Higher Education and International Relations Essay

Higher Education and International Relations - Essay Example It is a deliberate process of transformation of improved abilities from one level to another level which starts from an individual and bring to an end in the greater advantage of the world. Education develops the inborn potential of an individual and helps to increase the current knowledge. Education facilitates the growth of an individual in all areas like physical, behavior, mental, social, economic, spiritual etc. Education bring livelihood for an individual and determines his/her social status. Individual lives in a society, his/her improved status bring betterment to the life of the people connected to them in every manner. Here starts the role of education in the society. It compels members of the society to abundant old views and thoughts and provides equal opportunities to all irrespective of their cast, color, sex and religion. It helps in development of social and moral values like tolerance, affection, sympathy, cooperation etc. Most important role of education towards soc iety is to compete with the technological and scientific advancement. Education helps to raise all aspect of the country like healthy living, improve literacy rate, social change, growing economy, decrease poverty etc. Education of individuals in various fields determines the need of establishing of various industries which obtain different advantages for the country in the global marketplace. Competitive advantage of one country forces other countries to develop their economies to the highest level. It is a rare possibility that one country specializes into each and every sector of the economy or has all the natural resources of the world. Countries have to depend on each other to get access to these resources and felt the need of trade. International relations establish by means of trade between two or more countries. Poor education conditions of developing countries restrain them to achieve better living conditions, health facilities, law and order situation, economy etc. Most de veloping countries are facing political instability and deprived law and order situation, due to which developed nations of the world are hesitant in bringing their investments to the developing countries. Even international universities and colleges are also unable to bring their campuses to the developing nations. In one way or other, poor law and order situations and political instability links to the underprivileged educational system of these countries. Most of the developing countries are in the elementary stage of their education system. They are struggling to achieve the level of secondary or post secondary education. Higher education can also serve as a medium to establish international relations between countries. It is witnessed that large number of students, faculty and staff members are taking education outside of their native land. â€Å"Indeed, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 3.7 million tertiary level students studied o utside of their home country in 2009.† (Lane and Kinser, 2012) Governments are working on the internationalization of higher educations system and institutions. Several measure have been taken in this regard by the government and institutions like student exchange programs, consultancy programs by universities and colleges, cultural centers, inviting higher education institutions from other countries. For example, world-recognized institutions such as New York University,

Interview summary Essay Example for Free

Interview summary Essay Introduction: Hi! I am ______________. Could you please let me know if you are taking interviews and if so, how soon I might see you? I’m interested in how mental health practitioners like you got your training. Some specifics that I need to know are queries like, why should one see a therapist and how does a typical day with a client be like? 1. How did you get into this kind of profession? Where did you get your training and what are the necessary things that are of primary importance for one to have as a mental health provider? 2. What makes one competent to conduct counseling or therapy? 3. So what are the competencies that are expected by a typical patient as well as the organization which every professional is sanctioned and affiliated with? 4. There must be a sort of internship that every specialist must go through; how did you get into the on-the-job-training and what kind of requirements that you must pass? 5. Let us move on to the ethics of the profession. I have read that the effects of setting limits or boundaries in the therapeutic relationship are lessened effectiveness. What I mean is that due to the risks of being accused of malpractice or running the risks of being involved in a toxic relationship, the therapist must set limits or boundaries. The therapist even has to define many of these things at the outset or before the start of the helping relationship. However, this may mean the reduction of effective treatment to the patient or client. Is this is true with our experience? Why or why not? 6. Could you please tell me what are some of the sensitive issues you’ve encountered so far in dealing with your patients? 7. Have you been in a malpractice suit or know of someone who had undergone this? 8. Let us go to the personal attributes that are generally found to be appealing and attractive for a would-be therapist. Can you enumerate some? 9. Are they natural tendencies or must one acquire them in the process? Are these necessary for a successful practice? 10. I see that communication plays a vital role. What are the nuances of communication necessary for a practitioner to develop as his/her own style and strategy? Interview Summary PART 2 Introduction: Hi! I am ______________. Could you please let me know if you are taking interviews and if so, how soon I might see you? I’m interested in how mental health practitioners like you got your training. Some specifics that I need to know are queries like, why should one see a therapist and how does a typical day with a client be like? 1. How did you get into this kind of profession? Where did you get your training and what are the necessary things that are of primary importance for one to have as a mental health provider? A: Actually, I got interested only to make a career of my course until around my senior year in college that I wanted to be in a â€Å"helping relationship† kind of profession and so I started to plan out what I needed. I evaluated my personal weaknesses and strengths. Most importantly, I realized that I needed to spend more time and money in various seminar/workshops to specially hone whatever skills I have. There are things that I must fully be able to grasp that are basics where I was to deal with a variety of clients since I started and these are: Knowledge of clients’ culture (history, traditions, values, family systems, artistic expressions). Knowledge of the impact of racism and poverty on behavior, attitudes, values, and disabilities. Knowledge of the help-seeking behaviors of ethnic minority clients. Knowledge of the roles of language, speech patterns, and communication styles in different communities. Knowledge of the impact of the social service policies on clients of color. Knowledge of the resources (i. e. , agencies, persons, informal helping networks, research) available for ethnic minority clients and communities. Recognition of how professional values may either conflict with or accommodate the needs of clients from different cultures. 2. What makes one competent to conduct counseling or therapy? Of course, not only should one come from a reputable institution known for excellence in learning, which has clearly transferred to the student and future practitioner the necessary knowledge and skills, pass state licensure exams which are essentials and are given. Competence includes a thorough knowledge of the nature of various individuals coming from different cultural milieu and other factors. Competence involves having insights and enough exposure to the risks that are involved in this profession. Therefore, the ethical considerations and guidelines as a mental health provider must be thoroughly understood. 3. So what are the competencies that are expected by a typical patient as well as the organization which every professional is sanctioned and affiliated with? Today, the demands are increasingly high to start with. Competencies include professional skills which are basically elucidated in the following: In particular, there are a number of generally expected levels of knowledge, skills and attributes that are essential to providing competent mental health services. One must have the ability to evaluate new techniques, research, and knowledge as to their validity and applicability in working with people from all walks of life. 4. There must be a sort of internship that every specialist must go through; how did you get into the on-the-job-training and what kind of requirements that you must pass? Definitely, before one gets to practice what one has to specialize on, a mental health provider must successfully pass an on-the-job-training which is a comprehensive one. The more number of hours one has spent on an institution and the more variety of disorders or diseases that he/she has dealt with, so much the better. I happened to not only spent sufficient time with the National Institute for Mental Health and one of its affiliates where cases are more than adequate, the training was indeed very rigorous. The patients were closely monitored and so were our studies and follow-up done on the patients. Moreover, after my graduation, additional years of training in a private Mental Health Institution as a volunteer then as an employee working with over 400 patients. It was long and tedious but it was a very productive for me and now it is paying off. Cases include more the usual bulk of Schizophrenics, major depression and the manic depressive types. Of course, there were the walk-ins and those who had the illnesses as offshoots of drug addiction/dependence which are rampant and/or still prevalent today and sadly comprise much of the demographics. 5. Let us move on to the ethics of the profession. I have read that the effects of setting limits or boundaries in the therapeutic relationship are lessened effectiveness. What I mean is that due to the risks of being accused of malpractice or running the risks of being involved in a toxic relationship, the therapist must set limits or boundaries. The therapist even has to define many of these things at the outset or before the start of the helping relationship. However, this may mean the reduction of effective treatment to the patient or client. Is this is true with our experience? Why or why not? Indeed there have been certain times that when taken too far, several well-intentioned ethical guidelines can become transformed into artificial boundaries that serve as destructive prohibitions and thereby undermine clinical effectiveness. Rigid roles and strict codified rules of conduct between therapist and client can obstruct a clinicians artistry. Those anxious conformists who go entirely by the book, and who live in constant fear of malpractice suits, are unlikely to prove significantly helpful to a broad array of clients. It is my contention that one of the worst professional/ethical violations is to permit current risk-management principles to take precedence over humane interventions. 6. Could you please tell me what are some of the sensitive issues you’ve encountered so far in dealing with your patients? One example is transference. It is helpful in many ways but this is where certain limits or boundaries must be applied and the therapist must know when this must be in place. Other issues include countertransference, dual relationships, etc. Basic to the relationship between a therapist and a client is trust and this must be preserved all throughout. The respect between the parties is not to be taken for granted. The right to be informed of what the client must go through is critical as well. What really happens between a therapist and their client when transference is occurring? Transference is the displacement or transfer of feelings, thoughts and behaviors originally related to a significant person, such as a parent, onto someone else, such as the massage therapist. It is not a rational process. It is an unconscious process. It is created just by the fact that clients come in and take their clothes off, leaving them feeling more vulnerable at first. We become an authority figure or the expert in their eyes. We often become their parent in some ways. 7. Have you been in a malpractice suit or know of someone who had undergone this? Fortunately I have not gone through that and nobody I know of personally. 8. Let us go to the personal attributes that are generally found to be appealing and attractive for a would-be therapist. Can you enumerate some? Personal qualities that reflect â€Å"genuineness, empathy, nonpossessiveness, warmth,† and a capacity to respond flexibly to a range of possible solutions. Acceptance of ethnic differences between people. A willingness to work with clients of different ethnic backgrounds. Articulation and clarification of the worker’s personal values, stereotypes, and biases about his/her own and others’ ethnicity and social class. Also, recognizing ways that these views may accommodate or conflict with the needs of clients from different cultures. 9. Are they natural tendencies or must one acquire them in the process? Are these necessary for a successful practice? There are a few natural tendencies but the rest can be learned. 10. I see that communication plays a vital role. What are the nuances of communication necessary for a practitioner to inculcate? Obviously, the most fundamental function of any therapeutic session is communication. We all use verbal and non-verbal ways of expressing ourselves that have been influenced by the culture in which we were raised. These styles can vary dramatically for people from other backgrounds. For example: †¢ Personal Space: In the United States it is common for people to stand about 3 feet apart when having a personal conversation. In other cultures, people may typically stand close, which may feel awkward to someone unfamiliar with this style. †¢ Eye Contact and Feedback Behaviors: In the United States, individuals are encouraged to look each other directly in the eye and participate actively in feedback behaviors (leaning forward, smiling, nodding, etc. ). In contrast, people from other backgrounds may show respect or deference by not engaging in eye contact or participating more passively in their body language. †¢ Interruption and Turn-taking Behaviors: Most Americans have come to expect a conversation to progress linearly, while in other cultures it may be more natural for several people to be talking at once. Listening skills to deal with different turn-taking rules must be developed. †¢ Gesturing: Hand and arm gesturing can vary quite a bit in different cultural backgrounds. In general, extra gesturing should not necessarily be interpreted as excitement since it can just be an ordinary manner of communication, depending on the speaker. †¢ Facial Expression: Variance in this form of communication is also common, and again it is important to not assume that someone is cold or distressed based solely on one’s own cultural experience.

ESP Methodology And Syllabus

ESP Methodology And Syllabus It is debatable whether ESP has a distinctive methodology and syllabus. This paper argues that methodology and syllabus design in English Language Teaching (ELT) andESP differ little and that it is not possible to say whether general ELT has borrowed ideas for methodology from ESP or whether ESP has borrowed ideas from general ELT. two characteristic features of ESP methodology are identified: ESP can base activities on students specialism, and ESP activities can have a truly authentic purpose derived from students target needs. Dudley-Evans and St. John(1998) maintain that what characterizes ESP methodology is the use of tasks and activities reflecting the students specialist area Introduction In the 1970s, EFL teachers first ventured out of the Arts Faculty and the gentle landscape of language and literature into the land beyond the mountains inhabited by illiterate and savage tribes called scientists, businessmen and engineers, wrote Ramsden (2002). In the light of this quotation, Ramsden pours his scorn over the turning point in the history of language teaching from art to science; and from English for general purposes(EGP) to English for specific purposes(ESP) . Though ESP emanates from EGP, it has established itself as a distinct trend. The distinctions between ESP and EGP are quite fuzzy. To clarify the issue, Hutchinson and Waters (1987) pointed out that there is no difference in theory, but in practice, there is a great deal. This paper delves deeply into the literature of ESP and EGP to uncover their points of similarities and differences, chiefly at the level of syllabus design , methodology and instructional materials. For the sake of clarification, theoretical preliminaries will be provided from the outset. As expected, the current paper is comparative in nature and selective in illustration. Theoretical Preliminaries: Definitions of: EGP: According to Blackwell, EGP is polarized with ESP ( English for specific purposes) to refer to contexts such as the school where needs cannot readily be specified. This view is misleading, since purpose is always inherent. EGP is more usefully considered as providing a broad foundation rather than a detailed and selective specification of goals. EGP, then, refers to that basic linguistic code that could be used in larger context and in everyday conversation. It does not take into account neither the requirements of a workplace nor needs of learners. Being general in its nature, EGP holds a sway at the core level of language instruction. ESP According to Longman dictionary of applied linguistics, ESP refers to the role of English in a language course or program of instruction in which the content and aims of the course are fixed by the specific needs of a particular group of learners. For example courses in English for academic purposes, English for science and technology, and English for Nursing. In this regards, ESP is chiefly associated with special language or register. However, Hutchinson and Waters )1987, p.19) claimed that ESP is not a particular kind of language or methodology, nor does it consist of a particular type of teaching material. Understood properly, it is an approach to language teaching. From the above definitions, one can notice that there is no absolute clear cut between ESP and EGP. To ask which one embraces the other is likely to generate divergent views. In an attempt to answer this question, Hutchinson and waters ) 1987.p.18) have drawn a tree of ELT where the ESP is just one branch of EFL/ESL, which are themselves the main branches of English Language teaching in general.. However, A closer gaze at the tree and to the ramifications of ESP and EGP uncovers the distinctive features of each. These features will be tackled in subsequent section. Distinctive features of ESP and EGP: Despite the overlapping connections between EGP and ESP, there are several differences at the level of their concerns and practices. First, the focus in ESP is on training students to conform well to the requirements of the workplace; whereas, in EGP, the main focus is on education. Widdowson( 1983) sees the difference between Education and Training as that of creativity versus conformity (in White, 1988: p.18). Second, Designing a course content in EGP is much more difficult than in ESP for the difficulty of predicting the future needs of EGP students. Knowing about only learners survival needs is quite unbeneficial because it may lead to an oversimplified language, unauthentic communicative structure and unrealistic situational content. Third, ESP learners are usually adults with an average mastery of English language. Their main purpose is to communicate and learn a set of professional skills. In EGP, the age of learners , however, varies from childhood to adulthood. Their chief purpose behind learning English is to achieve communication in the basic everyday communication. At the level of macro-skills, the four language skills are integrated and reinforced in EGP instruction, while in ESP the selection of language skills is based on needs analysis. For instance, in studying English for science and technology, the emphasis is on context and subject of the course. At the level of micro skills, EGP has shed too much attention to teaching of grammar and language structure; yet the focus in ESP is on the context and subject of the course. Finally, a distinctive feature of ESP classroom is team- teaching, where the teacher of language collaborates with subject teacher in the delivery of the lesson. This feature is , however, absent in EGP classroom where the language teacher seems sufficient to instruct broad themes. To sum up, though ESP stems from EGP, it has preserved for itself distinctive characteristics as outlined before. To sum up, Stevens states that ESP has four absolute characteristics: 1. Is designed to meet specific needs. 2. Is related to themes and topics particular to occupation. 3. Is centered on language appropriate to those activities, in terms of lexis, syntax, discourse pragmatics, semantics and so on. 4. The above is in contrast to General English (Stevens 1988 in Dudley-Evans St. John 1998: p.4). In the subsequent section, the paper will take both EGP and ESP a stage further to list the similarities and differences at the level of syllabus design. To facilitate the process of comparing and contrasting, an example of each course content will be highlighted. Syllabus design in EGP A syllabus refers to a particular plan of a course. It is a document that details the structure and operation of ones class. It can also be called the basic reference document that guides students and the instructor through a course (Breen 1984). In the current section, this section aims to uncover the salient types of syllabus adopted in EGP and ESP based on contents of two textbooks: Natural English( EGP textbook) and English for Careers: Tourism, (ESP textbook) Based on their observations of general English language courses, Brown (1995) and Richards (1990) list the following types of syllabuses. They also point out that courses are often based on a combination of: Structural (organized primarily around grammar and sentence patterns). Functional (organized around communicative functions, such as identifying, reporting, correcting, describing). Notional (organized around conceptual categories, such as duration, quantity, location). Topical (organized around themes or topics, such as health, food, clothing). Situational (organized around speech settings and the transactions associated with them, such as shopping, at the bank, at the supermarket). Skills (organized around microskills, such as listening for gist, listening for specifi c information, listening for inferences). Task- or activity-based (organized around activities, such as drawing maps, following directions, following instructions). Extract.1: Contents of Natural English , As can be observed in the content of Natural English, one of the main aims of the textbook is to enable General English learners to improve the four language skills, especially speaking and listening to everyday English. Yet, the integration of the four language skills is not the sole distinctive feature of the textbook. The contents of course book also seem to respond to the general wants of GE learners in that it all covers functions, notions, vocabulary and grammar. Each unit introduces GE learners to notions, functions and grammatical structures in an equal weight of emphasis. Thus, a point that one can infer is that EGP syllabus is integrative. Language skills as well as functions, notions, forms and semantic entries are all fused together. For example, in unit 2, the book introduces notions such as shopping and work. Concerning functions, expressing request and responding with sympathy are the main functions found in unite 1. The grammatical forms are so varied from using the present continuous to passive voice. What is so remarkable is that the communication of a notion entails the use of adequate target functions. From the design of Natural English, it is evident that the units are organized on topics. Unit one is on Cartoon Mobile Invasion, unit two on Joke lost in desert, and three on Cartoon Perfect Day. However, a striking existence of situations looms chiefly in extended speaking. Students are in front several situations, such as on train , on holiday, and are encouraged to interact , following the necessities of imagined communicative setting. To conclude, the pertinent remark we can deduce from the course content of EGP is that its syllabus is integrative and synthetic in nature. Functions, notions , forms, situations and skills gain enough space in the EGP syllabus. Nevertheless, these elements are tackled more broadly. For instance, It seems that the subjects are too general, the functions and notions are recurrent in daily life issues, and language skills are not relevant to any professional field. Now , ESP makes extensive use of content-based approaches. According to Master and Brinton (1998), CBI has the following features. The syllabus is organized around subject content; for example, in English for Careers: Tourism, an ESP textbook, the subject matter is on a number of topics from tourism, such Registration Client perceptions and supply and demand. Teaching activities are specific to the subject matter being taught and are geared to stimulate students to think and learn through the use of the target language. Language is viewed holistically, and learners learn from working with whole chunks of language and multiple skills. Content-based approaches reject synthetic approaches to course design-the idea that language or skills can be atomized into discrete items to be presented and practiced by learners one at a time. The approach makes use of authentic texts to which learners are expected primarily to respond in relation to the content. It has been argued (Hutchinson Waters, 1987) that once we remove the text from its original context, it loses some of its authenticity. For example, the intended audience is changed once the authentic text is imported into the classroom. Authenticity also relates also to the readers purpose in reading the text. For example, recommendation reports for the purchase of technical equipment are, in their original context of use, devised for the purpose of helping the reader decide which of two or more items of equipment to buy. If, however, a recommendation report is transported into a language teaching classroom and students are given an activity whose purpose is to answer c omprehension questions on it, the match between text and task is artificial. Content-based instruction tries to avoid some of these potential problems by using content (authentic texts) in ways that were similar to those in real life. Content-based approaches involve also the integration of skills. Writing often follows on from listening and reading, and students are often required to synthesize facts and ideas from multiple sources as preparation for writing (Brinton et al., 1989). In fact, ESP syllabi (in this case an English Vocational Purposes syllabus) differ from English General Purposes (EGP) syllabi, both in goals and content. Below is an outline of some major differences adapted from Widdowson (1983 in White 1988: pp.18 26), Hutchinson Waters (1987) and Stevens (1988) (both in Dudley-Evans St. John 1998: pp. 2-4). The ESP syllabus must be based on a previous analysis of the students needs, which includes not only an analysis of the situations in which the language will be used and of the language appropriate in these situations, but also an analysis of the students wants and subjective needs. The whole business of the management of language learning is far too complex to be satisfactorily catered for by a pre-packaged set of decisions embodied in teaching materials. Quite simply, even with the best intentions no single textbook can possibly work in all situations.(Sheldon, 1987: 1)If we are to prescribe content, we need to ask, whose content? Methodology Having uncovered the nuances existing between ESP and EGP syllabi, This current chapter will move a stage further to draw a comparison and contrast at level of methodology, chiefly at the types of techniques employed by each and the roles they played in serving the students needs. As defined by Robinson (1991), methodology refers to what goes on in the classroom and to what students have to do. Using technical terms, it refers to classroom activities and techniques. There are too many techniques which largely emerged in EGP classroom such as tasks, role play, simulations, and so on and so forth. These techniques soon adopted by ESP practitioners . Concerning tasks, Little John and Hicks ( ) noticed that valuable tasks in EGP have certain characteristics: they should be motivating and absorbing; and exploit learners prior knowledge. In ESP, the above criteria are also predominant, but what is specific here is that ESP tasks comprise linguistic and professional skills. For instance, medical students studying English may be assigned to carry out a series of operations as outlined below: Moreover, the role play and simulations are used differently in ESP and EGP. While dealing with simulatons in ESP, Strutridge() noticed that they were originally used in business and military training with focus on outcome rather than the means -language- of training. In EGP, the outcome was ,however, less important than the means used to achieve fluency. One should not perceive hastily that means in esp have no disregarded. Stutridge concludes that in ESP end is as important as the means. Taking case studies into account, Nunan in an outsanding research tested the validity of the technique to ESP course. He found out that it helps ESP students to draw upon their professional skills, utilizing the cognitive and behavioral styles of their work rather than of traditional language classroom. Case studies may prove difficult to be conducted by EGP learners if we take into consideration their younger age and Worse of al their professional immaturity. For ESP students who are not fully qualified in their profession, the use of case studies help to induct them into some aspects of professional culture ( Charles 337,pp.28-31) Project work is out-of-class activity used in both ESP and EGP classroom. However, Fried() observed the more advanced examples of project work would be appropriate for ESP. A final technique which is common in ESP and EGP as well is the oral presentations. Usually, they are the culmination of project or case studies conducted outside the threshold of classroom. The utility of such activity is that it trains students to develop their self autonomy and master the four skills of the target language. Word processor and PowerPoint become familiar means for presentations, Succinctly, the methodology endorsed by ESP is quite similar to that of EGP chiefly if we consider the types of techniques and activities .Yet, the ways in which techniques are employed in ESP differ a lot from that in EGP. the next chapter will attempt to decipher how material design becomes a site of innovation after the emergence of ESP. Being in its heyday, ESP materials assume a divergent way from EGP. ESP designers come up with in-house materials quite plausible to the students needs more than the General ready-made textbooks which hold their strength in EGP classrooms. Materials Design One of the common characteristics of of material design in ESP is the existence of an established tradition of ESP teachers producing in-house materials. These materials are the outcome of needs analysis. the tailor made material accounts to the learners needs more than a general textbook can do., However, several questions may emerge to the surface: What are the major factors behind the over-existence of in-house materials in ESP in contrast to its acute shortage in EGP? -what are the key features that distinguish ESP materials from EGP? One of the key factors behind the profusion of in-house materials in ESP is because of its reliance on needs analysis. Need analysis is rarely carried out in GL classroom. This is partly because of the difficulty of specifying GL learners and partly because of a lack of literature on the particularities of analyzing needs data. Needs analysis tends to be associated with ESP and is neglected in GE classroom. Hutchinson and Waters(1987,p.53-54) say that what distinguishes ESP from GE is not the existence of a need as such but rather an awareness of the needà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for the time being, the tradition persists in GE that learners needs cannot be specified and as a result no attempt is usually made to discover learners true needs. Secondly, The fact that ESP materials are tailored to the needs of specific group of learners makes its absolute adoption by other ESP teachers futile. Even when suitable materials are available, it may not be possible to buy them because of import restric tions pointed out Hutchinson and Waters (1987,p.). If textbooks are more available in EGP than in ESP,ESP textbooks have not been immune from criticism. Ever and Boys(p.57) mount a strong a attack on the EST textbooks suggesting that most of them are designed for, or are the outcome of, remedial or supplementary courses and assume that students already possess a knowledge of Englishà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.unhappily, this is not at all understood by potential users, especially in developing countries abroad where the greatest demand for EST exists. Another strongly worded attack was that the heavy concern of ESP practitioners with methodology and approach leads them to ignore issues such the accuracy of explanations ,validity of examples and suitability of linguistic content. Because ESP materials are relevanct to target needs, This may increase the motivation of ESP students, but there are other aspects which are also highly important, such as Waters (1987: 48) put it, ESP, as much as any good teaching, needs to be intrinsically motivating. () Students should get satisfaction from the actual experience of learning, not just from the prospect of eventually using what they have learnt. The following task, for instance, could be interesting for Engineering students:. Another characteristic of ESP materials is that it is more authentic than EGP materials. The latter might be produced for the purpose of teaching language, while in ESP authenticity refers to the materials used in the students specialist workplace or study institution. Additionally, for ESP authentic text selection usually follow the needs analysis. To conclude, the whole business of language learning management is far too complex to be satisfactorily catered for by a pre-packaged set of decisions embodied in teaching materials. Quite simply, even with the best intentions no single textbook can possibly work in all situations.(Sheldon, 1987: 1). However, designing tailor made materials would in principle be motivating, authentic and innovative. Conclusion This paper has highlighted some of the issues involved in ESP curriculum development. It can be argued that language varieties are based in and extend from a common core of language. Or it can be argued that language varieties are self-contained entities. Needs analysis can be seen as an entirely pragmatic and objective endeavour to help course developers identify course content that is truly relevant to the learners, or it can be argued to have a bias in favour of the institutions and may overemphasize objective needs at the cost of subjective needs. It can be argued that syllabuses should specify content (what is to be taught). Or it can be argued that they should specify method (how language is to be taught). Some argue that the ESP courses should be as narrow-angled as possible. Others argue that this is not practica EST is in a parlous state and is being abandoned by many tertiary institutions who, like Sultan Qaboos University, found that the English teachers seemed to learn a lot of science, but the students didnt seem to learn much English

Talk Shows: Why Jerry Springer Loves our Children :: Essays Papers

Talk Shows: Why Jerry Springer Loves our Children Jerry Springer is one of the most popular daytime talk show hosts. Each day on the Jerry Springer show, guest talk about their problems in front of national television. Jerry Springer helps his guest work through their problems by adding in comments to fuel the argument. During the show, the audience is watching the problem’s unfold with a dramatic twist to the guest’s conflicting matters. A typical day on the Jerry Springer show is filled with cursing, shouting and fighting. The fighting adds to the affect of the problem and keeps the audience entertained. The problem with the Jerry Springer show comes when the youth of America watches the program after they get home from school which is around 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. A show like this only promotes violence and even talks about sexual content. One example is why a woman cheated on her husband with his sister. That might sound odd or out of the ordinary, but it attracts peoples’ attention and even our children’s. In today’s society, children spend a lot of time in front of the television surfing through channels to find interesting things to watch. George Gerbner, author of Television violence; The Power and Peril, quotes, â€Å"Television, the mainstream of the new cultural environment, has brought about a radical change in the way children grew up and learn in our society† (Gebner). Children should be learning new things everyday from school and parents, not from talk shows that represent the domestic violence. Violence affects children a lot more than it would adults because children are easily convinced and more gullible. Since children are easily convinced, it is more likely for them to believe what happens on talk shows is real life and that someone is not staging the show. When watching daytime talk shows, children are watching and learning the social interactions between people who cheat, fight, steal, and are sexually deviant. Over time children could start to believe that these acts of violence are the norm. Landrea Wells a student from the University of Florida studied children and television, she states, â€Å"The general concern about violence both then and now includes the fact that there have been consistently high levels of violence throughout much of television history. Children are more vulnerable to violent acts due to the fact that they are in early stages of developing behavior patterns, attitudes, and values about social interaction†( http://iml.

Education In the Future

The future will have many new advances in education. Like the great Benjamin Franklin wrote thirteen virtues for basic living, there will be virtues in education that will be necessary to provide an equal opportunity to learn. Educational virtues will have to be followed in the future to better the knowledge of the world. Basic courtesy should be common in an educational environment. Tolerance will be needed so that everyone will have an equal opportunity to gain knowledge. No one person will learn more than others. Being opinionated of others can lead to problems, and arguments. No judgements of people should be based on knowledge. Every opinion is as valuable as another. Everyone will be treated equal, and all people will respect each other. Equality will be a very important value in the future. Education will take on many different changes, which will make the learning process a timely, organized part of life. Progression will change the way people learn. Basic skills will progress overtime. Everything will be gradually taught at a younger age. The learning process will be an important aspect of life. Observation will be an important key to everyday life, especially education. By obtaining information by using ears rather than words, everyone can hear what everyone has to say. Effort is key to developing a full rewarding education. By trying the hardest for everything, there can be great rewards. All people may reach full potential, if there is an aspiration to succeed. Everyone should be driven to learn and grow smarter. By having full awareness to details and paying attention to them, everything should come naturally. In general, education will pave the way to the future, by changing the way people think. By having goodwill and using special skills for the good of all, there should be no intent to harm another through what is not known. Devotion is a positive attribute that helps all people attain a higher level of knowledge. By contributing all thoughts others do not have, everyone can have the same level of understanding. Balance is needed to help spread the learning process out, over the period of a lifetime, and to prevent overdoing it too quickly. By having control people will learn to respect authority. Learning to control anger and aggression towards one another will lead to unity. There is a total abundance of information that can be learned through the education process. There is no limit or maximum amount of knowledge that can be gained during a lifetime. Educational virtues will be needed in the future to better the knowledge of the world. Learning will be a lifelong steady process. It will be rewarding and challenging yet fun and enjoyable. Courtesy to others will be necessary to find unity and peace. The learning process will be in every part of daily life. Education will make the future a better place to live by paving the way people think. Just as Benjamin Franklin†s virtues were created to turn bad habits into good, educational virtues will make learning a smoother part of life and will provide a path for all children to follow in the future.

Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co.

Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co. Overview The Clipboard Tablet Co. is a firm that was run by Joe Schmoe at a time when the company required the development of new products. The company developed three distinct products namely X5, X6 and X7 PC tablets. As a new VP in charge of the company’s marketing department, I have seen assigned a task to analyze the performance of the company under Joe’s tenure in the past six years.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the process of undertaking analysis of the company’s performance, we had to look into the organizational development of the Clipboard Tablet Company. Joe Schmoe’s tenure in charge of sales and marketing was marked by the sale of X5, X6 and X7 tablet models. The analysis of the Clipboard Tablet Co. focused on the financial analysis of the company, the sales and profitability of the three tab let products over a 6 year period. Analysis The analysis markers for the Clipboard Tablet Co. include product development, sales, pricing and performance compared to its competitors. The analysis of these markers is shown below: Product Development In relation to Clipboard Tablet Co. we have to look into the products of the company which are X5, X6 and X7 tablets developed and marketed by the company. The X7 tablet developed in the year 2010, it was launched, marketed and sold in the year 2011. In terms of the development of other tablets by the company, we look at X5 and X6 as products of the company. X5 and X6 tablets were developed prior to the year 2010 and thus they were developed earlier and the sales of these tablets were based on improvements of features and add-ons (Yaeger, 2009). The company did not abolish or come up with new clone versions of the tablet and thus sales relied upon the popularity of the old versions of X5 and X6 tablets. We made an analysis of the allocati on of funds to the RD department over the last six years. From our analysis, we witness that the company spent small in terms of the development of new products. For instance, in the years 2010 and 2011, the company retained RD expenses at around $ 22 million. While in the years preceding 2015, the company spent less and less on the development of new products (Stice, 2010). The RD costs kept reducing at a level of around 30% and the only new product that was developed was the X7 tablet.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sales The analysis of the sales the products X5, X6 and X7 shows that the Clipboard Tablet Co. performed well in the past six years. The sales performance of the tablets shows that the company sold a lot of X5 tablets in the last six years. In the year 2010, the company sold close to 1 million units of X5 tablet which netted the company around $ 249 million. The X5 tablet sold a lot of units in that year and the performance of X6 was also exemplary. As a result, based on the analysis of the sales performance, we notice that the sales of all products were on a growth path (McDonald, 2011). The sales figures for the X5 tablet have shown a growth in the figures from the 2010 period all the way to the year 2012. The increase in sales contributed to around 67% rise in the sales of X5. From the year 2013 to 2015, the sales of the X5 tablet declined tremendously by around 67%. Sales in many ways contribute to good profit margins and thus we had to analyze the profit margins brought about by the sale the tablets (Jones, 2011). Based on the data from the sale of the three tablets we realize that the revenues of the X5 tablet kept decreasing as time went by. As a result, the company profits with time were decreasing to a level that the revenue for X5 tablets amounted to around $ 137 million in the year 2015. This is compared to the initial revenue of around $ 248 million that the tablet realized in the year 2010. On the other hand, the X7 tablet realized revenues of around $ 30.3 million in its initial year of 2011 and this has grown to around $ 122 million by the end of 2015. This shows that while the sales growth figures grew by around 30% per annum the sales for the X7 tablet the sales figures for the X5 tablet declined by around the same margin over the same period. Pricing In the process of marketing and selling goods, it is important to market and sell your goods within a good price range. The tablets were sold at different market prices due to their differences in terms of performance. In the last 6 years starting from 2010 thru to 2015, the X5 tablet retailed at a fixed price of $ 265 while the X6 was sold at $ 420 and the X 7 at $ 195. The major driving force for determining the price of the tablets was the superiority and the popularity of the tablet brand.Advertising We will write a custom c ase study sample on Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Performance Measuring the performance of a company depends on the performance of its products, finances and analysis of the competition. Based on the sales prices of the tablets, the Clipboard Tablet Co. maintained steady prices for the tablet at around $ 265, 420 and 195 respectively for the X5, X6 and X7 tablets. This was in comparison to the prices for other tablets which sold at different retail prices. For instance, the most tablets retailed at around $ 200 up to $ 700 for high end tablets. Thus, based on this assessment we can contend that the Clipboard Tablet’s Co.’s competitors were performing well compared to the company. In terms of sales and revenue income, the company’s revenues continued to dip as revenue for its popular X5 and X6 brands continued to drop while the X7 sales were not picking up fast to catch up wi th the low sales of the other brands (McDonald, 2011). As a result, the company’s position compared to its competitors was dismal. Summary The analysis of the Clipboard Tablet Co.’s performance under Joe shows lack of foresight and strategic planning necessary in organizational development. Product development is a major in the process of selling consumer goods. As a result, Joe should have emphasized on the development of new products for the company since the company relies totally on the development and sale of tablets. For instance, in the last 6 years the company’s RD and fixed costs have remained the same while the revenues and profits have changed significantly. This is a mismatch of needs that should have been addressed a long time ago when the company was in need of restructuring. Moreover, allocation of costs was done in a manner whereby they were equally shared among the three main product segments for the Clipboard Tablet Company. As a result, in the periods 2010 to 2012, the X5 tablet sold more than the X6 and X7 brands and the reverse was witnessed between 2013 and 2015. In terms of sales and revenue, the company experienced high sales and revenue in the years 2012 and 2013. While the lowest revenues were witnessed in the years 2010 and 2015 due to poor sales of all the products ranges (Jones, 2011). The major problem in terms of sales was in pricing and timing since the company did not undertake good pricing models that would have netted the company good revenue streams. For instance, in the early years the company could have priced the X5 tablet as a premium product while discount on the other X6 and X7 tablets.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result, the sales units coupled with good pricing models would have netted the company good sales revenues. In general the performance of the company has been declining based on the revenue and profit figures (Stice, 2010). Since the company has a product mix that does not sell to well and pricing strategy that puts the company in a weak position compared to its competitors. The best strategy that would have been adopted by Joe was to sell the X5, X6, and X7 tablets at premium prices when the demand was high and discount new products as a means of attracting new consumers. Moreover, the company should have shelved the X5 tablet once demand had dipped to save the company from losses. References Jones, J., Heitger, D. Mowen, M. (2011). Cornerstones of Financial and Managerial Accounting. Sydney: Cengage Learning. McDonald, M., Payne, A. Frow P. (2011). Marketing Plans for Services: A Complete Guide. Chicago, IL: John Wiley and Sons. Stice, J. Swain, M. (2010). Accounting: Conc epts and Applications: Concepts and Applications. New York, NY: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Yaeger, T. Sorensen, P. (2009). Strategic Organization Development: Managing Change for Success. Boston, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning.

How to Write a Research Paper in APA Style

How to Write a Research Paper in APA Style APA is a writing format that was set by the American Psychological Association. This style is most preferred by colleges and graduate schools. It is used for social sciences and is based on the idea that scientific papers discuss facts already proven to be true, and that the year in which a piece of work was published is important and should, therefore, be included in the in-text citations. One of the basic elements of APA is that all text should be double-spaced. The document used should be standard-sized (8.5† x 11†). All margins should be set at 1†. The recommended font is Times New Roman at 12pt. This, however, may differ in accordance to given instructions. On every page, include a page header or running head. It shows a shortened version of the paper’s title in capital letters, as well as the page numbers. Research papers written using APA style have four main sections. On the Title page is the paper’s title, student’s name, and the institution. The page header should look like this: â€Å"Running head: PAPER TITLE†, and should be flushed to the left, with the page number to the right. Note that in other pages, the page header looks like this; â€Å"PAPER TITLE† and is also flushed to the left, with the page number to the right. The second section is the Abstract, which should also be on a distinct page. It too should have a page header. The topic â€Å"Abstract† should be centered with no bold text or any other form of formatting. This section highlights key points of the paper, and should be between 150 to 250 words long. You can also include your key words on the abstract page. The third section is the Main Body and the fourth one is the References page. As is commonly known, when writing a paper one should always make sure to submit work that is 100% plagiarism free. This is achieved by paraphrasing and using parenthetical citations. Direct quotations are enclosed in quotation marks or are indented from the rest of the body. This is followed by an in-text citation to give reference to the work’s owner. When in-text citations are being used, include the last name of the author, and then the year of publication. Do not forget to use a comma to separate items enclosed in parenthesis. When you use a direct quote, please add the exact page number relating to the text, e.g., (Hall, 2013, p. 87). All the sources used should then be listed on a separate References page, after the main part of the paper. Please refer to one of the several APA guideline websites available online, such as the Purdue Online Writing Lab, for further assistance on how to do this. Additionally you can get professional APA style research paper help from academic writers at CustomWritings.com. They will write your research paper in this format!