Saturday, October 5, 2019
Cadbury plc UK division- Global Strategy analyses Case Study
Cadbury plc UK division- Global Strategy analyses - Case Study Example The present opportunities for Cadburry UK Division chocolate sector and its possible growth are considered and evaluated with the competitors'. This also examines the competitive and technological advancement threats the company receives from its rival competitors. SWOT Analysis Using the SWOT analysis and the SFAS matrix, the subsequent TOWS Matrix relating to the company's strategies in significant internal and external factors that poses effects to its performance and position in the chocolate market are as indicated below. This also includes the strategies the firm should adapt to leverage in order to achieve current and future growth and get a better position over its rivals. Internal Factors Strengths Weaknesses Strategies for Strength Opportunities Strategies for Weakness Opportunities Opportunities Maximize production to optimize on the benefits of the raising market. Integrate company brand for expansion and growth in emerging markets. Achieve growth through new acquisitions and mergers with other companies. Optimize the benefit of increasing market and increase sales by reducing prices of best selling products. Increase profits through new and up coming markets Target on research and development to reduce cost and increase profits Increase profit margin via Innovations and fresh products Threats Strategies for Strength Threats Leverage to differentiate Brand Venture into innovations to target higher profit margin Invest in research and innovations to produce new products attractive to customers. Optimize production in high selling products while reducing production of law market products. Strategies for... Looking at everything that has been stated above the company has a very strong portfolio of products. And each of the products and the product lines is in a different stage of the product life cycle, thus making it extremely necessary for the business to understand each of the different products, their markets and their potential thoroughly. This is necessary because the unique nature of the portfolio calls for different strategies to be adopted for the different products in the portfolio. As seen in the BCG matrix, the Ansoff and GE/McKinsey Matrix, the organization can undertake a host of different strategies to increase the profits that are reaped from the product lines and also to reinvest and in different activities such as research and development activities that will help the organisation to develop newer products to replace others that are now spent and in the decline stage and also to ensure that the present products that are bringing in the profits will increase their marke t share, or defend their market share in a manner that would only increase the future profits of the organisation. In summary the outlook for Cadburyââ¬â¢s internal and external environment is very good. The strengths of the organisation are very good when compared to the weaknesses and likewise the macro environmental conditions that are prevalent are very conducive to the company even in these difficult economic times.
Friday, October 4, 2019
MidTerm American Presidency Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
MidTerm American Presidency - Term Paper Example In conclusion, the presidential powers should be used for persuasion and bargain purposes rather than command. According to him, there are only two types of presidential powers, which are to persuade and command, with the command acting as a dictatorial aspect whereas the persuasive type of power is for effective influencing (Neustadt 56). In order for one to maintain the power, one should engage all concerned parties in the governance. However, such powers also have a crucial barrier, which is the president making of personal decisions without engaging others. Currently, President John F. Kennedy is one who applied the shared presidential power other than its separation. This engages a number of people on board in the decision making process. President Bill Clinton had been worst in the application of Neustadtââ¬â¢s theory of presidential powers. Based on my opinion, Neustadtââ¬â¢s theory of presidential powers is effective in ensuring the shared delegation of duties, which brings all individuals on board in effective management. Despite the strengths associated with Neustadtââ¬â¢s theory of presidential powers, Skowronek tends to be of the contrary opinion in which he states that the presidential powers should involve the utilization of informal authority in ensuring that things are done in the most effective way as a contribution of modernity (Skowronek 318). On the two theories, the major difference is because according to Neustadtââ¬â¢s theory of presidential powers, power is for persuasion and not command while according to Skowronek, it is through the presidential command that things are
Thursday, October 3, 2019
The Contributions of Immigrants to Singapore Essay Example for Free
The Contributions of Immigrants to Singapore Essay Singapore began to open itself up as a centre for entrepot trade. It began to import and export goods for different areas to different parts of the world. These immigrants also provided important support services such as workers in the dockyards, plantations, factories and some even provided daily necessities for traders all over the world. All these contributions of the immigrants helped to maintain Singapore as an attractive trading centre and kept it competitive. Without them, Singapore would not have grown so fast from a backwater island to a bustling island of trade and other commercial activities. Hence, the impact of the coming of the immigrants leading Singapore to a well-grown trading centre was the most important. However, besides the impact of growth of Singapore as a trading centre, there were other social impacts such as acts of philanthropy by rich businessmen. These businessmen from different ethnic groups saw the need to contribute to the well-being of the society and started kind acts such as building schools, hospitals and places of worship for their fellow countrymen. An example would be Tan Tock Seng. Such acts were important as they made lives of the immigrants more bearable and ensured that these immigrants were well taken care off so that they could continue to contribute to Singapore growth. All in all, the most important impact of the coming of the immigrants was the growth of Singapore as a trading centre as it is due to their hard work that Singapore could continue to grow and this would benefit everyone. As for the acts of the philanthropists, some of these acts were given to specific ethnic groups only, hence the impact is not as great as the first.
Analysis of Freedom in Exile by the Dalai Lama
Analysis of Freedom in Exile by the Dalai Lama Assignment 03 Part 1 The Dalai Lama Read the following extracts from the Dalai Lamas autobiography Freedom in Exile. How does the way the Dalai Lama presents himself here relate to his reputation as discussed in AA 100 Book 1, Chapter 7? Dalai Lama describes himself as a simple monk from Tibet. I am no one special (Reading 7.2 in Waterhouse, 2008, p.224). No one had any idea that I might be anything other than an ordinary baby and certainly my family had no idea that I would be proclaimed Dalai Lama. We will be looking at the connection between the present-day Dalai Lama and his predecessors, as well as the reason why Tibetans regard him as a living Buddha. The most important Lama for the Tibetan is the Dalai Lama who has the highest religious status of its kind, and as politics and religion is combined in the Tibetan society, the Dalai Lama is also head of state. According to Tibetan tradition, it is believed the Dalai Lamas has the ability to choose their next incarnation, and even leave symbols and directions for the Panchen Lama, who is responsible for leading the search party to find the successor. Around the time when the present Dalai Lama was around three years old, the Government sent out a search party to look for the next incarnation of the previous Thirteenth Dalai Lama. One of the signs after the Thirteenth Dalai Lama had died, was that the head of his embalmed body had turned from facing south to north-east. Another sign was when Tibets Regent, a senior lama, went to Lhamoi Lhatso, a small oracle lake to seek visions to assist in the search and where he received clear visions of Tibetan letters and images. The method for identifying a reincarnated Lama is not specific. Different combination of divination is being used like interpreting dreams and omens, and consulting the Council of oracles. In the DVD-Video, (Searching for a Reincarnated Lama), we can see the Nechung Oracles medium be in a trance. This Buddhist ritual might in the western world be seen as both frightening and superstitious. However, this process is normal within Buddhist tradition and the way they con sult the Chief Oracle on important matters and finding the Dalai Lamas. The Tibetans believe Dalai Lama is a living Buddha as well as the religious figure of Bodhisattwas of compassion, whose qualities are wisdom, generosity and compassion. Free from anger, hatred and greed. Being a monk and teacher together with the combination of having the political role as the head of the Tibetan state, he has got the reputation as a god-king. (Waterhouse, 2008, p. 211) Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and has become a symbol for freedom. His gentle and charismatic way which have won him a large number of followers in the West. Among the Tibetans however, Dalai Lamas words still remains law, and he can be both severe and strict about behaviour and beliefs. The reputation of Dalai Lama in China is somehow very different. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in 1959 during a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He was granted asylum in Dharamsala in northern India which has become home to the Tibetan Government-in-exile. The Chinese embassy (in Reading 7.5), points out that the local government of Tibet headed by the Dalai representing feudal serfdom under theocracy and has long since been replaced by the democratic administration by the Tibetan people themselves and the destiny and future can no longer be decided by the Dalai Lama and his clique. (Reading 7.5 in Waterhouse, 2008, p. 228). Tibet is still under Chinese rule and the majority of people in Lhasa are Chinese, ruled by a Chinese selected Panchen Lama which of whom the Dalai Lama does not recognize as it is by tradition the Dalai Lama who is responsible for the search of the new Panchen Lama and vice versa. This fact has great implications when it comes to searching for the successor of a particular person, and if I die before Tibetans regain their freedom, they might not have use for a Dalai Lama anymore, the Dalai Lama points out. (words 658) Bibliography Dalai Lama-Searching for a reincarnated Lama, (2008) AA100 DVD Video Waterhouse, H. (2008) The Dalai Lama in Moohan, E. (ed.), Reputations (AA100 Book 1), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 197-229. Part 2 the Faber Book of Beasts Compare the following poems: The Mouses Nest by John Clare and To a Mouse, On Turning her up in her Nest, With the plough, November, 1785 by Robert Burns, from The Faber Book of Beasts. In no more than 600 words compare and contrast how these poems depict mice. In John Clares poem we are having the speaker describing in detail an incident on a farm, probably a childhood memory. The speaker finds a ball of grass among the hay and wishfully hopes to find a bird, but instead of a bird, a mouse comes out with all her babies hanging at her teats. Shocked and disgusted by the look of something so odd and so grotesque (line 7) he runs away. In Burnss poem on the other hand the speaker is clearly a man, a farmer, who accidently destroys a mouses nest when ploughing the field. Feeling guilty, he assures the mouse that he will not try to kill it. The whole poem is written as a speech, as the farmer is speaking to the mouse, whilst John Clares, is more of a written observation from a memory. John Clare has written his poem in a non-conventional sonnet form. There are 14 lines within this single stanza poem and grouped into 7 rhyming couplets. The lines in this single stanza are of similar length, and with an end rhyme scheme of AABBCCDDEEFFGG, which gives the effect of strong sense of order and regularity. The rhythm is influenced hugely by the use of iambic pentameter with the combination of stressed and unstressed syllables. Although there is no formal punctuation it feels easy to read, as the phrases finish at the end of the line. Robert Burnss is a vernacular poem, and in contrast to Clares single stanza, contains 8 stanzas. Each stanza has 6 lines, of which line 4 and 6 are deliberately shorter. The rhyme scheme is AAABAB, and mainly iambic pentameter. The rhythm remains the same throughout the poem. Burns has used a combination of exclamation marks, commas, periods, colons and semicolon. The language in Clares poem is largely simple and colloquial with the use of some dialect words like proged, agen and oer. The imagery is simple and familiar, described merely as an observation. After the mouse has returned to her nest, everything goes back to normal, describing the surroundings and finishing off with; And broad old cesspools glittered in the sun (line 14). In contrast to Clare, Burns has used lots of different literary devices when writing his poem. o, what a panics in thy breastie! (line 1-2), the sentence finishes with an apostrophe, a common device used in poetry when a poet addresses something that is not able to respond. The repeated B sound in bickering brattle (line 4) is an example of alliteration to describe the angry mouses chattering. Burn does not only personify the mouse, he also personifies the pattle as a murdring pattle (line 6), though we know, the speaker would be the one to murder the mouse, not the pattle. The speaker draws a connection between himself and the mouse through analogy when he says; At me, thy poor, earth-born companion, An fellow-mortal! (line 11-12) Meaning that they both were born on earth, and are both mortal, so they should get along. The farmer speaks to the mouse as if it were a human and compares his troubles to those of the mouses. But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane (line 37, stanza 8) Pointing out that; the mouse is not alone of wanting to plan for the future, but sometimes things do not go according to plan, whether you are a mouse or man. Still, thou art blest, compard wi me! (line 43, stanza 8) Saying the mouse is better off, because the mouse lives in the present moment, whilst himself, is looking back at the past with regret, and into the future with fear. In short, both poems are depicting farm life and mice, however, Burns decided to romanticise his encounter with the mouse, whilst Clare on the other hand, wanted to show that nature is what it is, and nothing more, subsequently he saw no reason to humanise his mouse like Burns has done with his mousie. (words 659)
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Essay --
Do the names Chaucer, Webster, or Dickens ring any bells? They are only a few of the greatest English poets, playwrights, and novelists of all time! Their writings have influenced many poets and novelists over the years and still influence new authors today. One of the most influential authors in English literature is Geoffrey Chaucer, whom many thought of as ââ¬Å"the greatest English poet of the Middle agesâ⬠. Chaucer is known for Troilus and Criseyde, The Book of Duchess, and The Canterbury Tales. Troilus and Criseyde, tells the tragic story of the Trojan prince Troilus, falling in love with Criseyde. With the help of Pandarus, her uncle, Troilus wins Criseydeââ¬â¢s heart. Calchas, Criseydeââ¬â¢s father, persuades the Greeks to release Antenor, a prisoner of war, in exchange for his daughter. Troilus tells Criseyde he wants to elope, but instead Criseyde promises to return in ten days. Upon arriving with the Greeks, she soon realizes she wonââ¬â¢t be able to keep her promise and decides to accept Diomedes, the Greek warrior and king, as her new lover. Another acclaimed work of Chaucerââ¬â¢s is The Boo...
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Respect for Persons,Beneficence, and Justice :: Research Researching Privacy Essays
Respect for Persons,Beneficence, and Justice In July of 1974 The National Research Act was signed into law. Through this act, The Belmont Report was developed over 4 year period of time that included an intense four day conference followed by monthly meetings until it was completed in April of 1979. The Belmont Report sets out to define the ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. The report was established prior to Barney Clark and the artificial heart and therefore was the guidelines that the doctors and researchers had to follow. The report highlights three essential ethical elements that are pertinent in human research and their applications. It was the professional responsibility of the doctors and researchers involved to abide by previously established ethical guidelines. Respect for Persons Respect for the Persons as it relates to the Barney Clark case can be broken down into three important issues. Autonomy The doctors made the assumption that Barney Clark was a fully autonomous person at the time of the artificial heart experiment. In general it is not in doubt that Mr. Clark was an autonomous being, however his terminal condition could have affected his capacity with in the case. While he might have been autonomous in many areas of his life the issue that is relevant to the case was whether he possessed the capacity to make an informed consent. Informed Consent The nine basic rules4 for an informed consent are 1. Identifying the appropriate decision maker 2. Having the discussion at a time when the patient is not distracted or in great pain. 3. Determine that the patient is communicating voluntarily 4. Disclose a. Nature of the proposed intervention b. The purpose c. The risks and consequences d. The benefits e. The probability that the intervention would be successful f. The feasible alternatives g. The prognosis is the intervention/therapy is not given 5. Offer a recommendation 6.
Metacognition Student Achievement Essay
Metacognition has generally been described as thinking about oneââ¬â¢s own thoughts. The realization that a human being cannot exist in isolation of his inner self, that he is constantly probing that dam of his very essence to evaluate situations and resolve the never-ending puzzles that daily confront him. Kornell (2009), has described metacognition as self-reflection and conscious awareness. An even more elaborate definition is that given by Serendip (2009). He defines it as ââ¬Å"a reflective practice that helps one discern general patterns in oneââ¬â¢s own views and abilitiesâ⬠. Whichever definition one feels comfortable with, it cannot be said to be superior to the other, because metacognition deals with the intangible and cannot be weighed on a scale. It has, however, been the subject of widespread research all over the world. Psychologists are now asking themselves, what causes that tip of the tongue experience, when you are sure you know someoneââ¬â¢s name but cannot recall it? Or what is at play when one conveys a feeling of uncertainty? Why is it that humans are able to have certain cognitive abilities that animals apparently do not have? For example, if asked what year America gained independence, one may readily recall with certainty, or one may say with complete uncertainty that he does not know. The answer may also lie in between, showing a certain degree of uncertainty by replying, for example, I think it was 1776. Whatever answer one gives, it demonstrates an ability to question oneââ¬â¢s memory and experience. According to studies that have been done, this ability can be improved. Thus, the science of metacognition is now rampant, with studies being carried out on the cognitive abilities of monkeys, children, students, and ways in which they can be improved. Metacognition 2 One study which was carried out to test the cognitive abilities of rhesus monkeys, was that conducted by Kornell, Son & Terrace (2007). In this trial, the monkeys were initially trained to select a given picture from a sample of six pictures by touching the image on a touch-screen monitor. After this training period, they were shown six sample pictures which were then simultaneously removed and replaced with nine, one of the previous six being among them. As soon as they selected the sample they thought was among the previous six, they were required to bet on their choice by depressing an icon on the screen for certainty, with a reward of redeemable food tokens, or loss of tokens, if wrong. A further icon for a low risk bet was also there. After carrying out this experiment for a suitable period of time, they concluded that the monkeys would invariably only bet when they were sure that they knew the correct answer. The researchers were therefore of the opinion that the monkeys were guided by a cognitive ability. They also tested two monkeys on metacognitive control. This is the ability to use metacognitive ability to influence behavior. An example would be requesting for a hint when one is unsure of an answer, a common trait with humans. In this trial, two monkeys were presented with a few sample pictures to place in a certain order. They were also availed of onscreen visual hints if they needed. The penalty for using the hints was a less appetizing banana flavored pellet, instead of the more attractive M&M candy. As the test progressed, it became apparent that the monkeys were using the hints less and less, and would only resort to them when they were sure that they did not know the right answer. This ability to have control over oneââ¬â¢s metacognitive ability had been tested on humans for many years, and it was only now that it was becoming clear that it was also present in animals. However, how prevalent this is among them, cannot be clear and it cannot be generalized from this study that only involved rhesus monkeys. Metacognition 3 Smith & Washbum (2005) have taken animal research a notch higher and carried out trials that probe the memory, referred to as monitoring the memory. In the test, animals which were given various tasks to do based on what they had done before, declined to engage in the more difficult tasks, a result that was the same as similar tests carried out on humans. The animals were selective and seemed to have the same analogous capacity as human. There was no doubt that they were using their metacognitive abilities to seek in their memories, and when they remembered that the task was arduous, they declined to take the test. Kornell & Terrace (2007) also carried out some trials seeking to find out if monkeys benefited from learning. They did this with two rhesus monkeys which were given two problem sets to solve. In one difficult set, they were given hints to assist them after a suitable training period. In the other set, they were given no hints. The number of hints they used to solve the problem set steadily declined over time, the performance, however, did not change, it stayed the same. The monkeys were solving the problem with skills they had acquired from the hints and were using them less and less because they had ââ¬Å"learnedâ⬠. This is fascinating and opens up very interesting questions about the training of animals. There are other areas of animal metacognitive behavior which have been studied. Hampton, R (2009), carried out studies on rhesus monkeys to determine if they made decisions when they had information, or sought information when ignorant and immediately made a decision. The results were quite revealing. They carried out two sets of tests. In one test, the monkeys witnessed food being inserted into some opaque test tubes. These tests were referred to as the seen trials. In the other test, the food was inserted into test tubes without their knowledge. Metacognition 4 The monkeys were then required to identify the tubes which had food in them. In trial after trial, they would first look down the tubes to ascertain if the food was there and if it was, they selected the tube. What was evident from these tests is that the monkeys sought information first, by peering down the tubes, when ignorant, and only immediately selected the correct tubes without investigating, when they knew the food was there. That means they knew when they knew and only sought information when they knew that they did not know. This is a characteristic which is prevalent among human children, orangutans and rhesus monkeys. It is, however, not clear with capuchin monkeys when they were exposed to a similar trial about a decade before. There is room for more research on animals. According to Smith & Washbum, a lot needs to be investigated regarding the gifts different animals have. For example, monkeys and dolphins seem to exhibit more cognitive abilities than pigeons, whose reactions appear to be more stimulus based. Further research in this area can yield very important information which may stimulate a whole spectrum of research into cognitive abilities of different animal specie. Additionally, there is a lot of room into studies on the ability or lack of ability of animals to make quantitative judgements, for example, their mood. Metacognitive abilities is also a subject of importance in developing learning capabilities for children. Loh, A (2009), has made suggestions on methods to use to improve metacognition learning for children as young as two year olds. Since parents spend the most amount time with children of this age, they are best placed to practice the techniques recommended by Loh. He says that children should be encouraged to think about their thinking process in order to develop their intellect and intelligence. Children should be engaged, soon after an activity, to gauge their Metacognition 5 thinking process and the techniques they used for a task. Immediately after this activity, they should be asked certain questions, for example : 1. They should be asked about the process they used to achieve the result. This way, they will recall the steps and learn the process. 2. What strategies did they use? This will engage them actively in the thinking process by beginning to adopt strategic thinking of alternative techniques they can use to achieve better results. 3. What do they think about the end result? Is it good or bad? This will help them to evaluate their work. 4. Offer them puzzling tasks that have more than one solution. This exposes them to cognitive conflicts 5. Engage them in debates and discussions with other children 6. Allow them to practice reciprocal teaching where they form groups and one child teaches members of his group. 7. Once they engage on a task, allow them to continue undisturbed. Help them with clues if they get stuck. Further, they can be assisted with questions that will incline them to probe their mind even more, for example, what they learned from the task and what they found difficult. Additionally, they can be probed to find out if they have a next goal and what will help them to achieve it. Metacognition 6 There has been more research in the field of metacognitive abilities of children. Young childrenââ¬â¢s understanding of mental life, or ââ¬Å"theory of mindâ⬠, is an area that is currently being explored by various scientists. According to science daily (2008), a new study had made a link between theory of mind as assessed in kindergarten children and their metacognitive abilities in elementary school. Early theory of mind competencies positively influenced metacognitive abilities acquired later. 174 children between the ages of three and four were used as study subjects to investigate this relationship. Wolfgang Schneider, P. H. D. , of the University of Wurzburg, who carried out the trial, said that knowledge from this research can be used to develop training programs for young children. For all the progress that has been done on metacognition in animals and children, none can rival that of learners. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (2009), says that students with metacognitive needs have difficulties in setting priorities and planning their tasks. Additionally: 1. They are poor at strategizing in order to accomplish a task methodically 2. They procrastinate and are unable to start their work. 3. They are inattentive and make careless mistakes. 4. They are not able to identify their faults or know how to seek help. With these type of students they recommend the following teaching strategies : 1. Teachers should tutor them on how to plan and show them the scoring rubric for the assignment. 2. They should be taught on estimation of time needed to complete a task. 3. They should be assisted with think-aloud strategies. Metacognition 7 4. They should be cajoled to get engaged actively in their work by asking them how they are doing the work and how they will remember to solve the problem. 5. Teachers should be specific in their assignments to students by providing scoring rubrics for each question and how they have been calculated. However, Pierce (2004), dealt even deeper in metacognition for students. He was of the opinion that study strategies were generalized and teachers did not teach them in class. They assumed that students had already learned them. When they taught a strategy, students used the same strategy taught for all subjects. According to him, students needed to acquire three types of knowledge in order to improve their metacognitive abilities. These are : 1. Declarative knowledge which is having at their grasp factual information, for example, speed is distance divided by time taken. 2. Procedural knowledge which is knowing how to do something. Using the previous example of speed, they should know the formula for speed and the steps required in its calculation. 3. Conditional knowledge ââ¬â This is knowing when to use a certain procedure and why one strategy is better than another. In applying the three types of knowledge for study strategies for example, students need declarative knowledge to know that a high school history textbook is different from an article analyzing the same textbook. They need procedural knowledge to take notes from such a textbook and conditional knowledge to know when such notes should be taken. According to Pierce, study techniques improve learning but are hardly ever taught. Additionally, many students do not internalize success as caused by ability and effort. Metacognition 8 Lippman, Danielsson & Linder (2005), differed slightly with some researchers of metacognition. They claimed that most studies taught metacognitive skills and then measured the effects of training. Instead, they should quantify the use of metacognition. In a study that they carried out at an American university, their aim was to find out how much metacognition is used in a laboratory and how the setup encourages the use of metacognition. Three groups of students were used and their proceedings videotaped and their verbal comments recorded. In one group, students were given a set of instructions to follow. The same was done for the second group and in addition, they were expected to explain their reason. The third group was given a question to answer and expected to explain, in a presentation, the method they had used to get results. In analyzing the results, Lippman et al (2005) saw no difference in the amount of metacognition in the different groups. However, the most important finding was that there was a difference in how metacognition made students change their behavior in tackling the lab assignments. For example, in the third group, the verbal exchanges revealed that the use of metacognition made the students more creative. This was a different approach as was the one used by Mevarech & Kramarski (2003). In this study, 100 eighth graders, studying algebra in four classrooms, were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to cooperative learning and also given metacognitive training. The other group was given cooperative learning but without metacognitive training. At issue was mathematical modeling and problem solving skills. After tasks to perform were given, the results showed that the group which had been given metacognitive training did outperformed the other that only had a cooperative setting. There was significant difference with the two groups with regard to planning, processing and reflection. They concluded that the cooperative Metacognition 9 setting is not enough to enhance modeling skills. Metacognitive skills are important in how to approach a problem, how to control and monitor the solution and how to reflect on the final answer. As a result of such studies, Mevarech & Kramarski (2003) designed the learning tool called IMPROVE, whose letters stand for : Introducing the new material Metacognitive questioning Practicing Reviewing Obtaining mastery on higher and lower cognitive processes Verification Enrichment and remedial The important thing in IMPROVE is the approach in problem solving. Students are able to approach a scenario with a systematic method which first and foremost addresses the question of what is the issue at hand. They then investigate to find out how different the problem is from others and what the best strategies are to solve it. As can be seen from all the studies mentioned, metacognition is an area of development that has a lot of room for growth. Animals which have been shown to have metacognitive abilities can be researched further in order to discover if this is something widespread within the animal kingdom, and if not, then what actually determines metacognition of a species. With children too, the theory of the mind is interesting and further studies should be carried out to determine if there are other areas of their lives that can benefit from improved research on Metacognition 10 metacognition. For example, are high levels of metacognition genetic? Does diet affect levels of metacognition? What role does disease play in metacognition? It would also be interesting to see new research in the study techniques of students. More than anyone else, their place in society is critical because they take over reins in business, government and the civil society within only a few years after leaving college. Their overall performance in school is therefore a top priority. Of serious concern should be when study techniques should begin to be taught and how they would be standardized. Additionally, quantifying the use of metacognition as advocated for by Lippman (2005), needs to generate more study. If his research is anything to go by, then the approach to metacognition training must also address, not just the amount of metacognition ability gained, but also how it is channeled to productive use. This is an area that can prove very challenging and rewarding because teaching metacognition techniques is one thing, but being able to teach the type of techniques that can produce quantifiable measures cannot be easy. However, it is possible that the same metacognition graduates will discover new methods and strategies to impart more abilities in metacognition. Metacognition 11 References Elementary Teachersââ¬â¢ Federation of Ontario (2009). Metacognitive Skills. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. etfo. ca/Multimedia/Webcasts/SpecialEducation/Pages/Metacognitive%20Skills. aspx Hampton, R (2009). Multiple demonstrations of metacognition in nonhumans: Converging evidence or multiple mechanisms? Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://psyc. queensu. ca/ccbr/Vol4/Hampton.pdf. Kornell, Nate (2009, February). Metacognition in Humans and Animals. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www3. interscience. wiley. com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122212734/HTMLSTART Lippmann, K. , Danielsson, A. & Linder, C. (2005, August). Metacognition in the student Laboratory : Is increased metacognition necessarily better? Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www. anst. uu. se/rekun676/meta. pdf Loh, A (2009, July). Using Metacognition Learning to Make Children Smarter. Retrieved on July 29, 209 from http://www. brainy-child. com/articles/metacognition-learning.shtml Mevarech Z. & Kramarski, B. ( 2003). Mathematical Modeling and Meta-cognitive Instruction. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. icme-organisers. dk/tsg18/S32MevarechKramarski. pdf Metacognition 12 Mevarech, Z. & Kramarski, B. (2003). Metacognitive Questioning and the use of Worked Examples. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www. memory-key. com/StudySkills/IMPROVE. htm Peirce, W (2004, November). METACOGNITION: Study Strategies, Monitoring, and Motivation. Retrieved on July 29, 2009, from http://academic. pgcc. edu/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/metacognition.htm ScienceDaily (2008, August). Young Childrenââ¬â¢s ââ¬ËTheory Of Mindââ¬â¢ Linked To Subsequent Metacognitive Development In Adolescence. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2008/08/080814154429. htm Serendip (2009). Metacognition. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/exchange/wfrankli/ii09/metacognition Smith, D & Washbum, D. (2005, February). Uncertainty Monitoring and Metacognition by Animals. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www3. interscience. wiley. com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118706297/HTMLSTART
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