Discourse Organization on Asian Fashion Blogs Essay Example

Discourse Organization on Asian Fashion Blogs Essay Example Discourse Organization on Asian Fashion Blogs Essay Discourse Organization on Asian Fashion Blogs Essay Essay Topic: Blog Background of the study Blogging has emerged as one of the most popular forms of online discourse. The ease and lack of expense in setting blogs has raised intriguing possibilities for language learning in social media. The unique nature of its architecture and its low cost have not only affected how different bloggers can publish and distribute their work to a wider audience but also how they see themselves as writers.According to Blood (2002), blogs have been used in various ways: as online journals, a means of designing hypertexts, and more radically, to create what calls the first native form of discourse on the internet. She argues that blogging best reflects the dream of Tim Berners-Lee (2000), who was one of the principal designers of the World Wide Web, to make the Web into something truly interactive both in terms of how texts are read and how they can be easily posted and accessed.The growing interest in blogging has aroused the interest of English as a Second Language and English as a Foreign Language fashion bloggers who see blogging as a simple and low cost way of giving readers an access to publishing, advertising and distributing their writings on the internet as a method of providing them with the experience of writing in a digital format, and as a means of discussing issues related to their social and personal lives. According to Fleishman (2002), blogging is the art of turning ones own filter on news and the world into something others might want to read, link to, and write about.The openness can give the bloggers a greater sense of the variety of possible audiences they can reach, both for understanding these audiences and learning strategies to respond to them. These types of on-line discussions have been referred to as gated communities (Lowe amp; Williams, 2004). With regards to world Englishes, Kachru (1992) conceived the idea of three concentric circles of the language. The inner circle represents the traditional bases and is composed of native speakers of English (e. g.United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Anglophone Canada and South Africa, and some of the Caribbean territories). The outer circle includes countries where English is not the native tongue but they use it as a second language (e. g. India, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong) while those that belong to the expanding circle are the rest of the world where English is used as the primary foreign language (e. g. Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Indonesia etc. ). This idea has helped to classify the eight Asian countries that will serve as the subject in this study on how they use English as a language.Kaplan (1966) claims that English writing is characterized by directness and deductive reasoning, while other languages (e. g. Oriental languages and Arabic) favor indirectness and inductive reasoning. At the same time, he attempts to link the differences in discourse organization between English and other languages to their respective cultures and thought patterns. He marked the birth of the notion now known as Contrastive Rhetoric. It assumes that different languages had their own specific and culturally bound conventions and patterns of writing.This may also tell if there are such characteristics in Asian fashion blogs. Moreover, with regards to each Asian blogger’s writing style, contrastive rhetoric should also be considered. Contrastive rhetoric is an area of research in second language acquisition that identifies problems in composition encountered by second language writers and, by referring to the rhetorical strategies of the first language, attempts to explain them. As summarized by Connor (1997), some internal and external forces give rise to this change in perspective.The internal force comes from criticism of contrastive rhetoric, which has required it to go beyond traditional linguistic parameters of analysis to consider discursive features, processes and contexts of writing. The external forces come from new developments in discourse analysis and changing focuses in first language composition research. To enrich further the structure of each blog, genre analysis will also be considered. This may identify if fashion blogging belongs in a specific genre by studying how the ESL and EFL bloggers use the language when writing.The focus of this study is on the discourse organization of Asian fashion blogs. Considering their writing style, comparing the blogs of these particular Asian countries that are categorized into two groups will be done throughout the study. Statement of the problem This study aims to a nswer the following questions: 1. What are the structures of a fashion blog? 2. What are the similarities and the differences between the fashion blogs of ESL and EFL writers? Significance of the study College students of English Language Related ProgramsKnowing that blog can also be studied as it is a part of our social world, this study can still be given more attention by giving further enrichment by the future researchers. They can provide new findings supported by different related literatures. As the traditional way of analysing language data from academic institutions, this paper will thoroughly investigate the language used in fashion blogs. This will further explore the online discourse by plunging into the grounds of computer-mediated-communication (CMC).Researchers in the Field of Linguistics This research paper will be able to support future research papers that are related to discourse analysis, world Englishes, contrastive rhetoric and genre analysis. As most of us tod ay enjoy the web 2. 0 which includes blogging ( slideshare. net/mcbuzz/blogging), it challenges the researchers to become more analytical in their field. As language researchers move forward by conducting thorough investigations, there will probably be new ideas that will be contributed to the field of Linguistics.Teachers and Professors of Language The study on contrastive rhetoric among students has always been limited to the doctorate material for pedagogical purposes which is believed to limit learners’ ability to express themselves. The paper will further explicate the online discourse specifically fashion web logging which has been considered as one of the tools to express oneself in social network. This would provide enough knowledge to expand the language teachers’ repertoire in different writing styles. BloggersWhether these people are in different forms of blogging, this study may inform them how important language is. In fashion blogging, it is inspired with different marketing strategies boxed with pictures that are inviting, description of every detail of it and stories experienced by the blogger. Also, they may be informed that this style of marketing includes certain rhetoric in it. Furthermore, this style of writing can be one of the factors of the increasing subscribers and viewers. A. Scope and LimitationWith the number of studies about the circularity and linearity among the ESL and EFL argumentative essays, court proceedings, business letters and newspapers, this paper focuses on the discourse organization of Asian fashion blogs. The study will only look into the structure of a fashion blog and to identify the differences and similarities of ESL and EFL writers. The EFL countries are Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand and the ESL countries are India, Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong. These countries are only limited for each group. B.Definition of terms Blog is another term for web log, a social networking site ( s lideshare. net/mcbuzz/blogging) of discussion or information site published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries (posts) typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Usually, it is being used as an online journal (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Blog). EFL stands for English as a foreign language and pertains to how speakers use English for limited utilities, for example, for research references and sign boards.The countries that belong to this group are Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand while, ESL stands for English as a second language and refers to English speakers who could speak it intensely and intimately. In Kachru’s concentric circles, this group encompasses the countries that were colonized by the Western countries such as India, Singapore, Hong Kong and Philippines ( Kachru and Nelson, 2006). Web 2. 0 is a concept that takes the network as a platform for information sharing, interoperability, user- centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web (http://dictionary. reference. om/browse/weblog). CMC stands for computer-mediated communication, such as online chatting, online forum, discussion group and others. Contrastive Rhetoric assumes that a person’s L1 and culture influence his or her writing in L2 (Kaplan, 1966). References: Internet We’ve got blog: How weblogs are changing our culture. Retrieve on 07/18/2012 from amazon. com/Weve-Got-Blog-Weblogs Changing/dp/0738207411. The web: The original design and ultimate destiny of the World Wide Web. Retrieve on 07/18/2012 from amazon. com/Weaving-Web-Original-Ultimate-Destiny/dp/006251587X.Web Discourse Hits Higher Level. In We’ve got blog. Retrieved on 07/18/2012 from http://blog. lib. umn. edu/blogosphere/. Cultural thought patterns in inter-cultural education. Language Learning, 16, 1–20. Retrieve on 07/20/2012 from zhupinfan. com/5310/Kaplan. pdf. Blogging 101: An Introduction to Blogs and Web 2. 0. Retrieved on 08/20/12 from slideshare. net/mcbuzz/blogging-101-introduction-to-blogs-and-web-20-presentation. The American Heritage ® Science Dictionary. Published by Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved on August 28, 2012 from http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/weblog.Book Kachru and Nelson. 2006. Asian Englishes Today:World Englishes in Asian Context. Aberdeen: Hong Kong University Press Kachru. 1992. Teaching world Englishes: The Other Tongue English across Cultures. Illinois:University Illinois Press. Connor . 1996. Contrastive rhetoric: Cross-cultural aspects of second-language writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Theoretical Framework This study is supported with the three approaches namely Discourse analysis, Genre analysis and Contrastive Rhetoric. Limited to these three approaches, the study may be given emphasis and explained further.Discourse analysis originated from Greece. The term was formally from paper of Zelling Harris in 1952. It is the ter m of approaching to analyze communication of written, spoken discourse or speech acts in any kind of route of people use in discourse system. It refers to discussion or lecture of text but it is not only defined on texts. Also, discourse analysis is not only a sentence of discourse but also defined words, prepositions and speech acts of conversation and communicative events. According to Guy Cook (1992), it is not concerned with language alone. It also examines the context of communication.Since conversation is not possible to speak or listen alone, it needs to be interacted. To need discourse analysis is that the discourse organization is the way to shape and understand to know our speaking habits, thoughts. When people have conversation, even if there is same meaning of sentence, there is different affect through how speaker speaks. Discourse is based on the person’s cultural affects. According to Lilie Chouliaraki (2008), culture is constituted by the resources of meaning- making, language and image. For example, South Korea and North Korea have separated since 1945.There were already different cultures. Even in language. The sentence, il upda. ’ When person suggest to do something, North Korea say that it means, It’s fine. ’ But, for South Korea say that it means, It’s none of your business. ’ So, cultural affects of language is also important part of discourse analysis. As Swales (1990) defined genre analysis, it studies the language used in a particular setting: in rhetorical styles, discourse types and others. Also, it relates a particular research in discourse analysis for instance, to a specialist area of language.In academics and in research, this theory explains further its importance especially in studying the spoken and written discourse. Furthermore, the development of a student’s communicative competence and the shaping of language research can be attained through a genre based approach. Remarkable analysis of moves or functional sections in academic researches was also brought out. Genre analysis, according to Miller (1984), is the study of a discourse type of text where it is recognized through its characteristics, style or form.Swales (1990) added that genre analysis also focuses on the purpose of why such discourse type was written. Genre analysis embraces a range of tools and attitudes to text, forms detailed qualitative analysis of a single text to more quantitative counts of language features. Sometimes researchers work with a single text, either because it is inherently interesting or because it seems representative of a larger set of texts or particular genre (Patridge,2010). According to Kaplan (1966), English writing is characterized by directness and deductive reasoning, while other languages (e. . Oriental languages and Arabic) favor indirectness and inductive reasoning. At the same time, he attempts to link the differences in discourse organization between Engli sh and other languages to their respective cultures and thought patterns. He introduces the birth of what we called today as Contrastive Rhetoric. He explains that contrastive rhetoric is an area of research in second language acquisition that identifies problems in composition encountered by second language writers and, by referring to the rhetorical strategies of the first language, attempts to explain them.In other words, it is the study of how a persons first language and culture influence his or her writing in a second language. However, Houghton and Hoey (1983) have argued It [contrastive rhetoric] needs to be inserted within a broader scheme, to include the theoretical as well. It has been too long confined to being a notion rather than a theory. The area of concern needs to be broadened to the degree that rhetorical elements in non-Western cultures from philosophical to cognitive issues which influence the formation of culturally embedded rhetorical styles may be explored and then introduced to English nor ESL writing teachers.The concept of contrastive rhetoric is too multifaceted and important to be treated from only the linguistic perspective. The one area of study which offers at least a partial solution to the problem posed by Houghton and Hoey is that of rhetoric and composition. In order to establish contrastive rhetoric as a field where various rhetorically related issues from other cultures are discussed, contrastive rhetoric scholars must endeavor to discover specific rhetorical and cultural assets which will explain why writing styles differ from culture to culture.References: a. Internet Vijay Bhatia. Continuum International Publishing Group. Copyright. Retrieved on 08/17/12 from http://books. google. com. ph/books . The Linguistics Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 08/17/12 from http://books. google. com. ph/books. Discourse Analysis as Organizational Analysis. Retrieved on 08/02/12 from lsadc. org/info/ling-fields- discourse. cfm. Contrastiv e Rhetoric: Cross-Cultural Aspects of Second-language Writing. Retrieved on 08/05/12 from http://catdir. loc. gov/catdir/samples/cam031/95009965. pdf.A Study of Contrastive Rhetoric between East Asian and North American Cultures as Demonstrated through Student Expository Essays from Korea and the United States. Retrieved on 08/05/12 from http://faculty. fullerton. edu/jcho/chapter1. htm. Toward Critical Contrastive Rhetoric. Retrieved on 08/05/12 from http://writingcenters. org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Kubota_Ryuko_Critical-Intercultural-rhetoric. pd. b. Book Cook, G.. 1992. The Discourse of Advertising. London: Routledge Swales, J. M.. 1990.. Genre analysis : English in academic and research settings.Cambridge : Cambridge University Press Patridge B.. 2010. Continuum Companion to Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. London:Continuum International Publishing Group Conceptual Paradigm Asian Fashion Blogs Discourse Analysis Genre Analysis Contrastive Rhetoric ESL India Hong Kong Singapore Philippines EFL Malaysia Indonesia Cambodia Thailand The diagram shows the flow of the study. The arrows connect the subject which is the fashion blog to the EFL and ESL speaking countries. There are four chosen countries each to represent EFL and ESL writers. The four countries hat represent EFL writers are Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand and the other four countries that represent ESL writers are India, Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong. Each blog will be analyzed through discourse analysis, genre analysis and contrastive rhetoric. In order to answer the statements of the problem, the diagram above will have to be considered. Fashion blogs will serve as the subject in this study. The group chose web logs for they serve as a social community for those who want to share their ideas and styles with regard to fashion.Furthermore, it also serves as an interactive marketing site where the bloggers apply their own marketing strategies (Richardson, 2001). This stu dy will find out if fashion blog has a definite structure among the chosen EFL and ESL Asian blogs. Due to the spread, functions and dynamic status of English in the changing Asian contexts (Kachru et al, 2006), there may have been differences and similarities between the fashion blogs of ESL and EFL writers. The three major methods namely, Discourse Analysis, Genre Analysis and Contrastive Rhetoric will help to describe the discourse organization of Asian fashion blogs.The focus of this research is on how Asian fashion bloggers write, on how these bloggers use English on a specific setting which is web log and on what particular genre does each fashion blog belongs. Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature The following related articles were gathered for the researcher to understand more what is being studied and to support the study that is being conducted. Kaplan (1966) compared the rhetoric and composition of students who were native speakers of English and ESL writers.According t o him, when he closely analyzed the composition of the ESL students, he realized that there were also differences when it comes to paragraph order and structures aside from grammatical or surface matters. According to Braine (2001) EFL writers have a higher quality of writing in traditional classes compared in a local area network. But other researchers (Biesenbach-Lucas, 2000; Gonzalez-Bueno amp; Perez, 2000; Gousseva-Goodwin, 2000; Kehagia amp; Cox, 1997; Perez, 2003) found out that there was no significant difference in writing neither in the quality nor the attitudes.The criticisms of traditional contrastive rhetoric on cross-cultural writing offer an alternative conceptualization for contrastive rhetoric. Contrastive rhetoric has an intellectual association with applied linguistics. As delineated by Pennycook (2001), critical applied linguistics aims to problematize as well as politicize the common understanding of second language learning/acquisition constructed by research an d instructional practices in such domains as language, text, pedagogy, and cultural difference. ReferencesWiley Online Library. Language Learning: A Journal on Research in Language Studies. Retrieved on 08/02/12 from http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 1111/j. 1467-1770. 1966. tb00804. x/abstract. Eric Education Resources Information Center. A Study of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Writers on a Local-Area Network (LAN) and in Traditional Classes. Retrieved on 07/17/12 from eric. ed. gov/. Theoretical Foundations of Critical Contrastive Rhetoric. Retrieved on 08/02/12 from eric. ed. ov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini. jsp? _nfpb=trueamp;_amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ730660amp;ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=noamp;accno=EJ730660 Chapter 3 Methodology This chapter presents how the data will be gathered, the sources where data will be gathered, a descriptive and a comparative analysis. 3. 1 Procedure This study aims to analyze the discourse organization of Asian fashion blo gs. The data will be gathered from the internet. The data from the top ten blogs for each Asian country will be gathered through the domains.These include the extensions on each blog site such as ph for Philippines, in for India, sg for Singapore, hk for Hong Kong. Considering the web traffic of each blog, the researchers will be able to know if the blogs belong to the top ten most visited blogs. Each Asian fashion blog post will be classified according to its writer. The top ten fashion blogs from the Asian countries that use English as a second language which are India, Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong will be separated with the other top ten fashion

Building an Ethical Organization Part II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Building an Ethical Organization Part II - Essay Example se, Aids Prevention and Case Management, Counseling and Outreach Programs are making a positive difference in the lives of increasing number of families. We have yet not become the largest health care organization in Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Belen, and Peralta area as envisaged earlier, but we have woven an organization culture based on core ideas stated in our Mission Statement and Values Statement and adherence to ethics and keeping service before self. This has been possible only with the unflinching support and leadership of the management and dedication of the staff. Albuquerque Health Care has earned commendations from the government, the people, the patients, community and our suppliers for being organization that has never compromised on ethics, our values, commitment of purpose and quality in dispensing our services. . It is worth mention that we have not only delivered quality health care to the people of but have also earned many an honor for being an organizations committe d to ethics and integrity. However, in these two years we also encountered difficulties in our functioning, which has made us introduce changes in our policy. We will discuss these changes in the points below: All the 16 health care activities mentioned in Organizational Report 1 are being carried out in these seven departments. Each department is headed by a senior member of the staff, who directly report to the Director (Health Services) once a week. The Administrative work is looked after by a General Manager, who reports once a week to the Director (Admin and Finance). The Ethics Committee is headed by Director (Ethics) and has the General Manager as the permanent member. Three heads of the department serve in the Ethics Committee for six months on rotational basis. The Ethics Committee has formulated an Ethics Book. Every three months there is an Ethics Audit and a Compliance Report is generated, which is discussed in the specially called Board of Directors meeting on Ethics. The

Duty of law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Duty of law - Essay Example Emphasising on this understanding, the essay will aim at addressing the principles mentioned under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) concerning the fiduciary duties of directors in a company. The essay will also aim at analysing the purposes and effectiveness of these statutory principles to restrict the directors from performing unethical conducts or wrongdoings, taking the opportunity of the power enjoyed by them. 2.0. Background Companies act as an artificial legal entity which can be managed with the enforcement of its human legislatures. The board of director’s form an important part of any organization as the decision making and the managerial powers remain mainly with its directors (Austin & Ramsay (2013). For instance, as stated in section 198A (1) of Corporations Act 2001(Cth), the directors are eligible to manage the company’s affairs under their jurisdiction. ... Previous instances have often illustrated unethical conducts performed by the directors, misusing their power or authority to satisfy the organisational interests above their personal objectives (Austin & Ramsay, 2013). 3.0. Duty of good faith 3.1. Code of conduct As stated under the section 181 of Corporation Act 2001(Cth), duty with regards to good faith bestowed upon directors in compliance with the interest of the management is to avoid conflicts which might arise from personal benefits (Milne, 2006). Under this provision, if the directors of a company decipher reckless attitude and/or depict behaviour of intentional dishonesty, which in turn hampers the interests of the corporation at large. In this context a director of any corporation must enforce or exercise the bestowed responsibilities and powers with regards to good faith and for a ‘proper purpose’. If the director violate this duty or responsibility they are liable for punishment under civil penalty provision under section 1317E of Corporation Act 2001(Cth) (The Legal Exchange, 2012). 3.2. Case Examples According to the case of Charterbridge Corporation Ltd v Lloyds Bank Ltd (1970) a test was conducted to find whether the decision made by the director in relation to that situation was valid. As per the case convictions, it was held that directors in a particular company owe a certain degree of responsibility towards the company’s creditors at the time of its insolvency (Sourdin, 2009). It is worth mentioning in this context that even though the provision unambiguously dialects the implications of good faith, it fails to render a precise notion of ‘proper purpose’ and thus can be deemed as subjected to the judge’s rationality when assessing

Innovative Practices in Education Essay Example for Free

Innovative Practices in Education Essay Introduction The word ‘innovation’ is derived from Latin word ‘innovare’, which means â€Å"to change something to new†. In other words, we may say that ‘innovation’ means changing the regular way of doing things and involves doing the regular things in a novel way. The role of a teacher in present context has remarkably changed because of the various factors such as social, cultural, economic and technology developments across the globe. â€Å"Teachers in today’s era must be innovative, imaginative, and resourceful and have thorough knowledge of the subject and adopt new techniques to teach innovatively. † J. Krishnamurthy1 Teaching, in the KRISHNAMURTHI FOUNDATION INDIA (KFI) schools as opposed to other regular schools was said to be â€Å"different† and hence the researcher picked up these schools to study what and how â€Å"innovatively† the students are taught. KFI schools come under the genre of â€Å"alternative schools.† â€Å"An alternative school is an educational setting designed to accommodate educational, behavioral, and/or medical needs of children and adolescents that cannot be adequately addressed in a traditional school environment.†2 Its unique features are as follows: †¢Alternative schools have a small number of students, maximum 200 in the entire school . †¢Not more than 15-25 kids in a class †¢Children are allowed to learn the basic skills of reading and writing at their own pace. †¢There is little or no internal hierarchy in alternative schools. †¢Excellent teacher pupil relationship . †¢Family atmosphere †¢There is an inherent spirit of cooperation with self discipline. †¢Uniqueness of each child is nurtured. †¢The ambience is essentially fluid and informal. †¢There is no uniform. â€Å"KFI schools are not just about transference of ideas or facts in books, but is also about feeling the earth, watching the sunset, listening to the birds, seeing the colours of the leaves change in the different seasons and observing nature in its many colours, forms and shapes, in reality and this has shaped the entire structure of the school based on the ideology of Jiddu Krishnamurthy.†3 Methodology of the Study †¢Normative survey along with participant observation was used in the present research as it was a qualitative research . †¢Qualitative research seeks out the ‘why’, not the ‘how’ of the topic.3( Yang.W.E, 1997) Data Collection Tools Actual visit to the school and interaction with the teacher, students and principals through interview and questionnaire techniques and actual participation in school activities. The tools used were: †¢Interview †¢Participant Observation †¢Document analysis Learning the KFI way†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ a few insights Classes are not only about completing the content but also about understanding the content; with this core understanding every teacher at the school determines to use innovative teaching practices in classroom teaching. The term â€Å"innovative† is used to describe the combination of the three teaching practices in these schools †¢Student centered pedagogy †¢ Taking the learning beyond the classroom †¢Giving importance to personal relationships apart from the academic subject matter. These learning environments strive to cultivate a sense of community and belonging, and qualities of safety, respect, caring, and even love amongst the students .The term â€Å"innovative† in the context of this research describes combining these practices with technology i.e use of ICT( information communication technology ) in class room teaching. Student-centered pedagogy includes practices of teaching and learning that are project-based, collaborative, foster knowledge-building, require self-regulation and assessment, and are both personalized (allowing for student choice and relevance to the individual student) as well as individualized (allowing students to work at their own pace) and according to their particular learning needs. Each of these elements has a strong base of prior research, linking them to positive outcomes in terms of developing skills among students.4 Hence these a re techniques in which they learn to think for themselves, and develop the ability to make clear logical arguments, and deal with complex ethical issues.Students enjoy total intellectual freedom, and unfettered interaction with other students and adults. 1. Autonomous learning is a unique innovative technique which is actively implemented in the academic transaction process. It implies gradual switch from traditional teacher-centered studies to a self-learning process, when students are placed in such conditions where they are to employ their critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication skills in addition to the problem-solving skills that will make them experts on a subject studied through project- work, group work etc. For Example- A project on garbage disposal in class V was given to make them learn about environment and sustainability. 2. Cooperative learning directed towards focusing on students’ team work while doing their project assignments. 3. Task-based approach to learning, which requires using learning situations and tasks that do not make students merely reproduce the knowledge acquired, but also stimulate their creativity in order to find new original answers to unconventional tasks. For example- growing flowers in the school compound to teach students of class VII, about seasonal flowers, types of soil and usage of organic fertilisers. Another e.g- Selling organic compost and making money running a small business annually for class X th students to teach them about selling and profit in economics. 4. Moving outside the class This teaching practice refers to learning activities that include learning in nature and beyond the traditional boundaries of the classroom, and also by providing opportunities for 24/7 learning (for example, research outside the classroom), fostering cross-subject connections, and promoting global awareness and cultural understanding. For example seeing the actual working of a venus-fly trap plant grown in the campus to teach about carnivorous plants. 5. Story- based learning This method, called story-based learning, aims to encourage students to study various core subjects and be curious enough to find the answers by themselves. ‘One reason behind this learning design is to help students to comprehend the variety and interconnectedness of real life and equip them with the right mindset and solutions.’ 5 For example- The high-school students learnt a story about spices and ships, which would bring students into studying the history, agriculture, business, politics, culture and international trade of the East India Company in class VIII. 6. Workshops including interactive lectures, presentations, individual assignments, puppet making, independent and self-learning activities during practical classes and seminars, role plays and simulations, case-studies, individual and team projects, holding master-classes and workshops. 7. Extensive use of tape recorder, e-book, graphics, pictures, charts in daily 8. Blogs : A Classroom outside the classroom! Blog is derived from weblog. It is a diary or regular opinion columns posted on the internet. In blog, the writer posts diary entry which others can read and comments on it. Web-blogging is used in two main ways in teaching. Firstly, students are encouraged to write and post their blogs. If students are learning to write journals or engaged in other form of extensive writing in the classroom, is the right place to check their ability of writing. Secondly, the teacher writes the main blog entries, which students can then comment on. They send assignments or projects to students on the taught topics, by which students can complete the work and send it back to teachers. So the blog encourages teaching outside the classroom. 8. Role playing- For example, while teaching accounts the role of accountant can be explained by role playing technique. Invoice and bills can be given to students and asked them to assume the role of accountant. Here the real entries pertaining to transactions are made by the student and this is more practical approach to teaching where theory is supplemented by proper practical knowledge. 9.Wiki- A wiki is a web based platform for collaborative writing. It is used within a private domain as well as public domain for writing together. The important feature of wikis is particularly used for language learning which is record of all drafts. Students and teachers work on it collaboratively. An example of a private wiki used for language learning was used in KFI school-based project to produce a school newsletter for parents within the public domain. Students can be asked to be collaborative as class to produce a Wikipedia entry because such projects help to promote team-spirit and increase motivation, empower students to construct knowledge, and enable them to learn new things in an interesting, stress-free way. To keep up with the educational expectations of todays youth, were called on to use innovative teaching techniques. Where resources and training programs arent available to keep pace with our growing technological expansion, methods must be developed and used that involve active learning without depending on high technology. Simulations, games, and role playing are viable alternatives for learning about and experiencing real-life situations. 10. Innovative evaluation- the 360 0 approach- Teacher’s report- Students progress is assessed systematically and continuously. Evaluation is comprehensive, non-comparative and points to possibilities for growth are given to each and every student. Parents receive reports twice a year. Parent’s report- However, in the month of September parents send a report to school on their children based on the observation made at home. How he/she behaves at home, his/her eating habits, behaviour with siblings etc anything extra that the parent wants to tell is also welcomed. This report facilitates a joint awareness and understanding of the child by the school and home. Students take formal examinations from class VIII onwards and all the teachers seem to support it completely because they feel students have to take the public examinations at the end of Tenth and Twelfth standard. 11. Meditation assemblies- Every morning there are separate assemblies for the Junior and Senior sections, apart from this every school has â€Å"me time† in which the children and the staff sit all by themselves being â€Å"in silence† and think about the day ahead. It is easier said than done to sit in silence for 15 minutes because as Krishnamurthi says, â€Å"Only a mind in silence and stability is a mind that can learn anything.or even teach anything† 4 Hence this meditation time is important for both the kids and the teachers and there is no fixed way of meditation. The only requirement is that one should sit in silence. Sometimes in the evenings guided meditations are also held for the senior students who want to come. It is a voluntary thing and no one is forced to do so. It is an important innovative technique in teaching â€Å"self- inquiry† and introspection to the students. There is no punishment system, only talking, counselling and understanding that takes place if someone makes a mistake. Conclusions †¢This holistic education is usually characterized by several core qualities. First, it encourages experiential learning. †¢Secondly there is more discussion, questioning, experimentation, and active engagement in a holistic learning environment. †¢Thirdly, personal relationships are considered to be as important as academic subject matter. These learning environments strive to cultivate a sense of community and belonging, and qualities of safety, respect, caring, and even love. †¢These innovative techniques are practiced in diverse ways in alternative schools like KFI that provide a carefully designed, multiage â€Å"prepared environment† that encourages children to explore ,experiment and learn according to their own pace and interests. †¢It is possible, however, that these certain universal features of the KFI schools can easily be shared with, and developed by, other schools like the non-formal working environment and child-based, student-centric project aided learning which doesn’t require too much training or infrastructure , just a willingness to experiment and innovate on the part of the teacher. †¢ In many respects it is like a traditional school; children take board exams, have a curriculum and timetable etc. But what makes them special and effective are the teachers and their passion for teaching, their innovative methods of teaching, the fearless and joyful interaction among teachers and students. †¢The board results of such schools were better than the regular schools in their area but the stress experienced by the students, teachers and parents was comparatively much less, as what came out from the interviews and observation of the students and data analysis. Recommendations From the insights gained in innovative teaching and its impact on the teaching learning process, the researcher would like to make certain recommendations for other schools as well. a.Schools therefore need to emphasize on those aspects of learning which would help children to self-observe and reflect; find ways to search for knowledge instead of memorizing only. b.The project approach in teaching is inter-disciplinary, integrates arts, music, dance, yoga, meditation in the curriculum and leads to collateral learning. c.This is accomplished through evolutionary syllabi that emerge out of the needs of students and can be easily made by the subject teacher and head of the institution. d.The students are independent, responsible and confident of their learning. e.In line with J.Krishnamurthy’s philosophy, teachers lay emphasis on collaborative learning and team work. f.The teacher’s role is that of a facilitator, a generalist. g.The teaching style is informal, participativ e, democratic and illuminative. h.The teacher is a learner too. i.Meditation and yoga has definite positive outcomes on the behavior of students and also their ability to learn. Hence it should be encouraged by all schools. j.This holistic and innovative education in KFI schools is usually characterized by experiential learning. k.Secondly there is more discussion, questioning, experimentation, and active engagement in a holistic learning environment leading to overall personality development. l.Thirdly, personal relationships are considered to be as important as academic subject matter. These learning environments strive to cultivate a sense of community and belonging, and qualities of safety, respect, caring, and even love amongst students and teachers. References : 1. Bax,S.(2003). The end of old age teaching: A New Approach to Education and Laerning. ELT journal, 57, 278-287. 2. Alternative School, http://www.healthofchildren.com/A/Alternative-School.html#ixzz2BQfZSoIf 3. Martin, Donald W. (1975) An Analysis of Selected Works of Jiddu Krishnamurti: Implications for Higher Education University of Cincinnati, Ohio (U.S.A.), research paper. 4. Gefter, A., â€Å"Living online: This is your space,† New Scientist 2569 (2006): 46-48. 5. Gupta Deepti, 2005. ELT in India: A Brief and Current overview, Asian EFL Journal Volume 7. Issue 1, Article 12. Bibliography 1. Nunan David (1991) Communicative tasks and the language curriculum. TESOL, Quarterly 25(2), 279-295. 2. O’Grady, William, Michael Dabrovolsky, and Mark Aronoff. 1993. Contemporary linguistics: An Introduction. New York: St.Martin’s Press. 3. Pahuja N.P. Teaching of English, Anmol Publications Pvt.Ltd, New Delhi 1995. 4. Prensky, M., â€Å" Digital nayives, digital immigrants,† On the Horizon 9.5 (2001). 5. Thelwall, M., â€Å"MySpace, Facebook, Bebo: Social networking students,† Association of Learning Technology Online Newsletter 11 (2008). 6. Vyas A. Manish and Patel L. yogesh â€Å"Teaching innovatively – A new Pedagogy for a New Century.† PHI Learning Pvt Ltd. New Delhi (200

The Medias Influence on Teenage Suicide Essay -- Teenage Suicide Essa

The Media's Influence on Teenage Suicide   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fiction: Only â€Å"bad† kids who have the wrong friends and bad lives commit suicide. Fact: Kids who have the right friends and a bright future in front of them commit suicide. Fiction: Music, movies, and other forms of media do not influence teenagers in any way, shape, or form. Fact: Music, movies, and other forms of media are influencing teenagers to commit suicide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teenage suicide is on the rise at an alarming rate. While depression and other social pressures play a significant role in suicide among teenagers, there is evidence showing that music, movies, and other ways the media portrays suicide as glamorous and noble is having a major influence on teenagers considering suicide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every year more than 4,000 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 24 commit suicide and another 400,000 attempt suicide; the number of suicides may be even higher because many suicides are hidden by families who report the suicides as accidents or murders (Klagsburn 16). â€Å"Suicide now ranks as the third leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24, trailing only accidents and homicides†(Worsnop 371). Over the past four decades, teenage suicide rose a staggering 200 percent (Waters 49). â€Å"Of all the suicides studied among people under 25, nearly two-thirds of them were committed with guns, teenagers who committed suicide by hanging themselves ranked second, and poisoning ranked third† (Colburn 5.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many warning signs of suicide. A teenager contemplating suicide will drop numerous clues before attempting suicide. Such warning signs as withdrawal from the family, changes in eating and sleeping habits, as well as loss of interest in schoolwork or favorite activities, such as participation in athletics. Some teenagers express a preoccupation with pain, death, or suicide. They often talk of death and make actual threats to end their life. Many teenagers will drop verbal clues such as: â€Å"I might as well be dead,† or â€Å"you’ll be sorry when I’m gone.† (Goldstein, 55.) A preparation for death may take place, for instance, giving away prized possessions (Worsnop, 372-73). In some cases, the most ominous sign of suicidal intent is the sudden onset of apparent peace of mind after a long period of troubling behavior. Such a mood change may indicate the person has finally resolved to commit suicide and thus h... ...of Violent Entertainment. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Hutchings, David. â€Å"I Started Thinking about Dying.† People. February 18, 1985: 88-89. Keller, Julia. â€Å"Too Regular Shootings Have Left Many Numb.† Chicago Tribune.1 Aug 1999. Klagsburn, Francine. Too Young to Die. Boston: Houghton  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mifflin, 1976. Newton, David E. Violence and the Media: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: Instructional Horizons, 1996. Pond, Steve. â€Å"Student Body Count.† Rolling Stone. April 1989: 38. Royal Commission on Violence in the Communications Industry. Volume 1: Approaches, Conclusions, and Recommendations. Toronto: The Royal Commission on Violence in the communications Industry, 1976. â€Å"TV Suicide Link: Fatal Retraction.† Science News.October, 1987: 218. â€Å"Suicide Belt.† Time. September 1, 1980: 56. Trafford, Abigail. â€Å"Death at an Early Age.† The Washington Post. June 6, 1995: 6. Waters, Harry, et al. â€Å"Teenage Suicide: One Act Not to Follow.† Newsweek. April 18, 1994: 49. Worsnop, Richard L. â€Å"Teenage Suicide.† CQ Researcher 1.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (June 6, 1991): 371-91. Zirkel, Perry A. â€Å"Another Case of Student Suicide.† Phi Delta Kappa. 77 (Sept. 1995): 91-94.

Alexander Hamilton: Memoirs and Contributions

If one must remember Alexander Hamilton, it must be for his ideals on man’s natural rights and parity. It is not however a question of nationalism but that of universalism. One could misinterpret his unique ideas on democracy yet what truly is the essence of his views could be known from his early writings. His conviction as a youth against colonialism and advocacy on democratic principles were known to him in his speeches. His first political writing was entitled the Vindication which he wrote when he was below eighteen years of age, was full of assertions against the parliament for instance he said:No reason can be advanced why one man should exercise any power or pre-eminence over his fellow creatures more than another, unless they have voluntarily vested him with it. (Cited in Morse, 1890) Also, in his arguments against the Tory opponents he uttered in reference to his human rights advocacies: The fundamental source of your errors, sophisms and false reasoning is a total i gnorance of the natural rights of mankind. (Ibid) Hamilton argued that blacks' natural faculties were as good as those of free whites.In lieu of his support for equality and argument against slavery, Hamilton attacked his political opponents as demanding freedom for themselves and refusing to allow it to blacks. He was also a member of the committee of the society banning the export of slaves from New York in the form of a bill through the New York Legislature. Who really is this man whose face graces the ten US dollar bill and a lot of monuments and historical museums? Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 in Charlestown, Nevis and died on July 12, 1804.His contributions to the society are mainly political yet far-ranging. Indeed every aspect of our political life could have traces of or are related with Hamilton’s lessons. For example, his Federalist papers have been significant for the interpretations of United States Constitution. The first policies and policy d irections during the formative years of the government were also highly influenced by Hamilton being the Secretary of Treasury under George Washington’s administration. His ideal government is one where there is a strong central government.In line with his support to Federalism he said: A government ought to contain in itself every power requisite to the full accomplishment of the objects committed to its care†¦free from every other control but a regard to the public good and to the sense of the people. (Cited in Magstadt, 2006) In his view, an expeditious democracy is necessary to guard against any excess of checks and balances that might impede or impair the government’s ability to act energetically when circumstances dictate.Hence, the US Constitution created a strong executive capable of conducting the nation’s foreign affairs, vetoing legislations and appointments of judges. He admired the British system in terms of financial and trade networks and opp osed what he viewed as the excesses of French revolution. His contribution to the political party formation is also evident in the founding of his Federalist Party. This is the first American political party which was opposed by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party.His service as assemblyman of New York County in the New York State Legislature started in 1787. His participation in the Constitutional Convention was limited because of another faction opposing his strong government concept. He made an interesting speech during that time which said that the ideal form of government had represented all the interest groups, but maintained a hereditary monarch to decide policy. To him, the country should imitate this form of government and proposed to have a President and elected Senators for life, with possibility of removal for corruption or abuse.He also discussed abolition of autonomous state governments. He has remained loyal to the constitution desp ite some of his reservations against it and worked very hard for its national ratification. Hamilton’s concern for the country extends up to his economic agenda. His active role in the development of US economy is revealed through his efforts as Secretary of the Treasury. His five reports which boosted Financial Revolution in the US economy are as follows: (1. ) First Report on the Public Credit: Communicated to the House of Representatives, January 14, 1790 (2.) Operations of the Act Laying Duties on Imports: Communicated to the House of Representatives, April 23, 1790 (3. ) Second Report on Public Credit: Report on a National Bank Communicated to the House of Representatives, December 14, 1790 (4. ) Report on the Establishment of a Mint: Communicated to the House of Representatives, January 28, 1791 and (5. ) Report on Manufactures: Communicated to the House of Representatives, December 5, 1791. Hamilton helped create the first National Bank, the United States Mint, also wh at is known now as the United States Coast Guard and the sophisticated system of tariffs and import duties.The Hamiltonian program turned the chaotic financial system of the confederation era into a modern mechanism providing financial stability to the new government giving the investors confidence. Alexander Hamilton is considered the â€Å"patron-saint† of the American School of economic philosophy as he dominated economic policy after 1861. Hamilton opposed the British ideas of free trade which he believed skewed benefits to colonial/imperial powers, in favor of U. S. protectionism which he believed would help develop the fledgling nation's emerging economy. In 1801, Hamilton founded the New-York Evening Post.We now know him therefore as a man with many careers; a writer, politician, economist, was formerly an Army officer, lawyer, Founding Father, leading statesman, financier and political theorist. How did all these professions and colorful life ended? Before that, it mu st be noted that Alexander Hamilton had on December 14, 1780, married Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of General Philip Schuyler. Although his married life was marred with a lot of controversies of infidelity, Elizabeth remained loyal to him and in the preservation of his dignified political career.His death was nearing soon after the gubernatorial election in New York—in which Morgan Lewis, greatly assisted by Hamilton, and defeated Aaron Burr. His confrontations with Burr and attacks on his defeat had caused an arrangement for a duel on July 11, 1804, along the west bank of the Hudson River. Vice President Aaron Burr shot Hamilton, the latter died. Such was the end of a beautiful life for Alexander Hamilton. This paper briefly shared the life and career of Alexander Hamilton. It is not without doubt that the environment in which he had chosen to exist has equally given him fame and struggles.As a description of his reputation, he is indeed worthy of admiration along with his l imitations and weaknesses. No one could object to his influence over our past and current political system. Alexander Hamilton is one personality, who has given us exemplary conceptualizations on democracy, government institutions, economic trade and finance, and equality and human rights. The memoirs of Alexander Hamilton ergo are dominated by reflections on his socio-political and economic contributions.Works Cited Magstadt, Thomas. Understanding Politics, Ideas, Institutions and Issues, 7th Edition. Wadsworth: California, 2006 Morse, Anderson. â€Å"Alexander Hamilton. † Political Science Quarterly Vol. 5 No. 1. (March, 1890): 1-23. Robert E. Wright. One Nation Under Debt: Hamilton, Jefferson, and the History of What We Owe. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Samuel Eliot Morison and Henry Steele Commager. Growth of the American Republic. New York:Oxford University Press, 1969. www. wikipedia. com .

Historical Biblical Figures You Should Know