African American Literature Essay Example for Free

African American Literature Essay African American literature has a strong deeply rooted background in the history of America, thus giving the writers categorized in this genre a strong message to convey in any story they chose to tell. From tragic life moments to happy life moments, the writers have the ability to tell their story in a variety of methods. This canon of literature serves as a diary for the African American community. All of the literary works that compile this genre reflect the many twists and turns a collective group of persons must endure while struggling to achieve a place in history. The following discussion of three historically significant African American stories reflects the struggles one race of persons had to endure on their journey throughout various time periods in America. The Short Stories In the short story, My White Folks Treated us Good by Mariah Hines the author describes in first person account of a situation when African American slaves were treated well in comparison to the stories of abuse, rape, and neglect most persons are accustom to reading from this era. The slaves never went hungry, always had clothes to wear, were able to work under their own accord, always treated with respect, and were told to take Sundays off while also being encouraged to attend church on Sundays. The slaves were in fact treated so well that when they were free to leave, they choose to remain at their former master’s farm and continued working for him. Hines concluded the Master continued to support his former slaves. Hines stated â€Å"Master helped us much as he could. Some of us he gave a cow or mule or anything he could spare to help us (p. 34). † Moving forward in time, the short story Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston describes a situation of domestic abuse in a long term relationship between a wife, Delia Jones, and her husband, Sykes Jones. Sykes enjoyed torturing Delia, he would find ways to make her job as a washwoman more difficult by kicking the clothes across the room or by scaring her with ways related to her fear of snakes. Sykes enjoyed fighting; he in fact enjoyed it so much so that he intentionally picked fights with Delia. This type of torture strained their marriage to the point of near silence on a daily basis. Sykes thought it to be a good idea to bring a rattlesnake into their home. The rattlesnake got lose in the home, Delia was able to get outside the home but Sykes remained in the home and was attacked in their bedroom. Sykes yelled to Delia for help and comfort, but she was unable to come to him related to fear. Delia finally walked to the door, but due to the nature of his injuries and the distance to the doctor she understood he would not make it through this attack, therefore she allowed him to pass in their backyard. â€Å"She could scarcely reach the chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heat while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which much known by now that she knew (p. 108). † This story shows how those who choose to abuse others always pay for those actions in the end. Alice Walker wrote the story Nineteen Fifty-Five, about a young white singer, Traynor, who purchased a song from a young African American woman, Gracie Mae, and went on to become famous after recording and releasing his own version. His version of Gracie Mae’s song continued to eat away at Gracie Mae for the rest of her life. It did not have the same meaning, nor was it loved by his fans for the same reasons she hoped it would be. The fans loved Traynor, not the song. Traynor continued to keep in contact with Gracie Mae throughout his time in the army, touring, marriages, and divorces. Then towards after many years, contact stopped and Traynor was found dead after 15 wives and a troubled road in the end. Gracie Mae lived vicariously through Traynor and his portrayal of her song. Gracie Mae herself lived quite happily through the birth of many children, the divorce and/or death of three husbands, the showering of gifts from Traynor, and his ultimate death. Gracie Mae did have a connection to Traynor that flowed deeper than her song. â€Å"One night I dreamed Traynor has split up with his fifteenth wife p. 297). † Due to the stereotypes and prejudices of this time period Gracie Mae and Traynor were never able to express the emotional connection they felt between each other. Common Literary Conventions Literary conventions and themes were similar in the stories; connotations, culture, undertones, and main characters were alike. The three stories were written in first person and portrayed a personal struggle endured by each main character. The main character was always female, strong, and independent in different way. The stories span three different periods of time, yet still reflecting similar struggles in very different settings. These conventions are important when connecting the messages of these stories. Each has a story of struggle, some are internal while others are outward, and each woman must find inner strength to change or cope with their situations. Beginning with My White Folks Treated us Good, this story was historically important in relation to conveying the happiness that could be found in such a dire situation as slavery. Hines showed not all slavery conditions were adverse or abusive; there was still the possibility of enjoying life, and gaining independence by getting the break needed, such as the freeing of all slaves, to make one’s own life better. In Sweat, Hurstson was able write a story about a woman able to persevere in a dreadful situation of both mental and physical abuse. During this time in history, women were not able to be independent and outspoken due to a fear of judgment or increased abuse. Delia was given the chance to be free from the abuses of Sykes and took that chance by allowing him to die from his injuries, thus resulting in her freedom. Following in the same suit, Nineteen Fifty-Five expressed the internal struggle of a woman’s desire to be understood and independent. Gracie Mae wanted to sing her own song and live her own life, without connection to a version of her song that did not represent the original intent. Gracie Mae was happy with her life, but was never free from what the release of her song brought to her life. Conclusion Culturally, these stories are important to all American’s. The historical significance of these stories and the emphasis on equality places a connotation of acceptance and availability of equal opportunity to all persons regardless of color, social class, age, race, gender, or personal situation. African Americans are able to tell their personal stories of struggles and triumphs through literature. This literature is a valuable tool for all persons wanting to educate themselves about significant times in American history. References Young, A. (1996). African American Literature: A brief Introduction and Anthology. New York, New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.

The Treatment Of Errors In The Classroom English Language Essay

The Treatment Of Errors In The Classroom English Language Essay LAST PART OF CHAPTER 3 As I mentioned before, error correction is the classroom activity that most people think as one of the language teachers most important functions (Nunan, 1989: 9). This is because most of the time the teacher is the one who corrects. The first and most important step a teacher must take is to determine the aim of the activity. As Ancker (2000: 20) mentioned in his article Errors and Corrective Feedback, if the objective is to develop accuracy, then of course correction is necessary. In this case, the correct approach is to allow the student to self-correct first. If that does not work, teachers should allow peer correction. But if no one seems to know, teachers can give the answer or correct. Although error correction seems time consuming, it helps students to focus their attention and to reduce their dependence on the teacher, and this reduction of dependence encourages students autonomy. On the other hand, if the objective of the activity is to develop fluency, then correction may not be necessary (Ancker, 2000: 20). Unless the error has been made many times, then the error correction needs to take place. One important question is who should correct learners errors. There are three possible answers to the question: the teacher, the learner him/herself or the others learners (peer-correction). But this will depend on the importance or success of the error corrections, as well as the ability of the students to do self or peer correction. According to Ellis (1994: 489) studies of repair in naturally occurring conversations have shown a preference for self-initiated and self-completed repair. But, in many cases the teacher is the one who usually corrects students in the classroom. It may be appropriate to allow the learner to self-correct without any further help from the teacher by using clarification requests such as: what?, excuse me?, what did you mean by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..?, etc. That is because learners are actually capable of making changes in their developing Interlanguage systems (Allwright and Bailey, 1994: 49). Most of the times, teacher intervention should be reduced and students must be encouraged to provide feedback to their partners. In one interpretation of language acquisition, Kessler (1992: 85) suggests that the monitor can prevent or repair some errors under certain conditions. These conditions include: a) a focus on form, rather than on communication of meaning, and b) adequate time for the learner to process the output. Ellis (1994: ibidem) conducted a study to find out whether learners reformulate their use of past tense in their utterances, when given a second opportunity to do so, or ignore it. He found out that those who, when pushed through a request for clarification to reformulate their utterances, did so, by correctly forming the past tense and maintained their improved accuracy in the past tense on the subsequent occasions. Teachers must have clear that each teacher must come to an individual decision with respect to treatment of errors, just as a proverb says: what works well in Madrid may not work well in Tokyo, because not all the students have the same personality. Allwright (1996: 32) makes a strong claim for the study of error correction in the classroom in which they occur. From this observation, he came to the following conclusions: 1) Teachers just tend to repeat the correct model rather than telling the student where his error occurred and why it was incorrect. 2) Teachers are also inconsistent in their treatment of learning errors. (Because errors are not always corrected). Also, Allwright (1996: 33) asserted that another possibility is that other learners in the classroom could help by providing corrective feedback if it is necessary. In one experimental study related to this issue, Porter (1986, mentioned in Chaudron, 1993: 71) found that second language learners were able to accurately correct other learners errors, though they rarely did so. 3.1.2.3 Error Correction Techniques Although providing correct forms of learner errors is one of the most popular techniques among many language teachers (Hendrickson, 1980: 160), the use of various types of treatment methods has been recommended as it is considered to be more effective and successful than relying upon a single technique (Lynch, 1996, cited in Muncie, 2000: 50). Holley and King (1971, cited in Hendrickson, ibidem.) suggest that teachers should not use the methods which make learners feel embarrassed or frustrated. Therefore, teachers should be more sensitive about how to respond to learner errors. Fanselow (1977: 588) has argued that teachers should offer learners the greatest possible variety of treatments because different people need to be treated differently. Also teachers need to keep on trying out different possibilities of feedback that would have to be delivered in such a way as to provide affective support, so the learners will not be demoralized, at the same time as the negative cognitive information is transmitted. Once teachers do decide to treat noticed errors, and when they will do so, they have a variety of methods to their disposal. Allwright (1975, in Nunan, 1989: 32) points out the complexities of the teachers task. In the case of error correction, this can be illustrated by the following options confronting the teacher in the face of a leaners error: To treat or to ignore the error completely. To treat immediately or delay the error. To allow another student, a subgroup or the whole class to find the correct form. To return or not to the original error-maker after treatment. To test for efficacy of treatment. To transfer treatment or not. To let it be self-treated. All these suggested options are appropriate in different moments; the teacher only needs to develop the intuition, through experience and solid diverse theoretical foundation. As Allwright has a variety of options, Long (1977, in Allwright and Bailey, 1994: ibidem) also notes that teachers have three choices in deciding what to do when they find the error: To inform the learner that an error has been made To inform the learner of the location of the error To inform the learner of the identity of the error Moreover, Corder (1967, in Allwright, 1996: ibidem) declares that in order to show that there is a problem, the teacher usually a) retains evaluation, b) ignores the answer given and repeats the question, c) repeats the trouble source as a question, or d) changes addressee. Errors are inevitable, but if there are too many it is probably the result of inefficient practice or poor exploitation strategies. Teachers have an arrangement of techniques and nomination strategies to deal with any correction that needs to be made. Correction techniques should be helpful and supportive. When an error is detected, the next problem is that teachers would have to choose the best type of treatment to provide in order to help the second language learners achieve this needed awareness. There are many types of errors and according to Slimani (1992, in Panova 2002: 582), teachers often use seven types of feedback (or error correction techniques) when correcting errors that occur in the language classroom. They are: recast, translation, clarification request, metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, explicit correction and repetition. As Slimani mentioned (ibidem) a recast is an implicit corrective feedback that reformulates a wrong or incomplete utterance. Example: 1. S: Dangerous? (Phonological error. /dangerus) T: Yeah, good. Dangerous. (Recast) you remember? Safe and dangerous. If you walk in the streetsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The second type of correction is the translation (from the teacher) that can be seen in many cases when students dont know how to say a definite utterance, for instance: 2. T: All right, now, which place is near the water? S: Non, Jai pas fini (L1) T: you havent finished? Okay, Bernard, have you finished? (Translation) The purpose of clarification request is to elicit reformulation or repetition from the student who has said a wrong form: 3. S: I want practice today, today (grammatical error) T: Im sorry? (Clarification request) In the example mentioned before, Im sorry is a type of clarification request but there is also another one that is very used: I dont understand. According to Lyster Ranta (1997, in Panova, 2002: 583), metalinguistic feedback refers to comments or information related to the form of the students utterance without providing the correct answer, as: 4. S: I accord T: Oh, but thats in French (metalinguistic feedback) Lyster Ranta point out that elicitation technique is a corrective feedback that prompts the learner to correct (Panova, 2002: 584); this is an example of a peer repairing: 5. T: In a fast food restaurant, how much do you tip? S1: No money (Lexical error) T: Whats the word? (Elicitation) S1: fiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦fourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (needs repairing) T: Whats the wordà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in a fast food restaurant? (Elicitation) S2: Nothing (repair) T: Nothing, yeahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The sixth type of feedback is the explicit correction. 6. S: The day last tomorrow (lexical error) T: Yes. No, the day before tomorrow (explicit correction) In this type of feedback, the teacher provides explicit signals to the student that there is an error in the previous utterance. The last type of corrective feedback is repetition, which the teacher repeats the wrong part of the students expression, usually with a change of intonation. For example: 7. S: I am agree (lexical error) T: I am agree? (Repetition) The research on teacher treatment of learner error, including studies by Allwright (1975), Chaudron (1977, 1986b, 1987), Fanselow (1977b), and Long (1977), shows that teachers do not treat all errors that occur. The findings also reveal that teachers have a wide variety of techniques available for the treatment of errors, but they do not typically make full use of the repertoire of behaviors from which they might choose in providing feedback (Allwright and Bailey, 1994: 99-100). Knowing all these types of error correction techniques (named also as feedback) teachers are more self-confident on what they are doing, because they know that the type of feedback they give to their students is mentioned in the seven techniques pointed out before, and they make sure they are doing right. 3.1.2.4 Momentum of the Correction The dilemma of; to correct or not to correct, has persistently engaged the minds of language teachers. Concerning to correction, Lyster Ranta (1977: 51) acknowledge that there is a certain dilemma in this regard: if teachers do not correct errors, opportunities for students to make links between form and functions are reduced; if teachers do correct errors, they risk interrupting the flow of communication. According to Longs (1977: 279) opinion, once the teacher has decided that an error should be treated, the next decision that he/she has to make is when to treat the error. The teacher may deal with it immediately, or delay treatment somewhat (for instance, until the learner finishes with the message he/she is trying to convey), while still treating the error within the boundaries of the same lesson in which it occurred. The `problem with immediate error treatment is that it often involves interrupting the learner in mid-sentence, it is a practice which can certainly be disruptive and could eventually inhibit the learner willingness to speak in class at all. Allwright Bailey (1991: ibidem) assert that if we adopt the notion of Interlanguage in the discussion of second language learners errors, we realize that by treating errors, teachers try to help learners move ahead with their Interlanguage development. However, they believe mistimed error treatment may not be helpful and may even be harmful if it aims at structures which are beyond second language learners in terms of their Interlingua development. They refer to mistimed with forms at the right time in the course of the learners speech. While correcting errors, teachers can make corrections at the moment the error is made or at the end of the activity. Having the correction at the moment is advisable when students do not make many errors and this will help not only the students who made the error , but also to the whole class or those who are paying attention; and having the correction at the end of the activities is advisable when students have many errors and run on them every five minutes, so that students do not feel like foolish in front of the whole class. The place of error correction has been controversial because teachers have to know the adequate moment to do the correction and how to do it in order to not inhibit students participation. Nunan and Lamb (1996, in Poppi, 2001: @), point out that it is important to consider when the adequate moment to make a correction is. They say that it is better to correct errors at the end of the activity just by writing on the board and explaining the reasons of the errors made since in that way, the teacher gives a better explanation of the error, but also focuses more on the error. On the other hand correcting at the moment is not advisable, because of the lack of time and also the teacher could demotivate the students. Alternately, Allwright Bailey (1991: ibidem) state that teachers may postpone the treatment for longer periods of time for two reasons: a) teachers do not want to explain the error to the whole group. For instance, oral errors, particularly if they are shared by a group of learners, may form a starting point for a future lesson. Long (1977: 290) observes that error treatment becomes less effective as the time lag between the performance and the treatment becomes longer. Deciding when and which errors to correct causes problems to teachers, as teachers may think they are encouraging their students, but they are doing the contrary or vice-versa. Teachers must also take in consideration, that constantly interrupting students to correct them can be irritating. If teachers do not know when to correct, it is necessary to consider the nature of the activity that is being undertaken. For example if students are performing a drill in order to practice pronunciation or phrases, then they should be stopped immediately when they make the error, otherwise they will continue repeating defective language; on the other hand, in fluency, if there are frequent errors, the teacher can make a mental or written note to provide feedback after the activity, so students can feel comfortable and self-confident. Teachers do not have to correct all the time, they have to be conscious on what and when they are going to correct in order to promote students participation, otherwise if teachers make lots of corrections, students could be irritated (Norrish, 1990: 280). Long (1977: 292) points out that the psychology of research literature shows, that the feedback becomes less effective as the time between the performance of the skill and the feedback increases. What is more, Virgil Oller (1976: 288) think that correcting errors at the moment is a waste of time and instead of doing that, teachers should avoid error correction at the moment. So, correcting at the moment can certainly be troublemaking and could eventually inhibit the learners willingness to speak in class at all, or students could forget what they wanted to say. Contrary to this, correcting at the end of activities is better because teachers have already finished their activities and can explain in detail the reasons of the errors (Virgil Oller: ibidem). In short, we may say that teachers can choose the moment to correct their students taking into account their necessities. 3.1.2.5 Students Attitude Attitudes are complex, hypothetical construction, which general definition includes some notion of evaluation. Ajzen (1988: 85) states that an attitude is a disposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to an object, person, intuition or event. In addition to this, Triandis (1971: 289) writes that an attitude is a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor. This evaluative aspect of attitude is its defining attribute, and sets it apart from other affective variables. Attitude is an emotion that all people show when they have views of an attitude object: i.e. a person, behavior or event. Attitudes come from judgments. Triandis (1971: ibidem) says that attitudes develop the ABC model (affect, behavioral change and cognition). The affective response is a physiological response that expresses an individuals preference for an entity. The behavioral intention or change is a verbal indication of the intention of an individual. And the cognitive response refers to a cognitive evaluation of the entity to form an attitude. Heider (1958, in Triandis: ibidem) points out that attitude is usually defined as a disposition or tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain thing (idea, object, person, and situation). The type of feedback language teachers provide for students reflects their view of language and their objectives. The attitude of students plays an important role in learning a second language. This attitude is developed by a variety of factors, among them feedback, which may have desirable or undesirable cognitive and affective results. Students characteristics have an impact both on the teacher who corrects the learners errors and on the learner who is corrected. The teachers treatment of error might also be influenced consciously or unconsciously by the state of mood teachers are. The attitude of learners toward error correction, not only by teachers during focused activities but also by native speakers with whom they converse, is remarkably positive (Chenoweth, Chun and Luppescu, 1983: 82). Cathcart Olsen (1976: 41) found that ESL learners who hold positive attitude toward correction like to be corrected by their teachers and want to have more correction than they are usually provided with. Another important point about attitudes is that they are subject to change; they are not set in concrete. This is good news for teachers in that poor attitude can be changed. But the good news is tempered by the fact that there are many variables associated with attitude change, such as the state of mood, the classroom environment, the students personality and so on. Probably, the most difficult aspect of the correction process is tailoring corrections to individual students. Teachers who wish to provide effective correction must consider its effect on each individual student. The problem has two aspects: affective and cognitive side. Truscott (1998: @) says that on the effective side, learners clearly differ in their reactions and attitudes to correction. For some, no adverse effect is likely unless corrections are delivered in a very aggressive or unfair manner. For others, there is a serious danger that correction will produce embarrassment, anger, inhibition, feeling of inferiority, and generally negative attitudes towards the class and possibly toward the language learning itself. Consequently, there are different reactions in students because all students are different: positive and negative. In this way, in order to avoid harmful effects and to make correction effective, the teacher should see each student as unique and to ask how each student will respond to correction in many possible forms, varying the type of error correction and the frequency of the correction, the clarity of the correction and the most important: the intensity of the correction. Nunan Lamb (1996, in Poppi, 2001: @) mention that attitudes and responses vary among students depending on the different ways that teachers treat their errors. For example, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.teachers can correct students in a way that makes students feel comfortable and some students can have a positive attitude to the correction while others will react with a negative attitude by making gestures (like a grimace) and some others will just accept the correction and repeat it with a smile (Pinazo, 2001: @) Moreover, Wajnryb (1992, in Poppi, 2001: @) makes the point that, if teachers attempted to correct every error that occurred in class, there would be little time to do anything else. Correcting at anytime many times creates a negative classroom atmosphere, discouraging learners from risk-taking and experimentation. So, when learners are corrected intensively by the teacher it could have negative consequences in their motivation. Students will think that if they continue speaking, the teacher will continue correcting, and in order to avoid this reaction (the teachers one) they stop speaking. Pholsward (2001: @), in his investigation at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce at the Faculty of Humanities in the language department of English, about students reaction to the error treatment, concluded that most students were quite relaxed and satisfied as they helped each other in a groups attempt to identify errors. In Pholswards research, the teachers would suggest answers in guidance to students and if the students were still not responsive, the teachers would identify errors and edit them, followed by detailed explanations. In brief, Ellis (1994: 490) affirms learners attitude towards error correction can also vary according to their characteristics, their cognitive and affective states and the nature of the treatment they receive. Apart from what was mentioned before, students reaction is complemented by non-verbal gestures, too. Students talk with gestures and their meanings are clear and specific for instance: waving goodbye. Other types of gesture, the gestures that express emotional states, reflect the mood and feeling of people. Pinazo (2001: @) expresses that these gestures show anxiety or tension of the moment such as pain, triumph and happiness. The attitudes that will be taken in consideration in this research project are: positive and negative, with its corresponding classification that were taken from the works of these authors: Rebel Gà ¼nther (2002: 49-51, 96-165), Louis Porcher (1989: 77-82), Ana Muà ±oz (2002: @), Olman Martà ­nez (2004: @) and Pinazo (2001: @): POSITIVE ATTITUDE NEGATIVE ATTITUDE Move the head from up to down in a moderate form Smiles Laughs Repetition of the correction Lips movement by saying thank you Soft tone of voice Quickly movement of the head in an affirmative form Hinge or attentive look Grin Smirk Sneer Snarl Rotating the eyes upward (eye rolling) Rude tone of voice Fig. 3.1 Common attitudes on error correction 3.1.3 Error Correction, Motivation and Communication in English Language Learning Motivation is as much an effect as a cause of learning. Ausubel (in Budden, 2004: @). Motivation is related to error correction in English language learning because the manner teacher corrects, is the way in which students are going to react to teachers correction. Students main goal is to participate in communication with other people. This learning goal is possible if teachers can keep students motivation for learning during oral practice activities. Terese (2005) explains that one natural and non-treating way of encouraging students to give feedback is by using a number of strategies like: clarification requests (What did you mean byà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦?), requests for repetition (sorry, can you say that again?) and the use of questioning looks. This means that motivation is the force which determines if learners initiate, or not on a task, also how much energy they dedicate to it and how long they continue in it. Famous research carried out in the second half of the twentieth century by Gardner and Lambert (1999 in Harmer, 2001: 205) suggested that students who felt more warmly about a language, who wanted to integrate into the culture of its speakers were more motivated (and learnt successfully) than speakers who were only learning language as a means to an end (e.g. getting a better job). Harmer (1999: ibidem) says that real motivation comes from within each individual. Teachers are not responsible of their students motivation; they can only encourage students by using word and action, while teaching the foreign language. Motivation is the energy that catalyzes behavior. In psychology, motivation refers to the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of behavior (Budden, 2004: @) Motivation is a temporal and dynamic state that should not be confused with personality or emotion. It is sometimes assumed by language teachers that if students make any kind of error when talking to a native speaker they are learning, but learners frequent attitude to this is to maintain a terrified silence upon meeting a native speaker (Norrish, 1990: ibidem). This is because students think that errors discredit them with the person they are talking to. On the other hand, certain errors may conduct to a breakdown in communication, while others to social reactions. For instance, one of the breakdowns in communication is inhibition (Norrish, 1990: ibidem). Students get inhibited because they fear making errors when communicating and being ridiculous in front of the teacher or native speakers. But also when staying in the classroom or talking with other students, they feel embarrassed when making errors, because they are afraid of being seen as dumb. Nunan and Lamb (1996, in Poppi 2001:@), mention an investigation on teacher behavior and student responses on occasion of which the following question was established: Do students attitude about the types of error treatment used by their teachers in the classroom during oral classroom tasks influence their motivation? They concluded that students do hold attitudes about different ways that teachers treat their errors, and also learners would like the teacher to improve raising their awareness by allowing opportunities to self-correct and to analyze the errors; the learners would like to be provided in a positive way with information and clarification, rather than: a) being exposed by non-verbal signs, b) providing feedback without explanations, c) asking the students to repeat the sentence and d) activating the right answer on the part of the student. Additionally, students would like to build up the belief that errors are to be considered as signs of progress of the learning process , rather than evidence of failure. Correcting errors disturbs the ongoing communication process (Truscott, 1998: @) but it is important to express that errors do not necessarily guide to a breakdown of communication, because sometimes correcting errors in students encourage them to continue participating in order to improve their speaking skill. In short, along this theoretical framework, I have mentioned all topics related to error correction that will be necessary to carry out this research project. For instance, I have mentioned that errors are considered to be incorrect, wrong or should not be done. In addition to this, I have described the different types of errors like error, mistake, lapse or slip as errors, this way was easy to identify what I was referring to in the investigation. I have talked about the sources of errors; but also, and something important is that, I have mentioned error correction and the types of error correction that teachers usually use when correcting students. When correcting errors, I said that we need to take into account who will treat errors and when to treat errors. CONCLUSION Being a teacher of a foreign language implies having certain skills, whether by nature, acquired outside teaching, or arising from university studies in education. They may also gain this knowledge with books concerning issues of education or by taking professional courses on the subject. In this case, the research presented, is primarily based on improving teaching skills of those teachers who didnt study a bachelors degree in English Teaching, by providing the teaching of various courses. Improving in various teachers fields was primarily important. But, understanding two main points that serve as departure is the start point: what does teaching mean? And what does being a teacher imply? Teachers must understand that a good class depends on many factors; although the material presented to teach the class is important, the teacher should take into account that leadership and management at the beginning, during and at the end of the class is essential, for the students to learn what is taught. It is of vital importance to know the likes and preferences of the students who we give classes to; this will serve as a key piece to encourage them, especially those who learning a foreign language are a rejection. Teachers should practice self-reflection on how to teach a foreign language, and have feedback from other teachers; this is of great help in order to implement different kinds of methodologies in the classroom, especially in error correction during the communication of the students to the teachers and among themselves. Doing the research on these topics, I noticed and reflected on the magnitude of being a teacher I understood that teaching is a great responsibility, because the way of teaching depends on the likes and disposition of the students to the learning of English language, due to the motivation transmitted by the teacher. This also includes the methodology used by the teacher to teach a class, as it influences how well students understand the topic. Another important point is the attitude that teachers have in front of groups when teaching. It must be enthusiastic and positive, factors to include in the education of a class presentation. Of all these factors that I explained above, I conclude that it is very significant to continue preparing ourselves and practice teaching training, in order to perk up foreign language education. Improving internally and externally all the factors in teachers such as: learning new teaching methodologies, be at the forefront of materials that can be used with the group, making use of different types of feedback from teachers, using different tools and techniques in teaching as well as self-reflection are some of the factors explained in this research. This paper concludes that teachers that do not have a bachelors degree in English Teaching should always look for continuous improvement in different ways in all areas, in all levels of language education towards the students. Taking into account all the factors set above, this research was done, in order to improve the level of education qualitatively, pedagogically and psychological practicability in the teachers practice of English teaching at the Liceo Josà © Vasconcelos, in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas.

School Improvement Plan: The UAE

School Improvement Plan: The UAE School planning, organization and management is directly related to human and physical resources. The foundation behind it is that schools should be capable of utilizing the entire resources in a way that help them in performing their obligations successfully. All schools need their students to succeed and prosper. But schools can simply create a lifelong change when they have emphasis on specific goals and strategies for change. School improvement planning (SIP) is a process through which schools set goals for improvement, and make decisions about how and when these goals will be attained. The definitive purpose of the process is to promote student achievement by improving the way curriculum is provided, by building an advantageous environment for learning, and by increasing the parental involvement in their childrens learning at school and in the home. In this assignment, the investigator will develop SIP focusing on the common problem affecting the private and public schools in the United Arab Emirates. An action plan will be developed to help in improving schools and consequently increasing student achievement. What is a school improvement plan? A SIP is a road map that undertakes the changes required by a school to increase student achievement, and indicates how and when these changes will be constructed. SIPsare selective: they help principals, teachers, and school councils answer the questions What will we focus on now? and What will we leave until later? They boost staff and parents to follow on student achievement and other issues, such as the school environment,that are known to impact student success. schools will able to respond to the needs of students, teachers, and parents when updated and trustworthy information are provided on student performance. Moreover, a SIP is a mechanism by which the community can hold schools responsible for student success and through which it can evaluateprogress. One of the first steps-a critical one-in establishing an improvement plan includes teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members working together to collect and examine data concerning the school and its students, therefore they can decide what needs to be enhanced in their school. As the strategy is implemented, schools keep ongathering this type of information. By comparing the novelinformation to the primarydata on which the plan was grounded, they- and the public-can assess the accomplishment of their improvement plans. Authentic change takes time. It is essentialto keep all partners involved in theSIPinformed. Gradual improvements are significant, and they should be distinguished, but they do not comprisepermanent change. Therefore,SIPs are best designed over three years: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 1 the planning process à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 2 the implementation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 3 -continue the implementation. During initial discussions, or as time goes on, schools may need to expand their plan for additional years to make sure that they maintain their focus and attain their targets. Anyway,SIPs should beconsidered working documents that can beutilized tocheck their development over time andto make revisions when necessary to ensure that the plans stay on course. In developing SIP, the principal, staff, school council, parents, and other community members actthrough a diversity of activitiesconcentrated uponthreedomains of priority: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. For all these areas, schools set up the following: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A goal statement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Performance targets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Areas of focus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Implementation strategies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Indicators of success à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time lines à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Responsibility for implementing strategies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Checkpoints for status updates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Opportunities for revisions. Appendix B contains a sample school improvement plan. All school partners must be involved in the SIP to guarantee its success. Schools represent the whole school community. The principal, who has the responsibility of school administration and delivering instructional leadership, is ultimately accountable for SIP. However,all school community should be actively engaged in all stages of the process: planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating progress. Purpose To identify effective strategies for developing school improvement plans that lead to enhanced student achievement and increased parental involvement in education Background According to KHDA (2009), there are 220 schools in Dubai; 189 schools were inspected between 2008 and 2009. The remaining 31 schools which use the Indian, Pakistani and Iranian curricula will be evaluated later. These 189 schools are composed of 109 private schools and 80 public schools. Among the private schools ; 49 schools follow the UK National Curriculum, 30 offering a US curriculum, 16 schools using the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum, 6 schools follow the International Baccalaureate (IB), 4 schools follow the French curriculum and a further 4schools provide unique curricula (German, Russian, Japanese and Philippine). All public schools in Dubai were checked, including Madares Al Ghad (MAG) schools and Model schools. The purpose of schools evacuation was to improve the delivery of education to students in Dubai and to help parents know that their children are being learned and are in safe, skillful, and caring hands. The overall findings of schools performance in Dubai were shocking as there are around 20,000 students in Dubai receives unsatisfactory quality of education, more than half the schools are presently delivering an education that is not yet of the good quality anticipated of all schools in Dubai.Additionally,9 out of 10 schools provide acceptable quality of education. None of the public schools got outstanding but 50% of them achieved good.As for the private section, 4 schools offering the UK curriculum attained outstanding, 50% of private schools achieved 50% while 75% were unsatisfactory. As for the students performance, the results were generally disappointed. Students progress in the key subjects, are not yet making sufficient progress in speaking and writing Arabic and English. In public schools, where English is taught as a second language, students English language skills are insufficient and expectations, chiefly in connection with writing and speaking, are not satisfactorily high. The students capability of using mathematics to solve problems is poor. In private schools, students skills in Arabic need improvement. Nearly 20% of students make unacceptable progress. In Islamic Studies, students progress in the public schools is better than the private schools. The majority of the students have good attitudes to learning. They are motivated, attentive and hard worker. Economic and environmental understanding is developing in most schools. Students are often unattended except in class. Different forms of bullying are noticed. The teaching and learning methods were not useful for the students as the majority of the teachers dominate the lesson discussion in the public schools and poorly performing private schools. Assessment in more 25% of all schools is unsatisfactory. Consequently, many students are not aware of their strengths and weaknesses. In schools delivering the MOE curriculum, and US curriculum, students are not prepared well for higher education or employment. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory in nearby 20% of private schools and in a similar proportion of boys public schools. Almost all schools do not have self-appraisal system to assess their own work. Finally, many schools have comprehensive connections with parents but they are unsatisfactory to some parents. What Areas Should Be Considered for Improvement? The main goal of SIP is to increase the level of student achievement. To achievegenuine change, nevertheless, the process needs to focus on specific priorities. Student performance becomes better when teachers use curriculum-delivery strategies that purposely address the studentsneeds, when the school environment is supportive, and when parents are effectively involved in the education of their children. To improve the process of planning, therefore, schools should institute one priority in each of these three components-curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. Basically, the planning process involves answering the crucial questions: What will we focus on now? and What will we leave until later? Curriculum delivery in the United Arab Emirates Curriculum is considered the foundation of the educational system. It incorporates the principles, underlying educational philosophy, goals, content and actual operation of the instructional program in the class, besides the written and other materials required to reinforce the educational system (Farah.S. Ridge.N. 2009).There are two new approaches presently being executed on a trial foundation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-a new standards-based curriculum in Abu Dhabi schools and a new English-medium curriculum in particular governmental schools, the Madares Al Ghad, over the UAE. Curriculum as a concept can be divided into three main components: intended curriculum, implemented curriculum and attained curriculum. The intended curriculum typically embraces the directorial documents shaped by the UAE-Ministry of Education (MOE) or other education authorities which command how much, how frequent and what should be taught in schools. The implemented curriculum is what really occur s in the class, how successfully teachers offer the material, how long they pass on a topic and what resources they need to deliver the content. Lastly, the attained curriculum is what students practically learn in the class, what skillsand values they grasp, and what content they assimilate and retain (Table 1). The focus of the MOE curriculum upon the buildup of factual knowledge rather than critical thinking limits students learning. Facts are learned in isolation and students are incapable of applying their knowledge in real life situations. This is proved evidently in the findings of the 2007 TIMSS survey, which examined students performance in the application of mathematics and science in many countries. The MOE curricula in mathematics and science give slight attention to practical investigation and the use of mathematical and scientific knowledge to solving problems (KHDA 2009). Consequently, students are not well equipped for the courses and careers they will study. Public school students have to choose either a scientific or literary arts for their last two years of school-based study. Both of these options have narrow scope, heavy content and do not prepare students for university. Curriculum Policy brief: The MOE (2008) has issued curriculum policy documents that set out standards, activities, strategies, expected outcomes and tools for teaching and assessment for student learning in all grades and subject areas. The policy documents also encompass achievement charts that assist teachers in assessingstudents achievement in respect to the expectations. Assessment strategies must focus on how the students integrate theory into practice to encourage independent thinking and enhance problem solving abilities. To set a goal for improving the delivery of the curriculum, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members participating in the SIP must understand the expectations emerged by the MOE and how well the those expectations are going to be achieved by the students. Main Findings Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau Annual Report(DSIB) will be used as groundwork for this investigation. According to DSIB(2009), the majority of the schools achieved an acceptable level in meeting the students educational needs in relation to their curriculum. Yet, in schools delivering curriculum of the MOE, and in many schools providing a USA curriculum, students are not equipped well to vie globally. Moreover,in these schools, wherethe mainstream of students are native Arabicspeakers, have limited selection of subjects and their physical, creative and analytical skills are developing. These curricula are not operated effectively to satisfy the prerequisites of students, including those with learning difficulties as well as the potentially highest achiever. Furthermore, curricular weaknesses in public schools hinder the progress of many students and limit their achievement. The ill prepared English curriculum and the reduced demands of the text books fail to sufficiently meet the requirements of students for English proficiency.The students are learning English as a second language where opportunities for using it in conversation are limited. Additionally, the curriculumprepares the students to use only a few vocabularies. The range of students reading and writing is alsoimperfect. Extended writing is rarely a feature in most public and poorly performing private schools. Students are customarilyneeded to give only short written answers to questions present in textbooks and English teaching is miserable. As a result, non-native speakers are often unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas confidently even in Grade 12. These limitationsalter thestudentspreparation for university. The curricula in mathematics and science dedicateminimal attention to implementing mathematical and scientific knowledge in investigating and solving problems of daily life. In private schools, a high number of the older students fail or do not complete courses, particularly in mathematics and science subjects a situation not helped by the lack of independent information, advice and guidance for students prior to their admission to courses. The ICT curriculum focuses barely on performing skills. In addition,it is taught in English and many students do not get it adequately. All schools physical education, art and music have low status in MOE curriculum anda plenty of the ill performing private schools. The time allocated to these subjects to beneficially effect students physical and cultural growth is not sufficient. Music and art is taught to only a few students after Grade6 and 9 respectively. These restrictions hamper thestudents opportunities to develop their capabilities for independent learning through such activities as team working. All schools provision for students with exceptional educational needs is poor overall.The governmental schools offer some support, mainly in separate classes, in Grades 1 to 3 School environment Environmental factors are the most influential on studentsachievement and success.Creating a well-fit school environment calls the involvement of, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members to make effective and relaxing placesfor learning. WHO defines a health-promoting school as one that constantly strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.The American Academy of Pediatrics (1993) defines a healthful school environment as one that protects students and staff against immediate injury or disease and promotes prevention activities and attitudes against known risk factors that might lead to future disease or disability. A schools environment is the thread that linkstremendous activities on a campus. In many situations this thread is nearly invisible; however each person experiences its effect. Positive social relations and attitudes about school are as significant to the environment as are safe and well-maintained buildings and grounds. The quality of the school-good or bad is reflected by the environment of the school. A safe, clean, and well-Kept school with a positive psychosocial setting and culture can nurture school connectedness, which in turn improves student and staff well-being as well as students educational achievement. A schools physical environment includes the school building and the surrounding grounds, such as noise, temperature, and lighting as well as physical, biological, or chemical agents. The disturbing increase in the number of asthmatic students is a unique problem that can, in part, be influenced by negative physical conditions in schools. The psychosocial school environment incorporates the attitudes, feelings, and values of students and staff. Physical and psychological safety, positive interpersonal relationships, recognition of the needs and success of the individual, and provision for learning are all part of the psychosocial environment. Other factors encompass: the economy; social, cultural, and religious influences; geography; socioeconomic status of students families; tax bases; and legal, political, and social institutions. Main Findings The quality of health care is good or outstanding in a majority both public and private schools. School nurses, doctors and social workers presentobviously in the schools to support the students and their families. Medical records are arranged properly and routine follow-up are difficult. The role of the social worker is to have positive relations with families and monitor students attendance carefully. In the majority of the public schools, however, social workers work in isolation and do not communicate properly with other staff in the school to provide a rounded view of students performance. Comparatively little healthy food is sold in school canteens in most public schools; students in these schools often eat crisps and sweets throughout the day. Safety issues including transport measures, fire safety procedures, supervision and security, affect some public and private schools. Students are frequently unsupervised except when in class. School transport is occasionally organized with few considerations for the safety of students in pedestrian areas and on board buses, where working seat belts are not always provided. In a minority of schools there are events of unsuitableusage of physical punishment in response to negative behavior. Different forms of bullying range from kicking, spitting, malicious teasing, taunting, making threats to spreading rumors, engaging in social exclusion, extortion and intimidation. Generalizations cannot be made to understand why bullying occurs; but it should be recognized in all its forms and not tolerated. A survey conducted by ADEC in 2009 involving 1728 students (grades 3 to 6). The findings revealed that young children have various concerns about bullying in the schools; more than 47% considered that students at the school are often endangered or bullied; and more than 63% favor remaining at home because it is more safer than the school. The procedures for student safety are feeble in most private schools excluding those categorized as the best performing. According to KHDA (2009) most private schools have effectual policies to handle bullying and other kinds of upsetting behavior, and students report such events as uncommon. Moreover, whilst the best performing private schools have well-defined procedures for bullying, in many others do not. Students in the schools that were identified to be lacking bullying policy have no person to tell to if there is mistreatment inside or outside the school putting them at risk. Sana, A. A., MOE psychology advisor in Dubai, states that the ministry admits bullying in schools and is trying to overcome it. Some students dont have sufficient information and competency to recognize and contend with the behavior of aggressors (Khaleej, T 2010). According to the head of KHDA, an attention should be given to new forms of bullying, such as cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying has clearly increased in recent years and it can be more harmful and risky than other forms of bullying, (Samineh I. Undated). She cautioned of increasing incidence bullycide where children accustomed to escape to their homes to protect themselves from being intimidated at school, yet, through cyber-bullying there is no escape which give rise to many cases of bullycide ( bully associated suicides), Shaheem said (Gulf,N 2010). When the bully feels they cant express out their hostility on the school grounds, they will yell at either on the way home, on the bus or through text messages, chat rooms or Facebook. Speaking of one of the cases that came to Dubai Psychologist Dr. Singh, D., said that the plight of a small girl came to light only after her friend found her petrified at the sight of an older student and reported the incident. Her friend said that she was literally shaking at the sight of the older student, which led to an investigation that brought to light how the child was being bullied using social networking sites. Parental involvement Research found that parental involvement is one of the essential factorsleading to students success in school. Keeping the parents informed and involved in their childrens education will increase student achievement. Students attend school more frequently, finished more homework in a reliable manner, and exhibit more positive attitudes towards school. They also are more likely to complete high school. Parental involvement helps a child succeed in school and later in life. To ensure parents are informed about and involved in their childrens education, schools must foster partnerships with parents. Because parental involvement is one of the most significant factors in a childs success, it is crucial that all schools set a goal in their SIP for increasing it. Links with parents Many schools have comprehensive connections with parents but they are not continuously as effective as they want to be and some parents are unsatisfied withthe information givenabout their childs progress by the school. However,links with parents are usually good or outstanding in the best performing private schools. A small number of public schools have very good links with the local community and local businesses, which lead to enhanced outcomes for students. This is particularly true of schools in low economic status areas. The ADEC (2009) survey 1429 teachers in public schools and asked them about the number of times they met the parent personally and the degree of parents support to teachers .The result showed 6.9% have never met parents, 28.9% have met them once or twice a semester, 36.7% have met them once or twice a month, while 27.4% meet parents once a week. Regarding parents supporting the teachers teaching efforts, 55.5%feels some; while 13.5% feel never. More than 56.1% of teachers believe that only some parents make considerable effort to help their children learn; while only 5.6% do not at all. As for trust and confidence in parents as being partners in the teachers mission of educating the children, 19.3 % said no. Who Are the Partners in School Improvement Planning? Everybody involved in or interested in the operation of schools has a role to play in the SIP. District school boards and superintendents of education play vital roles in setting guidelines and in supporting and monitoring SIP. The most significantoperation, nevertheless, occurs within the school community itself. An effective SIParises when principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community participants work as a team to identify priorities, set goals for enhancement, apply strategies to reach those aims, and evaluate progress.Generally, principals responsibilities in SIP fall into three main categories:Communication, Leadership, Professional development. How Do We Begin? The first step of the SIP process is: Creating a SIP team; collecting and assessing data about student achievement, the school environment, and parental participation; and setting priorities for improvement through a sequence of activities. Principals play a fundamental role in these early platforms. They ease the creation of a planning team, which will be accountable for establishing priorities, and they ensure that the information needed for effective planning-such as report card marks, the results of assessments. Forming a school improvement planning team Principals should enlighten teachers, school council members, parents, and other community partners about the progressof SIP in a manner that appreciates their participation. In elementary schools, all the participants in the SIPconstitute a part ofthe planning process. Secondary schools, which usually comprise large teaching personnel, should guarantee that at least one representative from each section is part of the planning team, with the school council, parents, and other community affiliates who wish to share. In addition to expressing their preciousviewpoints and skills, teachers will alsofacilitate understanding ofinformation on students achievement as well as the expected value of and challenges implicated in a range of improvement suggestionsto other teammembers. It is imperative that the team be representative of the schools community. Principals should make hard effort to convince parents who correspond to a range of the school communitys demographic profile to play a part in the planning work out. Other communitymembers may offer worthinsights and perspectives, and their input should also be encouraged and vigorously sought out. Principals in the French-language systems will want to include leaders from the local francophone community. Finally, secondary school students should also contribute in the planning team. Principals should give confidenceto their involvement in the process, and possiblylook for those who are student leaders, motivating them to play a role. Principals in elementary schools may desire to engage interested Grade 7 and 8 with the teams work. All participants should have a positive attitude towards the process and realize that they have toact as a team. Scheduling meeting times for the planning team that are suitable to both staff and parents may be challenging. This issue can be solved by arranging parallel processes, whereby staff meets during school time whereas parents meet in the evening. The benefit of this organization is that it allows maximumparents participation. To insure consistency regarding decision makingbetween both groups, selected teachers could volunteer or be delegated to join both meetings. The SIPteam holds the role of analyzing data on student achievement in the school, the efficiency of the school environment, and parental involvement in their childrens education. Established on the results, team limbs make decisions about subjects that must be improved in priority. As figure 1 indicates, the planning work should take place between September and January of year 1. Understanding the context Before beginning a SIP, the planning team, together with parents, must be aware of and be familiar with particular types of information that school boards pass to staff and the public such as boards vision statement, national tests, and boards strategic plan, which includes short- and long-term goals for the district. In addition, members of the planning team should understand the nature and characteristics of the school and its community. Many schools create a school profile that sets out these characteristics in a simple way. Reviewing the school profile and debating each topic facilitate understanding of the school, and it places a context for the improvement strategy. A school profile could include information about the following: Student demographics Enrolment trends Languages spoken in the home The schools mission statement The schools program priorities Programs and services offered by the school (for example, guidance and library services) School facilities Class sizes Rate of student turnover or transfer Other relevant information. Schools in all systems should have other relevant information that will guide the readers of the profile obtain a realistic and full picture of their school. After acquiring an understanding of the boards targets and the schools characteristics, the planning team is prepared to start setting priorities for a SIP. Setting priorities SIPs are structured around three components: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. The planning team must set up one priority in each of these three domains. The following activities will facilitate planning teams create these priorities: Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery Collecting information The principal need to make sure that the planning team has the required data to identify which curriculum component (for instance, mathematics, science, reading, or writing) has the highest priority for improvement. Principal must also verify that the gathered information is reliable-that is, that it was collected according to the expectations and achievement outlined by the MOE. All teachers have to understand the MOEs policy obligations. The principal should therefore collect the following information for the planning team: Results of the annual assessments of students. Report card marks. Class profiles. Results of board-administered, national, and international tests. Discussing the information An open discussion, utilizing all the data collected about student achievement, allows all associates on the planning team to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in providing the curriculum, and identifies a priority for improvement in this regard. Deciding on a priority The facilitator distributes red dot stickers to the team members. Each associate obtains a number of dots equal to one third the number of weaknesses. All team members vote, using the stickers, for the subject of curriculum weakness that they think should be called first. Members must use all their dots, but they may not use more than one dot per weakness. The weakness with the most dots becomes the priority for enhancing curriculum delivery. Priority for Improving the School Environment Collecting information The principal need to collect information that will help the planning team define a priority subject for improving the school environment, such as school layout, students behavior and health condition. Discussing the information Before the meeting starts, the facilitator should collect the responses to the parent survey, transcribe the strengths and weaknesses of the school as sensed by parents Deciding on a priority The facilitator allots red dot stickers to team members. Each person receives a number of dots equal to one third the number of weaknesses. All members vote, using the stickers, for the ranges of weakness that they suppose should be handled first. Participants must get through all their dots, but they may not use more than one dot per weakness. The weakness rank high dots becomes the priority for enhancing the school environment. Priority for Increasing Parental Involvement Collecting information To help the planning team arrive at an endorsed priority for improving parental involvement, the principal should supply them with duplicates of: the school profile, a summary of the information collected in the parent survey. Discussi

Viacom Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Viacom formed when FCC rules had forced CBS to spin off some of its cable TV and program operations, this happened in 1971. Viacom then buys WAST-TV in 1979, in 1985 Blockbuster Video is founded, in 1981 the NAI buys majority interest ( Sumner Redstone owns this), in 1994 Viacom announces multi-transponder, multi-satellite agreement with PanAmSat. Also in 1994 Viacom and Paramount announces 8.4 billion dollar merger, Viacom then sells its 33% share of Lifetime. In 1995 Viacom spins off its cable systems for Tele-communications, in 1999 Viacom bought CBS for 50 billion dollars. There are other acquisitions and selling’s through which Viacom became so large, but I did not include every little thing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sumner M. Redstone has been chairperson since 1987, he did not become CEO of the company until 1996. However, Mel Karmazin became president and CEO of Viacom in May 2000. He was previously the president of CBS and he oversees all the operations of the corporation. He joined CBS in 1997 where he was chairperson and CEO and when Infinity merged with CBS radio he was chairperson there from 1981, until Infinity became a full subsidiary of Viacom in Feb. 2001.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Viacom is a leading global media company, with many positions in broadcasting cable, television, radio, outdoor advertising, and online. With programming it appeals to audiences in every category across all media, the company is a leader in the creation, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, music, and comedy. Viacom’s well known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, and Showtime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of the Broadcast and Cable Television that were by Viacom are some of the following: CBS Television Network is the Number one most watched network with more than two hundred stations providing viewers with some of the nation’s best entertainment, news and sports programming. Popular programs include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Everybody Loves Raymond, Survivor, the Late Show with David Letterman and 60 Minutes. Sports stations however, include the NFL and the NCAA Basketball Championship. Daytime drama The Young and The Restless leads a daytime pr... ... however promise by Viacom itself. The $50 billion merger between Viacom and CBS Corporation was completed in May 2000. Viacom is now the second largest media worldwide after AOL Time Warner, with 1999 sales of over $12 billion. The CBS-Viacom merger creates the second largest media conglomerate, controlling more TV and radio stations than any other and the feature of the announced takeover of CBS by Viacom was how little public attention it attracted. There the deal was announced by Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone and CBS President, Viacom now has its eye on synergy, one of the world's largest media companies in the world. Viacom spans movies, television, radio, the internet, and it owns BET (Black Entertainment Television), CBS, Paramount Pictures, the United Paramount Network (UPN), MTV.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, Viacom productions is used everywhere in the world today, many of it’s business are dealt with motion pictures, broadcast television, cable television, radio and outdoor, retail and recreation, publishing, online, and many other things around us. Viacom is one of the best programs I think we have as far as the TV programs much more.

Christianity is the True Humanism :: Religion Religious Essays

Christianity is the True Humanism Recently, I heard a shocking story about young boy who was raised in a coffin. Having been abandoned by his mom and dad, the child’s dysfunctional grandparents grudgingly assumed the task of raising him. For some bizarre reason, they kept him confined in a coffin, and only let him out to eat and go to the bathroom. Once the authorities rescued him, they discovered that the little fellow had no idea that there was any other way to exist. He thought all children were raised in coffins. To him that was reality. His life was dehumanizing. He did not know it. Similarly, many of us today do not realize just how dehumanizing our own society actually is. Granted, we don’t live in coffins, but we do live in a deadly culture that increasingly undermines the dignity of human life. The corruption of sexuality, the dissolution of marriage, the breakdown of the family, pornography, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, rampant consumerism, political malfeasance, corporate scandal, ecclesiastical betrayal, excessive individualism, the obsession with technology and biotechnology, and the desecration of the environment are just a few of the powerful forces that are chipping away day by day at what it means to be human. Ironically, most people have no idea that there is any other way to exist. Most simply assume that this is just the way life is. Few, if any, are asking whether or not we are witnessing the abolition of man. Is there any vision of life that can help us realize that we are living in the coffin of a lethal, dehumanizing culture and show us a better way? A Christian worldview answers affirmatively with a resounding â€Å"Yes!† In fact, Christianity is the â€Å"true humanism† which delivers us from the pit of degradation and lifts us up to the peak of nobility and respect. In all creation, we human beings alone are the image and likeness of God. We can reflect, love, create, and most importantly, worship the One whose image we bear. God has given us stewardship over creation to develop a rich and godly culture that benefits others and honors God. Art and science, work and play, marriage and family, church and state are our gifts and tasks. God has crowned us with glory and majesty (Psalm 8: 5). By redemption, Jesus Christ has reconciled us to God from whom we were estranged because of sin.

Explain what is happening in the passage of pages 120-128 of Wuthering Heights

It is this passage that Cathy realizes that she has made the wrong decision. She shouldn't have married Edgar she should be with Heathcliff. This realization is first saw when she saw her reflection in the mirror. ‘Is that Catherine Linton? ‘ Cathy asks this question because she saw someone that she does not recognize. She used to be a healthy, strong, wild girl and in her reflection she sees a pale, weak and unhappy woman. By seeing her reflection the reader can almost imagine what she is thinking. It seems as if she sees in the mirror her surroundings and realizes that it is her decision that puts her in this position. She chooses to marry Edgar and as a result denies her love for Heathcliff. From a feminist point of view it is a sign of Cathy's empowerment that she has finally realized that she shouldn't have married Edgar for his high social status, instead she should have married Heahcliff to satisfy her own feelings of immense love. It also touches on the fact that in this time period, once Cathy realizes she has made a mistake there is no way out of it, she has no means of escape, she is trapped. Cathy chose this path and as a result entered in to a world of distress and regret. From a moral point of view this passage also emits a strong message. Money and high status is not what makes you happy. You should choose to marry for love else you will end up regretting every minute. Also in this extract Nelly plays a very important role. She is highly unsympathetic to Cathy and she continually makes the assumption that Cathy has invented her illness. From a critics point of view it can be assumed that women during this time period used their frailty as strength to achieve what they want and make it so that they are in control. When Cathy asks Nelly why Edgar has not been to see her Nelly replies ‘the master has no idea of you being deranged, and, of course he does not fear that you will let yourself die of hunger' This is highly unsympathetic of Nelly and also very devious as Nelly has said nothing of Cathy's discomfort and ill health to Edgar, who would surely be worried if he knew. Cathy has further realization in this passage She previously thought that even though people around her hated each other they all still loved her ‘though everybody hated and despised each other, they could not avoid loving me' Although this gives a very self centered naive view of Cathy to the reader, it is true. What ever actions she pursued even if they hurt people they still can't help loving her. For example both Edgar and Heathcliff. She abandoned Heathcliff by marrying Edgar and by doing this ruined both of their lives however Heathcliff still endures undeniable love for her. Also Edgar is aware of Cathy's feelings for Heathcliff yet he still tends to her while she is sick and mourns for her greatly when she dies. This shows Cathy's great power in having control over men so much that they love her whatever she does to them. From a feminist point of view they would greatly reward Cathy for this. Also in this paragraph a complete turn around of Cathy's personality is shown. She is previously such a strong minded, self-confident character however it seem as though she has transformed in to a women with immense paranoia and depression. Not only has she realized that she wants to be with Heathcliff therefore feels regret and sorrow, but the man that she does have to stay with, the man she married, to her, does not care of her mental and physical state because he has not been to see her. She believes that Edgar will be happy to see her gone so that it ‘restores peace to his house' however this is not true. Edgar simply does not know of Cathy's state and this is all down to Nelly. Nelly has not informed Edgar as she believed that Cathy had invented her illness. I do not think that Nelly knows that in doing this she is actually making Catherine's illness worse as it is continually making her more distressed. ‘Tossing about she increased her feverish bewilderment' this paints a visual picture in to the readers head of the true state that Cathy is in. It is as though with time her mental state is quickly turning in to madness that she can't escape. Just like she can not escape her marriage. After this action Nelly realizes what the doctor said during her former illness. She should not be crossed; I think it is at this point that Nelly realizes the true seriousness of Cathy's case. Cathy continues to act with madness. Nelly describes her as ‘violent' which is the precise word judging from her following actions. ‘Pulling the feathers from the rents' Cathy then sorts the feathers according to different species. ‘That a turkeys, and this is a wild ducks and this is a pigeon's' This reference to birds transfers the readers m ind to the past when she was out on the moors with Heathcliff, open and free. The sense of entrapment enters the readers head again. The imprisonment of the Grange can not be compared to the open free moors. ‘Open the window again wide' I believe Cathy wants the window open because she feels this imprisonment and feels like only the wind from the moors can release her. When she opens it ‘the frosty air cut about her shoulders as keen as a knife' A very strong simile is used here because while Cathy feels as though the moors gives her a sense of freedom, this simile enters the feeling of death in to the readers mind by the word ‘knife' It is as if the moors knows that Cathy and Heathcliff can only be together once they are both dead. While looking out of the window Cathy claims that she sees Wuthering Heights ‘that's my room with the candle in it' the reference to the candle being lit is almost a resemblance of Cathy's life. It is though the candle still burns even when she has left Wuthering Heights but will soon die out when she dies herself. Cathy is the first one to make the promise that she will not rest until she is with Heathcliff. ‘I will not rest until you are with me†¦ I never will' so even when later in the book Heathcliff curses Cathy when she has died so that she will not rest peacefully, the reader knows that she does not want to rest without Heathcliff. When Edgar sees what is going on in Cathy's room he is extremely angry at Nelly for not informing him. His ignorance of Cathy's illness is shown ‘Catherine is ill? ‘ By Nelly not telling Edgar she has unknowingly ruined everything between them. Edgar has come too late because Cathy by this time has realized of her mistake. She gave him no glance of recognition' when he took her in to his arms. By this time she is in a different world, she no longer wants to be in this world of the Grange she wants freedom. It seems as if she has true hatred for Edgar. She acts as if it is his fault that Heathcliff and she are together when in fact it is her own fault. ‘You are one of those things that are ever found when least wanted and when you are wanted never! ‘ This shows she is mad that he has not come earlier when in fact it is all Nelly's fault for not making him aware. Catherine talks to him of death and where she wants her grave. This already shows that she has given up. It is as if she has no reason to live because she can't be happy without Heathcliff. ‘My resting place where I bound before spring is over' ‘in the open air with as head stone' this shows her link again with the moors. She wants to be buried there because it is where she feels safe; free and where she experienced the happiest times of her life.

What is Justice?

Plato was a Greek philosopher a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. The three laid down the western philosophy. Plato was a mathematician and a writer of philosophical dialogues, was the founder of the first institution of higher learning in the western world. Plato was equally influenced by his mentors thinking just as what he saw as his teacher unjust death. Aristotle was a student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the great. He was the man who created a comprehensive system of western philosophy, which was inclusive of aesthetics, morality, logic and science and finally politics. Plato who attended all Socrates’ trail got a trauma which led him to desire to design an idea society. Following his death Plato traveled wide in search of learning after which he established the Athens academy. Socrates appears as a character in most of Plato’s dialogues. Most of his writings are in form of dialogue it enabled him raise several points of view and let the Reader decide which is more varied. Plato had a great influence in philosophy as well as social and cultural science. Plato grew up in a family setting that enabled him have an interaction with city affairs. And desired to become a master of his own self and find out the state of publics affairs then as many were discontented with the constitution and a revolution took place. Having brought up in a family that hand a hand in leadership, who asked him to join them what he desired most. Plato expected the family to exercise justice instead of injustice. What is Justice? Justice is the concept of moral uprightness based on ethics, law and natural law. Justice can be equitable to fairness and equity. It is a key feature in the society. It is the fair ordering of this and persons and the first virtue of social institutions. It can be elaborated to be ones right to be protected and treated fairy according to the law; either in good or in wrong doing. Also as deciding carefully and fairly if one is guilty of what he or she is been accused of. Referring to shame I strongly agree that shame enhances the truthfulness of individuals due to fear of disrespect. In this way justice is achieved to the individuals concerned. This also enables many to develop the acquired virtue of justice. On other hand shame can make people be denied justice when the person involved fears to offer something to avoid disrespect. About females and justice they should be equally handled with men they shouldn’t be discriminated assuming they are sub-species. In the current world we have seen some women do better than their male counterparts meaning even the rest given a chance can do it. Justice should be ensured equally to all classes of people to the poor and the rich. Slaves are people like any other hence should not be eliminated when it comes to some matters. They can vote and those with leadership qualities should be allowed to go ahead and exercise them. State leadership is not for a chosen few families any one from which ever family as long as they have the capability can be given the mandate and not discriminated due to where they come from. As justice in the state is been sought, justice for individuals should also be sought. The state affair shouldn’t be run on the expense of the individual’s welfare. The individuals are the components of the society and state hence negligence on their affairs means neglecting the states justice. Justice according to Plato and Aristotle I have italicized philosophers’ remarks to distinguish then from the rest of the discussion] [In brief, Socrates says writing would bring harmless pleasure to old men and memories against the forgetfulness of old age] A pastime, Socrates, as noble as the other [wasting seeds during youth] is ignoble, the pastime of a man who can be amused by seri ous talk, and can discourse merrily about justice and the like. He meant as the idea of Socrates that the best and true way of writing is the in bold letter the principle of justice is communicating orally for the sake of instructions and engraving in the souls. This makes the principles become ones own and his legitimate offspring; though writing would keep the exact information for future generations. Justice is an old concept in existence and was discussed by several philosophers of the past. According to Plato justice is harmony of three things of the soul which includes desire, appetites and reason. Reason is what reign over both desires and appetites. ‘Plato likened it to a chariot pulled by to joined horses towards the sun where the horses are desire and appetite and the driver represents the reason that reigns. The sun represents the truly important goal in life. They have to be monitored not to fly too low or too close to the sun and doing so give a true balance to all elements. He believes through this balance justice can be achieved to all individuals. ’ Plato believed justice is implemented when the three types of human character performed their functions. Likewise justice of a state is not found in a part of it but the whole of the state; which only occurs when it systems are balanced. Also the justice of an individual is found when his elements are balanced. He refuted the fact that just was that which was mandated by the powerful, and that might is right as opposed to Thracymachus. Plato saw a just society as one that meets the needs of all its individuals not a few or some (Hooker, pp234). Taking the ideal of Plato’s mentor major ideal that justice would be an excellent character, he sought to explain that no excellence would be achieved through destructive means. He argued that the role of justice was to improve human nature, which involved only constructions. Justice according to Socrates implies superior character and intelligence while injustice is deficiency in these two areas. Hence just men are effective in action due to these two traits and are better and happier. In addition Plato defined justice in an excellent way as morality or righteousness, this includes the whole duty of man and involves individual induct towards others. In deed justice can be a quality of the soul, which most men set aside and fight for selfish desires and satisfaction. Aristotle denoted that the purpose of every human action was for achievement of good things. The things carried out by individuals are sough to give pleasure and happiness, others for the sake of honor and justice. He also distinguished between moral virtue and intellectual virtue; moral virtues are acquired and not inborn. He emphasized that people with virtues act virtuously and this is nit deniable. According to him justice is amoral virtue which includes lawfulness and fairness. Fairness calls for all privileges and responsibilities of individuals be equally and proportionally distributed. Aristotle concludes that pleasure is not the aim of human action because not every pleasure is good. He described happiness, as the unity between will and action, of intellect and reason. He concluded that human beings are happiest when guided by reason. Perfect happiness there of is gained by a unity of practical and theoretical wisdom (Scott, Para 4, 5 &10). In reference to justice, shame and reputations were termed as motivators of action in justice. Many people are able to express truth when unimpeded by shame. According to Aristotle shame was a pain concerning things that caused individual disrespect. Aristotle concluded that a true expert is the one who challenges city’s convectional justice and not constraint of shame and concern of reputation. In view of Aristotle he spoke of justice as a virtue, individual traits which have a lot of ground in social justice. On the contrary Plato terms justice as an overarching of virtues of individuals, meaning every thing that he would term as ethical came under the notion justice. In the modern usage justice only covers a part of morality, and we don’t count people as unjust when they neglect their children or lie. Plato builded around the idea of philosopher rulers which was his primary point. This led to the question, ‘then why do you need ideal state to begin with? The discussion begins with the key term justice which leads to creation of an ideal state. He says the reason for an ideal state is to guarantee the existence of justice. This never denoted that there can be no state without justice because human being are not self sufficient so they need a social environment and each person has specified tasks on which they should build on (republican, pp56-62). Though a person is not self sufficient combination of person – a state should fulfill the need of all its members. Plato condemned the fact that only the auxiliaries are got a chance to state leadership and the poor had no where near. His aim was to define justice though he used politics to do that. On the other hand Aristotle used politics to define politics itself. He begins his text by asking, why does the state exit? ‘ His answer was a state is a culmination of natural groupings that begins with the coming together of a man and a woman- a pair, get a family and form a household, which units form a village and villages into a state. ’ Lack of sufficiency just like in Plato’s view is the catalyst to rising up of unions among people. In politics he is not up to breaking down the society, he argues that there are different classes in society which are naturally defined. He devotes a lot of time to explain the ‘naturalness’ of salves and their importance in the society. Both Plato and Aristotle agree that some people can’t play an active role in politics. They upheld benefit of the community above those of individuals; today’s constitution includes a bill of rights that guarantee the rights of every individual. This is good for today’s citizens. In accordance to the three elements in human nature equally there are three classes in the society-Philosopher class or the ruling class which denotes reason; auxiliaries, a class of warriors and defenders of the country implying the spirit; and the appetite instinct of the community which includes farmers, artisans the lower class people of the society. Thus, weaving a web between the human organism and the social organism, Plato said this to assert that every person had a role in seeing that justice is done to all. Slavery is a contradicting issue between the philosophers and today’s society. Aristotle considered slavery natural when it came to politics; and in relation to slavery he undermined female population. Plato was a lot less discriminatory but this didn’t stop him from believing women were sub-species. This made woman fight endless battle to gain recognition they deserved, today its well acceptable that what men can do women can do better. Plato discussed the possibility of a luxurious state. Where the needs of the people are met and there is division of labor. And there is existence of military protection that is not a threat to the state itself and offers successful military protection. Plato asks if an unqualified good human being must appear to fall to bad now and then. This would be a person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity; but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation. He must also be a person who enjoys great reputation and good fortune Enjoying a reputation means finding happiness which Aristotle on the other hand liken to performance of ones duty and is determine by ones degree of evolution. He disagrees with Plato’s view of sacrificing ones happiness for the interest of the community. Plato contrary to the theories of his student, like cephalous justice out to be treated as internal not something external. It is not an importation, or an accomplishment. He proved that justice is not dependent upon chance or an external force. He termed it as the right condition of a human soul. He concluded his debate by saying justice is the bond that joins men together in society. Aristotle on the other hand recognized the role of deliberations in a government, in particular democracy and the extent to which real justice depended on good deliberations (politics, pp410). He argued that democracy supports good life. Aristotle proposes that the private and the government assistance should be given to the poor as a way of trying to achieve self-sufficiency which denote justice. Aristotle’s ideal of justice appeared superior, upon further investigation but Plato’s was stronger. In conclusion both Plato and Aristotle had good points of view they agreed in most of their debates. This was as a result of originating from the same roots academically. These deliberations they made were for the good of the society. On the other hand they differ on several topic or views which enabled the society to take the better view as emphasized by their mentor Socrates. Justice should be for the good of the individuals and also the society. Work Cited Hooker R. Greek Philosopher Plato, 1996 retrieved on 25th Nov, 2008 from; http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/PLATO.HTM Scott A, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, 2002 retrieved on 25th Nov, 2008 from: http://www.angelfire.com/md2/timewarp/ethics.html River S, Pearson N.J, Politics Ancient Philosophy.2008 Ed. Forrest E. Baird and Walter Kaufmann. Upper Vol. 1 of Philosophic Classics. 442-453.