Benefiting Students Through A Brain-Based Learning Environment Essay

The question of nature versus nurture as it pertains to human development has been a debate among psychologists for years. And after decades of research, there is still no definitive answer as to whether nature (genes) or nurture (environment and upbringing) are responsible for certain characteristics of an individual. However, many researchers now believe that environmental factors play a more significant role than genetic factors. The acceptance of this belief has many implications for teachers, because it directly affects the teaching strategies they will use in the classroom. In addition, recent findings in brain-based research are providing educators with an understanding of how the brain learns, and how it learns best. As a result, in order to optimize student motivation, involvement, and retention, teachers can no longer ignore the importance of brain-based learning in the educational environment (Wilmes, Harrington, Kohler-Evans, Sumpter, 2008). In the text, Brain-Based Learning The New Paradigm of Teaching, Eric Jensen emphasizes the correlation between students’ emotional states and their learning potential. Adjacently, of the various emotional states a student experiences at any given time, distressed is the most detrimental. A brain in distress results in a long list of negative impacts on learning, including the loss of the ability to correctly interpret subtle clues from the environment, the loss of the ability to index and access information, diminished long-term memory, loss of the ability to perceived relationships, and a lessened capacity for high-order thinking (Jensen, 44). Therefore, managing classroom stress through brain-based strategies is an enormous advantage for students. Childhood stress can be caused by any situation that requires a person to adapt or change (Larzelere, 2010). These changes can be positive such as a new sibling or a new pet, or negative such as poverty, abuse, and separation. It is understandable that the negative stressors are the most harmful to a child’s development. One of the greatest challenges for teachers that aim to alleviate students’ stress is that not all stress-related symptoms are directly measurable or obvious to others (e.g., worry, headache ), thus unrecognized symptoms are likely to go untreated (Shah, 2011). Still, there are many brain-based strategies that teachers can incorporate to help reduce the amount of stress a student experiences in the classroom. First of all, educators can increase a students’ sense of security at school by opening a dialogue with them about their fears. In fact, sometimes just the opportunity to talk about these issues helps reduce the burden (Jensen, 49). In addition, by incorporating small group activities and the use of teamwork among students, a teacher can strengthen a student’s ability to communicate and problem solve. Another example of how a teacher can encourage positive relationships among their students is to offer as much choice and autonomy as possible. Research has shown that creating a classroom environment where student expression and choice are solicited provides a welcoming atmosphere for children to grow at independent rates (Rushton, 2008). There are many ways in which a teacher can afford their students the opportunity to express themselves. Incorporating art, dance, poetry, singing, journal reflection, sports, and debate into a student’s classroom experience are al l productive ways of giving students choice. They are also great ways to introduce rituals of positive affirmation. For example, by creating traditions of applause and team cheers, teachers can help bolster a students’ confidence and improve their self-esteem. Another type of negative stress that some students feel is performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is a fear of not being able to complete a task to the best of one’s ability. As a result, students often experience a â€Å"mental block†, or an inability to retrieve stored information or think creatively. It is very common for students to have performance anxiety before test taking, often times negatively affecting their test scores. Studies show that emotional self-efficacy appears useful in managing negative effects of anxiety (Galla, Wood, 2012). Teachers can help to lessen the occurrence of performance anxiety in their students by regularly activating prior learning. For instance, reviewing previous lessons, offering generous feedback, and establishing mechanisms for self-evaluation and peer review, are all strategie s a teacher can use to reduce learner stress and increase confidence immediately (Jensen, 50). While stress management is an important aspect of supporting a brain-compatible learning environment, stress is not the only emotional state that students cope with. There is a myriad of emotions that a student can feel from one time to another, and a myriad of external stimuli that can trigger those emotions as well. The child’s brain receives stimuli from the learning environment via each of their senses as the stimuli are transformed into a chemical electrical reaction that is the beginning of all learning (Rushton, 2008). One example of such stimuli is classroom acoustics. Poorly designed classrooms that fail to address and reduce ambient noise, echo effect, reverberation, and other acoustical problems cause a decrease in student attention and an increase in off-task behaviors (Jensen, 73). Students whose learning style is predominantly auditory are at the biggest disadvantage. As a result, discipline problems increase and student learning is negatively affected. Such problems are an enormous issue for schools today.For example, many schools across the country have classrooms that exceed the maximum background noise level of 30 to 35 d ecibels recommended by the Acoustical Society of America (Harris, Lambert, 2011). Therefore it is important for teachers to implement brain-based strategies to counter-act the negative effect of a poor acoustical learning environment. This can be done simply by moving around the classroom while speaking. Also, changing the location of students around the classroom can help those at a disadvantage. Using music appropriately in the classroom is another brain-compatible way to positively affect students’ emotional state throughout the learning process. In fact, recent research suggests that music may be a powerful tool in building reasoning power, memory, and intelligence (Jensen, 76). A teacher can change a negative emotional state simply by playing upbeat music in the background periodically throughout the day. Lesson plans can also be enriched through the use of music to elicit certain emotions relevant to the subject matter. Such emotional involvement greatly helps the student comprehend and retain the lesson. Music not only affects students emotionally, but physiologically as well. Music’s potential effects on the body include, increase muscular energy, increased heartrate, reduction of pain and stress, relief of fatigue, and stimulation of creativity, sensitivity, and thinking (Jensen, 75). Another example of external stimuli that can affect learning is classroom aroma. Aromas are especially important because they take one of the most direct pathways to the brain (Jensen, 72). The sense of smell affects brain chemistry and has the ability to change moods in powerful ways. Certain types of scent stimulation like food can disrupt the accelerated learning functions of our brain, and chemical smells from air fresheners, perfume, and even some essential oils can be distracting and block learning (Rogers, 2010). However, certain aromas, such as peppermint, basil, and lemon, enhance motivation, attention, and creativity. And aromas such as chamomile, lavender, orange, and rose calm nerve s and encourage relaxation (Jensen, 72). By using aromas appropriately in the classroom, and keeping aware of aromas that are disruptive or distracting, a teacher can optimize their students’ learning environment. Light in the environment is an additional example of external stimuli that can hinder a students’ learning potential. Lighting strongly influences vision, which strongly influences learning, thus anything we can do to make our eyes more comfortable in the classroom contributes to optimal learning (Jensen, 57). Classrooms that receive a lot of natural sunlight are the most advantageous for students. Natural sunlight helps students’ mood and motivation by delivering vitamin D through uptake by the skin, and in turn raising mood-elevating serotonin. In fact, studies have shown that students with the most sunlight in their classrooms progressed 20 percent faster on math tests and 26 percent faster on reading tests compared to students with the least lighting (Jensen, 58). However, on the other side of the coin, too much morning sunlight can have an adverse effect. Thus, it is important for educators to have an awareness of the effect classroom lighting has on their students learning and strategize accordingly. By providing a variety of lighting types in the classroom and giving learners a choice in determining where they sit can help with student comfort in the classroom (Jensen, 58). Color also plays an enormous role in creating a productive and secure learning environment. Color is an important factor in the physical learning environment and is a major element in interior design that impacts student achievement, as well as teacher effectiveness and staff efficiency. Research has demonstrated that specific colors and patterns directly influence the health, morale, emotions, behavior, and performance of learners, depending on the individual’s culture, age, gender, and developmental level, the subject being studied, and the activity being conducted (Harrington, Kohler-Evans, Sumpter, 2008). Therefore, educators wanting to take advantage of the benefit of brain-based environment can implement classroom color schemes that maximize student involvement. For instance, like aromas, some colors elicit feelings of alertness and inspiration, while others elicit feelings of relaxation. Teacher can enhance student participation and motivation by use of color in hand-ou ts and power point presentation. In addition, teachers can use colors to elicit appropriate emotion in regard to subject matter in lessons. Such as sullen blues or vibrant reds, depending on the subject matter. Again, this greatly helps to emotionally bond the student to the lesson.Another external stimulus that greatly affects a student’s classroom environment is room temperature. Take for example, a student coming back to a warm classroom after eating a good lunch. A classroom environment that is too warm can makes students feel lethargic and unmotivated. Classrooms that are too warm are often the culprit for students falling asleep in class. On the other hand, a classroom that is too cold can make students feel distracted due to feeling uncomfortable. Based on a survey given to teachers, it was concluded that classroom conditions improved by air conditioning included reduced annoyances, improved visual display and flexibility, and comfortable conditions (Gallo, Wood, 2012). In final, teachers who understand the affect of stress and external stimuli in the learning environment and the advantages of brain-compatible learning strategies, visualize a developmentally appropriate brain- researched learning environment which allows an educational focus to preside while student autonomy prevails. Effective teachers support brain development by encouraging children to make discoveries in well-planned environments that support student autonomy (Rushton, 2008). With the benefits well outweighing the required teacher effortt and iniitiative, brain-compatible learning strategies offer far more advantages than hindrances. Students can only win in the long run when teachers utilize these strategies. References Galla, B. M., & Wood, J. J. (2012). Emotional self-efficacy moderates anxiety-related impairments in math performance in elementary school-age youth. Personality & Individual Differences, 52(2), 118-122. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.09.012 Harris, B., & Lambert, C.. (2011, May). Impacting Learning. School Planning & Management, 50(5), 44. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2382182351). Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-Based Learning The New Paradigm of Teaching. (2 ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. Larzelere MM, Jones GN. Stress and Health. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. December 2008;35(4). Rogers, D. (2010). Mmmmmm . . . Peppermint and rustling leaves. Times Educational Supplement, (4887), 3. Rushton, S., & Juola-Rushton, A. (2008). Classroom Learning Environment, Brain Research and The No Child Left Behind Initiative: 6 years Later. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(1), 87-92. doi:10.1007/s10643-008-0244-5 SHAH, N. (2011). Students†™ Stress Linked To Class Environments. Education Week, 30(24), 5. Wilmes, B., Harrington, L., Kohler-Evans, P., & Sumpter, D. (2008). COMING TO OUR SENSES: INCORPORATING BRAIN RESEARCH FINDINGS INTO CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION. Education, 128(4), 659-666.

Lesson Plan – Pop Art

LESSON PLAN for 8F: Pop Art – Roy Lichtenstein P4&5| CLASS: 8F| DATE: 07/06/12| LEARNING OBJECTIVE/S: * To create a piece of pop art in the style of Roy Lichtenstein. * To be able to understand what pop art is and recall information about Roy Lichtenstein. * To be able to make positive comments on your own and others work to boost confidence and self-esteem. EXTENSION TASK: Begin to create your own piece of Pop Art representing something you enjoy or a person you idolise.Success Criteria: * Students will be able to show a basic attempt at producing a piece of work with some similarity to the original (Level 4) * Students will be able to show a satisfactory attempt at the task with good similarity to the original and appropriate choice of colour and technique (Level 5) * Students will show a strong attempt at the task with strong similarity and technique. A personal touch may be applied to the end product to improve it’s appearance. Level 6)| RESOURCES REQUIRED * PowerPo int on Roy Lichtenstein and his Pop Art (True or false quiz for starter) * White boards, pens, board rubbers * Working SmartBoard and remote * 3 sets of colour images of Roy Lichtenstein’s work for reference * Pre-outlined images on cartridge paper plus photocopies for other students. * Plain cartridge paper * Pencils, felt tips, rubbers, scissors (+2 left handed pairs for AB and JC) * Coloured paper| LESSON OUTLINE:| Structure| Groupings| Activities|Starter(10 – 15 mins)Introduction(5 mins)Main(first part)2nd partBreak(2 period lesson)1st part(5 mins)MainPlenary (20 mins at end of lesson)| Whole ClassWhole ClassIndividual workWhole ClassWhole classIndividual workingWhole class| True or false fact quiz on Roy Lichtenstein and Pop Art. Ask students to write their answer on their whiteboard and hold up in the air when prompted to compare with each other. Ask students to recall a fact for a merit. When starter completed ask LSA to collect equipment to avoid distraction du ring explanation of main task.Put pictures of Roy Lichtenstein’s work up on the board and ask students to tell me what is different about these pieces (composed of dots and lines). What do they like about them? What don’t they like? Discuss as a group. Show students example piece (created by me) to show what their end product may look like. Explain equipment used and techniques, varying ways to approach and variants in colour. Refer back to work on Andy Warhol and how the use of colour is reflective in the overall product. Offer outlines to students but discuss how to approach completing task from scratch also.Remind students to refer to colour copies for inspiration Answer any questions, begin task. Circulate the room, ask LSA to do this also so that any questions can be answered. Focus on SB and AB to ensure they are feeling confident and are aware of what they need to do. Monitor approaches and understanding by allowing students to discuss ideas. Line all students u p and allow time for quick toilet break Ask students if they have any questions regarding the task and remind them to ask if they need anything.Continue to circulate, spending extra time with SB and AB to ensure focus. Check on BE, CA and SS to make sure they are remaining focussed on the task. If any students are near completion, explain extension task. Bring focus back to front of the class by asking students to come up in twos and place their art work on the board in an exhibition for reviewing. Once all pieces up, ask the class to walk around and decide one thing they like about someone else’s work on the board. Once seated, ask each student to share their compliment with the rest of the class.Ask students if they can recall a fact from our earlier PowerPoint and finish by asking for a thumbs up/middle/down approach to the task they completed today. | ASSESSMENT/DIFFERENTIATION:Where does diff. occur? What learning, and whom, will be assessed? Differentiation will take pl ace in a number of ways throughout the lesson: * Teacher and TA interaction with pupils – helping those who are finding the work difficult, asking extension questions to more able pupils. * Teacher to take in to account some short term memory issues within the group and allow time to recall facts with hints where needed. Pre-drawn outlines for all students to access if they feel unable to complete a piece from scratch which several members will. Assessment will take place informally with the teacher noting how well the students can complete the task, and more formally through peer and self assessment. | Strategies to ensure effective learning takes place: * Ensure all students are aware of and understand the task in hand by asking the class on a whole and then walking around the room (LSA also) once the task is set to answer any questions one on one. Make sure students have correct equipment available for the task. * Refer back to the facts learned at the beginning of the les son by offering merits as reward for recollection of facts. * Allow time at the end of the lesson to see how students felt overall about the task. * Tackle any behavioural issues if they occur without disruption to the rest of the class. * Discuss the new technique with students and how they are finding it. |

Not decided yet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Not decided yet - Essay Example has established a causal relationship between smoking and the life span of the smoker, as opposed to establishing a correlation relationship between the two. The causal relationship requires that one variable leads to the other. In this case, the authors of the article have suggested that smoking leads to a reduction of a smoker’s life span by 10 years. This is a practical example of the authors incorrectly inferring causation from correlation, because the author ought to have stated that smoking may be related to a reduction in the lifespan of the smokers, as opposed to stating conclusively that in fact smoking causes the reduction of the lifespan of the smoker. The effect of this causal relationship established by the author is that; those people who do not smoke are guaranteed to live 10 more years, compared to the individuals who are involved in smoking. However, this assertion might not be true, because there are many smokers who live for many years compared to non-smokers based on different life factors. Therefore, this assertion cannot explain this practical variation between the assertion and the reality in life. The assertion above by the authors has come about as a result of a study that has suggested that smoking causes breast cancer. This is a case of the authors incorrectly inferring causation from correlation, because the right reporting ought to have been that there is a relationship between smoking and reduced lifespan. The authors arrived at the conclusion after the consideration of a study undertaken by researchers from the American Cancer Society, which produced findings â€Å"showing a 24% higher rate of breast cancer among women who smoked† (Press Association, 2014). This study served to add to the already existing evidence pointing to the existence of a link between the exposure to tobacco smoke and the breast cancer. This now marks the turning point of this study, from presenting a correlation relationship between breast cancer and

Apple vs. Windows Operating Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Apple vs. Windows Operating Systems - Essay Example The two most common operating systems in today’s market include Windows and Apple. In spite of the numerous advantages of Apple OS, Windows has far better features, is more user friendly and therefore is the better of the two options. Apple computers introduced its first working operating system in June 1978 known as Apple DOS 3.1. When using apple OS it is possible for one to run other operating system on it such as windows as suggested by Pejrolo (57). Therefore, one can choose and install an OS such as window 7 in a Mac computer and run anything related to it at same time. This implies how flexible the Apple operating system is compared to others such as the windows. Though Apple OS may be infected by viruses their level of getting such is less compared to that of Windows. Apple OS is well designed with an excellent visual appeal and a high-head feel. Apple also provides its customers with an Apple Store where one can take his/her if anything wrong happens with it then it g ets fixed. The OS also comes with a limited number of reliable programs such as iLife, iWeb, iMovie and iDVD. In addition to this, Apple products usually work best with each other. Apple benefits from its intellectual property and it is highly depended on it. Apple Operating system also has some disadvantages such as small software base as opposed to windows. It also misses some features which are usually basic with Windows operating system. Apple operating system is best suited for professional users as opposed to the general user or novice in IT. This is because the software has features and terms which may not be self explanatory, quite unlike Window’s. Windows operating system is usually user-oriented and tightly integrated compared to the Apple operating systems. Windows Operating system possesses a right mouse button which improves the efficiency of the operating system. It also has an automated validation process referred to as Windows Genuine Advantage which is integr ated with other Microsoft operating system products. Furthermore, the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) updates the current windows installed together with its licence key despite the hardware used. Due to this validation process the Windows OS user has to undergo series of validation systems before being authorised to install updates and other releases of the software. This way the WGA provides security to the Windows operating system. Windows OS is usually faster and easier to work with as one is able to work with their PC in whichever way they want to. It is designed in a manner that it can be well-matched with a large combination of hardware. Due to its compatibility with hardware, windows OS has become the best system for the wide range of computing services according to Freeman (38). Windows OS also provides its software manufacturers’ with a wider user base. As a result most of the software available in the market is designed so as to run basically with Windows. While va rious applications are capable of being installed in various OS, majority of them can only apply in one operating system and Windows is the most preferred due to its compatibility. Windows also offers a wide range of opportunities to its users such as windows process activation service, application recovery and also mandatory integrity. As a result, this OS has become widely used in all types of environments. Furthermore, the software is cheaper in cost compared to Apple, the more reason it has remained a favourite for most

Authorizing Infringement and Secondary Infringement Essay

Authorizing Infringement and Secondary Infringement - Essay Example    File-sharing refers to exchanging copyrighted files through the internet with a financial inducement involved without getting permission from the copyright owner (â€Å"Protecting UK Music†). This was the same case with the University of New South Wales vs. Moorehouse where the university did not make it clear to students that copying any material without prior direct permission from the copyright owner is illegal and it provided a means and material for the infringement, a copier and paper (â€Å"European IP Bulletin, Issue 25, September-Hot Topics†). The providers of peer to peer networks then become liable for authorizing file sharing. For example Apple iTunes does not expressly warn purchasers that they cannot share music; it even encourages people to join its ‘PING† network where among others; people can see what music you ‘like’ and have downloaded and one can ‘burn’ audio playlists ‘up to seven times’(Apple) . Apple is not expressly prohibiting sharing of music; if one burns a playlist seven times who is liable if the person shares it? And can Apple be considered to be tolerant of sharing? Apple can be considered to countenance because it does not give conditions for making copies but says a playlist can be ‘burned up to seven times’, but for what purpose (Brendan).  In the CBS and others vs. Amstrad Consumer Electronics Plc and Other ruling in 1988, the judge ruled in favor of the defendant that it granted the ability for consumers to make copies of tapes onto blank equipment but did not give consumers the right to copy (â€Å"CBS Songs Ltd and Others vs. Amstrad Consumer Electronics Plc and Another†), so they were not liable for authorization, though their products were or could be used to infringe on copyrights; the ruling says the defendant was not guilty but he facilitated a means to infringe on copyright so, in reality, they should be liable for acts of comm ission and omission to the extent of authorizing duplication basically authorizing secondary infringement.     

Government and politics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government and politics - Term Paper Example Firstly, in order to understand the way in which the executive branch has changed, it is necessary to begin the analysis by stating that the Constitution of the United States expressly prohibits the President from declaring war. As such, this particular process is one that is supposedly only allowed to be engaged by the Congress. However, ever since the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the president has been able to allocate military resources and all but declare war. Though the Constitution has placed the executive branch in direct charge of the military and all actions related to them, the informal and circuitous manner by which the executive branch has engaged in war over the past 60+ years has meant that this particular dynamic of executive power has grown precipitously (Galbraith, 2013). Although this has been much discussed throughout society and opposing candidates of both parties have promised to close the loopholes by which such decisions are made, little actual traction has been made on this issue. Further, if any one of the three has most certainly lost power, it can be determined to be the Supreme Court. This supposedly supra-political entity has increasingly shown signs of operating at the behest of the executive branch and/or merely upholding policies or legislation of the Congress. Evidence of this can of course be seen with regards to the way in which the Supreme Court chosen to behave with relation to the Bush v. Gore crisis of 2000 and the decision to allow the continued suspension of habeas corpus with regards to the detainees housed at Guantanamo Bay (Alternman, 2000). Further, increased political pressures have kept the Supreme Court from ruling on warrantless wiretapping from the Patriot Act, clearly an unconstitutional practice, or the torture practices that certain branches of the military and intelligence community has been known to exercise over those whom it suspects of anti-American activities or sentiments. Whereas corporate interests nec essarily factor heavily into the decisions of governance, no more so can this be seen as with respect to the degree and extent to which the legislative branch has grown and evolved over time. Whereas several decades ago an individual of relatively meager means could run for Congress, the manner through which the system operates currently ensures that only those who are heavily funded, oftentimes by corporate or special interest groups, has any chance of actually attaining office (Bradley & Morrison, 2012). This has meant that the Congress does not serve as a primary mechanism for representing the will of the people; rather, it is oftentimes a mechanism through which back door deals, corporate cronyism, and other crooked practices are more and more likely to take place. Further, from pressure from the executive branch, the legislative has been seen time and time again to yield and favor a particular piece of legislation that has clearly not been in the best interests of the entire po pulation. Evidence of this can be seen with respect to the funding for the Iraq War, financial bailouts which were hastily agreed upon with little if any oversight or discussion, and a

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Case Study Example Rasinghe has to consider the social consequences of taking a difference stance than the group. I believe that it would take a lot of courage for Rasinghe to vote against the motion. There is peer pressure involved in the decision of the group. The courage that Rasinghe needs must come from within. He can take pride in his past accomplishment such as complete a college education and use those things as an inspiration that will allow him to make the decision that is in his heart. Going against the group might not be popular, but Gehan has to be his own individual and make the decision that is right for him. I believe that the current rating system is flawed. It is a bit biased and needs greater participation from outsiders that make evaluation based on the skills, abilities, and leadership of each of the individual members. The participants of the program should not be rating each other because the program is supposed to be competitive training program in which the best candidates are trying to show who is more deserving of a promotion. If I was in Rasinghe’s position I would tell the upper management the truth about rating system. The opinions of my colleagues are irrelevant, thus I would vote against the motion. True leaders have to make tough decisions based on what is in the best interest of the company. This case study illustrates a scenario in which a young businessman is faced with a dilemma concerning loyalties to a group. In reality the group was supposed to be formed of the best young leaders in the organization. It is possible that some of the member of the group might be receiving promotions at the completion of the program. Gehan Rasinghe is the protagonist of the case study. His upraising within the organization followed a unique path that started with him being a bit of reject due to his shyness and awkward accent. He overcame those obstacles to become a leader within the organization. The situation in the case study could be

Business Processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Processes - Essay Example The company’s stocks were first traded at NYSE on August 25, 1972 (Wal-Mart, 2012a). Wall-Mart is engaged in the business of operating retail stores of various formats in different parts of the world. Wal-Mart operates restaurants, retail stores, supermarkets, discount stores, hypermarkets, supercenters, apparel stores, warehouse clubs, etc. The products offered in the stores of Wal-Mart includes frozen foods, meat, dairy products, bakery products, baby products, beverages, grocery items, electronic goods, household items and so on. At present the business operations of Wal-Mart is divided into three broad segments. They are: a) the Wal-Mart International segment, b) the Wal-Mart US segment, and c) the Sam's Club segment. Of these three the US segment is the largest of all. Retail stores of various formats are operated by Wal-Mart in all the 50 states of US. Along with this it also operates its retail operations online through walmart.com. The international segment of Wal-Mart has its presence in 26 countries of the world and is also in the business of operating its retail operations in all those countries outside US. ... All these six merchandise units offer different categories of merchandise products through its various types of retail stores located in different parts of US. In the recently published Fortune-500 list Wal-Mart has been ranked second, just behind Exxon Mobil (Wal-Mart, 2012). 1.1 Aims of Wal-Mart Aims of the company can be understood by analyzing the mission and vision statement of the company. 1.1.1 Mission Statement The company tries to provide quality products at an EDLP or everyday low price complemented with comprehensive Customer service. The company tries to offer services and product improving everyday life of customers. The company has modified mission statement in recent years in order to preserve its significance. In accordance to new mission statement the company will provide merchandises to customers in 24 *7 manners. The company emphasizes on their talented human resource pool and treat them as asset for the company. The company also donates thousands of dollars for be tterment of unprivileged population of the society. 1.1.2 Vision Statement Even today’s hypercompetitive business environment Wal-Mart follows traditional vision statement established by Sam Walton (1918-1992). Sam Walton taught them to think from customer’s viewpoint and deliver merchandises complemented with lowest possible prices, superior quality, guaranteed satisfaction, friendly and knowledgeable sales service, free parking, convenient shopping hour and great shopping experience. 1.2 Size of Wal-Mart Size of Wal-Mart can be understood by analyzing their distribution Channel. Wal-Mart operates business in retail chain format hence size should be analyzed in terms of how many stores they have established in USA and other

Transfusion in the patient with Sickle cell Disease Essay

Transfusion in the patient with Sickle cell Disease - Essay Example e, transfusion strategy is applied to prevent the recurrence, or the first occurrence, of stroke which is a major crisis in SCD, and to manage pulmonary hypertension and other sources of morbidity and mortality. Exchange transfusions are used to reduce the sickle cell haemoglobin (HbS) levels during crisis. Several situations also exist wherein the indication for red cell transfusion is controversial, uncertain, or downright injudicious. Many side effects of transfusion have been identified and methods to overcome them have been developed. Iron overload (remedy: iron chelation), and alloimmunisation (remedy: phenotypical matching of transfused blood) are two notable examples. Association of haemoglobinopathies and neurologic sequelae after transfusion is also known. At the present time, bone marrow transplant is the only curative procedure available for both SCD and ÃŽ ²-thalassaemia major. Potential therapies involving stem cell transplantation and gene techniques are being vigorous ly researched. A detailed discussion of the current status of clinical management strategies as applied to inherited haemoglobin-related diseases in particular, sickle cell disease and the thalassaemias, is presented in this paper. Anaemia is a syndrome characterised by a lack of healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin deficiency in the red blood cells, resulting in inadequate oxygen supply to the tissues. The condition can be temporary, long-term or chronic, and of mild to severe intensity. There are many forms and causes of anaemia. Normal blood consists of three types of blood cells: white blood cells (leucocytes), platelets and red blood cells (erythrocytes). The first generation of erythrocyte precursors in the developing foetus are produced in the yolk sac. They are carried to the developing liver by the blood where they form mature red blood cells that are required to meet the metabolic needs of the foetus. Until the 18th week of gestation, erythrocytes are produced only by liver

A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR EMAP PLC( A MEDIA COMPANY) Essay

A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR EMAP PLC( A MEDIA COMPANY) - Essay Example Financial ratio analysis is a very essential tool in assessing the financial health of a business entity. Specifically, it enables a financial analyst to spot trends in a business and to compare it with the performance of similar business enterprises within the same industry. Financial ratios are grouped into three categories, each showing a different aspect of a company’s financial operations. These are profitability ratios, financial leverage ratios and liquidity/solvency ratios. Profitability ratios measure the ability of the company to generate income from its investments less the costs incurred. The gross profit margin ratio tells us the profit a business makes on its cost of sales, or cost of goods sold. It tells us how much gross profit per peso of turnover our business is earning. Gross profit is the profit we earn before we take off any administration costs, selling costs and so on. The computed operating profit margin, which is the ratio of operating income to sales measures as a percentage of sales, the excess revenue from sales over cost of normal operation excluding financing. Net profit margin, on the other hand, is the ratio of net income to sales. Unlike the operating profit margin, it takes into account the secondary or incidental gains aside from the company’s main business operation and all the costs incurred including financing. Return on assets and return on equity are variants of return on investment, which are more significant rat ios than the margins. While return on assets measures the rate of return on the total investments of the company, the return on equity assesses the rate of return on the investments of common stockholders in the company (Analyzing Company Reports 2005). Logically, higher profitability ratios indicate a healthier financial condition. It can be seen that at the end of March 2005 the company does not perform well in terms of profitability. Gross profit margin is

Should Social Security Be Privatized Essay Example for Free

Should Social Security Be Privatized Essay Everyone has their opinions of Social Security. Many feel Social Security is their savings and the government should not mess with it or use it for paying off other debts. Others believe it should be privatized and that person should be allowed to do what they wish with their Social Security. I am hoping to touch on at least two points for each side of the argument. Before we can dive into each side we need to know how it all began. Before the time of Social Security, people found ways to secure their economy. Back in ancient Greece, they used olive oil to ensure their economic security. In medieval times, serfs would tend to the lords manor and as long as there were a steady supply of serfs the lords had bountiful economic security. Land was a very vital part to economic security for those who possessed or lived farms. No one really understood the concept of saving up for retirement or severe injuries. Around the time of the Great Depression, in the 1930’s, many elderly were hesitant to ask for government assistance and there were many restrictions that would allow them to become eligible for a pension. Franklin D Roosevelt proposed a way to assist elderly with retirement benefits, January 1935. Although Congress said it was a â€Å"governmental invasion of the private sphere and from those who sought exemption from payroll taxes for employers who adopted government-approved pension plans† (Our Documents) it was eventually passed and implemented eight months later. This act was established initially as a way government could assist elderly with retirement benefits. Social Security is a way to provide for not only elderly but also those in need. Not everyone receives the same amount of money from Social Security when they retire, or need it. It is all based on how much they pay into FICA, or Federal Insurance Contributions Act. This encompasses not only Social Security but also Medicare. Most companies will match the contribution taken from your paycheck. Discussion Who is to say there is a right or wrong way to deal with Social Security? Many feel, by the time those of us who are middle aged, will never get the chance of receiving their Social Security. As we sit in 2012, during a presidential election year, this is one of the hottest topics on the plate. There are many discussions for both sides of privatizing Social Security

Linguistics and Language Essay Example for Free

Linguistics and Language Essay In this essay, I will explain as well as compare two theories of first language acquisition, behaviorism and innatism. I will explore the differences between them in such categories as the role of the learner, the role of the environment and as well as their strengths and weaknesses. I will then state and explain which one I find more tenable with examples of relevant literature. Role of the Learner Behaviorism, credited to B. F. Skinner in the 1950s, states that the learner knows nothing to start with, he is an empty slate [o1] to be taught. The learner is passive and learns by positive-negative reinforcement, only repeating what he hears. Innatism, credited to Noam Chomsky in 1965, states that the learner is wired from birth for language. The learner is equipped with a LAD, a language acquisition device. This device allows the learner to discover the rules of his language, any language. Role of the Environment Behaviorism states that the role of the environment is key and vital to the learning process. The environment is the active agent while the learner is the passive agent. The environment produces the necessary language input for the learner. It is up to the environment to give positive and negative reinforcement for the learner. Innatism states that the role of the environment is minimal because it only acts as the trigger for learning. It is also thought the environment is flawed and can’t be relied upon to always give perfect information. Therefore, it is up to the learner to find the rules of the language[o2] . Strengths There are a few strengths to support the behaviorism theory. It is easy to monitor the learners’ performance. This is how parents (as teachers) usually teach their children, through nurturing which puts emphasis on the role of the environment. This theory can also explain why learners have the ability to memorize. On the other hand, there are several strengths of the innatism theory. A learner cannot memorize all the possible different language and grammar combinations that he learns through the environment. The LAD helps the learner to generalize rules and make his own creative use of the language. A child will resist using an irregular form because of over-generalizing, and he will create his own form of a word according to the rules that he has internalized. And these rules don’t necessarily conform to adult grammar rules which include many exceptions. By applying these internalized and generalized rules, a child is able to acquire a language at a fast pace. [o3] Weaknesses The Behaviorism theory only accounts for the performance of the learner, and not on his competence. The learner is passive, so this theory does not focus on the learner’s mind and knowledge. It also does not explain why children acquire a language so quickly even if they are exposed to different environments. In addition, this theory also doesn’t offer an explanation of why children over-generalize rules such as the simple past tense of irregular verbs even though they hear irregular forms in the environment. There are also several weaknesses to the Innatism theory. One of the first weaknesses is that it demands the existence of the Language Acquisition Device (LAD), its existence is difficult to prove and is immeasurable. This theory also doesn’t take into account different kinds of learners, just ideal learners with ideal grammar. The environment plays a minor role in this theory, so it doesn’t take into account the social aspect of the learner. My Opinion Looking at the two of these theories, I find the Innatism theory the most tenable. In my own experience with my children and students, the learners do not always model my behavior. This usually occurs with irregular patterns, particularly past tense verbs. This is similar to the â€Å"wug† test where a child will form a past tense of a verb that he has never heard before by applying the general grammar rules that he has learned. This behavior cannot be memorized and must be driven by an internal structure. Another reason to support this theory is that learners with impaired intelligence have been able to learn the structure of language. It has also been proven that American Sign Language which is taught to the deaf also has its own language structure. In addition, the creation of Creole languages supports the theory. As a Creole develops, grammar and structure are built in. The LAD would account for the formation of these languages as well as for creative uses of language by a learner. Conclusion In this essay I have explained two theories of language acquisition, behaviorism and innatism. In doing so, I have explained the different roles of the learner as well as the environment. I have also explored strengths and weaknesses of each theory and why I support the innatism theory over the behaviorism theory[o4] . [o1]Good one, I forgot this in my essay [o2]Do you think you should mention poverty of stimulus here? [o3]ording? Universal grammar is built off of two propositions, that all languages are governed by a set of universal principles, and that the mind is equipped with parameters which are set intuitively by the child according to the language input they receive. UG researchers have found a number of universal principles. One of the more prominent principles is structure dependency. Structure dependency states that all sentences regardless of the language are built off of propositions that carry both a noun and a verb phrase; in other words, every sentence in every language must have at least a subject and a verb (Chomsky, 1959). One parameter setting that is contained in the LAD is the head setting. Some languages such as English are head first, other languages such as Japanese are head last. Various arguments have been used to support the existence of universal grammar. Chomsky (1959) has proposed the poverty of the stimulus argument, positing that the input children receive cannot account for what they produce, and therefore, children must have an innate facility. He argues that the input is marred in two ways; first it contains a hodgepodge of performance slips, and secondly, it does not contain any negative evidence. How do children acquire language when they don’t know what they can’t say, or how do they learn to speak correctly when the input they here is at times in correct? They do so, according to Chomsky, through this innate capacity. Jackendoff (1994) offers another argument in support of universal grammar, the argument from expressive variety. Jackendoff argues that given that languages are recursive, there is simply no way of storing all of the possible sentences one can create in one’s mind. In other words, sentences don’t come from habits, but rather from creative expression. Universal grammar has had a lot of capital in language acquisition theory, although it has been critiqued on some fronts. Connectionists, particularly, N. Ellis (2006) has argued that language acquisition is not due to an innate faculty and the creative expression of humans, but equates it to a usage-based approach where children learning piecemeal frequently reoccurring chunks of language. Another argument against the innate language faculty is that UG researchers have claimed that only humans have access to syntax, yet this has been found not to be true. Certain animals, such as the humpback whale and songbirds have been found to possess a recursive syntax, suggesting that syntax and language may have evolved from lower order primates. Whereas universal grammar begins with language from the inside, Sociocultural theory, another prominent first language acquisition, posits language acquisition begins from the outside. Vygotsky, the founder of sociocultural theory, argues that language is a psychological tool, which children acquire and learn to manipulate as they interact with their environment and with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978). Children first learn language as they interact with their parents. Parents use caretaker speech, which makes it easier for the child to understand and grasp a hold on the concepts of the language. As the child begins to understand and produce simple utterances, they are able to use the language to mediate their psychological functioning (Vygotsky, 1978). Vygotsky argues that children begin learning language by first learning single words, which are pure meaning. As they develop their language skills, and engage in social speech, single word sentences are augmented through incorporation of non-meaningful elements, such as function  words, and the child’s thoughts and words begin to develop more sense meanings. For instance, where the word ‘cat’ for the 1 or two year old child could have served as an exemplar for all cats, by the time the child is nine, and having undergone a variety of experiences related to cat, they have imbibed the word with their own unique s enses. Thus syntax and word senses expand, the more a child learns. Now, whereas social speech began from one and developed into many, inner speech, the speech that goes on inside of our heads becomes more and more truncated. Vygotsky argues, contrary to Piaget, that egocentric speech does not ‘disappear’ rather it becomes internalized as inner speech. And this inner speech is something that could not be understood by anybody but the person who is thinking it. Vygotsky suggests that just as people who have known each other for many years, and who have had a large amount of experiences together exhibit language tendencies of shortened syntax because of their historical shared experience, a person’s inner speech also exhibits this characteristic, but even more so; the stuff of thought is nothing but psychological predicates (Vygotsky, 1978). One of the primary ways humans learn anything, according to Vygotsky, is through the zone of proximal development. This concept explains that what a person can do today with assistance, they can do tomorrow by themselves (Vygotsky, 1978). Applied to first language acquisition, the child may receive help from an expert, such as their parents, who point at objects and say their name, for example, cat. After seeing this, the child may repeat ‘cat’ immediately after. The next day, as the child sees the cat, it says the word ‘cat’ without needing to be told by their parents. Chomsky maintains that languages consist of an infinite number of sentences and cannot be learned through habit formation. Language is too complex to be learned in such a short amount of time (Chomsky, 1959). He believes that every human is born with an innate language learning capacity, which is embedded in the language acquisition device (LAD). Chomsky believes that all language share grammatical structures. This is called universal grammar (UG). Proof of UG includes poverty of stimulus, which explains how children acquire the language despite their limited exposure and incorrect input they may receive. Another evidence for UG that languages are recursive, (Jackendoff, 1994). It is impossible to know all the possible combinations; however, they are learned by children. According to UG, there must be some sort of innate capacity that provides the additional information. The fact that children are resistant to correction once again proves that language is developed through an innate capacity. According to Chomsky (1959), all languages share principles, which are invariable across languages. For example, noun phrases and verb phrases. This is called structure dependency. All languages have verbs and nouns. What distinguishes languages from each other according to Chomsky, are parameters, which are language specific. For example, some languages are head first, and some are head last. In relation to UG, Eric Lenneberg (1967) introduced the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH), which is a window of language learning opportunity before puberty. Proponents of CPH believe after this period, language learning becomes a much more difficult task and adults tend to rely on other mechanisms such as problem solving skills, reasoning, and deductive instruction to learn a language. Evidence of the CP is for example abused children, who despite being removed from the environment where they were deprived of social contact, were not able to learn the language. There have been many criticisms to Chomsky’s UG, for example, the LAD cannot be located and is immeasurable. Also, Chomsky’s theories overlook the effects of social contact and the environment on language learning. Social interactionist Vygotsky (1978) was a strong proponent of the social interaction hypothesis. He believed that learning takes place through social interaction, and give and take of information with caregivers, parents, or peers. According to Vygotsky, children begin with external speech, which could consist of one word only, but have the meaning of a whole sentence. Gradually, as the child grows older, he develops more complex and longer sentences and associates more meaning with his words. A child also engages in private speech (similar to adults), which is usually meant for problem solving or thinking out loud, but is not meant for sharing although articulated. Vygotsky believes that as the child develops more linguistic skills, this private speech becomes internalized and turns into inner speech, which is pure meaning, and does not consist of subjects; it is predicated. In direct opposition to the environment being the active participant in language learning, Chomsky flips behaviorism on its head and presents the learner as having a primary role while environment becomes secondary. Within the Universal Grammar Theory (UG), Noam Chomsky (1959) presents a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that is responsible for the language learning process. Purely biological, language is filtered through the innate LAD that is structured with principles that are unchanging and parameters that vary according to the language being learned. Proofs to support this theory are many. Syntax and the head-first/head-last parameter are two such proofs. As a child learns language, they hold to one of only two possibilities in any given language – head-first and head-last – and language is formed through recursion and syntactic movement that follow a pattern within a particular language. This shows that language is rule-governed and that the LAD is programmed with language foundations from which a child can develop. That children are resistant to correction follows this same thought as they develop language through the LAD. Language is not linked to intelligence as we see in brain damaged adults who are completely coherent in language skills and others who are cognitively normal but cannot speak correctly. Stroke victims also show that, depending on the area of the brain that is affected, intelligence and speech are not linked. Broca’s and Wernicke’s Aphasias show that certain areas of the brain affec t speech while intelligence remains unaffected. As evidenced by the Gopnik family, genetic impairments have also proven that a glitch in the UG can be passed down from one generation to another, thus proving that the LAD is indeed biological (Jackendoff, 113). Eric Lenneberg’s Critical Period Hypothesis (1967) and the cases of â€Å"wild children† are yet further evidence. Lenneberg holds that the LAD becomes dormant or ineffective after a certain age – around the age of 12 – and this is why children acquire language so much more quickly than adults who are attempting the same. Through these studies of particular children who did not learn language and who were void of contact with language as a whole, it shows that the younger the child, the more fully they were able to learn language. Once a child was passed the age of 12 or so, they were unable to acquire proper language skills. The younger children were not only able to learn more adequately but then went on to continue in the language learning process as a normal adult would. As many proofs as there are for Chomsky’s UG and the LAD, criticisms are plentiful as well. First and foremost, where is the evidence that a device like LAD exists? It certainly has not been located in the brain, therefore, it remains immeasurable and some have serious doubt as to its legitimacy. This theory also limits the role of the environment and gives no account for the social context of the language learning process. It idealizes the speaker and the grammar itself to a certain degree and packages the entire process a bit too neatly. Cognitive Development Theory Jean Piaget’s (1955) work in cognitive development is foundational on many levels. Watching his own children, nature, and certain study groups of young children, Piaget introduces a theory that is completely developmental. As a child is ready and developed (both biologically and cognitively), they are able to assimilate, accommodate and adapt new experiences. Underlying in this theory is reasoning and logic. The role of the environment is minimal and the learner is vital but only as they are cognitively developed and ready for new experiences. A child will not learn what they are not cognitively developed to receive at that point no matter what the instruction. Piaget holds to the notion of children developing schema. As a new experience is received and they are biologically and cognitively ready to receive it, they will develop new schema to fit into the framework of schema that they already have developed. This theory also relies heavily on egocentric and socialized speech with each one serving a different function. Egocentric speech is what is used (mainly by children) when words and thoughts are spoken out loud but the one speaking is only dealing with their own thoughts and ideas. Socialized speech is a shift away from egocentric speech where one simply derives pleasure from speaking to being a way of exchanging their ideas or opinions. Although Piaget’s work and theory is critical, it neither accounts for the child’s behavior as a whole nor for the cognitive development after the stage of ‘formal operation’ is reached. It offers vast insight into the developmental process of a child but little instruction on attaining language skills. It was also based solely on a Western model and is therefore quite limiting. SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Input Output Hypotheses As a result of older models of language teaching where attention was given to language grammar, Krashen (1981) places his focus on communication input. He contends that if the learner is given a chance to absorb the language, they will be better equipped to acquire it. Rather than forcing output immediately, Krashen holds to a silent period where learners have the privilege of just listening to language before attempting it†¦much like a young child would in learning their mother tongue. Comprehensible input (i + 1) is the formula that Krashen holds to for optimal language learning for second language learners (SLLs). This states that if a SLL is offered input that is only slightly beyond what they already know, acquisition will take place. He also makes a differentiation between language learning and language acquisition, claiming that acquisition is what is needed for the language learning process. Criticisms of Krashen’s hypothesis are that input alone cannot account for acquisition and that some grammatical forms cannot be learned without being taught. Swain (1985) introduces her Output Hypothesis in contrast to Krashen and claims that no matter the input, if the output is unintelligible, acquisition has not truly occurred. It is the output that forces learners to grapple with the grammatical processing and figure out what works. Through output, a learner can realize their problem areas, can experiment with new areas they are unsure of, and gives them the chance to analyze problems they are having in their language learning process.

The Development Of Frank And Of Rita English Literature Essay

The Development Of Frank And Of Rita English Literature Essay At the beginning of the play, the audience see Frank in a sort of interesting way. The fact that Frank is looking at the bookshelf leaves us wanting to know what will happen next. Frank, at this point, begins talking to himself Where the hell? Eliot? this shows us that he is desperately trying to find a particular book, but this is not true as he pulls out the book and pulls out a bottle of whisky behind it. All of a sudden, the audiences impression of Frank changes from someone who is obsessed in reading, to someone who likes to hit the bottle. As the scene progresses, Frank is talking to Julia (Franks partner). We understand that Frank hates teaching in the Open University Oh God, why did I take this on? From this, it seems as if Frank regret his choice in taking up this job. Frank answers his own question, Yes, I suppose I did take it on to pay for the drink. This shows that Frank had taken this job in order to pay for his drink. We see that Franks important thing in his life is to drink. When Rita entered Franks room, the audience can see that Frank does not fully understand nature. When Rita said that the poster is very erotic, Frank says: Actually I dont think Ive looked at it for about ten years, but yes, I suppose it is. From this, we learn that Frank does not really appreciate life. Later on in Act 1 Scene 1, Frank describes Rita as the first breath of fresh air thats been in this room for years. This shows That Frank is bored of teaching student in contrast to her. He is interested in teaching new students. At the end of the scene, we see that Frank states about his feelings as a teacher in Open University. Frank describes himself as an appalling teacher and does not like the hours at the Open University. This shows the audience, how he does not like his job in spite of the fact that there is a breath of fresh air and that he feels Rita deserves the likes of someone better than himself. In the beginning of Act 1 Scene 2, we see Rita oiling Franks door, Willy Russell highlights that Frank is very lazy and that Rita is sort of doing everything for him. This makes the audience believe that Frank does not really care about the environment. We have seen that Frank does not really enjoy teaching students at the Open University. But, as scene two concludes. We see that Frank becomes interested in teaching and begins to talk about the way in which Rita should concentrate on the reason she has come to the university. Yes. And youre here for an education. Come on Forster! The audience are given the impression that Rita has already started persuading Frank as he now has a reason to come to work and be excited about it. While there are many ways in which Franks character is shown throughout the beginning of the play, the same goes with Rita. We first see Rita when she comes raging through the door and tells Frank to get the bleedin handle on the door. You wanna get it fixed. The audience reacts to Rita by noticing that she is an arrogant person. We also get the feeling that Rita is very confident. But this is not true when she said to pack the course in and later saying Im not, yknow confident like in response to a question Frank asked about her willingness to learn. At the beginning of the play, the audience see that Rita wants to be a genius. Frank asks Rita why did you enrol in first place? after which Rita answers that she wants to know everything. We know that she is eager for knowledge, when she asked, What does assonance mean?, See I wanna discover meself first. At the beginning of the play, we also learn that Rita is inexperienced in a number of ways. The first clue of Ritas inexperience is through the quote from Frank: Its the sort of poetry you cant understand unless you happen to have a detailed knowledge of the literary references. Likewise, Rita seems to be under the impression that all books are literature and so Frank explains to her why that is not true. Her inexperience is also shown in the beginning of the play when Rita says that she has a lot to learn and that she describes herself as dead ignorant. As the play, progresses, Frank does not look as if he has changed much at all. This is shown from what Rita says in Act 2 Scene 2, Just that I thought youd started reforming yourself. This shows that Rita has not really influenced Frank. An example of him not changing is when Rita asks him, Are you still on this stuff? after which Frank admits to continue drinking: I need the drink to help me step delicately through it. At the beginning of the play, we saw many ways in which Franks relationship with Julia was not really exotic. Frank then says that Julia would be upset and jealous if Frank were to go to the theatre with Rita. He says it would be deaf and dumb breakfasts for a week. This gives us the impression that Frank cares about Julia and does not want to upset her. However, after his visit to France, Franks attitude towards Julia changes as, he talks to Rita about his trip to France, Frank says Julia left me, in a matter of fact tone. We can see that Franks character tells us how secure he really is. At the beginning of the play, Frank felt secure, but throughout the play, it suggests that he is very vulnerable. The first sign that we see his lack of confidence when in the end of Act 1 Scene 8 Frank says that he doesnt know if he wants to teach her, because he says that what Rita possesses is very precious. Frank likes the way Rita is at the moment; this can be shown when Frank invites Rita to his house, early in the middle of the play and when Frank sweet-talks Rita at the beginning. Frank uses many phrases to praise Rita, most of which arent taken seriously by Rita: Ah, but Rita, if I was yours would I stop out for days?; What Id actually like to do is take you by the hand and run out of this room forever; Rita why didnt you walk in here twenty years ago? After her visit to summer school and London, Frank says nothing. At the beginning of the play, Frank is the only one, who has any influence on her. But, throughout the play, the number of people having influence on her has increased. Rita begins sharing a flat with a friend called Trish. Rita admires Trish and wants to be like her, as a result changing her accent to the one Trish has. She says that she want to talk properly Frank is angry that she has changed her accent. After Frank tells Rita to stop it Frank begins to see that Trish is having a major influence on her. When Rita begins her friendship with the students at the university, Frank seems rather concerned about it. Rita says that she has only been talkin to them for five minutes and hes inviting me to go abroad with them all. instantly Frank says that she cant go. To prevent her going to France, Frank begins to make up excuses of how she cannot go, because of her exams. Rita, however, resists this and so Frank alters his excuse to how she cannot go because she has got her results to wait for The audience see Franks fear about the matter through when he says Is there much point in working towards an examination if youre going to fall in love and set off for the South of This is unusual as Rita never mentioned about being in love. We see that Frank is a paranoid because he does not want Rita to go on the holiday with them and be influenced by then. At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 5, the audience learn that Denny (Ritas husband) has burnt all of Ritas books because she had changed from how she was when he married her. Instead of trying for a baby, Rita wants to discover herself before doing so and that is precisely why Denny has acted in the way he did. Rita feels that she need to talk to Frank at the university rather than staying at home and fighting with Denny. We see that Ritas confidence is growing this is shown when Frank asked Do you want to abandon this course? and Rita says No. No! in a, determined way. This shows how her confidence has increased over her time at the Open University, and realising that being educated is more important than anything else. In the end of Act 1 Scene 5 and the beginning of Act 1 Scene 6, the audience see that Rita is determined to explore new things. In the end of Act 1 Scene 5, we learn how keen Rita is to see a live play; Well come on hurry up Im dead excited. Ive never seen a live play before. It is shown also when she says: I had to come an tell y, Frank, last night, I went to the theatre! A proper one, a professional theatre. At the end of Act 1 Scene 6, Frank invites Rita to his house, but we realise that Rita has a couple of problems. Firstly, Rita is worried about the attendance of Denny and how he would react if he were to come. Will you bring Denny?; (puzzled) all right. after which Rita says, What shall I wear? This shows that Rita feels that she is different in terms of class. It means that someone who is in same class does not ask what kind of clothes they would be required to wear. Secondly, just asking Denny if he wanted to visit Franks house, Denny went mad and they had a big fight about it. Rita also says that the wine was a factor in her attendance. When Frank says that he wouldnt mind if shed walked in with a bottle of Spanish plonk, Rita then says that It was Spanish and this is amusing to some level as what Frank consider to be rubbish wine, is precisely what Rita had brought along. In Act 1 Scene 7 we see that Ritas character is also the reason for her difference to Frank and his friends. Rita wants to be like them I wanna talk seriously with the rest of you Rita then tells Frank about how she visited the pub. We see that Rita highlights about that she cannot fit in either two classes and says that she cant talk to the likes of them on Saturday because she cant learn their language, after which she describes herself as a half-caste. At the beginning of Act 2 Scene 1, the audience realise that Rita has changed. We see that she is dressed in new, second-hand clothes. This shows that although the clothes are second-hand, they are new to her in terms of class difference. Rita begins to make friends with the students at the Open University. This is shown when Rita says, For students they dont half come out with some rubbish yknow and when she says, Ive only been talkin to them for five minutes and hes inviting me to go abroad with them all this shows that there is a powerful friendship between them. This makes Rita that she is a middle-class Liverpudlian. The audience see that Ritas character changes in terms of how open she is it also changes in terms of how secure she is. After her visit to both summer school and London, we can see that she is increasingly secure when she says Im havin the time of me life; I am yknow. I feel young, you know like them down there. This makes Frank more insecure, and makes Rita more secure. Willy Russell keeps us interested by doing this. At the beginning of the play, Ritas response to a question about Peer Gynt is: Do it on the radio. Here she does not realise that expressing opinions do not exactly pass exams. As the play progresses we see that she has developed educationally. At the end of Act 2 Scene 2, Frank says that Ritas essay wouldnt look out of place with the other students and so Rita has therefore begun to realise that passing the exams are more important than opinions. We also see that she becomes educated when she delivers correctly a poem she learnt at summer school from memory. Eventually, we learn about how Frank is at the end of the play and how he has changed from being the person he was earlier on. At the beginning of Act 2 Scene 3, the audience are aware that Frank is drunk. We can see this from how he is swearing. He refers to his students as mealy mouthed pricks. He describes his lecture he had just given as the best lecture, because we are told that he had fallen of the rostrum. At the beginning of the play, we saw how Frank really liked Rita for who she was and the fact that she was a breath of fresh air meant that she somewhat differed to the other students in the university. Later on though, we begin to see how insecure Frank becomes to a change in Ritas class, as she moves towards the middle class, by making friends at the Open University. We can see a change in Franks character; at the beginning of the play Frank was flattering Rita, he now seems more hostile towards her. After Rita begins talking about her essay on Blake, Frank states his view on how the essay is not wrong but he doesnt like it. During Act 2 Scene 4, Frank is also made out bothered during a conversation regarding work places. When Rita talks about her change in work place, Frank then goes on to ask, Is Mr.Tyson one of your customers?, after which he says, Perhaps perhaps you dont want to waste your time coming here anymore?. Yet again, Frank is saying something that is not relevant to Ritas words; Rita never mentioned anything such as working at the cafà © full time she has just said that she likes to be with them. Therefore, it can be said that Frank still seems bothered and somewhat insecure about Ritas change in herself. In fact, Frank is so disappointed with how Rita has changed that he refers to himself Mary Shelley, writer of Frankenstein. Since he believes he has had the most influence over Rita, he is making a reference of himself here to Victor Frankenstein. However, although Frank is increasing insecurity throughout both the middle and end of the play, just as the play ends. The insecurity is somehow destroyed. Instead of reacting in a hostile manner towards Rita in response to her statements about the students etc., Frank reacts in a way similar to how he did at the beginning of the play. When Rita says, Tigers asked me to go down to France with his mob, Frank says, Will you? as opposed to something of a more hostile nature. Whether it is because of his visit to Australia in the near future or just a change of heart, the bottom line is that Frank has now accepted Ritas change. After Rita talks about her options to Frank, Frank reveals a package hidden behind some of the books. This is quite amusing, as it is usually his alcohol that is stashed away there. Even so, Frank takes down the package and says, its a dress really. I bought it some time ago for erm for an educated woman friend of mine. The important aspect to this quote of Fra nks relates to how he bought itfor an educated woman friend. This shows that Frank feels that Rita has become more educated. At the end of the play, we also learn further changes Rita has undergone in comparison to earlier parts of the play. The first indication of a change in Rita happens immediately in Act 2 Scene 3, whereby Rita is sitting in the armchair by the window, and Frank enters. This is ironic as it is usually Frank who is earliest but Rita has arrived earlier and we discover that wants to get here early today so that she can start talking to some students down on the lawn. This is an obvious change in her as we see how Rita has become highly influenced by the students and has become more of a middle class citizen than a working class one. We see that Rita is now part of the middle class group and has learnt pretty much all there is need to know. Dont keep treatin me as though Im the same as when I first walked in here and I can do without you reveal how she is able to lead her life without any more knowledge required. But, it is not only Rita who feels she has become more educated it is the audience as well. In Act 2 Scene 3, after Frank says that her essay is not wrong., Rita says, Youre being subjective, precisely what Frank said at the beginning and so reflects how Rita has become more educated in terms of language. A further sign of Ritas improvement in education is seen in Act 2 Scene 5, after Rita comments on Franks poems. Rita says that if she had seen those poems when she first came in, she wouldnt have understood it and that she would have thrown it across the room and dismissed it as a heap of shit. This short feature to the play is extremely helpful in understanding Ritas change in education as an example i s used here that indicates how Rita would have reacted to the same situation at the beginning of the play. Rita describes Rubyfruit Jungle as hardly excellence at the end of the play. This is a big difference to how she perceived it at the beginning of the play and so it shows of how educated she has become. A further extremely important aspect to Ritas change is shown right at the end of the play, whereby Rita considers her options in the near future. She says, I dunno. I might go to France. I might go to me mothers. I might even have a baby. I dunno. Ill make a decision, Ill choose. I dunno. This shows us how Rita now has more choice and better options in choosing what she will do. At the beginning, we saw how determined she was to do the course and so that was pretty much her only option at the time. Now, however, having accomplished her targets, she now has much more of a choice in doing what she wishes. Finally, as the play concludes, there is also some humour involved. After Rita says, All Ive ever done is take from you Ive never given you anything, Frank says, Thats not true youve Before letting Frank finish his sentence, Rita intervenes and says, But there is. Come here, Frank From this, what immediately comes to mind is something dirty. However, instead, we discover that Rita is giving him a haircut and so this is amusing as Willy Russell changes our expectations of what is going to happen so vividly. In conclusion, I feel that Rita has certainly changed for a number of reasons. Rita has become more educated while also changing into a middle-class person. In addition, it has also become obvious now that Rita has more choice in comparison with before. Whats more, Rita also has better choice, which is essential as that is what Rita aimed for, to some amount. Despite the fact that she has become less open and more serious over time at the Open University, Ritas objective of discovering herself has been achieved. While Ritas development throughout the play is obvious, Franks seems to be there, sort of. At the beginning of the play, we saw how Frank was encouraged to come to work because of Rita as he regarded her as a breath of fresh air. However, during the middle of the play, we also saw how Frank began drinking more because of how insecure he felt. Frank now has a better choice in what he can do. Before, we saw how Frank needed to go to work in order to pay for his drink. Now however, he has the choice in whether he wishes to go to Australia or even commit suicide. The fact that he seems to be happy about going to Australia may also result in a further change in him this might eliminate his drinking addiction. Although it seems unlikely, Frank now has a reason to enjoy life.

Imagine You Are Boo Radley. Nathan Has Just Cemented Up The Knot Hole :: English Literature

Imagine You Are Boo Radley. Nathan Has Just Cemented Up The Knot Hole In The Tree. What Are Your Thoughts And Feelings? I feel as if my connection with the real world has been broken by my own father and now brother continues with this same lack of compassion. If it was not for them treating me this way, after one incident, I would not be here, and perhaps I would be leading a normal life away from my family. I am treated like a caged animal repeatedly put down by my own family saying how much of a disappointment I am. The children play outside as I would have liked to do. To be able to go outside and being allowed to live as a human would. They have a friend who visits them every summer. The act out scenes from various things they must make up. They walk to school like normal people, not like me. If it wasn't for all those unpleasant rumours people spread about me, brought upon by my family keeping me in the house like a monster, people would not have a fear of me. Most people haven't even seen me in the flesh so what would they know? For fifteen long years I have sat in the house with nothing to do no communication accept with my pitiful family. The children are like a new lease of life, the only people I see who even come up to the house. I was so happy when they were stood outside the house. Jem came up to the house. I was enthralled wondering why he was coming to call for me. I stood at the window amazed. Unfortunately he must have lost his nerve and ran away so I just peeked through the shutters to see what else they were up to. They stared back at me. For once I had communication with a normal person. My father died I was so upset but yet I felt free, that was of course until my brother arrived. He too keeps me in the house as often as he can showing no empathy for how I feel. I have sat and wondered for many years how I could change my image to make me look a lot more pleasant, but how am I to achieve this if I cannot venture outdoors. I knew Jem and his sister who he referred to as Scout. They were the only children who came within a hundred yards of the house, without running. A tree positioned just around the corner from our house seemed the perfect place to try and make contact

My Favorite Author: Stephen King Essay -- Horror Stories Literature Au

My Favorite Author: Stephen King â€Å"It hit you like the flu or a summer cold, only it kept on getting worse, presumably until you choked to death on your own snot or until the fever burned you down. It was highly contagious.† (The Stand, 65) This quote shows what Stephen King as a writer means to me. His writing is infectious. Once I have read one of his novels, I want more. The desire to read his words gets worse the longer I wait. No, reading novels by Stephen King won’t kill a person, but â€Å"it [is] highly contagious.†As one can tell from the above excerpt, King has a way of creating an image in the reader’s mind. The image isn’t always pretty, but it is usually vivid. Although, King has never been ranked as high as Chaucer, or Shakespeare, or even C.S. Lewis, he has a way with words that makes the reader want to continue to read. King has a way to make the reader wonder, understand, and see the worlds he creates in his stories. King was the second child to bless his parents home in â€Å"Maine in 1947.†The fascination with his own childhood memories bursts through the lives of his characters as so many of his stories are set in Maine. This is not to say that he had a horrible childhood, I only mean that we all cherish our memories of our childhood and where we grew up. Perhaps this is King’s homage to his childhood home. King attended â€Å"the University of Maine at Orono† where â€Å"he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, The Maine Campus.†A writing career was begun. After graduating â€Å"with a Bachelor Degree of Science in English and [being] qualified to teach [at] the high school level,† he was unable to procure a teaching position and subsisted on his wife’s â€Å"student loan and savings, with an occasional... ...osition has not been easy even with the prompts provided for a theme. I am always anxious to see another King book on the shelf, but it wasn’t until now that I could appreciate the time and thought he put into each of his books. King doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being such a brilliant writer, but yet his books are always top sellers. There has to be something said in that. Write on, Stephen, write on. Bibliography King, Stephen. The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King. New York: NAL Books, 1977. King, Stephen. Dreamcatcher. New York: Scribner, 2001. King, Stephen. Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales. New York: Scribner, 2002. King, Stephen. The Stand: Complete and Uncut. New York, Doubleday, 1978/1990. The Man: The Official Stephen King Web Presence: Horror Books, Horror Films, Maine. http://www.stephenking.com/man.html

cloning :: essays research papers

Cloning. It looks as if the variant of manipulating nature based on the idea of multiplying human beings is coming within the reach of modern science quickly. Today's scientists have already been able to clone a sheep. The living result is Dolly: a normal ewe, alive and kicking, she's just an exact copy of her celldonor. When more of less the same technique would be used on humans, that would mean the solution of many problems. Infertile and gay couples could have a baby by having themselves cloned. Serious diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson could be cured by transplanting unaffected cells (donated by an embryo that is a clone of the patient himself) into the brain. Donor organs would no longer have to come from outsiders, but could be produced with stemcells (cells that carry the potency to develop into any part of the human body) from the copy of the patient. This process prevents the organ from being rejected by the patient's body, because it is built out of the same tissue. So what's all the fuss about? In order to create a kidney for instance, first a complete embryo (a clone of the patient) has to be 'produced' in order to donate the kidney cells. After the embryo has fulfilled its task, it will be aborted. But even 'producing' the embryo by cloning already raises a lot of problems. If cloning is practiced on humans in order to provide children it will cause huge infant mortality. When cloned children grow up they'll probably have to face an identity crisis, because they'll exactly resemble one of their parents. Another disadvantage of cloning is that it can easily be used for a lot of questionable aims, like in the book 'The Boys from Brazil'. My opinion. I admit cloning human beings to grow spare organs is a very tempting idea. On the other hand aborting your own clone sounds awful. I'm absolutely not against 'normal' abortion, but in relation to cloning I feel it's somehow wrong. cloning :: essays research papers Cloning. It looks as if the variant of manipulating nature based on the idea of multiplying human beings is coming within the reach of modern science quickly. Today's scientists have already been able to clone a sheep. The living result is Dolly: a normal ewe, alive and kicking, she's just an exact copy of her celldonor. When more of less the same technique would be used on humans, that would mean the solution of many problems. Infertile and gay couples could have a baby by having themselves cloned. Serious diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson could be cured by transplanting unaffected cells (donated by an embryo that is a clone of the patient himself) into the brain. Donor organs would no longer have to come from outsiders, but could be produced with stemcells (cells that carry the potency to develop into any part of the human body) from the copy of the patient. This process prevents the organ from being rejected by the patient's body, because it is built out of the same tissue. So what's all the fuss about? In order to create a kidney for instance, first a complete embryo (a clone of the patient) has to be 'produced' in order to donate the kidney cells. After the embryo has fulfilled its task, it will be aborted. But even 'producing' the embryo by cloning already raises a lot of problems. If cloning is practiced on humans in order to provide children it will cause huge infant mortality. When cloned children grow up they'll probably have to face an identity crisis, because they'll exactly resemble one of their parents. Another disadvantage of cloning is that it can easily be used for a lot of questionable aims, like in the book 'The Boys from Brazil'. My opinion. I admit cloning human beings to grow spare organs is a very tempting idea. On the other hand aborting your own clone sounds awful. I'm absolutely not against 'normal' abortion, but in relation to cloning I feel it's somehow wrong.

Passion That Drives School Leadership

Passion That Drives School Leadership As I have read from the article about Passion that Drives School Leadership, the leaders will be effective if he or she is doing work with passion. This article Is Inspiring, informative and challenging to the one aspiring to become a leader. This is Emphasizing the important of passion In leadership. It says that it Is a powerful, Intense emotion or boundless enthusiasm.I can say that If there Is a passion It Is showing of dedication of the leaders doing his work and not all leaders of the efferent school are passionate but according to this article, not all school administrators who lack of passion are losers. Teachers and other school officials and even the superintendent can give best to perform their task with passion. This article Imparted the Indication of administrator who lack of passion. A leader who never prepared everything and never to expend so much time In his duties and responsibility. The one always waits for the free day until h e reaches his retirement.This is also mentioning some example of passionate leaders like the superintendent who decided to go back to a classroom teaching and the one who was an accident victim resulting to her disability but she never been hopeless by the obstacle to do her desire to continue teaching behind difficulties. One of the best in this article, it gave of example of intense passion among teachers and school administrators. Passionate leaders spread passion to others through their love of life, doing new hangs, taking risks, being motivated, having a sense of urgency, and reinventing self.It is a long list, but lye narrowed these descriptions of passion down to four, main leadership behaviors. Passionate people are optimistic, have a great story, involve people, and have a simple, recharge strategy. Passion is the power to simplify our work by providing focus and direction. It helps to inspires others and it has an ability to move leaders and their organization from good t o great and beyond. The teacher or administrator may retire; but the passion doesn't.

Do You Agree or Disagree

genetically Modified Food (GMF) has the say-so to resolve some(prenominal)(prenominal) of the human phases hunger and malnutrition fusss, and to jock protect and preserve the purlieu by sum up yield and littleen reliance upon chemic substance pesticides and weed killers. So I think that GMF should be a expert solution for the worlds increase commonwealth. The world population has reached 6 meg people and is predicted to double in the future(a) 50 years. The oft increasing of population will lead to the much requisite of aliment and also the lack of able land for agriculture.Therefore, when the population is growing dramatically resembling this, many people would discover and many children be malnourished beca put on of food shortage. Ensuring an adequate food bestow for this booming pollution is going to be a major challenge in the almost future. One of the most solution for this problem is the GMF because of it potential in work out worlds hunger and m alnutrition. With many kind of products, including potatoes, corn, soybeans, beets, and rice, etc, GMF burn down replace apart of expression foods.Moreover, crop losses from insect pests provide be staggering, resulting in devastating pecuniary loss for farmers and starvation in maturation countries. Farmers typically use many slews of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do non deprivation to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from an excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers usher out poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. Growing GMF nominate function eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market.Besides that, for some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by animal(prenominal) means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray galactic quantities of different herbicides to destroy weeds, a long an d overpriced process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesnt harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to adept very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed.The last plainly not least is that GMF can increase yield by using many genetically modified technology. So we can say that the environment can be protected and preserved by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. I think that genetic design is the inevitable wave of the future, and we cannot afford to rationalise a technology that has such commodious potential benefits, especially in solving the worlds increasing population.Do You Agree or Disagree? whatever people claim that universities should fail the selfsame(prenominal) sum of specie to their students sports activities as to their university libraries. They register out that universities should attract m ore students to exercise, because a healthy body can make believe a student bear the corpulent studies. On the other hand, most people, like me, strongly disagree with it. In the by-line paragraphs, I will explain some main reasons. In the first place, an open-and-shut advantage to spend more capital on libraries is that enormous libraries can help us save a capacious amount of cash, paper resource and the snip to seek study materials from a far bookstore.As we all k flatn, the prices of books are more expensive than before, while we have to read more books to catch up with the high-tech era. Moreover, now many students are still in any case poor to go to school, therefore libraries drop dead the cheapest places to provide useful knowledge for them. still imagine these poor persons can have intercourse a varieties of books in a prosperous environment with passable light and a quiet study atmosphere. How happy they are Secondly, another reason why I disagree is that the chief goal of university cultivation is to teach students working skills.Obviously, libraries provide more useful information to students than sports activities do. For example, more and more libraries are also equipped with computers which can encourage students to surf the Net to discover their horizons. Without the Internet, there will be less chances to make friend with the foreigners and catch the up-to-the-minute worldwide information. On the contrary, sports activities are notwithstanding limited in a menial area and a few of friends in some degree. However, I don not deny that sports activities can provide chances to groom some good characteristics, such as cooperation.But frankly speaking, it is a bit uneconomic to spend too much money on sports activities, when we can attain enough free exercises, such as running, which attract the same advantages as well. Furthermore, students are easy obsessed by the activities and overlook their studies. For instant, I once us ed so much study time to play basketball game that I failed to go up to the side by side(p) grade. Although I earned some awards of basketball matches at that time, I feel very regret. In fact, numerous students have the comparable stories because of he attraction of the sports activities. In conclusion, I firmly disagree with the idea that universities should give the same sum of money to their students sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Nevertheless we are true that both universities libraries and proper sports activities are valuable. Anyway, to rescind students playing overtime and ignoring their homework should be concerned. Is it wise to spend more money on universities libraries?

Cellphone Addiction

Cell Phones In many ways, red cell phones are addictive. The gadgets are an definite integral part of many people’s days. Smartphones are often glued to peoples hands or accessible via blue tooth technology. Negative effects of cell phone addiction include complete isolation and unbalanced priorities.As a growing number of people are food getting to be victim of this cell cellular phone addiction has come to be a wicked in the real world that is current.Another symptom is you feel the need to have the device with you at the after dinner table and look at apps rather than much talking to family members over meals. Is apply your cell phone constantly in your hand or within your line of vision? You obsess over the item; check your obsession is a cell phone addiction.Look at your mobile phone bill. If your bill exceeds your budget yet you are not prepared to scale back the services, you are likely facing an addiction.Phone addiction is extremely due much like alcohol dependenc e.

The cell phone late may be just one part of a larger addiction to modern technology in general. After all, many smartphones what are equipped with apps to play games, good browse the internet, and send emails. Online social new media networks are growing rapidly. There are several, keyword with the big players including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.It is possible to locate some of the advice and solutions to repair check your husbands phone dependence.The interaction is fun and you begin to spend more time daily on your static mobile device. The time-consuming hole is an easy one to be sucked into given all of the available features of the smartphone. http://christywrites. hubpages.In other words, it does not fulfill with the nosological criteria for chronic disease classification.

Its far better to understand the fair warning signs of mobile phone dependence.Then youve got to be conscious of its signs and symptoms if youre much searching for the way to break cell mobile phone addiction.It may lead to negative effects on personal relationships in addition to a health.Addiction is understood to be a more compulsive demand for and or usage.

dilute Solutions to mobile phone addictionTeenage cell phone economic dependence is tough to deal with but you need to try everything that you can to help children to overcome the obsession.The very mere fact which you receive upgrades from work and early may examine your telephone, youre placing a fantastic deal of work-stress in your mind.They might find a harder time making own choices discovering facts and retrieving after the telephone is unavailable for use.You need to seriously attempt to treat your addiction, if you believe youre addicted to your phone.