Social Constructivism an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

Social Constructivism BACKCROUND Need essay sample on "Social Constructivism" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Social constructivism can be regarded as both a sociological and at the same time, a psychological theory. It is one of the theories of knowledge. It attempts to describe how social phenomena develop in certain social contexts. In order to further elucidate this, it is pertinent to define what a social construct is. A social construct is a concept that seems to be natural and vivid to those who chose to accept it. However, in the real sense of it, it is an invention of a particular culture or society. Social constructivism emphasizes the ways by which meanings and understandings grow out of social interactions. Social constructivism is based on assumptions about REALITY: that it is constructed through human activity and that it is non-existent prior to social invention. KNOWLEGE: that it is a human product, socially constructed and that inpiduals create meanings through interactions with others and the environment. LEARNING: That it is a social process, and that meaningful learning takes place when inpiduals are engaged in social activities. with these assumptions, it was believed that young children developed their thinking abilities by interacting with adults. Children Social constructs are generally accepted to be by-products of numerous human choices as opposed to the laws resulting from pine will (0r nature). Students Frequently Tell EssayLab professionals:I'm don't want to write my paper online. I don't have the timeSpecialists advise:Help With Essay WritingCustom Essay Company Cheap Essays Online Pay To Write Essay Cheapest Essay Writing Service In general, social constructionism is at odds with essentialism. Essentialism identifies specific phenomena in terms of transhistorical essences that are independent of the conscious beings which specify the categorical structure of reality. Social constructionism basically focuses on the uncovering of the ways by which inpiduals and groups take part in creating assumed social reality. Social constructivism entails examining the ways by which social phenomena are brought forth, institutionalised and finally made to tradition by people. This is seen as s process in flux, changing from time to time. Reality, in this sense, is produced by people when they act on their interpretations of it. Constructionism was made prominent in the United States by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann's 1966 in the book: The Social Construction of Reality. Berger and Luckmann (1966) argued that all knowledge, including the most basic, taken-for-granted common sense knowledge of everyday reality, is derived from and ultimately maintained by social interactions. As people interact with one another, they do so with the understanding that their respective perceptions of reality are similar. They act upon this understanding and therefore their common knowledge of reality becomes reinforced. Since this common sense knowledge depends on people, human typifications, significations. Institutions come to be presented as part of an objective reality.It is in this sense that it can be said that reality is socially constructed. Marvin Carlson is one of the few researchers to work on the theory initially. He believed that peoples lives are structured according to repeated socially sanctioned modes of behaviour and this raises the possibility that all human activity could potentially be considered as performance. This is the deviant way in which people act in public society to conform. In sociology of knowledge, what seems real to members of a social class arises from the position of the class, such as the capitalist or working classes, especially with respect to the economic fundamentals which affect the particular social class. According to the theories advanced by Karl Mannheim, who formulated the classic theories of sociology of knowledge, intellectuals occupy a special position which is to some extent free of the intellectual blinders imposed by the social position of other classes. HISTORY. The history of social constructivism dates back to the 16tn century when Giambattista Vico published a treatise on the construction of knowledge in the year 1710. This treatise brought to limelight (rather than invented) the idea that knowledge can be constructed by the knower. Vico's concepts death mostly with the relationship between truth, knowledge and the origins of language. It also touched on the desire of the human mind to create knowledge (Lo 1996). It is through his work that we take the term 'constructivist'. His slogan, according to von Glasersfeld, was, "The human mind can only know what the human mind has made. Vico is credited with coining the term 'constructivist,' Piaget is seen as the original constructivist. His theory of knowledge, published in 1954, portrayed the child as a 'lone scientist' creating his or her own sense of the world. Piaget felt that biological development is a process that goes through organization and adaptation to the environment. This same thing happens in the case of cognitive development. Piaget visualised that this occurred in a social context. He maintained his focus on the inpidual learner. Vico and Piaget, in their time were not known as constructivists. They however, through their extensive work, initiated study into the theories of knowing and creating realities. The study of their work gave rise to different theories of constructivism. Constructivism can be pided and sub-pided into a number of related categories of the main principles. Radical constructivism, whole theme constructivism, social-cognitive constructivism, idea-based social constructivism - all arise from the original concepts of constructivist theories which they propounded, yet varied in the approach to defining how the knower constructs his or her knowledge. A primary pision of the constructivist theory comes between the view of the knower as an inpidual - interacting within social structures, but creating his or her own view of reality independent of others, and the knower gaining his or her view of reality through a socially-mediated process. Where the earliest proponents of constructivism concerned themselves with the inpidual, later philosophers saw knowledge construction as part of, and arising from, social interactions. Dewey and, later, Vygotsky, recognized that the construction of knowledge was rooted in a group context (Oxford 1997). American philosopher and educator, John Dewey is often classified as constructivist. His beliefs about education and ways of knowing included the premise that knowing is not done by an outside spectator but is instead constructed by a participant, with society providing a reference point or theory for making sense of the experience. Dewey exposited on the notion that all knowledge is constructed by the knower, by including the idea that there is a relationship between the inpidual, the community, and the world mediated by socially constructed ideas. This brand of constructivism is sometimes referred to as social constructivism. Unlike those philosophers before them, social constructivists believe that knowledge construction takes place, and is enhanced, by social interaction. Another proponent of the Social Constructivist ideology was Jean Piaget. Piaget was the pioneer of the constructivist approach to cognition in the 20th century. Piaget created a theory of cognition and developed an approach to epistemology. Because of his work with children, in studying the development of their knowledge, much of Piaget's work has been categorized, mistakenly, according to von Glasersfeld, as child psychology rather than philosophy. Another scholar that contributed to the field of constructivism is Lev Vygotsky. He was prolific writer in Russia. His works were suppressed and are only recently became available for translation and distribution. Von Glasersfeld calls Vygotsky the "founding father of Social Constructivism". Vygotsky perceived that thought evolved from both the experiences and maturation process of an inpidual. Significantly, he also believed that constructs have social origins and that they are learned through interaction with others. Vygotsky's views perge from Piaget's in this respect. While both of them would agree that learning occurs in the activities and experiences of the learner, Vygotsky emphasises on the interaction within social groups. He put much of his efforts into studying the relationship of speech and communication with learning in a social context. In Mind and Society, he writes, "children solve practical tasks with the help of their speech, as well as their eyes and hands" Social Constructivism today is often mistaken by educators as an approach to teaching and learning, rather than a philosophy on how knowledge is created or obtained. Obviously, this has a great impact on the teaching and learning process. Constructivism has been adopted as a learning and teaching philosophy insofar as its central themes deal with the concept of how students know and learn. There is still a lot of ongoing research on Social constructivism. The concept will continue to take shape as more and more researchers delve into the subject in a view to creating a generally acceptable concept. Also, it will continue to receive attention as people find more practical uses for the concept. References. Troelstra A.S. History of constructivism in the 20th century. Bella J. T (2008). Social Constructivism: A History. Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Corporation. Podosky I. T (1968). Essays on Constructivism. PowerHouse Publishing Co. Ltd pp 68 72.

Lables shown in G.I. Jane essays

Lables shown in G.I. Jane essays The movie GI Jane is about a test to see if women are capable of becoming part of combat units in the United States military. It is a test of the capabilities of a woman (played by Demi Moore) and to see if she can complete Navy SEAL training. This is designed to see if the US policy on women in combat units (Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, Marine Force Recon, etc.) is valid. Currently, the US military does not allow women in front line units such as the SEALs and they are not allowed in units that are designated combat arms such as infantry, armor, and artillery. The purpose of the policy is to keep women out of the front lines and the majority of the fighting when a battle is fought. Some people say that it is because women dont have the physical capability to keep up with men and they would be a hindrance to the unit. In the movie the Command Master Chief in charge of the SEAL training made a comment on the Israelis trying to put women in combat. He said that the Israeli troops mourned more over a fallen female soldier then they did a fellow man who had been killed. These emotions caused the men to be less effective in combat and cost additional lives. When Lieutenant ONeal was allowed into SEAL school she was labeled from the start as a female that would never be allowed to pass the training. From the moment she reported to her commanding officer she was treated differently. This type of treatment (regardless of how obvious it might be) is designed to single people out. In a situation like this being an individual is the easiest way to fail. This individualized treatment was designed to make this woman fail. Because she was labeled as a woman her instructors wanted to see her fail and her fellow trainees had no desire to help her succeed. If anything her fellow trainees wanted her to fail even more. Quotes such as No split tail ...

Working under the influence Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Working under the influence - Coursework Example Schulte et al. (2014) further intimate that after notification to the counselor, the next step would be gathering the known concerns raised by the employees and the patient with respect to the conduct of Clark while on duty. These documentations would assist in mapping out potential issues for discussing with Clark against the expected conduct of employees as expressly stipulated in the employee guide and regulations. Here there will be documentation of specific mistakes in the performance of Clark while at work that raise concerns. I will seek the counselor’s help in proofing the documentation that concerns the conduct of Clark at work. Having the counselor go through the documentation would help equip the supervisor with material facts and complaints sequence against Clark. This arrangement would allow for flexibility in dealing with the misconduct in the case any of us approaches Clark for mentioning the mistakes and accusations leveled against her. In the case of Clark, intervention may also be another source of creating flexibility into the issue. In this case, there could be a session scheduled with Clark with the very important people in her life would be present such as fellow colleagues, the clergy, close friends and her spouse. This session has to go on through the guidance of a well-trained professional, in this case, a counselor. In this session, these important people in Clark’s life would directly inform Clark how her working under the influence affects them and what how it affects their co-existence. This method could best help Clark to avoid going into denial of her unacceptable and antisocial demeanor while at work. If this method leads to acceptance of the malpractice, it can be a very effective tool for having Clark acknowledges that she has a problem, which she needs to drop, and this may enable her to seek help. It is

_Management_and_Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

_Management_and_Organisations - Essay Example According to Robins and Judge (2011, p. 488), organizational structure refers to a specific pattern in which job tasks are formally grouped, divided and categorized and accordingly coordinated. Division of labor, coordination, communication and workflow etc are influenced by the structure of the organization. Organizations are structured in different ways such as flexible firm, the boundary-less organization, the lean organization, the down-sized organization, empowerment, outsourcing, networking and the virtual organization (Needle, 2010, p. 188). Marks and Spencer has previously layered its organization into several groups and thus considered an elaborate structure, but has recently eliminated a number of layers through the process of de-layering and adopted ‘flat organizational structure’. A flat organization structure is a form of organization with relatively few layers of management and is less bureaucratic (DuBrin, 2011, p. 274). Flat organization structure combine s a number of elements such as low degree of job specialization, loose departmentalization, few levels of management, wider control span, decentralized decision-making and shorter chain of command (Gitman and McDaniel, 2008, p. 190). Marks and Spencer recently reduced many numbers management layers resulting that employees have more responsibility for everything they do. A significant result of flat organization is that remaining managers become highly responsible with larger span of control with more numbers of employees reporting to a particular manager. The Economic situation of Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer operates more than 700 stores across the UK and more than 400 stores in around 44 countries across the Europe, Middle East and Asia (Corporate.marksandspencer.com, 2013). Out of its stores in the UK, around 350 stores are department stores that sell mid-priced apparel, food and household items under the M&S private label brands, including Autograph, Classic and Portfoli o. About 90 percent of its total revenues and profits derive from its home country- UK. Marks and Spencer is the market leader of women-wear, lingerie and menswear. Its market is rigorously competitive as it faces extremely fierce competition from its market players such as Tesco, Next Plc and Asda Plc. Marks and Spencer is a public limited company that sells medium-prices clothes, apparel, and food and home products. Since the 2008 economic downturn, the UK market place was turbulent as UK’s Gross Domestic Product in recent years was revised down, and the government faced difficult to tackle the deficit. Consumers across the UK have relatively better understanding of how to manage their household and spending in difficult times. Marks and Spencer, considering consumers’ concern about spending, implemented certain strategic steps such as promotions, and has found significant rise in its total revenues (Annual Report, 2012). Some factors like quality, value, longevity a nd versatility impacted the general responses to products and services offered by marks and Spencer in recent years. Consumers were found to continually invest in certain staple items looking for products that have longevity and ver

Parenting skill Essay Example for Free

Parenting skill Essay 1.How can parents avoid temper tantrums? It having a plan to calm your self down every time you have for example by going to your happy place,relax,and by staying calm at all time 2.What are the A, B, Cs? -A is for the attributes you want your child to have ⠁Æ'B is for the behavior you want to go along with those attributes. ⠁Æ'C is for the consequence that will be given, positive or negative 3. Do you think using consequences and following the ABC process will help shape a child’s behavior? Why or why not? Yes, I think using consequences and following the ABC process will help shape a child’s behavior because it gives the child a set of expectations you want from them and because naturally humans are born to please they are going to try their hardest to live by those expectations you have provided them. 1.What are some of the reasons why people may not talk to babies as much today as they used to? We don’t really know the exact reason why people are not talking to their babies as much some may say it is due to the busy life style we have or that everyone is isolated within the house 2. Why do you think developing language skills is important for a child? Developing language skills as a child is important because when children are younger it is easier for them to learn and develop and they should learn to be good communicators 3.What are some of the ways that parents can encourage the development of language skills? One way parents can help encourage development of language skills is by giving them their undivided attention and contently talking to them because most of their learning is through imitation.

Farce and Satire in Shakespeares Comedy of Errors Essays

Farce and Satire in The Comedy of Errors      Ã‚  Ã‚   All is not as it seems in The Comedy of Errors.   Some have the notion that The Comedy of Errors is a classical and relatively un-Shakespearean play. The plot is, in fact, based largely on Plautus's Menaechmi, a light-hearted comedy in which twins are mistaken for each other. Shakespeare's addition of twin servants is borrowed from Amphitruo, another play by Plautus. Like its classical predecessors, The Comedy of Errors mixes farce and satire and (to a degree) presents us with stock characters.      Besides being based on classical models, is it really fair to call The Comedy of Errors a serious play?   I'm not sure it is. Three-quarters of the play is a fast-paced comedy based on mistaken identity and wordplay, and often descending to crude physical humor. The framing plot changes the total impression the play makes, mixing pathos, wonder, and joy with the hilarity. But it doesn't turn an essentially funny play into an essentially serious one. Still, there are serious elements in the play, and these may stay with us longer than the light ones. These serious elements are not limited to the framing plot, though they often depend on it. In fact, what is serious and thought-provoking in the play is often the source of laughter, too. Usually the laughter comes first, and then, if we're attentive, we'll notice that Shakespeare has given us something to think about. Let me offer some examples. First, the play treats with some seriousness issues related to marriage: jealousy, loyalty, love, misunderstanding, the need for patience, the "troubles of the marriage-bed," and the "joy" and "kind embracements" that can come with marriage (II.i.27; I.i.39, 43).    Second, the... ... to describe marriage. Adriana claims that marriage has made herself and her husband "one," "undividable incorporate": "For know, my love, as easy mayst thou fall/ A drop of water in the breaking gulf,/ And take unmingled thence that drop again,/ Without addition or diminishing,/ As take from me thyself and not me too" (II.ii.142, 122, 125-29). Shakespeare doesn't pretend that such a union is easily achieved. He is quite aware that to offer oneself to another is to risk oneself.    Works Cited * Fitch, Robert Elliot. Odyssey of the Self-Centered Self. New York: Harcourt, 1961. * Shakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. * Wilbur, Richard. Introduction. Tartuffe. By Jean Baptiste Poquelin de Moliere. Trans. Richard Wilbur. San Diego: Harvest-Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1963.

Ethical Dilemmas in Interpreting Essay

Ethical dilemmas in interpreting: case study 2 In the scenario, I am interpreting at a medical practice. The Service Provider (SP) is the GP practice and Service User (SU) is a patient. I arrive at the reception on time, the receptionist waves me in direction of the patient and then she answers a phone call. Then the patient is called into the consultation room. At the consultation room, I try to introduce myself and give my Code of Practice (CoP) to the doctor but he ignores me and asks what the problem with the patient is. I reply to him that he can ask the patient himself and I will interpret for him. Then the doctor ask me to take the patient back to the waiting room so I can interview her, while he sees another patient, then he will call us back. The following things went wrong during my job assignment: * The receptionist behaves unprofessionally because she shouldn’t leave me alone with the patient because this could cause me being partial and unsuitable to do this assignment. * The doctor ignores my introduction. The Code of Practice (section 5.24) says that Service Provider should â€Å"allow to interpreter to introduce him or herself†. Introduction is important because it allows me explain the rules and terms which I am going to follow during assignment. * The doctor should â€Å"address member of the public directly† (Code of Practice section 5.26). It is important that a service provider speaks directly to a service user, because it allows better communication and connection between, in this situation, patient and doctor, and SU doesn’t feel left out. * The doctor doesn’t want to interview the patient and ask me to leave the consultation room. The Code of Practice defines this problem as follows: â€Å"Conduct all of the interview yourself. It may be tempting to ask the interpreter to go off and have chat with your client, and then come back and tell you the relevant points, but the interpreter is not qualified to know what information to look for or how to process the information received.† (Code of Practice, section 5.29) I wasn’t sure what I should do as an interpreter to be in line with my Code of Practice. If I did what doctor asks, I wouldn’t be assertive and impartial (Code of Practice, section 2.4). If I refused to do what doctor insists, I would leave the patient without  any help. I decide to explain to the doctor what my job description is and ask him one more time to interview the patient. If doctor still refuses to do interview I ask him if would be possible to assign the patient to diffe rent doctor or nurse. After I finished assignment, I would report the incident with the doctor to the agency if I work for one or report it to practice’s manager if I am be freelance interpreter.