How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Essay

How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Church of England in the 16th and 17th centuries - Essay Example Anglican modernism is identified with the "Modern Churchmen's Union" founded in 1898 to stimulate and defend liberal thought within the Church of England. It has much in common with Liberal Protestantism in Germany, characterized by such thinkers as Friedrich Scheliermacher, the 'Father of Modern Theology'. Adolf Von Harnack, whose book What is Christianity, characterizes the point of view of many English Modernists. "Others, on the contrary, assure him that Christianity is an optimistic religion, and that it must be thought of simply and solely as a higher phase of Judaism, and these people also suppose that in saying this they have said something very profound." Von Harnack, A.1987, What is Christianity P.2 Anglican Modernism also developed out of the 'Broad Church Movement' of the nineteenth century. For them, this began with the acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. While they rejected nature miracles like the virgin birth and his bodily resurrection, they emphasized the teachings of the historical Christ. Jesus' death on the cross was not to placate the wrath of God, but to show the way in which God is present in human suffering. This is at variance with traditional Christian doctrine and the beliefs of 16th and 17th century Anglicans as shown in Article one of the thirty-nine articles. Doctrine in the Church of England, (1938), accepts that the modernist interpretations of Christianity doctrine were legitimate positions to hold within the Church. Essentially Modernism takes a middle path between radical skepticism and the revival of fundamentalism. Surveys of what Christians believe propose that Modernist way of thinking have become typical of liberal Christianity. We need to look at the sensibleness of key Christian beliefs. In the minds of many outsiders Christianity is outmoded and reactionary. Kant who argued that there was no reason to postulate a first cause because infinite regress was equally as plausible refuted the claim that God created the Universe out of nothing. This no longer applies because there is now a consensus among scientists that the Universe had a beginning. This does not prove that God created it but it is very compatible with it. Many scientists are happy to speak in terms of a mind behind the Universe, yet they are reluctant to identify themselves with Christianity. According to John Leslie, "Our Universe does lookvery much as if created by God" but "not by a God who interferes with nature's operation." The idea of a God who created a Universe in which he does not intervene is the classic modernistic position. Paul Badham identifies this religious interest with the

Magic Bullet Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Magic Bullet Theory - Essay Example The paper will also assist in showing how the magic bullet theory suffers shortcomings after the assassination of President John Kennedy. According to the magic bullet theory, people in the society live an isolated lifestyle because of diverse origins, beliefs, and norms. Likewise, media messages act as symbolic bullets that strike their ears and brains resulting in certain effects on their behavior. The effect of media messages on the passive audience is powerful and direct. An example of this theory was demonstrated by Orson Wells when Mercury Theater Group after starting the broadcasting of â€Å"War of the Worlds†. About 12 million Americans heard the ‘one the eve of Halloween’ and a section of the population started believing that a dangerous alien invasion was underway. Such misleading news led to household hysteria and caused traffic jams. People also fled from their City houses to settle in rural areas and many groceries started limiting the food reserves. Accordingly, media practitioners have argued that the â€Å"War of Worlds† is an example of how propaganda can be utilized in the magic bullet theory to manipulate the emotions and beliefs of a gullible public (Gupta & Aggarwal, 2001). On the contrary, the magic bullet theory does not really work since no two individuals can react similarly to media misleading broadcasts. It can be said the pre-deposition, attitudes, prejudices, and moods of an individual influence his reaction towards misleading information from the media.... Research questions I. Can the mass media succeed in issuing misleading information? II. Does the magic bullet theory work? III. Does the media audience respond the propagandas passively? IV. What are the main shortcomings of the magic bullet theory? Literature review According to the magic bullet theory, people in the society live an isolated lifestyle because of diverse origins, beliefs and norms. Likewise, media messages act as symbolic bullets that strike their ears and brains resulting to certain effects on their behavior. The effect of media messages on the passive audience is powerful and direct. An example of this theory was demonstrated by Orson Wells when Mercury Theater Group after starting the broadcasting of â€Å"War of the Worlds†. About 12 million Americans heard the ‘one the eve of Halloween’ and a section of the population started believing that a dangerous alien invasion was underway. Such misleading news led to household hysteria, and caused tra ffic jams. People also fled from their City houses to settle in rural areas and many groceries started limiting the food reserves. Accordingly, media practitioners have argued that the â€Å"War of Worlds† is an example of how propaganda can be utilized in the magic bullet theory to manipulate the emotions and beliefs of a gullible public (Gupta & Aggarwal, 2001). On the contrary, the magic bullet theory does not really work since no two individuals can react similarly to media misleading broadcasts. It can be said the pre-depositions, attitudes, prejudices and moods of an individual influence his reaction towards misleading information from the media (Davis & Baron, 1981). Media propaganda is a communication message that is intended to

Pestle analysis of the Wood Group

Pestle analysis of the Wood Group The wood group was founded in 1912 by Wood and Davison which the company used for ship repair and marine engineering firm to services the fishing fleet. In 1970s oil gas reserves were discovered in the North Sea and presented an ideal opportunity to convert marine engineering experience into engineering and support services. During the late 1990s Wood Group Engineering (North Sea) became a market leader in the North Sea providing integrated engineering, operations and maintenance services to BP, Shell, Talisman, Amerada Hess, BG, Enterprise Oil and ChevronTexaco. The company now is a leading independent services provider for the oil gas and power generation markets. Currently the main focus of the company is on the environment by establishing the renewable energy services group and expanding their scope of operations within the alternative energy industry. Wood group also known as John wood group is an energy services provider. The company is organised into to three divisions: 1. Engineering and production facilities 2. Industrial gas turbines overhaul and repair services for oil gas and power generation services. 3. Production support The core strengths of wood group are: facility operations maintenance, field service of pumps, wellheads and valves clients, procurement construction management, deepwater topsides, rotating equipments and power solutions, and renewable energy. The wood group operates mainly in Europe and North America. It is headquartered in Aberdeen and employs about 29,000 worldwide and operating in 50 countries. In 2009 the wood group recorded revenues of $4,927.1 million, the operating income of $298.5 million and the net profit of $164.2 million. Wood Group vision is to be a leading global energy services provider. The company global reputations has been built upon decades by offering a broad range of integrated services across the asset lifecycle and successfully managing the most complex engagements for their clients. They consistently seek to provide services and products that are recognised as market-leading and attempt to exceed their customers expectations and deliver superior returns. Wood group strategy is to achieve long-term sustainable growth by adding value to their customers operations with world-leading, highly differentiated products and services. PESTLE PESTLE analysis describes the macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning components of strategic management. It can be use for reviewing a situation, direction of a company, a marketing proposition, or an idea. The analysis is a useful tool for taking advantage of the opportunities and reducing the threats. Without knowing what external factors affect the organisation, it is difficult to manage the business in an efficient manner. Figure 1: Macro-Economic Environment Summary of PESTLE: Political World energy product markets have been increasing because of the threat of geopolitics instability. Due to Co2 emission, government has set pressure on industry to improve and produce more sustainable form of energy There are trading polices with certain countries Restriction to import and export to certain countries Restriction doing business with certain countries. Fines for industry that pollute the environment. Government taxes and price controls Economics Alternative high -quality energy technology increases the companys revenue as customers seek for less greenhouse gas emissions Companies benefit producing certain products from developing countries due to its cheaper labour cost. Market is unstable as world economy is coming out of a world recession Global economies are expected to grow within few years and energy demand will grow again. Social/culture Lately the nation has become more concern about the environment and their view has been more encouraging for renewable energy product. Life expectancy is relevant to the companys labour force. Company benefit in countries with higher life expectancy. Health workplaces for oil and gas industry services are essential for long term success. Technological Renewable energy technologies have been increase to reduce the fossil fuels. E.g. Technologies such as wind power, tidal wave, hydroelectricity etc, Many governments are providing tax advantages and other subsidies to make alternative energy sources more competitive against oil and gas. Lots of research and development have taken place to promote further renewable energy. Legal The policy includes strong new safety standards for offshore drilling including demonstrations of ability to respond to future blowouts. Heavy penalties for safety violations. Carbon taxes i.e. penalties polluting the environment at a certain level. Legislative measures are used in order to force business into behaving in a more environmentally sound manner Environmental Due to concern over the risk of global warming, a number of countries have adopted regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions High quality technology been research for better alternative energy performance Industries been using program to identify ways to reduce carbon by: managing waste more efficiently, using piloting carbon footprint measurements and exploring potential solutions for saving energy. Description and detailed information of PESTLE are found in Appendix (A). 5 forces analysis 5 forces of model analysis is commonly used tool for competitive environment and its attractiveness of a market. Figure 2- 5 forces of analysis: (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GuvqAqJmGHc/THH1QwMnWaI/AAAAAAAAAlo/0-4r9UfL67s/s1600/porters-five-forces2.jpg) Barriers to Entry (High) This force describes the level of entry of other companies to enter this type of industry. If the entry of the company is high the company would lose it profitability. Barrier to entry to these type of industry are high due to: Large access to the suppliers and distributors ensuring widespread energy provision. High technology cost Dominated by major players Mature market Strict government policy and environment regulation requirements to operate in oil and gas services industry. Large economies of scale required to achieve cost leadership which is essential in energy provision. Large capital requirements to set-up operations Importance of ethical brand identity because of nature of market (loyalty as a barrier). Existing players have close customer relations .e.g. from a long-term service contacts. High proprietary learning curve due to technological focus on alternative energy industry. Competitive Rivalry (medium) This force describes the intensity of competition between existing companies. Within the oil gas and energy services provider the competition rivalry between existing players are medium because of: High exit barriers. Not many major players in this type of industry. High capital costs Companies with similar strategies High industry growth as alternative energy is vital for the long term future of the industry. Various rivals in rationale for strategies to invest and enter industry. High switching cost Threat of substitute (low) Threat of substitute exists if there are alternative products with lower prices of better performance parameters for the same purpose. This would reduce the demand for a particular product and therefore would be a threat of consumers switching to alternatives. Threat of substitute is low because lack of alternative renewable energy and only large industry can afford the renewable energy products. Threat of substitute would be high if a company provides the latest technology and specialised services. Bargaining power of buyers (low) Bargaining power of customers determines how much customers can impose pressure on margins and volumes. The buyers for energy service industry hunt for excellent quality product but with lower prices and for a better contract term. Bargaining of power for these industries is low because: The brand loyalty is high Availability of substitutes is low Buyer incentives is high, in terms of tax breaks and energy provider buy-backs Buyers volume are low Low bargaining force of buyers Depends service standards Low elasticity Switching to alternative product is difficult Bargaining power of suppliers (high) Bargaining of supplier is the input required in order to provide the goods. The bargaining power of suppliers is high because: The market is dominated by few large suppliers The switching cost are high There is not much substitute for providing field service of pumps, wellheads, rotating equipments, power solutions, renewable energy etc. The energy services are mostly dominated by major companies. For these industries large amount of capital investment required significantly to reduces the number of companies and increase the power of existing players in the industry. The suppliers in UK are threatened by large companies able to source their product abroad at cheaper deals. Appendix (A) -PESTLE Political The oil and gas services industry has to follow a string of both provincial and federal government regulations when it comes to the production of energy resources. There are potential fines and sanctions that can be set by various governmental. Wood group operating in a globalized environment with industries around the globe (now operates in 46 countries globally in continents such as Australia, Europe, Middle East and the U.S.); its performance is highly influenced by the political and legislative conditions of these countries when it comes to production of energy resources. Their operations can adversely affect by political or regulation developments which are: Access limitations A number of countries limit access to their oil and gas resources, or may place resources off-limits from development on the whole. Many countries also restrict the import or export of certain products based on point of origin. Fines There could be potential sanctions and fined by the governments if they dont follow their legal procedure. Government wants to make sure their product is environmentally friendly. Restrictions on doing business As a British company, wood group is subject to laws prohibiting British companies from doing business in certain countries, or restricting the kind of business that may be conducted. Regulatory Even in countries with well-developed legal systems where Wood group does business, they remain exposed to changes in law that could adversely affect their results, such as increases in taxes or government royalty rates (including retroactive claims); price controls; or other laws that increase their cost of compliance. Economics Economic factors are of concern to wood group, because they are likely to influence demand, costs, prices and profits. One of the most influential factors on the economy is the global oil market prices that are primarily influenced by demand and supply forces. Supply shortage causes an upward movement in the price pressure. This may perhaps be due to factors such as: Unplanned refinery shortage Unexpected demand increases Pipeline problems Companys revenue will increase if they provide good quality sources of alternative energy as government seeks environmentally free energy source. Market is unstable as world economy is coming out of a world recession and lower oil and gas prices contributed to a reduction in global E P expenditure of around 15% in 2009. However global economies are expected to grow within few years time and energy demand will grow again. Social/cultural The company involves in many countries where population age, health and attitude vary. By identifying differences and similarities in culture to gain a better understanding of the culture issues related to the industry. Lately the nation had become more concern about the environment and their view has been more encouraging for renewable energy product. Health and safety are one of the main goals of wood groups business principles. Achieving and maintaining high standards of performance in health and safety plays an integral role in the sustainability of their long-term reputation and success. As health is part of wood groups vision, their goal is to improve the quality of occupational health management by: Maintaining a healthy workplace Controlling more effectively the health risks arising from their activities Promoting the benefit of healthy lifestyles for their employees via campaigns and health fairs Life expectancy is relevant to the companys labour force. In developed countries their life expectancy are high and therefore the work force labour would be greater compare to the developing countries. Technological Renewable energy technologies have been increase to reduce the fossil fuels. Many governments are providing tax advantages and other subsidies to make alternative energy sources more competitive against oil and gas. Governments are also promoting research into new technologies to reduce the cost and increase the scalability of alternative energy sources. Wood Group delivers solutions to maximize the availability of wind turbines, wave energy systems and other renewable energy projects. Wood Group is expanding its reach into the renewable energy industry and offers a dynamic set of specialized technical consultancy services to meet the needs of their global customers. Wood Group is the worlds leading solution-independent engineering and management services provider for subsea developments and pipelines. Their reputation is built upon strong technical excellence and efficient project delivery. Wood group are technology leaders in several areas such as cryogenic pipelines, remote sensing, pipeline stabilisation and flow assurance. Legal Various government legislations and policies have a direct impact on the performance of Wood Group. National governments are concern with the environmental issues so therefore legislative measures are used in order to force business into behaving in a more environmentally sound manner. The policy includes strong new safety standards for offshore drilling including demonstrations of ability to respond to future blowouts and heavy penalties for safety violations. Environmental Due to concern over the risk of global warming, a number of countries have adopted regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include carbon taxes, increase efficiency standards and incentives for renewable energy. These requirements could make Wood Group products more expensive and reduce demand for hydrocarbons, as well as shifting hydrocarbon demand toward relatively lower-carbon sources such as natural gas. Wood group has attempted to minimise adverse environmental impacts for their operations. In 2009, they introduced a carbon footprint pilot programme to help a better understanding of carbon management and identify ways to reduce carbon use throughout their operations. The program includes managing waste more efficiently, piloting carbon footprint measurements and explore potential solutions for saving energy. http://www.economywatch.com/energy-economy/crude-oil-prices.html http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=20100302070000P5044 APPENDIX B 5 forces Barrier to entry (high) There are many oil gas industry services companies in the world, but barriers to enter to these types are enough to prevent the serious companies. Barriers to entry are high due to the high capital cost, significant regulatory environment and existence of scale economies are required to operate within the industry. Recently an oil and gas service industry is growing at a very strong rate which is attractive to new entrants as alternative energy is essential at this time of the world. However due to present economic difficulty has contributed a large decline in attractiveness in these industries which deterrent the potential entrants. To maintain with the leading players in the industry strong research and development capability is required. http://energybusinessdaily.com/power/barriers-of-entry-into-the-energy-industry/ Competitive Rivalry (medium) Analyzing an energy company it is really important to look at the particular region in which the company operating. The customers can choose their product by companies services standard and speed of delivery of their product. Technology can change the nature and the basis of rivalry among existing competitors in several ways. It can dramatically modify the cost structure and hence affect pricing decisions. The role of technology in product differentiation and switching costs are also important in rivalry. Another potential impact of technology on rivalry is through its effect on exit barriers. Wood group rivalries are Aker Solutions, AMEC, KBR, Technip, Worley Parsons, and Baker Hughes. Wood Group is the leading oil and gas services in the North Sea. (ref). Wood Group global reputation has been built by successfully managing the most complex engagements for their customers, offering a wide range of integrated services across the asset life has noticeably increased the profitability of Wood Group business. http://www.woodgroup.com/about-us/doing-business-with-us/pages/default.aspx Threat of substitute (low) The threat of substitutes for energy services are low as they are generally gas, wind power, solar power, coal and hydroelectricity. Therefore they are not much substitute for renewable energy and only big company can have those products due to a very high capital cost. The threats of substitute of these types companies are commonly with those who offer better technology and specialised services such as directional drilling. (http://www.investopedia.com/features/industryhandbook/oil_services.asp) Bargaining power of buyers (low) The bargaining power of buyers for Wood Group has increased by developing strong relationships by providing reliable project delivery and cost-effective. Their success in these areas is established by the continuing relationships with the integrated operators, national oil companies, independent operators and power companies throughout the world. http://www.woodgroup.com/about-us/doing-business-with-us/pages/default.aspx Bargaining power of suppliers (high) The energy services are mostly dominated by major companies. For these types of industries large amount of capital investment required significantly to reduces the number of companies and increase the power of existing players in the industry. The oil and gas services suppliers in UK are threatened by large companies able to source their product abroad at cheaper deals.

Essay --

Succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC) is a non-cleavable and membrane permeable crosslinker. It contains an amine-reactive N -hydroxysuccinimide (NHS ester) and a sulfhydryl-reactive maleimide group. NHS esters react with primary amines at pH 7-9 to form stable amide bonds. Maleimides react with sulfhydryl groups at pH 6.5-7.5 to form stable thioether bonds The staining procedure starts by placing the slides in a slide rack, immersed in a staining dish containing PBS and incubated for 5 min. PBS was removed from slides by tipping the slides and allowing the PBS solution to drip out. Residual PBS around the samples was also removed by gently absorbing the solution with Kim wipes without contaminating and damaging the samples. Diluted antibody solution (1/10 v/v in PBS) were directly inoculated to the regions encircled with wax pen and incubated for one hour without letting the sections dry. The slides were washed in PBS solution for 10 min. This step was triplicated. One drop of prolong) media as an antifading agent was applied to each section and covered with a coverslip to preserve the QDs from photobleaching during fluorescence microscopy experiments. The edges of the coverslips were sealed with nail polish to prevent drying. Slides were placed in a dark room and we waited until the nail polish dries at room temperature for 12 hours. They were kept for another 12 hours at 4  ºC in a refrigerator.A confocal laser scanning microscope (Zeiss LSM 710, Carl Zeiss Micro imaging GmbH, Germany) was used to visualize dough sample microstructure. Starch granules were identified by simple polarized light .The excitation wavelengths of the QDs were 405 nm for the reflection and 615 nm for the fluoresce... ...mages of are illustrated in figure for†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The results showed that antibody-quantum dots conjugates successfully diffused into the 3D matrix and were bound to gliadins. Distribution and location of gliadin at different focal planes in each section were found to show similar patterns for a given mixing time. Gliadins were evenly dispersed in dough sections and typically localized in the center of the sections. This supports the observation and hypothesis that the mobility of gliadin due to its lower viscosity enables gliadin to diffuse to the inner sections of the dough along with all other parts of the sample. Intensities of gliadins at top and bottom stacks were relatively low compared to ones located at center. It might be because of optical sectioning of starch molecules found at top and bottom surfaces of sections play a dominant part in the imaging process.

Essential elements of a valid contract Essay

In this part of my assignment I will be detailing what the different elements of a valid contract are whilst also linking it in with my own contract. The contract I have decided to use is my mobile phone contract from Vodafone. The offer: In contract law the offer is where a person will accept the invitation, for example in my contract the offer would be when I offer to bind into their contract and purchase a mobile phone deal, and this is because they created an invitation for me to purchase a deal as they advertise their deals in various place so when I go in I offer to bind into a contract with them. Invitation to treat: An invitation to treat is usually used to get the parties started with some negotiations to result in a fair agreement for both parties involved. For example in my case with my contract it was negotiated for me to get more minutes instead of the amount of data they were offering as I would use the minutes more instead of the data so Vodafone agreed and created a contract stating what was agreed to ensure that they could not go back on their agreement. An invitation to treat does not bind someone into a contract as they are only inviting people to make an offer so if somebody was looking at something but didn’t not agree or make the owner a offer then therefore there is no agreement and no legal binding. The Acceptance: In contract law once a legal acceptance is formed a contract gets developed in which case both parties cannot back out of the agreement after the contract has been signed. There are three rules that need to be followed when creating an acceptance to ensure it is legally bound. The three rules are: The acceptance must be known and discussed with the offeree. The acceptances’ terms must match the terms of the offer exactly. The agreement needs to be certain. In the case of my phone contract it was legally bound as it follows all three  of the rules of acceptance as when I purchased the contract we discussed all aspects of the contract terms and we both knew exactly what the agreement was after the negotiations. Consideration: The consideration in contract law must be something of value by the eyes of the law this doesn’t not include things like a promise of love. A consideration is also known as the bargain of the contract where each party must receive a benefit to the contract or a disadvantage for it to be a consideration. With my contract the consideration is I get a certain amount of data, texts and minutes in exchange for money that will be paid each month. Intention to create legal relationships: The main aim of indenting to create legal relationships is to try and push out the cases that don’t necessarily need a court to help take action. This is usually the case when two friends agree to meet up somewhere or if a family member agrees to help clean the car as there is no legal agreement it is just made between the two or more parties that are involved which means that therefore there is no legal binding contract in place so the courts are unable to take any action against any of the parties. With my contract it is a legally bound contract so if for example I decided I was no longer happy and I was going to stop paying the payment that we agreed then they are entitled to take me to the courts as the contract is legally bound. Capacity: The capacity in contract law is where a person has to either be over a specific age or they have to be mentally fit and not under the influence of alcohol as if one of the parties are then the contract will become void as they will be classed as a minor or unstable to bind into a contract as they need to have a full understanding of what they are signing for. If a contract becomes void then it means there is no legal binding of that contract and therefore if something went wrong and they backed out of it the courts could not take action. With my Vodafone contract they have a capacity that nobody under the age of 18 is allowed to take out a contract as they are known as a minor but any payments can be taken out of the minors account after three payments have been made, this is to ensure that they have an  adult who is responsible for making sure all payments are going to get paid and if not it is them that will be taken to court as the contract will be in their name.

Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults Essay

Explain how you use effective communication in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults. Why is this important? 1. 1 In developing positive relationships we use effective communication in several ways. We use it to: †¢help us better understand a situation or person which can help to determine our approach when engaging with them. †¢build trust and respect. If individuals feel comfortable speaking with us and feel they can approach us at any time on any subject, they are more likely to co-operate and look favourably on any suggestions made. †¢show that we care about the welfare and future of an individual and will do our best to aid in their success †¢ensure that all parties are agreed upon the same goal, making sure that everyone is clear about the final aim and how it will be achieved. †¢build and maintain a positive working environment where creativity and learning can flourish. It is important to do this because poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, lack of trust and conflict. Without a positive relationship you are unlikely to gain support and co-operation and find it challenging to achieve a good outcome from any situation. Explain the principles of relationship building with children, young people and adults 1. 2 When trying to develop positive relationships there are several principles to follow. Firstly effective communication is essential. You must be clear in what you say and ensure you have been understood correctly. At the end of a communication you can reiterate your key points and if necessary outline responsibilities and actions. Also be sure to use language appropriate to the person with whom you are communicating. When speaking with young children keep key points to a minimum and ask them to repeat what you have said. Secondly, take time to listen to others and try to understand their point of view. Use active listening techniques to show that you are interested in what they are saying and respond appropriately. Also make sure that, if you tell someone you will get back to them, you do get back to them. This will help engender a sense of trust and respect. It is also essential that you show respect for the person with whom you are communicating. Remember their name and details of how they like to be addressed and issues which are personal to them. Recalling details of their lives adds to the feeling that you are genuinely interested in them and their welfare. When communicating be sure to acknowledge the individual. Accommodate any religious and cultural beliefs and show that you value these differences. Be considerate of the person’s situation trying to understand and accommodate any issues which may influence their feelings, actions and responses. Finally, remain positive and retain a sense of humour. Laughter is a good way to break the ice and relieve tension in a stressful situation. Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate 1. 3 There are several ways in which social, professional and cultural contexts may affect our relationships and the way we communicate. We must remember that communication is not just verbal and context will influence the way we act, what we wear, how we communicate and what we say. In a social setting our actions, language and dress may be less formal. If we have colleagues and parents from school as friends outside of school, then we might perhaps greet them with a hug and a wave. Our language might incorporate slang and jokes and conversation might be more generic and less serious. We might be more casual in our attire and the situation would suggest whether this is acceptable. For example, you would not be expected to attend a party wearing your best suit. The manner in which we communicate socially is also likely to be different from a professional setting. As well as telephone and face to face conversations we might also engage via text message, email and social media sites and we would be unlikely to write a letter to someone we might see daily. Communications might, for example, utilise text speak and jargon and not necessarily demand an immediate response if any at all. In a professional context you would be expected to act, speak and dress more formally. Your actions language and clothing should match the severity of the issue which you will address and show appropriate respect for the location and people with whom you are meeting. If participating in a parent/ teacher meeting at school for example the same people you greeted with a hug the night before would be better greeted with perhaps a handshake to highlight the position you hold in this scenario. Our language would be more formal and depending who was present we might try to eliminate jargon to ensure clarity and minimise misunderstandings. Similarly again our clothing would be more formal to identify the position we hold and show respect for those involved in any meeting. When contacting people professionally the use of social media sites would not be appropriate to discuss any matters relating to school, pupils or staff. Text messages might be appropriate to inform parents/carers of a school social event for example but to arrange a meeting or discuss an important matter it would be more appropriate to speak with a parent/carer or write a letter if the contact needs to be documented. When working with outside agencies email, for ease of use and speed, has become the standard form of communication but again when broaching a sensitive or important issue, a phone call or face to face meeting might be preferred. Emails can easily be misread which can lead to misunderstanding and conflict. When speaking we can use tone of voice to help ensure a point is understood correctly and face to face we can use body language in the same way. The timeframe in which we contact someone or reply to a communication can also affect relationships. When someone has taken the time to contact you they will expect a response to show that you value their contact and it should be made in the same manner or more personally. Responding to a phone call with an email, for example, could be seen as rude and deter future contact. Similarly, delaying a response could suggest that you do not value the input of the individual or consider them or their issue to be important and bring about the same result. Finally, we need to consider the cultural differences of those with whom we interact. Different cultures may also have different standards in terms of behaviour, dress, communication and contact. Actions could be misinterpreted and cause offence leading to the breakdown of a relationship. If you are meeting with someone from a different culture it may be worth doing some research and asking their preferred form of contact etc. to show that you value their beliefs. However, whilst it may be detrimental not to account for cultural differences you could see the same consequences if you assume differences because of background or race when actually there are none. What skills do you need to communicate with children and young people 2. 1 Communication is still a relatively new thing for children and young people and they may not be used to asking questions and holding conversations. One skill required to communicate effectively is giving children and young people opportunities to speak. As adults we are inclined to think that we know what children are thinking and feeling and try to tell them this or fill the gaps in their speech. Whilst we should continue to try and communicate with children as often as possible we should ensure it is a two-way conversation and not a one-way stream of instructions. We should remain patient and allow children time to organise their thoughts and formulate their sentences. When a child is relaxed and at ease they will be more forthcoming. Children may be shy and reluctant to say more than a few words if they feel you are not interested in what they have to say. Using positive body language we can encourage children to speak out. We should come down to the child’s level, face them and maintain eye contact. Remaining focussed on the child rather than continuing with another task will confirm your interest and appropriate facial expressions will show that you are listening and have understood what they are saying. Active listening is another key skill. Be interested and make appropriate responses whilst the child is speaking to confirm that you are really listening. Add to this by repeating back what the child has said to ensure your understanding is correct and by giving positive comments when they have finished. Asking open questions will extend the conversation giving the child more practice, boost the child’s confidence so they are encouraged to communicate more and model a real conversation for them to learn from. Finally, we must also ensure that communication is appropriate for the child or young person and be able to adapt the style we use. Depending on the age and ability of the child we may be able to simply converse or might need to incorporate visual support or play into the communication. We should not assume children and young people will not understand but instead make our communication clear, use vocabulary which is appropriate to their age and encourage questioning. Give a detailed explanation of how you adapt communication with children and young people for: 2. 2 aThe age of the child or young person When communicating with younger children you should try choose a setting which is familiar to the child and where they are more confident – their favourite area of the classroom for example. Get down to the level of the child perhaps sitting on the carpet and use body language to make them feel more comfortable – ensure you are facing the child, smile, nod, turn toward them, keep your arms open and remove any barriers between you. Younger children will require more reassurance and perhaps more physical contact. They may feel more confident holding your hand or sitting close together. Vocabulary should be kept simple and sentences short, broken down into easy steps. The same point may need to be repeated several times in different ways and it is helpful to provide examples based around their own experiences. If a child is very reluctant to communicate you may want to use puppets to speak through, include pictures or props to help them engage or perhaps incorporate your communication into a favourite game. The attention span of younger children is very short and you must also account for this. Monitor the length of time you spend together and include attention switches to maintain their interest: change your method of communication, switch speakers, move location, ask questions etc. Older children and young people will still need to feel comfortable in your company but are more independent and will require less reassurance and physical contact. They are more familiar with the school environment so will find it easier communicate in different settings but will more comfortable in a setting they have used before. Older children often view themselves as grown up and will appreciate being treated accordingly. Positive body language will still be beneficial in encouraging a child to speak but it will no longer be necessary to sit on the floor. Language and vocabulary should be more mature and sentences can be more complex. It may also not be necessary to repeat a point so often unless it is something new and above that person’s ability level. Examples can be drawn from a variety of sources as their experiences are wider and additional materials should be more sophisticated such as written texts or †you tube† clips. Older children are more aware of themselves and can be easily embarrassed. They will benefit from confidence boosting reminders of how well they are progressing and positive re-enforcement. They will, however, withdraw and react negatively if patronised, preferring to be treated with respect and spoken to honestly. With age attention span also increases so it is still necessary to include attention switches to maintain focus but not as frequently. bthe context of the communication We will encounter children in a variety of situations at school and it will be necessary to adapt our communication accordingly. Primarily our contact will be made inside school during a learning activity. In this case we need to remain quite formal, be directive and model the behaviour we require through our own actions. Ground rules should be laid down in clear, concise Instructions and the learning objectives highlighted to ensure all children fully understand what we expect and are trying to achieve from the lesson. There will be other children in the same area working on separate activities so we need to make our lesson interesting to retain the attention of our group but not distract the others. We can do this through tone of voice, choice of vocabulary and supplementary resources but must be wary not to overexcite the group because of the other learners present. If your activity is away from other learners then it may be possible to incorporate physical activity and allow greater expression. Distractions will be plentiful and we will need to encourage and focus our learners through positive re-enforcement and challenges. If appropriate to the task we should encourage discussion through questioning but keep discussion restricted to the subject at hand. In a more social setting, for example the playground, we can be less formal and more relaxed in our approach. This would be reflected in our body language, tone of voice and vocabulary. These times can be used as opportunities to build relationships and get to know the children better. Children can be encouraged to discuss outside interests and we might share our own experiences to help form a bond. Whilst it may be necessary to give little reminders of school rules to avoid bad behaviour it should not be necessary to outline them in full and they can be made in a more playful and conspiratorial manner – a helpful friend rather than a figure of authority. Although conversation might be more light hearted we must still remember to maintain the relationship of teacher and pupil. A school trip, however, is a more social event, but still a learning activity and the degree of formality should remain on a similar level to the classroom. The formality of the pupil teacher relationship should remain so the children understand that you â€Å"are in charge†. Children will need to be reminded often of their objectives but communication might be more light hearted and children allowed to speak more freely, discussing outside interests highlighted by the current situation. Outside the school environment they will be excited and more forgetful of their code of conduct. It will not always be possible to speak with the whole group when on a trip so we should communicate through our own behaviour, modelling what we expect from the children: remaining focussed, respectful, and responsible.