. Giving my students clear guide lines I can get them to do peer to peer assessments, where they will give written or verbal feedback to each other. This will allow more focus on the subject being taught; encourage communication with each other, and where they may discover some common ground. Sometimes comments coming from a peer can be better received than from the teacher. Checking their own work and progress through self-assessment is useful as this gives an opportunity for students to take a step back and reflect on what their objectives and whether they attained them. I will also conduct one to one tutorials, where we can discuss their objectives, progress and development. This will demonstrate positive and individual inclusion. â€Å"Assessment is a term given to checking that learning has occurred. It may happen at any stage during the learner’s progress through their qualification†. Wilson L. (2009). page112. Assessments are also a tool to motivate and boost the confidence of students. 2.2 Analyse the role of peer and self –assessment in the assessment process: Peer assessments are a good means of confirming and sharing ideas. During our micro-teach sessions I was able to describe my observations and justify how I reached that conclusion. My peers would agree or get me to look at what I had expressed in a different way. We would discuss and come to a consensus. We had to think carefully how to put our thoughts down on paper, so they were constructive and encouraging. Looking at the peer assessment on my own performance for the delivery of a micro-teach session. I was pleased with the feedback. It clearly showed what I am confident in; what I need to improve on and what I should consider for future delivery. Their feedback was encouraging and it has confirmed that I have made the correct decision in what I am want to do career-wise. I found putting into practice what I already know with what I have learnt over the past few weeks very useful. There were some challenges I had when creating my own micro-teach session, this is all part of the learning process for me. As the session I delivered came to an end I had already started to do a mental self- assessment. It was useful to be able to put down my own thoughts on paper as they came to me to know what I need to include going forward. 3.1 Explain the need to keep records of assessment learning: Assessments should be documented so there is some form of evidence as to what has been taught, how the learning is evaluated and was any progress made. Records also serve for the purpose of verification, in relation to audits for quality assurance and regulatory bodies, such as Ofsted. The following are some of the following records that may be kept. * Assessment tracking, this can be used to show development and if the students requirements are being met. * Feedback and action records are used to show that a student has had feedback, what the agreed follow up is, and when it is to be carried out. * Learning styles results will aid with inclusiveness when reviewing or creating new session plans. * Appeal records are where a student has submitted in writing their reasons as to why they disagree with a formal decision that has been made. This can be used at a later date as part of that process. * Enrolment forms to confirm the student’s details are correct, point of contact in the case of an emergency; whether they are permitted to study. What the student signed up for, and are they are on correct course. 3.2 Summarise requirements for keeping records in an organisation: As part of my role I am going to make sure I follow the guide lines that are in place for me to keep records for an organisation, as these are regularly audited and reviewed. This will provide an audit trail of my students learning. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times by any organisation holding personal data to stay in line with the regulatory bodies (Data Protection Act). Records that are kept must be accurate, legible and current. There should be specific rules as to when information is considered obsolete. (This is usually about three years). Students have the right to request their records held about them. (Freedom of Information Act) if they are entering into an appeal process. A backup copy of records must be made whether electronically or paper based so if one is lost there is always a duplicate. â€Å"Consistency. You will always ensure that the methods and the timeliness of your assessments are at a level standard, making certain irrespective of how and when your learners are assessed, the outcomes are constant†. Wilson L. page 274. Bibliography Gravells A. (2012) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector Wilson L. (2009) Practical Teaching A Guide to PTLLS & DTLLS.

Lifestyle Choices and Our Health

As days go by, almost everyone living today gets involved in activities that make us either healthy or unhealthy. Continuing to engage in some habits day in and day out can take a substantial amount of time off of one’s life. Some of these habits can have a positive impact on one’s health system, being it physical or mental, while others can affect one’s health system negatively. In this paper, I will be writing on how our daily habits can affect our mental and physical health negatively. First of all, mechanization and heavy dependence on technology is one of the common ways, probably for all humans, which has a negative effect on the human health system. We rarely give a second thought when we turn on a microwave or turn on the television as we sit down for dinner. These common practices are commonly seen in most families. If I may ask, is it a good practice? I asked one of my instructors at school who made it clear to me that, these families don’t just consume electricity, but also have many adverse effects on their physical and mental health. If you find yourself eating and watching television at the same time, the rate at which you consume is greater which at some point in time becomes very difficult to go to bed at night. And as many of us know, improper sleeping habits cause results in many of our health problems. Secondly, failure to exercise is also another problem many of us face today. Physical activities are absolutely necessary to our overall health. And because our physical and mental health is so interconnected, they affect one another directly. When our physical health deteriorates, our mental health does the same. Our mood and our brain’s mental capabilities are therefore affected by lack of exercise. Regular exercising which helps to maintain and build muscles, and also fight against diseases is very necessary for every human and should be practiced continuously. Thirdly, smoking has also been known to be one of the dangers which affect the human health negatively. Very few people are unaware of the dangers of smoking. Yet surprisingly, many are engaged in this deadly habit. Infertility, low birth weight, sudden infant birth and many more, are some examples of the negative effects that one is likely to contact if he or she has a habit of smoking. Those who quit smoking see changes almost immediately and it also helps them live longer. In conclusion, many of our daily activities can cause our death prematurely. Many of those who don’t die prematurely have a very bad health system which makes them almost uncomfortable every day. I therefore advise everyone to get involved in activities that help to improve one’s physical and mental abilities positively.

Alzheimers Disease - Progressive Neurodegenerative Disease - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1393 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/04 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Essay Did you like this example? Introduction Its very common and accounts for 60-80 percent of the dementia cases in the united states. Alzheimers is caused by the buildup of a type of plaque in the brain. It interrupts the electrical signals between neurons that normally direct thoughts and memories in the brain. The result is that the person slowly becomes more and more forgetful. A certain amount of forgetfulness is normal with aging but those suffering from Alzheimers disease develop far more disrupted thinking patterns. People suffering from AD eventually lose the ability to recognize familiar people, even family memories. Sometimes, in late stages, their personalities change also, they become paranoid, and they become completely unable to take care of themselves. There is no cure for the disease and the medications available only treat the symptoms and show no promise in slowing the progression of this disease. Previous studies on aspirin and heart health showed a link between aspirin and Alzheimers disease. These studies showed that regular use of NSAIDs, including aspirin showed the users had a 20% lesser chance of developing Alzheimers disease. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Alzheimers Disease Progressive Neurodegenerative Disease" essay for you Create order Doctors and scientists do not know what exactly causes this disease but they have a pretty good idea. The major issue seems to be a minuscule brain protein fragment called beta-amyloid. This beta amyloid is a small piece of a larger protein called amyloid precursor protein (APP). When APP is turned on to do its normal job, it is cut by other proteins into smaller sections that stay inside and outside cells. when this protein is cut, one of those cut pieces formed is beta-amyloid and when that forms into clumps it produces those dangerous amyloid plaques. Dr. Kalipada Pahan who is a professor of neurological sciences at Rush University, gather a team of professors and decided to use this connection between aspirin and Alzheimers diseases to carry out experiments that would show in depth how exactly did the aspirin help with the disease. Dr. Pahan felt that developing drugs that can reduce the amount of beta amyloid, which can in turn form amyloid plaques, is an important area of resea rch because these plaques are one of the pathological indications of this disease. Dr.Pahan and his team developed an experiment that entailed giving aspirin to mice with a mouse version of AD. He and his team genetically modified mice so that they had symptoms that resembled AD and so that they resembled the brain pathology of Alzheimers patients. They also measured the amount of beta-amyloid that built up in the brains of the mice. Dr.Pahan and his team gave aspirin to the mice by mouth for about a month then took note of how much of amyloid plaque built up in the parts of the brain affected most by Alzheimers disease. The study revealed that aspirin stimulates the waste-clearing lysosomes and reduces pathological plaque in mice. Lysosomes are supposed to be the waste deposit center for the cell. They are the bad protein clean up system inside all animals that consist of cells that capture and internalize bad proteins. The lysosomes are the components of these cells that break down the captured proteins. In the brain these lysosomes apparently lack the ability to properly do their jobs in patients of AD. Scientist assumed that these lysosomes were degrading the beta amyloid protein before it could turn into amyloid plaques but thats not the case. These lysosomes that accumulate around the plaques are uncommonly embellished wi th beta secretase. This beta secretase is the enzyme that starts the production of the beta amyloid. These nonfunctional lysosomes cannot break down the beta amyloid so the ability to increase lysosomal clearance in the brain of AD patients has come about as a very promising strategy in slowing the progression of this disease. The experiment also revealed that aspirin intake upregulated a protein called TFEB. TFEB is transcription factor EB and it is known as a key player in lysosomal biogenesis. A transcription factor is a protein that will bind to specific parts of the DNA as either and inducer or a repressor. Transcription factor EB exhibited activity that shows how its able to bond to the promoter region of autophagy genes and activate autophagosome biogenesis. The over expression of TFEB has been shown to provide positive effects in many mouse models more recently the mouse models of the most familiar genetic explanation of liver disease, the ? ±1-antitrypsin deficiency. TFEB upregulation has also been proven to reduce obesity and metabolic syndrome therefore upregulation of intracellular removal by TFEB has also been proven to be beneficial in multiple mice models. Aspirin is a commonly used medication and thru multiple test it was shown to upregulate TFEB and boost lysosomal biogenesis in brain cells. The aspirin was also shown to bring about the activation of PPAR? ± encourage the transcription of TFEB in a PPAR? ± fashion. PPAR? ± stands for peroxisome prolif erator-activated receptor ? ±. What PPAR? ± does is when activated, it functions as a ligand-activated TF to regulate the many biological processes that occur within the body. In the 1960s scientist treated a model of rats with Clofibrate, which is now used for controlling the high cholesterol level in the blood, and the outcome of this is that it showed for the first time that the Clofibrate induced peroxisome proliferation in the rats. A while after PPAR? ± was shown to control and help regulate the expression of genes involved in regulating homeostasis, immune response, cell growth and differentiation and many other functions. In the mice model for AD, PPAR? ± was proven to master regulators of metabolism which is why it is important when it comes to developing medications and treatments that can help slow the progression of Alzheimers in the elderly. Materials and Methods 7 month old male and female mice were given low dose aspirin (2 mg/kg body weight/ day) for 30days. The Mice were anesthetized with ketamine-xylazine then half of the brain from each mouse was dissected so assays can be performed on them. the brains were incubated in 4% paraformaldehyde then they were incubated in 30% sucrose overnight at 4 degrees Celsius. They were then rinsed with cold ethanol then rinsed with phosphatebuffered saline 3 times. The brains were then incubated then inspected under a fluorescent microscope. To observe the DNA-binding activity of PPAR? ±, it was analyzed using a non-radioactive electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The cells were then washed with phosphatebuffered saline the placed into tubes to go into the centrifuge for 5 minutes. They then took the supernatant and placed it in lysis buffer and ran it thru the centrifuge again. After that they took the supernatant put it in a high salt buffer then placed it in the centrifuge for 15 minutes. They then placed it on a polyacrylamide gel for 2 hours then observed it under the Odyssey Infrared Imaging System. Results It was proven that aspirin was able to increase the lysosomes in the brain and this was further proven by using an Electron microscopy which showed the different stages of autophagic vesicles in aspirin-treated astrocytes. They then wanted to know if aspirin could alter TFEB. TFEB was increased after the first treatment with the aspirin. The western blot showed larger quantities of TFEB with the different doses of aspirin. The largest increase in TFEB was shown 12 hours after the aspirin treatment was done. Majority of the TFEB activity was found in the cells surrounding the nucleus in cells compared to the control group. these results of this study showed that the aspirin activated lysosomal biogenesis by upregulating the TFEB regulator. They discovered that when PPAR? ± is present, the aspirin binds to it and triggers a domino effect causing increased nerve cell interactions in the hippocampus which is a place in the brain were memories are formed. The mice were showed to have an increased ability to learn their way thru mazes after the aspirin was administered. Even though this study has shown positives effects from the use of aspirin on the brain of the genetically modified mice, aspirin should not be used as a way to treat AD because all of the side effects are not known and its not specifically proven to help with AD. For aspirin to even help with lysosomal production the receptor for PPAR? ± need to be present in the patient. If it is not there in great numbers then the patie nt wont benefit from the aspirin at all.