History of the Paperclip free essay sample

Standage The first patent for a bent wire paper clip was awarded in 1867. It was intended primarily for attaching tickets to fabric. Samuel B. Fay received U. S. patent 64,088 on April 23, 1867. Although functional and practical, Fays design along with the 50 other designs patented prior to 1899 are not considered reminiscent of the modern paperclip design known today. The most common type of wire paper clip still in use, the Gem paper clip, was never patented, but it was most likely in production in Britain already in the early 1870s by The Gem Manufacturing Company. Definite proof that the modern type of paper clip was well known in 1899 at the latest, is the patent granted to William Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut on April 27 of that year for a Machine for making wire paper clips. Since then countless variations on the same theme have been patented. Some have pointed instead of rounded ends, some have the end of one loop bent slightly to make it easier to insert sheets of paper, and some have wires with undulations or barbs to get a better grip. We will write a custom essay sample on History of the Paperclip or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition, purely aesthetic variants have been patented, clips with triangular or round shapes. It has been claimed, though apparently without evidence, that Herbert Spencer, the originator of the term â€Å"survival of the fittest’, invented the paper clip. Spencer claimed in his autobiography to have invented a binding-pin that was distributed by Ackermann amp; Company. This pin looked more like a modern cotter pin than a modern paper clip, but it was designed to hold sheets of paper together. It is approximately 15  cm unfolded.

Tronka Review Essay Example

Tronka Review Paper Essay on Tronka Tronka a small device resembling a bell, made a sound that does not allow the sheep to scatter across the steppe. Ovtsepasu belongs to. Read this tremendous work of Honchar in predyslovie said about nonsense such as the call of the Soviet people to work, etc. and etc. Nonsense! The man who wrote it is far away from that of the Soviet Union, and it is our people. Live the Oles Gonchar now, he would have his novels have surpassed my favorite Murakami X. What we liked in this book! You watched the movie 21 grams? Where the entire film is cut into pieces and mixed, presenting the event so that it was not clear at the beginning, and then collecting the pieces together, you begin to understand things as they are. Very risky move, but it is interesting to read. The book is divided into character, I mean the chapters dedicated to all the characters in this book. Suppose there is a character A and the character B. First, we read about the A and read how it applies to all other characters B, C and so on. In his understanding of the character B is not had very good man, and we readers agreeing immediately to the character A hate B character. But when we come to the head of the character B, then immediately we understand why he was so angry at all, and beginning to feel sorry for him. So this is pereplitenie me terribly much. Write IS penetrating almost into the minds of people, thinking at the same time for each in different ways, it is som ething, it should be able to. We will write a custom essay sample on Tronka Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tronka Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tronka Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In addition to these chips is there and is the first teenage love. And what do you think? This love is described by the author for the same scheme ( A and B) first guy, and then the girl so sooooo interesting to read the minds of people loving each other, learn unikalnots their love, the uniqueness of how they fit together and do not know about it. It is also possible to track and how they grow together and their love grows. Romance happening rolls. Another liked the last chapter, it is written if not for this book. Soviet man at that time was not given such an understanding, that other is our written for our time. The characters are all very different, of oknchanii book I nachel think, and some of them are more like Oles Gonchar ( book author)? He Poho at all, he seemed to read the thoughts of each and record them in a book. Very very very interesting to read. In addition, a lot of words forgotten us about some I did not know. For one refill forgotten vocabulary words.

buy custom Hospitality Industry in the UK essay

buy custom Hospitality Industry in the UK essay Introduction The hospitality industry or sector includes a wide field of businesses within the service industry which comprises of restaurants, transportation, lodging, cruise line, event planning, and theme parks, as well as businesses within the wider field of tourism industry. The hospitality industry in the UK is considered a multibillion dollar industry that has been one of the key drivers of the UKs economy. The industry is dependable on availability of disposable income and leisure time. Business units within the wider hospitality sector such as hotels, parks, restaurants, and bars, among others, consist of a number of different groups that are concerned with daily management and operations. These groups take account of those in charge of direct operation (bartenders, housekeepers, servers, kitchen workers, and porters, among others), facility management, marketing, human resources, and management. The hospitality sector includes a wide variety of organizations which provide accommodation and food service. The UKs hospitality industry is divided into various sectors which are based on required skill-sets for a particular work involved. These sectors range from accommodation, meeting and events, tourism services, entertainment and recreation, food and beverage, and gaming (Page Connell, 2006). Overview of the Hospitality Industry in UK The UK hospitality industry has tremendously grown over the past few years. The growth is particularly evident in the increasing availability of opportunities in the labour market designed for both local and international graduates. According to a report documented by the British Hospitality Association (2010), the UK catering and hospitality industry comprises of more than 263,000 outlets and has more than 1.7 million employees. More than 270,500 people are found in other sectors including gambling, travel and tourist services, youth hostels, holiday parks, and attractions. While it is hard to find the official registry of UKs hotel rooms, in 2000, it was estimated that there were approximately 101, 268 hotel rooms within and around the Greater London (PriceWaterHouseCoopers, 2009). In addition, according to figures released to support London Olympics bid, it was reported that within a 10 km radius of Central London there were over 70,000 hotel rooms found in both three and five stars hotels. The growth in the hospitality industry has been particularly boosted by the expected huge demand for leisure during the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games. Due to this, there has been an increase in the number of hotels rooms in and around the City of London. According to PriceWaterHouseCoopers (2009), the West End of London (for example in Mayfair) is particularly concentrated with luxury hotels, resorts, and other leisure and holiday facilities. However, despite this huge growth in recent times, in the hospitality industry especially in the hotel sector, it was noted that the majority five star hotels in London are small in size according to the international standards. For instance, most five star hotels in London have rooms ranging from 50 and 500 hotels (PriceWaterHous eCoopers, 2009). Some of these hotels include London Hilton, St. Martins Lane Hotel, the Savoy, and the Four Season London, among others. According to the British Hospitality Association (2010), the most profitable hotels and facilities in UK are found in London around the five major airports. Gatwick and Heathrow Hotels have particularly been successful in registering high and consistent room occupancies besides providing conference facilities. However, the major players in the UKs hospitality industry in the recent times have been spotted in the branded budget hotel segment. It was noted that the growth of the branded hotels began in 2002 and reached its peak in 2007, when more than 70 percent of available hotel rooms (more than 71,000 rooms) were provided by the branded budget hotels in the UK. It is the rise and high demand fo branded hotels that has greatly transformed the UKs hospitality industry in terms of growth and market share. The notable player in the branded hotel segment has been the Intercontinental Hotel through a number of its subsidiaries in UK. Through acquisition of UKs Holiday Inn Express, Interco ntinental Hotel has been a constant player in the hospitality industry of UK; however, it has faced competition from other players in this industry. The competition for the market share in the UK hospitality industry is quite dynamic and interesting; especially as the 2012 London Olympics are fast approaching. The growth in the market share has particularly been witnessed in the branded budget hotel sector of the wider hospitality industry. The leading branded budget hotels in the UK are Travelodge, Premium Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. According to a report released pertaining to the current growth of budget hotels in UK, it was estimated that about 54 new branded budget hotels were opened in 2010 , this created more than 5,440 new rooms last year alone (HotStats and Hotel Analyst, 2011). Travelodge was ranked as the fastest expanding budget hotel chain in the year 2010. This was followed by an addition of more than 3,830 new rooms to the hotels portfolio, making it to be the one of the largest operator of budget hotel in London and also across the UK. However, despite this enormous growth in the year 2010, Travelodge could only manage a second position in terms of market share. The leading player in the budget hotel segment is Premier Inn which has about 37 percent of the market share in UK compared to Travelodge which has only 27 percent share of the UKs market. Premier Inn continues to lead in market share despite of having added only 1,043 rooms in the year 2010. Holiday Inn Express which was ranked third as the UKs largest operator with a market share of 11 per cent could only manage to add 540 new rooms during 2010 (British Hospitality Association, 2010). According to Delloite (n.d), UK still ranks behind the world major economies in terms of growth in the branded budget hotels. For instance, UKs branded budget hotel has only 16 percent of the market share compared to USA and France which have 33 percent and 25 percent of market share respectively. Nevertheless, the UKs hospitality industry and hotel sector in particular, has been rapidly growing and shifting towards branded budget accommodation supply. For example, for the last four years, the branded budget hotel in UK gained more than 35 percent in market share, making it to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the hospitality industry in the UK in recent times. Going by its current growth rate, it is projected that branded budget hotels will squeeze out all independent and mid-market brands in the UK by 2030. It is also worth to note that the exponential growth emerged despite of the economic meltdown of 2008 and its aftermaths. As noted above, Travelodge has been particularly dominant in driving up this change. However, the entry of Intercontinental Hotel through Holiday Inn Express has also soared up the growth in branded budget market share within the wider hospitality industry. Travelodge alongside Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express have been the key players in the changes witnessed in the UK hospitality industry. For instance, the growth in the branded budget hotels in the UK has been realized through the opening of more and more new hotels across Britain. These major industry players not only rely on building or developing new facilities but also on acquiring and converting run-down independent as well as mid-market hotels. For instance, more than 9,520 hotels rooms have been created through the 131 hotels that have been opened by Travelodge alone since 2008. However, Delloite (n.d.)., notes that 40 percent of these new branded budget facilities consisted of run-down independent and mid-market brand hotels that were acquired and directly converted. The emergence of the brand budget hotel within the wider hospitality industry has been a game changer in UKs hospitality market. Traditionnally, the hospitality industry was known to particularly focus on the provision of physical products. However, the players have soon realized that consumers are demanding more and more consistency in the delivery of a specific brand promise. Moreover, with the upscale to leisure and luxury segments, players in the hospitality industry will soon discover that experiential dimension will be a key determinant in gauging the success of a brand and designing the finer details of a product. On the other hand, consumers were traditionally believed to have negative connotations towards small size hotels or budget hotels; however, this is rapidly changing as there is increased perception of this segment in terms of efficiency, good experience, and affordability (Delloite, n.d.). This change in consumer perception as well as market dynamics has not only cha nged business operations in the UKs hospitality industry but also has continued to particularly transform the hospitality industry and hotel sector. The growth of the branded budget hotel segment in terms of market share in the recent years has prompted increased activities within the hotel sector in the UK. Both local and international operators in the hospitality industry are increasingly changing their game plans to compete for the huge potential in the branded budget accommodation market share. In other words, the growth of branded budget hotels as a new segment within the broader hospitality industry has not only overwhelmed the operators in the hospitality industry, but also the market behaviour of major players both locally and internationally. This is evident in how the leading players, Premier Inn and Travelodge, have been aggressive towards the market share and the entry of international hospitality operations into the UK market (notably Intercontinental Hotel). The hospitality industry is being redefined with not only new innovations and concepts but also with strategies that ensure players remain competitive and profitable in the market. The changing perceptions of the consumers, the market dynamics and operators innovativeness, and the modern business units in the UKs hospitality industry (particularly those in the hotel sectors) are being forced to take a different turn that is completely different to the earlier practices. For instance, it is common these days to find mini full- service hotels operating and providing business class products and services to a wide range of customers. These hotels have basic facilities targeting business travellers who may be looking for a particular market segment that caters for the needs of mid-rank business executives as well as price-sensitive corporate bodies. The hospitality industry has been influenced by the increased growth of the branded budget hotel segment which has enhanced competition coupl ed with good service, increased professionalism, ambience, and style. With the current trends and growth rate of branded budget hotels in UK, it is projected that business units within the hospitality industry will be required to align their products and services with the new market dynamics for their continued success and profitability. Conclusion The hospitality industry is one of the key drivers of the UKs economy that has grown in the past few decades. However, one of the key sectors in this industry has been the hotel sector which has contributed immensely to the growth of the hospitality industry in the UK. Within the hotel sector, the branded budget hotel segment, is continuously transforming the hospitality industry as a whole and the hotel sector in particular. Going by the rate of growth in branded budget hotel segment in the UK (in terms of market share estimated at 16 percent), operators in the hospitality industry will particularly be forced to redefine their business practices and operations in order to remain competitive and successful in the UKs market. This will call for embracing of new concepts, strategies, and innovations that are efficient, affordable, and able to provide first-class experience to their customers. Buy custom Hospitality Industry in the UK essay

Analysis of the movie The Help Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Analysis of the movie The Help - Essay Example She uses their experiences in writing a book that highlights the struggles of the civil rights era. The book is from the view of the two house helps. It exposes the racism that they encounter in their daily working life. The book covers the existing relationships between the white employers, and their black house helps. This is especially considering that the black maids raise the children of their white employers. These children tend to have prejudiced attitudes towards their parents when they become adults. The daily interactions between the maids and their white employers reveal the various intercultural communication concepts and behavior between two different races with different cultural backgrounds. Institutional Collectivism is the first concept that is evident in the film. It is an intercultural concept in which the practices or the norms of a particular culture encourage and reward collective action (Jandt 201). Cultures with institutional collectivism have certain characteristics. Such a culture, for example, has its members assuming and believing that they are highly interdependent within the social organization. Group loyalty is highly encouraged even if it is against the pursuit of individual goals. The concept of Institutional Collectivism tends to maximize the interests of the social grouping and the collective as a whole. The concept allows for organizational collaboration and cooperation in achieving collective goals. The concept is seen in the film because they are certain groups advocating for the cooperation and collaboration of social groupings. They advocate for the achievement of social and economic gains of the group. For example, the white women led by Hilly hold regular meetings in which their collective interests are discussed. Moreover, they plan how to accomplish and achieve their interest. This group is known as the Bridge Club. During one of their regular

Analysis project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analysis project - Essay Example The second source that I picked is â€Å"Decline in Snow Cover Spells Trouble for Many Plants, Animals† and is written by Terry Devitt. This source is a news article that was published on May 7, 2013. Terry Devitt is a research scientist and the Science Research Communications Director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This article details the results gathered from his personal and academic research. This source is credible due to Devitt’s extensive background in both researching the causes and effects of global warming and his contribution to the efforts in understanding and preventing global warming. The third source that I picked is â€Å"We Need Some Symptomatic Relief† and is written by Ken Caldeira. This source is a journal article that was found in the GreenFile database via Academic Search Premier, and was published in the Spring of 2013. Ken Caldeira is an atmospheric scientist with the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecolog y at Stanford University. Caldeira’s background and position as a scientist that focuses on changes in the atmosphere is what gives this source credibility. The fourth source that I picked is â€Å"National Institutes of Health Explore Impact of Climate Change on Human Health† and is written by Christine Jessup and John Balbus. This source is a short article found on the Global Change government website and was published on April 22, 2013. This source is credible as the website where it was found is moderated solely by the United States government’s Global Change Research Program. The information on this website is published based on authenticity, authority of its writers, and its relevance to the website’s purpose. In â€Å"Rain Will Get More Extreme Thanks to Global Warming, Says NASA Study,† Carl Franzen reveals how the steadily increasing temperature of the globe is leading to wetter locations receiving more rain and dryer locations experiencin g lengthier droughts. While most studies have focused on the effects of global warming on specific regions, the study detailed in this article looks at the globe as a whole. Regardless of the location, â€Å"for every single degree Fahrenheit the global average temperature climbs, heavy rainfall will increase in wet areas by 3.9 percent, while dry areas will experience a 2.6 percent increase in time periods without any rainfall† (Franzen par. 3). This increase in rain and periods of drought are believed to be caused by the warming globe enabling the atmosphere to retain more water vapor as moisture, which causes the moisture to be withheld from the dry areas, denying these locations of moisture that would otherwise end their droughts (par. 4). The specific evidence in this source that I find convincing are the details of how much rain is released or withheld from certain locations, depending on its temperature. This information is convincing since the facts were presented by atmospheric scientists directly involved in the study. There is no bias present in this source. In â€Å"Decline in Snow Cover Spells Trouble for Many Plants, Animals,† Terry Devitt discusses how global warming is causing the snow to melt more quickly in the Northern Hemisphere, which is proving to be damaging to the animals and plants that rely on the thick cover of snow to protect them from the chill of winter. â€Å"

Learning Diversity Essay Example for Free

Learning Diversity Essay After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1. De? ne cultural diversity; 2. Describe the role of culture in shaping similarities and di? erences among individuals; 3. Recognise race and ethnicity as an element of micro cultural diversity; 4. Explain the educational implications of di? erences in students’ learning style; 5. Distinguish types of cognitive style; 6. Relategender di? erences and socio-economic status to individual di? erences issues; and 7. Describe teacher’s strategies in embracing diversity. Individual Differences 7 171i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 171 INTRODUCTION As teachers, we must be aware of about students’individual differences such as differences in culture, ethnicity, intelligent, languages, learning styles, etc. It is because it may enhance students’understanding or limit their opportunity to learn from the school environment. These factors should be taken into consideration when we plan teaching and learning process in the classroom. We begin by discussing the de? nition of cultural diversity and other factors that contribute to students’diversity. Next, we examine the differences of learning styles and cognitive  styles among students. This is followed by the explanation of gender differences that in? uence the students’ performance. In the ? nal section of this chapter, we will discuss how teachers can cope with the individual differences effectively in the teaching and learning process. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 172 â€Å"†¦Characteristics of an individual’s society, or of some subgroups within this society. It includes values, beliefs, notions about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and other socially constructed ideas that members of the culture are taught are â€Å"true†. † (1994 in Tan 3003). â€Å"†¦Those human characteristics that have both the potential to either enrich or limit a student’s capacity to learn from the school environment. † Henson Eller (1999, p121) â€Å" Individual differences are the variations we observe among members of any group in a particular characteristic, such as temperament, energy level, friendship patterns and parent-child attachment. † Borich Tombari (1997, p29) 7. 1 CULTURAL DIVERSITY 7. 1. 1 De? nition of Cultural Diversity According to Garcia, Culture refers to: Henson Eller (1999, p121) posit that the term diversity mean: Whereas Borich Tombari (1997. p29) posit that: 173i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 173 â€Å"Group membership can include racial identi? cation, but regardless of race, it can vary further in term of assumptions, values, language, religion, behaviour, and symbols. † (O’conor, 1988 in Tan 2003). Figure 7. 1: Various races in Malaysia. In Malaysia we have different races such as the Malays, Chinese, Indians and others as illustrated in Figure 7. 1. Each of the races has their own culture. Culture is a broad and encopassing concept. Even though we equate culture with race or ethnic identity, the truth is that within racial or ethnic groups there can  be cultural variations. In short, culture governs how we think and feel, how we behave and how we live, and it is born largely of socialization. We often recognize national culture such as Malays, Chinese, Indians and others. We share Malaysian citizenship. So, differences in culture pertaining to Malaysia also mean differences in ethnicity and race. 7. 1. 2 The Role of Culture in Shaping Similarities and Di? erences Among Individuals Culture has impact on our student’s socialization. Some elements of culture including religion, foods, holidays and celebrations, dress, history and traditions, and art and  music. Cultural diversity also can manifest in our views of the life cycle, decorum and discipline, health and hygiene (Example: Explanations of illness and death), values, work and play, and time and space. All could be elements of a shared national culture or of additional family cultures. Each element shapes our students through socialization within their families, later through teacher, peers and environment. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 174 We need to keep in mind that our students’ membership in cultural groups signi? cantly in? uences their lives both inside and outside of school. Therefore, we have to consider cultural diversities because honouring cultural diversities enhances classroom teaching and learning. As teachers, we have to understand these cultural diversities and try to accommodate to these differences. We have to honour other people’s beliefs and values because they have their rationale and that contributes to a harmonious society and peaceful nation. These have to start in school where the students are aware of their differences and teacher instil within them the espirit de core (spirit to live together peacefully), tolerance towards others, empathy and pro social behaviour. 175i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 175 To answer that question, Tan (2003), recognizes three ways in addressing cultural differences as illustrated in Figure 7. 2: Now let us examine all these approaches. (a) Assimilation Theory According to the assimilation theory, all students must conform to the rules of the Anglo- American group culture, regardless of their family culture or the rules of other groups to which they belong. â€Å"Anglo† culture is superior to all others, differences are threatening and rejected. Figure 7. 2: Three ways in addressing cultural differences INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7. 176 (b) Amalgamation Theory According to Davidson Phelan: Cultural differences are ignored. Through the years, many of us have been comforted by the melting pot view of our society’s institutions. But, it too has encouraged the loss of individual identity. (c) Cultural Pluralism According to Davidson Phelan: Diversity is not feared or criticized or ignored. It is valued, even celebrated. An effective teacher holds this view of diversity and incorporates beliefs about multicultural education. Multicultural education is education in which a range of cultural perspectives is presented to students. â€Å"The amalgamation theory is the â€Å"melting pot† approach in which elements of individual cultures are blended to become a â€Å"new†, synthesized American culture. † (Davidson Phelan, 1993) â€Å" In â€Å"cultural pluralism†, we are encouraged to take multicultural view, in which we attempt to address the elements of both shared national culture and individual and/or family culture together. † (Davidson Phelan, 1993) 1. What is cultural diversity? Give few examples of cultural diversity in your answer. 2. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to the cultural diversity among students. 177i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 177 7. 2 RACES AND ETHINICITY DIVERSITY Race and ethnicity are factors contribute to students’diversity. Through race and ethnicity, we will be able to trace the students’root and cultural make up. Through this awareness then we can be fair in our treatment to all students in the classroom. As Ladson-Billings (1994) notes: â€Å"The notion of equity as sameness only makes sense when all students are exactly the same†. Ladson-Billings (1994) In reality we are different in race, ethnicity, culture and ways of life. Therefore we should take advantage of these differences by learning other languages, about food and dances. Students would respect teachers who know about their students’languages other than their own because it enhances their knowledge about the students and make their communiaction with the students easier. In Malaysia, we have di? erent race that are Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasian and others. Within the races, we have sub-groups or ethnicity. Examples of the sub-groups or ethnicity are listed in table 7. 1. Table 7. 1: Races and it sub-groups or ethnicity in Malaysia. Race Malays Chinese Sub-groups or ethnicity ? †¢? Javanese? Malays? †¢? Bugis? Malays †¢? Kelantanese Malays †¢? Johorean? Malays †¢? Malaccan? Malays? etc. Chinese come from many parts of China which contribute to ethnic di? erences such as: ? †¢? Hokkien ? †¢? Cantonese ? †¢? Hailam? and? etc. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 178 7. 3 LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY Linguistic diversity is one of the elements that contributes to student’s diversity. Your class will have language diversity, and you will have to realize that you need to be sensitive to this linguistic diversity and adjust accordingly. In Malaysia, we are lucky because the medium of instruction is in Malay or Bahasa Melayu for all subjects except for English. Furthermore, English is regarded as the second language andball students must pass the subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level or the form 5 national exam. It moulds young generations of Malaysia to at least mastering three languages, namely Bahasa Melayu, the English language, and their mother tongue. With this capacity, it enhances the Malaysians to understand each other and to live harmoniously. Tan (2003) suggested two ways to teachers in addressing language diversity as shown in Figure 7. 3, which are Facilitating English, and Immersion and Transitional Methods. Indians ? †¢? Tamil? Nadu ? †¢? Hindustani ? †¢? Benggali ? †¢? Pakistani ? †¢? Bangla? (Bangladesh)? ? †¢? Bangla? (Sri? Lanka)? and? etc.? These races and ethnicities also contribute to language differences. 1. What are race and ethnicity diversity? Give few examples of race and ethnicity in Malaysia. 2. Can you understand other race or ethnic language? List out the advantages for teachers if they know their student languages. Figure 7. 3: Two suggested ways in addressing language diversity by Tan(2003) 179i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 179 Let us examine those approaches. (a) Facilitating English Enhancing the mastering of the English language among students can help overcome the problem of communication with others in the school and outside the school. Teaching English to all students is regarded as a tool for cultural understanding and communication among students. We can emphasize comprehension in our classroom. If you can understand the student and the student can understand you, then achievement can continue. Increased student achievement should be our overall instructional goal, regardless of linguistic diversity issues. (b) â€Å"Immersion† and Transitional Method Traditionally, we believed â€Å"immersion† approach was the best way to move children to standard language usage. In this approach, from the beginning till the end, the instructor uses only the language to be learned. It becomes, then, a â€Å"sink or swim† proposition. †¢ Some children swim, they thrive under these conditions; they learn the language with few problems. †¢ Other students, however, sink; they do not learn the language and suffer inside and outside of class. Similarly, linguistically diverse students can sink or swim in language learning. Conversely, teacher may use transitional or balance bilingual strategies for adding standard language as a shared communicative tool are being examined. These approaches start with the language the student brings into the classroom and build on family and cultural language to promote standard language usage. Read on an example case below: Several? years? ago,? a? Massachusetts? teacher,? Gary? Simpkins,? attempted? to? move? his African-American students toward standard American English usage by developing? an? approach? called? â€Å"Bridge†? (Shells,? 1976).? He? used? transitional? strategies? whereby? the? students? learn? English? at rst? in? their? language-Black? English in reading, writing and oral communication. Midway through, he taught partly? Black? English? and? partly? standard? American? English.? By? the? end? of? the? instructional period, he taught all in standard American English but still aloud  student? to? use? Black-English? for? less? formal? communication. The implementation of approach above yielded â€Å"promising† results. 1. What is linguistic diversity? 2. Explain how teacher can help the students overcome language differences. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 180 7. 4 LEARNING STYLE OR COGNITIVE STYLE DIVERSITY 7. 4. 1 De? nition of Learning Style and Cognitive Style Kagan is one of the earliest psychologists who introduced the re? ective and impulsive cognitive style. Later, Witkin and Coodenough(1977) founded the concept of ? eld- independent and dependent cognitive style(Borich Tombari, 1997). Another earliest psychologist, Massick proposed the concept of cognitive style. According to Massick: â€Å"Cognitive style is stable attitudes preferences or habitual strategies determining a person’s typical modes of perceiving, remembering, thinking and problem solving. † Messick (1976, p5) Later, there are various de? nitions for learning style or cognitive style by psychologists, depending on their views and perspectives as shown in Table 7. 2. Table 7. 2: Various de? nitions of Learning Style and Cognitive Style by psychologists. Tan et. al. (2003) Psychologist De? nition of Learning Style and Cognitive Style Henson and Eller (1999, p505). â€Å"Learning? styles? are? biological? and? socialized? di? erences? or? preferences for how students learn. Where as cognitive style is students’most comfortable, consistent, and expedient ways of perceiving? and? making? sense? of? information. † Tan et. al. (2003) ? â€Å"Learning? style? is? how? elements? from? basic? stimuli? in? the? current? and past environment a? ect an individual’s ability to absorb and retain information. † Henson and Eller (1999, p505) †¢? In? this? de? nition,? Tan? stressed? the? in? uence? of? biological? and? socialization? in? moulding? students’? learning? style. †¢? Henson? and? Eller? stress? on? basic? stimuli?that? a? ect? individual’s? learning style. 181i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 181 Woolfolk (2004, p603), Sternberg (1997) ? â€Å"Learning? preferences? is? preferred? ways? of? studying? or? learn- ing,? such? as? using? pictures? instead? of? text,? working? with? other? people versus alone, learning in structured or unstructured situation, and so on. Whereas a cognitive style is di? erent ways? of? perceiving? and? organizing? information. † Woolfolk ? â€Å"Learning? and? thinking? styles? are? not? abilities,? but? rather? preferred ways of using one’s abilities. † (Santrock, 2008, p132). †¢? Woolfolk? proposed? that? learning? styles?as? characteristic? approaches to learning and studying. †¢? She? also? equates? learning? styles? and? learning? preferences. †¢? According? to? Sternberg,? intelligence? refers? to? ability. †¢? Individual? vary? so? much? in? thinking? and? learning? style,? ? literally? hundreds? of? learning? and? thinking? styles? have? been? proposed by educators and psychologist. So from these de? nitions, we ? nd overlapping views on learning styles and cognitive styles. We can conclude that: Learning style and cognitive style cover many domains such as physical, psychological, audio, visual, kinaesthetic, etc. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7. 182 7. 4. 2 Types of Learning Styles According to Butler, there are few types of learning styles(Butler, 1989 in Tan, 2003) such as explained below. (a) Psychological/Affective styles †¢ One of the instruments to assess individual’s learning style for this type of learning style is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). †¢ This instrument will reveal how a student feel about him/herself and how self-esteem developed is linked to learning. (b) Physiological Styles †¢ There are few instruments in this category such as: Honey and Munford Learning Styles Inventory, Kolb Learning style inventory, Modality Preferences Inventory, etc. †¢ These instruments show individual of her/his consistent ways to facilitate learning through the use of the senses or environmental stimuli. †¢ These instruments also show hemispheric specialisation (i. e. right or left brain), auditory, visual, kinaesthetic, olfactory preferences or preferences for environmental conditions. (c) Cognitive Styles †¢ Students may utilize cognitive styles such as ? eld-dependent or independent, impulsive or re? ective, whole or serial, etc. †¢ These instruments measure consistent ways of responding and using stimuli in the environment, how things are perceived and make sense, the most comfortable, expedientnand pleasurable way to process information. 7. 4. 3 Measurement of Learning Styles and Cognitive Styles Since students’ preferred styles of learning in? uence their achievements and teachers’ learning styles in? uence their instructional choices, it is suggested that teacher and students take the test we describe below. (a) Modality Preference Inventory Through this inventory, teacher and students can classify their learning styles such as auditory, visual or kinaesthetic. To assess an individual’s learning style, he/she has to respond to the questions shown in Figure 7. 4. 183i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 183 Learning Styles. Modality Preference Inventory Read each statement and select the appropriate number response as it applies to you. Often (3) Sometimes (2) Seldom/Never (1) Visual Modality †¢? I? remember? information? better? if? I? write? it? down. †¢? Looking? at? the? person? helps? keep? me? focused. †¢? I? need? a? quiet? space? to? get? my? work? done. †¢? When? I? take? a? test,? I? can? see? the? textbook? page? in? my? head. †¢? I? need? to? write? down? directions,? not? just? take? them? verbally. †¢? Music? or? background? noise? distracts? my? attention? from? the? task? at? hand. †¢? I? don’t? always? get? the? meaning? of? a? joke. †¢? I? doodle? and? draw? pictures? on? the? margins? of? my? notebook? pages. †¢? I? react? very? strongly? to? colors. †¢? Total Auditory Modality ? †¢? My? papers? and? notebooks? always? seem? messy. ? †¢? When? I? read,? I? need? to? use? my? index nger? to? track? my? place? on the line. ? †¢? I? do? not? follow? written? directions? well. ? †¢? If? I? hear? something,? I? will? remember? it. ? †¢? Writing? has? always? been? di? cult? for? me. ? †¢? I? often? misread? words? from? the? text? (eg,? them? for? then) ? †¢? I? would? rather? listen? and? learn? than? read? and? learn. ? †¢? I’m? not? very? good? at? interpreting? an?individual’s? body? language. ? †¢? Pages? with? small? print? or? poor? quality? copies? are? di? cult? for? me to read. ? †¢? My? eyes? tire? quickly,? even? though? my? vision? check-up? is? always ?ne. ? †¢? Total Kinesthetic Modality †¢? I? start? a? project? before? reading? the? directions. †¢? I? hate? to? sit? at? a? desk? for? long? periods? of? time. †¢? I? prefer? to? see? something? done? and? then? to? do? it? myself. †¢? I? use? the? trial? and? error? approach? to? problem-solving. †¢? I? like? to? read? my? textbook? while? riding? an? exercise? bike. †¢? I? take? frequent? study? breaks. †¢? I? have? di? culty? giving? step-by-step? instructions. †¢? I? enjoy? sports? and? do? well? at? several? di? erent? types? of? sports. †¢? I? use? my? hands? when? describing? things. †¢? I? have? to? rewrite? or? type? my? class? notes? to? reinforce? the? material. †¢? Total Total the score for each section. A score of 21 points or more in a modality indicates a strength in that area. The? highest? of? the? 3? scores? indicates? the? most? e? cient? method? of? information? intake.? The? second? highest? score indicates the modality which boosts the primary strength. Figure 7. 4:Example of questions should be responded by students to measure their learning styles. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 184 (b) Field-Dependent and Independent Teacher or student may utilize Field-Dependent or Independent Cognitive Style in percep- tion or information processing. Field-Independent learners perceive items as more or less separate from the surrounding ? eld. They are interested in concept for their own sake. They have self-de? ned goals and function successfully in self-structured situations and impersonal learning environments. For ? eld-dependent learners, their mode of learning is strongly in? uenced by the prevailing context or setting. They are more aware of their surroundings as they learn. These learners value practical information. They can memorize human faces and social facts such as best friend’s birth date more easily than ? eld- independent learners. Garger and Guild(1987) have summarized the characteristics of ? eld-independent and ?eld-dependent learners. These are illustrated in Table 7. 3. From this table it is clear that, at least in the extremes, the two styles are very different. Table 7. 3 Characteristics of Field-Dependent and Independent learners. Perceives globally. Perceives analytically. FIELD-DEPENDENT FIELD-INDEPENDENT Makes broad general distinctions among concepts, sees relationships. Learns material with social content best. Requires externally de? ned goals and reinforcements. Makes speci? c concept distinctions, little overlap. Learns social material only as an intentional task. Has self-de? ned goals and reinforcements. Experiences in a global fashion, adheres to structures as given. Social orientation. Attends best to material relevant to own experience. Needs organization provided. Experiences in an articulate fashion, imposes structures of restrictions. Impersonal orientation. Interested in new concepts for their own sake. Can self-structure situations. Learning Styles- Dependence and Independence Descriptions. 185i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 185 More a? ected by criticism. Less a? ected by criticism. Uses spectator approach for concept attainment. Uses hypothesis-testing approach to attain concepts. Teacher and students can assess their cognitive style using Embedded Figures Test (EFT) or Group Embedded Figures Test(GEFT). In this test, they have to recognize geometry ?gure, which are embedded in the picture or in the background. Those who can recognize the ? gure faster than the others are learners with the ? eld-independent style and those who take longer than a few seconds or cannot ? nd the ? gure at all, can be classi? ed as ? eld- dependent learners. Figure 7. 5 illustrates an example of Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Recognize? the? geometry gure,? which? are? embedded? in? the? designs? picture.? INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 186 Answer: Figure 7. 5: An example of Embedded Figure Test (EFT) If you are a ? eld-independent teacher, you may be comfortable giving lectures and empha- sizing cognition. You may prefer offering corrective feedback, using negative feedback as warranted, and you may use grades and personal goal charts motivationally. If you are a ? eld-dependent teacher, you may prefer interaction and conversation with your  students. You may rely less on corrective feedback and little on negative evaluations. You also like to establish a warm and personal environment and prefer to motivate through external reward such as verbal praise. Many educational psychologist views that if the teacher cognitive style match with the student cognitive style, students? will? bene? t? most? and? vice? versa.? Student? learn? best when there is congruence between their preferred teaching style. Unfortunately, most teachers ignore student’s? cognitive? style? because? it? takes? longer? time? for? them to prepare lesson plan and devices or activities to  ful? l their needs. 1. What is cognitive style and learning style? 2. Give a few examples of learning or cognitive styles. 187i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 187 7. 5 GENDER DIFFERENCES Linguistic diversity is one of the elements that contributes to student’s diversity. Your class will have language diversity, and you will have to realize that you need to be sensitive to this linguistic diversity and adjust accordingly. In Malaysia, we are lucky because the medium of instruction is in Malay or Bahasa Melayu for all subjects except for English. Furthermore, English is regarded as the second language  and all students must pass the subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysialevel or the form 5 national exam. It moulds young generations of Malaysia to at least mastering three languages, namely Bahasa Melayu, the English language, and their mother tongue. With this capacity, it enhances the Malaysians to understand each other and to live harmoniously. Tan (2003) suggested two ways to teachers in addressing language diversity as shown in Figure 7. 3, which are Facilitating English, and Immersion and Transitional Methods. In Asian society, being a girl or a boy has signi? cant impact. The people usually adore boys than girls. It’s because most Asian country are rice bowl or dependent on agriculture where the man are more utilizable in manual jobs than ladies. But they forget, in terms of resilience and patience, the women are the winners! Now, let us examine gender-related student differences in several ways and explore their implications for teaching. Are you resent being a girl? You don’t have to. Accept things as it is. (a) Developmental rates According? to? Egan? and? Kauchak: â€Å"Di? erences exist in boys’ and girls’ developmental rates. Girls develop faster with? di? erences? in? verbal? and? motor? skills? appearing? at? an? early? age.? Boys?and? girls? are? di? erent in other areas as well, and these di? erences appear as early as the preschool years. Girls tend to play with dolls and other girls and to gravitate toward activities such as? make-believe? and? dress-up.? Boys? play? with? blocks,? cars,? dinosaurs,? and? other? boys. † (Egan and Kauchak, 1997). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 188 We? can? observe? society? and? family,? school? and? work? place? treat? girls and boys di? erently. In the family, they are treated di? erently from the day they were born. †¢? Baby? girls? are? given? pink? blankets,? are? called? cute? and? handled? delicately. †¢? Baby? boys? are? dressed? in? blue,? are? regarded? as? handsome,? and are seen as tougher, better coordinated, and hardier. Di? erences in treatment continue in later years. In high school, girls? become? cheerleaders? for? the? boys,? who? become? basketball? or? football players. (b) Family treatment (c) Expectation for school success (d) Academic area These di? erences also include expectation for school success. Parents? probably? communicate? di? erent? expectations? for? their? sons and daughters. Researchers have found that: Research on gender e? ects founded di? erences in boys and girls in di? erent academic areas. According? to? Maccoby? and? Jacklin, â€Å"Parents’? gender-stereotyped? attitudes? toward? girls’? ability? in? math,? adversely? in? uence? their? daughters’? achievement? in? math? and their attitudes toward it. † (Nagy-Jacklin, 1989 in Egan Kauchak, 1997) â€Å"Boys? did? better? in? math? and? on? visual? and? spatial? tasks,? example? tasks? in? geometry.? Girls? did? better? in? on? verbal? skills? such? as? in? languages. † (Maccoby Jacklin, 1974) 189i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 189 Boys? and? girls? also? received? di? erent? treatment? in? school.? Both? male? and? female? teacher? treat? boys? and? girls? di?erently. They? interact? with? the? boys? more? often? and? ask? them? more? questions,? and? those? questions? are? more? conceptual? and abstract. (e) Treatment in school Gender stereotyping also in? uences career decisions. According to Kochenberger-Stroeher: Signi? cantly, when children choose non-traditional roles for males or females, their choices are based on personal experience. â€Å"Di? erences in students’ view of gender-appropriate careers appear as early as kindergarten. † (Kochenberger-Stroeher, 1994) ? â€Å"One? of? the? most? powerful? factors? in? uencing? school? performance? is? socio-economic? status? (SES),?the? combination? of? parents’? income,? occupations,? and? level? of? education.? SES? consistently? predicts? intelligence? and? achievement? test? scores,? grades,? truancy? and dropout and suspension rates. † (Ballantine, 1989 in Egan Kauchak, 1997) 1. Why teacher treat boys and girls differently? 2. Give few examples of different treatment to boys and girls. 3. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to gender differences. 7. 6 DIFFERENCES IN SOCIO? ECONOMIC STATUS According to Ballantine; INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 190 Many? families? lack? in? proper? nourishment,? and? adequate? medical? care.? Poverty? also? in? uences? the? quality? of? home-life,? unstable? work? conditions? increased? economic? problems? that? lead to parental frustration, anger and depression. These pressures? can? lead? to? family? scattered,? marital? con? ict? and? nurturing homes. The impact of SES is also transmitted through parental attitudes and values where their attitudes and values are different. Example is in interaction pattern. †¢ Low SES parents are more likely to â€Å"tell,† rather than explain. †¢ High SES parents, in contrast, talk more with their children, explain ideas and the cause of events, and encourage independent thinking. Walbergs observed that: â€Å"High SES parents are more likely to ask â€Å"wh† questions (who, when, where, why) promoting language development, provide strong foundation for reading and vocabulary development. † (Walberg, 1991) 191i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 191 The educational aspirations parents have for their children are probably the most powerful variables a? ecting achievement.? Parents? who? expect? their? children? to? graduate? from high school and to attend college have children who do well than parents who have low aspirations. These expecta- tions are communicated through dialogue betweenparents and children.? Low? SES? parents? in? contrast,? allow? their? children? to? â€Å"drift† into classes and often got loss in the shu? e and failed in their lives. The differences between low and high SES families also re? ect the emphasis placed on student’s autonomy and responsibility. High-SES parents emphasize self-direction, self- control, and individual responsibility while low-SES parents, in contrast, place greater emphasis on conformity and obedience. 1. What is meant by parents’ SES differences? 2. Give few examples impact of SES on student’s aspirations, attitudes and values. 3. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to SES bdifferences. 7. 7 WAYS IN EMBRACING DIVERSITIES To be a good teacher, you should know the ways to embracing diversities among your students. Below are the discussions on how to handle your student’s diversities in the gender differences, cultural, race and ethnicity, learning style, socio–economy and linguistic differences. (a) Gender differences It is not easy to eliminate gender differences in the class, but to make teacher cautious and not gender bias, Figure 7. 6 shows some recommendations warrant that need to be considered. Avoid stereotypical language. (Example: â€Å"Okay, guys lets get work†) Provide equal opportunities for males and females. (Example: club membership). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 192 In eliminating race and ethnicity, we move toward moulding one Malaysian nation with the same identity and characteristics such as same language and same spirit. One of the ways to unite Malaysians is through education system where all races study in the same school, same college and same university. All Malay- sian? know? and? appreciate? the? same? food? like? nasi lemak, roti canai, the tarik, tosay,mee teow, mee suah and etc. In coping with students with learning styles diversity, teacher  may use multi-approach in instruction such as cooperative learning which is suitable for ? eld-dependent students and doing experiment and also suitable for ? Eld-independent students. During instruction, teacher may use diagram and charts which is suitable for visual learner, using records and video tapes? which? is? suitable? for? auditory? learners? and? utilize? hands-on experience such as experimenting for tactile learners. Reduce or oust gender-typed activities. (Example: Girls have to cook, boys wash the car). Figure 7. 6: Some recommendations warrant that need to be consider to eliminate gender  differences in the class. (b) Cultural diversity In eliminating cultural diversity, teacher may utilize assimilation, amalgamation or cultural pluralism approach. In Malaysia we are encouraged to utilize cultural pluralism approach. (c) Race and ethnicity (d) Learning styles diversity 193i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 193 Teacher have to help students from poor family to excel by motivating them to learn, give extra-class to help them catch up? with? the? other? students,? maybe? organizing? charity? work? to? earn? money? that? can? be? donated? to? the? poor? students.? Later,? teacher? can? also?

A Good Idea :: essays research papers

A Good Idea   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have lost my faith. At times I even call myself an atheist. I do not believe in god and have not since just recently. My mother was a kind, strong willed, caring individual. She also had cancer. My mother became a symbol of fighting this disease because she fought off six reoccurrences in eight years. God decided she should die. If there was a â€Å"God† then why would he let someone who was an inspiration to so many, leave us? I just do not understand. This movie however was able to reach that little part of me that still wonders if there is a being out there that watches us all. Writer/director Kevin Smith accomplishes this by doing away with all the religious jargon and approaches it in a whole new way in his latest comedy Dogma. This work of comedic genius follows Bethany, a Planned Parenthood employee who has lost all faith in god, on her holy crusade to save the world from being blinked out of existence in of all places, New Jersey. Smith takes a new approach to an old subject with Dogma. His ability to transform ideas into scripts and plotlines makes him one of the most brilliant and artistic writer/directors of his generation. Smith takes the religion of Christianity and explains it in ways that seem to bring it to life. Jesus is no longer just a character in a bible story; he appears to us as man who suddenly carries the weight of the world on his back. The holy icon is given friends, personality, and even a sense of humor. Smith is able to accomplish all of this without actually presenting Jesus as a character. The main idea of this movie is presented in a scene that unfolds in a strip joint of all places. Serendipity, a muse, explains to Bethany the explicit argument of the movie: I have issues with anyone that treats God like a burden instead of a blessing like some Catholics. You people don’t celebrate your faith, your morn it. It's not about who's right or wrong. No denomination's nailed it yet, because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you faith in, just that you have faith. Your hearts are in the right place, but your brains gotta wake up. This statement encompasses everything Smith wanted to say. I happen to agree with him.