Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Brain Training And Its Effects On The Elderly s Memory...
Brain-Training and its Effects on the Elderlyââ¬â¢s Memory and Functioning Memory is how we as humanââ¬â¢s store past events in our minds to retrieve them at a later time. Our ability to remember and retrieve these past memories can be likened to how a computer functions, such as in the information processing approach. This approach gives emphasis to the basic practice of remembering, and the steps involved in our mental functionality (Sigelman Rider, 2014). As humans, our memory and ability to recall information naturally declines as we age, and there are many possible reasons for this declined ability, such as not having to rehearse information as often after retirement, or the lack of mental exercise and regular maintenance done for the brain. Brain training is using different tools such as games, puzzles or other such cognitive exercises that help strengthen oneââ¬â¢s cognitive functions. Some examples of brain-training include games like Sudoku, crosswords, or word sea rches. There are even some online sources where one can find games and puzzles aimed to aide cognitive functionality, and example being AARPââ¬â¢s Staying Sharp (Nouchi et al., 2012). This online tool is not only aimed toward those in the retirement age category, but is available to every age that wishes to stay sharp in the areas of memory and brain health. It is very important for one of any age to maintain proper, healthy practices to keep oneââ¬â¢s brain in the best functioning condition possible. This paper willShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Short Term Cognitive Training On Episodic Memory And Executive Functioning999 Words à |à 4 PagesThe Effects of Short Term Cognitive Training on Episodic Memory and Executive Functioning in Healthy Seniors As humans begin to get older, there is a strong association between age change and the decline of cognition. This a concern that many individuals have as they start to get older, especially with the media coverage that Alzheimerââ¬â¢s disease has been getting. There are many causes of this decline, and it often varies highly between individuals based on their lifestyle and physical activityRead MoreThe Human Brain : A Strong Association Between Age Change And The Decline Of Cognition1711 Words à |à 7 Pagesare common in elderly populations. Because of this risk, there are many who are looking to improve or maintain their cognitive abilities or those of a loved one, as there is an expectation that even in old age, one should be as physically and mentally fit as they can be. The human brain is very adaptable and has the capability to improve functioning even if it has been impaired (Vas, A. K., Spence, J., Chapman, S. B. ,2015). The purpose of this study is to see if cognitive training can improve theseRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On Our Children1627 Words à |à 7 Pagesgames, too. That leads to the average age of video gamers to be 33 years oldâ⬠(Bavelier 21). Society is changing and non-gamers are being left behind. Playing video games have good effects on our brains such as improvement in basic visual processes, improvements in attention and vigilance, improvements in executive functioning, improvements in job-related skills, and improves thinking process. Firstly, playing video games improves our basic visual processes. In brief, it improves visual contrast sensitivityRead MoreExercise Increases The Intelligence Of Humans1245 Words à |à 5 Pagesobsesses over their image. The average person is going to strive for a great body, and great intelligence. But who ever said you can have both a great- healthy body and intelligence? I do, the human brain is the most complex and unique organ in the body. Some even consider it a muscle. Similar to muscles, your brain can be trained and worked for better functionality. There is a direct connection between exercising and increased intelligence in humans. In this paper I will be backing up my claim that exerciseRead MoreThe Human Brain Gains And Loses Information Through Neuroplasticity2001 Words à |à 9 PagesHow Does Neuroplasticity Occur in the Hippocampus? Joe Hamlin March 21, 2016 Abstract The human brain gains and loses information through neuroplasticity in the hippocampus and in other parts of the brain due to different stimuli acting upon those parts. Neuroplasticity is defined as the ability to rearrange the function to stimulation from external or internal sources. Adaptive and maladaptive neuroplasticity occur mainly in the hippocampus and its structural changes are due to stress, aging, andRead MoreIs Exercise A Dynamic And Progressive Process?1858 Words à |à 8 Pagesgray matter, hippocampus and other brain regions. With multiple areas of the brain being involved with cognitive function, such as information-processing speed, reasoning, attention and multiple memory function (Fox, Hodgkinson, Parker, 2014). With research proving that exercise has a positive effect on lifestyle overall, research has started to look into the effects research has on cognitive function. Although aerobic exercise has been the focus for the elderly over the past decade, multiple studiesRead MoreDevelopment in Late Adulthood1779 Words à |à 8 PagesEnergy reserves dwindle. Cells decay. Muscle mass decreases. The immune system is no longer as capable as it once was in guarding against disease. Body systems and organs, such as the heart and lungs, become less efficient. Overall, regardless of people s best hopes and efforts, aging translates into decline. Even so, the speed at which people age, as well as how aging affects their outlook on life, varies from person to person. In older adulthood, people experience both gains and losses. For instanceRead MoreTaking a Look at Schizophrenia 1626 Words à |à 6 Pagesprimarily affected the brain and was a just one form of dementia. In fact, he believed that schizophrenia was the early stages of dementia while Alzheimerââ¬â¢s disease was the later stage of dementia (Delisi 2008). Further development came in 1911 through introduction of the term schizophrenia by a Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler. Bleuler believed that schizophrenia was different from dementia as the disorder did not always lead to deterioration of the brain or affect the elderly people only as was expectedRead MoreAgeism is Widespread in Western Societies1250 Words à |à 5 PagesThe aging of society has not significantly changed our perceptions of the elderly. Ageism is widespread in Western societies (Dionigi, et al, 2011). Older adults are seen as boring, grumpy irritable, weak, debilitated, mournful, and most significantly cognitively. These stereotypes which are negative can be allowed by the aged themselves negative self-stereotyping (Dionigi, et al, 2011) and are as well found among specialized caregivers (e.g., Cowan, Fitzpatrick, Roberts, While,2004). The imageRead MoreFor the most part, I have to agree with the critical theorists: learning barriers do exist. In1400 Words à | à 6 Pagescertified physicians in the United States. In a recent online post, Noel Lloyd (2014) wrote, ââ¬Å"to establish high-quality geriatric training in all U.S. medical schools by the end of the century would requireâ⬠¦ a conservative total of 2,100 faculty members nationwideâ⬠(Alliance for Aging Research). In addition to the major challenges in the health care industry, effects of an aging work force are another major area of concern. Considering the fact that pensions have all but disappeared due to the
Monday, December 16, 2019
Parliamentary and Presidential Forms of Government Free Essays
The White House, home of the president of the United States. Egyptian Courts Suspend Parliamentary Elections * * Parliamentary System 1. Intimacy between the Executive and the Legislature: Under this system there is a close relationship between the Executive and the legislature. We will write a custom essay sample on Parliamentary and Presidential Forms of Government or any similar topic only for you Order Now The members of the Executive, i. e. , the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues are also the members of the legislature. They in fact enjoy the support of the majority in the legislature. Thus the Prime Minister and his cabinet can pass, amend or repeal any type of law with the support of subservient majority in the legislature. In this way, the executive and the legislative branches of the Government work in close harmony. The Executive not only runs the administration but also makes law. 2. Responsibility to the legislature: In this system, the executive is responsible and accountable to the legislature for all its acts of omission and commission. The legislature can remove a cabinet by passing a vote of no-confidence against it whenever it so desires. Moreover, the legislature exercises its control over the executive through interpellation, adjournment motions so on and so forth. . Gap between Practice and Theory: In a Parliamentary System, there is always a gap between law and fact. According to law, all powers of the Government are vested in the Chief Executive head who may be President as in India or Governor General as in Canada or King or Queen as in U. K. In actual fact all his powers are exercised by the Cabinet which is created out of the majority party in the legislature. The Chief Executive head is just an ornamental head or figure head. All real and effective authority is exercised by the Cabinet. The parliament gov is elected by the legislature. Presidential System 1. Separation between the Executive and the Legislature: The executive and the legislative branches of the government under the system are separate and independent of each other. The Executive which generally consists of a President and a cabinet subordinate to him runs the administration of the country. It has nothing to do with law-making. The President or his ministers are neither the members of the legislature nor do they enjoy any support of a majority in it. Sometimes, the President may belong to one Party and another Party may have a majority in the legislature and both may run at cross purposes. The fact is clear from the working of this system in U. S. A. 2. Presidential Executive is not responsible to the Legislature: Under this system the Executive is independent of the legislature and is not responsible to it. The President has a fixed tenure of office and cannot be removed by an adverse vote in the legislature. The ministers are appointed and dismissed by the President himself and the Legislature cannot touch them. Since none of them is a member of the Legislature, they cannot be subjected to any parliamentary criticism. 3. No Gap between Practice and Theory: Under this system, there is no such gap between law and fact. The Chief Executive head is the President in whom executive authority is vested by the constitution. He controls effectively his cabinet, which works under him and acts according to his wishes. This fact is clearly illustrated in the working of the Presidential System in the U. S. A. The presidential gov is elelected by us.. (citizens) How to cite Parliamentary and Presidential Forms of Government, Papers
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Research in Systems Analysis and Design â⬠MyAssignmenthelp.com
Question: Discuss about the Research in Systems Analysis and Design. Answer: Introduction The role of technology has been changing and developing in every field imaginable. RealTech is the organization of developing and deploying of new technology and information system. The objective of RealTech is to keep on in present with latest trends and technology capabilities. It would be helpful for the organization to provide the satisfactory services to the customers. The report will focus on ERP software application for the RealTech organization. ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning and referred to as software of business management typically a suite of integrated applications. It can utilize to gather, manage, accumulate and interpret data from the activities of business (Nwankpa, 2015). The kinds and comparison of ERP software will be defined in this report which will be helpful to understand about the various kind of ERP software. A specific ERP software application will be chosen for the RealTech organization and the feature and role of selected software application will be discussed. It is easy to understand ERP software application which is friendly for users. It has the ability to manage the different activities of different department of the organization and help to make important decision for the management queries. It is the ERP software application to accelerates higher services to the customers, business cycle and improve the reliability of the data. It is able to provide real time visibility into business for making faster decision. Oddo is a set of application of business that facilitates organization to enhance their business. It provides facilities to the business for growing their sales boost productivity and organizes marketing activities. It addresses the core business requirements of software of midsize and large organization. It involves four individual solutions that support key areas of organization planning of resources. NetSuite seamlessly ties together accounting/ERP with customer-facing CRM and ecommerce applications allowing you to support your entire business with one system. Comparison between software application Base of differences Dynamic NetSuite Oddo SAP ERP Role of software The role of dynamic ERP software is useful because it provides the effective services to the organization. NetSuite impeccably binds together ERP with customer facing CRM. It provides an opportunity to manage all application at one place. It is able to give effective solution of the management issues related to every department. It provides effective solution and helps to make decision for the planning of resources. Advantages It has very smooth learning process which allows its user to understand in easy manner (Hota, 2012). The reporting of NetSuite is robust in comparison of simplistic solution. It has a modern layout and it is cloud based as well. The advantage of this software is that it provides customized solution. Older version can easily migrate easily into cloud of Oddo in short period. It provides track record regarding working in large companies. It has different modules as well which is able to provide effective solution of management issue such as MM and SD modules. Disadvantages Some functions of this software are typical and training is required to user for understanding. Due to lack of support, there is difficult to setup the connection. The learning of python is required for deep customization. SAP ERP is complicated software and consumes time for accustomed to the interface. Various application of ERP software has been discussed. The most suitable application software for RealTech would be NetSuite. The chosen ERP software is able to keep all information system current, effective and integrated. The features of NetSuite are described below. Proposed application is NetSuite software NetSuite ERP software modernizes the process of back office processes for enhancing the business of RealTech. It accelerates business capacity, recover reliability of data and provide higher levels of services to the customers, partners and suppliers. Real time visibility can be analyzed with the use of his software application which is able to make decision making. It would be beneficiary for the RealTech because it provides the entire application related to different management at one place. RealTech is facing issues regarding handle the information system. It has the ability to replace the older version and provide the new updated technological solution. The risk can be reduced by executing a new solution with using NetSuite software (Lenart, 2011). The nature of solutions has mechanized the process of supply chain and relationship with customer in a way that can aid RealTech to drive growth of the organization. It would be supportive for the RealTech to handle the management in a ppropriate manner and carry out various innovations so that RealTech can progress in the business effectively. It is the software which is cloud based and allows organization to store and keep information in efficient manner. It is easy to understand and the integration of this software is easy. The layout of this software is very modern and as per latest technology. The program of this software is cloud based and the worry regarding hardware crashing get resolve by using the software of NetSuite because it is build up with redundancy and backup. It is able to give so many services and easiest program (Purohit, Jaiswal Pandey, 2012). RealTech can make easily invoice and the automatically function of this software allow it to add or add not tax. There is a section of file exist which can be used for the purpose of uploading forms such as tax exempt forms or contracts of customer. It would be beneficiary for the company to develop the production plans, maintaining facilities, distribution and purchasing. ERP includes 5 functions like logistic, human resource, CRM, finance and manufacturing. Real time information, sales force automation, dashboards and marketing automation are certain features of integrated ERP software with marketing and sales. In the context of sale, sales force automation is able to provide an entire activity in 360 degree picture of the customers. The sales of RealTech organization would be increased due to this. ERP integration has capability to generate rationale process of sales, produce capable leads and manage promotion of multi channel marketing. The proposed software has integration of ERP which would be advantageous for the RealTech business operations. Integration with supply chain management Integration of ERP with supply chain management will offer manufacturing and distribution business so that RealTech would be able to gain wide visibility into all operations. The customer of RealTech would be more satisfied due to adapt new technology in RealTech and NetSuite will increase the efficiency of sales. There are three types of flow in SRM that is material flow, financial flow and information flow. Material flow is the physical flow which represents the movement of the product from supplier to the customer. Information shows the capacity, tracking of order and delivery schedule (Parr, Shanks Darke, 2011). Financial flow represents the invoices credit terms and arrangement of other ownership. The benefits of ERP on supply chain management would be minimized the delay, helpful in decision making, eliminate errors, reduce costs and inventory optimization. Integration of ERP with accounting and finance are able to improve the data accurateness and effectiveness by customize key process. It allows easy access to reliable integrated information. The proposed software application would b helpful for the RealTech in the form of automated purchasing management, inventory racking by location, made to stock work order generator. The financial statement of the company can be made in easy manner. It is able to simulate which effects of posting to the general ledger previous to the actual update. It allows management of organization to give answer quickly to all measurements of key financial including inventory management, cost of sales profit and loss and variances (Olson, Chae Sheu, 2013). Proposed software has many benefits in the context of ERP integration with human resources. It can attract and retain the talent, enhance the insight of organizational, able to keep entire information about the organization at one place, personalize the role centers to enhance the productivity and provide convenient and easy to access on the portal of the employee. The attendance with compete information can be kept by RealTech organization with the help of ERP software application. Conclusion It has been concluded that ERP is able to handle the different areas such as commercial, logistics, production, distribution, finance and human resources. The proposed ERP software for RealTech organization is NetSuite. It has positive as well as negative impact. The proposed ERP software with supply chain management will progress productivity across various departments. NetSuite software of ERP would be able to decrease the operational cost. Integration of the wholes system is essential for the system to get the long term benefits. The negative influence of this proposed application is that it has complexity while setting up initially and training is required for understanding the program and function of this software. References Harris, R., Schultz, T. (2016). Teaching ERP Implementation with Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step.Proceedings of DYNAA,7(1). Hota, J. (2012). Implementation of ERP SaaS option for HRIS reporting practices.Browser Download This Paper. Lenart, A. (2011). ERP in the CloudBenefits and Challenges.Research in systems analysis and design: Models and methods, 39-50. Nwankpa, J. K. (2015). ERP system usage and benefit: A model of antecedents and outcomes.Computers in Human Behavior,45, 335-344. Olson, D. L., Chae, B. K., Sheu, C. (2013). Relative impact of different ERP forms on manufacturing organisations: an exploratory analysis of a global manufacturing survey.International Journal of Production Research,51(5), 1520-1534. Parr, A. N., Shanks, G., Darke, P. (2011). Identification of necessary factors for successful implementation of ERP systems. InNew information technologies in organizational processes(pp. 99-119). Springer US. Purohit, G. N., Jaiswal, M., Pandey, M. (2012). Challenges involved in implementation of ERP on demand solution: Cloud computing.International Journal of Computer Science Issues,9(4), 481-489.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Trace the development of Willie Mossop Essay Example
Trace the development of Willie Mossop Essay Trace the development of Willie Mossop throughout the course of the play. Include the relevant points from each act and try to back up your points with quotations from the text. Hobsons Choice is set in a Bootmakers shop in Victorian England. At this time women were not thought as equals to men and women were not thought to be business-like, but this play defies these facts, as Hobsons daughter, Maggie, a middle class businesswoman runs, the shop and is full of ambition. She certainly knows what she wants in life but this is not what you would expect for a stereotypical Victorian woman. Willie Mossop, Hobsons boothand is quite the opposite from Maggie, as at the beginning of the play Willie is a weak character, very unambitious, very content man. Willie is uneducated, he cannot read or write as he is only a working class citizen, but all this soon changes. Throughout the play we see Willies character develop into an educated business-like man full of ambition, and this is down to Maggie, as she notices his potential and marries him. At the end of the play we see Willie as a definitely changed man, in every respect possible. At the very beginning of Act 1 the audience notices Willies potential when Mrs Hepworth enters the shop. Mrs Hepworth is one of Hobsons upper class customers. We will write a custom essay sample on Trace the development of Willie Mossop specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Trace the development of Willie Mossop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Trace the development of Willie Mossop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Mrs Heoworth humiliates Hobson who assumes she has come to complain about the boots that Willie made, when she asks to see the person who made them. But Hobson is a far cry from right as she actually comes to praise Willie, Mossop, Ive tried every shop in Manchester and these are the best pair of boots I have ever had. From now on, you will make my boots in future Not only does this show Willies potential it also shows how uneducated he is, as when Mrs Hepworth later gives him a card to contact her if he ever leaves Hobsons, he cannot read it.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Free Essays on Truth An Attribute Of God
Truth an Attribute of God The definition of truth according to Websterââ¬â¢s is conformity to fact or actuality, reality, actuality. Ryrie defines truth as ââ¬Å"agreement to that which is represented it includes veracity, faithfulness, and consistency.â⬠To say that God is true is to say that he is consistent with himself. He is all that he should be; he has revealed himself as he really is. His revelations are completely reliable. For man to understand that truth is knowable to him and life does make sense, he should first understand that all truth is known to God regardless of if it is found in the Bible or other sources. Therefore, it should be called Godââ¬â¢s truth because Colossians 2:3b says, ââ¬Å"are hid all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.â⬠People think that God has hid his truth from them, making it inaccessible to man so they cannot understand Godââ¬â¢s truth. Men do not practice good exegesis when the word ââ¬Ëhidââ¬â¢ is taken out of context and means, to some people, that God is hiding his truth from them. I think that Paul is trying to say that the truth about Christ is the focal center to which all other truth about everything in creation is connected. That is to say, God is truth. We are totally dependent upon God to know truth because God is the creator of all things. He is our source for knowledge. God revealed both grace and truth to us by incarnating himself. Truth is unchanging and universal; it is not relative but is absolute. (Holmes 8) The Old Testament term for truth is emeth. This is primarily ethical rather epistemological term. Truth depends on unchanging reality, is personal, cannot change, and remains the same for every time and place in creation. It is absolute. To say these things is to say that Godââ¬â¢s knowledge is complete and perfectly true. Truth is the implication that God exist. So one cannot believe in truth and believe that God is non-existence. We need a renewed commitment to the truth as found in t... Free Essays on Truth An Attribute Of God Free Essays on Truth An Attribute Of God Truth an Attribute of God The definition of truth according to Websterââ¬â¢s is conformity to fact or actuality, reality, actuality. Ryrie defines truth as ââ¬Å"agreement to that which is represented it includes veracity, faithfulness, and consistency.â⬠To say that God is true is to say that he is consistent with himself. He is all that he should be; he has revealed himself as he really is. His revelations are completely reliable. For man to understand that truth is knowable to him and life does make sense, he should first understand that all truth is known to God regardless of if it is found in the Bible or other sources. Therefore, it should be called Godââ¬â¢s truth because Colossians 2:3b says, ââ¬Å"are hid all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.â⬠People think that God has hid his truth from them, making it inaccessible to man so they cannot understand Godââ¬â¢s truth. Men do not practice good exegesis when the word ââ¬Ëhidââ¬â¢ is taken out of context and means, to some people, that God is hiding his truth from them. I think that Paul is trying to say that the truth about Christ is the focal center to which all other truth about everything in creation is connected. That is to say, God is truth. We are totally dependent upon God to know truth because God is the creator of all things. He is our source for knowledge. God revealed both grace and truth to us by incarnating himself. Truth is unchanging and universal; it is not relative but is absolute. (Holmes 8) The Old Testament term for truth is emeth. This is primarily ethical rather epistemological term. Truth depends on unchanging reality, is personal, cannot change, and remains the same for every time and place in creation. It is absolute. To say these things is to say that Godââ¬â¢s knowledge is complete and perfectly true. Truth is the implication that God exist. So one cannot believe in truth and believe that God is non-existence. We need a renewed commitment to the truth as found in t... Free Essays on Truth an Attribute of God Truth an Attribute of God The definition of truth according to Websterââ¬â¢s is conformity to fact or actuality, reality, actuality. Ryrie defines truth as ââ¬Å"agreement to that which is represented it includes veracity, faithfulness, and consistency.â⬠To say that God is true is to say that he is consistent with himself. He is all that he should be; he has revealed himself as he really is. His revelations are completely reliable. For man to understand that truth is knowable to him and life does make sense, he should first understand that all truth is known to God regardless of if it is found in the Bible or other sources. Therefore, it should be called Godââ¬â¢s truth because Colossians 2:3b says, ââ¬Å"are hid all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.â⬠People think that God has hid his truth from them, making it inaccessible to man so they cannot understand Godââ¬â¢s truth. Men do not practice good exegesis when the word ââ¬Ëhidââ¬â¢ is taken out of context and means, to some people, that God is hiding his truth from them. I think that Paul is trying to say that the truth about Christ is the focal center to which all other truth about everything in creation is connected. That is to say, God is truth. We are totally dependent upon God to know truth because God is the creator of all things. He is our source for knowledge. God revealed both grace and truth to us by incarnating himself. Truth is unchanging and universal; it is not relative but is absolute. (Holmes 8) The Old Testament term for truth is emeth. This is primarily ethical rather epistemological term. Truth depends on unchanging reality, is personal, cannot change, and remains the same for every time and place in creation. It is absolute. To say these things is to say that Godââ¬â¢s knowledge is complete and perfectly true. Truth is the implication that God exist. So one cannot believe in truth and believe that God is non-existence. We need a renewed commitment to the truth as found in t...
Friday, November 22, 2019
Index of Qualitative Variation (IQV)
Index of Qualitative Variation (IQV) The index of qualitative variation (IQV) is a measure of variability for nominal variables, such as race, ethnicity, or gender. These kinds of variables divide people by categories that cannot be ranked, unlike a variable measure of income or education, which can be measured from high to low. The IQV is based on the ratio of the total number of differences in the distribution to the maximum number of possible differences in the same distribution. Overview Letââ¬â¢s say, for instance, that we are interested in looking at the racial diversity of a city over time in order to see if its population has gotten more or less racially diverse, or if it has stayed the same. The index of qualitative variation is a good tool for measuring this. The index of qualitative variation can vary from 0.00 to 1.00. When all of the cases of the distribution are in one category, there is no diversity or variation, and the IQV is 0.00. For instance, if we have a distribution that consists entirely of Hispanic people, there is no diversity among the variable of race, and our IQV would be 0.00. In contrast, when the cases in a distribution are distributed evenly across the categories, there is maximum variation or diversity, and the IQV is 1.00. For example, if we have a distribution of 100 people and 25 are Hispanic, 25 are white, 25 are Black, and 25 are Asian, our distribution is perfectly diverse and our IQV is 1.00. So, if we are looking at the changing racial diversity of a city over time, we can examine the IQV year-over-year to see how diversity has evolved. Doing this will allow us to see when diversity was at its highest and at its lowest. The IQV can also be expressed as a percentage rather than a proportion. To find the percentage, simply multiply the IQV by 100. If the IQV is expressed as a percentage, it would reflect the percentage of differences relative to the maximum possible differences in each distribution. For example, if we were looking at the racial/ethnic distribution in Arizona and had an IQV of 0.85, we would multiply it by 100 to get 85 percent. This means that the number of racial/ethnic differences is 85 percent of the maximum possible differences. How To Calculate The IQV The formula for the index of qualitative variation is: IQV K(1002 ââ¬â à £Pct2) / 1002(K ââ¬â 1) Where Kà is the number of categories in the distribution and à £Pct2 is the sum of all squared percentages in the distribution. There are four steps, then, to calculating the IQV: Construct a percentage distribution.Square the percentages for each category.Sum the squared percentages.Calculate the IQV using the formula above. Updatedà by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Mobile home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Mobile home - Essay Example Mobile homes are being fabricated in advanced countries because these countries are able to venture into such projects that need real time testing and thus can bear contingency challenges in this technology. These fabricated houses are manufactured in factories from where an assembly line, shapes and, puts the pieces together for transported to its destination. They are usually temporary in some places, whereas they can be employed as a permanent solution where ambiance is friendly for their deployment. The house rests on a permanent chassis that is actually the foundation of the house. This foundation provides for three main aspects; one, the flooring, second is the mobility, third, lifting of the one piece foundation. (Britto, Et al., 2008) As it is seen that many mobile houses are being developed and deployed in US, UK, Israel etc, the special advantage that has inflated their importance is the option of their transportation with ease. To many the concept of aerial transportation can be new yet it is viable. A gross analysis can be suggested to have these aerially mobile houses must be small in size. This is because of the endurance, stress-strain constraints, airlifting ability, technical difficulties in building perfectly balanced model. Thus the besides those mobile homes that are using highway grade wheels and tires with tractor-trailers as their movers, the lift-able houses can also be an option. This essay discusses the options and constraints that come in the way to build this concept. Abstract of the parameters for such structures: Parameters are actually the fact and limits that define the circle of viability or operability of the structure. Here, these parameters are divided into two main parts. One concerns with the building of such structures and the other related to the transportation. The practice of putting together the components of a structure and other allied structural material required for complete building of such houses is known as pref abrication. The next stage is the transportation of this structure towards the destination. The prefabrication process is usually distinguished from typical construction processes that are conventional. (Wong, Hao, Hu, 2010) The materials used are specialized as far as their metallurgy, stochastic and ergonomics is concerned. The important fact in these designs is the high endurance and light weight of the material that constitute the structure. It features the ability to assemble, reassemble and transport the structure to the site. The main structural components are the base or foundation, walls and sectioning pieces, doors and mobility components. Parameters for Construction and Transportation: In aerial transportation have constraints of striking the balance and heaving the whole structure into the air. Thus these basic materials as described in the previous paragraph need special attention. Before getting into the details of these materials the engineering parameters are needed to be distinguished. The main factors that are credited or discredited to construction of these types can be stated as follows: The materials that are employed in the construction of these structures are self supporting and are ready made. For example to find a tradeoff between strength to endure dent or any snag the sheets of walls can be made contoured or with beams. (EESI, 2011) Like in the manufacturing of the cars to help saving the steel component the steel plates are
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
W7A 590 Whole Foods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
W7A 590 Whole Foods - Essay Example The whole foods store employs the demographic approach to store operations and hiring of new associates to ensure the maximum performance of the store. The demographic method involves the selection of new associates that help operate in most of the whole food store markets. Whole foods also hire new associates that are then divided into team members that help ensure the companies ââ¬Ëeffective management systemââ¬â¢ (Shriberg, 2005). To encourage these teams to work harder and to reward them in case of good work the company management gives bonuses to the teams (Hinkin, 2010). These unique management systems employed by the company results to a lot of positive impacts the main one being the fact that the systems contribute to the management of human capital. The effect of these systems in relation to managing human capital is seen through the lower voluntary turnover annually. Through its the company is among the best companies to work for in the world, the positive effects resulting from the two systems employed by the company rise from the way the management system relates to the associates and the employees. In this system, the company holds on to the believe that each employee working in the company has a right to feel the stake in the companys success. Through this, the company has the eight values employed by the employees that attract more customers and provide complete satisfaction to the customers. This tactic result to the organizations competitiveness and success The whole food even with the advantageous approaches faces some challenges mainly resulting from the unending competition in the food industry. Many competition companies adapt the techniques used by the whole food markets, which in turn results in more challenges. However even with the challenges the company manages to fight the competition through its practices (practices that enable the company maintains
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Progeria Essay Example for Free
Progeria Essay As much as i love to learn about commonly known dieseases in class one diesease that striked me as i was watching a tv show last year was progeria. Progeria is derived from the Greek work meaning prematurely old. Jonathan Hutchinson and Hastings Gilford discovered the syndrome in 1886. The name Hutchinson Gilford progeria syndrome existed because of this. doctors have discovered a single gene mutation responsible for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. The gene is called lamin A this is the protein necessary for holding the center of a cell together. Researchers believe the genetic mutation enables the cell to be unstable, which appears to lead to progerias characteristic aging process. As newborns with progeria it usually appear normal but as times progess the cchildrens growth ceases and they start developing characteristics of the eldelry. A study from the Netherlands has shows that 1 in 4 million births (within the Netherlands) are diagnoesed with progeria Currently, there are 80 known cases in the world. Approximately 140 cases have been reported in medical history. Classical Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome is usually caused by a odd mutation taking place during the early stages of embryo development. It is almost never passed on from affected parent to child, as affected children rarely live long enough to have children themselves. Theres no cure for progeria Regular monitoring for cardiovascular disease may help with managing your childs condition. Some children undergo coronary artery bypass surgery or dilation of cardiac arteries to slow the progression of cardiovascular disease. Drugs known as FTIs, which were developed for treating cancer, have shown hope in laboratory studies in correcting the cell defects that cause progeria. FTIs are currently are being studied in human clinical trials for treatment of progeria. interstingly Children affected with progeria age rapidly ââ¬â about 7 to 10 times faster than normal which means their looks and physiology resemble a 70- to 80-year-old person, but they keep a dwarfish child-like body. Death usually occurs between the ages of 12 and 14 years. This generally happens as a result of cardiovascular deterioration, which includes things atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. Typically doctors will not find the following features usually dealing with aging Tumors, Cataracts, Hearing Loss, Diabetes. The outcome is very poor and that is because death always occurs in cases of Progeria. There is currently no cure for this mortal disease and the only treatment is to simply deal with the reducing the complications that come up such as the cardiovascular deterioration. The earliest influences of progeria on popular culture occurred in the 1922 short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald (and later released as a feature film in 2008). The main character, Benjamin Button, is born as a seventy-year-old man and ages backwards; it has been suggested that this was inspired by progeria. Also Charles Dickens may have described a case of progeria in the family of Smallweed of Bleak House, specifically in the grandfather and his grandchildren Judy and twin brother Bart. A Bollywood movie Paa was made about the condition and in it the lead character (Amitabh Bachchan) played an 11-year-old child affected by progeria. The movie Renaissance deals with progeria. In episode sixteen of the first season of the television show The X-Files, the corrupt doctor had experimented on children with Progeria. In the 4 book series Otherland by Tad Williams one of the main characters suffers from progeria. in 1978 book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, which explores God and the problem of evil, was written in response to his 14 year old sons death by progeria. Amd lastly South African artist/hip hop artist Leon Botha was one of the oldest known Progeria sufferers, surviving to the age of 26 before his death in June 2011 in conclusion progeria is a diesease that has effected many and kiled many children altering their life immensly. the fact that there is no cure for this diesease is some what a hard truth for patients with this diesease. socially also many progeria patients are not accepted because of their physical abnormalities and disfigures. Never the less exstensive research has been sought out in order to cure and treat progeria.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Why I Have No Hero Essay -- essays research papers
Why I Have No Hero à à à à à What is a hero? Does one have to have superpowers, special abilities or incredible talent to be considered one? Well, some of us seem to think so. Then there is the everyday teacher or local figure that is considered a hero to selected individuals in their community. To me a hero has to have a few selected qualities, and I haven't met anyone who can fulfill all three. à à à à à First, a hero must be good at heart. A hero has to know how to give and take accordingly. When he/she is needed to make a great sacrifice to help the community, their closest friends, or even their greatest enemies, they need to know that it is okay to make that sacrifice and know they did the right thing. That person also needs to go out and make a difference in their community and not need any more motivation than the good feeling they feel when they've made a positive impact on the few people they met with and helped. A person that is to be considered a hero must be naturally good and work for good and be there when they are needed most. They should not have to feel guilty about the negative effects of something they have done if the good it causes out weighs the bad. à à à à à Honesty is a good trait to have if you want to be a hero. A hero needs to be honest with the public so that he/she will get the public's support to retain that hero status among them, and possibly gain that stat...
Monday, November 11, 2019
Causes of Tsunamis
sunami: the Great Waves Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English translation, ââ¬Å"harbor wave. â⬠Represented by two characters, the top character, ââ¬Å"tsu,â⬠means harbor, while the bottom character, ââ¬Å"nami,â⬠means ââ¬Å"wave. â⬠In the past, tsunamis were sometimes referred to as ââ¬Å"tidal wavesâ⬠by the general public, and as ââ¬Å"seismic sea wavesâ⬠by the scientific community. The term ââ¬Å"tidal waveâ⬠is a misnomer; although a tsunami's impact upon a coastline is dependent upon the tidal level at the time a tsunami strikes, tsunamis are unrelated to the tides. Tides result from the imbalanced, extraterrestrial, gravitational influences of the moon, sun, and planets. The term ââ¬Å"seismic sea waveâ⬠is also misleading. ââ¬Å"Seismicâ⬠implies an earthquake-related generation mechanism, but a tsunami can also be caused by a nonseismic event, such as a landslide or meteorite impact. Tsunamis are a threat to life and property to anyone living near the ocean. For example, in 1992 and 1993 over 2,000 people were killed by tsunamis occurring in Nicaragua, Indonesia and Japan. Property damage was nearly one billion dollars. The 1960 Chile Earthquake generated a Pacific-wide tsunami that caused widespread death and destruction in Chile, Hawaii, Japan and other areas in the Pacific. Large tsunamis have been known to rise over 100 feet, while tsunamis 10 to 20 feet high can be very destructive and cause many deaths and injuries. What Cause Tsunamis? Tsunamis, also called seismic sea waves or, incorrectly, tidal waves, generally are caused by earthquakes, less commonly by submarine landslides, infrequently by submarine volcanic eruptions and very rarely by a large meteorite impact in the ocean. Submarine volcanic eruptions have the potential to produce truly awesome tsunami waves. The Great Krakatau Volcanic Eruption of 1883 generated giant waves reaching heights of 125 feet above sea-level, killing thousands of people and wiping out numerous coastal villages. Ring of Fire About two-thirds of the earth is covered by the waters of the four oceans. The Pacific Ocean is the world's largest, covering more than one third of the total surface area of our planet. The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by a series of mountain chains, deep ocean trenches and island arcs, sometimes called a ââ¬Å"ring of fire. â⬠The great size of the Pacific Ocean and the large earthquakes associated with the ââ¬Å"ring of fireâ⬠combine to produce deadly tsunamis. Tsunamis on the Move Wave Height and Water Depth In the open ocean a tsunami is less than a few feet high at the surface, but its wave height increases rapidly in shallow water. Tsunamis wave energy extends from the surface to the bottom in the deepest waters. As the tsunami attacks the coastline, the wave energy is compressed into a much shorter distance creating destructive, live-threatening waves. In the deep ocean, destructive tsunamis can be smallââ¬âoften only a few feet or less in heightââ¬âand cannot be seen nor can they be felt by ships. But, as the tsunami reaches shallower coastal waters, wave height can increase rapidly. Sometimes, coastal waters are drawn out into the ocean just before the tsunami strikes. When this occurs, more shoreline may be exposed than even at the lowest tide. This major withdrawal of the sea should be taken as a warning of the tsunami waves that will follow How Fast? Where the ocean is over 20,000 feet deep, unnoticed tsunami waves can travel at the speed of a commercial jet plane, nearly 600 miles per hour. They can move from one side of the Pacific Ocean to the other in less than a day. This great speed makes it important to be aware of the tsunami as soon as it is generated. Scientists can predict when a tsunami will arrive since the speed of the waves varies with the square root of the water depth. Tsunamis travel much slower in shallower coastal waters where their wave heights begin to increase dramatically. How Big? Offshore and coastal features can determine the size and impact of tsunami waves. Reefs, bays, entrances to rivers, undersea features and the slop of the beach all help to modify the tsunami as it attacks the coastline. When the tsunami reaches the coast and moves inland, the water level can rise many feet. In extreme cases, water level has risen to more than 50 feet for tsunamis of distant origin and over 100 feet for tsunami waves generated near the earthquake's epicenter. The first wave may not be the largest in the series of waves. One coastal community may see no damaging wave activity while in another community destructive waves can be large and violent. The flooding can extend inland by 1000 feet or more, covering large expanses of land with water and debris.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Metacognitive Skills
Metacognition refers to learners' automatic awareness of their own knowledge and their ability to understand, control, and manipulate their own cognitive processes. 2 Metacognitive skills are important not only in school, but throughout life. For example, Mumford (1986) says that it is essential that an effective manager be a person who has learned to learn. He describes this person as one who knows the stages in the process of learning and understands his or her own preferred approaches to it ââ¬â a person who can identify and overcome blocks to learning and can bring learning from off-the-job learning to on-the-job situations. As you read this section, do not worry about distinguishing between metacognitive skills and some of the other terms in this chapter. Metacognition overlaps heavily with some of these other terms. The terminology simply supplies an additional useful way to look at thought processes. Metacognition is a relatively new field, and theorists have not yet settled on conventional terminology. However, most metacognitive research falls within the following categories: 1. Metamemory. This refers to the learners' awareness of and knowledge about their own memory systems and strategies for using their memories effectively. Metamemory includes (a) awareness of different memory strategies, (b) knowledge of which strategy to use for a particular memory task, and (c) knowledge of how to use a given memory strategy most effectively. 2. Metacomprehension. This term refers to the learners' ability to monitor the degree to which they understand information being communicated to them, to recognize failures to comprehend, and to employ repair strategies when failures are identified. Learners with poor metacomprehension skills often finish reading passages without even knowing that they have not understood them. On the other hand, learners who are more adept at metacomprehension will check for confusion or inconsistency, and undertake a corrective strategy, such as rereading, relating different parts of the passage to one another, looking for topic sentences or summary paragraphs, or relating the current information to prior knowledge. (See Harris et al. , 1988; ââ¬â add more) 3. Self-Regulation. This term refers to the learners' ability to make adjustments in their own learning processes in response to their perception of feedback regarding their current status of learning. The concept of self-regulation overlaps heavily with the preceding two terms; its focus is on the ability of the learners themselves to monitor their own learning (without external stimuli or persuasion) and to maintain the attitudes necessary to invoke and employ these strategies on their own. To learn most effectively, students should not only understand what strategies are available and the purposes these strategies will serve, but also become capable of adequately selecting, employing, monitoring, and evaluating their use of these strategies. (See Hallahan et al. , 1979; Graham & Harris, 1992; Reid & Harris, 1989, 1993. In addition to its obvious cognitive components, metacognition often has important affective or personality components. For example, an important part of comprehension is approaching a reading task with the attitude that the topic is important and worth comprehending. Being aware of the importance of a positive attitude and deliberately fostering such an attitude is an example of a metacognitive skill. In the preceding paragraph, metacognition has been described as a conscious awareness of one's own knowledge and the conscious ability to understand, control, and manipulate one's own cognitive processes. This is not quite accurate; but it's difficult to define metacognition more accurately. (It's easier to point out examples of metacognitive activity than to define what it is. ) It would be more accurate to say that metacognitive strategies are almost always potentially conscious and potentially controllable (Pressley, Borkowski, & Schneider, 1987). For example, good readers automatically (unconsciously) employ metacognitive strategies to focus their attention, to derive meaning, and to make adjustments when something goes wrong. They do not think about or label these skills while performing them; but if we ask them what they were doing that was successful, they can usually describe their metacognitive processes accurately. In addition, when serious problems arise ââ¬â as when there is a distraction, when they encounter extremely difficult or contradictory text, or when they have to advise someone else regarding the same skill ââ¬â they slow down and become consciously aware of their metacognitive activity. While it is occasionally useful to consciously reflect on one's metacognitive processes and while it useful to make learners aware of these processes while they are trying to acquire them, these skills become most effective when they become overlearned and automatic. If these skills were not automatic and unconscious, they would occupy some of the effort of the working memory; and this would have the result of making reading, listening, and other cognitive activities less efficient. Therefore, like any other skill that becomes automatic and requires minimal activity in the working memory, metacognitive skills work best when they are overlearned and can operate unconsciously. Learners with good metacognitive skills are able to monitor and direct their own learning processes. Like many other processes, metacognitive skills are learned by applying principles from almost every other chapter in this book. When learning a metacognitive skill, learners typically go through the following steps (Pressley, Borkowski, & Schneider, 1987): 1. They establish a motivation to learn a metacognitive process. This occurs when either they themselves or someone else points gives them reason to believe that there would be some benefit to knowing how to apply the process. (Motivation is discussed in chapter 5). 2. They focus their attention on what it is that they or someone else does that is metacognitively useful. This proper focusing of attention puts the necessary information into working memory (Chapter 6). Sometimes this focusing of attention can occur through modeling (Chapter 12), and sometimes it occurs during personal experience. 3. They talk to themselves about the metacognitive process. This talk can arise during their interactions with others, but it is their talk to themselves that is essential. This self talk serves several purposes: oIt enables them to understand and encode the process (Chapter 6). oIt enables them to practice the process (Chapter 3). oIt enables them to obtain feedback and to make adjustments regarding their effective use of the process (Chapters 3 and 12). oIt enables them to transfer the process to new situations beyond those in which it has already been used (Chapters 3 and 6). 4. Eventually, they begin to use the process without even being aware that they are doing so. This process usually represents a high-level implementation of the phases of learning and instruction described by Gagne and discussed in Chapter 3 of this book. When teachers intervene to help students develop a metacognitive process, they often use the scaffolded instruction strategies described in chapter 12. In addition, the techniques of cooperative learning and peer tutoring (discussed in Chapter 15) often provide opportunities for students to talk to others about their thought processes; and it is often the process of formulating thoughts in order to express them to others that leads to metacognitive development (Piaget, 1964). Finally, it is interesting to note an important relationship between the higher order skills of metacognition and the basic or factual skills that may be a part of a specific unit of instruction. Students typically learn metacognitive skills while they are involved in learning something else. If they are to do this successfully, it is extremely important that the learners have overlearned the prerequisite content knowledge for the subject matter topic being studied. If that prerequisite knowledge has not been mastered to a sufficient level of automaticity, then the working memory of the learner will be overwhelmed by the subject matter; and the result will be no time for metacognitive reflection. For example, when children who have largely mastered the prerequisite skills try to solve a word problem in arithmetic, they can afford to talk to themselves about what they are doing, because their working memory is not totally occupied with other demands. That is, well prepared children will have time for metacognitive practice. On the other hand, when children who are missing some of these prerequisite skills try to solve the same problem, their working memory is likely to be totally occupied with a frantic need to find the basic skills and facts needed to solve the problem. If this is the case, they not only have solved the problem less effectively; but they also have little or no time for practicing or developing metacognitive skills. When teachers and parents try to help students, it is important not to do too much thinking for them. By doing their thinking for the children they wish to help, adults or knowledgeable peers may make them experts at seeking help, rather than expert thinkers. On the other hand, by setting tasks at an appropriate level and prompting children to think about what they are doing as they successfully complete these tasks, adults can help children become independent and successful thinkers (Biemiller & Meichenbaum, 1992). In other words, it is often better to say, What should you do next? â⬠and then to prompt the children as necessary, instead of simply telling them what to do. The preceding paragraph describes how the intellectual rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Knowledge of factual information and basic skills provides a foundation for developing metacognitive skills; and metacognitive skills enable students to master information and solve problems more easily. If teachers hope to help low-performing students break out of their intellectual imprisonment, they must find a way to help them develop both an automatic grasp of basic skills and effective metacognitive skills to enable self-directed learning. Misconceptions with regard to specific subject matter were discussed in Chapters 4 and 6. Wittrock (1991) notes that learners' misconceptions about learning-to-learn skills and about metacognitive strategies are also a critical source of learning problems. For example, a student who adheres to a belief that the best way to learn scientific concepts is to repeat the definitions ten times each night before going to bed is not as likely to come to an understanding of these concepts as a person who has a more effective conception of how to master these concepts. Finally, note that a major purpose of this book is to help you develop your metacognitive skills. In chapter 1 I suggested that you apply various strategies while reading this book. If you have done so, there is a good chance that by now you understand the rationale of many of these principles and can see how they contribute to your own learning. By becoming consciously aware of these strategies and how they work, you will not only be able to use these principles to teach others more effectively, you'll also be able to use them to monitor and improve your own thought processes. That's metacognition!
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Free Essays on Twains View Of Religion In Huck Finn
Religion is useless, worthless, mindless and for those not grounded in reality. Or so Mark Twain would say, as indicated in the novel Huckleberry Finn. Twainââ¬â¢s attitude towards religion, one of cynicism and mockery, is thinly veiled in this story. Although sometimes considered a childrenââ¬â¢s anecdote, Huckleberry Finn takes shots at Christianity that clearly illustrate the authorââ¬â¢s viewpoint towards organized religion. Mark Twain has no patience for religion or for those who subscribe to its validity. Far from being a devout Bible believer, Twain considers religion superstition. In fact, from looking at the novel, you could deduce that Twain has more respect for superstition than for religion. For example, Huck expects bad luck to follow in his wake after accidentally killing a spider and later touching a rattlesnake skin. Soon afterwards, bad luck does follow in the form of Huckââ¬â¢s father returning and Jim being bitten by a snake. However, when Huck prays to the Lord and nothing happens, we are thereby given the assumption that religion is worthless. Religion is portrayed as being more worthless, in fact, than seemingly irrational superstition. Although superstitious people are usually regarded as gullible and insecure people, Twain portrays religious people as even more gullible and insecure in his story. According to Twain, religious people are naive and overly impractical. For example, when Huckââ¬â¢s father is taken in by the new judge, his conversion is pronounced loud and clear, with the judges family being taken in by Huckââ¬â¢s fatherââ¬â¢s act. Additionally, the revival meeting made a great fool out of religion and moves of God. Not only does this promote the gullibility of Christians but also the powerlessness and impracticality of God and His Word. Tom Sawyer takes all his ideas and his ââ¬Ërulesââ¬â¢ (for the gang of thieves and for helping Jim escape) from books. Books thus form a foundation for civilization... Free Essays on Twain's View Of Religion In Huck Finn Free Essays on Twain's View Of Religion In Huck Finn Religion is useless, worthless, mindless and for those not grounded in reality. Or so Mark Twain would say, as indicated in the novel Huckleberry Finn. Twainââ¬â¢s attitude towards religion, one of cynicism and mockery, is thinly veiled in this story. Although sometimes considered a childrenââ¬â¢s anecdote, Huckleberry Finn takes shots at Christianity that clearly illustrate the authorââ¬â¢s viewpoint towards organized religion. Mark Twain has no patience for religion or for those who subscribe to its validity. Far from being a devout Bible believer, Twain considers religion superstition. In fact, from looking at the novel, you could deduce that Twain has more respect for superstition than for religion. For example, Huck expects bad luck to follow in his wake after accidentally killing a spider and later touching a rattlesnake skin. Soon afterwards, bad luck does follow in the form of Huckââ¬â¢s father returning and Jim being bitten by a snake. However, when Huck prays to the Lord and nothing happens, we are thereby given the assumption that religion is worthless. Religion is portrayed as being more worthless, in fact, than seemingly irrational superstition. Although superstitious people are usually regarded as gullible and insecure people, Twain portrays religious people as even more gullible and insecure in his story. According to Twain, religious people are naive and overly impractical. For example, when Huckââ¬â¢s father is taken in by the new judge, his conversion is pronounced loud and clear, with the judges family being taken in by Huckââ¬â¢s fatherââ¬â¢s act. Additionally, the revival meeting made a great fool out of religion and moves of God. Not only does this promote the gullibility of Christians but also the powerlessness and impracticality of God and His Word. Tom Sawyer takes all his ideas and his ââ¬Ërulesââ¬â¢ (for the gang of thieves and for helping Jim escape) from books. Books thus form a foundation for civilization...
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Changing the Text Direction in Microsoft Word
Changing the Text Direction in Microsoft Word Changing the Text Direction in Microsoft Word If you regularly use Microsoft Word with a language that reads from right-to-left, you may find that the right-to-left format remains when you try to write in English. This is because the text direction defaults to right-to-left in versions of Microsoft Word sold in some regions. Luckily, if youre using a Windows computer, changing the direction of text is easy via the left-to-right command. Only the most recent versions of Word for Mac support this feature, so if you encounter this problem, the best option is to copy and paste the text into a new document. Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar The first thing you need to do is add the left-to-right command to the Quick Access Toolbar. To do this, click the arrow next to the Redo button and choose More Commands from the dropdown list. Accessing the menus. On the next screen, you have the option to choose commands to add to the toolbar. If you cant see the left-to-right command, chose All Commands from the top menu. All commands. Next, scroll down and choose Left-to-Right Text Direction. The name of the command here may depend on the version of Word youre using. In Word 2010, this command is called Ltr run, while Word 2003 lists it as Ltr para. Left-to-right text direction. Now the button will be displayed on the toolbar (you can use a similar process to add it to the main ribbon if you right click on the ribbon and select Customize the Ribbon). LTR and RTL on the Quick Access Toolbar. Now select the text that is showing right-to-left, click the button, and it should switch to left-to-right. Repeat this last step anywhere in your document, including footnotes and comment boxes, where the text direction displays from right-to-left. Its also worth noting that you can select the Right-to-Left Text Direction command using the same method. This is useful if you need to switch back to the original format at any point. Formatting from Proofed If you would like to get your paper formatted perfectly, send it to the professionals at Proofed!
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) Essay
Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) - Essay Example By increasing the interest rates Federal Reserve attempts to condense the supply of money by making it more expensive to obtain. There is no immediate effect on market with the increase in interest rate. However what happens immediately is that it suddenly becomes more costly for banks to borrow money from the central banks pushing the banks to increase the interest rates for lending money to their customers. (Siddhartha Jha, 2011) Expenses necessary for the survival are called committed expenses. As these expenses are mandatory, there purchasing decisions are not affected by fluctuations within the interest rate environment. Further, such expenses are met against cash so interest expenses are not applicable. Committed expenses include rent, transportation, groceries, and health insurance, telephone and electricity bills. Expenses associated with consumer goods, which depreciate quickly and rarely add value to oneââ¬â¢s bottom line are called discretionary expenses. Expenses on designer clothes, vacation packages, high-end electronics and memberships to exclusive clubs are discretionary expenses. With the rise in interest rates discretionary spending reduces sharply because higher interest rates increase financing costs and lower disposable income. (John Bates, 2011) Spending on big ticket items expenses like purchasing a car or financing a home is encouraged with stable incomes and low interest rates. The spending decisions for big-ticket items are more so affected by the overall economy because despite a low-interest rate environment, one would be unlikely to take on a mortgage to buy a new home, if oneââ¬â¢s job is in jeopardy. On the contrary, a strong economy and impressive stock market returns encourage raising cash to purchase a luxury car. Lower interest rates on real estate loans are better for the real estate market in general because it
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Point and Counterpoint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Point and Counterpoint - Essay Example Such a leader has the ability to influence others on a personal level and not just through exercising authority. Thus, great leaders are experts in their field, lead by example, are fair in their dealings, have a natural charisma, have good knowledge and insight, are good at communicating and influencing others. Leadership may therefore be defined ââ¬Å"as the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirationsâ⬠(Kouzes, 2002:30). It makes people ââ¬Å"want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organizationâ⬠(Covey, 2004:217). However, the nature of todayââ¬â¢s globalisation also demands that leaders are not only adept in analytical and emotional intelligence but also in cultural intelligence. This is the leaderââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"capability for successful adaptation to new cultural settingsâ⬠(Earley, 2003) and the capability of influencing people of other cultures. These in turn requires a good ââ¬Å"conceptual understanding of differences among culturesâ⬠(Wang, 2006), expertise in handling physical aspects of cultural differences such as greeting rituals, and emotional aspects such as appreciating the complex relationship dynamics in a diverse workforce. Global and multicultural organisations nowadays seek those who have good cultural intelligence. Whilst all the aforementioned qualities are perhaps universally accepted as essentials of good leadership, as Andrew Ma (2009) points out with respect to altruism, there can be important differences between cultures in the perception of leadership values. In a comparison of the Chinese concept of altruism based on Confucian teachings (ren) and the Western concept based on Christian teachings (agapao), the author notes, ââ¬Å"the scope and nature of altruism is different in the two philosophies/religious traditions.â⬠Whereas the Chinese value ââ¬Ëgraded loveââ¬â¢ by loving their closer relations more dearly than others, Westerners (at least those who are more faithful to the Christian religion)
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Strategy and Transformation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Strategy and Transformation - Case Study Example maintain that value advantage over a long period of time it ensures longer economic benefits.1 A strategy also gives an organization a structure for allocating resources, no company has unlimited resources, to utilize them properly there has to be a clear understanding of what is more important so that even the smallest of investment in the right thing results in a gain to the company. A strategy, if clearly understood at every level in an organization, helps the people of that company to stay focused on the goals and helps them in making better decisions for the company. Today companies built various strategies to help them grow and gain an edge over their competitors. Many companies today transform their organizations, through proper strategies, to obtain huge benefits from small changes and efforts.2 Joint Ventures and Foreign Direct investments are two types of strategies that are widely being used in the world today. These have proved very fruitful for certain organizations. Especially consumer good industry and technology industry has used it a lot. Joint Venture A joint venture means that two or more organizations form a contract or an agreement to dedicate their resources to work together for a common goal.3This generally happens when both the organizations think they can compliment each other and together produce greater results for a common goal. The corporations have seen many joint ventures. A big joint venture of today is Sony Ericsson. Sony Ericsson is a 50:50 joint venture formed between Sony, (a multinational conglomerate corporation) and Ericsson, (a provider of telecommunication and data communication) in October 2001 to work in the field of telecommunications.4 They joined hands to make mobile phones. Both were making mobile phones separately before... Conclusion Sony Ericsson and General Motors have chosen strategies very well to suit themselves. Both companies have established a good name for them self and earn profits accordingly. Sony Ericsson made a wise decision in 2001 to combine their strengths when Sony had a wafer thin share in the market of mobile phones and Ericsson was in trouble because its supplier had delayed indefinitely and it needed to do something about it. If this timely decision was not taken it may have forced both these companies to vanish from the mobile phone industry. Today this joint venture is a fierce competitor and is striving to be the best. It still is not definitely in the top three but if it stays positive it will definitely be able to be in the top 3. General Motors uses Foreign Direct Investments very wisely. It tries to get a subsidiary wholly or partially in areas where its customer base is wide and it has a good market. This way it stays close to its market and learns about its demographics very well and gets to know the requirements of the market. It also makes sure that it advertises and promotes its products in line with the culture of its market. This helps them do a better job at selling their products to the local people and earn a better margin of profits. It strategies are used properly profits can be maximized and companies can do better investments and decision making.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Implementing Curriculum Changes in the Classroom
Implementing Curriculum Changes in the Classroom Introduction Much research on curriculum development has been done in different fields of education. It has uncovered both successes and failures. Research on educational innovations reveals many problems which result in non-implementation of planned innovations. These include the problems of inadequate knowledge of implementation, and lack of awareness of the limitations of teachers and school administration, etc. (Pink 1989; Fullan 1992; Fullan and Hargreaves 1991). Recently, the literature in the field of ELT has reported innovations in the implementation of new teacher roles, new practices, new materials, etc. Most principles for innovation are derived from English-speaking countries and transferred throughout the world. For instance, the learner-centred, communicative approach which originated in British ELT has been recommended almost everywhere. Although some reports mention the success of such innovations, others have concluded that many problematic implementation issues emerge from a dir ect transfer, after it has been put into use worldwide, such as in China (Burnaby and Son 1989; Anderson 1993; Hui 1997), Indonesia (Tomlinson 1990), Greece (Karavas-Doukas 1995), Hong-Kong (Carless 1998), and Libya (Orafi 2008), etc. However, the knowledge and understanding of what is involved in effecting innovation in many projects has been investigated mostly by their change agents. Many ELT innovation projects reported in the professional literature are designed and examined by their authors as leading change agents, not by end users, i.e. teachers (e.g. Gray 1990; Jarvis 1992; Tomlinson 1990; Barmada 1994; Guariento 1997; Markee 1997, etc.). In those projects, the authors/reporters design, introduce, and monitor the process of implementation. To finding out how best to teach the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as grammar and vocabulary. The development of so many methods has been a response, according to Richards and Rodgers (2001:7-9), to the changes in the kind of proficiency (e.g. oral vs. written) that learners are thought to need. In the 1970s, in particular, there was a major shift to learners need for communicating in a second language away from a focus on grammar and translation. This shift was crucial, especially for foreign language learners who leave school unable to use their foreign language in actual communication. So, FL countries adopted this shift to communication to satisfy their students needs for fluency. As English became a lingua franca by the 1990s it was seen as necessary to teach it for communication as it became the mostly taught foreign language worldwide (Gebhard, 2006; Carrick, 2007). The teaching of English as a second (ESL) or as a foreign language (EFL) started to become important after World War II. A great demand for English courses by immigrants, refugees, and foreign students took place in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia (Richards, 2001:23). When English was introduced in schools, it was first introduced at the secondary level in 1950s. But, since the application of the Communicative Approach/Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in national curricula after the publication of Wilkinss book Notional Syllabuses (1976) educationalists/researchers in many countries have observed that students can not communicate as well as expected after leaving secondary school, with eight years of English, as they start their university study (e.g. Al-Mutawa, 1994; Tang, 2002). According to Al-Mutawa and Kailani (1998:I) English language has enjoyed a considerable role in the fields of business, industry, technology, politics, education, medicine and many other professional fields. According to Saleh, more attention is required from EFL teachers to students EFL teachers on teaching them how to communicate in the target language effectively. This requires that the traditional methods, the classroom learning activities and the learning environment have to be changed to correspond with the latest developments and changes in views on ELT represented by the communicative approach (2002:1). Because of the above reasons, English language syllabus of Libyan secondary schools has been changed lately as a response to these developments. The new English programme in Libyan secondary education aims to enable students to: i) achieve a reasonable proficiency in listening and speaking English at a sensible speed, reading simple texts with comprehension and writing about a simple subject or incident; ii) develop their interest in learning English so that they can learn effectively by themselves; and iii) improve their knowledge and have access to foreign culture (UNESCO 2002 reported in Al-Buseifi 2003:4). It has been investigated that some classroom teachers who teach EFL at secondary schools in Libya are traditional and not in harmony with the principles and objectives of the communicative approach upon which the new curriculum has been based. Teachers are faced with some difficulties in implementing the new curriculum. Therefore, some problems have been appeared, for example; teachers use their native language extensively and use only very little English during the lesson. Teachers talk a lot whereas students talk very little. Teachers need to be well trained. Class-time and size are not suitable. Appropriate materials and group-work activities are needed. This study aims to investigate some EFL teachers in Libyan secondary schools to determine the extent of their effectiveness in achieving the desirable objectives of the new curriculum. It specifically investigates and describes the following: How far does the new curriculum filter down into EFL classrooms in Libyan secondary schools? What are the methods that Libyan secondary school teachers use in teaching English as a foreign language? How do Libyan teachers implement the new curriculum (CLT) in teaching EFL? What difficulties may face Libyan teachers in implementing the CLT approach? To what extent are Libyan teachers qualified in communicative language teaching? Since the language curriculum of Libyan secondary schools has been changed lately and has been based on the communicative approach. The EFL teachers who teach this new curriculum should be based on the principles and objectives of the communicative approach. In fact, most Libyan EFL teachers got used to apply the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) with its traditional views and objectives, so they may encounter some difficulties when changing their method especially if they have not been previously trained. This topic is important to investigate because I have noted that it is still a controversial issue between researchers and teachers. The main emphasis is to know whether teachers are using the new curriculum in order to enhance the students basic knowledge of English and competence to use English for communication. In other words, it is to investigate EFL teachers at Libyan secondary schools to find out whether they have changed their method in parallel with the change in the curric ulum and how it is implemented. In order to achieve more understanding about these issues, this study attempts to discuss the curriculum innovation in Libya with reference to communicative language teaching which is implemented in the new curriculum. More attention is given to teachers, they are regarded as having the main role in any innovation. This study is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter, there will be the introduction, the research hypothesis, the research question, the purpose and the significance of the research. Chapter two will be focused on the literature review which include; definition of innovation, its theory and its aim. Background of the context, EFL in Libya, CLT, its development, and its principles. Some factors related to the adoption of the new curriculum (CLT), e g; teachers role, teacher student interaction, student-student interaction, teacher training, methods of teaching, materials and testing criteria. Third chapter will be the methodology. The methods of collecting data will be discussed, there will be a review of how data will be collected, who are the participants, how many, where, how, when, all these questions will be answered in this chapter. Chapter four will be about the results. The results will be discussed in chapter five. Conclusion and recommendations will be discussed i n chapter six. This study will provide an opportunity to enrich theory and practice of CLT in a non-native English speaking setting. It deals with an important issue in the field of teaching as a foreign language which is related to the teaching methods that is used by teachers. To achieve this purpose this research has been carried out. Literature Review Curriculum Innovation It has been widely noted over many years that the low degree of success of educational innovations is mainly caused by the failure of the innovators who were unable to make use of the extensive theoretical literature on innovation (Havelock and Huberman 1977; Barmada 1994). They also did not adopt the appropriate innovation strategies (ibid.). Both White (1987) and Barmada (1994) identify two areas of expertise in which all innovators should be equipped: an understanding of innovation issues and expertise in the management of innovation. The Meaning Of Curricular Innovation It has been defined by Markee as following: ââ¬Å"Curricular innovation is a managed process of development whose principal products are teaching and/or testing materials, methodological skills, and pedagogical values that are perceived as new by potential adoptersâ⬠(1997: 46). According to Hall and Hewings, teachers roles are seen as implementers, and sometimes regarded as adopters, students are clients, and materials designers are suppliers (2001: 119). Curriculum Innovation Versus Theory: Vrooms expectancy theory (1964 in Morrison 1998) from business explains the instant effectiveness of the use of rewards and sanctions. Expectancy theory is based on the assumption that people will involve themselves in change if they expect it to bring about personal benefits (Morrison 1998:132). It is argued that the more benefits people perceive, the greater willingness they will have to be involved in the projects of change (ibid.). These perceived benefits, such as financial benefits, job security, and promotion opportunities, etc. are assumed to be an effective motivator to improve job performance. However, any change often requires additional time, energy, and finance, etc. If the adopters do not think the advantages of an innovation will outweigh its costs, it may not be easy to persuade them to accept it. From management theory point of view, and according to (Everard and Morris 1990), by addressing the ââ¬Å"interrelated sensing systemsâ⬠, we can understand how educati onal managers effect change. They are; policy making, development, controlling, liaising and doing (Markee 1997:49-51). Teachers do not see themselves having part in curriculum innovation, although the definition given above indicates that teachers have a primary role in innovation. This phenomena has been indicated by many researchers that ââ¬Å"curricular innovation entails a mix of professional, academic, and administrative changeâ⬠(e. g; Bowers 1983, 1987; Crocker 1984; Lee and VanPatten 1990; Straker-Cooke 1987; White 1988). ââ¬Å"Managers must therefore enhance an organizations capacity to innovate through organization developmentâ⬠(Markee 1997: 51). It seems that teachers have many tasks particularly that related to their classrooms. Thus, all participants in language teaching should given part in innovation to be managed (ibid.). The New Curriculum (Clt) In Efl Countries: Attempts to introduce communicative language teaching (CLT) into EFL contexts on EFL countries own initiatives and through international aid projects have encouraged many innovations in L2 education. In general, such innovations have had a low degree of success (Brindley Hood, 1990), and implementing CLT worldwide has often faced difficulty (Anderson, 1993; Chick, 1996; Ellis, 1994, 1996; Gonzalez, 1985; Kirkpatrick, 1984; Sano, Takahashi, Yoneyama, 1984; Shamin, 1996; Ting, 1987; Valdes Jhones, 1991). Difficult as many EFL countries are still striving to introduce CLT hoping that it will improve their English teaching. Some researchers have strongly advocated the adoption of CLT in EFL countries and recognized the difficulties these countries face in adopting CLT (Li, 1984; Prabhu, 1987). Burnaby and Sun (1989) report that teachers in China found it difficult to use CLT. These difficulties include the context of the wider curriculum, traditional methods, class sizes and schedules, resources and equipment, the low status of teachers who teach communicative rather than analytical skills, and English teachers deficiencies in oral English and sociolinguistic and strategic competence. Andersons (1993) study of CLT in China reported such hurdles as a lack of properly trained teachers, a lack of appropriate texts and materials, students not being acclimatized to CLT, and difficulties in evaluating students taught by way of CLT. Sano et al. (1994) point out that the Japanese students they studied generally did not feel a pushing need to use English, so that the goal of communicative competence seemed too distant for them. All these difficulties seem to apply to Libyan context too. Karavas-Doukas (1995) gives a report in which the curriculum developers in Greece tried to implement the communicative approach to English teaching/learning using textbooks containing communicative components. However, Karavas-Doukas indicated that teachers lack of understanding of the methodological principles underlying the new materials was one of the impeding factors that finally let to the non-implementation of this innovation. The Greek teachers had changed to new materials, but they tended to implement the intended communicative activities as controlled grammar practice exercises and did not create the opportunities of real communication in their classroom. They did not realize the new role of teachers and students associated with the CLT approach, so they still acted as knowledge-transmitters, rather than facilitators (ibid.). Much research has been conducted discussing the communication problems encountered by Arab learners in most of the Arab countries; particularly in Libya. This fact has been clearly explained by many researchers, e. g. Abdul Haq (1982), Harrison, Prator and Tucker (1975), Abbad (1988), Wahba (1998), Saleh (2002) and Orafi (2008). The students in Jordan, for example, learn English in their home country where the native language is Arabic. The only way to learn English in Jordan is through formal instruction, i.e. in the classroom where language teachers are native speakers of Arabic. There are general screams about the extended degeneration of the standards of English proficiency of students among school teachers, university instructors and all who are involved with English language teaching. The results of the studies conducted in Jordan lead to the conclusion that the goals set by the Ministry of Education are desirous and have not yet been reached (Rababah, 2005:181). In Yamen, the situation is almost the same as in the other Arab countries. Abbad (1988) acknowledges the weakness of Yameni learners of English, and adds that ââ¬Å"in spite of the low proficiency level in English of most applicants, they are accepted into the department.â⬠This is what happens in most of the Arab university. English language departments accept high school graduates without understanding their proficiency level and whether or not they will be able to administrate a program of English studies. Therefore, Arab learners of English find it difficult to communicate freely in the target language. This may be due to the learning environment which some umpire to be inappropriate for learning a foreign language. This is obvious in Jordan where the formal language of communication is Arabic (Rababah, 2005:182). What happen with other countries can be applied on Libyan context, because the situation is almost the same. According to Saleh (2002) and Orafi (2008), although the new curriculum is introduced in Libya since 2000, the students in Libya still cannot communicate in English or express themselves. They cannot speak English freely inside and outside schools as well. Therefore, they cannot use English in real life situation. ELT In Libya: In the 1980s the focus of English language teaching in Libya was on grammar and reading comprehension. Lessons were characterized by oral drills, memorization of vocabulary, and reading aloud. Arabic was widely used in English lessons by teachers and students. During the late 1980s, as a result of political tensions between Libya and the West, the teaching of English was banned from schools and universities across the country. In the 1990s, this status changed to the positive and new curriculum was introduced in 2000 (Orafi, 2008: 244). The new curriculum recommends that â⬠³English be used as much as possible by the teacher and students in the classroom, as the aim is for the students to communicate effectively and fluently with each other and to make talking in English a regular activityâ⬠³ (ibid:245). It was argued that learners learn a language through the process of communicating in it, and that communication that is meaningful to the learner provides a better opportunity for learning. New classroom techniques and activities were needed, new roles for teachers and learners in the classroom. Instead of making use of activities that demanded accurate repetition and memorization of sentences and grammatical patterns, activities that required learners to negotiate meaning and to interact meaningfully were required. The purpose of education is seen as based on careers, examination passing and recall. Understanding, applying ideas, creativity, questioning is all devalued. The idea of school education as a way to unlock potential seems missing and the students appear to appreciate that (Orafi 2008). The teachers role is largely that of transmitting information in an efficient and effective manner to their students. The teachers have little insight in the role of their subjects in the development of students. They are ruled by the demands of society, with its dependence on examination success for gaining access to over crowed and want more time for students to be able to think. However, they have little clear idea of the nature and role of understanding and the idea of seeing their subject in terms of wider life is largely absent (Al-Buseifi, 2003). Although improving the educational system is a priority for the education authorities in Libya, the educational programmes still suffer from shortages in facilities such as computers, laboratories, and information networks, a lack of qualified teachers, and the use of traditional methods of teaching (Khalifa, 2002). This could be due to the fact that the central focus is on increasing the quantity of schools and institutes rather than improving the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. The Situation In Libyan Secondary Schools According to Orafi (2008), ââ¬Ëthe main problem at present of education in Libya is the quality of education. The need to build so much in order to educate so many in a short time creates the classical dilemma of quality of education versus quantity education. In fact, this problem is not the problem of Libyan education only but is a problem common to many developing countries. Classrooms in Libyan secondary schools are regarded crowed. Most of classes are consisted of at least thirty students. Every student has his own seat from the beginning of the year to the end of it. It is difficult for teachers to go freely through the class. Also it is not easy to work in groups, and to deal with all the students. This problem has been discussed by Richards (1996:146) who states that; â⬠¦the majority of large class teachers created, within their large class, a smaller class of students in the front only. They seemed happy to teach this ââ¬Ësmaller class of students in the front and ignored the students at the backâ⬠¦ There is frequently not enough equipment and facilities at some schools (e.g. computers and laboratories). Classes are often large with an inadequate supply of teachers. ââ¬ËThe examination system emphasises the rote recall of information and holds great power over the learners at key times of the year (Orafi 2008:243). English Textbooks In Libyan Secondary Schools (3rd Year) The textbook comprises of; subject book, skills book and work book. The materials are organized into two semesters; 12 units per semester, with 22 lessons in each unit. The lessons are divided between the three student books as follows: subject book; 10 lessons per unit, skills book; 9 lessons per unit, and work book; 3 lessons per unit. Subject Book; the main purpose of this book is presenting information and related vocabulary. The main purpose of the reading and listening texts in the Subject Book is to impart knowledge about the subject concerned and present associated vocabulary. The final two lessons in the Subject Book present one or more pieces of writing. Skills Book; the main purpose of the Skills Book is presentation and practice in the four skills. Workbook; its purpose is written consolidation of grammar points from the Skills Book. Students are often referred back to the Skills Book to find examples or to check their answers. Occasionally, vocabulary items are also practiced in the Workbook, and there are sometimes pair work and role-play activities (Phillips et al 2002). Implementing innovation as organizational development: The concept of innovation as organizational development is well described in Markees two-in-one innovation: primary innovation and secondary innovation (1997). Markee relates the dimension of organizational development to ââ¬Ësecondary innovations in contrast to ââ¬Ëprimary innovations, i.e. changes in teaching (and/or testing materials), methodological skills, and pedagogical vales (ibid: 53). In the dimension of primary innovations, innovation intending to introduce new materials, new teaching procedure, new teaching roles or technology, etc. will also involve changes in skills and values. Markee argues that primary innovations cannot be achieved without the implementation of secondary innovations. Markee exemplifies the notion of two-in-one innovations in a project conducted in an American university. This project not only introduced the task-based syllabus into classroom, but also implemented administrative and academic innovations for organizational development. For instan ce, by means of the development of communication channels (e.g. staff meetings, seminars, and orientations, etc.), participants at all levels obtained a complete understanding of the innovation. By means of the development of the teaching programs, teachers were well trained and became better informed. The outcomes showed that the administrative and academic development not only facilitated the implementation of the new syllabus, but also brought about organizational development. Development of the institutional change capacity is largely neglected due to ââ¬Ëlack of awareness of the limitations of teacher and school administration or knowledge about how to implement the project (Pink 1989 in Fullan 1992). Through the process of organizational development, the implementers, including the management and teachers, focus on the processes and contents of change, learning to develop the capacity to implement change as organizational development. Only when the management and teachers a re assisted to build up their change capacity, is there an opportunity for ââ¬Ëchange as organizational development (Morrison 1998). 5. The curriculum innovation and the role of the teacher Rodgers in Richards (2001:104-105) discussing implementation of a communicative syllabus in Malaysia points out that: While the curriculum innovation has been failed in some places, it has been succeeded in others (i.e. Malaysia). In Malaysia the situation is different and the new curriculum has been managed to achieve its goal, because in Malaysia all the concern parts are shared in innovation (Richards 2001: 104-105). It is clear that these parts should be included in any decision for innovation. In Libya no one of these has taken part in the innovation, except the decision makers (Orafi 2008 :245). In England according to Woods and Jeffrey (2002:25) teachers have seen their role reduced to a list of ââ¬Å"competencies and performativitiesâ⬠. This has produced teacher uncertainly as their role as professional has been reduced to that of a technician. In Libya, the teacher is often seen in similar terms, teachers in Libya do not usually influence curriculum change; it is the responsibility of the government to do so. Teachers must merely understand the requirement of students, know the syllab us, and be able to use appropriate teaching methods. Another important responsibility of the teacher is to help students to process new material in meaningful ways in order to encourage its storage in long-term memory in such a way that it is understood and is related to previous knowledge. However, the aim is that the learner makes sense of life and can use and apply knowledge in meaningful ways (Hussein, 2006). Orafi (2008) investigated teachers practices and beliefs in relation to curriculum innovations in English language teaching in Libya. The study was conducted with five Libyan secondary school teachers using classroom observation and interviews. He concluded that there was a mismatch between the teachers practice in the classroom and the principles of the curriculum because of the influence of their beliefs. 6. Methods of teaching EFL in Libyan secondary schools English is taught with the sole aim of passing exams and moving to the next stage. The learning process is largely viewed as mechanical habit formation. That is, the teaching process is dominated by teacher questions, the selection of students to respond, and the demonstration of examples on the board for students to imitate and repeat chorally. Some Libyan teachers still doubt the value of communicative activities because they believe that vocabulary and grammar rules must be the starting point in learning any foreign language, unlike when acquiring a first language. They think that students should be provided with large amounts of vocabulary and grammar rules to be memorized, and then they can start thinking of introducing various activities to practice the language (Al-Buseifi, 2003). These beliefs reflect their practice in class, where traditional methods of teaching such as the grammar translation method and the audio-lingual method are dominant (Orafi, 2008). Because the new cu rriculum is based on the CLT, I should turn to give sight on the CLT approach: 7. Communicative Language Teaching Communicative Language Teaching has had a major influence on language curriculum development. First, curriculum development has become much more complex. Whereas twenty or thirty years ago, the point of departure for curriculum development tended to be restricted to the identification of the learners current level of proficiency, with the development of communicative language teaching and the insight that curricula should reflect learners communicative needs and learning preferences. (Nunan 1996:20) Communication between student and student influences many ways. It can enhance or hinder learning. Students learn from communication through discussion or by talking about tasks. Communication can take place between a teacher and students. Therefore, appropriate communication skills are required, by keeping in mind the sensitivity to students, their level of understanding and judgement (Dillon and Maguire in Sussan 2005:105). What Is Communicative Language Teaching? CLT has been defined by Canale and Swain (1980:33) who point that: With respect to teaching methodology, it is crucial that classroom activities reflect, in the most optimally direct manner, those communication activities that the learner is most likely to engage inâ⬠¦ Furthermore, communication activities must be as meaningful as possible and be characterized (at increasing levels of difficulty) by aspects of genuine communication such as its basis in social interaction, the relative creativity and unpredictability of utterances, its purposefulness and goal-orientation, and its authenticity. Communicative language teaching (CLT) is typically seen as an approach to language teaching (Richards and Rodgers2001). It is based on the theory that the main purpose of language use is communication. With the aim of developing learners communicative competence (Hymes 1971). In other words, its goal is to make use of real-life situations that requires communication. What Is Communicative Competence? Communicative competence is defined as the capability to discuss and command apposite social behaviours, and it needs the active commitment of the learner in the construction of the target language (Canale and Swain 1980; Celce-Murcia et al 1995; Hymes 1972). Four dimensions of communicative competence are recognized; the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary (Linguistic competence); the capability to say the apposite thing in a confident social situation (sociolinguistic competence); the capability to begin, insert, add to, and extent a conversation, and the capability to do this in a regular and logical manner (discourse competence); the capability to communicate effectively and recover difficulties caused by communication collapse (strategic competence) (Richards and Rodgers 2001:160). Terms usually used to point to aspects of CLT contain ââ¬Ëprocess oriented, ââ¬Ëtask-based, ââ¬Ëgroup work and discussion and ââ¬Ëlearner-centred teaching. Communicative Language Teaching points to both processes and goals in classroom learning (Savignon, 2002:162). Berns (1990:104) states that in CLT; Language teaching is based on a view of language as communication, that is, language is seen as a social tool which speakers use to make meaning; speakers communicate about something to someone for some purpose, either orally or in writing. Obviously we can notice that CLT can be seen as a way of teaching in which the application of communicative activities and the foreign language attempts to advance students competence of knowing and sharing different knowledge. It centres on the aspect that learning is assisted in a purposeful, real situation where activities are achieved with the teachers directions. The definitions also hint that in order to carry out CLT successfully particularly in the EFL context; we are as EFL teachers need to improve our communicative competence, and need to have knowledge about the culture of the foreign language in order to teach the students. Our English proficiency, beliefs, attitudes will affect the implementation of CLT. Background Of CLT Communicative language teaching came into existence in the 1970s as a result of Hymes (1972), the work of the Council of Europe (Halliday 1975, the writings of Wilkins 1972, 1976, and Van EK Alexander (1980). Wilkinss document (1975) where he defined notions i.e. concepts such as time and place, and communicative functions such as requesting or apologizing, which was developed into the book National Syllabuses (Wilkins, 1976), influenced the development of CLT (see Mitchell, 1994; Richards and Rodgers, 2001; Howatt and Widdowson, 2004). CLTs roots can ultimately be traced back to Chomskys criticism of structural linguistic theory (1966). Chomskys ideas about linguistic competence, the innate knowledge of the linguistic system of the language, called Audio Lingual Method (ALM) into question based on the idea that lea
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