Current Research Investigations of Corollary Discharge :: Biology Medicine Research Papers

Ebb and flow Research Investigations of Corollary Discharge Culmination release helps both human and non-human creatures recognize self-produced (inward) and outer engine reactions. By imparting signs which report significant data about development orders and intension creatures can precisely deliver engine successions effortlessly and coordination. At the point when an engine order starts an electric organ release, the sign transmits significant data to the cerebrum which fills in as a criticism components which help with self-checking; this is officially characterized as culmination discharge(6). Despite the fact that the culmination release framework is one of the most significant frameworks which creatures have for the control and location of engine developments, its particular neurological mapping is generally obscure. Numerous examinations which explore the particular idea of culmination release center around either sound-related or visual tactile observation. Current examinations of result release are generally connected with the utilization non-human primates and people who experience the ill effects of Schizophrenia. By utilizing non-human primates for the examination of the neuronal system of the end product release framework both obtrusive and non-intrusive examination might be investigated. Furthermore, examining Schizophrenics who experience the ill effects of sound-related visualizations, the powerlessness to separate among spoken and thought discourse (1), may likewise altogether add to the headway and expanded understandings of the end product release frameworks . Sommer et. al., proposed a neuronal pathway for culmination release in non-human primates. He recommended that this pathway reaches out from the brainstem to the frontal cortex. Inside the pathway the cerebrum was to start development just as flexibly interior data which was then utilized by tactile frameworks to alter for resultant changes(5). These modifications were said to happen inside the fringe receptors and engine arranging frameworks which would then set up the body for future movements(5). Result release flags in Sommer's examination were distinguished as development related action which anticipated upstream (up the spinal string) ceaselessly from engine neurons, transmitting data however not causing any real development (4). By estimating the neuronal terminating of the predominant colliculus in the frontal cortex during ordinary and invigorated saccade developments of the eye, Sommer estimated the end product release flags in monkeys. The aftereffects of Sommer's investig ation proposed that non-human primates did in certainty transmit culmination release signals during eye saccades which was reminiscent of a brainstem to frontal cortex pathway for transmission. While Sommer's investigation gave novel and intriguing thoughts with regards to respect to the particular pathway of end product release, it concentrated to a great extent of saccadic eye developments in non-human primates.

Internet Cafes Essay Example for Free

Web Cafes Essay Inside a couple of months China will overwhelm America as the nation with the universes biggest number of web clients. In any event, when you factor in (incorporate s/t as an important component when settling on a choice) Chinas size and its astounding pace of GDP development, this will be a striking accomplishment for what stays a poor economy. For as long as three years China has additionally been the universes biggest exporter of data and interchanges innovation (ICT). It as of now has a similar number of cell phone clients (500m) as the entire of Europe. China is in no way, shape or form the main developing economy where new innovation is as a rule excitedly grasped. In frantic (quick and lively) Mumbai, everybody is by all accounts chattering (talk quickly and enthusiastically) relentless on their cell phones: as per Indias telecoms controller, half of every urban occupant have portable or fixed-phone memberships and the number is developing by 8m per month. The India of web cafã ©s and web investors creates more designing alumni than America, makes programming for hustling vehicles and stream motors and is one of the best four pharmaceutical makers on the planet. In an alternate indication of innovative advancement, the countrys biggest private undertaking, Tata, as of late divulged the â€Å"one lakh car†; valued at what could be compared to $2,500, it is the universes least expensive. In the interim, in Africa, individuals who live in mud hovels utilize cell phones to address bills or to check fish costs and locate the best market for their catch. However this image of developing business sector technarcadia (perfect techno heaven) is gave a false representation of (neglect to give a genuine thought) by equal records of wretchedness and ineptitude. A year ago ants ate the hard drive of a picture taker in Thailand. A week ago web use from Cairo to Kolkata was disturbed after somethingâ€probably an earthquakeâ€sliced through two undersea links. PCs have spread gradually in most developing economies: 75% of low-salary nations have less than 15 PCs for every 1,000 peopleâ€and a considerable lot of those PCs are gathering dust (1). What's more, the feting (festivity) of unmistakable innovation extends in rising economies is in some cases untimely. Nicholas Negroponte, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has for quite some time been supporting a $100 PC, with most exhibition at the World Economic Forum in Davos two years prior. The PC should move through poor nations, spreading information and network all around (2). In any case, the venture is bogged down, the PC doesn't work appropriately and one conspicuous sponsor, Intel, aâ chipmaker, has pulled out. So how well are rising economies utilizing new innovation, truly? Up to this point, decisions have must be founded to a great extent on accounts. Presently the World Bank has enhanced the depiction proof with progressively exhaustive measures.

APA Rules for Attributing Sources

APA Rules for Attributing Sources When you are writing an APA paper,  you will often need to refer to works by other people. This may involve describing research conducted by psychologists, paraphrasing another writer, or including a direct quotation from another work. Proper APA citing demonstrates that you are familiar with the research on your topic, that your sources have been accurately documented and that you own conclusions are backed up by solid evidence. Your in-text citations are just as important as your reference section. APA format establishes a number of clear rules for how to cite works using author information. The specific format of your in-text citations will vary depending upon the source and the number of authors to whom the source is attributed. Citing Your Sources in APA Format All of the sources that you use in your paper should be cited in two ways. First, an in-text citation should be used wherever you refer to another source in the body of your paper. This is often accomplished by including the name of the source’s author and the publication year. The second way that sources should be cited in APA format is to include a reference section at the end of your paper that provides the full reference for any and every source that was cited in the body of your paper. Always remember, if you cited a source in your paper, it must also be included in the reference section. How to Cite Authors In APA Format No Author While most articles, books, and other reference materials will include an author attribution, some sources lack information on authorship. How do you cite these resources in APA format? In-text citations should use a short article title enclosed in parentheses and the date. When article titles are long, simply use the first word or two of the title. Example The study revealed a strong positive correlation between the two variables (Learn APA, 2006). One Author When a book, article or other source lists only one author, simply provide the authors last name followed by the publication date. Examples ...students demonstrated solid understanding of the concepts and information (Jones, 2001).orJones (2001) found that students demonstrated a solid understanding of the concepts and information. Two Authors When a source lists two authors, your in-text citations should provide the last names of both authors and the publication date. Examples ...later studies demonstrated a similar effect (Ross Hudson, 2004).orRoss and Hudson (2004) found a similar effect in later studies. Three to Six Authors Proper APA format for sources with three to six authors requires listing the last names of all authors the first time you cite the source as well as the publication date. Examples ...results indicated a strong positive correlation between the two variables (Robsen, Hutchkins, Ru, Selanis, 1989).orRobsen, Hutchkins, Ru, Selanis (1989) found a strong positive correlation between the two variables. Subsequent citations should list only the last name of the first author along with the publication date. Robsen (1989) demonstrated the effects of... or ..in a study demonstrating these effects (Robsen, et al., 1989). Seven or More Authors Listing the last name of the first author as well as the publication date should cite sources with more than seven authors. Examples ...students demonstrated competence after reading about APA format (Smith et al., 2005).orSmith et al., (2005) found that... Organizations as Authors To create an in-text citation in APA format when the author is an organization or entity, always include the full name of the organization the first time you cite the source in-text. The citation should also include the acronym of the organization if one is available. Subsequent citations can simply list the acronym and the publication date. Examples The American Psychological Association (2000) reported that...or...found that students responded positively (American Psychological Association [APA], 2000).and subsequent citations(APA, 2000). Be sure to check your references and citations using the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. How to Cite Books in APA Format The APA citing format you use for books can vary depending upon the number of authors that are listed. If a book has just one author, simply provide the author’s last name followed by the publication date. In cases where there are more than six authors, the last name and first initial of the first listed author should be used, followed by et al.. Examples ...students demonstrated competence after reading about APA format (Smith et al., 2005).orSmith et al., (2005) found that... APA Citing for Articles in Journals, Magazines, and Other Periodicals When you are citing articles in an academic journal, magazine, newspapers or other periodicals, you should follow the author-date format. APA citing should include the authors last name, followed by the date of publication. Examples ...as Smith and Jones (2005) described...or...the study found a statistically significant relationship between the two variables (Smith Jones, 2005). In some instances, a publication might not have a listed author. Include the short title of the article followed by the date of publication. For example: ...the findings were contradicted previous research on the subject (New Research, 2009). Citing Articles with No Author In cases where no author is listed, include the short title of the article followed by the date of publication. Example ...the findings were consistent with previous research (New Study, 2003). If you use a direct quotation, your APA citing should always include the page number where the source can be found. In cases where you are citing an organization such as the American Psychological Association (APA), spell out the entire name the first time you cite the source. All further citations should use the appropriate acronym. APA Citing for Electronic Sources The exact format you use for APA citing of electronic media depends on the type of source that is used. In many cases, the format will be very similar to that of books or journal articles, but you should also include the URL of the source and the date it was accessed in the reference section.

Familiares que puede pedir un ciudadano americano

Los ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos  pueden solicitar los papeles para la tarjeta de residencia permanente  Ã¢â‚¬â€œgreen card– para algunos de sus  familiares.  Los requisitos de edad, tiempos de demora, posibilidades de ajuste de estatus y de incluir a otros familiares en una à ºnica peticià ³n dependen del grado de la relacià ³n entre el estadounidense que pide los papeles y el extranjero que resulta beneficiado. Sin embargo, cabe destacar que en algunas ocasiones ser ciudadano no da derecho a pedir a un familiar. Esto es asà ­ en los casos en los que han sido previamente condenados por delitos contra menores de contenido sexual (Ley Adam Walsh). Ademà ¡s, las condenas por secuestro o retencià ³n ilegal tambià ©n imposibilitan solicitar los papeles para un familiar. Familiares inmediatos de ciudadano estadounidense A la hora de pedir los papeles, la ley migratoria establece una diferencia fundamental entre familiares inmediatos de un ciudadano y los que no tienen esa categorà ­a. Su significado es muy distinto de lo que se entiende en lenguaje normal.   Solo y exclusivamente los siguientes son familiares inmediatos de un ciudadano: cà ³nyugeshijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±ospadres y madres Para la ley migratoria de EE.UU. son cà ³nyuges los matrimonios de varà ³n y mujer y tambià ©n los conformados por dos hombres o por dos mujeres. El matrimonio puede haberse celebrado en EE.UU. o en otro paà ­s, lo à ºnico que importa es que sea và ¡lido segà ºn la ley del lugar de celebracià ³n. Asimismo, los cà ³nyuges solo pueden estar casados con una sola persona. Si tuvieron un matrimonio anterior, debe haber finalizado por fallecimiento de uno de los cà ³nyuges, anulacià ³n de matrimonio o divorcio. Si durante el proceso de peticià ³n el cà ³nyuge estadounidense falleciese, el viudo podrà ­a seguir siendo considerado como familiar inmediato y continuar con la tramitacià ³n, siempre que se cumplan ciertos requisito. Tambià ©n son familiares inmediatos de ciudadano los hijos/as biolà ³gicos o adoptados solteros que son menores de 21 aà ±os de edad. En los formularios de Inmigracià ³n se refieren a ellos como child. En algunos casos, los hijos biolà ³gicos podrà ­an ser ciudadanos por propio derecho a pesar de haber nacido en otro paà ­s por lo que se conoce como derecho de sangre. Con respecto a los hijos adoptados, podrà ­an haber adquirido la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense en el momento de la adopcià ³n, dependiendo de las circunstancias del caso. Tambià ©n podrà ­an ser considerados como familiares inmediato de un ciudadano los hijastros. Para este caso ademà ¡s de ser solteros y menores de 21 aà ±os se exige que el matrimonio entre el ciudadano y el extranjero, que es padre o madre del menor, se hubiera celebrado antes de que dicho menor cumpliese los 18 aà ±os de edad. Si ya hubiera cumplido los 18 en el momento, el ciudadano no lo podrà ¡ pedir ni como familiar inmediato ni en ninguna otra categorà ­a. La solucià ³n en estos casos es que el cà ³nyuge extranjero adquiera la green card y pida a ese hijo/a soltero. Otra opcià ³n, pero solo và ¡lida si todavà ­a no se ha celebrado el matrimonio, es la visa K de prometido, ya que la derivada K-2 permitirà ­a pedir los papeles para el hijo soltero menor de 21 aà ±os del novio/a extranjero, a pesar de que la boda se celebra despuà ©s de que à ©ste hubiera cumplido los 18 aà ±os de edad. Por à ºltimo, son tambià ©n familiares inmediatos de un ciudadano su padre y su madre y en ciertas circunstancias, padres adoptivos, padrastros y madrastras. Pero para estas peticiones es requisito indispensable que el ciudadano cumpla los 21 aà ±os de edad antes de estar capacitado para hacerlas. Sin embargo, en el caso de un ciudadano estadounidense adulto que fue adoptado en otro paà ­s antes de cumplir los 16 aà ±os de edad y fruto de esa adopcià ³n obtuvo un beneficio migratorio -green card o ciudadanà ­a de EE.UU.-, no puede pedir los papeles para sus padres biolà ³gicos. Ademà ¡s, un ciudadano solamente puede pedir al cà ³nyuge de su padre o al de su madre solamente si la boda entre ellos se celebrà ³ antes de que el ciudadano hubiera cumplido los 18 aà ±os de edad. Por ejemplo, si el ciudadano estadounidense Juan Garcà ­a tiene 19 aà ±os cuando su papà ¡, Orlando Garcà ­a, se casa con Gloria Fernà ¡ndez, cuando Juan cumpla los 21 aà ±os de edad podrà ¡ pedir a su padre, pero no a Gloria. Pros y cons de peticiones de ciudadano a familiares inmediatos En primer lugar, una gran ventaja de las peticiones de ciudadano a familiar inmediato es el tiempo de espera por la tarjeta de residencia que es, simplemente, el que lleve la tramitacià ³n. A diferencia de lo que ocurre en el resto de peticiones por familia, en el caso de las de familiar inmediato no hay là ­mite en el nà ºmero de residencias que se pueden aprobar anualmente por esta causa. En la actualidad la demora puede llevar, aproximadamente, entre 12 y 24 meses. Otra gran ventaja de las peticiones de ciudadano a familiares inmediatos es que pueden ajustar su estatus –es decir, obtener la green card sin salir de EE.UU.- incluso si està ¡n en el paà ­s como indocumentados, siempre y cuando hubieran entrado legalmente a EE.UU. En otras palabras, los que ingresaron cruzando ilegalmente la frontera no pueden ajustar su estatus y tendrà ­an que salir a una entrevista consular, con lo que surgirà ­a el problema del castigo del los tres o de los 10 aà ±os. Por esta razà ³n, se debe consultar con un abogado en el caso de peticiones de ciudadano a cà ³nyuges, padres e hijos mayores de edad de un ciudadano que ingresaron ilegalmente a EE.UU. Finalmente, otra ventaja es la congelacià ³n de la edad para el caso de hijos solteros que cumplen los 21 aà ±os de edad durante la tramitacià ³n de la peticià ³n. Por otro lado, el gran inconveniente de las peticiones de familiar inmediato es que en cada una solo se puede incluir a un familiar y no se admiten beneficiados derivados. Por ejemplo, si el ciudadano Juan Garcà ­a, de 21 aà ±os de edad, quiere pedir a sus padres y a su hermano debe presentar una peticià ³n para el papà ¡ y pagar por ella, otra para la mamà ¡, y de nuevo realizar un pago completo. Y al hermano debe pedirlo en otra tercera peticià ³n y, ademà ¡s, no tendrà ¡ consideracià ³n de familiar inmediato. Es decir, el hermano no puede incluirse ni en la del padre ni en la de la madre. Lo mismo sucede en el caso de que el ciudadano Juan Garcà ­a se casa con Sofà ­a Pà ©rez y Sofà ­a tiene 3 hijos de 12, 11 y 9 aà ±os. Juan puede pedir a su cà ³nyuge y a los tres nià ±os como hijastros, sin necesidad de adoptarlos. Pero debe presentar un total de cuatro peticiones distintas y pagar por cada una de ellas la tarifa correspondiente. Quià ©nes son familiares no inmediatos de ciudadanos Los ciudadanos estadounidenses pueden pedir la tarjeta de residencia permanente tambià ©n para los siguientes familiares: hijos  solteros mayores de 21 aà ±os: categorà ­a F1.hijos casados de cualquier edad: categorà ­a F3hermanos de cualquier edad, solteros y casados: categorà ­a F4. Para que un ciudadano pueda pedir a un hermano, debe haber cumplido ya los 21 aà ±os de edad. Ademà ¡s, el ciudadano puede pedir no solo a sus hermanos biolà ³gicos, incluidos los medio hermanos, sino tambià ©n a los hermanastros, siempre y cuando el và ­nculo familiar se hubiera establecido antes de cumplir ambos los 18 aà ±os de edad. Asimismo, puede pedir a sus hermanos por adopcià ³n, pero en este caso la adopcià ³n debe haberse producido antes de que ambos cumpliesen los 16 aà ±os de edad. Por otra parte los ciudadanos pueden pedir a los hijos biolà ³gicos, a los adoptados y a los hijastros. En este à ºltimo caso, la relacià ³n familiar tiene que haber nacido antes de que el hijastro cumpliese los 18 aà ±os de edad. Caracterà ­sticas de las peticiones de familiares no inmediatos Es fundamental entender y tener presentes las siguientes circunstancias: En primer lugar, hay un là ­mite anual en el nà ºmero de tarjetas de residencia que se pueden aprobar en cada categorà ­a. Y como el nà ºmero de peticiones es mucho mà ¡s grande que el de tarjetas que se pueden dar se produce un gran retraso de aà ±os y, segà ºn las categorà ­as, de dà ©cadas. Ademà ¡s, es mayor para el caso de nacidos en Mà ©xico que para el resto de Latinoamà ©rica o Espaà ±a. Puede consultarse el boletà ­n de visas que actualiza cada mes el Departamento de Estado. La gran ventaja de las peticiones de ciudadano a familiar no inmediato es que se pueden incluir a varias personas en una misma peticià ³n. Por ejemplo, se pide a un hermano y se aà ±ade a su esposa y a sus hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os. Ademà ¡s, se admite el follow-to-join benefits, para incluir a nuevos familiares de la persona pedida que puedan incorporarse a su familia despuà ©s de presentar la peticià ³n. Por ejemplo, un ciudadano americano pide a una hermana que està ¡ soltera. Pasan los aà ±os y cuando llega el momento de la entrevista en el consulado para la green card la hermana està ¡ casada y tiene hijos. En ese momento puede pedir que se le extiendan los beneficios al marido y a los nià ±os. No tendrà ¡ que aplicar con un nuevo formulario I-130 ni pagar por una nueva tarifa de solicitud de dicho formulario, ni habrà ¡ que esperar a que haya una visa de inmigrante disponible.   Por otro lado, en el caso de familiares no inmediatos no se admite lo que se conoce como congelacià ³n de edad y si una de las personas incluidas como derivadas cumple los 21 aà ±os antes de la entrevista en el consulado no recibirà ¡ la green card. Por ejemplo, la ciudadana Carolina Vargas pide a su hermano Rogelio Vargas que està ¡ casado y tiene un hijo de 16 y una hija de 10. Cuando llega el momento de la entrevista en el consulado, el hijo tiene 22 aà ±os y la nià ±a 16. Ella podrà ¡ emigrar con sus papà ¡s pero el hijo, no. 3 causas por las que no se aprueba la peticià ³n de familiar Ser el familiar de un ciudadano no garantiza la obtencià ³n de la tarjeta de residencia. Es necesario que se cumplan con otros requisitos, como que el solicitante tiene  recursos econà ³micos suficientes para patrocinar. Ademà ¡s, es necesario que no hay nada en el pasado del familiar para el que se piden los papeles que lo convierta en inadmisible. Esto es, que  no pueda recibir la tarjeta de residencia y estas son 42 causas para ello.  En algunos casos, serà ¡ posible solicitar un perdà ³n, tambià ©n conocido como waiver o permiso. En otros la solucià ³n serà ¡ dejar pasar el tiempo de castigo, como por ejemplo en los casos de presencia ilegal previa en EE.UU. salvo que se pueda alegar y probar dureza extrema. Finamente, en otros casos serà ¡ prà ¡cticamente imposible regresar a EE.UU., como cuando ha habido una deportacià ³n por crimen violento o en caso de haber sido agarrado despuà ©s de una deportacià ³n y hay una prohibicià ³n permanente. Sin duda ayuda para familiarizarse con todo el proceso para pedir a un familiar tomar este quiz - conocido en algunos paà ­ses como trivial o test - para verificar que tienes los conocimientos bà ¡sicos sobre cà ³mo obtener y conservar la tarjeta de residencia. Puntos Claves: peticià ³n de ciudadano a familiar Familiares inmediatos: padres, madres, hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os y cà ³nyuges. Demora entre 12 y 24 meses, aproximadamente.Familiares no inmediatos: hijos solteros mayores de 21 aà ±os, hijos casados de cualquier edad, hermanos. Demoras de aà ±os y, en algunos casos, dà ©cadas. En estas peticiones se puede incluir en la solicitud del familiar pedido a su cà ³nyuge e hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os de edad.Causas por las que no se aprueba la green card:No se prueba relacià ³n familiar entre ciudadano y la otra personaEl ciudadano no tiene ingresos y patrimonio suficiente para patrocinarEl familiar pedido es considerado inadmisible. En algunos casos es posible pedir un perdà ³n. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

The Theme of Death is Crucial in Literature - 733 Words

The theme death has always played a crucial role in literature. Death surrounds us and our everyday life, something that we must adapt and accept. Whether its on television or newpaper, youll probobly hear about the death of an individual or even a group. Most people have their own ideas and attitude towards it, but many consider this to be a tragic event due to many reasons. For those who suffered greatly from despair, living their life miserably and hopelessly, it could actually be a relief to them. Death effects not only you, but also those around you, while some people may stay unaffected depending on how they perceive it. Death is often displayed in literature, showing how would people react towards it . Whether its in The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin, The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, or even The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield, death appears to be unavoidable. Although these are different short stories, death is applied, but the authors interpretations differentiate. Within The Story of An Hour, Chopin talks about death and illustrates the significance of it. This story implies that death may actually be a blessing under certain circumstances. The narration begins with Louise getting informed that her husband had past away in an accident. Shes no ordinary women, but someone with heart disease. It leads the reader into thinking that she would be in great pain, suffering from the lost of her otherShow MoreRelatedSymbolism in the Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe1655 Words   |  7 PagesSymbolism in The Masque of the Red Death The Masque of the Red Death is a short story written by acclaimed literary author, Edgar Allen Poe. The story is an emphasis on the fact that there is no avoiding death, no matter how hard you try, which is the overall theme. 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The three main gothic elements that are evident in this story are the unique setting, the theme of death and decay, and the presence of madness. Unlike many other works of gothic fiction, this story does not take place in your typical abandoned monastery, haunted house or ominous castle. The setting is described as a dark and shadowy place (â€Å"blackRead MoreTheme Of Love In Romeo And Juliet913 Words   |  4 PagesClassic literature has timeless relevance. William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet (1599) is a play about star-crossed lovers who eventually are unable to run away and live together and enjoy their marriage. The play explores contrasting themes of several types love and hate, which in a way represents the motif of light versus dark that is presented in the play. These themes rely on each other to exist and lead to so many of the tragic events in the play. Love and hate have always been experienced

Triangle Fire Free Essays

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was an event that held relevance in American history. On March, 25, 1911 at approximately 4:40 PM a fire broke out in the company’s factory in New York City which was the deadliest industrial disaster. 147 workers died in that incident, they either died from the fire or Jumped from the window. We will write a custom essay sample on Triangle Fire or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was considered the most tragic fire incident in New York City. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies’ Garment workers’ Union, which fought for better and safer working conditions for sweatshop workers in that industry† (Wikipedia) To a large extent, the Triangle Shirtwaist fire brought about many strikes and was a disaster that still lives among us (affecting us nowadays). This disaster then again lives with us for good. It will remind us for whom we have neglected upon. This way we can support the working world, as we will get the same sociability from them and others by cooperating. The fire that occurred was in many ways a disaster. However many people throughout the world especially workers), are thankful that it led to realizing the lives of the poor workers throughout the country. The fire occurred due to the poor and unsafe working condition in the factory. The Shirtwaist Factory was located on the Asch Building in Manhattan. The working area was crowded with young workers. There were about 500 workers on the top three floors. On the ninth floor, there were approximately 288 machines and 308 employers. The machines took up a lot of space in the room, so they were all close to each other. The investigation reported that the greatest umber of death occurred on the ninth floor. Also, the area was unclean due to the fact that it is a garment factory which there was pieces of cloth scattered on the floor. some workers had no time to escape. Also, the doors were locked to prevent the workers from stealing and leaving early. In my opinion, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory lacked of safety and cleaning environment. This was hundreds years ago, that’s why it lacked of firefighting equipment because back in the day, things were different. Thus, all factories lacked of safety conditions. However, the fire marshal concluded hat cigarettes caused the fire. They could be wrong. This incident happened on a pay day where they were about to leave. What if someone deliberately set the fire to the factory? The pay rates were very low and they worked very long which I think they hated it. The owners, Blanck and Harris were not found guilty. â€Å"l believed that the door was locked at the time of the fire. But we couldn’t find them guilty unless we believed they knew the door was locked. † I would have to say that the verdict on this particular case was a poor one, because the managers and owners were careless. USA lost 146 lives, because the managers and owners were lazy, a factory was burned down. Thus, the owners were only concerned about their well-being; USA suffered one of the worst factory fires of all time. Actually, it was the worst. In my opinion, the owners should have been guilty as charged, and should have been sentenced to Jail for a very long time, and perhaps death sentence. By looking at the list of victims, why would they hire teenager girls to work at an unsafe factory? Here is some list of victims who were identified: â€Å"Bellota, Vincenza, 16, asphyxiation/burns, Brodsky, Ida, 6 (Identified by her cousin), Maltese, Rosia, 14, asphyxiation/burns. Identified by her father (Wikipedia) it is wrong to hire girls at age of 14-16 to work long hours. The fire could have been prevented with the knowledge and procedures we use today. Like a fire alarm in the factory or firefighting equipment to stop the fire. Also, enough exit doors because having one exit door is not good because people will be pushing, etc. to get out. They should have made the room bigger so that it wont be crowded with workers. It is hard to keep an eye on workers if it is crowded, so a bigger room with ewer workers would have been better. Because of this incident, the safety standards have changed significantly such as better firefighting equipment, fire alarm, and helicopter. Now there are more exit doors which can only be used as an emergency and if you intend to go through that door, the fire alarm will turn on. All factories are safe, thus, now there’s a trainer to teach new hired on how to be safe, etc. All factories are very strict, so there are usually 2-3 supervisors watching the workers. The owners of the company are responsible for the workers, especially a physical Job. How to cite Triangle Fire, Papers

Sleep and Dream

Table of Contents Introduction Sleep and its physiological benefits Psychological role of sleep Impact of sleep deprivation: sleeping disorders Dream and its importance Conclusion References Introduction Sleep is a physiological and psychological condition, which animals undergo especially at night. During sleep, animals are unconscious and most part of the nervous system/voluntary muscles is at rest or the sensory nerves are in an inactive state.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Sleep and Dream specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sleep is essential in all living things especial mammals (human beings), who should sleep at least eight hours a day. As an essential body requirement, sleep functions in rejuvenating, repairing, and renewing body tissues or organs especially after a long day’s work. When an animal is under sleep, it subsequently starts dreaming, which is part of the sleep cycle. Psychol ogically, sleep and dreams occur concurrently and in different stages. Dreams are mental representation of figures or emotional sensations that occur during sleep. Therefore, sleep and dream are human daily activity or cycle that ensures an animal body is healthy and vibrant. Sleep and its physiological benefits According to researchers and health experts, sleep is a physiological necessity that all mammals, especially human beings, need in order to keep fit and function normally. Most of the physiological activities are inactive during sleep and thus a sleeping person is unaware of any activity that happens in his/her immediate environment. During sleep, the brain is at rest while the rest of the body system is in active state. The sensory nerves become inactive; thus; a person in sleeping state cannot use his or her limbs as it happens during wakefulness .The body cells and tissues are in full activity to repair any form of injuries to the skin, blood tissues and other cells. Duri ng sleep, the body’s immune system grows stronger leading to an increase in the number of leucocytes. Moreover, enough sleep reduces fatigue and prevents the occurrence of diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure (Kalat, 1995, p.25). Therefore, for anybody to be healthy and live a longer life he/she should have enough sleep as a basic requirement for the body. Infants, children, adolescents and adults, each need enough sleep as directed by most health experts. Psychological role of sleep As aforementioned, sleep is a psychological necessity that the brain system is unable to function properly incase of deprivation (Plotnik Kouyoumdjiam, 1993, p.50).Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Psychologically, sleep reduces stress, depression, and other forms of mental disorders People, especially adults, who lack sleep of about eight hours a day, are prone to psychological disorders. Subsequently, a person who lacks sleep experiences mood swings especially anger and fatigue, which may lead to drug abuse or alcoholism (Dinges Kribbs, 1991, p.125). Psychiatrists recommend sleep to people suffering from psychological disorders as part of medication. Though sleep may lead to psychiatric disorders, anybody who suffers from lack of sleep recovers immediately after sleeping for a sometime. Impact of sleep deprivation: sleeping disorders There are various sleeping disorders, which occur due to sleep deprivation. Apart from having a poor immune system, other diseases like cardiac failure, diabetes especially type II, hypertension, and cancer may occur because of sleeping disorders. Loss of sleep not only leads to fatigue due to energy loss, but also may cause strained family/job relationships or automobile/house accidents (Kamerow Ford, 1989, p.1479). Insomnia is a common sleeping disorder that affects the sleeping pattern of an individual. The common sympt oms are inability to sleep soundly, sleepiness especially during the day, use of sleeping pills and low energy levels during the day (Dinges Kribbs, 1991, p.100). Fortunately, insomnia occurs due to an individual’s daily habits like eating, sleeping, and working hours. Therefore, a change in daily routine instantly cures insomnia. Other sleeping disorders include sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy among others. Sleep apnea is the inability to breathe well during sleep but the disorder is curable with the help of medication (Plotnik, 2011, 15). Restless leg syndrome is the urge to move the leg during sleep while narcolepsy is a brain dysfunction that increases an individual’s urge to sleep even during the day. Fortunately, all the disorders have medications. Dream and its importance Dream is an emotional sensation that occurs during sleep cycle. Even though many people dream in their sleep, majority do not remember anything concerning the dream in their wakefulness. Additionally, some people may unknowingly react to what the dream compels them to do like walking, running or shouting. Sometimes dreams are a reflection of the daily activities and adventures or an individual state of mind before he/she goes to bed. Dream is a brain necessity that ensures the memory is alert and refreshed to start the daily activities. Although the brain shuts during sleep, the ability to dream ensures that an organism has sufficient stimulation when it awakens.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Sleep and Dream specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion In summary, there is correlation between sleep and dream. Sleeping is a basic need in mammals, which ensures the body systems function properly. During sleep, all body tissues/organs undergo repairing thus prolonging an individual’s life. Lack of sleep may lead to different sleeping disorders, psychological disorders , and physiological disorders. Thus, to prevent most of the body disorders in human both psychiatrists and health experts recommend sleep. Finally, dream is also a necessity in human body, which ensures the brain does not completely shut down during sleep. References Dinges, F., Kribbs, B. (1991). Performing while sleepy: Effects of experimentally-Induced sleepiness. T.H. Monk, (Ed.). Sleep, Sleepiness and Performance England: Wiley. Kalat, J. (1995). Biological Psychology. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Kamerow, B., Ford, D. (1989). Epidemiological study of sleep disturbances and Psychiatric disorders: An opportunity for prevention? JAMA, 262(6), 1479-1484. Plotnik, R., Kouyoumdjiam, H. (1993). Introduction to Psychology. Wadsworth:cCengage Learning. Plotnik, R. (2011). Introduction to Psychology. California: Brooks/Cole.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This research paper on Sleep and Dream was written and submitted by user Camilo Ramos to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe essays

Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe essays Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowes novel, Uncle Toms Cabin, became the single most important piece of antislavery literature in American history. Readers all across the North were captivated by it. The novel sold three hundred thousand copies the first year following its publication, and went on to sell over two million copies in the next ten years. Harriets work was so popular that it became the best-selling book ever. More importantly, the book raised peoples awareness of the terrible injustice of slavery. It convinced countless Northerners to join the abolitionist movement. Some historians claim, that by making people in the North less willing to compromise on the issue of slavery, it helped cause the Civil War. In fact, President Abraham Lincoln once called Harriet Beecher Stowe The little lady who wrote the book that made this big war. Harriet was born on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut. She was the seventh of thirteen children; eleven of whom survived childhood. Harriet was born to a fiery Puritan minister, Lyman Beecher and her mother; Roxanna Foote Beecher was a gentle and well-educated woman. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was four years old. Harriet, known to her family and friends as Hatty, was a small girl with lots of energy and a playful sense of humor. She loved to read and became a very good student. After winning prizes for her essays as a student at Litchfield Academy, she dreamed of becoming a famous writer. She was particularly close to her younger brother, Henry Ward Beecher, who eventually became a famous preacher like his father. Another important influence was her older sister, Catherine Beecher, who helped raise her after their mother died. Catherine held progressive views about the role of women that were unusual for that time. Believing that women should have the same edu cational opportunities as men, she opened a school for girls in Hartford, Conn...

Ideas for Teaching Life Skills in School

Ideas for Teaching Life Skills in School Functional life skills are skills that we acquire in order to live a better, more fulfilling life. They enable us to exist happily in our families, and in the societies in which we are born. For more typical learners, functional life skills are  often directed at the goal of finding and keeping a job. Examples of typical functional life skills topics for curricula are preparing for job interviews, learning how to dress professionally, and how to determine living expenses. But occupational skills are not the only area of life skills that can be taught in schools. Kinds of Life Skills The three major life skills areas are daily living, personal and social skills, and occupational skills. Daily living skills range from cooking and cleaning to managing a personal budget. They are the skills necessary for supporting a family and running a household. Personal and social skills help nurture the relationships that students will have outside of school: in the workplace, in the community, and the relationships they will have with themselves. Occupational skills, as discussed, are focused on finding and keeping employment. Why Are Life Skills Important? The key element in most of these curricula is a transition, preparing students to eventually become responsible young adults. For the special ed student, transition goals may be more modest, but these students also benefit from a life skills curriculum- perhaps even more so than typical learners. 70-80% of disabled adults are unemployed after graduating from high school when with a head start, many can join the mainstream of society. The list below is intended to provide teachers with great programming ideas to support responsibility and life skills training for all students. In the Classroom Help with taking down or putting up bulletin boards.Care for plants or pets.Organize materials such as pencils, books, crayons, etc.Hand out completed assignments.Distribute newsletters or other materials.Help with checklists for money for trips, food, or permissions forms.Clean chalk- or whiteboards and brushes. In the Gym Help with any setup.Prepare the gym space for assemblies.Help to keep the gyms storage room organized. Throughout the School Pick up and deliver audio/visual equipment to classrooms.Help in the library by returning books to shelves and repairing damaged books.Wipe down computer monitors and shut them down each day.Clean the computer keyboards with slightly damp paintbrushes.Distribute the attendance records back to classes for the morning.Help keep the teachers lounge tidy. Help in the Office Bring mail and newsletters to the staff mailboxes or deliver to each of the classrooms.Help photocopy materials and count them into their piles as per need.Collate photocopied materials.Alphabetize any files that need sorting. Supporting the Custodian Help with regular school maintenance: sweeping, floor polishing, shoveling, window cleaning, dusting, and any outdoor maintenance. For the Teacher Everyone needs life skills for daily, personal functioning. However, some students will require repetition, redundancy, review and regular reinforcement to become successful. Dont take anything for granted.Teach, model, let the student try, support and reinforce the skill.Reinforcing may be required on each new day the child performs the skill required.Be patient, understanding and persevere.

Was Jesus an apocalyptic teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Was Jesus an apocalyptic teacher - Essay Example Many believed Jesus was a teacher, a hero, a king, a God, who was the fulfillment of Gods promise of showing goodness first to his people-the Jews, then to the rest of the "gentile" world. As a teacher of good virtues, to the Christians, Jesus was the best. However, scholars and critics marked the contents of his messages as apocalyptic in nature and even classified him among the Jewish fundamentalists of his time who desperately portrayed the promised messiah to redeem his nation from hopelessness. Despite this we believe that his teaching, although contained some apocalyptic messages, is more deep-seated and applies to the very nature of man that when really accepted and lived into, would provide greater understanding and harmony among all the people. Most of his messages are not time-bound and can even be applied universally, for the self and for the others. Some hinted that if Jesus was not really the promised son of God, then his story is the greatest hoax ever that corrupted the earth. Amidst all criticisms we have known that the teachings he brought are priceless and have stood through the test of times. We have heard a lot about Jesus and the controversies surrounding his existence. We have no point discussing further on the controversy and we accept the fact that Jesus truly existed and brought good news in his time that created a stir globally. The question that lies ahead is putting up the teachings of Jesus on the real context and purpose. Evidences have shown that the only living sources of his teachings are the gospels, which was originally passed verbally, written, and rewritten, until finally it came out to a form so varied from the original context. The New Testament Books that we have are just few of the literatures produced almost a century after the real Jesus died. As the teachings are passed across different personalities, cultures, and communities, some thoughts are added and some are omitted. The revisions on the composition had only stopped when the final compilation came out. But the value of the message lies not on the way it is formulated. As Norman Perrin, Associate Professor of New Testament at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago stated in his Reconstruction and Interpretation of the Teachings of Jesus, it is not the accuracy of historical account that is being emphasized in the writings but the applicability of the teachings to the lives of Jesus' followers. Although many have changed in the messages and teachings, the essence is preserved and the usefulness of the teaching is still acceptable. A scholarly evaluation on the writing and rewriting of the original teachings can be discussed in technical or theological terms but what is important to an ordinary Christian believer is the impact the messages has caused their lives whatever are the motives, perspectives, orientation, and purpose of the writers. The changes may have caused vagueness or over-simplicity but the application is clear that they lived and caused to change lives until the present time. The Teachings The Apocalyptic teaching of Jesus Apocalyptic themes are very prevalent among the teachings of the early Jewish teachers and prophets and even the times of Jesus. This may have influenced him since "many of his convictions and

Respond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Respond - Essay Example The discussion post effectively captured the relevant elements of performance improvements and emphasized its relevance in contemporary work settings. The articles that were selected focused on the health condition of employees; particularly focusing on nutrition and weight loss. One agrees that the holistic well-being of all employees must be a paramount concern of organizations. Actually, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) defines standards that require employers to seriously take care of the safety and health condition of workers. As such, the information contained in the articles impact the performance of workers through assuming a healthy disposition (physically, mentally, emotionally and even socially) in order for them to achieve defined goals. The focus on health emphasizes that a healthy human resource would be least costly for the organization in terms of avoiding absenteeism, illness, and propensities for

Designing an Oral English Teaching Course

Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Introduction: Context Defining context is necessary for developing any course plan because the students, stakeholders and setting of the course have a large impact on all that is taught and learned. The very concepts of teaching and learning are culturally dependent and therefore care must be taken to match student and stakeholder expectations. Or in some cases it may appropriate to gently push the boundaries of what is acceptable and in so doing reveal a new way of learning and thinking. A cursory knowledge of the context is often not enough to push such boundaries. â€Å"The more information you have about the context the more able you will be to make decisions and to plan an effective course† (Graves 2000, p 18). This oral English course will take place at Leshan Teachers College in the mid-sized city of Leshan, in Sichuan province, China. This institution could be considered a 3rd tier college which grants bachelors and associates degrees to students headed for careers as secondary and elementary teachers. A minority of these English majors will go on to careers in translation, business or tour guiding. A minority will also go on for further study in various graduate fields. The institution offers no guidelines for the course except that the textbook titled Challenge to Speak by Wilson, Olson, Li, Chen and Yao (2005) be used as a text. The teacher is required to develop their own test for use in the course. The 1st year students enrolled in this course come directly from high school and the majority of them are from rural areas of Sichuan province. Many of their families work in agriculture or serve as migrant workers in factories or on construction projects in the eastern provinces. Students are often disappointed at being assigned to study at Leshan Teachers College. Many had hoped to attend somewhere with more prestige, but in spite of some initial disappointment, most are willing to study hard to improve their English. Previous to having this class, many of the students have not had a foreign teacher. Though they have studied English for at least 6 years in elementary and high school, they generally dont see English as a way to build relationships. Most of their focus in their English studies had been on reading and writing with the goal of doing well on the college entrance exams. Most of them lack the oral ability or confidence to consider beginning a conversation with the foreigners that they may occasionally see in their daily life. Though educational philosophies are gradually changing throughout China, the college entrance exam still dictates that much rote learning take place. In foreign language teaching, theories of grammar-translation and audio-lingualism predominate. Generally, students are not taught to question their textbooks, their teachers or their learning methods. Students typically follow their teachers recommendations and assignments very closely and rarely initiate studies on their own. That being said, their powers of memorization and grammar knowledge are usually quite good in comparison to their ability to speak extemporaneously in conversation. The course meets one time per week for two 45 minute periods. Due to a late arrival on campus and a week of military training, the 1st year students semester lasts only 12 weeks. With the distractions that come with adapting to life in new surroundings, the 1st semester of the 1st year typically features a lighter academic load. Many of these students have not been away from their parents before and this obviously affects students in different ways; some embrace their new-found independence while some long for home. I. Teacher Beliefs Though a course or a language program is set in a specific locale, and may try to incorporate the desires and needs of many students and stakeholders, ultimately the composition of the course or program flows from one source: the beliefs and identity of the teacher. Successful teaching requires knowledge beyond just the subject being taught; only through self-knowledge can a teacher fully inhabit the combined public and private persona that a teacher must assume (Palmer, 1998). The beliefs of a teacher regarding the subject being taught and nature of teaching and learning will have significant implications in the design of a course; however, a teachers worldview may impact his or her teaching approach in ways that are just as significant, but perhaps less apparent. Since language teaching often involves cultural differences between teachers and students, teachers may need to adjust some of their beliefs when or if they significantly violate the cultural norms of students (Graves, 2000; Lingenfelter Lingenfelter, 2003). While Johnson (1998, as cited in Graves, 2000) points out that many of a teachers beliefs can be difficult to articulate or can hide under the surface of his or her teaching, my experiences with the cross-cultural frictions found in language classrooms have often raised to my consciousness beliefs and values that would have remained hidden in monocultural classrooms. As teachers engage with different student populations, study language acquisition theory or perform action research, they may alter some aspects of their beliefs. This is only natural. The possibility of change ought to propel a teacher toward constant reevaluation of their beliefs because only an intimate acquaintance with ones beliefs allows a teacher to articulat e why a particular lesson was effective or ineffective (Graves, 2000). Nature of Language Just as language is constantly evolving and adding new words from a multiplicity of sources, so my beliefs about the nature of language continue to evolve. Originally, I had viewed language as primarily driven by the lexicon. Through performing action research on form-focused approaches, I have come to realize that grammar plays a role that is nearly as important as vocabulary (Eberly, 2008). But, language goes beyond mundane concerns such as conditional forms or definitions extracted from dictionaries; when forms and words are artfully rendered into literature, the result is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Language is capable of exquisite beauty, but it is not only in its ability to represent the physical world where this beauty is apparent. Its ability to capture the minute inner-workings of the self is peerless among the fine arts, at least in my view. As a literature major in my undergraduate years, I may be biased, yet Ive found the habit of reading literature and writing a journal to be the best means of understanding myself. Language is not only something one engages in alone, it is also a means to develop relationships. Though meanings occasionally get obscured in our speech with others, language is what separates us from animals and allows us to work together as villages, countries and with people from around the world to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. Love, as a supreme human experience, would be incomplete or impossible without language as a means of expressing that love. Language Learning My beliefs on language learning grow out of my view of language and out of my awareness of myself as a learner. The relational nature of languages and my level of connection to native speakers have played a large role in my success in learning Chinese and Korean, and my comparative failure in learning Spanish in high school and as an undergraduate. Coming from a largely monocultural area of Ohio limited my exposure to native Spanish speakers. So, during my high school and undergraduate days, I saw Spanish as book-bound and irrelevant to daily life perhaps akin to how some of my students feel toward English today. Yet living in Korea and China while I have studied those respective languages has allowed me to know the people that are connected with the languages. It has been my relationships to those native-speaking people friends, colleagues, students and above all teachers that have energized my studies and made me successful. This is very much in line with Vygotsky (1978) who first noted the crucial role that sympathetic interlocutors play in forming L1 competence in children (as cited in Lightbown Spada, 2006). Brown (2001) carried this into the L2 arena with his interactive approach which in essence declared that it is through meaningful interaction that learning occurs most effectively. Curran also recycles some of these relational ideas in his Community Language Learning approach (Brown, 2001). World View Not only do my beliefs on this issue arise out of my experiences as a language learner, they are also rooted in my spiritual understanding of my relationship to God. The Bible is a record of mankinds relationship with God and according to the Bible, humans were created for the express purpose of being in relationship with God. The arrival of Jesus on earth heralded the willingness of God to send and sacrifice his only Son so that believers might relate to more than just a book or a set of laws; through Jesus, an intimacy with God is possible. My life has been a gradual discovering of just how fulfilling this relationship can be. But though Jesus calls everyone into relationship with Him, He does not force anyone into a relationship they may not desire. This freedom of choice is an important element in any relationship and endues the weaker party with an agency, or freedom of choice, which is a necessary element in establishing an inquiry-based educational environment (Freire, 1996). Language Teaching This type of mutually respectful relationship causes not only an increase in knowledge about the other with whom one is in relationship, it also forces a reevaluation of the self as the two mutually define and refine each other. Language teaching approaches that do not in some way promote learner introspection run the risk of creating automaton learners, who, when left to their own devices, lack the ability to carry on with their learning. Undoubtedly, some implicit learner reflection on teaching and learning philosophies is inevitable when the teacher is from another culture. Yet, deliberate activities and assignments which nudge students toward greater reflection of their learning processes and preferences have been shown to lead to greater student proficiency over the long term (Snow, 1996; Brown, 2001). A host of surveys and inventories like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Rebecca Oxfords Strategy Inventory for Language Learners (SILL) have frequently been incorporated into l essons as a way to make learners more self-aware (Brown, 2001). However, the simple insertion of these surveys into a lesson does not a reflective learner make, as I have found in the past. The teaching approach itself must be designed to give students some experiential knowledge of whatever declarative knowledge such surveys may inculcate. By introducing learner-reflective strands into an approach, a teacher can foster one of the paradoxes which Palmer claims must be present in a successful classroom; the space of the classroom â€Å"should honor the ‘little stories of the student and the ‘big stories of the disciplines and tradition† (Palmer, 1998, p. 74). II. Needs Assessment Feeling that I know myself well after articulating my beliefs, there is a temptation for me to take some aspects of needs assessment for granted, especially since I have taught at the Leshan Teachers College (LSTC) for nearly 3 years. This is my 2nd year teaching freshman oral English and though I didnt do extensive formal needs assessment last year, I feel very cued-in to student needs in terms of affect, pragmatics and pronunciation. Also, part of my action research (Eberly, 2008) involved significant assessments of the grammaticality of my students speech, so I feel especially familiar with struggles the students may face in this area. Through classroom activities and conversations outside of class, I have learned much about the future plans, hopes and dreams of many of my students. Yet, student populations are not monolithic and even though the collectivist nature of Chinese culture makes it tempting to paint different groups of students with the same pedagogical brush, there wil l undoubtedly be subtle and not-so-subtle differences from year to year or group to group. The foregoing introduction has largely ignored what is potentially the biggest advantage, for experienced teachers in familiar environments, in incorporating well-planned needs assessment into their course: the effect on the learner. In addition to providing the teacher with information about how to structure the course initially or alter it as it progresses, needs assessment helps the learners to reflect on their learning, to identify their needs, and to gain a sense of ownership and control of their learning. It establishes learning as a dialogue between the teacher and the learners and among the learners. (Graves, 2008, p. 98) The dialogic nature of assessing needs is one way in which students can be â€Å"heard to speech,† a process which Palmer (1998) describes as necessary not only for the development of interpretive and analytic skills, but also as an affirmation of the humanity of the student. My hunch is that needs assessment rarely takes on a dialogic quality in traditional Chinese classrooms, which tend to be teacher-fronted or hierarchical (Hu, 2002; Pratt, 2007). Yet the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks that may stem from students initial confusion or discomfort when facing the task of assessing their own needs. Pre-course Needs Assessment Dialogue often is thought to occur between two parties, yet there are other interlocutors who contribute to the process of analyzing needs. Though they may not participate directly in the classroom, they nevertheless have important contributions to make to the direction of the course. The overarching goal of oral English classes in the view of the administration of the LSTC is to prepare students for the TEM4 oral English exam during their sophomore year. For this reason, the foreign teachers at LSTC rarely teach courses to students beyond their sophomore year. For teachers who are unfamiliar with their setting, a discussion or interview with the dean or other departmental leader would be necessary as an initial needs assessment to help establish the criteria for the course. Though I have not spoken to many parents of my students during my time here, my hunch is that they would see test preparation as the main objective of any oral English course, or any other course for that matter. A secondary concern for administrators and parents alike is the oral English requirements for any post-graduation job that the student may deign to pursue. As future elementary and secondary teachers, the students will likely need good facility with pronunciation, but fluency will not be as important. This is slowly changing though, and more and more top secondary schools are demanding teachers who can teach in English. For students who opt for other careers involving English, including business, tour guiding and interpretation, all facets of their oral English will need to be well-developed. I see the value of washback from the TEM4, which is scored on the basis of student competence in pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and fluency through the modalities of an impromptu speech, dialogue and story retelling (Wen, Zhao Wang, 2001). Yet I would seek to augment the criteria of the TEM4 with several of my own. As a firm believer in the value of relationships, I would argue that pragmatic, cultural and confidence-building activities are necessary to promote relationships between the students and foreigners. Though students and other stakeholders may not see much need for these skills, the day of Chinas full integration into the international community is fast dawning. Ive seen almost exponential growth since my arrival here in opportunities for students and recent graduates to go abroad. Also, as Chinas economic growth rate continues to outpace much of the rest of the world, foreigners flock here in increasing numbers to work, study and tour. Beyond these potential encounte rs with speakers of English, the students will have 3 or 4 other foreign teachers during their 4 years of study at LSTC and the ability to form relationships with these native speakers of English will to some degree determine a students success in those courses. The following table consists of stakeholder data collection procedures and descriptions. The procedures contained therein do more than just provide the teacher with a means to assess the needs of students, they also seek to enable students to self-assess. Though student self-assessment is not a significant facet in Chinese pedagogy, I feel these assignments will benefit them in their future language studies and in their life in general. Table 1: Stakeholder Data Collection Procedures Pre-field needs assessment Since my course is a mere 14 hours of total class time not counting the test, incorporating student input into my needs assessment will have to be done as efficiently as possible.   As a way to collect basic initial information, a survey questionnaire will be distributed on the first day of class and assigned for completion as homework. (see appendix A)   Assigning the survey as homework will allow students to use their dictionaries and work at their own pace.   The questionnaire has 2 main foci in addition to basic information needed for classroom administrative purposes.   One focus is students self-perceived weaknesses and strengths in relating to native English speakers.   Another focus is pronunciation; in what ways have students learned pronunciation, successfully or unsuccessfully, in the past? Because the Challenge to Speak 1 textbook by Wilson E., C. Olson, H-Y. Li, X-N. Chen B-H. Yao (2005) will be used in the course, the initial survey includes a list of the language functions included in this text and students are asked to rank their top three preferences in terms of functions to study during the semester as well as designate any of the functions they already feel comfortable performing.   In addition, a significant portion of the initial pronunciation needs assessment will occur in the second week with a recording and transcription project that will test students self-awareness of their pronunciation and spoken grammar. Field needs assessment In conjunction with an action research project on pronunciation, much of the on-going needs assessment will be performed concurrently with end-of-cycle data collection.   These attempts to gauge students feelings on both pronunciation and wider classroom issues will have to be done delicately to avoid overwhelming students who may have difficulty seeing the purpose behind providing the teacher so much subjective feedback.   Each of these short end-of-cycle questionnaires will feature 2 questions requiring written answers and 5 Likert survey items as well as opportunities for students to write further questions or comments about the course.   The initial 2 questions about pronunciation are likely to change from cycle to cycle; however, the Likert statements will remain the same.   Interviews with 3 students will be performed at the conclusion of each cycle, with the intention of gaining deeper insights into some of the issues raised in the surveys. Objective feedback will be obtained through the use of in-class recordings.   Though checking pronunciation will be the overarching goal of this technique, secondary information will be gleaned about the students ability to stay on task, interest in the activity, comprehension of directions, etc†¦ Recordings will be made in both small-group and whole-class settings. Post-field needs assessment My hope is that a large portion of the assessment and analysis at the conclusion of the course can be accomplished through a repeat of the initial recording and transcription project assigned during the second week of class.   By having students record and transcribe a passage which incorporates the gamut of English phonology as well as respond to several prompted questions, I hope to gauge their pronunciation and awareness of themselves as speakers.   If they produce fewer errors overall and are better able to articulate their pronunciation and grammar errors the second time through, I will consider them successful learners who have completed a successful course. III. Developing Learning Outcomes The challenge in developing learning outcomes is to balance the learning space between an authoritarian approach in which the teacher is constantly forcing their goals upon the students and an anarchist approach in which each student pursues their own agenda.   Undoubtedly needs assessment plays a role in giving the students a voice in planning the outcomes of a course.   Yet I have found in my particular locale in China that students accustomed to a teacher-centered approach may have difficulty in articulating what they hope to learn in a course.   Thus in attempting to maintain a space that is both â€Å"bounded and open,† in the words of Palmer, (1998, p. 74) I have often erred in the bounded direction.   I hope in this course, through dialogic needs analysis and attempting to articulate that which my students may find difficult, to be â€Å"open to the many paths down which discovery may take us, to the surprises that always come with real learning† (Palmer, 1998, p. 75). Of course this is not to say that the teacher should approach every course with a blank mindset and allow the students to do all the leading.   Taking into account the context of the course and the beliefs of the teacher will start a teacher down the road of formulating goals for a course.   But it is important to follow up on this start and define the course goals as precisely as possible.   A course â€Å"will be effective to the extent that its goals are sound and clearly stated† (Richards, 2001, p. 112).   The better able the teacher is to articulate the goals, the more succinctly they will be able to inform their students of the direction of the course an important consideration for a course with less than 14 hours of class time. While there are a plethora of philosophies and frameworks to draw on when establishing goals,   I find myself most adherent to theories of cultural pluralism as defined by Richards (2001) and the framework of ATASK formulated by David Thomson (as cited in Graves, 2000).   Obviously, there are pieces from each of the 5 philosophies described by Richards that I find attractive, yet my setting and beliefs make cultural pluralism the most relevant and accessible to me and my students.   I think the inclusion of a teacher parameter in the ATASK (Awareness, Teacher, Attitude, Skills, Knowledge) acronym allows me to articulate learning goals that I may have for a particular course.   Though social reconstructivists or critical pedagogues may wish to explode the teacher/student dichotomy, I dont think we can throw all power structure out the window.   The ATASK framework allows me to view myself as a learner and my students as teachers, which is something likely to be beneficial to both of us. The following table briefly outlines my goals and objectives according the to ATASK framework.   The pre-course portion of my needs assessment informs some of these goals and objectives.   Table 2: Though it is te Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Introduction: Context Defining context is necessary for developing any course plan because the students, stakeholders and setting of the course have a large impact on all that is taught and learned. The very concepts of teaching and learning are culturally dependent and therefore care must be taken to match student and stakeholder expectations. Or in some cases it may appropriate to gently push the boundaries of what is acceptable and in so doing reveal a new way of learning and thinking. A cursory knowledge of the context is often not enough to push such boundaries. â€Å"The more information you have about the context the more able you will be to make decisions and to plan an effective course† (Graves 2000, p 18). This oral English course will take place at Leshan Teachers College in the mid-sized city of Leshan, in Sichuan province, China. This institution could be considered a 3rd tier college which grants bachelors and associates degrees to students headed for careers as secondary and elementary teachers. A minority of these English majors will go on to careers in translation, business or tour guiding. A minority will also go on for further study in various graduate fields. The institution offers no guidelines for the course except that the textbook titled Challenge to Speak by Wilson, Olson, Li, Chen and Yao (2005) be used as a text. The teacher is required to develop their own test for use in the course. The 1st year students enrolled in this course come directly from high school and the majority of them are from rural areas of Sichuan province. Many of their families work in agriculture or serve as migrant workers in factories or on construction projects in the eastern provinces. Students are often disappointed at being assigned to study at Leshan Teachers College. Many had hoped to attend somewhere with more prestige, but in spite of some initial disappointment, most are willing to study hard to improve their English. Previous to having this class, many of the students have not had a foreign teacher. Though they have studied English for at least 6 years in elementary and high school, they generally dont see English as a way to build relationships. Most of their focus in their English studies had been on reading and writing with the goal of doing well on the college entrance exams. Most of them lack the oral ability or confidence to consider beginning a conversation with the foreigners that they may occasionally see in their daily life. Though educational philosophies are gradually changing throughout China, the college entrance exam still dictates that much rote learning take place. In foreign language teaching, theories of grammar-translation and audio-lingualism predominate. Generally, students are not taught to question their textbooks, their teachers or their learning methods. Students typically follow their teachers recommendations and assignments very closely and rarely initiate studies on their own. That being said, their powers of memorization and grammar knowledge are usually quite good in comparison to their ability to speak extemporaneously in conversation. The course meets one time per week for two 45 minute periods. Due to a late arrival on campus and a week of military training, the 1st year students semester lasts only 12 weeks. With the distractions that come with adapting to life in new surroundings, the 1st semester of the 1st year typically features a lighter academic load. Many of these students have not been away from their parents before and this obviously affects students in different ways; some embrace their new-found independence while some long for home. I. Teacher Beliefs Though a course or a language program is set in a specific locale, and may try to incorporate the desires and needs of many students and stakeholders, ultimately the composition of the course or program flows from one source: the beliefs and identity of the teacher. Successful teaching requires knowledge beyond just the subject being taught; only through self-knowledge can a teacher fully inhabit the combined public and private persona that a teacher must assume (Palmer, 1998). The beliefs of a teacher regarding the subject being taught and nature of teaching and learning will have significant implications in the design of a course; however, a teachers worldview may impact his or her teaching approach in ways that are just as significant, but perhaps less apparent. Since language teaching often involves cultural differences between teachers and students, teachers may need to adjust some of their beliefs when or if they significantly violate the cultural norms of students (Graves, 2000; Lingenfelter Lingenfelter, 2003). While Johnson (1998, as cited in Graves, 2000) points out that many of a teachers beliefs can be difficult to articulate or can hide under the surface of his or her teaching, my experiences with the cross-cultural frictions found in language classrooms have often raised to my consciousness beliefs and values that would have remained hidden in monocultural classrooms. As teachers engage with different student populations, study language acquisition theory or perform action research, they may alter some aspects of their beliefs. This is only natural. The possibility of change ought to propel a teacher toward constant reevaluation of their beliefs because only an intimate acquaintance with ones beliefs allows a teacher to articulat e why a particular lesson was effective or ineffective (Graves, 2000). Nature of Language Just as language is constantly evolving and adding new words from a multiplicity of sources, so my beliefs about the nature of language continue to evolve. Originally, I had viewed language as primarily driven by the lexicon. Through performing action research on form-focused approaches, I have come to realize that grammar plays a role that is nearly as important as vocabulary (Eberly, 2008). But, language goes beyond mundane concerns such as conditional forms or definitions extracted from dictionaries; when forms and words are artfully rendered into literature, the result is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Language is capable of exquisite beauty, but it is not only in its ability to represent the physical world where this beauty is apparent. Its ability to capture the minute inner-workings of the self is peerless among the fine arts, at least in my view. As a literature major in my undergraduate years, I may be biased, yet Ive found the habit of reading literature and writing a journal to be the best means of understanding myself. Language is not only something one engages in alone, it is also a means to develop relationships. Though meanings occasionally get obscured in our speech with others, language is what separates us from animals and allows us to work together as villages, countries and with people from around the world to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. Love, as a supreme human experience, would be incomplete or impossible without language as a means of expressing that love. Language Learning My beliefs on language learning grow out of my view of language and out of my awareness of myself as a learner. The relational nature of languages and my level of connection to native speakers have played a large role in my success in learning Chinese and Korean, and my comparative failure in learning Spanish in high school and as an undergraduate. Coming from a largely monocultural area of Ohio limited my exposure to native Spanish speakers. So, during my high school and undergraduate days, I saw Spanish as book-bound and irrelevant to daily life perhaps akin to how some of my students feel toward English today. Yet living in Korea and China while I have studied those respective languages has allowed me to know the people that are connected with the languages. It has been my relationships to those native-speaking people friends, colleagues, students and above all teachers that have energized my studies and made me successful. This is very much in line with Vygotsky (1978) who first noted the crucial role that sympathetic interlocutors play in forming L1 competence in children (as cited in Lightbown Spada, 2006). Brown (2001) carried this into the L2 arena with his interactive approach which in essence declared that it is through meaningful interaction that learning occurs most effectively. Curran also recycles some of these relational ideas in his Community Language Learning approach (Brown, 2001). World View Not only do my beliefs on this issue arise out of my experiences as a language learner, they are also rooted in my spiritual understanding of my relationship to God. The Bible is a record of mankinds relationship with God and according to the Bible, humans were created for the express purpose of being in relationship with God. The arrival of Jesus on earth heralded the willingness of God to send and sacrifice his only Son so that believers might relate to more than just a book or a set of laws; through Jesus, an intimacy with God is possible. My life has been a gradual discovering of just how fulfilling this relationship can be. But though Jesus calls everyone into relationship with Him, He does not force anyone into a relationship they may not desire. This freedom of choice is an important element in any relationship and endues the weaker party with an agency, or freedom of choice, which is a necessary element in establishing an inquiry-based educational environment (Freire, 1996). Language Teaching This type of mutually respectful relationship causes not only an increase in knowledge about the other with whom one is in relationship, it also forces a reevaluation of the self as the two mutually define and refine each other. Language teaching approaches that do not in some way promote learner introspection run the risk of creating automaton learners, who, when left to their own devices, lack the ability to carry on with their learning. Undoubtedly, some implicit learner reflection on teaching and learning philosophies is inevitable when the teacher is from another culture. Yet, deliberate activities and assignments which nudge students toward greater reflection of their learning processes and preferences have been shown to lead to greater student proficiency over the long term (Snow, 1996; Brown, 2001). A host of surveys and inventories like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Rebecca Oxfords Strategy Inventory for Language Learners (SILL) have frequently been incorporated into l essons as a way to make learners more self-aware (Brown, 2001). However, the simple insertion of these surveys into a lesson does not a reflective learner make, as I have found in the past. The teaching approach itself must be designed to give students some experiential knowledge of whatever declarative knowledge such surveys may inculcate. By introducing learner-reflective strands into an approach, a teacher can foster one of the paradoxes which Palmer claims must be present in a successful classroom; the space of the classroom â€Å"should honor the ‘little stories of the student and the ‘big stories of the disciplines and tradition† (Palmer, 1998, p. 74). II. Needs Assessment Feeling that I know myself well after articulating my beliefs, there is a temptation for me to take some aspects of needs assessment for granted, especially since I have taught at the Leshan Teachers College (LSTC) for nearly 3 years. This is my 2nd year teaching freshman oral English and though I didnt do extensive formal needs assessment last year, I feel very cued-in to student needs in terms of affect, pragmatics and pronunciation. Also, part of my action research (Eberly, 2008) involved significant assessments of the grammaticality of my students speech, so I feel especially familiar with struggles the students may face in this area. Through classroom activities and conversations outside of class, I have learned much about the future plans, hopes and dreams of many of my students. Yet, student populations are not monolithic and even though the collectivist nature of Chinese culture makes it tempting to paint different groups of students with the same pedagogical brush, there wil l undoubtedly be subtle and not-so-subtle differences from year to year or group to group. The foregoing introduction has largely ignored what is potentially the biggest advantage, for experienced teachers in familiar environments, in incorporating well-planned needs assessment into their course: the effect on the learner. In addition to providing the teacher with information about how to structure the course initially or alter it as it progresses, needs assessment helps the learners to reflect on their learning, to identify their needs, and to gain a sense of ownership and control of their learning. It establishes learning as a dialogue between the teacher and the learners and among the learners. (Graves, 2008, p. 98) The dialogic nature of assessing needs is one way in which students can be â€Å"heard to speech,† a process which Palmer (1998) describes as necessary not only for the development of interpretive and analytic skills, but also as an affirmation of the humanity of the student. My hunch is that needs assessment rarely takes on a dialogic quality in traditional Chinese classrooms, which tend to be teacher-fronted or hierarchical (Hu, 2002; Pratt, 2007). Yet the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks that may stem from students initial confusion or discomfort when facing the task of assessing their own needs. Pre-course Needs Assessment Dialogue often is thought to occur between two parties, yet there are other interlocutors who contribute to the process of analyzing needs. Though they may not participate directly in the classroom, they nevertheless have important contributions to make to the direction of the course. The overarching goal of oral English classes in the view of the administration of the LSTC is to prepare students for the TEM4 oral English exam during their sophomore year. For this reason, the foreign teachers at LSTC rarely teach courses to students beyond their sophomore year. For teachers who are unfamiliar with their setting, a discussion or interview with the dean or other departmental leader would be necessary as an initial needs assessment to help establish the criteria for the course. Though I have not spoken to many parents of my students during my time here, my hunch is that they would see test preparation as the main objective of any oral English course, or any other course for that matter. A secondary concern for administrators and parents alike is the oral English requirements for any post-graduation job that the student may deign to pursue. As future elementary and secondary teachers, the students will likely need good facility with pronunciation, but fluency will not be as important. This is slowly changing though, and more and more top secondary schools are demanding teachers who can teach in English. For students who opt for other careers involving English, including business, tour guiding and interpretation, all facets of their oral English will need to be well-developed. I see the value of washback from the TEM4, which is scored on the basis of student competence in pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and fluency through the modalities of an impromptu speech, dialogue and story retelling (Wen, Zhao Wang, 2001). Yet I would seek to augment the criteria of the TEM4 with several of my own. As a firm believer in the value of relationships, I would argue that pragmatic, cultural and confidence-building activities are necessary to promote relationships between the students and foreigners. Though students and other stakeholders may not see much need for these skills, the day of Chinas full integration into the international community is fast dawning. Ive seen almost exponential growth since my arrival here in opportunities for students and recent graduates to go abroad. Also, as Chinas economic growth rate continues to outpace much of the rest of the world, foreigners flock here in increasing numbers to work, study and tour. Beyond these potential encounte rs with speakers of English, the students will have 3 or 4 other foreign teachers during their 4 years of study at LSTC and the ability to form relationships with these native speakers of English will to some degree determine a students success in those courses. The following table consists of stakeholder data collection procedures and descriptions. The procedures contained therein do more than just provide the teacher with a means to assess the needs of students, they also seek to enable students to self-assess. Though student self-assessment is not a significant facet in Chinese pedagogy, I feel these assignments will benefit them in their future language studies and in their life in general. Table 1: Stakeholder Data Collection Procedures Pre-field needs assessment Since my course is a mere 14 hours of total class time not counting the test, incorporating student input into my needs assessment will have to be done as efficiently as possible.   As a way to collect basic initial information, a survey questionnaire will be distributed on the first day of class and assigned for completion as homework. (see appendix A)   Assigning the survey as homework will allow students to use their dictionaries and work at their own pace.   The questionnaire has 2 main foci in addition to basic information needed for classroom administrative purposes.   One focus is students self-perceived weaknesses and strengths in relating to native English speakers.   Another focus is pronunciation; in what ways have students learned pronunciation, successfully or unsuccessfully, in the past? Because the Challenge to Speak 1 textbook by Wilson E., C. Olson, H-Y. Li, X-N. Chen B-H. Yao (2005) will be used in the course, the initial survey includes a list of the language functions included in this text and students are asked to rank their top three preferences in terms of functions to study during the semester as well as designate any of the functions they already feel comfortable performing.   In addition, a significant portion of the initial pronunciation needs assessment will occur in the second week with a recording and transcription project that will test students self-awareness of their pronunciation and spoken grammar. Field needs assessment In conjunction with an action research project on pronunciation, much of the on-going needs assessment will be performed concurrently with end-of-cycle data collection.   These attempts to gauge students feelings on both pronunciation and wider classroom issues will have to be done delicately to avoid overwhelming students who may have difficulty seeing the purpose behind providing the teacher so much subjective feedback.   Each of these short end-of-cycle questionnaires will feature 2 questions requiring written answers and 5 Likert survey items as well as opportunities for students to write further questions or comments about the course.   The initial 2 questions about pronunciation are likely to change from cycle to cycle; however, the Likert statements will remain the same.   Interviews with 3 students will be performed at the conclusion of each cycle, with the intention of gaining deeper insights into some of the issues raised in the surveys. Objective feedback will be obtained through the use of in-class recordings.   Though checking pronunciation will be the overarching goal of this technique, secondary information will be gleaned about the students ability to stay on task, interest in the activity, comprehension of directions, etc†¦ Recordings will be made in both small-group and whole-class settings. Post-field needs assessment My hope is that a large portion of the assessment and analysis at the conclusion of the course can be accomplished through a repeat of the initial recording and transcription project assigned during the second week of class.   By having students record and transcribe a passage which incorporates the gamut of English phonology as well as respond to several prompted questions, I hope to gauge their pronunciation and awareness of themselves as speakers.   If they produce fewer errors overall and are better able to articulate their pronunciation and grammar errors the second time through, I will consider them successful learners who have completed a successful course. III. Developing Learning Outcomes The challenge in developing learning outcomes is to balance the learning space between an authoritarian approach in which the teacher is constantly forcing their goals upon the students and an anarchist approach in which each student pursues their own agenda.   Undoubtedly needs assessment plays a role in giving the students a voice in planning the outcomes of a course.   Yet I have found in my particular locale in China that students accustomed to a teacher-centered approach may have difficulty in articulating what they hope to learn in a course.   Thus in attempting to maintain a space that is both â€Å"bounded and open,† in the words of Palmer, (1998, p. 74) I have often erred in the bounded direction.   I hope in this course, through dialogic needs analysis and attempting to articulate that which my students may find difficult, to be â€Å"open to the many paths down which discovery may take us, to the surprises that always come with real learning† (Palmer, 1998, p. 75). Of course this is not to say that the teacher should approach every course with a blank mindset and allow the students to do all the leading.   Taking into account the context of the course and the beliefs of the teacher will start a teacher down the road of formulating goals for a course.   But it is important to follow up on this start and define the course goals as precisely as possible.   A course â€Å"will be effective to the extent that its goals are sound and clearly stated† (Richards, 2001, p. 112).   The better able the teacher is to articulate the goals, the more succinctly they will be able to inform their students of the direction of the course an important consideration for a course with less than 14 hours of class time. While there are a plethora of philosophies and frameworks to draw on when establishing goals,   I find myself most adherent to theories of cultural pluralism as defined by Richards (2001) and the framework of ATASK formulated by David Thomson (as cited in Graves, 2000).   Obviously, there are pieces from each of the 5 philosophies described by Richards that I find attractive, yet my setting and beliefs make cultural pluralism the most relevant and accessible to me and my students.   I think the inclusion of a teacher parameter in the ATASK (Awareness, Teacher, Attitude, Skills, Knowledge) acronym allows me to articulate learning goals that I may have for a particular course.   Though social reconstructivists or critical pedagogues may wish to explode the teacher/student dichotomy, I dont think we can throw all power structure out the window.   The ATASK framework allows me to view myself as a learner and my students as teachers, which is something likely to be beneficial to both of us. The following table briefly outlines my goals and objectives according the to ATASK framework.   The pre-course portion of my needs assessment informs some of these goals and objectives.   Table 2: Though it is te