Professional Development

Analyze the extent to which the approach relates to an organizational context known to you. The abstract I have selected for review and analysis, with most relevance to my own professional development and therefore is of most interest to me is that of Lyndon &king : can a single, short continuing professional development workshop cause change in the classroom ?

This article refocuses attention on the classroom, specifically on the importance of teacher Professional development in enhancing and changing teachers’ knowledge and skills in ways that lead to improvement in student performance. It is based on research carried out for SEES study into how far is short continuing professional development is effective?

The demonstrated success of the SEES model of short, single workshops in bringing about lasting change in practice is noteworthy, given the emphasis in the literature that CAP can only be effective if it is sustained ; is delivered by a well-trained provider, within a well-structured workshop that provides opportunities for exploration, practice and peer feedback. Providing a factual framework discussed by many educational researchers, Lyndon and king summarize the context, content, and process of effective and high-quality teacher professional development.

Years ago, I have participated with many short and long PDP workshop at 2 schools in which I was a teacher . And to be objective few workshop gave me opportunities to acquire and practice new skills over relatively extended eroded of time, and it provided an ideal environment for interaction with other colleagues . While many other workshop stopped short of producing their intended results; they pointed out problems with traditional teaching but offered little help in changing what happens in the classroom and provided no opportunities for us to practice what we learnt.

So the problem was not the lack of professional development activities or whether they are short or long ,to the contrary professional development for teachers has been included in every major initiative designed to improve student performance. The problem is that the quality of those programs has been inconsistent. Nevertheless, many like Joanne- in the group tutor – would agree with Errata’s typology session 10 that the scope of professional development is wider that simply the measurements of results, outcomes and standards, and therefore suggests CAP which is encompassing of other dimensions should be considered Anyone,2013).

On the other hands Stephanie had to admit that there was in most of the attended CAP a great deal of scope for personal development, team working, developing greater awareness/understanding and developing problem solving skills. However in order for the school to Justify the resources it is expending, he sees that there must be at least some organizational benefits too (Stephanie, 2013) I agree with Lyndon &king that Professional development can succeed only in settings, or contexts, that support it .

And this support must come from administrators. Drawing on the case studied in this article (short workshop for science department in many schools designed by the earth science education unit) it shows that one of the finding outcomes of professional development initiative is depended ultimately on the factor whether its administrators consider it important. For this reason, buy-in on the part of administrators (whether state directors, superintendents, or principals) is critical to success (McLaughlin & Marsh, 1978).

Leaders can approach decisions about professional development with intellectual rigor and discipline or give them a cursory treatment as an afterthought to more pressing matters. Likewise, their decisions may be implemented with attention to quality and serious reflection on their impact or haphazardly executed with a sense of discharging an unpleasant responsibility. Those are the choices leaders face each time they meet to plan professional development. Harebell,2003) I believe that Short or long workshop is “not an event, it is a process “(Harebell, 2003). By “process” I mean “the innovation” in the sense of having an adequate theory base; introducing methods for which there is evidence of effectiveness; being supported with appropriate high quality materials. And that the PDP program sometimes needs to be of sufficient length and intensity ;uses methods which reflect the teaching methods being introduced; includes provision for in school coaching (Dade ,2004).

By the “process ” I mean that the teachers should work in group to share experiences; communicate effectively amongst themselves about the innovation; should be given an opportunity to develop a sense of ownership in the innovation and be supported in questioning their beliefs about teaching and learning and giving them opportunity for practice and reflection( Dade,2004).

By “process” I mean the knowledge or awareness, changes in attitude, development of skill, and transfer of training and ‘executive control which are needed to maximize the chances of CAP leading to change in the classroom Joyce and Showers, 1988) In y point of view , CAP is an opportunity to learn new strategies for teaching to rigorous standards ,and it is not a matter whether the CAP is long or short ,as long as it has this four criteria : a clear focus on learning and learners, an emphasis on individual and organizational change, small changes guided by a ‘grand vision’, and ongoing professional development that is procedurally embedded ( Gushes ,2000) in addition to Andy different factors and principles listed before agree with Lyndon that all these elements need to be present if it is to have impact in the lassoer for the benefit of every student. Art 2 Critically analyses an approach to leading professional development you have identified in your work on Theme 3, using at least two ideas selected from the list below. Professional identity and values Professional learning communities/networks Informal learning Mentoring/coaching Developing capacity Whole team/organizational development Forms of professional development Professional development for individuals Power and culture in organizations Professional development contexts Leading PDP is of great importance in the life of schools, it contributes directly and indirectly to professional and personal development for staff and to the improvement in teaching and learning.

Harris reminds us that ‘managing human knowledge is a critical dimension of organizational survival’ (Harris, 2001). So it is important that the leader of professional development enables knowledge development by whatever means is appropriate. Professional development is a complex endeavor. Understanding its elements, mastering its implementation and considering its impacts involve continual reflection and analysis. Although it is possible to identify elements and factors that affect professional development is important to hold on to the issue of their interrelationship in terms of development. Many researchers suggest links to individual and organizational issues and influences for the leader of professional development.

These include: individual professional identities and values organizational vision, culture and targets the means, availability and accessibility of professional development the role of communities of practice and networking both formal and informal means of development the influence of the nature and context of organizations the influence of peers, mentors and coaches professional teaching and training expectations While these themes can all contribute to professional development leadership, they do so in different ways. In this part I will analyze how organization’s context, power and culture contribute to PDP A considerable literature has emerged in recent years concerning the relationship between organizations and learning. Many questions have arisen about how organizational arrangements enhance or inhibit the ability of their members (whether viewed individually or as groups) to learn? And to what degree are individuals’ learning experiences determined by the ways in which opportunities are structured?

Examining the role of organization context may enhance our understanding about these questions. The complexity of the educational professional development context lies in the scope of cultural understandings, factors and influences, which all play a part (Theme 3 section 10). The key is the extent that organization can conduce to the changes that the professional development is designed to bring about. Before change can take place there must be a shared sense of need for change-?the more strongly and widely felt the better. Lack of organization support and change can sabotage any professional placement effort, even when all the individual aspects of professional development are done right.

And where staff development opportunities are poorly conceptualized, insensitive to the concerns of individual participants and make little effort to relate learning experiences to workplace conditions, they make little impact upon teachers or their pupils (Day, 1999) In addition the decisions taken about the structure and functioning of the organization, and the design of work within it, are of fundamental importance in influencing the extent to which individuals can participate in the process of learning (Gaston, 2004). We have to focus on the conditions that organization creates for its members to engage effectively with learning. As Billet states:” Workplace readiness was central to the quality of learning experiences. Readiness is more than the preparedness for guided learning to proceed. It also includes the norms and work practices that constitute the invitational qualities for individuals to participate in and learn through work. Such factors may influence individual learning in a number of ways.

They may provide access to knowledge or information; they may facilitate participation in activities with learning attention; they may provide support and guidance to help make learning effective; and they may reward learning activities and outcomes “(Billet, 2001) On the other hand, a full analysis of leading professional development requires an investigation of power . The inclusion of an analysis of power within educational change is vital because power legitimates and drives change. A post structural views of power rests of three core principles (l)power is not restricted to a dominate few but circulates within school affecting all its members;(2)power relies on language and discourse to instruct its truths;(3)individuals perceive who they are via discourses of truth (Halyards and Leonard,2001). So what is important is the strong relationship between structure and agency in the workplace .

And this can provide learning opportunity through : Involving participation in communities of practice, especially opening up opportunities for learning through moving beyond a tightly situated and context bound approach to participation Involving work organization and Job design, especially the creation of environments which allow for substantial horizontal cross- boundary activity, dialogue and problem-solving. Emphasizing the importance of access to knowledge-based qualifications and off-the-Job learning. ( Fuller and Union , 2004) there is an increasing recognition of the importance of culture in designing leadership developments programs (study guide ,IPPP) Good seeds grow in strong cultures . Understanding the school’s culture ,therefore, is an essential prerequisite for any internal and external change agent.

Organizations should open up space for generating shared meaning, reconstituting power relations to broaden access to knowledge and provide cultural tools to mediate learning. The basic essence of organization ‘s culture is the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization , that operate unconsciously ,and that define in a basic taken for granted fashion an organization’s view of itself and its environment (Sheen . 1985) Stool and finks see Cultural norms _ such as :shared goals ;responsibility for success; collegiality; continuous improvement; lifelong learning ;support ;mutual respect ;risk taking; openness celebration and humor -are the unspoken rules for what is regarded as customary or acceptable behavior and action with shape reaction in the school( Stool,1999) .

These norms shape reactions to imposed improvement. It is therefore, important for those working in schools to understand their norms because the acceptance of improvement projects by a school depends on the fit between the norms embedded in the changes and those within the school’s own culture (Carson,1996). To be effective these cultures norms need to be reflected in strategies that enabled their underlying values to be translated into genuine engagement of all staff. The norm collegiality most likely seen to lead to improvement. Example of collegiality includes team teaching, mentoring, action research, peer coaching, planning and mutual observation and feedback.

These derive their strength from the creation of greater interdependence, collective commitment, shared responsibility, and perhaps most important, greater readiness to participate in the difficult business of review and critique (Fallen and Harvests 1991). This culture will allow teachers to focus upon their own learning, career and promotion ambitions and to consider new responsibilities within their own school context. The assumption is that this will lead to an improved and enhanced sense of professionalism for teachers, plus an increased motivation to stay within the profession. With the additional benefits that come with familiarity of context. A supportive, blame-free environment that encourages and facilitates professional dialogue, and provides opportunities to extend and experiment with new practice can further the benefits of peer collaboration and support (Errata, 2001).

To sum up, contexts and cultures may not Just provide or close down opportunity; it may also influence the ability and willingness of individuals” to exercise personal agency in pursuit of developmental goals” (Billet, 2001). As Stool said real improvement cannot come from anywhere other than within schools themselves and within is a complex web of values and beliefs, norms, social and power relationships and emotions . Changing schools is not Just about changing curricula ,teaching and learning strategies ,assessment structures and roles and responsibilities . It requires an understanding of and respect for the different meaning and interpretations people bring to educational initiatives ,and the nurturing of the garden within which new ideas can bloom( Stool. 1999) part 3 :

Evaluate the effectiveness or potential for effectiveness of leading professional development in an organization or team known to you. In your evaluation you will need to define the sense(s) in which you are defining effectiveness. You may consider changes in: the development of individuals organizational capacity and capability Capability and changes in student and/or staff learning and links to goals or targets. Finally make recommendations for developments drawing on your practice, the ideas and the materials from Theme 3 In this part I will examine the effectiveness of leading and implementing curriculum innovation using CIT ,which took place in a Lebanese primary school.

My definition of the term” effectiveness “is when an appropriate professional development provision is successfully matched to particular professional needs. The curriculum implementation required the use of high levels of skill in all of the key areas of leadership including strategy development and implementation, human resource management, teaching and learning, financial management, accountability, and liaison with key stakeholders and the community. Effectively led curriculum innovation, in our school, did improve standards of achievement and increase dents’ enjoyment and engagement in learning which the focus of all the staffs efforts was.

After the long term assessment of CIT use in the classroom, as a teacher I can confirmed that this professional development had deepened our teachers’ knowledge of the subjects being taught; sharpened teaching skills in the classroom; kept up with developments in the individual fields, and in education generally; generated and contributed new knowledge to the profession; Increased the ability to monitor students’ work, in order to provide constructive feedback to students and appropriately redirect teaching. From (The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000) In addition the sense of community, and the “supportive coaching”, and the follow up that was provided by the school leaders,-especially during the early phases of implementation when most problems is usually encountered- helped me and my colleagues” to develop and maintain a sense of efficacy regarding new teaching strategies” (Showers, Joyce, & Bennett, 1987).

It was the collaborative and sustained and a blame free environment that encouraged us with opportunities for discussion and exploration with colleagues, ND provided opportunities to extend and experiment with new practice. Monitoring and assessments were important steps were taken to track progress across thematic as well as subject- based curricula. In Such a way we were able to identify failing and vulnerable children, as well as giving leaders and teachers a detailed understanding of what they need to do at the end of each Key Stage in order ensure progress. In addition, the well-developed assessment systems provided accessible and user- friendly data to help teachers advance within-year progress . III these elements laded a key roles in the effectiveness of leading curriculum innovation.

Recommendations: I agree with Levine that CAP should no longer be comprised solely of short courses; teachers need opportunities to reflect, engage in professional dialogue, work with pupils, and engage in peer observation, coaching and feedback (Levine, 1999) And I agree with Sparks and Hirsch, who recommend the following national professional development model for teachers: ; Create learning schools in which all staff is involved in “sustained, rigorous study of what they teach and how they teach it. Provide time for teacher professional development equaling 25 percent of time during each day for teachers to work together and to collaboratively plan lessons and share information. Base professional development on the collaboration model-?teachers learning from each other.

This then in turn provides the best possible outcomes for my service users. By learning new kills and attending mandatory training with regular updates enables me to increase my knowledge and progress my working practices. It also assists me to be responsive and adaptable when requirements change. Continued personal development also needs to be extended to all members of the team. When I attend training I can pass on what knowledge I have gained to them however, by providing staff with training and qualifications such as CUFF it will improve their knowledge, skills and competence.

I also feel that CUP Increases confidence and self-esteem wealth the staff team and promotes good working raciest. Triangle provides staff with CUFF qualifications that helps to create a qualified workforce as well as promotional opportunities. I feel this will also assist with retaining staff as they do not feel they have to move to a different organization in order for them to develop within their careers. Personal development not only benefits me and my staff team but also the organization as a whole, but most Importantly the services users to whom we are providing a service.

1. Analyses potential barriers to professional development Wealth the workplace there are barriers to professional development. Budget implications can restrict what finances are available to assist staff to avail of professional courses offered in local colleges and universities. Restrictions are imposed on support staff who are eligible to register on CUFF level 2 courses, however level 3 is only offered to Team Leaders and not currently available to support staff who wish to progress. Restrictions of the service can also be a barrier to staff who are release staff to attend classes due to staff shortages.

Ambition is individualized and not all my staff are willing to develop as they state they are satisfied within their rent role and do not wish to progress in their careers. Other barriers may involve people’s ability to learn, for example a staff member who has a condition such as dyslexia may be resistant to professional development as they don’t feel they have the ability to achieve. Staff who may have had a poor learning experience in the past may also be reluctant due to lack of confidence in a learning environment.

Some staff may have issues within their home life and don’t feel able to commit to development due to other priorities. 1. 3 Compare the use of different sources and systems of support for professional placement Formal Support Formal support systems that are used in Triangle’s workplace to support professional development are the use of formal appraisal and supervision sessions for all members of staff. Another method of formal support that I would complete with Support staff and Team Leaders is Medication competency assessments.

All these methods are arranged in advance with the staff aware of what will be discussed and what will be achieved from this. Informal Support Informal support systems that are used in the workplace can be identified in the arm of emails. E. G. There are new guidelines in terms of recording accidents and incidents, I have referred staff to view the presentation on line to view this information. Supervision Supervision is currently done on a quarterly basis with substantive members of staff. Supervision can be carried out on an individual basis or as a group.

Discussions take place to reflect and evaluate performance during the period and how the member of staff can improve their working practices. It can also be an opportunity to acknowledge what a staff member has done well. Appraisal Appraisals are carried out on an annual basis and actively involve employees understanding of what is expected of them. By setting agreed objectives with your line manager and then reviewing the results at an agreed later time, the staff member is made responsible for their own performance.

Appraisal is an opportunity to review strengths and weaknesses, to take an overall assessment of work content, loads and volume and to look back on what has been achieved already and to set Mentoring Mentoring in the workplace can be described as a relationship in which a more experienced colleague uses his or her greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of a more Junior or inexperienced member of staff. Within the organization

Beyond the organization

1. Explain factors to consider when selecting opportunities and activities for keeping knowledge and practice up to date Factors which I consider to keep my knowledge and practice up to date as well as my staff members is the importance of attending appropriate training courses as well as updating regularly. Triangle housing provides a range of mandatory training courses such as first aid and manual handling, as recommendations change it is important staff are using the most up to date methods.

Factors to consider in terms of training are financial implications, is the training cost effective? What is the staff member going to gain from the training? Can staff be released from their duties to attend? IRAQI, SP and NCSC provide regular newsletters and updates to inform us of any changes in legislation, this is a good way of keeping up to date with current standards and recommendations. It is more difficult to share these changes with staff s some feel “it is not part of their role”.

I share updates during team meetings and also display articles and other information on staff notice boards for their attention. However I feel this information is not always taken on board. During Supervision and Appraisal I look at staff personal development individually. We discuss what training or qualifications the individual would like to pursue and how we can best meet this objective. I again consider cost implications, whether the course is accredited, is it appropriate to their current Job role and if it benefits the individual and the organization.

Scholar-Practitioner Model versus Practitioner-Model and its Impact on My Professional Development Abstract The practitioners-scholar approach is the model I plan to follow to pursue my long-term professional goals of working as a consultant. Understanding the distinction between scholar, practitioner, scholar-practitioner and practitioner-scholar all are instrumental in my ability to create a plan to becoming a practitioner-scholar. Focusing on the history of psychology, becoming an effective researcher and forming invaluable communication skills laid the groundwork for having a successful career as a practitioner-scholar.

Although, I do not feel I am either a scholar practitioner or practitioner scholar yet, my course work at Capella University will prepare me for the journey. Keywords: scholar, practitioner, practitioner-scholar, scholar-practitioner, research ? Scholar-Practitioner Model versus Practitioner-Model and its Impact on My Professional Development Reflecting on how I might become a practitioner-scholar, I realize the importance of understanding the distinction between scholar, practitioner, scholar-practitioner and practitioner-scholar, first. Scholars are wise master in their discipline, and distinguished leaders in their field.

In the field of psychology, I view scholars primarily as one that works in the academic setting. Practitioners are professionals who work within the community or corporate setting. Practitioners work within a particular career, driven by the needs of their clients (Peterson, 2006). Scholar-practitioners and practitioner-scholars differ in how they view the application of knowledge acquired. According to Wasserman and Kram (2009), scholar-practitioners bonded by theory, seek to generate knowledge first as the way to apply knowledge to the world.

Practitioners-scholars first guide themselves by the needs of the client, and then on the knowledge drawn from research-based theories to improve clients well being (Peterson, 2006). Wasserman and Kram (2009) view the concept scholar-practitioner and practitioner-scholar as a continuum. The continuum reflects the view that as psychologist we all hold the doctrine of studying the mind, its affects on behavior and ways through research and practice, we can improve humankind (Wasserman and Kram, 2009). Reflecting on the models, I realized neither describes where I am now.

I currently view , a student with goals of becoming a successful practitioner-scholar. My success as a practitioner-scholar lies in acquiring knowledge of the history of psychology, becoming an analytical researcher and applying these skills to produce invaluable forms of communication. In order to become a successful practitioner-scholar, acquiring knowledge of the history of psychology is quintessential in my long-term plans to becoming a practitioner-scholar. The history of psychology in America and its role in the education setting and community at large dates back to after World War II (Peterson 2006).

Intellectually gifted scientists who were brilliant researchers became the scholars of psychology. As scholars, they taught from a scientist, research perceptive. Therefore, when psychologists begin to leave the academic setting of universities and enter professional careers, they did so as science or scholar practitioners (Peterson 2006). According to Peterson (2006), education by scientists, training as scholars, with little to no professional preparation, sparked the great debate between the two models.

The old saying, “you don’t know where you are going until you know where you’ve been”, holds true here. Embracing the foundation of psychology provides me with a greater sense of respect for those who oppose the practitioner-scholar model. However, embarking on a journey to refute the opposition is exciting, and becoming an analytical researcher along the way, will support my plan in becoming a distinguish leader in the psychology community as a practitioner-scholar. Understanding the history of psychology laid the groundwork in my plans to becoming a practitioner-scholar.

Effective research will sharpen critical thinking skills, deepen analytical skills and overall continue to increase my knowledge of the study of psychology bringing me closer to becoming a practitioner-scholar. The ability to systematically identify and implement the necessary change is critical to a practitioner-scholar (Peterson 2006). Research is necessary as a practitioner-scholar because I need to think as a researcher in the context of my environment, to effectively and critical analyze the needs of my client.

Although, research would not be a key element in my daily work as a practitioner-scholar, my ability to master research as a graduate student will lay the groundwork for how well I can effectively communicate my theories or notions learned from research and client assessments. The rigors process of graduate school, learning the principle behind theories and applying research to support my writing will create invaluable forms of communication. Drawing from my previous work experience as a real estate broker, owner of a staffing agency and currently as an advocate for children with autism, I know communication is the ultimate key to success.

Simply put, you are only as good as you can sell yourself in this day and time. As grounded, as a psychologist should be in theory, practitioners have to be flexible within the world that they work in. The earlier issues faced by psychologist after World War II, according to Peterson (2006), was their inability to relate to their clients without communicating in the form of science, which is how they learned. This issue, open the initial search for practitioner-scholars (Peterson). Words have meaning and leave a lasting impression on the world at large.

Producing quality, effective and valuable forms of communication as it relates to the context of your environment, provides for a successful career as a practitioner-scholar. Ultimately, acquisition of all these skills will bring me closer to becoming a practitioner-scholar. The history of psychology helps me understand why the models are debated and thought of as mutually exclusive. Although, I currently identify as a learner, the goals I have planned for myself directly align with the skills needed to become a practitioner-scholar.

The intense process of graduate school including the massive amounts of work, papers, research and discussion questions answer will all help me become a practitioner-scholar. My understanding of the history of psychology, analytical research skills and becoming an invaluable communicator will all be skills needed to maintain beyond graduate level studies. As a learner of this model at Capella University, I fully expect to find myself starring back at a practitioner-scholar soon, when I look in the mirror. References Peterson, D. R. (1991).

Connection and disconnection of research and practice in the education of professional.. American Psychologist, 46(4), 422. Retrieved from http://ezproxy. library. capella. edu/login? url=http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&db=aph&AN=9104223512&site=ehost-live&scope=site Wasserman, I. C. , & Kram, K. E. (2009). Enacting the scholar-practitioner role: An exploration of narratives. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 45(1), 12-38. Retrieved from http://ezproxy. library. capella. edu/login? url=http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&db=bth&AN=36658601&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Continuing professional Development is a fundamental part of Teachers educational as only a Continuing Learning and training reassures a high level of knowledge and allows Teachers to keep their professional skills and knowledge up to date, examples of CPD consist of:

• Work based learning.
• Informal or practical learning, which takes place round life and work experience.
• Peer mentoring on job-shadowing.

How CPD may help?

CPD gives a new knowledge of what may help us to deal with a new or complicated situation, can also keep us to complete our goals. It also helps with keeping up to date with the latest Teaching techniques, regular reviews of procedures and practices, such as first aid and Child Protection.

Continuing professional development increase the standards of our skills set, to always be updating skills and developing knowledge, to be successful at work we do. In a school it is very important that we take a strong interest in continuing professional development, it means that our standards are mostly like to be high and also would make it more interesting to parents seeking placement for their child.

Teamwork as a part of CPD

Being able to work together as a group is very important, illustrating to pupils that team is essential for a society to work in harmony. This should require that each member of the team take on a specific role, sharing ideas and achievements. Effective teamwork between the school staff is very important as it ensures the smooth running of the school. Teacher team work is dependent on trusting, with each other and with their supervisors.

As a result of teamwork teachers and teaching assistants improve the way in which they work together well to meet the needs of the children in their classes. Teachers working together and helping each other creates a good environment for teamwork that improves students performance and confidence. The people in the school share the workload to allocate appropriate roles and responsibilities.

In a school environment, the man purposes of the team are to support and respect each other within the school team including all members of staff and children provide a safe environment. The main team purpose of team works:

• to provide a safe emotional environment for children;
• to motivate children to use their full intellectual potential;
• to support and respect one another.

In my setting, there are a number of purposes and objectives of the team in which they work. The purpose and means towards aim and goals, the objective we are trying to achieve is to help all children to achieve their English, Maths and reading.

To prepare them to year 2, provide them with all round curriculum for year 1, assist in development and passion for learning and happiness in school and also safety atmosphere. The values form the foundation of the curriculum the following are our nine Hampton values:

• Expectations.
• Collaboration.
• Independence.
• Reflection.
• Resilience.
• Risk taking.
• Creativity.
• Enjoyment.
• Aspiration.

Building positive relationships with peers and staff, the three aims at the school are: Successful- with an appetite for learning, a lifelong passion for learning where they make progress and achieve. Confident- live safe healthy and rewarding lives

Responsible-making a positive contribution to our diverse and changing society. Giving general support within a specific class or department. Within a primary school, the purpose of the Teacher assistant is to work with the class teacher and in many cases with other adults and assistants who work together.

Within a Secondary school, the assistant is more likely to work within a specific department or subject that you have a particular strength in, such as Maths, English. A clear understanding of your weekly and daily activities and tasks should be available through discussions with teachers and access to plans.

Supporting a named child- if you work with an individual child you may also work alongside others such as SENCO or external professionals, who may come into the school such as the following:

• Education welfare officer.
• Occupational therapist.
• Speech and language therapist.
• Specialist teachers.

Answer CASE STUDY : 1 A policy is a plan of action. It is a statement of intention committing the management to a general course of action. When the management drafts a policy statement to cover some features of its personnel programmes, the statement may often contain an expression of philosophy and principle as well. Although it is perfectly legitimate for an organization to include its philosophy, principles and policy in one policy expression. Q1) Why organizations adopt personnel policies explain the benefits? Recruitment and Selection Policies pertaining to the recruitment and selection process are the foundation of building any workforce. You must have a plan for creating applications, how to prequalify applicants, how applicants move up to become a candidate and other employment procedures. This set of policies also benefits current employees who refer applicants to your business. Training and Professional Development • Provisions for employee training and development are included in human resource policy documents because it informs employees of the kind of professional development available to them.

In addition, policies related to training and development assistance in the formulation of employee development plans or performance improvement plans. Training and development policies serve as an outline of educational benefits available to current employees. Handling Employee Concerns • Many companies have written procedures for handling employee complaints, whether they are internal, informal complaints or allegations made about the employer to enforcement agencies. The benefit of this policy is to document your company’s commitment to nondiscriminatory practices and how such complaints are resolved.

These policies also benefit employees because they provide important information about workplace communication in the event an employee is unsure of who she contacts to discuss any concerns or problems. Workplace Safety • In a time when more than worker safety in the performance of her job is the primary issue addressed in safety policies, employers distribute policies that address matters such as workplace violence. These types of policies are generally discussed in detail with employee groups; an emergency evacuation policy isn’t effective if you don’t discuss it until the emergency happens.

Another benefit to having a human resources safety policy is adherence to federal and state guidelines for workplace safety. Organizational Structure • An introduction to the human resources policy manual explains the organizational structure, what departments fulfill which expectations and company leadership. In the introductory section, many employers also explain the company philosophy as it is related to customer service, co-workers, leadership and business ethics. Ethics statements are extremely popular, especially in a world where social responsibility is observed by so much of the population.

This section of a human resources policy manual may also state the company’s compliance with federal, state and local anti-discrimination laws. Employment Rules • Employees are accustomed to learning specific workplace rules such as dress code, discipline procedures, parking, attendance and working hours, holidays, employee benefits and payroll dates. The human resources policy on these issues is easy accessed by employees who have questions, or reviewed by new employees eager to learn more about their new employer.

The benefit is that you have a written commitment to employees about the operation of the business. ============================================== Q2) What are the sources and content of personnel policies? PERSONNEL POLICY • Personnel policies constitute guide to action. They furnish the general standards or basis on which decisions are reached. • A policy is man-made rule or predetermined course of action that is established to guide the performance of work towards the organization.

It is a type of standing plan that serves to guide subordinates in the execution of their work————- Edwin B. Flippo. • Policies include that body of understanding which makes the action of each member of group in a given set of circumstances more predictable to other members. ——–Haynes and Massie. • Policies are general statement or understanding which guide or channel thinking in decision making of subordinates. ——Koontz and O’Donnell. • Personnel policies are statements of objectives for the guidance of management in its relations with employees.

ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT AND SOURCES OF PERSONNEL POLICIES Policies stem from a wide variety of places and people. They are not created in a vacuum but are based on a few principal sources, which determine the content and meaning of policies. These are: • The past experience of the organization. • The prevailing practices. • The attitude, ideals and philosophy of the board of directors. • The knowledge and experience gained from handling personnel problems. • Employees’ suggestions and complaints. • Collective bargaining programme. State and national legislations. • Changes in the country’s economy. • International forces. • Culture of the plant. • The extent of unionism. • The attitudes and social values of labour. • The goals of the organization. • The ethical points of view or the social responsibility. OBJECTIVES OF PERSONNEL POLICY • Attention on objectives of the organization. • Maximum individual development and satisfaction. • Maximum use of resources. • Offsetting uncertainty and change. • Good industrial relations. • Better control. Morale. • Consistent treatment. • Continuity of practice. CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONNEL POLICY 1. A personnel policy is formulated in the context of organizational objectives. 2. A policy may be in written or it has to be interpreted from the behaviour of organizational members particularly people at top. 3. A policy is formulated through the various steps in the decision making process. 4. It provides guidelines. 5. Policy formulation is a function of all managers, however top management has important role in policy making. 6.

Policy statement should be positive, clear and easily understood by everyone. 7. It provides two-way communication. 8. It should be balanced and maintain consistency. PRINCIPLE OF PERSONNEL POLICY ? Principle of common interest ? Principle of development ? Principle of recognition of work ? Principle of recognition of trade unions ? Principle of participation ? Principle of change STEPS IN POLICY ? Initiating the needs ? Fact – findings ? Putting the policy in writing ? Communicating the policy ? Evaluating the policy. CONTENTS OF PERSONEL POLICY Name of the company. • Procedure and techniques of recruitment and selection. • Organizational relationship—allocation of work authorities and responsibilities. • Working conditions. • Training and development— full details regarding planning objectives and methods of training. • Procedure of handling the grievances. • Rules and regulations. • Joint consultation. • Line of authority. • Collective bargaining. • Industrial relations. • Health and safety. • Welfare. • Wages and salaries. Q3) Explain few personnel policies? MAIN POLICY STATEMENTS 1.

Employment Policy———-to obtain suitable qualified and experienced personnel and to enable them to derive satisfaction from employment by offering them attractive wages, good working conditions, security and opportunities for promotions. 2. Training policy——-to provide adequate training facilities to enable employees to learn to do their job effectively and to prepare themselves for promotions. 3. Wage and salary policy—–to pay wages and salaries that compare favourably with those of other firms locally within a structure that has due regards for recognized differentials and individual ability. 4.

Industrial relation policy—–to operate adequate procedures for dealing with disputes and grievances quickly and make every effort to improve relations between management and employees through the use of participative method. 5. Welfare policy—–to safeguard the health and safety of all employees and to provide such welfare and social activities as are sincerely desired by employees and are mutually beneficial to them and company. Q4) Explain principles of personnel policies? Principles of personnel policy Management Management for us means assuming responsibility for our stakeholders and delegating at the right level.

We achieve both predefined and individual goals regardless of personal preferences and while maintaining equal opportunities, irrespective of origin, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, religion or age. Managers challenge and motivate, in the same way as they themselves are challenged and motivated. Employment plan The employment plan is discussed annually by the Board of Directors as part of the budget meet-ing. In principle, we want to avoid any labour reserves. We cover peak times using interdepartmen-tal support, overtime or temporary employees. Staff development

We demand a high level of commitment and qualifications. We encourage the development of technical and social skills through training and further education. Because we invest a lot in our employees, we strive to maintain long-term employment relationships. We support young people by offering apprenticeships and/or internships. Social aspects We offer progressive working conditions and competitive employee benefits. We also provide as-sistance for employees who use public transport and help with health insurance provisions. Smok-ing is only permitted in designated areas. Salaries

Our system ensures that our salaries are competitive, gender-neutral and meet requirements. The basic salary is the main component of the salary. In addition there is a variable component which is dependent on the extent to which individually agreed targets are achieved and on the operating performance of the company as a whole. More details are available in the Employment Regulations. Job structure We offer a practical infrastructure with modern, if not fashionable, working tools. Depending on the position, we are open to flexible working hours. Information, communication and behaviour

Regarding information and communication, we practice the principle of reciprocity: actively com-municate information and actively obtain information. We behave in a respectful, loyal, open and honest manner, and act with integrity. We complete our tasks with dedication and to the best of our knowledge. Working environment We work in an environment of mutual trust. We hold joint events to build team spirit and mutual understanding. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ CASE STUDY : 2 Recruitment is understood as the process of searching for and obtaining applicants for jobs, from among whom the rights people can be selected.

Theoretically, recruitment process is said to end with the receipt of applications, in practice the activity extends to the screening of applications so as to eliminate those who are not qualified for the job. Recruitment refers to the process of receipt of applications from job seekers. In reality, the term is used to describe the entire process of employee hiring. These are recruitment boards for railways, banks and other organization. Q1) Explain in detail the general purpose of recruitment? recruitment provides a desirable number of candidates for an organization’s open positions.

Recruitment also manages the costs in time and money for hiring employees. Recruitment enables the organization to meet social and legal obligations. By sourcing, developing and recruiting candidates, recruitment facilitates the organization’s hiring process. The recruitment process is one of the most fundamental value added HR Processes. The recruitment is especially critical for managers in the organization. The managers use the recruitment process intensively, and satisfaction with Human Resources is mostly about the satisfaction with the recruitment process.

The recruitment process is sensitive to the external and internal changes, and it can be used as the best indicator for the future HR trends. By careful analysis of HR Recruitment Measures, the HR Management team can predict the trends in the job market simply. Main Recruitment Process Goals The recruitment process is designed to staff the organization with the new employees, and it uses many different recruitment sources to attract the right talent in the defined quality and within a defined time. The recruitment process has several goals: • Find the best talents for the vacancies Manage the recruitment sources • Manage the vacancies in the organization • Run the internal recruitment process • Building the strong HR Marketing platform • Co-operation with local and international universities • Provide feedback about the trends in the job market Most recruitment goals are not visible to managers directly, and they use just sourcing of the job candidates as the main outcome from the recruitment process. HR has to use the other outcomes from the recruitment process as it is the source of valuable information.

Finding the best talents on the job market This is the most important goal of the recruitment process. The HR Recruiters are paid for delivering the candidates to managers, who make the final decision about hiring a new employee. The organizations are fighting for the best talents in the job market. HR Recruiters have to develop the competitive approaches to make the attractive job offers. The candidates select the organization, which is recognized for being modern and competitive. The job adverts and job offers have to reflect this.

The managers love to hire the best employees available on the job market. They love to interview motivated job candidates. The role of HR is to describe the real need to the manager. Many times, the best job candidate is not the appropriate job candidate. Recruitment Sources Management The recruitment sources management is an extremely significant goal of the recruitment process. The recruitment sources deliver the candidates for the selection procedure in the organization. The better the candidates are; the higher quality job candidates can be hired.

The proper management of the recruitment sources has a significant impact on the competitive advantage of the organization. The better employees do not have to be more expensive, but the organization has to manage the recruitment sources to attract the high quality job candidates. Building the Strong Internal Recruitment Process The external recruitment is not the only goal of the recruitment process. Building the strong internal recruitment helps the organization to keep the best talents in the organization.

The employees have a chance to apply for a new job position, and they can change their career path. The internal recruitment is a difficult HR topic as the managers have to allow their best employees to take a new role within the organization. The role of Human Resources is in allowing the best employees to rotate and in supporting the managers in developing the successors. HR Marketing The HR Marketing is essential for the large organization, which need to attract many job candidates. The large organization cannot hire just the experts; they have to attract many university graduates.

The graduates do select the employer by the strength of the brand name on the job market and offered opportunities in the organization. The HR has to design the recruitment activities, which support the name of the employer on the job market. The organization has to build a positive brand name, and it has to promote the job opportunities and excellent career paths. ========================= Q2) Explain factors governing Recruitment? Factors Governing Recruitment: Given its key role and external visibility, recruitment isnaturally subject to influence of several factors. These include external andinternal forces.

External Forces: Of particular importance is the supply and demand of specific skills in the labour market. If the demand for a particular skill ishigh relative to the supply, an extraordinary recruiting effort may be needed. When the unemployment rate in a given area is high the companies’recruitment process may be simpler. The number of unsolicited applicantsis usually greater, and the increased size of the labour pool provides betteropportunities for attracting qualified applicants. On the other hand, as theunemployment rates drops recruiting efforts must be increased and newsources explored.

Labour-market conditions in a local area are of primary importance inrecruiting for most non-managerial, supervisory and middle-mgt. positions. However, so far as recruitment for executive and professional positions areconcerned conditions of all India market are important. Another external factor is political and legal considerations. Reservation of jobs for SCs, STs, minorities, and other backward classes(OBCs) is a political decision. The companies’ image also matters inattracting large number of job seekers. Blue-chip companies’ attract largenumber of applications.

Often, it is not the money that is important. It is theperception of the job seekers about the company that matters in attractingqualified prospective employees. Internal Factors: There are certain internal forces which deserveconsideration while recruiting personnel. One such internal factor is the recruiting policy of the organization. Most organizations have a policy onrecruiting internally (from own employees) or externally (from outside theorganization). Generally, the policy is to prefer internal sourcing, as own employees know the company well and can recommend candidates who fitthe organizations culture.

Another related policy is to have temporary and part-time employees. An organization hiring temporary and part-time employees is in a less advantageous position in attracting sufficient applications. MNCs operating in our country prefer local citizens as they can understand local languages, customs and business practices well. A major internal factor that can determine the success of therecruiting programme is whether or not the company engages in HRP. Effective HRP greatly facilitates the recruiting efforts. Size is another internal factor having its influence on the recruitmentprocess.

An organization with one hundred thousand employee will findrecruiting less problematic than an organization with just one hundredemployees. Cost of recruiting is yet another internal factor that has to beconsidered. Recruiting cost are calculated per new higher and fig. isconsiderable now-a-days. Recruiters must, therefore, operate withinbudgets. Careful HRP and forethought by recruiters can minimizerecruitment costs. One cost-saving measure, for instance, is recruiting formultiple job openings simultaneously.

The best solution is to use proactivepersonnel practices to reduce employee turnovers, thus, minimizing theneed for recruiting. Evaluating the quality, quantity and cost of recruitmenthelps ensure that it is efficient and cost-effective. Finally, an organization registering growth and expansion will havemore recruiting on hand than the one which finds its fortunes declining. Q3) Explain the Recruitment process with diagram? AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS ———————————————————————————– PROCESS ELEMENTS FOR ALL POSITIONS ——————————————–! ————! ———————- STEP 1 PREPARING JOB ANALYSES PREPARING JOB DESC ———————————————————————————- STEP 2 PREPARING JOB SPECS ———————————————————————————– STEP 3 DECIDING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT [ MEETS ALL GOVERNMENT REGULATION ON EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS] ———————————————————————————— STEP 4 ADVERTISING COPY/MEDIA PLAN] except for senior positions [ head hunting] [ MUST REFLECT TRUTH, NO FALSE INFORMATION, NO GENDER BIAS, NO DISCRIMINATION,NO AGE BAR, ETC] ————————————————————————————————————————————— STEP 5 INTERNAL APPLICANT EXTERNAL APPLICANT except for tech [ outsourcing ] ONLINE APPLICANT and senior positions [ head hunting] ————————————————————————————————————————————– STEP 6

SIFTING APPLICATIONS ———————————————————————————————————– STEP 7 PERSONAL INTERVIEW -INDIVIDUAL PER TO PER —————————————————————————— —————– STEP 8 -PANEL INTERVIEW ——————————————————————————————————- STEP 9 -SELECTION BOARD only for senior positions ——————————————————————————————————- STEP 10

TESTING [ BEHAVIORAL] -PSYCHOLOGICAL procedural element for all positions except senior position -PERSONALITY procedural element for all positions except senior position -ABILITY procedural element for all positions except senior position -APTITUDE procedural element for all positions except senior position -PSYCHOMETRIC procedural element for all positions ———————————————————————————————————————————— STEP 11

TESTING [ TECHNICAL ] only for tech. positions ———————————————————————————————————————————— STEP 12 ASSESSMENT CENTRE only for senior positions -POTENTIAL ———————————————————————————————————————————– STEP 13 OBTAINING REFERENCE procedural element for all positions ———————————————————————————————————————————- STEP 14

CHECKING REFERENCE procedural element for all positions ————————————————————————————————- STEP 15 MAKING DECISION procedural element for all positions [ NO DISCRIMINATION, NO COLOR BAR, NO SEX DISCRIMINATION, PURELY ON MERIT ] ———————————————————————————————— STEP 16 OFFERING EMPLOYMENT procedural element for all positions ————————————————————————————————- STEP 17

PREPARING EMPLOYMENT procedural element for all positions LETTER ———————————————————————————————————————————– STEP 18 -HR sends out letters to the unsuccessful candidates. ————————————————————————————— STEP 19 -HR CHECKS REFERENCES. [ ABIDE BY LAW ] ————————————————————————————— STEP 20 -HR SENDS OUT OFFER LETTERS TO SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES. —————————————————————————————- STEP 21 -THE LINE MANAGERS / AGREE TO THE START DATE AND INDUCTION PROGRAMME. ——————————————————————————– STEP 22 PERSONAL FILE CREATION -HR CREATES ”PERSONAL FILE ”. ——————————————————————————— STEP 23 HANDOVER TO HR / ADMINISTRATION -THE LINE MANAGER HANDS OVER THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PAYROLL ADMIN AND INDUCTION TO HR. ———————————————————————————- STEP 24 -HR PREPARES WELCOME PACK / EMPLOYEE MANUAL. —————————————————————————————— STEP 25 ARCHIVING OF APPOINTMENT FILES. -HR ARCHIVES SELECTED CANDIDATES FILE. -HR DESTROYS UNSUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES FILES AFTER 6 MONTHS. [ BY LAW, ALL OLD FILES MUST BE DESTROYED ] ======================================================= ========================================================== Q4) Explain Recruitment planning?

Recruitment is the process used by an organization to locate and attract job applicants in order to fill a position. An effective approach to recruitment can help a company successfully compete for limited human resources. To maximize competitive advantage, a company must choose the recruiting method that produces the best pool of candidates quickly and cost effectively. There are five steps to the process. STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE JOB OPENING This step would appear to be an easy one-just wait until an employee turns in a notice of resignation. Many job openings are, in fact, identified in this way.

A major problem with this approach is that it may take the company a long time to fill the opening. For instance, it usually takes six to eight weeks to notify and screen applicants, and a week or more to make a decision regarding a job offer. After the decision is made, the selected candidate must give notice (usually about two weeks) to his or her previous employer. Thus, the job in question is likely to remain vacant for months, even if the process runs smoothly. Ideally, organizations should attempt to identify job openings well in advance of an announced resignation.

The HRM department should plan for future openings in both the short and long term. The projection of future openings provides organizations with the time needed to plan and implement recruitment strategies so that they do not fall prey to the “must-hire-by-last-week” syndrome. The HR plan should answer at least the following questions: • Are any newly budgeted positions opening soon? • Is a contract under negotiation that may result in the need for additional hires? • What is the amount of expected turnover in the next several months?

STEP 2: DECIDE HOW TO FILL THE JOB OPENING The first question to ask after determining that an opening exists is “Do we need to find a new person to fill the vacant position? ” Sometimes it is unnecessary to staff a vacant position because the firm can rely on other alternatives. For instance, it may be more prudent to provide overtime opportunities to current workers to complete the needed work. Other alternatives include job elimination and job redesign (i. e. , incorporating the tasks of the vacant position into currently existing positions).

If the firm chooses to fill the vacancy, it must address two issues: (1) whether to outsource, and (2) in the absence of outsourcing, whether to recruit candidates internally or externally. STEP 3: IDENTIFY THE TARGET POPULATION Now the organization must determine what types of individuals it is looking for to fill the vacant positions. To address this question, an organization must define its target population. Two issues arise here: (1) specifying worker requirements and (2) deciding whether to target a certain segment of the applicant population.

An organization must identify specific requirements of the job: the duties, reporting relationships, salary range for hiring, and competencies required of a new worker (e. g. , education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities). Ideally, much of this information will have been gathered during a job analysis and thus be contained in the job description. If not, the recruiter should gather it from the hiring manager. An organization must also decide at this point whether to target all qualified applicants or to focus its recruitment efforts on certain segments of the qualified applicant population.

When recruiting internally, the issue is this: Should the company post the job so that all qualified employees can be considered? Or should the company select certain high-potential employees and groom them for the position? When recruiting externally, the company must decide whether to inform all potential applicants or target certain types. Companies may reap advantages when they target members of certain groups. Another strategy is to target graduates of specific schools that have exceptionally strong programs in the functional areas of concern.

Additionally, some companies target top-performing employees working for other companies. Recruitment of such individuals poses some unique problems, however; these individuals may be difficult to reach because they are not actively seeking a new job. Moreover, the practice of pirating employees from other firms raises some serious ethical questions. STEP 4: NOTIFY THE TARGET POPULATION Once an applicant population has been targeted, the company must determine how to notify these individuals of the vacant position. A variety of recruitment methods may be used for communicating vacancies.

A firm can benefit from both low-involvement and high-involvement strategies at this stage of the recruitment process. Low-involvement strategies are things such as corporate sponsorship or advertisements of the company’s product or service may influence applicants’ positive perceptions of that firm and therefore increase applicant attraction, but do not specifically identify a job opening. High-involvement recruitment strategies involve things such as detailed recruitment advertisements or employee endorsements, which occur hen potential applicants meet with current employees to hear more about their experiences with that company. Both low-involvement and high-involvement strategies have a positive effect on the number of applicants who apply for jobs with an organization and on the quality of the applicants who apply. When choosing a specific way to notify the target population, different recruitment methods may be used. Some popular options are internal job postings; newspaper, radio, and television advertisements; trade magazine advertisements; Internet job sites; college campus interviews; and current employee referrals.

The choice of which to use depends on the number of positions to be filled, the cost of each recruitment method, the characteristics of the target audience, and economic conditions. The more positions to be filled, the more widely the firm may choose to advertise, perhaps using a newspaper or radio advertisement. Costs differ for recruitment methods and a firm may be willing to invest more in recruitment when suitable applicants are difficult to find or when poor hiring decisions may be costly.

The characteristics of the target audience influence recruitment method; for example, using an Internet posting would be fruitless if most of the applicant pool is unlikely to have access to a computer. Poor economic conditions, where unemployment is high, will result in higher numbers of job applicants and possibly a lower average level of quality of applicants. In this situation, to avoid spending an inordinate amount of time weeding through applications, firms must discourage all but the best applicants from applying. STEP 5: MEET WITH THE CANDIDATES

Finally, the most qualified candidates are brought in for interviews and other assessment procedures. These serve both selection and recruitment purposes. From a selection perspective, they give the firm a chance to further assess the candidates’ qualifications. From a recruitment perspective, they provide the candidates with an opportunity to learn more about the employment opportunity. Candidates should be provided with information about the company and the job. Failure to provide a sufficient amount of information could be detrimental to the recruiting process.

For example, it may be interpreted by the candidates as an attempt to evade discussion of unattractive job attributes, or it may be viewed as an indication of the recruiter’s disinterest in them. Without specific information, applicants might accept a job offer without knowing about aspects of it that might affect their long-term job satisfaction, or they may refuse an offer without knowing about some of the job’s attractive attributes. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ CASE STUDY : 3 Navin AGM materials, is fuming and fretting. He bumped into Kiran, GM Materials, threw the resignation letter on his table, shouted and walked out of the room swiftly.

Navin has reason for his sudden outburst. He has been driven to the wall. Perhaps details of the story will tell the reasons for Navin’s bile and why he put in his papers, barely four months after he took up his assignment. The year was 2005 when Navin quit the prestigious Sail plant at Mumbai. As a manager material Navin enjoyed the power. He could even place an order for materials worth Rs 25 lakh. He needed nobody’s prior approval. Navin joined a pulp making plant located at Pune as AGM Materials. The plant is owned by a prestigious business house in India.

Obviously perks, designation and reputation of the conglomerate lured Navin away from the public sector. When he joined the pulp making company, little did Navin realize that he needed prior approval to place an order for materials worth Rs 12 lakhs. He had presumed that he had the authority to place an order by himself worth half the amount of what he used to do at the mega steel maker. He placed the order material arrived, were recived, accepted and used up in the plant. Trouble started when the bill for Rs 12 lakh came from vendor. The accounts department withheld payment for the reason that the bill was not endorsed by Kiran.

Kiran rused to sign the bill as his approval was not taken by Navin before placing the order. Navin felt fumigated and cheated. A brief encounter with Kiran only aggrarated the problem. Navin was curtly told that he should have known company rules before venturing. Navin decided to quit the company. Q1) Does the company have an orientation programme? It does’nt look like the company has an orientation programme or it is inaffective. —————————————- Q2) If yes how effective is it? It is not as effective, as it should be. —————————————– Q3) How is formal Orientation programme conducted? The orientation process has three stages: 1 A general orientation 2 A departmental orientation, and 3 A specific job orientation They are conducted by different parties. The General Orientation is usually managed by either the Training Department or the Human Resources Department, with the Departmental Orientation by the Department Head or first Assistant, while the specific Job Orientation can be carried out by an experienced and trained employee (trained on how to train).

These guidelines are intended for people conducting the General Orientation: A general rule of thumb for having the audience interested in the general orientation is to 1 Make them feel at ease (open circle). 2 Make sure that they had enough time to read the employee manual ahead of orientation time. 3 Spend a good portion of the introduction time towards self-introductions, spiced with open questions. 4 Get them to know who Management is: have a big chart in the orientation/training room which depicts how the organisation is set up, with photos of the management team ext to their title. 5 Get them acquainted with the operation: have another large chart in the room depicting the flow of work and communications regarding the organization; this flow should include customers, suppliers and all parties affecting the organisation (I had just planned such a chart for the hotel where I dealt with Training and Development, wrote it out in text, had an artist depict it with cartoon characters on a big white chart, making it educational but humorous – after all this was a hotel. Maybe in a technical company humour is not allowed.

I explained it to the artist and we showed how each job position affected the final product since the customer’s / guest’s first contact with the operation and ending with the last contact. 6 Have them know and see departments in operation: based on this drawing I conducted the orientation and explained all functions of the hotel, promising a personal tour of all the departments we discussed, including back areas, where the Department Heads received us personally and gave further insight on their departments. Allay their fears and doubts: cover subjects which are usually never mentioned in orientations, such as the difficulties new employees or supervisors experience, about turnover figures, about how people assimilate better after hanging out three months, about how they can turn to you for any difficulties they experience, be it regarding their rejection by existing old-timers or other matters. Let them know they can always turn to you for confidential advice (do not forget that any new person has fears and doubts regarding being accepted, succeeding or failing). Encourage friendships among new employees: try to create a team spirit among the existing group of newcomers – by the end of the day or the two days you will have created a group of employees at different levels and from different departments who will cooperate and enhance communications across the organisation. 9 Extend respect to them as human beings: have lunch with them as a group (I saw too many people who conduct orientations go to a different lunch room and this is very insulting). 0 Enable first hand contact with upper management: have different Executives come to welcome the group and assure them of management’s commitment to help them succeed. Introduce each of the newcomers, dwell on their position, career background and personal interests. 11 Assure them that the organisation welcomes their observations, comments, and critiques. 12 Last but not least, share company goals with them. Discuss it with them. Ask what their own personal and career goals are and try to (right there and then) mesh their own goals with the company goals.

This strategy (action plan) has proven to be highly successful. It cuts down on turnover drastically, engenders trust, cooperation and motivation. Although these sessions should be welcoming, orientations for new employees should also be more than a feel-good gesture. They should also be more than an instructional session that provides essential human resources, benefits, and payroll information for new employees. The most effective orientations help new employees understand what will be expected of them and prepare them for the organization’s work culture.

Orient the expectations of new employees Managing expectations has long been a mantra of salespeople, account executives, and others whose responsibilities are focused primarily outside the organization. Expectation management falls on human resources managers as well. Managing expectations can start as early as during new-employee orientations. In new-employee orientations, the HR manager is essentially bringing new employees’ expectations in line with the organization’s expectations.

Accurately aligning these sets of expectations in the first weeks of employment helps employees become productive more quickly and ensures that they enjoy greater job satisfaction throughout their tenures. Some studies suggest that well-executed new-employee orientations can also: 1 Lengthen the time that employees stay with a company. 2 Enhance staff cooperation and communication. 3 Improve client-customer relations because staff members have better work attitudes. Communicate the organization’s big picture Where is your organization going?

Even if your company has not made a formal strategic planning document, it has communicated some important long-term goals. Too often, however, these goals aren’t shared with new employees whose efforts help determine whether the organization’s goals are met. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that employees, even entire departments, sometimes operate under disparate assumptions about the company’s priorities and objectives. All new employees, from entry-level staff members to senior executives, should view themselves as members of an organization-wide team working toward a defined and united goal.

Certainly new employees need to understand their specific roles, but first they need to understand the big-picture objectives of the organization, including objectives such as: 1 Is the organization striving to be an industry innovator? 2 Is the organization working to develop an international presence? Whatever the objectives, new employees should be given a brief introduction to your organization’s goals. If you can, provide a copy of your annual report or a company brochure that explains your organization’s goals.

With a bigger-picture perspective, employees are better equipped to understand their specific role as it relates to long-term objectives. Describe the unspoken company culture Company culture can’t be fully captured in job descriptions or employee manuals, because culture is both explicit and unspoken. Most employees determine what behaviors are acceptable as the organization evolves. However, an effective orientation can help new employees transition more easily into the unique culture of your organization.

Even in highly conventional corporate cultures, it’s preferable to share the unspoken aspects of company culture to ensure that all new employees understand their work environments. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that cultural nuances are obvious or that new employees will raise questions if they’re unsure about what to wear or when to arrive at work. Some unspoken aspects of company culture to share are: 1 Dress code What’s the norm for the dress code? 2 Internal communication Is vertical communication encouraged or frowned upon? 3 Phone etiquette Do employees routinely forward their phone calls to voice mail? Parking Are there any unspoken rules about where employees can park? 5 Lunch Do most employees eat in or out? Are there good places to eat nearby? 6 Work hours Are work hours fixed or flexible? 7 Extracurricular activities Are there groups of employees that get together outside work? 8 Attitudes Are work teams more cooperative or more competitive? Share the routine details As a seasoned HR professional, you probably already use a comprehensive checklist to ensure that new employees receive and complete all required documentation, from W-4 forms to insurance forms to e-mail account requests.

Unfortunately, the sheer volume of this paperwork can eclipse the routine information that new employees need on their very first day. To help new employees get started, be sure that they know: 1 The layout of your office or campus A tour is preferable, but at the very least provide a user-friendly map. 2 The location of the restrooms Inform them of the locations of restrooms near their work areas. 3 Names and contact information of two coworkers Give them the contact information of two coworkers in their department, besides their immediate supervisor or hiring manager.

Outline the employee’s specific role The best way for new employees to become productive quickly is by immersing themselves in their new positions. Immerse new employees in their jobs For positions with formal training, immersion is easy. New employees simply pass from orientation to training, often in the same day. For positions without formal training, role immersion can be more difficult. Too often, supervisors and managers aren’t available when new employees start, so employees are left with little more to do than read the company handbook during their first few days on the job.

This can be confusing, especially for new employees who are expecting a challenging, fast-paced environment. Introduce new employees to their jobs The best employee orientations conclude with introductions to each employee’s specific job role. If several employees in a single role have been hired at one time, this introduction can occur in a group setting. Otherwise, new employees should receive one-on-one introductions from their managers or team leaders as part of their orientation. Orient employees for success

Starting a new job always involves a learning curve, but effective orientations can help new employees make the transition by equipping them with: 1 An understanding of company goals. 2 An appreciation for the company’s unique culture. 3 Routine information to get started. 4 An introduction to their role within the organization. Employees who are well oriented to the company and to their jobs are ready to begin making a significant contribution. ########################################## Q4) If you were Navin what would have you done? 1.

DISCUSS THE PROS/CONS OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM AND THE NEED FOR REVISION FOR THE SAKE OF OPERATION EFFICIENY. #################### CASE STUDY : 4 Bitter it may taste, shrill it may sound, and sleepless nights it may cause, but it is true. In a major shake up Airbus. The European aircraft manufacturers has thrown a big shock to its employees. Before coming to the details of the shock, a peep into the company’s resume. Name Airbus Created 1970 President CEO : Vijay M. Employees 57000 Turnover 26 Bn (Euro) Total Aircraft sold (Feb 2007) 7187 Delivered 4598 Headquarters Paris (France)

Facilities 16 Rival Boeing Airbus announced on February 27, 2007 that it would shed 10,000 jobs across four European contries and sell six of its unit. N the same day the helpless workers did what was expected of them – downed tools and staged protests. The protesting workers at Airbus’s factory at Meaulte, northern France, were seen picketing outside the factory gate after holding up production a day earlier. To be fair to Airbus, its management entered talks with unions before the job loss and sale was formally announced. But the talks did not mollify the agitated workers.

This essay aims to discuss the importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) within a National Health Service (NHS) medical imaging department; and how it contributes to delivering high quality patient-centred care. It will include any associated advantages and/or disadvantages to the NHS and imaging department; and discuss the impact of compulsory CPD associated with management and service delivery. Finally, radiography specific examples of CPD currently documented within the NHS will we stated with suggestions for increased uptake of CPD within imaging departments.

CPD is described by the Health Professionals Council (HPC) as ‘a range of learning activities through which individuals can maintain and develop throughout their careers, to ensure that they retain a capacity to practice legally, safely and effectively within an evolving scope of practice’ (HPC, 2006: 1). All radiographers must be registered by the HPC in order to practice in the United Kingdom; ensuring regulation and compliance with prescribed standards of practice. This therefore provides public protection.

In 2005 the HPC made CPD a mandatory requirement for all health professionals in order to remain registered, or if renewing registration (SCoR, 2008: 5). Registrants are required to keep accurate, continuous and up-to-date CPD records of activities. This includes professionals in full or part-time work, in management, research or education (HPC, 2006: 3). The activities should be varied and include for example, work based learning, professional activity, formal education and self directed learning; which should have relevance to current or future practice (HPC, 2006: 2).

The practitioner must aim to show that the quality of their practice, service delivery and service user have benefited as a result of the CPD. In addition to patients, ‘service user’ also encompasses clients, department-team and students (HPC, 2006: 4). To ensure compliance with HPC standards, a random selection of registrants are audited with their CPD profile being submitted and reviewed. The practitioners profile must demonstrate a representative sample of activities, with a minimum of twelve recorded pieces pning the previous two years; documenting professional development. HPC, 2006: 3).

The process of CPD requires the practitioner to review their practice regularly, in order to identifying learning requirements (SCoR, 2008: 1). After performance of the CPD activity, an evaluation and written statement summarises its impact, quality and value to future practice (SCoR, 2008: 2). Although some CPD learning activities will occur spontaneously it may also be done through discussion with a manager (SCoR, 2008: 4).

This continuous process maintains and enhances expertise, knowledge and competence, both formally and informally; beyond initial training (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 7). It allows ongoing development through life-long learning and ensures the practitioner achieves their full potential, helping provide a high quality patient-centred service, based on up to date evidence (RCR, 2007: 10). The advancement of diagnostic imaging and the demand for imaging services in the NHS has significantly affected the role of the radiographer (Smith and Reeves, 2010: 1).

Understanding that radiographer’s initial training is not sufficient for the duration of their career, coupled with many significant government developments, has emphasised the need for CPD; with associated advantages and disadvantages to the NHS and imaging department (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 7). French and Dowds (2008: 193), suggests that through CPD, professionals can achieve professional and personal growth, acquire, develop and improve skills required for new roles and responsibilities.

In support of this Lee (2010: 4) suggests that CPD related to self-confidence, improved ability to problem solve, with a greater understanding of local and national organisational needs. However, it was consistently found that new skills and knowledge deriving from CPD activities could not be utilised, due to trust protocols and policies (Lee, 2010: 3). This suggests that when CPD is harnessed and applied effectively it is advantageous to both the practitioner, imaging department and NHS, yet the organisation can restrict its application, therefore not utilising its potential benefits (French and Dowds, 2008: 195).

High-quality, cost effective patient-centred care is central to the modernisation of health service. To achieve this government policy is focussing on multi-professional working, new roles and increased flexibility throughout the workforce (RCR, 2006: 6). Therefore, a practitioner’s ability to extend and adapt their roles within this rapidly changing environment is central to the NHS’s and imaging departments development (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 7). Gould et al (2007: 27) suggests reduced patient mortality has been strongly correlated with CPD; and patient outcomes are improved with multi-professional team-working.

However Gibbs (2011: 3) suggests that tensions may occur with implementation of a multi-professional approach to working, resulting from practitioners preferring to stay within familiar professional boundaries. Although this suggests there are significant patient benefits to role adaption as a result of CPD, It may only be utilised if practitioners have the willingness and motivation to develop their roles (Gould et al, 2007: 31). With role adaptation initiatives however, there are risks of reduced standards of care; with practitioners needing to remain aware of their scope of practice and accountability (RCR, 2006: 10).

To ensure clinical governance standards are maintained; audits should be used to check performance and compliance against agreed standards (RCR, 2006: 10). An essential element of CPD is being able to reflect and learn from experiences, including service failures (SCoR, 2005: 1). Understanding why something has happened and implementing a positive change in practice, as a result, will contribute to continual improvement in services systems (RCR, 2006: 10).

Gibbs (2011: 2) suggests that CPD helps the NHS comply with local and national strategies, in addition to quality monitoring and good governance. This helps provide patient safety whilst minimising medical negligence penalties; in 2008-2009 alone the claims against the NHS were ? 769 million (Shekar, 2010: 31). The Agenda for Change resulted from a workforce crisis, resulting from low staff morale, lack of professional progression and unchallenging careers. The importance of lifelong learning was recognised as being pivotal in addressing these issues (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 10).

It introduced a four-tier structure, incorporating a competency based system for continual learning, the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF); this provided fair CPD access to all (Gould et al, 2007: 27). Within the imaging department it promoted, encouraged and expedited role development and generated new radiographic roles (Woodford, 2005: 321). It was highlighted that in order to meet service needs and radiographer aspirations role development was necessary (Woodford, 2005: 320).

It provided improvements in equal opportunities, career development with improved CPD opportunities; and consequently increased morale and retention rates (DH, 2004: 2). However, Williamson and Mundy (2009: 46) suggest that if role development and career aspirations did not materialise the investment in recruitment, retention and improved morale would be wasted. As a consequence a depleted workforce and lack of service provision, could potentially compromise patient safety (Gibbs, 2011: 2).

An annual appraisal and personal development plan is a requisite of the KSF. This identifies individual training requirements and formulation of a CPD plan; highlighting targets and objectives that meet the organisation needs and practitioners career aspirations; followed by performance review (Gould et al, 2007: 27). This cultivates effective training and development throughout all stages of an individual’s career, in addition to highlighting areas for development within the department team (Gould et al, 2007: 28).

Jones and Jenkins (2007: 7) suggest that an annual appraisal can help structure and guide an individual CPD, creating a better standard of service. Additionally, Gould et al. (2007: 29) found that poorly planned CPD could have little to do with the appraisal, service or staff development (Woodford, 2005: 324). This indicates efficiently planned CPD and personal development plan can help develop the inherent potential in staff, improving knowledge in best practice whilst promoting a greater degree of autonomy (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 10).

However, to achieve this clear communication with the manager ensuring joint agreement and appropriateness of training requirements is necessary (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 11). Manager responsibilities include the development of the workforce for good service delivery, with identification and provision of appropriate education and training. This ensures practitioner roles are supported, safe to practice and suitable for the purpose (RCR, 2005: 8). Compulsory CPD does not guarantee that learning occurs in practitioners who lack motivation; compliance with regulations may be their only impetus (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 9).

Barriers may be affecting participation, for example, the individual may feel a lack of choice in determining particular learning needs with the manager dictating the activity; or personal conflict with the idea that adult learning should be self-motivated and a self-directed process (Lee, 2010: 3). French and Dowds (2008: 194) highlight a number of other barriers to CPD participation, including time constraints, the CPD being of no professional relevance, inadequate finances, not enough staff to cover and a lack managerial encouragement.

In support of this Gould et al (2007: 606) identified barriers to CPD in particular groups, including those nearing retirement, staff working only at weekends or nights and part-time staff. This indicates the need for managers to understand the factors that inhibit and facilitate the practitioner’s ability to effectively engage in CPD; therefore ensuring the staffs’ continued HPC compliance and retention of registration (SCoR, 2009: 3). Although motivation towards CPD is pivotal it needs to work in association with protected study time, opportunities and recognition that CPD is integral to patient care (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 11).

With financial constraints managers can find it challenging to provide sufficient opportunities and resources for practitioners to undertake CPD (French and Dowds, 2008: 195). With money and time being invested the input must be justified. Gibbs (2011: 2) suggests that informal learning cannot be assessed unlike formal learning; and it is hard to show how either will be applied to practice. However, nurses in a study by Gould et al (2007: 606) felt that work based-learning helped to keep staff motivated, interested and had more impact on patient care.

This suggests that although informal learning is a subjective process, there are perceived benefits; furthermore, reflecting on personal experience will increase proficiency (French and Dowds, 2008: 194). If funding is insufficient, managers may see CPD as an extravagance that cannot be afforded (Gibbs, 2011: 2). With the substantial costs of replacing an NHS professional, it seems logical for employers to finance CPD, therefore securing a motivated and proactive workforce, whilst safeguarding service delivery (French and Dowds, 2008: 195).

Compulsory CPD required by the HPC has the advantage of ensuring competence in registered practitioners, therefore providing public protection and confidence in the service (Gibbs, 2011: 2). As radiographers are required to base their CPD on recent research, patients should expect to be diagnosed and treated with currently approved approaches (Gibbs, 2011: 3). However, it is difficult to establish if there is improved patient outcome directly resulting from CPD, as many other variables could have an affect (French and Dowds, 2008: 194).

This would suggest that compulsory CPD has the potential to provide better quality patient-centred service, however if insufficient audit and research to evaluate the practice is not in place, there is no evidence to support its influence on service provision (SCoR, 2010: 4). Compulsory CPD also has a positive impact on the range of activities and quantity of CPD undertaken (French and Dowds, 2008: 192). This affords further opportunities within the profession and is integral to the extension of professional roles and boundaries; complying with current drives for service improvement (Williamson and Mundy, 2009: 41).

Woodford (2005: 321) states ‘double barium contrast enema was one example of role extension benefitting service to patients by reducing long waiting lists and numbers of unreported examinations’. The evaluated studies established better service provision, for example patient waiting times; freeing up radiologists time to perform other duties, and cost effectiveness (Woodford, 2005: 325). However, Smith and Reeves (2010: 113) state that there were barriers to adopting radiographic role-extension from radiologists, who hindered the radiographer’s progression.

This suggests that intent from radiographers and government to achieve improved patient services can be impeded without the support and co-operation of radiologists who are central to the radiographic team and necessary to implement the changes (Woodford, 2005: 325). The financial challenges affecting the NHS have reduced CPD opportunities (Gibbs, 2011: 3). To help increase local uptake, innovative and cost effective approaches can be fostered in a supportive learning environment within the imaging department (French and Dowds, 2008: 195).

Gibbs (2011: 4) suggest that the least costly CPD options are often overlooked, with poorly resourced departments often underutilising these opportunities. Work-based learning (WBL) for example journal clubs, in-service education programmes staff/student supervision, or taking time to reflective on practice (HPC, 2009: 6), provides an effective, flexible way of enhancing practice within the workplace: and also enables easier staff release (Gibbs, 2011: 3).

It is important to ensure that the activities are linked to evidence-based practice for recognition of academic learning (Gibbs, 2011: 4). However, although these activities may have reduced monetary implications they still use time (Jones and Jenkins, 2007: 11). Hardacre and Schneider (2007: 12) suggest that WBL offers the benefits of familiar staff surroundings, provision of a staff-support network and programmes that are designed around staff and the organisation; which helps meet their needs.

French and Dowds (2008: 194) suggest that professional practice showed positive change as a result of hands-on training. Although the convenience of WBL is apparent, it could restrict radiographers CPD opportunities in higher education; with employers preferring the WBL as it revolves around the organisations work, rather than for professional gain; this could inhibit the growth of the practitioner and service development (Munro, 2008: 954).

Specialist practitioners could find suitable CPD courses hard to access locally; with the expense of providing for small groups. However, the KSF could be used to identify similar issues within other trusts, by collaborating when commissioning, costs could be reduced due to the increased number of participants (Gould et al, 2007: 30). Communicating CPD needs between other trusts and providers of education could be a cost effective approach to CPD opportunities, and could prevent duplication of similar courses locally (Gibbs, 2011: 2).

Utilising technologies more extensively provides a diverse range of CPD activities such as webcasts, podcasts, on-line packages, CORe-learning programmes, video conferencing and discussion boards. (Gibbs, 2011: 4). This offers a flexible approach to updating skills and knowledge, with post-evaluation being quickly and easily accessible. However it is dependent on computer skills, educational level and internet access (French and Dowds, 2008: 193).

ABSTRACT

Bullying is known to be a widespread problem in schools and also in workplaces. It is not confined to the U.S.A. and across the globe researchers have been examining the behavior of both perpetrators and targets of bullying for several

INTRODUCTION

Introduction to the study

There is no universally accepted definition of bullying, although several descriptions have certain common elements. For example, Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus (1993) considers that bullying occurs when someone is exposed to negative actions, carried out by one or more people, repeatedly and over a period of time. Negative action may be described as harmful physical, verbal or other sorts of contact designed to intentionally inflict injury on another person. Bullying may be both overt and covert – for example, loud aggressive shouting in public places, or whispered threats and taunts in the classroom or workplace (Nishioka, Coe, Hanita and Sprague, 2011).
A number of academic studies have demonstrated the emotional damage that bullying causes, for example, Schroeder (2010) suggests that bullied students experience disruption in learning, and Dempsey and Storch (2008), link being a target of adolescent bullying to increases in levels of depression (as cited in Chambless, 2010). Extensive research has been conducted into bullying in schools, including studies by Olweus (1993), Winters (1997), Atlas and Pepler (1998), Brockenbrough (2001) and Natvig, et al. (2001), and these suggest that while certain anti-bullying interventions are deemed to be successful, for example, Olweus’ intervention program in schools in Norway and Sweden (Olweus 1993, pp 64-107), nevertheless further study is needed.

Organization under study

For this reason, conducting a study of teachers’ views on bullying and how they impact on classroom management could make a significant and relevant contribution to the development of effective anti-bullying programs. Conducting a study in middle schools in the Brentwood School District will supply relevant information and provide useful insights to aid further research.

Problem statement

Bullying causes high levels of distress among school students, disruption to their education and increased stress for teachers and school authorities; thus, there is an imperative to devise successful anti-bullying interventions (Olweus, 1993). Teachers are the ultimate authority in the classroom and they have responsibility for, and a duty to care for and protect, their students (Kendall, 2012). They may be the first adults to observe or become aware of bullying behavior at school, so it follows that teachers should have input into the creation of school anti-bullying programs in order to ensure the classroom environment, and the school as a whole, is safe for all students.

Research objective

Conducting a study of teachers’ perspectives on bullying and their classroom management skills could make an important contribution to the creation of an appropriate, successful anti-bullying intervention. Olweus noted that to achieve this “adults at school and, to some degree, at home [need to] become aware of the extent of bully/victim problems in ‘their’ school; [and to] decide to engage themselves, with some degree of seriousness, in changing the situation” (Olweus, 1993, p66). Bradshaw et al., (2011) confirm that an examination of staff members’ interpretations of bullying is important and constitutes a significant advance in improving how these are understood. Wright (2003) provides teachers with strategies and guidelines to assist them to understand, and improve their skills to manage, the problem of bullying in school settings. Thus, teachers’ knowledge, experience and skills in dealing with students are highly likely to make a useful contribution to the creation of effective interventions.

Proposal structure

This research proposal contains an overview of the subject literature, followed by an outline methodology. The research philosophy, approach and strategy are explored; data collection and analysis is outlined and access and ethical issues are considered. Ideas for sample questions, definitions of terms and research variables are contained in Appendix 1.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature on bullying is comprehensive and studies are now attempting to address why and how bullying occurs, and ultimately who is to blame. Bradshaw et al. (2011) suggest that teachers should fully comprehend a working definition of bullying and work with the Department of Education to carry out classroom procedures to deal with it.
Some researchers suggest that students themselves should not be labeled as a bully or victim, and instead it is the behavior that should be labeled bullying or victim behavior (Burzinski, 2012). Overt or direct bullying behavior involves observable behaviors that are usually conveyed by verbal and physical means. Normally direct bullying takes place face to face and involves relatively blatant attacks on a victim; additionally, children may use disruptive acts that are just as hurtful, but are more difficult to detect. Covert or indirect bullying includes actions such as spreading rumors to damage another child’s character, deliberately excluding others or encouraging other children to dislike another person. Such behavior may happen behind someone’s back, rather than face to face.
Porter (2009) states that the intention to harm physically/emotionally is an essential component of bullying behavior. For example, a friend teasing another friend good-naturedly is not classed as bullying, while a person deliberately teasing another in order to upset them is classed as bullying. Further, bullying can be defined as a ubiquitous aggression, frequently occurring in schools, which has specific features that distinguish it from other aggressive behaviors, namely, it is repetitive, and the victims of bullying have less access to power than the perpetrators. Cyber-bullying is increasing but verbal abuse is still more common (Childnet International, 2007).
During the last two decades researchers have focused on identifying the causes and results of bullying, however there are still significant gaps in the literature. While many studies have investigated students’ views of school bullying, only very few have looked at these issues from staff members’ perspectives (Bradshaw, Sawyer and O’Brennan, 2007; Juvonen, Nishina and Graham, 2008; Goldstein, Young and Boyd, 2008).
Newman-Carlson and Horne (2004) state that despite the existence of numerous commended programs in schools to confront the bullying problem, few empirical studies have evaluated or confirmed their effectiveness. Recording teachers’ views based on managing and monitoring behaviors in a classroom setting is therefore valuable in this context.
Pellegrini and Bartini (2002) posit that research provides counselors with useful guidelines for developing successful bullying assessment programs. These programs deliver the most precise information when they are conducted over a considerable period of time. Members of a school team, including teachers, who work alongside counselors, may assist the process of creating a more integrated format for successful programs. However Lakewood (2012) notes that while during the last ten years bullying has become the central issue that schools have to tackle, and research has examined programs to assess successful and unsuccessful interventions, there appears to be no single program for bullying prevention or bullying intervention that is likely to work in every environment.
Dan Olweus’ Swedish study of “mobbing”, a term for bullying most prevalent in the Scandinavian countries, as reported in “Aggression in the schools: Bullies and whipping boys” (1978) was the first notable study of school bullying. Subsequently many other countries have undertaken research to try to understand the bullying phenomenon including Norway, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan and the United States (Porter, 2009). These studies show the problem of bullying is prevalent on a national and worldwide level. Increasing reports of bullying and its consequences have encouraged more research studies.
Milsom and Gallo (2006) note that research demonstrates a tendency for bullying to reach its height in late childhood or early adolescence. This implies that taking steps for prevention and intervention in middle school is crucial. The findings from the National Education Association’s Nationwide Study of Bullying are that the views of bullying expressed by school staff members differ from those of students, who perceive that staff members do not respond adequately when told of bullying incidents (Bradshaw et al., 2011).
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR), a sub-department of the Department of Education, has decreed that individual schools are responsible for devising policies and programs to tackle bullying. Data held by the OCR seeks to help school officials to better understand that some acts of bullying may effectively violate the civil rights of the victim, and that this can have an influence on the way a bullying incident is reported.

Literature review summary

Bullying is not just a minor problem; the phenomenon has escalated in recent years to such an extent that community leaders, academic researchers, parents, school officials, teachers, and the media have recognized the need for prevention and intervention. The literature concludes that teachers and other school staff require training to acquire appropriate knowledge and skills to deal with the pervasiveness of bullying (Blosnich and Bossarte, 2011).

Research question

Teachers and students have different views about how teachers handle bullying incidents. Commonly, victims of bullying fail to report it to a teacher. This is because, according to those who do, while some teachers may help, others are indifferent or even contribute to making the bullying more serious. Contrary to this, the teachers’ view is that they intervene in bullying incidents; students do not feel this is accurate (Porter, 2009). This study seeks to explore teachers’ attitudes to and perspectives on the bullying problem and to gain insights into their understanding of it. Further, this study will look at the different methods teachers use to manage their classrooms and the role of training in developing these methods. Through analysis of the collected data, the study will examine the research question: does teacher training adequately equip teachers with effective techniques to tackle bullying in the classroomThe objective of this study is to use the evidence gathered to arrive at sound conclusions that will help inform future anti-bullying programs.

METHODOLGY

Research philosophy

The majority of researchers agree that the most effective anti-bullying interventions are comprehensive (Espelage and Swearer, 2003), engaging adults and children at individual level, at classroom level and at whole-school level (Olweus, 1993, p64). There is a lack of research on how teachers understand bullying, and on the specific factors that influence their interventions and views (Mishna, Scarcello, Pepler and Wiener, 2005). This is a curious omission as teachers are in an important and influential position on the subject. If teachers feel respected and their point of view is valued, then intervention programs may be more effective. The planned research will adhere to a positivist philosophy, which holds that every rationally justifiable assertion is capable of logical or mathematical proof or can be scientifically verified and will examine teachers’ perspectives on bullying, and how they manage the phenomenon in their classrooms.

Research approach

There have been many international media stories concerning high-profile events linked to behavioral problems in schools, such as the Columbine school murders in 1999 and the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, both incidents in which angry teenagers killed and injured fellow students on school premises. Subsequent investigations often reveal an element of revenge for bullying on the part of the perpetrators of such crimes. Then there are other incidents where students have died or committed suicide as a result of being bullied. Neil Marr and Tim Field coined the word ‘bullycide’ to describe these tragic deaths in their book Bullycide: Death at Playtime (2001) and the “bullyonline” website has a Bullycide memorial page listing the names and circumstances of many young people who have died in the UK and elsewhere as a result of bullying. Such events provide a focus on the seriousness of bullying and the extent of the problem, highlighting the enormity of the emotional and physical devastation that the victims, and their families, experience. The planned approach for the research is to conduct a quantitative survey of teachers, collecting data and converting it into numerical form in order to make statistical calculations and draw valid conclusions. This will contribute knowledge that will enable improved strategies for classroom management across all schools, which could have a substantial effect on the frequency and severity of school bullying, and may prevent incidents escalating to such extremes.

Research strategy

The Brentwood School district includes four middle schools – North, South, East and West – which have a total of about 150 teachers. With permission from the school administration and the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the research strategy is to conduct a survey of teachers’ views across these four schools. The researcher will use self-administered questionnaires to gather data, to analyze it across a number of constituent elements and to draw conclusions from the findings. Although a longitudinal study may deliver more detailed results, this would be time-consuming and onerous for participants as well as the researcher. As a research tool, a survey is cost effective, takes a relatively short amount of time to answer, and is more convenient and less stressful for the participants (Creswell, 2009).
This study focuses on the attitudes and perceptions of teachers in regard to bullying and classroom management. Both male and female teachers will be recruited from the four middle schools in Brentwood, NY. All teachers will be invited to take part and the target is to achieve a 55% response rate, which is deemed to be sufficient for making sound judgments (Van Bennekom, 2011). School principals will be asked for permission to approach the teachers for this study and also asked to ensure the questionnaires are placed in the mailbox of the teachers, in each school listed.

Data collection

Having obtained permission from the director of special programs via an introductory letter explaining the reason behind and the importance of the survey, the questionnaires and accompanying stamped, self-addressed envelopes will be placed in the teachers’ mailboxes. Participants will also receive a letter explaining the research, assuring them that responses will remain confidential and asking them to confirm their consent.
No financial compensation will be provided for participation in the study; however, respondents will be able to receive a copy of the survey findings. Teachers will be asked to return the questionnaires within a two-week period in the envelopes provided. On completion of all the returned questionnaires, the data analysis will commence. The data will be stored in the office of the researcher in a locked cabinet.

Data analysis

A good survey design permits a clear and rigorous assessment process via a logical model (Babbie, 1990). The questionnaire for the survey will be designed to measure the attitudes of teachers concerning bullying; a series of questions will allow responses across a Likert scale ranging from 1 (disagree strongly) to 7 (agree strongly). Other questions will cover demographic information, such as age, gender, racial and ethnic background and length of time teaching in this district, as well as a series of questions about teachers’ experiences of observing and dealing with bullying in the classroom, and their perceptions of self-efficacy. A text analysis using a free online lexical analysis tool will be carried out on information contributed in these areas.
Bandura (1994) defines perceived self-efficacy as the beliefs people hold concerning their capacity to produce certain levels of accomplishment that are known to “exercise influence over events that affect their lives” (Bandura, 1994, p. 71). Thus, self-efficacy beliefs govern how people think, feel, behave and motivate themselves. Bandura’s instrument teacher self-efficacy scale will be used to measure responses in which teachers are assessing their own self-efficacy.
Teachers will be asked to complete and return questionnaires within two weeks. This should give them sufficient time, without pressure on them, although a prompt may be provided closer to the deadline. The research will undertake coding and analysis of the returned questionnaires using a computer program specifically made for data analysis (SPSS). See Appendix 1 for sample questions, definitions of terms and research variables.
Access
As long as permission is obtained as planned, there are unlikely to be major access issues. The use of a postal questionnaire means that the geographic location of the participating schools can be overcome. For people with disabilities, additional steps can be taken to make the survey accessible. For example, large-print versions of the questionnaire could be issued for any participants with sight impairment. The two-week period during which forms can be returned is considered to be sufficient time to allow busy teachers to complete the form.
Reliability, validity, and generalizability
The range of questions asked allows for a correlation between several factors (see Appendix 1), including levels of teacher training, effectiveness of the schools’ anti-bullying programs and policies, and levels of teacher confidence in dealing with bullying behavior. Data on social and ethnic backgrounds is also being collected, in order to underline any specific trends that may emerge concerning how bullying is viewed in different parts of the district, for example, or by teachers of a specific age and background. A T-test can be used to assess whether the means of the different groups of teachers are statistically different from each other.
The results will be representative of the district, and may be held to be valid for a large number of middle schools elsewhere in the USA.

Ethical issues

Bullying causes stress and Blosnich and Bossarte (2011) propose that school bullying, as a form of low-level violent behavior that has been associated with negative outcomes for both physical and mental health, continues to be a serious public health issue. People dealing with bullying also suffer stress, and it will be important when conducting this research to ask questions in such a way as to elicit general information from teachers, rather than ask them to recall specific bullying incidents, which may be upsetting and uncomfortable. The same applies to questions of self-efficacy – being asked to judge their own competence in terms of classroom management is a delicate subject area and must be handled with care.

Research limitations

Due to time constraints, and the ways in which schools function, it is not feasible or practicable to observe how anti-bullying programs within schools work at first hand. The study is thus limited to an analysis of data gathered via a survey of teachers’ views on the bullying situations in their classes; how they feel about the programs used in their schools; and their self-perceptions of their own confidence levels in dealing with bullying behavior. This data will be specific to teachers and will not reflect the views of students other than as perceived by teachers. The participating schools and teachers, and the information extrapolated from the resulting data, may not necessarily be typical of how all teachers in all schools view bullying.

CONCLUSION

Bullying is acknowledged as a widespread problem and the need for further research has been voiced consistently by academics in the field. This dissertation proposal offers the opportunity to design a new study focused on teachers’ views and attitudes. Its findings will inform current knowledge about interventions designed to mitigate school bullying, and may provide substantial new information that can be used to improve current policies, programs and the scope of teacher training.

APPENDIX 1
An agreed definition of bullying would ensure that stakeholders have a shared understanding of the issue. Important questions to be considered are:
What is the individual teacher’s definition of bullyingThis may indicate how the teacher approaches bullying in the classroom. A definition will be offered and individuals will be asked to score the extent to which they agree or disagree using a Likert scale.
How does the teacher perceive the anti-bullying program that is in place in the schoolThis may indicate how bullying situations are approached across the whole school.
Has the teacher had any training on bullying preventionThis may indicate if the teacher will properly implement the program.
How does the teacher perceive the target of bullying and the bullyThe words used to describe the individuals will be counted as part of the text analysis.
Is the teacher competent and/or confident in handling bullying situationsExamining the age and gender differences of teachers, in the context of the extent of their anti-bullying training, could provide useful information on whether these factors influence approaches to dealing with bullying.

These are the key questions that will be addressed during the development of the study.

Definitions
Bullying– behavior perpetrated by one or more students (the bullies) who single out a child (the target or victim) with an intention to harm that child. Bullying actions may include making threats, attacking someone physically or verbally, spreading rumors and deliberately excluding someone from a group.
Teachers’ training– any training acquired as part of obtaining teaching credentials, including training about bullying; any additional anti-bullying training received within the current school. Training may include in school seminars and lectures; knowledge and information obtained through the Internet; workshops given by the school or any outside sources; continuing education credits (CEUs); any extra reading, or individual personal knowledge, or certifications, (there should be written documentation by the organization that gave the class or workshop).
Teachers’ understanding– teacher’s understanding and interpretation of bullying and anti-bullying terms according to the definitions used by the New York State Board of Education.
Increased reporting– as measured by the teachers’ incident reports (counting increases in the report logs).
Effective classroom management– decrease of bullying behavior as perceived by the teacher; evidence of the positive cooperation of students formerly involved in classroom aggression toward other students; increase in student work production.
Fewer episodes– evidence of decrease in student involvement in name-calling, shoving, pushing, teasing, etc; evidence of decrease in classroom disruptions.
Student trust– evidence that students feel more confident about telling the teacher of any uncomfortable circumstances; evidence that teacher is helping students gain access to needed services i.e., guidance counselor referrals; evidence that the teacher will discreetly attend to the bullying within the classroom and observe the victim and the bully, deflating any pending incidents.
Confiding– evidence that the student trusts the teacher to help the student; increased disclosure of any problems they may be having concerning bullying or similar incidents within the school perimeter.
Research variables
The independent variables are:
1.Teacher training;
2. Teacher understanding;
3. Increased reporting by teachers;
4. Effective classroom management.

The dependent variables are:
1. Increase in reported bullying incidents throughout the school;
2. Fewer episodes of classroom bullying;
3. Student trust level;
4. Confiding in the teacher.
Students’ levels of trust and the extent to which they confide in the teacher can be measured by counting the teachers’ reports of students coming to them to give an account of bullying incidents, demonstrating the extent to which the students trust the teachers to help them.

References

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