The role of meta-cognition in teaching Mathematics to the Essay

The role of meta-cognition in teaching Mathematics to the International Baccalaureate Primary Year Program learners - Essay Example It is for this importance that mathematics holds in our everyday life that the approach towards the teaching of mathematics in school must be done with so much circumspection. Because mathematics is part of our everyday life, it must be taught in such a way that students will adopt concepts through relational learning rather than though rote learning. According to Fox (2009), relational learning has taken place when teachers realize that â€Å"learning isn’t just an academic exercise designed to score individuals on their ability to regurgitate information. Rather, it is a lifelong process of understanding truth, gaining wisdom, and making better life decisions† and therefore approaches teaching with methods that are interactive and practical. This is particularly important to ensure at the basic level such as the International Baccalaureate Primary Years. This is because at the primary level, students’ understanding of what they learn is dependent upon relating ideas to their own experience (Junior Achievement Michiana, 2007). One educational concept that plays major role when talking about relational or practical learning of mathematics is meta-cognition. Key words: Cognition, Metacognition. The term Cognition and Metacognition Cherry (2011) defines cognition as â€Å"the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension, including thinking, knowing, remembering, judging and problem-solving.† Metacognition refers to one's knowledge concerning one's own cognitive processes or anything related to them, e.g. the learning-of relevant properties of information or data.(Flavell, 1976, p. 232). This means that Metacognitive knowledge can be described as the knowledge, awareness, and deeper understanding of one’s own cognitive processes and products (Flavell 1976). Metacognitive skills can be seen as the voluntary control people have over their own cognitive processes (Brown 1987). This transformation suggests changes both in curricular content and instructional style. It involves renewed effort to focus on: †¢ Seeking solutions, not just memorizing procedures; †¢ Exploring patterns, not just memorizing formulas; †¢ Formulating conjectures, not just doing exercises. As teaching begins to reflect these emphases, students will have opportunities to study as an exploratory, dynamic, evolving discipline rather than as a rigid, absolute, closed body of laws to be memorized. For instance in Mathematics: When we solve the sum or a problem we are using ‘Cognition’, that is we are forced to think of different strategies to solve the problem and ‘Metacognition‘ is when we cross-check the answer, maybe we could scrutinize each and every alternative in a multiple-choice task before deciding which is the best one. According to Lucangeli et al (1995), since Flavell introduced the concept of metacognition in 1976, most authors agree that the construct can be differentiat ed into a knowledge and skills component. It has long been assumed that metacognition—thinking about one’s own thoughts—is a uniquely human ability. Yet a decade of research suggests that, like humans, other animals can differentiate between what they know and what they do not know. They opt out of difficult trials; they avoid tests they are unlikely to answer correctly; and they make riskier ‘‘bets’’ when their memories are accurate than they do when their memori

Structure And Organization Of The Petroleum Industry Economics Essay

Structure And Organization Of The Petroleum Industry Economics Essay From driving industries globally to heating our homes and fuelling our cars, oil plays a major role in our lives as consumers but most people are yet to ask themselves how the industry that produces this oil has evolved to what it is now. The petroleum industry has evolved overtime and the use of its products has also grown to become an essential part of todays global economy (Business and Economic Research Advisor, 2006). The petroleum industry is involved in the global business of discovering oil, extracting it from the subsurface, refining it into a variety of useable products, distributing it through pipelines and oil tankers, and finally marketing it for public use (Wikipedia, 2010). While some companies in the industry (integrated companies) perform all these functions, others only perform one or some of them (independents) (Davies, 1999). The source of energy that currently provides most of the worlds energy demands as well as raw material that the petroleum and chemical industries refine into a variety of essential industrial and chemical products came with the development of the petroleum industry in the nineteenth and twentieth century. These products include amongst others fertilizers, pesticides, solvents, pharmaceuticals and plastics. Products derived from crude oil refining are grouped into gasoline (motor spirit/fuel), heating oil, middle distillates (jet fuel, diesel for vehicles and other motor engines), kerosene for cooking and fuel oil (boiler fuel for industry, power and shipping). According to the American Petroleum Institute, the industry is divided into sectors that cover all the procedures involved in finding, producing, processing, transporting and marketing oil and gas. These include: upstream- involved in exploration and production of oil and gas using advanced geology to high-tech offshore drilling platforms; downstream- involved in refining and marketing. It also includes the transportation of products using tankers from local terminals to service stations and ownership and operations in retail outlets; pipeline- involved in the movement of oil from ocean platforms and wells on land to refineries and finally to terminals where they are released to retail outlets; marine- comprises all aspects of petroleum and its products movement by water, including port operations, maritime fighting and oil spill response; service and supply- includes companies that provide supplies, services, design and engineering support for exploration, drilling, refining and oth er operations. Prior to oil being commercially discovered and drilled in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, which saw the birth of the modern petroleum industry, natural petroleum served the primary purpose of kerosene for lighting and heating. In the early twentieth century, the use of coal as the worlds primary energy source was eventually replaced by oil and as gasoline for the newly invented internal combustion engine (Jones, 2005). Oil and gas development has evolved overtime. Their use has also grown to become an essential part of todays global economy. As oil and gas powers todays economy, its availability and control was important in both world wars and it still remains the critical fuel source that powers industry and transportation (BERA, 2006). With oil being commercially available in the US, the first major oil company, the Standard Oil Company was formed by J.D Rockefeller in 1870 and United States became the worlds giant in oil production until the end of World War two when the Middle East countries took the lead. The post world war era witnessed the union of Anglo-Saxon companies called the Seven Sisters as coined by Enrico Mattei, an Italian entrepreneur. They included four companies and three others ( Standard Oil Companies of New Jersey- Esso, New York- SOCONY, and California- SOCAL) formed by the break-up of Standard Oil Company in 1911 by the U.S government when the Companys operations were declared monopolistic and infringing the Countrys unique antitrust law as of then (Jones, 2005). The Seven sisters were vertically integrated international companies according to Jones (2005) that arose because of the need to ensure efficient operations of the refineries to assure and manage oil flows, secure outlets for crude oil and adjust to short-run changes in the demand for different products in different areas. They were involved at all stages in the industry from exploration and production of crude oil to marketing the products to its final consumers. They also diversified into fertilizers, pe trochemicals and other industries that utilized petroleum derivatives as raw materials. Except in North America and the communist countries, the seven sisters were responsible for 85% of gross crude oil production and 72% of refinery globally in the 1950s and they all made the list in the 1956 ranking of the worlds largest industrial firms by revenue (Jones, 2005). Intra-firm trades and the vertically integrated status of the multinationals had began to decline at the beginning of the 1950s as host governments policies to increase ownership and control over resources did not favour them. This was the period of nationalization with the majors, who had been strong players in the Middle East and other OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries, being dealt massive blows by the nationalization of assets in the Middle East and other countries (Davies, 1999). From the late 1960s, this trend led to the expropriation of foreign assets (nationalization without compensation) and the formation of national cartels intended to enhance the bargaining power of host countries against the seven sisters. A typical case was the formation of OPEC in 1960 by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. They were involved in product pricing and quota sharing but overtime their influence was no more successful than the seven sisters in price re gulation in the long-run (Jones, 2005). The state owned national oil companies sprung up as a result of the nationalization during this period and foreign ownership of resources declined. Significant in the industrys development in the 70s and 80s was a change in the corporate structure of the industry and the policies of the host governments. New entrants emerged as the industry became more global in nature. Other world markets in Europe, Asia and Russia and began to play a much greater role and the seven sisters now had competitors. Amongst these were the U.S European State-owned oil companies like ENI, Italys AGIP and Frances CFP. Others who joined the competition for concession and market were independents like the U.S Occidental, Getty Oil, Continental and Amerada. Their involvement, increased the bargaining power of producer governments, weakened the control of multinationals over world oil prices and made the industry highly competitive forcing the incumbent multinationals to diversify into other industries but this was hardly successful (Jones, 2005). Despite the extensive global changes in the technology, markets and geopolitics, the structure of the industry had remained fairly intact some few years ago but in 1998/99 a period of corporate consolidation was introduced bring an abrupt end to this era of fair constancy (Davies,1999). From a series of mergers and acquisition between 1998 and 2002 in response to a severe deflation in oil prices was the emergence of the super majors in the industry. They included non-state owned companies like British Petroleum (BP), Total, ConocoPhilips, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron. In an attempt to hedge against oil price volatility, improve economies of scale and reduce large cash reserves through reinvestment, they began merging in the nineties. BP acquired Amoco in 1998. From a merger of Esso and Mobil, ExxonMobil arose in 1999. Total Fina Elf arose from the merger between Total, Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine in 2000. A merger of Chevron and Texaco in 2001 created Chevron Texaco and finally in 2002 Conoco Inc. and Philips Petroleum Company became ConocoPhilips (Wikipedia, 2010). In some cases, these mergers at the micro-level increased profit but they were insufficient at having a major impact upon corporate level returns and profitability (Davie, 1999). Presently, the only survivors of the seven sisters are BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron contributing only 10% of the worlds oil and gas production and they hold only 3% of reserves with the states from developing countries owning the remainder. This notwithstanding, their integrated nature pushes their revenue higher than those of the new entrants (Jones, 2005). An interesting development as reported by the financial times of March 11, 2007 is the existence of the new seven sisters. They have become the most influential state-owned companies controlling nearly a third of the worlds oil and gas production. They include Gazprom (Russia), National Iranian Oil Company (Iran), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Malaysia), China National Petroleum Company (CNPC), Petroleos de Venezuela, (Venezuela) and Petroleo Brasileiro, Brazil (Wikipedia, 2010). From current trend of events, the industry is still evolving and further change is anticipated by some factors discussed herein. Firstly, oil reserves will decline because of the increased demand for petroleum resources globally. This will prove the Peak oil theory propounded by M. Hubbert in 1965. Regrettably, this has been unsubstantiated because of the continuous oil finds being made in other parts of the world and technological advancement which has allowed old oilfields once thought as depleted to be produced. Secondly, exploring in some parts of the world where finds has been made will require complex and cutting-edge technology making exploration difficult, expensive and highly risky. This may only favour the large companies as they will be equipped financially and technologically. Thirdly, the future petroleum industry will be increasingly competitive for oil prospect which may favour the super majors as they possess more technical know-how, finance and popularity. Nevertheless, the nationally-owned companies (NOCs) may be a strong match for them as they are supported by their state governments and also have the wherewithal to seek for concession. Fourthly, the wish of some countries to create their own oil companies and the concern about energy security is likely to increase resource nationalism in the near future. Unfortunately, this will be a minus for the super majors but a plus for the NOCs. As aftermaths of these possible future changes, there are likely to be more mergers and acquisitions, drop in the quota contributed by the individually-owned multinationals, shift of investment from petroleum to alternative energy forms and complete diversification of the majors from production to become companies servicing the NOCs. In conclusion, the petroleum industry plays a vital role in driving worldwide economy because its resources are considered amongst the worlds most important. This importance attached to petroleum would be reduced if the world diversified to alternative energy forms, some of which are renewable. This will not only reduce the influence of the industrys giant but it will also prolong the life of petroleum reserves, encourage the use of alternative energy such as natural gas, wind and nuclear power, and make our environments safe by reducing air pollution, global warming, acid rain and other environmental issues. Despite participation by the NOCs in international oil markets, the industrys boundaries have widened. There are potentials for the majors to improve their profitability but they will not have the unique advantages that could allow them dominate the industry (Davies, 1999). From the popular saying, change is the only constant thing in nature, the petroleum industry has had its fair share of structural and organizational changes over the past years, which has resulted in the industry having the state-owned companies, five supermajors, over a dozen large independents (e.g Amerada Hess, Marathon etc) and small independents (e.g Anadarko, Talisman, Lasco, British Borneo etc) and the specialist firms (e.g Schlumberger, Weatherford, Halliburton etc) as its current structure.

To Autumn †A Proclamation of Life and Hope Essay -- Keats To Autumn E

To Autumn – A Proclamation of Life and Hope  Ã‚   The poem "To Autumn" is an amazing piece of work written by one of the greatest poets of all time, John Keats.   From a simple reading, the poem paints a beautiful picture of the coming season.   However, one may wonder if there is more to the poem than what the words simply say.   After it is studied and topics such as sound, diction and imagery are analyzed, one can clearly say that Keats used those techniques to illustrate the progression of death, and to show that there is still life at the end of life.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the very beginning of "To Autumn,† sound appears to be an important aspect of Keats’s technique.   When the words are studied, there is an even mixture of loud and soft sounds.   Some soft sounding words – words that use consonant sounds that are soft when spoken such as an s -- include mists, close, son, bless, mossed, and trees.   There are also the hard sounding words – words that use consonant sounds that are loud when spoken such as a b or t -- like maturing, round, thatch, and budding.   The words do not appear to be randomly used, but they seem to have a pattern: the hard and soft sounds come in pairs.   In the second line, we see, "close bosom friend of the maturing sun.†Ã‚   Close and bosom go together, with close being loud and soft with the hard c and soft s, and bosom being loud and soft with the b and s.   The words â€Å"maturing sun† are not placed together haphazardly either.   Maturing is a v ery hard word with the m and t sound; sun is a very soft word, beginning with an s.   Also, in the third line Keats says, â€Å"Conspiring with him how to load and bless.†Ã‚   Autumn is conspiring . . . to load (loud due to the p and d sounds) and bless (soft due to the double s soun... ...cluding lively images such as crickets singing, red breasts whistling, and swallows twittering.   This ends Keats message of the vitality at the conclusion of life.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keats used the poem "To Autumn" to illustrate the progression of death and the existence of hope and life in the face of impending death.   He uses sound by moving from a mixture of loud and soft words in stanza one, to mainly soft in stanza two, to a complete mixture in stanza three of soft then loud.   He also uses diction and imagery by reflecting the quick and kinesthetic constitution of youth, the slow and full characteristics of the coming death, and the arrested and barren traits of death, and finally, the resounding proclamation of life and hope in the very end.   Works Cited: Keats, John. "To Autumn." Columbia Granger's World of Poetry. CD-ROM. Rel. 2.2. New York: Columbia UP, 1995.

Advertising and Promotional Culture Essay

Race and Class in Verizon TV Ads No matter what are the patterns of the ads, the ultimate purpose of ad is attracting public attentions and selling the products. Based on different consumption groups, the ads from the same brand also need to change the advertising images, backgrounds and lines, to reach as many consumers as possible. Verizon Communication Inc is one of the most famous broadband and telecommunications company in United States. Its service range is very broad, including mobile phone, TV and Internet, and its consumption groups covers low class, middle class and upper class people. In this paper, I will analysis the class and racial elements in Verizon 4G LTE commercial and Verizon Mobile Devices and Healthcare commercial. Applying multi-racial advertising talents and different story telling methods, Verizon stresses on the class segregation while pays less attention on racial differences. This advertising strategy helps Verizon divide its consumption groups based on their consumption abilities. It is not only one method to avoid the disadvantage of racial selling, which easily limits the consumption groups, but also direct the company to improve the services to satisfy each specific class better. The Verizon 4G LTE commercial is also called â€Å"Bad Idea† commercial. Just as the African American guys keep saying â€Å"Whassup† in the Budweiser ad, Verizon keep showing the bold black â€Å"Bad Idea† sign after the men in the ad say some bad ideas. The background of the ad is a group of lower class men gather together and play basketball. During the break, they chat and share informations. â€Å"You guys check it out, household bleach. † â€Å"Look Good. † â€Å"I know, right? † Then the â€Å"Bad Idea† comes out with a sting sound. I tell you what saves the gas money. My kids hitchhike to the school. † â€Å"Great Call. † Then the â€Å"Bad Idea† sign comes out again. After two more guys share their information and both have been categorized as â€Å"Bad Idea†, the fifth man comes over, says, â€Å"Surprisingly the Verizon 4G LTE is like 6 times bigger, but I am going AT&T†. Instead of showing the â€Å"Bad Idea† sign again, the voiceover tell the consumers what is the â€Å"Good Idea†, â€Å"There are good ideas and bad, with over 6 times more coverage, Verizon, is the good idea†. This ad uses a sarcastic way to impress the people of lower class and the spectacular consumption strategy to sell the service. To sell the product to a group of people, ads always build up the environment and back ground they familiar with first. Watts defined spectacular consumption as â€Å"a process through which the relations among cultural forms, the culture industry, and the lived experiences of persons are shaped by public consumption†. The group of men in the ad have economic pressure and family burden so they come up their own ideas to save the money. Maybe playing basketball on weekends is their only chance to get rid of work and family messes, so they exercise, brag and relax. The group of men in the ad is the epitome of the lower class men in the United States. Their income is limited so they hope for better quality services with reasonable prices. And this the reason that Verizon keeps telling the men in front of the TV that their 4G is over 6 times more coverage compared to AT&T, which means we have better quality than AT&T and fair price. People’s consumption habits can easily be effected by the surrounding people. The same situation happens in the ad. Though most of the ideas come from those guys are bad ideas, but their friends are willing to accept it. And this is the disadvantage of speculation consumption. Unless people can make right decisions, because good ideas always spread. And this is the ultimate direction that Verizon is willing to go. If the men do not want to make bad decisions and feel brighter in their peers, choosing Verizon is always a good proof. Unlike focusing on social class characteristics mostly, this ad add one African American talent to minimize the racial segregation. It cannot change the fact that even in this small group, it is still white man dominant, but the black talent definitely increase the group diversity and make this more likely in American society. The situation in the other commercial is the other way. This is the TV commercial expressing how Verizon contributed in the health care field. To create out the confidence and reliability of Verizon’s services, the talents who play doctors and nurses in the ad look tidy, calm and helpful. One of the similarities among them is they all use mobile devices to check out the medical records, 3D brian scanner pictures or drug information. The patients are the other essential consumption group that Verizon wants to attract, so Verizon states that patients can measure the heart rate and the contractions and send them directly to the clinic through mobile devices, as well as helping the patients memorize their illness history. All the advantages prove the Verizon tries to â€Å"improve collaborations between care givers and patients†. Also, instead of putting the lines into the talents’ mouth, this ad use the voiceover to tell us the benefits of the service. In this way, Verizon makes the ad more like a Public Addressing Ad instead of a commercial ad. It may makes the consumers feel that Verizon is not only one company which just care about their own profits, it also cares about the society and is willing to pay back. Compared to the former 4G ad portraying the simpleminded, funny and a little arrogant lower class men, this ads pictures doctors and nurses, middle and higher class people as warm-hearted, dedicated and smart. They are the best group to publicize the reliability of high technology. Verizon applies the graphics and the statistics to show how professional Verizon can be in healthcare field. I think the multi-racial aspect is worth mentioning in this ad. Cortese once said in her paper that â€Å"advertising images, as cultural commodities and social constructions, are sites of struggle along racial fault lines in the United States’s cultural landscape†(Cortese, 1), and I think it is a good example of the improvement of racial problem in this country. On the one hand, the white people in this ad is still more than the colored people. After all, the United States is still one white dominancy society, but at the same, it is also a big â€Å"Melting Pot†. So we can still find the Asian American and Latino/African American face from this ad. Moreover, because doctor and nursers are care givers, so they are in a powerful statues, while patients are considered as the care acceptors and they are in a weaker position. In order to show the equal presentation, the ad also categorizes the Asian American as the doctor and the Latino/African American as the patient instead of ask both of them to be the patients. Different company has various adverting strategy. Luxury brands need to show their sharp fashion taste while normal brands must present their money-saving advantage. But for brands like Verizon, which provides necessary services for almost every class people, they need to use diverse selling advertisements to hit all possible consumption groups. From the two typical Verizon ads, people can conclude that the selling strategy of Verizon is dividing consumption groups based on their social class instead of their races. It is a more realistic way to provide different costing plans to various income groups. And it can also attract all people who has this economical ability instead of blocking out of some potential consumers because racial discrimination. In this way, Verizon could possible to increase their consumer range and increase their profit.

Lazy Americans

A college professor wrote an article aboyt how she thinks American student are lazy. Different people have different oppinions on this subject. Although many believe that american students are lazy and others believe they are not. I think it just depends on your background, and family life. You cant just judge someone by what they dowithout knowing where they come from. Students from different countries have great work ethics, they pay attention well in class, and do really good on their work. most of their effprt comes from relations with family. For foreign students they come to ameica to study because the education is better so their parents bring them here. Foreign students work really hard , because they came here to study and they think that its a great opportunity. But i have also met some foreign exchange students that are lazy and have really bad work ethics, and i have talked to them and they are having problems at home. Most people tink that american students are lazy, but i have met some really out going Americans. My friend Sarah Doud, she is American and she is a 3. student andshe is a hard working student. I know i kid, his name is lewis. He is a 4. 0 student and is taking way advanced classes and he is american. Those two examples i just gave are American and hard working. And they come from loving families and have loving friends. I have also met some lazy americans as well, but they come from bad families that dont care about their childs grades. There are also the middle students who are American and dont do bad, but dont do good. These students come from families who dont really care about their grades. And its mostly students whos parents travelor are rarely home because of their work. But the students know better than to let their grades slip. These students are self motivated but i dont think that is enough. I think that they need more motivation. There are many lazy students, and there are also many hard working students. I think it just depends on the students family problems if any. Sure habits are hard to break, but there is a reason in the first place why they have those habbits. American teenages need more motivation, because i dont think they get enough.

Base Definition in Chemistry

Base Definition in Chemistry In chemistry, a base is a chemical species that donates electrons, accepts protons, or releases hydroxide (OHs of bases include alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, and soap. Key Takeaways: Base Definition A base is a substance that reacts with an acid in an acid-base reaction.The mechanism through which a base works has been argued throughout history. Generally, a base either accepts a proton, releases a hydroxide anion when dissolved in water, or donates an electron.Examples of bases include hydroxides and soap. Word Origin The word base came into use in 1717 by French chemist Louis Là ©mery. Là ©mery used the word as a synonym for Paracelsus alchemical concept of a matrix in alchemy. Paracelsus proposed natural salts grew as a result of a universal acid mixing with a matrix. While Là ©mery may have used the word base first, its modern usage is generally attributed to French chemist Guillaumes of Rouelles bases included alkalis, metals, oils, or absorbent earth. In the 18th century, salts were solid crystals, while acids were liquids. So, it made sense to early chemists that the material that neutralized the acid somehow destroyed its spirit and allowed it to take solid form. Properties of a Base A base displays several characteristic properties: Aqueous base solution or molten bases dissociate into ions and conduct electricity.Strong bases and concentrated bases are caustic. They react vigorously with acids and organic matter.Bases react in predictable ways with pH indicators. A base turns litmus paper blue, methyl orange yellow, and phenolphthalein pink. Bromothymol blue remains blue in the presence of a base.A basic solution has a pH greater than 7.Bases have a bitter flavor. (Dont taste them!) Types of Bases Bases may be categorized according to their degree of dissociation in water and reactivity. A strong base completely dissociates into its ions in water or is a compound that can remove a proton (H) from a very weak acid. Examples of strong bases include sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH).A weak base incompletely dissociates in water. Its aqueous solution includes both the weak base and its conjugate acid.A superbase is even better at deprotonation than a strong base. These bases have very weak conjugate acids. Such bases are formed by mixing an alkali metal with its conjugate acid. A superbase cannot remain in aqueous solution because it is a stronger base than the hydroxide ion. An example of a superbase in sodium hydride (NaH). The strongest superbase is the orthos include silicon dioxide (SiO2) and NaOH mounted on alumina. Solid bases may be used in anion exchange resins or for reactions with gaseous acids. Reaction Between an Acid and a Base An acid and a base react with each other in a neutralization reaction. In neutralization, an aqueous acid and aqueous base produce an aqueous solution of salt and water. If the salt is saturated or insoluble, then it may precipitate out of the solution. While it may seem like acids and bases are opposites, some species can act as either an acid or a base. In fact, some strong acids can act as bases. Sources Jensen, William B. (2006). The origin of the term base. The Journal of Chemical Education. 83 (8): 1130. doi:10.1021/ed083p1130Johll, Matthew E. (2009). Investigating chemistry: a forensic science perspective (2nd ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Co. ISBN 1429209895.Whitten, Kenneth W.; Peck, Larry; Davis, Raymond E.; Lockwood, Lisa; Stanley, George G. (2009). Chemistry (9th ed.). ISBN 0-495-39163-8.Zumdahl, Steven; DeCoste, Donald (2013).  Chemical Principles  (7th ed.). Mary Finch.

Biochemical Engineering essays

Biochemical Engineering essays How would you like to examine physical properties of a wide array of different animals? Not only that but also research the processes of many organisms? If this sounds exciting, then biochemical engineering is the best career choice for you! Biochemists find many amazing things. For example, a biochemist discovered that increased flexing of a certain pelvic muscle helps to stimulate the activity in your brain. If you wanted a great job like this college is not always required. You can get internships with companies. In these internships you help out fellow scientist in there everyday duties. That can lead to self employed jobs which you control the experiments and do what you please. But this doesnt happen often, most of the time you will need to go to college for at least two years for your bachelors degree. Studies at Rutgers University for Chemistry include general chemistry for engineers, introduction to computers for engineers, engineering lectures, calculus, and physics. After you finish college the money will be rollin in. Biochemical engineers in Wisconsin make anywhere between $38,873 and $47,403 per year. For example there is a job in Madison as a product evaluation specialist for a prominent biotechnology firm. They evaluate the operation of new products and their effects. Now you see that this is a very fun, exciting, and promising job. I would recommend seeing your guidance councilor to see what local colleges would best suit your biochemical interests. Biochemistry: Protein Arrays Step Out of DNAs Shadow!, Science Service, Robert F.; 9-8-2000 http://sol.rutgets.edu/Web2000/biochem.html ...

Passive Voice vs. Active Voice FINALLY Understand the Difference

Passive Voice vs. Active Voice FINALLY Understand the Difference Passive Voice vs. Active Voice: FINALLY Understand the Difference When you look over the following sentences, can you identify the ones written in passive voice and the ones using active voice?The blog post was being published by Reedsy.Reedsy had published the blog post.The blog post is published by Reedsy.The blog post will be published by Reedsy.If you answered: â€Å"The only active sentence is ‘b’† - you are correct! The other three sentences were written using passive voice (and so was this one).This post will show you exactly how to spot passive voice, how to fix it - and also when using passive voice is a-okay! Passive voice vs. active voice: check out the ultimate grammatical showdown here! What is passive voice?A sentence written with passive voice puts emphasis on the person or thing that experiences the action, instead of the person or thing driving the action.For example, consider this line from Douglas Adams’ The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe:â€Å"In the beginning the Universe was created.†The subject of the sentence is â€Å"the Universe.† The action of the sentence is â€Å"created.† Because the subject is receiving the action (the creation is happening to the Universe), this is a passive sentence.Passive sentences are comprised of the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ and the past tense of the main verb. For example:â€Å"Am / Are / Is† + past verb tense - The dog is walked by his owner. â€Å"Am / Are / Is being† + past verb tense - The dogs are being walked by their owners. â€Å"Was / Were† + past verb tense - The dog was walked by his owner. â€Å"Was / Were being† + past verb tense - The dogs were being walked by their owners. â€Å"Will be† + past verb tense - The dog will be walked by its owner. â€Å"Will have been† + past verb tense - The dog will have been walked by its owner. â€Å"Have / Has been† + past verb tense - The dog has been walked by its owner. â€Å"Had been† + past verb tense sThe following sentences all feature the action happening to the subject.â€Å"He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was made.† - Scaramouche: A Romance Of The French Revolution by Rafael Sabatini (The action â€Å"was born† is happening to the subject â€Å"he.†)â€Å"Scarlet O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.† - Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (The action â€Å"caught by her charm† is happening to a subject â€Å"the Tarleton twins.†)â€Å"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.†Ã‚  -   To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (The action â€Å"got his arm badly broken† is happening to the subject â€Å"Jem.†)â€Å"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.† - The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (The second part of this sentence sees the action â€Å"changed into a monstrous vermin† happening to subject â€Å"Gregor Samsa.†)What is active voice?Active voice is a sentence or clause that puts emphasis on the person or thing that drives the action, instead of the person or thing experiencing the action.Think of the opening line from George Orwell’s 1984:â€Å"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.†The subject of the sentence is â€Å"the clocks.† The action of the sentence is â€Å"striking.† Because the subject is driving the action (the clocks are doing the striking), this is an active sentence.Check out further instances of active voice at play in the following examples.Active voice examplesThe following sentences all feature the subject enacting some kind of action.â€Å"It was the day my grandmother exploded.† - The Crow Road by Iain M. Banks (The subject â€Å"grandmother† is doing the action â€Å"exploded†).â€Å"Mother died today.† - The Stranger by Albert Kamus (The subject â€Å"mother† is doing the action â€Å"died.†)â€Å"I write this sitting at the kitchen sink.† - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (The subject â€Å"I† is doing the action â€Å"write† and â€Å"sitting.†)â€Å"You know, at one time, I used to break into pet shops to liberate the canaries.† - Harold and Maud by Colin Higgins (The subject â€Å"I† is doing the action â€Å"break into pet shops† and â€Å"liberate the canaries.†)Active vs passive voice: why is one considered better than the other?It’s not a big secret in the world of grammar that passive voice is often considered as bad form. Supposedly, active voice produces   stronger, more direct sentences that make your writing feel - surprise, surprise - more active.But is passive voice actually grammatically incorrect? Nope! There are definitely times when using the passive voice can enhance a statement’s clarity.When to use passive voiceIf you are writing something that requires objectivity, like a research paper, passive voice can be your friend: It allows you to more easily avoid personal pronouns and to present information in a that sounds unbiased.Or maybe you want to leave the perpetrator behind the action unclear. If the action itself or the thing/person receiving the action is more significant than the p erpetrator, place emphasis on either of those elements by writing a short passive sentence, leaving the driving force of the action out.For example, if you write: â€Å"The woman was sentenced to five years in jail† - the emphasis here is on the fact that the woman has received a sentence of jail. If you were to write: â€Å"The judge sentenced the woman to five years in jail† - the emphasis here is on the judge’s ruling instead.As you can see, passive voice isn’t something you need to avoid at all costs: There are times when it’s the right choice. However, if you’re writing something meant to invite readers in - like a novel, for example - then relying too heavily on passive voice can result in writing that feels a little flat and loses a reader’s interest.To avoid that, let’s take a look at how you can fix the use of passive voice in instances where active will serve you better.How to fix passive voice in 2 easy stepsTo s how you the two fool-proof steps to fixing passive voice, we’ll use the following passive sentence as an example: â€Å"The dress was being made by the tailor.†1. Remove the auxiliary verbAs mentioned, passive sentences often contain some form of the auxiliary verb â€Å"to be.† In this example, the auxiliary verb is â€Å"was being.†Quick note: Not all passive sentences contain an auxiliary verb. For instance, â€Å"The dress was made by the tailor† is still passive, even though it doesn’t contain any tense of â€Å"to be† (in this example, â€Å"was being.†)Take the auxiliary verb out and the sentence becomes:The dress was made by the tailor.But this is still passive, so the next step is to...2. Change the subject of the sentenceThe subject is currently â€Å"the dress† because the action in this sentence is happening to it (â€Å"the dress is being made.†) The subject of this sentence can be changed by attribut ing the action to the person performing it - in this case, the tailor. The sentence now becomes:The tailor made the dress.Congratulations! The subject is now the action-performer, meaning this sentence is now active!Let’s put these two steps into action, and change a few more passive sentences into active ones.Passive: The dinner was cooked by the chef. Active: The chef cooked dinner.Passive: The flowers were being planted by the gardener. Active: The gardener was planting the flowers.Passive: I had been interviewed by the manager. Active: The manager interviewed me.Passive: The students had been graded by the teacher. Active: The teacher was grading the students.Passive: The book was written by the author. Active: The author wrote the book.Passive: The house is being built by the construction workers. Active: The construction workers are building the house. Passive voice vs. active voice: finally understand the difference for once and for all! We hope we’ve helped you understand how to identify and fix passive voice! If you feel like you could still use a hand, you can also turn to automatic passive voice checkers, such as Hemingway, Passive Voice Detector, Analyze My Writing - which are all free and web-based. Simply copy and paste the writing you want to check, and the tool will highlight instances of passive voice for you.How do you feel about the â€Å"active voice is better than passive voice† rule? Leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below!

Chose a good topic for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chose a good topic for me - Essay Example The key areas to be discussed include the style of love represented in the relationships, the stages, defense mechanism, conflict, power, self disclosure and interpersonal needs theory. The movie Five Year Engagement was released in 2012 and was among the top 100 box office movies. This film is a story of love and how life’s unpredictability makes it hard for the two lovers who are the main characters in this movie to get married. The movie starts with Tom proposing to Violet and the two live together happily this being a sign of a good marriage. However, it seems like luck is not on their way as Violet who is research psychologist gets a job offer in another state. Tom leaves his job as a chef hence their wedding has to be postponed. With Violet working in her dream job and Tom having abandoned his, the two grow apart slowly and eventually break up after Violet was involved in an affair with her boss. Tom goes back to his old job in San Francisco and even gets a younger girlf riend. After being apart for a long time, the two get back together and this time around they do not waste time and immediately get married. The kind of love that is mainly displayed by Tom and Violet is Eros. This is because they are strongly attracted to each other and are very romantic especially in the beginning of the movie and at the end. At some point, this love is seen to be storge type after they had been together for a long time and passion between them had died. Violet sees Tom more as a friend than a lover and this leads to their break up (West et al, 15). This relationship goes through several stages of love. At the beginning of the film, the two are in the experimenting stage. They have started living together and are happy as a couple. Tom proposes to Violet and they believe that a marriage between them would definitely work. After the couple moved to Ann Arbor and Violet extended the time she was to work at the University of Michigan, the relationship stopped growing . It was in the stagnation stage and they eventually broke up. The type of Gibbs pairing in this film can be identified as superiority vs. equality. When the couple was in San Francisco, none felt superior or inferior to the other. Tom was doing very well as the chief chef and Violet was also doing well in her career. There was no conflict in this area. However, when they moved to Ann Arbor, Tom’s life stagnated. He could not get a job with the same status as the one he had in San Francisco and he eventually decided not to work at all. He became disoriented in life and could not even remember to trim his hair. Violet on the other hand progressed in her career (West et al, 13). This made them incompatible with Violet becoming attracted to her boss Prof. Winton. In this situation, Tom was the one losing from the relationship but did not find a way of expressing his displeasure. He used the defense mechanism of psychological withdrawal. He started being careless with himself eve n neglecting to groom himself. He would even stay in the house without pants watching TV and was disconnect from reality. At one point, he was left to look after his nephew but he was completely taken away by his games that he left the child to get close to some dangerous hunting objects and this resulted in a person being hurt. Escaping from reality helped him avoid the troubling facts that reality offered. It is evident that Tom and Violet dealt with their conflict through denial and suppression and

Health Policy Advocate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Policy Advocate - Essay Example ices that are most effective and efficient, restoring more volunteerism to the health care sector, empowering community rating and no-fault health care insurance with tiered premium systems insured facing continuing high-risk behavior, practice labor substitution for those process steps that can be made routine, increasing the supply of health care provider to levels available to everyone in the society, empowering primary care providers to control utilization and self-referral and increasing use of information technology to avoid waste and medical error (McLaughlin, 375-388). When advocate follow above levers and apply them to improve health care, there is a possibility of a positive direction towards achieving a universal health coverage that is efficient and effective. Having affordable health care services as the fulcrum of an advocate goal to improve health policy, health insurance acts as the most appropriate measure because it insurers health care consumers from any economic consequences. High cost of health care has been the main hindrance to patients accessing effective medication since many people in the society are low-income earners. It will provide solution to the opaque of information on quality and price by providing relevant information for effective heath care to the hands of the consuming public. As advocate, at some point we will have achieved a health system policy that improves patient-physician relationship that reaches an appropriate balance between industrialization and professionalism (McLaughlin,

Health Policy Advocate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Policy Advocate - Essay Example ices that are most effective and efficient, restoring more volunteerism to the health care sector, empowering community rating and no-fault health care insurance with tiered premium systems insured facing continuing high-risk behavior, practice labor substitution for those process steps that can be made routine, increasing the supply of health care provider to levels available to everyone in the society, empowering primary care providers to control utilization and self-referral and increasing use of information technology to avoid waste and medical error (McLaughlin, 375-388). When advocate follow above levers and apply them to improve health care, there is a possibility of a positive direction towards achieving a universal health coverage that is efficient and effective. Having affordable health care services as the fulcrum of an advocate goal to improve health policy, health insurance acts as the most appropriate measure because it insurers health care consumers from any economic consequences. High cost of health care has been the main hindrance to patients accessing effective medication since many people in the society are low-income earners. It will provide solution to the opaque of information on quality and price by providing relevant information for effective heath care to the hands of the consuming public. As advocate, at some point we will have achieved a health system policy that improves patient-physician relationship that reaches an appropriate balance between industrialization and professionalism (McLaughlin,

Factors in High-Impact Innovation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Factors in High-Impact Innovation - Term Paper Example Jewkes contextualized his research by noting the underlying mythology about high-impact innovation, which is basically that it requires a lot of manpower, a lot of resources, a lot of money and fancy equipment, and complex bureaucratic support (Jewkes). While not proving the inverse of this notion, his findings indicated more variability than popular assumptions support. In examining an impressive range of high-impact innovations, more than half were done by individuals, working independently and with few resources, either in isolation or within an organization in which they had freedom to experiment and analyze on their own initiative without having to cooperate in a team (Jewkes). Inventing can be a group process, of course, but the kind of individuals who contributed some of the most important discoveries and basic products of the 19th and 20th centuries were not even assigned to a project to do so and, in various intriguing cases, were not even formally qualified in the area they explored, discovered or invented within. Sometimes it was an accident and other times individuals were pursuing interests rather than careers. (Jewkes) Furthermore, it seems that many such individuals are not people who negotiate a career field and social skills that would endear them to a team or get them appointed to a formal position in the area to which they greatly contributed. They are often people who question every assumption, however consensual (Jewkes). They are eccentric and want to be left alone to explore their own curiosity. Many such individuals can be characterized as loners. The work of inventing has private elements to it. Thinking and creative â€Å"messing around† with ideas and materials needs a climate of unconstrained thinking, uninterrupte3d reflection and working autonomy. It can call forth heroic effort. The group dynamics of a team can constrain thinking and redirect creative ideas, or even humiliate them. Cooperation may overly-structure the proce ss and conflict may weaken it. Jewkes notes that the human mind, working alone, can organize and synthesize ideas far more efficiently than a team. There is a loss of creative power when the individual has to adjust to team members. Perhaps these are clues to why so many initial innovations came from lone individuals (Jewkes). Jewkes distinguishes between initial pioneering discoveries and inventions and the development of those discoveries and inventions (Jewkes). Development will generally benefit from the resources and monetary investment, as well as additional input and expertise that can be found in a university setting or in a larger organization. While inspiration and exploration is often initially a private matter, development and exploitation is often a more cooperative and planned one. Some stunning chemical innovations were accomplished by General Motors (Freon refrigerant and tetraethyl lead), but their pattern was more typical of the lone hero, since they are not a chem ical company, but a motor engineering company, and since their innovation involved an element of chance (Jewkes). Large companies have contributed significant innovations out of strong research programs, maybe because research itself has a private, lone hero aspect which can be done with a certain amount of autonomy by an individual or a small team, and merely funded and later expanded by the larger organizati

Building of Pyramids of Giza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 45

Building of Pyramids of Giza - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that modified external ramp theory explains that the Pyramid was created with the use of an external ramp. This ramp was believed to be raised during construction. It is believed that the ramp is corkscrewed or spiraled to the top of the Pyramid. That was the only way to explain how an external ramp was used since there was no way a single long ramp was built in the area.  Another theory, a more recent theory, was presented by Jeanne-Pierre Houdin (Brier, 2007; George, 2008). He was a French architect who believed that the Pyramid was built using an internal ramp. He explained that the bottom of the Pyramids was built using an external ramp and the higher parts were built using an internal ramp. He proposed this theory after seeing the spiral-like structure within the Pyramid. I believe that the more recent theory of the internal ramp can answer how the Pyramids were built. Although it is possible that humans can haul the heavy stones on to p of each other to build the pyramid, I find it hard to believe that it is only done outside of the Pyramid. There is evidence showing there is a structure within the Pyramid. And there are holes at turning points to help the worker haul the heavy stones up. I find Houdin’s theory more realistic because of the many pieces of evidence that point towards its possibility.

Network Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Network Security - Assignment Example Information security entails the adoption of specific measures that are supposed to prevent the unauthorized access, manipulation, use or the denial of access to any data, information, or capabilities that will ensure confidentiality (Douligeris and Serpanos, 2007). All these measures should be implemented to ensure the security of all the resources within the organization. Organizations nowadays have greatly relied on the various network technologies that ensure efficient data communications between different departments, at the same time ensuring that communication channels are secure. The expansion of an organization results into more resources being acquired in terms of new computers, printers, telephones, communication channels, hardwares and software’s and also the adoption of sophisticated network architectures. This results into an increased concern for information security within the organization to ensure that only the authorized personnel access the resources. Quest ion 1. The question describes the main security issues, the principles of public key encryption, and the role of certification authority as follows: Security issues facing the expansion of the organization Expansion of the organization will result into a rise in the demand of various resources. More hardware and software will be acquired, more people will be employed, and the network architecture to be used and various protocols will change to meet the organizational needs. Various security issues will arise; in physical security, all the tangible assets within the organization such as computers (both personal and laptops), network printers, telephones, storage media, people, network cables, and servers will face a security threat. Indeed, each of the organizations assets faces a security threat from within (internal) and from outside the organization (external). Security issues that will arise from within the organization (internal attacks) include access attacks such as eavesdropp ing (listening to a conversation that one is not part of) by fellow employees or through wireless networks, and snooping (looking through information files). Others include interception of transit information, unauthorized access to computers by employees, computer attacks by viruses, worms, Trojans, internal hackers and theft of hardware from within the organization (Maiwald, 2003). External attacks include hackers and cyber terrorists, and malware. The organization needs to address the measures that will be used to ensure security of both information, physical hardware, internal and external attacks are checked. Internal threats from employees are both intentional and accidental, where an employee can eavesdrop on another employee, hence gaining access to some information during conversation. In addition, employees can forge passwords of their colleagues and hence gain access to their computers, use, modify, and transfer information to other unauthorized members outside the organi zation. Moreover, employees may bring external or foreign insecure hardware into the organization, resulting into virus infection and transmission. Lastly, employees could steal portable small size hardwares from the organization. Information and communication within the organization will be affected in one way or another. There might be lots of network traffic caused by attacks on

About a movie called (The Brother Grimm) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About a movie called (The Brother Grimm) - Essay Example The two move to a part of Germany occupied by the French in the 19th century and set up a phony witch. They use the fake witch to trick the residents of the Karlstadt of their mystical powers. The two brothers do their tricks so successfully that when a trouble befalls the city, the French General Delatombe summons them and tasks them with resolving the mystery. However, the mystery is an actual problem with real risks. A supernatural queen needs to drink the blood of young girls in order to regain her beauty. She, therefore, captures young girls from the village. The general tasks the two brothers with finding the queen, defeating her supernatural powers and rescuing the girls. The adventure thereafter is exhilarating as the two brothers fail twice and are on the brink of losing their lives. However, they eventually succeeded after a series of attempts. They rescue the village from the horrific queen. The film is an independent production directed by Terry Gilliam. Terry Gilliam is an American film director, actor and screenwriter. He contributed to writing and later directed the film. He has directed numerous other films some of which are adventure films. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen produced in 1988 was one of the adventure films he directed. However, The Brothers Grimm is unique as the director adopts a fiery tale approach in the development of the film. He produced the Brothers Grimm in 2005, a period when the film industry globally was burgeoning. The film, therefore, portrays the development of the film industry as Terry Gilliam revamps his creativity in authoring the script and directing the film. The developers of the film employ various elements of film development strategically thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the film. Key among such elements in the film is lighting. Lighting plays an integral role in illuminating the setting among other

Network Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Network Security - Assignment Example Information security entails the adoption of specific measures that are supposed to prevent the unauthorized access, manipulation, use or the denial of access to any data, information, or capabilities that will ensure confidentiality (Douligeris and Serpanos, 2007). All these measures should be implemented to ensure the security of all the resources within the organization. Organizations nowadays have greatly relied on the various network technologies that ensure efficient data communications between different departments, at the same time ensuring that communication channels are secure. The expansion of an organization results into more resources being acquired in terms of new computers, printers, telephones, communication channels, hardwares and software’s and also the adoption of sophisticated network architectures. This results into an increased concern for information security within the organization to ensure that only the authorized personnel access the resources. Quest ion 1. The question describes the main security issues, the principles of public key encryption, and the role of certification authority as follows: Security issues facing the expansion of the organization Expansion of the organization will result into a rise in the demand of various resources. More hardware and software will be acquired, more people will be employed, and the network architecture to be used and various protocols will change to meet the organizational needs. Various security issues will arise; in physical security, all the tangible assets within the organization such as computers (both personal and laptops), network printers, telephones, storage media, people, network cables, and servers will face a security threat. Indeed, each of the organizations assets faces a security threat from within (internal) and from outside the organization (external). Security issues that will arise from within the organization (internal attacks) include access attacks such as eavesdropp ing (listening to a conversation that one is not part of) by fellow employees or through wireless networks, and snooping (looking through information files). Others include interception of transit information, unauthorized access to computers by employees, computer attacks by viruses, worms, Trojans, internal hackers and theft of hardware from within the organization (Maiwald, 2003). External attacks include hackers and cyber terrorists, and malware. The organization needs to address the measures that will be used to ensure security of both information, physical hardware, internal and external attacks are checked. Internal threats from employees are both intentional and accidental, where an employee can eavesdrop on another employee, hence gaining access to some information during conversation. In addition, employees can forge passwords of their colleagues and hence gain access to their computers, use, modify, and transfer information to other unauthorized members outside the organi zation. Moreover, employees may bring external or foreign insecure hardware into the organization, resulting into virus infection and transmission. Lastly, employees could steal portable small size hardwares from the organization. Information and communication within the organization will be affected in one way or another. There might be lots of network traffic caused by attacks on

The Scarlet Letter as a Love Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Scarlet Letter as a Love Story - Essay Example In much the same way, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s penultimate novel, The Scarlet Letter, has continued to evoke a level of controversy among scholars and casual readers alike. The underlying root of this controversy is whether or not this particular novel can in fact be described as a love story between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale; the two main characters around whom the novel focuses. Accordingly, in seeking to analyze this particular question and providing a level of textual support to serve as evidence with regards to the stance of this particular student, the following discussion will be concentric upon promoting the idea and understanding that even though many other themes exist within this particular novel, an unmistakable and easily denoted reality is that the action of the entire piece is predicated not upon lust, betrayal, adultery, or public censure; rather, it is predicated upon a disarmingly complex yet simple love story between the two main characters.... Ultimately, the author, Hawthorne, was somewhat disquieted about writing such a simple love story. In this way, the introductory quote that is referenced above helps to serve as something of a preliminary apology with regards to presenting such a complex love story within the guise of something seemingly different. Further on in the story, Pearl asks a telling question that turns into something of a prophetic comment which further helps to prove the underlying nature of the novel as a love story. Says Pearl, â€Å"Mother,† said little Pearl, â€Å"the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . . . It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!† (Hawthorne 99). The clear level of understanding that can be had with regards to this specific quote is the fact that even though it is not clear whether or not Hester waits for the father of Pearl to come back into her life, Pearl seems to understa nd perfectly well that this is the case; equating â€Å"the sunshine† with Dimmesdale; retreating, hesitant, uncertain, and fearful because of the stigma that the adulteress has upon her character. In this way, even though a clear determination at this point of the story does not reveal whether or not the entire tale should be considered a â€Å"love story†, Pearl’s prophetic level of understanding seems to leave no doubt with regards to the true nature of the novel. Similarly, another quote that helps to solidify the understanding that the novel of the Scarlet Letter is in fact a love story is with regards to the following quote. Says Hawthorne, But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native

The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning Essay Teachers need to understand how poverty can affect a student in the classroom. Some students who suffer from poverty may come from homes with very young, single or low educational level parents. Their parents may be unemployed, have substance abuse problems or generally may not be good role models. Students might live in dangerous neighbourhoods or suffer from homelessness. They might move areas often; their parents may have had bad experiences with schools themselves and see schools as threatening institutions and do not value education. Perhaps they come from households where the parents are family orientated and loving, their only problem being lack of money. Teachers need to understand the family background to understand how to best assist the student. Teachers must be aware of the problems and difficulties poorer students face and make allowances and adjustments to the curriculum to provide them with relevant learning without detracting from other students needs. Pellino (2007) writes of the lack of confidence many children of poor families have and how many see the curriculum as irrelevant to their lives. She suggests modifying the curriculum in interesting, simple ways that will have value to all students in the class. This may include doing work on the effect of poverty, getting involved in community projects such as soup kitchens or simply studying the question What is poverty? It is important that these activities be followed with both group discussion and individual reflection to help children think critically about their experiences (Chafel, 1997). A good education is often the only means of breaking the cycle of poverty for poor children therefore a teacher must provide a curriculum that is relevant and challenging to motivate students and increase their opportunity for higher education and greater opportunity in life. Many students from low socio-economic households feel they have no choice or control over their destiny. They may be depressed, have a fear of failure or low expectations of their academic ability. An important task for teachers is to help students develop conative attitudes (Pellino, 2007). These are a desire to improve their life and an understanding that it is indeed possible through the creation of goals, plans and perseverance. It may be beneficial  to develop conative attitude exercises designed to help students identify what is important to them personally. Incorporating personal reflection in the curriculum may be beneficial (Pellino, 2007). This could include encouragement to write journal entries imagining what they would do if time and money was no object (Waitley, 1996, cited by Huitt, 1999) and then reflecting back on a mission statement. Students from low income families often need help to develop self-efficacy and a desire to be proactive in their life (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven Tice, 1998; Emmons, 1986). These are traits that are often lacking in low achieving students, particularly those from poorer backgrounds (Huitt, 1999). It is important for teachers to develop lessons that result in success to show students that they are capable of altering outcomes and do not just accept what life throws at them (Pellino, 2007). I found Karen Pellinos paper to be extremely helpful. It is comprehensive and includes an extensive reference list that directs the reader to a vast array of articles for further study. Reference list Baumeister, R., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., Tice, D. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252-1265. Retrieved from CSA Illumina 14 June 2008. Chafel, J. (1997) Childrens Views of Poverty: A Review of Research and Implications for Teaching, The Educational Forum, 61:4, 360 371. Accessed from Informaworld 15 June 2008 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131729709335282Emmons, R. (1986). Personal strivings: An approach to personality and subjective well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1058-1068. Retrieved from CSA Illumina 14 June 2008. Huitt, W. 1999. Conation as an important factor of mind. Website for Valdosta State University, GA. http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/conation.html. Accessed 14 June, 2008. Pellino, K. (2007). The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning. Teachnology. Retrieved 14 June, 2008, from http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/poverty/print.htm.

Psychology Essay examples -- science

Psychology Males and females have many different opinions in term of choosing their mates and long-term partners. But I strongly agree with Buss on the idea that women give more importance to kindness and generosity in term of choosing their long-term partner. Because I noticed that a man who is kind and generous will spend more time on her and then show love and take good care of the family. But one thing that I do not really agree with Buss is the idea of resource, I do believe that women give importance to resources but to me it is not just for their children but also most for themselves. Because I have the example of a two kids mom who divorce with her husband after he won three million dollar last summer. By divorcing, she did not care about the kids but the money. Also we have more and women who do not want to have kids and still choose their mates base on financial views. One more thing is that I noticed that women like to show off. For example they like to wear expensive clothes with brand name such as Kenneth Cole, they like diamonds and gold. Also women like to enjoy life especially by going to vacation in the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago). So women are more likely to refer on financial view in term of choosing their mates beca use they want to acquire that stuff. Men in the other hand do give too much importance to money because they think that they are the ones who have to provide for the family. The primary difference between Hetherington and Wallerstei...

Laptop Computers: School Utilization and Student Achievement :: essays papers

Laptop Computers: School Utilization and Student Achievement It has become all too evident in today’s society that there is a need for a quality, successful education system. The need for skills in technology are also obvious. Schools across the nation are now trying to achieve both of these goals by providing a laptop computer to each student. Principal John Kozusko, an administrator at one such school claims, â€Å"It’s like a world apart. It’s changed the way teachers teach†¦the way they think about kids.† (Chute, 2000  ¶4) According to Speaker Rick Johnson of the Michigan House of Representatives, â€Å"Students have progressed from learning about computers to learning from them.† (Johnson, 2003,18) This paper will examine how laptops are being utilized in schools and the effect that they have on student achievement. Participation The movement to use laptop computers to provide a first-rate education to all students has quickly been spreading across the nation. Throughout the United States, Microsoft has counted more than 125,000 students and teachers at 800 schools participating in such programs. (Chute, 2000) In researching this topic, I have found documentation of programs in elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in a number of different states. These states include, but are not limited to, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, and Texas. Some schools fund the program on their own, often starting with a pilot program and expanding as funds become available. (Seeing is, nd) Others collaborate with corporations such as Microsoft and Netschools. (Chute, 2000) Additional funding has come from sources such as business donations, personal monies, federal funds, and bond money. (Corcoran, 2002) Laptop Usage The cases described throughout this paper all include schools that provided laptops for students and/or teachers so that the student to computer ratio was 1:1. As stated above, for some schools this was done with a pilot group, while other schools provided computers to all students. Students are then required to bring their laptop to class, ready to use, just as they must bring their textbooks, pencils, and other necessary materials. (Chute, 2000) They are also responsible for charging the battery for their computer and transporting their computer to and from school on a daily basis. How the computer is equipped varies depending on the make of the computer and the operating system and firewalls set up by the schools.

The Audacity of Hope Intro

President Obama once said, â€Å"We are one people† in his speech The Audacity of Hope. Our nation show so much hate and anger but never take the blame. Everyone blames god, but if we are all gods people why do we point the finger at him? Obama’s syntax, diction, and details show that it is time for us to stop the madness and hatred that we have for one another and stand up for each other because we are a family. Obama’s syntax is significant because it get his message across clearly and effectively. For instance, Obama states that â€Å"The true genius of America-a faith in simple dream, [is] an instance on small miracles†.By separating his thoughts he emphasizes to the public by giving his own commentary on the true genius of America. The true genius of America is knowing that the smallest things in life do matter. Obama also said â€Å"Out of many, one. † With this fragment Obama shows that we are in depth. And we are all people although there ar e many different kinds and colors. America’s people are like many flowers in a garden, together we are a masterpiece. He uses simple words to describe his feelings about America.Obama backs up this notion by saying â€Å"We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war, and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America†. He effectively uses the â€Å"Stars and Stripes† as a metaphor for our American flag. In this case red states stand for Republicans and blue states for Democrats.

English Language Teaching Essay

This paper aims to highlight the importance of teaching sociolinguistic competence to ESL learners in Malaysian schools. Sociolinguistic competence is the knowledge of socio cultural rules of language and of discourse. This type of competence requires an understanding of the socio context in which language is used. It is proposed that carefully designed language activities be carried out by instructors in order to impart sociolinguistic skills to learners. The importance of universal intelligibility should be stressed, as opposed to native accent. Furthermore students should also be taught proper contextual use of English, in accordance to cultural reference and cultural appropriacy should be part of the learners’ core sociolinguistic competence. Keywords: Socio-cultural rules, Sociolinguistic competence, Formal language, Colloquialism 1. Introduction Malaysia is a multi-racial society which is strongly bounded by its system of monarchy. However, Malays form the largest portion of its demography, with Malay as its national language. Though Malay is still the most commonly used lingua franca among Malaysians, English is gaining more importance and relevance in the country. In fact, Malaysians have come to realize that it is no longer necessary, nor desirable to aim at an English native speaker’s speech to achieve their communicative function. However, there has been a strong decline in the levels of English proficiency in the country .This is evident in Malaysians’ everyday speech, which are often marred by grammatical and phonological errors or at times too loaded with â€Å"suffixes† (e.g. lah, lor, meh) and loan words from other languages. English is the second most important language in Malaysia. It is used in  various professions and is an important requirement in Malaysian academic settings. The academic setting is a microcosm of the Malaysian population, which is a mix of interlocutors of different racial and language backgrounds. They may also differ in their English language proficiency levels. Therefore, it could be assumed that in Malaysian schools’ unique language environment, sociolinguistic competence contributes to Malaysian students English language proficiency. 2. Malaysian School Language Policy When Malaysia got its independence in 1957, the government of Malaysia set out on a program to establish Bahasa Melayu as the official language, to be used in all government functions and as the medium of instruction at all levels in the education system. The introduction of a new primary school curriculum which goes by the Malay acronym, KBSR (Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah), and the new secondary school curriculum which goes by the acronym, KBSM (Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah), is an approach to provide holistic, balanced and integrated development of an individual’s potential; intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical aspect. However in 2002, the government announced a reversal of policy, calling for a switch to English as a medium of instruction for Mathematics and Science at all levels in the education system. Since 2003, Science and Mathematics have been taught in English. Therefore, teachers will be forced to code-switch to make pupils understand the su bject matter. 3. Sociolinguistic Competence Sociolinguistic competence is the knowledge of the sociocultural rules of language and of discourse. This type of competence requires an understanding of the social context in which language is used: the rules of the participants, the information they share, and the functions of the interaction. Only in a full context of this kind can judgement be made on the appropriateness of a ‘particular utterance’, as mentioned by Brown (2000). Lyie Bachman’s (1990) sociolinguistic competence comprises aspects, which deal with factors such as politeness, formality, metaphor, registers, and culturally related aspects of language. For students learning English in Malaysia, sociolinguistic competence should take into account those aspects as proposed by Bachman. Broersma (2001) stated that the process of learning sociolinguistic competence is challenging even in one’s first language. He also proposed that evidence of this can be found in the popularity of â€Å"Miss Manners† columns. He claims if we all had perfect sociolinguistic competence, we wouldn’t need advice about the proper way to send wedding invitations or give a dinner party. Having good sociolinguistic competence means knowing how to â€Å"give every person his or her due.† It means knowing when to be quiet, and when to talk, when to give compliments to others, and when to apologize. It also means being able to read situations and know what is the right thing to say or do. There are an infinite number of combinations of roles, tasks, contexts, and feelings that govern what is appropriate in any given encounter. 4. Sensitivity to Dialect or Variety The standard variety of English used in our country is the variety that is taught formally in schools and the Standard British English is the linguistic model in the education system of Malaysia. However in Malaysia, English, being the second language, is learnt for a functional purpose. The most important measure of success when a language is learnt for a functional purpose is communicative effectiveness; that is, whether the language enabled the learners to achieve the purpose of learning. A dialect is a language variation spoken by a particular ethnic, social or regional group and is an element of the group’s collective identity (Ogbu, 1999). Each dialect within a language is just as logical, complex and  rule-governed as the standard form of the language (often called standard variety). Malaysian English (or Manglish) is a non-native variety of English and is one of the most prominent features of Malaysia’s linguistic corpus. Baskaran (1994) has categorized ‘Manglish’ into three sociolects, which are: †¢ Acrolect (‘high’ social dialect) – used for official or educational purposes, considered to be the standard educated sub-variety that approximates native competence and is used in formal speech as well as in written forms by speakers who have been educated in English; †¢ Mesolect (‘middle’ social dialect) – used in semiformal and casual situations, a sub-variety that is used in informal situations among fellow Malaysians. †¢ Basilect (‘low’ social dialect) – used informally and colloquially as a ‘patois’ shades into a pidgin used mostly by village peddlers when talking to tourists and other potential customers. 5. Different English Varieties. There are different varieties of English used here in Malaysia. The important issue here is what would be considered as an acceptable variety of English for Malaysian students? In Malaysia, there is a strong tradition of teaching English when learners are still very young. Also, due to home language interferences and strong media influence, which at times popularises Manglish as a more convenient spoken variety, Malaysian students might not have enough exposure to models of Standard English. Parents might communicate with their children in  strong accented English which is unique to each cultural/racial group, or/and even in broken or grammatically incorrect English. This variety of English could be incomprehensible at times. 5.1 Malaysian English (ME) Some words of ME reflect the multilingual traits of the country. The existence of loan words in the lexis of ME is very rampant and common, especially since Malaysia is a Malay dominated country both in language and culture. Moreover there are no lexical equivalents of certain Malay words in English. Listed below is a list of commonly used borrowed words and phrases which have made their way into the repertoire of speech among speakers of Manglish. At the lexical level, some words of ME used by students reflect the multilingual traits of the country. There exist loan words from contact languages such as Chinese (ta-paw, pu-yao) and Bahasa Malayu (makan). Using substrate lexemes plural in the usual English way is common, e.g. kopios coffees (kop-o, black coffee), Menteri Besar (head of state government) and pengarahs (directors). Other cultural expressions adopted in ME, for instance: †¢ Kadhi (religious judge) impose a fine for khalwat (illicit proximity to the opposite sex) †¢ Don’t act so ulufied (backward, not hip) Wear something more stylo (stylish) †¢ Lets go ngerdate (dating), an Indonesian slang very common among the Malays. †¢ Hello thamby, (boy) one cup of coffee please. An example of a short conversation in colloquial Malaysian English (non-standard English) may sound like this: Housewife: Your fish so flabby, no good one. Fishmonger : Like that already hard †¢what. How hard one you want? You want stone, want wood. I can’t find. Housewife : You half-past six lawyer one. Give little bit cheap la, this fish. Fishmonger : Oh, that’s why you said that kind, said my thing flabby, you want Cheap-cheap. Housewife : You don’t want give, I look other places. Fishmonger : Look, look la, wait you come back look for me also. (Adibah Aroin, New Straits Times, 3V December 1992) 6. Awareness of language differences in the classroom Though the use of Standard English is very much desired, one must not dismiss the significance of other varieties of the language, particularly Manglish. Students must be made to realise the importance of Standard English in academic and formal settings; but at the same time be conscious of the communicative function of Manglish. Manglish helps learners to bridge the gap between the use of acrolect among proponents in an academic setting and the basilect used among their peers to facilitate understanding. More importantly, Manglish has a social function of fostering ties. It motivates students to move from one speech to another level through the opening up of communication channels across the sociolects. Students must realise that the main objective of learning English is not to acquire native speakers’ competency but rather to be intelligible among international English speakers and those within their ‘community’. Students  must be conscious that dialects are not inferior languages and that they should be respected, and that Standard English is necessary only in a formal context. 6.1 Intercultural Media Language The English language and its varieties would make excellent vehicles to create cross-cultural awareness. Students are able to use print and non-print resources of language such to compare the language used in British newspapers and the local dailies. Students will find differences in the use of lexical items and would be able to familiarize themselves with the constructs of ‘Manglish’. They will then proceed to examine larger texts such as novels and plays. This will encourage students to accept their own variety and ‘overcome reluctance to approach another variety once they found that the texts in these other varieties were accessible to them’ (Kachru and Nelson: 1996) 6.2 New English Literatures An excellent method to introduce other varieties of English is through literature. The area of literature opens up multi-traditional aspects of human life, which encourages students to broaden their horizons. By introducing literatures that is very much Malaysian, students will be exposed to new uses and forms of their own language. 6.3 Manglish Discourse Materials, which have features of ‘Manglish’ such as advertisement, obituaries and excerpts from TV and conversations, provide excellent  resources in discussing discourse markers. In this way, students are able to study speech acts such as negotiating, persuading, and apologizing within the structures and cultural context which is most familiar to them. Rather than perceiving it as an obstacle to learning the English language, the recognition of ‘Manglish’ by educational bodies may perhaps be of a great value. 6.4 Importance of Standard Variety I would suggest that students learn to handle formal language in schools. This is because they can easily revert to conversational and colloquial language as and when the context arises. However if one only learns to speak at the colloquial level, one can never rise up to the occasion to speak formal English when the need arises. Formal English requires usage of proper grammar and syntax with appropriate vocabulary. It takes a lot of practice before one can master English at this level. So why short change our students by accepting communication that is only up to the non- native variety level? In fact there is worry in many English speaking countries that teenagers are so used to using colloquial English in their ‘SMS’, that they cannot manage formal English, especially at the written level 7. Sensitivity to Registers The notion of ‘developing a language’ means, adding to its range of social functions. This is achieved by developing new registers. According to Halliday (1978:195), a register is a set of meanings that is appropriate to a particular function of language, together with the words and structures which express these meanings’. Registers are commonly identified by certain phonological variants, vocabulary, idioms and other expressions that are associated with different occupational or socio-economic groups. 7.1 Importance of Registers to Learners The term register includes different aspects of language in various contexts such as field of discourse, modes of discourse, style of discourse and discourse domain. It is important for students to develop styles and registers and recognize how to use them appropriately and be conscious of the need to do so. 7.1.1 Field of Discourse The knowledge of discourse enables students to have the ability to communicate with specialists in a particular field once they’ve understood the use of terminologies used in that field. In The STAR online, 24h March, there was a write up from a concerned parent who felt that teachers needed help in the field of Maths and Science and how crude errors are made such as ‘8 push 4 is 4’ a literal translation from BM (8 tolak 4 ialah 4). Therefore it is important for students to be exposed to mathematical and scientific terminologies because knowledge is power Having knowledge in various fields will help students in their future studies or career such as being proficient in delivering speeches, conducting negotiations, preparing drafts of agreements and in routine business communication. 7.1.2 Modes of Discourse Modes of discourse can be either written or verbal. Students who are not very well versed in their speech may produce ungrammatical, short, incomplete sentences, filled with false starts, fillers and pauses. Tongue (1968:83) has defined ‘fillers’ as a term used to indicate those items of language which communicate no particular denotative meaning but which are used to indicate the emotive, affective attitudes of the speaker, or sometimes simply to fill a pause or a moment of hesitation or reflection in the stream of speech. The most well known is the â€Å"suffix† lah or sometimes pronounced la, which realises different pragmatic functions as illustrated below: †¢ Emphasizing support e.g. I agree lah †¢ Persuading e.g. †¦ .you must do it in a proper way lah †¢ Complementing e.g. that’s a good idea, good lah Other common fillers used are ‘bah’ (by the Sabahans), ‘mah’ (by the Chinese) and â€Å"a?† or â€Å"ah†. â€Å"Ah† serves to function as fillers or breaking points as well as bringing out a question force as shown below. †¢ No point helping friends who are not interested, do you agree with that, ah? Other features of Malaysianess include the use of tag questions in particular the use of â€Å"isn’t it?† and adding the phrase â€Å"or not† to the preceding instead of presenting two alternatives. †¢ We’ve done it, isn’t it? †¢ You want to follow or not? Students must be mindful that usage of such a variety of English is accepted in informal settings. However in a formal setting, the standard variety of English is necessary and is the acceptable norm. With the changing role and the decline in the standard of English in Malaysia, it is found that instances of deviation from Standard English have increased in frequency. Though there is an attempt to use the Standard English, inadequate exposure and lack of knowledge result in the many basic Standard English deviations, which are found even in the speech of educated users of the language. As far as Malaysian students are concerned, these irregularities are usually tolerated and overlooked, as long as they do not interfere too greatly with communicative purposes. At present, indication of these irregularities may be observed in the spoken mode, as many students seem to feel quite free to incorporate features of the local dialect, into their speech, be it in a formal or informal situation . 7.1.3 Style of Discourse An important issue is how students use their verbal repertoire and what are the uses they will put them to. According to Halliday (1978), there are factors, which affect the way people use language. Halliday classifies this as field, mode and tenor. Field refers to ‘why’ and about what a communication takes place, mode is about ‘how’, and tenor is about to whom. For example, in writing a letter, one might start: â€Å"l am writing to inform you that†¦.† but in another letter, the same person might write: â€Å"I just  want to let you know that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  According to Joos (1967), there are five types of formalities: 1) Frozen style is more characteristic of writing than speech e.g. Students should make their way at once to the upper floor by way of the staircase. 2) Formal style uses sentences that show careful planning and logical development of ideas e.g. Students should go up the stairs at once. People who have limited shared background use consultative style; sentences are complete and some background information is given e.g. Would you mind going upstairs right away, please? People who have a shared background use casual style; it is marked by slang, profanity and incomplete sentences e.g. Time you all went upstairs now. Intimate style is the style, which is highly economical and is accompanied by a lot of non-verbal communication; people who know each other very well use it e.g. Up you go, fellows! It seems to me that it is in the area covered by consultative, formal and frozen, that our students need to be competent in. They ought to know which style to use when an occasion arises. Once a student said to his teacher in class: â€Å"Would you be so kind to explain again?† and a moment later, he said, â€Å"I want you to explain this question again†. This shows that the student is not consistent in the level of formality. In a classroom situation, the second one is acceptable but the first one is too formal. Our students fail to take into account the relationship between participants and situations or settings. Students need to be aware that a formal setting requires formal speech and that they may use colloquial words or phrases in an informal setting. They need to be aware that using language often involves how formal one needs to be in a situation. 8. Cultural References and Figures of Speech An overall understanding of the significant role of cultural variables in cross-cultural interactions will act as a bridge to mutual understanding and acceptance in situations of cultural conflict. Students must be aware that in certain cultures, the people are expected to respond to certain  utterances in an appropriate way, which is of the linguistic norm. 8.1 Importance of Cultural Appropriacy A possible way of dealing with varied cultural behaviour is to sensitise students to the unique characteristics of other cultures. Students should develop cultural tolerance and show understanding for other people’s differences. The ability to be tolerant is necessary for anyone hoping to avoid miscommunication. It involves the learner recognizing that every culture has its own logic, its own integrity and that no one culture is any better (or, for that matter, any worse) than any other. Malaysian idiomatic expressions used by learners could only be understood at the local context. Some are even fond of the idea of contextualization these days. It truly gives a Malaysian flavour to our speech. Localised expression appeals to the average man in the street. Having a common speech pattern somehow helps some students to bond quickly and so it helps to establish friendship between like-minded people. 9. Ways of Improving Students Sociolinguistics Competence The lack in cross-cultural understanding or sensitivity on the part of the teacher has serious implications because it affects classroom management and consequently, student’s learning. There are various activities that can be carried out in classrooms to instil cultural understanding. Learning how to perform particular speech acts in both formal and informal settings,  learning particular â€Å"ways of speaking†, like story telling, narratives, joke-telling, simply learning to chitchat, are all important in learning how to speak proficiently. Syaharom Abdullah (1995) believes that students will become conscious of the values and expectations, which are basic in a culture through dialogue practice or role-play. In learning English, the student has to learn how to use and interpret the sociolinguistic rules of English in various contexts. To achieve this, the learner must develop an awareness of areas in which the sociolinguistic system of his own culture differs from those of other cultures. Teachers can design some problem-solving exercises in order to do so. 10. Conclusion It is obvious that sociolinguistic competence offers more insights in learning a language. Problems may arise for students’ who may not be familiar with the various context of language use. By means of getting acquainted with the various cultures of Englishes and updating their knowledge about language learning, students may be better able to accomplish the goals of engaging themselves in the pragmatic, authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purpose. It is important that the second language instructors in Malaysia be familiar with sociolinguistics. Teaching language is not just about learning the rudiments of the language but also various cultural refinements. Students must be made aware of formal and informal language use. They should be knowledgeable as to appropriate expressions for different context. Students must be mindful as to when they can resort to colloquial language and when formality is necessary. Lastly students need to be made aware that mastering English does not mean acquiring native proficiency, but rather having universal intelligibility. References Adibah A. (1992). The New Straits Times, SO†1 December. Bachman, L. (1990). Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing. Oxford University Press. Baskaran,L. (1994). The Malaysia English Mosaic. English Today 37 Vol. 10. Brown H. Douglas, (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, Fourth Edition, Longman. Broersma, D. (2001). â€Å"‘You’re So White, So Fat, and So Hairy!†: Developing Sociolinguistic Competence in a Second Language.† In Helping Learners Develop Second Language Proficiency, L. J. Dickerson (Ed.), pp. 200-205. Colorado Springs: Mission Training International. M.A.K. Halliday. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of Language and Meaning, Baltimore: University Park Press, 1978; London: Edward Arnold, 1978. Joos, Martin. (1967). The Five Clocks, New York: Harcourt, Brace & World. Kachru. B.B. and Nelson, C.L. (1996). World Englishes. In Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching. USA Cambridge University Press. Morias, Elaine. (1994). Malaysian Business Talk: A Study of Conflict and Non-Conflict in Verbal Interactions. PHD Thesis, University of Malaya. Syaharom Abdullah. (1995). Thai Tesol Annual Conference, January 1995, Universiti Utara Malaysia. Test/cultural kind-html. The Star On Line, 24th March, 2003. Tongue, R.K. (1979). The English of Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore, Eastern University Press. Ogbu, J.U. (1999). Beyond Languages: Ebonies, Proper English and Identity in a Black- American Speech Community. American Educational Research Journal, 36 147-184.