Cooperative Learning Definition and Examples

Cooperative learning is an instructional strategy that enables small groups of students to work together on a common assignment. The parameters often vary, as students can work collaboratively on a variety of problems, ranging from simple math problems to large assignments such as proposing environmental solutions on a national level.  Students are sometimes individually responsible for their part or role in the assignment, and sometimes they are held accountable as an entire group. Cooperative learning has received a lot of attention and praise—especially since the 1990s when Johnson and Johnson outlined the five basic elements that allowed successful small-group learning: Positive interdependence: Students feel responsible for their own and the groups effort.Face-to-face interaction: Students encourage and support one another; the environment encourages discussion and eye contact.Individual and group accountability: Each student is responsible for doing their part; the group is accountable for meeting its goal.Social Skills: Group members gain direct instruction in the interpersonal, social, and collaborative skills needed to work with others.Group processing: Group members analyze their own and the groups ability to work together. At the same time, the following characteristics need to be present: When designing cooperative learning activities, teachers need to clearly identify to students their individual responsibility and accountability to the group.Each member must have a task they are responsible for and that cannot be completed by other members. Side-note: This article uses the terms cooperative and collaborative interchangeably. However, certain researchers distinguish between these two types of learning, outlining the key difference being that collaborative learning focuses mainly on deeper learning. Benefits Teachers make frequent use of group work, and thus cooperative learning, for a number of reasons: Change Things Up. It is beneficial to have a variety in your instruction; it keeps students engaged and enables you to reach a larger number of learners. Cooperative learning also changes students and teachers roles as teachers become facilitators of learning, guides on the side if you will, and students take on more responsibility for their own learning.Life Skills. Cooperation and collaboration are crucial skills that students will continue using far beyond their schooling years. One of the key elements in a workplace is collaboration, and we need to get our students ready to cooperate, to be responsible and accountable, and to possess other interpersonal skills for effective professional lives. Cooperative learning is also proven to foster students’ self-esteem, motivation, and empathy.Deeper Learning. Collaborating with others has a potent and positive effect on students’ thinking and learning—through well-executed cooperative learning tasks, students often d eepen their understanding of the assigned content. Students engage in thoughtful discourse, examine different perspectives, and learn how to disagree productively. Challenges and Solutions Despite cooperative or collaborative learning being ingrained in teaching practices for decades now, it has also been demonstrated that small group activities aren’t always very efficient. Some of the main challenges turn out to be students free-riding (the lack of participation on behalf of some students), their focus on individual academic goals while neglecting collaborative goals, and teachers’ difficulties in accurately assessing students’ participation. Some specific recommendations resulting from the above-mentioned challenges are that teachers should focus on: Defining specific collaborative goals (in addition to the academic content goals)Training students in social interactions for productive collaborationMonitoring and supporting student interactionsAssessing the collaborative process—productivity and the learning process of individuals and the whole group (thanks to increased professional development)Applying the findings into future cooperative learning tasks Effective Cooperative Learning Ideally, cooperative or collaborative learning activities would invite students to be more active participants in their own learning, to share and discuss their ideas, to engage in argumentation and debate, to play varying roles within the group, and to internalize their learning. A 2017 research paper by Rudnitsky et al. introduced features of good discourse and collaboration, also influenced by the Association for Middle-Level Education: What we as teachers want from our students when they engage in any academic talk is what some call Exploratory talk—a talk when learners can try out ideas, be hesitant, be tentative, relate new ideas to experiences, and develop a new, shared understanding. Out of this need for new ways of teaching students how to be good intellectual partners, Rudnitsky et al. came up with the acronym Be BRAVE. BRAVE Workshop If you are planning on including small group activities as a part of your instruction, and want to avoid common complications outlined above, it is a good idea to devote a few lessons at the beginning of your course to coaching your students. In order to set yourself and your students up for success, try the BRAVE Workshop. Length-wise, the workshop is designed to fit into a span of one week or five classes. Some of the useful materials include: multiple post-its per student, large poster papers, a slideshow depicting successful group collaboration (pictures of current prominent teams such as Facebook, NASA, etc.), a short documentary video that shows important features of good collaboration, three or more challenging problems that students won’t be able to solve alone, and a few short videos depicting students like yours collaborating together. Day 1: Good Talk Workshop Silent discussion about the workshop’s two central questions: Why collaborate?What makes for a good collaboration? Each student collects their thoughts and writes them on a large post-it noteEveryone places their notes on a large poster paper in the front of the classroomStudents are encouraged to look at others’ thoughts and build on them with subsequent postsThroughout the length of the workshop, students can refer back to their post-its and add additional notes to the conversation.Provide students with a difficult problem that they should solve individually (and that they won’t be able to solve alone right away and will revisit at the end of the workshop) Day 2: Introducing Ideas About Collaboration Watch a slideshow depicting successful group collaborationAll kinds of images: from sports teams to NASA  As a class, discuss why and how collaboration might contribute to the success of such endeavorsIf possible, watch a short documentary video that shows important features of good collaborationStudents take notes on the group process and discuss the important features  Teacher leads the discussion who points out important features related to BRAVE (encourage wild ideas, build on others’ ideas) Day 3: Introducing the BRAVE Framework Introduce the BRAVE poster that will stay up in the classroomTell students BRAVE summarizes much of what researchers and professionals (like people at Google) do to collaborate successfullyIf possible, show a number of short videos depicting students like yours collaborating together. It doesn’t have to be perfect but can serve as an opener for a discussion about important aspects of BRAVE.Watch first timeWatch second time to take notes—one column for a video, one column for BRAVE qualitiesDiscuss the BRAVE qualities and other things students noticed Day 4: Using BRAVE Analytically Present students with a problem (like the Worm Journey for middle schoolers or others more appropriate for your students’ level)Students are not allowed to speak, only communicate through post-its or drawing or writing.Tell students that the point is to slow talk down so that they can concentrate on the qualities of good collaborationAfter working on the problem, the class comes together to discuss what they learned about good collaboration Day 5: Using BRAVE to Engage in Group Work Each student writes down which BRAVE quality they want to work onSplit students into groups of four and have them read each other’s choice of BRAVE qualityLet students work on the problem from Day 1 togetherLet them know that everyone should be able to explain the group’s thinking.When they think they have the correct answer, they have to explain their reasoning to the teacher who will choose the reporting student.If correct, the group will receive another problem. If incorrect, the group continues to work on the same problem. Sources Rudnitsky, Al, et al. â€Å"What Students Need to Know about Good Talk: Be BRAVE.†Ã‚  Middle School Journal, vol. 48, no. 3, Oct. 2017, pp. 3–14.Le, Ha, et al. â€Å"Collaborative Learning Practices: Teacher and Student Perceived Obstacles to Effective Student Collaboration.†Ã‚  Cambridge Journal of Education, vol. 48, no. 1, 2017, pp. 103–122.

E-Commerce Capabilities and Orgainzational Culture in the...

As this journal intended to identify the outcome of executed e-commerce capabilities and organizational culture that has influence on the performance of hotel industry in Malaysia, it has recognize several reason why many firms still does not have the idea about what kind of advantages that e-commerce has brought. Although there are many articles that discuss about the applications and benefits of e-commerce, but the academic studies that explain about its effectiveness is really limited. The first reason of why the application of e-commerce is still not yet identified is that the traditional business which applies brick-and-mortar company, have not enough knowledge about the success story by the click-and-mortar company that investing in e-commerce. Secondly is Small and Medium Industries (SMIs) in Malaysia does not have knowledge in e-commerce, lowest internet access among the buyers and also lack of knowledge about the potential of e-commerce. The technology platform, telecommunications and networking technology, key data and also applications as the main data processing are the basic requirement infrastructure information needed for an organization operates. While plans a balanced strategy with business objectives, information technology design plan and information technology skills in the management of information technology resources will allow firm to respond quickly and effectively to the needs and opportunities that exists when the three components are connected

Sustainable Hospitality and the Current Status

Question: Write a report on rapid growth of the hospitality industry and the current status of the environmental conditions, implementation of the environmental sustainability practices. Answer: Introduction The report outlines the methods adopted by the hotel in their business for attaining sustainability. It highlights the impacts of sustainability and also describes the need for sustainability in hospitality management. Over the past few years, it can be observed that the hoteliers are focusing on the practices for enabling sustainability and sustainable practices in the hotel environment. The hospitality management is putting emphasis on the importance and development of sustainability in the hotel as it is directly correlated with the hospital development and its operations. Sustainable issues are among one of the various problems faced in todays world in all the businesses. Need of sustainability The hospitality sectors are putting more focus on the strategies that will help in ensuring sustainability in their working environment. There are lots of chances of enhancing sustainable business strategies and pollution free workplaces. The dramatic negative impact on the environment has been seen through energy and water consumption, use of consumable goods and overuse of products, and also the accumulation of solid and waste hazardous excretions. Hotels are more relying on consumption of energy for HVAC operations, in lighting, fuel, and other power uses. Overuse of water in bathrooms, laundry, and other general purposes. Waste products are more and more generated by the disposal of paper, equipment, batteries and other more. The hoteliers realize that guest experience can be enhanced by integrating some of the natural elements that will generate the evolution of green thoughts in the community. There are certain factors that could be done to maintain the concepts of sustainabili ty in a hotel environment. The benefits of accepting sustainability are- reduction in costs, economic incentives, regulatory affairs, guests feelings, corporate brand identity and publicity of brand image. Strategies adopted for sustainability To explore sustainable practices, the companies need to adopt the strategies and methods which can enable sustainability in hotels. There are many hotels which have already adapted steps for sustainable management in their environment. The cities of Europe and Asia have shifted their attitudes towards sustainability. Earlier, the whole of the market used to focus on consumerism; that means they were emphasizing on the best ways of serving customers (Prudhomme and Raymond, 2013). But now the business marketing and their strategy are shifting towards focusing on sustainable and environmental factors that would enable sustainability. The major problems that sustainable development is generally facing today are- changes in climate, pollution, erosion, biodiversity loss, the abundance of resources and water cleanliness. It can be said that in a working environment, the ability of the organization to conduct business in a way that can help in minimizing pollution and appraises careful use of natural resources is termed as sustainability. Evidences of sustainability management practices The sustainability specialist, Briton John Elkington in 1997, put forward the concept of the triple bottom line. According to this, for attaining full sustainability bottom line performance along with social and environmental performance need to be achieved. Among many of the hotels present in the United States, the company Destination Earth has developed certain methods which they follow for attaining sustainability (Xu and Gursoy, 2015). They have developed green teams who work in carrying out the sustainability programs in all their hotels and resorts around the country. They have made partnerships with environmental consultants and had introduced certain customized initiatives for encouraging environmental sustainability. There are many benefits of choosing environmentally sustainable methods. The profits are- customer loyalty, employee retention, awards and recognition, risk management, increased brand value and regulatory compliance. By the use of the methods that can help in s aving energy, water, and other renewable sources, sustainability can be achieved. Methods adopted for sustainability There are certain steps by following which a hotel can attain sustainability (Legrand et al, 2012). The operational principles are related to the concepts of what to do and how to do business in daily life practices. The operational principles are- good employer, environmental responsibility, community contribution and fairness and also influencing others. The interaction between the principles of economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection can help in producing a sustainable system (Binder and Varga, 2015). In hotels, the formulation of new policies and procedures, management of control systems and human resources practices can also help in achieving sustainability. The cost savings, fiscal and regulatory incentives, regulatory affairs, stabilized utility prices and their availability, guest experience, marketing image, employee retention and investor requirements. Zero-energy housing follows the ways that help in the reduction of energy consumption for heating room (Melissen 2013). The use of an appropriate mechanical ventilation system and using the used air, which is evolving out from technical functions can help in heating rooms. Use of low energy light bulbs and LEDs can help in saving energy. Recently developed automatic key card systems are installed in the rooms of hotels for energy consumption by people, and they are shut when they are not in the room (Deale 2015). For reducing the water usage and the consumption rate, the water distribution profile of hotel should be determined. Guests in the hotels use water at a great rate, so it needs to be minimized for saving water resources. Using water efficient showerheads and rainwater for washing purposes can help in overwhelming the problems. Installation of aerators and flow restrictors can be a highly efficient method or serves as a low budget solution for solving the problems of over-consumption of energy. Most of the hotels have taken initiatives for recycling and reduction of waste materials (Jones et al, 2016). The three Rs reduce, reuse and recycle of the highest priority in the hospitality industry. It can be observed that paper and composed beverages are the causes of over 65% of all the hotel wastes while 95% of it can be reused by recycling them. The most accepted form of renewable energy in the hospitality industry is using the sun as energy providers (Ali et al, 2016). According to the carbon trust organization, more than of the UK workers have been using active policies to minimize carbon emissions and are agreeing to avoid the usage of maximum energy as resources. Green practices in the hospitality industry require measurement of carbon emission which is estimated by HCMI. HCMI stands for hotel carbon measurement initiative (Chan and Hsu, 2016). This is found to be an effort for determining the carbon emissions from rooms of the hotels. This serves to be the first and simplest steps adopted by many hotels towards sustainability. This estimation helped in comparison of the basic sustainability of the hotels globally and also lets makes decisions of how to invest money and at what rates. The hotels can also move towards sustainability by recycling of non- hazardous wastes. Recycling of wastes like cardboard, cups, plastics, household wastes and much more can help in attaining sustainability (Lim 2016). The use of green products in hotels can help in minimizing the negative impacts of the products in environmental. The green products are less non- toxic, less- processed, recyclable and biodegradable and so their use can help in reduction in consu mption of water and energy. On the other hand, apart from adopting all these methods, educating employees and making them aware is one of the important things to be considered for creating sustainability (Prud'homme and Raymond, 2016). Current energy technologies have been contributing to create serious environmental problems. The world is facing problems of extinction of fossil fuels and the transition to renewable energy resources is required. Benefits of sustainable practices There are several benefits of adopting sustainable management in the workplace. The benefits are- cost savings, competitive advantage, employee retention, customer loyalty, regulatory compliance and risk management (Jones et al, 2016). Many hotels have used social initiatives and corporate social responsibility for attaining sustainability. Corporate social responsibility involves promoting and practicing environmental initiatives (Fermani et al, 2016). Hotels sustainability practices are important for saving energy and resources. Many of the environmental regulations today are targeting on facility activities like management of storm water, removal of harmful substances and health and safety of the environment. Guest experiences are influenced significantly when the hotels adopt the practice of sustainability. Using sustainable practices helps in maintaining the brand image of the hotel. Conclusion With the rapid growth of the hospitality industry and the current status of the environmental conditions, implementation of the environmental sustainability practices within the hospitality industries is important for preservation of the natural resources and the victory of the industry. Gaining knowledge about the methods that can maintain sustainability can help in improving the industrys fame and dignity. Sustainable practices in the hospitality industry have been found to have profound growth as because the managers are getting more aware of the benefits arising due to the adoption of sustainability. All the hospitals should adopt the practice of sustainability for the betterment of the environment and people too. Reference Ali, A., Murphy, H.C. and Nadkarni, S., 2016. Hospitality employers perceptions of technology for sustainable development: The implications for graduate employability.Tourism and Hospitality Research, p.1467358416636929. Binder, A. and Varga, P., 2015. Sociocultural hurdles of sustainable hospitality management.Asia-Pacific Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism,4(1), pp.77-92. Chan, E.S. and Hsu, C.H., 2016. Environmental management research in hospitality.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,28(5). Deale, C.S., 2015. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in Hospitality and Tourism: Implications for Education and Practice. Fermani, A., Crespi, I. and Stara, F., 2016. Sustainable hospitality and tourism at different ages: Womens and mens attitudes in Italy.Research in Hospitality Management,6(1). Jones, P., Hillier, D. and Comfort, D., 2016. Sustainability in the hospitality industry: some personal reflections on corporate challenges and research agendas.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,28(1). Legrand, W., Simons-Kaufmann, C. and Sloan, P., 2012.Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism as Motors for Development: Case studies from developing regions of the world. Routledge. Lim, W.M., 2016. Creativity and sustainability in hospitality and tourism.Tourism Management Perspectives,18, pp.161-167. Melissen, F., 2013. Sustainable hospitality: a meaningful notion?.Journal of sustainable Tourism,21(6), pp.810-824. Prudhomme, B. and Raymond, L., 2013. Sustainable development practices in the hospitality industry: An empirical study of their impact on customer satisfaction and intentions.International Journal of Hospitality Management,34, pp.116-126. Prud'homme, B. and Raymond, L., 2016. Implementation of sustainable development practices in the hospitality industry: A case study of five Canadian hotels.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,28(3). Xu, X. and Gursoy, D., 2015. Influence of sustainable hospitality supply chain management on customers attitudes and behaviors.International Journal of Hospitality Management,49, pp.105-116.

Stress And Illness Essays - Stress, Stress Management,

Stress And Illness The Effects of Stress on Physical Illness April 17, 2000 #38 Abstract Research has shown a connection between stress and physical illness. Furthermore, who becomes ill under pressure may be regulated by other factors such as personality type. The purpose of this project was to determine if there is a relationship between stress and illness. Another motive for this project was to investigate whether or not correlations between illness, personality type, and/or stress is evident. Twenty-one students in the Writing of Agriculture and Natural Resources class at the University of Florida were surveyed on their perceived level of stress and physical health. The questionnaire also analyzed their actual life stress level and level of extroversion. The questionnaire was evaluated and classified by personality types, health, and stress levels. This study was expected to reveal that people who experience higher levels of stress would also experience higher rates of physical illness compared to people with lower levels of stress. The rates of illness in people who experience higher levels of stress may vary between perceived stress (how stressed one actually feels) and actual stress (as defined by specific life events). Specifically, people who report higher levels of perceived stress will experience higher rates of physical illness regardless of the number of actual stressful life events experienced (actual stress). In addition, personality types, such as people who are characteristically introverted (people who tend to keep to themselves) will tend to manifest signs of stress through physical symptoms more so than people who are characterized as extroverts (more social outgoing). The results of my survey suggested that a correlation exists between stress and illness; and illnesses were exacerbated when the subjects indicated a characteristically introverted personality. There was further indication that subjects with an extroverted personality had signs of stress related illnesses. Overall, ninety-nine percent of the students who responded to the questionnaire revealed they had relatively high levels of stress and experienced various poor health frequently. Introduction Stress and illness are no strangers to many. As many as 25 percent of the US population suffers from the negative effects of stress, and approximately 50 percent of all general medical patients are suffering from stress related problems (Everly, 1989). Several studies conducted confirm that stress is positively correlated with incidences of physical illness (DeVito, 1994). It is also becoming common knowledge that many physical diseases are either related to or can be exacerbated by excessive stress. Stress reduction is becoming a part of treatment and prevention of many diseases. Even insurance companies are paying for programs such as ones that reverse heart disease, which include learning stress reduction techniques . Many studies have tried to link and explain the role of the immune system in the human stress response. The issue has even been given its own term, psychoneuroimmunology, meaning the study of the direct causal relationship between stress and illness (DeVito, 1994). For example, a study looking at wound repair in caregivers vs. non-caregivers found that caregivers, who were under significantly more stress than non caregivers, took an average of nine days longer to heal than non caregivers (Keicolt-Glaser, Marucha, Malarkey, Mercado, and Glaser, 1995). This study cited differences in the chemical immunological responses between the two groups. There is no single recipe for managing stress, but utilizing fundamental coping mechanisms can help calm your mind. We cannot change who we are, our jobs, or families, but we can change our perceptions. The first step is to become more aware of the situation and environment. What causes your stress? How do you respond? By answering these questions, you can begin to modify your situation. Some suggestions to reduce stress are to exercise; it strengthens the heart and lungs while bathing the brain in endorphins to reduce pain. You can also practice stress management techniques ranging from prayer, to biofeedback, to simple walks on the beach to feel inner peace. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and investing in hobbies and leisure activities can do the same and more. Literature Review My review of the current literature indicated a link between stress and illness. However, it was unclear whether or not illness is more likely to be related to perceived stress, rather than actual life events which are considered stressful. Personality may