Fibromyalgia Good Days vs Bad Days

Fibromyalgia Good Days versus Awful Days Michele Gay National American University January 11, 2012 Abstract Fibromyalgia is an incessant agony ailment that has â€Å"good† no torment days and â€Å"bad† agonizingly difficult days. The distinctions in the days are outrageous. A decent day is likewise an intellectually terrible day, realizing that the agony can return at whenever, while an amazingly excruciating day could be intellectually a decent day on the grounds that the torment needs to disappear at some point. Fibromyalgia has numerous side effects and there is certainly not a known reason for the illness as of now. (By and large, we feel, well, normal. Normal is whatever comes in a great day and a downright awful one. Or then again, to put it another way, great days deteriorate, and awful days show signs of improvement. There is a teeter-totter impact going on with how an individual feels truly. This teeter-totter impact can be no picnic for an individual, however truly as well as mentally. On the great days musings of pondering, exactly to what extent will the positive sentiments proceed. At that point when a terrible day occurs, there is unbearable torment, and at the same time the acknowledgment that the agony can’t keep going forever and in time the individual with fibromyalgia will feel good. As indicated by MyFibro. com (2011) Fibromyalgia measurements, fibromyalgia is a ceaseless illness that around 1 of every 50 Americans are determined to have. Indications of fibromyalgia can be essential or potentially auxiliary side effects. Essential side effects incorporate yet are constrained to; musculoskeletal torment, weakness and rest unsettling influences like rest apnea, crushing of ones teeth, fretful leg condition and successive waking during the profound, remedial periods of rest or alpha-EEG peculiarity. A portion of the auxiliary manifestations are cerebral pains, crabby inside condition, TMJ torment, uneasiness/discouragement, ear nose and throat issues, pelvic torment, skin roblems, paresthesias, fibro mist (psychological changes, for example, memory issues, disarray and trouble concentrating). Fibromyalgia is an infection that isn't generally visual to others. Numerous individuals have fibromyalgia and don't understand that they do, not to mention another person realizing an individual has it or that they are managing it. A couple of hurts to a great extent, delicacy in specific regions, discombobulation, somewhat on edge are a couple of the side effects, yet when glancing in the mirror at oneself an individual couldn't see those indications. Sadly this makes it hard for our friends to know whether an individual with fibromyalgia is having a fortunate or unfortunate day, except if they are told. Without thinking about the ailment peers don’t understand that there could be a few restrictions genuinely, intellectually and dietary too. Contingent upon the seriousness of fibromyalgia, having a decent day, could imply that there are no side effects to medium manifestations. A sentiment of going out for a walk or a run, dozed extraordinary and feel revived. An individual has returned to their old selves or near it. As per Schmidt (1990) an individual with fibromyalgia necessities to get ready for the terrible days †envision it as a free day from work, take rests, permit an incidental episode of private self centeredness †on those truly to top it all off days cry in the event that it accepts, in the great days-regardless of how serious the backslide is there are periodic acceptable days, utilize a 50-percent arrangement †at best attempt to do around 50-60 percent of what is typically overseen. , simply do a little †on the times of mellow vitality, simply do a bit, it will be there tomorrow, plan time for rest †even at best timetable time for rest every day. Terrible days again extend from the degree of your side effects. An individual with fibromyalgia and their most noticeably terrible days and evenings, harms wherever remembering the hair for their head, apparel harms truly to the degree of needing to cry from the weight on the skin. There is practically no acceptable profound REM rest, so the individual keeps on being worn out and the body doesn't revive. There are muscle fits that run all over their body and the fits include an additional layer of torment to the effectively ceaseless muscle torment. A person’s uneasiness level shoots up just as mentally, where the individual determined to have fibromyalgia feels useless, furious and dejection. During a terrible day others can not for the most part tell that an individual with fibromyalgia is in torment. So when it is referenced that that an individual is having a lot of agony or not ready to focus, the person’s friends will take a gander at an individual with fibromyalgia state that, â€Å"You look fine. † If an individual doesn't have fibromyalgia, at that point the there is no perhaps path for them to envision what it feels like and most likely couldn't see how somebody feels genuinely as well as intellectually too. References: Moore, Dr Chris (2011). Fibromyalgia: Why great days deteriorate and terrible days improve Fibromyalgia Doctor Medical Information for Fibromyalgia Sufferers, Retrieved from: http://docchrismoore. wordpress. com Schmidt, Patti (1990). Overcoming the Bad Days CFIDS and Fibromyalgia Self Help, Retrieved from http://www. cfidsselfhelp. organization Site Writer (2011) Fibromyalgia Symptoms, MyFibro. com. Recovered from http://www. myfibro. com/

A Political and Cultural History of Jamaica Essay examples -- essays r

Arranged only south of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, Jamaica is notable as a well known place of interest and the origin of reggae music. Populated at first by local Arawak Indians, who gave the island its name, â€Å"land of wood and water (Jamaica).† However, this delightful land’s practically unblemished excellence was broken by upheavals of savagery encompassing the 1980 political races. This battling was started by the people’s question of the decision communist gathering at that point. The explanations behind this battling and this question are not basic, they are inherently attached to the island nation’s history from the earliest starting point of its provincial period 500 years prior. The island was first found by Christopher Columbus on his second journey in 1494 and turned into a state of Spain in 1509. They established the town currently known as Spanish Town and it was the capital of the island until the 1800s. Under the Spanish, the local Arawak Indians ceased to exist as a result of servitude and illness, and Africans were gotten to work in their place. The Spanish managed the nation until 1655 when Sir William Penn of the British caught the settlement forcibly. It was later tuned over legitimately under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670(Jamaica). When the British dealt with the island, advancement was quick. The businesses of sugar stick and other horticultural assets were expanded, subsequently making a bigger interest for African slaves. Because of this blast of development in the late seventeenth century, Jamaica got one of the biggest slave exchanging focuses the world. The slave exchange was directed out of the city of Port Royal, put on the map for being an alcove of the privateer Blackbeard, until the city was wrecked by a seismic tremor in 1692. The obliteration of Port Royal prompted th... ...educated). The country of Jamaica has had a rich social and political history. From the island’s days as a state up until today it has demonstrated that its kin are flexible, enthusiastic, and have an amazingly significant level of national pride. IT has been indicated that the brutality that damaged the appointment of 1980 was not due to the government’s brief tease with socialism, yet with increasingly fundamental issues. It has been demonstrated that the historical backdrop of the island has been affected by a few occasions of comparative fierce upheavals coming about because of an open sentiment of disappointment with the rulers at that point. From the hour of Bustamante on into the 80s and 90s, the level of influence has moved due to serious open disappointment with the gathering in power. It is obscure whether this cycle will proceed, yet starting today, the danger of savagery in Jamaica is an intense one.

Ruslans Vanags free essay sample

Ive go through five days to move the furnishings and materials from the previous study hall and AIM stockpiling into my new room. Fortunately I wasnt making study hall condition from the scratch, however with the assistance of brimming with astuteness speculations and strategies for Maria Interiors arranged condition?. I needed to assemble a house for the youngsters, mulling over their deeds and capacities; the house that will boost the capacity for kids to learn and investigate, to encourage freedom and social advancement in the kid. This is the reason I remembered the six standards of the readied condition (given my Maria Interiors): opportunity, structure and request, magnificence, nature and reality, social condition, and scholarly condition. Id like to begin my exploration with a presentation of my new study hall first. Furthermore, for that I figure it may be noteworthy to share a portion of our grounds office subtleties. In 2012-2013 school years Ive been elevated to a lead educator. Our school ceremonially ventured into a four stories building, and when I needed to open my new class I despite everything had a chance to pick a room on the Ft;bay-excessively far (for that time) third floor.Ive got a space room on the radiant side of the structure on the third floor. What's more, that first driving year went to be an energizing year in my vocation. I should make reference to that our grounds building is having a tremendous crystal structure with longest (sides that have study hall windows) confronting south and north. With a corridor directly in the middle of this crystal, our school is isolated into two sections: Sunny and Shadow parts. With he time it got swarmed. These days all the space has been organized carefully from the doors to the stack all the rooms have been taken - ?and classes are doing combating for the spot under the sun.This is the reason the following summer our school heads thought of a technique of exchanging study halls so each class that remained a year in a shadow will have an after year on the bright side. This was a reasonable enough thought. In this manner Ive moved my class to shadow side in a time of 2013-2014, having a shared understanding that Im returning to my Old room in 2014-2015. At some point, during my MATT day camp preparing (2014) Ive got a sharpen call from Ellen, our standard: Hello, Johan, how right? Ive got news for you, an awful and a decent ones.Which one to begin with? Whats the awful one? I decided to listen first. All things considered, you are not moving back to your old study hall this year. Yet, dont stress, you are as yet moving to the bright side. Which room would it be? The ex-oak tree class. Got puzzled for a moment. Need to state that the room we are talking here now, was relinquished in the term by the old class instructors and guardians network. That room had just two segments of blesses so it was dim even with lights on during the noon in a most splendid summer day.Every time was passing and looking into this room I was stating to myself life is extraordinary Im not remaining here longer than a moment. What's more, there you go! I simply get news that needed to remain in that space for a year. Still , I attempted to guard: Ellen tune in, however the ex-school pioneer gave me a guarantee that Do you have a composed concurrence with the ex-school pioneer? - Principle cut me No, yet. .. Yet, we have a composed concurrence with ex school pioneer and with Dove class guardians that they are going to move to that room which you were pivoting to return into. Eave understood that Im just getting a message of the choice that has been made earlier this call. Truly, Ive been played even quite a while before Ellen turned into a standard, and there is literally nothing I could change, particularly being endlessly from my grounds for one more month in AMPS course. Trim, so I need to devote myself totally into Interiors preparing that is the main thing that should matter for the time being quieted down myself, yet.. . Hold up a second. Hold up a second Ellen, you said there is uplifting news also? Indeed. Your new room is under construction.School is spouting hard to make that class reasonable spot for study. Alright, Ill observe it in a month. I hanged up. Will I say that I felt down each time was contemplating my future room; about my condition I had none of other educator might want to have. And afterward I have gotten first photographs by means of Weight: The red fence is exhibiting the divider which was evacuated. Behind this red fence this study hall had a restroom. However, this restroom was concealing so much light, that by the entryway (inverse window side) it stayed perpetual murkiness. You may ask at that point - where is the washroom now?The creators concocted a dependent arrangement they have shared the restroom of the neighbor class (Dove, who moved into my Old perfect room) into two isolated toilets. Here is the photograph: These two classes restrooms (angled passageway from my room) are isolated with a thick half straightforward, 120 CM high, which gives enough common light in the can and further into the study hall. Evacuating the old washroom away didnt simply make the entire room more splendid, however it likewise gav e in excess of 20 square meters of working space! That was a sudden blessing! In his book Deck J. A. Help: the ecological characteristics of study halls ?high/owe, open/shut, enormous/little, vertical/flat ?do to be sure influence the learning procedure in small kids, this is the reason Id like to make reference to the principle characteristics of the room itself: Working space: 60 AMA. Tallness: 2. Mm (each room on the third floor is 2. 5 m stature; and mm roof on the first and second floors). Here is the thing that Meyers-Levy said in his paper The impact of Ceiling Height: The Effect of Priming on the Type of Processing People Use: When an individual is in a space with a 10-foot (mm) roof, they will in general think all the more unreservedly, more abstractly.They may process progressively digest infusions between objects in a room, while an individual in a live with a 8-foot (2. Mm) roof will be bound to concentrate on points of interest. I cannot change stature of the roof so remains simply take it (concentrating on points of interest) as a bit of leeway! Splendor: 1/3 of my group is illuminated by direct sun beams for the duration of the day. Another 1/3 is considered as Satisfying splendid no lights required. The most remote section 1/3 of the class is still Above normal, lights needed.To keep elevated level of brilliance Ive evacuated back dividers of the racks that are organized equal windows push, so the room is transparent and light-through. Warm solace: Since Thermal solace is the state of brain that communicates fulfillment with the warm condition and depends on emotional assessment it may too soon to give a judgment toward the finish of October, anyway Im as yet wearing a T-shirt during early daytime working time in a radiant day; kids averagely are wearing two layers of fabrics and remaining in a sound condition.According to my accomplished workin g in the neighbor class two years back the temperature, moistness and ventilation are inside agreeable level throughout the winter too (T>18 C). Contrasting with the classes on the contrary shadow side where kids used to wear winter covers first couple of hours each morning (T=14 C) in winter. Clamor level: Our grounds situated on the west piece of Beijing in an exceptionally peaceful neighborhood away from primary streets. Besides, my study hall windows confronting privet hosing offices which don't create any clamor whatsoever.Shape: Fat-L: Here is a short rundown of Ducky. A. Research of the Fat-L study halls type, which says that such sort of the room bears adaptability, fluctuation, and is an incorporated getting the hang of setting that gives chances to movement settings. Inside the study hall, each setting can be sorted out to help singular, balanced, and little gathering exercises. Furthermore, this format empowers people to take a shot at one side of the study hall without diverting the exercises happening in the other settings.While the fixed base cupboards and racks isolate the homeroom genuinely, they manage the cost of understudies working in different settings and as they stroll through the space the chance to take part, however from a fringe position, in the movement. What's more, in the event that you keep the space liberated from perpetual obstacles it will be anything but difficult to revamp the opening class into different sizes and quantities of the learning gatherings. For my situation, Im going to sorting out Interiors class agreeing accessible exercises (PL, Censorial, Math, Art, Language, Library, Dramatic play, Active gathering works out, Science, Nature corner, Food focus) .Here are the photographs of the our Fall-L study hall: In my exploration Im going to consider the zone that structures long straight line in the letter L as Area A (from th e fundamental way to the windows push) Im going to consider the region that structures short base in the letter L as Area B (from the Math racks to the childrens individual cupboards, including the passage into the latrine). Study hall plan (Before changes) Based on the natural characteristics that are providing for me with this room I have arranged Interiors study hall for another 2014-2015 school year for the kids blended age bunch 2 h - 6 years old.Ive go through five days to move the furnishings and materials from the previous study hall and from the AIM stockpiling. My information (perception logs) Things that were functioning admirably: Practical Life territory was extremely well known when all is said in done, the line of racks that is orchestrated in the zone A has no back divider, which permits to approach PL the materials from the two sides. Library and Language materials are set close to the window that is giving enough daylight to have fruitful visual extraordinary exercises (coordinating, composing and reading).Math racks are set away from the remainder of the materials in the region B, which permits to have an individual or balanced mathematic action, that would require focus. Censorial is close by the inside open space (later focus mat), this reality help all the youngsters regularly work with Censorial materials. The social condition bolsters singular, balanced, little gathering, and enormous gathering exercises (loads of casual get-togethers, kids a

The Integrating Acquired Companies Business Essay - Free Essay Example

What are most significant differences between design/positioning /planning school of strategic management and resource based view? The design school is applied by formulating clear and unique strategies in a deliberate process. The design school is also known as process of conception, in this process, the internal situation of the organization of the environment (12Manage, n.d.) .The planning school; thorough steps are taken from the moment of the analysis of the situation to the actual execution (12Manage, n.d.). The positioning school, this is also known as analytical process, this strategy is used by placing the organization within its industry, and looks at how the organization can improve its position with their respective industry (12Manage, n.d.). Even though approaches to the design, planning and positioning are different, the design and planning schools are both prescriptive in character, as is the positioning school of thought. In the three schools of thought di scussed above, the environment is seen as relatively constant (Volberda Elfring, 2001). Resource based view, is a method of looking at the firm as a bundle of resources in turn of approaching strategy (Powell, 2005). To achieve sustainable competitive advantages, resource based view evaluates internal resources of the organization and emphasizes resources and capabilities (Madhani, 2009). To enable firms carry out their activities, resources can be considered as inputs. Strategic choices decided by firm while competing in external business environment is determined by internal resources and capabilities (Madhani, 2009) The most significant difference between the perspective school of management and resource based view is that the strategic school of management emphasizes economies of scale and scope such as giving a guide to organization on acquisition, mergers and diversification, budgeting, and analyzing the organizations position within the industry resource based view emp hasizing on brand and value creation. While the perspective schools use tools such as Swot analysis, scenario planning and five forces in order to think, program and analyze, resource based view makes an organization to look at their tangible and intangible assets, processes, skills and the leadership aspect of the company .In order to illustrate the significant differences, I would like to compare the differences between the schools of perspective and resource based view. Positioning school enable an organization to identify their position by identifying cost leadership, focus and differentiation,(ÃÆ' Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ rÃÆ' Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ µnd, 2006 ), while on the other hand RBV gives importance to the leadership level of the organization and views the firm as bunch of resources which is said in the above. However, organization who effectively able to use both of them effectively it would benefit the organization in order to reach their goal and know where they stand, for example they are able to use the SWOT analysis to identify their strength, weakness, opportunities and threats and at the same time use the resource based view to identify what values or brand name in the organization which can be seen as a large asset to the organization. The biggest advantage of resource-based view is that the resource one company holds are hard to be practiced by a competitor. Question 2 How do these different approaches allow to gain insights into the way successful organizations execute strategy? In order to succeed, companies have to deal with different parts of strategies independently and practice balanced strategies and apply a balanced approach to business system. Many organizations have successfully used these different approaches and executing strategy. I would be using 3 case studies in order to give a better on how this organization uses these different approaches to execute their strategy. Case study #1 Business Management Case Study: How Cisco Appli es Companywide Expertise for Integrating Acquired Companies Cisco is a IT company which uses resource based view and the design school. Cisco uses acquisition of other companies to rapidly offer new products, reach new markets, and grow revenue (Cisco, n.d.). Since 1993, the organization have acquired more than 120 companies which consist of small startups to large established firms such as Linksys, Scientific Atlanta, and WebE (Cisco, n.d.). The phases, which is followed by Cisco, clearly illustrates that the organization is effectively using resource-based view and designing school. By using their internal resources such as cross-function teams, common principles, and standard processes, Cisco has developed a formal, repeatable approach to acquisition integration (Cisco, n.d.). The acquisition integration is done by using 3 phases, firstly discovery and planning, where the organization they assess their scope, model their business and integration planning, the second phase, execution, the organization ensure that they are operational readiness and activate their employee, resources and integration task in order to execute the deal with the acquired company, and the final phase, monitoring, ongoing measurement an adjustment of the integration activity (Cisco, n.d.).As stated by Graeme Wood, Direct of the acquisition integration, in the case study, Cisco centralizes acquisition integration as it is effect and allow them to capture best practices, use their skills and resources more effectively and apply discipline and over sight to the entire acquisition process (Cisco, n.d.). Another statement from Pat Belotti, senior manager of sales acquisition in the case study, integrated Cisco worldwide sales operation, the most important benefit of Ciscos standard integration process that the process help Cisco avoid a purge in revenues, in fact the organization is able to increase their revenues rapidly by applying the organizations resources to assist the acquit ted sales department reach their maximum potential (Cisco, n.d.) Case Study #2 Adding value through asset optimization, an Anglo American Case study In this case study Anglo American, a mining company which has a vision of becoming the investment partner and employer of choice in the mining industry, one of its strategy to achieve that ambition is asset optimization and by executing its strategy has been able to achieve on its stated target of saving $1 billion from core operations by 2011 (Anglo American, n.d.). This strategy was executed using the school of planning and resource based view theoretical approaches, in order to achieve their ambition and decided a target of $ 1 Billion from their operations (planning), they decided to optimize their assets. A important feature of development within the asset optimization program was its design, piloting and introduction into Anglo Americans day-to-day business in order for this strategy to be executed a formalized internal p rocess called Operation reviewers, this team was full consist of Anglo Americans internal resources, initially they reviewed their operations, Anglo American consistently review their process to make sure that the process is efficient as possible, the operations reviewers apply a structured evaluation process in three functional areas which are operational improvement , technical assessment , safety and sustainable development assessment they combined their central technical capacity with the operational expertise to create a team and focused on delivering value from operational improvement (Anglo American, n.d.). Anglo Americans optimization process sets out a clear view of how operational improvement can be planned for. There are five phases, starting with recognizing an opportunity (investigate numerous ways to lower the mines carbon footprint) followed by the idea stage (found out that a mobile flare design would solve the problem) followed by the initiative stage (a detailed pl an were created by technical expert from Anglo American) and finishing with putting an improvement into practice (Anglo American, n.d.). Anglo American has effectively used the school of planning and resource based view by effectively planning the asset optimization using their resources and as a result has gained sustainable benefits worth billion of pounds. (Anglo American, n.d.) Case Study #3 Delivering a business strategy, a TNT case study In this case study, TNT, a business to business express delivery service and how the organization is delivering a business strategy using school of positioning and resource based view .In the case study TNT has identified that their organization has a distinctive position and that their market position is based on differentiating itself from rival through their intangible resources (resource based view) (TNT, n.d.), TNT has developed a strategy map that puts the customer on the top at their highest priority of the business (TNT, n.d.) . The organization wants everyone involved with the business informed on how the organization will be able to achieve its goals (TNT, n.d.).The TNT case study of Delivering a business strategy shows that Operational Excellence is achieved through a strong foundation of fast, reliable and quality services (TNT, n.d.). From there, by understanding what different customers expect, the organization is able to improve the customer relationship and experience (TNT, n.d.). By building a stronger customer relationship the organization is able to build a higher level of loyalty and commitment. The organization views the innovation process is about identifying the future needs of the organizations customers and by establishing a stronger relationship the business is able to develop a joint approach and shared vision (TNT, n.d.). This strategy map involves quality employees in order to meet their aims and effectively carry out the strategy. In the case study, TNT have stated their mission to s urpass customers expectations and experience in the transfer of their goods and documents all around the world and by delivering value to the organizations customers by providing the most reliable and efficient solutions through their delivery networks and seek to lead the industry by instilling pride in their people and at the same time creating value for our stakeholders and be socially responsible around the world (TNT, n.d.). In order to achieve their aim TNTs biggest resource is their employees from various departments such as distribution, sales and marketing, finance, customer service and HR. .To ensure employees standards keep on growing, TNT emphasizes on development of employees (TNT, n.d.). By developing the organizations biggest resource, people, the organization ensures that it will have the capability to meet and implement quickly any necessary changes in the organizations strategy (TNT, n.d.).The organization also nurture new employees fresh from the market by offerin g a in house a five year apprenticeship program for people under 22 years old (TNT, n.d.) .TNT has successfully have used the positioning school and resource based view and successfully have a crafted an effective strategy. Conclusion A competitive advantage gives organization-enhanced capabilities for developing and delivering strategic value. Companies should have several competitive advantages, difficult to copy or duplicate, and sustainable over the long-term (Williams, 2007). The three companies above from the three case studies above has clearly have illustration combining school of taught to achieve their mission and vision.

Analysis Of Grendel s The Elegy / Epic Of Beowulf

In England during 700 and 1000 A.D., religion play a key factor in the composition of various literature. The narrator of the elegy/epic of Beowulf hints at biblical references consistently. The protagonist that starts of the epic, Grendel, refers to as a descendant of Cain. His â€Å"monstrous† actions are often a direct reflection of the story of Cain and his brother found in Genesis chapter four. Although Grendel is known as a heinous monster, he is an embodiment of the faults of humans and a victim that has fallen prey to the power of jealousy, and the need to be known within a community. In other words, Grendel is a symbol of the possible evils that may arise through the faults of humans. As the readers are first introduced to Grendel, the narrator emphasizes the separation between the creature and the humans. The narrator explains the reason as to why Grendel is an outcast among the other banished monsters through the description of Cain’s sin: Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price: Cain got no good from committing that murder because the Almighty made him anathema and out of the curse of his exile there sprang ogres and elves and evil phantoms and the giants too who strove with God time and againShow MoreRelatedAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 PagesChristian utopia Genre/Style: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · sermons, diaries personal narratives captivity narratives jeremiads written in plain style Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · instructive reinforces authority of the Bible and church Historical Context: ï‚ · ï‚ · a person s fate is determined by God all people are corrupt and must be saved by Christ Rationalism / Age of Enlightenment period of American Literature - 1750-1800 Content: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · national mission and American character democratic utopia use of reason

The Hunger Games Trilogy - 1813 Words

The â€Å"Hunger Games† trilogy is a story of war, depression, love and survival. It is written in such a way that you connect with the characters; for example, the infamous love triangle of Katniss, Peeta and Gale. By the end, everyone was chanting â€Å"Team Peeta† or â€Å"Team Gale† as to who Katniss will finally be with. Aside from that, however, the people of the country of Panem were under the control of the Capitol and needed a way to become free from its grasp and that of President Snow. But before the science behind this story is revealed, one must be brought up to speed on how the story all began. In the years prior, there used to be thirteen districts of Panem under the Capitol. The districts united in an attempt to overthrow the Capitol†¦show more content†¦Katniss would have nothing of it, so she volunteered as tribute in her sister’s place. As for the male representative, Peeta Mellark – a baker, painter and one who had a hidden love for Katniss (unbeknownst to her) – was chosen, and the two were sent off to the Capitol to prepare themselves for the fight of their lives. On to the actual Games themselves. Twenty-four tributes (strangers at that), two from each district, released onto a battlefield for a televised fight to the death for the entertainment and enjoyment of the Capitol. These Games went on for weeks, with several tributes dying each day. From the beginning alliances were made to kill off the remaining participants and have the rest of the Games to themselves, and sadly Katniss was one of the targets. Yet she was determined to stay alive and to keep Peeta alive, even though he aligned himself with the majority group for a short while. As the Games progressed, even before the Games began, a story developed between Katniss and Peeta: a love story. A love story that spread across Panem like wildfire, so much that the two were dubbed â€Å"star-crossed lovers.† This had everyone rooting for Katniss and Peeta, for one of them to be the winner of the Hunger Games. Whether it was real or fake for Katniss, she was not sure at the time; she just wanted to make it out alive and take Peeta with her. After several weeks of battle and many deaths of

Initial assessment methods free essay sample

Introduction There is a great deal of benefit to be gained from group work, for both staff and student alike. From the lecturer’s point of view it can promote a variety of transferable skills and, depending on how the work is assessed, it is possible to enhance the learning process too. On a purely pragmatic level it may also be possible to save time spent on assessing students’ work. From the student point of view, engaging in group work offers a range of benefits and the assessment process can be an interactive part of the learning process. The major gains in transferable skills are in the areas of oral communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills. Working in a group can also promote the sharing of ideas and problem solving skills, as the student might feel less intimidated and more willing to discuss work with their peers. Whilst the assessment of group work can also play a major part in the learning process, it is often this aspect of group activities which most concerns many academics. We will write a custom essay sample on Initial assessment methods or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What is important is that the assessment methods and criteria are made clear to students before they begin the activity. Academics have to decide whether they are prepared to give each student the same mark for the group outcome or whether they feel more comfortable embedding some means of generating an individual mark. The group mark approach more closely mirrors the world of work, where scientists working in teams generally all share in the success or failure of a project. If students are aware of this before the activity begins then they must be made aware that it is up to them to ensure that all group members contribute to the activity. If academics are uncomfortable with this then there are other approaches that may be successful. For example, students can anonymously peer assess each other’s contribution to the activity and the tutor can award a mark based on their assessment. As group work is successful in developing a range of skills as well as discipline specific skills and knowledge, both the tutor and the students  must be clear what is being assessed by a given method. For example, is an oral presentation being assessed on scientific content or presentation skills, or both? All options may be appropriate but students must be aware of what the tutor is looking for. Depending on the assessment tools employed students can both receive and provide feedback to their peers. This process helps students gain a better appreciation of the skills being developed and how to work effectively as a group. For example, peer assessment of a presentation can improve student understanding if they have to assess their peers on the same criteria with which they will be assessed. There are many assessment methods suitable for assessing group work. They may be used individually or in combination in order to assess a range of skills and knowledge and to generate a group or individual mark. Some of them are summarised briefly here. Individual report or assignment Students work as a group but each student would submit their report separately. Students gain the benefit of sharing ideas and information amongst each other but draw their own conclusions in the final work. This method promotes group work but does not necessarily enhance the learning process for individuals. If a student has trouble with a concept they are left to find the solution on their own when producing a report, without the support of the other group members. Whilst a student may feel they understand something when part of the group, they may find they have problems when it comes to writing these ideas down. There is the added practical problem that marking individual work for each student can be time consuming. Primer 6 Version 2 Issued March 2005 Group report or assignment This is probably the most fundamental way of assessing group work, where a  mark is given to each member of the group based on a single piece of work submitted by the group. The main advantage of this for the tutor is that it reduces the time spent marking individual student scripts. If this approach is used for formative assessment, where the process of encouraging students to work in a group may be the main objective, then this method can be very effective. Potential problems may arise when it is used for summative assessment when students often resent other group members for not doing their fair share of the work and so contributing negatively to their own mark. This can be overcome to an extent by making the students aware that they must ensure that all group members participate or by including an additional mark for individual effort. Observation and interview Depending on the type of activity, for example a laboratory experiment, it may be possible to assess group work based on direct observation and interviewing. Here, the lecturer can observe how the students work together and divide activities and assess the students on this basis. This can then be backed up by questioning the students whilst they actually work. For example, students can be asked how and why they divided the work load or question individual students to assess their overall understanding to see if they have made an effort to involve themselves in the group work. Unfortunately, the difficulty with this approach is that not all types of group work can be assessed in this way and the process can be time consuming and subjective. Group presentations A widely used method for assessing group work is the oral presentation. This has the advantage that students develop presentation skills alongside subject specific skills and knowledge. The assessment can be based on the quality of the presentation, the quality of content, overall understanding and comprehension during questioning. The presentations may be given by a group representative or by all members of the group and it is up to the tutor to decide which is most appropriate. The presentations can be assessed by the tutor or can be peer assessed by the rest of the students. If the students are to be involved in the assessment it is a good idea to discuss  assessment criteria with them before starting the process. In this way they will all be clear about what they are looking for, and how their own efforts will be evaluated. It can be effective to ask students to peer assess the quality of the presentation whilst the tutor assesses the quality of the scientific content. Although this is a direct way of assessing the group members, the potential disadvantage is that students may get nervous and the process can be subjective and very time consuming. Poster presentations Posters can be effectively used as an alternative to reports and oral presentations. Each group would produce a single poster which may be assessed by the tutor or peer assessed by the other students. This method has the advantage of developing new transferable skills. In addition, many posters can be assessed quite effectively within a relatively short session. The criteria for assessment should be discussed with the students before they produce their posters. Peer assessment of contribution to the group An extension to the method of requiring a single report from the whole group is to ask each team member to generate an anonymous peer mark for each individual member of their team. The mark may be based on their assessment of the overall group interaction and contribution to the work load. In this way, each student gets a mark based on the quality of the group report or assignment but also a mark based on their individual efforts. Problems can arise if students feel that they are being marked subjectively by their peers, for example if one person falls out with the group but still does their part of the overall work. In order to avoid such problems clear marking guidelines must be prepared for the students so that there is no ambiguity about how they are being assessed. If these guidelines are developed in discussion with the students then they gain a better understanding of what is required of them and what makes effective group work. Assessing group work Individual exercises If tutors are uncomfortable with awarding all students the same mark for a group activity and are not happy with peer assessment of individual contributions, then they may set each student a piece of work which supports or complements the group activity but which is completed individually. This, in some ways, goes against the ethos of group work but both students and tutors may be more comfortable if some proportion of the marks come from individual effort alone.