The Importance of Homeschooling - 1086 Words

Bullet casings hit the floor as the young gunman who is dressed in army gear continues to relentlessly kill any humans that move in front of him: teachers, staff, and students. The fire alarm blares at a deafening tone throughout the school drowning out all other noises. The gunman creeps down the hallway as he passes crumpled, bloodied bodies of people that he’s shot. Eventually making his way down to the school’s cafeteria, he meets up with his comrade who is also disguised in army gear. The two gunmen, both students at the school, soon decide to take their own lives in the library of Columbine High School. Considered to be one of the worst school shootings in history, this event put many parents on edge and caused many more to home†¦show more content†¦These colleges specifically have recruiters that search for home school students based on how well they do on their tests (Romanowski 2006). Home school students also become active in their communities by havi ng their parents take them to public forums and to community service events (Romanowski 2006). In his article â€Å"Revisiting the common myths about homeschooling† Mr. Romanowski gives several examples where students become more involved in their communities and credits it to them having parental involvement (Romanowski 2006). Another huge learning advantage to homeschooling is that the students can be taught according to their own beliefs. Home schooled children can start off with a prayer to help them with their work and that can help them to have guidance in their studies. Home schooled children can also use approved religious workbooks to learn out of so that they are learning by their religious beliefs and also learning for what the secular world requires (Kleist-Tech 1998). Many of the childrens parents believe that they have been called upon by God to teach their children and that causes home schooled children to learn better because they have that religious background to help them feel comfortable (Kleist-Tech 1998). Home schooled children are also able to learn and embrace certain values and beliefs that they wouldnt be able to learn in aShow MoreRelatedHomeschooling Is Becoming A Method Of Education1127 Words   |  5 Pages Recent statistics indicate that homeschooling is increasingly becoming a method of education that is accepted and trendy. Homeschooling is now a fashionable choice for many of the young professional looking for the best education for their children. However, the question that arises is whether this form of education is right for our children. For parents, making the decision of instructing their children from home is not easy. The topic of homeschooling is controversial and involves issuesRead MorePublic School Vs. Public Schools995 Words   |  4 Pagesdifficult. Homeschooling, on the other hand, can be tailored to the specific needs of each child, and classroom size will vary depending on the number of children the parents have. Since the number of children is typically less with homeschooling, the chances the environment will be filled with distractions is minimal. Fewer distractions provides for focused learning and creating lesson plans to meet the needs of the child. Ind ividual children learn at different rates, and homeschooling affords theRead MoreHomeschooling outline persuasive speech Essay860 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Persuasive Speech Outline on Homeschooling General Purpose: I want to persuade my audience Specific Goal: I would like the audience to understand the advantage of why I strongly believe homeschooling is beneficial. Thesis: Homeschooling environment is an effective approach in education due to evidence of higher achievement on placement tests, success through college, engaged socially with activities outside homes, and students becoming active members of society. Organization Pattern: (StatementRead MoreHomeschooling Is The Lack Of Socialization956 Words   |  4 PagesDisadvantages of Homeschooling Many of the best childhood memories people hold on to and cherish are those related to school or a friend they met in school. However, in recent years, increasing amount of parents chose to deprive their children of these memories by adapting an alternative method of education - homeschooling. â€Å"Homeschooling, also known as home education, is the education of children inside the home, as opposed to in the formal settings of a public or private school† (wikipedia.org)Read MoreThe Public School System Can Aid Improving A Child s Self Esteem And Self Confidence959 Words   |  4 Pagesgovernment. There is a very understandable appeal of not paying for an education, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Most parents and youth decide to homeschool for more than one reason.. The most common reasons given for homeschooling are the following: customize or individualize the curriculum and learning environment for each child, accomplish more academically than in schools, use pedagogical approaches other than those typical in institutional schools, enhance family relationshipsRead MorePublic Education Is The Best Choice964 Words   |  4 Pagesoperated at the state level through the department of education, and locally through the school districts. Public education reform has taken many directions throughout history. Change is ongoing and implemented by educators who understand the importance of giving children a solid quality education. These modifications have included changing curriculum, testing, or performance evaluation reporting. The â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act of 2001† holds schools accountable for student performance. (ChubbRead MoreAdvantages Of Homeschooling1645 Words   |  7 Pagesand public schools have been always there, but parents are showing keen interest to understand if this homeschooling would be as effective as the formal education of already established popular schools in picture. As discussed by Raikes and Roggman, it is the formal education in public and private education in American schools which was widely practiced in the 19th century. And the homeschooling education system came through the late 1970s and the popularity has been steadily increasing since thenRead MoreHomeschooling And The Community : Homeschooling1681 Words   |  7 PagesKalie Mehaffy Dr. Grey Schools, Cultures and Communities 5/18/2015 Homeschooling and the Community In this paper, I will be discussing the benefits of homeschooling and how it is perceived in the community. Homeschooling in this paper defined as the structured education of children in their home by their parents without materials provided by the government, while the term unschooling in this paper is defined as the unstructured education of children in the home by their parents, again without materialsRead MoreLearning From Home For A Student1404 Words   |  6 PagesWhen evaluating the education system, a student has to be able to pass certain tasks and standards in each subject. The public school system and homeschooling have requirements to further the knowledge of a student to their potential in academics and joining extracurricular activities. Learning from home for a student allows parents to â€Å"understand and provide the best education† based upon how he or she learns (Brown). The education level of the parent should be also considered if they are qualifiedRead MoreHomeschooling Is Becoming A Fast Growing Educational Trend1691 Words   |  7 Pages Homeschooling is becoming a fast growing educational trend in today’s society. â€Å"The National Center for Education Statistics estimated that 1.1 million students received their schooling from home in the United States in 2003. This number represents approximately 2.2% of the entire student body in America. By contrast, only 15,000 students received home education 20 years ago.† (Jr., Ronald Kreager) Parents have not always had a constitutional right to homeschool their children. It was not until

A Interview On Management Related Competencies And...

The purpose of the interview is to gain knowledge and experience in management related competencies and personal management styles from the manager who is in the workplace, specifically, in the healthcare management position. Because there are many challenges that the managers are now facing, especially in the healthcare organizations such as limited resources, complex, specialized and more diverse teams, and the rise of a highly competitive environment, it’s my pleasure to meet one of the most powerful management personnel in the area of the diverse population group. Therefore, I challenged my in-class experiences by visiting the manager at Center of African-American Health and gained one-step-move on hand knowledge based experience†¦show more content†¦Finally, in 2005, BCI focused working on solely African-American health disparities and officially changed its name to the Center of African-American Health The Center for African-American Health (CAAH) is a community-based, not-for-profit organization located at 3601 Martin Luther King Blvd, Denver, CO 80205. The CAAH serves African-American community in the greater metropolitan Denver area where more than 2.5 million people reside. African-American account 11 percent of the total population in greater metropolitan Denver. It has 30 employees, including the manager, and 13 board members. The center serves this community in preventing and disease management programs paying attention to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and diabetes. Besides disease prevention and management program, the center provides a wellness program for senior communities and health literacy training. While providing disease prevention and management program, as well as providing wellness program and literacy training, the CAAH, develops and provides culturally appropriate community service programs. Th e center also cohorts with an extensive variety of other health organizations. Not only, the center provides in-services programs but also devoted serving as an advocate organization for the

Drag in aircrafts Free Essays

string(63) " is least at minimum AOA and is greatest at the maximum AOA i\." There are four forces that act on an aircraft in flight: lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Aircraft’s motion in air is dependent on the relative magnitude and direction of these forces. Fig -1 below shows the direction of these forces. We will write a custom essay sample on Drag in aircrafts or any similar topic only for you Order Now Fig 1 (Benson, 2006) The weight of an airplane is always directed towards the center of the earth. The thrust is normally directed forward along the center-line of the aircraft. Lift and drag are aerodynamic forces on the airplane. Drag acts in a direction opposite to the motion of the aircraft and hence is sometimes referred to as the aerodynamic friction, while lift force acts perpendicular to the motion. An aircraft is in a state of equilibrium when the thrust and drag are equal and opposite. It will continue to move forward at the same uniform speed. If thrust or drag becomes greater than the opposite force, the aircraft loses its state of equilibrium. If thrust is greater than drag, the aircraft will accelerate. If drag is greater than thrust, the aircraft will lose speed and eventually descend. When lift and weight are equal and opposite, the airplane is in a state of equilibrium. If lift is greater than weight, the aircraft will climb. If weight is greater than lift, the airplane will descend. Drag is the aerodynamic force encountered as an airplane pushes through the air, which tends to slow the airplane down. Drag is generated by the contact of a solid body with a fluid, in this case due to the interaction between the plane body and air. Drag force, which is a mechanical force, is generated by every part of the airplane including the engines. It is a vector quantity i. e. has both magnitude and direction. Drag must be overcome by thrust in order to achieve forward motion. Drag is generated by nine conditions associated with the motion of air particles over the aircraft. Although prediction of drag and wind tunnel drag measurements of models yield good results, final drag evaluation must be obtained by flight tests. Sources of Drag in aircrafts Drag can be thought of as aerodynamic friction, and one of the sources of drag is the skin friction between the molecules of the air and the solid surface of the aircraft. Drag can also be thought of as aerodynamic resistance to the motion of the object through the fluid. This source of drag depends on the shape of the aircraft and is called form drag. As air flows around a body, the local velocity and pressure are changed. Since pressure is a measure of the momentum of the gas molecules and a change in momentum produces a force, a varying pressure distribution will produce a force on the body. This causes pressure drag. As an aircraft approaches the speed of sound, shock waves are generated along the surface. There is a drag penalty, known as wave drag that is associated with the formation of the shock waves. The magnitude of the wave drag depends on the Mach number of the flow. Ram drag is associated with slowing down the free stream air as air is brought inside the aircraft. Jet engines and cooling inlets on the aircraft are sources of ram drag. (Benson, 2006) There is an additional drag component caused by the generation of lift, known as induced drag, is the drag due to lift. It is also called â€Å"drag due to lift† because it only occurs on finite, lifting wings. This drag occurs because the flow near the wing tips is distorted span wise as a result of the pressure difference from the top to the bottom of the wing. Swirling vortices are formed at the wing tips, which produce a downwash of air behind the wing which is very strong near the wing tips and decreases toward the wing root. The local angle of attack of the wing is increased by the induced flow of the down wash, giving this, downstream-facing, component to the aerodynamic force acting over the entire wing. Types of Drag in aircrafts There are several types of drag: form, pressure, skin friction, parasite, induced, wave and ram. However, form, pressure, skin friction, wave and ram drags are collectively known as parasite drag. Hence, there are only two types of drag: parasite and induced Parasite drag – Profile or parasite drag is caused by the airplane pushing the air out of the way as it moves forward. The parasite drag of a typical airplane consists primarily of the skin friction, roughness, and pressure drag of the major components. Some additional parasite drag is also due to things like fuselage upsweep, control surface gaps, base areas, and other extraneous items. The basic parasite drag area for airfoil and body shapes can be computed from the following expression: f = k cf Swet, where the skin friction coefficient, cf , which is based on the exposed wetted area includes the effects of roughness, and the form factor, k, accounts for the effects of both super-velocities and pressure drag. Swet is the total wetted area of the body or surface. Computation of the overall parasite drag requires that we compute the drag area of each of the major components (fuselage, wing, nacelles and pylons, and tail surfaces) and then evaluate the additional parasite drag components described above. Hence it is written as: CDp = S ki cfi Sweti / Sref + CDupsweep + CDgap+ CDnac_base + CDmisc, where the first term includes skin friction, and pressure drag at zero lift of the major components. cfi is the average skin friction coefficient for a rough plate with transition at flight Reynolds number. Equivalent roughness is determined from flight test data. (http://adg. stanford. edu/aa241/drag/parasitedrag. html) Induced drag – Induced drag is the part of the force produced by the wing that is parallel to the relative wind, i. e. the lift. As it is a consequence of the vortices it is sometimes called vortex drag. Induced drag is least at minimum AOA and is greatest at the maximum AOA i. You read "Drag in aircrafts" in category "Papers" e. angle of attack. Induced drag = (k ? CL? / A) ? Q ? S where A is the wing aspect ratio. (Preston, R) The magnitude of induced drag depends on the amount of lift being generated by the wing and on the wing geometry Long, thin (chord wise) wings have low induced drag; short wings with a large chord have high induced drag. An airplane must fight its way through both kinds of drag in order to maintain steady flight. . Total drag is a sum of Parasite and Induced drag. Total Drag = Parasite drag + Induced drag However, the total drag of an aircraft is not simply the sum of the drag of its components. When the components are combined into a complete aircraft, one component can affect the air flowing around and over the airplane, and hence, the drag of one component can affect the drag associated with another component. These effects are called interference effects, and the change in the sum of the component drags is called interference drag. Thus, (Drag)1+2 = (Drag)1 + (Drag)2 + (Drag)interference (Johnston, D) Generally, interference drag will add to the component drags but in a few cases, for example, adding tip tanks to a wing, total drag will be less than the sum of the two component drags because of the reduction of induced drag. Total drag and its variation with altitude The equation for total drag is: D = CD x S x ? rV2 (Preston, R) where, CD is the coefficient of drag. It must be subdivided into two parts, the Cdi (Coefficient of induced drag) and CDp (Coefficient of parasite drag. ). Therefore it can be written as: D = (Cdi + Cdp) x S x ? rV2 (Preston, R) The airplane’s total drag determines the amount of thrust required at a given airspeed. Thrust must equal drag in steady flight. Lift and drag vary directly with the density of the air. As air density increases, lift and drag increase and as air density decreases, lift and drag decrease. Thus, both lift and drag will decrease at higher altitudes. Fig 1 shows the total drag curve which represents drag against velocity of the object. The fuel-flow versus velocity graph for an air graph is derived from this graph, and generally looks as shown in Fig 2 Fig – 1 (Preston, R) Fig – 2 (Preston, R) From the above drag it is seen that the total drag is minimum at a certain velocity. This occurs when the parasitic drag is equal to the induced drag. Below this speed induced drag dominates, and above this speed parasite drag dominates. Design engineers are interested in minimizing the total drag. Unfortunately many factors may conflict. For example, longer wing span reduces induced drag, but the larger frontal area usually means a higher coefficient of parasite drag. Conversely, a high wing loading (i. e. a small wing) with a small aspect ratio produces the lowest possible parasite drag but unfortunately is the produces for a lot of induced drag. In recent time it is seen that jet airliners have longer wings, to reduce induced drag, and then fly at higher altitudes to reduce the parasite drag. This causes no improvement in aerodynamic efficiency, but the higher altitudes do result in more efficient engine operation. (Preston, R) Angle of Attack (AOA), is the angle between the wing and the relative wind. Everything else being costant, an increase in AOA results in an increase in lift. This increase continues until the stall AOA is reached then the trend reverses itself and an increase in AOA results in decreased lift. The pilot uses the elevators to change the angle of attack until the wings produce the lift necessary for the desired maneuver. Besides AOA other factors also contribute to the production of lift, like relative wind velocity and air density i. e. temperature and altitude. Changing the size or shape of the wing (lowering the flaps) will also change the production of lift. Airspeed is absolutely necessary to produce lift. If there is no airflow past the wing, no air can be diverted downward. At low airspeed, the wing must fly at a high AOA to divert enough air downward to produce adequate lift. As airspeed increases, the wing can fly at lower AOAs to produce the needed lift. This is why airplanes flying relatively slow must be nose high (like an airliner just before landing or just as it takes off) but at high airspeeds fly with the fuselage fairly level. The key is that the wings don’t have to divert fast moving air down nearly as much as they do to slow moving air. Air density also contributes to the wing’s ability to produce lift. This is manifested primarily in an increase in altitude, which decreases air density. As the density decreases, the wing must push a greater volume of air downward by flying faster or push it down harder by increasing the angle of attack. This is why aircraft that fly very high must either go very fast e. g. Mach 3, or must have a very large wing for its weight. This is why the large passenger airplanes cruise at higher altitude to reduce drag, and hence save on the furl costs. (â€Å"Aircraft for Amateurs†, 1999) Small sized aircrafts have lower than normal Reynolds number. The drag coefficient attributable to skin friction is hence higher for the small aircraft. For this reason, the maximum lift-drag ratios characteristic of business jet aircraft tend to be lower than those of the large transports. Hence, the smaller flights can fly at relatively lower altitudes. References Books John A. Roberson Clayton T. Crowe, 1997, Engineering fluid Mechanics, 6th ed. , John Weily Sons Inc. , ISBN 0-471-14735-4. Clement Klienstreuer, 1997, Engineering Fluid Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-49670-5 Websites â€Å"Aircraft for Amateurs†, 11th Jan. 1999 http://www. fas. org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/intro. htm Benson, T. , â€Å"The Beginner’s guide to Aeronautics†. , 14th March 2006 http://www. grc. nasa. gov/WWW/K-12/////airplane/ Johnston, D. , â€Å"Drag†, http://www. centennialofflight. gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/drag/TH4. htm â€Å"Parasitic Drag†, http://adg. stanford. edu/aa241/drag/parasitedrag. html Preston, R. , â€Å"Total Drag† and â€Å"Flight Controls†, http://selair. selkirk. bc. ca/aerodynamics1/ How to cite Drag in aircrafts, Papers

Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering

Question: Discuss about the Conference Series for Materials Science and Engineering. Answer: Introduction: Strategic information system is one of the critical information system used by modern day organisations to take important decisions in the system. This paper intends to study the critical aspect of strategic information systems and see how they work with each other. We also intend to do a literature review of strategic information systems which are prevalent in the country of Australia. Modern day organisations stresses a lot in proper management of day to data and then calling up proper inferences from this data. Critical report from McKinsey suggests that it is the organisation data which is most meaningful during decision making process of the organisation. The processing of strategic information system started back in the period when Enterprise resource planning started taking major steps in the industry. However as the gradual upscale started for ERP, people started realising that it is data powerhouse and can help in reducing efforts in managing information that organisations h ave. However it has been seen that new data crunching capabilities are needed to get more meaningful reports out from the system, which helps in doing proper decision making. Data is critical information and critical information acts as input for critical decision making in organisation. Some of the major companies which have presence in strategic information management ecosystem are Oracle, SAP, business intelli, SaLL. All of these systems are pretty famous and have been providing good experience to the user base at large. Each of these softwares differ in ways of features provided by them and also the functionalities provided by them. Some of them are industry focussed, some of them are having niche presence in particular market. For example a financial service provider like a bank generally opt for more known brand in the financial domain like Oracle and SAP. What also helps organisations like Oracle and SAP is the fact that they are already in most cases provider of strong ERP systems in many multinational organisations. For a user perspective it is very important the whole CXO team is involved in proper decision making process. These kind of decisions related to strategic information management softwares can make or break the backbone of the company. A customer relationship management solution which is better known as CRM, is a subset of strategic information management solutions. However they along with Oracle are considered to be very expensive and that is the reason why are largely considered only by large corporations. Strategic information system is one of the critical information system used by modern day organisations to take important decisions in the system. This paper intends to study the critical aspect of strategic information systems and see how they work with each other. We also intend to do a literature review of strategic information systems which are prevalent in the country of Australia. Modern day organisations stresses a lot in proper management of day to data and then calling up proper inferences from this data. Critical report from McKinsey suggests that it is the organisation data which is most meaningful during decision making process of the organisation. The processing of strategic information system started back in the period when Enterprise resource planning started taking major steps in the industry. However as the gradual upscale s tarted for ERP, people started realising that it is data powerhouse and can help in reducing efforts in managing information that organisations have. Strategic information management systems are very important for overall development of large corporations. Even mid-level corporations use it extensively so that they can scale up easily to become a large modern day large corporation. However this was a story which was available in the market lets say 10 years back or 5 years back. Nowadays there are many small vendors in the market who provide customised strategic information management solution and are used extensively by small sized corporations. The times in the market are extensively challenging, small players are now finding new modern day vendors which has taken the price point of the system to a very low level. This was not the situation few years back. Modern day strategic information system should be able to talk to all data generation points for the company. Some reports which customers know about and prepare on regular basis should be part of the system. However other than that there is a requirement that customers have not been able to visualise and these reports are actually the selling point for the product. The modern day service providers actually visualise such problems and then visit the customers. Solution providers work alongside customers to build in new solutions, then test them as part of best practises and finally take it to their product. Some vendors even go to an extent of buildings learnings from interaction with customers and then implementing into industry based modules. Strategic information management solutions have evolved in last 20 years. Earlier in the start of information age companies used to focus on having solutions which will just process data and create some basic sets of information. However as the system has advanced and technology has improved over the last 20 years, companies have made these tools more powerful. Such products are now operating at a very advanced stages and hence are much mature in industry. Some of the major companies which have presence in strategic information management ecosystem are Oracle, SAP, business intelli, SaLL. All of these systems are pretty famous and have been providing good experience to the user base at large. Each of these softwares differ in ways of features provided by them and also the functionalities provided by them. Some of them are industry focussed, some of them are having niche presence in particular market. For example a financial service provider like a bank generally opt for more known br and in the financial domain like Oracle and SAP. What also helps organisations like Oracle and SAP is the fact that they are already in most cases provider of strong ERP systems in many multinational organisations. For a user perspective it is very important the whole CXO team is involved in proper decision making process. These kind of decisions related to strategic information management softwares can make or break the backbone of the company. A customer relationship management solution which is better known as CRM, is a subset of strategic information management solutions. A modern large corporations nowadays cant survive without a strategic information management systems. ERP systems throw lot of information to the users, however whether it can change the whole decision making process is thing which is highly debatable. This is where information generated from ERP systems becomes an input for Strategic information management systems, which provides an output which can aid decision making at another level. Some focussed strategic information management systems also focusses on specific industry. Oracle is one such service provider which is backbone of all banking informations in the world. This is the reason why they are considered to be industry focussed and hence experts in a particular set of solution. Lets say a finance service provider, which focusses on payment systems will be trusting Oracle solutions more compared to any other service provider. All of these systems are pretty famous and have been providing good experience to the user base at la rge. Each of these softwares differ in ways of features provided by them and also the functionalities provided by them. Some of them are industry focussed, some of them are having niche presence in particular market. For example a financial service provider like a bank generally opt for more known brand in the financial domain like Oracle and SAP. What also helps organisations like Oracle and SAP is the fact that they are already in most cases provider of strong ERP systems in many multinational organisations. For a user perspective it is very important the whole CXO team is involved in proper decision making process. SAP is a service provider which has a big strategic advantage in the industry. The company has off the shelf many industry focussed ERP solutions. It also has many add on packages which have plug and play features. This is where all major industry related ERP solutions are covered. In such a scenario all major large corporations who have ERP solutions based on SAP are easily able to integrate strategic information management systems provided by SAP. However they along with Oracle are considered to be very expensive and that is the reason why are largely considered only by large corporations. Strategic information system is one of the critical information system used by modern day organisations to take important decisions in the system. This paper intends to study the critical aspect of strategic information systems and see how they work with each other. We also intend to do a literature review of strategic information systems which are prevalent in the country of Australia. Modern da y organisations stresses a lot in proper management of day to data and then calling up proper inferences from this data. Critical report from McKinsey suggests that it is the organisation data which is most meaningful during decision making process of the organisation. The processing of strategic information system started back in the period when Enterprise resource planning started taking major steps in the industry. However as the gradual upscale started for ERP, people started realising that it is data powerhouse and can help in reducing efforts in managing information that organisations have. References: Acin, F.G., Fernndez, J.M., Magn, J.J. and Molina, E., 2012. Production cost of a real microalgae production plant and strategies to reduce it.Biotechnology advances,30(6), pp.1344-1353 Aksenov, V.V., Walter, A.V., Gordeyev, A.A. and Kosovets, A.V., 2015. Classification of geokhod units and systems based on product cost analysis and estimation for a prototype model production. InIOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering(Vol. 91, No. 1, p. 012088). IOP Publishing Barringer, B., 2012.Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New Ventures, (2012) Du, J., Cook, W.D., Liang, L. and Zhu, J., 2014. Fixed cost and resource allocation based on DEA cross-efficiency.European Journal of Operational Research,235(1), pp.206-214 Goodacre, C.J. and Naylor, W.P., 2016. Single implant and crown versus fixed partial denture: A cost-benefit, patient-centred analysis.European Journal of Oral Implantology,9(2), pp.S59-S68 Haarlemmer, G., Boissonnet, G., Imbach, J., Setier, P.A. and Peduzzi, E., 2012. Second generation BtL type biofuelsa production cost analysis.Energy Environmental Science,5(9), pp.8445-8456 Hannula, I., 2015. Co-production of synthetic fuels and district heat from biomass residues, carbon dioxide and electricity: Performance and cost analysis.Biomass and Bioenergy,74, pp.26-46 Kazlauskien?, V. and Christauskas, ?., 2015. Business valuation model based on the analysis of business value drivers.Engineering Economics,57(2) Machui, F., Hsel, M., Li, N., Spyropoulos, G.D., Ameri, T., Sndergaard, R.R., Jrgensen, M., Scheel, A., Gaiser, D., Kreul, K. and Lenssen, D., 2014. Cost analysis of roll-to-roll fabricated ITO free single and tandem organic solar modules based on data from manufacture.Energy Environmental Science,7(9), pp.2792-2802 Margolies, A. and Hoddinott, J., 2015. Costing alternative transfer modalities.Journal of Development Effectiveness,7(1), pp.1-16

Calvinos Perspective on the World History

Admittedly, Calvino could choose any setting for a story of a personal rebel. However, his novel is not much of a personal rebel. It is rather a reflection of the history of humanity. Calvino’s choice is far from being accidental. The author chose one of the most significant periods in the history of humanity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Calvino’s Perspective on the World History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This period was marked by really great changes in societies and in people’s minds. Calvino makes his protagonist go up the tree to make him see the world clearly. Basically, Cosimo becomes a man of vision as he can alienate himself from various unimportant things to notice what is really essential. In fact, even the story of Cosimo’s family is a kind of reflection of the world history. The family had specific order. They lived their lives. However, one day â€Å"on the fif teenth of June, 1767† one member of the family decided to break the order (Calvino 3). He could not live the old life, and he chose his own way and he created his own state. The protagonist’s words are very suggestive: â€Å"In fact, all the causes of the French Revolution were present among us too† (Calvino 194). French people decided to change their lives in the end of the eighteenth century as well. Apart from particular parallelism, the author makes his protagonist understand many important things. Cosimo’s views on Napoleon’s wars, revolutions, new orders differ from opinions which ruled at that period of time. Cosimo can see everything more clearly. One of the most interesting ideas revealed in the novel is that â€Å"armies always loot, whatever the ideas they bring† (Calvino 212). Cosimo can see that in many cases all those great events had one vicious aim, i.e. some people wanted to become richer. Interestingly, the specific setting enables Calvino to express his viewpoints on various historical events, but at the same time to avoid preaching which is a characteristic feature of any historical novel where the author evaluates events on the basis of several centuries of human experience. Calvino’s evaluation is made by the participant of events who simply has a clearer vision. Works Cited Calvino, Italo. The Baron in the Trees. New York: Mariner Books, 1977. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Calvino’s Perspective on the World History was written and submitted by user Gravity to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Technology Comparison - Mac and PC essays

Technology Comparison - Mac and PC essays Although Windows has made tremendous strides with its latest versions, Macs are easier to use and their operating system is often described as more seamless and intuitive. While setting up a Mac will usually take less time, there are not nearly as many available devices that connect to Macs as there are for PCs and this will limit your options on a variety of levels. The peripherals designed for Macs are proprietary and cost more as a result. That is, hardware designed for a Mac cannot work with a PC. Software follows the same as hardware when it comes to the Mac. Software designed specifically for the Mac will not run on a PC or in the Windows environment. Cost is the most prevalent factor in the Mac vs. PC debate. The newest Mac costs considerably more than a comparable PC that will come with a host of software, bigger monitor, printer, modem, and multimedia system and better upgrade options. IBM, Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and any number of clone manufacturers provide more choi ce when buying a single PC and those manufacturers do it at prices that Apple cannot match, especially after Apple squelched the Mac clone market over the past few years. When purchased in bulk, however, the costs for PCs and Macs are relatively similar. As far as software is concerned, the PC has the Mac beat, hands down. Due to the domination of market share by the PC, software development is almost wholly targeted away from the Mac and it is being ignored more and more. Simply compare the number of PC software titles to the number of Mac titles in any computer store and you will see how the market is focused. Technical support is another area that can be used to compare the Mac and the PC. A wider variety of support is available for the PC because the need is greater for the PC, just by sheer number, than the support needed for Macs. Although Macs, Mac software and Mac networks tend to be more stable and need much less maintenance, the PC, PC software...

Comparisson of Film and aa Case of Racism Research Paper

Comparisson of Film and aa Case of Racism - Research Paper Example First, the plot of the film is discussed, which is necessary to develop a basic understanding of the backdrop of time and place of the story. This is followed by a discussion on the historical context of the film. Next, an analysis section has been incorporated to assess the effects of the film. Finally, the thesis concludes by justifying the opinion that the historical context of â€Å"The Color Purple† is related to settler racism. The Plot The film â€Å"The Color Purple† has been directed by Steven Spielberg. It is a film under the category of period drama. It is based on the famous novel having the same name written by Alice Walker. The background of the film is set in Georgia (Southern United States). The events of the story take place from 1880s to mid 1930s. The story is mainly centered on a black woman, Celie, who faces incest by her father in her own family. In an environment of isolation and poverty, she is deprived of education and does not know about her le gal rights. She constantly receives rude behavior and is beaten by her father. The same story continues even after she gets married to a widower, named Albert. For a short time, her sister Nettie comes to live with her and her husband. Nettie and Celie spend some good time together, but Nettie had to leave because of Albert’s sexual interest in her. Following several ups and downs, other black women like Shug and Sofia are also introduced in Celie’s life. These women give Celie confidence and help her to face the tortures of her husband. However, Celie develops homosexual relationships with Shug. Sofia, on the other hand, was victimized by circumstances and exploitation. She is beaten up, jailed, and tortured. The story advances through many other events, which exhibit the socio-economic situation of black people together with the plight of Celie. However, the film ends at the reunion of Celie and Nettie, and their children. Albert also changes from a harsh, abusive ma n to a kind and understanding person at the end of the film. Historical Context Prior to the Civil War of America, the black population in the country was subjected to direct slavery and they lived in sub-human conditions. In the middle of nineteenth century, Abraham Lincoln changed the situation significantly. However, political and constitutional changes took time to become socially effective in real sense and this was discernable in the 1880s too. The timeline covered in the film starts at this crucial point. Discrimination towards the black people, economic deprivation, and continued frustration might explain the intolerant and cruel attitude of the black males towards the women in the community at this stage. Socio-economic discrimination and deprivation might adversely affect the socio-sexual behavior of the black males, leading to incest, rape, and sexism. The fight for civil liberties had not begun at that time, and nobody like Martin Luther King had appeared in the scene. T he domestic violence faced by Celie, a black woman, is actually an internal manifestation of the settler racism faced by the black community itself. Notably, when black women faced torture and incest, their white neighbors did not come to rescue them. They did not arrange for economic parity and education †¦ neither for the black men nor the black women. The treatment

Rhetorical Analyses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Rhetorical Analyses - Essay Example many underage girls) and (pressured to be skinny), which are obviously derived from personal beliefs that she garners, as well as that of society’s on the whole. Featherstone eventually evaluates magazines such as Blue Jean, Teen Voices, Hues and Reluctant Hero that are certified to provide far more fruitful and substantial content. Featherstone seeks for the ‘realness’ in these magazines that play in the minds of young juvenile minds but does not find any, thus resorting to a bit sullen but far sophisticated magazines on the shelves. The author’s arguments clearly indicates her preferences for the teen girls’ reading materials through the provision of examples and citing relevant support from identified slogans, celebrities, and choice of feature articles that were believed to evoke the readers’ emotional response. Featherstone contends for a woman who has her own voice over that which is lent. Her liking toward magazines such as Blue Jean is reason enough to understand that she shoots over the voices of ‘women activists’ whom she considers to be quite a rage for the propaganda of these magazines. On reading further about TEEN VOICES she voices her concerns about the delicate nature of the age and the need for advice regarding ‘Teen Pregnancies’ and ‘body mutilations’ which are common occurrences in society. She pleas the nubile Teens to look further than ones external appearances; to climb out of their fashion closets and discover a more meaningful world. Her choice of vocabulary is pretty strong and goes from easy-to-read to difficult-to-comprehend-the-context, and has a rather defying logical order. This is definitely an appeal to ‘logos’, to derive the right emotion through channelizing the content into a definite lopsided argument. For example; a paragraph describing Blue Jean, for instance, begins with a logical description of the magazine which was confusing the reader on what really was the message about. Featherstone

Academic and Career Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic and Career Goals - Essay Example I have a positive attitude towards my academic achievements and this is what I will use to help me attain my goal within the specified time frame. I will however need to adjust my schedule and dedicate more time to academic than before but I have hopes that my grad team will help me on that. My career goal is based on my academic goal and it is to become a successful RN with my own private practice to help people with terminal illnesses enjoy and be comfortable in their last years of life. The motivation to do this is extrinsic and comes from my family members some of whom have terminal illnesses but cannot get the comfort and joy needed to overcome the illnesses and enjoy their last years due to lack of proper private practices set out particularly for such a tasks. Seeing them receive only professional help where there is lack of love and social support is what drives me to want to achieve my set career goal and make a difference in the community of the people with terminal illnesses. The attitude I have which I will have acquired from experience as a LPN and academic achievement will help me sail through this tasking career goal smoothly. I believe I have no adjustments to make since I will have all I require to achieve my career goal once I complete my education. The above grad team is my key to achieving my academic goal and finally to having a successful career goal and hence close contact and mutual relationship is very necessary. My admissions representative will come in handy when the time comes to make transition to RN from LPN without having to wait for several months for the application to go through since I am on a time schedule to attain the goal. This will also not be successful if my academic counselor does not constantly advise me and keep me in check on my academic work, upping my grades and putting more effort not only in class but also during my

Micro Credit In Mauritius Social Work Essay

Micro Credit In Mauritius Social Work Essay Abstract In this study, the impact of micro-credit as a poverty alleviation strategy in Mauritius is analyzed. A close link is made between microcredit and empowerment of women through different chapters and how it helps to empower Mauritian women. Women are empowered when they are able to take decisions, have their own roles and responsibilities, are independent, educated and are ready to face discriminations which exists due to deep norms and values of society. Income is the main concept of this study because data collected have proved that microcredit helped to increase income generated through these women business. This study has raised many questions because it is observed that microcredit tend to empower economically but very less in social terms. Findings have showed that women situation have changed but not that far compared to other countries where microcredit is very popular. Still, microcredit has encouraged women be follow trainings and develop their skills, and promoted participa tion in activities of society mainly economic activities. On the other side microcredit is also a vicious circle of debts for women who face difficulties to repay their loans which shows how microcredit create impoverishment of women which very is far from reducing poverty. CHAPTER 1.0: INTRODUCTION Poverty is usually defined as the lack of opportunities, lack of education and skills, and also in terms of standard of living. Poverty in Mauritius is not similar like other countries, whether someone lives in urban or rural areas is not valid to categorize him as poor. Poor people in Mauritius (mainly women) are often denied access to resources, to opportunities, education and training for development of skills. This is often the main reason why these people cannot cope with changes occurring in our Mauritians society, in terms of social and economical transitions (IFAD). There is a real concern to alleviate poverty a ministry of social security and social welfare has even been set up to tackle this problem. It is clear cut that poverty is not just an economic problem but also a social problem affecting life of Mauritians. The government work closely with NGOs and other institution, a National action plan has even been set up to promote economic growth. This includes improving educational system, providing financial support for investment ad micro-enterprises and micro-finance institutions (IFAD 2011). 1.2 Micro credit in Mauritius Microcredit started in July 2001; it was a project by the IFAD to promote Mauritian women through microenterprises. The aim of this project was to provide financial facilities and support to needy women and promote income-generating activities. Micro-credit is known as the key tool to poverty alleviation (Grameen bank). Micro-credit scheme in Mauritius has brought progress and attracted women there are more than 3,500 women registered as entrepreneurs (Nwec 2010). They are even given financial facilities like Microcredit loans for their business. The Development Bank of Mauritius (DBM) and cooperative bank provides with loans at lower interest rates Trade fairs are organized to these women to expose their product and even Awards ceremony are organized every year to reward the best women entrepreneurs. The ministry of Gender Equality and child welfare set up micro credit programmes to target women in poverty. Together with other institution like NGOs and banks, which provide further contributions to assist needy women. In Mauritius, the National Women Entrepreneur Council is responsible for women entrepreneurs, providing trainings in their incubators found at Phoenix. Empowerment of women is very important for economic growth, that is why an empowerment programme has been set up in 2006 and the National empowerment Foundation (NEF) in 2008 to ensure the good purpose of the empowerment programme (NEF 2009). There are very few reports that 1.3 Problem statement It is a fact that micro-credit is very important to fight poverty and many studies have shown its positive impact in terms of standard of living, income, education, and health. However despite these strategies, poverty still remains (Mosley 2002). The main question is that has it really empowered women? By empowerment we mean women being emancipated, taking and participating in decision making access to employment and trainings. But statistics show a different result because women in the active economy represent only 43.7 % compared to men 75.5%, only 35.5 % of women in Mauritius work (CSO 2011). Microcredit was supposed to help in creating job opportunities for women, Statistics show that there is a population of 645 875 women, and the number of female-headed household in Mauritius and this wage gap which exist between men and women make them less economically active compared to men. Only 30% of women work in government services in Mauritius, it has been observed that 61% of women are unemployed and the rest that is 33% receive an income of Rs 4,000 compared to the 8% of men. Women income is around Rs 8,350 compared to men Rs 12,560, we are very far from reaching gender equality. How far has microcredit helped in poverty alleviation, are these strategies enough to combat poverty, how did it change or not image that society set on women and their role, responsibilities and economic activities are the questions this study will try to answer. Aim of study To assess the impact of micro-credit programme in poverty alleviation among women in Mauritius. Objectives of the study To evaluate the benefits of microcredit as poverty alleviation tool in Mauritius. To determine how microcredit promoted socio-economic development in Mauritius. To describe how micro-credit alleviate poverty through income-generated activities. To analyze how women empowerment through micro-credit helps to alleviate poverty in Mauritius. 1.4 Layout of study This study is organized as follows: Chapter 2 give deep explanations about main concepts used in this study and how they are linked. Another part of this chapter describes studies conducted on the impact of micro-credit on women and how it helps to alleviate poverty in other countries and how different authors view it, its effect on these countries and also problems they faced. Chapter 3 describes methods used to collect data for this study and why it is appropriate. Different parts of this chapter define the problems faced during data collection, how data will be analyzed and ethical considerations to be respected for this study. Chapter 4 provides an in-depth explanation of all findings during data collection and is followed by the discussion part where findings will be linked with other authors explanations from chapter 2.Chapter 5 is the conclusion, a summary of this study followed by recommendation which might help to bring better improvements to this field or encourage other research. CHAPTER 2.0: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter provides an in depth analysis of concepts used in this study and how different authors assessed microcredit effectiveness on women and poverty, how government and Ngos help to promote women. There are also various studies conducted across the world showing its impact on socio-economic development in many countries in contrast with Mauritius. 2.1 Concept of Poverty Poverty is defined in different terms and it is difficult to have an exact definition of it. The UN (United Nations) defines poverty as a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity (Langmore 2000: 37). It means lack willingness and opportunity to participate effectively in society. UN also relate poverty to lack of income to enable survival, social discriminations that the poor face, and by denial of opportunities, it means that they are denied to participate in decisions in society (UN, 1995: Para. 19). In the Beijing declaration it was mentioned how poverty is characterized: lack of participation in social and cultural life, this occurs in many developing countries forming pockets of poverty: regions where poor lives. A poor is not poor because of lack of participation in civil society but also due to economic problems such as recession which prevent people below the poverty line from having a decent life. Sen. (1981), who is a famous researcher on the subject of poverty, explains poverty as the lack of basic needs essential for survival and fails to participate in social and economic activities. Poverty can be categorized into two that is absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute poverty refers to a situation where an individual is unable to satisfy his basic needs that are food, shelter and clothing and health. Peter Townsend (1979) defines relative poverty as a situation where an individual standard of living is below the level that they are unable to enjoy normal way of life (Reporting poverty in the UK p 15). It is more about standard of living where there is an individual possess a big villa, new brand car, high income whereas another one is at medium level and can at least satisfy his basic needs and stay healthy. 2.2 Women and poverty More than 1.3 billion of people live in poverty in the world and most of them are located in developing countries like Asia and Africa (UNDP 1996). Women are the one who bear all the burden, they have to manage their household which means work and cater for their family at the same time which is not an easy task. A woman is described as a human being of female sex who can be distinguished through her gender roles and responsibilities in society (Wikimedia 2005). 70 % of women are poor and they mostly come from female-headed households (UNIFEM 2010). Poverty among women keep on increasing, that is why it was conceptualized as Feminization of poverty; an increase in female-headed household (Buduwski 2002). There are various reasons which explain why women, one because there are gender based values like gender roles (housewife/nest builder) which prevent women to emancipate, the increase of divorce increases female-headed families (GAP 2008). There are gender-based inequalities which re strict women to have access to resources and opportunities; which failed to empower them. There were more than 22 millions of unemployed women in the world in 2008 and in developing countries like African countries and south Asia women engaged in insecure jobs (UN 2009). Empirical studies conducted in Poland showed that there are more than 90% of women who are engaged in household work and also their paid, which is a real burden for them (Mandal 2008:163).In Mauritius, Women are more likely to face poverty than men; a report of the CSO showed that 8.9% of women compared to 8.1% of men live in relative poverty in 2009. There is a gap in income between male and female employee only Rs 7,100 for female and Rs 12, 330 for male (ESI 2010:11). 2.3 women and Poverty alleviation Poverty alleviation is based on different strategies to reduce poverty at individual, group and community level. These strategies include education facilities to promote socio-economic development and break down barriers leading to disparities in our society (Barder 2009). Greenberg (2005) defines poverty alleviation as set of strategies to reduce the impacts of poverty on vulnerable groups. In 2000, the millennium development goals were set up to reduce poverty (UN 2000). It was followed by a guideline for poverty alleviation to better help organizations over the world to achieve this objective (DAC 2001). To alleviate poverty barriers which restrict access and participation in society have to be removed (UNDP 2011). These barriers include; problem of unemployment, promoting human capital through educational facilities, trainings for development of skills, health facilities, support to family in difficulty through social benefits, promoting access to services through financial support and building up of self help groups to create solidarity and policies to reduce discrimination and inequalities towards the poor (Headey 2006). 2.4 Poverty alleviation among women through empowerment During the Women conference of the United Nations, it has been declared that to have stability in terms of social, economic, politic, culture and environment, achieving gender equality and empowerment is the essential keys (UN 2009). Empowerment refers to creating opportunities so that individual can develop their capacities in terms of skills and knowledge to face social prejudices in society (Waterhouse 2003). It is the 3rd goal of the Millennium Development Goals which aim to reduce poverty till 2015. Empowerment takes place through decision making, building up of self-esteem in women, improving their status in society and at home (Cheston and Khun 2002). Kabeer (2003) focus on empowerment as being able to make own choices and taking decision to achieve goals. A report from Unifem declares that to achieve women empowerment, access to all basic resources is important (Unifem 2008). Women do not only face money problems but also social ones through exclusion education, politics, and the world of work. Empowerment of women is very important to promote their participation in economic activities of society (Eyben 2008). Women are the ones who are most engaged in work and produce more but yet they only 10% of the income (Clinton 2009). Women tend to invest more even at home, a study done in Brazil showed that all household where women were in control improve the chances of survival of their children by 20% (OECD 2010). Why is empowerment important? It is because women are the one who are less educated, denied access to resources, support (financial), education and are mostly vulnerable in society, they are discriminated and exploited both at work and at home (Mayoux 2009). To achieve empowerment there are intervention from both government and Ngos working together to reduce poverty and promote women. In Mauritius, the NEF has been set up to promote empowerment of women through 2.5 Women and microcredit Micro-credit is too wide which makes it difficult to define (Oikocredit 2011). It is generally define as small loans granted to people from poor background to help them improve their income (income generating activities) and way of life (Grameen bank 2011). In the 1800s, Lysander Spooner found out that providing credit facilities to small famers was very successful that where came the new term micro-credit today, poor population have accessed to loans and payment facilities. In 1976, Muhammad Yanus (winner of the Nobel Prize in 2006) created micro-credit facilities in the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. At first it was only meant to assess the facilities which can be provided to the poor but later proved to be a key tool to reduce poverty. This was followed by the United Nations declaring the year 2005 as the international year of Micro-credit with five main goals among which were to promote contribution of micro-credit facilities and enable accessibility to these facilities (UN 2005). Micro-credit has been proved to promote social development and a tool to struggle against poverty in both developed and developing countries (Da Silva et al. 2007). MFI reports showed that 70 % of women are beneficiaries of micro-credit loans, this give an overview of women vulnerability and how they consider micro-credit loans as a way to get out of poverty. One main question is raised: Why women? Evidence have showed that women are the ones who are less paid and work in secondary sectors where they are at risk and do not have benefits compared to men in society (ILO 2008). Women face too many inequalities such as unemployment and discriminations based on gender, it has to be noted that Mauritius gender statistics showed that we are ranked 63rd  out of 146 countries on the Gender Inequality Index of the UN (CSO 2011). That is why micro-credit scheme has been introduced to promote access to resources such as land and infrastructure and also access to credit facilities. Besides Micro-credit programme also include training of women so that become independent and confident in their business (CIDA 1995). Micro-credit help women to improve their income household and build a safety-net which secure them and reduce their vulnerability to fall into traps of poverty., they become more mature to deal with issues of their business and make their o wn decision and choices (Mends 2000). Through entrepreneurship, Women have the opportunity to overcome cultural norms which trap them into their housewife role. (Swain and Wallentin 2007). 2.6 Empowerment of women through microcredit Many authors find a link between credit and empowerment. Cornwall and Edward (2010) consider empowerment as crucial to overcome economic and social dilemmas in society. Micro-credit is a system which gives access to finance through loans and savings for entrepreneurships. Studies have shown that micro-credit has been useful to the poor household due to low cost (Miller, Morhnee, Stephens and Tazi 2006). It is a fact that micro-credit programme improved women situation (economic, social, political, cultural) and also in terms of education (trainings) allowing them to develop their skills (Johnson Rogaky 1997).Empowerment has two dimension one in terms of household, women tend be at home doing housework and taking care of their family. With micro-credit programme they work and earn their own money which improves their status and their role at home compared to their previous role. They feel in a better position to apply their own decision (Osmani 2007). There were extensive debates about women and poverty and the impact of micro credit as a poverty alleviation tool. Many literatures have referred to the micro-credit scheme as the best alternative to reduce poverty and to empower women (Bernasek, 2003, Bhatt 2001, Khand Ker el al 1998, Leach and Sitaram, 2002). An assessment on the role of micro-credit schemes conducted through a survey in the South Asia together with Ngos showed that these schemes have improved economic status of women in society through education and training to acquire professional skills in entrepreneurship so that they become self-efficient and this has improve their social status in their household and improved awareness (Hashemi, Schuler and Riley 1996). Micro-credit programmes include Income-generating strategies, increasing awareness and empowering women. This help to socio-economic development of the country through education, participation in decision making, improving quality of health, sanitation and nutrition but most important of all to alleviate poverty through food security, income, improving literacy rates among women, thus leading to social inclusion of women in social, economic and political activities (Bernasek and al. 2003). Halkias, Nwajiuba, Harkiolakis, Caracatsanis (2011) study targeting the Challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Nigeria with a sample of 62 females entrepreneurs a self-administered survey showed that women showed more devotion and effort for their entrepreneurship compared to male entrepreneurs. Another result was that female entrepreneurs can professionally control their entrepreneurship and maintain their household effectively. Micro-credit had also an impact on savings made each month to improve standard of living of their families (Siringi 2011). Kabeer (1998) found out that micro-credit is an opportunity for women to bring their own contribution in terms of money. Policies should target more social and educational spheres to encourage women in the combat to alleviate poverty. Besides (Rogers and Youssef, 1988; Consultative Group to Assist the Poor CGAP, 2004: 6) findings showed that a rise in women income has positive influence on education, and health of children in the hous ehold. A study conducted in Nepal showed that more than 68% which represent more than 89 000 women over 130 000 who were involve in empowerment programme and experienced a change in their role at home and towards their own community, they have become someone who is respected for efforts and sacrifice don to reach this target of women with confidence and esteem (Ashe and Parrot 2001). Micro-credit has open new avenues for women in terms of education and development of skills. Having access to credit is more secure for women and they are able to take care of their family. Reports have shown that women are the one who spend more for the welfare of their family; in-depth interviews conducted in Rwanda with women benefiting from micro-credit scheme have shown that more than 54% of them are now able to manage on their own in their business without men (URWEGO 1994). It also helps to build up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Self-confidence is part of the aims of empowerment of women. It is the based to change women perception on various patriarchal aspects that exist in society and this also enable them to develop skills for the success of micro-credit. Micro-credit is a programme which train women to become professional business women and to be able to control their own business. Microcredit programme have empowered women leading to a change women role, status and relationship at home and in society. In-depth interviews conducted in Rwanda showed that there was an increase of 69 % in self-confidence and self-esteem of women (Ashe Parrot 1994). Studies conducted by Gobezie (2007) showed that more than 54% of women (micro-entrepreneurs) feel more at ease to deal with decisions both at home and their enterprise with the increase in self-esteem and self-confidence. 2.7 Government contribution The government plays an important role in promoting welfare through programmes and policies to better address the problem of poverty and promote equity (Cawthorne 2008). Funds from taxation help for development of the country and the government establishes a framework to know how to use funds efficiently (Serpa 2008). There is a belief that government intervention in micro-credit to give access to credit facilities only. But reality is that it acts as facilitator which provides access to service to the poor without ceilings. Another question usually asked is how micro-credit helps the poor? It increases income of poor household and improve patterns of consumption. When the needy people have access to credit, it helps them to maintain basic standard of living and have cash for emergencies. The government has an aim to promote welfare of citizens mostly needy ones; through micro-credit policies to better target and assist them but also programmes, which create opportunities to poor peo ple to develop skills and gain experience in entrepreneurship and learn how to manage their business. Several reports have shown positive impacts of micro-credit on women but there is big dilemma, political influences which exist and result to abuses, giving privileges to others and drainage of funds to be allocated to micro-entrepreneurs (CGAP 2002). Such influences affect good running and success of these programmes. Similarly to others countries like Bangladesh where the government work together with banks like BRAAC, in Mauritius there is the DBM which provide micro credit loans to people which also aim at socio-economic development and empowerment of women but through financial facilities. Micro-entrepreneurs (women) benefit from loan facility of Rs 150 000 with a period of five years for repayment, only women willing to create a small enterprise. These women are registered at the NWEC where they follow trainings to become independent wage earners (Nwec 2010). 2.9 Constrains of Micro-credit Micro credit was supposed to play a vital role in reduction of poverty but it also has its dark side. This strategy is seen as being too simple to reduce the problem of poverty (Endeley and Thompson 2005). Explanations provided to justify the failure of Micro-credit programme is that it failed to target real needy groups, it can observed that non-poor are taking most advantages of this programme and poor are becoming poorer, criteria of selection are not appropriate and this causes abuses (Copestake, Morduch, Dugger 2004). For Duvenduck (2011), until now there have not been valid evidence which prove that microcredit positively affect women. Abuses are not only from rich people but also from male in households where women benefit from micro-credit schemes. They are aware of their wives eligibility to access micro-credit loans and use them for their own business having nothing to do with women entrepreneurship (Goetz and Gupta 1995). This raises the question of gender equality which e xists in society and men always getting involved in female activities. Furthermore, the main purpose of micro- finance was supposed to provide credit a facility in terms of loan to the marginalized group to help them to generate income for their own business, the state has failed in its mission. (Swain et al 2008:193). It has rather created a vicious cycle of indebtness among women; they get trapped and become dependent on the state and banks. The problem is that they often failed to have the level of profit expected and have to work double to save for loan repayment (Copestake 2001). A report published by business week (2005:4) showed that interest rates are higher and failure to repay loans means closure of their business and huge debts to clear. It can be seen that intervention and contribution of private and public sectors are thin. There is a lack of continuous assistance to women entrepreneurs which makes the safety net very vulnerable as any mismanagement and low profitability can put the business at risk (Neff 1996). All these shortcomings of micro-credit have raised a question; is micro-credit really a tool to reduce poverty? Findings from different surveys showed that it really reduced poverty in the world but to some extent. Kandler (2005) found out that 31 % of women participating in micro-credit programs have been out of their abject poverty in Bangladesh. Another fact of micro-credit success is the increase and improvement of consumption patterns of poor people together with the increase in income this has lead to economic development. Kah (2005) reject the positive results of micro-credit in the developing countries. After a study in different countries with different methods like interviews, surveys and ethnogra phic surveys, Kay found out that it is a too optimistic assumption to classify micro-credit as a tool to alleviate poverty. Micro-credit programmes also have short-comings which tend to be ignored. Antaitwe (2006) claimed that there programmes have failed to meet their aims and objectives. The reason provided was that the fact that people who deserve this service and assistance were excluded from these programmes (Hulme 2003). Another short-coming of micro-credit is whether these programmes are accessible to extremely poor people. Reports from the United Nations (UN) showed that these programmes are inaccessible to extremely poor because of high interest rates and lack of infrastructures and structural patterns to better assist needy people so that they develop their skills and become efficient in society. Peredo and Chrisman (2006) focus on the fact that network should be created to enable better sharing and also facilities in terms of resources and management of enterprises including cost of resources, methods of distribution after production and how to value their products. Pollin (2007) consider microcredit as undervaluing entrepreneurship because it has rather encourage short-term income activities. Entrepreneurship is more based on investment of profit (Harper 2007), however micro-enterprises profit are used for personal matters like luxuries, education, health and other emergencies rather than for development of the country. The main problem with micro-credit shemes is that they deal with economic problems than social ones. It is clear that poverty is the socio-economic problem for most of the world. The male dominance which exists in the most societies acts like a barrier for women success. Men have control over everything in society, even incomes earned by their wife in their enterprise are used for other purposes and women barely have access to it (Omorodion 2007). All these deep-rooted perception, values and customs prevent women to protest because they fear to be harassed, beated up, humiliated by their husband. To some extent micro-credit create tensions in households in most developing countries. For example Mauritius is a country where men power prevails both at work and home. Men refuse to accept women emancipation and recognize their capacities which are very essential for the success of micro-credit programmes (World Bank 2006). This might explain the high rate of domestic violence which was 3 9% in Mauritius in 2011 (ESI 2011). It seems that micro-credit programmes have been introduced only to increase economic activity and supply of labor through job creations (Pitt and Khandler 1998). Micro-credit programmes were supposed to increase income of poor households but it failed because most of the money saved goes in loan repayment and in case of emergencies access to money become a big issue (Brett 2006). The fact that women have low status and are seen as weak ,ignorant and low skilled in society they tend to take loans to move further on the social ladder of society (Lucas 2001). They are trapped to being dependent on their husband and even more when they fail to repay their loan. This ideological image of women responsibility being at home to bring balance is a barrier to success, and though the effort to achieve gender equality in society it has failed. All government strategies for integration of women in society have failed and have provoked misconceptions about women failure in micro-credit programmes and confirming stereotype on women weakness and incapacity (Nesbitt 2006). Too little concerns are attached to empowerment of women (Bellman 2010), it is not only based on increasing their income and developing skills but it is based on changing deep perceptions. It is very difficult to change perceptions people make on women (Swain and Wallentin 2007:25). 2.8 Summary of literature review Through the previous paragraphs, in-depth explanations about the impacts of micro-credit have been given by different authors. It seems that micro-credit programmes have been very efficient in terms of income-generating, development of professional skill to manage own business, emancipation of women in the World. Women have been empowered by these programmes through increase of confidence and assertiveness and independency. The importance of empowerment to alleviate poverty is pointed by many authors; micro-credit increases their awareness and make women more efficient in society. It has brought changes in family income and standard of living and a change in roles that women become entrepreneurs this imply devoting time to both their business and their family which is very hard and often end into conflicts. The government and Ngos also play an important role to promote development and emancipation of women together with policies to protect and respect their rights and programmes to m ake them successful women in the future. Despite all positive impacts of micro-credit on women, there are also short-comings. Micro-credit encourage women to take loan to build their own business and are also trained for it but there is not enough assistance for mentors to make sure these women are on the right track and to counsel them in case of problem to tackle within their business. The problem is when these businesses are unable to make enough profit to repay their loan, there went to deficit and loses their business, all their efforts, time and sacrifices made to achieves this. This result to women becoming dependent on their husband again and men control them again which means empow

Gender and Sexual Insensitivity Essay -- Gender Inequality Essays

Gender inequality refers to unfair or unequal treatment of people based on their femininity or masculinity. This is often in reference to roles that society has stipulated by default for each gender type. Sexual inequality refers to bias treatment of people based on their male or female sexual traits. Awareness and sensitivity to gender and sexual inequity are vital in the functioning of a society; every society member ought to have equal status, voice and opportunities irrespective of their gender. In every day-to-day activity, gender and sexual insensitivity exhibits in peoples’ speech, behavior and delegation of duties. Insensitivity is often unintentional, thus the need to create awareness among people on what is insensitive and be enthusiastic to begin the change that society needs to be able to give equal chances to all its members and give them a sense of belonging despite their gender (Jackson, 1998). Recently, I received an e-mail from my friend regarding his opinion on Valentine’s Day. In this email message, my friend, Rob presented women in a negative way by using derogatory language and casting aspersions. Rob claimed that women were the cause of men’s sorrow and global warming (Personal communication, February 13, 2014). Upon further reading, I realized Rob insinuated that Valentine’s Day was a creation of women and that the intention was to coerce men into buying presents. His assertion was that women were opportunistic, materialistic and always plotting to get something out of men. I found this demeaning as the generalizations and stereotyping presented in the email were offensive. He also used the word ladies, which he spelt in capital letters, which I felt offensive and unwarranted. A further an... ...ley: University of California Press Vance, C. M., Ensher, E. A., Hendricks, F. M., & Harris, C. (2004). Gender-based vicarious sensitivity to disempowering behavior in organizations: Exploring an expanded concept of hostile working environment. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 16(3), 135-147. Weisstein, N. (1993). Psychology constructs the female; or, The fantasy life of the male psychologist (with some attention to the fantasies of his friends, the male biologist and the male anthropologist). Feminism & Psychology, 3(2), 195-210. Withington, R. (1937). â€Å"Lady,† â€Å"woman,† and â€Å"person.† American Speech, 12(2), 117–121. Young, A. M., Vance, C. M., & Harris, C. (2007). Moving beyond gender to discover differences in sensitivity to disempowering acts: An examination of the role of social context. Group & Organization Management, 32(5), 598-620.

ESL and Koreans Essay

The goal of every language course is the individual student progress in terms of writing proficiency, reading and speech (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). This is done by constant feedback and encouragement from the teachers and the dedication of the students under the English as a Second Language (ESL) program Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). Developing the ability to grow independently with the support of the group exists in an environment of support and encouragement from within the group (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). There is a basic procedure teachers must use to be able to attain the best possible performance from their ESL students. There are also different tools that are available that could enhance the learning process. Technology and computers as well as pop culture have been trends that teachers use to reach out and connect with the ESL students. Korean students are actually well-educated and have the basic background when it comes to the English language. Theoretically, they are well-equipped. They are very academically inclined. The important thing that would be developed would be the application process of learning English as their second language. In Korea, they are used to speaking only in their native language. They do not speak in English to converse with other people. They only learn in their English classes. The need for ESL lessons when they are in other countries, like in Australia, is because they do not know how to put into practice the theoretical concepts they have of English. Teaching ESL Process A syllabus must be developed that included the principles and procedures needed to teach a small ESL class (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). The day-to-day planning of activities for the teachers should encompass the design of the curricula and the general principles that would be considered in constructing the syllabus (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). The goals should be translated into objectives and the syllabus would be the framework for the classroom instruction. Goals are the general statement of the curriculum’s purpose while the objectives actually reflect the particular knowledge and skills that the students would develop by the end of the course (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). The objectives that are set for the students must be precise and should focus on essential characteristics like performance, condition as well as criteria (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 88). For example, the instructional objectives are stated like â€Å"by the end of the course, the students would be aware of their writing style and identify where they need to be improved in† (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 89). The specific nature of such statements lie on the fact that these characteristics are observable (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 89). When instructional objectives are clearly stated the teachers would have an easier time when it comes to planning individual class periods (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97). A way of putting it is like this: â€Å"Compose descriptive, narrative, and expository paragraphs† and in order to achieve this, the students must â€Å"compose a 250-word paragraph about one’s experiences in the country (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97) A lesson plan can actually take different forms that depended on the time frame, the personal style and experience of the individual teacher (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97). Despite the variety of formats a lesson plan may be, the important thing is for it to provide for a script for presenting materials in interacting with the students and the actual instruction for the activities in the ESL program (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 97). It can also serve as the link that connects the curriculum goals of the teachers with the students as well as the step-by-step chronology of the classroom activities (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 98). Lesson plans are practical and dynamic tools for meeting the student needs and achieving the instruction objectives (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 98). The important thing to see is the flexibility of the lesson plan. ESL classes are more customized and mapping out the complete instruction for the class can be futile since the teacher needs to get to know the students first to make the program adaptable (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 98). Knowing the Students To design a syllabus for a specific class, the teacher would have to assess the student’s needs first. This is so the teacher is enabled to identify and validate the needs so that priorities may be established. Factors like diverse background features, different skills, schemata and expectations from ESL students are important factors when it comes to planning the lesson for the students (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 73). It is very important to know what the prior educational experience of the Korean students has (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 77). The teacher must know if the Korean students had prior experience in studying with foreign schools or if it was the first time they have studied in school that speaks English as a native language. International students may find contrasting training instructions from the previous language training programs they have undergone (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 78). Information about the students’ educational history is valuable for the teacher. Aside from such educational background, teachers must also consider the current language proficiency and literacy (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 79). This can assess what areas they need to focus on and what areas they just need to review on. The immigration status of the students should also be considered as the international students generally intend to return to their own countries after they have completed their studies in Australia (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 80). This tells how much of the primary language environments they have been exposed to as well as how exposed they are to English because of staying in the country long enough (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 80). There is also such a thing as learner preferences, strategies and styles. The learner’s disposition towards classroom instruction and independent learning must be considered as it can be a determining factor as to brining out the best performance from the students (Ferris and Hedghock 2004, p. 84). Language Needs The educational programs need to cover and address what the students bring with them (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). There is a need for teachers to carry on what the students have instead of focusing on what they lack (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). The key is banking on the students own experiences that involves their language and their culture and mix that with the new principle and concepts offered in the present class (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). This is because the teacher is merely connecting the constructs from the past experiences and stimulates the learning to make them comfortable with the new environment they are in (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Second language learning is a difficult process because learning the first language had been a process that has been done since the first day of the child. It is quite harder to acquire a second language because of the difference of the language and the culture from what the person has already been used to (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). There is often much reservation when it comes to having to begin to learn language skills. It is very important to consider how the students may feel inferior because of such circumstance. Fluency, then, does not end inside the classroom. It must be developed even after the class and do so in basic conversations. Errors may actually indicate progress. They can be replaced with the appropriate forms even without teacher intervention when done in an informal atmosphere (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Unit Plan Free Conversation A quarter of the time, in the first part, middle, or the end, should be devoted to free-flowing conversation. Conversation versus classroom instruction can build relationship between students and teachers that would enable them to work together trustingly and more efficiently throughout the course. Actual body languages, facial expressions, gestures, intonation, and other things serve as cues that help the student in understanding the context of speaking in English (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Academic English can actually provide less contextual cues (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Conversation builds relationships between the students and the teachers. Once the conversation gets going, they get to find out each other’s interests and preferences (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Especially in the beginning of the course when the Koreans would feel reserved and inferior to have to learn a second language, it is important to gain their trust and their confidence for them to be able to perform well in whatever activity the curriculum may require. When the teacher is able to get the trust of the students, they are then made more comfortable to open up and use the English language to converse. This also makes them more open to commit errors and be open to the corrections of the teachers. Teachers can actually start by just conversing about their lives as individuals. Some teachers relate to male students who enjoy video games by translating and analyzing the words in the context of the games they are both familiar with. If the students love music, it can be in terms of the lyrics of their favorite songs. The teachers can provide the context for the student when they begin reading a specific text and challenge them by talking with them about it (Drucker 2003, p. 22). The teachers can start by relating selected reading passages that would be discussed with something that is relevant to the students in terms of their interests and skills (Drucker 2003, p. 22). Part of getting students to converse with each other is posing a question about the text or about a specific topic that would engage the students to provide their opinions about the topic in the English languages (Drucker 2003, p. 22). The teachers can also direct the students into discussing and looking for particular information and analyzing it. Another way of starting conversation is banking on pop culture. It has been known to provide for a rich and powerful classroom resource to show relevance between the students and the teachers (Duff 2002, p. 482). This makes the discussion more interesting, relevant and appealing to the students especially despite the language barrier and coping mechanism the students have in using the English language (Duff 2002, p. 482). This also builds the rapport between the teachers and the students. Discussion about current events can help the students’ voice out their opinions, only they are using the English language (Duff 2002, p. 482). Despite the fact that the teachers and the students may not share the same socio-cultural and psycholinguistic repertoires, practices and abilities and need assistance from others, this can be a standpoint wherein they can connect with their students and help them be more vocal (Duff 2002, p. 482). However, teachers must be aware that some of their students are not familiar with other pop culture icons because of the difference of their backgrounds. This can confuse them more. However, it is also useful to introduce such icons for them to gain the confidence in speaking the language, knowing that they are now more aware of Western icons (Duff 2002, p. 482). Elements of Instructional Conversation The theme is very important to serve as the focal point for the discussion (Williams 2001, p. 750). This can be viewed as the general plan as to how the conversation within the class would take place. There is a need to use the background or the relevant schemata of the student by activation or by providing background knowledge that is necessary to form a connection between the students and the teachers (Williams 2001, p. 750). Such knowledge is interwoven into the discussion. When necessary, the teacher provides the actual conventional teaching of the lesson to the students, as much as possible this is not applied too much to avoid disconnection and boredom (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teacher also promotes for the students to use more complex language and expression (Williams 2001, p. 750). They encourage them to elaborate on their answers in the discussion by elicitation techniques to would invite them to explain further like asking them to tell more about what they have said or to ask what they meant by it. It is also effective to have them restate their phrases saying â€Å"in other words† and phrases like that (Williams 2001, p. 750). Other elicitation techniques include the promotion of the use of different texts, pictures and reasoning to support the arguments made by the students without overwhelming them the teacher may gently probe for the student’s sentiments by saying â€Å"what made you say that †orâ€Å" how you came to that conclusion (Williams 2001, p. 750)? † It is also important to assure the students that there are more than once correct answers (Williams 2001, p. 750). This would encourage the students to try and try to provide more answers and not be pressured to provide the correct one. The teacher while being focused on the flow of discussion and maintaining the coherence of the discussion to the lesson as well as keeping track of the time, the teacher must also be responsive to the statements of the students and to watch out for the opportunities they provide. There must be discussion that has â€Å"multiple, interactive, connected turns; succeeding utterances build upon and extend previous ones† (Williams 2001, p. 750). Students must remain challenged so as not to feel like they are limited as well as not feel threatened by the teachers (Williams 2001, p. 750). The atmosphere must remain balanced and effective for improvement (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teacher must act as a collaborator rather than an evaluator (Williams 2001, p. 750). The atmosphere the teacher creates allows the students to negotiate and construct their own sentences as well as be subjected to training as well (Williams 2001, p. 750). There must be general participation amongst the students. The size of the class must be carefully considered in terms of the level of proficiency and skills of the students (Williams 2001, p. 750). By doing this, the students can each have their chance to participate in class and be trained to speak out statements in English. Students must be encouraged to volunteer to speak out (Williams 2001, p. 750). Those who are more reserved must be the ones the teacher would call upon. The important thing is for everyone to have their own turn to speak up (Williams 2001, p. 750). Correction and Interaction Students in the early stages of acquisition must be expected to commit errors in communication (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teachers must be sensitive enough to correct in a gentle fashion as Koreans may feel threatened by harsh criticisms from the highly academic backgrounds they have in Korea. This must be considered more so when it comes to vocabulary. The teachers would not want to the students to have negative experiences with learning English that they would be afraid to try the next time. This can discourage the students from attempting to use the second language and can hinder their efforts from developing (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Rather than correction, modeling the correct form would be more efficient for the students (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Language can develop when placed in a variety of setting that promotes informal talk and interaction (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). When there is talking and listening involved, activities involving reading and writing can actually help the learners develop a higher facility for the language and have control over social interaction (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Literacy is part of language; it goes along the lines of reading and writing (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). The language learners must have the competence for oral language and learn the language as it is needed for new functions (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). The role of the teachers it to teacher the learners to use the resources they need for the new language. The best performance for ESL students in classrooms comes when they are able to speak and listen as part of the integral â€Å"process of negotiating knowledge, exchanging personal experiences and thoughts, and the development of language and literacy abilities (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). † This comes from a demonstration of cultural diversity and a provision for equal opportunities for the students in the ESL classrooms (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Proper implementation would fall upon the supportive nature of the school staff and the recognition of diversity as â€Å"an asset and not a handicap† (Slavit et al. 2002, p. 116). Games Most of the time teachers start every day’s session with a three to five minute game to get the lesson started. They are not merely icebreakers; they also tie into the lesson for the day. Aside from conversational way of training the students, the teachers find using games as effective ways to train the Korean students excel in English. The level of difficulty language learning has on the students are so high that the teachers wanted to provide easier methods for them by using games (Wright 1984, p. 1). Games actually help the students and encourage them to participate as well as sustain their interest (Wright 1984, p. 1). They help create contexts that are much more meaningful for the students that make them want to take part in the lesson (Wright 1984, p. 1). Games make way for students to practice their language skills and to practice different types of communication in a lighter environment (Ersoz 2000). This provides an effort to lessen the difficulty of language learning for the students (Ersoz 2000). It gives the students a chance to take a break from the conventional lessons and provide high motivation at the same time challenge and amuse the students (Ersoz 2000). It deviates from the principle that learning has to be serious and solemn (Kim 1995, p. 35). Games are used to practice the skills of speaking, writing, listening, and reading (Kim 1995, p. 35). At the same time, they can use games for vocabulary presentation and revision (Uberman 1998, p. 20). Some scholars even say that games should be treated as a central instead of merely a peripheral to teaching foreign language to students (Uberman 1998, p. 20). They give the students new experiences with the foreign languages that could not have been easily calculated by conventional learning (Uberman 1998, p. 20). Games actually promote fluency with the students because of constant and pressure-free use (Uberman 1998, p. 20). Ideal games are those that involve pictures. The students are made to pronounce the nouns that are in the pictures. They are then asked to describe the pictures using adjectives in forms of sentences and nor merely phrases. Whoever gets to describe the picture more wins the game. There are also games that would encourage the students to complete each other’s stories by taking turns in giving sentences. They take turns in filling in what can happen next in the story and the students would have to do it fast otherwise they would loose the game. This enables them to be creative as well as explore more vocabulary to be developed in the students. Lessons Sentence, Phrase and Text Construction. The sentence structure for the English language is very easy because of the rigid word order (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). Sometimes, it’s only a matter of proper translation that comes from understanding the rules of English sentence construction. Koreans usually directly translate their sentences to English that becomes their pitfall when it comes to the English grammar. Their sentence construction is different from English construction and that is where they need to be trained so that it can be adjusted. Although there are different kinds of structure that can be possible for the English sentences, there is still a pattern that can be easily identified and mastered through practice (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). For instance, when it comes to prepositional phrases, it cannot perform what a subject can do (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). Only noun phrases can act as a subject and a verb must be present in sentences for it to be grammatically correct (Hinkel 2004, p. 65). Generally, the English sentence can be broken down to see how they are ordered and sequenced in slots found in a sentence. There are certain basic principles that the learner must learn in order to fully understand sentence construction. The first principle would be the sentence units cannot be isolated from one another. They are in relationship with the other elements of the sentence even though they serve different functions and are labeled as different units (Hinkel 2004, p. 66). In most sentences, the subject goes before the verb. The context of the sentence elements determines the variation of the elements under the second principle (Hinkel 2004, p. 66). This is where we see that singular nouns use singular verbs. Although the sentence structures are dynamic they still follow predictable patterns that can easily be explained to the students (Hinkel 2004, p. 66). There are the subjects and object slots that can only be filled by words or phrases that are under the class of nouns or pronouns like proper and common nouns (e. g. Nancy, house or Australia); abstract and concrete nouns (e. g. love, book); gerunds (e. g. dancing, walking); compound phrases (e. g. corn soup, coffee table); pronouns (e. g. I, you, they); or sets of parallel nouns (e. g. shirts, shoes, and bags) (Hinkel 2004, p. 67). This is the basic core structure of a sentence, when this is mastered, the teachers can go into more complicated structures that are basically adhering to the same order of element (Hinkel 2004, p. 67). According to the third principle, the sentence states how the sentence elements are arranged and it is according to a hierarchy of importance for the sentence to be grammatical (Hinkel 2004, p. 68). The most important elements for a sentence would be the subject and the verb. Elements like the adverbs and prepositional phrases are more mobile and can appear in other locations (Hinkel 2004, p 68). To simplify the identification of core elements it is very helpful to identify the â€Å"subject, predicate verb phrase, and importance of subject-verb agreement† (Hinkel 2004, p. 69). The organization of the sentences accounts for the fluidity of the sentence construction and itself stylistic variation (Hinkel 2004, p. 69). Sentence Elements. The teachers must also run through the parts of the sentence. Even though, most Koreans have a strong background in the theories and rules involved in Basic English grammar, it is different when it is presented and emphasized in ESL classes. It is also helpful to present them in tables and other visual presentations in these manners: S – V Time Place Manner Reson (He eats/He ate†¦ ) (When) (Where) (How) (Why) Adverbs yesterday there quickly last night here sloppily Prepositional at 7:00 in the house with a fork For fun Phrase Adverbial Clause when he wherever he can as a good because he’s finishes work boy should hungry Other to get fat (infinitive) Table 1 Sentence Elements (ESLgold. com 2007). S – V Duration Frequency Contrast Condition (He works/worked/ (How long) (How often) (To show a (Under what has worked†¦ ) difference) conditions) Adverb forever sometimes anyway always Prepositional for two hours on Thursdays despite his for pay only Phrase illness Adverbial Clause as long as whenever he although he if he feels good he can has time doesn’t get paid Table 2 Sentence Elements (ESLgold. com 2007). Practical Techniques for Reading and Grammar Depending on the capability of the students, there must be essential elements that can design a flexible curriculum depending the reading and grammar proficiency of the students (Hinkel 2004, p. 33). Most lessons focus on sentence and phrase structure, nouns, pronouns, verbs, verb tenses, vocabulary and spelling. Activities must be created to develop the learners’ conversational fluency (Hinkel 2004, p. 34). Teachers must always check the level of reading comprehension of the students (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teachers must approach this with caution as sometimes the students can decode a text but can understand little from what he or she has read (Williams 2001, p. 750). Decoding is different from comprehension. The teacher should not always assume that the student can understand what goes on in the classroom conversations (Williams 2001, p. 750). The teacher must always test to see if the students are catching up, some may be getting what the flow of conversation may be but others are not. The teachers should have reading time wherein the students can actually hear how the words are pronounced and in what intonations sentence structures call for (Williams 2001, p. 750). This actually supports language development, therefore goes on to be literacy development (Williams 2001, p. 750). When it comes to introducing a reading text, the teachers must first start with discussing the importance when establishing a new topic (Hinkel 2004, p. 36). The students must be prepared and have already understood foundations that would let them study a new text (Hinkel 2004, p. 36). Using Other Tools Computer In the light of growing technology, students are expectant for the teachers to make use of such information and communication technology. The teachers must consider whether or not their students would develop faster with computers as a tool for their learning (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Computer-mediated communication or using computers to communicate with each other is a new and innovative way of teaching ESL. Gauging the students’ skills in using the computer like typing skills and other language proficiencies must be prioritized as the teachers would not want to make the students feel more inferior in not knowing another area in the course (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Class size is a critical point to consider when evaluating the efficiency of this tool. If the class is too big, a large group of chatters proves to be more confusing and frustrating than ever (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). According to research, the teachers should limit the number of students using CMC to an average of five (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Using CMC is an option to use as a learning activity for the students. It is critical for the teachers to examine how relevant such a tool can be for the purpose of the activity and for the capabilities of the students for the planned learning task (Shin 2006, pp. 65+). Computer and Reading There are also studies that pertain to the integration of reading and computers to improve the reading skills of ESL students (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). There are a large range of computer applications that can be used for ESL student classes. This is to boost the skills of the ESL students with limited English application skills. Schools must make sure that the ESL students have access to educational programs and applications that can help them individually acquire the level of proficiency in the language (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Even though there is technology available, computers are seldom used in ESL settings (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Since constant exposure to English creates the best environment for students to learn the language, the teacher must be aware of different techniques to make this possible and to provide more sensitivity in issue facing the ESL instruction (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). English must not be limited to classroom instruction but should be integrated in other subject areas where English can be used (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Studies have shown that an integrated approach of reading and writing with the computer has been more effective than traditional modes of instruction of lecture-type approaches (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). The students find interest in having such variety in instruction and improve on their logic and organizational skills of constructing sentences, one of their greatest weaknesses in learning the language (Williams and Williams 2000, p. 98). Reading Preparation is the most effective way to ensure the students can comprehend any reading assigned (Drucker 2002, p. 22). According to Drucker (2002), â€Å"Comprehensible input is spoken or written language that is delivered at a level the child can understand. † However, it is also important for the teacher to provide challenges that is a bit higher than the students’ current abilities (Drucker 2002, p. 22). Choral reading was seen to be a means of providing such comprehensible input for the students. Students can recite a poem, a short text together as well as be provided with gestures and motions that would enable them to understand what are reading more efficiently (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). Repetitions of the reading selection give them the chance to recycle the language they have learned (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). Contextual clues are also given through the motions and gestures taught by the teachers in reading the selection (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). However, considering the individualize approach for ESL programs, it is important to note that teachers can only apply such technique for students who are in kindergarten to sixth grade (Drucker 2002, pp. 22+). If the students are much older or more mature, there are reading selections that can be provided and analyzed. For example, the teacher can provide a more sophisticated text like an article to be discussed in class like American Art in Delaware: Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) was an heir to Delaware’s DuPont Company fortune. He was one of the first serious collectors of American decorative art objects –furniture, textiles, paintings, and other objects made in the United States between 1640 and 1840. American furniture and household objects had been considered inferior to those from Europe. But du Pont helped develop a new appreciation for American decorative arts. He created a legendary showplace for these objects on his family’s estate just outside of Wilmington, Delaware. In 1951 it was opened to the public as the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur (pronounced winter-tour) Museum. Du Pont assembled objects from his collection into 175 â€Å"period rooms,† each with examples of American antiques and decorative arts that followed a certain theme or period in early American history. For example, the du Pont Dining Room has furniture dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. And, because this was the time when the United States became a new nation, there is a patriotic theme in the room. Another example is the Chinese Parlor, which has furnishings that reflect Americans’ fascination with Asian culture during the 18th century. In these period rooms du Pont believed he could tell the story of the early United States through furniture and other decorative arts (America’s Library 2007). In the case of the article, American Art in Delaware, a warm-up question may be â€Å"You have probably heard of the DuPont Company, which was founded by a family of the same name. But do you know about the museum that one of the family members began (ESLgold. com 2007)? † There are also vocabulary words that can be taken out of the article that the students can learn in class, either through homework activity or drills within the classroom time. Words that can be taken out of this article are: â€Å"antique, assemble, century, decorative, estate, fortune, heir, inferior, patriotic, textile† (ESLgold. com 2007). The teachers can provide pre-reading questions that can enhance the interest of the students. Such questions can be, â€Å"What types of things do you like to collect or if you had some valuable artwork, what would do with it (ESLgold. com 2007)? † When the group is finished reading the text, silently or aloud, there are post-reading questions that are very important to determine the student’s comprehension. It can be in forms of true or false, or multiple choice questions. The important thing is to gauge the capability of the students. A set of post-reading questions may be in the form of the following; True or False: â€Å"Henry Francis du Pont’s art collection is displayed in a museum i