Why Many International Students Get a Failing Grade in Academic Essay

Why Many International Students Get a Failing Grade in Academic Integrity and Plagiarism from a Cross-Cultural Perspective - Essay Example As the paper outlines, there are many causes of the plagiarism that can be categorized as intentional or unintentional.   This becomes a problem because most of those who commit plagiarism are international students which James Bradshaw and Tamara Baluja have anecdotally set the figure at over 50% that makes up about 12 percent of the total student body at U of T (2011).   This is a serious issue because plagiarism is considered as a serious infraction in Western universities that has a consequence that ranges from the reminder to expulsion. There are a number of reasons cited for committing plagiarism as well as solutions to minimize and avoid similar occurrences in the future. This paper will compare the various solutions presented to minimize plagiarism such as language tutorials, familiarization with academic expectation and taking the online quiz and from among these solutions will evaluate the most tenable option for international students. Often, plagiarism is committed by international students not because they intend to â€Å"cheat or steal one’s idea and claiming it as one’s own† but rather unintentional. This is attributed more to cultural differences rather than the blatant intention to cheat. Western students are more accustomed to their native individualist culture and language it, therefore, it is easier for them to adapt and express their own thoughts in their native language and to be critical with the paper that they are doing. This is entirely different from foreign students. First, they have to struggle with the language that they are not accustomed to and their vocabularies are often lacking. Second, there is a huge difference in the perception of among foreign students about what constitutes cheating in an academic setting. Take for example the case of Middle Eastern students as exemplified by Magied Also, an international student from Saudi Arabia and President of the International Students Association at St. Clou d State University who articulated the cultural differences of Saudi Arabian students with western students that puts them in trouble; I think people in Saudi Arabia are very close to each other and so we grow up helping each other. It’s a good thing, but it becomes a problem for Saudis in the U.S. We often get out of an exam and share questions with others and we think it’s a common thing because we grow up in a society that tells us to share things and wish the best for your friends. In Saudi Arabia, your accomplishments are not recorded by your name, but by your tribe or family. For instance, when a guy from Najran succeeds, it’s considered as a success for the whole city. In the U.S. this is not the case (Al Jamiat, nd). This is a classic example of what is the virtue in a certain cultural context is a misdemeanor in another’s. Saudis typify the Middle Eastern sense of community to share and help each other but this does not sit well in the west espec ially during exams. Also, there is a misdemeanor shared by almost all international students – that is their tendency to mug and mimic a teacher’s words in their academic works without proper citation. Middle East students, as well as Indians, believe that the more they take notes of what the teacher says, the higher their chance of getting good grades. Asians are more notorious in this aspect because culturally, they are very respectful of figureheads especially teachers that the non-use of their teacher’s words and language would constitute disrespect.

Biology Pearson Textbook Homework Questions Essay Example for Free

Biology Pearson Textbook Homework Questions Essay a.There are several differences between RNA and DNA is that are key. DNA has deoxyribose sugar while RNA has ribose sugar. Secondly b.RNA is generally single stranded and not double stranded. Lastly RNA contains uracil in place of thymine. c.The three types of RNA are messenger RNA, transfer RNA, and ribosomal RNA. Messenger RNA is the â€Å"mirror image† of the DNA that encodes the amino acid sequence for the protein specified by the gene. The Transfer RNA transfers the amino acids to the ribosomes from coded messages. Ribosomal RNA helps build the proteins on the ribosome. d.The reason that so many RNA molecules are produced more than DNA molecules because you only have two copies of DNA in one cell. If only two proteins could be produced at a time it would take the cell a much longer time to do the functions that it needs to perform. 2. a.During transcription segments of DNA serve as templates to produce complementary RNA molecules. b.I think that the mRNA would not code properly for the correct protein so none of the functions could occur properly. No proteins could be made without the mRNA. 3.RNA George a.I am unspecialized and am very willing and capable to do any job. I can be used in the messenger, transfer, and building proteins areas of work. As a messenger I can encode the protein sequence that is given to me from the genes. As a â€Å"transferist† I can transfer the amino acids to the ribosomes. Finally as an rRNA I can assemble proteins. Please consider my application.

Physicochemical Study of Palm Ester for Cosmetic Application

Physicochemical Study of Palm Ester for Cosmetic Application 2.0 Introduction Palm oil is extracted from the fruit of oil palm, Elaeis guineensis. Besides, Malaysia is one of the leading exporters and producers of palm oil in the world (Keng et al., 2005 Palm oil has been widely applied in various industrial sectors due to the uniqueness of its composition (Keng et al., 2009). It consists of triglycerides; the combination of glycerol and different fatty acids. Furthermore, other palm oil fractions can be extracted as palm oil is rich in Palmitic acid and Oleic acid (OBrien, 2004). Specifically, in this study, Palm Olein will be used to produce palm ester instead of the other fractions. Wax esters are one of the most important ingredients in cosmetic formulations (Hallberg et al., 1999). The emollient behavior of wax esters makes it applicable for numerous personal care products (Peter Robert, 2001). Besides, synthetic ways to produced ester has been introduced since naturally occurring wax esters are limited and expensive (Keng et al., 2009). Thus, in this study lipase-catalyzed reaction of Palm Olein and Oleyl alcohol by using immobilized lipase will be carried out in order to synthesize wax esters (palm ester). Physicochemical study as well as thermal stability will also be conducted since the characterization of esters is important in order to examine their effectiveness in industrial applications. 3.0 Literature Review 3.1 Waxes In general, the mixture of long-chain of lipid forming a protective coating on plant leaves and animals is waxes (Keng et al., 2005). Besides, it has been used commercially in many areas. Lubricants, polishes, coating materials are some of its applications (Hamilton, 1995; Hallberg et al., 1999). Carnuba wax, beeswax, wool wax and spermaceti wax are some examples of waxes that exist naturally. Animals, plants and minerals are the source of natural waxes (Gunawan et al., 2005). Thus, waxes can be classified into two types which are natural waxes and synthetic waxes. 3.1.1 Natural Waxes Sperm whale oil is one of the natural waxes and it can be found in the open ocean. Years ago, the whale species of P. macrocephalaus was a prime source of wax. This is because of the liquid wax called spermaceti that contained in the head of the whale (Rice, 2009). The liquid wax is present abundantly in the spermaceti organ of the whales. Moreover, manufacturers found that spermaceti is very useful (Whale facts, 10 November 2014). It is a great substance that can be used in many sectors. However, due to the extinction of this species, the government has banned all the whale hunting. Thus, jojoba oil has become the main natural sources of wax since the cessation of whale hunting (Keng et al., 2009). Other than that, Jojoba is a shrub which can be found in Arizona, Mexico and some other areas (Allawzi et al., 1997). The seed of the Simmondsia chinesia (jojoba) plant contain a unique oil which known as jojoba oil. Besides, jojoba oil makes up approximately 50% of the seed’s weight. It is composed of the straight chain monoesters of the monounsaturated C20and C22 alcohols and acids (Wisniak, 1994). Furthermore, the uniqueness of jojoba oil is due to its chemical composition. It contains a little or no glycerin. As the glycerin is almost completely absence, it indicates that jojoba differs from the other seed oil. It is proved that it is a liquid wax not fat. 3.2.2 Synthetic Waxes Day by day, the demands of waxes keep growing. Unfortunately, it is too expensive for large-scale use of natural waxes like jojoba oil. Moreover, it requires up to 5 years for commercial jojoba plantations to start produce seeds (Keng et al., 2009). Thus, ways to synthesize wax with cheaper materials and in shorter time become very crutial (Radzi et al., 2005). In order to synthesize synthetic wax, chemical and enzymatic methods can be used (Keng et al., 2005). However, chemical-catalyzed method may leads to high energy consumption and degradation of esters whereas the enzymatic synthesis offers mild reactions and environmental-friendly process (Yadav Lathi, 2003). Normally, synthetic waxes are used in cosmetics formulations as replacement of natural waxes. Synthetic waxes from natural raw materials have not much different from the natural ones. Synthetic beeswax, synthetic spermaceti, polyethylene waxes and polawax are the examples of synthetic waxes (SpecialChem, 8 November 2014) 3.2.3 Wax Ester The long chain of esters that derived from fatty acids and alcohols are referred as wax esters (Chen Wang, 1997). The chemical structure of wax ester is shown in Figure 1 below. Typically, it is composed of n-alkanoic acids and n-alkan-1-ols with carbon atoms ranging from C12-C32 (Misra Ghosh, 1991). Wax esters are very important in various industries, especially in cosmetic formulations. This is due to its characteristics which are non-irritating and non-greasy feeling when in contact with skin (Peter Robert, 2001). Figure 1: The Chemical Structure of Wax Ester (AOCS lipid library, 10 November) Wax ester can be extracted from animals and plants. Besides, it is a major component of beeswax and jojoba plants. Hence, it’s can’t be deny that the extraction of wax ester from natural sources are expensive for commercial use and it is limited (Keng et al., 2005) 3.2 Palm Oil In early 1870, the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) has been introduced in Malaysia as an ornamental plant by British (Malaysian palm oil council, 11 November 2014). The oil palm tree originates from West Africa (Hartley, 1988). Typically, it has been used as cooking oil. As this plant can be commercialized, it has also been introduced to many other countries. From wild plant, it was developed into an agricultural crop. Moreover, the expansion of its plantation was due to the high demands from the consumers. Figure 2 below shows the oil palm tree as an agricultural crop. Figure 2: The Oil Palm Tree (Wikipedia Palm Oil, 12 November 2014) The first commercial of oil palm in Malaysia was founded on 1917 (Malaysian Palm Oil Council, 11 November 2014). From that onwards, the huge palm oil industry in Malaysia had started. Recently, palm oil, the extraction from the fruit of oil palm is the leading agricultural crop of Malaysia (MPOB, 2004). Besides, Malaysia has been announced as one of the largest producers and exporters of palm oil in the world (Malaysian Palm Oil Council, 11 November 2014). The uniqueness of palm oil composition makes it easy to be commercialized. In addition, it has been applied in many industrial sectors such as pharmaceutical, cosmetic formulations and food manufacturing (Keng et al, 2005). In Malaysia, the oil palm trees planted are the crossbred of dura and pisifera, known as tenera variety (Latiff, 2000). The mature trees will grow up to 20m tall. The size of the palm fruits is approximately the same with the size of the small plum and it’s grow in bunches. The weight of each bunch is between 10-50 kilograms and containing around 2000 individual fruits. Usually, the oil palm tree will start to produce fruits after 30 months. Its productivity will keep growing for the next 3 decades (Palm oil world, 11 November 2014). Normally, the fruits are dark purple and almost black (Malaysian Palm Oil Council, 11 November 2014). The colour will turns to reddish orange when ripe. The fruits consist of an outer pulp and kernels (Gunstone, 2001). The fruit of palm tree is the source of two different oils. Palm oil and palm kernel oil are the types of oil that can be obtained from the fruit of oil palm tree (Malaysian Palm Oil Council, 11 November 2014). The outer pulp contains palm oil while palm kernel oil is obtained from the kernel of the fruit. Even though these two types of oil are derived from the same plant, they are completely different by comparing their characteristics and properties (Keng et al, 2009). Figure 3 below shows the fruit bunches of oil palm tree and its cross section. Figure 3: The Fruit Bunches of Oil Palm Tree and Its Cross Section. (Malaysian Palm Oil Board, 12 November 2014) Furthermore, palm oil consists of triglycerides. Triglycerides are a combination of glycerol and different fatty acids. Palm oil is rich in palmitic acid and oleic acid, while palm kernel oil is rich lauric acid (O’Brien, 2004). Besides, these fats can be fractionated into solid and liquid fractions to produce stearins and oleins, respectively (Keng et al, 2009). Even though Lipase-catalyzed reaction of palm oil and palm kernel oil by using lipase are quite simple, the characterization of long chain esters is significant in order to examine their ability and efficiency in industrial sector. Palm Olein, the liquid fraction of palm oil will be used in the synthesis of palm ester instead of the other fractions (Malaysian Palm Oil Council, 12 November 2014). Thus, the synthesis, physicochemical properties and thermal stability of palm ester will be carried out specifically focusing on alm Olein. 3.3 Enzymes Human body is characterized by complex system of related chemical reaction. Besides, the reaction must be fully controlled in order to maintain life. Thus, enzymes are necessary for many reactions to confirm that it occur at suitable rates (Brown et al., 2012). Enzyme is a substance that speeds up reactions without any permanent changes and also known as catalyst. The building blocks of enzymes are amino acids and they are proteins. Enzyme catalyzes reaction takes place at specific location known as active site. Usually, enzymes are specific according to the reaction they catalyzed and the substrate that involves in the reaction. However, unwelcoming inhibitors are naturally occurring and disturb the enzyme reaction. Since enzymes are flexible, the active site is continuously reshaped. Besides, the combination of enzyme and substrate is called the enzyme-substrate complex. As the enzymes react with many substrates, the rigid lock and key model is not valid. In 1958, the modification of lock and key model has been proposed. Figure 4 below shows the modification of lock and key model (Koshland, 1958). Figure 4: The Lock and Key Model (Wikipedia, 11 November 2014) 3.3.1 Lipases Lipases are water-soluble enzyme and it’s able to catalyze both hydrolytic and synthetic reaction. Lipases are widely used in many sectors. They play an important role in the production of leather, detergent industries and in production of surfactants (Knezevic et al., 2004). Naturally, lipases are used in hydrolysis of acylglycerides. However, they are useful in many other reactions. In fact, lipases are qualified of catalyzing the reverse reaction synthesis Due to its ability to combine with broad range of substrate specificity (Gandhi, 1997). Besides, some lipases are more suited for synthesis than hydrolysis reactions. 3.3.2 Immobilized Lipases Lipases used in detergents and many other applications are not immobilized. However, due to an increasing specialty application of lipases demand an immobilized biocatalyst for efficient use (Sharma et al., 2001). Besides, immobilized lipase can reduce the cost and poor stability of free lipase. Adsorption, covalent binding and entrapping are some of the immobilization techniques (Knezeic et al., 2004). Since the immobilization method is typically accompanied by changes in enzymatic activity, pH, temperature and stability, each of the methods has its advantages and disadvantages. Besides, the used of immobilized lipases are very useful in the pharmaceutical, oleochemical and food industry (Knezevic et al., 2004). 3.4 Lipase-Catalyzed Reaction Lipase-catalyzed reaction can be classified into two main categories which are hydrolysis and synthesis. Synthesis category can be further separated into esterification, interesterification, alcoholysis and acidolysis. Table 1 below shows the classification of lipase-catalyzed reaction. Table 1: The Classification of Lipase-Catalyzed Reaction (Gandhi, 1997) In this experiment, alcoholysis of lipase-catalyzed reaction will be conducted. It is also called enzymatic transesterification as the last three reactions (interesterifiction, alcohoysis and acidolysis) are grouped together into single term which is transesterification (Gandhi, 1997). 3.5 Oleyl Alcohol Oleyl alcohol is long chain fatty acids. Fatty acids can be derived from natural fats and oils. Besides, it can be found I beef fat as well as fish oils. Cis-9-Octadecen-1-ol and Oleo alcohol are the synonyms name of oleyl alcohol. The chemical formula of oleyl alcohol is CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7CH2OH. Moreover, oleyl alcohol is a clear oily liquid and insoluble in water (chemicalland21, 10 November 2014). Furthermore, fatty alcohols are emulsifiers and emollients to make skin smoother and prevent moisture loss (chemicalland21, 10 November 2014). Hence, it has been used widely as raw materials in industrial sectors such as cosmetics, pharmaceutical, metal processing and lube additive. In this study, Oleyl alcohol will be used as internal standard of gas chromatography analyses. The chemical structure of oleyl alcohol is shown in Figure 5; Figure 5: The Chemical Structure Of Oleyl Alcohol (chemicalland21, 10 November 2014) 3.6 The Application of Physicochemical Study in Cosmetic Formulations Nowadays, industrial cosmetic has immerged along with the advancement of global technology. The development of new cosmetic formulations is due to the discovery of active component in herbs and other natural sources. Thus, study has been done in order to investigate the chemical composition and characteristics of the active components. 3.6.1 Physicochemical Study According to Brasil (2004), physicochemical study is the determinant step in the development of cosmetic formulations. Physicochemical study is the study of the relations between composition and physical properties of the elements. Besides, this study is significant in order to know the intrinsic properties of elements and their ability to react with specific reagent (High Technology Detection Systems, 12 November 2014). Slip melting point, refractive index, saponification value, iodine value and acid value are the physicochemical measurement that will be analyzed in this study. Slip melting point is one of the physical properties which is useful in identification purposes and assessment of purity. It’s proportional to the increase in chain length and degree of saturation. In addition, slip melting points fats usually contain 5% solid fat; thus slip melting point generally happens at lower temperature than the melting point of the fat itself (Akoh et al., 2004). The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed in the medium is known as the refractive index. Besides, refractive index is easily determined characteristics of fats, oils and their derivatives. It is important to obtain an accurate refractive index for the purposes of identification and for the progress of reaction like catalytic and isomerization. Generally, for the liquid oils, the density increases with increase in unsaturation and decreases with the increase in molecular weight at constant temperature. On the other hand, the refractive index will increases with the length of hydrocarbon chain and when the number of double bonds in molecules increase (Formo, 1999). Saponification is hydrolysis of ester under alkaline solution. Saponification value is the measure of chain length of all fatty acids present. The saponification value of an oil or fat is defined as the number of mg of potassium hydroxide required to neutralize the fatty acids resulting from the complete hydrolysis of 1 g of the sample. Besides, low saponification value is found from the long chain fatty acids due to the fewer number of carboxylic functional groups (Virtual Amrita Laboratories Universalizing Education, 13 November 2014). For the Iodine value, it measures the content of unsaturation or double bonds of fats and oils. Besides, it is one of the parameters used to measure the quality of olein (Buana et al., 1998). The iodine value also denotes the percentage by weight halogen, calculated as iodine and absorbed under the condition of the test. It is expressed as the number of iodine (grams) absorbed by the fat (100 grams) under test condition. According to O’Brien (1988), iodine value is a valuable constant that can be easily determined for fats and oils. One of the common parameter used in specification of fats and oils is acid value. It is defined as the number of milligrams potassium hydroxide needed to neutralize the free acid in one gram of sample. Besides, it is a measure of free fatty acids present in the fat or oil (chemprime, 13 November 2014). 3.6.2 Applications in Cosmetic Since ancient times, natural extracts from animals, plants and minerals have been used as special ingredients in cosmetics (Elsner Maibach, 2000). Wax esters are formulated in numerous personal care products due to its emollient behavior. Due to that, proper study on its characteristics is as important as the synthesis reaction (Keng et al., 2009). Besides, one of the most essential phases in development of new cosmetic formulations is the adequate physicochemical characterization to guarantee the identification of new patentable compound (Crystal Engineering, 12 November 2014). Physicochemical study is not a visible nor directly applied in cosmetic. However, the determination of each properties of physicochemical study is important in order to verify the compatibility of the extraction of palm oil for cosmetic application. Besides, it is important to verify whether the cosmetics are safe to be used. Hence, in this study the physicochemical properties of palm oil fraction focusing on palm olein will be carried out. 4.0 Problem Statement Currently, most of the chemical product derived from synthetic origin. However, product produced from chemical synthesis is not pure and involved hazardous chemicals. Thus, enzymatic reaction is preferable due to green synthesis process, environmental friendly and the product is pure. Physicochemical study is important in cosmetic formulations. However, rarely study on physicochemical had been reported in journal and any research paper. Due to that, in this research, a physicochemical study will be carried out such as slip melting point, refractive index, saponification value, iodine value, and acid stability. Besides, thermal stability will also be carried out in this research. Nowadays, a lot of synthesized products had been produce. However, the verification of those products was rarely reported. Hence, in this study, the synthesized product will be verified using spectroscopy methods such as thin layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography (GC). 5.0 Objectives In this study, the synthesis of palm ester will be carried out. Enzymatic synthesis will be applied in order to produce palm ester. Besides, the physicochemical study will be conducted in order to apply palm ester in cosmetics. Therefore, this particular work will be carried out with the following objectives: To synthesize palm ester through enzymatic transesterification. To investigate the physicochemical properties and thermal stability of palm ester. To verify the synthesized palm ester using spectroscopy methods.

Great Britain and the Industrial Revolution Essay -- Essays Papers

Great Britain and the Industrial Revolution Why did Great Britain lead the Industrial Revolution? The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century changed Europe forever. At the front of this change was Great Britain, which used some natural advantages and tremendous thinking and innovation to become the leader of the Industrial Revolution. First, Britain had some tremendous natural attributes. It was naturally endowed with many deposits of coal and iron ore, which were used heavily in the early stages of factory production. In addition, Britain was situated at a critical point for international trade. Its position between the United States and the rest of Europe allowed them to have a serious impact in all matters of trade. Likewise, a multitude of navigable waterways, easy access to the sea, and a mild climate all contributed to the onset of industrialism. Britain's topography was conducive to industrialism because its diversity allowed for the production of many agricultural products, preventing any sort of shortage or famine. Evans remarks, â€Å"Each single such advantage could be replicated in other European countries and some could be accentuated, but no other nation enjoyed such a rich combination of natural bounties† (111). Furthermore, the nation was free of many trade tariffs that hampered indus try in other European nations while featuring a real opportunity for upward movement in society which provided a great incentive for acquiring wealth. Britain also experienced tremendous population growth which provided a potential workforce as well as an increase in the demand for goods. In addition to all of these natural assets, there was also great innovation and technological advance in Britain. One of the b... ...not on governments, but on men of initiative, determination, ambition, vision, resourcefulness, single-mindedness, and (not infrequently) good, honest greed† (117). The Industrial Revolution, led by Great Britain, greatly changed the existing attitude of powerlessness towards nature to one of power because now people were able to produce enough goods and food to support the expanding population. The ability to produce a surplus that arose from the ongoing industrialization meant that people no longer had to worry over nature and its effects on the economy. The Industrial Revolution led by Great Britain radically changed Europe's social and economic ways of life and provided the impetus for the tremendous progress of the 19th century. Work Cited Evans, Eric J. The Forging of the Modern State: Early Industrial Britain. London and New York: Longman, 1996.

How to Discipline Students with Disabilities

There's nothing more difficult than having to discipline a child with emotional disability. These children needs special attention rather than the reward-and-punishment method or giving disciplinary action as with any other regular child. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides â€Å"procedural safeguards designed to assure that students with disabilities were not arbitrarily removed from their parent approved program without consent and were guaranteed a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) within the least restrictive environment (LRE)† (Dwyer 1997).These safeguards, however, are oftentimes misunderstood by school officials which tend to affect other students seriously. Kevin Dwyer gave examples wherein students with disability have caused serious troubles without being given considerable disciplinary action. One child, in one of his fits, punched another who was â€Å"quietly waiting in line outside her classroom† (Dwyer 1997). Another sets a trash on fire. As said by the security specialist, when he was prohibited to use the usual disciplinary procedure: â€Å"Those kids get away with murder† (Dwyer 1997).According to Dwyer (1997), â€Å"there is nothing in IDEA which restricts schools from disciplining students with disabilities. In fact, some would say that by not addressing these dangerous behaviors the student with special needs is not receiving an â€Å"appropriate† education. Both of these children may need specialized services to change the disruptive and dangerous behavior to make sure whatever discipline is used works in preventing a reoccurrence of that behavior. † In an attempt to increase the positive and decrease the negative behaviors, Dwyer provides practical concepts in giving discipline among children with disabilities.One concept in which the school may assert positive behavioral response is establishing a code of conduct that includes consequences for violations which â₠¬Å"substantially disrupts the rights of others to be physically safe and to be educated† (Dwyer 1997). Dwyer suggested that children with disabilities need assistance and instructions to master appropriate behavior, which basically mean that they need special attention in demonstrating socially appropriate behaviors.He suggested the involvement of parents in teaching the code of discipline to children with disabilities. He also suggested to incorporate the code of discipline in the disabled child's IEP (Individualized Educational Program). He held that â€Å"IEPs are designed to address both traditional academic needs and in ‘meeting each of the child's other educational needs that result from the child's disability'† (Dwyer 1997). He also said the law provides that schools shall consider â€Å"strategies, including positive behavioral interventions† (Dwyer 1997).An example includes that for a child with attention deficit disorder, the IEP goals must includ e support and specialized help in increasing attention and sustained effort, probably by rewarding the child's effort for being attentive. For a child who cannot speak clearly or communicate feelings, alternative methods for communicating and for coping with frustration must be applied â€Å"before the disruptive behavior becomes routine and results in disciplinary action which may only increase the disruptive behavior† (Dwyer 1997). Dwyer held that some of these concepts may also be applied to other â€Å"troubling students.†He held that it is the â€Å"school's responsibility to maintain a safe environment conducive to learning† and that any behavior â€Å"which block learning and the success of educational program should be addressed†(Dwyer 1997). It is imperative that school officials find a way to address the behavioral needs of children with disabilities, but, as already mentioned, parents also have the responsibility to partake, of which, in the fi rst place, they should have been the one to initiate. â€Å"School and parents should work cooperatively to change the pattern of negative behavior,† Dwyer (1997) said.

Leading Teams

Part I: Explain how you perceive your leadership style within the context of (a) the team you were assigned to during the course and (b) any another team you were a member of. The term leadership has been defined in many ways according to Howard Gardner (1995). President Harry Truman, an infamous leader could lead people to do what they do not want to do yet like it (Gardner, 1995; cited in Parker &ump; Begnaud, 2004).Eileen Ford from a well-established modeling agency defines leadership as the â€Å"ability to convince people to do what you want them to do as if they have thought of it themselvesâ€Å"(Karns &ump; Bean, cited in Parker &ump; Begnaud, 2004). Leadership guru Warren Bennis describes leadership as â€Å"those who make a contribution makes a difference in the organization, thus giving meaning to his or her work† (Czarnecki, 2010). In our times of innovation and change, my personal leadership have style involves a great deal of flexibility.At work, as the princip al of the Child Learning Center in the Saudi National Guard Health Affairs, I have strived to create an environment that is warm and inviting as well as nurturing. In my team during this course, I tried to look for what is best in each team member. One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein states that â€Å"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. † I believe that you have to respect not only people’s needs, but also their pain and their vulnerability.From my work experience I have found that a lot of battles are about very personal things. I try my best to be attuned to the unspoken needs that people play out in the workplace and teams. People are people in whatever setting — they bring their luggage of stuff, we all do — and the dynamics in the workplace are a function of the interaction of what we all have in our suitcases. I can’t change that. Y ou can acknowledge it. You can give it space. You can give it air and light.In the end, it can’t rule the day, either, because in the workplace there are higher things and rules that are going to guide what we need to do here. It’s helpful to know that, and be aware of it as a leader, and it’s even better if your team is aware of it and feels that you’re not trying to change who they are. I believe that a team leader impact the team’s mood by modeling a positive state. Attitudes are contagious. When you smile, you make others happy. When you concentrate on being the positive factor in your team's day, their productivity goes up.When you seek out good things to say about others, you will find more good things about them. This is not coincidental. This is the power of being positive. My attitude has the power to not only lift me up or pull me down, but affect my team in the same way. I try to look for the positives in situations. And remember, as the saying goes, that I need â€Å"to accept the things I cannot change, and the courage to change the things I can†. I simply need the wisdom to know the difference between the two.I try hard to focus on only the things I can directly influence. Work at making a positive difference on those things. In Goleman, Daniel â€Å"Leading Resonant Teams† interview he mentioned that â€Å"The emotional system of the brain — unlike any other biological system in the body — is designed to be regulated not just internally but externally, in our relationships with other people. The circulatory system is a closed loop. But emotions are an open loop system. In other words, our brain is designed so that other people can help us manage our emotions better. Therefore, as a leader I must establish a set of ground rules for the way we work together, both by example in my own behavior and by commenting on the behavior of others and helping people do better. In other words, as a leader I need to help the team become more self-aware. Self-awareness is a prerequisite for the team’s ability to manage its own emotions, and deal with issues rather than burying them. Another component that is an important part of my leadership style is the ability to understand change. In my observation, change is a given.We are in a fast changing environment so therefore to manage it more effectively, as a leader. I must first accept it. An effective leader must be able to know what to do at all time. I must always have a plan but also be willing to change it. I realize that there will be bumps in the road that I do not expect and I must be willing to make changes to combat those changes. I believe that each of us can access our inner resources to become a more effective leader in our own field. But first we must be willing to take initiative and stand for something we believe in passionately.We must be ready to take the heat. Many of us avoid the responsibility of lead ership primarily because we are too sensitive to criticism. But when we know who we truly are and we live from an inner core of values, criticism can be filtered to take in only what is true and helpful to our growth. Part II Explain how you studied during this course and how you performed during this course in? class. Provide details of how you approached the course material, including all activities you did in relation to learning the concepts of teams.During this course I made sure that I finish reading all the required materials, I found the website (leader to leader) to be very helpful, especially the interview with Goleman, Daniel. I skimmed through the reading first and looked at the section headings so that I know the types of information that I'm going to be looking at because I know that the brain can only learn between 5 and 9 new concepts in a session. So I give myself several days to repeatedly rehearse and go over the material. I have read once that it takes about 24 h ours for the brain to process information to make it permanent, the more rehearsal, the more permanent it'll be.What I learned was that, some things are best done by a group than by an individual. I found that sometimes its ok delegate to other members tasks which are not my forte and concentrate on the one's I am good at. Being in a group made me experience different roles, if my idea was the one that the group agrees on, I got to be the leader, sometimes I get to follow other member’s plan. Being a Team leader does not mean managing the team, but help the team solve problems in order to be more effective.Rather than optimal leadership style, I leaned that different types of leaders are useful in different situations, and leaders are more important in some situation than others. But as much as possible, I learned how to be a good listener and patient when other members talk. We found it to be very helpful to set deadlines to get things done. Conflict is better handled when y ou talk it out with the people involved and let them understand how their roles impact the project and how this conflict affects the team’s goal. Finally I think that good communication it’s the key to successfully finish any project.