Impact of War on Child Education

Impact of War on Child Education The wellbeing of refugee children in an early childhood education context: Connections and dilemmas. Journal of Educational Enquiry, Vol. 13, no. 1, pp.18-34. In this article Shallow Whitington review how providing an environment supporting the wellbeing of refugee children is vital to their resettlement. This article recognises that early childhood is the prime time for refugee children to participate in intervention programs as this time maximises outcomes for children. The authors used date gained through researcher observations, checklists and interviews of parents and school staff to gain a broader understanding of the school community. This data was designed to generate professional development aimed at supporting teachers to develop educational frameworks supportive of refugee childrens wellbeing and the dilemmas they face in the school environment. Their research was carried out as a case study and focused on eight children, three families and three parents to identify the practical and emotional support offered to refugee children as identified by parents and staff. This article connects with early childhood pedagogical beliefs a s it provides insight into the process of including all children into an educational setting and programs thereby insuring the emotional wellbeing of all children. This article recognises the importance of different diversities, cultural traditions (Ailwood, Boyd Theobald, 2016), resilience and strengths of refugee families (Arney Scott, 2013) which are vital to the development of socio-cultural perspectives, educational programs and strategies. This article was useful as it related to Rogoffs idea of the community of learners (Nolan Raban, 2015) which promotes the wellbeing of all children, not only refugees, by participating in shared activities and experiences. The main limitation of this article is that meaning, intention and understanding may have been changed as an interpreter was used during the interviews. Also the children were observed on one day and many variables may affect a childs wellbeing on any day. The authors indicate that this study is just a beginning point f or educators and schools to understand how they can support refugee children and their families. This article provided background information on the necessity of inclusive practices and strategies to promote emotional wellbeing of children in early childhood settings through games, peer interactions and welcoming and including all family members to the service. References Ailwood, J. Boyd, W. Theobald, M. (2016) Understanding Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia. Allen and Unwin. Crows Nest: Australia Arney, F., Scott, D.(2013). Working with vulnerable families: A partnership approach (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Australia Nolan, A. Raban, B. (2015).ÂÂ   Theories into Practice. Teaching Solutions. Blairgowrie: Australia. Shallow, N. Whitington, V. (2014). The wellbeing of refugee children in an early childhood education context: Connections and dilemmas. Journal of Educational Enquiry, Vol 13, no 1, pp.18-34. Retrieved March 2017 from http://www.ojs.unisa.edu.au/index.php/EDEQ/article/view/870/664 Moylan, C., Herrenkohl, T.,Sousa, C., Tajima, E., Herrenkohl, R. Russo, M. (2010). The Effects of Child Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviour Problems. Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 5, no.1, pp. 53 63 In this article Moylan, Herrenkohl, Sousa, Tajima, Herrenkohl Russo examines the effects of child abuse and/or exposure to domestic violence in childhood on adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviours. This article addresses outcomes for family violence and the resilience in each individual family. It discusses the results of domestic violence (depression, withdrawal and anxiety) and highlights the risks associated with stresses in the family and the surrounding environment. This longitudinal study used data collected through interviews, individual questionaries and checklists to identify whether adolescents internalise and externalise behaviours due the experiencing child abuse and/or witnessing domestic violence. The research focused on assessing 457 children of different genders, and 297 families from mixed races and social economic backgrounds, and followed the children into adulthood. This article was limited by the inability to establish exactly how frequently and over what length of time exposure to child abuse and/or domestic violence occurred. Another limitation is that only moderately severe behaviours were documented so the authors suggest that greater samples and different statistical methods be used to develop a more comprehensive study into the effects of child abuse and/or violence on adolescent behaviours. A strength of the study was the combination of parent reports and reflective reports from adolescences regarding their experiences as they grew up. While this article did not actually provide relevant strategies and resources for use in an early childhood setting, it developed an awareness of pedagogies and strategies to be used with young children to assist them to identify and use appropriate behaviours when interacting with others. It highlighted possible causes for young children externalising anti-social behaviours or internalising their thoughts and feelings when they are in my care. This article reinforces Skinners belief that childrens behaviours are influenced by their environmental conditions and systemic reinforcements (Nolan Raban, 2015, p.42). An important part of my pedagogy supporting children experiencing challenging situations and identifying approaches to sensitively respond to them (Ailwood, Boyd Theobald, 2016). Strategies to incorporate into an early childhood setting include group time discussions with preschool children selecting which scenario depicts the correct behaviour. This will assist them to become aware that some behaviours they accept as the norm are not actually socially acceptable ways of behaving. It is the role of the educator to offer reinforcements and rewards for more acceptable responses and actions (Nolan Raban, 2015). Bandura states much human behaviour is learned from other humans (Nolan Raban, 2015, p.47), so as an educator I must be a model (Nolan Raban, 2015, p.47), demonstrating and acting in ways that I wish the children in my care to imitate. References Ailwood, J. Boyd, W. Theobald, M. (2016). Understanding Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia. Allen and Unwin. Crows Nest: Australia Moylan, C.; Herrenkohl, T; Sousa, C.; Tajima, E.; Herrenkohl, R. Russo, M. (2010).ÂÂ   The Effects of Child Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviour Problems. Vol 5, no1. pp. 53 63. Retrieved March 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872483/ Nolan, A. Raban, B. (2015).ÂÂ   Theories into Practice. Teaching Solutions. Blairgowrie: Australia. Hanson, J., Hair, N., Shen, D., Shi, F., Gilmore, J., Wolfe, B., Pollak, S. (2013). Family Poverty Affects the Rate of Human Infant Brain Growth. Journal of PLoS One, Vol. 8, no. 12. In this article Hanson, Hair, Shen, Shi, Gilmore, Wolfe, Pollak review how poverty may shape brain functions which trigger cognitive processes such as information processing, also behavioural regulation, schooling and health. The authors use data gained by analyzing 203 MRI scans from 75 children with 1-7 scans longitudinally per child, to examine how brain development in young children is affected by poverty. Children aged between 5 months to 4 years, from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds as well as more affluent backgrounds were the subjects of this research. Their research focuses on the volume of brain development (gray, white and cerebral) as the growth of gray matter is essential for the processing of information and implementing actions. This article is useful to the pedagogies, strategies and resources to implement in an early childcare setting as it establishes that lower volumes of brain tissue are connected to more behavioural problems in toddlers and preschool chil dren. These problems may take the form of breaking rules, extreme aggression and hyperactivity. The main limitation of this article was that the children studied were normal with those suffering from birth complications and family psychiatric history excluded. Also more children were from two-parent families. The authors indicate that the results under represent the real effects of socioeconomic status however poverty and environmental factors definitely affect human brain development and behaviour. The use of Banduras Social Learning theory to help educators gain a better understanding of children in their care who are in poverty or children at risk of poverty and to model desirable behaviors (Berk, 2013). As an early childhood educator using multimodal texts such as pictures and videos is an enriching way to educate children about poverty.ÂÂ   Early childhood educators should use the strategies of encouragement, support and intentional teaching to promote further investigatio n about this topic. References Berk, L. (2013). Child development.(9th ed.).ÂÂ   USA: Pearson education Hanson, J., Hair, N., Shen, D., Shi, F., Gilmore, J., Wolfe, B., Pollak, S. (2013). Family Poverty Affects the Rate of Human Infant Brain Growth. Journal of PLoS One, Vol 8, no 12. Retrieved March 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859472/ Wessells, G. (2017). Children and Armed Conflict: Interventions for Supporting War- Affected Children. Journal of Peace Psychology, Vol.23 no.1 pp. 4-13. This article by Wessells reviews the need for intervention and the three areas of supports (comprehensiveness, sustainability and Do No Harm) needed to assist children affected by war in various countries. The author uses date gained through narratives, research, dialogue and the UN convention rights of the child. Their main research focuses on addressing childrens survival, development and their participation rights and the fact that if a child is a victim of any violence they are entitled to physiological and social recovery support. It advocates everyday practices such as a parent hugging their child, a teacher giving advice to a student or a shelter that gives privacy, as these actions can have beneficial physiological impacts. The main limitation to this article is the lack of long term research on whether or not children who received intervention are better off than children who didnt. The author indicates that comparative studies are also needed on which interventions have lon g lasting effects. This article relates to the pedagogies, strategies and resources implemented in an early childcare setting as it promotes the view that there is no one support for all children. Each child is an individual, requiring specific support and help as it relates to their individual circumstance, family background and environment. The best intervention approach includes all levels of a childs environment; their family, neighbourhood, community, school and social level. Bronfenbrenners ecological systems theory explains how everything in the child and their environment impacts on how a child grows and develops (Nolan Raban, 2015, p. 36). An early childhood educators pedagogy, strategies and resources should include knowledge about a childs background, their previous experiences and the involvement of support services if necessary. For a child who has experienced trauma early in their life a calm, familiar, predictable and unhurried early childhood setting as favoured by Steiner (NolanÂÂ   Raban, 2015) will be beneficial for their learning. References Wessells, G. (2017). Children and Armed Conflict: Interventions for Supporting War- Affected Children. Journal of Peace Psychology, Vol.23 no.1 pp. 4-13. Retrieved March 2017 from http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/pac/23/1/4.pdf Nolan, A. Raban, B. (2015).ÂÂ   Theories into Practice. Teaching Solutions. Blairgowrie: Australia.

The Franciscan Order; A Victim of its own Success Essay -- essays rese

The Franciscan movement was a religious order that arose out of one man’s ideologies and beliefs. St. Francis of Assisi’s ideals of absolute poverty, obedience, humility, and simplicity were uncomplicated and basic, but during his life and even shortly after his death these ideologies were gradually shifting and causing a great amount of debate. The immense size of the Franciscan Order combined with the mass amount of popularity that the Order gained made changes in the ideology and objectives of Francis’ messages and teaching almost an inevitable necessity. Some could argue that in many ways the Franciscan Order’s original ideologies were a victim of the movement’s success. This is evident in the main rules of the Order, what the rules were initially like during the life of Francis, and what they became after his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Saint Francis of Assisi was born in 1182 into a wealth family. His father was Peter Bernardone, a wealthy cloth merchant. Throughout Francis’ childhood he experienced many of the physical pleasures in life; however, gradually he began to have visions from the divine. The first vision appeared when he was fighting with knights against Assisi’s enemies, the second during a night of merriment and celebration, and a third when he was praying at the ruined Church of San Damiano. During the latter vision, Francis heard a voice coming from the crucifix telling him to rebuild the Church. Francis sold many of his father’s assets and gave the money to San Damiano, but his father was unimpressed. Francis publicly denounced his father, striping naked and throwing his clothes at his father, saying that his only father from that point on was the divine. For a time Francis wandered unsure of what to do, until he had his fourth divine vision on February 28, 1206. He realized that his true mission in life was the imitation of the life of Christ. Francis took to begging, and wandering from town to town, caring for those less fortunate than himself, and taking only what was necessary for his survival. After a time, Francis accumulated a small number of followers and soon realized that some rules would have to be formulated to govern his order. On April 6th 1209 the order began when Francis said, â€Å"He that will come after me, let him deny himself†¦This, my brothers, is our life and rule and that of all those who shall wish to join... ... and also made the Order increasingly difficult to govern. This difficulty in governance often forced the Order to turn to the Pope for guidance, thus creating a dangerous reliance on the Pope and making the order submissive to a potentially oppressive and dogmatic power. Likewise, the popularity of the movement contributed to its size. The more popular the Order was the more people joined it. The popularity also contributed to the relaxing of the standards of poverty, humility and simplicity. Money and gifts were given to the Order, jobs with a degree of power and prestige were offered to members of the Order by the Pope, and many other circumstances. The Order itself had become a worldly institution rather than a wandering group of poor friars as Francis had intended. With such undermining of the original ideals and objectives of St. Francis, a split in the Order seems almost inevitable. Final Word Count: 2971  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sources/ Works Cited Burr, D. Olivi and Franciscan Poverty: The Usus Pauper Controversy. Philadelphia; University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989. Moorman, J. A History of the Franciscan Order. UK; Oxford University Press, 1968.

Cheating :: essays research papers

~~~~~~ Cheating ~~~~~~ Cheating, We've all done it at least once in our lives, in all types of situations. Its human nature to want to win, and some of us will go against the rules to do so. It can be harmless, but in many cases it is annoying, or even hurtful. So, why was cheating and certain zone hacks become such a large problem in the Age games? Anonymity plays a big part in this. Behind the buffer zone of a computer screen and several hundred miles of telephone wire, people don't have to worry about upsetting someone else by playing unfairly, cheating, or exploiting bugs. Its also easy: it's far easier to download a hack, and get an advantage in a game than to actually practice and become good. For example, way back when I was playing a lot of AoE over the Zone. I faced up against a player with a name such as CrackDevilz or something similar. Two minutes after the game started he had sent an attack with an obscene amounts of units, all the while taunting and even boasting about his ability to cheat. Another factor that adds to this problem is the lack of maturity or even common courtesy in many of the players in the Age community. They simply don't care about wasting other people's time, upsetting others, or unbalancing a ladder or league system that someone has put a lot of time into creating. When these people do cheat, they often do not refrain from crude insults or taunts. This isn't a problem for experienced players; most people I know would just simply laugh at the idiocy of their opponent, but for new players, it can be pretty disheartening. In many ways these cheaters can have a very bad effect on the Age games. Some new players can actually be scared off or even turned away from a game simply from a single bad experience. They may assume all players they will meet are immature and rude, and just not put any time into trying to play the game again. This line of thought leads into another problem found in the zone. The rating system! To be honest, I don’t like it; players become too obsessed with there ratings. Have you ever lost a game and went â€Å"DAMN IT!† not necessarily because you lost, but because when you look at your nick again it will be down 8 points.

Being a Muslim :: Papers

Being a Muslim Yes I think it is hard to be a Muslim in a country like England for example if you go to school or work you have to miss some of the prayers. Five Pillars of Islam Shahadah A Muslim expresses his/her faith in the following words: Ash-hadu anla ilaha illal-Lahu Wahdahu la Sharika Lahu wa-ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu The English translation of the Shahadah is as follows: " I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One, without any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger." The declaration of faith consists of two different parts, i.e., the absolute belief in the Unity of Allah (God) and the belief in the Holy Prophet Muhammad as a mortal human being and the Messenger of Allah. A Muslim accepts Allah as the only God, and only Master, Lord and Ruler with no partner sharing in any way His Being, Powers and Attributes. He is One; He is Unique; He is not the father of any one, nor He has or had any father. He is Almighty and Self-Sustaining. He is there forever, and will be there forever. A Muslim believes in Allah as the Ruler and must not disobey Him. In fact everything that exists in the universe obeys Him. He is the Fashioner of all the Universes that may exist. This statement makes one to completely submit to the Will of Allah and that is why one who declares this belief is called a Muslim - one who completely submits to the will of Allah. Salat Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is a most important element of the faith. It is prayer of a very high level. The Holy Quran repeatedly enjoins the offering of salat and indeed declares it to be a fundamental characteristic of a believer. The benefits of salat are countless. The Holy Quran says: "And enjoin Prayer on thy people, and be constant therein.

Nobel Prize Assignment

Nobel Prize Founded by Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prize is awarded to candidates in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine or physiology, literature, economic sciences, and peace every year since 1901 – except for economic sciences, which was introduced as a Nobel Prize in 1968 by the Sveriges Riksbank. On account of World War I and II, the Nobel Prize was not awarded only on nine occasions since the established year from 1901.Alfred Nobel, a Swedish engineer, chemist, and philanthropist, created a will that would bequeath 94% of his assets into a series of prizes for those who contribute the highest benefit to mankind in the respective fields. Recipients of the Nobel Prize – which can be shared by no more than three people and can also be awarded posthumously in certain cases – receive a medal, sum of money, and diploma for their achievements and are elected by the Nobel Foundation.The Nobel Foundation was created by the executors of Nobel’s will, Rudolf Liljequist and Ragnar Sohlman. The private organization that is the Nobel Foundation is also responsible for administrative details and finances of the prizes. The prizes are presented according to their respective field. The Royal Swedish Academy of the Sciences awards the prizes for chemistry, physics, and economic sciences. The Swedish Academy presents the Nobel Prize in literature. The prize for physiology or medicine is awarded by the National Assembly at Karolinska Institutet.Finally, the award for peace is presented by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and is the only award to be presented in Norway rather than in Sweden. All prizes are awarded based upon several factors but mainly through Nobel’s maxim of delivering the greatest benefit to mankind and is ultimately decided by the Nobel Committees. One hundred and three Nobel Prizes in medicine or physiology have been awarded since 1901 and two-hundred one individuals are known as laureates in the field since the prize ma y be shared by three or more people.Around forty-three awards for the Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology have been presented relating to the field of neuroscience, such as Roger Guillemin in 1977 for his research in the production of peptides in the brain and Roger Wolcott Sperry in 1981 for research into the functions of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Other rewarded scientists for the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology include Nikolaas Tinbergen, Konrad Zacharias Lorenz, nd Karl von Frisch for their research into ethology, a scientific enquiry into animal behavior. Scientists whose research affected the understanding of Parkinson’s disease include Arvid Carlsson and Paul Greengard. The two were awarded in the year 2000 mainly for their neurological research into signal transduction in the nervous system. Carlsson and Greengard’s colleague, Kandel, who also shared the prize with them that year, was rewarded for his studies in synaptic function; mor e precisely, a closer look into short term and long term memory.Specifically, Arvid Carlsson and Paul Greengard’s research affected the progression of understanding of Parkinson’s disease by showing how important neurotransmitters such as dopamine work and affect the function of the brain and thus the human body. Carlsson more specifically identified dopamine and Greengard portrayed how neurotransmitters like dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin are able to exert their effects. His research includes a type of signal transmission called the slow synaptic transmission.Carleton Gajdusek’s research in 1976 on the first human prion disease named kuru later on would also help Stanley Prusiner’s studies in 1997 for his work on prions which would shed more light into dementia-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Although prions are reflective in diseases such as Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or kuru, Prusiner’s work opens a new underst anding of the pathogenesis of diseases like Alzheimer’s via the suggestions of non-prion proteins mutating to facilitate dangerous deposits in the brain.Swedish scientist and Nobel laureate Arvid Carlsson was able to show the importance of dopamine as a neurotransmitter in the brain. By developing an assay that allowed him to measure dopamine at an extremely sensitive level in the brain tissues, Carlsson found that dopamine is concentrated in other parts of the brain – specifically the basal ganglia, the part of the brain located in the forebrain and connected with the cerebral cortex.Contrary to belief at his time that dopamine is merely a precursor to a neurotransmitter named norepinephrine; Carlsson concluded that dopamine in and of itself is able to act as a neurotransmitter and is greatly vital for the ability to control fine motor movements. Carlsson then led to a series of experiments where he utilized a plant substance named reserpine to discover the importance of dopamine for movement. Carlsson administered reserpine to nimals thus decreasing their levels of dopamine which ultimately caused a loss of movement control. The effect of reserpine on the animals showed symptoms akin to Parkinson’s disease in humans. Carlsson then proceeded to treat the animals with levodopa (L-dopa), a precursor to dopamine, a substance that the brain converts into dopamine and is used in lieu of mere dopamine in order to prevent side effects of dopamine in the blood and since dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier in the first place.Eventually, Carlsson found that the animal’s symptoms disappeared and returned to their previous, normal state since the levels of dopamine in the brain were normalized. Thus, Carlsson’s findings led to more findings that Parkinson’s disease patients have unusually low levels of dopamine represented in the basal ganglia, an area that is very important in the control of muscle movements. There has also been evidence provided by Carlsson of forms of mental illness associated with unsteady levels of dopamine.Carlsson’s findings essentially explain the tremor, rigidity, and decreased motor function associated with Parkinson’s disease since patients with Parkinson’s share the malfunction of certain nerve cells within the basal ganglia that creates dopamine. Conclusively, the animals treated with reserpine and patients with Parkinson’s are low on dopamine levels. Nowadays, the same treatment of levodopa that Carlsson used for treating the symptoms of the reserpine in the animals has been tweaked for human use as a primary pharmaceutical option for patients with Parkinson’s disease in order to alleviate the symptoms.By allowing dopamine levels to be controlled through levodopa therapy, patients are able to experience more stable amounts of dopamine in their system, as opposed to having an irregularly low amount, so that one the ongoing loss of fi ne motor control associated with the onset of Parkinson’s disease may be alleviated for some time. Besides Parkinson’s disease, Carlsson’s Nobel worthy research has also increased the understanding of several other drugs.Carlsson is also notable for his contribution into the discovery and a new generation of drugs, the selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, to treat depression or personality disorders. This new class of drugs is now known as SSRI’s and is considered for many patients dealing with depression. For antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia, Carlsson showed that the drugs affect the signal transmission of dopamine by blocking the dopamine receptors.Nonetheless, by proving the popular belief of dopamine at his time that dopamine is simply a precursor to another neurotransmitter wrong and showing dopamine’s unknown importance at the time, Arvid Carlsson’s findings essentially lead the development of levodopa and consequently has helped an innumerable amount of patients dealing with the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. Although not a cure, Carlsson’s work has been a stepping stone for understanding Parkinson’s disease and has eased the discomforts of such a deadly disease that affects many people in the world.

Misanthrope’s Satire

?Sarah Newsome 3-19-10 2nd Period Misanthrope Response The gossip session Moliere reveals in The Misanthrope among Acaste, Clitandre, and Celimene is that of a double satire. This conversation exemplifies Moliere’s satirical attitude towards the hypocrisy of individuals as well as a society which accepts, even forces, such falsehoods. He is equally critical of Alcaste’s impliant rectitude as he is of the other characters’ sense of falsehood. However, Moliere’s greatest satire focuses on the society which instigates both extremes as he carefully crafts each character and their dialogue. Moliere develops the characters of Philante and Eliante with the perfect balance of honesty and forgiveness so the satirical focus is on the corrupt society rather than the characters. Philante’s character is one of exculpation and acceptance, especially involving his fellow men and his selfless friendship with Alceste. Nonetheless, he is not afraid to suggest the idea of moderation when speaking the brutal truth as he stands up to Alceste by saying. â€Å"†¦you have a way of bridling at whatever people say; whether they praise of blame, your angry spirit is equally unsatisfied to hear it. † Similarly, the observant Eliante notices the nature of Celimene as a -gossip queen and even comments on it aloud when she says to Philante, â€Å"The conversation takes it’s usual turn, and all our dear friends’ ears will shortly burn. In such a simple sentence Moliere is able to speak through Eliante and Philante to express his condemnation of Celimene, Acaste, and Clitandre by admitting that dishonestly is constructed and accepted by society. Additionally, Moliere satirizes society by speaking through them in order to recognize that while not all people are hypocrites, society is the greatest threat as it accepts the false hypocrisies that do exist. Without the encouragement of suitors such as Acaste and Clitandre, Celimene would have less reason to degrade others. Likewise, without a society so accepting of falsehoods, Alceste would have less reason to be so cynical and disapproving of humanity. Therefore, although Moliere is equally critical of Acaste’s impliant rectitude as he is of the other characters’ dominating acceptance of untruth, the author’s greatest amount of satire is focused on the society when compels both extremes.

Reflection paper of leadership and ethics Essay

My experience was very much intriguing than I anticipated. Few days to the case day, I called up for a meeting with my group members via their email addresses to get familiarized with each of them and get to know some background about all of the group members before the scheduled case day. The meeting was arranged but unfortunately it lasted for a couple of minutes and I could not get much significant information about their background and it was at this point that I realized that I was going to have a lot of challenges at hand as a leader and a follower. This, I thought of due to the fact that, I knew a little about my group members and moreover, each of them come from a different country, with different cultural background, different belief systems and the like. I had no clue or experience as to how I could lead people with such diverse characteristics in term country, culture, beliefs, expectations and others. In an attempt to learn more about my group members with these diverse backgrounds, I sent to each of them friendship request on facebook social network to enable me check some more background information about each of them before the case day. Fortunately, I got all of them to accept my friendship request on facebook social network and started to engage them in conversation to find out more about them – what their value are, their expectations, their experiences in life, etc. Some few background information about each of them was gathered in a way but unfortunately, there was not enough time to get to know more than I already knew because we all had some reading and assignments to get done. It was at this point that I realized that, it would have been better for me to have started the  background check on each of them earlier than I did. In that case, I would have had a lot of information about each of my group members in terms of their way of life, values, expectations, etc and to inform me on how to relate to each of them as a leader and a follower in a more effective and efficient manner. I must confess, this was the first time I have had to lead a group from different countries, people with varying cultural background and belief systems and the main reason why I thought it would be more challenging than it appeared. The following is the account of my experience on case day one: My first task was a very interesting but challenging one and something that I never anticipated – you may be wondering what it was. My first task was to go shopping with my other four (4)  group members to buy at least five (5) ingredients given one hundred Norwegian kroners (100 NOK). The most challenging part was that, these five (5) ingredients was not to conflict with any of the group members interest or that each of us would find no difficulty eating. I started to wonder how easy it would be to figure out food for five (5) people from different countries, with different cultures and beliefs. I figured out that, the best way was to get everyone’s input as to what we should buy and should not buy and started taking suggestions and objections from each one of us. This exercise was to gather common ingredients to all of us and to do away those ingredients that were not common among us. Fortunately, after few minutes of deliberation on what to buy and what not to buy, a conclusion on what to buy was made and we got all ingredients that were common to all of us. I believe one thing was paramount here – cooperation. I learnt from this interesting experience where five (5) people from five (5) different countries with very divergent cultural background and belief systems were able to accomplish such a challenging task of arriving at a consensus to buy at least five (5) ingredients to prepare food that could be eaten by all members without haven to disregard or deny anyone’s interest within a couple of minutes. This has really thought me a great and valuable lesson that, cooperation and deliberation can be the best remedy for arriving at a consensus in such as a complex situation. I also learnt that, it pays to be a good listener so that  issues raised and discussed could be incorporated into making ethically responsible decision that satisfies everyone. Surprisingly, the tasks were getting more and more challenging, why am I saying this? My second task was to locate the route to our final destination where most of the tasks were going to take place. The only way to locate the route was from a map and I had no experience or clue on how to use maps because I have never used a map to locate a route to anyplace before. I asked my group members if anyone knew how to use the map to locate the right route to the place and I gathered some ideas and information from them and we set off. I learnt from this experience that, a leader does not know it all – he or she cannot be jack of all trade and has to rely not only on his knowledge but also on the knowledge and ideas of his followers through sharing and learning from each other. There is an adage that, â€Å"two heads are better than one†. To state it differently, a greater output or more effective and efficient outcome is achieved through sharing and learning by two or more people in a more cooperative manner than one person doing everything all by himself or herself. While we trek, I took time to get to know my group members in terms their culture, experiences in life, likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies and so on. This was important for me because I was building on my knowledge of each of them and to get to better understand them to help me as a leader and a follower. When we had gone half way through the trip we have had to stop to evaluate me as a leader and at this point I had started to think about some positive attributes about myself as I led my group members in task 1 – where we had to buy five (5) ingredients that would be common for all of us to eat together and task 2 – which was to lead my group members through the right route to our final destination for which I had no idea about because I had to do it with the aid of a map. In these two (2) tasks where I led the group, I did my best to listen to everyone’s view and involved everyone in the decision making, thus, ensuring  that decisions arrived were in the best interest of everyone and we were all comfortable with the decisions without ignoring or disregarding anyone’s view. It was however not surprising that, all my group members thought of me as a good listener, team player, energetic and a leader who takes everyone’s view as equal and into consideration. It was revealed to me during the evaluation exercise that, I was a leader of few words, someone who does not talk much, gave less details and more of introvert person. This is in my view was a true reflection of my personality and I have started to find out how I can improve on my communication and social skills, which I believe would help me lead effectively and efficiently in not too distant future. It is very interesting when your own colleagues assess you diligently and let you know in a friendly manner and in the same way encouraging to work hard because they believe in you and that you could be better. This made me want to learn more and more about myself, I wish I could have asked for more tasks to unravel my challenges or shortcomings as a leader so that I would be able to work on them for improvement. This was a good experience for me. This is the account of my first experience as a leader in a group of people with different backgrounds in terms of country, culture, belief system, etc and what I learnt from the tasks. After the evaluation, one most important thing that happened was to change leadership and this brought to bare different style of leadership or approaches to solving different tasks in different circumstances. This provided me with opportunity to assess other group members’ leadership   styles or approaches in solving tasks in varying situations and also learning from their good leadership attributes and helping them identify their weaknesses or challenges for improvement was a very good exercise for me as well. This exercise revealed to a greater extent each member’s strengths, weaknesses or challenges and values exhibited during the period of the activity and provided a strong foundation for every participant to improve on areas highlighted during the self-assessment and group member assessment sessions. Again, individuals’ true identity was also unraveled throughout the whole activity with no fiction or falsehood. When we arrived finally at our final destination, it was all excitement and every member of  my group walked up to me and said â€Å"yes, we made it† – I believe it was a great success for all haven used a map to locate the place without prior experience. At our final destination, the tasks got more and more interesting and thought-provoking. We were assigned a task to build a tent for shelter against extreme weather condition. The leader of our group organized us and we shared ideas as how best to build the tent within the stipulated time frame. The leader led by example, taking the initiative after we agreed on how to build it and this was a good thing because it motivated the team members in accomplishing the task as allocated to each one and as scheduled. Another major challenging task was assigned to us to make a one-handed rolling pin within a limited time frame and to also prepare food within the same time frame. This was the most challenging tasks for two reasons: one was the fact we did not know (or have prior experience on) how to make the one-handed rolling pin; and two was the fact that we have had to perform two (2) different tasks concurrently which could result in shifting more attention to one perceived as most important. The leader started by organizing the team members, we planned, shared and allocated the two tasks among ourselves. This was done to avoid the tendency of shifting more attention to one task leaving the other task unfinished. The leader also monitored, coordinated and motivated the team very well ensuring the two (2) different tasks were completed within the stipulated limited time frame. The interesting thing was that, no one was assigned a task that he or she was not willing to perform (morale was high). Thus, everyone was made to do what he or she could do best to ensure overall success of the team. We were successful in completing the two (2) tasks within the limited time frame. I learnt that good communication, planning, organizing, sharing of ideas, division of labour, monitoring and motivation as well as teamwork were important recipe for success in this situation. Additional task was assigned for us to pick a log of wood with ropes without touching the log with our hands and take it to a specified location without getting the log to touch the ground. As we did always, the leader organized everyone to share ideas on how best to complete the task assigned. We  successfully completed the task but we were a bit late since the other team completed before us. Here, the spirit of motivation was very good because we did not give up even though we knew, we were behind time and this is something I also learnt. This task was repeated and this time around we successfully completed before the other team. This however, meant that, we did our home work well and learnt from our mistakes. This is another important thing that I learnt from the exercise. Below is the account of my experience on case day two: In this case, I partly owned a sawmill company in a small county that buys trees from the farms in the area and produces and sells materials to most carpenters in the county and neighboring counties. I also had 15% shares in a local fishery factory in the county and represented party two (2) in the city council. All the roles assigned was believed to expose each participate to varying situations of ethical dilemma and assess how each one of us was going to act in such situations. At the beginning of the case, it was not too clear what we had to do or act. Most people were confused about their roles and what they needed to do to have their roles excellently played out. This was because most of us if not all of us did not have enough information as to what to do, who to interact with and what tasks were involved. When information regarding what each one of us was to do was disseminated then, it became clear what was expected of everyone. I was doing my business as expected but my business partner did not involve me in the finances of the business and would provide me with details transactions of the business. He was always out of the business premises doing one thing or the other and I had to take care of the business by staying in the office all day. I was never involved in any unethical act in my sawmill business and knew nothing about my partners’ unethical acts such as converting his personal loan to business loan, bribing others and the likes. This however, revealed that it is very essential for a business partner to be actively involved in all aspects of the company’s activities otherwise a lot of things could go wrong without it being recognized as was evidenced in my case. Another important point to note is the impact of the sale of my shares in the local fishery factory. The local fishery factory for over period of time was not making enough money due to the pollution of the water by the mining company’s activities. The mining activities rendered the local fishery factory unprofitable and even unsustainable and the city officials were not doing anything to salvage the situation. The mining company that was killing the local fishery factory was also a shareholder in the fishery industry. I was approached by the Accountant of the mining to sell my shares to the mining company and I did on the grounds the keep the business running (sustaining it) and make it profitable with greater shares in the fishery factory. It was realized after that the mining company only wanted to take over the fishery factory and collapse it, making the very essence of the sale of my shares lose its importance. I sold the shares because the fishery factory was going to collapse anyway but realized that by selling off the shares to the mining company, it do something about the situation. Thus, if it allows the fishery factory to collapse it losses more and therefore, would proactively do something to remedy the situation since it was the mining activities that was killing the fishery factory. The idea was that, a lot of people were going to be unemployed, people would lose their investments and society at large suffers from the collapse of the fishery factory. The mining company just wanted to collapse the fishery factory which I believe is not the right way to go as it harms people (employees, customers, etc.), animal, society and the environment at large. In conclusion, I have learnt a lot about myself as an individual (my strengths and weaknesses), about others and how to relate well with others in spite of varying backgrounds. I have also learnt various leadership qualities of an effective leader such as being a good listener, a good communicator, confident, able to delegate, creative, able to inspire others, positive thinker, caring and the like. Throughout the activity I learnt how to deal with different situations as a leader and as a follower (team member) and how successful a team can be as well as how far it can go if the leader ensure that all members work in harmony with each other and also with trust and honesty. I have learnt also that knowing one’s own self and the  team members plays a critical role in being a good or effective leader and makes it much easier to lead in a positive way as well as achieving better results. From case day two, I learnt that, it is imperative for companies or businesses to note that in achieving organizational goals, maximizing profit or personal benefits, it should not be done by causing harm to others, animals, society and the environment as a whole. I believe that, the mining company’s activities was causing more harm to others and the environment, thus, it was unethical from the utilitarianism, duty ethics, virtue ethics, discourse ethics, ethics of rights and justice perspectives as their activities, actions and inactions harm others, animals, society and the environment at large. Finally, the two-day activity was very helping in providing a practical experience in leadership and ethical decision making situations for participants.