Evaluating the Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evaluating the Business Environment - Essay Example This essay stresses that the airline industry has been seen to make less and less revenue as the market forces and the business environment becomes harsh on it. However, Ryanair has seen its revenues grow and in most cases exceed the industry average. The airline has been capitalising on its uniqueness as a low cost airline to remain afloat and this is after analysing its Porter’s five forces. This report makes a conclusion that Ryanair has put in place, it becomes clear that the company has tried in coming up as the low-cost airline of choice for many in Europe. The company also established cost reduction measures based on reducing the impact of its threats in the industry as well as improving on its weaknesses. In overall the Ryanair has made huge strides in making sure that it emerges at the top despite the challenges faced. With all this progress the airline needs to change a few approaches to the market in order to gain more and to ensure a sustainable business. The management need to be more careful with their advertisements as they have seen them airline lose a great deal of finances in legal fees after being sued by competitors. Their website needs to carry information that is not misleading to the customers in regards to fares as the case has been in the past. The airline needs to diversify and move further into other continents so as to become a global airline wi th a wider market base thereby more revenue generation. However, this latter move needs good strategies as competition is stiffer on a global scale and the cost of operation will increase dramatically.

My Exchange Experience Essay Example for Free

My Exchange Experience Essay Ocean is more resplendent because of its waves; forest is lusher because of the rainstorms; and life is richer because of all the milestones. I always believe that what makes people different is not the starting point, but the turning point. Twenty years had been gone in my life, but I did not feel my growth and maturity until I went to California as a foreign exchange student. In 2006, I should be like many other sixteen-year-old teenagers who go to school every day and spend time with parents at home. However, I made a decision to come to the United States for ten month with AFS Intercultural Program. At first, my English teacher in China asked me if I want to go to the AFS winter camp, which is for selecting exchange students across the country. At that time, I had absolutely no idea about doing abroad. What I pictured my life was to finish high school, go to a college, and get a decent job. My parents advised me that there were two choices lying in front of me. On one hand, I could ignore the exchange program and live like what everyone does, whereas on the other hand, I could try to go to a different way of living. Finally, I was selected to be one of the sixty three exchange students who would go to the United States. Since I stepped onto the land of United States, lots of hardships have already waited to test me. The very beginning thing I had to handle was to become adapted to the American style of living, such as trying all different kinds of food, watching movies together with the family, getting up early on Christmas day morning to open presents from â€Å"Santa Claus†, and so on. Then, I had to get used to the life in school. In China, we do not have the opportunity to pick courses; whereas here in the United States, I got so many classes to choose from. What was more, I had to make decisions on my own instead of asking my parents like what I normally did back home. Usually, I had to prepare a lot of work for whole night, but I never told my parents how tired and hard I felt here. I never wanted them to worry about me, which was another big difference. In China, I could tell them all my feelings, however, in America, all I could do was to bear everything on my shoulder and kept going on without hesitance. I felt so lucky to get involved in this exchange experience, which is a really important milestone in my life because I harvested and grew up a lot from it. I got the chance to practice my oral English skills because I was the only Chinese in that town. And then, without the aid of Mom and Dad, I managed to do many things well relying on myself, which really steeled me. Instead of looking at America through TV shows, I was personally on the scene to experience American culture, especially the education system.

Sainsburys Team And Leadership Behaviour

Sainsburys Team And Leadership Behaviour Introduction In this assignment I need to understand the team and leadership behaviour. The organisation I have chosen to look at is Sainsburys where I was a former employee. Sainsburys plc is a leading food retailer supermarket. The Scenario that I have presented took place when I was working at Sainsburys which will highlight what team skills took place. The main focus in my report is on leadership I will analyse the group interactions and interdependence that were implicated by applying appropriate theories from the Team Skills. This will then enable me to draw conclusions and offer recommendations for improvement. Sainsburys background Sainsburys plc is a leading food retailer supermarket, founded in 1869; it is the longest standing and the third largest supermarket in the UK. Not only is Sainsbury Britains largest retailer of food and wine but it is also the most respected, according to the reportings of the nationwide surveys of industry analysts and company directors. The company has received top or near-top ratings for product and service quality, successful development, profitable pricing, overall financial performance, advertising and marketing, and superior management, as well as recruitment, training, and retention of high-calibre employees. Characters The four characters that I have chosen to look at have different roles within the company however; they all play an important part in the scenario which shows their great team working skills. I have highlighted their roles within the store (Please see appendix 1). The Scenario I used to work in Sainsburys as a cashier and one day when I was working over-time there was a power cut. The store manger Clive called all the supervisors down to the check outs department and said we need to get all the customers out of store and so the check out manager Kristina done a tannoy on the speaker telling all the customers to leave the store due to the power cut. Meanwhile the store assistant manager, Duncan was calling the Head Office to inform them that the store had a power cut. Imran the supervisor of frozen foods than done a call out to all the staff asking them to leave the building and come to the main entrance of Sainsburys. After arriving to the main entrance of the building all the staff got in groups of 8 which were led by a supervisor. We then had to take the customers cold products and put them in the big fridge at the back of the warehouse which was running on a generator. The staff got told by the store manager Clive that all the cold products of the shelf had to be taken off and put it in to big plastic boxes which then went in the big fridge at the back of the warehouse. There were four supervisors; Amy, Dave, Steve and Imran, I was in imrans group and our task was to take of all the milk products off the shelves and put it at the back to the warehouse where the big fridge was. After we done the milk section we were then asked to do the yogurt section, in total it took us 3 hours, 1 hour more than we expected, this meant that the store lost out on 3 hours of business. After the store reopened I got told by my group supervisor to stand on the door n greet all the customers and tell them all the cold products cant be sold due to a power cut. After a few hours we got the power back and Clive the store manager asked a lot of the staff to do overtime and put all the cold products back on the shelves. The staff doing the over time were split in to 3 groups of 5 and in total it took us four and a half hours to put all the cold products ba ck on the shelf. Transcription of Interaction The dialogue that took place between the main characters in the scenarios described above shows the team work that took place (Please see appendix 2). Theories The trait approach to leadership arising from the great man theory identifies the key characteristic of a leader as being successful. Stodgill (1974) identified a list of main traits and skills that a successful leader should acquire. According to Stodgill, a good leader should possess the trait of being able to adapt to different situations, should be alert to social environments, be ambitious and achievement-orientated. As well as this a good, successful leader should be assertive, cooperative, decisive, dependable and dominant in the sense that they should have the desire to influence others. Stodgill also highlighted a good leader to be energetic, persistent, self-confident, tolerant of stress and willing to assume responsibility. The key skills that Stodgill identified as vital for a successful leader are that they should be creative, conceptually skilled, diplomatic, tactful, knowledgeable about group task, organised, persuasive yet socially skilled. The contingency theory proposed by fiedler (1964) states that they is no one way that is best for managers to lead, different situation will require different leadership style for a manager. The managerial situation depends on various internal and external factors such as the working environment. Fiedler identified 3 situations that could describe the condition of a managerial task; leader member relation, this refers to how well the managers and staff get along, task structure which relates to how structured the job is, position power which associates with how much authority the manager possesses. It has been noted that task oriented managers tend to be better in situation in which they have good relationship with good leader member relationship, structured task and a strong position of power. Leader member relation refers to the amount of dependability and support that the leader receives from his or her employee. The Herschey-Blanchard situational theory (1977) suggests that the appropriate leadership style depends upon the developmental level of maturity of the subordinates. This means that in order to establish the appropriate leadership style, the leader must first establish the maturity level of the subordinates in relation to the task that they are trying to accomplish. According to Blanchard the key situational factors are the readiness and developmental level of the subordinates and therefore four different leadership styles have been recognized; directing, coaching, delegating and supporting. The path-goal model of leadership proposed by Evans (1970) and House (1971) suggests that an individuals motivation depends upon their expectation of the reward. According to Evan the most important way that managers can motivate employees is by offering them reward and indicating what they must do to earn that reward. Analyse scenario Although the staffs at Sainsburys have been trained on what to do when there is a power cut, it still occurs unexpectedly, there is no one best way of leading that particular situation, moreover, a leadership style that is effective in one situation may not be effective in another although they may be similar situations. The optimal leadership style is dependent upon many of the internal and external factors; therefore, in this instance the contingency theory of leadership can be applied (Fieldler 1964) as nobody including the store manager Clive expected this to happen however, he was alert and adapted quickly to the situation. As the store manager to be a successful leader, Clive had to think quickly and act fast, therefore the situational leadership theory proposed by Hersey and Blanchard (1977) can also be applied to this scenario. He took the leader role and communicated well with all the staff by keeping them all informed and assigning them to jobs. Mullins (2002) describes leadership as the relationship through which one person affects the action or behaviour of another, from the scenario we can see that Clive leadership qualities affected the rest of the staff as they felt more motivated and knew what they had to do. Duncan used his initiative and thought of calling the head office and informing them nevertheless he still asked for Clives advice. The same applied to Imran as he thought of gathering all of the staff together however, he still asked Clive first. Clive possesses many of the traits and skills identified by Stodgill (1974) we can see from the way he handled the situation that he has the ability to adapt to different situations and is alert to what is happening around him. In addition to this we can see that as a store manager he is a good leader because he is cooperative with his staff, dependable because the rest of the staff rely on him and empowering because off the influence he has on others. We can also see that he did not panic, was organised and tactful in his approach. Clive assigned job roles according to the level of maturity of the workers; this is in consistent with the Hersey-Blanchard theory. From the scenario we can also see that Kristina took lead as well as she was assigning the supervisors on what section of the cold products to work. Imran was also a leader of his group and took a leading role of his group. Recommendations for improvement Conclusion The scenario shows that relevant leadership skills were in place and therefore the situation was handled successfully although some faults that did occur could have been avoided which has led me to present recommendations for improvement that could be used for future reference. The leadership skills presented in the scenario are also in consistent with the leadership theories that have been established. All the characters displayed leadership qualities even though they had different roles within the company; they still worked as a team to resolve the issue. References Evans, Martin G. (1970). The effects of supervisory behavior on the path-goal relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 5: 277-298. http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=380 Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1977). Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources (3rd ed.) New Jersey/Prentice Hall House, Robert J. (1971). A path-goal theory of leader effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly 16: 321-339. Fiedler, F. E. (1964). A Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol.1). 149-190. New York: Academic Press. Mullins, L. (2002) Management and Organizational Behaviour. 6th ed. FT/Prentice Hall Mullins, LJ (2007), The Nature of Leadership, Management and OB (8e) Stogdill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature, New York: Free Press Appendix 1 Character Position Duties Behavior Clive Male, 35 years old Store manager Clives main duty as the Store Manager is to look after the whole store meaning that all managers of all departments report to him. He has the leading role in the store and has to support all staff. He is very charismatic, a strong leader always interested in getting results. Although at times he can be described as authoritarian and arrogant. Duncan Male, 28 years old Store assistant manager As the store assistant manager Duncans main role is to assist Clive in supporting staff and managing the store when he is not present. He is a reliable, organized and motivated individual. Kristina Female, 38 years old Checkout manager Kristinas main duties are to supervise all staff working in the check-outs departments as well as cashing up the money at the end of the day. She is a very friendly, sociable, confident leader that looks for attention to detail although sometimes may appear to be bossy and dominant. Imran Male, 36 years old Supervisor Imran is a supervisor of the frozen foods department. His main duties are to supervise all workers in that department as well as assisting his manager and managing the department when his manager is absent. Although experienced and of a very helpful nature, Imran is lazy and does not keep to his time keeping. Jessica Female, 20 years old Checkouts operator Jessica is a check-out staff, her main duty is to serve the customers the products they want and to help them with any queries that they have. She is a bubbly and friendly person.

Lost and Found in Walden :: Walden Essays

Lost and Found  in  Walden Thoreau found himself at Walden - and lost himself on Ktaadn. Walden, a mile from town, was a benign experience in which he learned what he could do without, what was essential for life. Ktaadn, high and remote, taught him what he could not do without, what was essential life. He spoke of the hostility of the landscape. The mountain seemed to speak to him: "Why came ye here before your time? This ground is not prepared for you . . . I cannot pity or fondle you here, but (must) forever relentlessly drive thee hence to where I am kind." This landscape is hostile, not kind. It is "unforgiving and inhospitable to man" (Sidney). He responds to this imagined chastening with an apology, a verse explaining " . . . my way lies through your spacious empire up to light" - the way to light/enlightenment. The Web material illuminated somewhat Thoreau’s need for this experience - he had expressed a desire to "witness our own limits transgressed." He got what he came for. It seems to me that he did not anticipate such a terrifying experience, such utter alienation. Thoreau described this as "primeval, untamed, and forever untamable Nature" - "vast and drear and inhuman". "Man was not to be associated with it . . . It was Matter, vast, terrific, . . the home . . of Necessity and Fate." This was nature in its most primitive form. It did not allow, tolerate or acknowledge man’s control or manipulations, or even his need to comprehend. This is the same Matter from which our bodies are made, our physical nature. This is terrifying, alienating to Thoreau: "I stand in awe of my own body, this matter to which I am bound has become so strange to me . . . I fear bodies, I tremble to meet them." His purpose is met - he "witnesses his own limits transgressed". He senses that "his reason is dispersed." He tries to voice his feelings of alienation - and finds he is removed even from his voice, can only shout "Contact! Contact!" Wendy notes that Thoreau is "really failing at describing what he is trying to describe." Stacy notes that this passage is related to "a person getting a sense of their self in relation to Nature." The Web material describes Thoreau’s practice of linking landscape and identity.

Technology and Crime

Criminal Law Research Paper Whenever a new technology is found, like a double-edged sword, it often brings both more convenient life and possibility of danger in which potential exploitation of gap that might occur in its initial developing stage. For the past 20 years, computer related technologies and industry have been continuously advancing at radical speeds that greatly changed our way of life. The introduction of internet and digitalization of data has saved us enormous time and work required otherwise would have been wasted. On the other hand, however, it aided whole new types of property offences that are distinct from traditional ones to arise which posses’ difficulties in dealing with them by traditional way of approaching property offences. The main difficulties are, first, ‘Offences that were traditionally committed as interpersonal offences can now be committed at extreme distances and without the personal involvement of any victim. Second, the object of such offences may not amount to larcenable property or, indeed, property at all. [1] Examples of these crimes include, electronic funds transfer crime, electronic money laundering, [2]counterfeiting, and software piracy. [3] Contrary to traditional property offences, computers coupled with telecommunications technology enables offenders not to leave any traces of usual biological evidence in interpersonal offences such as finger prints or hair that could lead to the offender through forensic tests. Even if the police traced back the co mputer that the fund transfer crime was originated, the actual offender would be uncertain if it’s located in internet cafe which is used by numerous customers. This anonymity is considered the major attraction for offenders with advanced computer skills to commit such crimes. This paper will discuss the effectiveness of the current law in protecting the people from the new treats and possible policies or methods that could be implemented by authorities to combat this matter. ::The Current Doctrine and issues:: It is obvious to find that property rights have been the most important feature in our society since the beginning of the civilisation as the oldest written law, the Code of Hammurabi[4] which dates back to 1750 BC, contains codes that protected individual property. Protection of ownership encourages people to work at their full potential in return for increase in their wealth and power that gives satisfaction and security. If such protection was absent, stealing and damaging personal possessions to satisfy the needs and wants would have been occasional and we might not have been able to achieve the standard of living and the social security we enjoy now. Under the current common law system, properties are protected by both case law and statutes. Obviously regarding the history of development, there are countless case laws relating to property matter. Statutes are also implemented in order to provide protection of the rights for aiding the courts if the kind of the offence is the new one and there are no relevant authorities available for judges to rely on. Those protections have been building onto one and another from strong foundations and nowadays physical property protection by the law seems quite drastic. However the dawn of the digital age introduced a whole new range of offences that cannot be categorised by traditional methods. ::Absence of Specific victim or damage:: What would be the damage to the bank if their internet banking facility has been used for electronic money laundering? There is no person harmed or any physical property damage done to the bank. When a personal computer which happens to belong to a CEO is hacked and confidential information about a report that is not intended for releasing to the public that predicts a shape rise in share prices caused by exceptional performance is retrieved by the hacker and he/she and his/her friends make millions of dollars based on that information, is it possible to measure the damage? Or does it even exist? As exampled, some new types of illegal acts do not create specific victim or damage or the both. In order to regulate these treats, the definition of property has been extended to ones that take forms of electronic data and even to intellectual ones. By recognising such properties it is now possible to identify the damage incurred and the victim which enables us to enforce the traditional doctrine of property offences approach. To reward the victims for the damages they suffered under the civil law and to prosecute the offender and enforce penalties under the criminal law. :Types of new offences:: Hacking and intrusion into a computer system is the most common form of computer based crime, hackers usually commit this offence in order to gain confidential information or to inspect the level of security measures in place for preparation of other offence[5]. Rarely, some hackers attempt to break into a system that’s guarded by strong security system and dam age the system itself just to demonstrate the ability of him or her self. This kind of act is also known as electronic vandalism[6]. The next most common offence is the intellectual property offences such as breaching copy rights by making illegal duplicate of intellectual property, for example, books, movies, music and games. This type of offence is becoming more and more ordinary as the fast broadband internet access’s being available to most of the households enabling such illegally copied materials to be circulated and distributed at fast rate even crossing borders without any obstruction. Electronic funds transfer crime and electronic money laundering are also major crimes that are becoming increasingly difficult to regulate with traditional counter measures. :Traditional Countermeasures:: Most common methods often chosen by the government is to take legislative and administrative action to deal with the problem before it gets out of hand. Russell emphasises in his journal ‘This method to criminalise has, however, a number of dangers. First, is the difficulty, noted by Dunning (1982, pp. 293-4), of over-codifying behaviour: one does not want to enact a new provision every time a new permutation of criminal behaviour arises. Ideally, the elasticity of a common law system will supply the omissions of the legislature but there are limits to which our judiciary will, and indeed can, go. ’[7], that there are limits in legislative and administrative approach that the society can take as legitimate. There is also the fundamental problem of difficulty when trying to battle the new offences with the traditional approach in quantifying the offences[8] since the nature and characteristics of the offences often leave no trace at all and also authorities might not disclose the information because of embarrassment or commercial inconvenience. Deceptive quantifying which makes the policy makers to take distorted view of the seriousness of the issue is also the problem. For example, ‘a pursuit of a US$0. 75 accounting error in a computer account led to the unravelling of an international espionage ring. ’[9] Event like this confuses the decision makers in deciding the level or degree of regulation should be imposed. Originality of the crime also creates great challenge to the authorities, globalization of networks and widespread of the internet permits offenders to stay in their own country and commit crime in the systems of foreign country. This poses exorbitant difficulties in determining the place of the occurrence of the crime in order to decide which prosecution authority should be handing the matter and where to collect and present evidence to. ::Possible Alternative methods of Prevention:: There are several proposed ways for the government to deal with the problem. Restricting the availability of new technologies themselves, or restricting certain people from possessing and using new technologies and so on†¦ Probably the most fundamental solution of all, considering the possibility of misuse of the technology, the researchers and developers in the initial stage of the process should apply crime prevention measures that prevents misuse of such vulnerable technologies and if the cost is too high to carry out the modification the government should always consider to subsidise the process because the cost of exploitation of the weakness of the technology might be even greater. But there is also possibility that those precautions implemented could be compromised and the additional development costs vaporised. The break of the DVD movie title encryption and area code protection by hackers and crackers which introduced Dvix is the good example of it. The next best cost effective way is commercial solution[10]. Various needs to protect one’s electronic assets from possible attackers would generate considerable market demand for electronic and informational security. Companies with expertise of those matters would grow and it would provide professional advices, helps and protection with reasonable fee that would be far more less than it would cost for individual demanders to develop such systems. Also from the demand for assuring the compensation for the damages caused electronically, new insurance policies would emerge and protect the losses incurred. When dealing with technologies that are developed for military or investigative use, it is best for the government to take action that prevents possession and use of those technologies by possible offenders. Such as code breaker program designed for military operations should be restricted for the use of the purposes intended only, to achieve that, it is best to isolate the program in selected systems that are not connected to the internet. However if the technology developed found to be viable for use by the public to improve their standard of life, it should be considered that more benefit would be realised by making it public depending on specific technology. A super fast speed satellite communication intended for space crafts would be viable to use for the faster internet connection than conventional technology. But it might also make it possible for hackers to get into the satellite’s control system and disable it causing extravagant disaster thus making the technologies availability restrictive is important. Those alternatives and traditional methods may stop offenders from commission of crime but it may also encourage imitating one as well. A news report that the government is banning all child pornography sites may attract people’s attention and they might try search that kind of sites since the anonymity of access which increases the demand for viewing such material that results growth of pornography sites. :Conclusion:: Implementing the traditional approaches to deal with new emerging types of crime involving new technologies does seem to work when the new type of crime shows some fundamental similarities with already existing crimes such as causing harm whether electronic or physical or financial. Since such offences are opposed by the society and could easily be crimina lised by legislation or administrative means without difficulty. Nevertheless, quantifying and implementing the right policy or legislation is too difficult because of exterritorial issues and lack of statistics. However, as the technologies used for commission of crime advances, so does the technologies used to investigate, exam, and share information with the public and the rest of the world which aids authorities in combating using traditional approaches. Mechanisms for surveillance and detection, blocking devices, and technologies of restraint and incapacitation could also be adopted to backup the weak points of the traditional approach. Yet, while implementing those mechanisms the authority should consider possibilities of infringe of privacy right. The use of â€Å"high-tech† means of restraint might well lead to fundamental changes in police practice. Easily available technological fixes may tempt reliance to the extent that traditional law enforcement skills become neglected due to their inconvenience and community relations will be overlooked and discarded. There would also be other social impacts of crime prevention technologies. It may include disproportionate use of restraint technologies against disadvantaged groups, such as people who are unable to afford security technologies. And a shift in the burden of crime to those prospective victims may occur. Nonetheless, it would look like a miscalculation if we are to back off from developing and researching new technologies for crime prevention and control simply because they may be used inappropriately. â€Å"The telephones, indeed, the wheel, have criminal applications, technologies in the hands of responsible, accountable professionals can enhance liberty, rather than threaten it,† Dr Grabosky said. Technology and Crime Control insists on that the direction of ultimate benefits of new crime prevention technologies to the public, their development and use should be based on thorough consultation and extensive testing, and those who use them should be appropriately trained and supervised. The authors of the journals conclude that there is not one fit-to-all overall solution to these new kinds of emerging crime due to the varied nature of computer-related criminal conducts. They suggest, however, that technological and market solutions will be just as, if not more, important as law enforcement. With the invisible hands of the market the authorities should be able to find the optimal way of combating the new crimes sided by new technology. Bibliography 1. Brown et al, Criminal Laws, The Federation Press 2. P Grabosky & R Smith, Crime in the Digital Age: Controlling Telecommunications and Cyberspace Illegalities, the Federation Press (1998) 3. Russell Smith, Criminal Exploitation of New Technologies AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No93 (July 1998) 4. New millennium Doosan English Encyclopaedia No11 Doosan cooperation (2000) 5. Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997, Recorded Crime, Australia 1996, ABS Catalogue No. 4510. 0, AGPS, Canberra (1998), Yearbook Australia, ABS Catalogue No. 1301. 0, AGPS, Canberra. 6. P. N. Grabosky, Russell G. Smith, Paul Wright, Crime and Telecommunications AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 59 (August 1996) 7. Russell G. Smith, Stealing Telecommunications Services AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 54 (April 1996) 8. Peter Grabosky, Technology & Crime Control, AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 78 (January 1998) ———————– 1] Brown et al, Criminal Laws, The Federation Press pg 1058 [2] P Grabosky & R Smith, Crime in the Digital Age: Controlling Telecommunications and Cyberspace Illegalities (1998) The Federation Press chapter 1 [3] Russell Smith, Criminal Exploitation of New Technologies AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No93 (July 1998) pg 3 [4] Fo und in 1901 by French explorers in the Old Persian Capital of Shush (Susa), contains 282 codes consisting of criminal commercial, individual property laws – New millennium Doosan English Encyclopaedia No11 Doosan cooperation (2000) pg. 54 [5] Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997, Recorded Crime, Australia 1996, ABS Catalogue No. 4510. 0, AGPS, Canberra (1998), Yearbook Australia, ABS Catalogue No. 1301. 0, AGPS, Canberra. [6] P. N. Grabosky, Russell G. Smith, Paul Wright, Crime and Telecommunications AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 59 (August 1996) pg 2 to 3 [7] Russell G. Smith, Stealing Telecommunications Services AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 54 (April 1996) pg 3 [8] [9] P. N. Grabosky, Russell G. Smith, Paul Wright, Crime and Telecommunications AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 59 (August 1996) pg 3 [10] P. N. Grabosky, Russell G. Smith, Paul Wright, Crime and Telecommunications AIC Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 59 (August 1996) pg 5

Free Essays on Poetry

GOOD AND EVIL The conflict between good and evil is the poem's most important theme. The poet makes it clear, however, that good and evil don't exist as mutually exclusive opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the potential to do good- to perform acts selflessly and in the service of others- while Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon are consumed with the blind desire to act against people and to destroy them. Yet pride, a human quality, is also a sign that evil exists. It's important, as Hrothgar points out to Beowulf, to protect oneself against feeling self-satisfied; you must not ignore the powers to do good with which you've been blessed. The transitoriness and instability of human existence make it essential that you never feel too self-important about what you've done. The poet also makes clear our need for a code of ethics. Such a code allows members of society to relate to one another with understanding and trust. The most important bond in Anglo-Saxon society was the relation between king and warrior. When the Geat warriors break the bond by refusing to assist Beowulf in his battle with the dragon, the foundation of society collapses, and chaos rules.... Free Essays on Poetry Free Essays on Poetry The poem I chose to explore based on its imagery is â€Å"Kubla Khan† written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. â€Å"Kubla Khan† is a mixture of delightful images that Coleridge writes about symbolically. This story portrayed through the imagery encompasses spirituality Coleridge longs to be connected with. Although the motivation to dream up such images can be debated, in the following paragraphs, I will argue that the imagery used has specific spiritual meaning for the paradise Coleridge has created. In the first stanza, a beautiful landscape is laid down before us. A parallel could be drawn between the imagery of the contradictory landscape and what heaven looks like. Xanadu is the name of this fantastic realm where the Khan (a representation of God) decrees his stately pleasure-dome, where the sacred Alph river (holy water) flows down to the depthless caverns (infinite eternity), and where a fountain breaks through the rocky surface (representing the power of God. This astonishing imagery of the landscape represents a heaven to Coleridge a place which the author wishes to experience. The first figure or agent in the land of Xanadu, is Khan, a character immediately identified as being important and powerful: ‘In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/ A stately pleasure dome decree’ (ll. 1-2) The Khan appears to be the ultimate warrior for his words shape his utopian reality. It is Khan, who produces such an enchanting paradise in which he protects and roams just as God would. So twice of five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. (ll. 6-11) The pleasure dome clearly can be seen has having spiritual and religious importance. The idea being expressed here are in fact the beauty God controls as well as the protection he offers. ... Free Essays on Poetry When it comes to poetry there are a few things that make poems stick out and stay fresh in people’s minds. Three of these things are diction, tone, and theme. Diction is the way that the author wrote uses his or her words in the piece. Tone is kind of difficult to put into words. Some people get tone and diction confused because they both have to do with word usage. However, tone is how the words are used to create a certain mood in the poem. Theme is simply what the poem is about. These are three important things to look at in all poems. Those are the three things that will be discussed about â€Å"Johannesburg Mines† by Langston Hughes. The diction in this poem seems to be pretty basic. The way the author â€Å"talks† in this poem is very clear. It is not hard to stay with the words, and not often will the reader stumble on reading this selection. For one, this is not a long poem and the words are very simple. This is a poem that a third grader would be able to read, maybe not understand but read. The most difficult word is â€Å"Johannesburg† and that can be read phonetically. Overall, this is an easy poem to read. Diction is important, and it sort of similar to tone. Tone is the mood created from the words used in the selection. The tone that comes from this poem is one where the author seems to be angered at the fact that there are 240,000 native Africans working in the Johannesburg mines. It seems to be that Langston Hughes is making some sort of political statement with this poem. After reading this poem, I was not enraged, but a small rush of anger came over me. It was as if the tone that Langston had in this poem was transferred to me. I felt what Langston was talking about, what kind of poem could be made from the slave labor of 240,000 native Africans working in a mine? Not only did it make me think of the Africans in the mine but the other African Americans and black people all over the world that are... Free Essays on Poetry Poetry, form of literature, spoken or written, that emphasizes rhythm, other intricate patterns of sound and imagery, and the many possible ways that words can suggest meaning. The word itself derives from a Greek word, poesis, meaning "making" or "creating." Whereas ordinary speech and writing, called prose, are organized in sentences and paragraphs, poetry in its simplest definition is organized in units called lines as well as in sentences, and often in stanzas, which are the paragraphs of poetry. The way a line of poetry is structured can be considered a kind of garment that shapes and clothes the thought within it. The oldest and most longstanding genres for classifying poetry are epic, a long narrative poem centered around a national hero, and lyric, a short poem expressing intense emotion. Throughout its long history poetry has relied on evolving rules about what a poem is, with new kinds of poetry building on earlier kinds to create greater possibilities of expression. In the 20th century poets have increasingly used the language of everyday speech and created new forms that break the usual rules of poetry, such as its organization in line units. Yet to surprise a reader and evoke a response, the new has to be seen in contrast to the old, and thus poetry still depends upon a reader's depth of knowledge about the poetic practices of the past for its effectiveness. Though much poetry is in written form, it usually represents a speaking voice that is not the same as the poet's. In some lyric poems, this voice seems to speak about individual feelings; in epic poems, the voice seems to speak on behalf of a nation or community. Poetic voices of all kinds confront the unspeakable and push the limits of language and experience. The 20th-century American poet Michael Palmer ch aracterizes this aspect of poetry when he writes playfully, "How lovely the unspeakable must be. You have only to say it and it tells a story." At its deepest lev... Free Essays on Poetry GOOD AND EVIL The conflict between good and evil is the poem's most important theme. The poet makes it clear, however, that good and evil don't exist as mutually exclusive opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the potential to do good- to perform acts selflessly and in the service of others- while Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon are consumed with the blind desire to act against people and to destroy them. Yet pride, a human quality, is also a sign that evil exists. It's important, as Hrothgar points out to Beowulf, to protect oneself against feeling self-satisfied; you must not ignore the powers to do good with which you've been blessed. The transitoriness and instability of human existence make it essential that you never feel too self-important about what you've done. The poet also makes clear our need for a code of ethics. Such a code allows members of society to relate to one another with understanding and trust. The most important bond in Anglo-Saxon society was the relation between king and warrior. When the Geat warriors break the bond by refusing to assist Beowulf in his battle with the dragon, the foundation of society collapses, and chaos rules....

Blood Brothers Essay Example

Blood Brothers Essay Example Blood Brothers Paper Blood Brothers Paper Why am I there? , and How do we know each other? I personally created my character by going through situations and circumstances that my character could be presented with and what her reactions would be. What would she do if the archaeologist asked for the Tablet, which character would she confide in? I think all of these techniques helped our group to develop our characters because we could get used to the acting with the suspicion of fate and how it affects the story. From his stimulus I learnt that introducing fate into a story increases the audiences need for answers because there are different views on fate and destiny and whether it is true. We staged our piece of drama in a natural approach however we added a comic twist to keep the drama light. To do this Jacobs character was quite goofy and over exaggerated, he showed this by deepening his voice and walking duck footed. We used a sound collage to add variety to our drama and to build suspense. We used sounds such as eerie whines and blowing winds to create a feeling of a haunted mansion that is spooky. We used physical theatre to actually create the tower that the stone tablet was in. We used this to help the audience visualise the scenery and to recognise that the setting is in a tower. We used chairs t create height in the tower and our bodies made the wall, by arching our hands we could show the dome of the arch. This circle shape tower helped us in our acting because we could use the tight space t our advantage. My character and the duchess trap the archaeologist in the tower; the acting was made more believable because Jacob really was in a confined space. Without a real enclosed space Jacob would have to pretend being trapped which could seem unrealistic. All these techniques contributed towards the effectiveness of the drama. Our second task was to create an alternative beginning to the Blood Brothers script. At first I thought it would be very easy because we had something to work with; however I found it quite challenging because it was hard not to use ideas from the show in London. We wanted to keep parts of it the same to keep the feeling of the show; however we wanted to change some bits to improve it. For example, we wanted Mrs Johnston to face forwards than backwards so the audience can see the emotion in her face when the narrator is telling the story about the two brothers. We also had the chorus run on from upstage left during the song because we felt that the beginning of the song was too emotional and it was not right to have he stage filled with chorus actors because it would spoil the scene being created by the song. The narrator sat at the front of the stage just in front of the fourth wall line to give the audience the feeing that the narrator is also watching the show rather than being in it. He sat very casually with one leg drawn up and the other hanging down over the front of the stage. This gives an impersonal feel and indicates the narrator is not a character in the show. Once he crossed the fourth wall line he entered the story and was no longer watching it, he was in it. In the show Willy Russell staged the narrator standing up and Mrs Johnstone facing backwards, I think this was used by Russell to show that the Narrator is telling the story. The fact that Mrs Johnstone is facing backwards could indicate that she is in denial about something or is ashamed to face forwards. We can interpret the cause of this by the characters and props on stage, for example there were two bodies o stage at the beginning of the show. The audience can link the bodies to the grief of Mrs Johnstone. I felt this was a good stimulus because it showed us that by changing the tinyest detail the scene can take on a whole new meaning. It also made me realise how well thought out the show actually is. Set: The third stimulus was an enactment of the Our Sammy monologue; this helped me to remember what it was like to act like a child and their immaturity. This was helpful because I sometimes forget the minor details that make the acting more believable. We tried to emphasize the line But Im not Im nearly eight! by saying the line as a chorus and increasing the tone of our voice. We did this because the poem is centred on the fact that Mickey wants to do the things that Sammy does. We drew importance to the line by stressing the word not and nearly because they both suggest it is unfair and mean for him to be left out because he is only seven. We felt that this stimulus was effective because it showed the relationship between rival siblings and younger ones idolising older brothers and sisters. As a group, three of us played Mickey and Jacob played Sammy, by using three of us to pay Mickey we could alternate lines and say the line But Im not Im nearly eight! in chorus to emphasize it. We used a louder voice and whined while we said the lie to imitate a child whining at their mother because they feel it is unfair. We used physical theatre to portray the line without arms, or legs or even heads, we decided to use physical theatre to vary the acting in the monologue. By physically removing the arms, legs and head of the woman it can show the immaturity of Sammy and his fascination with drawing nudey women. To create the physical theatre we had to think of ways to safely lift up Bee without hurting her or us as well as her being able to lift her legs up. We decided the best way to lift up Bee was to link our arms under hers and behind her back, that way she could be supported fully and have enough room to bend her legs. We wanted to actually remove her legs because we thought that elaborating the monologue is a childlike thing to do. It also helped the audience to join in with the childrens sense of fun and immaturity. We were also able to do this by exaggerating the spitting movements; to really exaggerate this Jacob pretended to prepare to spit but in a large manor. He pulled his arms back and stuck out his chest as he prepared to spit and threw himself forwards with a lunge when he spat at me. This showed the behaviour you would expect of a small child and by doing this the immaturity of Sammy and Mickey really showed through. The last stimulus was to make three tableaux of the Johnstone and Lyons family, we already knew the general behaviour and activities the two families would do and so we just had to elaborate on that existing knowledge. As a group we decided that we wanted the three scenes to show the same activity between the two families, it would enable us to compare the two families. Our first tableau showed family play time, for the Johnstone the children were playing and fighting outside and Mrs Johnstone was scolding one of the children but not in a serious way. Some children are playing shooting games by using their hands to make toy guns and using imaginative shooting poses such as standing on one leg and shooting underneath their second, this captures the essence of youthfulness and imagination. We decided that Mrs Johnstone wasnt really telling them off because she found their silly games quite amusing; to show this we made Mrs Johnstone stand with her arms crossed and leaning in one hip. This stance showed that in a different situation Mrs Johnstone could be very angry with her children however her facial expression changed the interpretation of the scene. She was smirking slightly in mock anger at her children which shows she is a laid back mother. On the other end of the spectrum there is the Lyons family who are very proper and socially correct their family time is reading books together. We chose this activity because it is deemed socially acceptable as a past time, Mrs Lyons is reading to Edward from the sofa and Mr Lyons is reading the newspaper. We wanted to show Mr Lyons as a professional business man, we did this by him sitting in an armchair with his leg crossed over the top of one another to show masculinity. The second tableau depicted a family meal time and like before the two families are extremely different, the Lyons are eating politely with correct cutlery and civil manners. To show this we arranged the chairs in a neat order and directed the actors to sit with their legs still, their arms tucked by their sides and miming holing their cutlery in the correct fashion. All this helps create the impression of upper class society. The Johnstone family are the complete opposite of the Lyons, we used body positions such as throwing food and talking with their mouth full to show bad manners at the dinner table. We mimed throwing food in an exaggerated form to show the silliness of children. This shows the audience they are uncivilised children whose mother has not raised them properly because of her class. Although this may not be necessarily true we felt that this was the social message that Russell was trying to get across.

The outsider by Albert Camus+ imagery and symbolism essays

The outsider by Albert Camus+ imagery and symbolism essays The concepts of symbolism and imagery are essential in the construction of an effective and successful novel. Both imagery and symbolism provide a connection between the reader and the text, and aid in the readers understanding of the novel. This technique forces the reader to use their imagination to visualise the unknown and think beyond the basic meaning of literary terminology. The reader instinctively begins to relate the issues and events of the text with their individual experiences and opinions, thus forming a unique interpretation of the novel within every person. Throughout the novel The Outsider, Albert Camus successfully applies imagery and symbolism to encourage the reader the think and imagine beyond the obvious. Camus is successfully adopts imagery, through his continual reference to Meursaults surroundings, which has a symbolic value in his detached character. This imagery and symbolism, allows the reader to empathise with Meursaults situation, without Camus actually providing an insight into his thoughts and emotions. The significance of imagery and symbolism is firstly represented in The Outsider, through the continual reference to the sun. Unlike most authors, who represent the sun as a positive force, Camuss existential approach views the sun as a barrier to Meursaults emotions. The impact of the sun on Meursualt, is firstly represented at the funeral of his mother. Meursault is melted by the hot sun more than the funeral of his own mother. The symbolic value of the sun is also represented when Meursault is at the beach. At the beach, Camus portrays his negative version of the sun, through the situation of the Arab uses the sunlight to shine the light into Meursaults face. All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead an, instinctively, the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of me. The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes ...

Hayek and alfred marshal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hayek and alfred marshal - Assignment Example While the price system has the disadvantages of its own, it’s should still be thought of as a marvel of the economically driven coordination. Hayek explains that the contrast exists between the natural and social sciences. In the sciences of the natural type, if advances are to be made, scientists should recognise that things are actually not what they might seem. Science undoubtedly dissolves the existing categories of subjective experience only to replace them with causes that are hidden and lie beneath the surface. Hayek believes that contrary to this principle the study of society ought to take to use as its raw material the subjective ideas and beliefs expressed by members of the society. To illustrate, Hayek says, â€Å"the position of man, midway between natural and social phenomena (...) brings it about that the essential basic facts which we need for explanation of social phenomena are part of the common experience, part of the stuff of our thinking† (Hayek 126). In brief, one should perceive the society in relation to the role of men’s conscious reflection of the done actions. While people in a soc iety are all the time choosing among a variety of choices of how to act, in a collective sense the outcome is an unintended result of decisions taken consciously. Central planning is a wrong way to shape the social economic order. Hayek is against centralization, when economic planning is carried out by one authority over the system, but thinks that this economic planning has to be distributed among many individuals. Based on his review of the Mise’s work, Hayek agrees that rational calculation, applicable to an economic order, has been made impossible by socialism the way Hayek saw it functioning in practice. Indeed, central direction of the overall economic activity at once at distribution of the income that is not dependent on private property in the situation when output is greater than production is doomed to failure. Yet,

Life after death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life after death - Essay Example In order to be free form sins and wrongdoings and to lead a permanent life among the lambs around the Lord, one must ‘hear’ that belief in Christ is necessary. Here, ‘hearing’ translates into understanding, perceiving and comprehension of this truth, wholeheartedly. Baptism translates into meaning that the mortal body, dies in the process and is resurrected to eternal spiritual life with the Lord in His Kingdom. This is akin to the manner in which Jesus Christ gave up His life to redeem man of his sins. Sheer belief and the urge to surrender and repent are the key essentials for a profound Baptism. Personally, the very belief in the Lord and His love for me as his child, is very reassuring and comforting. This also acts as a guiding voice in troubles and tribulations, trauma and pain, and helps one cross the bridge without flinching for a moment, since the knowledge that the Lord is with you is all powering and humbling at the same moment. This way, it also helps one lead a morally sound life on Earth and depart from one’s mortal body as a soul worthy of leading permanent life with the Lord. As a allegorical reference, the Hindu religion of the Eastern world is one of the most spiritual faiths and it advocates life after death, but in different light. The spiritual faith says that one’s soul is subject to re-birth till one is enlightened spiritually of God’s ways. After this, the soul or the ‘aatma’ gets into union with the higher spirit or the ‘Paramaatma’.... In order to be free form sins and wrongdoings and to lead a permanent life among the lambs around the Lord, one must 'hear' that belief in Christ is necessary. Here, 'hearing' translates into understanding, perceiving and comprehension of this truth, wholeheartedly. Baptism translates into meaning that the mortal body, dies in the process and is resurrected to eternal spiritual life with the Lord in His Kingdom. This is akin to the manner in which Jesus Christ gave up His life to redeem man of his sins. Sheer belief and the urge to surrender and repent are the key essentials for a profound Baptism. Personally, the very belief in the Lord and His love for me as his child, is very reassuring and comforting. This also acts as a guiding voice in troubles and tribulations, trauma and pain, and helps one cross the bridge without flinching for a moment, since the knowledge that the Lord is with you is all powering and humbling at the same moment. This way, it also helps one lead a morally sound life on Earth and depart from one's mortal body as a soul worthy of leading permanent life with the Lord. As a allegorical reference, the Hindu religion of the Eastern world is one of the most spiritual faiths and it advocates life after death, but in different light. The spiritual faith says that one's soul is subject to re-birth till one is enlightened spiritually of God's ways. After this, the soul or the 'aatma' gets into union with the higher spirit or the 'Paramaatma'. Coming back to Baptism

Studying at the University of Colorado Denver Essay - 73

Studying at the University of Colorado Denver - Essay Example Being an international student at the University of Colorado Denver for the last few years, I have more to say to the international students rather than to the local students about this university. As said earlier, this university is one of the extremely diverse universities in America in which students from all parts of the world are studying. It should be noted that studies in a multicultural environment always bring more challenges; however, it brings more opportunities also. Majority of the modern business organizations are interested in keeping a diverse workforce in order to exploit the opportunities of globalization. Studies at the University of Colorado will definitely help students in their future to adapt to the multicultural environments in modern organizations. In other words, University of Colorado provides opportunities to the students to learn: how to behave in a diverse environment; possible challenges that are awaiting students in their future and do’s and don ’ts in a multicultural environment. The University of Colorado provides enough infrastructure facilities to students; both on and off the campus. Apart from having a beautiful natural landscape, Denver provides enough opportunities to the student community for their leisure time activities. Moreover, there are plenty of other resources also to help the students in their learning process. For example, Denver art museum, located at Denver, Colorado is one of the world-famous art museums. It provides art lovers enough items to enjoy and learn. Being an honors student with finance major at this university, I cannot avoid saying something about the honors programs. Students in honors programs in this university are getting enough opportunities to get involved in original research works and that also in the company of efficient CU Denver faculty members. Different scholarships are incorporated into different research project works.

Gateway Project for Snowtown Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gateway Project for Snowtown - Case Study Example In order to reverse this abysmal trend, my plan proposes the design and implementation of a project that will establish two main gateway signs, to be located in two strategic sites in the town. The overall rationale behind this decision is to present Snowtown to commuters before their entry into the district. It will also serve as a quick reference to what is on offer and where it can be obtained within the premise of the city. The project envisages beyond given the town an aesthetic phase lift to also providing a one stop coordinating network of the town's iconic and signing outlay. To be incorporated in the project is the construction of public services centers at definite locations within the overall framework of the project. Snowtown by virtue of her location is the most preferred route for road users commuting to and fro Adelaide and Port Piere. Owing to this significant advantage, it is incumbent on the city planners to identify how to enhance the comparative advantage of this phenomenon within the established context of road transport. A recent survey indicates that, most travelers know little or nothing about this boisterous town besides cruising through it to their intended destinations. The project therefore, desires to embark on a massive publicity campaign that will showcase the township as an appealing tourism destination that will treat visitors to a delightful exhibition of the rich cultural heritage of Snowtown. It will serve as a platform to tap into the vibrant agricultural legacy for which the township is reputed for. In the case of Snowtown, besides the conventional road signage, there is a conspicuous gap in the provision of other equally relevant information outposts that presents the town in a unique fashion with the view of marketing it. In recognition of the above fact, there has been a remarkable move by government in recent times to explore within available provisions to pursue viable programmes that spurs sustainable economic improvement nationwide of which infrastructural development ranks high. The government's policy is motivated by the knowledge that given the relevant policy backing, cities and towns within the local government and decentralization programme can be challenged under available resources to resuscitate their dormant economic forces and also discover other fallow segments that have hitherto been overlooked. This is the basis upon which, this project is in resonance with an overall national agenda of economic development using infrastructural improvement as a catalyst to achieve this goal. Judging from the above, it cannot be disputed that this project is not only timely, but also connected with the long held value system that defines the township and people of Snowtown. It provides an opportunity to seal the patches that are causing leakages to the economic, social and tourist endowments in the intended project implementation locations. When all is said and done, the project will have immediate benefits to the current generation with rippling effects on posterity. 1.2Project Overview A) Project Title:

Serenity in My Bedroom at Past Midnight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Serenity in My Bedroom at Past Midnight - Essay Example I selected Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. I longed to travel to another culture, time, and place. I wanted to know about Afghan beliefs and practices, as well as their food, music, literature, and clothing. Mom prepared my favorite chicken sandwich with generous chicken breast strips and low-fat mayonnaise. She always puts diced onions, several slices of pickled cucumber, and tomatoes and used toasted wheat bread. I sat on my comfortable reading chair with sufficient light for my reading session. I took a moderate bite size of my sandwich and tasted the spicy, salty, sour mixture of the mayonnaise, pickled cucumber, onions, and pepper. The chicken tasted moist and fresh, as well as the tomatoes and crisp tomato. The cold wind rushed in spurts from my window. I sipped hot green tea for every bite of my oven-baked sandwich. The warmth of my green tea relaxed me further. The feel and smell of a good book refreshed my spirit. I prepared to embark on a long and wonderful journe y to a faraway place. â€Å"Some Good Things are Too Good to be True† But sometimes, good things come to an abrupt end, which began when I forgot to lock my door. My eight-year old cousin visited us this afternoon. Or rather, his parents left him overnight. They wanted some precious â€Å"us† time, and now I understand why. ... His shirt reminded me of a tire that ran on mud with stones and twigs sticking out. My mind somehow disconnected from my physical body, as it felt the horror of a good night saying goodbye. I saw my reading self as an image breaking into pieces, and I heard the clattering of the pieces on tiled floors. Then, I went back to the real world. I heard him whining about our outdated PlayStation and asked when we would purchase a suitable Xbox for his recreation purposes. And I smelled something else that did not register immediately in my nostrils. He had some green puke matter on his collar. I sensed his sticky hand on my arm, while he said that I was not listening to him. I felt sick to my stomach, and soon my sandwich tasted like iron. Heat rose to my neck. I must have turned into an eggplant by then. My perfect night laid in ruins, as I listened to him chatter about his computer games. Rhetorical Analysis I created these two different impressions of the same time and place through usin g the tools of description, narration, and example and illustration. Narration refers to telling about events and characters. I used narration to describe myself as a character in my own story and to narrate the events of my story. The first paragraph showed that I enjoyed classical music and set aside time for recreational reading: â€Å"I played Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata No.16 In C Major to set the mood for my planned late night reading last Friday.† This paragraph also included my mother, who prepared an amazing chicken sandwich, one of my favorite comfort foods ever. Her preparation of my food and drinks indicated that she supported my reading sessions and that she was thoughtful and sweet. For

Two Million Minutes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Million Minutes - Essay Example This is providing the Indian and Chinese students with an edge over the American students academically, and is contributing to their fast economic growth. This comes as a challenge for the US. In order to cope with the future challenges, it is imperative that creativity is encouraged at every level. Even the five and six year old Indian students are so clear about their ambitions and have stunningly high career aspirations. The highly intellectual, engaging, and yet funny personalities of the Indian professionals can be attributed to their school system. Indian students in the middle school are significantly advanced as compared to the American students at their level in school. Indian students graduating from high schools are two to three years ahead of the American high school graduates with respect to skills and knowledge. Although I consent with Bob Compton for the most part on his stance over the issue he has raised, yet I think that his argument was not sufficiently strong. According to Bob Compton, math and science are valuable because these subjects help the students become skilled professionals so that they can earn good money in the high tech industry. The aspect overlooked by Bob Compton is the value and significance of these cognitive subjects to the society as a whole outside the sphere of economics. The issue that the US government and the concerned authorities in the US need to target is the quality of education provided in the schools in the US. It is good that students in the US are allowed more freedom and variety to choose their profession from. Students from India and China are not very advantaged in this respect. However, the curriculum selected for the different levels of education in the US lacks the depth and elements that are required to enable the American students to compete wi th the students of the growing economies intellectually. Another fundamental element that lacks in the US and that provides

Gateway Project for Snowtown Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gateway Project for Snowtown - Case Study Example In order to reverse this abysmal trend, my plan proposes the design and implementation of a project that will establish two main gateway signs, to be located in two strategic sites in the town. The overall rationale behind this decision is to present Snowtown to commuters before their entry into the district. It will also serve as a quick reference to what is on offer and where it can be obtained within the premise of the city. The project envisages beyond given the town an aesthetic phase lift to also providing a one stop coordinating network of the town's iconic and signing outlay. To be incorporated in the project is the construction of public services centers at definite locations within the overall framework of the project. Snowtown by virtue of her location is the most preferred route for road users commuting to and fro Adelaide and Port Piere. Owing to this significant advantage, it is incumbent on the city planners to identify how to enhance the comparative advantage of this phenomenon within the established context of road transport. A recent survey indicates that, most travelers know little or nothing about this boisterous town besides cruising through it to their intended destinations. The project therefore, desires to embark on a massive publicity campaign that will showcase the township as an appealing tourism destination that will treat visitors to a delightful exhibition of the rich cultural heritage of Snowtown. It will serve as a platform to tap into the vibrant agricultural legacy for which the township is reputed for. In the case of Snowtown, besides the conventional road signage, there is a conspicuous gap in the provision of other equally relevant information outposts that presents the town in a unique fashion with the view of marketing it. In recognition of the above fact, there has been a remarkable move by government in recent times to explore within available provisions to pursue viable programmes that spurs sustainable economic improvement nationwide of which infrastructural development ranks high. The government's policy is motivated by the knowledge that given the relevant policy backing, cities and towns within the local government and decentralization programme can be challenged under available resources to resuscitate their dormant economic forces and also discover other fallow segments that have hitherto been overlooked. This is the basis upon which, this project is in resonance with an overall national agenda of economic development using infrastructural improvement as a catalyst to achieve this goal. Judging from the above, it cannot be disputed that this project is not only timely, but also connected with the long held value system that defines the township and people of Snowtown. It provides an opportunity to seal the patches that are causing leakages to the economic, social and tourist endowments in the intended project implementation locations. When all is said and done, the project will have immediate benefits to the current generation with rippling effects on posterity. 1.2Project Overview A) Project Title:

Two Million Minutes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Million Minutes - Essay Example This is providing the Indian and Chinese students with an edge over the American students academically, and is contributing to their fast economic growth. This comes as a challenge for the US. In order to cope with the future challenges, it is imperative that creativity is encouraged at every level. Even the five and six year old Indian students are so clear about their ambitions and have stunningly high career aspirations. The highly intellectual, engaging, and yet funny personalities of the Indian professionals can be attributed to their school system. Indian students in the middle school are significantly advanced as compared to the American students at their level in school. Indian students graduating from high schools are two to three years ahead of the American high school graduates with respect to skills and knowledge. Although I consent with Bob Compton for the most part on his stance over the issue he has raised, yet I think that his argument was not sufficiently strong. According to Bob Compton, math and science are valuable because these subjects help the students become skilled professionals so that they can earn good money in the high tech industry. The aspect overlooked by Bob Compton is the value and significance of these cognitive subjects to the society as a whole outside the sphere of economics. The issue that the US government and the concerned authorities in the US need to target is the quality of education provided in the schools in the US. It is good that students in the US are allowed more freedom and variety to choose their profession from. Students from India and China are not very advantaged in this respect. However, the curriculum selected for the different levels of education in the US lacks the depth and elements that are required to enable the American students to compete wi th the students of the growing economies intellectually. Another fundamental element that lacks in the US and that provides

Formative Assessment Essay Example for Free

Formative Assessment Essay Chapter IV A Fundamental Duties ARTICLE 51A Fundamental Duties It shall be the duty of every citizen of India(a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem; (b) to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom; (c) to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India; (d) to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so; (e) To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women; (f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture; (g) To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, wild life and to have compassion for living creatures; (h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform; (i) (j) to safeguard public property and to abjure violence; to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement. CONTENTS Page No. Acknowledgments Preface Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation School Based Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation Continuous Comprehensive Assessment and Evaluation in e-Typewriting- English/Hindi Assessment Rubrics e-Typewriting Syllabus and Scheme of Examination for Class IX TERM-I Unit 1: Introduction to e-Typewriting Unit 2: Keyboard Layout (QWERTY INSCRIPT) Unit 3: Touch Typewriting 10 16 21 XL XLI 1 (I) (II) (IX) TERM-II Unit 4: Introduction to Word Processing 29 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ADVISORY BODY †¢ Shri Vineet Joshi, Chairman CBSE. †¢ Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Head Innovations Research, CBSE. EDITING COMMITTEE †¢ Prof. Om Vikas, Retd. Prof. from DIT, Government of India. MATERIAL PRODUCTION GROUP †¢ Mr. Yogesh Kumar HOD, Computer Science. Meera Model School, Delhi. †¢ Dr. D. P. Bhatia, Mata Sundri College,University of Delhi. †¢ Ms. Gayatri Subramanian, Consultant, Ministry of Corporate Affairs , Govt of India. †¢ Mrs. Sunita Chug, Senior Lecturer, Mira Bai Polytechnic, Maharani Bagh, New Delhi. †¢ Mrs. Nancy Sehgal, Mata Jai Kaur School, Delhi. CO-ORDINATION †¢ Mrs. Sugandh Sharma, Education Officer (Commerce) CBSE. PREFACE Typewriters were developed to prepare documents with uniform letter prints, to overcome illegibility of hand written material and produce documents faster. Initially typewriters were mechanical, then electric and electronic typewriters came into being. Over a period, QWERTY keyboard layout was in use and it became the defacto standard for Roman Typewriting. Computers also use keyboard as an input device. Keyboard layout has specific letter on key allocation on the basis of frequency and count of letters over a fairly large sample of documents. High frequency letters are on middle/home row, distributed on both sides. For Indic scripts, Standard keyboard Layout is INSCRIPT. Mechanical typewriters are now becoming fast extinct. Computer empowers the user to input information with accuracy, speed and additional features of Word processing. The syllabus of Typewriting is hereby revised as e-Typewriting with an additional unit on Word processing in view of the growing use of computers for typewriting documents. Self assessment and keeping record of progress in Assignment files are encouraged so as to keep students motivated towards excellence. Profuse thanks are due to Prof. Om Vikas for steering the experts members Mr. Yogesh Kumar, Ms. Nancy Sehgal, Ms. Sunita Chugh, Dr. D. P. Bhatia and Ms. Gayatri Subramaniam for contributing towards development of the syllabus on -e-Typewriting and also the Formative Assessment Manual for Teachers. I also thank Ms. Sugandh Sharma, Education Officer for coordinating the meetings and bringing out the manual in this shape. It is expected that the students will enjoy this course even as an additional subject in view of the benefits of touch-typing skills in future career. We would welcome suggestions to improve upon content assessment methodology in tune with the objectives of CCE. (Vineet Joshi) Chairman, CBSE I Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation Education aims at making children capable of becoming responsible, productive and useful members of a society. Knowledge, skills and attitudes are built through learning experiences and opportunities created for learners in school. It is in the classroom that learners can analyse and evaluate their experiences, learn to doubt, to question, to investigate and to think independently. The aim of education simultaneously reflects the current needs and aspirations of a society as well as its lasting values and human ideals. At any given time and place they can be called the contemporary and contextual articulations of broad and lasting human aspirations and values. An understanding of learners, educational aims, the nature of knowledge, and the nature of the school as a social space can help us arrive at principles to guide classroom practices. Conceptual development is thus a continuous process of deepening and enriching connections and acquiring new layers of meaning. Alongside is the development of theories that children have about the natural and social worlds, including themselves in relation to others, which provide them with explanations for why things are the way they are and the relationship between cause and effect. Attitudes, emotions and values are thus an integral part of cognitive development, and are linked to the development of language, mental representations, concepts and reasoning. As childrens metacognitive capabilities develop, they become more aware of their own beliefs and capable of regulating their own learning. Characteristics of learning All lchildren are naturally motivated to learn and are capable of learning. Understanding l Children l and developing the capacity for abstract thinking, reflection and work are the most important aspects of learning. learn in a variety of ways-through experience, making and doing things, experimentation, reading, discussion, asking, listening, thinking and reflecting, and expressing themselves in speech or writing-both individually and with others. They require opportunities of all these kinds in the course of their development. something before the child is cognitively ready takes away real learning. Children may remember many facts but they may not understand them or be able to relate them to the world around them. takes place both within school and outside school. Learning is enriched if the two arenas interact with each other. Art and work provide opportunities for holistic learning that is rich in tacit and aesthetic components. Such experiences are essentially to be learnt through direct experience and integrated into life. Teaching l Learning l II Learning l must be paced so that it allows learners to engage with concepts and deepen understanding rather than remembering only to forget after examinations. At the same time learning must provide variety and challenge, and be interesting and engaging. Boredom is a sign that the task may have become mechanically repetitive for the child and of little cognitive value. can take place with or without mediation. In the case of the latter, the social context and interactions, especially with those who are capable, provide avenues for learners to work at cognitive levels above their own. Learning l Place of Evaluation in the Curriculum A curriculum is what constitutes a total teaching-learning program composed of overall aims, syllabus, materials, methods and assessment. In short it provides a framework of knowledge and capabilities, seen as appropriate to a particular level. Evaluation not only measures the progress and achievement of the learners but also the effectiveness of the teaching materials and methods used for transaction. Hence evaluation should be viewed as a component of curriculum with the twin purpose of effective delivery and further improvement in the teaching learning process. If properly understood, evaluation or assessment will not be perceived as something administered by the teachers and taken by the learners on the conclusion of a period of learning. When evaluation is seen as an end of the learning exercise, both the teachers and the learners will tend to keep it outside the teaching-learning process, rendering assessment broadly irrelevant and alien to the curriculum. Further such a perception associates anxiety and stress with evaluation for learners. On the contrary, if evaluation is seen as an integral part built into the teaching learning process; it will become continuous like both teaching and learning. When evaluation is subsumed into teaching-learning, learners will not perceive tests and examinations with fear. It will lead to diagnosis, remediation and enhancement of learning. The scope of evaluation in schools extends to almost all the areas of learners personality development. It should include both scholastic and co-scholastic areas, i. e. it should be comprehensive in nature. This is in line with the goals of education. Evaluation is continuous and reveals the strengths and weaknesses of learners more frequently, so that the learners have better opportunity to understand and improve themselves. It also provides feedback to the teachers for modifying their teaching strategies. In view of getting a complete picture of the childs learning, assessment should focus on the learners ability to – learn and l acquire a l acquire desired skills related to different subject areas. level of achievement in different subject areas in the requisite measure develop childs individual skills, interests, attitudes and motivation l understand and lead a healthy and a productive life. l monitor the changes taking place in a childs learning, behaviour and progress over time. l III l respond to different situations and opportunities both in and out of school.  apply what is learned in a variety of l work l independently, collaboratively analyze and evaluate. l environments, circumstances and situations and harmoniously. be laware of social and environmental issues participate in social and environmental projects and causes. l retain what is learned over a period of time. l Thus assessment is a useful, desirable and an enabling process. To realize this one needs to keep the following parameters in mind The need to: assess the learner. l use l a variety of ways to collect information about the learners learning and progress in subjects and cross curricular boundaries. collect information continuously and record the same. l give l importance to each learners way of responding and learning and the time it takes to do so. report on an ongoing continuous basis and be sensitive to every learners responses. l provide feedback that will lead to positive action and help the learner to do better l In the assessment process, one should be careful NOT to: l label learners as slow, poor, intelligent etc. make comparisons between them. l make negative statements. l Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) refers to a system of school-based evaluation of students that covers all aspects of a students development. It is a developmental process of a child which emphasizes on two fold objectives. These objectives are continuity in evaluation on one hand and assessment of broad based learning and behaviourial outcomes on the other. The term `continuous is meant to emphasise that evaluation of identified aspects of students `growth and development is a continuous process rather than an event, built into the total IV teaching-learning process and spread over the entire span of academic session. It means regularity of assessment, diagnosis of learning gaps, use of corrective measures and feedback of evidence to teachers and students for their self evaluation. The second term `comprehensive means that the scheme attempts to cover both the scholastic and the co-scholastic aspects of students growth and development. Since abilities, attitudes and aptitudes can manifest themselves in forms other than the written word, the term refers to application of a variety of tools and techniques (both testing and non-testing) and aims at assessing a learners development in areas of learning like : Knowledge l Understanding/Comprehension l Application l Analysis l l Evaluation l Creativity Objectives of CCE are: l To help develop cognitive, psychomotor and affective skills. l To lay emphasis on thought process and de-emphasise memorization l To make evaluation an integral part of teaching-learning process l use To evaluation for improvement of students achievement and teaching – learning strategies on the basis of regular diagnosis followed by remedial instruction l. To use evaluation as a quality control device to maintain desired standard of performance l determine To  social utility, desirability or effectiveness of a programme and take appropriate decisions about the learner, the process of learning and the learning environment l To make the process of teaching and learning a learner-centered activity. Features of CCE are: l The continuous aspect of CCE takes care of continual and periodicity aspect of evaluation. Means assessment of students in the beginning of instruction (placement evaluation) and assessment during the instructional process (formative evaluation) done informally using multiple techniques of evaluation. means assessment of performance done frequently at the end of unit/term (summative) l Continual l Periodicity V l The  comprehensive component of CCE takes care of assessment of all round development of the childs personality. It includes assessment in Scholastic as well as Co-Scholastic aspects of the pupils growth. aspects include curricular areas or subject specific areas, whereas co-scholastic aspects include Life Skills, Co-Curricular Activities, Attitudes, and Values. in scholastic areas is done informally and formally using multiple techniques of evaluation continually and periodically. The diagnostic evaluation takes place at the end of a unit/term test. The causes of poor performance in some units are diagnosed using diagnostic tests. These are followed up with appropriate interventions followed by retesting. in Co-Scholastic areas is done using multiple techniques on the basis of identified criteria, while assessment in Life Skills is done on the basis of Indicators of Assessment and checklists. Source Examination Reforms, NCERT Scholastic l Assessment l Assessment l The functions of CCE are: l It helps the teacher to organize effective teaching strategies. Continuous l evaluation helps in regular assessment to the extent and degree of learners progress (ability and achievement with reference to specific scholastic and co-scholastic areas). evaluation serves to diagnose weaknesses and permits the teacher to ascertain an individual learners strengths and weaknesses and her needs. It provides immediate feedback to the teacher, who can then  decide whether a particular unit or concept needs re-teaching in the whole class or whether a few individuals are in need of remedial instruction. evaluation, children can know their strengths and weaknesses. It provides the child a realistic self assessment of how he/she studies. It can motivate children to develop good study habits, to correct errors, and to direct their activities towards the achievement of desired goals. It helps a learner to determine the areas of instruction in which more emphasis is required. and comprehensive evaluation identifies areas of aptitude and interest. It helps in identifying changes in attitudes, and value systems. in making decisions for the future, regarding choice of subjects, courses and careers. Continuous l By lcontinuous  Continuous l It helps l It provides l information/reports on the progress of students in scholastic and co-scholastic areas and thus helps in predicting the future successes of the learner. VI Continuous evaluation helps in bringing awareness of the achievement to the child, teachers and parents from time to time. They can look into the probable cause of the fall in achievement if any, and may take remedial measures of instruction in which more emphasis is required. Many times, because of some personal reasons, family problems or adjustment problems, the children start neglecting their studies, resulting in a sudden drop in their achievement. If the teacher, child and parents do not come to know about this sudden drop in the achievement and the neglect in studies by the child continues for a longer period then it will result in poor achievement and a permanent deficiency in learning for the child. The major emphasis of CCE is on the continuous growth of students ensuring their intellectual, emotional, physical, cultural and social development and therefore will not be merely limited to assessment of learners scholastic attainments. It uses assessment as a means of motivating learners in further programmes to provide information for arranging feedback and follow up work to improve upon the learning in the classroom and to present a comprehensive picture of a learners profile. It is this that has led to the emergence of the concept of School Based Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation. Source : Ncert VII Scholastic and Co-scholastic Assessment In order to have Continuous and Comprehensive evaluation, both scholastic and co-scholastic aspects need to be given due recognition. Such a holistic assessment requires maintaining an ongoing, changing and comprehensive profile for each learner that is honest, encouraging and discreet. While teachers daily reflect, plan and implement remedial strategies, the childs ability to retain and articulate what has been learned over a period of time also requires periodic assessment. These assessments can take many forms but all of them should be as comprehensive and discreet as possible. Weekly, fortnightly, or quarterly reviews (depending on the learning area), that do not openly compare one learner with another and are positive and constructive experiences are generally recommended to promote and enhance not just learning and retention among children but their soft skills as well. VIII School Based Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation There has been a consistent move towards reducing the load on the student by making public or board examination stress free. Over the decade there has been a high pitched race towards more marks and thus more competitiveness among students and schools. The move of the CBSE to replace marks with grades is a step in the right direction. The paradigm shift is to empower schools by creating a workable school based continuous and comprehensive scheme. School Based Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation system should be established to: reduce stress on children l make evaluation comprehensive and regular l provide space for the teacher for creative teaching l provide a tool of diagnosis and remediation l produce learners with greater skills l Position Paper on Aims of Education NCF 2005. NCERT Aims of School Based CCE l Elimination of chance element and subjectivity (as far as possible), de-emphasis of memorization, encouraging Comprehensive evaluation incorporating both scholastic and co-scholastic aspects of learners development.  evaluation spread over the total span of the instructional time as an integral built-in aspect of the total teaching-learning process. And meaningful declaration of results for effective use by teachers, students, parents and the society. uses of test results for purposes not merely of the assessment of levels of pupils achievements and proficiencies, but mainly for its improvement, through diagnosis and remedial/enrichment programmes. in the mechanics of conducting examinations for realizing a number of other allied purposes Continuous l Functional l Wider l Improvement l Introduction of concomitant changes in instructional materials and methodology. l Introduction of the semester system from the secondary stage onwards. l The l use of grades in place of marks in determining and declaring the level of pupil performance and proficiency. The above goals are relevant for both external examination and evaluation in schools IX Characteristics of School Based Evaluation : l Broader, more comprehensive and continuous than traditional system. l primarily to help learners for systematic learning and development. Aims l Takes care of the needs of the learner as responsible citizens of the future. l Is more transparent, futuristic and provides more scope for association among learners , teachers and parents. School based evaluation provides opportunities to teachers to know the following about their learners: What they learn l How l they learn l What type of difficulties / limitations they face in realising learning objectives together l What the children think l What the children feel l What their interests and dispositions are. The focus has shifted to developing a deep learning environment. There is a paradigm shift in the pedagogy and competencies of ‘controlling’ to ‘enriching’ to ‘empowering’ schools. Traditional Schooling l Teacher centred l Subjects and classes l Sorting and ranking Enriching Schooling Student centred l l Directed Self l Continuous assessment Empowering Schooling Experience centred l l Virtual authenticity l Multi literacies individuals Competency: l Memory l Competitive Competency: l Critical thinking l Collaborative l Creative Competency: l taking Risk l Ethical l Interactive There are four Assessment Paradigms Assessment of Learning Most commonly, assessment is defined as a process whereby someone attempts to describe and quantify the knowledge, attitudes or skills possessed by another. Teacher directedness is paramount and the student has little involvement in the design or implement of the assessment process in these circumstances – X Summative l Teacher designs learning l l Teacher collects evidence l Teacher judges what has been learnt (and what has not) Assessment for Learning The assessment for learning involves increased levels of student autonomy, but not without teacher guidance and collaboration. The assessment for learning is sometimes seen as being akin to ‘formative assessment’ and can be seen as informing teaching. There is more emphasis towards giving of useful advice to the student and less emphasis on the giving of marks and the grading function – Teacher designs learning l Teacher designs assessment with feedback to student l Teacher assesses what has been learnt (student develops insight into what has not) l Assessment as Learning ‘Assessment as learning’ is perhaps more connected with diagnostic assessment and can be constructed with more of an emphasis on informing learning. Assessment as learning generates opportunities for self assessment and for peer assessment. Students take on increased responsibility to generate quality information about their learning and that of others – Teacher and student co-construct learning l Teacher and student co-construct assessment l Teacher and student co-construct learning progress map l Assessment for learning and assessment as learning activities should be deeply embedded in teaching and learning and be the source of iterative feedback, allowing students to adjust, rethink and re-learn. Assessment in Learning The assessment in learning places the question at the centre of teaching and learning. It deflects the teaching from its focus on a ‘correct answer’ to focus on ‘a fertile question’. Through the inquiry, students engage in processes that generate feedback about their learning, which come from multiple sources, and activities. It contributes to the construction of other learning activities, lines of enquiry and the generation of other questions Student at the centre of learning l Student monitors, assesses and reflects on learning l Student initiates demonstration of learning (to self and others) l Teacher as coach and mentor l XI Teachers and students need to understand the purpose of each assessment strategy so that the overall assessment ‘package’ being used by learners and teachers accurately captures, generates and uses meaningful learning information to generate deep learning and understanding. Purpose of Assessment To lascertain what learning, change and progress takes place in the child over a period of time in different subjects of study and other aspects of the childs personality. To find out the needs and learning style of every learner. l To ldevise styles. To improve the teaching-learning materials by adding value. l To help l every learner find out their interests, aptitudes, strengths and weaknesses so that the learner can evolve effective learning strategies. a teaching-learning plan that is responsive to the individual needs and learning To measure the extent to which curricular objectives have been realized. l To enhance the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. l To l record the progress of every learner and communicate it to parents and other stakeholders. a dialogue between the teacher and the student and also the parents as a collaborative endeavor for overall improvement of the system. To lmaintain To involve the learners in the process through peer and self assessment. l Different stages in Assessment Examination is not assessment; it is only one of the tools of assessment. As we have seen above, assessment is an integral part of the teaching-learning process and hence cannot be seen as the final stage in isolation. The overall aim of assessment is to gather information to improve the teaching-learning process. So it has certain distinct stages. Stage 1: Gathering information about and evidence of the extent of effectiveness of teaching and learning We gather information in a variety of ways, using a number of tools. Observation, conversation and discussion, assignments, projects, different types of tests etc are some of the methods and tools we use for collecting information. Stage 2: Recording of Information The information gathered has to be systematically recorded because it constitutes not only rich inputs that have to be used for improving teaching and learning but also evidence to support the conclusion we come to about the progress made by the students. In order to make the recording effective, we must use different recording devices such as learner profile, XII ancecdotal records, case studies, report books etc. It is essential that the information is recorded in both quantitative and qualitative terms along with well thought out and objective observations by the teacher. It is also necessary to keep samples of students work as evidence to support the report of the teacher. The most important aspect of good recording and reporting is that it shows the progress of the learner in different domains over a period of time. Stage 3: Analysing and Reporting the Information Collected The recorded information constitutes valuable feedback that the teacher, the student and the parents should use to enhance the learning process. To do this, the gathered information has to be analysed periodically so that the teacher can draw conclusions about how a child is learning and progressing. Such analysis and the grading that is done is actually a mapping of the progress of students in a learning environment. Analysis and review also leads to unambiguous statements about the strengths of every child and the aspects requiring further improvement. The report has to be communicated to the learners and their parents so that they are able to collaborate with the teacher to take the necessary steps for improving learning. It is essential that the child is encouraged to compete with self rather than with others. One of the key components of engaging students in the assessment of their own learning is providing them with descriptive feedback as they learn. Research shows descriptive feedback to be the most effective instructional strategy to move students forward in their learning. Descriptive feedback provides students with an understanding of what they are doing well, links to classroom learning and specific input on how to reach the next step. Stage 4: Using the Information for Improvement Assessment should result in improvement. Though the student, the teacher and the parents are all stakeholders in this paradigm, it is the teacher who has to take the initiative to use the analysis of information on each learner to enhance learning. This calls for reflective practices. Some questions that the teacher could ask himself/ herself are: 1. Are all the learners involved in the activities of the class? 2. Are there learners who face problems in coping with the pace and flow of the teaching learning process? 3. What are their problems and how should I help them? 4. Is there something in my teaching strategy that has to be modified to make the class learn better? How should I go about it? 5. Are there some learners who are not challenged by the materials and methods and hence lose motivation quickly? How should I respond to their special needs? 6. Are there some lessons/ chapters/ units that pose difficulties to many learners? How should I add value to these portions of the syllabus? 7. Have I identified certain common errors, mistakes and instances of lack of conceptual clarity from the information collected and analysed? How should I go about an effective programme of remediation? XIII 8. Is my classroom time management effective? What are the changes that I could introduce to make it more learner and learning oriented? 9. Am I getting adequate support from the school management, my colleagues, the parents and the community? How can I involve all the stakeholders more actively in what I am doing for the benefit of my learners? 10. What are my own needs of professional development? How can I fulfil them in a continuous manner? Such reflective questions will help the teacher modify and refine the programme of teaching to achieve the learning objectives as well as to enhance his/ her professional competence continuously. By now it is well established that learning is a continuous process and it involves informal, formal and non-formal modes. It is also widely acknowledged that children learn by constructing their knowledge and it makes learning a process that takes place within the children rather than without. In this paradigm of constructivism, the teacher ought to recognize the importance of different stages of learning i. e. , the initial stage where the existing knowledge of the learner is seen as the entry level, the second stage where new knowledge is understood and accommodated with the existing knowledge and the third stage where the constructed knowledge as a whole is tested by the learner by applying it to real life situations for making sense of the world and the self and for drawing conclusions, problem solving, decision making etc. What constitutes knowledge at the third stage automatically becomes the learners existing knowledge for further learning and thus it is a cyclical process. The main purpose of assessment is to enhance the effectiveness of the learning process and hence it has to be integrated appropriately with every stage of learning. Since learning is continuous, assessment also must be continuous. Otherwise the learner will not be able to know whether she/ he is proceeding along the right lines, what is the stage at which he experiences difficulties, what are the new inputs and strategies that are required to successfully continue the process of construction of knowledge and what is the help that is expected from the teacher. Similarly the teacher also has to know at what stage of learning each learner is at a particular point of time, what are the changes that are to be made to the teaching strategies to make every child learn effectively and what further help can be provided. For instance, when a child in class I comes to school, it is probable that the child has not had any formal schooling earlier. It does not mean that the child has no prior knowledge because learning, as has been pointed out earlier, can be through informal and non formal modes too. So the teachers duty is to identify the prior knowledge of the child while dealing with a particular concept or skill.