Horizon Educational Newsletter

Volume 5 issue 2

 Volume 5 issue 2    August 2011

News Highlight

•  Admas University College, in collaboration with Western Michigan University and other government & non-government partners, organized and sponsored the 6^th International Research Conference in Addis Ababa on June 3 and  4, 2011.

The general theme of the conference was “Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development in Africa.” More than twenty research papers were presented in the conference by international researchers.

Some of the research topics were:

¨ Sustainability of Expansion in an African Airline: the Case of Ethiopian Airlines

¨ Human Dimensions of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis in Ethiopia: An Econometric Analysis

¨ Human Security and Entrepreneurial Employment in the Greater Horn of Africa

¨ EPRDF’s General Leadership Change and Democratization Process in Federal Ethiopia: Some Preliminary Thoughts

¨ Reconfiguring Performance Measurement System in Higher Education Institutions of Ethiopia for Quality Assurance, and

¨ Causes and Consequences of Rural and Urban Migration : The Case of Female Domestic Workers in Bolie and Yeka Sub-Cities of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

• The Research and Publications Department of Admas University College has been conducting research seminars on regular basis. Some of the titles of the researches presented on the seminars held in the quarter were Exploring Teachers’ Roles in Implementing Group Work’ by Ato Mulat Adane and  Instructors’ Use of Motivational Strategies by Ato Jemal Mohammed.

Especially according to the presentation by Ato Mulat Adane, a properly planned and organized group work has different pedagogical and linguistic advantages. It was also briefly underlined that to benefit from implementing group work in a classroom, teachers should play their roles at different stages of the group work.

In the presentation by Ato Jemal Mohammed, it was indicated that if instructors and students are highly motivated, various pedagogical and other benefits will be achieved easily. In addition, it was agreed that motivation has a tremendous value in the teaching-learning process.

•  Admas University College gave variety of trainings for trainees from different government and private originations. The trainings were on Basic Computer Application and Internet Usage; SPSS; PC and Travel-Shouting; Data Base with SQL– Server; MS Word and Excel; Research Methodology; Financial Management; Store Management; CEFE; Peachtree Accounting among others. The trainees were from Bole Printing Enterprise; Oromiya National Regional State; Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA); Ministry of Defense; graduating students from different Higher Education Institutions and others.

At the end of each training, trainees have reflected their satisfaction in that the University College was found to be an effective private training  institution for it has fruitfully trained and equipped them with the fundamental knowledge and skills of the training areas.

•  Sixty students from Misrak and Meskel campuses of Admas University College donated  blood on May 23 & 24, 2011. Some of the students reported that donating blood is exactly equivalent to giving life for others; and it is through this motive that they have decided to donate blood. The organizer, Students’, Graduates’ and Social Affairs Department of the University College, also said that the event is organized following the announcement made by the Ethiopian Red Cross Society which is aimed at collecting 80,000-100,000 units blood. Admas University College has been consistently working with the Ethiopian Red Cross society through creating awareness among the University College’s community and letting students and staffs donate blood in different times.

•  Students’, Graduates’ and Social Affairs department of Admas University College has attended a workshop organized by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on “Sexual Harassment is Violation of Human Rights” on May 19 and 20, 2011 at Jupiter Hotel, Addis Ababa. Representatives of different Universities from all over the nation, and delegates of Ministry of Education attended the workshop. After papers on types and forms of sexual harassment were presented, participants exchanged experiences and finally reached at consensus that ‘No Women shall be sexually Harassed’. Finally, an action plan which will be implemented by Higher Education Institutions to keep women away from gender violence and sexual harassment was prepared.

• The Quality Assurance Department of Admas University College gave a half day training to secretaries working in different offices of the University College to scale up their awareness regarding documentation. The training was held on June 09/ 2011 in the University College’s Senate Hall,

The training was mainly about the why and how of documentations. According to the explanation from the trainer, W/ro Tigabie T/Medhin from Quality Assurance Department, the short refreshment training was organized after making an in-depth observations and identifying the gaps on the side of the secretaries. 

W/ro Tigabie further explained that the main objective of the training was to raise the awareness of the participants regarding documentation. On the occasion, issues regarding:

· The role of information;

· Documentation (meaning, forms, importance, review)

· Secretaries’ jobs as well as many problems on the ground related with documentation were raised and discussed briefly by participants.

Similarly, the Department has also called on the Academic staffs of the University College to upgrade their awareness regarding the new TVET Strategy as well as the issue of Continuous Assessment implementation. In this a full day training , many issues regarding the new TVET Strategy and the implementation of Continuous Assessment were raised and discussed briefly. More than fifty academic staffs and the top management of the University College were in attendance.

•  The Research and Publications Department of Admas University College is publishing different publications. These include: Horizon, Admas Monthly, ‘Finote’ Admas, Admas Quality, and different Journals such as Admas Development Journal, Journal of Education, Journal of Informatics, and Journal of Business as well as Proceedings of Annual National Research Conferences.

In addition, the Department has distributed this quarter’s publications (Proceedings of the Fourth Annual National Research Conference, Experience Admas, Horizon, and Admas Quality) to different private and public originations, Higher Education and TVET Institutions, regional education bureaus, renowned individuals, libraries in all over the country.

Dessie, Debre Birhan Teachers and Vocational Training College, Dilla, Gondar, Mekelle, Bahir-Dar, Haramaya, Adama, Ambo, Hawassa, Debre Markos, Axum, Jimma, Arba-Minch, Miza-Tepi, Jijiga, Debre-Birhan, Welayeta Sodo, Wollega, Semera, Dire Dawa, Wodewolabu Universities, as well as Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, Somali, Gambella, Benshangul Gumuz , Harari, and Dire Dawa Regional State Education Bureaus were some of the addressees of the Publications, among others.

Current Issues

What Did You Say? Gender Speak in the

Workplace

By Mulat Adane, Head Department of Research and Publications

What is the solution, then, if men and women are talking at cross purposes…? How are we to open lines of communication? The answer is for both men and women to try to take each other on their own terms rather than applying the standards of one group over another.”

 Deborah Tannen

Even with the success of the women’s liberation movement and the increase in the number of women in the work force, girls and boys are still educated by society to speak and act differently. When young boys swear and use tough language, their behavior is tolerated as normal for their age. We assume they are trying to act big. Grown men pepper their vocabulary with occasional profanity and it is acceptable. No corresponding freedom exists for women and little girls. Verbally and physically, female actions are expected to be more restrained than their male counterparts. This directly affects the communication skills of both females and males. At work, we often find ourselves at cross-purposes

But whether male/female differences stem from genetic makeup, parental influence or cultural conditioning by society, the fact is we are different. We act differently. We speak differently. Men often assume a direct, forceful manner of communicating, while women typically acquire a quieter, more tentative, questioning approach. The result of these differing uses of language often leads to misunderstandings. John Gray, who has contributed much to our understanding of the communication styles of men and women, says that by accepting and validating these male and female differences, we can begin to close the communication gap.

The first step is to accept our differences. Different doesn’t mean wrong. Men tend to define themselves through their achievements. They like to handle things on their own. So at work, if a woman suggests to a man that he asks for help, he may think she believes he is inept or, worse, incompetent. Women define who they are through the connectedness of their relationships and through feelings. Reverse the above situation, and the woman would not as likely take offense at the suggestion. Much of our business communication is based upon the interpretation of the male and female listener. Words are only as useful as the way they are heard.

The second step is to learn the rules of communication. We have rules for just about everything we do. When we engage in sports, we play by the rules; when we drive, we follow the rules of safe driving; when we play games, we play according to the rules. We even have the Golden Rule. Learn the rules that men follow when they communicate. Seek to understand the rules women also unconsciously follow for successful communication.

For communication between men and women to be effective, we must recognize the differences between male and female communication styles. Men and women, at home or in the workplace, whether speaking or listening, use communication methods designed to meet their primary communication needs.

The most important way a man can improve his communication skills with a woman is by listening to her feelings. This may not be easy, because he is

coming from a different perspective.

The first thing a man should do is to keep in mind how quickly unpleasant feelings can arise in a conversation he feels is going well. These feelings come from not listening with an understanding of the woman’s point of view. For good gender communication to take place, a man must start taking the responsibility for understanding the way women talk. Don’t blame her for upsetting you. Her feelings are valid even if they don’t make sense to you right away. Before coming to conclusions, try to see the situation through her eyes. Keep in mind a woman’s primary communication needs and use your conversation to make her feel validated, respected and understood. Take the time to reassure her and let her know you care about what she is saying. Make her feel that you are listening to her and your communication will improve.

Sometimes males experience uncomfortable emotions because they do not know what to do to solve things. To improve business communications, men must learn to resist the urge to take the problem completely off a female counterpart’s shoulders. Don’t offer more solutions. Because women talk about problems does not mean they don’t know the solutions. Women want men to listen to them. To have good communication with women, you don’t have to always agree with them. If you disagree, however, you’ll be better able to get your point across if you wait until they are finished talking. Men often try to talk over each other when they disagree. They raise their voices and interrupt each other. Women interpret these actions as power plays, and communication suffers.

Also, don’t pretend to understand when you don’t, and don’t automatically start defending yourself. You communicate better with women if you admit when you don’t understand. If you disagree and feel strongly about the issue, let women know that what they said is important to you. Then gently explain your point of view. If you make a mistake, especially when you have slighted her feelings, apologize. If you listen and acknowledge her feelings, you’ll close the gender gap and open the door to effective business communications.

Just as men have a problem with listening, women need to empower their male counterparts. Don’t ask him too many questions or he may feel you are prying, or trying to change him. He will either become defensive or agree with you for the moment to pacify you. When sharing feelings with a man, let him know you are not trying to tell him what to do. Nowhere is the pause more practically or usefully applied than in gender communication. This gives the listener the opportunity to consider the speaker’s primary needs before responding. This is especially useful when a female asks a male for support or a favor. Allow the male to work through his resistance, even if he grumbles. As long as you remain silent you stand a good chance of getting what you asked for. Women have a tendency to break the silence with comments like, “Oh, never mind,” or “it’s not that important,” or “Don’t bother.”

Women also have a tendency to ask tag questions, with qualifiers. This makes their statements less powerful and believable. Women must learn to avoid saying things like, “That was the most moving speech I ever heard, don’t you think?” Adding “don’t you think?” makes the statement less powerful and makes you appear unsure of yourself. Men often talk over women, or speak louder to get their point across. This makes women feel unevenly matched. Worse, it can interpret by women as a means of control. The soft-spoken, more tentative style common to women, however, can be wrongly interpreted as being uninformed or unsure.

Once you realize that men and women have different conversational styles, you can begin accepting differences without blaming or criticizing. Nothing hurts more than being told you’re doing something wrong when you know you are right, or feeling that others think your intentions are bad when you know they’re good. Our differences can enrich our lives and show us another dimension to business decisions that we would not know if we were all the same.

Source: Powerful Communication Skills:

How to Communicate with confidence;

              By Colleen McKenna (2003)

Department Window

By Tesfaye Zewge Haile

Academic and Research Ass. Vice President

“I have found it enriching to open channels whereby others can communicate their feelings, their private perceptual worlds to me.”

Carl Rogers

How you say something is often more powerful than what you say. How does your nonverbal communication work for you? Your tone of voice and facial expressions tell people more than your words. Tone, inflection and facial expressions account for 93 percent of your message. The actual words only account for 7 percent. You don’t need a big vocabulary to communicate assertively and make yourself understood. It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it. Your nonverbal communication can either enhance and support what your words say, or detract, or even oppose what you are saying.

Key Components of Nonverbal Communication:

Eye Contact: The eyes are an important part of nonverbal communication. Speakers who stare off into space or keep their eyes glued to their feet do not inspire much attention or confidence. To communicate more confidence and polish, keep your head up and vary the direction of your gaze. Eye contact emphasizes a point and establishes trust. In conversation, glance at the other person for a second and then glance away to show you are listening and not just staring.

Body Posture: How you carry yourself sends a double nonverbal message. It reveals what you think about yourself and what you think about your listener. Slouching conveys an attitude of indifference to the world. Conversely, if you’re rigid and uptight, you communicate anxiety and insecurity. These are two extremes. Try for a happy medium: poised and relaxed, alert but not tense, even when you may not really feel that way.

Distance/Physical Contact: The distance you maintain from other people has a direct impact upon communication. Standing or sitting closely together and touching suggests intimacy in a relationship unless the person is in crowded or very cramped quarters.  Some people try to dominate others through unnecessary territorial moves. Unless you are aware of the significance of such actions, you may unconsciously respond with submissive behavior.

Facial Expressions: Have you ever seen someone trying to express anger while smiling or laughing? It just doesn’t work. Effective communication requires facial expressions that agree with what is being said. Let your face say the same thing as your words.

Gestures: You gestures are as important as your facial expressions. While enthusiastic gesturing is a somewhat culturally related behavior, a relaxed use of gestures adds depth and power to your messages. Uninhibited movement suggests openness, self-confidence and spontaneity on the speaker’s part.

Vocal Tone, Inflection, Volume: Your voice is one of your most vital body tools in communication. Words spoken through clenched teeth in anger offer an entirely different message than when the same words are shouted with joy or whispered in fear. A level, well-modulated conversational tone is persuasive without being intimidating. A whispered monotone makes it hard to convince others that you mean business. Consider the three dimensions of your voice:

            Tone: Is your tone raspy, whiny, soft, angry? Women tend to have a higher pitched and softer speaking voice than men. A lower pitched voice generally is more effective.

            Inflection: Do you emphasize certain syllables as in a question, speak in a monotone or with a sing-song effect? Swings in emotion can be shown with variations in pitch.

            Volume: Do you try to gain attention by whispering, or do you overpower others with loudness? Or is it difficult for you to shout even when you want to? Your voice is a powerful tool in self-expression. Control and use it effectively. Practice with a recorder until you achieve a style you like. Allow yourself time for changes to become natural. Use the recorder regularly to check your progress.

Fluency: A smooth flow of speech helps get your point across in any type of conversation. It is not necessary to talk rapidly for an extended period. If your speech is interrupted with long hesitations, your listeners will become bored and sense that you are unsure of yourself. Clear and slow comments are more easily understood and powerful than rapid speech that is erratic.   

Timing: In general, spontaneity of expression is the goal. Hesitation diminishes the effectiveness of your message. If a problem arises and you aren’t able to express yourself adequately at the time, it is usually worthwhile to find the person later and talk with him about what is on your mind. Effective communication helps keep your relationships open and accurately conveys your feelings.

Clothing: What you wear and how you wear it send powerful signals. Your clothing and accessories are a reflection of your status, who you think you are, and what you want others to think of you. Sometimes this message can be lost or misinterpreted. Clothing revolves around two concerns: how to fit in and how to stand out.

Personality Disorder

The term "Personality Disorder" implies there is something not-quite-right about someone's personality. However, the term "personality disorder" simply refers to a diagnostic category of psychiatric disorders characterized by a chronic, inflexible, and maladaptive pattern of relating to the world. This maladaptive pattern is evident in the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. The most noticeable and significant feature of these disorders is their negative effect on interpersonal relationships. A person with an untreated personality disorder is rarely able to enjoy sustained, meaningful, and rewarding relationships with others, and any relationships they do form are often fraught with problems and difficulties.

To be diagnosed with a "personality disorder" does not mean that someone's personality is fatally flawed or that they represent some freak of nature. In fact, these disorders are not that uncommon and are deeply troubling and painful to those who are diagnosed with these disorders. Studies on the prevalence of personality disorders performed in different countries and amongst different populations suggest that roughly 10% of adults can be diagnosed with a personality disorder (Torgersen, 2005).

Unlike many types of disorders that are indicated by symptoms that are not usually found in the general population (e.g., seizures), personality disorders cannot be understood independently from healthy personalities. Since everyone has a personality (but not everyone has seizures), personality disorders reflect a variant form of normal, healthy personality. Thus, a personality disorder exists as a special case of a normal, healthy personality in much the same way as a square is a special case of the more general construct of a rectangle.

Source: http://www.mentalhelp.net

Opinions and Views

Having a Degree and Being Educated

By: Tesfaye Yimer

Lecturer, Department of Management

The welfare of the nation and the world depend on our capacity to think straight and act rightly not on the amount of information we have accumulated.

To be juror, to be a person, and to live in satisfaction require more than a trained mind. It requires an educated one, a mind that does not parrot other men’s opinions or values but frames its own, a mind that can read, write, speak, manipulate symbols, argue, and judge and whose imagination is as free as its reason.

This attributes are not synonymous with simple exposure to what is euphemistically called an education in the humanities or liberal arts, even when these are genuine as often they are not. The belief only piles one illusion up on another. Rather than courses taken, or degrees conferred, the true tests of an educated mind are in its operation. Let me suggest some questions that indicate whether your mind operates like an educated one no matter what your major may have been.

First, have you learned how to learn without your teacher? Can you work up a new subject, find the information, separate the relevant from the trivial, and express it in your own language? Can you discern which are your teacher’s thoughts and which are your own? Your first freedom must be from the subtle despotism of even a great teacher’s ideas.

Second, can you ask critical questions, no matter what subject is before you, those questions that expose a line argument, evaluate the claims being made up on you, the evidence adduced, the logic employed? Can you shift fact from opinion, the plausible from the proven, the rhetorical from the logical? Can you use skepticism as a constructive tool and not a refuge for intellectual sloth? Do you apply the same critical vigor to your own thoughts and actions? Or, are you merely rearranging your prejudices when you think you are thinking?

Third, do you really understand what you are reading, what people are saying, what words they are using? Is your own langrage clear, concrete& concise?

Fourth, all your actions your own based on understanding and commitment to values you can defend? Can you discern the value of conflicts underlying personal and public choices and distinguish what is compromise in principle and what is not? Is your approach to moral judgment reasoned or emotional? When all the facts are in, when the acts are doubtful and action must be taken, can you choose wisely, prudently and reasonably?

Fifth, can you form your own reasoned judgment about works of art whether a novel sonata, sculpture or painting? Or are you enslaved by the critic, the book reviewer, and the opinion markers; vacillating with their fads and pretentiousness?

Sixth, are your political opinions of the same order as your school and athletic loyalties rooting for your side and ignoring the issues and ideas your side propounds? Free societies need independent voters who look at issues and not labels, which will be loyal to their ideas, not just to parties and factions.

If you can answer yes to all of these indicators, then you have imbibed the essence of a liberal education, once which assures that your actions are under the direction of your thought, that you are your own person no matter what courses you took and what degree you receive.

Education is thought of as not just importing the knowledge of a profession discipline, but also demonstrating, a certain way of life which is human and thoughtful, yet also critical and above all rational.

There are two lands of freedom without which we cannot lead truly human lives. One kind is political and it is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights; the other is intellectual and spiritual and is guaranteed by an education that liberates the mind. Political freedom assures that we can express our opinion freely; a liberal education that the opinions we express are free; each depends so much on the other that to threaten one is to threaten the other.

If your answers are mostly negative (and to hope they are not) then you are in danger of harboring an illusion one which is dangerous to you and to society.

May I remind you in closing that the men who made our nation who endowed it with the practical wisdom that distinguished its history were men without formal degree T.S Eliot, in his poem “ Dry salvages” said “We have had the experience of education if hope you have not missed the meaning.” You have had the experience of an education. I hope you have not missed the meaning.

Here and There

Gender Identity Disorder

Definition

Gender identity disorder is a conflict between a person's actual physical gender and the one they actually identify him or herself as. It occurs when a person feels as if their biological gender doesn’t accord with who they feel themselves to be. For example, a person identified as a boy may actually feel and act like a girl.

Alternative Name: Transsexualism

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

People with gender identity disorder may act and present themselves as members of the opposite sex. The disorder may affect:

· Choice of sexual partners

· Display of feminine or masculine mannerisms, behavior, and dress

Self-concept

Gender identity disorder is not the same as homosexuality. Identity issues can occur in many situations and appear in different ways. For example, some people with normal genitalia and sexual characteristics (such as breasts) of one gender privately identify more with the other gender. Some people may cross-dress, and some may seek sex-change surgery. Others are born with ambiguous genitalia, which can raise identity issues.

The cause is unknown, but hormones in the womb, genes, and environmental factors (such as parenting) may be involved. The rare disorder may occur in children or adults.

Symptoms

Children:

· are disgusted by their own genitals;

· are rejected by their peers, feel alone;

· believe that they will grow up to become the opposite sex;

· have depression or anxiety;

· say that they want to be the opposite sex.

Adults:

· dress like the opposite sex;

· feel alone;

· have depression or anxiety;

· want to live as a person of the opposite sex;

· wish to get rid of their own genitals.

Either adults or children:

· cross-dress, show habits typical of the opposite sex;

· withdraw from social interaction.

Signs and tests

The feeling of being in the body of the "wrong" gender must last for at least 2 years for this diagnosis to be made. A history and psychiatric evaluation can confirm the person's constant desire to be the opposite sex. The person's partner choices may be same sex or opposite sex.

Treatment

Individual and family counseling is recommended for children, and individual or couples therapy is recommended for adults. Sex reassignment through surgery and hormonal therapy is an option, but identity problems may continue after this treatment.

Expectations (prognosis)

Diagnosing and treating this disorder early can lead to a better outcome.

Complications

· Depression or anxiety

· Emotional distress

· Feeling alone

· Poor self-concept

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com

Patience and Understanding

bBy Daniel Worku

Head, Department of Students’ and Social Affairs 

Here’s something to keep in mind as you go through this hectic day. The person who benefits most from your patience is you.

Yes, you’ll come across many people who are rude, annoying and self-centered. But does it really serve any positive purpose for you to sink to their depths of negativity?

Instead, take the opportunity to rise to a higher level of peacefulness and understanding. Take the opportunity to practice and strengthen your patience.

Patience and understanding will take you to places where anger, frustration, confusion and anxiety can never reach. Patience and understanding put you in a position of real power and effectiveness.

Practice patience, and you will build real strength. Live with patience and understanding, and a whole new world of valuable opportunities will open up to you.

There’s nothing to be gained by reacting to rudeness and anxiety with more rudeness and anxiety of your own making. Respond instead with patience and understanding, and you’ll make your world a much better place.

You are not your problems

 The more you identify yourself with the problems that face you, the more difficult it will be for you to get past them. If your whole identity is wrapped up in your limitations, how can you ever be free of them?

There is  a part of you that exists beyond every problem, beyond every limitation. Let that part of you dominate your thoughts, your words, and your actions.

Though you will certainly experience problems, don’t allow those problems to define who you are. Operate from a level that is above all the problems, for it is from that perspective that you’ll successfully transcend them all.

If you think of yourself as a loser, that is what you’ll always be. Yet when you think of yourself as a winner who is experiencing some difficult challenges, you’re sure to work your way successfully past those challenges.

See yourself not as a person who has problems, but as a person who creates value out of difficult situations. See the challenges and limitations not as  permanent parts of you, but as stepping stones on the path to the fulfilment of your greatest dreams.

You are not your problems and they are not you. You can choose to express your own unique value no matter what your circumstances may be.

Source: www.motivation.com