High school Essay Example for Free

High school Essay ?Many high school students in Vietnam are confused whether or not they should be enforced to participate in volunteering. On September 30th 2011, Ms. Pham Phuong Thao started to share her opinions about this concern by writing the â€Å"Student- Help Our Country† article in Community Action Blog spot. On the contrary side, one month after that by 3rd October 2011, Mr. Andy Nguyen has posted â€Å"Student Deserve Choice† article on the same Blog space. These two authors represent completely different views on the topic â€Å"volunteering and students†. The aim of this essay is to critically respond to the authors argument. In Pham’s article, she asserts that it should be compulsory for Vietnamese high school students to do volunteering for helping with their society problems, for example, the problems of orphan and kid street or flooding. She has two strong points for supporting her view. First of all, she thinks that the students to do volunteering will help the society and also save the government budget. On the second point, she expresses that there are even benefits that the students can gain by attending in voluntary works. She explains in details that they can learn several useful soft skills such as leadership, communication interaction, planning, logistics in which they can apply in their future life. In contrast, Mr. Nguyen debates that it is impractical and unfair for high school students to be forced to do voluntary works in Vietnam. He also has two reasons for his argument He interprets that the student’s willingness to join in volunteering is the key point however in reality only few student want to donate like this way. He explains if the government try forcing unwilling people to volunteer, this work make less efficient. Besides, he concludes the government should be held on responsible for country‘s problems instead of fully relying on students volunteering. There are several problems with Pham’s argument that when the students attend in voluntary works they can gain various useful skills for their future life. The purpose of volunteerism is that they need entourage to work according to their requirements rather than giving the students official skill trainings. Therefore, there is not guarantee that students can get those skills are mentioned above. Besides, those skills are not suitable the kids who are studying high school period. Mr. Nguyen’s opinions deserve to get attention when he declares that the students do not concern on helping their humanity real problems such as the orphans, the street kids. And, they think they should have the right to make decision on their volunteering approach instead of forcing by government. It cannot be denied that Vietnamese high school students are affected by the poor quality education on the way from kindergarten to high school. The school never focuses on teaching about human value, self motivation and living skills but teaching a lot of redundant academic knowledge. Therefore, the students do not really want to share their life to help person who bears one’s tribulations. In additional, people must acknowledge that the â€Å"volunteer† definition means â€Å"a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service† (http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/volunteer). According to the above definition the enforcement of voluntary tasks does not make sense. Pham makes a weak statement when she supports that government should enforce the high school students to join in the volunteering due to lack of human resource. In contrary, Nguyen’ argument that government should solve country’s problems by themselves because the students are not eager to help, is more convincing. The government is the highest and the most powerful organization in the country so that they have full responsible for dealing with any national and social issues. They can determinate on using their yearly revenue. Take, for example, there are many parents put their children in front of orphan house because they cannot afford their living cost. The government can hire labor to build more orphan house and funding for those associations instead of spending the budget on sport and recreational activities. Another reason is kids who are at the high school age focus on general academic knowledge. More to the point, they also have not enough abilities to handle with society’s issues. Furthermore, it is true to say that most of high school students think they make their own choice to contribute in volunteering because they feel more comfortable and enthusiasm. Volunteering is a good works just in case kids do it with whole their hearts. In conclusion, Ms. Pham’s expression that government should force the high school students to join in the voluntary programs is not convincing the readers. In the contrast, Mr. Nguyen argues that the student can make their choice in volunteering is more persuading. Every nation always support for the freedom of their society so they respect the choice of their citizens. The most important is to provide the sufficient education so that people have enough knowledge to make their own decision.

Approaches To Teaching EFL Writing

Approaches To Teaching EFL Writing Feedback in writing has recently received a growing interest from SLA researchers due to its instrumental role in second language education. Literature suggests that as an important component of language, writing skill in a second language can greatly benefit from teachers comments particularly in the form of written feedback on learners written products. Previous research has investigated the role of teachers corrective feedback on learners written assignments (e.g., Ferris Roberts 2001, Ferris 2004; Harmer, 2001) and learners expectations on teachers error correction in their written work (e.g., Lee, 2009; Nunan 1999; Williams, 2001). These studies suggest that for improvement of learners writing skills in a second language teacher feedback is indispensable. With this in mind, this chapter discusses the importance of feedback in development of EFL learners writing skills in tandem with key issues and previous studies related to corrective feedback in the literature. It first discusses the nature of writing as one of the four main skills in language acquisition/learning (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and common approaches undertaken to teaching writing in EFL contexts. It then discusses what feedback entails and identifies different types of error correction followed by a discussion of the role of feedback in EFL education in classroom setting. Finally, this chapter summarizes and concludes the literature review which provides insights into understanding better feedback practices in EFL classrooms. What is Writing? For any study that involves investigation of learners written work, it seems necessary to establish a working definition of writing. Numerous assumptions and definitions have been proposed to specify the concept of writing in the literature. Customarily, writing refers to a set of visible signs representing elements of a language which are arranged systematically. This system is referred to as writing system of the language. Coulmas (2003) defines writing as a set of visible or tactile signs used to represent unit of language in a systematic way, with the purpose of recording messages which can be retrieved by everyone who knows the language in question and the rules by virtue of which its units are encoded in the writing system. Bryne (1979) views writing as transforming our thoughts into language; a very complex skill that requires both physical and mental activity on the part of writer. Bryne (1979) further notes that writing is the last and perhaps most difficult skill learners l earn if they ever do. While these definitions provide an understanding of the nature of writing and its qualities, what is obvious is the fact that writing is a complex and demanding process that is difficult to master particularly for those who want to produce accurate and precise pieces of writing in a second language. Among various reasons cited for complications attributed to writing, Bryne (1991) suggests three main causes that make writing an arduous task. The first, that he calls psychological problem, is caused as a result of lack of interaction and feedback between the reader and the writer. As such, to tackle this kind of problems writers rely to a great extent to their readers feedback and evaluation of their written product. Understanding this problem is of importance for language learners to improve their writing since they need to take into account their audiences likes and dislikes. The second complexity is language related; that is, lack of adequate linguistic knowledge prevents us from fully monitoring what we intend to say. This shows that linguistic competence in dominantly instrumental in developing writing skills. The third problem is cognitive, whose causes can be linked it instructional inadequacies. This emphasizes the role of writing courses in framing learners writing abilit ies as well as language teachers central roles as providers of appropriate input and feedback in such courses. As such, in light of this short review on the nature of writing task and what factors might influence a second language learners attainment of this skill, it can be inferred that teaching writing can be informed by the teachers perspectives towards such a practice in instructional settings. To further illustrate this point, the next section presents two of the most common approaches to teaching writing in a second language. Approaches To Teaching EFL Writing Writing as a Product The first approach to teaching writing, which has been known as traditional approach, is product approach, which focuses on the final product, the coherent and the error-free text (Nunan, 1999).This approach has been practiced widely since the 1950s well into 1970s. Britton (1996:30) noted that product approach emphasized correct usage, correct grammar and correct spelling in the language and that it stressed overwhelming attention toward à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦topic sentence, the various methods of developing the paragraphà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and the holy trinity of unity, coherence and other aspects of writing. Additionally, in this approach, composing is primarily viewed as a linear process that predictably starts with a topic selection to pre-writing activities, followed by actual writing and editing. The teacher only looks at the paper when it is done. Selection of topic Pre-writing activities Writing Rewriting, editing, proofreading Figure 1: Process Line (Product Approach) There are basically two main concerns with the product approach: the written product, and the grammatical accuracy. The emphasis on written product is clear in the fact that the teacher only responds to the composition once it is finished, and not before or while it is in progress. According to Jordan (1997:11), during the practice of product approach, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a model is provided with various exercises undertaken for learners to be able to internalize the prescribed patterns. Then, learners are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦required to product similar or parallel text. Nunan (1999) mentioned that the composing process in the traditional approach is viewed as linear process. It proceeds systematically from the planning or prewriting stages, to composing stage, to the revising stage (usually nothing more than copy-editing), and the final draft stage, with the writer progressing from one stage to the next without backtracking. The piece of writing handed in by the learners is the final text and is supposed to be his/her best piece of work where further revision in not needed. The feedback and correction made on the texts by the teachers would not make any difference at this stage. The focus of this approach is on the final, the coherent, error-free text, thus it is also known as the product oriented approach (Nunan 1999). As such, looking at this direct effect, the product approach does not appear to fulfill the true nature of writing. It stops short at considering writing being a skill by itself, not just a manner to attain linguistic competence. It is lacking in terms of interaction between the teacher and the text, where teachers will only see the final product, not knowing how it was developed. Lastly, as it assumes that writing is a linear process and that learners know exactly what to write about in their writing, it fails to consider how learners develop their ideas and meaning. Writing as a Process The second approach of teaching writing that has been dominant over the recent years and is opposed to traditional ways of teaching writing is process approach. The predominance of process approach has given rise to the role of feedback as an essential component of writing courses. The notion of writing as process was introduced to EFL studies by Zamel (1976), who argued that advanced EFL writers are similar to L1 writers and can benefit from instruction emphasizing the process of writing. As opposed to the view of writing as a reproduction of previously learned syntactic or discourse structures, the process-based approach emphasized the view of writing as a process of developing organization as well as meaning. In light of this view, invention strategies, multiple drafts, and formative feedback from by the teacher and/or the peers are also considered important parts of writing instruction in EFL writing classrooms. A research conducted by Zamel (1983) has revealed that composing is a non-linear, exploratory, and generative process whereby writers discover and reformulate their ideas i.e., writers often backtrack and revise from the moment they start till they finish the final draft. Writers go back and forth from one stage to another is a non-systematic way. Written texts under this approach are not treated as a final and fixed product but as part of complex process, which is recursive. There would be many drafts written by the learners on a single topic and teachers would response to every draft in order to help improve their writing and finally attaining the best written piece. The whole process begin by the learners writing their first draft and submitting later to their teacher for feedback. After writing their feedback on the learners essays, the teacher returns them to the learners . The learners write another draft by taking into consideration teachers feedback. The process then is repea ted with draft going back and forth between the teacher and the learners. If a learners draft is still not satisfactory to both the learner himself/herself and the learners draft would be repeat. That means the additional draft would be the final piece of learners writing to be submitted to the teacher. Hence, what is evident here is that in traditional approach (i.e., product approach) response is given once, whereas in the process approach, responses would be given in many drafts. The intention is to build up learners confidence and also slowly attain the best piece of writing. In this approach, the main concern of the teacher is to help learners develop their ideas, therefore, throughout the earlier writing stages; the teacher would be stressing more on content. Nunan (1999) notes that the teacher focuses less on a perfect final draft product than the development of successive drafts of a text. He further states that the focus in the first instance is on quantity rather than quality, and writers are encouraged to get their ideas onto paper without worrying too much about formal correctness in the initial stages. Because of this, the traditional way of responding to a composition would not be suitable to the process writing approach. In the same token, Nunan (2001) clearly states how very different the process approach is from the traditional product-oriented approach. He contends that whereas the product approach focuses on writing tasks in which the learner imitates, copies and transforms teacher supplied models, the process approach focuses on the steps involved in creating a piece of work. The primary goal of product writing is then an error-free coherent text while process writing allows for the fact that no text can be perfect, but that a writer will get closer to perfection by producing, reflecting on, discussing and reworking successive drafts of a text. In sum, this body of literature indicates that that most scholar nowadays advocate the process approach to teaching and learning writing, and perhaps most of them would agree on this important point that: good product depends on good process. What is Feedback? The term feedback in this review and incidentally in this study embraces the notions of correction, marking, evaluation and responding. It includes what Diab (2006) terms as correction feedback which refers to the editing type and evaluative feedback with reference to the judging type. In effect, the term feedback in this study refers to any information provided to learners about the appropriateness of their performance or the general accuracy of their answers (Diab 2006). As these definitions imply, the notion of feedback on writing was traditionally understood as error corrections teachers made to learners writings. Hence, a brief review of the corrections customarily provided on learners writing errors is in order in the next section. Error Correction When learners have completed their written assignments, teachers are expected to correct them. The corrections then serve to help the learners language development by showing where their knowledge is lacking. Truscott (1996) defined error correction as the correction of grammatical errors for the purpose of improving a learners ability to write accurately (329). This definition can be broadened to include lexical errors, including word choice, word form, capitalization, and typing conventions (Truscott, 1996). However, in terms of second language writing, this definition focuses on the mechanical and form-focused aspects of writing and showing little concern for the organizational types of corrections made by the teachers. Thus, error correction should cover feedback on both linguistic and non-linguistic skills of writing. Non-linguistic features could include instructions on paragraph development, topic string (consistent links throughout the text to relate all parts to the topic), suitable transitions between paragraphs, inclusion of preambles and signposts to increase the overall readability of the written work. Thus, these concepts indicate the extensiveness of the scope of error correction indicating its vital role in developing learner writing in a second language. Learners have a mental picture of how they think a certain grammar rule works, and the corrections should help learners to adjust that picture when they are mistaken (Krashen Terell, 1985:177). Many teachers look at learners errors as part of learning process. But how do we know the extent to which we can let errors recover on their own? What types of errors are to be given more attention to? Therefore, while providing corrections on learners assignments several essential factors should be taken into account. Hendrickson (1980) arguing that simply providing all the correct forms in learners imperfect sentences is an ordeal that can be frustrating to teachers outlines four critical learner factors that have to be considered in error correction. First, one needs to be aware of learners purpose and goals for communicating in writing. Second, the teacher must take into account the learners proficiency in the target language at any given time. The third critical factor is the teachers awareness or error types and frequencies as well as how these aspects relate to the learners goals. The final and probably the most critical factor is the learners attitudes towards the nature of correction. Feedback, whether it is given through corrections or comments, has the purpose of supporting learners learning. Race (2005:95) cites four purposes for feedback: (1) It should help learners to make sense of their work in some way, (2) It should clarify the need of learning by showing the learners what they should be trying to achieve; what the outcome of their work should look like, (3) Its should enhance learners willingness to learn, and finally yet importantly, (4) Feedback should motivate the learners to develop their skills. What becomes evident from the above stated aims is that feedback is highly instrumental in helping language learners improve their level of awareness in learning by making as less mistakes as possible. At the bottom of this reasoning is the fundamental belief that by making the learners aware of the error they make and by getting them to act on those errors in some way, then it is believed that the learners will assimilate the mistakes and eventually not make them in future. In other words, correction is closely linked to language acquisition and particularly to the idea of accurately acquiring the language. This statement itself is making sweeping statements about everything from the quality of the feedback to the ability for learners to acquire language through the feedback we offer them. However, it seems to be the heart of why we do provide feedback. Indeed one could argue that institutions and learners demand feedback and that this is the reason why we provide it, but even these two groups fundamentally believe that correction in some way leads to language acquisition and demand it for that reason. Writers such as Ashwell (2001) have pointed out that with the increased importance of the writing process there may be other reasons for including feedback and these include improving the communicative effectiveness of a given written piece. In other words we correct learners and guide learners so that the written piece they eventually produce communicates their ideas as effectively as possible. This is linked closer to feedback that looks at the content of a written piece rather than the grammatical forms within it. He also points out that an additional reason for correcting learners work is simply because formal accuracy of a written piece matters and that people generally are a lot less accepting of mistakes in written pieces. Having looked at the nature of the concept of feedback, what seems to be of importance in the classroom setting is the appropriateness of the type of feedback provided for certain purposes and for certain recipients. That is, teachers should use appropriate written feedback in order to get effective learners reaction. This goes through motivating learners using their teachers written feedback. There are many types of writing feedback and there are different types of learners reactions. Since every learner has his / her own personal attributes, the type of teachers written feedback given to learners will possibly affect learners state positively or negatively. Accordingly, it is central to look at these different types of teaches written feedback and their influence on learners attainments. Types of Written Feedback Ellis (2009) in his article titled A typology of written corrective feedback types suggests a variety of feedback types for correcting learners written work. He illustrates the types of feedback by examining the various options (both familiar and less familiar) from studies of written feedback that have examined the different options of feedback to date. Ellis (2009) outlines six main methods for providing written corrective feedback. This classification is also adopted to identify the types of feedback in this study. Ellis has categorized the various types of written corrective feedback into six major categories (see Table 2.1). Table 2.1 Categories of Written Corrective Feedback (adopted from Ellis, 2009) Written corrective feedback type Description Direct CF This occurs when the correct form is given in place of an incorrect form. It is the direct correction of error. Indirect CF 1) Indicating only 2) Indicating the specific location Indirect CF occurs when an error is indicated but the correct form is not given. Ellis identifies two types of indirect CF: 1) Indicating only is when an error is noted, such as in the margin, but the exact location is not provided. 2) Indicating the specific location is when the error is underlined or given specific reference. Metalinguistic 1) Error codes 2) Brief grammatical description Metalinguistic feedback occurs when the writer is given a linguistic clue of the error. This can take two forms: 1) The use of abbreviations or error codes 2) A brief grammatical explanation usually given at the bottom of the text or on an attached form The focus of the feedback 1) Focused 2) Unfocused Feedback can take a variety of forms in the way it is given, such as the level of focus. 1) Focused feedback occurs when a limited number of language features are concentrated on. 2) Unfocused feedback occurs when many or all language features are addressed in the feedback. Electronic Electronic feedback occurs via computer mediated methods when a hyperlink is used to indicate an error has occurred. Reformulation Reformulation occurs when a first language user rewrites or reformulates the targeted second language learners text. Due to the significance of Elliss (2009) classification of feedback types in informing the analysis of the data and providing insights into this study the most important feedback types outlined in the proposed scheme will be illustrated in the preceding sections. Direct Versus Indirect Feedback A first distinction in Elliss (2009) classification is made between direct and indirect feedback. Direct feedback refers to highlighting the errors and providing the correct forms to the learners. That is, the correct form is given in place of an incorrect form. Ellis (2009) states that direct feedback has advantage because it will explicit guidance for the learners about how to correct their errors. Similarly, Bartram and Walton, (1991: 84) mentioned that direct corrective feedback, is implemented through underlining the errors and providing the right forms in the learners written work. Examples (1) and (2) below illustrate the direct and indirect types of feedback respectively. (1) at is health Sleeping late in night are very bad for our heelth and brain. As demonstrated in example (1), direct feedback can be provided by indication of the errors accompanied with their correct forms and explanations while in case of indirect corrective feedback, learners errors can be indicated by underlining the errors without any explanation or correcting it. This is can be done by indicating where errors are located only. Example (2) shows indirect feedback. (2) Sleeping late in night are very bad for our heelth and brain. Concurring with Ellis (2009), Ferris and Roberts (2001) suggest that direct corrective feedback is better than indirect corrective feedback with learners/writers of low levels of proficiency, but conversely, Hedge (2000) argues that the dangers of its spoon-feeding effect are that learners overlook their own role in the correction process and may become passive. This is because learners can just mechanically copy the ready-made correction without figuring out the reasons. To make full use of the advantages of direct feedback and indirect feedback and avoid their disadvantages, teachers can consider combining them together. Focused Versus Unfocused Feedback A second distinction in feedback typology is made between focused and unfocused corrective feedback. Ellis (2009) states that in focused corrective feedback much attention is given on one or two types of error which assists the learner to examine several corrections on the same type of error. In unfocused corrective feedback, on the other hand, the learner or the learner is asked to engage in different type of errors, which may confuse the learner focusing on the error. Focused and unfocused correction feedback can also involve all other types of feedback such as direct, indirect, metalinguistic, focused versus unfocused and electronic corrective feedback (Ellis, ibid). Written corrective feedback studies (e.g., Bitchener, Young Cameron, 2005; Truscott, 2009; Sheen, 2007) suggest that when written corrective feedback is focused it is likely to be more effective in promoting acquisition, than unfocused corrective feedback. Sheen (2007), for example, in his study using focused corrective feedback found that such approach is effective in promoting more accurate language use. In a similar vein, Sheen at el.s (2009) studied six intact language classrooms in a pre-academic non-credit EFL program in a US college. The researchers seem to be more focused on two types of written correction (focused and unfocused) and they attempted to investigate the effects in using use adult EFL learners accurate use of English articles, use of grammatical features other than that which is the focus of the correction and the effect for written narrative tasks without error correction on the accurate use of grammatical features other than that which is the focus of the correction. The results confirmed the effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on learning English articles. As such, the findings from these studies recommend the teachers to select focused feedback with one or two errors types at one time rather than selecting too many types of errors. The Role Of Written Feedback In EFL Development The importance of feedback lies in quality, not frequency. There are some important aspects to consider before feedback is given. First, whether the provided feedback takes the learners development into account since demonstrating their progress through feedback can create extra motivation to work more efficiently. Motivation is an important part of feedback and lack of enough motivation can lower learners self-esteem. Giving feedback should be about motivating learners and at the same time focus on what they need to improve. This is a difficult balance to keep (Hyland Hyland, 2001:187). As such, the teacher needs to emphasize the efforts the learners made; that is highlighting the learners effort rather than the outcome or the effect it has had on the teacher. There is a difference between I see that you have worked very hard, good job! and I appreciate the hard work you have done! As the latter suggests that the work was done for the teacher, while the former focuses on the learne rs effort. The learners should feel that they work for themselves, not for the teacher (Good and Brophy, 1994:147). A second important aspect of feedback deals with whether the given feedback is based on a conscious strategy or it is provided without any consistent pattern. What this means is that teachers need to establish a consistent and conscious strategy in providing written feedback, so that learners become aware of the patterns of writing that is pointed out consistently by the teacher. However, a third aspect of feedback comes into play when tutors need to provide as various feedback as possible. Only writing Wow! does not say much about the work the learners have carried out. It is better to point out the parts that are impressive and explain why. Also, variation is necessary because if a teacher, for example, constantly writes Good job! the learners might not find it genuine and disregard it (Good Brophy, 1994:147). In the same token, as Harmer (2005) contends, there are more effective ways of correcting than underlining, crossing-out and putting question marks in learners written assignments. Keeping these points in mind could help to make feedback more useful for the learners, and also more appreciated. Variation may also be created through different ways of providing corrections on learners works. For instance, they may use selective correction which means not correcting every mistake the learners make. For selective corrections, the learners must be told before they start writing. If a teacher announces that, for example, only punctuation will be corrected, the learners might concentrate harder and make fewer mistakes in that area. Using correction symbols may be another way adding to variation and effectiveness of correcting. This reduces the amount of red ink all over the essay, which often lowers the learners motivation. Additionally, Harmer (2005:111) mentions reformulation, which means that the teacher shows how a particular sentence can be formulated in another way. That enables the learner to compare a correct version with an incorrect one. Moreover, referring to a dictionary in the feedback is yet another way to make learners learn. They have to look something up with a pu rpose in mind. In this way, they learn as they correct. For instance, if a mistake is difficult to explain, teachers can write ask me next to it so they can explain the mistake to the learner face-to-face. The fourth and final point central to providing effective feedback is to note whether it is restricted to form or it provides insights into the content as well. Gray (2004) suggests that effective feedback should concentrate on content, rather than form; check to see if the learners write fluently. Have they tried to use new words? Do they have the knowledge of going around the problems when their vocabulary is not extensive enough? There are more aspects to look at than only grammar. Hence, it would be a misconception if teachers focus only on mechanical error correction instead of seeking excellence in the learners writing development. With this in mind, the next section presents relevant issues in and appropriate methods of error correction in writing courses. In sum, this brief review indicates that in order to provide effective feedback, EFL teachers need to take into considerations different factors including learner motivation, teacher awareness of his/her feedback strategy, implementation of various types of feedback, and inclusion of both form-focused and content-related corrections in their feedback. These methods of providing feedback can be contrasted to traditional practices of error correction that focused mainly on formal or grammatical aspects of language. Williams (2001) suggests two main shortcomings of traditional methods of correcting grammatical errors. First, correction of learners errors has been found to be unclear and inconsistent when it deals with teachers written feedback. Second, using the traditional methods, learners simply copy their teachers feedback correction and use it in their subsequent drafts. Majority of the learners do not take their teachers written feedback into consideration and study those errors. Rewriting or copying the mistakes without recognizing the essence of the error will create a passive action preventing learners to learn from their mistake. Thus, giving the learners the correct feedback will motivate them with their writing task in a new piece of writing. 2.8 Research Into Types of Feedback on Learners Writing Feedback is just one aspect of EFL education; the other piece of an effective EFL learning programme would be feedback. Feedback occurs between teachers and learners in particular cultural, institutional, and inter-personal contexts, and learner responses are affected by different aspects of the context (Lee, 2009). In the context of EFL education, Lee (2009) examined learner perspectives on teacher feedback, wherein it has been established that in EFL education feedback anchored on the learners personality and personal needs are perceived to be more effective. Hence, the perception of learners with regard to feedback mechanisms often depends on the manner by which the EFL teacher conducts both assessment and feedback mechanisms. In another study, Diab (2005) examined the teacher preferences with regard to error correction and feedback. Through a thorough review of literature, Diab (ibid) was able to observe that more often than not, foreign language learners have different responses to feedbacks regarding pronunciation, error correction, and the importance given to grammar and vocabulary are often different from that of their tutors. Furthermore, Diab (2005) also indicted in his article that foreign language learners are more responsive to corrective feedback, both written and spoken than tutors. This is a good point raised in the sense that effort for a successful EFL programme should not only emanate from the willingness of the learners to learn but also in the ability of the tutors to be efficient and effective in performing their functions. Hy

Post-operative Psychological Adjustment to Stoma

Post-operative Psychological Adjustment to Stoma The essay is based on a patient who had surgery to have an ileostomy formed. This essay will attempt to define support and identify what the patients specific support needs may be within the context of the patients post-operative psychological adjustment to her new stoma with special focus on the issue of flatus and odour on the patients recovery. Black (2001) states that for the patient with a newly formed stoma, thoughts of talking to others, eating, working, sleeping or making love while bowel motion and flatus fill the appliance is horrific. A literature review will identify the most recommended suggestions for support of the person anxious about odour and flatus and the information will be considered within the context of the support that was given to Jane*. In accordance with the Nursing Midwifery Council Code of Professional Conduct (2008), the name and any identifying details of my patient on which this study is based will be withheld. Jane* is a 44 years old mother of three, including 16 years old Adam* who lives with her at home. Jane is in a long term relationship with Peter* and they have been planning to move in together. She is a teacher of Economics in the local secondary school. Jane was diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis about 18 years ago. Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes inflammation of the large intestine or colon (Colitis UK, 2008). This is the last meter or so of the intestine closest to the anus. Symptoms are vary in severity from pain and discomfort, through mucous in the stools is in the most severe cases blood in the stools. It is generally diagnosed by inspection of the colon by the procedure colonoscopy by uses an endoscope. Porrett and McGrath (2005) suggest, ileostomies are formed to treat conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, carcinoma of the bladder, carcinoma of the bowel, traumatic injury to the abdominal area, and inadequate blood flow to the bowel, incontinence and obstruction. An ileostomy is a surgically created abdominal opening from the terminal small intestine (ileum), made because the entire colon has been removed or must be bypassed. An ileostomy stoma is usually on the lower-right abdomen. Its output has passed through all or most of the small intestine, but none of the large intestine; consistency of this output may vary from very liquid to a semi-solid paste (Porrett and McGrath, 2005). Simmons K et al (2007) state that more than 13,000 patients have stoma surgery yearly in the United Kingdom and reports psychological and social dysfunction in patients whose surgery end with stoma. Patients undergoing stoma surgery face a number of stress related circumstances leading to threats to body integrity, alerted body image, loss of autonomy, and loss of function and control (Williams, 2005). Annells (2006), suggests that fear of rejection by friends and family as well as being ostracized by society is constant for this group of patients and that support, guidance and information can assist them in adapting to their new way of life. Patients were reported to have feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem, thoughts of suicide and depression are higher in stoma patients compared with patients without a stoma (Norton, 2004). Patients who have had ileostomies, often have a distorted body image which has a knock on impact on the patients’ physical integrity and self-concept (Black and Hyde, 2004). When I was talking to Jane, before and after surgery, one of her major anxieties was flatus and odour – common concern for those with a new established stoma is flatus and odour which can result in psychological distress, stigma and embarrassment (Annells, 2006). She was also anxious about how Peter would react to the stoma and whether he would still find her beautiful and attractive. But mostly, she was concerned that people would smell her and she was worried, that she would be unable to control her flatus and being stigmatized by Peter and people who found out that she had stoma. Coping with stigma involves a variety of strategies, and Jane was at the stage where she was deciding whether to disclose the condition and suffer further stigma or attempt to conceal the condition or aspects of the condition and pass for normal (Joachim and Acorn, 2000), but felt certain that there was no way she could conceal the odour or the involuntary flatus. Flatus and odour that cannot be co ntrolled by the individual for medical reasons affect how these individuals feel about their bodies (Black, 2001). A stoma does not have a sphincter muscle; and so persons with stomas are unable to control the elimination of faeces or flatus via the stoma (Breckman, 2005). Rozmovits and Ziebland (2004), in a compilation of narratives from new stoma patients cited many as expressing difficulties in returning to work following surgery due to the â€Å"uncontrollable and unpredictable bowel movements and foul-smelling gas†. Simmons K et al (2007) state social aspect has a major impact on patients. A background study reported a decrease in social and leisure activities, increase in marital problems and less contact with relatives and friends. Mosby (2006), defines support as â€Å"to sustain, hold up, or maintain in a desired position or condition, as in physically supporting the abdominal muscles with a binder or emotionally supporting a client under stress†. There are several definitions for support. The Cambridge Advanced, Learners Dictionary (2008), define support as â€Å"to encourage someone because you want them to succeed†, â€Å"to help someone emotionally or practically†, or â€Å"a group of people who provide emotional and practical help to someone in serious difficulty†. Gale (2001) tells us social support consist of friends, family members, co-workers who provide assistance to the individual in need. Support found from friends, family and co-workers has a beneficial effect on physical and psychological well-being. Jane has had counselling from the stoma care nurse and assessed before surgery. Janes partner, Peter was not included initially in her pre-operative period as she did not wish to have him there. Peter was aware about the operation but she had not told many of her family and friends. Myers (1996) state psychological preparation and counselling of patients in the pre-operative period is of great importance. Myers (1996) further states the stoma nurse together with the patients partners and other health professionals help to rehabilitate the patient. The nurse and healthcare professionals must look at the patient and the patients needs holistically to include all aspects: physical, emotional, mental, social and economical. Faulkner and Davies (2005) state, that there is a range of definitions of the concept of support. It implies it is the exchange of resources between at least two people, intending to enhance the well-being of the person receiving. Faulkner and Davies (2005) illustrate the four broad support mechanisms they are emotional, informational, appraisal and instrumental support. Emotional support is about improving self-esteem, encouraging the person and aiming to have a feeling of belonging, accepted, loved and needed. Informational support provides information for individuals which enables them to be involved in dealing with their problems and problem solving. It can involve suggestions of where they can acquire further advice. Instrumental support involves tangible resources to remove, or significantly reduce, the stressful situation experienced by an individual. This also may include the provision of financial aid or services. Appraisal support helps the person to evaluate the impact of their circumstance, and level the threat posed by the stressful event or availability of personal coping resources. Post-operatively, Jane required all the identified types of support in dealing with her anxiety about her flatus and odour. Sirota (2006) states that support is important at all levels of care of the stoma patient and is especially critical in the early postoperative stages following stoma surgery when patients are experiencing grief reactions to loss. Emotionally, the support had already begun with the pre-operative chats that involved not only Jane, but her partner, Peter as well. The nurse, in offering support to the patient following a stoma formation must be conscious of the fact that even though the patient is extremely self-conscious about odours related to the newly-formed stoma, odours from the stoma should never be smelled by anyone but the patient (Williams, 2005). Emotional support to Jane was provided by developing a rapport with her which helped to alleviate her anxiety and embarrassment by putting the issue of flatulence and odour into context and teaching the patient techniques that could help control the issues e.g. deodorants, diets (Williams, 2005). Informational support was given to Jane about the types of food that will reduce odours and flatulence. Information such as which foods and fluids will produce flatus and which are likely to cause odour; how to manage a noticeable bulge created by flatus and how to remove flatus from appliance without causing unnecessary embarrassment in terms of odour or spillage are crucial to developing the patients confidence in managing his/her stoma (Breckman, 2005). In addition, leaflets obtained from the Ileostomy Internal Pouch Support Group gave a list of foods that increase and decrease flatulence and faecal odour as well as hints on reducing flatus. Instrumental support for Jane took the form of the deodorants that were provided to her to deal with the odours from her stoma. Cottam and Porrett (2005) recommend that in instances where odour is a problem, such as when changing the appliance, deodorants can be used to mask faecal odours and these are available in atomizers, drops or powders that can be sprayed into the atmosphere or placed inside the appliance. Jane was given the opportunity to try different samples of different fragrances by the stoma care nurse and then advised how she could order them in the future. She was also able to examine the different costs so that she could order deodorants that suited her budgets. She also advised to use the silicon-based adhesive remover which was proven to be gentler on the skin (Cutting, 2006). The final aspect of support that was provided to Jane in alleviating her anxiety about flatus and odour was appraisal support. Any disruption to the workings of the persons body is bound to cause concern and in Western society the pressures placed on us by media and peers mean that the patient that has to live with a stoma has to live with a stigma and all the anxieties associated with this (Williams, 2005). With the informational, emotional and instrumental support that was given to Jane, the rest of support needed by her can only be identified and accessed by her. Support groups and their contact details were provided to Jane, so that she can access a group or forum, if she determined that she needed further support of more specific, or even generic, type. The success of Janes adjustment will now be dependent on her own coping strategies and her own support networks (Williams, 2005). Salter (1997) stated that the support a nurse needs to give the patient with newly formed stoma is emotional, informational and practical. Jane received all of the above during her immediate post-operative period. Price (1993) says that how Jane copes now will be affected by the opinions and attitudes of the people with whom she has close relationships. Informational and appraisal support will continue via support group and forums and emotional support will come from family and friends. In the end, Jane will increase her self-confidence and become more independent with dealing with her stoma and stoma care. But in the end, as with everyone, even those without a stoma, support of all kinds will always be needed in some degree, form or fashion.

Unprogessive Advances :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The MP3 â€Å"We are born savage and self-centered, and then, unless we move to Hollywood, we get over it. We become civilized. We enter a state in which we understand that sharing is good.† – John Perry Barlow   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the past few years record sales have plummeted to an all time low, the record industry has since been frantically searching for the crack in the dyke; a reason for all this. The most obvious target that has been chosen by these corporations is the act of internet file sharing, more specifically the programs that run these services like the previously shut down â€Å"Napster† and the currently battling â€Å"Kazaa.† There is no doubt that file sharing is a factor in declining record sales but does it really deserve all the blame? Maybe today’s mainstream music lacks a certain quality that would normally motivate a consumer to purchase the CD. There are many factors that could cause declining sales, one of them being file sharing but does the record industry really have the power to classify our right to share as illegal?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The number of users for file swapping programs is in the millions. In its height Napster held 36 million people in the palm of its hand, and since the program has shut down more and more like it have been sprouting too fast for the recording industry to shut them down (Gaither,2). The companies that are filing suit apparently expect us to be sympathetic towards them because they aren’t rolling in the dough like they used to. A CD costs me about $20 after taxes, as a college student and normal person that money is better spent doing time in my bank account, it is almost the same lifestyle as subsistence farming. If I can receive the same music for free over the internet than why bother giving more money to excessive rock stars or silicone divas. The richest of the rich seem to be the only ones complaining as well, small time acts such as â€Å"Battery Park† practically rely on the free trade of music over the internet, mainly because they cannot affor d airplay on major radio or television stations. It is the only way for bands like these to be heard. Lead singer J. Brown of â€Å"Battery Park† however admits that â€Å"Downloads don’t necessarily equate to sales, we hope they like what they hear and want to hear more so they’ll purchase the CD.

Evaluation of a live Production Blood Brothers Essay -- English Litera

Evaluation of a live Production Blood Brothers Blood Brothers was written by Willy Russell, It was first performed at the Liverpool Playhouse in January 1983. It is a musical / comedy drama set in Liverpool in the 1980’s. We went to see it at the Phoenix Theatre. When we were on our way to see the production I was quite excited and was looking forward to it very much as I had been told by some pupils at my school it was very good. When we arrived at the theatre and sat down in our seats the stage and layout looked very big. There seemed to be a lot of space for the actors to perform on. The play takes place in Liverpool, it is based on two twins who are separated at birth, as the mother cannot afford to keep them both. One of the twins is given away to a very wealthy family and the other stays with its real mother, who is ‘working class’. The two brothers meet when they are young, without realising they are twins, and become best friends. They grow up together but gradually class and the difference in the way they were raised comes between them, ending in both ...

Script on aboriginal

I have chosen to do my following script from when Molly, Daisy and Gracie have just been captured and are being taken to Moore River Native Settlement. The reason I have chosen to start my script from there is because there will be a range of emotions that will be felt by the girls at that time I and will develop on them and hopefully get a bit of understanding of the torment they must have been going through. Molly Daisy and Gracie are in the back of Mr. Neville's care on the way to Moore River. Gracie is crying and Daisy is shaking. Molly: (Whispers to Daisy) It's going to be all right Daisy, I will get us back home. Daisy: (Still shaking) OK Molly, I trust you. Molly: (Turns to Gracie and whispers) Remember the spirit bird Gracie, remember spirit bird†¦ Gracie: (Tears running down her face, wipes her nose with her hand) The spirit bird will guide us home. Where are we going Molly, I'm scared Molly, I want to go home. Daisy: (in aboriginal) Molly is going to get us home Gracie. I know she will. Mr Neville: (sharp cold tone) Oi! Enough of your filth language. If you are to talk, talk in English. (to himself) Bleeding half-breeds. Molly: (Now shaking herself) Where are you taking us? Mr Neville: (not even looking at Molly) You will see in due time. But first I need to stop And fill up the tank. (He turns to Molly with a frightening look on his face) if You even think about trying to run away, I will do something even your spirit Bird can't guide you through. Mr Neville exits the car to talk to the petrol pump attendant. We see Molly's Grandmother enter the scene running and screaming in aboriginal. She runs to the car and tries to open the door, but Mr Neville was too quick. He whipped his cane across the face of the helpless old lady. Molly: (in shock, speaking in aboriginal) Grandmother! Molly covers Gracie's eyes as she begins to cry. Daisy tries to open the door of the car, but Mr Neville gets back in. Mr Neville: (laughing) I don't suppose you girls want to go the same way as your Grandmother, do you? No I didn't think so. Now you know what the Punishment will be if you ever try to escape from under my nose. Gracie: (still crying) Your big nose! Mr Neville: (fury overwhelming him) What did you just say?! Molly: (quickly) Nothing Mr Neville, sir. Honest. Mr Neville: (deciding not to take any action) As I was saying, even if you do succeed in Escaping, you won't ever see your grandmother again. Daisy: (with courage) You an evil- Molly: (coughs loudly) Mr Neville: (evil sneer) Where your going will change you lives forever. And it will be all Down to me. Over the years you will realise how much good is doing†¦ They slow down as they approach there destination. Molly looks around, already thinking about how they were going to escape. This script shows elements of power, freedom and control throughout. Mr Neville who is one of the most powerful people in the process of biological absorption has control over the aboriginals. He mentions what would happen to them if they tried to escape because all they want is freedom. It was an important part of the play because it was the first time that they were being taken to the camp. Everyone in the scene had different feelings and they all showed them in different ways.

United States Efforts To Combat Domestic Counter Terrorism

The threat of terrorism has become real since the 9/11 attacks in the US. The government as well as the international community has joined efforts in order to combat the ever present terror attacks mainly targeting America. Although there have not been other terrorist attacks in the US soil since the 9/11 attacks, the fact that, terrorists continue to threaten and in fact other US interests outside the US remains as clear pointer to the fact that, terrorism is a real threat to the US and therefore warrants measures against protecting every American’s right to fundamental freedoms guaranteed under law. Terrorist activities recently targeting the US allies and foreign interests include attacks in Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen and Tunisia. The above calls for tough and effective anti terrorism laws to curb the evil. It is against that background that, US has taken considerable measures to combat the evil both domestically and internationally. For the purpose of this, paper, attention will be given to domestic measures aimed at curbing terrorism and only touch a little bit on international terrorism. International measures have included the capacity building programs being initiated by the US in its allies by giving incentives such as training military on the effective military combats styles as well as increasing of satellite surveillance as well as use of communication technology to track and disrupt the activities of the terrorist and carry out preemptive attacks on their bases if suspected to be planning and attack (Abuza, Zachary,2005). On top of that, according to , combating terrorist requires a coordinated activity. The first step involves the use of al means in order to deny the terrorists the chance of committing the crime in other words decapacitating them, this is possible through number of ways which include, cutting arms supply, denying terrorists access to arms and other weaponry which would be harmful if left in the reach of the terrorists and improved security checks in all vulnerable areas such as airports all aimed at lessening the probability of terrorists successfully attacking the US. One can not forget the role on good governance for in some cases the activities of terrorism have happen just because a government official serving in a major security installation such as in the airports or immigration department s failed to execute their duties properly (Acquaviva, Mike, 1989) The US has in measure aimed at improving its home security passed several antiterrorism bills all of which have in one way or another contributed to the interruption of terrorist activities therefore lessening the chances of terrorist attacks in the US. In a bid to protect its citizens and sovereignty America enforced many measures including military operations in places deemed to harbor terrorist activities or are at least sympathetic to terrorist activities. The constitution of America empowers the president through congress to intervene in cases where the country comes under security threat using all means under his/her discretion. It is against this back ground that, the US has taken measures which not all agree to have nevertheless helped to reduce the incidence of attacks. Such measures have included the empowerment of all security institutions such as the FBI and the CIA, to play a bigger role in the hunt and elimination of terrorists and their activities, increasing military expenditure as well as security budget to facilitate programs aimed at combating terrorism. Other activities have included the passing of laws aimed at confiscating property suspected to originate or be ended to terrorist cells or allies. Other key measures aimed at combating the crime involve the passing a bill which empowers key security agencies to intercept communications deemed suspicious and likely to enhance terrorist activities. Other measure have include the coding of the US security levels to also alert the people of America when ever a threat of attacks is deemed inevitable as well as when it is considered relatively safe. Also the US has introduced the concept of travel advisories which although they do not apply domestically are key in protecting the Americans against the thereat of attacks. Other than the methods used, it does not occur there were other alternatives since, the present measures have succeeded in making the US a better place. It is notable that, there has been numerous attempts by the terrorists groups to hit US again possibly to commemorate the September 11 attacks but all have been thwarted or intercepted and if they happen it has been in a small magnitude. Although critiques have argued that, the measures taken by US has increased anti-Americanism especially form Islamic countries, the fact is that, the terrorist are determined to attack US and considers such as achievements. This calls for no less than radical measures aimed at maintaining the security of Americans. In the fight against terrorism, the US has not been alone for it has received all manner of support from its key ally Britain as well as from the UN which helped pass some of the international amendments aimed at curbing the threat and danger of terrorism (Abuza, Zachary,2003). In all regions of the work the US has key partners’ and allies who allow it to operate form the solids in the endeavor to reduce the efficiency of the terrorist. From Africa to Asia, and Far East, the US collaborates with key countries through sharing of intelligence, use of countries facilities, to launch activities as well passing anti-terrorism legislations which are deemed crucial in deterring terrorists. On the other hand the US benefits form these ties in that the countries can arrest suspects wanted in connection with terrorism and them to US for interrogation and trial especially those wanted in connection to the September attacks. Just like all other well intentioned struggles, the combat against domestic terrorism will need the right environment in order to be successful as well as to achieve is objectives. In a nutshell the following are the most immediate needs and changes which may result into a fight with a well guided mission and vision, one which will meet the expectations of the people of America. Firstly, the issue of good PR will need to be emphasized a lot and it needs to be highlighted in all departments and institutions dealing with terrorism. Although the US military has done much efforts to meet this, goal, it is has not been sustained and maintained in that, some organs of the government seem to be comfortable with the progress so far. Far form the truth, there is need to ensure that, every move from the government aimed at countering the threats of terrorism as well as all others aimed at influencing major international partners as well as world bodies such as the UN are not misrepresented or misinterpreted by the public. Against the background of the Iraq war which has resulted into enormous life losses to the Americans, it is easy for people to lose the zeal for the fight and start opposing it. This happens due to poor communication as well as poor PR skills. Therefore the role of communication and PR in this war against domestic terrorism needs to be speeded up in order to ensure that; throughout all campaigns the government has the blessing of the masses. The other challenge in the combat against domestic tourism comes in the form of opposition to legislations or bills aimed at solving the problem of terrorism. When ever a senator or any member of the congress brings up a motion on terrorism fighting, there is a need for all the congress men to put aside all their political ideological differences to back such law because its touches the whole American society. Lastly, the challenge of people withholding crucial information from the law enforcement agents is a matter of grave concern. Usually, terrorists live among the people that they plan to attack. In that case, those who live near the terrorists and shield them from the law enforcer are obliviously on the wrong. The public should be more involved and actually share any crucial information with the police. By hunting down for terrorist in the mountains, jungles and seas, by attacking those who collaborated with the terrorist to attack it, the act of the US in regard to terrorism can not be regarded to as being overreaction. Simply put, there was no other way of doing it, the US had lost close to $100 billion in terms of economic damages as a result of terrorists activities of the recent past. Against such a background, the activities and efforts of the US to combat domestic tourism can be termed only as fair and justified for failure to act would and can lead to further attack hence more losses. This can also significantly affect the world order as the US is looked up on by many vulnerable countries to offer protection in cases of external aggression on their sovereignty as it did in the case o Kuwait.