Monday, August 10, 2009


Emotional Intelligence Developing Strong "People Skills"

We probably all know people, either at work or in our personal lives, who are really good listeners. No matter what kind of situation we're in, they always seem to know just what to say – and how to say it – so that we're not offended or upset. They're caring and considerate, and even if we don't find a solution to our problem, we usually leave feeling more hopeful and optimistic.We probably also know people who are masters at managing their emotions. They don't get angry in stressful situations. Instead, they have the ability to look at a problem and calmly find a solution. They're excellent decision makers, and they know when to trust their intuition. Regardless of their strengths, however, they're usually willing to look at themselves honestly. They take criticism well, and they know when to use it to improve their performance.People like this have a high degree of emotional intelligence, or EI.
They know themselves very well, and they're also able to sense the emotional needs of others.Would you like to be more like this?As more and more people accept that emotional intelligence is just as important to professional success as technical ability, organizations are increasingly using EI when they hire and promote.For example, one large cosmetics company recently revised their hiring process for salespeople to choose candidates based on emotional intelligence. The result? Salespeople hired with the new system have sold, on average, $91,000 more than salespeople selected under the old system. There has also been significantly lower staff turnover among the group chosen for their emotional intelligence.So, what exactly is emotional intelligence, and what can you do to improve yours?What Is Emotional Intelligence?We all have different personalities, different wants and needs, and different ways of showing our emotions. Navigating through this all takes tact and cleverness - especially if we hope to succeed in life. This is where emotional intelligence becomes important.Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they're telling you, and realize how your emotions affect people around you. Emotional intelligence also involves your perception of others: when you understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more effectively.People with high emotional intelligence are usually successful in most things they do. Why? Because they're the ones that others want on their team. When people with high EI send an email, it gets answered. When they need help, they get it. Because they make others feel good, they go through life much more easily than people who are easily angered or upset.Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist, developed a framework of five elements that define emotional intelligence:1. Self-Awareness: People with high emotional intelligence are usually very self-aware. They understand their emotions, and because of this, they don't let their feelings rule them. They're confident – because they trust their intuition and don't let their emotions get out of control.They're also willing to take an honest look at themselves. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they work on these areas so they can perform better. Many people believe that this self-awareness is the most important part of emotional intelligence.2. Self-Regulation: This is the ability to control emotions and impulses. People who self-regulate typically don't allow themselves to become too angry or jealous, and they don't make impulsive, careless decisions. They think before they act. Characteristics of self-regulation are thoughtfulness, comfort with change, integrity, and the ability to say no.3. Motivation: People with a high degree of emotional intelligence are usually motivated. They're willing to defer immediate results for long-term success. They're highly productive, love a challenge, and are very effective in whatever they do.4.
Empathy: This is perhaps the second-most important element of emotional intelligence. Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand the wants, needs, and viewpoints of those around you. People with empathy are good at recognizing the feelings of others, even when those feelings may not be obvious. As a result, empathetic people are usually excellent at managing relationships, listening, and relating to others. They avoid stereotyping and judging too quickly, and they live their lives in a very open, honest way.5. Social Skills: It's usually easy to talk to and like people with good social skills, another sign of high emotional intelligence. Those with strong social skills are typically team players. Rather than focus on their own success first, they help others develop and shine. They can manage disputes, are excellent communicators, and are masters at building and maintaining relationships.As you've probably determined, emotional intelligence can be a key to success in your life – especially in your career. The ability to manage people and relationships is very important in all leaders, so developing and using youremotional intelligence can be a good way to show others the leader inside of you.How to Improve Your Emotional IntelligenceThe good news is that emotional intelligence CAN be taught and developed. Many books and tests are available to help you determine your current EI, and identify where you may need to do some work. You can also use these tips:* Observe how you react to people. Do you rush to judgment before you know all of the facts? Do you stereotype? Look honestly at how you think and interact with other people. Try to put yourself in their place, and be more open and accepting of their perspectives and needs.* Look at your work environment. Do you seek attention for your accomplishments? Humility can be a wonderful quality, and it doesn't mean that you're shy or lack self-confidence. When you practice humility, you say that you know what you did, and you can be quietly confident about it. Give others a chance to shine - put the focus on them, and don't worry too much about getting praise for yourself.* Do a self-evaluation. What are your weaknesses? Are you willing to accept that you're not perfect and that you could work on some areas to make yourself a better person? Have the courage to look at yourself honestly - it can change your life.* Examine how you react to stressful situations. Do you become upset every time there's a delay or something doesn't happen the way you want? Do you blame others or become angry at them, even when it's not their fault? The ability to stay calm and in control in difficult situations is highly valued - in the business world and outside it. Keep your emotions under control when things go wrong.* Take responsibility for your actions. If you hurt someone's feelings, apologize directly – don't ignore what you did or avoid the person. People are usually more willing to forgive and forget if you make an honest attempt to make things right.* Examine how your actions will affect others – before you take those actions. If your decision will impact others, put yourself in their place. How will they feel if you do this? Would you want that experience? If you must take the action, how can you help others deal with the effects?Key Points

Although "regular" intelligence is important to success in life, emotional intelligence is key to relating well to others and achieving your goals. Many people believe that emotional intelligence is at least as important as regular intelligence, and many companies now use EI testing to hire new staff.Emotional intelligence is an awareness of your actions and feelings – and how they affect those around you. It also means that you value others, listen to their wants and needs, and are able to empathize or identify with them on many different levels.
Posted by Jacs

JOSEPH RENZULI

Joseph Renzulli, Professor, University of Connecticut, Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development and Director, National Research Center on Gifted and Talented.
His later model, the school wide enrichment model, became popular because it is inclusive, affecting many students in the school, while being highly effective with gifted students. It provides gifted students with an enhanced educational model.
Renzulli describes an organisational and service delivery model, which has three components:
Type I enrichment (general exploratory experiences)
Type II enrichment (group training activities)
Type III enrichment (individual and small-group investigations of real problems).

Organisational elements include enrichment-planning teams, needs assessments, staff development, materials selection, and program evaluation. Some of the service delivery components are lessons to promote development of thinking processes, procedures to modify the regular curriculum, and curriculum compacting.

Joseph Renzulli (Renzulli, Sand and Reis, 1986) created this model specifically for the education of gifted students so that teachers could provide programs that are qualitatively different.
The Enrichment Triad Model consists of three types of enrichment:

TYPE I - General Interest / Exploratory Activities
These activities are designed to provide students with as wide a range of experiences as possible, and include excursions, club, interest centres, visiting speakers and brainstorming sessions.

TYPE II - Group Training Activities / Skills Development
These activities are designed to develop thinking and feeling skills and students are involved in designing, experimenting, comparing, analysing, recording and classifying. Skills to be developed include creative and critical thinking, learning how to learn, using advanced level reference materials and communicating effectively.

TYPE III - Individual and Small Group Investigation of Real Problems
Students apply the knowledge and skills they have developed while working through Type I and Type II activities. They become investigators of real problems, working on specific areas of study towards presentation to a real audience. Activities include researching, debating, surveying, making a presentation, writing a journal article or producing a book or play.
A significant feature of Renzulli's Enrichment Triad model is that all students can work at the first two levels, and the activities generated within these levels support the third level. Type III activities are more appropriate for gifted students, as they allow for the generation of creativity.
Edited from: http://www2.greenhouse.wa.edu.au/gh/gt/provision/teachlearnmodels/enrichmenttriad

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

ERICKSON'S PHYCOSOSIAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY

CLICK HERE : Erikson's psychosocial development theory
Erik Erikson, the psychologist who re-envisioned the human life cycle as a series of developmental stages, described the "identity crisis," and popularized the genre of psychobiography with his books on Martin Luther and Mohandas Gandhi,......

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Biodata Bill Gatesbiodata18JanLahir :28 Oktober 1955 (umur 53) Seattle, WashingtonTempat tinggal :Amerika serikatPekerjaan :Chairman of Microsoft Co-Chair dari Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationSuami/Istri :Melinda Gates (1994–sekarang)Anak :Jennifer Katharine Gates (1996), Rory John Gates (1999) dan Phoebe Adele Gates (2002)William Henry Gates III (lahir di Seattle, Washington, 28 Oktober 1955; umur 53 tahun), lebih dikenal sebagai Bill Gates, adalah pendiri (bersama Paul Allen) dan ketua umum perusahaan perangkat lunak AS, Microsoft. Ia juga merupakan seorang filantropis melalui kegiatannya di Yayasan Bill & Melinda Gates. Ia menempati posisi pertama dalam orang terkaya di dunia versi majalah Forbes selama 13 tahun (1995 hingga 2007), namun sejak 5 Maret 2008 berada di posisi ketiga setelah pebisnis AS Warren Buffett dan pebisnis Meksiko Carlos Slim Helú.

SAVANTS SYNDROME

Savant syndrome is perhaps one of the most fascinating phenomena in the study of human differences and cognitive psychology. It is often claimed that, because of the extraordinary abilities involved, we will never truly understand human memory and cognition until we understand the savant.

Savant syndrome was first properly recognised by Dr. J. Langdon Down, (n.b. he also originated the term Down’s syndrome). In 1887, he coined the term "idiot savant" - meaning low intelligence, and from the French, savoir, knowing or wise, to describe someone who had "extraordinary memory but with a great defect in reasoning power."

This term is now little used because of its inappropriate connotations, and the term savant syndrome has now been more or less adopted. Another term, autistic savant, is also widely used, but this can be somewhat misleading.

AUTISTIC SAVANTS

"Autistic savant" refers to individuals with autism who have extraordinary skills not exhibited by most persons. The estimated prevalence of savant abilities in autism is 10%, whereas the prevalence in the non-autistic population, including those with mental retardation, is less than 1%.

Savant skills occur within a narrow but constant range of human mental functions, generally in six areas: calendar calculating; lightening calculating & mathematical ability; art (drawing or sculpting); music (usually piano with perfect pitch); mechanical abilities; and spatial skills. In some instances unusual language abilities have been reported but those are rare.

Other skills much less frequently reported include map memorizing, visual measurement, extrasensory perception, unusual sensory discrimination such as enhanced sense of touch & smell, and perfect appreciation passing time without knowledge of a clock face. The most common savant skill is musical ability. A regularly reoccurring triad of musical genius, blindness and autism is particularly striking in the world literature on this topic.

AUTISME

Autism is a moderately rare condition resulting from a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the developing brain, resulting in sometimes profound communicative, social and cognitive deficits. Autism is estimated to occur in as many as 1 in 500 individuals, and is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and does not seem to be associated with any demographic features, such as economic, class, racial, ethnic, etc. Autistic traits are also sometimes observed in connection with other developmental disabilities, and CNS injuries.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SAVANT SYNDROME

Savant syndrome is exceedingly rare, but a remarkable condition in which persons with autism, or other serious mental handicaps, or major mental illness, have astonishing islands of ability or brilliance that stand out in stark contrast to their overall disability.

The skills can appear suddenly, without explanation, and have been reported as sometimes disappearing just as suddenly. It is useful to put these special skills into the following three categories:

Splinter Skills where the individual possesses specific skills that stand in contrast to their overall level of functioning,

Talented Savants where the individual displays a high level of ability that is in contrast to their disability, and

Prodigious Savants which involves a much rarer form of the condition, where the ability or brilliance is not only spectacular in contrast to the disability, but would be spectacular even if viewed in a non-disabled person. It is very likely that many savants do go unnoticed, and depending upon whether the three categories above are recognized, estimates of the incidence of savant syndrome can vary widely. In the case of prodigious savants it has been estimated that there may be fewer than 100 cases reported in the world literature in the past 100 years.

References
Frith, U (1989) Autism: Explaining the enigma. Blackwell.

Happé, F. (1994) Autism: An introduction to psychological theory. UCL Press.

Hermelin, B. (2001) Bright Splinters of the Mind: A personal story of research with autistic savants. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Hockney, D. (2001) Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the lost techniques of the old masters. Thames & Hudson.

Sacks, O. (1986) The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Picador.

Sacks, O. (1995) An Anthropologist from Mars. Picador.

Schopler, E. & Mesibov, G.B. (1995) Learning and Cognition in Autism. Plenum Press.

Selfe, L. (1977) Nadia: A case of extraordinary drawing ability in an autistic child. Academic Press.

Smith, N.& Tsimpli, I.-M. (1995) The Mind of a Savant: Language learning and modularity. Blackwell.

Treffert, A.D. (1989) Extraordinary People. Bantam.

Treffert, A.D. & Wallace, G.L. (2002) Islands of Genius. Scientific American, (June), p.60-69.

Wiltshire, S. (1987) Drawings. J.M. Dent.

Wiltshire, S. (1991) Floating Cities. Michael Joseph.

Website

Wisconsin Medical Society

http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~changc/index.html