This should be 1–2 pages in length. The introduction provides a brief overview of what will be covered and the purpose of the research paper.

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For Week 3 you conducted an annotated bibliography on a set of topics.

 

  1. The major developmental theories for children and adolescents.

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  1. Cognitive development from childhood through adolescence.

 

  1. Age-appropriate milestones and anomalies.

 

For this assignment you will utilize that information and what you learned from this course on a research paper regarding the topics chosen.

For this week you will write your paper. The paper should adhere to the following guidelines:

  • The length of the paper should be 12–14 double-spaced pages (not including the title and reference pages).
  • For the main sections it should have a:
    • Title page
    • Introduction
    • Literature review
    • Conclusion
    • Reference page(s)
  • The paper must use proper APA style for citing sources and references.
  • Introduction: This should be 1–2 pages in length. The introduction provides a brief overview of what will be covered and the purpose of the research paper.
  • Literature review: The literature review is taken in part from what you had written in Week 3.
  • Discussion and conclusions: The difference between a great research paper and a marginal one is the depth and originality of the discussion and conclusion section. This is where you bring together what you learned from the literature review (as well as through the course) in your concluding remarks regarding your topic. The discussion and conclusion section should be 1–2 pages in length.

How has your academic writing changed throughout the course? Provide examples. What areas in your academic program do you think have improved the most, and why?

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As people go about their day and encounter different situations and experiences, they use various cognitive processes. People often do not recognize that they are using cognitive skills, and do not understand how their brain functioning contributes to their daily life experience. This assignment provides insight into the cognitive processes that your brain goes through on a daily basis.

Create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation to showcase “A Day in Your Brain.” Include the following:

  • Outline your typical day, from the time you wake up, until you go to sleep.
  • Identify 8 to 10 situations throughout the day when the following cognitive processes occur:
  • Perception
  • Attention
  • Memory
  • Language
  • Reasoning
  • Decision making
  • Problem solving
  • Explain how the cognitive processes are used in the situation, and how they help you to adapt in your environment.

Include detailed speaker notes on each slide to use as a transcript of what you would say while presenting.

Include a minimum of two sources to support your ideas.

Format any citations within your presentation according to APA guidelines.

Review this week’s assigned reading in the course text, Essential Guide to Critical Reading and Writing. Then, review and reflect on the journal entry you wrote in Week 1. Provide a self-assessment in your journal this week on:

  • How has your academic writing changed throughout the course? Provide examples.
  • What areas in your academic program do you think have improved the most, and why?
  • What areas do you think you need further guidance? What is your strategy to improve the areas identified?

Your journal entry should be approximately 400–800 words. Include at least two Walden resources from the Learning Resources this week (that you used in your self-assessment).

Respond to a colleague with suggestions on how he or she can put his or her policy advocacy into action. Discuss which policy advocacy skills you can use as a social worker in all levels of practice.

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RESPONSE 1

Respond to a colleague with a discussion of why the evaluation of policies is often controversial and political and how the values of evaluation conflict adhere to social work values. What policy advocacy skills can social workers use to ensure that appropriate evaluations are being conducted on policies?

Colleague: Jennifer

Values of evaluation conflict adhere to social work values due to assessment being the beginning of policy change. Research has indicated that evidence-based policies encompass positive outcomes that are reviewed with research (Jansson, 2017). This correlates with social work values since social workers are derived from evidence-based practices.

Practices that can be utilized to defend the feasibility is doing a follow up evaluation to ensure that the evidence-based practice is still effective. Policy assessments involves asking questions, assessing changes, assessing differences if the policy was removed or changed (Jansson, 2017). Therefore, it is vital to ensure the policy that has been implemented is still effective after a period of time. These core values of social workers encompass a unique purpose that includes: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence (National Association of Social Workers, 2017).

References

Jansson, B. S. (2017). Becoming an effective  policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice  (8th ed.). Pacific  Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.

National Assocaition of Social Workers. (2008). NASW Code of Ethics. Retrieved https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

RESPONSE 2

Respond to a colleague with suggestions on how he or she can put his or her policy advocacy into action. Discuss which policy advocacy skills you can use as a social worker in all levels of practice.

Colleague: Demetria

As a social worker it is my ethical duty and own personal goal to make society a better place. Creating a healthier and more socially just society is the goal of social work (NASW. 2008). Working on a macro level is a skill that all social workers should acquire. Political issues effect clients that social workers will be working with. Being able to successfully advocate for change is imperative. Social workers are able to understand the need for change on the ground level and tell clients stories or empower them to speak out about their own experiences. Social workers also are able to understand how social issues are affecting clients and society in general. The information that social workers have and can gather may have sway on whether policies change or not. An area of social welfare in which social work policy advocacy is needed is child welfare. The child welfare system is in desperate need of policy changes and overhauls. The policies that were in place and some that are newly put into place at child welfare are hindering the clients more than helping.

References

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.

NASW Code of Ethics. (2008). Retrieved November 09, 2017, from https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

Swank, E. W. (2012). Predictors of political activism among social work students. Journal of Social Work Education,48(2), 245–266. Doi:10.5175/JSWE.2012.200900111.

What further information does Mr. Bledsoe and his colleagues need to best help Kayin? Where can he find this information?

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Assignment 1: Discussion—Cultural Differences: Kayin’s Case

Professionals must work with families to understand cultural and linguistic characteristics specific to each child. This is critical in determining whether a child’s experiences are typical of someone coming from a different background as opposed to a true disability. These issues can be complex as exceptionalities are seen across cultures as well.

Review the following scenario:

Kayin is an eight-year-old boy in the third grade. His teacher, Mr. Bledsoe, has been very concerned about his problems with reading. He also has difficulty socially, and seems withdrawn, with few, if any, friends. Kayin avoids eye contact with most people, but this is more pronounced with adults. He also becomes very frustrated at times, crying and ripping up his work.
Kayin has been enrolled in the same school since kindergarten. However, Mr. Bledsoe knows that his family is originally from Nigeria and they return every summer to visit family. Although Kayin’s parents speak English fairly fluently, they have a pronounced African accent. Mr. Bledsoe remembers learning that it is an act of respect to avoid eye contact with adults in some cultures, but he cannot remember whether this is true of Nigerian culture.
Mr. Bledsoe has been hesitant to raise the possibility of a disability because he does not know how much of Kayin’s struggles can be attributed to growing up in a bicultural and bilingual home or to Kayin’s own personality.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research cultural differences related to children with exceptionalities. It may also be useful to consult CultureGrams in the online library for more information on cultures in Nigeria.

Reflect on your readings and respond to the following:

  • What steps should Mr. Bledsoe take to address Kayin’s challenges?
  • What professionals might he include to help Kayin?
  • What further information does Mr. Bledsoe and his colleagues need to best help Kayin? Where can he find this information?
  • How should Mr. Bledsoe approach the issue of cultural differences with Kayin’s parents?
  • What ethical dilemma(s) might Mr. Bledsoe face when considering the values, beliefs, and behaviors common in the culture of Kayin’s family within the context of the general American culture?

Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources