Students Language Skills Project

Introduction The present paper is one of the steps in a pedagogical grammar course. The purpose of the present project is to carry out a collaborative project with ESLA students on the improvement of their oral and written grammar skills in using English according to their linguistic objectives.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Students Language Skills Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are a considerable number of approaches to study and improve grammar skills, with Willis (1994) proposing the lexical approach to studies, Chalker (1994) stressing the need for designing a pedagogical grammar approach, and Givon (1993) underlining the evolutionary, biological nature of grammar in a language. Due to the growing body of research on the issue of grammar proficiency and processes involved in grammar acquisition, the project is aimed at showing which approach to grammar improvement is the most viable, a nd how well students respond to the applied, narrow approach to grammar acquisition. The project is intended to have three parts: the first stage will involve a careful diagnosis of the actual grammar skills ESLA students participating in the project have at the moment of starting the study. The second stage will involve treatment of the grammar skills of the chosen participants. Finally, the third stage will include the assessment of students’ progress in grammar improvement. To be more precise, the diagnosis stage will include meeting with students, making records on the peculiarities of their grammar usage, understanding and application during the oral and written usage of English. Further on, the errors they make in the course of speaking and writing in English will be categorized and analyzed in the theoretical lens, with the final evaluation of decisions on language improvement. The stage of treatment will include the implementation of decisions on improvement made at t he phase of diagnosis, and the treatment stage will be a practical course on error elimination and growing grammar awareness. Upon the completion of treatment sessions, the level of understanding and improvement by ESLA students will be assessed. Methodology Qualitative analysis techniques have been chosen for the present study. The present type of research is commonly used for the language proficiency studies in the field of ESL studies, grammar in particular. The choice of qualitative tools for analysis was dictated by the general preference of the present type of research by scholars in the field.Advertising Looking for term paper on languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, Swain and Lapkin (2007) used the quantitative analysis of lexical units employed by a student called Neil to show the distributed nature of language acquisition through interaction with the immediate environment, and Leech (1994) employed the qualitative analysis techniques to show the propriety of situational deviations and alterations in the learner’s grammar to suit the unique needs of students. Givon (1993) proposes a pedagogical grammar that would generate teaching strategies and uses the qualitative techniques to which extent alterations are permissible etc. Participants. The overall sample chosen for the present project consists of four respondents. Their names are Roxas, Emittee, Laura, and Ester. Two of them come from China; one comes from Macau, and the last one – from Hong Kong. They are all aged from 17 to 19, representing a segment of young learners. The studies in which they were and are engaged are diverse, having such majors as chemistry, business, economics, and marketing. As for the gender distribution, two of them are male, and two are female. Each of them has a 1300 ESL level of language proficiency. This means that according to the CAEL grading scale for evaluation of ESL studentsâ €™ written and oral works, they generally fall within the third category, having no native-like facility of English, but at the same time having no error-laden syntax and morphology (CAEL Assessment, 2010). Identification of the learners’ goals in studying English in Canada is of central importance in the design of the methodology for the present project. The goals of Roxas are not clearly articulated because coming to Canada was not his initiative, but his parents’ one. Therefore, he feels many complications in speaking and learning English, and the fact that Canadians often do not understand him is also highly discouraging. Emittee has a much clearer goal because he is motivated to get a Bachelor’s degree in Canada and get back to his parents in China, helping them with their business. Laura’s goals in learning English are much higher as she is interested not only in getting a Bachelor’s degree in Canada, but in remaining to live and work the re.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Students Language Skills Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Finally, Ester is not clearly defined about where she wants to stay after the completion of the Bachelor’s course, but she is clearly interested in obtaining a good grade to have an opportunity for living both in China and in Canada. Data Collection. The data collection step of the project was conducted by means of meeting with the respondents and offering a set of written and oral tasks for them to accomplish. Generally, there have been four meetings conducted in the course of data collection, in the course of which the students performed oral tasks recorded by the researcher, and written tasks completed with the help of a questionnaire designed specifically for the present project. The oral tasks performed by students included conventional talks about their experience in learning English, about the ir background, and the problems in learning English they were consciously aware of. Some respondents were able to reflect about the interview and about the purpose and process of studies in general. The written tasks included three open-ended questions asking students to reflect on their attitude to the English classes, the purposes of their partnership with MA students, and the learning and cultural experience they gained in the course of studies. Data Analysis. The data analysis procedures for the present research are designed to fit the CAEL scale of error classification designed specifically for the category of ESL learners with differing levels of English proficiency, being far from native-like, but at the same time fairly correct for the conventional studies and communication needs. This scale involves the careful study of the oral and written statements respondents made in the course of meetings with the researcher, and identification of errors students made in them. The erro rs are generally classified into six categories.Advertising Looking for term paper on languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The first four involve the noticeable and distracting ones (such as deletion of grammar morphemes, deletion of function words, agreement errors, and errors in diction), while the remaining two pertain to syntactic errors and semantic errors. These two categories made statements illogical or vague, which may seriously impair or prevent the measure of understanding for the native speakers. The measure of all six categories’ presence in the oral and written speech of respondents will be measured and coded in correspondence with frequency of their occurrence. Additional criteria for the evaluation of oral respondents’ statements have also been taken into account in the process of designing the methodology for the present research. For this reason not only grammar and semantic mistakes are to be considered in the present assessment, but the cohesion of structure as well. To ensure completeness and accuracy of evaluation, the researcher has included such CAEL categories as f low, focus, support, and style (CAEL Assessment, 2010). To assess the cohesion of written statements, the research methodology includes evaluation according to such criteria as evaluation of content (thesis statement, essay map, adherence to the map, explication of ideas relating to the thesis, and presentation of claims, data, and warrants) and evaluation of organization (complexity of sentence structure and horizontal organization units)(CAEL Assessment, 2010). Results Introduction As one can see from the previous sections, it is possible to keep track of the grammar skills and errors of ESL students in order to propose a sufficient way for intervention and correlation of the students’ capabilities at a given moment with the potential they have during involvement in ESL studies. A teacher can do this, but in order to provide the consistent assessment and intervention, one has to be firmly decided on the targets and concepts of the intervention. The clear idea of what gramma r is for the teacher and for students, as well as how this level of knowledge may be achieved due to their mutual effort, is vital for the whole course of evaluation and grammar intervention for ESL 1300 students. The present work is aimed at showing the ways to diagnose students’ grammar skills, and to offer a comprehensive intervention mechanism to raise the level of respondents from 1300 to 1900, which means proficiency in contextual thought reflection. However, no empirical intervention can be suggested without a sound set of students’ target abilities against which diagnosis and intervention decisions will be made. The decisions on target abilities of students have been elicited as a result of literature review dedicated to the estimate of the role of grammar in the overall ESL process. Target abilities of students When initiating the present project, I was personally interested in introducing the communicative approach to studying grammar. The reason for this cho ice is the prevalence of opinions on the need for the target language to fulfill the communicative goals of learners; therefore, the main target ability chosen was to enable Chinese students to voice their ideas in a manner understandable for the native speakers. The choice of other target abilities was preconditioned by the literature on which I relied in making up my theoretical framework of grammar and grammar teaching. I believe that the lexical approach to studying is highly efficient, since it offers a great set of possibilities for students to explore such complex grammar units as passive voice, conditionals, and reported speech. Some other key abilities of students I am aiming at are: complexity of gradience in English such as the distinction between ‘almost’ and ‘nearly’, the verbs ‘to appear’ and ‘to seem’ etc. The difference between the ‘s genitive and the of-construction is also a subject of concern. Finally, the choice of the communicative approach to studies in grammar is explained by the dominance of communicative functions of the target language (as it has already been mentioned), hence arguing that a language is a living organism and should be perceived as evolving in response to the needs of speakers, grammar rules included. I follow the research of Chalker (1994) to derive the concept of target abilities from the learner’s grammar, which means the measure of successful accomplishment of the speaker’s communicative goals. The syntactic significance for the proficiency in English grammar is also of high importance to me in my grammar teaching classes. Eliciting the collective image of target abilities from the present review, the ability to fulfill the communicative purposes of language has been taken as the major target ability. Construction of properly structured sentences (which means clear understanding of the English syntax) also appears of utmost importance as target ability, as it affects the native speakers’ understanding seriously as well. Passive voice, conditionals, and reported speech are taken as target abilities in accordance with the ideas of Leech (1994), and the subject-predicate agreement and usage of prepositions appear significant from the CAEL evaluation scale. These target abilities will be reviewed according to their presence in the respondents’ speech and writing for the sake of arriving at generalized conclusions about the nature of errors and their causes, as well as ways of improvement, in the end of the research. Diagnosis of grammar ability and problems Since there were two types of assignments with which students were entrusted, it is appropriate to define the mistakes and grammar abilities that students revealed during the four meetings and discussions, and then elaborate on the underlying causes that form the current abilities and challenges for them. For the sake of coherence of the result representation , the sub-topic of implicit and explicit knowledge reflected in the students’ responses is researched on the findings from speaking materials, and the motivation students have for studies (which is reflected in their knowledge as well) is outlined on the examples from written materials. Speaking Materials – Interrelation between Implicit and Explicit Knowledge The basis for studying the interaction between explicit and implicit knowledge is drawn from the study of Ellis (1994) who researched language acquisition as the combination of the formal target language code acquisition and the study of relevance to language pedagogy. The author argues that the process of L2 acquisition presupposes building linguistic, socio-linguistic, discourse, and strategic competences, while the competence implies abstract knowledge, and proficiency means the actual communicative acts (Ellis, 1994). Some other findings show that the implicit knowledge can be practiced only under the control led processing, while explicit knowledge can be used in both controlled and automatic processing conditions, and that the explicit knowledge presupposes understanding the multitude of rules and restrictions that can be applied to internal (implicit) statements to make them correct at the linguistic level (Ellis, 1994). Laura She just work for the same classroom. In ESL class, we do presentation, that’s not long. I was give my homework to my teacher. How long have you been to Canada? How’s you feel about your job? I like Ottawa it’s very close to Toronto and Montreal. Toronto maybe more Chinese. There had a lot activities. Most terrible is we don’t know we are wrong. The following statements enumerated above are just feasible an annoying in the way they are pronounced, as there are some mistakes in subject-predicate agreement, the usage of prepositions, the incorrect usage of passive voice etc. However, the overall sense of the mistakes is clear, and the message that Laura wants to bring to the researcher is quite obvious. A completely different tendency is observed in the way Laura expresses herself in a connected, long speech. The sentences and words she uses are not logical, and the sense is vague for the native speaker, as well as the highly proficient speaker of English: It’s too tired to go outside. (Laura means herself, but chooses the dummy subject that does not relate the listener to any object that may be tired to go outside; it makes no sense about the object and action) People become more and more†¦ just spend a lot of time at home. (the sense is lost about whether Laura meant that people become more domesticated and has not found the proper word to use, preferring an explanatory phrase, or she meant to say that people become more and more, which is nonsense from the point of view of syntax and semantics in English). When they ordering food, it’s very short. The supervisor will not let me easy. (the a ccuracy mistakes such as absence of the auxiliary verb ‘are’, and the unclear ending of both sentences does not make the idea clear and complicates understanding for native speakers). Ester Hey, you good? I find mistake in my sentence, but I don’t know how to correct it. Not read newspaper very often, only watch English movies. The city like really fashion. I think Hong Kong have everything, it’s multi-culture. Ester reveals some more caution in using English, so she has much fewer mistakes in her speech. Nonetheless, Ester does not talk English much, and as soon as she is agitated about the discussion (as it happened when she was telling about Hong Kong) she shifts to her mother-tongue for simplicity and comfort – this reflects the absence of explicit knowledge of English, though the implicit knowledge is revealed in many ways. Emittee Chinese universities study more serious. I likes chemistry I dislike the time of classes. My academic class is one†¦ The other time, I won’t be go to university. Just no feeling. I am confused about the structures of sentence. The professors talks too much. How is grammar important for speaking? I am quite enjoy life here. I like those experiment. As one can see, Emittee makes too many mistakes in speaking, and he does not control his speech most of the time. Even in the answers requiring about one sentence of information, and where other students made fewer mistakes, Emittee makes too many careless mistakes that reveal the absence of accuracy markers such as subject-predicate agreement, proper understanding of the sentence structure etc. However, these mistakes do not reveal too much of the semantic incongruence, that is cohesion, since one can still clearly understand what he means even despite the large number of minor mistakes. Implicit knowledge is much stronger for Emittee than for other students, though the explicit skills are still scarce. Roxas There will makes the peo ple confused. There is much more better than the sentences. Maybe I can not find out the errors when I doing evaluate. That’s different as the life before. We can speak us. They speak some topics. They have same commons. Activity is not comfortable here. I just don’t know to say maybe more. I am lack of confidence. Don’t know how to use English. Roxas reveals lack of explicit knowledge as well, and some of his ideas reveal lack of implicit knowledge as well. One can see that sentences 1 and 2 are mostly illogical, and a native speaker will never understand them without a more specific context. However, there are many words Roxas uses with confidence, which proves his effort in lexical studies and shows a good start for studies. Students’ Beliefs and Motivations Reflected in Their Grammar Learning There is much impact of the beliefs, motivations, and cultural background of all four respondents on the process of learning grammar. They are revealed well in the session of written tasks they have been entrusted with, and the ideas they voiced in response to three open-ended questions designed by the researcher. For example, the first question was to voice likes and dislikes in the English classes, to which two respondents answered that they liked much communication occurring in classes (Laura and Ester). At the same time, Emittee marked lack of communication and much vocabulary learning that he found boring and tiring; in addition, he disliked the amount of Chinese spoken in class instead of English. Roxas voiced his preference of small groups, which enabled him to study more freely. These issues voiced by students represent the continuation of Cortazzi’s (1997) argument about the approach to studies adopted in China. Students are highly purpose-directed, and they want to receive the communicative skills (at least two of them), but at the same time they find English too complicated for them in terms of learning words and writing – here the absence of motivation is clear. Three respondents want to remain in Canada and work there, so all of them see the fulfillment of communicative purposes of the language as the main purpose of studies (Givon, 1993). However, writing and vocabulary are the basis for coherent communication, and lexical approach suggested by Willis (1994) is an additional proof to that fact, which is neglected by students. The discussion of expectations respondents have about the communication with MA students sheds more light at the connection of grammar and motivation of students. Emittee stresses the need to pay more attention to grammar and communication, as he admits he has never before held a grammar book in his hands. This fact certifies the narrow focus of English studies in China and lack of broader communicative skills taught in Canada (Cortazzi, 1997). Hence, the connection between lexicon and grammar is an evident one for Emittee, and Laura as well, as one can see from her r esponse. Laura also puts a great emphasis on communication as it is what she needs to remain in Canada and work there; however, Laura feels a bit lost at the same time. She also seeks cooperation with MA students to find advice on how to adapt to the university, to the country, and to the new style of studies and life. Ester appears one of the most self-aware students knowing what she has to correct in her knowledge, and which way she can do that. Ester realizes that she makes many mistakes, but the worst for her is that she cannot detect them. Starting from this point, application of diagnostic assessment by the researcher to increase self-awareness of individual mistakes, and to show ways for individualized intervention in terms of language teaching, grammar in particular (Fox Hartwick, in press). Incentive to study grammar and writing are also evident in Roxas’ response, but this respondent is looking more for answers about his future than proficiency in language studies. While he is not decided on where he will go and what he will do after the completion of the course, Roxas tries to take the most of studies, but without a particular goal that can be discussed in the present paper. Speaking about the cultural, social, or linguistic experiences in Canada, the respondents, the topic of autonomy and loneliness is recurrent in responses of students – Laura points out that the main disadvantage in studying in the USA is loneliness and lack of friendliness, lack of conditions under which American and Chinese students would get acquainted closer – â€Å"not much opportunity to really know the native student†. Roxas also identified loneliness as the main challenge in living and studying in the USA – â€Å"no family members with me, no friends is here, no place to live†. These are the socio-cultural issues that prevent students from studying better and getting the most from their coming to the USA as they lack live communi cation and practice outside the classroom. However, some other points have also been mentioned by students – they included inclination to study English for the sake of survival (Roxas), and for the sake of being empowered by knowledge of the international language in which one can communicate all over the world (Ester). These respondents feel positive about their studies, while Emittee is the one noticing lack of individual studies; he recalls much homework and silent work in China, though he does not reflect on it as a good or bad practice. As for studies, Laura notes they are boring for her as no focus is made on students. The difference in Chinese and American focus on studies is evident here – while more tasks are given for individual studies, still the attention and individual care about students is much higher in China because of parents’ high demands (Cortazzi, 1997). This is the main reason why Chinese students feel left aside in the USA – the Ame rican system is based more on the intrinsic motivation of students, and not on the external drives Chinese students have. Students’ Speaking and Writing Errors Connected with Theory and Practice of Grammar Learning The observations made in the present research refer directly to the theory of grammar learning, which may be seen on the division of mistakes into accuracy (minor, irritating) mistakes, and more serious, semantic mistakes that influence the cohesion of speech. Thus, the wrong usage of subject-predicate agreement, prepositions, and auxiliary verbs is evident in the majority of cases: Roxas: it makes me always have to go to school (written task), I came to here; they are not speak very fast (oral assignment) Emitee: Before, I never use†¦; reported cooperation and to be independent (written task); I won’t be go; the professors talks too much (oral task) Laura: Grammar, Writing, Communicate; to adapt the university (written task); I was give homework to my teacher (oral task) Ester: Hey, you good? Not read newspaper very often (oral task); A normal Canadian students; where should I started to (written task). These are issues of accuracy noticeable in the speech and written works of students, though they are irritating, they do not impede the meaning of the sentence. These issues require intervention at the diagnostic assessment level, as the latter enables students to identify their strengths and weaknesses in grammar skills independently from the teacher. Pedagogical grammar outlined by Odlin (1994) is an additional tool for the teacher’s intervention – it enables the students to become independent analysts of their skills, and gives the teacher an opportunity not only to get the students acquainted with what grammar is, but to show them the way how to master it. The next portion of mistakes for revision in oral and written tasks is of the semantic nature – they impair understanding because of lack of cohesion. T he communicative approach to studies is likely to make a contribution to the intervention at the semantic level because it will expose students to more communication patterns and will enable them to distinguish appropriate and inappropriate phrases for the expression of certain ideas, emotions etc. Some examples of semantic errors include: Emittee: We do not†¦ and learn new words (it is evident that the respondent simply did not know the word with which to express the idea, and the listener may not understand what he meant); To speak more and attack more (attacking is not the best verb here, and one may not understand what the respondent means to do); We do not reach much group work (the verb ‘to conduct’, ‘to do’ would suit much better); My academic class is one (the idea is not clear, considering the fact that it is the whole sentence). Ester: I would like to know how to find my mistake and where should I started to (the ending is not clear due to th e use of tense and preposition); I wake sementic errors ( both spelling and verb mixing errors are evident); Something sad was my group-mate (the sentence structure and the idea are not logical); For the courses are OK (the beginning of the sentence presupposes another ending); It’s depressed that I need (the subject is not clear). The issue of implicit and explicit knowledge is obvious in these cases, and the interrelation between what students know and how they express these ideas is weird. The respondents need more practice in the authentic conditions, and more practice in communication that they lack. Some other ways to transform the implicit knowledge into explicit are outlined in the work of Ellis (1994) arguing that the explicit and implicit forms of knowledge can be developed in different ways, and can assist each other in realization. Thus, for example, one can edit the utterances produced with the help of implicit knowledge by means of applying the explicit knowledg e of rules and complementary distribution of terms, which is so far absent in the practice of respondents. Conclusion Coming to the logical conclusion in the present work, one has to state that grammar learning theory and practice reveal themselves from multiple angles in the practical ESL learners’ results. Both accuracy and cohesion issues are found in the speaking and writing materials of respondents; they derive from the cultural specificity of Chinese students (the ways education is approaches in Chinese establishments, focus on individual, silent studies, less cooperation and prevalence of the task-based approach (Cortazzi, 1997)). Since students are used to a different approach to studies, a more individualized and internalized one, they accept the shift to the communicative approach in studies very unwillingly, though it is the obvious solution to fixing their lack of accuracy and cohesion in language usage. Adopting the diagnostic approach to assessment is also likel y to be the starting point on the way to grammar improvement, as one of the key drawbacks of ESL respondents identified was the inability to detect their own mistakes. Surely, the present research contains some limitations that impair its generalizability, and put the credibility of conclusions under question. The main limitation is the number of respondents – only four students do not prove to be an effective sample, so much more research has to be done in the field to prove and support the initial results received. Subsequent studies are needed to identify the nature of diagnosis, classification of mistakes, and their underlying cultural, psychological, and socio-economic causes. References CAEL Assessment (2010). Web. Chalker, S. (1994). Pedagogical Grammar: Principles and Problems. In Bygate, M. (ed.) Grammar and the Language Teacher. London: Prentice Hall, pp. 31-44. Cortazzi, M. Jin, L.(1997). Cultures of learning: Language classrooms in China in Coleman, H.(Ed.), Soci ety and the language classroom, pp.169-206. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ellis, R. (1994). A Theory of Instructed Second Language Acquisition. in N. Ellis. (ed.), Implicit and Explicit Learning of Languages. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 79-114. Fox, J. Hartwick, P. (in press). Taking a diagnostic turn: Reinventing the portfolio in EAP classrooms. In Tsagari, D. Csepes, I. (Eds.), Classroom-based language assessment. Frankfurt: Peter Lang. Givon, T. (1993). English Grammar: A Function-Based Introduction. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Co. Leech, G. (1994). Students’ Grammar – Teachers’ Grammar – Learners’ Grammar. In Bygate, M., Tomkyn. A Williams, E. Grammar and the Language Teacher, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall International, pp. 17-30. Odlin, T. (1994). Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-22. Swain, M., Lapkin, S. (2007). The distributed nature of second language lea rning: Neil’s perspective. In S. Fotos H. Nassaji (Eds.). Form-focused instruction and teacher education. Studies in Honour of Rod Ellis (pp. 73-85).Oxford: Oxford University Press. Willis, D. (1994). A Lexical Approach. In Bygate, M., Tomkyn. A Williams, E. Grammar and the Language Teacher, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall International. This term paper on Students Language Skills Project was written and submitted by user Javon Rojas 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.

War Poetry Analysis Essay examples

War Poetry Analysis Essay examples War Poetry Analysis Essay examples It pertains to the subject at hand because it is captures post traumatic stress disorder so well. While at war, the soldier becomes overwhelmed to the extent that everything reminds him of the image of the warfront. The narrator of this poem looks at trees and he sees barbed wire. He hears thunder and he thinks of "pounding mortar." He writes, "she is burned behind my eyes." He creates the image of a burning girl which we see through his eyes and then he uses the word "burned" to describe the irreversible effect it had on his mind. Owen’s poem Anthem For Doomed Youth describes a typical scene from one of the many battles which occurred during the First World War. The â€Å"monstrous anger of the guns† and the â€Å"rifles’ rapid rattle† can quickly establish an image in which we can envisage a lot of death and destruction. This type of description was extremely typical of much of the literature created during this period. The creators wished that those at home would have a better image of the true conditions of the war. Just as Owen also gives descriptions of the events during the dangerous setting, we also see it is not a very pleasant place. In The Last Laugh Owen also uses the intense and blunt sound of the â€Å"bullets† chirping. Owen uses an onomatopoeic word to allow us to believe that the bullets flew gracefully through the air similarly to a bird soaring through the breeze. These all add together to fill our mind with an empty field filled with machine gun fire. Thoug h there is more to the war than just this, as we can see in Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est â€Å"we cursed through sludge† and Sassoon’s Suicide In The Trenches â€Å"In winter trenches, cowed and glum†. These poems show those â€Å"smug-faced crowds† that the conditions are much more hideous and horrifying than they could even begin to imagine. â€Å"While you are knitting socks to send your son†, taken from Glory of Women, presents an interesting dichotomy of a warm and cosy lifestyle in comparison with the desolation and destruction which is created on the front lines of the war. Sassoon uses the soft alliterative sound of â€Å"s† to show the gentle and almost luxurious atmosphere of those who remained at home. The comparisons between the home front and the war front are major themes covered in many of the texts created while the war was on, as we can also see from poet Everard Owen who describes in Three Hills, â€Å"a hill in Engl and, Green fields and a school I know† which is compared with â€Å"a hill in Flanders, Heaped with a thousand slain†. Almost all of the poets who used

Biography of Fe del Mundo, Noted Filipino Pediatrician

Biography of Fe del Mundo, Noted Filipino Pediatrician Fe Del Mundo (Nov. 27, 1911–Aug. 6, 2011) is credited with studies that led to the invention of an improved incubator and a device to treat jaundice.  Along with pioneering work in  pediatrics, she had an active medical practice  in the Philippines that spanned eight decades and founded a major childrens hospital in that country. Fast Facts: Fe Del Mundo Known For: Conducted studies that led to the invention of an improved incubator and a device to treat jaundice. She also founded a major childrens hospital in the Philippines and created the BRAT diet.Also Known As: Fe Villanueva del Mundo, Fà © Primitiva del Mundo y VillanuevaBorn: Nov. 27, 1911 in Manila, PhilippinesParents: Paz (nà ©e Villanueva) and Bernardo del MundoDied: Aug. 6, 2011  in Quezon City, PhilippinesEducation: UP College of Medicine (original campus of the  University of the Philippines)  in  Manila (1926–1933, medical degree),  Boston University School of Medicine (Master of Science in Bacteriology, 1940), Harvard Medical Schools Childrens Hospital (1939–1941, two-year research fellowship)Published Works: Textbook of Pediatrics and Child Health (1982), she also authored more than 100 articles, reviews, and reports published in  medical journalsAwards and Honors: National Scientist of the Philippines, Elizabeth Blackwell Award for Outstan ding Service to Mankind (1966), Ramon Magsaysay Award for Outstanding Public Service (1977), named Outstanding Pediatrician and Humanitarian by the International Pediatric Association (1977)Notable Quote: â€Å"I told the Americans who wanted me to stay that I prefer to go home and help the children. I know that with my training for five years at Harvard and different medical institutions in America, I can do much.† Early Years and Education Del Mundo was born in Manila on Nov. 27, 1911. She was the sixth of eight children.  Her father Bernardo served one term in the Philippine Assembly, representing the province of  Tayabas. Three of her eight siblings died in infancy,  while an older sister died from  appendicitis  at age 11.  It was the death of her older sister, who had made known her desire to become a doctor for the poor, that pushed the young Del Mundo toward the medical profession. At age 15, Del Mundo entered the University of the Philippines and earned a medical degree with highest honors in 1933. In 1940, she received a masters degree in bacteriology from the Boston University School of Medicine. Some sources say that Del Mundo was Harvard Medical Schools first female medical student. The university itself says that is inaccurate, as Harvard did not admit female medical students at the time and there are no records of Del Mundo attending or graduating. However, Del Mundo did complete a two-year research fellowship at Harvard Medical Schools Childrens Hospital in 1941. The Angel of Santo Tomas Del Mundo returned to the Philippines in 1941. She joined the  International Red Cross  and volunteered to care for children-internees at the  University of Santo Tomas  internment camp for foreign nationals.  She established a makeshift hospice within the internment camp and became known as The Angel of Santo Tomas. After the Japanese authorities shut down the hospice in 1943, Del Mundo was asked by Manilas mayor to head a childrens hospital under the auspices of the city government. The hospital was later converted into a full-care medical center to cope with the increasing casualties during the  Battle of Manila and would be renamed the North General Hospital. Del Mundo would remain the hospitals director until 1948. Del Mundo later became the director of the Department of Pediatrics at Far Eastern University and her breakthroughs in research surrounding infant care led to commonly  practiced  methods worldwide- including the BRAT diet, which cures diarrhea. Del Mundo Opens Hospital Frustrated by the bureaucratic constraints in working for a government hospital, Del Mundo wanted to establish her own pediatric hospital. She sold her home and got a loan to finance the construction of her own hospital. The Childrens Medical Center, a 100-bed hospital located in  Quezon City, was inaugurated in 1957 as the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. The hospital was expanded in 1966 through the establishment of an Institute of Maternal and Child Health, the first institution of its kind in  Asia. Later Years and Death Having sold her home to finance the medical center, del Mundo chose to reside on the second floor of the hospital itself. She retained her living quarters at the hospital, rising daily and continuing to make her daily rounds, even though she was wheelchair-bound in her later years. Del Mundo died at age 99 on Aug. 6, 2011,  in Quezon City, Philippines. Legacy Del Mundos accomplishments are still remembered years after her death. The hospital she founded is still open and now bears her name, the Fe Del Mundo Medical Center. In November 2018, Del Mundo was honored with a Google doodle. Under the doodle, which the search engine site displays occasionally on its home page to honor various notable individuals, Google added the caption: Del Mundos choice to specialize in pediatrics may have been shaped by the loss of 3 siblings, who died as infants during her childhood in Manila. Sources Betuel, Emma. â€Å"Fe Del Mundo, Fearless Female Doctor, Describes Her Life in Her Own Words.†Ã‚  Inverse.Chris Riotta New York chrisriotta. â€Å"Inside the Life of Fe Del Mundo, Harvard Medical Schools First Female Student.†Ã‚  The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 27 Nov. 2018.â€Å"Home.† Fe Del Mundo Medical Center | Hospital Quezon City, 19 Mar. 2019.â€Å"HWS: Fe Del Mundo.†Ã‚  Hobart and William Smith Collegesï » ¿Smith, Kiona N. â€Å"Tuesdays Google Doodle Honors Pediatrician Fe Del Mundo.†Ã‚  Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Nov. 2018.

Playing the Piano(process essay) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Playing the Piano(process ) - Essay Example Playing the piano isn’t really as hard as most people seem to think. If you can type, you can probably make music. The first step taken in approaching the idea of playing the piano is in the way you position yourself. This is a lot like the way that you sit when you drive a car. The bench should be placed far enough away from the piano so that your feet can rest flat on the floor with one foot comfortably ready to control the pedals on the floor. Your hands should be able to reach the keyboard with your arms bent at roughly right angles in order to give you greatest playing comfort. The keys to the piano are located under the keyguard which is generally moved out of the way by lifting up on the knobs until the wood clears the top of the keys and then pushing in so that the keyguard slides easily into the niche made specifically for this purpose. Finally, you are able to place your fingers on the keys and begin playing. Most people automatically place their hands at the middle C position when they are getting ready to play. Middle C can be found just where you’d expect, in the middle of the keyboard. If you’re sitting at the right place, it should be just in front of your belly button. Another way to find it is to look carefully at the keyboard and notice that the black keys alternate between sets of two and sets of three. These keys offer the sharp and flat notes that give the music its character. Beginning on the left-hand side of the keyboard, count to the fourth twin set of black keys. The middle C is the key just to the left of this set. The right hand is positioned so that the thumb is resting on this key and each of the other fingers of this hand are resting on each successive key to the right. These are the notes C, D, E, F and G. The left hand is usually placed so that the pinky finger is resting on

Gandhi and Wollstonecraft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gandhi and Wollstonecraft - Essay Example It firstly could be used to refer to a sovereign ruler’s external power and freedom. However, it is the second definition that applied more so to Gandhi’s perspectives, it a freedom of spirituality, freed from all illusions, and understanding of the great absolute truths. (Gandhi 17-18). The two concepts do have a relationship in Gandhi’s philosophy. He believed that it was not for people to behave violently against others, because only someone or something that had true understanding of all of the great truths has the right to judge another, which we do not. Swaraj could easily be referencing the afterlife and oneness with thought, knowledge, and inevitably God. Regardless of the motivations toward non-violent protest, many have attempted Gandhi-like protests with mixed results. Unfortunately, there may be advantages to non-violent protests, but the disadvantages are also rather extreme. Non-violence has been applied to many political and social struggles throughout history. Dr. Martin Luther King used many forms of non-violent protests to advance the importance of the Civil Rights Movement. One of the most famous and successful expression of non-violent protest was the Bus Boycott in the 1960s that, nearly plummeted the public transportation system (Mach 1). Of course, we cannot forget the actions of Rosa Parks, who peacefully but firmly refused to five up her seat. These non-violent actions contributed greatly to changing the world and ending the discrimination of segregation. In this case, that is what many people remember about his leadership. No matter how unkind, abusive, and ignorant people were his protest would remain non-violent. Another poignant example of non-violent protest is the â€Å"burning monk.† The Vietnam War is a controversial one; even today arguments concerning the actions taken during that time will garner great and heated debate. Protests were common in the

Eating Disorders and Reproduction Essay -- Pregnancy Health Papers

Eating Disorders and Reproduction Eating disorders have numerous emotional, psychological, and physical consequences; despite this, many affected individuals refuse to admit that they have a problem. One of the more serious problems associated with eating disorders that may convince a young woman to seek treatment, is the negative effect disordered eating can have on fertility, pregnancy, and child rearing in general. In multiple studies anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified, have been associated with infertility, low maternal weight gain, low birth weight in infants, increased neonatal morbidity, and problems in infant feeding (Stewart, 1992). Women who are afflicted with an eating disorder at conception tend to experience a worsening in their symptoms as well as other psychological problems. In order to avoid harming herself and her infant, women with eating disorders should seek psychological treatment before attempting to become pregnant. A literature review by Wade, Schneider, and Li (1996), used an array of female mammals to demonstrate the biological mechanisms behind the infertility of eating disordered women. In simple terms, when accessible energy is severely limited, animals preserve those activities necessary for survival (basic cellular functions, thermoregulation, etc.) and other less crucial functions, such as reproduction, are sacrificed for the time being. Fuel availability is thought to be detected by the caudal hindbrain and in the periphery; when a reduction in metabolic fuel is detected this information is relayed to the forebrain effector neurons that control GnRH secretion (a neurotransmitter used to regulate the ovulatory cycle) and reproductive behaviors. A r... ...feed their children: their recognition and management, Psychological Medicine, 28(1): 93-108. Spuy, Z., Steer, P., McCusker, M., Steele, S., & Jacobs, H., (1988). Outcome of pregnancy in underweight women after spontaneous and induced ovulation, British Medical Journal, 296: 962-965. Stewart, D., Robinson, E., Goldbloom, D., & Wright, C., (1990). Infertility and eating disorders, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 163(4): 1196-1199. Stewart, D., Raskin, J., Garfinkel, P., MacDonald, O., & Robinson, G., (1987). Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and pregnancy, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 157: 1194-1198. Stewart, D., (1992). Reproductive functions in eating disorders, Annals of Medicine, 24(4): 287-291. Wade, G., Schneider, J., & Li, H., (1996). Control of fertility by metabolic cues, American Journal of Physiology, 270(1): E1-19. Eating Disorders and Reproduction Essay -- Pregnancy Health Papers Eating Disorders and Reproduction Eating disorders have numerous emotional, psychological, and physical consequences; despite this, many affected individuals refuse to admit that they have a problem. One of the more serious problems associated with eating disorders that may convince a young woman to seek treatment, is the negative effect disordered eating can have on fertility, pregnancy, and child rearing in general. In multiple studies anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified, have been associated with infertility, low maternal weight gain, low birth weight in infants, increased neonatal morbidity, and problems in infant feeding (Stewart, 1992). Women who are afflicted with an eating disorder at conception tend to experience a worsening in their symptoms as well as other psychological problems. In order to avoid harming herself and her infant, women with eating disorders should seek psychological treatment before attempting to become pregnant. A literature review by Wade, Schneider, and Li (1996), used an array of female mammals to demonstrate the biological mechanisms behind the infertility of eating disordered women. In simple terms, when accessible energy is severely limited, animals preserve those activities necessary for survival (basic cellular functions, thermoregulation, etc.) and other less crucial functions, such as reproduction, are sacrificed for the time being. Fuel availability is thought to be detected by the caudal hindbrain and in the periphery; when a reduction in metabolic fuel is detected this information is relayed to the forebrain effector neurons that control GnRH secretion (a neurotransmitter used to regulate the ovulatory cycle) and reproductive behaviors. A r... ...feed their children: their recognition and management, Psychological Medicine, 28(1): 93-108. Spuy, Z., Steer, P., McCusker, M., Steele, S., & Jacobs, H., (1988). Outcome of pregnancy in underweight women after spontaneous and induced ovulation, British Medical Journal, 296: 962-965. Stewart, D., Robinson, E., Goldbloom, D., & Wright, C., (1990). Infertility and eating disorders, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 163(4): 1196-1199. Stewart, D., Raskin, J., Garfinkel, P., MacDonald, O., & Robinson, G., (1987). Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and pregnancy, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 157: 1194-1198. Stewart, D., (1992). Reproductive functions in eating disorders, Annals of Medicine, 24(4): 287-291. Wade, G., Schneider, J., & Li, H., (1996). Control of fertility by metabolic cues, American Journal of Physiology, 270(1): E1-19.

Universalism vs. Particularism

Universalism vs. Particularism is a concept forwarded by Fons Trompenaars, a Dutch author. Basically, this dimension asks if which is more important to you, rules or relationships. The Universalist, or rule-based, approach is roughly: â€Å"What is good and right can be defined and ALWAYS applies. † In particularistic cultures, far greater attention is given to the obligations of relationships and unique circumstances. Universalism vs. Particularism indicates how a society applies rules of morals and ethics. In a Universal society such as the U. S. , rules and contracts are developed which can apply in any situation. For example, take the case of trying to cross the street at the red light. In a very rule-based society like the U. S. , you will still be frowned at even if there is no traffic. It tends to imply equality in the sense that all persons, or citizens, falling under the rule should be treated the same. On the contrary, in Asian societies like Taiwan, where particularist judgments focus on the exceptional nature of circumstances, it is likely to be OK with one if it is his/her brothers or friends that violate the traffic rule. These people are not â€Å"citizens†, but their â€Å"friends† or â€Å"brothers†. This difference probably explains why there have been difficulties in implementing a judicial system that is credible in our country. Strong universalist cultures use the court to mediate conflicts. The more universal a country is the greater is the need to protect the truth. International operating businesses think more likely in an universalistic way. When universalistic business people agree to a contract relating to a high value deal there are always lawyers involved to assure that every detail is correctly mentioned and protected by a paragraph. In case one party would break a part of the committed deal it is possible to draw the consequences and sue the counterpart. In particularisticic cultures legal contracts don’t only keep their promises something is written down on paper. More than that they trust, rely and believe in the business relationship which was build up in the time before the contract was discussed. Chinese business people trust very much on relationships between the partners and strict regulations/formulations would probably offend/insult the partner because they would get the idea that they aren’t trustful and are cheater. The importance of relationships again solidity be carefully considered and taken into account especially from universalistic cultures when dealing with particularistic cultures. Chinese try to keep the contracts vague and not too tied. It might happen that Chinese business people will still try to negotiate afterwards even the contract was already signed/closed and agreed from all sites. In negotiations Chinese will spend a lot of time in building up a relationship with their business partners so the actual negotiation will be at the end of the meeting time. While Americans dealing with Chinese, Americans often try to close deals as fast as possible. But as a result of the Chinese way to make deals the Americans might commit more advantages than first thought just to rush forward and close a deal. This can be an advantage for particularistic cultures. Universalist cultures focus normally more on rules than on relationships. For instance American employees compete hard for better job positions and to climb up in the hierarchy and earn more money. They do this without caring for colleagues and the relationship with them. In comparison, particularistic cultures like China focus heavily on relationships. When working with/managing particularistic, universalists should build informal networks and create private understandings as well as they should try to look for fairness in doing business by treating and looking on cases each as a specific one. Particularistic cultures avoid rigid or standardized systems to manage across cultures. They rather prefer to leave some room for changes which might occur in the future process. Some stereotypes say that Germans are talented to build infrastructure and Americans are excellent to develop and invent new products/ideas. When markets became more individual and specific the USA came into trouble with their way of mass production and mass marketing. Especially in competition with particularistic countries likes France who is orientated on individual and customized products.