Description

I undertook a group activity section as part of my learning development which is defined as Enquiry Based Learning. A group composed of 5 members to work together as part of a team on a specific task. My group is to work on a case study working together as a group to produce a piece of PowerPoint presentation to present our findings.  Grounded on my understanding, I have identified a group as collective consisting of one or two people with a common interest whereas a group dynamic is a team of people acting interdependently with excellent communication skills, different knowledge and interact with each other regardless of shared responsibilities (George, 1985).  To this end, I would think of my enquiry based-learning group as a task -focused group, as each individual had a delegated task to carryout.  My enquiry based group was selected casually to work together and to share responsibilities individually which means to be able to produce this piece, we would need to communicate frequently with each other by building a significant relationship with the members of the group.

Feelings

Initially I felt confident to be in a smaller group as this gives me the opportunity to communicate in an easy way. however, I got frightened and felt anxious about having to be in a group with people I do know have any kind of a friendly approach with.  Also, I got frightened because, I perceived the group as a task purposed group only. Nevertheless, according to Casey, A. (2011) ”Communication is central to human interaction. Without it, people cannot relate to those around them, make their needs and concerns known or make sense of what is happening to them”.  to this end, with a smile in my face, I took the initiative to introduce myself and ask the members of my enquiry based learning their names. Tuchman (1965) underlined the importance of team development through four stages. However, forming is the first stage members of a team or group go through before moving unto the next phase.  This is an introductory stage where the group become adapted to each other. During the forming stage, the team members including myself have been very nice to each other but at the same time there are unseen possible conflicts.

Firstly, in the forming stage, we got selected randomly as a group to work together to achieve an outcome to meet a deadline. However, we started to get to know each other, to socialise, by becoming acquainted with each other while talking through the task. We all contributed in splitting the task in semi topics to obtain an outcome easily. Additionally, as a task focused group, we talked about the task and started to delegate each member a task to undergo. At this point, everyone’s opinion was valued, we discussed and planned on how to carry out our research and how to present it. Furthermore, in norming stage, we assessed the task as a group and set out the ground rules, boundaries and standards through communication and interaction (Tuchman, 1965). I was able to communicate interactively with the members of my enquiry based learning group and to convey my ideas. I also decided on which part of the argument I was interested in developing research into.  Additionally, everyone conveyed their ideas along with suggestions made by other members.  Consequently as, the group dynamic begins to lose its structure, conflicts emerge.  Which leads to the storming stage as stated by Tuchman (1965).  In this stage, though, there has not be any disagreements we decided to meet outside university to work together, because this is mainly task focused group, we all participated in a positive way.  Consequently, leading to the performing stage where we were able to achieve our goal (Tuchman, 1965).

Evaluation

Positively, even though in the ”norming stage” we started to work connectedly and the team performance is elevated thus not as high performing. we all contributed our ideas, discussed about possible meetings, place and the frequency. However, as a member, I was able to establish harmonious relationships with the rest of the group. I wanted the work to be done properly so I maintained a positive relationship throughout the section.  I explored my given topic independently, making sure to keep the interaction between the group going then we met on few occasions to put the work together and to practice on how to present the work.  However, I didn’t like the formation of the group because, even though we were good and very task focused, we did not have a specific role to adhere to. Everyone was doing everything and this was very disorganised. There was a point where we kept sending the working to the group and the members making changes independently whereas, as a supportive and interactive team, we could have meet   and discuss around any changes. The reason for this is because, even though we are really interactive wen we see each other, this, however, is different when we send messages around concerning or regarding the presentation. Members do not pay attention to messages.   Consequently as, the group dynamic begins to lose its structure, the group therefore struggles and dysfunctions as a group.

This stage negatively impact on the whole process through a realisation that, we did not really have a lasting group dynamic as members started to create small groups within the group unintentionally because of obvious preferences. They are more interested in getting their work done based on been the best. Personally, when this happened, people stop communicating, message and purpose become unclarified. So, people do things wrongly on their own terms. Relating to this, the group still functions as a group but there is no interaction or relationship based-communication.

Referring to the Mindtools document (Belbin’s reflective cycle), when a team is acting at its best, you will usually find that all the members has clear responsibilities.  Belbin (1993) said, Team role is a tendency to behaviour, contribution and interrelation with others. It is a pattern of behaviour that characterizes one person’s behaviour in a team process. It is thus, vital to classify the roles members possess to improve the team’s effectiveness. Teams having a balance of personality types perform better than those with duplicated personalities (Belbin,1993).

Belbin came up with the roles of individual team members which states that every member is unique and possesses unique behaviour which might affect the performance of the activity. He also used self-perception inventory questionnaire in his research in order to identify team roles and he found nine different roles with unique characteristics. These inclusive;

Following Belbin’s (1981) individual role in the team, the role that best describes me in the team was Implementers as I am mainly in charge of getting things done by elaborating in a systematic and an organized way on the team’s ideas and approaches into reasonable actions and plans. Also, I played the role of Completer-Finisher as I am always anxious about deadlines and want to make sure the work is completed and done before then.  On my personal point of view, I would say our group was acting very close to a team but there is still distance from a high performing team and If I had to change something about it next time, I would ask the lecturers to change the members.

Analysis

Conclusion

In conclusion, reflecting on this account, in a group or teamwork, all members are important. As stated in Tuchman’s (1965) reflective model it is important that individuals are delegated a task within in the group to focus on. However, firstly, there was no leadership, according the King’s Fund (2015) leadership is a tool to a successful and effective group task. For this reason, there was no formality of order in the group. Everyone was doing everything not sticking to the group dynamics. Secondly, though we were communicating and focusing on the task yet we were somehow disorganised and initial standards was not well observed.  Thirdly, our communication was a task-focused on not based on interrelations because, as soon as we depart from each other there is no more communication Bach (2015). If I have been given the opportunity next time, I would have recommended that the group delegate a leader to oversee the project only this way, would things be well organised and encourage more group meeting and to pay attention to messages thus giving a feedback and discussing it as a group.

Action plan

To encourage the participation and collaboration as a group, I will empower the group to elect a leader who can oversee managing affairs of the group. I would also encourage members to participate in providing feedbacks to any message that is communicate in other to understand what changes might occur.

References:

Bach, s. (2009) communication and interpersonal skills :Learning Matters LTD  available at http://sgh.org.sa/Portals/0/Articles/Communication%20and%20Interpersonal%20Skills%20for%20Nurses.pdf (19/02/17)

Belbin, M. (1993) : Team roles: Mindtools available at mindtools.com/Belbin team roles

Casey, A. (2011) Effective communication: Principle of Nursing Practice E: RCN :v 25 (32) available at https://www2.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/380795/Nursing_Standard_Principle_E_April11_563KB.pdf (accessed 19/02/17).

George, N. (1985). Importance of teamwork at work. Availablie at http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-teamwork-work-11196.html

Gibbs (1998): Reflective cycle : available at mindtools.com/gibbs reflective cycle

Maggs, D. (2015) The King’s Fund: Leadership and Leadership Development: London available at https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/files/kf/field/field_publication_file/leadership-leadership-development-health-care-feb-2015.pdf (accessed 19/02/17).

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Reflection on Personal Development and Self-Awareness

The Voyage

Introduction

The title of this essay is “The Voyage” . It’s a reflective essay, and I am using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988) as a template for this exercise. It’s a critical reflection on the importance of personal development and self-awareness, which are necessary if one is successful in becoming, and remaining a councillor. In simple terms it’s a examination of one’s outlook on life, from their own behaviours and to how they interact with other people.

By self examination and peer feedback facilities me to become more aware about myself. Conscious of my privileges, prejudices, perceptions, core values, beliefs ,and behaviours. Aware of my strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. This development of self awareness, along with the ability to self reflect on one’s life experiences, is viewed as not only necessary, but professionally ethical, as its practice enables a councillor and clients to remain safe and emotionally detached from future relationships they are trying to develop. Because it’s so easy for a counsellor to fall into the trap of forming a sense of identity or empathy while counselling clients. But it’s vital for both, especially the councillor, that they remain emotionally detached at all times.

Being objective is the main difficulty when assessing our personal development and self awareness. How we see and think of ourselves can be quite different from what other people see us. Only by rigorous personal inventories and feedback from others can we find a yardstick which with we can measure our ethics, and our professional standards which are vital in providing a safe environment when forming a relationship with our clients.

Its only by this sometimes painful process of becoming more self aware can we then embarque on our lifelong personal development, and be better equipped in dealing with the challenges presented by possible conflicts, and enable us to be more attuned and less vulnerable with our relationships with future clients.

The Voyage

According to Plato the famous philosopher Socrates once said “The greatest good of a man is daily to converse about virtue, and all that concerning which you hear me examining myself and others, andthatthe life which is unexamined is not worth living” (Plato,Apology).

This course, which is a diploma in the psychology of counselling, has contained within it a module on personal development and self awareness. This module challenges us to examine our core values, beliefs and prejudices and behaviours.. One of the requirements to becoming a good councillor is to know which way your ‘moral compass’ points, and to be aware of any prejudices, privileges and blind spots, and to remain emotionally uninvolved. To achieve this one has to embarque on a new journey of fearless self analysis.

We were advised to keep a journal, in which we could record events on one side and our feelings of these events on the other side. This has provided me with very valuable insights into my personality while compiling this essay.

Also this paper is a reflective essay, and so we must immerse ourselves in self reflection. The goal of this exercise is to make us more self aware. Aware of our personality traits and prejudices, our core values, habits, emotions, and the psychological forces that dictate our behaviour. This comprises of all events, good and bad, acquired throughout our entire lifetime that shapes who we are as a person today, and what we have to offer any potential client.

While our tutor explained the module in greater detail, warning us that it could be a emotional rollercoaster for some of us, I could sense the nervous atmosphere throughout the classroom. After all it’s not easy dissecting ones entire lifetime, reliving all the events, good

and bad, questioning ones reactions, the lessons learned or forgotten, and most importantly how these events shaped our personalities, attitudes, and our behaviour.

I could see the importance in such an exercise. To become a good councillor requires change, and the first step in making a change of any kind is to beawarethat a change is wanted or needed. This can only be achieved by getting to know oneself by immersing themselves in various scenarios, reflecting on past events, and questioning their reactions and what thoughts were felt at the time. This is the path to self awareness, and its only by self awareness one gets to know what are the strengths and weaknesses they poses that can achieve better results in their role as a councillor, and with their clients.

Unlike many of my classmates I thought I had an advantage. The advantage in question is I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict, thankfully in recovery, five years clean and sober. I’ve been to rehab, several times. The most popular method of treatment used is called the Minnesota Model (Hazelden 1949) , this has developed into the more widely known ‘twelve step program’. Today there are many similar twelve step programs. But there is one important step common to all groups, that is step four, which reads: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves” (The Big Book: April 10, 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc ). My feelings was that in my case it was already done and dusted. In overcoming my addiction I had to ‘dig deep’ very deep. From my earliest childhood memories up to the present day. I didn’t find it easy, but it changed the person I thought I was completely, and was a vital tool to my recovery.

The life of a councillor will always be a work in progress, there is no such thing as perfection, but one should always be as self aware as possible, and continue completely and honestly with their personal development. This includes sourcing important feedback from superiors and colleagues, which proves valuable information as to how others view you.

Like our tutor explained, the path to personal development and self awareness can be very difficult and emotional. The pain of dredging up memories long buried can be to some too much to endure. But the simple fact is just this, the pain one experiences while undertaking this difficult task, comes in not the journey, it comes by not having the courage to embarque on such a journey. Fear that one has to challenge and change some thought processes and behaviours that they have used and relied upon for some time. Often through various defence mechanisms that they may not be even conscious of. The journey of self discovery can be a difficult one, but I was first in line to buy a ticket, confident I had already been there, and if there were some omissions, I was eager to discover them. I viewed my life story as an open book, and was comfortable in disclosing any of my many shortcomings, to anyone at anytime.

However I soon realised it was far from done and dusted. To maintain abstinence we have to always seek self awareness, and continue our personal development. In doing so we have to be completely honest and humble. Completing step four of a twelve step program is like looking at your reflection in a mirror. You only see your shortcomings through your own eyes. The fact that others may see you differently felt slightly uncomfortable, due to the possibility that I may be someone different to whom I thought I was.

Over the next two months we sometimes engaged in groups to discuss and debate various topics. One of those being, what are the effects of modern society, and how people living in congested inner cities, with no community can lead to future mental health problems. I once thought of such people as scum. Undeserving of any free handouts. It would be true that I viewed these people as narcissistic parasites. Freeloaders who only existed by terrifying innocent and vulnerable people, and who should be locked up to protect decent honest people.

However I began to realise that these same people were victims of a society that judged and condemned them, a society of which I was a part of. I realised that these people didn’t have a choice as to which culture and society they were born into. A society which denied them equal access to education, sports and pastimes, marginalising them to such an extent that the easiest path to fill the vacuum they felt was through violence, crime, addiction, and most unfortunately suicide.

I learned through enrolling in this course that it was they who were the victims. I grew convinced that the culture and society they lived in, was one we created for them. I soon formed the opinion that the root of these problems was a result of poor parenting. By poor parenting I mean stressed parenting. Stress caused by economic poverty, violence, unemployment, dysfunctional societies, abandoned mothers, poor housing, no access to education, crime, addiction etc. I argued that the problem started from birth, and possibility pre-birth as stress hormones in the mother has been proved as having a negative effect on the unborn foetus. (Verny & Kelly 1981). I was, and still felt that these problems were caused by poor or no attachment to any care giver because nobody cared. I also stated Bowley’s opinion which was “the infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment, and that not to do so may have significant and irreversible mental health consequences” ( Bowlby, 1951). I also argued that in my opinion it was a “Self fulfilling Prophesy” that a Mother, who herself never had any attachment or continuous relationship with her own Mother, while also experiencing possible mental health problems, would give birth to a child whose ‘template’ of care will be identical to her own, thereby ensuring that the chain of dysfunction remains intact.

Another example was related to colour, race, and privilege. We were shown a movie directed by Lee Mun Wha called (The color of fear 1994). This entailed of a group comprising of Eight men, two African American, two Latinos, two Asian American and two Caucasians. The discussion was about race, especially the racial experiences ‘as seen through each other’s eyes’. in America. The exchanges were often dramatic, and sought to clarify the pain caused by racism in North America.

In this movie the ‘people of colour’ expressed their racial experiences and problems in American society compared to the two Caucasians in the group. As the discussion developed one of the African Americans became quite animated if not abusive towards one of the Caucasians in the group. The reaction of the Caucasian was one of surprise. He stated that he often employed these people of colour, and that some of them were his closest friends. He was obviously surprised at being portrayed as a racist. The other coloured people also expressed similar views, though in a calmer fashion.

My first interpretation was that the Caucasian in question was being harshly treated. After all it was he who employed and befriended people of colour. As the discussion developed I began to realise some privileges that Caucasian’s poses and may be unaware of. The structure of American society was built by white Caucasian people of European descent dating back to the colonization of the continent. Any other race such as people of African, Asian, Latino origin arrived later, either through slavery, immigration, or economic need. It was these later arrivals along with native Americans who had to comply with the status quo, which was created by the ‘Founding Fathers’ (Brown Jul 1976). by white European decedents. I began to realise that the debate may not about ‘hard racism’ like the violent protests in the US during the1960s human rights movement, (New World Encyclopedia contributors , 05/11/2014) which eventually led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (congresslink.org, 2014).

My interpretation is that it’s more like passive discrimination, and that the real issue may be inequality rather than racism, especially economic inequality. The US is one of most unequal societies in the world. Its inequality is now at Great Depression levels (Saez & Zucman 2014)

However there’s another term called “Colour Blindness” ( Doob, 2012). The author describes this process as allowing whites to ignore the disadvantages of coloured or non-white population. Doob also argues that white people may believe they live in a world in which racial discrimination no longer exists, but their behaviour often consists of racialized practices. My final analyses of the movie is simply that the Caucasian in question was Colour Blind but was not conscious of the fact. This I believe is because he never discriminated against such people, while also knowing at the same time such practices are widespread. From the irate African American point of view I believe he was angry that Caucasian’s had the privilege of deciding to play the “Race Card” or not, while not having this privilege himself, he may have viewed it as a prejudice not evoked, rather than exercising a privilege to which the Caucasian was unaware of.

This movie brought into my consciousness some privileges I was totally unaware of. Examples such as race, religion, education, strong family bonds, access to healthcare etc. are some of the privileges I enjoy that many of the people I referred to at the start of this essay don’t have. This leads to the question, am I racist? When referring to members of the travelling community, who are Irelands largest ethnic minority, I, like many others are of the opinion that it’s the minority of travellers that cause the most conflicts. In my opinion it is these people who are responsible for the discrimination experienced by them.

Regarding travellers, I have witnessed both sides of their behaviour and culture. For thirty years I was a rural publican. I served travellers on many occasions, not in large groups, but in small groups of two or three that I knew would cause no problems. But unfortunately sooner or later these would arrive in larger groups. These larger groups would include the troublesome minority mentioned above. This would always result in expulsion from the premises. Always my main complaint would be why don’t these people take responsibility for the troublesome minority? Instead of attempting to dissuade these minorities they seemed to “close ranks” and support them. Because my regular customers, to whom I relied on to make a living, objected to their presence, I felt I had no choice but to impose a blanket ban on all travellers. I don’t think I’m racist towards these people. My decisions were based on pragmatism rather than race.

Unfortunately this seems to be the norm throughout today’s society, even though some self rightness people object, stating its illegal for this discrimination. But the fact remains that all businesses have the right to refuse service, without having to provide a reason.

Since leaving the trade I have come into contact with many of these people and they have treated me with the utmost respect. They are quite aware of the predicament I faced, and understood why I had to be pragmatic in choosing my regular and loyal customers over their unwanted presence. I now see in them a strong moral code. They are deeply religious. But unlike many devout, they also have an unconditional faith to match. A faith to which I have a unconditional respect. However I still question why they don’t call to account the small minority of trouble makers who tarnish all the decent members of their identity and culture.

Conclusion

The two subjects discussed above are just two examples of the advantage of applying Personal development. There are many other examples where personal development and self awareness would be beneficial. All types of counselling present new challenges, wither counselling for depression, addiction, anxiety, bereavement, suicide etc. The fact that when we examine these in greater detail it results in a change of our point of view, we become more aware of subtleties and inaccurate assumptions. We become aware of different views which people revile. In other words it enables us to be more self aware.

Because only counsellors who are aware of their own skills and knowledge can successfully help a client, Personal development and self awareness are vital.

Today the benefits of personal development and self awareness have become more widespread in society. Practices such as mindfulness, yoga, meditation and other eastern philosophies are now widespread.

More and more people practice some disciplines above. People, especially I, now question the narcissistic nature of western capitalism. I question is this the path to personal wellbeing and happiness? I, for one think not.

I will end this essay with a quote from ex US President Jimmy Carter. “Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but rather by what one owns.”

To own ones soul is true freedom. Only self awareness and personal development makes this possible.

The End

Bibliography

Bowlby, J.(1951) Maternal care and mental health, Pg 51 World Health Organization Monograph(Serial No. 2)

Brown Richard D. (Jul 1976) The Founding Fathers of 1776 and 1787 A Collective View, pp.465-480. William and Mary Quarterly,3rd Ser., Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul. 1976).

Dirksen Congressional Center. (2014) congresslink.org. Available at: http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_histmats_civilrights64text.htm [Accessed on 17/11/2014]

Doob C.B., (2012) Social inequality and social stratification in US society. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson, 2013. Print.

Gibbs, G.(1988)Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods(London, Further Education Unit)

Minnesota Model: Hazelden (1949)Available at http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/minnesotamodel.page [accessed on 17/11/2014]

New World Encyclopedia contributors, (2014), African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)Available at: :http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955-1968)&oldid=985152 [Accessed on 17/11/2014]

Plato,(Apology, section 38)

Saez, E & Zucman,G (2014), Wealth equality in the United States since 1913, University of California–Berkeley & London School of Economics.

The Big Book: (April 10, 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc ).

The color of fear (1994) directed by Lee Mun Wha.USF Urban Education & Social Justice 1994.

Thomas R. Verny T R & Kelly J, 1982, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, Published July 15th 1982 by Dell.

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Considering the effectiveness of the approach to primary research for a dissertation

INTRODUCTION

As a part of my dissertation research and writing process, I conducted a parallel process of reflective learning in order to capture important points of personal growth, learning and development resulting from my course of study (Williams, Woolliams & Spiro, 2012). Whilst the results presented in my dissertation reflect the more academic aspects of my learning journey, this report considers the less tangible elements of my performance, focusing on how I approached the task and what I could have done better or differently (Bassot, 2016). The aim is to ensure that I learn from my experiences, using a reflective approach to gain greater insight and understanding of how I tackled my research, using this to establish a baseline for a longer-term development plan (Jasper, 2013).

CONTEXT

This paper was compiled following the submission of my dissertation, which involved the conduct, collation and presentation of primary research in an international business studies environment (Kumar, 2014). As a result, the observations and findings presented relate to the following core activities:

• Decision making processes surrounding the choice of dissertation topic and the research approach to be applied.
• My approaches and attitudes to the more academic aspects of the work involved (secondary research, writing of my dissertation, collation and presentation of the data captured).
• The issues and challenges that I experienced in relation to the more inter-personal aspects of the work (engaging with my tutors and academic sponsors, approaches to primary research respondents).
• The gaps in my knowledge and understanding of the topic area/research that emerged and how I sought to close these gaps.

(Jarvis, 2006; Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2009)

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

Before embarking on my dissertation, I noted the importance of conducting reflective practice in parallel given the feedback and guidance I was receiving from my academic institution (Hoult, 2006). As a result, I completed a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment in order to understand how my personality type shapes my learning preferences (Briggs-Myers & Myers, 1980). From this (and from my subsequent preparatory readings around learning styles) I noted that I was a ‘reflector’ i.e. someone who is more comfortable when given time to think about new situations (Honey & Mumford, 2000). Whilst I also displayed some ‘activist’ tendencies (I am always keen to explore new challenges), I recognise that I prefer to observe and collect/collate information first before developing and displaying a broader understanding, which is often perceived as being over-cautious (or even slow) by my peers (Honey & Mumford, 2000).

As a result, I decided to maintain a journal throughout my period of study in order to capture and combine both my activities and the feelings and attitudes I was experiencing/displaying at that time (Williams et al, 2012). This approach suited my learning preferences and for each entry I applied the structure suggested by Knott and Scragg (2013):

• Reflection – what issue was causing me concern at the time of writing (e.g. an inability to motivate myself to begin secondary research).
• Analysis – considering what is happening (e.g. prevarication), what assumptions I was making (e.g. I would find secondary research dull and difficult), what this showed about my beliefs and practices (e.g. I find it challenging to start new working practices without some form of support) and how was this viewed by others (e.g. some peers felt that I was not committed to my studies).
• Action – having reviewed the journal entry I could then consider what actions (immediate and long-term) I could take. For example, having reviewed my entries about secondary research, I sought help from my tutor and joined a working group conducting research in the same area. This provided me with both motivation and support.

(Knott & Scragg, 2013)

Building my reflective learning around this journal initially lent itself to the adoption of Kolb’s cyclical model of learning as the entries were providing the critical material needed to encourage me to learn, adapt and develop (Kolb, 1984). The journal provided evidence of the experience and my subsequent reflection (‘Do’ and ‘Observe’), supported the required learning to help me adjust my approaches in the future (‘Think’) and ensured that I created a personal training and development plan to ensure that I acquired the skills and experience necessary (‘Plan’) (Kolb, 1984). However, an early review of my journal entries highlighted the importance of my emotional state and my feelings to my work activities and learning approaches and I subsequently adapted this approach to apply the experiential learning cycle developed by Gibbs (1988).

OBSERVATION, REFLECTION AND FINDINGS

Whilst a number of learning experiences and areas for training and development were identified, one particular issue emerged as providing the most significant material – my attitudes, feelings and approach to the primary research required for my dissertation (Kumar, 2014). The key points are presented using Gibbs experiential learning cycle (Gibbs, 1988).

DESCRIPTION

As a part of my dissertation, I was required to conduct primary research to capture key data to support the detailed consideration of the research questions I had proposed (Saunders et al, 2009). The approach that I decided to adopt having identified the sample group (and after having gained the necessary consents) was to use an internet-hosted survey platform (SurveyMonkey, 2017) to capture the basic data and then follow this up with a series of face-to-face interviews to explore the respondents views in greater depth.

Whilst my organisation of the on-line survey and the timetabling and physical arrangements for the interviews went well, the first five face-to-face meetings (conducted over a period of three days) did not. This was the first time I had conducted any form of research interview and I had not properly prepared myself for the experience. As a result, the quality of the data collected from these interviews was poor and the interviewees expressed concerns about my professional ability and clearly felt that they were not being taken seriously (Brinkman, 2013)

FEELINGS

In the days leading up to these interviews, I began to feel increasingly stressed and worried about what I would need to do. I am aware that I am not particularly comfortable in unfamiliar formal settings and I had intentionally created a scenario where I would need to face such an environment (Briggs-Myers & Myers, 1980). The respondents were also professionals with many years of experience in their field which meant that I was intimidated when I finally met them – I was much younger and felt intellectually inferior.

Because these feelings of inadequacy (and implied intimidation – even though all of the respondents were engaged and courteous), I quickly became flustered and lost my way in the interviews. I found it difficult to quickly locate the relevant notes and questions and I became embarrassed as each respondent realised that I was beginning to struggle. Unfortunately, this embarrassment seemed to lead to me developing an interviewing style that was almost aggressive. Thankfully, three of the respondents recognised my discomfort and offered to engage in the interview process again once I was feeling better prepared. This generated a sense of relief and gratitude and encouraged me to review my approach.

EVALUATION

In reflecting on this experience, there is clear evidence that my ability to organise and timetable the interview processes needed to support my primary research is sound. Each respondent knew the direction of the research I was exploring, understood the questions to be presented and the rationale behind them and (thanks largely to the initial survey approach) they were fully engaged in the programme I had initiated (Saunders et al, 2009). However, my poor inter-personal skills and lack of preparation for the face-to-face interviews themselves undermined this process. In essence, whilst the research questions appeared credible, the researcher did not!

I was disappointed in myself and these feelings were exacerbated when I noted the disappointment and frustration expressed by some of the respondents. However, the situation was mitigated by the apparent quality of the research questions and the initial survey that had been presented to respondents, evidenced in the continued engagement of three of the respondents after this poor initial meetings (Brinkman, 2013). I was still able to obtain feedback that indicated how my research findings would be valued and that the approach I wished to explore had both academic rigour and would be valued by the businesses each respondent represented. This helped to focus my thinking, confirming that the problems experienced were due to my inter-personal skills and poor preparation rather than a more fundamental issues surrounding the direction of the research (Kumar, 2014).

ANALYSIS

In order to ensure that I was able to present a fully supported and balanced dissertation, I needed to make sure that I captured detailed qualitative data and opinions from respondents (Brinkman, 2013). Given the problems that I had experienced, this left me with essentially two options – to address my poor interviewing performance or to fundamentally change the direction and tone of my dissertation to focus exclusively on the analysis and presentation of secondary data (Kumar, 2014). Given the feedback I had received from my academic support team and respondents (and noting the personal development that would accrue), I decided that it would be appropriate to maintain the direction of my dissertation and take action to develop and improve my interviewing skills (Bassot, 2016). A critical review of my reflective journal provided further evidence to support this approach, as I had noted the need to improve my inter-personal skills in similar settings in the past (Jarvis, 2012).

I used my academic course to identify and work with people who had faced similar situations in order to gain a broader understanding of how they approached the challenges presented, the feelings and concerns that they had felt and how they chose to prepare for their events (Cottrell, 2011). Given my learning preferences and personality type, I recognised that I would need significant support in this area if my performance was to improve and therefore sought to create a ‘community of practice’ that would be able to provide me with an appropriate support group (Honey & Mumford, 2000, Lave & Wenger, 1998).

CONCLUSION

The discussions that I had with my peers within the support group that I created helped me to identify that my poor interview performance was fundamentally down to poor preparation. However, my unwillingness to prepare adequately was shaped by my fear of having to face such situations and that I therefore needed to build a learning and support intervention that addressed this issue (Jarvis, 2012).

I recognised that I needed to become more comfortable with being involved in a face-to-face interview scenario if I was to be able to collate and present the primary data needed for my dissertation (Kumar, 2014). If changing the tone and direction of my dissertation was unacceptable, then the only alternative was to remove the fear I felt in facing this unfamiliar situation by creating an operating environment that I felt more comfortable working within (Lave & Wenger, 1988).

ACTION PLAN

Having taken time to reflect on this incident (engaging the views of my peer support group to also challenge and critically examine my own perceptions and opinions), I was able to create a suitable action plan to help me address the issues identified (Williams et al, 2012). The key elements of this plan were as follows:

• I contacted the five respondents in order to apologise for my poor practice and to ask them if they would be prepared to repeat the interview. Three agreed and subsequent discussions with these individuals allowed me to request feedback from them which help to measure/quantify my (improved) performance when I next worked with them.
• I attended a university-sponsored interviewing techniques course which helped to make me more comfortable in such scenarios. It also equipping me with a range of tools and techniques I could apply when conducting a qualitative research interview.
• Prior to the next series of interviews, I sought the support of my peer group/community of practice and carried out a number of ‘role-play’ events which helped me to structure my thinking and analytical approach.
• I created a less formal interview environment for subsequent interviews (a relaxed coffee area rather than a meeting room). This helped to ensure that I was more relaxed and the conversation/information flow improved.
• I reduced the intensity of the interview schedule to allow me time to reflect on my performance after each interview and continue to refine my skills in this area.

(Hoult, 2006)

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The example presented within this paper highlights some of the key learning points I have captured during my period of study. These include:

• The need to understanding my learning styles and preferences, but not to be constrained by them.
• The importance of building a support group or network that I am comfortable working with, so that I can challenge and critically review my thinking, actions and behaviours.
• The need to view learning as an iterative process and the importance of reflective processes in refining my performance and in building a targeted training and development plan.

(Armstrong & Taylor, 2014)

REFERENCES

Armstrong, M., Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 13^thEdition, London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Bassot, B. (2016). The Reflective Journal, 2^nd Edition. London: Palgrave.

Briggs-Myers, I., Myers, P.B. (1980). Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Brinkman, S. (2013). Qualitative Interviewing: Understanding Qualitative Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Cottrell, S. (2011). Critical Thinking Skills: Developing effective analysis and argument, 2^nd Edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Oxford Polytechnic.

Honey, P., Mumford, A. (2000). The Learning Styles Helper’s Guide. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications.

Hoult, E. (2006). Learning Support: a guide for mature students. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

Jarvis, P. (2012). Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Human Learning. Abingdon: Routledge.

Jasper, M. (2013) Beginning Reflective Practice. 2nd edition. Andover: Cengage Learning.

Knott, C., Scragg, T. (2013). Reflective Practice in Social Work, 3^rd Edition. London: Sage.

Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Kumar, R. (2014). Research Methodology. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

Lave, J., Wenger E. (1998). Situated Learning: Legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2009). Research Methods for Business Students, 5^th Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.

SurveyMonkey. (2017). Get answers with the world’s leading survey platform. [Online], Available: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/mp/take-a-tour/?ut_source=header [07 June, 2017].

Williams, K., Woolliams, M., Spiro, J. (2012). Reflective Writing. London: Palgrave MacMillan.

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Critically reflect on an encounter with a service user in a health care setting

Introduction

This essay aims to critically reflect on an encounter with a service user in a health care setting. The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle will be used as this is a popular model of reflection. Reflection is associated with learning from experience. It is viewed as an important approach for professionals who embrace lifelong learning (Jasper, 2013). In general terms, reflective practice is the process of learning through and from an experience or activity to gain new understandings of self and/or practice (Bout et al., 1985; Jasper, 2013). This method is viewed as a way of promoting the personal and professional development of qualified and independent professionals, eventually stimulating both personal and professional growth (Jasper, 2013). Dating back to 1988, the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle encompasses six stages of reflection which enable the reflector to think through all the phases of an activity or experience (Gibbs, 1998). The model is unique because it includes knowledge, actions, emotions and suggests that experiences are repeated, which is different from Kolb’s reflective model (Kolb, 1984) and thus, the model is wider and a more flexible approach in examining a situation in a critical light to enable future changes (Zeichner and Liston, 1996).

Description

The incident I will be reflecting on occurred whilst I was placed on the oncology ward during my first year of qualified nursing. We had an elderly service user on the ward, who had been admitted due to stomach cancer. Upon his arrival, we read his notes which highlighted that he had significant learning difficulties, meaning that he also had problems with verbal communication. The main areas of reflection are how both myself and the other nurses used communication to calm the patient and show compassion, as well as how we adapted our care to address their individual needs. A nurse came onto the ward with three members of the public, who were viewing the ward as part of a job advertising process. When the nurse entered the patients bay, she informed the members of the public that the service users in that bay were currently receiving radiotherapy treatment. Upon hearing the nurse’s words, the service user became overtly distressed and began crying, shrieking and hitting his head backwards against his pillow –it took time; however, another nurse managed to calm him down by talking in a soothing manner.

Feelings

Prior to the incident occurring, I was mindful that the nurse was showing the three members of the public around the oncology ward, as part of a job advertising process. At the time of the incident, I had only been working on the oncology ward for six months so still felt slightly unsure of my position within the team. Ultimately, I did not feel confident or experienced enough to deal with this situation independently. I think that my increased level of anxiety meant that I struggled to intervene, however it is still clear that both my colleagues and myself should have intervened more quickly to ensure that the patient was dealt with effectively. Moreover, I was very surprised when the nurse failed to take into consideration the individual needs of the service user during the visit of the ward, as the distress caused to both the service user and the members of the public was very unnecessary.

Evaluation

In hindsight, the experience had both good and bad elements which have led to an increased understanding of the service user experience and my role as a nurse practitioner within the oncology team. My role was to give physical examinations and evaluate the service user’s health, prescribe and administer medication, recommend diagnostic and laboratory tests/read the results, manage treatment side effects, and provide support to patients – this includes acting in their best interests. I feel that I did not fulfil the latter responsibility completely. This duty to protect service user’s full confidentiality and ensuring that the nurse who was showing the members of the public around the ward was aware of the service user’s communication difficulties and resulting anxiety was not fulfilled. Our failure to act as a team, by sharing information and stepping in before a situation escalated, shows that there was a low level of group cohesiveness (Rutkowski, Gruder and Romer, 1983).

Analysis

According to the Nursing Times Clinical (2004), people with learning difficulties often have a struggle with adapting to new situations, which means that there is a potential for problematic behaviour when dealing with something outside of their comfort zone. Nevertheless, as suggested by the Nursing Times Clinical (2004), healthcare staff should be aware of how to effectively interact with people who have a learning disability and this can be aided through regular and valuable reflection. Prior to admission into the hospital, it is advised that professionals find out about the patient’s communication and their likes and dislikes; address any potential fears either through discussion or by allowing the patient to visit the ward to meet the nursing staff (Nursing Times Clinical, 2004). Moreover, the day to day communication towards patients with learning difficulties should involve patient-centred/holistic care in addressing patient needs, which incorporates both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Therefore, professionals should make eye contact, look and listen, allocate more time for the patient, be interactive and communicative, remain patient and in some cases, enable any professionals who may have had experience with people with a learning difficulty to care for the patient (Nursing Times Clinical, 2004).

MENCAP states that one of the most common problems when accessing healthcare for people with learning disabilities is poor communication (n.d). This can be aided by offering the service user an advocate to communicate on their behalf and by providing information in a variety of ways including visual. They further this with the notion that healthcare professionals should equally value all people, adapt their service so that it meets different needs and understand that each individual will have different needs (MENCAP, n.d). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2015) further this in ‘The Code’, which states that all registered nurses and midwives must abide by the professional standards which are to: prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety and promote professionalism and trust. Therefore, the incident whereby another nurse did not take into consideration the individual needs of the patient does not abide by the professional code of conduct; ultimately, they did not recognise when the patient was anxious or in distress and respond compassionately, paying attention to promoting the wellbeing of the service user and making use of a range of verbal and non-verbal communication methods (NMC, 2015). Compassion is one of the ‘6cs’ introduced in 2012 – which are the values and behaviours that are viewed as the quality markers of a health and care service – these being: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment (Department of Health, 2012). The 6Cs carry equal weight and should be a part of all service delivery – ensuring that patients are always placed at the heart of the provision (DoH, 2012).

Conclusion

From this experience, I am now more mindful of the importance of being assertive and exert professionalism in practice (and not feel as though I cannot do something because of my position within the team or length of experience) if similar situations were to arise in the future. The insight I have gained from this experience means that I am now more aware of the implications of not acting immediately and the importance of acting in the best interests of the patient, even when this may take courage. Strong working relationships between healthcare professionals should also be given a greater emphasis within the oncology ward, so to increase levels of group cohesiveness (Rutkowski, Gruder and Romer, 1983).

Action Plan

In the future, I aim to be more proactive in dealing with a situation face on regardless of my role within the team or level of experience; this includes dealing with a stressed service user, ensuring that information is passed on to the relevant staff and intervening when I believe that is a risk to a service user’s health or mental wellbeing. Moreover, I will address the needs and alter how I approach a patient with learning difficulties in the future by ensuring that I use the different methods of communication and undertake some independent research on their specific needs; the information of which I can use in my nursing practice.

I will not assume that other members of staff will always be aware or mindful of the individual needs and/or triggers of a service user, and I will not presume that other members of staff will always act in a wholly professional way. I will continue to undertake regular professional reflective practice, using the on-going model proposed by Gibbs (1988). I also aim to consistently and confidently implement the principles and values as set out by the National League for Nursing, relating to the individual needs of service users, these being:

• To respect the dignity and moral wholeness of every person without conditions or limitation.
• To affirm the uniqueness of and differences among people, their ideas, values and ethnicities. (National League for Nursing, 2017, n.d).

These are furthered by the National Health Service (NHS), which was created out of the ideal that quality healthcare should be available to all and should meet the individual needs of everyone.

Reference List

Boud, D., Keogh, R. and Walker, D. (1985) Promoting reflection in learning: a model. In D. Boud, R. Keogh and D. Walker (eds.) Reflection: turning experience into learning. London: Kogan Page.

Department of Health (DoH). (2012) Compassion in Practice. London: Department of Health.

Gibbs G (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford.

Jasper, M. (2013) Beginning Reflective Practice. 2nd edition. Andover: Cengage.

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

MENCAP. (n.d) Communicating with people with a learning disability. Online. Available at: https://www.mencap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2016-12/Communicating%20with%20people_updated%20(1).pdf

National Health Service (NHS). (2015) Principles and values that guide the NHS. Online. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/nhscoreprinciples.aspx

National League for Nursing. (2017) Core Values. Online. Available at: http://www.nln.org/about/core-values

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). (2015) The Code. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Nursing Times Clinical. (2004) Managing the needs of people who have a learning disability, Nursing Times 100 (10) pp. 28-29.

Oxford Brookes University. (2017) Reflective writing: About Gibbs reflective cycle. Online. Available at: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/upgrade/study-skills/reflective-writing-gibbs/

Rutkowski, G. K., Gruder, C. L., & Romer, D. (1983). Group cohesiveness, social norms, and bystander intervention, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44(3), pp.545-552.

Zeichner, K. and Liston, D. (1996) Reflective Teaching: an introduction. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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The Advantages and Disadvantages of The Internet Essay

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Advantages of Internet

3.0 Disadvantages of Internet

4.0 Conclusion

1.0 Introduction

Modern life has become easier and the people of the world have to thanks to the immense contribution of the internet technology to communication and information sharing. There is no doubt that internet has made our life become easier and more convenient. We can use internet to communicate with people around the world, doing business by using internet, make new friend and know different cultures, searching information, studying and etc.

The internet not only allows for communication through email but also ensures easy availability of information, images, and products amongst other things. Every day the internet continues to provide a new facility, something new that is immensely convenient and that makes life more easier for web users. However, the internet also contains some unwanted elements or disadvantages. The following are the advantages and disadvantages of the internet.

2.0 Advantages of the Internet

Firstly, the internet can let a person to communicate with people in virtually any parts of the world through the internet or e-mail, without having to leave his room. E-mail allowed peoples to communicate with minimum of times. It is now possibles to send a message to any parts of the world through a simple e-mail address and the message is delivered in matter of seconds. Every companies is using e-mail in business. The convenience of e-mail has allowed businesses to expand and communicates with their vendors and customers located all over the world in records times. Personal communication has also become more easier thanks to e-mail. Chat rooms, video conferencing are some of the latest additions in this technology and these have allowed peoples to chat in real time. Besides, there are a lot of messengers services in offering. With the help of such services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your thoughts and explore other cultures. The internet also allows people within an organization to easily communicate and share informations.

Second, information is probably the biggest advantages that internet offers. Internet is a virtual treasures trove of information. Any kinds of information on any topic under the sun is available on the internet. The search engines like Google, Yahoo are at your service through the internet. There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every subjects known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the lists is simply endless. We can uses these search engines, websites dedicated to different subjects and large amount of articles and papers are available for perusal in a matter of a few seconds.

Forums on a number of sites allow peoples to discuss and share their thoughts and informations with others located at different places all over the world. Whether this information is the latest news happenings in the world or information about your favourite celebrity, everything is available at your finger tips. A huge cache of data is available on the internet on every single subjects. With this storehouse of information people can not only increases their knowledge bank but can do so without wasting their time through traditional means such as visiting libraries and conducting exhaustive research. With internet, students can save their times to search for information and using their time to do other works.

This is particularly relevant for students who can use this wealth of information for their school projects and also learn new things about the subjects they are interested in. In fact this internet is for many schools and universities that are now able to assigns projects and work to the students and follows their progress which can be easily posted on the school or university internal websites. Online education has grown at a very fast pace since internet allow the development and uses of innovative tools for imparting education. University students and lecturers can communicate through internet. Besides, some universities are also offerings far distances courses to make study become more inefficient and convenience. Internet become a gateway for those who wants to learn but cannot afford the living fees at foreign countries.

Thirdly, entertainments is another popular reasons why many people prefer to surf the internet. In fact, the internet has becomes quite successful in trapping the multifaceted entertainment industry. Downloading games or just surfing the celebrity websites are some of the uses people have discovered. Even celebrities are using the internet effectively for promotional campaigns. Besides that, there are numerous games that can be downloaded for free. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal attentions by game lovers. The internet has also revolutionized the entertainments industry. People nowadays no need to go to a cinema hall to watch your favourite movie. Instead of watching movies at cinema now have companies offering their services where you just can downloads or order your favourite movie and watch it with a fast internet connection. Besides that, you also can download other important software or your favourite music in a matter of few minutes. There are a number of shareware programs that allow you to share and download your favourite music and videos. The internet also allows people from different cultures and background to connect with each other. Internet gaming is a huge business and allow enthusiastic gamers to compete against each other in games even when they are located far apart. Likewise dating has also allowed people to find their prospective soul mates.

Through the internet, shopping has also got a complete makeover thanks to the contributions of the internet. You have many website selling a varieties of products online and one just need to select or bid for the desired product and entire financial transactions can be conducts through the internet. E commerce has got a facilities because of the internet and entire global business deals can be conducted over the internet. Transfer of money is also no longer a times consuming job and with just a click of a button you can easily transfers funds to any place you wish. Some of these services of courses come at a price. The internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you can now performs all your transaction online. You can books tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc, and right from your home. Some travel websites even plans an itinerary as per your preferences and take care of airline tickets, hotel reservation etc. by using internet, consumers can compare the prices of product before making decisions to purchase.

People who believes that impacts of internet on students is positives said that internet help students by providing them the handy material and resources for their studies. It is a big reality that now students takes a lots of help from internet. Students have any problem regarding their studies or their daily life they can finds lots of solutions of that problem from internet. There they can find out articles of scholar and other professional people which would be helpful for them. They can take lectures from different academics on different topics.

One of the most important benefits of internet is that students can earn from internet through bloggers. Students can take interest on earning through internet. It would be a great source of income for them and also it would provide them a big experience of writing. The students who are interested in media and wanted to be a writer in the future must do this work. This would increase their professional skills which would lead them towards great future.

Students can also use internet for the social connectivity and there are lots of social media websites which mostly students use for social networking. Such as Facebook, Twitter, Weibo etc are the famous social networking site. Students can contact themselves with the foreign students and discuss them on different issue to enhance their skills and knowledge. By using internet wisely, students can get many information to enrich their knowledge.

3.0 Disadvantages of the Internet

However, for all its advantages and positive aspects, the internet has its dark and ugly side too. The recent rumours that mongering about racial riots in Kuala Lumpur which in created a furores, just goes to show how this tool, with its unrivalled reputation as an information assassinations and company reputations can suffer if internet facilities are abused, especially by those with an axe to grind.

Besides that some students will spend too much of time through the internet. Students are likely to neglect their studies. If the movie has too strong a hold even elderly people are likely to neglect some their important work. Students might lose concentrate on their studies because they spent too much time on internet. Some of them can’t even divide their time to do homework but they spent their time on watching movie or chatting with their friends through internet.

While the internet has made life easier for people in many ways it is also reflecting an uglier side to its existence through a number of problems that it has thrown up for its users. With a large amount of information freely available on the internet theft and misuse of this information is a likely possibility. Time and again you see cases of people using someone else’s information and research and passing it off as their own. Children nowadays seem losing their ability to communicate with others. They are used to communicate with others via internet but they cannot communicate with others face by face fluent. It was a strange sight that internet had make people losing their ability to communicate. It is because people now are over depending on internet.

Another problem or disadvantage of the internet is that it has allowed a great deal of anonymity to a large number of people who may access the different websites, forums and chat rooms available. This has allowed perverted individuals to at times take advantage of innocent people and abuse their trust. We can always hear from news that cheaters used internet to make crimes. The cheaters will make friends with single ladies and cheat them by using sweet words. Lonely single ladies are very easy get in trap of these cheaters. These cheaters normally will cheat these ladies to bank-in money to them. Some of the cheaters try to borrow money from these ladies.

There are a host of games that are available on the internet and this has made most children to shun all outdoor activity. In the absence of physical activity, children can easily fall prey to a lot of lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, apart from failing to develop interpersonal skills. Apart from these factors, sitting continuously in front of a computer screen can seriously damage our eyes, and put a strain on our neck and shoulders. Children are in their developing years and these factors can create life-long problems for them. Children will become more violence because affected by internet games. There are too many internet games that contain violence content and it may affect negative influence to children.

Another disadvantage of internet is harmful to little children. Children nowadays are explored to internet and they are used to maintain internet as their daily life. This is one of the greatest threats internet poses to children. Internet has provided an easy medium to children to gain access to pornography and this can cause them to either become sexually-deviant or sexually-addictive. This phenomenon has also caused another problem, and that is the increase in prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in children. According to reports, one out of every four teenagers gets infected with a STD every year. The adult content that is present on the internet promotes irresponsible sex and creates false notions in the minds of students.

If you have been following news lately then you must know what we are referring to. Children have been lured by paedophiles posing as good Samaritans and have been physically abused and molested. Internet has also made it easy for unscrupulous elements to get in touch with children and this has led to an increase in the cases of kidnapping and identity thefts. About 60% young teens in the United States have admitted to responding to messages from strangers. This kind of behaviour is extremely risky and has made children extremely vulnerable to become victims of cyber-crime.

4.0 Conclusion

The points mentioned above have posed new challenges to teachers and parents. There are demands from various quarters that there should be some sort of regulation to check this issue. However, we believe that instead of making internet a taboo, we should educate children to use it for their benefit. It is advisable for parents to monitor how much time their children spend on the internet, and if possible set a time-limit till which they would be allowed to use the internet. Having the computer in the living-room instead of a child’s bedroom can also ensure censorship on what they are accessing on the internet. It is also important that you talk to them about ‘the birds and the bees’ because if you do not talk to them, they will turn to their friends and internet for answers which may not provide authentic information. Parents play important role in this content and they have to pay attention on their children despite them get affected by internet.

Although studies on this disorder are in preliminary stages, it has been established that children who spend most of their time on the internet, show a peculiar kind of behaviour which is marked by an urge to be on the internet all the time, so much that the child may show all activities and become immersed in the virtual world. Surveys conducted over the years have found that most people who suffer from Internet addiction disorder are young adults, who easily fall into the lure of exploring everything that is available on the internet. In America alone, it has been estimated that around 10-15 million people are suffering from internet addiction disorder, and this is increasing at the rate of 25% every year. Internet had controlled some of them who are depending internet in their life activities. Most of them will get mad if they cannot connect to internet. It becomes a kind of physiology sickness around us.

The internet focused on the negative effects, it in no way means that we are undermining the importance of internet in our lives. We have written this article for the internet audience, and you are reading it through the internet, which itself explains the positive side of internet usage. It is for us to decide whether we use technology for the betterment of our lives or put it to unabated abuse. Children may not be mature enough to understand this, but us as parents, teachers and guardians need to ensure that we inculcate the right behaviour in our children. Lastly, we have to take the responsibilities to guide out children to use internet wisely and ensure them to get right information from internet.

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The Ethics And Values Of Social Work Social Work Essay

The goal of social work professionals is for the well-being and empowering of those in society who are impoverished, living in oppression, and vulnerable. Social workers must also focus on the forces in a person’s environment that are involved in making and contributing to problems in living conditions.

Those people who are assisted by social workers are referred to as clients. They can be individuals, groups, families, or communities. Therefore, social workers must be attuned to cultural, racial, and ethnical differences in people. This will help put an end to discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other types of social wrongs.

There are six core values on which the social work profession is based. These are service, social justice, dignity, and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. These core values are the fundamental principles that a social worker should use in dealing with clients and helps guide them in treating the clients with dignity and respect.

The social workers Code of Ethics are at the core of the profession. These ethics are of great importance to all social work students as well. They help in making sound judgments and decisions when dealing with all segments of the population regardless of the clients’ religion, race, or ethnicity.

The six core values of social work have ethical principles which are the ideals to which each social worker should strive to meet. Service happens when a social worker uses his or her knowledge, values, and skills to help those in need. Social justice is when a social worker attempts social change on behalf of those who can’t help themselves. Dignity and worth of the person is showing respect to each client regardless of their social situation. The importance of human relationships is seen by social workers in their efforts to advance, renew, and improve the well-being of families, social groups, and communities. Integrity is behaving at all times in a trusting manner. Competence is basically a social worker knowing his or her job and taking steps to improving their professional expertise.

Pertinent Ethics and Values Dealing with Worth and Dignity

There are several ethics and values that relate to human diversity and the worth and dignity of persons. Employment of these ethics and values are of great importance to the social worker and the client. They are as follows:

1.02 Self-Determination

Social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients’ right to self-determination when, in the social workers’ professional judgment, clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.

1.03 Informed Consent

(b) In instances when clients are not literate or have difficulty understanding the primary language used in the practice setting, social workers should take steps to ensure clients’ comprehension. This may include providing clients with a detailed verbal explanation or arranging for a qualified interpreter or translator whenever possible.

(c) In instances when clients lack the capacity to provide informed consent, social workers should protect clients’ interests by seeking permission form an appropriate third party, informing clients consistent with the clients’ level of understanding. In such instances social workers should seek to ensure that the third party acts in a manner consistent with clients’ wishes and interests. Social workers should take reasonable steps to enhance such clients’ ability to give informed consent.

1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity

(a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.

(b) Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients’ cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups.

(c) Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability.

1.07 Privacy and Confidentiality

(a) Social workers should respect clients’ right to privacy. Social workers should not solicit private information form clients unless it is essential to providing services or conducting social work evaluation or research. Once private information is shared, standards of confidentiality apply.

(d) Social workers should inform clients, to the extent possible, about the disclosure of confidential information and the potential consequences, when feasible, before the disclosure is made. This applies whether social workers disclose confidential information on the basis of a legal requirement or client consent.

(f) When social workers provide counseling services to families, couples, or groups, social workers should seek agreement among the parties involved concerning each individual’s right to confidentiality and obligation to preserve the confidentiality of information shared by others. Social workers should inform participants in family, couples, or group counseling that social workers cannot guarantee that all participants will honor such agreements.

1.11 Sexual Harassment

Social workers should not sexually harass clients. Sexual harassment includes sexual advances, sexual solicitation, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

1.12 Derogatory Language

Social workers should not use derogatory language in their written or verbal communications to or about clients. Social workers should use accurate and respectful language in all communications to and about clients.

1.14 Clients Who Lack Decision-Making Capacity

When social workers act on behalf of clients who lack the capacity to make informed decisions, social workers should take reasonable steps to safeguard the interests and rights of those clients.

2.01 Respect

(a) Social workers should treat colleagues with respect and should represent accurately and fairly the qualifications, views, and obligations of colleagues.

(b) Social workers should avoid unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues in communications with clients or with other professionals. Unwarranted negative criticism may include demeaning comments that refer to colleagues’ level of competence or to individuals’ attributes such as race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability.

(c) Social workers should cooperate with social work colleagues and with colleagues of other professions when such cooperation serves the well-being of clients

4.02 Discrimination

Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability.

4.03 Private Conduct

Social workers should not permit their private conduct to interfere with their ability to fulfill their professional responsibilities.

4.04 Dishonesty, Fraud, and Deception

Social workers should not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, or deception.

My Views of the Ethics and Values Dealing with Worth and Dignity

Self-determination is a very important value when dealing with a client. This allows the client, with assistance from the social worker, to identify their goals. The client will feel a sense of ownership in reaching said goals.

Privacy and confidentiality also play a huge role in preserving the worth and dignity of someone receiving assistance. Everyone, regardless of their status in society, has a right to privacy. Some clients may not know that they have these rights or may believe that their right to privacy has been forfeited since they are receiving assistance. This, of course, is not true, and the social worker should inform the client of this fact.

The social worker also has to realize that not all of the people receiving services are literate and must therefore explain to those clients the disclosure of confidential information. This also pertains to each individual’s rights to confidentiality when providing counseling to couples or groups.

A social worker should never make advances of a sexual nature to a client. This may lead some clients to believe that the only way that they can receive assistance is to give into those advances. It may also cause others to not seek assistance at all.

Derogatory language, either verbal or written, can be demoralizing to a client. A social worker has to be aware of the culture of the person that they are addressing. What may not be significant to the social worker may, on the other hand, be offensive to the client.

The decision-making process varies from client to client. The social worker must make sure that when he or she is acting of behalf of a client that the client’s interests and rights are safe guarded.

Respect in the Social Work Code of Ethics is under the ethical responsibilities to colleagues, but it should also be under the way clients should be treated. When one shows respect to another person, communication is greatly enhanced, and communication is what social work revolves around.

Discrimination is something that can not and should not be practiced, condoned, or facilitated by a social worker. This means discrimination of any type to include; race, ethnicity, sex, color, marital status, politics, mental disability, immigration status, or sexual orientation. Discrimination has an adverse effect on the client and the social work profession.

When a social worker allows their private life to affect their work, no one wins. A social worker must be professional enough to separate the two. Another issue that deals with a social worker’s professionalism is his or her ability to not take part in any way with deception, dishonesty, or fraud.

My Application of the Ethics

When dealing with ethnicity, I will learn about what is acceptable and unacceptable with each ethnic group. I will ensure that I differentiate between ethnicity and race.

National origin has to be dealt with in a similar way as with ethnicity. Therefore, I will ensure that I am aware of the customs of the client’s homeland.

Social class requires that a social worker not form preconceived notions of the person being served. I will keep my mind open and ensure, as with all cases, to listen to what is being said.

Religion is a very touchy subject that has to be handled. I will make every effort to understand the customs and traditions of various religious groups in order not to offend.

When dealing with a client that has a physical or mental disability, I will ensure that their dignity and worth is not compromised. I will use language that they can easily understand, and I will not talk down to the individual.

Everyone has the right to live their life they way that they choose. I will never judge a client based on their sexual orientation. This and the previous subjects can be handled by simply being a professional. I will strive to be a consummate professional at all times.

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Choose TWO recent (within five years) articles from a NURSING JOURNAL discussing A TOPIC pertinent to our theory class content (diabetes – insulin, any upper/lower gastrointestinal disorders – liver/gallbladder/pancreas, any neurosensory and neurodegenerative disorders, any musculoskeletal disorders). The articles may discuss medical diagnosis, diagnostic testing, treatments (such as medications, surgeries, or other procedures), as well as required nursing assessments and care, etc. In addition, the articles may discuss leadership issues such as delegation and assignment, supervision, and communication. Briefly summarize the information in the articles, including an introductory paragraph describing the topic of the articles, a paragraph summarizing the information in the articles, and a paragraph discussing how you will use this information in planning and/or implementing patient care. In addition, article citation using APA format must be included. The summary and citation must be word processed and double-spaced and range from 1000-1250 words long.

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The Importance of Alignment
and Congruence

1500 words

When developing a curriculum or program, it is important to remember that the content created is just one piece of the institution or agency. Much like placing a snapshot into a collage, nurse educators must be mindful of the larger picture. They should analyze how this snapshot, this one-piece, will fit with those around it. However, it is not uncommon for nurse educators to become so involved with the contents of their curriculum that they inadvertently develop content in isolation. They identify skills, procedures, and processes that are important but can forget to translate these ideas across the span of their curriculum. This can present problems for learners, especially in academic settings where the skills presented in one course generally build on those learned in previous courses.

One way nurse educators can place importance on the larger picture is to align the components of their curriculum with the components of the institution or agency. In fact, using the setting’s mission, vision, and philosophy to create the mission, vision, and philosophy of the curriculum is an effective way to build congruence. There are many strategies nurse educators can use when seeking alignment and congruence. In this Discussion, you explore these strategies and consider how you might align your team’s curriculum to that of your selected setting.

To prepare:

·         Review Chapter 9, “Components of the Curriculum,” in the Keating text to reexamine the meanings behind a setting’s mission, vision, and philosophy.

·         Review this week’s media, Curriculum Components. Consider why nurse educators should be cognizant of their setting’s mission, vision, and philosophy when developing the mission, vision, and philosophy for their curriculum or program.

·         Examine the chapter titles and overviews of Chapters 10-15 in the Keating text. Then, select and review the chapters that correspond with the focus of your Course Project.

·         Use this week’s Learning Resources and your own independent research to identify strategies nurse educators can implement to achieve alignment and congruence of curriculum components. Consider how these strategies could help to align the components of your curriculum or program to the components of your team’s selected setting.

Questions to be addressed 

1.      Post at least two strategies nurse educators can implement to achieve alignment and congruence between curriculum components.

2.      Justify your response by providing authentic examples of how and why you would employ these strategies specific to your team’s selected setting and proposed curriculum.

3.      Conclusion/Summary of the strategies that could help to align the components of your curriculum or program to the components of your team’s selected setting.

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References

Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2016). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

• Chapter 7, “Philosophical Foundations of the Curriculum” (pp. 118–143)

Chapter 7 uses a concept model to illustrate how the alignment and congruence of curriculum components. The importance of aligning philosophy statements with these components is discussed. Many examples of philosophy statements are also provided.

Keating, S. B. (Ed.). (2015). Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

• Chapter 9, “The Components of the Curriculum” (pp. 185–228)

Chapter 9 begins with a brief introduction of the types of institutions and programmatic levels nursing curricula can be developed for. Then an in-depth exploration of curriculum components is provided.

Note: For the purposes of this course, you are only required to select and read the chapters below that will help you and your team to complete your Course Project.

Fontaine, K. E. (2011). Curriculum planning for associate degree nursing programs. In S. B. Keating (Ed.), Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (2nd ed., pp. 195–208). New York, NY: Springer.

This chapter describes the curriculum process for AA nursing programs. According to the author, all of these programs follow a similar process that is affected by external factors such as social and political climates, the health care industry, and accreditation and regulatory standards.

Wros, P., Wheeler, P., & Jones, M. (2011). Curriculum planning for baccalaureate nursing programs. In S. B. Keating (Ed.), Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (2nd ed., pp. 209–240). New York, NY: Springer.

Chapter 9 examines the development process of BSN nursing programs. AACN Essentials, pros and cons to residency and externship programs, and other internal and external factors are explored.

Keating, S. B. (Ed.). (2015). Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

• Chapter 10, “Curriculum Planning for Associate Degree Nursing Programs” (pp. 229–243)

The process of curriculum development for master’s programs is discussed in this chapter. Recommendations and issues associated with master’s programs are discussed.

• Chapter 13, “The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) (pp. 299–307)

The essentials for creating a doctorate program are highlighted in Chapter 13. The role of nurse educators is discussed, as well as the impact doctorate-prepared nurses have on the nursing profession, education, and the health care system.

Stotts, N. A. (2011). Curriculum planning for doctor of philosophy and other research-focused doctoral nursing programs. In S. B. Keating (Ed.), Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (2nd ed., pp. 261–268). New York, NY: Springer.

Chapter 12 introduces the rationale behind researched-focused doctoral programs in nursing.

Richards, J. (2011). Curriculum development and evaluation in staff development. In S. B. Keating (Ed.), Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing (2nd ed., pp. 269–295). New York, NY: Springer.

Review Chapter 13 to explore the role of nurse educators who specialize in staff development. Key responsibilities such as conducting needs assessment on the external and internal frame factors influencing staff programs and educational needs, the preparation and maintenance of budgets, and adult learning theories are discussed.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012b).  Curriculum components. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Optional Resources

How to write a program mission statement. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://www.assessment.uconn.edu/docs/HowToWriteMission.pdf

Walden University. (n.d.c). Vision and mission statements. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://www.waldenu.edu/About-Us/33598.htm

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