Health and Safety act 1974 Essay Example for Free

Health and Safety act 1974 Essay The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, also referred to as HASAW or HSW, is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the United Kingdom. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing the Act and a number of other Acts and Statutory Instruments relevant to the working environment.Covers: †¢ safe plant and systems of work; †¢ safe methods for the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances; †¢ necessary information, instruction, training and supervision; †¢ a safe and well-maintained workplace, including safe access and egress; †¢ a safe working environment with adequate welfare facilities This legislation requires employers to prepare, and maintain up-to-date, a statement showing the policy on safety and the organisation and arrangements put in place to ensure the general policy is carried out. The employer must ensure that all employees are aware of the policy and any revision. Manufacturing organisation: Tasty Bake- Tasty Bake is one of the UKs leading sausage manufacturers. Cardamon Pod- Cardamon Pod is a small business offering a wide range of delicious savoury and sweet samosas to both public and private clients throughout the UK and overseas. Service provider: Chef per Tutti offering a private chef service. Planglow Ltd. Planglow is a recognised market leader for the supply of branded paper-based products to the catering industry. Main causes of injury: †¢ Manual handling and lifting especially lifting heavy and awkward loads and pushing wheeled racks †¢ Slips and trips mostly due to wet or contaminated floors †¢ Falls from height off ladders, stairs, work platforms, plant and vehicles †¢ Struck by an object (eg hand knife) or striking against an object (eg plant) †¢ Exposure to harmful substances and hot objects, eg splashes/vapour from cleaning chemicals, contact with hot equipment Electricity at work regulations 1989 This legislation places legal implications on employers to ensure the safety of electrical devices in the workplace. Covers: †¢ Ensure all persons working on or near electrical equipment are competent, to prevent danger and injury †¢ Maintain electrical systems in safe condition †¢ Carry out electrical work safely †¢ Ensure equipment is suitable and safe to use in terms:- of strength and capability of use in adverse or hazardous environments e.g. weather, dirt, dust, gases, mechanical hazards, flammable atmospheres, etc †¢ Ensure effective insulation of conductors in a system This legislation is requires precautions to be taken against the risk of death or personal injury from electricity during work activities. Manufacturing organisation: McKinlay Electrical Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Elkay Electrical Manufacturing Company Ltd Customer providers: Southern Electric E-on Main hazards: †¢ Electric shock †¢ Electric burns †¢ Fires of electrical origin †¢ Electric arcing causing â€Å"Arc Eye† †¢ Explosions initiated or caused by electricity Display screen equipment regulations 1992 The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 aim to protect the health of people who work with DSE. The Regulations were introduced because DSE has become one of the most common kinds of work equipment. Covers: †¢ Assess display screen equipment workstations and reduce any risks which are discovered. †¢ Make sure that workstations satisfy the essential safety requirements which are set for the display screen, keyboard, desk and chair, working environment, task design and software †¢ Plan display screen equipment work so that there are breaks or changes of activity †¢ Provide information and training for display screen equipment users This legislation requires: †¢ Employers have to carry out a suitable and sufficient analysis of all workstations provided for use by users or operators in other words, a risk assessment. †¢ DSE workstations must meet the Schedule of Minimum Requirements. †¢ Employers have to ensure that users get periodic breaks or changes of activity away from the display screen equipment. †¢ Employers have to provide information to users and operators on risks identified by the assessment, steps taken to reduce the risks, and, where appropriate, the systems for breaks and for eyesight tests. Manufacturing organisation: Computer manufacturers: Dell, Asus. Customer providers: Shops – Asda, Tesco, Boots, they are using screen equipment. Accountant assistant job – working with computers. Risks: †¢ Upper Limb Disorders aches and pains in the hands, wrists, arms, neck, shoulders, back etc. †¢ Visual Difficulties eyes can become tired and existing conditions can become more noticeable.

Hunger in America Essay Example for Free

Hunger in America Essay Early this year, the talent search reality show American Idol used the popularity of its program to bring to light a problem that most Americans did not realize existed until that point in time. The show presented us with the harsh reality that, although America is the last remaining super power and has the most stable economy on the planet, it has a section of its population that deals with hunger on a daily basis. I found myself sitting in front of the TV set in disbelief. I wondered how some people of America can be hungry all the time and not have enough to eat when food seems so easy to come by. As far as I was concerned, food was aplenty and could be shared by everybody. I knew that the government has a food stamps program in place for those deserving â€Å"below the poverty line income† families. Charitable organizations host soup kitchens and a meal can even be had for a dollar over at McDonald’s. I will admit that times are rough for us these days. Money is tight even for the middle income bracket of society because of the recent financial crunches that have been hitting the nation. Plenty of people have recently lost their homes and jobs. Some people have unexpected financial emergencies that they are not prepared to deal with. When such situations occur, families tend to restructure their budgets and the one part of the budget that is usually hit hard is the food allowance. For most American families who do not have credit cards to time them over from paycheck to paycheck, hunger becomes an ugly monster that not only rears its ugly head but also swallows the family whole. American families usually sacrifice their food supply thinking that keeping the other necessities of life in working order is important in their quest to keep the family from starving. A low to middle income father or mother will choose to spend on car repairs and sacrifice the food supply because the car takes them to the job that pays them cash which in turn buys the food. Medical care is unintentionally put on the back burner while the family tries to cope with rising food prices. When a family member is taken seriously ill and needs emergency care, it is the food budget that will automatically be slashed in order to afford the necessary healthcare. Basically, Americans are hungry because the government miscalculated the actual cost of living allowance for a basic family of 3. Originally designed to figure out the food cost for a started family, it failed to take inflation, transportation, rise in utility costs, and healthcare insurance into the picture. Looking at today’s actual cost of living, a $5 hourly minimum wage is an insult to the worker and his needs in life. I think that the main reason that people in America are going hungry is because after the Welfare Reform Act of 1990 was introduced into law, it became almost impossible for families in need of food aid to qualify for the food stamps. I cannot understand the logic behind that move of the government. Why would a government willingly stop supporting the people who voted them into power? The government collects taxes from us specifically because there are government projects and social needs that need to be addressed for the benefit of the entire population. This includes a more effective food stamp program that does not discriminate amongst the already poor and needy population of the land. Food stamps and soup kitchens should always be open and available to those who need it. If they get a job later on and stop needing the food stamps, well and good. But if they lose their jobs again or need the help of the food stamps to quash their hunger pangs, those tax dollars they paid to the government while working better be ready and available to help them in the form of food aid. After all, nobody chooses to be nor wants to be hungry and we would all want to receive help when we need it the most. Work Cited Valentine, Vikki. (2007). QA: The Causes behind Hunger in America. NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2007 from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=5021812.

English Language Teaching Methods

English Language Teaching Methods BACKGROUND: The Grammar Translation Method is the oldest method of teaching. The grammar translation method is a foreign language teaching method derived from the classical (sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin. This method has been used from the classical times to translate classical languages, Latin and Greek, it has been called Classical method. ADVANTAGES: The phraseology of the target language is quickly explained. Translation is the easiest way of explaining meanings or words and phrases from one language into another. Communication between the teacher and the learner does not cause linguistic problems. Even teachers who are not fluent in English can teach English through this method. DISADVANTAGES: It is an unnatural method. The natural order of learning a language is listening, speaking, reading and writing. Speech is neglected. The Grammar Translation Method lays emphasis on reading and writing. Exact translation is not possible. Translation is, indeed, a difficult task and exact translation from one language to another is not always possible. It rather attempts to teach language through rules and not by use. The persons who have learned a foreign or second language through this method find it difficult to give up the habit of first thinking in their mother tongue and then translating their ideas into the second language. The ability to communicate in the target language is not a goal of foreign language instruction. The primary skills to be developed are reading and writing. Little attention is given to speaking and listening, and almost none to pronunciation. TEACHER ROLE: The teacher is the authority in the classroom. There is no interaction from teacher to the students (except in questions). STUDENT ROLE: Students are the passive receivers of the new information. Students are supposed to memorize the rules and the new vocabulary with their meanings in their native language. If students can translate from one language to another, they are considered successful language learners. It is very important that students get the correct answer. METHODOLOGY: Teaching and learning process is based on translation, the study of grammar rules through examples (deductive approach) and memorization of vocabulary. Texts from the target language literature are used. The techniques used are: Translation, Reading comprehension questions, antonyms/synonyms, cognates, deductive application of rule, fill in the blanks, memorization, use of new words in sentences, composition, and so on. L1 USAGE: Classes are conducted in the native language. Students use their native language to translate. Since oral communication in the target language is not important, classroom instructions are given in L1. L2 USAGE: The use of the foreign language is limited; teacher and students use it only to translate words or sentences to their mother tongue to the foreign language. LISTENING: little attention is given to speaking and listening. There is no listening training. Students only listen the foreign language when translate. No listening exercises. SPEAKING: Also this is not an important aspect of the method, teacher doesnt work on speaking. No speaking (but the translation, because it may be spoken) the ability to communicate in the target language is not a goal of foreign language instruction. No pronunciation exercises. READING: read literature in the target language is the aim of this method. Grammar rules and vocabulary are stressed. A fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature written in it. WRITING: reading and writing are studied at the same time. The importance in this method is to read and write the foreign language translating from their mother tongue. EVALUATION: Translation is an important technique to test students progress in the target language. In addition, fill-in-the-blank type test items are also used. Synonyms, antonyms, and cognates can be asked to test vocabulary in formal tests. Reading passages and comprehension questions about the passages can also take place in tests as the reading section. PERSONAL OPINION: Nowadays teachers shouldnt base their teaching practice only on this method. Students probably find it boring and discouraging, besides the most important goal when we are learning a foreign language is to be able to communicate in this language, and this method doesnt put any attention to this aspect. But rather than reject totally this method, teachers can use it sometimes when they need, for example, to convey the meaning of a difficult word when other visual aids cant help students. DIRECT METHOD BACKGROUND: This method was developed initially as a reaction to the grammar-translation method in an attempt to integrate more use of the target language in instruction. It was develop by Maximilian Berlitz. He started to use it in the schools that bear his name in 1878. It was successful in the beginning but its popularity started to decay in the 1920s when schools start to complement the method with more controlled grammar based activity. The direct method of teaching foreign languages, sometimes called the natural method, refrains from using the learners native language and uses only the target language. The direct method was an answer to the dissatisfaction with the older grammar translation method, which teaches students grammar and vocabulary through direct translations and thus focuses on the written language. ADVANTAGES: Students can learn the target language directly and systematically. Students can pronounce correctly. DISADVANTAGES: It overemphasizes and distorts the similarities between naturalistic first language learning and classroom foreign language learning and it fails to consider the practical realities of the classroom. It requires teachers who are native speakers or who are fluency in the foreign language. It is largely dependent on the teachers skill, rather than on a textbook and not all teachers are proficient enough in the foreign language to adhere to the principles of the method. Sometimes a simple brief explanation in the students native tongue would have been a more efficient route to comprehension. TEACHER ´S ROLE: The teacher usually directs the interactions but he/she is not as dominant as in Grammar Translation Method. Sometimes acts like a partner of the students. The teacher asks questions, correct mistakes, lets students speak more than him/her. Use lesson plan instead of a book, speak naturally, etc. STUDENT ´S ROLE: Students are active participants. Sometimes pair of works take place. Even the teacher takes roles in activities. Students imitate the correct pronunciation. They try to express in the foreign language and interact with the teacher and classmates in the foreign language. Therefore students learn to think and speak in their target language. The Direct method is highly motivating to students. METHODOLOGY: Pictures, realia, examples, sample sentences are used to teach vocabulary. Use of L1 is not allowed. There is a direct relation between form and meaning. Grammar is taught inductively. Examples and drills are given and students are expected to discover and acquire the rules. Introduction of new word, sentence or concept: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ SHOWVisual aid or gestures, to ensure student understands new word. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ SAYTeacher verbally introduces element. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ TRYStudent makes various attempts to pronounce new element. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ MOLDTeacher corrects student if necessary, pointing to mouth to show proper shaping of lips, tongue and relationship to teeth. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ REPEATStudent repeats element 5-20 times. Progress, from new word to new word (within same lesson) and progress, from lesson to lesson (LESSON REVIEWfirst few minutes of each lesson are to review lesson immediately completed and GLOBAL REVIEWtransition from lesson review to a comprehensive review. Here some examples of activities: Reading Aloud, Question and Answer Exercise, Getting Students to Self-Correct, Map Drawing, L1 USAGE: The use of the mother tongue is not permitted. L2 USAGE: Teacher and students only use the foreign language in class. LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING, and WRITING: oral communication is seen as basic. Speaking, listening, reading and writing are important skills. Especially speaking and listening are emphasized. Vocabulary is over grammar. Speaking is the most important skill. Reading and writing are not introduced until listening and speaking are fluent skills. EVALUATION: The ability to use the language is tested. Not about language, the language itself. In the Direct Method, students are asked to use the language, not to demonstrate their knowledge about the language. They are asked to do so using both oral and written skills. For example, the students might be interviewed orally by the teacher or might be asked to write a paragraph about something they have studied. PERSONAL OPINION: Even though the Direct Method is not a functional or notional way of teaching it is quite a good method to teach general English. But if the teacher is not native or proficiency in the foreign language he should certainly go to the class with a lesson plan to carry out the activities and to be successful with the Direct Method. AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD BACKGROUND: The Audio-lingual method was widely used in the United States and other countries in the 1950s and 1960s. The Audio-lingual Method was developed in the U.S.A. during the Second World War. At that time, the U.S. government found a great necessity to set up a special language-training program to supply the war with language personnel. The audio-lingual method, Army Method, or New Key is a style of teaching used in teaching foreign languages. It is based on behaviorist theory, which professes that certain traits of living things, and in this case humans, could be trained through a system of reinforcement-correct use of a trait would receive positive feedback while incorrect use of that trait would receive negative feedback. This approach to language learning was similar to another, earlier method called the direct method. Like the direct method, the audio-lingual method advised that students be taught a language directly, without using the students native language to explain new words or grammar in the target language. However, unlike the direct method, the audio-lingual method didnt focus on teaching vocabulary. Rather, the teacher drilled students in the use of grammar. ADVANTAGES: The audio-lingual theory is probably the first language teaching theory that openly claims to be derived from linguistics and psychology. Making language teaching possible to large groups of learners. It aims at developing listening and speaking skills which is a step away from the Grammar translation method. The use of visual aids has proven its effectiveness in vocabulary teaching. DISADVANTAGES: The method is based on false assumptions about language. The study of language doesnt amount to studying the parole, the observable data. Mastering a language relies on acquiring the rules underlying language performance. That is, the linguistic, sociolinguistic, and discourse competences. The behaviorist approach to learning is now discredited. Many scholars have proven its weakness. Noam Chomsky (1959) A Review of B. F. Skinners Verbal Behaviorhas written a strong criticism of the principles of the theory. Not developing language competence, lack of effectiveness, and boredom caused by endless pattern drills are great disadvantages too. Learners have little control over their learning. Teacher has the domination of the class. TEACHER ROLE: Teacher is like an orchestra leader. She/he directs and controls the language behavior of the students. Teacher is a good model of the target language, especially for pronunciation and other oral skills. The teacher models the target language, controls the direction and pace of learning, and monitors and corrects the learners ´ performance. The teacher controls the learners and prevents them from doing anything that conflict with the theory. The teacher is expected to specify the language that learners are going to use. STUDENT ROLE: Students are imitators of the teacher as perfect model of the target language or the native speakers in the audio recordings. Learners are expected to interact with the language system, embodied in machines or controlled materials. METHODOLOGY: Explicit rules are not provided. Students induce the rules through examples and drills. Students acquire grammar by being exposed to patterns through mechanical drills. Drills and pattern practice are typical of the Audio-lingual method. These include: -Repetition: where the student repeats an utterance as soon as he hears it. -Inflection: Where one word in a sentence appears in another form when repeated. -Replacement: Where one word is replaced by another. -Restatement: The student re-phrases an utterance. Meaning is taught directly. L1 is prohibited because it may cause bad habit formations. Vocabulary is introduced through dialogues. The techniques used are: dialogue memorization, minimal pairs: (for teaching pronunciation), complete the dialogue, grammar games, and mechanical drills. L1 USAGE: L1 is not allowed in the classroom. It may cause interference and bad habit formation in L2. L2 USAGE: The teacher and the students only use the foreign language. LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING AND WRITING: Students can learn target language in natural order: listening-speaking-reading-writing. It lays emphasis on listening and speaking. The teacher is a model of L2 and students mimic him/her, so the listening skill is very important for this method. L2 is learned through repetition. EVALUATION: Students are evaluated at different stages and on different points of the language. Each question is supposed to focus on only one point on the language at time. Discrete-point tests are used. PERSONAL OPINION: there are many useful things we can learn from the Audio-lingual Method. If language learning were organized according to its structure, language learning would be easier, especially to adult learners. The Audio-lingual Method considers language ability made up of four skills and these skills can be taught separately. Since the natural order of skill acquisition is listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the Method gives the primary stress to the first two of the four skills. Speech is more basic to language than the written form, and listening and speaking are the basic form of verbal communication. In the classroom, the language skills are taught in the order of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Using pattern drills is the center of practice in Audiolingual Method. It can help students not only gain control over grammatical structures, but also develop their oral ability. The Audio-lingual method also provides language teachers with many useful techniqu es. The simple drilling techniques provide varied, graded and intensive practice of specific features of the language. The simple and direct approach is especially appropriate for young students and less gifted ones. Moreover, teaching technique with tape recordings and language lab drills offer practice in speaking and listening, which are considered of primary importance in language learning. In sum, we could adapt some kinds of techniques used by the Audio-lingual Method, such as dialogues and pattern drills to our students and their needs, and taking into account important factors such as sociolinguistic and discourse competences, the context of the students dialogue, and other communicative facts which are essentials when learners are studying a foreign language. SILENT WAY BACKGROUND: Cognitive Psychology is the basis. The Silent Way is the name of a method of language teaching devised by Caleb Gattegno in the early 1970,s. Not only in the past but also today, people have learned languages by means of habit formation, memorization and translation. However, cognitive psychologists and transformational generative linguists claimed that languages cannot be learned through mimicry since people can create utterances they have never heard before. Therefore people can learn languages by using their own thinking processes to discover the rules of the language they are learning. Gattegno stated his reasons for the emergence of his method as follows: As I developed my techniques while subordinating my teaching to the learning, I found that I could very early transfer the responsibility for the use of the language to my students, so that I become able to teach using fewer and fewer words. It is this aspect of my techniques of teaching that prompted me to call the approach The Silent Way of Teaching Foreign Languages (Oller and Amato 1983:73). He gives too much value to the word silent since he thinks that there are means of letting the learners learn while the teacher stops interfering. ADVANTAGES: This method fosters cooperative learning between individuals. It embodies a new approach to education in general, a respect for the individual and an awareness of the individuals extraordinary cognitive powers. If it is succeeded to teach the language the by using the rods without repeating too much, it will really save time and energy for both teachers students. The self-esteem of the students will be increased and this will enhance learning. By this way students will say I learned instead of I was taught well. (Demircan1990). DISADVANTAGES: It would seem necessary for a teacher to gain a good deal of training and skill in order to apply the Silent Way to the teaching of a total grammar in all its complexity. This method can be benefited by the teacher only in small groups of students. The teacher can gain ability in this method by trying. The teacher is expected to enrich the materials on his/her own. For some teachers the rigidity of the system (no repetitions by the teacher, no answers by the teacher etc.) may be meaningless. For some learners, one limitation is the approach to language basics which begins with seemingly irrelevant discussions about rods and which involves silence and concentration and games with the teacher about meaning. Students expectations and need for immediately relevant language learning may force teachers to abandon the approach (Celce-Murcia 1979). How such a method would in the average classroom situation or how successfully it might be used at more advanced levels is a question mark left in our minds. Language is separated from its social context and taught through artificial situations usually by rods. TEACHER ROLE: The teacher should be silent as much as possible in the classroom to encourage the learner to produce as much language as possible. The teacher is expected to create an environment that encourages students risk taking that facilitates learning. The teacher should give only what help is necessary. In other words, the teacher makes use of what students already know. The more the teacher does for the students what they can do for themselves, the less they will do for themselves (Larsen-Freeman 1986). STUDENT ROLE: The learner is expected to become independent, autonomous, and responsible in language. Learners are expected to interact with each other and suggest alternatives to each other. They must learn to work cooperatively rather than competitively. The teachers silence encourages group cooperation. In order not to miss what the teacher says, learners must give the teacher their attention. Learner-attention is a key to learning. Learners will provide each other with correct models and encourage each others initiative. Thus, this method fosters interdependence and cooperation among learners at the same time it promotes independence from the teacher. METHODOLOGY: A cardinal principle of the Silent Way is respect for the students capacity to work out language problems and recall information on their own with no verbalization and minimal help from the teacher. Vocabulary is taught by means of visual aids and word-charts. Vocabulary is always recycled by means of word-charts. There is a focus on the structures of the language although explicit grammar rules are never given. Some techniques used are: Teaching pronunciation with sound colour charts Cognitive coding with colour rods. Peer correction to improve co-operative manner. Self correction gestures Teachers Silence Structured feedback: students are invited to talk about the days instruction (what they have learnt that day during classes). Students learn to take responsibility for their own learning by becoming aware of themselves, and by controlling and applying their own learning strategies. Fidel Charts: Used to teach sound spelling association. Word Charts: Used to teach and recycle vocabulary. The words are written in different colours so that students can learn basic pronunciation patterns. L1 USAGE: native language can be used to give instructions when necessary. Also native language can be used during the feedback sessions (at least for beginner levels). If the native language is not very essential then it is avoided. During feedback sessions L1 be used at beginning levels. L1 can be exploited. For example, similar sounds in L1 and L2 can be used to make students aware of phonological similarities. L2 USAGE: The use of the target language is essential for this method. L1 can be used to give instructions when necessary. Meaning is made clear by focusing the students perceptions, not by translation. LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING AND WRITING: Pronunciation is emphasized at the very beginning. It is important that students acquire the melody of the language. All four skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) are worked on from the beginning. EVALUATION: although the teacher does not have to give a formal test, she/he assesses student learning all the time. One criterion of whether or not students have learned is their ability to transfer what they have been studying to new contexts. The teacher may never give a formal test. He/she assesses students learning all the time. Continuous monitoring by the teacher is essential. PERSONAL OPINION: Depending on my own teaching and learning experience, too much repetition does not help students. If the students are familiar with their teachers technique, they know that the teacher will repeat the subject-matter once again. Thus, they do not pay enough attention to their teachers talk. On the other hand, if the students know that their teacher will not repeat anymore, they will listen to him/her carefully. Another principle that I agree with is less teacher interference. If the teacher helps only when it is asked, then, that help will be more valuable. Sometimes teachers like me tend to give extra information when students ask something and of course this tires us too much. Therefore students do not make any effort to take the responsibility of their learning. Advocates of the Silent Way feel that more important than the techniques and more important even than the language learning results, is the process, the change that occurs in individuals. This includes understanding and tolerance of another and acceptance of others as contributors to ones own life. TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE: BACKGROUND: Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method developed by Dr. James J. Asher, a professor emeritus of psychology at San Josà © State University, to aid learning second languages. The method became popular in the 1970s and attracted the attention or allegiance of some teachers, but it has not received generalized support from mainstream educators. Language is primarily oral. It is just like the acquisition of native language. Learners first listen (silent period), then oral production starts. Oral communication is crucial. Skillful use of imperatives by the instructor can be helpful for the acquisition of many vocabulary items and grammatical structures. Asher views the verb and particularly the verb in the imperative as the central linguistic motif around which language use and learning are organized. ADVANTAGES: It is fun and easy so students will enjoy the lessons. It does not require a great deal of preparation on the part of the teacher. It is a good tool for learning vocabulary. Class size does not need to be a problem. There is no age barrier. DISADVANTAGES: TPR is reduced to the imperative form. TPR is more useful at beginners. It is not a very creative method. Students are not given the opportunity to express their own views and thoughts in a creative way. It is limited, since everything cannot be explained with this method. It must be combined with other approaches. TEACHER ROLE: the teacher has an active role in this method. He decides what to teach, which materials to use and how they are to be presented. It is important to underline that the teacher ´s role is not simply to teach. His task is offering opportunities for learning. The cognitive map of the target language that each student creates in their mind is going to depend on the way the teacher presents the materials. Teachers should take parents as their model. At the beginning, there will be wide tolerance towards the mistakes students make. If the teacher is constantly interrupting and correcting, students will not be encouraged to talk. They will be inhibited. At first, teachers do not correct children when they begin to speak. STUDENT ROLE: learners have the roles of listeners and performers. First, they must listen to what the teacher says. Then, they are expected to respond physically to those commands given by the teacher. METHODOLOGY: The key for successful language learning is the reduction of stress, such as the first language acquisition (stress-free environment). Listen attentively and respond physically to commands given by the teacher. They are encouraged to speak when they feel ready to speak. Performing physical actions in the target language as a mean of making input comprehensive and minimizing stress grammar is studied in an inductive way. Vocabulary and grammar are introduced through imperatives. Some of the techniques used are: Commands ( sit down, skip, close your eyesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), Role reversal: Students command their teacher and classmates to perform actions, Action sequence: The teacher may give three connected commands (e.g. Point to the door, walk to the door, and touch the door). L1 USAGE: The method is introduced in the students L1. After the introduction, rarely would the mother tongue be used. Meaning is made through body movements. L2 USAGE: Teacher speaks only in the foreign language, while the students use it only when they are ready. LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING AND WRITING: Natural order of skills: 1. Listening (Very important during the silent period). 2. Speaking (teacher should not force students to produce the language especially during the silent period they are expected to produce the target language voluntarily) 3. Reading 4. Writing EVALUATION: Teachers will know immediately whether or not students understand by observing heir students actions. Formal evaluations can be conducted simply by commanding individual students to perform a series of actions. As students become more advanced, their performance can become the basis for evaluation. PERSONAL OPINION: This is a very useful method to use with all students (children, young and adult students), but only in the first stages of the foreign language learning. I completely agree with learn the foreign language in a non- stress environment, because this is a key factor of the learning. Students learn better in a relaxing atmosphere, like children learn their mother tongue. The kind of activities that the teacher can use is wide and dont require any language answer of the students until they are ready to do that. But teacher has to bear in mind that this method is not enough when students are in a higher level. In that case, students need more communicative activities. SUGGESTOPEDIA BACKGROUND: Suggestopedia is a teaching method developed by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov. It is used in different fields, but mostly in the field of foreign language learning. Lozanov has claimed that by using this method a teachers students can learn a language approximately three to five times as quickly as through conventional teaching methods. The theory applied positive suggestion in teaching when it was developed in the 1970s. However, as the method improved, it has focused more on desuggestive learning and now is often called desuggestopedia. Suggestopedia is a mixing of the words suggestion and pedagogy. ADVANTAGES: Increase oral proficiency and lower classroom anxiety. The use of music, relaxing, pleasing and stimulating environmental set-up, motivated and powerful service people (teachers) giving positive messages with their attractive appearance and never-ending energy so it has the potential to increase motivation, among the learners, to try and use the product, which is English here DISADVANTAGES: The first weakness of this method is that the techniques may not work well in all the learners and cultures. It is not a practical method as teachers face the problem of the availability of music and comfortable chairs Lozanov refers in a number of occasions to the importance of memorization, excluding any reference to comprehension and creative problem solving. In fact language is not only about the power of the mind to memorize. Its about understanding, interacting and producing novel utterances in different unpredictable situations. TEACHER ROLE: Teacher is the authority. Learners learn better if they get the information from a reliable authority. Students must trust and respect that authority. STUDENT ROLE: Students play a childs role (infantilization). They adopt a new identity (new name, job, family, etc.). As they feel more secure, they can be less inhibited. METHODOLOGY: Vocabulary is emphasised. Claims about the success of the method often focus on the large number of words that can be acquired. Grammar is taught explicitly but minimally. Explicit grammar rules are provided in L1. Dialogues are used with their translations in L1 on the opposite side. Texts with literary value are used. The textbook posters are used for peripheral learning. Some of the techniques used are: Classroom set up: dim lights, soft music, cushioned armchairs, and posters on the walls. Positive Suggestion: Direct Suggestion: The teacher tells students they are going to be successful to create self-confidence. Indirect Suggestion: This is provided by music and comfortable physical conditions of the classroom. Peripheral Learning: Posters, lists, charts, texts, paintings, and graphs are hung on the walls of the classroom. Students learn from these although their attentions are not directly on these materials. Visualization: Students are asked to close their eyes and concentrate on their breathing. Then the tea

Epic Heroes Essay examples -- Hero Roland Siegfried Balian

Heroes may fall, but they are never forgotten. An epic is an enlightening story with its true purpose to portray a historical person or event. Epics centralize on concepts such as loyalty and valor, which were important to those of medieval times. Epics were not recorded for a long time after they actually occurred. An epic hero is an individual with phenomenal finesse and extraordinary abilities. They represented a culture's highest standards or values. A heroic flaw is usually the triumphant downfall of a hero. Most heroes are depicted to have a heroic flaw which shows their mortality or ephemerality, meaning they do not live forever or just a brief amount of time. Epic Heroes are thrust into greatness upon their birth, but it is up to them to fulfill their destiny. Roland was truly a brave and valiant knight. In the section read it begins as Roland, his best friend Oliver, and the rest of the French rear guard face the immense Saracen army. Roland is consistent and pretentious, many knights and warriors fought for honor and dignity. Roland although courageous and dari...

A New Genus of Hominins Found in Kenya :: Anthropology Essays Paleontology Papers

A New Genus of Hominins Found in Kenya Whenever finding new fossils, most people get excited in learning more about the mysterious history of life on earth. No one fossil finding may be more important than another, but when discovering a fossil that adds a new genus name to a species, it gets exciting. This is especially true when the fossil gives more insight to the evolution of humans. In Kenya, a new genus of hominins was found. The new genus was assigned because this hominin had a combination of derived facial and primitive neurocranial features. This hominin is guessed to be about 3.5 million years old. The findings lead the scientists to an early diet-driven adaptive radiation, which gives insight on the craniodental features, or the structure of the skull and mouth. The name of the species is Kentanthropus platyops (the Flat-Faced Man of Kenya). This fossil was found in a rugged desert-like site on the western shore of a lake in northern Kenya. This is by the Topernawi river drainages in Turkana district in northern Kenya. This fossil is known to be twice as old as Lucy, a famous Australopithecus afarensis, which is only about 1.8 million years old itself. The age of this fossil has been established because it was found in between layers of different aged soil. Eight meters below the Tulu Bor Tuff and 12 meters about the Lokochot Tuff is about 3.5 million years old, this is an area called Kataboi Member where the type of specimen is found. The paratype is from lower Lomekwi Member, seventenn meters above the Tulu Bor Tuff, estimating at 3.3 million years old. Kentanthropus platyops is estimated to be about 3.5 million years old itself. The age can also be estimated aroun 3.5 million years because hominin findings from Lomekwi, two mandibles and isolated molars have previously been found, which indicate the time period. The skull was found amongst a temporal bone that was well-preserved, two partial maxillae, some isolated teeth, and an extremely complete, yet distorted, cranium. The most astonishing thing about the skull is that it looks remarkably similar to that of a human skull. Note the platyops, platus coming from the Greek word that means flat, and opsis, meaning face. Thus making the name "Flat-Faced Man." Of course there are many differences than a human skull, but it is extremely similar to that of one.

Guidance of Young Children Essay -- Teaching Young Children

1. Developmentally appropriate practice as defined by NAEYC is a â€Å"framework of principles and guidelines for best practice in the care and education of young children, birth through age 8. Children cannot perform tasks that they are not yet developmentally capable of doing and teachers have to be aware of this. One would not expect a one year old child to be able to write their name, not only because they are not cognitively able to understand this task, but also because their fine motor skills have not developed enough to hold a writing instrument. Therefore, most adults would realize this task is not developmentally appropriate. A kindergarten teacher, for example, can able to expect his or her students to know why it is necessary as well as how to clean up their tables after coloring. This task would be developmentally appropriate for most 5 year olds. Making sure that developmentally appropriate tasks are utilized is important because children can easily get discouraged an d may feel inadequate if they cannot perform a task this is simply not within their developmental capabilities. 2. The majorities of teachers that I have interacted have tended to display the authoritative parenting style. They appeared to have respect for their students and allowed them to have a voice in classroom decisions. The teachers also exuded warmth and had genuine care and concern for their students. When students required discipline, the teachers did explain the reason to the child in most circumstances. However, one teacher that I worked with encompassed all three of the parenting styles. With certain students, she presented herself with an authoritative style. These students tended to follow directions, were well behaved and did well on ... ... the entire classroom the new skill or information and then have the children make an attempt. The teacher can focus the attention on the children who appear to be struggling. A wonderful form of learning that can utilize Vygotsky’s ideas of scaffolding and the zone of proximal development is cooperative learning. When children are grouped together with their various ZPD’s, together they can help each other learn and the teacher can assist each group as needed. Not only does this help the children who are struggling, but the students who have a firm grasp of the skills further them by teaching their fellow classmates. Bibliography Gartrell, D. (2004). The power of guidance, teaching social-emotional skills in early childhood classrooms. Belmont, CA: Delmar Marion, M. (2012). Guidance of young children. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc

Nike in China Essay

According Gasmi and Grelleau (2005), Many multinational companies outsource some of their production activities in countries where ethical standards differ from those in developed countries, which often is the majority of their consumer market. This is particularly the case of multinational producing sporting goods, such as Nike, Reebok and Adidas. Nike is the multinational leader in the world of sporting goods with 40% market sports shoes in 2000, before Adidas (15.1%) and Reebok (10.9 %). Paul Bowerman and Phil Knight founded the firm in 1964 in the USA under the name Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS). In the early 1970s, BRS began designing his own line of shoes, manufactured by Japanese subcontractors. In 1972, the company achieved a turnover of around $ 2 million and change its original name by the launch of the famous Nike brand. In 1978, due to the macro- economic environment (including the oil crisis) and economic development of Japan, Nike began to look for other countries cost of labour low to manufacture its shoes, as the Indonesia and Thailand , and then it goes to China and Vietnam. The quote at the beginning illustrates the problems faced by multinational companies that have chosen to outsource in a country other than the ethical standards of their country of origin. Nike was not scandalized by one incident. However, it is a rather comprehensive review of the political subcontracting conducted by Nike in Asia in general and China in particular. Indeed, Nike was criticized by players defending human rights of lacking ethical practices in outsourcing in China. These actors have insisted that Nike does not meet certain international conventions, inter alia, freedom of association, working conditions, forced labour, child labour and wage issues. Why and how multinational Nike has it become the main target, the  symbol of unethical behaviour, while the practice of its main competitors (Adidas and Reebok) are often similar? To illustrate, according to an opinion poll conducted in Novethic France in March 2002, Nike was the most cited â€Å"unethical† brand (8.7 %), all socio- professional so confused that Adidas has a good picture. The leading position of Nike on the world market, the reputation of its brand and its products, its profitability, visibility allowed actors social advocacy to make a symbol of the lack of ethics and use its market power sports items as leverage their strategies of protest. Kahle, Boushet Phelps (2000) emphasize that the focus of the controversy over Nike is due, among other factors, the characteristics of stakeholders. A stakeholder is a group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization. The ethical implications of outsourcing of production in developing countries, mainly Asian, are valued differently by stakeholders. It is thus possible to propose two rough categories, the first favourable outsourcing in low-cost countries and reluctant to ethical considerations and the second sensitive to ethical considerations of outsourcing. This binary categorization distinguishes key positions, knowing that many intermediate situations coexist. The following two sub- sections identify and briefly describe these two categories of stakeholders. The company is now looking for a compromise that would satisfy all stakeholders. This first category appreciate the choice of outsourcing, relegating ethical considerations into the background in favour of the organization for private economic benefits. It brings together consumers, shareholders, employees and the countries of sub-contracting and competitors. Nike consumers have a tangible product whose quality is satisfactory at an attractive cost due to low labour costs and savings related to the volume produced. This allows the multinational to reap substantial benefits that are valued by its shareholders, anxious to get the most from their investments. For these actors, ethical considerations are overshadowed over private profits, knowing that consideration of ethical standards – which have the properties of public goods – may be to the detriment of their private benefits. The success of Nike over its competitors is clear from the evolution of its  market share and its leadership. Other actors, namely workers and governments of the countries of sub-contracting, remain back from the ethical choices of the multinational for different reasons, mainly based on considerations of lesser evil for some, attractiveness and economic development for others. What measures have been adopted by Nike to cope with these accusations? If the three response strategies mentioned above is applied, one can examine the measures it has put in place. First of all, Nike has opted for a strategy of inactivity, keeping a low profile. Nike receded charges recalling that its subcontractors were independent foreign companies with which it simply had a contract to produce finished products. Nike also explained that the wages of workers of subcontractors were higher than those of other firms. Finally, Nike insisted that accomplish almost an ethical work by helping with its production activities in economic development and improving the living standard of the country. Then Nike has increased responsiveness. Several NGOs began to criticize Nike using the media to denounce the working conditions at subcontractors of Nike. In addition, actions such as lobbying, public protests, encouraging consumers to boycott products and trials cascade were made. All this has affected the reputation and results of the company and thus has grown considerably, forcing multinationals to react. In that time, Nike admitted its potential role and sought to address ethical problems from concrete and tangible elements, as is the case of the establishment in 1992 of a code of conduct † Memorandum of Understanding † a document that requires its subcontractors the elimination of forced labour and child labour, to apply the legal provisions in force in the country concerned, with the inclusion of one day off per week and a maximum of sixty hours of work per week. The company also undertakes to recognize the right of workers to freedom of association, and not to practice any form of discrimination. Despite the existence of this Code of Conduct, there is still a lack of control, transparency and sanctions may make it effective. At present, we can say that ethical and environmental issues are considered  priorities in the overall management of the company. Recognizing the benefit of proactive actions, Nike has recently launched in North America † Reuse- A-Shoe â€Å", a voluntary program to collect and recycle used sneakers for the manufacture of flooring for different types of sports fields . This initiative and others allow Nike to acquire an image of confidence, both technical and moral, in the context of environmental protection and regulations. To conclude, we can say that the existence of a power to international market such as Nike comes more of a notion of social and moral responsibility of the business, especially critical in activities based on reputation of the company. It is absolutely necessary for the company to find a balance between ethical and economic objectives, it means for the company to make substantial profits on financial matters without affecting the expectations and interests of the various stakeholders. The integration of the ethical dimension is generally perceived as a company generating costs. However, beyond this approach in terms of cost alone, it is possible to consider integration as a strategic option that can generate a competitive advantage. Indeed, the establishment of a pre-activated or proactive strategy may, under certain conditions, allow companies to integrate ethical issues and generate â€Å"winwinwin† situations (win for the company, consumers and activists), by inserting these efforts in a strategy of differentiating its products over those of competitors. These strategies raise many research questions, because of their characteristics. This type of differentiation, such as lack of child labour does not bring tangible changes to the product. This differentiation involves not visible and unverifiable characteristics of the final product by the consumer († credence goods â€Å"). To make perceptible to the consumer, taking into account informational dimensions (information asymmetry) and cognitive (informational overload) are crucial. In addition, ethical profits generated by these strategies generally have a favourable opportunistic behaviour collective dimension, as the risk of free riding. In addition to the costs associated with the implementation of ethical characteristics, previous problems generate transaction costs can be high, especially to ensure the  credibility of ethical differentiation. _PART B: PORTFOLIO OF EVIDENCE_ _Appendix A: Ethical debate_ We can say that Mike Gustavsson is indeed utilitarian for him happiness is the supreme good of life. So happiness must prevail on wealth, freedom, and equality. Indeed, Mike thinks that corporate behaviour is determined by the behaviour at the top of the organization, if you have good people at the helm of the company, make good decisions, and using the right rules, then the society itself is ethical. Mike was initially very happy that her daughter had a good job with good pay, but now he is worried business type of environment that is generated in the business that takes graduates of business schools fees and idealistic transforms them into frames bonus to research. We can say that Jan Edwards is utilitarian, in fact, it is to maximize the overall well-being of all sentient beings. Jan is involved in a program to provide education in Guatemala. January launched a program to encourage employees of his company to give their time to help the most disadvantaged people themselves. But Jan has become increasingly concerned in recent years the nature of graduates it employs trade schools on its internal development program graduate. Many graduates seem extremely focused on profitability and work their way up the corporate ladder rather than on good people management skills, being well-rounded citizens and good, genuine people. Arguably Mei- Hua is non- consequentialist right and justice, in fact according to John Rawls (1971) , justice is served when the burden and benefits of a corporation are distributed in accordance with the principles that free and rational persons would agree as conforming to their own interests without knowing in advance what are the advantages and disadvantages they would actually receive in the distribution process. The key to ethics is fairness. She believes that professionals have had in  recent years a very bad image and negative press about their ethical behaviour. Accounting as a profession has strict codes of conduct and strict rules, and Mei- Hua has consistently adhered to these rules, and she also believes that she and her colleagues are very professional ethical and moral people who are treated unfairly . In his company, for example, they have a strict code of business conduct, especially on financial matters such as fraud, and she was always impressed by the way the code of conduct is reinforced in the induction of company and the company documentation. Mei- Hua believes that strong ethical codes of conduct and codes of conduct strong professional to lead a moral and ethical company, and the generation of profits and wealth, as well as ethical, can work alongside each other. Finally, we can say that Deshi Chen is individualistic, in fact, according to Emile Durkheim Individualism is a political, social and moral conception which tends to favour the rights, interests and values ​​of the individual versus the group and the community. Its principle is that the individual is the only entity that can measure the moral worth of an action. And rejects the substitution of the individual by the group process often used to unfairly promote individual sacrifices for the benefit of others. The dream of him one day work for a large international companies but is concerned that without a good office job, he will never be able to provide a stable environment to raise a family, and it will not be attractive to potential brides. Deshi parents are the first in their family to have reached a comfortable lifestyle of the middle class. Deshi worked hard all his life in his education, and tried to build a good business experience to do office work. But he also knows that Western societies are hypocrites who say one thing and mean another when they operate in China. But even if Deshi is unhappy with the teaching of ethics and ethical leadership, if it fails this course, he knows he will be in danger and his diploma, which means not only the end of the dream work, but also the dream of being attractive for a bride. Deshi is not clear why these dreams have to suffer because of this useless ethics course, and would like to see removed from the curriculum. _Appendix B: Ethical Dilemma Case_ In this part, we are going to Identify and analyse all the ethical dilemmas for each characters. Using several concepts: such as the utilitarianism, egoism, and virtue ethics concepts. So first, we are going to explain All Those concepts according to Bentham and John Stuart Mill (1987), Utilitarianism is a system of morals and ethics, unable to objectively define what is good and evil, is proposes to ignore establishing useful as the first principle of action. He considers that what is useful is good and that the utility can be determined rationally. Utilitarianism is based on the sole criterion of optimization of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, assuming that the well- being of all is well for all men. He rejects the notion duty as first and measure the morality of an action with consequences we can expect quality. Ãâ€"sterberg explains that egoism states that the human being should always act in order to satisfy his personal interests in the long term it would be better for everyone and not only but for all. Finally, according Metayer (2008) the virtue ethics focuses on character traits as evidenced by the actions: to determine the morality of an action, we must look the character trait that is usually associated with such an act. Is it a virtue or a vice? An act is morally good because it is what would someone virtuous. Now that we have explained these concepts, we will apply them to the different characters. Firstly the characters are faced with a dilemma are: Borries, Borries ‘s manager and Marcus. Borries was due to go on holiday with his girlfriend Swee Lan but his manager told him to not to go to holiday because of work. Borries ‘s dilemma is to choose to go to meet his girl friend and her parents’, but Borries would face sanctions for his manager. Or to stay at work that would generate further contracts for the company but Swee Lan and her parents’ Would Be very upset not to meet him. Borries decided to cancel his holiday! According Bertham and Mill (1987), Borries is utilitarian because he wants the happiness of the greatest number of people and in this case these are the shareholders, managers and co-workers. The solution would be that shifts the date of his vacation he finishes his work and he leaves after. The manager ‘s dilemma is to let Borries to go to holiday and loose further contracts or to force Borries to stay by threatening to sanction that would generate lots of contracts. For Ãâ€"sterberg (1988) the manager is only egoist because he sees its own interests and the company interests because more contracts said more profits, and shareholders will best see him. The solution would be to leave Borries go on vacation because it give huge for the company and replace it with another person. Finally, Borries’s friend Marcus reacts after the decision of Borries to not go to holiday and he told him that he was a coward, he was to weak to say no and had jeopardised his relationship with Swee Lan. Marcus dilemma is to tell him his opinions on him decision to stay and to convince that he made the wrong decision (that what true friend do or to do not tell him and to be a bad friend. For Metayer (2008), Marcus is a holding of virtue ethics because the fact to help that person would be charitable or benevolent. Indeed, in this case Marcus just wants to do its best to him. He took the better solution that is to say to tell him its opinions. _Appendix C: Interpersonal and Team-working skills_ First, we were a group of 5 students, from different countries. In the group, there was no leader or no secretary. It was a group of communication. Indeed, the people participating in the group share the same â€Å"status† within the group. The social order is indeed based more on compliance but on consensus, compromise emerges an institutionalized dialogue in which everyone can participate either by a mutual adjustment. For each seminar, we had case studies to analyse. Firstly, we were doing our work in our side and one week before the seminar, we met all together to exchange our views and our differences. The interpersonal communication in our group was very strong between members of the group and the transverse flow and informal communication. After exchanging and gave its opinion, we put our thoughts together and divided the parts we would propose to the oral. At the end of the meeting, we asked questions to each other to see if we mastered well about us. Personally, these group projects taught me a lot, in fact, to discuss, say, and especially to defend my opinions, listen to those of others, to find a consensus. This allowed me to provide personal enrichment discuss with people with different cultures. And the fact that there was a good atmosphere and good communication within the group pushed ourselves to more investment in this module and I’m convince that we were more interested! REFERENCES : BENTHAM JEREMY AND STUART MILL JOHN (1987) UTILITARIANISM AND OTHER ESSAYS DURKHEIM ÉMILE (1898) L’INDIVIDUALISME ET LES INTELLECTUELS – Gasmi N. et Grolleau G., (2005) Nike face à   la controverse à ©thique relative à   ses sous-traitants – Kahle L. R., Boush D. M., Phelps M., (2000) â€Å"Good morning, Vietnam: an Ethical analysis of Nike activities in Southeast Asia – Mà ©tayer Michel (2008) La philosophie à ©thique : enjeux et dà ©bats actuels – Ãâ€"sterberg Jan (1988) Self and Others: A Study of Ethical Egoism – Rawls John (1971) A Theory of Justice