Understanding the principles and practises of assessment Essay Example for Free

Understanding the principles and practises of assessment Essay 1. Understand the principles and requirements of assessment. 1.1 Explain the functions of assessment in learning and development. An assessment has to be carried out to show that learning is taking place. The initial assessment will show me the learner’s knowledge, skills and capability in the hairdressing industry. The easiest and most effective way to show their understanding is by demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of the criteria that has been given. This can then help me and the learners to see if they have fully understood, and if not is should encourage the learner to ask questions. Sometimes a learner will need guidance to understand what exactly they have to learn, and if they are on track and how they can improve their skills/ techniques. For this to be effective it means that a thorough assessment will need to take place. Formative assessment is where a focus on monitoring the learner’s progress and response to instruction is taken place. This will allow me to observe the learners progress and then give feedback to the learner starting with positive first leading into the more negative feedback where I can then give information derived from the assessment to help improve the next time. Feedback is key and can be given in writing or oral. Learners can also do self assessments to reflect and monitor their progress. summative assessment take place at the end of an unit, this will help me find the right method for obtaining information about what has been learnt, and provides me with information about a students achievement of specific units. This can be done by getting the learner to create a project on a specified aspect of hairdressing e.g. colouring hair. This will then give me an understanding of the individual learner’s performance and understanding of the criteria that needs to be covered. Summative assessment is more formal and can be done through assessments, exams, professional discussion to confirm learn er’s achievement. 1.2 define the key concepts and principles of assessment Assessment is carried out to evaluate that learning has taken place. Assessment used as a progress of making judgements are important, as it helps me to measure where the learner is at, and also measures the attainment of knowledge and skills in the unit that is being assessed. It also helps me to ensure that learners are learning the right criteria.  Learners should know why they are being assessed and what they have to do to meet the assessment criteria. I should not assess the learner unless they are ready to be assessed. The validity of the learners work means that the work that is being produced is relevant to what is being assessed, and it meets the right criteria for the certain level. To ensure reliability of the learner, the work must remain consistent across all learners over a period of time. Evidence is key as it can determine the decision that is being made by me. Ensuring that the learner is doing the work and this it is kept up to date. The anticipated outcome of ass essment is that the learner will complete assessments of city and guild standards within the time frame given, with no assistance and show through answering questions so that they have full understanding of the subject. Evidence should be authentic, the only way I can gather authentic evidence is by observing, so I can witness the learner working. This work has to be produced solely by the learner. Sufficient work is important to ensure the work that is being assessed covers the requirements at that time. Benchmarking can help inform target setting for learners. If targets are not met the learners work will need evaluating so improvements can be implemented. Learners work needs to be current to ensure the learners are producing work that is relevant to the time of assessment. Work can be evaluated to inform current and future practise. Assessment has to remain fair, consistent and valid, to ensure all learners have equal and fair chance of receiving fair assessment. By following the awarding bodys criteria, when all judgements are made about a learner’s performance, it will ensure all assessment is marked to the same criteria to be fair with learners. My own interpretation and understanding of assessment requirements is important. It includes the transparency of making sure everyone who is involved in the assessment process clearly understands what is expected, and can see there is nothing untoward taking place. It is key that I am honest and open with the learners so they do not feel that they have achieved more than they have whilst under assessments. 1.3 explain the responsibilities of the assessor. My main role as an assessor will be to plan and carry out assessment according to the requirements of the qualification and specification of city and guilds. One of my responsibilities is to decide if an assignment having  been completed by the learner has reached the required standard, if it falls short of this then it is my responsibility to assist the learner in the understanding of the subject. To safeguard against standards failing my evaluation is then checked by and I.V, assessing both learner and myself. We both must maintain and improve the assessment process as they will then be assessed by an E.V. During planning my assessments for the learner it needs to be consistent and fair. I need to take into account individual needs of learners. An assessment could be an observation, test or questioning and when devising my own assessment I need to make sure it is at a level of achievements of that learner. There should always be a reason for my assessment, so then I can find out if the learner is ready to progress further. It is important I communicate with the learners so I can inspire and motivate them. I also need to provide feedback to the learners so that they can improve where needed. I should always remain professional and know my boundaries, not getting too friendly. Also I should be fair and ethical towards the learners with no favouritism. While carrying out assessments I need to make a right decision and be fair towards the learners.

The Fall of the Inca Empire Essay -- History, Ecuador, Peru, Chile

The Inca Empire, the massive nation that extended 2,500 miles along the western coast of South America and had a population of over 7 million at its peak. It included all of what is now Ecuador and Peru and most of Chile. Known as â€Å"The Children of the Sun†, they excelled at craftsmanship, weaving, and culture (â€Å"Children of the Sun†). A very religious people, they worshiped the Sun as their supreme god and held religious festivals monthly to appease these gods. Although they did not value it aside from its beautiful appearance, the Inca Empire was home to millions of pounds of solid gold and silver. The Inca had no use for it except to use it to craft decorations and statues. In fact, an Inca citizen valued cloth more than they valued gold or silver. Their collapse would be brought about because of the Spanish invasion, a brutal civil war that weakened the empire, and deadly disease brought over from Europe. The Inca Empire was a combination of many small tribes and nations that the Inca had conquered and placed under their rule. Their government was very well organized and efficient at ruling their subjects. The entire empire, however, was led by an emperor that was recognized by the Inca people as the â€Å"Son of the Sun†. The emperor selected his advisors and appointed governors for all of the territories under Inca control. They also had a very large, highly organized military consisting of around 500 thousand men. The Empire could have lasted centuries, if not for the Spanish invasion. Led by Hernando Pizarro, an accomplished conquistador, the Empire would be brought to its knees in just under thirty five years Before any conquistador had ever step foot in Inca lands, issues that would lead to the Inca’s downfall had been buil... ...ve died and the civil war would not have occurred. Who knows, Huyana Capac may have been a much stronger, brutal leader than Atahualpa and would have killed the Spanish as soon had he heard that they had landed in Peru. Pizarro, being the decisive, military leader that he was, would take advantage of the terrible plague and use it against the Inca. As he traveled from village to village, he would leave a person infected with smallpox in the village so that the whole village would become infected and die. When his men were in Cuzco while it was under siege from Manco Inca, he ordered dead bodies infected with small pox to be thrown into the Inca camps at night. Huge number of Inca soldiers died because of attacks like these. Pizarro and his men were from Europe, so they had some resistance to the diseases they brought with them, so they were not affected by them.

Interrelationship of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Essay

In the article â€Å"Interrelationship of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation† by Jerry Dermer, there are three different assumptions about the interrelationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation from three different researchers. Firstly, Deci, E.L. stated that an extrinsic performance-contingent reward reduces people’s intrinsic motivation. Secondly, Hofstede, G.H. supported that intrinsic motivation is a necessary co-requisite for extrinsic rewards to be motivating; however, intrinsic motivation is not reduced in the occurrence of extrinsic rewards. Thirdly, the general assumption of many motivational researchers believed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are unrelated. The purpose of the study was to firstly determine if there is a relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and then to help management in resolving the dilemma of whether or not they should provide rewards based on performance. The study conducted a questionnaire which was distributed to 81 department store managers in a large department store chain. The questionnaire included measurements for extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. For extrinsic motivation’s measurement, the questionnaire listed seven statements for managers to rate on the Likert scale. The budget performance in these seven statements was linked to seven extrinsic outcomes: recognition, advancement, job security, better peer relations, better supervisory relations, increased responsibility, and increased salary. For example, â€Å"‘exceeding budgeted performance will lead to more responsibility’† (Dermer, 1975). For intrinsic motivation’s measurement, the questionnaire only listed three statements asking the managers to rate the level to which higher order need satisfaction is affected by good performance. For instance, â€Å"‘Doing my job well gives me a feeling of accomplishment’† (Dermer , 1975). In order to have a fair and accurate result, both statements were presented in Likert format. Managers needed to rank the statements from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Also, the questionnaire was intermixed with other random statements to minimize halo effects and hence increase the accuracy of the result. The result reinforces Hofstede’s statement and overthrows Deci’s and the general assumptions. This research showed that the higher a store manager’s intrinsic motivation, the greater his responsibility, recognition, pay and motivation for advancement. The main finding was that intrinsic motivation was an essential co-requisite for extrinsic motivation. Meanwhile, extrinsic reward would not reduce workers’ intrinsic motivation. The research found out that the higher one’s intrinsic motivation, the greater his motivation for extrinsic rewards. Therefore, based on this concept, management should implement some strategies to stimulate workerâ⠂¬â„¢s intrinsic motivation. During the hiring process, the hiring manager of the organization should inquire about the interviewees’ interests. The main purpose of doing this is to make sure that the interviewee does like the job. The goal of the interview is to hire people who are intrinsically motivated because these individuals are more willing to learn and to accept challenges. Depending on the nature of the organization, the human relations department should carefully select candidates that fit the job requirement, as well as to consider one’s personality. For example, a hospital requires nurses to be extraverted and agreeable. As the employees achieve the person-job fit, which is defined as the workers finding the job that fits their values the most, the employees will have a higher level of intrinsic motivation. For example, when a patient is recovered, the nurse will be proud of herself, hence her intrinsic motivation will increase. Besides, management should work to increase the level of organizational commitment of the workers. The higher the affective commitment, the higher the level of job performance the workers achieve. The reason is that if the workers have high affective commitment, they are more motivated to stay in the organization and is happy to devote their time and energy in benefiting the firm. High affective commitment implies these workers are intrinsically motivated because they love their work. To increase the level of organizational commitment, management should provide a fun workplace and encourage them to think creatively. Moreover, managers should permit workers to have great autonomy and encourage new ideas at the workplace so that workers will be more willing to think about ideas in a greater depth. However, promoting intrinsic motivation may lead to several potential costs. Firstly, a long period of time is needed to foster each worker’s intrinsic motivation. Secondly, the strategies to nurture intrinsic motivation vary from person to person. Even though there are potential costs for promoting intrinsic motivation, the potential benefits resulting from intrinsic motivation are much greater. Firstly, an organization will be more profitable and efficient as its employees are more self-motivated and satisfied with their job. The more self-motivated the employees are, the higher their efficiency. Also, workers will be more motivated and will not need continuous supervision if they like the job. Another benefit from having intrinsically motivated workers is that these workers are less likely to be late as they like their job. Also they are more likely to excel at their jobs. Hence, the organization’s efficiency will be improved significantly. To conclude, the article â€Å"Interrelationship between Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation† by Jerry Dermer is informative in explaining the relationship between two different types of motivation. The reason is that Jerry found three different authoritative researchers and compared their views. Instead of taking away from the research, readers should think about Deci’s and Hofstede’s statement critically because Jerry Derman also talked about the saving grace of Deci’s statement. Lastly, the recommendations for management practices are appropriate as all of the organizations highly demand intrinsically motivated employees. Reference Dermer, J. (1975). The interrelationship of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The Academy of Management Journal, 18(1), 125-129. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/stable/255630?&Search=yes&searchText=Motivation&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch?filter=jid%3A10.2307%2Fj100040&Query=Motivation&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&wc=on&prevSearch=&item=20&ttl=1206&returnArticleService=showFullText&

Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone Recipient of Medal of Honor

â€Å"There are only two kinds of people who understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else just has a second-hand opinion.† (Gen William Thornson, U.S. Army) For decades, the United States Marine Corps has established an identity as a unique and fearless war fighting machine. On November 10th, 1775 the Marine Corps was established in Tun Tavern during the Revolutionary War. Since that time, the Marines have played an important role in securing America’s freedom through countless battles. The Marines have distinguished themselves as an elite force specializing in military tactics which assist in defeating the enemy under any circumstance. The Marine Corps is a small branch with limited personnel which allows them the†¦show more content†¦His war bond tour took him all around the United States. John Basilone wanted to be in the fight instead of touring the country selling war bonds. While being interviewed by reporter James Golden one day he tol d him â€Å"Look Golden, forget my part. There wasn’t a man on the Canal that night who doesn’t own a piece of the medal awarded to me.†(Proser 2004) He ended up requesting to return to the war front but the Marine Corps denied his request. To keep him content the Marine Corps offered Basilone a commission that he respectfully declined. He was also offered an instructor position but he declined that offer as well. The war bond tour lasted from September 1943 until December 1943. In December 1943 Basilone’s request to get back in the fight was finally approved and he was sent to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California for training. He was in charge of a platoon of new Marine fresh out of boot camp, it was his job to bring them up to speed on being a machine gunner. While he was stationed at Camp Pendleton he met his wife Lena Mae Riggi. She was a Marine Corps reservist who worked in the mess hall. They were married in July of 1944 in Oceanside, Cal ifornia. Iwo Jima remains the Marine Corps’s deadliest campaign. February 19, 1945 was the day of the initial assault on Iwo Jima. That morning nearly eight hundred vessels, ranging from battleships, cruisers, and destroyers to