Experimental Training Program: Wilderness/Adventure Learning
Training employees is a fundamental element of a corporations success. A company succeeds only as well as the people running it can perform. This training process can cover many skills and go into many areas of expertise. One key element that has only recently come into action is an outdoor- based experiential training program.
Commonly called "ropes courses," wilderness courses or adventure learning programs have been in use in the USA since the early 1980's, and by organizations in the UK since the early 1970's. Outdoor programs have been most beneficial when used to promote effective work teams and used to enhance leadership and management skills in the participants. Outdoor- based training programs seem to accomplish these objectives by allowing participants to develop a high level of trust in their peers, improve their problem-solving ability, and generally improve the level of interpersonal communications between group members. Companies are looking for leaders that can launch them into a new era.
Constant improvement is necessary to meet the growth of challenging competition.
So who defines leadership? What is a leader and how would you raise these skills that may be laying dormant in your subordinates?
Organizations need great leaders to help them successfully survive the many difficulties of this decade. Yet, the very notion of leadership has rapidly degenerated into a cliché, a buzz word. In many people's minds, leadership has become identified with an overly simplistic conception of vision and empowerment.
Although these concepts do play an important role in the leadership process, they only scratch the surface of what an exceptional leader actually does on a day-to-day basis.
What do leaders really do to make an organization work well? In my research
I found that great leaders exhibit nine different kinds of behaviors that enable them to bring out the best in the people around them. Some of the nine behaviors of leadership listed below involve building participatory teams, some involve using "situational management strategies," while others enhance personal resources. Listed separately, the nine behaviors include:
Developing people.
Being able to influence others.
Encouraging teamwork.
Empowering people.
Using multiple options thinking.
Taking intelligent risks.
Being passionate about work.
Having a strong, clear vision.
Stretching one's personal creativity.
While many people think leaders are unique, even born to that state of excellence, I have found just the opposite. With proper experiential training, it is possible for people to learn these leadership behaviors. In other words, leaders can be developed. By all means they should be developed at many levels in an organization because leadership in a hierarchical situation stimulates the best in their followers and thereby increases overall productivity.
How do you define leadership? To me, leadership is leading a person, persons, or an organization; usually done with selflessness and the desire to achieve. Being a leader should be an honor and it should be something that somebody should have to earn. Throughout Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the qualities for leadership were both shown, and not shown, by Napoleon and Snowball. Both Snowball and Napoleon displayed some pros and cons of their leadership style.
I define Leadership as a person’s ability to guide or shepherd a herd through/to a common destination – a destination of common beliefs. The leader possesses qualities/traits that can persuade others to follow them because they believe and trust them – regardless of their “human” traits and imperfections. The herd trusts that they will stay on course to the common destination.
Leadership is the procedure of influencing others to comprehend and concur about what should be done and how to do it, and the procedure of encouraging individual and aggregate endeavors to achieve shared targets/goals.
In terms of The Big Five Trait Theory, an individual with a high level of extraversion is thought to display dominant behaviour as well as good leadership skills. The individual focusses their psychic energy on things that are external...
Stress is a problem not only for employees but the organization as well. In further studies, U.Treven, S.Treven and Zizek (2011) stated, “Stress at work can be a real problem to the organization as well as its workers” (p.46). If an employee is under stress his/her ability to work productively decreases. The consequences that occur from not meeting company standards increase the stress and pressure already existing with the employee. In related to health, statistics shows that 50 to 70% of diseases found in today’s economy are stress
they get a sense of who they are and have the ability to reason and
In conclusion, I have to say that homework should truly be banned from all schools around the world. When this happens, teachers will start to feel respected during class time, parents will be able to bond and get together with their precious family for once, and students? They will be living the true meaning of a school life. Sure, homework can teach children good study habits, organization, and responsibility. But face it. You and I know it’s just more than that. Homework is just downright misery.
Homework efficiency and effectiveness has been a long debated topic. Many people view it as important keystone to reinforce learning, while others think it is only busy work that interferes with activities at home. One article gives an example of how homework is debated, “During the first few decades of the 20th century, educators commonly believed that homework helped create disciplined minds . . . by 1940, growing concern that homework interfered with home activities sparked a reaction against the practice of homework . . . and this trend was reversed in the 1950’s when the Soviet’s launched Sputnik lead to concern that education in the United States lacked rigor” (Costley 2). Many studies have been conducted on the subject to correlate student achievement with homework completion, with very few positive results. “Some studies show positive effects of homework under certain conditions and for certain students, some show no effects, and some suggest negative effects” (“Value of Homework, at a Glance” 1). Homework is not useful for learning because of studies in its effectiveness, studies in its relation to achievement, and the opinions of parents, teachers, and students on the subject.
Although homework may seem like drudgery, the hard work that is put into homework may pay off in the long run. In the article, “Does homework really work for students?” Jacqueline Carey, the mother of seventh grade student Micah Carey, stated that “homework gives [students] a good foundation for when they move on further in school” (Johnson). Not only that but according to Donyall Dickey, principle at Murray Hill Middle School, “if students do not acquire things in class, they will acquire them through homework” (Johnson). As we can see homework helps and prepares us for higher grade levels while in primary school that can possibly prepare us for college. It also helps us to remember the materials that were taught in class. Another reason homework can be beneficial is the fact that it can prepare us for tests and the dreadful pop-quiz that a teacher may randomly give us. This fact was proven, according to a 2006 study by Harris Cooper, director of Duke University’s Program in education, in the article “Homework or Not? That is the (Research) Question”. The studies instituted that “students who had homework performed better on class tests compared to those who did not” (DeNisco). Another compelling thing about homework, are the qualities a skills th...
The topic of homework has throughout the years been frowned upon, laughed at, and even downplayed leading to the question if homework is beneficial or detrimental to students worldwide. Educators have conducted studies to show that these questions are not as simple to answer, but are quite complex. There are many factors that affect student success. Even though most parents and teachers agree that some homework is essential, problematic questions remain: Does homework actually increase students ' academic achievement? How much homework is necessary?
What is leadership? Leadership is defined as a process by which a individual will influence others to obtain goals. Leaders will guide, direct motivate, or inspire others. Leadership is defined by not only traits but actions as well. Leaders are inspirational, trustworthy and charismatic. Many people may think a manger is leader. Although leadership and management go hand in hand, they are not the same. Everyone has their own beliefs about what characteristics an effective leader should have. To me, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and having a vision are few characteristics of becoming an effective leader. A leader is not only born, but made. Some are born as leaders or some are made to be leaders.
We all know the downfall of homework: the frustration and exhaustion, family conflict, time loss, and decreasing interest in learning. No study has ever demonstrated any academic achievement linked to assigning homework. There is also no support to the fact that homework provides nonacademic benefits at any age. Here are a few examples: building character, promoting self-discipline, or teaching good work habits. All teachers who assign homework want to believe that the gain outweighs the pain. Although, there is no evidence of that and they must rely on faith (“Homework: No Proven Benefits”, pg. 1). Michellea, a mother of a middle school student, says that some work can reinforce certain skills, but hours of homework are unhealthy and unproductive. Mominseattle agrees. She contemplates that such a heavy load can result in potential drawbacks to the students. Hours of homework a night plus a full day of school can be just as much work as an adult at a full-time job. She believes students should enjoy their childhood, as short as it already is. MagnetMom complains about how her daughter’s homework takes away her beneficial sleep. With busy families, like hers, they have many after school activities, so when they get home, they do not have time for too much homework. She says ...
First of all, homework does not have value. There is no correlation whatsoever between the amount of homework given and achievement for young students, and at the high school level the correlation is weak and disappears when advanced statistical measures are used (Alphie Kohn). Also, a 2011 study in the Journal of Advanced Academics showed that students that spent more time on homework did worse on an exam (District Admin). Furthermore, Duke University homework expert Harris Cooper, concluded that homework does not improve academic capabilities for kids in grade school after studying several studies (Myth about homework). These studies show that homework is not necessary and has almost no value. In fact, students that did more homework actually did worse on an exam. Although it is clear that homework is not linked to academic improvement, one may say that homework helps children retain what they learned in school. Actually, according to education expert Alfie Kohn, a large portion of assigned homework is usually just a worksheet continuation of a lesson; homework that kids just mindlessly finish without learning the meaning or the value of the topic. All of this shows that homework is not as valuable as we think it is. In addition to the fact that homework has no value,...
Everyday, there are workers who come home from their jobs with a high amount of health issues. Headaches, aching muscles, exhaustion, and many more health issues have workers wondering why this is happening. All of these symptoms can be linked to stress in the workplace. Job stress has become more of a problem than ever before. Numerous studies show that job stress is the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades (“Workplace Stress,” 2004). Stress has become more common and costly in the workplace not only for the workers, but also the companies. What is considered stress in the workplace? Many companies everyday are dealing with issues related to stress in the workplace. For example, the Blackpool Fylde and Wyre NSH Trust Foundation Hospital noticed there were issues with stress when people began calling out sick. Their consultant for occupational health began to see a pattern of worker stress that might be the case. With stress being such a big issue in the workplace, are there ways a company can decrease the amount of stress?
Homework helps students learn essential life skills such as self-discipline, independence, and perseverance; however, according to Alfie Kohn, “no study has ever confirmed the widely accepted assumption”. In modern schooling, all grade levels are given substantial amounts of homework, which causes a multitude of problems regarding physical and emotional health, along with, potential family issues and no leisure time. Therefor, there should be less classes or class time should be extended in order to give students an adequate amount of time to finish assignments in school, rather than at home. After all, what is the point of having a teacher if the student has to learn at home rather than being taught at school? This does nothing but compound