Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner Free Essays

PA is attending an adult numeracy class because he was sent by his employer. His employer completed his Level 2 National Test last year and is now insisting that all his employees follow suit. Non-completion will result in no promotion and no annual pay rise Initial assessment The key implications here are that PA is currently working at Entry Level 3 in most numeric areas. We will write a custom essay sample on Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner or any similar topic only for you Order Now He should be able to increase his ability level and undertake Level 1 without too many problems. However he needs to achieve Level 2 in order to gain his pay rise and promotion so this will put him under a lot of preasure and additional stress. According to Tennant (1988), PA, as a 36 year old, is in his midlife transitional period and will be â€Å"Adopting a changing time perspective and revising career plans†; this can be substantiated as PA is attending a numeracy course because of changes that are taking place at work. His employer has stated that the course must be completed and the Level 2 National Test must be passed or PA will not receive a promotion or his annual pay rise. This is an unusual situation, as according to Charnley Jones (1987), â€Å"Getting a pay rise as a direct result of tuition is extremely rare†. Patterns of adult learning reflect class divisions in society and the different expectations and perceptions resulting from those divisions. Factors such as social class, gender and race impact on decisions to learn, as each is associated with particular cultural pressures and norms. According to Maslow (1973) once physiological needs have been met safety or security becomes predominant. In other words, there is a need for self-preservation and a common concern for the future e. g. , will we be able to maintain our property and our job in order to provide shelter and food tomorrow and the next day? It is likely that this is the stage PA is at particularly as he knows that if he does not pass the relevant exams he will not get a pay rise or promotion. Peer and reference group influences can also be extremely strong (Evans, 2000). People who are habitual learners tend to belong to groups where education is seen as a normal activity. They also tend to be involved in other forms of social participation. Non-learners belong to groups for whom engaging in learning is not part of normal behaviour – this is certainly true of PA who would not have engaged initially in numeracy earning through his own choice, and who, until recently would not engage in any social activity e. g. attending a school fund raising evening. Among male manual workers, for example, there is a strong culture of group conformity and solidarity. To engage in education that is not immediately job-related is seen as what women or children do and is, therefore, not a masculine activity (McGivney, 1996). Social class continues to be the key discriminator in understanding participation in learning. Over half of all upper and middle class (AB) respondents are current or recent learners, compared with one-third of the skilled working class (C2) and one quarter of unskilled working class people and people on limited incomes (Gallup Survey 1996). However, what and how much is learned can be influenced by the learner’s motivation (NIACE, 1997) and, from my own experiences within the post-compulsory education sector, I would have to agree with this. However, motivation to learn could be, in turn, influenced by an individual’s emotional states, beliefs, interests and goals, and habits of thinking. PA’s current, positive, beliefs about himself as a learner and the nature of learning appear to have had a marked influence on his motivation. It could be said that the rich internal world of thoughts, beliefs, goals, and expectations for success or failure may enhance or interfere with the learner’s quality of thinking and information processing. Motivational and emotional factors may also influence both the quality of his thinking and information processing as well as his individual motivation to learn. Positive emotions, such as curiosity, generally enhance motivation and facilitate learning and performance. Mild anxiety can also enhance learning and performance by focusing the learner’s attention on a particular task. However, intense negative emotions (e. g. , anxiety, panic, rage, insecurity) and related thoughts (e. g. , worrying about competence, ruminating about failure, fearing punishment, ridicule, or stigmatising labels) generally detract from motivation, interfere with learning, and contribute to low performance (Evans, 2000). This could be seen during PA’s recent Numeracy Level 1 National Test when he experienced mild anxiety, but was extremely motivated and positive about the experience and his ability – and he passed first time! Motivation is, therefore, not a simple issue, since individual motives and action are strongly affected by where people are located (socially, culturally and spatially) and the constraints or incentives that operate on their choices (NIACE). PA blames his current lack of knowledge and qualifications in numeracy on his underachievement at school. If we look more closely it becomes apparent that, because of his age, PA would have been attending school during the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was during this time that the early underachievement of boys first became evident, as large scale studies of children’s achievements at Primary school pointed to the fact that girls consistently out-performed boys (Myers, 2000). Therefore there was a shift away from public concern about girls’ achievement to boys’ achievement, or underachievement, at school in exams. The concern about ‘boys’ underachievement’ has been characterised in educational policy initiatives at national, local and school levels, most significantly in the imposition of the national literacy and numeracy strategy (Barrs and Pidgeon 1998). However, overall improvements in achievement are often ignored and gender differences are ascribed to the detrimental effects of ‘the feminisation of teaching’ (Epstein et al, 1998). The concern for boys’ underachievement was highlighted by Murphy and Elwood (1998) who argued that improvement in female achievement is not shared by girls from low socio-economic backgrounds and may not be apparent in some subjects. Similarly, Epstein et al (1998) questioned the global application of the category of boys’ underachievement’ by asking, ‘†¦ hich boys? At what stages of education? †¦ according to what criteria? ‘ We could say that by definition, gender roles are the social norms that dictate what is socially appropriate male and female behaviour (Tobias, 1997), and are part of the socialisation process of human beings. These roles are also influenced by each individual’s cultural and economic background (Tobias, 1997). It could be said that gender roles influence women and men in virtually every area of life, including family and occupation. This is certainly true for PA, who feels that it is his duty to provide for his family and to have the greater earning capacity regardless of his lack of formal qualifications. Everyone recognises that there are significant differences between male and female, even if they are only physical. However, others see not only the physical but also the social, emotional and intellectual differences. In addition there is belief that, by the age of sixteen, females have matured more than boys by up to as much as two years (Skelton, 2001). This could mean that girls have an advantage by viewing exams in a far more responsible way and recognising the seriousness and importance of the academic and career choices in the future. PA agrees with this as he did not take his schooling seriously and, quite possibly due to the fact that PA knew he was underachieving and he was unmotivated, he left school at 16 with no formal qualifications. He has only recently started to regret his actions. The figures from the 1996 Gallup survey could also be used to illustrate this as more adult men (25%) are currently learning compare to adult women (21%). Now that he is within the adult education sector, PA appears to see learning numeracy as a process of liberation. This may be because PA now feels that the educational process is not static and that his learning is a cultural action for freedom. It no longer involves one person teaching another, but rather people working with each other to ensure each individual reaches their potential. This was also the understanding of Bruner (1973), who suggested that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas based upon their current / past knowledge. Adult learners also appear to be more receptive to learning if there is a context to the learning. Teaching adults numerical skills which ‘transfer’ means exposing â€Å"students to different contexts which have the same mathematical content† (Rees and Barr, 1984) e. g. electrical work, decorating, shopping or linked to employment. This is certainly true for PA who works better, and appears to have a deeper understanding, when he can see there is a relevance and context to what he is learning. According to Bruner (1973), the teacher and student should engage in active dialogue and the task of the teacher is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learners’ current state of understanding. During numeracy there are so many ways of doing and explaining one thing, one example would be the various descriptions used for the actions of ‘add’ and ‘subtract’, another example would be the various methods of teaching long multiplication. In addition, Bruner (1973) stated that the curriculum should be organised in a spiral manner, so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned, â€Å"The concept of prime numbers appears to be more readily grasped when the learner, through construction, discovers certain handfuls of beans cannot be laid out in completed rows and columns† (Bruner, 1973). When working with PA, as for all my learners, I ensure that I question his current method and understanding of each numeric topic before I go into the topic in depth. This way I am constantly building on his current knowledge and understanding. A high percentage of the learners at Rochford Adult Community College are White British and PA falls into this group, ‘Rochford has one of the lowest ethnic minority populations, well below half of the national average’ (Rochford District Council, 2005). However, according to the Home Office’s Commission for Racial Equality, 2002, the United Kingdom is a changing society and these socio-economic changes are reflected in our growing cultural and ethnic diversity. These changes bring many gains, but sometimes there are tensions and divisions that may lead to fracturing within, and across, local areas and communities. However, whatever the nature of community divisions, the basis of the solution is often the same; community cohesion. The Home Office’s Commission for Racial Equality, 2002, suggests that community cohesion may be achieved by raising awareness and understanding and developing shared values with mutual trust and respect. The Home Office describes a cohesive community as one where there is common vision, a sense of belonging, where diversity is valued and where there are similar life opportunities with â€Å"†¦ strong and positive relationships being developed between people from different backgrounds†¦ in colleges and in schools†¦ † (www. homeoffice. gov. uk, 2003). This is also the ethos of Essex County Council and consequently Castle Point and Rochford Adult Community College (www. essexcc. gov. uk, 2005). How to cite Profile Of An Adult Numeracy Learner, Papers

Rent-a-hacker Site Leaks Australian Buyers Names and Addresses

Question: Describe about Rent-a-hacker Site Leaks Australian Buyers' Names and Addresses. Answer: Introduction: Nowadays computers are included in our day to day life; we cannot advance any work without computers. The computers are used to store, gather and manipulate important information and the IT technologies are used to secure the computers. Often there is a leak in the security system and is exploited by the hacker to gain access of the data (Richet, 2013). Hacking is not done to destroy the world. In 1970, the first personal computer was introduced and since then there hacking has changed its role in context to the society (Smh.com.au, 2016). This article explains about renting a professional hacker by an individual or business organization. This study also analyses the merits and demerits of renting a professional hacker and the legal action taken against any unethical hacking. Rent-a-hacker site leaks Australian buyers' names and addresses: Hacking is done, for several reasons and personal interest like a student studying in Washington try to hack into the server of the university to change his grade or an Australian woman hiring a website hacker to find his husband activities or a business organization trying to get the database of its rival to gain profit. Many Australians think that they could hire a hacker from any website and make them work for their personal interest keeping their identity as a secret. But if a hacker is hired from a website there are norms where the person who wants to hire has to put his name and address and the hacking purpose. The identity cannot be kept secret; if any illegal activity is done there is a chance of taking legal action against the personnel (Halder et al., 2012). Previously there was a condition provided by the Hacker's List that only the hacker and the person who have hired the hacker would know the details of the hacking purpose. The illegal activities have grown due to this condition, and media wrote various articles on unethical hacking across the world (Jaishankar Ronel, 2013). All of the activities were not illegal, but some people tried to hack its business rivals database. Before hiring a hacker, one should think twice because it may make him fall in an embarrassing moment. The job description to hire a hacker and the customer name and this location can be leaked by the site that may reveal the identity of the person hiring the hacker. There are dozens of hacking request comes from several Australians who only want to regain their access to their account while others have unethical demands like changing their grades or gain access to the database of its rival company (Schttle, 2015). Some company wants to hack the social account of their spouse to spy on them. Peoples are ready to give a lump sum of amount for both ethical and unethical hacking purpose. The Australians make a different kind of hacking request from the other peoples of the world. Charles Tendell is an ethical hacker, and he started a cybersecurity firm in Denver. He fights against the organization and people who does hacking for wrong reasons (Halder et al., 2012). Charles Tendell started the Hackers List from where the list of the people hiring hackers for any reasons can be found out. Jonathan Mayer hacked Hacker list and used a browser to run automated scripts to access the information on the site (Ablon et al., 2014). It was found that most of t he requests on the Hackers list were unethical and contains a demand for business information, or personal information of other peoples and a huge part of the request was regarding increasing the grade of students. Suburban School received nine bomb threats from any source in a week, and due to panic, the school was evacuated by police repeatedly. The threat came to the administration by an email and it also reached the students by social networking sites, and the computer system of the campus was shut downed by the theater. The local police and the sheriff's obtained information about the network and the account from where the message was sent; it was a bit difficult to identify because the traffic was re-routed through Italy and the username and all the other details were fake (Mayer, 2015). According to Mayer Mitchell, (2012) they used a tool to find the culprit; they hacked the host computer from where the illegal activities were done and send a fake article, as the culprit loaded the story a malware also got installed on his computer (Halder et al., 2012). The location and the keystrokes can be recorded through the malware and police caught the culprit with all evidence; it was found that a teenage student was doing all these illegal activities sitting at home. Conclusion: According to the Australian rules and regulations, a person caught off an illegal hacking offense faces jail of two to ten years depending on the crime that he has done. Hiring a hacker for any criminal activity is also considered as a crime and a punishment of 450 hours of community service can be sentenced for that. Hacking into a system to recover own data is also considered as an illegal activity since it would be considered as an unauthorized access and lead to prosecution. There are two types of peoples who commit cyber crimes; one is the hacker, and the other is the crackers. Hackers use their programming capabilities to explore the details of a system. True hackers believe in technology and its security and the way of improving it. Hackers using their skills for evil reasons are known as crackers; they target the security of a system and try to breach it by any means. They can cause harm to the system, and their motivation behind hacking is to gain profit or take revenge or both. The primary objective of the cracker is that they want to make money with the data they steal from other computers by hacking. Reference: Ablon, L., Libicki, M. C., Golay, A. A. (2014).Markets for Cybercrime Tools and Stolen Data: Hackers' Bazaar. Rand Corporation. Halder, D., Jaishankar, K., Jaishankar, K. (2012).Cyber crime and the victimization of women: laws, rights and regulations. Information Science Reference. Jaishankar, K., Ronel, N. (Eds.). (2013).Global Criminology: Crime and Victimization in a Globalized Era. CRC Press. Mayer, J. (2015). Constitutional Malware.Available at SSRN 2633247. Mayer, J. R., Mitchell, J. C. (2012, May). Third-party web tracking: Policy and technology. InSecurity and Privacy (SP), 2012 IEEE Symposium on(pp. 413-427). IEEE. Pro, I., IT, S., addresses, R. (2015).Rent-a-hacker site leaks Australian buyers' names and addresses.The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 May 2016, from https://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/rentahacker-site-leaks-australian-buyers-names-and-addresses-20150529-ghca3f.html Richet, J. L. (2013). From Young Hackers to Crackers.International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction (IJTHI),9(3), 53-62. Schottle, M. (2015). Hackers not Crackers.ATZelektronik worldwide,10(4), 3-3.

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) essays

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) essays Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects 3-5 percent of all American children. It interferes with a person's ability to stay on a task and to exercise age-appropriate inhibition (cognitive alone or both cognitive and behavioral). This research paper will go into the causes and research that is developing in the study of ADHD. This research paper will also go into various treatments and guidelines into understanding and dealing with children with ADHD. Attention Deficit Disorders have become a very highly controversial topic during the last decade. Attention Deficit Disorder, also known as ADD, is a broad, almost generic term for the different types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Association offers us this definition: "ADHD is a disorder that can include a list of nine specific symptoms of inattention and nine symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity." In addition, the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia provides this interpretation: "(a) chronic, neurologically based syndrome, characterized by any or all of three types of behavior: hyperactivity, distractibility, and impulsivity. Unlike similar behaviors caused by emotional problems or anxiety, ADHD does not fluctuate with emotional states." About 13% of the school-aged population has the full ADHD syndrome, without symptoms of other disorders. Another 510% have partial ADHD syndrome with on e or more other problems, such as anxiety or depression. (CHADD) Gender and age affect the way the patients display their symptoms. Boys are more likely to have the disorder than girls. The symptoms of ADHD usually decrease with age, but those symptoms related with other similar disorders are said to increase with age 3050% of children with ADHD may display symptoms, although often times less severe, into adulthood. ADHD may be ob...

A Rose for Emily Creative Writing Essay Example

A Rose for Emily Creative Writing Essay Example A Rose for Emily Creative Writing Essay A Rose for Emily Creative Writing Essay Essay Topic: Creative This is the point of view of the window in the room where Homer Barron was killed. The window is a witness of Emily? s entire life and it is the one who can describe everything that has happened at the moment Emily puts an end to Homer’s existence. In my opinion, this piece of writing can enrich the text because the reader gets a glimpse of the conversation Emily and Homer have before she kills him and what Tobe’s position in her game is. The long room, with its pink walls, was dark and empty, except for all the new furniture that, little by little, Tobe had sneaked in without the neighbours ever quite noticing. And a fine job he had done. The room had never looked half as lovely. I could hear footsteps slowly coming up the stairs and the soft, almost indistinguishable, sound of voices which by the minute grew louder. Finally, the door opened and the lights were turned on. Yes, two people had been climbing the stairs and now I could see who they were. Miss Emily, who night after night, almost religiously, had come to check on the work Tobe was performing, was accompanied by no one less that Homer Barron. Now the old house would have a master once more. To avoid catching the eye of the curious passer-by, Miss Emily drew the curtains, thus rendering me blind, though only partially, for I could still make out their shapes. Being deprived of my sight, I had no other choice than to rely on my hearing. And that I did. â€Å"Emily, what’s all this? I’m quite sure I told you I’m not the type to marry and settle down,† said Homer, almost mockingly. But Miss Emily had made up her mind and she wouldn’t let him walk away. He would be forever bound to this house in the same way she and everyone who had preceded her had been. At last, their fates would be one and the same. Miss Emily stood in front of him, and in a movement I couldn’t quite make out, but that I imagined –and that since the incident, every time I rehash their conversation I still do picture it like that–, placed one long, white, bony finger on top of his lips and said: â€Å"You are not thinking of leaving me now, are you? Surely not now. That is no longer a possibility. † The next thing I heard was a muted thud, as if some heavy weight had been dropped carelessly on the carpeted floor. I wasn’t completely closed, and thanks to a sudden gust of wind, the curtains which were blinding me moved aside, and in a glimpse of vision, I was able to take in the scene before me: Mr Barron lay on the floor and Miss Emily seemed to be undressing him, ever so gently. Through my covered eyes, I was back to seeing shadows and shapes, but I could see her getting back to her feet and placing his suit on top of the chair and, by the noise, I figure she arranged his shoes somewhere nearby. â€Å"Tobe,† she called aloud. Tobe quietly, opened the door and stepped in. What I never liked about the man was that he had that quality of moving around the house as if ghost-like, and you could never be quite sure where he was. â€Å"Yes, ma’am? † â€Å"Put him on the bed and then leave us for the night. We shall not require your services until morning. † Her quiet, her countenance, was enviable. She had always had that air of cool detachment about herself. The mark of a true lady. Or of a true madwoman. â€Å"Yes, ma’am. † Tobe did as he was ordered and started towards the door. Suddenly, however, he turned around and noted my condition. â€Å"Shall I close the window before I leave, ma’am? † â€Å"If you may. Now go, Tobe. Thank you. † After ruining my only chance to see clearly, Tobe left the room, and turned off the lights. â€Å"Now, my love, we are together at last. Together forever. I could not bare the thought of losing you. When you told me you would be leaving town, I ran to the shops and got hold of the only thing that would keep you here, with me. † Miss Emily went on talking to the corpse of Homer Barron until, exhausted, she fell asleep. Among the many things she revealed to him, she said how she’d poisoned the drink she had given him that night, and how she had convinced him of coming up to the room. Morning came the following day, as it had invariably done every day before that one, and the light that filtered through the curtains showed me my mistress asleep on top of the dead body. She had arranged his arms around her, so she could always feel his embrace. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, and kissed his guest on the lips once, twice, and then left the room. Night after night, she would always return to her lover. Time passed and no one discovered what she had done. My curtains were never again drawn, but I could feel the paint peeling. I could smell the dust covering every surface it could find. I could sense the dreams of a once young lady who had fallen in love die slowly. And yet my mistress never stopped showing up. She died one night, in his arms. I never had the chance to see her, to bid her goodbye, but I am sure that, in the arms of her beloved, she died with a full heart and a smile upon her lips.

The Employment Code of Conduct Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Employment Code of Conduct - Essay Example Disciplinary procedures are an important part for any organization, it is the disciplinary procedures that determine the complete directive of the firm that the employees are supposed to follow, it may also include the code of conduct. (Gennard, J. & Judge, G., 2005) All the ill effects of not following the terms mentioned in the disciplinary procedures are also mentioned in the same document, like suppose the penalty or punishment for misconduct such as abusing fellow workers is suspension from the company without pay, (Hall, R. & Stewart, J., 2001) so here the term in disciplinary procedure will be as follows: All the employees working for Bodgitt and Blastit limited should not use abusive language against any other employee, manager, stockholder or a general part of the company, or even in the office premises; failing to do so could lead to a suspension of the key employee. (Russell, Kate, 2004) In the above procedure and term, the problem was very clearly stated and so was its penalty. Therefore preventing the company from being a victim by means of a penalty from the employment tribunal. If any such information is not mentioned in the disciplinary procedures or even worse, if the company does not have a disciplinary procedure until now, this could be much worse, the employment tribunal may also force the company to not only let the â€Å"suffered† employee get back to his post in the company, but also the responsible (or rather, irresponsible) employee could also get some compensation out of the whole deal.

Connectivity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Connectivity - Essay Example In addition, in current business management arrangement we need to establish a centralized business operational management and supply chain management framework. This aspect would lead towards better business performance and corporate management. For the establishment of such a huge network we can have three imperative alternatives. These alternatives could comprise choices of physical transmission options, wireless connectivity options and satellite or Point-to-Point options for the overall business connectivity features. While talking about our primary option (i.e. physical transmission media) we are able to establish a huge MAN layout that is based on fiber optic based communication medium to establish a connection among all the chains of Star Clothing Business. However, this alternative is considered to be extremely costly. Additionally, this technology based connectively will definitely require massive investment and will excessively augment the expenses of overall network arran gement. Thus, in case of business store distribution all through the nation it becomes almost impractical to establish and adopt such kind of network technology.

Case Analysis Memo Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis Memo - Case Study Example The performance of employees is often found to be derailed by the threat of losing a job, but sometimes it may also prove as a driving force, for the employee to work hard and perform well for the survival. The status of the company mainly deals with it health, whether it has sufficient sources to balance the inputs and outputs, and does the company has enough revenue generation capacity to pay all the employees. Mistrust is another problem that was found prevalent among the employees of the company. The employees were often found complaining of problems with the pay bills and distribution of bonuses. They raised the issue of biasedness to be present among the ranks within the organization. The problem was of the transference. Employees were not aware of the proceedings that were carried out behind the scene, and the end of every month they found some discrepancy between what they expected to earn, and what they had actually earned. Another problem that was found closely associated with the level of mistrust among the employees was the absence of equality; rather the employees complained that there is unequal distribution of bonuses. Explicit rewards are those gains that can be measured. They are based on simple mathematics principles, where an individual is paid according to his or her performance. Further, a company can use an explicit reward scheme to motivate its employees, through setting clear bonuses, and defining the tasks. It is often observed that managers are too much occupied by traditional notions like presence and absence, they pay people for their regularity, but regularity is not always equal to productivity. The purpose of paying bonuses for regularity is to ensure the presence of individuals at the job site, and provide maximum output. However, employees may get regular but their productivity is found to be unsatisfactory. Giving autonomy to the employees can work in two ways it can work as a reward as well as motivator for better