Monday, September 30, 2019
Learning to Read and Write
Alana Roberts Essay I February 26th, 2013 ââ¬Å"Learning to Read and Writeâ⬠by Fredrick Douglas is a story about a slave breaking the bondage of ignorance by learning to read and write. During the course of 7 years Douglas discreetly teaches himself to read and write by means of stealing newspapers, trading food with poor white boys for knowledge and books, as well as copying his masterââ¬â¢s handwriting. Douglas learning to read gave him extreme awareness of his condition as he says ââ¬Å"â⬠¦I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing.It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedyâ⬠(Page 168-169). With his new consciousness he suffered with depression envying his fellow slaves for their ââ¬Å"stupidity. â⬠But, like a true underdog, Douglas perseveres and through hope he escapes to the freedom of the North. Thereââ¬â¢s a quote by Harriet Tubman ââ¬Å"I freed a thousand slaves, and could have freed a thousand more if they had known they were slaves. â⬠Throughout the essay Douglas evaluates his slave masterââ¬â¢s ignorance, his fellow slaves ignorance, and most importantly his own.The definition of a slave is ââ¬Å"a person legally owned by another and having no freedom of action or right to propertyâ⬠. Another definition says slave means ââ¬Å"a person under the domination of another person or some habit or influence. â⬠Douglas finds proof of the flawed ideology that is slavery through the book ââ¬Å"The Colombian Orator. â⬠The book validates Douglasââ¬â¢s belief of human rights and gave him ammo to use against slaveholders who thought otherwise. The dilemma in him learning this illuminating information is his inability to figure a way out of slavery.Douglas writes ââ¬Å"It was this everlasting thinking of my condition that tormented meâ⬠¦I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing itâ⬠(Page 169). White slav e owners made it unlawful for slaves to read and write, this ignorance kept them in a state of limbo which stopped their evolution. Without the capacity to examine their situation, they did not change their situation and stayed in this wheel of oppression and exploitation. Ignorance also befalls on the oppressors.Douglas sheds light on how slave owners prayed to Christ, went to church every Sunday and yet mistreated people to the upmost degree and punished them for reading. Southerners often justified slavery by saying they were bringing Christianity to slaves. Christianity is a religion based on love and compassion for your fellow man. Since the Europeans did not believe the Africans were worthy to be in the same human category as them they dehumanized them relating them to animals. Although the bible says ââ¬Å"we must never treat any part of God's creation with contempt.When we do, we are indirectly treating our Creator with contempt. â⬠If they did not believe slaves were worthy to be treated as Godââ¬â¢s creation then why did they push their religion on them? The answer is to keep them controlled and confused. Europeans stripped Africans of their traditions starting with their name, this in some degree made Africans like blank canvases ready to be painted anew. Christianity gave slaves hope that one day their situation will change if they prayed hard enough and abide by Christ words. It also gave them a brand new vision of what God should look like. White is good, Black is bad.In the Christian bible they saw Jesus as a white man so in turn they could have related the goodness of Christ to the ââ¬Å"goodnessâ⬠of their masters. Some slaves even argued about whose master was more kind. I guess this is what Douglas was referring to when he called his fellow slaves ââ¬Å"stupidâ⬠. I relate the South hypocritical belief system to that of the Catholic Church during Medieval Times. The church dominated everyoneââ¬â¢s lives using fear as a means of getting whatever they wanted from its believers. From a very early age, the people were taught that the only way they could get to Heaven was if the Roman Catholic Church approved them.Just like slaves of America many people could not read or write which kept the priests in power. Peasants worked for free on the church land to pay their tithe or to not have the burden of total damnation. The hypocrisy of Christians of the South exemplifies his mistress who he described before as ââ¬Å"Having bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reachâ⬠(Page 167). Under the influence of slavery the angelical woman he knew turned into that of a demon in her conquest to prove her superiority over him.With praying to white Jesus not working, Douglas expresses a vulnerable side when talking about contemplating suicide. ââ¬Å"I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for hope of being free , I have no doubt but that I should have killed myselfâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (Page 169). To counter this feeling of hopelessness he birthed a new objective, find the meaning of the word abolition and how it related to himself. Douglas speaks on his ignorance as he writes ââ¬Å" It was always used in such connections as to make it an interesting word to meâ⬠¦I found it was ââ¬Å"the act of abolishingâ⬠; but then I did not know what was to be abolished.Here I was perplexed. â⬠I find it humorously ironic that he is a prime example of what a abolitionist is and going to become but there was a point in time were he didnââ¬â¢t recognize what the word meant. Using context clues Douglas unmask the true meaning of abolition when reading an article on abolishment of slavery in the District of Columbia. In conclusion Fredrick Douglasââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Learning to Read and Writeâ⬠maturely examines the world in which he lived in. Though Douglas was a slave physically he was never a slave mentally.He analyzes and challenges the norm in his quest for freedom; and because of Douglasââ¬â¢s thirst for knowledge he escapes the bondage of ignorance. Douglas also points out that learning doesnââ¬â¢t make the man free but it is how you use this knowledge to obtain freedom. In our day and age we take for granted things like owning a book, going to school, even the simple principle of being who we want to be. Douglas is a hero to Black Americans as well as people who believe knowledge is power. Work Cited Learning to Read and Write by Fredrick DouglasThe Brief McGraw-Hill Reader http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/narrative/themes. html Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/medieval_church. htm The Medieval Church http://www. goodreads. com/author/quotes/18943. Frederick_Douglass Fredrick Douglas Quotes http://www. billygraham. org/articlepage. asp? articleid=6217 Christian view on treatment of animals http://www. cliffs notes. com/study_guide/literature/life-of-frederick-douglass/critical-essays/douglass-canonical-status-heroic-tale. html
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Charles law Essay
Aim: To investigate how the charge on a capacitor is related to the p. d. applied across it by charging the capacitor at a constant rate. Apparatus: o Capacitor (electrolytic type) 500 ? F o Microammeter 100 ? A o Clip component holder o Stop-watch o CRO o Connecting leads Theory: From definition, the capacitor C of a capacitor is found from C = Q/V Where Q is the charge stored on the capacitor and V is the potential difference across it. ==> Q = CV ==>. If a capacitor is charged up at a constant rate, i. e., where I is a constant. Then is also constant. Hence the potential difference across the capacitor increases linearly with time. Procedure 1. The circuit was connected as shown in the figure below. The CRO was set to d. c. and the sensitivity to 1 V/cm. 2. The time base was set to any high value so that a steady horizontal trace is displayed. The trace was shifted to the bottom of the screen. 3. The capacitor was shorted out by connecting a lead across it and adjust the 100 k ? potentiometer for a suitable current, say 80 ? A. 4. Shorting lead was removed and the capacitor will charge up. Note what happens to the microammeter reading and the CRO trace. 5. The procedure was repeated but this time start the stop-watch and continuously adjust the potentiometer to keep the current constant as the capacitor charges up. 6. The times was measured for the CRO trace to move up by 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, etc. These are the times for the p. d. across the capacitor to reach 1V, 2V, 3V, etc. 7. The results was tabulated. Results and discussion. 8 Describe what happens to the microammeter reading and the CRO trace as the capacitor is being charged up. The microammeter reading increase momentarily, then it decrease to zero in a few second. After the capacitor had been completely charged,the CRO trace is a horizontal line, which continuously move up. 9 Tabulate the times for the p. d. across the capacitor to reach 1 V, 2 V, 3 V, etc. as below: P. d. across capacitor Plot a graph of p. d. across the capacitor against time. How is the p. d. related to the time? p. d. is directly proportional to time. 11 Deduce a relationship between the charge on the capacitor and the p. d. across it. From the graph it is found that p. d. is directly proportional to time. Since Q=CV => V=Q/C Therefore if V across the capacitor is directly proportional to t, Q is directly proportional to time as current was constant. Conclusion We can find out that the p. d. across the capacitor is directly proportional to the time needed. Given that the charging current is constant. Sharing. The experiment is much easier than the last one , but we encountered some obstacles in connecting wires , as usual , we messed up positive and negative terminals and couldnââ¬â¢t conduct it smoothly. At last, we had to call for help. Suggestion and there may be some personal error , for example counting the time taken for the capacitor be charged to extent value was rather inaccurate. Perhaps, we could conduct the experiment several times and compute out the average value. Reference list http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Capacitor http://www. elecsound. cn/Ceramic-Capacitor. htm.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Integrated case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
Integrated - Case Study Example The problem statement is significantly appropriate for the paper. During the course of this case one thing is significantly clear i.e. newspaper industry was going through turmoil. A major shift was necessary. Different technological advancements were putting the future of the printed newspapers in danger. Revenue of The Times as well as the whole industry was declining significantly. It brought about urgency in the newspaper industry. Pay wall was a result of that urgency only. But unfortunately, the new concept of pay wall was not free from criticism. Among all the other newspapers The Times was most proactive as far as the introduction of the pay wall is concerned. It created lots of speculations. People in the industry have raised lots of questions regarding the pay wall and its contribution to the industry. People are confused regarding the future growth perspective of the idea. Some people are considering it as the death nail for the printed newspaper. The people are significan tly confused related how the new idea can impact the editorial process and the content of the traditional newspaper. Research objectives are significantly important for any paper. All the objectives and aims guide whole research paper. The research objectives and aims for this paper are significantly clear. Aims of this research are to evaluate the future growth perspective of the pay wall system. The research will focus towards the system very closely it will focus towards the different trends of the newly appointed idea by The Times. The main aim of this research paper is to analyse the effectiveness of the pay wall system. This research paper will focus how the new system can impact the future of the traditional newspaper. In simple terms the research paper will analyze whether the new approach can be detrimental for the traditional newspaper or not. This research will check the permanency of this new system of pay wall. This research
Friday, September 27, 2019
The Bridge Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
The Bridge Project - Essay Example The Bridge Project Economics We will ensure that the cost is as low as possible by first, limiting the weight to 254.9 or below then use both glue and sticks in reduced quantity. The truss bridge that we managed to design had its cost greatly reduced. It will therefore, require several joints hence will not be much effective. Load Since the higher the load the more successful the structure will be, we managed to make the normal bridge structure withstand the weights easily. We also managed to lower the tensional and compressional force, which will be adjusted by increasing overlaps to the high beams. Aesthetics The more appealing to the eye a bridge is, the more it will be used. We plan to make our bridge very attractive by even introducing advertisement pictures on it. Ease of construction Since we only have a short time for this project, it must be easy to construct. This will allow us to carry out this project with minimal errors. We managed to design a bridge without many complexities but with seve ral parts. This will also enable to build it without much flaws. There were several alternatives that we could choose from based on the sustainability of engineering materials i.e. strength, recyclability and cost effectiveness. However, we had to choose an alternative, which was very economical, simple and strong. The main factor that we had to consider was that the material had to be readily available and be relatively cheap for us to afford. Moreover, it had to be stronger to sustain the expected load. Selection of the Bridge type We settled for the sticks bridge due to its strong nature, simplicity and cost effectiveness. It is less expensive to construct yet can still hold the weight quite well. All the rest were weaker compared to these two. Thus, these two were more sustainable than the rest. Prototype construction We curved the top and the bottom into their maximum heights, directed the beams towards the center, and had the cross section at the middle. It was constructed to meet the minimum requirements for width and height. The weight was set at 140.4 gm. and had load to weight ratio of 105:7. Estimated load capacity This was established by the breaking point of the designââ¬â¢s beam. In addition, it was determined by comparing the previously tested ones with our bridge. Prototype testing We used two beams to place the bridge 29 inches apart. Then added a wooden block on it and hang a chain from it. We then added a bucket below it to add the weights. Prototype performance It managed to hold 32.72 lbs. and broke at the point where the height begun reducing and at the joint right above it. Results The bridge held on to the weight as required but broke when the weight was increased. For the bridge to support more weight we need to add more support beams and change the materials used to construct the bridge. Discussion Shorter distances between the beams that supported the bridge are needed to make the bridge more strong. This will help in distributing the weight evenly on the bridge the beams will increase the load capacity by twice. The chain that was used before needed a change. A stronger chain that can withstand a higher strain is needed. With the extra beams, the bridge is bound to be heavier. Changes are needed in all materials used. The wooden block that was on the other bridge needed a change.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Consumer behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Consumer behavior - Essay Example There is a contrary perspective as well, which is, organization can straight way come up with marketing strategies, and then influence the consumer behaviour. That is, if the organization makes an all out ââ¬Ëattackââ¬â¢ on the customersââ¬â¢ sense organs of eyes, ears and even nose, they can influence or tune the consumerââ¬â¢s behaviour and their buying habits. Either way, it is of paramount importance to focus on consumersââ¬â¢ behaviour and come up with marketing strategies, so the organizationââ¬â¢s product or service can be made an enticing one as well as an optimally selling and successful one. In that direction, the focus will be on the British product or brand of BMWââ¬â¢s MINI or MINI Hatch, explaining how its marketing mix elements driven by psychological and sociological drivers has been working together to influence consumer buying behaviour, and thereby aiding it to become one of the most successful consumer products of the world. Background Mini (b randed initially as MINI, MINI Cooper and now as MINI Hatch) was originally a British automotive brand, but is now currently owned and manufactured by the German auto major, BMW Group. Due to its unique design and performance, Mini, since its launch in 1950s, became one of the most likeable and popular cars in Britain as well as throughout the world. It came under BMWââ¬â¢s control in 1994, when BMW purchased Minisââ¬â¢ then owner, Rover. However, with Rover facing massive losses at the turn of the millennium, BMW decided to sell Rover and thereby stop treating ââ¬Å"'The English Patientâ⬠, as the struggling Rover subsidiary was nicknamed by the British Press. Even while selling off the Rover, BMW understanding the significance and potential of Mini as a brand made up its mind to hold it. They allowed Rover to sell out all the manufactured models, and when the last one was sold, the brand name 'Mini' got reverted to BMW. Under that brand name, BMW started manufacturing o f its version at Oxford plant in Cowley, United Kingdom, thereby launching what came to be one of the most successful brand plus iconic products out of UK. BMWââ¬â¢s MINI as an optimal PRODUCT With BMW reworking and re-branding an already successful product of Mini, it had in its hand an optimal PRODUCT, when it launched it in 2000 at the Paris Motor Show. During the launch, BMW modified the brand name as MINI Cooper, with the letters of ââ¬ËMiniââ¬â¢ capitalized, along the addition of the name Cooper. Both these changes were done to give it a makeover and importantly to differentiate it from the Mini was produced by Rover. This fresh avatar of MINI was unrelated to the old Mini in the technical and configuration sense, but still retained certain key, successful and iconic features like the transverse 4 cylinders, along with front-wheel-drive configuration and importantly the iconic as well as the unique "bulldog" touch. Although, they incorporated certain old features, the new MINI was an advancement or forward evolution of the old car, as many technologically advanced aspects starting from the high powered engine to various technical and non-technical aspects were featured. BMW MINIââ¬â¢s designer Frank Stephenson had this to say, ââ¬Å"The MINI Cooper is not a retro design car, but an evolution of the original. It has the genes and many of the characteristics of its
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Ethics and Moral Issues in Nursing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Ethics and Moral Issues in Nursing - Term Paper Example They also possess different roles and responsibilities in the organizations that confront them with ethical and moral issues such as decision making, relating with their colleagues, giving alternative healthcare to the patients, handling varying patientââ¬â¢s needs and issues of cross cultural and personal beliefs (Daly et.al 2005). These issues affect their performance and quality of service they offer patients in their organizations. Ethical and moral issues in nursing Inexperience and lack of confidence Nurses undergo various stages in their career training and work performance (Daly et.al 2005). During their training, nursing students undergo rigorous training in order to acquire general theoretical and practical knowledge that they will require to apply in their work. During the training, nursing students are taught on how to handle clients with different issues during in their work environment. The level of training and knowledge students acquire gives them confidence and co urage to get out and attend their clients. After securing jobs, the graduate nurses face numerous challenges due to inexperience and great anticipations of the patients and employers. Normally experienced nurses are supposed to guide the newly recruited workforce in the organization on how to handle various day-to-day issues (Lachman, 2006). However, the workload is generally too huge to match the few nurses hence in most cases graduate nurses are left on their own to handle their problems. The environment itself poses great challenges since the graduate nurses are not able to handle daily problems due to the complexity and diversity of the problems. Alternative care Some patients do not necessarily require drugs for treatment (Daly et.al, 2005). In some instances, nurses find themselves in a dilemma as whether they should administer patients with substituteââ¬â¢s medicine such as vitamin because they feel that some of those medicines they give to the patients may compromise thei r health status. Confidentiality of the patientââ¬â¢s information Nurses are required to maintain top secret of the information they gather from their patients (Daly et.al, 2005). On contrary, they are required to share the details about patients with their colleagues so that they can be able to offer necessary assistance to the patients and save their lives. These results to complication regarding to the extent of information they are required to share and at the same time maintain patientââ¬â¢s details undisclosed. Failure to attend the patients The organization and the public expect nurses to handle various problems affecting patients (John, 2010). On contrary, some nurses may fear for their safety and refuse to attend patients suffering from certain diseases such as Aids and tuberculosis among others. However, in the recent past intensive training has increased health care givers boldness and they can effectively attend all patients without risking their lives. Relationshi p with their colleagues According to John, 2010), graduate nurses sometimes undergo short training period that barely acquaints them with appropriate knowledge to handle different issues at the work place. They may also experience a lot of oppositions from their colleagues. Therefore, the kind of work environment in which nurses are subjected to determines their performance and attitude towards that work. As nurses get used to their work, they are assigned different roles to perform in the organization.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Palliative care for Enduring Conditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words
Palliative care for Enduring Conditions - Essay Example The philosophy of palliative care is firmly rooted on improving or maintaining the quality of life to the very end. It is concerned with making the last few days of the patientââ¬â¢s life as comfortable as possible. The World Health Organization points out that palliative care is ââ¬Å"the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatmentâ⬠. It mostly involves the control of pain and other symptoms (psychological, social, and spiritual problems) often associated with terminally ill patients. The philosophy of palliative care in the current specialised setting is about paying equal focus on the physiological as well and the psychological issues of a terminally ill patient. Palliative care is rooted in the hospice movement, mainly on the care of the dying cancer patient. According to the World Health Organization, it is based on the principles of affirming life, viewing dying as a normal process. It neither hastens nor postpones death; it provides relief from pain and other symptoms; it integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care; and it offers a support system for the patient and his family until the patientââ¬â¢s death.
Monday, September 23, 2019
The Five Phases of the Project Lifecycle Assignment
The Five Phases of the Project Lifecycle - Assignment Example A project has to be approached in a systematic way that will ensure there is minimal time wasting and deviation from the main goals and objectives of the project from the time it was initiated. To do so, there are a number of approaches used that guide the progress of the project to completion. The most common used approach is the traditional phased approach that has five phases explaining the activities involved in each phase form the time an idea is conceived to the time the project is closed. The five phases include initiation, planning/ design, execution, monitoring and closing of the project. Each step has its unique activities that make it possible for the project to be completed successfully. Initiation is the first phase of any project. This phase seeks to define the project or a new phase of an already existing project. It also involves the process of gaining authorization from the relevant authorities for the project to be commenced (Indelicato, 2013). To achieve the goals of this phase, there is need to first develop a project charter and then identify the stakeholders. The project charter contains, project success criteria and objectives, constraints/assumptions, high level budget and schedule, the list of stakeholders, project justification or purpose and lastly assign a project manager. A well-developed project charter, will provide adequate information to the authorities and convince them to commit an organizations resources towards achieving the goals and objectives of the project. It gives them a knowhow on the amount of resources needed to complete the project, hence guiding the decision making of the authorities on whether the project is achievable or not. At the same time, it provides one with its contribution to the organization in achieving its primary goals without violating their mission, vision, values and
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Employee Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Employee Relations - Essay Example BCL has been operating since its origins with this structure with little or no changes made, the new managing director, however, is young and highly educated, and having worked his way through the business, wants to implement changes to the structure and make the business more modern in its approach to all the major functions mentioned above. The writer of this report has been appointed as the new HR Director, whilst a new operations manager, who also happens to be the new managing directorââ¬â¢s colleague in university, has been appointed to replace the outgoing manager. Through a consensus, the three senior managers have come to an agreement that major structural changes need to made, by reducing the management hierarchy, and by forming a strategic partnership with a leading high street grocery retailer, Cost-Savers, in a bid to see the business streamlined and cost effective. The new partnership is expected to cut costs down in terms of premises rentals, as BCL will have their shops within Cost-Savers shops. Another key factor is that Cost-Saver and BCL will share a distribution depot while one of the smaller of BCLââ¬â¢s depots will be shut, and where Cost-Savers and BCL are in the same location, the BCL shop will be closed whilst core and flexible staff of that BCL shop will be offered positions at the Cost-Savers shop, and the rest made redundant. Also certain low profit stores of BCL will be shut altogether. The main changes in the management structure include: Reduction of the number of districts from 16 to 12 District managers will be given expanded responsibilities for product placement, identifying new opportunities and increasing sales within their district Each regional manager will be given the added responsibility of providing development opportunities for store and district managers Each store manager will be given autonomy to recruit staff, promote products, stock products on own discretion, and have more direct contact with head office. All managers will be coached to become leaders and not merely managers for their sectors. Staff would be given the added incentive of a profit based six monthly bonus to boost their sense of belonging to the organisation. The main task given to the writer as HR Director is to come up with a plan to make sure the above changes have a positive effect on staff, and that an employment relationship culture of teamwork is brought about through the changes. This would mean engaging the staff in matters related to key decision making, and change the existing non-directional management of individual stores to align with corporate directions. Key Literature Review: From the above introduction, it can be inferred that BCL has decided to go from a hierarchical, and centralised organisational structure to a horizontal and decentralised structure. It is therefore important to understand these terms before delving any deeper. Organisational Structure: The term ââ¬Ëorganisational structureââ¬â ¢ simply refers to the way in which job tasks are formally divided, grouped, and coordinated. It involves the processes of work specialisation, where tasks in the organisation are subdivided into separate jobs; departmentalisation, where the subdivided jobs are grouped together; chain of command, which
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Internship Report on Zong Pakistan Essay Example for Free
Internship Report on Zong Pakistan Essay Groups individuals according to the occasions when they purchase, use or think of buying a product. 2. Benefits Sought : Groups individuals according to the benefits they seek from the product. 3. Usage Rate : Groups individuals according to the level of usage they make of the product, be it Heavy, Medium or Light usage. 4. User Status : Groups individuals according to whether they are non-users, potential users, first-time users, regular users, or ex-users of a product Loyalty Status : Groups individuals according to their level of loyalty to the product. Hard core loyals always purchase the product / brand in question. Whilst Soft core loyals will sometimes purchase another brand, and Switchers will not specifically seek out a particular brand, but rather purchase the brand available to them at time of need, or that which was on sale. 6. Buyer Readiness Stage : Groups individuals according to their readiness to purchase the product. This segmentation model is particularly useful in formulating and monitoring the marketing communication strategies employed to move consumers towards purchase of a product or brand. Role of Segmentation: Segmentation is the first step towards customer understanding, which allows organisations to build healthy relationships with their customers. Money is made by keeping customers, and the whole idea of segmenting customers in order to build customer relationships is to turn it into a mutually satisfying relationship, says Ovum analyst (David Bradshaw, 2000).
Friday, September 20, 2019
The Values and beliefs of mentoring
The Values and beliefs of mentoring Mentoring is a dynamic complex developmental relationship between two. They share experience, values and beliefs (Palmer 1987).Through this partnership the mentee, with assistance from the mentor sets goals for purpose of the development of the mentee. Enhancing skills, gaining new knowledge and implementing new behaviours are the intended targets of the mentoring journey. To achieve these goals in personal development, professional development and learning, the relationship requires time, patience, dedication and to some degree selflessness .In medicine , mentoring is changing the culture of sink or swim attitude.(20) The concept of developmental mentoring therefore, with its emphasis on peer support, self managed learning, development contracts and reflective practice has the potential to challenge the individual mentors and mentees. While it is a close relationship, it is not a friendship .Problems can arise and lead to dysfunctional relationship .Some measures are recommended to avoid such outcome. Mentoring is a relationship between two people in which trust and respect enables problems and difficulties to be discussed in an open and supportive environment (Whittaker and Cartwright 2000). It is psychological bond between two people .Connor (2006) suggests that mentors provide a safe place for reflection; they listen and support, explore strengths and blind spots, enable self challenge, generate insight and focus on goals. .The focus in mentoring is emotional and behavioural aspect of knowledge transfers rather the processes or techniques as compared to tutoring. (Fig 1) It has benefits and satisfies needs of both. Once grasped, this is often seen as one of the most liberating aspects of being a mentor/mentee (3) Fig (1): Tutoring v Coaching v Mentoring What the mentor do (activities)? (6x5x5) I can summarize these as: 6 attitudes and 5 skills in 5 phases Attitudes: Fig (2) (mentor= MENTOR) In the mentee centred model which I prefer, the mentor helps the mentee set goals in personal and career development and learning objectives. We know that self discovery and self experience are important facets of learning (Rogers1983) and as (kobbs1984) (Knowles 1984) observed in adult learning theories. Mentee are expert in their own right. The mentor just motivates, empower, nurture self confidence, and teach by example, and sometime, offer counsel and advice and raise the performance bar (Scouba 1999). He helps the mentee to grow and achieve his goals. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic and time bound (SMART). He recommends and creates learning opportunities, transfer knowledge in such areas like critical thinking, problem solving, and points strength and areas for development Motivate Empower Nurture self-confidence Teach by Example Offer counseladvice Raise performance bar Fig (2): mentor = MENTOR= 6 attitudes He wears these different hats according the situation and mentoring moments In simple words he involves the mentee in mentoring conversation (the five mentoring phases) (fig3) 2-Undersatnding The mentee 5 Implementation Review 1-Contraction and Building rapport 3 Analysis Mentee needs/Mentor perspective 4 Action planning Options/choice Fig (3): Mentoring: The 5 phases During this special conversation the mentor applies the 5 mentoring (communication) skills: Fig (5) Mentoring skills: 1-Rapport: is the ability to relate to others in a way that creates a climate of trust and understanding. Rapport is also the ability to see each other point of view (not necessary agree with), to be in the same wavelength and to appreciate each other feelings.(24) To build rapport different techniques can be used starting with small talks to explore common interest, day to day chat and progress to opinions, beliefs, feeling and emotions. With time as the relation becomes stronger and people become comfortable, unspoken rapport can be reached. Fig (3) Unspoken Rapport Feeling and emotions Judgement, values and belief Ideas and opinions Facts, opinions and small talk Ritual and clichà © FIG (3): Building Rapport steps 2-Effective listening: This is an art and skill to learn. Active and then deep listening requires the listener to understand, interpret, and evaluate what they hear. This involves tuning in to what the mentee is saying, giving them complete concentration, and waiting patiently for them to finish, without diving in or making assumptions about what they are likely to say. The provision of maximum attention is displayed both verbally and non-verbally through body language and eye contact. Words and actions should be used to convey encouragement to the mentee and benefit from active listening to get people to open up. (8)The ability to listen actively can improve personal relationships through reducing conflicts, strengthening cooperation, fostering understanding and building trust . Mentor should avoid cosmetic listening only. Fig (4) COSMETIC LISTENING CONVERSATIONAL LISTENING ACTIVE LISTENING DEEP LISTENING Fig (4) Listening types: mentoring level social level 3-Asking powerful Questions Questional skills are fundamental to effective mentoring. The role of questioning here is how to draw out learning and ideas from mentee In mentoring one need to ask open question rather than close ones, probing and challenging than leading. Even sometimes smiles, pauses, nods or gestures are as effective as spoken questions (14) Contracting Giving constructive Feedback Asking Powerful Questions Effective Listening REFLECTION Building Rapport MENTORING SKILLS (Applied in mentoring 5phases) Fig (3) Fig (5) Mentoring: The 5 skills 4-Giving constructive feedback A mentor can apply the principles of johari window (fig 6) during the mentoring process of giving feedback and encouraging self disclosure and to move information from blind spot and facade into the ARENA therefore increasing the size of the arena. (8)The blind spot will decrease as individual accept and own new information about themselves .The faà §ade get smaller as they disclose more information about their feeling, perception and opinions. Fig (6) Fig (6) : Principles of Feedback is the mechanism to enable people to develop, improve and change. One myth is that feedback is always negative, and it always a description of someones inadequacies and failures in developmental mentoring it is important to feedback successes as well as failures. What is important is that feedback is designed to help the person learn (constructive) while destructive feedback simply undermine and devalue them. What make the feedback effective when it is specific, nonjudgmental and given with purpose e.g. to improve performance (4) 5Contraction this more or less about mentoring agreements and helps (as I shall explain later) to resolve conflicts and problems that may arise 6- Reflection Both mentor and mentee must reflect at all the times to see that is learned and redefine more goals. A mentor can support the mentee by recognizing that each mentee is different. Some mentees may come with the solution himself/herself the mentor here is just acting as sound board. In other occasions the mentor must be prepared to respond in a number of ways called influencing styles as per need of mentee(6) These range from listening and interpretation, challenging, probing and diagnosing, gathering and adding new data, identifying options or last resort even planning for the mentee( defeat the issue, generally not recommended ). At end, the degree of intervention chosen by the mentor is : what mentoring is all about. Problems challenges Like any relationship things may not run smoothly. Problems usually stem from poor implementation of mentoring process. Nevertheless, this may exist at outset such as conflict between the mentoring and supervisory roles of the mentor; Mentors should not be the mentees educational supervisor or line manager or otherwise be involved in their appraisal to avoid blurring of these distinct roles Shaw (1983) has also referred to these inherent tensions in the role of the mentor if he or she also contributes, at whatever distance, to any assessment or performance at work (14) Another potential downside of mentoring is that over a period of time mentors tend to develop a considerable personal and private knowledge about their mentees and this knowledge base Safeguards of confidentiality are of vital importance in maintaining the integrity of the mentoring process. A dysfunctional mentoring relationship could also result from possession of certain personality traits that are not compatible with the process. Hence the importance of the mentor and the mentee having some common interests to give the relationship a good start..There should be matching and some choice given to mentee in mentoring programme. It is very important to have the right chemistry, to really, be able to mentor anyone in addition there must be a sense of win-win in both the mentor and the mentee. Both should want to participate, then the relationship can stretch over months or even years. Good mentoring is a facilitative, and during the mentoring process sometimes it is easy for the mentor to develop a patronizing attitude towards the mentee and it is important for the mentor to be aware of this tendency and resist it. Hence, mentoring should not always be about the mentor advising the mentee what to do in a particular situation, but rather should be about the mentor facilitating exploration of the issues by the mentee, at his or her own pace.(8) Thus by encouraging critical reflection on the issues the mentee should be able to find solutions to his or her own problems. Other difficulties include frustration due to lack of progress. Mentoring relationships that can be unproductive, unfulfilling, or (at an uncommon extreme) dysfunctional. i.e. primarily characterized by conflict. It occurs when a mentoring relationship is not working for one or all people involved because needs are not being met or individuals experience distress as a result of the relationship (Eby an d Allen1997) Problems and challenges in mentoring @ The Outset (avoidable) Mix of roles matching Lack of progress Patronizing attitude, confidential breach Boundaries /Emotions Too close or dysfunctional Dysfunctional Fig (8): Mentoring: the challenges There are a number of things that mentors can do to avoid or cope with conflict that may arise in a mentoring relationship like avoid self defeating behaviour: slow down, engage in critical self reflection( appendix1 appraisal check list ), consider ethical and professional obligations as a Mentor, be proactive and seek consultation. Also being too close to mentee can be a problem. I see it as one of the biggest challenges. Mentor should remind himself and his mentee that although the relation is a psychological bond but still not a blind friendship. There are boundaries and limitation to be observed. People can refer to their mentoring agreement ( see appendix ) to resolve these issues. There is always the option to end the relation with mutual respect. ( life cycle of mentoring by Hay(1995) appendix 2 What makes a good mentor? Mentors should enjoy helping others, has genuine interest in the mentee not only professionally but as human being. A good mentor accept their mentees, is empathetic, and free of judgment or rejection , maintains a positive outlook, yet is able to be realistic and have a strong interest in their own growth and self-development. A good mentor is committed to the role of mentoring and believes in the value of mentoring. He shows a desire and a willingness to give up time to help others with an open mind and a willingness to support the relationship. This good intention should by be supported with knowledge about mentoring techniques (8) Successful mentorship requires mentors with a balance of skills, attributes, and qualities. Some of these attributes can be learned or developed while others are inherent individual qualities that are part of who the mentor is. The attributes of a good mentor are widely discussed in the mentorship literature. Drawing from years of experience designing formal mentoring programs, Bowley offers these essential qualities of a good mentor: commitment, acceptance for mentee, teaching, learning and optimism.(8) Mentor should possess certain virtues, abilities and competences.(Johson2003) MENTOR Competent, committed, Confident Virtues Integrity, caring Prudence pru Abilities Cognitive, emotional Relational Competencies Teaching, mentoring Communication Fig (9) : Mentor Attributes 1Virtues Integrity, Caring, Prudence Mentor virtues of integrity, caring and prudence are described as The foundation to mentoring. Integrity reflects the ability to establish and maintain trust in a mentoring relationship, drawing from the presence of honesty and mutuality. Caring as a virtue means that the mentor shows respect and empathy to others-both within and outside of the mentoring relationship. Prudence indicates the intentionality and appropriateness of the mentor as shown through decision making (8) 2- Abilities Cognitive, Emotional, Relational Cognitive abilities include a sense of curiosity and dedication to experiential and theoretical learning. Emotional abilities reflect the individuals emotional self-awareness and receptivity, the persons engagement in self-reflection finally, relational abilities include the capacity to communicate empathy, respect and compassion. 3-Competencies Teaching, Mentoring, communication : These are specific skills, knowledge or techniques that mentors can develop through training and education. Teaching competencies include an understanding of adult learning processes and of the developmental needs and transitions commonly experienced by mentees. A facilitator to enable the mentee to open up new possibilities and set/achieve goals and models continuous learning, actively engaging mentees in their own learning and reflective processes, stimulates the students thinking and reflection and net worker who helps to develop useful connections for the mentee.(14) Mentoring competencies This compasses all technical aspects of mentoring: knowledge and Skills (fig 6) in the structure and process of the mentoring relationship, Skills to cope with challenges arising within a mentoring relationship (fig8)and understanding of the roles and responsibilities Of a mentor, recognition of dysfunction in a mentoring relationship. Communicating competencies address the interpersonal communication capacity and the self-awareness of the mentor. Conclusion What mentor do ( in mentee perspective) is to put in place achievable development plan, act as sounding board or devil advocate ,open doors and support in seeking opportunities .(9)The effective mentor gently probes to understand the relevant issues, asks open-ended and fact-seeking questions and understands that silence is useful when information is being digested or breathing space is needed.à Questions should be used to obtain information and/or steer the discussion in a particular direction. Appreciative listening is also important (7) It is important for mentors to convey understanding through feedback, reflecting back the mentees feelings and accurately summarizing or paraphrasing their thought processes. Overall good mentorship is about empowering the mentee to become self aware, self directing, develop a sense of their own purpose and understand their personal needs.(2) They also enjoy the reward from feedback about accomplishments in which they have shared. At the end a happy mentee is an evidence of a good mentor. References 1)D. a. l. Macafee: Is there a role for mentoring in surgical specialty training? medical teacher jan 2008, vol. 30, no. 2, pages e55-e59: e55-e59 2)S.Rramani, L Gruppen, E. Kachur :Twelve tips for developing effective mentors ,medical teacher Jan 2006, Vol. 28, No. 5, Pages 404-408: 404-408 3) T.Stenfors-Hayes, S Kalà ©n, et al : Being a mentor for undergraduate medical students enhances personal and professional development Medical Teacher Jan 2010, Vol. 32, No. 2, Pages 148-153: 148-153. 4) K Taherian, M.Shekarchian: Mentoring for doctors. Do its benefits outweigh its disadvantages? medical teacher Jan 2008, Vol. 30, No. 4, Pages e95-e99: e95-e99 5)Exploring mentoring: Board of medical education,BMA August 2004 6)Mentoring for doctors, guidance from doctors forum , DH 2004 7)B Buddeberg-Fischer, K-D. Herta :Formal mentoring programmes for medical students and doctors a review of the Medline literature medical teacher, Jan 2006, Vol. 28, No. 3, Pages 248-257: 248-257. 8) Module Two:: Competency in Mentoring,:Canadian coalition for global health research,2007 9) Oxley et al, 2003: Mentoring for doctors: enhancing the benefit (behalf of the Doctor Forum) 10) Megginsion, Clutterbuck, Garvey :Mentoring in Action A Practical Guide., Stokes, Garrett-Harris, 2006 11) Klasen and Clutterbuck, : Implementing Mentoring Schemes A practical guide to successful programmes. 2007 12) Megginson and Clutterbuck: Techniques for Coaching and Mentoring -2007 13) http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/mentoring:RCP Pilot Mentoring Scheme in Wales 14)N.Cooper, k Forrest, Educational supervision in postgraduate medical education, wiley-blackwell,2009 15) SCOPME 1998 report in mentoring : Standing Committee On Postgraduate Medical Education 16) L H. Toledo-pereyra : Mentoring Surgeon ,Journal of Investigative Surgery Jan 2009, Vol. 22, No. 2, Pages 77-81 17) M. F. Longhurst: The mentoring experience ,medical teacher Jan 1994, Vol. 16, No. 1, Pages 53-59: 53-59 18)M.G.Moller,J.Karaichalis et al : Mentoring the modern surgeon, bulletin of the American college of surgeon, july2008 19)M.PConner, ,J.Pokora,N,Redfern : Developing senior doctors as mentor,medical education,34:747-75 20) C.Doherty: Introducing mentoring to doctors( challenging the of sink or swim culture), developmentlearning organization journal ,18:1, 6-8,2004 21)R. Alliot: Facilitatory mentoring in general practice,BMJ supplement,sep1996 WEB SITE 22) www.academicmedicine.ac.uk à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã º Mentoring and Outreach 23) www.academicmedicine.ac.uk/mentoring 24) www.nwmentoring.nhs.uk : northwest mentoring programme 25) www.rcseng.ac.uk/support/mentoring 26)www.emccouncil.org/uk Appendix 1 Mentoring agreement Some questions for mutual agreement 1what is aim of relationship? 2- What each contributions will be? 3- When, where to meet? 4-how to contact each other? 5-will meeting be structured and how? 6- How to deal with difficulties? 7- What confidentiality mean in this relationship? 8-how to review progress? 9- How (and under what circumstances) we end the relationship? Other issues can be added Mentor appraisal checklist for mentoring sessions (Hay 1999) à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Was there rapport between us? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Did we feel able to challenge each other if appropriate? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Was the content of our discussions relevant to our contract? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Was I genuinely pleased when the mentee made his own decisions? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ How well was I using the skills of listening, questioning, reflecting, feedback and review etc? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Was I avoiding the mentee becoming dependant? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Did the mentee have ownership of his/her decisions? Was he/she the decision maker? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Have we identified alternative options? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Is she/he accepting responsibility? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Have we celebrated achievements? à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Do we need to plan for an ending yet?
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