The Wealth of Nations Essay examples -- Economics Economy Politics Ess

The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith’s famous attempt to explain the nature and causes of the wealth of nations rests on several crucial assumptions about human nature which in turn rely on false universalism and questionable dichotomies. To begin with, Smith makes roughly three claims about human nature. Primarily, Smith assumes that self-interest is inherent in all human beings. As opposed to animals which rely on benevolence, in opposition to natural pity (Rousseau p. 53), the human â€Å"will be more likely to prevail if he can interest [others’] self-love in his favour, and show them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them† (Smith, p. 18). Smith later relies on this â€Å"self-love† to ground his arguments on the steady base of human nature. More subtly, the â€Å"faculties of reason and speech† play a crucial role in Smith’s treatment of human behavior. Although he never openly lists these â€Å"faculties† as essential to human nature, his argument relies on this assumption. The step from having some goods and needing others to trading with those who have the needed goods and want the overabundant ones cannot be warranted without a presumption of a rational actor. Similarly, every development towards improved efficiency, if these are anything more guided than random evolutionary steps, require such an actor to instigate it. In the case of the arrowmaker, Smith must assume some force driving the arrow maker to save time and maximize profits. Of course, the concepts of barter, trade, and the rest require speech, or some kind of communication. Finally, Smith instills â€Å"a certain propensity in human nature; the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another.† (Smith p. 17). This, he sugg... ...to the commonness of rationality. Far from all cultures were capitalistic, nor is it possible to prove any would have become capitalistic in the future. Thus Smith’s description of human nature is applicable primarily to Western European coastal trading humans, rather than to the supposed universal and original human specimen. WORKS CITED Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations. Ed. Cannan, Edwin. Chicago, IL: U of Chicago Press, 1976. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. â€Å"Discourse on the Origin of Inequality.† The Basic Political Writings. Trans. Cress, Donald A. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 1987. Visvanathan, Shiv. â€Å"The Laboratory State.† Science, Violence, and Hegemony: A Requiem for Modernity. Oxford University Press, 1988. October 11, 2001.

Psychoanalytic Approach to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚   It’s easy to associate Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with one of Jung’s archetypal motif patterns: the hero and the quest.   Through lots of difficulties or challenges, Sir Gawain reaches the higher ground of knighthood, and also proves himself worthy of a courtly masculine identity.   It still seems quite daring and risky to apply psychoanalytic approach into the text itself, especially it comes with the Oedipus complex.   But if we put Freud’s three psychic zones and Sir Gawain’s conflict together, or related his fear of castration with his fear of being beheaded, the applying of psychoanalytic approach is acceptable.   Within the connections mentioned above, we can see how the father figures function and how a knight’s masculinity is maintain by abstaining from sexual desire in medieval period.  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Sir Gawain is similar to any other hero we see in mythology, who is predisposed to response any obstacles coming upon them, and is thus getting mature both physically and mentally.  Ã‚  Ã‚   So the process of being a real knight is similar to the process of being a real man in Freud’Stheory of child development.   A boy in the process of being a man will confront a threat of being castrated by his father for to engaging in sexual relation with his Mother.   Submitting to the ‘reality principal’, the boy represses his incestuous desire, identifies with his father, and is led to the manhood.   One of the father figures within this text obviously is the Green Knight, who appears as the authority of the nature power to test Sir Gawain’s ability in masculinity and ability in abstaining from sexual temptation.   Before the Green Knight is qualified to test Sir Gawain, he must prove that he is more a man than Sir Gawain.   If we assume tha t being beheaded here is the another form of castration.   That he lets his head cut off by Gawain first is the showing of his superiority in masculinity.   After Green Knight’s head is cut off, he ‘seized this splendid head and straightway lifted it’.   From the passage, we see he is not less a man, and is never afraid of being castrated by his son, which reinforces the Green Knight’s father figure.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the Green Knight, a father authority is under the disguise of Bertilak, we can assume that his mistress becomes the mother figure.   While the Green Knight is out there hunting, Sir Gawain has to decide whether to put aside his fear of castration and give in the sexual seduction or to repress his own desire.

Intelligence is Key Essay examples -- Art, Celtic Literature

Celtic literature features a full complement of female characters that deserve recognition; from warriors and rulers, to helpmates and daughters. Female characters, like their male counterparts, are often motivated by emotion. The Morrà ­gan and Macha, act out of anger, disrupting a hero or cursing generations to come. Others such as Fà ºamnach, act out of jealousy, causing a chain of events to unfold. However, the women who incite or prompt action due to their intelligence or wit – Rhiannon, Emer, Medb, Nes, and Mac Daa Tho’s Wife – are arguably the most complex and intriguing. Rhiannon purposefully, and with thought, gains the attention of the King Pywll and uses him to avoid an unwanted marriage. Rhiannon appears to King Pywll and his retainers halfway through branch one of The Mabigoni, on three consecutive days, riding a horse that even-paced cannot be caught. On the third day, Pwyll himself rides after her, only able to catch up after requesting her to wait. They begin conversing, and in a single exchange Rhiannon both declares love for Pwyll, and announces her engagement to another. She temps him: â€Å"I have never desired any man, and that because of loving you†, then announces her unavailability (â€Å"Pwyll,† 45). Rhiannon essentially ensnares Pwyll, allying herself with him and ensuring he will go against her current suitor, Gwawl son of Clud. This strong female character even directs Pwyll’s actions in attaining her hand. When her former suitor arrives at her wedding, Pywll rashly promises anything he wants, not knowing the man’s identity. Rhiannon rebukes Pwyll: "Never has a man been more feeble-witted than you,† then lays out three-part plan to ensure that Gwawl shall never attain her (Ford, 46). This intelligent woman ... ...ces that: â€Å"Sleeplessness has come to Macc Da Thà ³Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s house/ He has need of advice but speaks to no one† (Gantz, 181). She suggests that her mind may comprehend what his cannot, and he tells her his blunder, that he promised the hound to two. She suggests that he â€Å"give the dog to both sides- [and] let them fight over it,† (Gantz, 181). This would prevent one party from picking up the hound, and then the other party arriving and attacking him in anger. Though her plan does not go as hoped, she does offer a solution, and protects her husband from blame (the two parties are too engrossed with each other). Celtic mythology features a full complement of women who play an important role. Rhiannon, Emer, Medb, Nes, and Mac Daa Tho’s Wife use their intelligence to help further themselves, to enable those they love, or to protect. They create kings, heroes and alliances.

Blood Sports (Debate) Essay

Blood sports should not be banned; whatever problems there are with the sport can be fixed with reforms. The World Health Organization has called for tighter regulation, including â€Å"Simple rules, such as requiring medical clearance, national passports to prevent players from fighting under more than one name, restricting fights for fixed periods after knockouts, requiring that ringside physicians be paid by the state and not the promoter, and making sure that the players are aware of the potential long-term consequence of blood sports, may help protect them to some degree. †The Australian Medical Association additionally â€Å"recommends that media coverage should be subject to control codes similar to those which apply to television screening of violence. †Finally, the World Medical Association suggests that all matches should have a ring physician authorized to stop the fight at any time. It has been reported that no safety regulations would be effective if head blows remain – however such authors incorrectly apportion blame on boxing for a group of diseases known as Parkinson’s syndrome. Blood sports can result in chronic traumatic neurological conditions if fighters are not well matched, and fight without regulations in regard to their exposure. Boxing cannot cause Parkinson’s disease or other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease as those are genetic conditions – so to include them together as one set of conditions is incorrect and misleading. About 80% of deaths are caused by head, brain, and neck injuries, so the removal of the head as a scoring region may make a huge difference to the injury outcomes for this sport. However it would also change the very nature of the sport; and may mean people won’t participate in it. Ultimately, governments should do what they can to make blood sports as safe as possible, without losing the essence of the sport or banning it entirely. ————————————————- (Banning blood sports would force people to channel their aggression into more harmful, violent activities) There is no conclusive scientific evidence linking increased contact sport participation with being more violent in social settings. Such statements make it sound as thought we would have not violence in society if all contact sport was removed – and we all know that is untrue. Blood sports isn’t about violent aggression, it is about controlled aggression – this is very different to violent behaviors. In a report on â€Å"violent† sports in schools, conducted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a martial-arts instructor explained, â€Å"Contact and combat sports allow students to deal with their aggression in a safe environment, rather than in the context of the classroom or school hallway. †This type of outlet is not only important for youth, but for adults as well. Jason Brick said, â€Å"Positive Views on Violence In Sports,† Live strong, January 7, 2011, accessed July 13, 2011, With /proposition (The Effect of blood sports on the viewers) Blood Sports have been around for decades. Viewing violence generally triggers or serves in the increase of aggression of an individual. Sports such as wrestling (smack down) and Ultimate Fighter Competition (UFC) are bloody sports and have mostly negative effects on those who watch them. The objective of these two sports is to beat an individual into unconsciousness, make them tap out by inflicting pain, if none of these is accomplished within a time frame, the match is to be stopped and the judges decide who wins. Many children, teenagers, and even adults tend to try and imitate a knock out or combos that were seen performed at one of these fights onto an individual in an uncontrolled environment whether it is their sibling, friend, coworker, or a stranger for different reasons that includes but is not limited to a misunderstanding or horse playing. Watching this sport leaves the viewer psychologically aggressive. For example, if someone watches a match and gets into a fight with another person later on, that person is more likely to use a technique he saw during the fight, and since there is no referee to stop the fight in case of suffocation or tap-out, the victim is more likely to bleed, pass out or even dies. During the 1980’s, two men were in a bar discussing the Marvin Haggler and Sugar Ray Leonard fight that had occurred several days before, and in the process on trying to show exactly how one of the punch landed, both men went outside, drawing a crowd with them. The demonstration turned tragic when one of the men landed a punch to the jaw of the other, and such was the power of the blow, that the victim fell, hit his head on the pavement and started to bleed, and had to be buried a few weeks later. Seeing and permitting violence to be seen makes it seem normal and legal when in fact it is not normal and it is horrible, but here is where lies another problem which is called desensitization. Many years ago when a horrible scene was about to be portrayed on your television set, there would first appear a window saying ‘the images that you are about to see might injure the sensibility of certain people’ or words to that effect. Well, have you noticed that now they no longer even bother showing that little window? It’s as if the media know that human kind are used to everything by now. That nothing is going to affect them that much. So what does this show? It shows that us human beings are getting desensitized to everything and when that happens it also means that we don’t get so emotional about anything anymore and so consequently don’t fight any more either in order to strive for a change. We have all come to a point where nothing moves us that much anymore. (Pain and Injury as the Price of blood sports) Many people think about sports in a paradoxical way: They accept violence in sports, but the injuries caused by that violence make them uneasy. They seem to want violence without consequences— like the ?ctionalized violence they see in the media and video games in which characters engage in brutality without being seriously or permanently injured. However, blood sports are real, and it causes real pain, injury, disability, and even death (Dater, 2005; Farber, 2004; Leahy, 2008; Rice, 2005; Smith, 2005b; Young, 2004a). Ron Rice, an NFL player whose career ended when he tackled an opponent, discusses the real consequences of blood sports. The brutal body contact of the tackle left him temporarily paralyzed and permanently disabled. He remembers that â€Å"before I hit the ground, I knew my career was over. . . . My body froze. I was like a tree that had been cut down, teetering, then crashing, unable to break my fall. † Research on pain and injury among athletes helps us understand that blood sports have real consequences. Studies indicate that professional sports involving brutal body contact and borderline violence are among the most dangerous workplaces in the occupational world. The same could be said about high-pro? le power and performance intercollegiate sports in which 80 percent of male and female athletes sustain at least one serious injury while playing their sports and nearly 70 percent are disabled for two or more weeks. Research shows a close connection between dominant ideas about masculinity and the high rate of injuries in many sports. Ironically, some power and performance sports are organized so that players feel that their manhood is up for grabs. Men who de? ne masculinity in terms of physically dominating others often use violence in sports as an expression of this code of manhood. Until they critically examine issues related to gender and the organization of their sports, they will mistakenly de? ne violence as a source of rewards rather than a source of chronic pain and disabilities that constrain and threaten their lives.

Generation Gaps Essay

In our generation we have gone through numerous economical, social, and political changes. Some of which our parents would never have dreamed of. Things such as the cell phone, Wi-Fi, 9/11, and various mass shootings have permanently changed the way our generation lives and has forced our parents’ to adapt to a new way of life. Growing up I remember how different life was from the way it is now. Gas was $0.99 and everyone had dial-up internet service. Airport rules were much more forgiving. For example, If you wanted to travel you had the option of bringing food with you to avoid eating tasteless airplane meals. You were hardly frisked and didn’t have to go through a full body scanner before you departed to your gate. In my mother’s time the rules were even more lax. In the 1960’s there was little concern over terrorism and airport safety. There were almost no security procedures in place and because of this all a passenger had to do was to stroll over to the ticket counter, purchase their ticket, show identification, and board the plane. In addition to this smoking was permitted in all areas of the airplane and sometimes cigarettes were even provided to the flyers. Another aspect of our culture that has changed drastically is technology. A prime example of how technology has changed radically is the creation of the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web or the Internet as it is more commonly known catalyzed the birth of what is now known as the Digital Age. An age filled with constantly changing machinery that have ultimately changed how we go about our lives. Because of the Internet we are now able to buy and send things online. We can also pay bills, communicate with relatives, and share pictures—something our parents’ generation never dreamed of doing. Unfortunately less pleasant things such as the Columbine shootings and the more recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have shattered the once widely perceived view of safe public schools and government buildings. Ironically, these places were never really safe to begin with. These tragic events have forced our government to implement laws to protect our safety. Back then, there wasn’t as much controversy over guns as there is today. Partly due to the fact that there was not as much violence in that time period. Thus, the general public felt safer and therefore, felt no need to carry around firearms or other types of weapons. All in all, one of the main reasons our society has changed so much is due to things like the Great Depression and the recent Recession as well as other less sinister events such as the inauguration of Barack Obama and technological advances such as WiFi, electric cars, and smart phones. These changes have altered how we live our lives in the 21st Century. Some have been improvements while others are mostly viewed as a decline from what life used to be like.

Nuclear Weapons should be Extirpate Essay

Nuclear weapons are considered serious threats to the human race and have made the world an insecure residence for living organisms. Nuclear weapons are destructive weapons that obtain its force from nuclear fission and nuclear fusion reaction. Both are theses producers are very harmful for the living organism. Nuclear weapons were first conducted in world war2 on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. It killed approximately 70,000 died immediately from the explosion and another 70,000 died from radiation within five years. The killing included the women and children. All nuclear weapons must be abolished around the world for making world secure, and save budget money. The entire world will be more secure if the planet will free of the nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are the only type of weapons in existence that have the capacity to annihilate the human species and countless other species. The reactions of the nuclear weapons live alive after many years of it’s used. The best example is Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. The nuclear bomb was used on these cities during the world war2, but Nagasaki and Hiroshima are still suffering with the reaction of nuclear bomb. Japanese cannot grow any crop in Nagasaki and Hiroshima because the fusion reaction of nuclear bomb is still alive. Without abolition, there is always the danger that nuclear weapons will proliferate, that more and more countries will obtain them. The existence of nuclear weapons leaves open possibility that a nuclear exchange might take place. The nuclear weapons are extra ordinary costly, and the costs continue into the indefinite future. Billions of dollars are wasted each year to pay for nuclear weapons. The cost of research, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of the nuclear program is very high. Even it becomes higher, when we include the costs of damage to the land, illness of uranium miners,  cancer deaths from nuclear pollution, and the storage of nuclear wastage. Since early 1940s the U.S. alone has spent $4 trillion on nuclear arms. If current policies are implemented, the U.S. will continue to spend some $25-30 billion on nuclear forces. What is the more important education or nuclear bombs that can kill the human? Today, Congress and Administration are watching government spending, shrinking and eliminating programs and taking measures to reduce the deficit. Despite this, the central feature of national security spending for the past fifty years, nuclear weapons, has been rarely touched. Possession of nuclear weapon does not mean that the country is powerful. Many developed countries such as, Australia, Germany, and Spain do not have nuclear bomb. Some countries have already given up nuclear weapons, showing that it is possible for a nation to be secure without nuclear bomb. Three former Soviet republics, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, became nuclear weapons free states by volunteering transferring their nuclear warheads to Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. South Africa actually developed a small nuclear arsenal clandestinely, and then dismantled it. Argentina and Brazil have also eliminated their nuclear weapons programs even though they achieved initial success in these programs. These countries give a massage to the nuclear powers that you can succeed without nuclear bomb. In summary, the above analysis shows that nuclear weapons are weapons of great destruction. Our government wastes over thirty- three billion dollars a year of our tax money. Furthermore, nuclear weapons pose serious health risk to those around them, including the citizen. There has not been a significant impact on world affairs by nuclear weapons since world war2. Having a nuclear bomb does not guarantee the better life of the citizen, and development of the country. For these reasons, the nuclear weapons should be banned in entire world.

CU3820 Principles of Assessment in Lifelong learning Essay

1.1: Explain the types of assessment used in lifelong learning. To ‘Measure (assess) the breadth and depth of learning’ (Geoff Petty 1998) I, as a teacher must ensure that my students will understand the targets and goals set for them. This is achieved by using assessment practises. ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning’ breaks down the structure of assessing and learning thus: †¢ Creating †¢ Evaluating †¢ Analysing †¢ Applying †¢ Understanding †¢ Remembering These methods also enable me, as a teacher to measure success within the classroom. To evaluate whether learning is taking place, there are three assessment methods to use. Initial Assessment: To assess the learning capabilities of the learner an initial assessment will take place. This will enable me to determine whether there are any learning difficulties that may affect the learning and teaching process. Once any difficulties are found the relevant support can be given to the learner. Formative Assessment: This method is used to monitor the learning progress of the learners during the course. It will enable me to provide feedback on their progress and also give the learner the opportunity to give me feedback on my performance. This method can also highlight ant problems that may need o be addressed. Summative Assessment; Summative assessments takes place at the end of each course or learning session. It will assess to what extent learning has been achieved and to enable me to re-evaluate my own teaching methods. This will allow verifiers to assign course grades and certification. 1.2 EXPLAIN THE USE OF METHODS OF ASSESSMENT IN LIFELONG LEARNING To explain how assessments show progress and achievement, it is essential to learn what an assessment is. Assessment for learning is a term used to describe how evidence of student learning is recorded by me the teacher and is used by both students and teachers to decide where a student is within their learning and what they need to do better or to keep to the level that they are working at. Assessment for learning is a very effective way to put on record that learning and good teaching are being achieved. Assessment for learning is a joint process between student and teacher where both are engaged in an on-going process of student progress and development. The assessment to use will depend on the subject in my case spanish and any requirements of the organisations involved. Although all teachers should use some initial assessment to identify needs of the learner and to see if they have any previous experience in the language work set to them which in my subject would be spanish. Assessment methods can be recorded for group or individualls to reflect on the ability of the students. The student or learning group and the activities you select and the learning outcomes might affect your choice of assessment methods in a lesson. Formative assessment takes place during learning with the purpose of improving learning and involves me as the teacher giving feed back into the learning process to help me as the teacher, to decide whether a student is ready to move on or needs to practice what is being learnt, or has still yet to learn. It is usually the teacher’s final decision as to whether a student is ready to move on to the next stage of the course. Formative assessment can take a variety of forms; peer and self assessment, verbal and written, questioning and marking. Summative assessment happens at the end of a course. To measure and talk to the student/groups about what they have learned so far in the lessons. Summative learning is less about informing and improving the learning process but more about measuring the end result; for example end of year exam. 1.3 Compare the strengths and limitations of assessment methods to meet individual learner needs Student questioning is an effective way for engaging students within the learning process, obtaining existing knowledge of the chosen course and demonstrating, thinking and understanding of the students enables me to informally yet formatively assess their knowledge and the understanding of the progress the student is making with their studying. For example; at the beginning of my micro teach session, which was a De-fragmentation learning exercise, I asked the group if any of them had any previous experiences. This aided me in what level to teach the group. A good ice-breaker can be used as a group activity, as in my micro teach i got the group to exchange questions and answers with the person next to them to get the group engaged. I then dealt with each learner individually by asking them how they were getting on and if they understood the subject. This simple but effective method engaged the group, then I could address the learners individually and provide individual needs for the said learner. David Miliband stated: ‘We need to do more than engage and empower pupils and parents in the selection of a school: their engagement has to be effective in the day-to-day processes of education, at the heart of the way schools create partnerships with professional teachers and support staff to deliver tailor-made services, In other words we need to embrace individual empowerment within as well as between schools.’ References: Milliband,D (2004)’Personalised learning meeting individual learner needs’ Published by The Learning and kills Network 2. Understand ways to involve learners in the assessment process. 2.1. Explain ways to involve the learner in the assessment process. Carol Boston says ‘Black and William (1998b) define assessment broadly to include all activities that teachers and students undertake to get information that can be used diagnostically to alter teaching and learning. Under this definition, assessment encompasses teacher observation, classroom discussion, and analysis of student work, including homework and tests. Assessments become formative when the information is used to adapt teaching and learning to meet student need.† Where and how do we include students in the formative assessment process? What is the role of technology in this feedback cycle?’ Formative assessment, as I understand it, is an on-going process where both teachers and students evaluate assessment evidence in order to make adjustments to their teaching and learning. Robert Marzano has called it â€Å"one of the more powerful weapons in a teacher’s arsenal.† The formative assessment process can strengthen students’ abilities to assess their own progress, to set and evaluate their own learning goals, and to make adjustments accordingly. Formative assessment can also elicit valuable feedback from students about what teachers are doing effectively and what they could do better. Student Self-Assessment and Reflection Activities which promote meta-cognitive thinking and ask students to reflect on their learning processes are key to the formative assessment process. When students are asked to think about what they have learned and how they have learned it (the learning strategies they’ve used), they are better able to understand their own learning processes and can set new goals for themselves. Students can reflect on their learning in many ways: answering a set of questions, drawing a picture or set of pictures to represent their learning process, talking with a partner, keeping a learning log or journal, etc. Goal Sheets Having students set their own goals and evaluate their progress toward achieving them is an effective part of the formative assessment process. Goal setting has a positive effect on student motivation and learning when the goals are specific and performance based, relatively short-term, and moderately difficult. Goal sheets are an effective way to help students set goals and track their progress. It is best to identify specific goals. For example, â€Å"I will read in English for 20 minutes each night† is more specific than â€Å"I will read more.† Also, goals need to be achievable in a short period of time and not impossibly difficult. The teacher can model how to set effective goals and also how to evaluate one’s progress toward achieving them by asking students to periodically write or talk about what they have achieved, what they still would like to achieve, and how they will do it. 2.2. Explain the role of peer and self-assessment in the assessment programme F. Dochy (2006) said ‘The growing demand for lifelong learners and reflective practitioners has stimulated a re-evaluation of the relationship between learning and its assessment, and has influenced to a large extent the development of new assessment forms such as self-, peer, and co-assessment. Three questions are discussed: (1) what are the main findings from research on new assessment forms such as self-, peer and co-assessment; (2) in what way can the results be brought together; and (3) what guidelines for educational practitioners can be derived from this body of knowledge? A review of literature, based on the analysis of 63 studies, suggests that the use of a combination of different new assessment forms encourages students to become more responsible and reflective. The article concludes with some guidelines for practitioners.’ Principles for using self and peer assessment 1. The purpose for using self and peer assessment should be explicit for staff and students A major reason for using self and peer assessment is for its role in developing students’ skills in improving learning and in helping students to improve their performance on assessed work. Additionally, it has a place as a means of summative assessment. 2. There is no reason why peer and self assessment should not contribute to summative assessment In many such cases such assessment will not contribute a major proportion of the mark until it has been well tried and tested. However, in a well-regulated scheme, there is no reason to limit the proportion of the marks involved. It is particularly important that the principles below are noted. 3. Moderation For any situation in which the mark from peer or self assessment contributes towards the final mark of the module, the member of staff should maintain the right to moderate student-allocated marks. The initial step in alteration of a student-allocated mark may be negotiation with the student(s) concerned. 4. Instances of unfair or inappropriate marking need to be dealt with sensitively Any instances of collusive (‘friendship’) marking need to be dealt with sensitively and firmly. 5. The quality of feedback on student work must be maintained In situations of self and peer assessment, students are usually in a position to learn more than from situations of tutor-marked work. They learn from their engagement in assessing and frequently from oral, in addition to written feedback. However, the tutor should monitor the feedback and, where appropriate, elaborate it to ensure that students receive fair and equal treatment. 6. Assessment procedures should always involve use of well-defined, publicly-available assessment criteria While this is true of all assessment, it is particularly true where relatively inexperienced assessors (students) are involved. The assessment criteria may be developed by the tutor, but greater value is gained from the procedure if students are involved in developing the criteria themselves. 7. Involvement of students in assessment needs careful planning Many students see assessment as a job for staff, but at a later stage they are likely to recognise the benefits to their academic learning and skill development. Initial efforts will take time and tutor support. For these reasons, it is preferable that the use of peer and self assessment is seen as a strategy to improve learning and assessment across a whole programme. The common situation is for these assessment procedures to appear in isolated modules, often not at level 1. 8. Self and peer assessment procedures should be subject to particularly careful monitoring and evaluation from the tutor and students’ point of view It can take time for such procedures to run smoothly and for this reason, the initial involvement of relatively few marks – or solely formative assessment is wise. Student feedback to the tutor on the procedure will be important. 9. The use of peer and self assessment should be recognised as skill development in itself Such procedures are not just another means of assessment but represent the development of self-appraisal/evaluative, analytical, critical and reflective skills. These are important as employability skills and can be recognised in the learning outcomes of a module. References: Dochy,F (2006) Studies in Higher Education. Published by Web of Science(2006) 3.1. Explain the need to keep records of assessment of learning. Record keeping is part of the role and responsibility of the tutor and some often these records are required by law or codes of practice in the institution or industry. But there are boundaries and legislation regarding what can be collected and kept and how it can be used. The Data Protection Act 1998 states that records must be kept securely, be relevant and not excessive, accurate and up to date and not kept for longer than necessary. Students can request a copy of all information held about them under The Freedom of Information Act 2000. All important things to bear in mind. The need for keeping records I like that you are forced to think about why there are these records, not just what they are or how they work. Why are these records being kept, to what end? †¢ Track progress †¢ Prove achievement †¢ Identify issues such as low attendance / learning difficulties †¢ Ensure all sections of course have been completed It could be that a lot of these are required by your institution. But I’m not sure that’s the best answer: â€Å"because I have to†. Take it one step further back and think about why the organisation requires you to keep or submit them. Once you’ve thought about what records you need then it is on to how you collect and categorise that information. The types of records you would maintain A lot of this focuses more on the pastoral side, which I think is nice. Make sure you show a variety of types of records, to show you have thought about the full spectrum: †¢ Attendance and assessment †¢ Everything in between †¢ Tutorials, one to ones, learning reviews / goals / plans 3.2. Summarize requirements for keeping records of assessment in an organisation. Recording and Keeping Assessment Results Most organisations have a process in place for recording the results of assessments, and so does your Registered Training Organisation. It is not uncommon as well for assessors to maintain their own records in case of any follow up or appeals. A generic approach would be: †¢ Assessor either records or passes on the results for recording †¢ Assessor checks that the result has been accurately recorded †¢ Result provided to learner There are several reasons why the results need to be kept: †¢ Feedback to learner †¢ Legislative requirements †¢ Record in case of appeal †¢ Company records for future training needs Recognition of Prior Learning Another reason to maintain a record is for the recognition of prior learning and credit transfer processes. If outcomes can be matched by different training organisations detailed records of exactly how competency is assessed simplify the process. It also means, the competency a learner has acquired in one environment may be considered in another, different environment. With records a learner can apply to have prior learning recognised often before commencing a new training program. While it is necessary to keep a record of the actual result, it can be useful to also keep details on how the assessment was made. Training Records and Confidentiality Generally speaking, the only way an external person is able to access another person’s record is with the written permission of the person involved. |Access to records must be restricted for the sake of confidentiality. | | |Generally, managers and supervisors have limited access to personal files, but consider: | | |Who should have access to assessment records? | | |Why would they need the information? | | |What level of detail do they require? | | Each organisation will have a policy and procedures for access that should comply with ethical and legal obligations. It would be worthwhile checking your store policy and procedures in relation to this area.