Hoang Vinh Case Study essays

Hoang Vinh Case Study essays Hoangs interpretation of education is one that relies on the understanding of the concepts rather than that of his homeland, Vietnam, which is the memorization of every word that the teachers spoke. He has some problems with his English and therefore does a much better job understanding when he works in groups. Hoang wants to get his education to make him a better person rather than get an education to get a job that can earn him lots of money in the future. He does understand that it takes an education to get a job and that is a part of it, but the monetary concept is not as great as many of his American peers. His wish is to make enough money to support his family, but also to help those less fortunate; he seems to be a very selfless person. Another example of Hoangs selflessness is the fact that he does not want to ask his guidance counselor for help in getting his college preparation because his counselor has so many other students that need help and he doesnt want to bother him. It is very admirable, but at the same time I feel he needs to help himself as well. Hoangs family and heritage is extremely important to him. He strongly supports the fact they only speak Vietnamese at home and eat traditional Vietnamese meals. It does somewhat surprise me that he does support the Vietnamese language to the extent that he does because he often criticizes himself for not speaking good English and the more he would speak the better he would become. His heritage is more important. And extending that spirit of heritage along to his siblings is important as well. He encourages the writing of letters to their parents in Vietnam and the speaking of their native tongue at home. ...

List of Organs Damaged by Smoking Expanded

List of Organs Damaged by Smoking Expanded Smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body, according to a comprehensive report on smoking and health from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Published 40 years after the surgeon generals first report on smoking which concluded that smoking was a definite cause of three serious diseases this newest report finds that cigarette smoking is conclusively linked to diseases such as leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia, and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas, and stomach. Weve known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this report shows that its even worse than we knew, said U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona in a press release. The toxins from cigarette smoke go everywhere the blood flows. Im hoping this new information will help motivate people to quit smoking and convince young people not to start in the first place. According to the report, smoking kills an estimated 440,000 Americans each year. On average, men who smoke cut their lives short by 13.2 years, and female smokers lose 14.5 years. The economic toll exceeds $157 billion each year in the United States $75 billion in direct medical costs and $82 billion in lost productivity. We need to cut smoking in this country and around the world, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease, costing us too many lives, too many dollars, and too many tears. If we are going to be serious about improving health and preventing disease we must continue to drive down tobacco use. And we must prevent our youth from taking up this dangerous habit. In 1964, the Surgeon Generals report announced medical research showing that smoking was a definite cause of cancers of the lung and larynx (voice box) in men and chronic bronchitis in both men and women. Later reports concluded that smoking causes a number of other diseases such as cancers of the bladder, esophagus, mouth, and throat; cardiovascular diseases; and reproductive effects. The report, The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, expands the list of illness and conditions linked to smoking. The new illnesses and diseases are cataracts, pneumonia, acute myeloid leukemia, abdominal aortic aneurysm, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, kidney cancer and periodontitis. Statistics indicate that more than 12 million Americans have died from smoking since the 1964 report of the surgeon general, and another 25 million Americans alive today will most likely die of a smoking-related illness. The reports release comes in advance of World No Tobacco Day, an annual event on May 31 that focuses global attention on the health hazards of tobacco use. The goals of World No Tobacco Day are to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, encourage people not to use tobacco, motivate users to quit and encourage countries to implement comprehensive tobacco control programs. Impacts of Smoking on Overall Health The report concludes that smoking reduces the overall health of smokers, contributing to such conditions as hip fractures, complications from diabetes, increased wound infections following surgery, and a wide range of reproductive complications. For every premature death caused each year by smoking, there are at least 20 smokers living with a serious smoking-related illness. Another major conclusion, consistent with recent findings of other scientific studies, is that smoking so-called low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes does not offer any health benefit over smoking regular or full-flavor cigarettes. There is no safe cigarette, whether it is called light, ultra-light, or any other name, Dr. Carmona said. The science is clear: the only way to avoid the health hazards of smoking is to quit completely or to never start smoking. The report concludes that quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits, reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking and improving health in general. Within minutes and hours after smokers inhale that last cigarette, their bodies begin a series of changes that continue for years, Dr. Carmona said. Among these health improvements are a drop in heart rate, improved circulation, and reduced risk of heart attack, lung cancer, and stroke. By quitting smoking today a smoker can assure a healthier tomorrow. Dr. Carmona said it is never too late to stop smoking. Quitting smoking at age 65 or older reduces by nearly 50 percent a persons risk of dying of a smoking-related disease. Unexpected Organs Damaged by Smoking Aside from the major organs- heart, lungs, brain, stomach, etc.- cigarette smoking and excessive exposure to secondhand smoke can cause damage to some unexpected parts of the body, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Ears: By reducing the flow of oxygen to the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ in the inner ear, smoking can damage the cochlea, resulting in mild to moderate hearing loss.   Eyes: Besides increasing the risk of blindness from cataracts, nicotine from cigarettes reduces the body’s ability to produce the chemical necessary for being able to see at night, especially dangerous when driving after dark. Mouth: Long known for causing disfiguring and potentially fatal oral cancers, cigarette smoke is now known to cause smokers to have more mouth sores, ulcers and gum diseases than non-smokers. In addition, smokers are more likely to have tooth decay and lose their teeth at a younger age. Skin and Face: By causing the skin to become dry and lose its elasticity, smoking can lead to stretch marks and wrinkles. By their early 30s, many regular smokers have already developed deep wrinkles around their mouth and eyes. According to the NHLBI, quitting smoking can protect the skin from premature aging.

Learning outcomes of Statistics for Managers Research Paper

Learning outcomes of Statistics for Managers - Research Paper Example It is important for people to put statistics in practice even if they do not understand statistical methods well (Anderson, Sweeney & Williams, 2011). Descriptive statistics are numbers that are used to explore data in a more meaningful way such that a person can understand the data with no need of explanation. In descriptive, data more explained in such a way that images or patterns may emerge from the data presented. This helps those that cannot read and understand what the data means to study the image or patterns well so that they can be able to understand the data well. Descriptive statistic is of more importance if the data was to presented in a raw data it could be difficult for some of us to understand the data especially if one has a lot of data to go through. According to Leblanc (2004), descriptive statistics enables people to present their data in a more meaningful way for easy interpretation of the data. For example, a certain number of students in school sit for an exam then their teacher want to take the overall performance of those students. He or she will have to apply descriptive statistics to get the overall of his or her students. Inferential statistics is more concerned in making inference or predictions of a give population through analyses and observation of the sample. In inferential statistics the data is generalized together as opposed to descriptive statistics where data is more interpreted in a meaningful way. As such, analysts can take the results obtained from an analysis using a study sample, and then generalize this information for use in the larger population represented by the sample. Silverman (1986), argues that it is imperative to use a representative sample of the group being generalized in order to achieve this fete effectively. Some of the key tests of significance considered under the issue of generalization include a T-test or a Chi-square, which explores the probability of the results

The French Revolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The French Revolution - Research Paper Example deas included unfair taxation, the gap that existed between the poor and the rich social groups and the American Revolution and finally independence declaration of America (Noonan, 1999). The people in the third estate social group had very little rights whether socially or politically. However, some of the educated persons such as doctors and lawyers, belonging to third estate social class were in a position to read all the upcoming new ideas made by the government from some philosophers such as John Lacke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. These philosophers talked about a democratic government possessing freedoms and natural rights. Eventually, the people belonging to the third estate social group began questioning the France government using the standards stated by the philosophers and began to demand for equality and democracy in the country (Noonan, 1999). Unfair taxation was an economic cause of the revolution. Third estate comprised of doctors, lawyers, merchants, and peasants who faced heavy taxation in many things while the richest estates paid little or no taxes. This was unfair treatment considering that people from the richest estates had a lot of money, large plots of land and positions in the government and good interaction with the government. This unfair treatment of the third estate people angered them and made a prompt of the revolution. The social cause of the revolution was the large gap that existed between the rich people and the poor people. There were few members belonging to the first and second estates while third estate made up of the biggest population. However, the rich owned biggest portions of land while the poor had little portions of land yet they made the biggest population in the country. Prove of the gap between the rich and the poor, was unequal taxation for the rich and the poor. Politically, third est ate people did not have privileges and right to contribute in the then government yet the nobles and clergies had the right. The

Flamingo Essay Essay Example for Free

Flamingo Essay Essay Bonny Sim Flamingo Essay July 12, 2012 Did you know that flamingos were the inspiration for the phoenix? Pheonicopterus is another name for flamingos in Latin, which means crimson wing. Flamingos live in warm places like South Africa. They are usually near salty lakes or rivers. Flamingos are one of the most amazing creatures on Earth. Flamingos’ bodies are mostly pink. Their beaks are brownish black and the inside parts of their wings are black feathers. However, their eyes, legs, and feet are all pink. They have long, pink chopstick like legs, and big, webbed feet. Flamingos are usually 120cm in height, and weigh 2~5 kg, with an average wingspan of 140cm. Flamingos are pretty tall, mostly because of their long legs and neck. What do flamingos eat? What eats the flamingos? Flamingos have a very special tool for eating: their beaks. They stamp their large feet in the mud of the lake or river to stir up food from the bottom. They usually eat brine shrimp and blue-green algae, filter fed. Also, flamingos are very sociable birds that group in communities that can reach into the thousands. Flamingos group together for predator avoidance maximizing food intake, and finding the best nesting sites. They can be eaten by mongooses and marabous. The unique thing about flamingos is that they are crimson colored. However, the baby flamingos are born with grey feathers. There are carotenoid proteins in aqueous bacteria and beta carotene that causes this pink and reddish coloration. Female flamingos are more attracted to vividly colored, healthy, and enchanting males, when they are finding their mates. The flamingo dance, as we call it, is for finding a mate. They raise their neck high, and twist their heads from side to side. Randomly, they flap their wings. First, the flamingos divide themselves into groups of 15~50 birds. When they find their mate, their female chooses a spot for the nest. Next, they build the nest out of mud and salt. Another pair sometimes tries to steal the other couple`s nest spot if they want it. The female flamingo lays the egg, and it hatches after a month. Thee chicks are born gray, with spots of white. Because the flamingos have a hormone called prolactin, they create crop milk to feed their chicks. The crop milk contains red and white blood cells. The family stays in the nest with the chicks for six days, but after 7~12 days, the chicks venture around. Two weeks later, the chicks become a part of microcreches, and their parents leave them in these groups. Soon, the microcreches come together to form creches, which can consist of thousands of chicks. Creches are meant to protect the chicks from getting eaten by the predators. In conclusion, the life cycle of flamingos, is so awe-inspiring. The way they filter feed, and how they group themselves, is so unbelievable. Did you know that flamingos were the inspiration for the phoenix? The chicks that learn to walk really fast are amazing, too. Let`s protect them from being endangered, by keeping the lakes and rivers clean. Also, it might help the flamingos if we stop the global warming.

Conformity Essay -- essays research papers

According to Leon Mann, conformity means ‘yielding to group pressures’. Everyone is a member of one group or another and everyone expects members of these groups to behave in certain ways. If you are a member of an identifiable group you are expected to behave appropriately to it. If you don’t confirm and behave appropriately you are likely to be rejected by the group. Like stereotypes, conforming and expecting others to conform maintains cognitive balance. There are several kinds of conformity. Many studies of conformity took place in the 1950’s which led Kelman to distinguish between compliance, internalisation and identification. Compliance is the type of conformity where the subject goes along with the group view, but privately disagrees with it. Internalisation is where the subject comes to accept, and eventually believes in the group view. Identification is where the subject accepts and believes the group view, because he or she wants to become associated with the group. Leon Mann identifies normative conformity which occurs when direct group pressure forces the individual to yield under the threat of rejection or the promise of reward. This can occur only if someone wants to be a member of the group or the groups attitudes or behaviour are important to the individual in some way. Apart from normative conformity there is informational conformity which occurs where the situation is vague or ambiguous and because the person is uncertain he or she turns to others for evidence of the appropriate response. Thirdly, Mann identifies ingratiational conformity which occurs where a person tries to do whatever he or she thinks the others will approve in order to gain acceptance (if you make yourself appear to be similar to someone else, they might come to like you). The first major research into conformity was conducted in 1935 by Sherif who used a visual illusion, known as the auto-kinetic effect. Sherif told his subjects that a spot of light which they were about to see in a darkened room was going to move, and he wanted them to say the direction and distance of the movement. In the first experimental condition the subjects were tested individually. Some said the distance of movement wasn’t very far in any directio, others said it was several inches. Sherif recorded each subjects response. In the second experimental condition, Sherif gathered his subject... ... and Willis give some criticisms of the early research into conformity. Firstly the studies do not identify the motive or type of conformity. Do the subjects conform in order to gain social approval? Are they simply complying? Do they really believe that their response is correct? Secondly Hollander and Willis claim that the experiments do not identify whether the subjects are complying because they judge that it’s not worth appearing to be different, or because the actually start to believe that the groups judgement is correct. Hollander and Willis also claim that the studies cannot show whether those who do not conform do so because they are independant thinkers or because they are anti-conformists. And Lastly, they claim that the studies seem to assume that independance has to be good and conformity has to be bad. However conformity is often benificial. Sherif and Asch have each conducted fairly artificial laboritory experiments which showed that about 30% of responses can be explained by the need or desire of the subjects to conform. These experiments may not accurately reflect real life when conformity might be benificial and sometimes contribute to psychological well-being.

Drinks that Influenced History and Civilization Essay

The author describes the origin of six drinks that greatly influenced history and civilization around the world: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. He explains how each drink was the defining drink during a historical period from antiquity to present day. The fluids are vital because each had a role of shaping the modern world. They have been used as currencies, in religious rites, as a political symbol, sources of philosophical and artistic inspiration. Some have served to highlight the power of the elite, and appease the downtrodden. They connected world cultures by impacting trade, economy, religion, and politics. Beer was discovered through different methods of cooking and storing cereal grains. When the ice age ended, lands such as the Fertile Crescent provided abundant cereal grains. Such grains provided a reliable source of food, and the ability to store cereal grains began to encourage people to stay in one place. This resulted in permanent settlements as societies transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming. Although the residents of such villages continued to hunt, skeletal evidence suggests that they subsisted mostly on plant-based diets. Beer was shared, and it was symbol of hospitality and friendship. To Neolithic drinkers, beer’s ability to intoxicate and ferment seemed magical, and it was concluded that it was a gift from the gods. Beer-drinking cultures tell stories and myths of how it was discovered. Mesopotamians and Egyptians saw beer as an ancient, god-given drink that supported their existence, formed part of their cultural and religious identity, and had great social importance. It was consumed by anyone regardless of status, age, or gender. Beer impacted the growth and diffusion of the earliest civilizations greatly. The emergence of complex societies, the need to keep written records, and the popularity of beer all followed from the surplus of grain. It was also used as a form of currency and payment. Beer also had a direct link to health. Mesopotamians and Egyptians used it medicinally. The Egyptians used bread and beer in funerals. Without the discovery of beer, the earliest civilizations of Southwest Asia and Egypt would not have been as prosperous.

Sample Persuasive Message

In this paper the subject to identify is three behaviors inherent in e-tailing, explain how each medium enables e-commerce, and analyze each behavior using the communication process. The three behaviors to be discussed are independent variables, intervening variables, and dependent variables. Two types of independent variables are personal characteristics and environmental variables (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). Personal characteristics refer to the demographic factors, internal individual factors, and behavioral characteristics (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). Environmental refers to social, cultural, community, and other environmental variables such as available information, government regulations, legal constraints, and situational factors (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). Intervening variables controlled by vendors, as in pricing, advertising, branding, physical environment, and promotions. The physical environment includes in store displays, logistic support, technical support, and customer services all are important to the consumer (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). By showing a company’s product online for the consumer it fulfills the intervening variable. The dependent variable is the buying decision, the consumer ask several questions such as, â€Å"How much to buy? † â€Å"Where to buy the product? † and â€Å"When to buy the product? † These decisions depend on the independent and intervening variables (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). By using personalization in e-commerce a company is referring to matching service, products, and advertising to individuals and their preferences based on what the company knows about the individual user (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). The three steps, services of personalization are: personalized services are built on a one-on-one communication channel, individual service built on the sequence of clicks, page request, or items added to shopping carts. The third universal services are the product search function or reading of customer reviews. These three strategies will increase satisfaction, build relationship, generate lock-in situations, and realize greater produce or service turnover (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). Under independent variable the company must know itself the services and products they are providing to the customers. Then the company has to determine how it will arrive at the information to the customer through websites or mailers. The company must determine who will receive the massages. This hypothetical company has to determine where it is obtaining its products from. So advertising can be put into place around those products. Thus, informing the customer/receiver through varies technology where the product comes from (University of Phoenix, 2011). The dependent variable sets the companies course to who, what, when, where, why, and how. With personalization the company must match all services and products to different demographics. These demographics are the targets for the products and services the company is advertising. Using detailing in this manner should permit growth and larger profit margins. Part of existing in e-tailing is customer satisfaction. Given the changes in the world with more people going online for product maintaining customer satisfaction in the online shopping experience is more important. The high levels of customer satisfaction are associated with repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). The customer needs to trust the e-tailer that the product he or she receives will be like the one in the picture on the web page. Trust is particularly important in e-commerce transactions because of the difficulties of taking legal action (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). The buyers and sellers must trust the e-commerce’s computing environment and the infrastructure. If they do not feel comfortable or trust security of the infrastructure he or she will not buy the product he or she was looking to buy (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). There are two ways to increase trust in e-commerce the following are: 1. ) Affiliate with an objective third party. This builds trust by putting hypertext links on their website to other trusted reputable companies. 2. ) Establish trustworthiness through these key elements integrity, competence, and security (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). The organizational behaviors are similar, to individuals with a few differences, the individual is more the business-to-consumer where family and Internet communities can have an influence. The organizational is more the business-to-business concept where family and Internet communities have no influence on purchases (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). Marketing and advertising processes for organizations are different. The traditional way to market goods was through trade shows, magazines, newspapers, and salespeople calling. With the digital world or e-commerce an organization could use online directory, matching, the marketing and advertising service of exchanges, co-branding or alliances, affiliate programs, online marketing, or e-communities (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). Some organizations that venture into the e-wholesalers, this kind of intermediary sells directly to businesses exclusively online (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee, & Viehland, 2008). With all the new technology coming out in the world a large amount of individuals and organizations are turning to the Internet to buy and sell products and services all over the world. References Internal Revenue Service (2011) Electronic Payment Options for Businesses and Individuals. Retrieved from http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/O,,id=101316,00.html Turban, E., King, D., McKay, J., Marshall, P., Lee, J., & Viehland, D. (2008) Electronic Commerce 2008: A Managerial Perspective (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. University of Phoenix (2011) University of Phoenix Material: COMM470 Version 3 Appendix A

How to Use a My Service Canada Account

How to Use a My Service Canada Account The My Service Canada Account (MSCA) is available from Service Canada, the federal department charged with delivering a wide variety of government services. The account provides secure online access to view and update your personal information on Employment Insurance (EI), the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and Old Age Security (OAS). How to Obtain an Access Code Before you can register for a My Service Canada Account, you need an access code- either an EI access code if you are applying for EI benefits or a Personal Access Code, which you must request. The four-digit EI Access Code is printed in the shaded area on the benefit statement mailed to you after you apply for Employment Insurance. To request a seven-digit Personal Access Code (PAC), read the information on the Request a Personal Access Code page. Read and print the Privacy Notice Statement for your records. Select continue, provide the following information, and submit your: Social Insurance NumberFirst nameLast nameDate of birthMothers maiden namePostal code and address information It will take five  to 10 days to receive your PAC by mail. Once you have an access code, you can register for a My Service Canada Account online. How to Register and Log In At the MSCA website, you can choose between logging in with CGKey using a Government of Canada User ID and password or using credentials you may already have with a Sign-In Partner, such as those you use for online banking. When you use a Sign-In Partner, Service Canada will not share personal information with the partner about the government services you access and the partner will not provide personal information it holds to Service Canada during the login process. Service Canada will not know which partner you are using. If you are a first-time user, follow the registration instructions to complete the sign-up process before logging in. GCKey Registration First, read and accept the terms and conditions. Be prepared to: Create a User IDCreate recovery questions, answers, and hintsCreate and confirm a password Sign-In Partner Registration Read and agree to the terms and conditionsSelect a Sign-In Partner Employment Insurance (EI) Once you are logged in, you can use the My Service Canada Account tool to view your electronic Records of Employment (ROEs) and information on your EI claim, including your weekly benefit rate, the start and end date of your claim, the start and end of your waiting period, your allowable earnings, the number of weeks you will be entitled to receive EI benefits, the number of weeks of EI benefits you have already received, payment dates, and details about payment deductions. This account tool also allows you to: View information on past EI claimsSubmit an Absence From Canada formSubmit a Course or Training formPrint your T4E tax slip for EI benefits to use when filing your income tax returnStart or stop the mailing of your T4E tax slipsRegister to pay EI premiums on your self-employment incomeChange your address or telephone informationSign up for direct deposit or change your banking information Canada Pension Plan (CPP) The My Service Account allows you to view information about your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits and view and print your CPP Statement of Contributions. You can also use this tool to: Get an estimate of your CPP retirement benefitsPrint your T4A(P) tax slip for CPP benefits to use when you file your income taxesStart or stop the mailing of your T4A(P) tax slipsChange your address or telephone information (some exceptions apply)Sign up for direct deposit or change your banking information Old Age Security (OAS) Information on Old Age Security (OAS) benefits is also available in the My Service Account. The details of your benefits- including payment dates and monthly amounts- is found here. The tool also allows you to: Print your T4A (OAS) tax slip for OAS income for your income tax returnChange your address or telephone information (some exceptions apply)Sign up for direct deposit or change your banking information Questions and Assistance If you have difficulty using the My Service Canada Account tool, visit the nearest Service Canada Office. Experienced government personnel will be available to answer questions and provide assistance.

Importance of Wait Time in Education

Importance of Wait Time in Education Wait time, in educational terms, is the time that a teacher  waits before calling on a student in class  or for an individual student to respond. For example,  teacher presenting a lesson on presidential terms of office, may ask the question, How many years can a president serve as president? The amount of time that a teacher gives students to think of the answer and raise their hands is called wait-time, and research published over forty years ago is still used to show that wait-time is a critical instructional tool. The term was first coined by Mary Budd Rowe in her research paper, Wait-time and Rewards as Instructional Variables, Their Influence in Language, Logic, and Fate Control (1972). She noted that on average, teachers paused only 1.5 seconds after asking a question; some wait only a tenth of a second. When that time was extended to three seconds, there were positive changes to students and teachers behaviors and attitudes. She explained that wait-time gave students a chance to take risks. Exploration and inquiry require students to put together ideas in new ways, to try out new thoughts, to take risks. For that they not only need time but they need a sense of being safe (4). Her report detailed several of the changes that came about when students were provided wait-time: The length and correctness of student responses increased.The number of no answers or I dont know responses by students decreased.The number  of students who volunteered answers increased greatly increased.Academic achievement test scores tended to increase. Wait Time is Think Time Rowes study had focused on elementary science teacher using data recorded over five years. She had noted a change in teacher characteristics, flexibility  in their own responses, when they purposefully allowed wait-time of three to five seconds, or even longer. In addition, the variety of questions asked in class became varied. Rowe concluded that wait-time influenced teacher expectations, and their rating of students they may have considered slow changed. She suggested that more work should be done concerning direct training of students to take time both to frame replies and to hear other students. In the 1990s, Robert Stahl from Arizona State University took up Rowes suggestion and followed up on her research. His study Using Think-time Behaviors to Promote Students Information Processing, Learning, and On-task Participation: An Instructional Model explained that wait-time was more than a simple pause in instruction. He determined that the three seconds of wait time of uninterrupted silence offered in questioning and answering was an opportunity for intellectual exercise. He found that during this uninterrupted silence, both the teacher and all students can both complete appropriate information processing tasks, feelings, oral responses, and actions. He explained that wait-time should be renamed as think-time because, Think-time names the primary academic purpose and activity of this period of silenceto allow students and the teacher to complete on-task thinking (8). Stahl also determined that there were eight categories of uninterrupted periods of silence that comprised wait-time. These categories described the wait-time immediately following a teachers question to a dramatic pause a teacher may use to emphasize an important idea or concept. Practicing Wait-time in the Classroom Despite the undisputed research, wait-time is a teaching tool that is often not practiced in the classroom. One reason may be that teachers are uncomfortable with silence after asking a question. This pause may not feel natural to wait to call on students. Taking three to five seconds, however, before calling on a student is not a lot of time. For teachers who may feel pressured to cover content or want to get through a unit, that uninterrupted silence can feel unnaturally long, especially if that pause is not a classroom norm. Another reason that teachers may feel uncomfortable with uninterrupted silence could be a lack of practice. More veteran teachers may already set their own pace for instruction which would need to be adjusted, while teachers entering the profession may not have had the opportunity to try wait-time in a classroom environment. Implementing an effective wait-time of three to five seconds is purposeful and takes practice. To better practice wait-time, some teachers implement a policy of only selecting students who raise a hand. This can be hard to enforce, especially if other teachers in the school are not requiring students to raise their hands. If a teacher is consistent and reinforces the importance of hand-raising in response to a question, students will eventually learn. Of course, teachers should realize that it is much harder to make students raise their hands if they have not required to do so from the first day of school. Other teachers may use a student lists or popsicle sticks or cards with student names to ensure that every student is called upon or that one student does not dominate the responses. Teachers also need to be aware of student expectations when implementing wait time. Students who are in competitive, upper-level courses and who may be used to quick-fire questions and answers might not initially find a benefit from wait time. In these cases, teachers would have to use their expertise and varying the amounts of time before calling on students to see if it does make a difference to either the number of students involved or the quality of the answers. Like any other instructional strategy, a teacher may need to play with wait-time to see what works best for students. While wait-time may be an uncomfortable strategy for teachers and students at first, it does get easier with practice. Teachers will notice a better quality and/or an increase in the length of responses as students to have the time to think of their answer before raising their hands. Finally, student-to-student interactions may increase as students become better able to formulate their answers. That pause of a few seconds called wait-time or think-time can make a dramatic improvement in learning.

Research paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research paper - Assignment Example The industrial revolution of the 19th century that took place in Europe and America saw people experience pollution of air, soil and water systems to levels that threatened the extinction of some flora and fauna species. Governments the world over responded to the deteriorating environment in the last few decades of the 20th century through imposition of laws aimed at limiting environmental pollution of pollution (Ocean Service, 2008). There is no doubt that the menace of pollution is today affecting every nation of the world. The burning of fossil fuels for instance is a major cause of air pollution. Daily consumption of fuel through cars releases a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere with result of that that air we are inhaling is not clean and as such poses significant health risks. Nations especially in the developed world are trying to regulate air pollution through the passage of tough laws to govern corporations thought to hold most of the responsibility when it comes to environmental pollution (Gulf Daily News, 2009). The sole aim is to force these companies to behave responsibly in terms of release of chemicals in the atmosphere. Failure on the part of corporations to adhere to environmental laws attracts stiff penalties and increased taxes. This is because pollution affects the environmental adversely and thus bringing about major human health issues with the ultimate rise in the cost of medicine to individua ls. Bad air for instance has caused an increase in conditions such as allergies and asthma (Abdi, Ferrera, 205). In the Kyoto protocol for instance, most of industrialised and developing nations of the world committing to the reduction of CO2 emissions by an average of 5% till the year 2012 basing their 1990 emission levels. Unfortunately some major industrial powers of the world such as the US declined to ratify the protocol thus dealing a blow to the efforts.