Visual Aids for Language Teaching Essay Example for Free

Visual Aids for Language Teaching Essay The use of visual aids is important if a teacher really wants to do a great job, have more attractive classes and get better results from their students. Those aids are: the television which is entertaining and a good way for teaching, the radio a powerful appliance for improving the listening area, computers as a useful tool to study, and the video bins that make classes different, softly and let students to play and review the knowledge acquired. The television is a good way for teaching, the use of it makes the class more entertaining and it has different choices that teachers have successful classes. Teachers can use the television to watch t. v programs when they need to teach vocabulary. Films are also a good option especially because you can use the subtitles, so the students will listen and read everything in the movie. Teachers also have the choice to watch news and soap operas with them, in this way they will bolster listening, vocabulary, idioms, and so on. Television offers many channels and things we as teachers have the opportunity to include in our classes making it different. Another significant item teacher use in class is the radio. This appliance is very powerful if you want to see your students learn faster and improve their listening area. Playing music during classes make students to have a better hearing condition for English. Most teachers use their cd’s or USB where they have listening activities and some songs in order to help students learn songs, vocabulary and also analyze lyrics. In addition, we can use the radio programs to work on listening converting it in a dynamic method for the lesson. This aid allows teachers take advantage from it so as to create a garish environment. Nowadays, technology is very important because it is part of our life; computers have become a useful tool for students as they are perfect for study wherever you want and at any time. Students can prepare documents like homework, extra class works, essays, and many others papers for their classes at the same time they step up their written skills. By using the computer they have the chance to use internet; here they can work on their listening, speaking and reading skills. The internet provides multiple web sites, in which they can study, do exercises, read books, practice the pronunciation, and watch online movies and series where learners must listen to understand. Documentaries are also part of internet but they can rent it as well and watch it on the computer; in this form they will learn about a specific topic and listen to new vocabulary. Moreover, they can prepare power point presentations for expositions to make them more striking and cool. This equipment has facilitated people life and it is part of our daily routine; so that’s why teenagers love it and use it as many time as they can without omitting how helpful it is for them when they need to study. Furthermore, we have the famous video bins, which are very useful in our classes. It is now a great aid that teachers like to use because it makes your class different and softly. In addition to that, video bin is a good option if you want your students to play and review knowledge. Professors can present diagrams to explain new subjects, ppt presentations, videos related with those topics, and also photos that help students memorize the new words. Additionally, in those ppt presentations you as a teacher may include some games for your class, for example: who wants to be millionaire, jeopardy, educational torch, trivia, sing the song (karaoke), etc. Video bins are the latest visual aid use in class by teachers for the purpose of increase the quality of the lessons, given them another way to show/ explain students what they need to learn according to their plan. The use of aids such as television, radio, computer and video bin transforms our classes in an amusement place where students raise their knowledge and teachers get better outcomes from them. These items help to teach, learn, study, play and review awareness in a different and successful manner. Students will find the lessons enjoyable, funny, easier, dynamic, more relaxing and meaningful. Teachers are going to see the excellent grades from the learners and the desires from students to learn everyday more and more.

The texts, Othello by William Shakespeare, Big World by Tim Winton Essay Example for Free

The texts, Othello by William Shakespeare, Big World by Tim Winton Essay The texts, Othello by William Shakespeare, Big World by Tim Winton and my visual appropriation, have enriched my understanding of the outsider through a variety of language and visual techniques. Through the portrayal of Othello and Roderigo in Othello, the author in Big World and the outsider in my visual appropriation, the authors have conveyed the notion that outsiders will forever and always be outsiders. No matter how hard the outsider tries to fit in or deny their otherness, at times seemingly part of the group, they will, in the end, still be considered an outsider. In Othello, Othello denies his otherness in order to conform to society however he is never truly accepted by society or himself. At the start of the play, Othello strongly disputes Brabantio’s claims of him using some sort of magic to seduce Desdemona, declaring he won her love like anyone else would. â€Å"Of my whole course of love: what drugs, what charms,/ What conjuration and what mighty magic –† the repetition of the word ‘what’ illustrates Othello’s intense dissent regarding him possessing any sort of other worldly attributes which would make him an outsider. However by the end of the play, even Othello himself, stated that he used magic. â€Å"there’s magic in the web of it† the use of metaphor when referring to the handkerchief, that Othello gave Desdemona as a token of their love, portrays Othello’s inability to even accept himself. Used with other words such as â€Å"charmer†, â€Å"fancies†, â€Å"perdition† and â€Å"sibyl† which have negative magical connotations, Othello himself reiterates his otherness which at the start he was denying. This shows that despite Othello trying to fit in to society, he is always considered an outsider by both society and himself. Similarly, Roderigo believes he has a close relationship with Iago but he is actually being manipulated and not accepted at all by Iago. Roderigo listens to Iago and gives him all his money in the hopes of being able to have Desdemona. The repetition of Roderigo’s questioning tone, â€Å"what will I do†, â€Å"what should I do? †, â€Å"what say you? † , portrays Roderigo’s trust in Iago and the idea that he is seemingly lost without Iago’s guidance. It gives the impression that Roderigo thinks he has a close connection with Iago through his confiding of his thoughts and request for advice. Towards the end of the play though, Roderigo appears out of nowhere, apparently awoken from his ‘trance’, and accuses Iago of using him for his money. â€Å"Very well, go to! I cannot go to, man, nor ‘tis not very well. † the angry tone of Roderigo shows he now knows that he has been manipulated and that his relationship with Iago was a false one. This emphasises the idea of Roderigo believing he was accepted by Iago when in actual fact, he was always the outsider. In Big World by Tim Winton, the author gives the feeling that he is part of society and accepted but he continually refers to the fact that he is an outsider. The author has a best friend named Biggie, who saves the author from bullying and thus how they became best friends. In â€Å"unlike him I’m not really from here. † and â€Å"†¦the city, I’m from there originally. † the tone conveys that the author is not from Biggie’s community and although having lived there for some time, he still considers himself as an outsider, as someone who doesn’t belong. Yet in â€Å"for once I’m not faking it. † The use of personal pronoun shows that the author finally feels accepted and that he is part of Biggie’s society for real while all the other times he was only pretending to fit in. Nonetheless, in the end the author is still deemed an outsider. â€Å"†¦Biggie†¦ will blow me off.. † the colloquial language illustrates that even though the author felt like he had finally fit in, it still resulted in Biggie leaving him because he is an outsider. This demonstrates that regardless of outsiders trying to fit in, and at times they do, in the end they are still viewed as different. My visual appropriation also captures the idea that an outsider will remain on the outside no matter how much they try to integrate with society. The use of colour symbolism shows the man’s desire to fit in with the group and feel acknowledged despite being different and an outsider. The vectors of the shutters convey the notion of inviting the man to join the group and give the impression of the group welcoming him. However the leafy gate, which separates the man in the foreground from the group in the background, creates an atmosphere of separation conveying the sense of the man still being an outsider. Furthermore the square, in which the group is seen, can be considered a window and when the appropriation is viewed as a whole, it looks like the group of people is enclosed in a room while the man is left on the outside where he can only observe. This gives the feeling that regardless of the closeness the man and group seem to be in, the man is still an outsider. As a result it shows that in spite of the man trying to fit in, to deny his otherness, he incessantly remains an outsider. Through the variety of literary and visual devices encountered in the texts, Othello, Big World and my visual appropriation, it has enriched my understanding of the outsider. The outsider will continually be perceived as the other even with them attempting to join the group or society. At times they may appear to fit in and feel accepted but ultimately the outsiders will be regarded as just that, outsiders.

The Role Of Interactional Modification In Efl

The Role Of Interactional Modification In Efl The interaction hypothesis claims that interactional modification promotes language development through increasing comprehension. Owing to the fact that online interactive exchange offers learners many opportunities to use the target language to negotiate both meaning and form in a social context , this study is an attempt to compare the types and frequency of Interactional Modifications as employed by two groups of intermediate EFL students-one interacting via online communication and the other through regular oral class interaction to explore the potentials of text-based online chat in facilitating the development of question forms in English as a foreign language. To do so, while a total of eighteen paired intermediate EFL students used a synchronous chat program (Yahoo Messenger) over a seven week period to complete a series of communicative tasks outside their classroom time, the members of the comparison group did the same tasks using plain classroom oral interaction. The resul ts show that Iranian EFL learners in computer mediated communication (CMC) environment had over five times as many turns, and used a much greater variety of interactional modifications in comparison to the group in class environment. Data from this study also suggest that interactional modifications during online negotiation facilitate the development of question forms in English as a foreign language. Given that the current study only focused on online interaction among non- native speakers (NNSs), future studies on online negotiation including both NNSs and native speakers (NSs) are still needed. Key terms: Computer-Mediated Communication, Interactional modifications, question forms development Introduction Interaction is the key to second language learning. However one of the greatest challenges faced by the foreign language (FL) education is how to construct an interactive learning environment outside the classroom in which learners can exchange information and communicate ideas in the target language (TL). This challenge as Campbell (2004) truly mentioned is due to the fact that unlike ESL learners who communicate in TL outside of the classroom, the EFL learners re-enter a world talking their mother tongue as soon as they leave the classroom and consequently they dont have any opportunities to interact in TL and are left with little opportunity to use what theyve learned in the classroom. Many a researcher in the area of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has suggested that text-based Synchronous Computer Mediated Communication (SCMC) is capable of providing an ideal learning environment which may be beneficial to second/foreign language learning. (Beauvois, 1992; Pellettieri, 1999; Chapelle, 2001). Pellettieri (2000) declared a logical relationship and argued that because oral interaction is considered by many to be important for second language development, and because Synchronous [CMC]. . . bears a striking resemblance to oral interaction, it seems logical to assume that language practice through [CMC] will reap some of the same benefits for second language development as practice through oral interaction.(p. ) While many studies investigated the role of oral negotiated interaction in second/foreign language development (Gass, 1997; Long, 1985; Mackay, 1995; Mackey Philp, 1998), the role of online negotiated interaction in facilitating language development has not yet been explored completely. Specifically, as far as the efficacy of SCMC medium in grammatical development is concerned, the previous findings are unsatisfactory and controversial. Moreover little research has yet been conducted into the effect of CMC in the EFL context. This study therefore, explores the role of interactional modifications during text-based SCMC in order to better understand the potential of text-based online chatting to facilitate the development of question formation in English as a foreign language. Literature review Interactional modifications in CMC environment In spite of the fact that a few studies has addressed the issue of interactional modifications in CMC environment (Lee, 2001, 2002; Kotter, 2003; Jepson 2005; Isharyanti, 2008), none of these studies have been conducted in naturalistic setting (e.g. outside of the classroom or language laboratory), thus ignoring the real potential of CMC technology which is beyond any temporal and spatial constraints. Although focusing on different categorization of interactional modifications, all of these studies have shown unanimously that CMC medium is capable of providing a conductive learning environment in which interactional modifications might be generated. Lee (2001, 2002) conducted two similar studies in which she explored the types of interactional modifications employed by Spanish Learners at intermediate level of proficiency. Considering both studies, a total of ten categories of interactional modifications were identified including Comprehension checks; Clarification checks; Confirmation checks; Use of English, Word invention; Request (for help); Use of approximation; Self corrections; Topic shift ,and Use of keyboard symbols as discourse makers. The result showed that request (for help) happened the most frequently followed by clarification checks self- correction and comprehension check (Lee, 2001, p. 238; Lee, 2002, p.280). Through a comparison of the result of her study with the literature on face-to-face communication Lee (2002) argued that the learners negotiated with each other using a variety of modification devices similar to face-to face communication (p. 280). Being one of the first studies in this area, the studies con ducted by Lee were subject to a number of limitations. For example the definitions used in coding categories are somewhat problematic (Thomas Reinders, 2010) since as Kotter (2003) stated there is substantial overlap between the definitions of clarification checks and requests (p. 157). Providing a more coherent classificatory system, the study by Kotter (2003) focused on eight types of interactional modifications including: Confirmation checks; Clarification request; Comprehension checks, Repetitions; Recasts, Overt indications of understanding; Overt indications of agreement; and Overt indications of non-agreement (p. 157). However, in contrast to Lees (2001, 2002) finding, Kotters (2003) study revealed a marked difference between conversational repair in spoken interactions and in the MOO-based exchange (p. 145). He discussed that these differences may due to a number of medium-specific factors (p.163). Jepson (2005) explored the types of repair moves used by NNSs in synchronous text-based chat in comparison to voice-based chat during 10, 5-minute sessions. (5 text-based chat sessions and 5 voice-based chat sessions). Although a number of new interactional modifications ( e.g. Self repetition/Paraphrase, Explicit Correction and Question)were identified, this study is also subject to a number of limitations. There was no information about the proficiency level of participants as this issue may affect the interaction and the interactional modifications generated during the process of negotiation. Furthermore, the duration of the sessions was limited (5 minutes). These two issues may question the external validity of the findings. In a more recent study, Isharyanti (in Marriott Torres, 2008) examined the types and frequency of interactional modifications employed by NNSs during synchronous text- based chat. Focusing on a more varied number of interactional modifications, Isharyantis study confirmed the potential of CMC environment in generating interactional modifications. The data showed that the participants engaged in online negotiation process and in order to understand and to be understood, they used a variety of interactional modifications among which confirmation check (24%) was the most frequent one followed by overt indication of agreement (21%) and clarification request (21%). Nevertheless, to examine the potential of CMC technology as a medium for negotiated interaction, the presence of a control a group (a typical class environment in which learners communicate face-to-face) would be helpful. L2 grammatical development and Text-based computer mediated communication The role of negotiated interaction in L2 development continues to be of great interest to researchers (see Pica, 1987; Gass and Varonis, 1989; Mackey, 1995). However, much of the research on the effect of negotiated interaction and interactional modifications used during negotiation process is based on data from face-to-face interaction in ESL context. Moreover, the few studies that have been conducted in CMC environment are unsatisfactory and controversial. There are three standà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.blue print Sotillo (2000) compared syntactic complexity of 25 learners output produced in synchronous versus asynchronous computer mediated communication (SCMC vs. ACMC). She claimed that because of the fast nature of interaction in SCMC, the participants did not pay any attention to form (accuracy) while negotiating meaning (97). In the meantime, due to the delayed nature of ACMC, this medium was capable of generating more syntactically complex structures. Nevertheless, as Fiori (2005) stated while Sotillo reported that grammatical accuracy may suffer in the SCMC environment, her data revealed that the synchronous groups interactions exhibited fewer errors than the asynchronous groups utterances (p. 569). Further investigation, therefore is needed to better understand the potential of SCMC environment in fostering the grammatical development. In the same vein of research, Lees studies (2001, 2002) admitted that although the participants did engage in negotiation of meaning, negotiation of form rarely happened among them. She argued that due to the rapidity of the interaction occurred in SCMC, participants produced brief utterances using simple sentence structures and ignored linguistic errors (Lee, 2001, p. 239). Thus she concluded that interaction mediated via SCMC technology fostered fluency rather than accuracy. Emphasizing on further studies on the effectiveness of CMC medium for the development of learners interlanguage, Lee (2001) suggested that students need to be advised of the need to write correctly to maintain a balance between function, content, and accuracy (p. 242). Blake (2000) examined the online discourse of 50 Spanish learners at intermediate level of proficiency in term of task type. By considering the potential of CMC environment for eliciting negotiation of meaning, Blake (2000) concluded that carefully crafted tasks stimulate L2 learners to negotiate meaning which. . . . appear to constitute ideal conditions for SLA, with the CMC medium being no exception (p. 133). However, his stand on the effectiveness of CMC medium for grammatical development is uncertain. According to Blake (2000) the predominance of incidental lexical negotiations, in contrast to the paucity of syntactic negotiations, leaves unanswered or unsatisfactorily addressed the issue of grammatical development (p. 120). Therefore, further research is to be conducted in order to declare this issue with certainty. On the contrary, Pellettieri (2000) claimed that bearing a striking resemblance to oral interaction, network based communication (NBC) is capable of facilitating grammatical development. She examined online discourse produced by 20 NNSs during 5 30-minute sessions. As far as the potential of CMC medium in stimulating negotiation of meaning is concerned, the results of her study echoed the findings reported in literature. She observed that, engaging in online negotiation process is as facilitative as it is typical to oral interaction. She also found that the learners seek mutual understanding and try to convey their meaning by using some communicative strategies. Adopting an interactionist perspective, she argued that Because through negotiation, interlocutors can zero in on the exact source of communicative problem they are trying to resolve, and because often at the root of the problem is some aspect of the L2 form, be it lexical, syntactic, or semantic, L2 learners are even more likely to notice the problem and attend to these very aspects of form in their output while negotiating meaning. (p.61) As Pellettieri reasoned, engaging in the process of negotiation of meaning, the interlocutors attention will be drawn on linguistic form and consequently they are able to notice the gap between their interlanguage and the target form. This process focus on form has been claimed necessary for grammatical development (Gass and Varonis, 1994; Schmidt, 1990; Spada Lightbown, 1993 as cited in Pellettieri, 2000). Finally Salaberry (2000) compared the efficacy of two environments: CMC environment versus face-to-face environment in fostering L2 morphosyntactic development. He analyzed the discourse produced by four NNSs qualitatively. The findings revealed that with respect to the use of past-tense verbal morphology across tasks, some initial changes in the development of morphological endings were more evident in the CMC session than in oral session (p. 17). According to Salaberry (2000), the outperforming of CMC environment over face-to-face environment in facilitating morphological development may due to medium-specific characteristic that is CMC provides a learning environment in which the learners attention will be drawn on both form and function (p. 19). Differences in the mixed findings regarding the effect of SCMC medium on the grammatical development may be due to the difference in target items used to measure development. In Sotillos (2000) study, the target feature was Syntactic complexity which was defined by Sotillos (2000) as the ability to produce writing that uses subordination and embedded subordinate clauses (p. 99). Lees (2001, 2002) measure of development was sentence structure (simple sentences versus complex ones) ,while Salaberry (2000) used past tense verbal endings as the target grammatical feature. However, as far as the researchers are aware, there is not a single study to address the effect of CMC environment on the development of grammatical development with regard question forms in English as a foreign language. Therefore, in the light of ongoing discussion as to the role of CMC in foreign language development, the present study was designed to answer the following research questions: Do Iranian EFL learners engage in meaning negotiation process through SCMC? What types and frequency of interactional modifications do Iranian learners employ in CMC environment versus of those in class environment? Is there a the relationship between group membership (Experimental group: CMC environment Vs. Control group: Class environment) and the production and development of question forms in English as a foreign language? Method Following the mixed methods approach, this study adopted both a qualitative perspective to provide an in-depth explanation of the types of interactional modifications and a quantitative view point via a pretest-posttest, delayed posttest design to explore the existing relationships. Participants A total of 36 EFL learners from a Language school in Rasht, Iran participated in the present study. Their Participation in the study was voluntary and involved a commitment of 50 to 60 minutes performing some communicative tasks with their assigned partners for one session per week for 7 weeks outside of the classroom. This study was held during study periods at the language school. All participants were native speakers of Persian who were receiving two 90-minute classes of English instruction weekly. There were 30 female and 6 male students. The age of participants ranged from 14 to 32 years, with an average of 17. To meet local ethics requirements, the participants and their parents consent to contribute to this project was secured through two forms a Contract Form with an explanatory statement according to which the researchers guaranteed that participants would receive some rewards (some English books on DVD) if they accomplished the expected tasks and Parental Consent Form, in P ersian, given to all participants and their parents to be signed. Instrument Yahoo! Messenger Chat Software The software used in this study was the Yahoo! Messenger, a free program available for public use. It allows for real time, synchronous Computer Mediated Communication in Internet chat rooms. Using the text mode, the participants could record all of the written transactions entered in a chat window, which provided the researchers with an instantaneous transcript of all user exchanges. Communication Tasks The tasks used in this study were selected and developed to (a) provide opportunities for the interactional modifications to take place and (b) provide context for the targeted structures to occur. Following Pica, Kanagy Faloduns typology (1993), information gap tasks were used in this study in order to make the participants exchange information and endeavor to gain a single outcome. The selection of the communicative tasks utilized for both treatment and tests-was motivated by previous studies such as Pellettieri, (1999), Blake, (2000) and Cheon (2003). Each task was photocopied and distributed to every participant. Table 1. presents a detailed description of each task. Table 1. Task materials used for test and treatment Task Task instruction given to participants Pretest Missing information Work with your partner. Ask and answer questions to find the missing information. Treatment Complete the drawing Below is a drawing of Richards room. He hasnt had time to put all his things where he wants them. Your partner has a complete drawing of his room. Ask him/her questions where to put all the things. Complete the drawing Below is a drawing of a kitchen. Your partner has the same drawing but with a number of objects. (E.g. glasses, pots, etc.). Ask him/her questions where to put all the things. Spot the differences You both have two similar photographs but taken at a slightly different time. Work with your partner to find as many differences between the two photos as you can. Spot the differences Work with your partner. You both have a drawing of a busy yard where you can see people doing different things. Your drawings are NOT the same. There are 9 differences. Ask and answer questions to find the differences. Posttest Missing information Work with your partner. Ask and answer questions to find the missing information. Delayed Posttest Missing information Work with your partner. Ask and answer questions to find the missing information. Procedures First, the researchers explained the project to the students and expressed the hope that the students would choose to participate. All participation was voluntary, however to encourage the students to take part in the study, the instructor guaranteed that participants would receive a DVD-pack including some English books as a reward. To meet local ethics requirements, through a Contract Form with an explanatory statement and a Parental Consent Form in Persian, the students were asked if they would like to participate in this research project. Afterwards, Participants in experimental group (n=18) were divided by self-selecting into nine pairs and were asked to chat online to do a series of communicative tasks for one session per week for 7 weeks outside of the classroom. The students completed 7 tasks in total over the duration of the study. There were no time limits imposed on tasks. And the students were told that they should send copies of their chat transcripts to the researchers e-mail address for further data analysis. The participants in control group (n=18), solved the same tasks face-to-face in the classroom within the limited time imposed by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Data collection and analysis The data were collected from students weekly online chatting together with the scripts from face-to face conversation. In order to investigate whether Iranian learners engage in meaning negotiation through SCMC technology, the data collected from the written discourse were analyzed based on the typical scheme established by Varonis and Gass (1985). In accordance with Blakes (2000) study, the number of total turns and negotiations was calculated. Accordingly, negotiation routines were identified by means of their four components: trigger, indicator, response and reaction. The example below drawn from this study illustrates the model during lexical negotiation. Student A: Its on the drawer, near the edge of it. [Trigger] Student B: what do you mean by edge? [Indicator] Student A: side or lip. [Response] Student B: ok. Thanks. [Reaction] A ratio of negotiated turns to total turns was calculated in order to make the data comparable with previous studies. Additionally, to identify the type and frequency of interactional modifications, the data were coded based on the thirteen different interactional modifications using the criteria provided in Table 2. Using a selection of interactional modifications from a number of studies on internet chatting (Lee, 2001, 2002; Kotter, 2003; Jepson, 2005), the categorization of interactional modifications in Isharyanti, (n.d.) in Marriott Torres (2008) motivated the categorization system in this study. There were a number of modifications. Three items namely Explicit correction, use of Persian, and question were added to the aforementioned category. In order to establish inter-coder agreement, a trained independent coder recoded a randomly-selected 25% of the data. A Pearson product-moment correlation revealed an inter-rater correlation of .85 (P Table 2. Categories, definition and example of interactional modifications Code Type of IM Definition Example 1 CC Confirmation check A speakers attempt to confirm that he has understood an utterance via the (partial) paraphrase (as opposed to repetition, see below) of this turn, which can simply be answered with Yes or No. Did you mean? 2 CR Clarification request An explicit demand for an elaboration or a reformulation of an idea, which requires a rerun of the troublesome utterance in question. What do you mean by X? 3 C Comprehension check A speakers attempt to prompt another speaker to acknowledge that he has understood a particular utterance. Do you Understand? 4 SR/P Self Repetition The repetition, in isolation, of part of or an entire erroneous or otherwise problematic utterance. Where is the lamp?(*2) 5 SC Self-correction To correct errors made on lexical items or grammatical structure. This has been bee, I mean been. 6 R Recast A form-focused partner-related target-like reformulation of all or part of an incorrect utterance. A: I live Iran. B: Do you really live in Iran? 7 EC Explicit correction You should say X. 8 InU Overt indication of understanding An overt indication that a speaker has understood a particular message. Ok, I got it thanks. 9 InA Over indication of agreement An overt indication that a speaker agrees with what his partner said. Yes, I agree, youre right. 10 InNA Overt indication of non-agreement An overt indication that a speaker does not agree with what his partner said. No, I think choice B is better for him. 11 P Use of Persian To use Persian to substitute words or ideas in English. second tabagheh 12 KS Use of keyboard symbols as discourse markers To signal for uncertainty or to confirm an idea or agreement. à ¢Ã‹Å" º 13 Q Question Interlocutor asks a question in order to prompt the speaker to make a question Can you try that again? Note: Adopted from the categorization of Interactional Modifications described in Isharyanti (in Marriott Torres, 2008). There were a number of modifications to this classification as mentioned before. To answer the third research question-to examine whether there is a relationship between group membership (CMC environment Vs. Classroom environment) and development in question formationall the question forms produced by the participants during online negotiation and face-to-face interactions were collected for detailed study. Question development in this study is understood from two perspectives: (1) accuracy perspective and (2) developmental stage perspective. In analyzing accuracy, because participants took considerably greater time in online chat, and thus their language output in these two modes could have been different, the researchers converted the number of well-formed questions into standardized scores by computing the ratio of each participants number of well-formed questions to the total number of questions he or she produced. These accuracy-based scores were examined for further investigation. In addition to accuracy, the analysis concentrated on developmental stages. All the questions, produced by the participants, were coded in terms of the developmental stage it represented based on categorization of the developmental stages established by Pienemann et al. (1987), shown in Table 3. Accordingly, each students questions were studied individually and assigned to the appropriate stage category in each task. Stage assignment was based on the highest stage from which a participant produced two linguistically unique questions. Question development was operationalized as a stage increase on either posttest or delayed posttest. It was then possible to examine whether the learners had improved over time. Table 3. Examples of Question Forms and Developmental Stages Stage Description of stage Examples 2 SVO? Canonical word order with question intonation. Its a monster? Your car is black? You have a cat? I draw a house here? 3 Fronting: Wh/Do/Q-word Direct questions with main verbs and some form of fronting. Where the cats are? What the cat doing in your picture? Do you have an animal? Does in this picture there is a cat? 4 Pseudo Inversion: Y/N, Cop. In Y/N questions an auxiliary or modal is in sentence initial position. In Wh-questions the copula and the subject change positions. (Y/N) Have you got a dog? (Y/N) Have you drawn the cat? (Cop) Where is the cat in your picture? 5 Do/Aux 2nd Q-word->Aux/modal ->subj (main verb, etc.) Auxiliary verbs and modals are placed in second position to Wh-Qs ( Q-words) and before subject (Applies only in main clauses/direct Qs). Why (Q) have (Aux) you (sub) left home? What do you have? Where does your cat sit? What have you got in your picture? 6 Cancel Inv, Neg Q, Tag Qu Cancel Inv: Wh-Q inversions are not present in relative clauses. Neg Q: A negated form of Do/Aux is placed before the subject. Tag Q: An Aux verb and pronoun are attached to end of main clause. Can Inv) Can you see what the time is? (Can Inv) Can you tell me where the cat is? (Neg Q) Doesnt your cat look black? (Neg Q) Havent you seen a dog? (Tag Q) Its on the wall, isnt it? Note. This table is based on Pienemann and Johnston (1987) and Pienemann, Johnston, and Brindley (1988) as cited in Mackey and Philp (1998). Results and discussion The first research question addresses the engagement of Iranian learners in meaning negotiation through SCMC. As the participants took considerably greater time in online chat, and thus their language output in these two environments was expected to be different, it was necessary to provide an overview of the number of total turns for each environment. Table 4 shows the raw number of turns, negotiations, and relative number of negotiations to total turns for both CMC and Class environments. As shown in Table 4, online environment produced about six times more turns than the class environment (4445 vs. 778). Similarly CMC environment generated more negotiations than the class environment. The relative amount of negotiation in CMC environment (2.15 %) reveals that the learners engaged in negotiated interaction in CMC environment in comparison to class environment (.38 %), although negotiations encompassed a small part of total turns in both environment. This result echoed the findings in Blakes study (2000) that is the total number of negotiations comprises only a small fraction of the overall conversational turns, ranging from .3% to 3.8 % (p. 127). Interestingly, the participants in CMC environment engaged more in negotiation process than class environment. This may due to the absence of paralinguistic and nonverbal information together with sufficient practice time which provide the participants with a learning environment to negotiate meaning. Table 4. Total number of turns and negotiated turns in CMC environment and class environment Negotiations Total turns Negotiations/ Total turns CMC environment 96 4445 2.15 % Class environment 3 778 .38 % The second research question aimed to determine the type and frequency of interactional modifications in CMC environment versus Class environment. With regard to the efficacy of CMC technology in generating interactional modifications, the result of this study supported the findings in literature and admitted the potential of CMC medium in providing a conductive learning environment for Interactional modifications to occur. Synchronous online interaction did provide NNSs many opportunities to negotiate meaning using a variety of interactional modifications. According to Figure1 which presents the percentage of each IMs in both CMC and class environment, the participants engaged in online negotiation employed a much greater variety of interactional modifications in comparison with the face-to-face interaction. In CMC environment 12 types of interactional modifications occurred among which clarification request (25%), Confirmation check (15%), overt indication of understanding (14%), U se of keyboard symbols (12%) and Self Repetition/paraphrase (11%) were the most used interactional modifications for negotiation. However just 3 types of interactional modifications occurred in class environment. Clarification request (78%) occurred most frequently, followed by C

Graduation Speech: Perseverance and Determination :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

As a hurdler for County High, I stumble upon some pretty tough obstacles each time I race; the same is true in life. Everyone encounters obstacles, but in order to overcome them and succeed, one must never give up. I love to run hurdles, but unfortunately last year, little pulls and strains prevented me from running to my full potential. One Thursday, we had a home track meet against Lake Stevens. For the first time I was in pretty good shape for my race, the 100-meter hurdles. I began jumping up and down partially to stay warm, and partially to let out some of my excitement. By this time, I had butterflies in my stomach and the adrenaline was pumping. The starter asked us to 'Take your sweats off and stand behind your blocks.' 'Runners take your marks.' Hands shaking, I crouched into the starting blocks. The gun was up. 'Set!' 'Bang!' I bolted out of the blocks. I was way ahead of the other girls when suddenly, I realized I didn't have enough speed to carry me over the next hurdle. Gathering all of the strength I could, I grabbed at the air in hopes of guaranteeing clearance. I had just brushed over the wood when my foot hit the ground and my ankle gave out. I fell. I heard a gasp from the cro wd and the other racers' feet pounding past me. I got back up. I had never gone over a hurdle with my right leg first, but I did after that fall. Sprinting as fast as I could in between hurdles, I found myself basically bunny hopping over the rest of them. My goal was to cross that finish line and to be able to say that I did the very best that I could, even if I didn't look very graceful along the way. Although it might have seemed like a bad day, I was proud. It was the first time I had ever fallen in a race, and not only did I get back up and keep running, I managed to place second. Sometimes you encounter hurdles in life - sometimes you have to adapt and alter your normal routine to clear them. Then there are times you fall; the people surrounding you may gasp - they had been rooting for you. But they haven't given up on you-it's now more than ever that they want you to succeed - it's human nature to want the underdog to come from behind.

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Minority entrepreneurs have many barriers they have to overcome in order to be successful. Some typical problems they face are limited access to capital, lower equity investments, and less exposure to entrepreneurship. Minority entrepreneurs are twice as likely to be turned down for traditional lending, which can discourage them from even applying for a loan. Not only that but they are less likely to be considered by traditional or angel investors. They also generally live in run down areas, with poor schooling and less access to successful people. One entrepreneur who has hurdled over all the barriers and became extremely successful is Russell Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records. Biography of Russell Simmons Russell Simmons was born in Queens, New York, on October 4, 1957. Growing up in Queens, he spent part of his adolescent years as a street hustler. During his middle school years, he sold marijuana and was even a member of a local gang. He was arrested twice on other charges and was given probation. At eighteen he began taking college classes in the New York area and started working at an Oranje Julius, but financed his clubbing lifestyle by selling fake cocaine. One night in 1977 while at a club he saw the clubbers going crazy over a song from Eddie Cheeba, an early rapper and DJ, he decided that it was the sound of the future. Simmons quit selling fake drugs and left college to begin promoting concerts and forming his own management company for artists. He called his company Rush Management. He managed Kurtis Blow, and Run-D.M.C.. In 1884 he partnered with Rick Ruban and founded Def Jam Recordings and starting the cultural revolution known as hip-hop. Businesses & Industries  ¬Ã‚ ¬Russell Simmons has his fingers in a ... ...nced everything from music to finance and philanthropy. He has been the architect in creating the trends in current pop culture. A majority of Simmons’ endeavors would fall into the venture opportunity school of thought, and he took an integrative approach. My Thoughts Simmons built an entertainment empire, with hip-hop at the foundation. By fighting for hip-hop, even when everyone said it was a fad Simmons taught me that, even if everyone doubts something, all it will take is one person to believe and to fight for what they believe in. I also learned that if one person starts to work towards a goal, it would pave the way for others to follow. Simmons often said that â€Å"Black culture or urban culture is for all people who buy into it and not just for black people. Whether it’s film or TV or records or advertisement or clothing, I don’t accept the box they put me in.†

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This portion of the proposal takes a view of the background information of the study, statement of the research problem and the study purpose. These three elements are discussed in the details to follow. Background of the Study According to public information that was compiled by The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the issue of gender in the work place has recently become a matter of concern. The global gender ratio of the work place is 53% male workers to 17% female workers. More so, the percentage of women represented in this labor force bracket is mainly concentrated in industry as casual workers. In other areas of employment such as the health care sector, trade and entertainment, statistics show that women have better opportunities to showcase their abilities to contribute to the development of the economy. However, it is a clear that the overall unemployment rate among women is much lower than that of men. Gender in the work place is such an important area that relevant policies must be put in place to address these issues, if globally, we are to achieve a social balance of income distribution between males and females. Women have been a victim of common stereotypes that discourage them from occupying jobs compared to their male counterparts. This research paper therefore aims at examining the critical issues that contribute to these common trends of gender occupation in different sectors in the economy. The main focus would be looking at the response into which firms have created an environment that would allow for gender equality in the first place. This research also aims at establishing the correlation equal rights between men and women in the work place. It also aims at assessing the crite... ...kforce elites. Therefore results could vary in high level elites and lower level workforce. This research centers on the idea of judging the perceptive reality of gender in the workplace. The four categories with different workplace backgrounds - education, health & medicine, administrative services and media - were selected randomly. The data was collected to compute the Karl Pearson Coefficient of Correlation between variables viz. legal, institutional, career and sociological. The designed questionnaire comprised of five sections pertaining to different nuances of gender. The first section had questions of general awareness about gender discrimination at workplace; Section 2 had specific questions from the legal arena; Section 3 from the institutional regulations; Section 4 from the sociological mores; and Section 5 from development careers in such discipline. Essay examples -- This portion of the proposal takes a view of the background information of the study, statement of the research problem and the study purpose. These three elements are discussed in the details to follow. Background of the Study According to public information that was compiled by The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the issue of gender in the work place has recently become a matter of concern. The global gender ratio of the work place is 53% male workers to 17% female workers. More so, the percentage of women represented in this labor force bracket is mainly concentrated in industry as casual workers. In other areas of employment such as the health care sector, trade and entertainment, statistics show that women have better opportunities to showcase their abilities to contribute to the development of the economy. However, it is a clear that the overall unemployment rate among women is much lower than that of men. Gender in the work place is such an important area that relevant policies must be put in place to address these issues, if globally, we are to achieve a social balance of income distribution between males and females. Women have been a victim of common stereotypes that discourage them from occupying jobs compared to their male counterparts. This research paper therefore aims at examining the critical issues that contribute to these common trends of gender occupation in different sectors in the economy. The main focus would be looking at the response into which firms have created an environment that would allow for gender equality in the first place. This research also aims at establishing the correlation equal rights between men and women in the work place. It also aims at assessing the crite... ...kforce elites. Therefore results could vary in high level elites and lower level workforce. This research centers on the idea of judging the perceptive reality of gender in the workplace. The four categories with different workplace backgrounds - education, health & medicine, administrative services and media - were selected randomly. The data was collected to compute the Karl Pearson Coefficient of Correlation between variables viz. legal, institutional, career and sociological. The designed questionnaire comprised of five sections pertaining to different nuances of gender. The first section had questions of general awareness about gender discrimination at workplace; Section 2 had specific questions from the legal arena; Section 3 from the institutional regulations; Section 4 from the sociological mores; and Section 5 from development careers in such discipline.

Analysis of “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin Essay

The short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† was written by Kate Chopin and first appeared in 1984. It tells about the ‘one hour’ brief story of the main protagonist, Louise Mallard, and her reaction upon hearing the news of her husband’s death by a car accident. And because she had a heart problem, her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richards decided to break to her the news as gently as possible. Not long after the supposedly bad news was revealed, Brently, Louise’s husband, suddenly comes home alive disproving the former, causing death to her by heart attack. Majority of the story’s progression revolve around Louise’s reaction upon hearing the news about her husband’s death (Brian, 2001). The scenes where Louise isolate herself in her room and savor her new-found freedom add up to the hanging idea of the real reason behind her death. It seems that the author actually give two possible emotional state to answer the underlying question of Louise’s joyful death: one is that she has become too overwhelmed to see her husband alive in contrary to the news about his involvement in a recent car accident and the other one is that she is saddened by the realization of the freedom that she thought she will have after hearing her husband’s loss is completely taken away from her again. Contrasting Representations Suprisingly, the short-story is written in complete contrasts of the main theme. First of these contrasting representations within the story is Louise’s reaction upon hearing the news. The news about her husband’s death should bring her agony and tears but instead; she sits calmly â€Å"facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. † Here we see a strange approach to the situation with the word â€Å"comfortable† being used to modify the chair near the window. Louise, a new widow herself, must not see the chair as â€Å"comfortable† as it seems just right after hearing the unbearable news of her husband’s death. Added to this, the scene outside the window also symbolizes something in contrast to the story’s progression. The spring day from the view outside her window shows a contrasting image to the situation she has. The spring is a symbol of â€Å"rebirth† or â€Å"new life† thus the spring prognosticates Louise’s new life after Brently’s death. Another interesting symbol in the story is the description of the view laid upon Louise’s eyes as she sits near the window: â€Å"The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves† (Brian, 2001). For the readers, the description made by Louise about the view she was seeing clouds what her true emotions were at that moment. It seemed that as she isolated herself in a room, she completely disregarded the news of her husband’s death. These representations had become tricky in contrasting the main theme the story supposes to have or tell. Kate Chopin’s idea of a Joyful Death: Appearance versus Conflict What the readers may discover in reading this story is the possibility that there is an ironic truth behind the death of the main protagonist’s beloved. In the main setting of the story where Louis sits in a comfortable chair, she mouth over the words we never expect to read or hear from her. She seems to be happy rather than being sad about Brently’s loss with what the story emphasizes on her shouting â€Å"free, free, free! † The freedom she pertains here signifies of her having the will to live a life all by herself, after her husband is gone. As she plays a youthful characteristic of a woman, it is a well played proof that she was indeed after the freedom, of doing what she want to do and make decisions for herself. With this fact, the story seems to have a conflict of its own: conflict between the ideas of appearance and reality. From the moment that the story emphasizes about Louise having her â€Å"freedom† at last, it could suggest the notion to the reader(s) that she is not saddened by the news. Unlike what she had shown in the central point of the story, Louise somehow is expected to grieve by the people around her, all having the idea that her marriage with Brently was a happy one. This is what her sister Josephine completely understood with her reaction as she misinterprets Louise’s behavior and thinking. She hysterically calls out her sister in the room, believing that Louise is heart-broken but in reality, Louise is more lightened up by the news. The doctors’ judgment about Louise’s death also deals with this conflict. For them, it seemed that Louise died after realizing that her husband is alive. This appearance of Louise’s happiness is more illustrated when they predicted that due to heart attack â€Å"of joy that kills† (Brians, 2001). Never did they think of the reality that she died because of another reason. That she dies because she was heart-broken to recognize the truth that she will not be able to gain her freedom as what she expected earlier. Role of Woman versus Man Another conflict in the story accentuates the role of woman versus man in the society. It is illustrated in the story that Louise is a submissive wife to Brently. But there is an internal struggle within her that tells that she was not happily married at all. As what Louise thinks, â€Å"What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being† justifies more to the idea that she, indeed, had loved Brently but more were the times she feel not. Maybe for Brently, Louise appeared to be happy with their relationship or he thinks and assumes that she is. Apparently, Louise wanted more the freedom she had felt for in that short while. After finding out the truth that she was not yet totally free, she had thought that only by death that she would took possession of it at last. There in death she would find peace and liberty. Ironically, Louise took the realization that her husband was alive and chose to die in able to attain the freedom she longed for. Character Analysis Chopin made her characters compliment along with the theme of the story. The main character, Louise plays a youthful wife who tends to have her freedom despite her marriage with Brently. Her youth marked up the end of her life and this irony of life, of choosing liberty by death, seemed to be one of the uncertain situations in the matter of choosing life over death. Brently, although his character is not discussed further on in the story, seemed to be playing a role of a husband who wants her wife under his control. Louise would never want liberation if he was a good man to her. His characteristic gives a deeper impact in the story, making Louise choose to die with freedom rather than living with him in a life full of despair. Josephine, Louise’s sister, was recognized here as a doting sister who takes care of her and all the matters that has a connection with her. Josephine, together with Richards, had taken care of gently telling to her the â€Å"death† of her husband Brently. She half-concealed the truth, in order for Louise to accept it without suffering her heart problem. Richards, Louise’s friend, is the one who brought the news to the house, he is responsible for assuring Brently’s death. As he rushes to tell the news to his friend, there is a suggestive truth that he was worried about what his friend’s reaction would be after hearing the news. If he had not rushed over to deliver the news, there is a possibility that Brently could arrive first in the house and justify that his name in the news is a big mistake, preventing Louise’s death and would have lived more. Apart from Brently, Richards is also responsible for the protagonist’s death. The story gives us the impression that not every death could bring grief to someone. It could be, in another way, a joyful event. Chopin had also brought about the issues of women and their role in the society. The story, written in the nineteenth-century, showed how women years back had no rights to be at their own will. Women then were still under the prying eyes of the society and men dominate over them. Chopin tackles a lot of moral issue within the story. Her story suggests that it would still be better if women of her own time maintain their roles in the society. In the nineteenth-century, men are expected to be superior over women and not the other way around, not what Louise wanted to be. Her insights within the story inspires us with the vision of what harmonious relationships are ought to be and the wide complexity in bearing the contrasting truth between appearance and reality. References: Brians, Paul. et al. Reading about the World. (Vol. 2) 3rd Edition. Texas: Harcourt Brace College, 2001.