Un Chien Andalou by Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel Essay

Un Chien Andalou by Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel - Essay Example The purpose of paper "Un Chien Andalou by Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel" is to investigate how the corresponding philosophical position of postmodernism influences the aesthetic values of the work of art, the film Un Chien Andalou. Surrealism, which is a part of the philosophy of postmodernism is defined as psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one expresses verbally by means of the written word, or in another manner, the actual functioning of thought. Surrealism is dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, and devoid of aesthetic or moral concern. Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality â€Å"of certain forms of previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinterested play of thought†. It ruins completely all other psychic mechanisms and substitutes itself for them, while solving all the main problems of life. The postmodern philosophy challenges any clear and concise process of identific ation and definition as a part of rationality. Postmodernism rejects common sense and accessibility, scientific reason, philosophical logic, clarity or precision. On the other hand, postmodernism seeks to grasp those elements that escape these processes of definition, and â€Å"celebrates what resists or disrupts them†. A plurality of definitions has now come to describe postmodernism’s multifaceted nature. Examples of postmodern art relate to fracturing, fragmenting, indeterminacy and plurality. Postmodernism is the style of our age.

The impact of employee participation in decision making on job Research Proposal

The impact of employee participation in decision making on job satisfaction - Research Proposal Example In the last section, the questionnaire for the primary survey is given. The dependent variable is job satisfaction. It is defined as the positive feeling or emotion resulting from the appraisal of an employee about how much his needs are fulfilled from the present work role and place( Wagner,1994;Bhatti and Qureshi,2007 etc). Hence, job satisfaction results from many factors like the nature of responsibilities assigned to the employee, balance between life and work to the employee, autonomy for the job , affection orientation towards the organization where the employee is working, attitude of colleagues etc. Therefore, job satisfaction is measured in terms of two major indicators in this study, the job functionality and organizational fit following many studies like Verma (1995), Wagner (1994), Scott etal(2003),Bhatti and Qureshi(2007) etc. Job functionality includes questions on job responsibilities, job life balance and job autonomy. Organizational fit includes questions on trust in the organization, trust in other employees; support from colleagues and authorities, and motivation for work. All these questions are on a scale 0 to 4.. Employee participation is defined as sharing of influence among persons who are otherwise hierarchically unequal (Bhatti and Qureshi, 2007, p3) . It includes involving both managers and their subordinates in decision-making, information processing and problem solving processes as well as making a balance between the involvements of both. Hence, the attitude of management and influence of employees at workplace are two important indicators of employee participation. Therefore, employee participation is measured in terms of these two indicators attitudes to current job and influence at workplace. The attitudes to current job include questions like performance and attitude of management as well as employee involvement

Chemistry of Chocolate Essay Example for Free

Chemistry of Chocolate Essay Chocolate is made from the cacao bean. According to Rodney Lipson, â€Å"Cacao has been a cultivated crop for at least three thousand years, probably quite a bit more. The people who first utilized Cacao were the inhabitants of what is now Venezuela† (Lipson) This group of people would eventually spread the cacao bean in northwestern South America. Cacao was clearly highly valued by these people and they spread it northward through trade with their neighbors. It was probably the Maya, over 1500 years ago, who brought Cacao to Yucatan in what is now Mexico. The Aztecs who got Cacao from the Maya, used Cacao in a number of ways, one common way was as a bitter spice in food and possibly also as a base for pasta or bread, but the most well-known way that Cacao was as a drink. While the Maya drank Chocolate hot, the Aztecs seem to have often taken it cold. The Aztecs called the drink, and apparently the bean as well, Xocoatl. From this word comes the pan-European word Chocolate. When Europeans first made contact with the Aztec civilization, Cacao was being cultivated and used extensively. The Spanish Conquistadors quickly noticed the benefits of Chocolate and used it to keep their armies marching long distances with little food. From the Aztecs the Spanish took it to Europe. Chocolate was widely used in Catholic countries after 1569 when Pope Pius V declared that Chocolate, the drink, did not break the fast, despite the hearty nutritional aspects of Chocolate† (Lipson). Chocolate continued to be moved from country to country through trade and exploration. Soon chocolate found its way into America, and according to Lipson, â€Å"In 1900 Milton Snavely Hershey, a Mennonite from Pennsylvania, began producing milk-chocolate bars and kisses with great success. He was anti-alcohol and saw Chocolate as a good, profitable alternative. His empire grew even larger during World War I, when Milton Hershey encouraged the US Army to add four Hershey bars to each soldiers daily ration† (Lipson). Because of Hershey, chocolate was now affordable for everyone, and his methods of making chocolate are still used today. Peter’s chocolate tells us that chocolate is made by, â€Å"storing the cacao beans in silos or warehouse. These rooms are well aired, kept at cool temperature and the humidity regularly checked. Before the production stage, the beans are sorted and cleaned. Cocoa does not acquire the richness of its color and the fullness of its flavor until it is roasted. The degree of care given to this operation has considerable influence on the ultimate quality of the end product either cocoa powder or chocolate. When roasting is complete, the beans are cooled and their thin shells removed by a winnowing machine. The husked and winnowed beans are called nibs. Heres where the first secrets of the chocolate manufacturer come in. The nibs are blended, combining as many as eight to ten varieties. It is control of these subtle mixtures that maintains a constant quality and brings out the flavor of each particular variety of chocolate. The roasted and winnowed nibs then pass through refining mills and are ground. The heat generated by grinding causes the cocoa butter or fat to melt and form a fine paste or liquid known as chocolate liquor. This goes to large hydraulic presses which remove most of the cocoa butter. The cake which is left may eventually be made into cocoa powder. The cake goes through several processes in which it is crushed, milled and finely sifted. After the cocoa paste, cocoa butter, milk, sugar and additional flavorings have been carefully weighed out in accordance with the recipe, they go into a mixer where rotating, kneading arms thoroughly mix all the ingredients. The result is a homogeneous, paste-like mixture which is already pleasant to taste, but still feels gritty to the palate. The chocolate is put in a conching machine. While in the machine, the chocolate turns over in the conching machine, a controlled amount of air ventilates the mass, allowing the full aroma and flavor to develop. The still-warm conched chocolate is placed in a tempering machine so that it can be slowly and steadily cooled. The tempering prevents separation in the chocolate when its filled into bar molds and hardens† (Peter’s). This results in the average chocolate bar.

Market Trends: Coca Cola In The UK

Market Trends: Coca Cola In The UK 1.0 Introduction When question of marketing communication is asked there will be numerous answers as there are many respondents. One of the most common answers is the advertising that is most visible of the marketing communication. In twentieth century the term advertising was used what might be called marketing contemporaneously. However the terms communication has eclipsed the advertising and promotion due to the services of the firm in form of its products, brands to its audiences during the last two decades. Marketing Business are the means by which services, supplier of goods and values represent themselves before the targeted audiences with the objectives of stimulating the talks for better commercial and other relationships. Marketing Communication is influenced by the environmental factors and media development, budgetary demands and most likely by the consumers attitudes. Coca Cola being the one of the largest brands in the world with brand portfolio and value has top four soft drink brands out of the five. Diet Coke, Coca Cola, Fanta and Sprite are owned by the Coca-Cola. Responsible marketing is the fundamental principle of Coca-Cola Company in UK. All marketing initiatives are reviewed to ensure all the complied principles as media buyers and other marketing agencies. 2.0 Marketing Trends of Coca-Cola in UK The marketing principles and policies are reviewed to keep up to date with the changing market trends. The Coca-Cola Company in Great Britain is tilted towards the voices of parents and their concerns about the advances in online marketing. Children under age of 12 cannot understand the purpose of the commercial ads and lack the necessary skills and judgments required for it. For the GB market the Coca-Cola Company has developed a charter for responsible marketing built on the European and Goal commitments. The Coca-Cola Company ensures that its marketing practices are according to social expectations and wants to remain responsible producers. It is also included in core principles of Coca-Cola Company that collaboratively work with public, stakeholders, customers is defined and ensures the compliance. The marketing values of Coca-Cola Company are mainly focused positively with optimism, for that the Coca-Cola Company has stood the time since the cold drinks were sold first time 120 years ago. There are more than 59 competitors of Coca-Cola in UK. Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Nestle and PepsiCo are the famous competitors of Coca-Cola in UK. The electronic technologies and internet have grown rapidly and resulting the increase in global communication. It has allowed the firms to work in partnership with other countries and international market. The global soft market is expected to increase to 3.6% from 2004 to 2010 (Datamonitor, 2005). For the consumers of Coca-Cola the growing trends societal concerns, lifestyle and attitudes are very important. It is causing the industrys business to change because the Coca-Cola is differentiating in its products to increase the sales in a stagnant market. Coca-Cola is in the rivalry of the Pepsi and they are in power struggle. The main focus of the Coca-Cola is to compete in the non-alcoholic drinks in the beverage industry. Other than Pepsi Coca-Cola is competing a multiple firms located in UK. The products included in list are the carbonated soft drinks, packed water, nectars and juices, energy and sport drinks, coffee and tea, fruit drinks and other beverage. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have saturated the European markets. International markets are different from the local UK market. Closer competitor of Coca-Cola is the Pepsi which also offers the similar products. Other closer competitors include the Tango. The brands of the Coca-Cola are much popular among the citizens of the UK. Brands are the more important role players for the promotion of sales of Coca-Colas products. It is difficult to manage the brands as they constitute many intangible components. These intangible assets account significantly a big part of Coca-Colas values the se days in UK. Tangible assets have moved the Coca-Cola from a situation when its tangible assets represented only 3% of its market value. During the process of evolution and development of Coca-Cola its managers have faces the risks as given below. Bottling Partners: The relationships of the Coca-Cola are at risk with the bottling partners due to sub-par return on capital. To alleviate this issue Coca-Cola needed to increase its shares and capital return. Economic Slowdown: The slowdown of global economic growth has also affected on the Coca-Colas sales and sale of many brands is slow down. Expansion Strategy: The expansion strategy of non-carbonated market has many growth trends but the market margins are lower and may take the profits away from the core business of Coca-Cola. In presence of these risks the Coca-Cola has stabilized it in UK and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. produces the 240 million cases of products every year in six different manufacturing sites, seven distribution sites with largest plant at Wakefield in the world. 3.0 Strategic Objectives of Coca-Cola Being the one of the global company in the world, it took responsibilities to affect the communities in UK in some ways. Company has mission which called the mission stated as The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone who is touched by our business. In community company has made efforts to build relationships among the different communities. Coca-Cola Company has focused to improve the quality life of citizens. It has addressed water, waste management and climate changes in UK communities. Company has focused on the higher education to build the strong communities and enhance individual opportunity. Business growth is entire objective of the Company and requires the following five forces model. This model helps to work out the dynamics in UK market and other areas of activity. It tells the company who other companies are competing in the market. It also provides a way to enter into market as a fresh company. The porters model helps to find out the other enterprises and also identifying the implications in existing market. There are five key forces as shown in the following figure. New Entrants Suppliers Buyers Existing Competitors Substitutes Figure 1: Porters Five Forces Porters model shows us the five forces which affect the Coca-Cola Companys development in UK. These forces include the New entrants Coca-Cola with other rivals is established in UK and is popular among the customers due to its brands. Buyers power Alternative products and services Potential of Suppliers Current Competitors The current competitors of Coca-Cola are discussed above in brief. PepsiCo is the main competitors of the Coca-Cola and is deriving more than 50% shares in industry. All forces in Porters model are connected in a dynamic relationship. 4.0 Marketing Communication of Coca-Cola 4.1 Corporate Objectives There are several objectives that company gives to its shareholders include as The increase in the soft drinks growth rate by the company Driving the profitable growth by broadening the family brands Generating the growth through all channels via creating the consistent services to its customers The direct investment with great extent in different areas of UK drinks market Driving efficiently and cost-effectively in all parts of the UK where they are planted 4.2 Marketing Objectives In Europe the sale of the Coca-Cola brands represents a great percentage in UK with billion dollars. To represent a larger part of European market the Company wants to increase its sale during the next year 2011. It is already told that products are home-consummated drinks. Company wants to increase its impulse during the next 12 months. Due to the satisfaction of the stockholders the market shares can be increased during the next 12 months. 4.3 Communication Objectives Communication objectives of the Coca-Cola are as given below Make awareness among the people facing the products during the next year and grouping the all targeted audiences. As Coca-Cola is a well famous due to its brands in UK, it is not possible to increase its awareness by an important percentage. Company emphasizes on the awareness of its new products which are compared to its competitors in market. The specific brands are with great tastes which differentiate it from other brands. Coca-Cola Company is known due its brands in history and can lose its position as a brand for the youth in UK. It requires repositioning it among the teenagers. Coca-Cola is the leader of the drinks for the consumers in UK, it is not necessary that it will remain at top position during the next years. It requires the brands must reinforce its saturation with leading audiences. 5.0 COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 5.1 Target Audiences The consumer data collected between 1995 and 2000 shows that women were the heavier users than the men. But this trend changed in 2002 and men became the main users of the Coca-Cola products. Social groups are the main consumers of its brands. Brands need to be increased their sale among the different groups in UK. These groups are future consumers of these brands in a long term of objectives. Women must be encouraged to become the main consumers as seen in previous years. 5.2 Targeting the youth A pull strategy can appeal to young in country and corporate image of company can be changed by an art sponsorship. This can be achieved by clarifying its name and a best singer can be sponsored for these objectives. Teenagers in UK can recognize the company due to its brands, which are supportive to produce the rock scenes better than previously. 5.3 Targeting the males: Sports events Coca-Cola is popular among the males due to its sport sponsorships. The idea behind the sponsorship is to approach the large audiences during the sports events in country. Games like football, cricket, rugby and tennis are main events in UK for the all 12 months and Coca-Cola can intensify its advertising campaign. Banners are useful placed on the doors or gates of the stadiums or playgrounds. 5.4 Young adults A push strategy is more useful to attract the young adults. Young people use the alcoholic drinks at clubs with their friends. A common venture of Whisky brand by developing an association with barmen can prove to be favorite drinks at most fashionable place in the cities of UK. In clubbing the Coca-Cola will put the Whisky-Coke as the fashion drink. 5.5 Targeting the large audience: TVs and Cinemas advertising By the widespread campaign on TV young audience can become more receptive towards the Coca-Colas brands. The TV campaign or advertising is a cost-effective way and provides an opportunity to targeted audience to establish an association with sponsors and programs. A new can be diffused by the cinema complexes. Cinema is a place where targeted audience are in a best approach with the kind of the film chosen there. 5.6 Press advertising Young and old audiences are targeted by the press advertising and female are more targeted than males. Older people read the magazines due to health articles are written there while teenagers read it for the fashions. 6.0 MIX RECOMMENDATION FOR COMMUNICATION 6.1 Banners The intensive use of banners during the March and April makes the start of the new campaign; banners are based on the same themes shown at TVs. Banners placed on the public transport are good means of advertising because buses are seen by the majority of the people, especially students who travel to their universities. Stadiums are the places where the banners are displayed during the sports events in major cities like London, Manchester and Liverpool etc. 6.2 Sale Promotions Two methods are crucial for the sale promotions; first one is used for the manufacturer to resellers and second one used for the manufacturers to consumers. In first place Coca-Cola will encourage the resellers to purchase the products with increased amount and develop a great usage of its products. Brand loyalty is the desired objective of the Coca-Cola. In the second place the Coca-Cola will encourage the users of its competitors to change the use of products. Regular customers are always at the priority list of the company to be benefited. 6.3 Online Promotions Website is the main source of the online advertising and updates about the brands, prices and new promotions can be accessed through the websites. Screen savers, games and other downloads about the Coca-Cola brands are available from the Coca-Cola websites. These promotions are not only based upon the product itself but also the images transmitted by these brands. 6.4 Joint Ventures Joint ventures with Whisky brands in clubs and pubs will be useful for the company. The relationship with be established with specific clubs and pubs. Aim is to develop a new fashion about Whisky-Coke. T-shirts and Caps in clubs and pubs can attract more young adults. 6.5 Budget and Media issues Several magazines will be the part of campaign to approach the targeted audiences. This campaign will be started from the May to August; Hello and OK magazines will be the sources for this campaign. These are weekly based magazines and young girls are more interested to read them. Top Santà © and Readers are the magazines and older audiences are the targets of these monthly magazines. 6.6 Cinema Budget A campaign will be started from June to July and new commercial will be diffused in major cities of the UK. The two films will be targeted in the evening sà ©ance only on Friday and Saturday. Total budget for the cinema can be calculated as: 1 sà ©ance * 2 days * 5 cities * 8 weeks * 40000 = 3,200,000 (GBP). 6.7 Poster Budget There are two possible sources where posters can be displayed: buses banners and roadside banners. Roadside banners will be done during the next 20 weeks and 2000 panels T side buses will be completed during the next 6 months. 6.8 Internet Budget The images of Coca-Cola brands and screen savers require the specific knowledge. A budget of 100000 (GBP) will be used to create the games and adaptation of websites. 6.9 Sale Promotion and Joint Venture Budgets Coupons offers demand the budget of the 300000 (GBP) and a budget of 200000 will be needed for the competition campaign. Promotions in clubs also need an amount of 400000 (GBP) and it will contain the contacts with JB, contracts with clubs and packaging designed for the use of T-shirts, glasses and caps. 6.10 Evaluation There are numerous methods to evaluate the achievements of objectives and media has their own evaluation methods. This evaluation is helpful to determine the effectiveness of the marketing communication plan. 7.0 Issues of Coca-Cola in Current business Scenario According to Dr. John S. Pemberton the mixture of coca-cola syrup and carbonated water yielding the fountain beverage was first time introduced by the Coca-Cola. This product is sold in every state of the state of U.S. (http://www.virtualvender.coca-cola.com/ft/index.jsp). In annual report of the Coca-Cola Company 24.4 billion products were sold in year 2009 (Annual Report of Coca-Cola, 2009). Sustainability of business is an important pillar of 2010 years business strategy which are carried out for the part of the corporate social responsibility and coalition of global investors have appraised the Coca-Cola with high-quality reports for the investors (www.coca.collahellenic.com). Coca-Cola is much focusing upon the Social Responsibility focus because it wanted to promote the lives of people living in the community. Coca-Cola is involved in many programs like Education on Wheels especially in Singapore (O.C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich Linda Ferrell, 2009). Coca-Cola is diversifying bas ed upon its products a planned to launch new products in UK. As Malven Water a product of Coca-Cola is owned by the UK (Hall, 2007). The competition of the Coca-Cola with PepsiCo Corporation has forced the Coca-Cola to get profit beyond the selling of its products. Company does not only sell the products but works with the bottling companies. Some which are owned by the Coca-Cola but others are not. Company is facing the issue of earning more. To combat this issue Coca-Cola has acquired the companies to make more growth. Mr., Daft the Chief Executive of Coca-Cola in 2001 made recommendations to acquire the Quaker Oats Company. Coca-Cola was interested in the brands of the Quaker Oats Company. But Quaker Oats Company was bought by the Pepsi in 2001 (Lynch, 2007). Coca-Cola throughout history has crises in market shares. The New Coke fiasco was noticed and it took step to replace this version with original brand of Coke and defeated its archival Pepsi. Executives of the Coca-Cola thou ght to revise the formula of this Coke product (Adam Lindgreen, Martin Hingley Joà «lle Vanhamme, 2009).

Free Essays on A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Lessons of the Darkness :: Midsummer Nights Dream

Lessons of the Darkness in A Midsummer Night’s Dream The physical darkness impairs normal vision: the dark is intense enough for characters to fear being alone. Helena cries out to Demetrius not to abandon her "darkling," or in the dark (2.2 l. 93). Hermia seems certain that her abandonment in the dark by Lysander could lead to her death: "Speak, of all loves. I swoon almost with fear. / No? Then I well perceive you are not nigh. / Either death or you I'll find immediately" (2.2. ll. 160-2). The dark forest is far from hospitable to Hermia's imagination, but Shakespeare's night actually protects and instructs the lovers. Hermia's line give a clue to how they must learn to cope without their eyes: she does not see that Lysander is not near, but rather "perceives"-her hearing is the sense on which she comes to depend. Hearing and sight operate quite differently: while sight can be controlling (consider Foucault's panopticon, and the use of observation as power), listening requires openness. The temporal element of listening necessitates patience (Tu Wei-ming, 2/11/99). Hermia is able to find her lover eventually by using her hearing to its full potential: Dark night, that from the eye his function takes, The ear more quick of apprehension makes. Wherein it doth impair the seeing sense, It pays the hearing double recompense. Thou art not by mine eye, Lysander, found; Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound. (3.2 ll. 178-183) Here is the power of night to transform the gaze. The eye's power is taken, but the ear's is augmented. This Hermia seems far more confident than the Hermia of only a few scenes ago, who was certain she would perish without her lover. She speaks with a kind of triumph about her own ability to improvise: her ear paid "double recompense" has been more than adequate to the task. The night "pays," rewards, gives gifts in place of what it takes away. Hermia, thrilled to see her lover and to discover her own ability to improvise, goes so far as to thank her own ear. Relying on different kinds of perception leads Hermia to Lysander, just as the night world brings all four lovers to a truer understanding of themselves and their loves, making possible a happy ending for everyone by the end of the play. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the nighttime forest, by disrupting and transforming vision, forces introspection and improvisation that help the four lovers on their way to self-understanding.

Analysis of Field Experience Essay -- essays research papers fc

â€Å"Analysis of Experiences†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENCES† Part 1 I have taken several psychology courses at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I believe that SOSU is a very prestige school and the Psychology Department. The Psychology Professors’ are outstanding teachers and mentors. The Psychology courses that I believe have helped me the most through my Field Experience at the Crisis Control Center would have to be, Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Personality, Interviewing Skills, Social Psychology, and Psychology of Adjustment. These courses that I have listed have helped me through this internship more than I could have ever known. Being at the shelter on a daily basis, you will experience different personalities, abnormal behavior, and many adjustment problems with our clients and their children. Not only have the courses prepared me for my field experience, but I have to admire my professors, they have helped through this internship tremendously. If I ever had any questions to ask or just someone to talk to these professors in the Psychology Department were always there to lend a hand, or just to listen to what I had to say. They would help in anyway that they could. I also have to brag on the Communication Department for their hard work. I believe that Psychology and Communication goes hand in hand with one another and if I had not taken courses such as Listening, Group Communication, and Family Communication I would not have come as far as I have in my internship. Part II. Going into my field experience I was certain that I would want to be a counselor, and work with people in an office setting on a daily basis. After completing my internship at the Crisis Control Center I have found what I would like to do as a career. I now like the legal part of the Crisis Control Center. This semester I have mainly worked with our court advocate for the Crisis Control Center. Although the support counselors at the shelter are wonderful, our court advocate goes beyond her call of duty. She helps victims of domestic violence everyday. She is on call 24/7 and has made many trips to the hospital for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She will try to get them the Justice they deserve. We go to court every week with our victims to help them with protective orders, and to give... ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Arrange the tasks in the order you’ll need to do them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Estimate how long each task will take. Be sure to allow enough time for editing and making changes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify the date the report is due, and then set a schedule showing what work you’ll need to do each day in order to have your report ready on time. 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Add interest   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use graphs and charts to illustrate an idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Add a picture, photo, or drawing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Include a map.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Find a quotation and use it to make your point. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make every word count   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Choose words your reader will understand. Remember that you want to communicate your ideas to the person reading your paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Avoid clichà ©s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use a thesaurus to replace overused words and find new ways to express your ideas.

Discuss Inclusive Practice for Children Essay

According to The National Autistic Society (2011 and 2012), autism can be defined as a lifelong developmental disability which affects the way a person is able to interact with others around them and make sense of the world they live in. However, there are variations of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and children who have ASD will be affected in different ways (Dover et al, 2007). This essay will be discussing the inclusive education within the primary school setting, exploring the different strategies that are in place in order to support children with ASD, together with the effectiveness and possible improvement which impacts on the learning experience of children with ASD. The number of people affected with an ASD in the UK today is still rising (NHS, 2012). The National Autistic Society (NAS) (2012), states that over 500,000 people have been diagnosed with an ASD. The condition occurs in families regardless of their ethnic and social backgrounds (Dodd, 2005:13) and the condition can affect people in various ways with the severity of the disorder also varying. Therefore Autism is referred to as a ‘spectrum disorder’, additionally Dover et al,(2007) and Siegal (2008) speculate that the reason behind using the term ‘spectrum’ is due to children presenting different symptoms at different stages of their development that links to the 12 diagnostic criteria, which was stated by Siegal (2008). As the diversity amongst people who are affected by ASD vary significantly, due to the different symptoms they are displaying as well as the background the children are from. Consequently these variations can cause difficulties in diagnosing t he condition (Doyle et al, 2009). A key factor regarding ASD and the challenges they may face, relate to communication and socialization, additionally related challenging and disruptive behaviour. Children suffering from ASD show behaviour that is considered to be socially unacceptable, however when viewed rationally, this behaviour may simply be defined as ‘different’ (Sadri and Flammia, 2011). There appear to be numerous behavioural models that indicate a child may have ASD, example of some of the models are: externalizing behaviour, problem behaviour, maladaptive behaviour, symptoms of behavioural and emotional disorder (Hill and Furniss, 2006). There are also other suggestive symptoms, such as: the constant flicking of fingers, flapping of arms, rocking, nudity, bedwetting and or irregular sleeping patterns which are deemed as inappropriate, defining ASD to a degree (Groark and Eidelman, 2011). Problems usually appear to arise when the individual becomes increasingly aggressive, amongst the issues are, tantrums, self harming or irrational disassociation (Research Autism, 2011). Whilst some situations involving co-ordination or fine-motor skills may prove to be challenging for a child who has ASD, some children shows signs of high IQ and appear to be gifted in certain areas such as Mathematics, art and Music (NAS, 2012) Although there have been some suggestions that a form of predisposed chromosomes could have an effect on ASD, there is not enough evidence that this is the cause. Therefore, currently it is assumed (NAS, 2012), that ASD cannot be identified before or at birth. This argument is based on the diagnostic criteria of Wing and Gould (1979) ‘triad of impairments’ which looks at social interaction, imagination and communication difficulties the child may display (NAS, 2011). However, Mowder et al (2009) suggest that early identification of ASD would be advantageous as this could lead to early intervention, which can result in better academic achievement, whilst reducing the risk of additional behavioural difficulties (Zwaigenbaum et al. 2005). Some studies which Bailey et al (1995) and Levy et al. (2002), refer to, assumes that there may be strong genetic links with regards to possible causes of ASD. On the contrary to Bailey and Levy et al., Yapko (2003) suggests that ASD could be the result of environmental factors such as some medication (antibiotics), reactions to infections or vaccinations. However, these claims are not concrete and are still being researched (Yapko, 2003). Moreover, it is clear that, there is a wide spectrum of ASD, with this came the need for wide spectrum of educational requirements that needs to be met. Therefore educational provision, including mainstream schools, special schools, specialist units attached to mainstream schools and residential provision are essential for the child’s well being and educational needs (NAS, 2012). Historically children with ASDs were educated separately from their more able peers (Ferrall, 2010). Traditionally special education (SE) curriculum was put in place in order to enable children with disabilities and learning difficulties to adapt, and function accordingly within ‘normal’ society (Low Deiner, 2009). With the introduction of the Warnock Report in 1978, special education began to reform with the child’s education needs focussed on, rather than their disability (Wall, 2006). The report wanted to abolish the idea of handicap, as they began to recognise that labelling children negatively would be detrimental to the child and their future (Aarons, 2001). The principles laid down in the report have influenced legislation such as The Education Act 1981, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. These have played a role in shaping contemporary inclusive practice (Batten et al. 2006), as the Education Act 1981 introduced statements of the disabled. Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and later, Special Education Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001, placed a legal obligation in schools to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in order to ensure that disabled children are not disadvantaged (Batten et al, 2006) It appears that disability can be shaped and accommodated in various ways. As Oliver and Barnes (1998), points out, although ASD has been accepted to be a medical condition which can be diagnosed, the hostility, discrimination and the lack of understanding of the condition from the society’s perspective, are still apparent and can have a detrimental effect on the child’s well being. The social aspect of ASD can make it difficult for the inclusion to fully take part within the primary school setting (NAS, 2012), as focusing on the ‘deficit’ of the child rather than the potential can undermine the successful inclusive admission to the school whilst causing further discomfort to the child (Maclachlen and Schwartz 2009). Children with ASD are entitled to extra support in schools, in order to enable the child to cope with the environment which they are in together with receiving help, to reach the personal academic target (NAS, 2012). The term ‘Inclusion’ must not be confused with the terms ‘Integration’ and ‘mainstreaming’, as these terms describe a child being placed in an mainstream setting and is expected to adapt to their surroundings, and cope with the curriculum expectations. Whereas ‘inclusion’ involves the educational provisions being adapted to the individual child’s needs (NAS, 2012). NAS also believes that special schools must exist in order to accommodate children with more complex needs. However, it also appears to be essential that the ‘special schools’ work in partnership with the mainstream schools. Moreover, it is also argued by NAS (2012), that the government must not use inclusion as a rationale for cutting specialist provision. Previously, people with disabilities have undergone more discrimination and maltreatment than any other minority group (Brown, 2002). They have been subject to isolation, institutionalisation due to observation and other experimental examinations, as they have been perceived as being ‘different’, thus their needs as individuals were neglected (Barnes and Merce, 2010) The point here is that, the needs of individuals, regardless of their disability or ability must be taken into consideration, in order for the inclusive practice to work towards achieving its full potential of helping children integrate into the community they are part of whilst achieving their own individual academic targets (Avradamis et al. 2000). Due to the additional discomfort the discrimination caused to the children and their families with disabilities, some people choose to reject the labelling of being ‘disabled’ (Barnes, 2003), as this posed the danger of causing further distress to t he child (Giddin and Griffiths, 2006). Whilst many families accept that their child has impairments, it appears that the term ‘disabled’ is not easily accepted. It appears that in our society individuals with ‘impairments’ are often labelled as ‘abnormal’ or ‘disabled’ (Carson, 2009). Due to this common association, many people with ASD reject being diagnosed in fear of being labelled (Barnes, 2003). As a result, many parents/carers of children who are in the Autistic Spectrum, struggle to accept diagnosis for their child as the aspect of what the labelling may entail is overwhelming (Ariel and Naseef, 2006). Children in the main stream settings with ASD, often suffer with speech impairments (Brereton and Tonge, 2005), in addition to this, the comprehension of the spoken language and paralinguistic signals such as gestures and facial expressions may also pose potential problems for the child (Siegal, 2003). Rotatori et al. (2008), states that, implications on the childâ €™s socializing and personal interaction can often lead to behavioural problems. Developmental delays which occur due to these challenges in the learning environment may compound the condition (Seach, 2005). Various teaching strategies exist, in order to enable children of all abilities to have access to the curriculum more effectively (Kelly, 1999). According to Ginnis (2002) one of the most common and effective ways to teach children with ASD is a visual timetable, as this allows the child to become familiar with the times and activities via the simple diagrams provided for this purpose. Critically, this can guide effected children throughout their day at school, helping decrease anxiety levels by delivering basic and regular sequence (Pierangelo and Gulluliani, 2008). TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children), also uses visual support, written lists and calendars in order to help children with sequencing and prediction (NAS, 2012). Another teaching strategy involving pictures is the picture communications exchange system (PCES), this finds great use in children with limited language abilities by substitution of words and symbols for ob jects and activities. Gradually the child will build up a regular repertoire, which is beneficial for the child’s independence and own organizational qualities (Wilkinson, 2010). Successful inclusion warrants a system which extends beyond the classroom (Pittmann, 2007). This will only be possible if similar strategies are applied in leisure times as well as the classroom (NAS, 2012), some schools in response to this implemented a ‘circle of friends’ strategy. The idea behind this is for the volunteers to help children to express their feelings freely, progress socially and develop strategies to cope with high anxiety levels (NAS, 2012). Dixon and Addy (2004) argue that, teachers are now expected to embrace inclusion, whilst having actually received little or no training themselves. The inclusion of ASD’s, within the main stream schools appear to be unusually complex. As the child’s cognitive understanding often mismatches the significant language and behavioural deficits (De Boer, 2009), it is paramount that teaching staff recognizes the child’s strengths as well as their weaknesses, to effectively further the child’s development (Seach et al. 2002). Furthermore, it appears that inclusion has been most successful when a partnership between parent/carer and schools exists before the child’s first admission to school, thus bridging the gap between home environment and the school environment (De Boer, 2009). Teaching ASD’s requires adequate resource provisions; funding, time, staffing, and teaching materials are amongst the resources needed. According to Bernard et al. (2002), 45% of the schools who identified accommodating children with ASD, voiced their concern regarding lack of specialist reports received, which in return would limit the help given to the children. Remaining 55% reported inadequate diagnosis and prognosis of children with ASD this appears to lead back to the issue of ‘labelling’. Enthusiasm in a child’s own development is particularly important for the children suffering from ASD, interest levels, positive interaction and effective inclusion needs to be maintained (Howlin and Moore, 1997). As stated by Spergon in (Siegmann, 2007), for an inclusive setting to function and to achieve the desired effect, it must show a positive impact on the child’s learning. The positive influence must be in place regardless of the individual child’s ability, and developmental stage. Spergon also adds that children must be encouraged to aspire to the same education goals with independence, and enjoyment, no matter what their abilities or disabilities are (House of Commons, 2006). However, there is still a grave risk of inclusive schooling in that Autistic children are made very much aware of their differences to non-autistic children, causing the child’s stress levels to increase, resulting in self-stimulatory autistic habits (Seinsbury, 2009). Such habits together with sensory overload, appears to be a major hurdle for children with ASD in the school environment (Increased noise level, lighting, and smells) affecting their learning, and increasing social stigmatization. A large, noisy and disruptive classroom will limit any child’s capacity to learn and understand, more so a child who has ASD (Seach, 2002). Behavioural difficulties such as, shouting, lashing out, or screaming are often the secondary results of these kind of environments for ASD’s (Autismhelp, 2012). The NAS launched the ‘make school make sense’ campaign in 2006, this involved 33 discussion guidelines and corresponding feedback statistics from the families and children with ASD. The overwhelming results show that children interviewed found school a confusing and difficult place, with many finding it difficult to ‘fit in’ and making friends (Reid and Batten, 2006). In this study children who were happiest with their education, had high functioning Autism, which enabled the child to have better developed speech, thus were more able to ‘fit in’ and make friends. However Reid and Batten (2006) have also included that many of the children who were happy in their educational settings were observed to have been either in a special school that catered for their needs or in a dual setting. The 1978 Warnock report, promoted the integration of the disabled children in to the mainstream schools, together with the introduction of the National Curriculum and the Education Reform Act 1988, thus enabling the disabled children to be educated and to integrate with their non-disabled peers (Oliver, 1996). However, Baroness Warnock did articulate that, whilst it was every child’s right to have access to education and all children should be entitled to have the same start in life, she also stated the dissatisfaction she felt in mixing all abilities together as there was the belief that inclusive education for severely Autistic children could be problematic due to the characteristics and disruptive behaviour ASD children may be prone to display (Mckie, 2005). Moreover, Inclusion stood in stark contrast to the medical model approach (Barton, 2005), which used such terms as ‘fragile children’, ‘suffering from learning difficulties’, and the liberal us e of ‘ASD’. In conclusion, it seems that various regulations and policies have been introduced to the local authorities in order to enable the education sector (Primary school setting for the purpose of this paper), to address the needs of individual children with disabilities via inclusive education. However as it has been noted earlier on in the paper, it is of significant importance for the teaching staff to be adequately trained in understanding the child’s condition, such as ASD, as well as staff who are trained in how to enable inclusive education to take place in every classroom. As these developments will play a crucial role in the child’s academic and personal development. Referencing Aarons, M., and Gittens, T. (2001). Autism: a Guied for Parents and Professionals. NY: Routledge. 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