Battle Of Stalingrad Essay Research Paper Battle free essay sample

Battle Of Stalingrad Essay, Research Paper Battle of Stalingrad After losingss and failure of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler now had new aims in the war. He planned to drive Soviet forces out of the Southern Steppes and the Caucasus part and pickings over the abundant supply of natural mineral wealth, particularly oil, which was a cardinal ingredient for Germany s war machine. Another ground was that Axis forces could hold direct entree to the Middle East and be able to hold the military capableness for a concluding annihilating expanse Northward through Soviet forces in Moscow. Hitler besides believed that catching of Stalingrad ( now Volograd ) would take to the ruin of the Soviet Union. The Germans program was to direct two coincident onslaughts to capture the rich southern oil field of Stalingrad. Hitler wasn T moved by his generals warnings that his ground forcess were non strong plenty to transport both aims at the same clip. We will write a custom essay sample on Battle Of Stalingrad Essay Research Paper Battle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This monolithic military offense was called Operation Blue. In May of 1942, Hitler launched operation Blue by directing ground forcess A and B to brush E to Stalingrad, south to Astrakan, Grozny, and to the Caspian Sea. The Soviets, cognizing that the gaining control of Stalingrad would be ruinous for there ability to defy the German ground forces, still did non travel in forces guarding Moscow. Stalin did non desire to set Moscow in a place that would vulnerable to other German onslaughts. If the German ground forces took Stalingrad the Soviets would be wholly cut off from their ain oil supply. As a consequence, the German ground forces captured Rostov and other cardinal metropoliss in the Crimean part. They were now ready to assail Stalingrad. Now July, the Axis forces had had the advantage with 250,000 military personnels from Germany, Hungary, and Italy pouring into the outskirts of Stalingrad. Stalin still being really stubborn, kept the majority of his forces north to protect Moscow from onslaught. As a consequence, Army group B moved across the Don River North of the metropolis fall ining Soviet forces an coercing them to withdraw across the full Southern Front. The German 6th Army, commanded by Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus pushed frontward into Soviet forces and began to come in the metropolis from the West. At the same clip Stalin was traveling the 64th and 62nd Armies to take place eight stat mis from Stlaingrad. The Soviet ground forcess were able to decelerate the German forces from progressing for the average clip. On August 19th, the sixth German Army was commanded by Paulus to strike the first onslaught on Stalingrad, with the support of the fourth Panzer ground forces. The German ground forces besides sent 1,000 planes to drop incendiary bombs on the metropolis. Air foraies such as this one were really destructive because most of the edifices were made of wood. These onslaughts proved black for the Red Army. Stalin was really hundred oncerned about the state of affairs, he moved forces to the Southern forepart and worked madly to stabilise German assaults on the beleaguered metropolis. Contending now was really rough and neither side had many additions. One German general said, the stat mi as a step of distance was replaced by the pace. Through the months of September and October combat was now at really close scopes. Hand to manus combat was really common and many conflicts were fought with knives or bayonets. The combat was continual and didn T halt for the Sun or the Moon. Sometimes it might decelerate down, but proceedingss later it would get down once more with new energy. At times you couldn t hear individual shootings or detonations but alternatively one uninterrupted deafening boom. The Germans now had taken over 80 per centum of the metropolis. The 62nd Army was keeping on by a yarn and it was merely a affair of clip before the Germans would force the Red Army to the Volga River. Nevertheless, the 62nd Army still held the German from progressing any farther. Hitler had already declared triumph merely as Napoleon in 1812, but the tabular arraies were about to turn on the Germans. While the Germans were still held at Stalingrad, Soviet Marshall Zhukov and General Vasilevsky devised a program called Operation Uranus. They spotted failing in the Germans wings and knew that they could overmaster them. The Soviets so in secret began to mobilise one million military personnels ; 14,000 heavy guns ; 1,000 armored combat vehicles ; and 1,350 aircraft to assail the weak German wings. The Soviets did an first-class occupation of hiding their programs and the Axis forces were caught with their bloomerss down. On November19th, the Red Armies forces from the Southwestern Front and Don Front launched a monolithic surprise onslaught on the Rumanian, Italian, and Magyar places. In four short yearss the fast traveling Soviet Army had encircled the sixth German ground forces and the 4th Panzer Army, a sum of 330,000 work forces. Attempts by the Armies to interrupt out were stopped and the lone option was to hold supplies airlifted to them. Hitler ordered that the German Armies may non give up and that they must contend to the terminal. The German 6th Army fought a despairing competition but was still unable to perforate through the Soviet forces. With no nutrient or supplies the ground forces was on the brink of famishment. Paulus had no pick but to give up what was left of the 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army. The Germans had lost 147,000 work forces and 91,00 were taken as captives of war. The Stalingrad Battle became the turning point on the Eastern Front. Soviets had paid a immense monetary value for triumph with over a half of a million casualties. The conflict showed the universe that the mighty German machine was vulnerable and it gave assurance to the Soviets Armies start forcing the encroachers out of the Soviet Union.

The social cultural impacts of the Montserrat Volcanic Crisis placing the experience in a wider Caribbean context Essay Example

The social cultural impacts of the Montserrat Volcanic Crisis placing the experience in a wider Caribbean context Essay Example The social cultural impacts of the Montserrat Volcanic Crisis placing the experience in a wider Caribbean context Essay The social cultural impacts of the Montserrat Volcanic Crisis placing the experience in a wider Caribbean context Essay Montserrat is a small Caribbean island of approximately 102km2 in size and is situated to the South of its closest neighbour, Antigua. Both islands form part of the Leeward Islands chain as shown below: The island itself is a British overseas territory of volcanic origin, and until recently remained dormant. However, since 1995, the island has been severely affected by eruptions of the Soufriere Hills Volcano and the subsequent pyroclastic flows and mudslides associated with the volcanic activity. Such events have destroyed Plymouth, the Islands capital, the Airport situated on the East coast and much of the Southern third of the island. This has resulted in considerable social implications as a consequence of de-territorialization defined by Rozdilsky (2002) as the process of losing the natural relationship between culture and social territory, including the old new forms of symbolic production. The island once had a population of over 11000 people, which decreased considerably by approximately 2/3 to just 4500 in 2000 and is now home to only 80% of the original population figure approximately 8 000 people. In response to the eruption, approximately 2500 people relocated to other Caribbean islands and 3300-3700 had relocated before 1998 (DFID, 1999). Currently, the population is concentrated into the Northern third of the Island following the introduction of an Exclusion Zone encapsulating the most dangerous areas surrounding the Soufriere hills as shown below: The evacuation of people from dangerous areas of the island caused localized unrest and placed enormous pressures on the islanders. As Shotte describes the effect of these movements: Life for Montserratians has never been the same since July 1995. Three phases of internal displacement within the first nine months of the volcanic crisis, proved to be a frustrating and emotionally draining experience. Thus began the roller-coaster existence of a people whose lives were forcefully propelled on to unexpected and challenging roadways. The considerable reduction in land available for housing created serious social impacts; Those who chose not to leave the island following evacuation from the South where faced by two possibilities share with friends/family or be placed in temporary accommodation such as the Montserratian Defence Force barracks at Geralds. Eventually 1 in 7 people were housed temporarily in shelters. For many, a sense of order and stability in life is represented by land and home. For many Montserratians, this has been removed, producing disassociation and a confusion as to the sense of belonging. The people of Montserrat pre-1995 had a particular emotional attachment to their land. Plymouth and other areas around the island not only symbolised their identity and sense of being but also their ancestors struggle against colonialism and slavery. The land was previously seen as a type of security that can be handed down (Skelton. 2000. p70). Evacuation from the South has placed a strain on the areas of Davy Hill and Geralds where a large proportion of relocation has taken place. Geralds in particular has and is facing major changes through the construction of the new Airport to replace Bramble Airport, which was lost under pyroclastic flows on the East Coast. Despite offering 35 new jobs when completed and many during construction, at a cost of $EC42.6 million, the airport will dramatically change a large area of cultivated and inhabited land in the North of the Island meaning yet more relocation for those unlucky enough to be living where the airport is being built. Angela Greenaway (2002) comments that: for sustainable development to be achieved, there must be planning which caters for the local community but also has a healthy respect for the environment. This statement supports the need for sustainable development incorporating the airport but will come as little relief for the residents of Geralds who could well be relentlessly affected. The airport is however, very important to the development and safety (in terms of evacuation) of the island as more passengers will be catered for in light aircraft than the heliport could ever support. The questionable closure of the port (Osbourne, 2003) however, and removal of a twice-daily ferry service capable of carrying over 300 passengers is likely to hinder the development process until larger aeroplanes are able to service the island. For this to be the case, the runway must be extended which, according to the head of construction for the airport, is impossible given the shape of the land. Montserrat is characterised by a unique social and economic structure following the recent volcanic activity. Once self-sufficient and striving for independence, Montserrat is now more dependent than ever on Britain. The island once boasted low levels of unemployment and one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean and up until the 1995 eruptions, had not received budgetary aid from the UK since 1981 (Skelton, 2000). The extent of Montserrats substantial borrowings (Cassell-Sealy, 2002) following 1995 was highlighted by the Chief Minister John Osbourne, who when interviewed, estimated that 80% of development funding post-volcanic event was received from the UK and EU. A return to self-sufficiency by 2007 is a target set out by the Montserratian government despite the admittance that independence is now impossible for the foreseeable future (Osbourne, 2003). As a direct result of the volcanic activity and threat of future such occurrences highlighted by the introduction of the exclusion zone in October 1996, much of the aforementioned population reduction was through migration to other Caribbean islands (predominantly the neighbouring Antigua to the North and Guadeloupe to the South), North America and most importantly the United Kingdom (Mainly due to colonial links). The decrease in population generated several negative effects such as the dramatic reduction in revenue from taxes and a productivity base loss of 95% (resulting from the dramatic reduction of both males and females in the main productivity age group of 15 64 years old) (DFID, 1999). Similarly, the island is experiencing the brain/skill drain, which symbolises the loss of talent and intellect to other countries from the same age group. Attracting Montserratians back to the island is proving a difficult task mainly due to the rates of pay, which are low in comparison to other countries such as the UK. Services such as education suffer considerably as a result with the lack of teachers hindering future development of the education system. This is a problem which the government hopes to ease with the use of subsidies from the UK, should they become available. Pre-1995 the economy was primarily service-based with a significantly large female workforce acting as both producers and reproducers (Skelton, 1989). Since the volcanic activity began, the depletion of the service industry has meant the majority of job vacancies now exist in the construction industry, an industry dominated by male intake. This male preference is causing a detrimental psychosocial fallout (Barnes, 2001) which has lowered self-perception and worth for women. According to Lee (1996), Montserratians are experiencing the pull of the UK and other locations away from the threat of volcanic activity as well as the push of poverty. In an attempt to achieve sustainable re-development of the island, three major government-backed agencies have been introduced. Firstly, the Montserrat Volcanic Observatory (MVO) provides the siland with detailed analysis of the volcanic activity, mainly through Radio Montserrat. As Jill Morten, director of the MVO (2003) states: The level of trust the people hold for the observatory is evident and the government and emergency department rely heavily on data from the observatory when changing the exclusion zone area or in case of an evacuation. Secondly, the Emergency Planning Department (EPD) was introduced to ensure the minimal impact of any natural disaster possible is experienced. As Horatio Tuitt (2003) from the EPD explained: The department have plans for every conceivable eventuality including Operation Exodus the plan to evacuate the entire island should it be necessary. Finally, the Physical Planning Department (PPD) ensures the most effective use and management of land on the island. Modern techniques are used to develop the island as Angela Greenaway (2003) states: Using base maps, surveying techniques and aerial photography, the department is working towards having the entire island plotted using GIS (Geographical Information Systems). It is hoped that with the successful management of the natural hazards which affect the island, the Tourist Industry will be able to re-develop itself and the national economy. The Government is targeting tourism as the main source of income as it was pre-1995 through re-development and since 1998, figures have steadily increased: * 1999 saw a 37% increase on the figures for 1998 * 2001 saw a further 9% increase on the figures for 2000 (West, 2003) Achieving sustainable development is key to the re-development of the island if it is to build for the future, this is possible in many ways including using the remnants of the eruption for tourism (such as Plymouth in its inundated state) and using the unique culture and habitat that characterises the island as a whole. The second method is perhaps one of the most important. As those who visit the island soon realise, Montserrat features a unique culture which welcomes visitors and when combined with the natural beauty of the island, creates an alternative to many other holiday destinations. Key to the re-development of the Montserratian tourist industry is for the UK to assist in the promotion of the island as a safe tourist destination and to curb the negative media attention surrounding the volcanic eruptions of recent years. Similarly, the promotion of the island needs to be enhanced with help from the UK (where many tourists are likely to come from) and a reduction in the reliance upon word-of-mouth and repeat visitors as mediums. The problems faced by the tourist industry in Montserrat are highlighted by Roselyn Cassell-Sealy of the National Development Fund (2002): Our incapacity to control the quantity and quality of the context of international news releases continues to handicap our attempts to market ourselves as an alternative small island tourist destination as well as a very real potential investment option. Currently, the Caribbean economy as a whole is a very complicated system originating from its colonial history (Boxhill, 1999). Most of the islands are still influenced or governed by their previous colonisers. More recently, the Caribbean countries are in the process of developing the idea of a Caribbean Single Market and Economy. Key features of which include the introduction of a single Caribbean currency, which would be utilised by all the full members of CARICOM (Caribbean Community Common Market) in an attempt to prevent marginalization and the influence of Trans-national Corporations. (Boxhill, 1999) Although Montserrat is a British Territory and is likely to be so for the foreseeable future, it is a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), using the Eastern Caribbean Dollar ($EC) as its main currency. Despite its reliance upon the UK and EU for funding, Montserrat maintains full independent status within the OECS (Skelton, 2000). However, the Chief Minister has highlighted the islands intentions to join the Single Caribbean Currency should the plan come to fruition. Montserrat purveyed one of the stronger Caribbean economies prior to the volcanic crisis (Skelton, 2000). Despite the activity since 1995, the standard of living on the island is still of a reasonable quality and is much higher than on other Caribbean islands areas of Africa and South America. Processes such as Globalization (featuring increased communication and transport links), have attracted migrants from such areas. Montserrat is keen however not to allow the introduction of possible detrimental activities to the island such as drug and gun cultures which could spoil the image and portrayal the island is striving to achieve as part of its sustainable development. The Governor, Chief Minister and Press officer Keith Greaves highlighted such matters as well as the already evident cultural changes which are a feature of the modern global community and are brought to the island by tourists and migrants alike. Such actions do however introduce the possibility of a sense of confusion as to the national identity which Montserratians are attempting to ascertain. As Fergus (1994) comments; Montserrations are still not certain what they are. One part of the Monserratian culture which is evident, and indeed prominent, is the importance of religion to the people. Walking or driving through villages on a Sunday morning immediately presents the level of importance the church holds to the people. There is very little activity, except for those going to or from church. Communities appear to be based around religious activities and groups with most activities being held in the local church hall. It is difficult if not impossible to determine what the future holds for Montserrat and its people. The volcanic activity since 1995 has had several socio and cultural impacts on the Island. The people have been relocated, sometimes on several occasions and are uncertain where their future lies perhaps this is why so many have moved to security and a certain future associated with an alternative sense of being. Many of those who took advantage of the UK governments 2-year exceptional leave to enter granted in April 1996 allowing free entry to the UK for Montserratians. It is also important to point out that those who chose to remain or moved to the island are now located in one third of the original size of the island. Islanders are now therefore living more on top of each other and the scope for future conflicts greater than those already experienced through activity such as relocation is increased. If the island is to achieve sustainable development, the reliance upon the UK and EU will continue for some considerable period and it is difficult to see how Montserratians will be able to achieve a real sense of nationalism and complete identity until the island re-develops considerably. It is not of course a foregone conclusion that volcanic activity will cease in the short term. This raises the question as to whether the Southern area of the island will ever be safe to use again in light of recent events. Either way, the socio-cultural impacts on Montserratians lives are likely to continue until the island achieves a stable economy and structure similar to that which existed pre-volcanic activity. The question remains as to when and indeed if this will happen.

Intuition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Intuition - Essay Example It is much easier to apply intuition if you know already some peculiarities of a person or situation you should deal with. For instance, you may have to tell something unpleasant to your younger sister or brother, but this are the news that may affect him/her negatively. What to do in this case? As a rule, you think over the best moment that will be the most suitable for sharing the information you need. You may select a quite place to do that. How can you know that this very time and place will be the best ones in this situation? No doubts, it is your intuition that helps you to make the right decision. However, it is necessary to remember that your brother or sister may have another intuition, as in Dan Ariely’s examples about nurses. That is why you should learn more about his/her intuition in order not to make a mistake. It should be noted that the situation about bandages experienced by Dan Ariely explains a lot of things concerning intuition and its importance. It turns out that it is necessary to test and practice intuition. Moreover, if one’s profession is closely connected with communication, one should take into account other people’ intuitions as well. This will help to understand their feelings and improve the process of working with people. It is known that Dan Ariely has very poor attitude towards the nurses from the hospital he was treated at. If they just tried to understand his feelings and use his intuition, the process of recovery would not last so long and there would be only positive feedbacks from Dan Ariely. Unfortunately, people working with people seldom resort to the use of their intuition. In the majority of cases they just do not have enough time for that. For example, those nurses were expected to spend only an hour to change the bandages. This action caused much pain to their patients. The nurses had problems with their intuition without even knowing this fact. This example demonstrates the consequences when pe ople do not want to test and improve their own intuition. However, this would help to understand others and their needs. It is necessary to stress that, of course, the patient with burned body knows better how to take of the bandages with less pain. There are several possible ways to distinguish intuition. For example, this word is translated as ‘to look at’ from Latin. So, intuition means looking at some situation or problem in detail with the help of one’s inner feelings. It is necessary to stress that intuition really helps people to live an easier life. Our inner man knows better what we need to do in certain situations. Thus, in the majority of cases it is not conscience but intuition that makes us apologize for some words or actions. Our inner man feels that the person you respect may be offended by the above-mentioned things. You feel that if you do not apologize, this will be the end of friendship or love. It means that if people listened to their intuiti ons more often, there would be fewer divorces in families and misunderstanding among people. Resorting to the use of intuition will help people to economize much time and effort on doing a lot of things. If one uses intuition in order to handle some problem, he/she does not need to spend sleepless nights in order to select the best way to solve the problem. Intuition gives an opportunity to make fast decisions and not to

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Management - Essay Example TQM is a whole process which cannot be made in vacuum. It requires precise techniques and methods such as bench marking and knowledge management along with the control system. This research paper aims at studying and identifying internal control system within Toyota as well as interpreting the criteria for developing and evaluating the control system and its impact on the total quality management. Thesis statement: Internal control and total quality management should not be limited to minimizing cost, improving quality and increasing return on investment but should also emphasize on improving human capital. An Infrastructure for Quality Assurance Total quality function and internal control work side by side for organizational success. Quality assurance provides the basic infrastructure for measuring and reporting quality. Quality assurance program begins with the policy statement by the board which recognizes the need of total quality while minimizing cost. It includes designing of r igorous quality control procedures and development of quality control standards. Internal control serves as the vector of information on quality. Successful companies not only realize the importance of existence of quality assurance methods but also try to do better than the industry average. The impact of good management is usually gauged in the three dimensional framework which consist of high quality, low cost and steadily improved return on investment. In the wake of globalization and accelerating pace of change many organizations now also include quality human capital as the fourth dimension, quality in selecting, hiring, training and evaluating promotion of human capital. Overall quality cannot be achieved without motivating and developing human capital. Motivated employees are not only willing to undertake challenging tasks but it also improves their perception of self worth. Hence the new concept of quality is not just limited to product quality but total quality in every de partment and process of the company. Every employee should work for the total quality management. It is a virtuous cycle which begins with product quality, cost minimization, fast time to market, business reputation, high performance work environment and eventually leads to improved job performance and personal satisfaction of the employees. Internal control measures job performance and report it to the senior management (Chorafas, 2001). Internal Control System Internal control is the vector of information that provides information to the senior management for decision making. Internal control plays a fundamental role in any business and should be used in integration with strategic control and management control for its maximum benefit. Internal control is based upon gathering information so it has various inputs from different departments and processes of the organizations. It receives information from customers, workers, suppliers and information about other events and condition. This transaction of information is bilateral or two way. Internal control then passes on this information to the higher management who makes plans, authorizations and takes decisions accordingly. Internal controls also provide feedback or follow up of those plans, procedures and decisions. Managements’ ability to fulfill their responsibility and adequate decision

Swine flu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Swine flu - Essay Example partment of Health in the UK also reports that the swine flu vaccine can offer the pregnant woman and her foetus some form of protection against the disease and concerns over safety are baseless (Press Association, 2009). In order to ensure the safety of the mother and her baby, medical health workers need to be mandatorily included in the vaccination program for swine flu. This is to be imposed in the coming winter months for all health workers (Stein, 2009). The Civil Contingencies Act of 2004 expresses that in instances of National Emergency, previous laws may be overruled. Emergency situations, in these instances include epidemics or a situation which causes serious human illness in the United Kingdom (section 19). The right to refuse treatment and the patient’s right to consent is overruled in this case because the life of the pregnant women and the population in general is endangered. The side effects which sometimes manifest after the administration of the swine flu vaccine, based on reports by experts covering hospitals in Canada, the United States, and Finland are baseless. Reports of Guillain-Barre and spontaneous abortions in these women have not necessarily been associated with the vaccine. So far figures do not exceed baseline parameters pointing to a definite link between these two (AP, 2009). Based on a patient’s Right to Self-determination, a patient has the right to refuse treatment and consequently, he has the right to refuse vaccination (Mental Health Act, as quoted by Leino-Kilpi, 2000). Reports from Medstar in America indicate that exemptions for health employees are being allowed as reasons for not being vaccinated against swine flu. These exemptions include: egg allergies or risk factors for a rare complication known as Guillain-Barre syndrome (Stein, 2009). Religious reasons are not being allowed as exemptions for this vaccination (Stein, 2009). Brewington, K., 2009, Swine flu vaccine: just one dose needed for pregnant women,

Case study remedial writing programme

Case study remedial writing programme The purpose of this study programme is to determine if students from the elementary level of Hin Hua High School (Chinese Independent School) improved in their ability to write in English after having studied specifically developed curriculum. The 7-hour remedial programme is to be conducted once the academic department releases the final assessment grades. Fifteen students with the lowest score were selected using the criterion method to undergo the remedial programme. the importance of all six major aspects of writing measured in the English Test which comprises mainly punctuation, grammar and usage, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style. It is believed by attending the remedial programme selected students would be able to show the ability to make and articulate judgments by taking position on an issue or problem. Besides sustaining a position by focusing on the topic throughout the writing. They are alson expected to develop a position by presenting support or evidence using specific details and make inferences based on support or evidence. Most importantly, they should be able to organize and present ideas in a logical way by logically grouping and sequencing ideas. Hence communicate clearly by using language effectively and by observing the conventions of standard written English INTRODUCTION As a language teacher, I often select writing tasks from language textbooks to help students improve their writing ability. Behaviorists, communicative, cognitive, and discourse theories could influence writing approaches in language textbooks. Each theoretical framework has provided us with a better understanding of the multiple dimensions and purposes of teaching writing. A review of the developments in writing pedagogy leads us to conclude that we could teach writing as a means to improve linguistic, rhetorical and communicative competence or as a discovery and cognitive process. The writing tasks that we select from language textbooks and assign to students could reflect one or some of these pedagogical purposes. As teachers, we need to question and understand the pedagogical assumptions of textbook writing tasks so that we can select tasks that will help our students become confident writers and independent thinkers. Primary students entering the secondary school level (high School) are challenged not only to learn new content in the disciplines but also to communicate this. A significant number of students will not have adequate academic literacy levels to be able to do this successfully (Jones and Bonanno, 1995 (1). Atlhough traditionally students were expected to develop academic literacy skills without any explicit teaching of these skills, schools now recognize the increasingly diverse backgrounds of their student populations and have put in place mechanisms for helping students develop their academic literacy. These have included the establishment of literacy and learning units as well as the requirement for school curricula to address the teaching of writing skills including communication skills. English Learning Centre of Hin Hua High School Klang, like other literacy and learning units, has been involved in a number of collaborative projects with teachers involved in teaching Junior One to integrate the teaching of communication skills into the curriculum (Webb et al, 1995, Taylor and Drury, 1996). These initiatives have resulted in the development of new teaching materials and approaches as well as new practices of assessment and feedback. However, as subject area curricula are being adapted to computer-based forms of learning, it is also necessary to consider how the teaching of communication skills can be integrated into these programs or how the teaching of communication skills can be contextualized within the learning of subject area knowledge. With the current demand for propheciuency in English Language great importance has been given to developing programs to instill good writing modes to the elementary learners which aims to help students become successful editors of their own writing. 1.1 LITERATURE REVIEW Writing skills have been identified as to improve students thinking. Moffett and a few others have developed cognitively sequenced curricula for elementary and secondary writing, college composition, when it is sequenced at all, tends to rely on structural or rhetorical arrangements, which are neither sequential nor cumulative. Progressions from word to sentence to paragraph to theme confuse quantitative with qualitative growth, while rhetorical sequences confront students with cognitive problems of different but equal complexity. In short, from a cognitive perspective, most writing instruction in higher education is consistent with that in secondary education: what Stephen Judy described as Advanced Hodgepodge in high school gives way to Arrogant Hodgepodge in college. A large and growing body of research, however, shows that cognitive development follows a hierarchical sequence of stages and suggests that a curriculum can be sequentially organized to promote cognitive development. Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives provides some essential connections between the cognitive abilities we expect of college students and a curriculum that can stimulate those abilities Blooms Taxonomy is one solution to the cognitive hodgepodge of the writing curriculum. It allows us to sequence instruction and assignments in ways that speak directly to students developmental needs. From least to most complex, For writing instruction the taxonomy provides a flexible model of what happens cognitively in the learning process Bloom described a six stage sequence: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. (See Figure 1) Figure 1.0 The flow chart of Blooms Taxonomy At each new level, thought processes build on and encompass previous levels. Implicit in this structure is the assumption of an ascending scale of difficulty and comprehensiveness. Thinking at the comprehension level is more demanding than at the knowledge level; cognitive problems requiring synthesis or evaluation encompass all the preceding levels. A review of Blooms definitions for each taxonomic level suggests what such a cognitively-based writing course might entail. Although the focus of each level is cognitive, rhetorical issues of audience and purpose are equally appropriate and can be specified for any assignment. Most of all, the taxonomy allows us to contemplate the value and feasibility of a cognition-based curriculum in writing. Such a curriculum would reflect the hierarchical relations of the various thought processes and would help to control for cognitive complexity in writing and thinking about distorting natural discourse. In this form, writing or writing-intensive courses would systematically develop students thinking skills rather than leaving them to chance or, worse, blunting the writers still-developing ability to explore and express ideas. In short, a cognition-based curriculum ensures that students participate fully in using writing as a mode of learning. 2.0 INTENDED PURPOSE The remedial programme is targeted for the elementary learners who are in the process of upgrading their writing skills to the pre -intermediate level. A total of 15 students are selected from the age group of 13 years old based on the final semester examination results. The examination basically structured in accordance to the textbook currently used in the school curriculum ,New Opportunities (Pearson Longman-Cambridge). Basically the (Stiggins to highlight achievement differences between and among students to produce a , 1994). School systems might want to classify students in this way so that they can be enhance their competency level even further. The major reason for using a norm-referenced test (NRT) is to classify students. NRTs are designed on dependable rank order of students across a continuum of achievement from high achievers to low achievers be properly placed in remedial or gifted programs. These types of tests are also used to help teachers select students for differe nt ability level reading or mathematics instructional groups. As the selected students fall under the below average group in Paper 1(Writing Assessment) whereby there are two parts that the had to complete here: SECTION A Notes Expansion and SECTION B Continuous Writing (Choose one topic out of five given) From the academic analysis it was found that majority students failed in Section B where it consists of 25% of the total marks of 40% of the Writing paper. Thus they are required to attend a 7 hour remedial programme to improve their writing skills by at least 85%. FINAL SEMESTER : PAPER 1 RESULTS (40%) NAME CLASS SECTION (15%) SECTION B (25%) 1 LIM WAI MENG ELEMENTARY 8 8 2 CAROLINE TAN ELEMENTARY 7 7 3 CHONG YOKE LAN ELEMENTARY 9 6 4 LIM CHEN PHANG ELEMENTARY 8 6 5 LEE AI VIN ELEMENTARY 8 7 6 SOO HUI YING ELEMENTARY 5 5 7 TAN KUI ROU ELEMENTARY 6 8 8. TEE WAN RU ELEMENTARY 5 9 9 NG JIA JI ELEMENTARY 9 7 10 LIM SHAO YI ELEMENTARY 9 4 11 KELVIN LAI ELEMENTARY 6 8 12 TAN MAY LI ELEMENTARY 8 8 13 TOO MEI LING ELEMENTARY 5 5 14 LIM TAI YONG ELEMENTARY 6 9 15 TEO JOYCELYN ELEMENTARY 7 6 Table 1 REMEDIAL PROGRAMME STUDENTS NAME LIST 3.0 PURPOSE OF REMEDIAL WRITING PROGRAMME The reasons for the remedial program to be initiated is to better the learners in their writing skills and strengthen it so that they have all capabilities to be promoted to the next level but due to certain minute factors they fail to adhere to the standards of the pre-intermediate level. Thus these students are carefully selected using the criterion method to undergo the 7 hour remedial programme. In order to drill and motivate these students in the remedial programme an enriching lesson plan is formulated to create a positive outcome at the end of the the 7 hour remedial programme. The purposes for emphasizing writing skills are to produce who can comprehend teaching and learning in a positive mental attributes. There is a wide body of research suggesting that assessing students written performance is a valuable undertaking. Not only is an instructor able to help a students progress, but also the instructor can facilitate the learning process and the learning outcomes by being aware of student performance throughout the academic session. Purpose for teaching writing Writing for Language Practice Writing for Rhetorical Practice Writing for communication Writing as a Discovery and a Cognitive process Figure 2.0: The Purpose for Teaching Writing Undeniably, 3R skills are important and necessary in daily living. They are also needed to support the development of a knowledge-based economy. Recognizing these needs, the school has initiated and implemented programmes to identify students who have not mastered the 3Rs. These programmes are designed to specifically address and overcome the inability of students to master the 3Rs. This is in line with the essentialism which instills students with academic knowledge and character development. Among the programmes that have been implemented in schools are the Early Inter ­vention Reading and Writing Class, Basic Skills for Reading, Writing and Counting Programme and the Literacy and Numeracy Programme at Level One. 3.1 Sub-skills of Writing Besides drilling and enriching the remedial learners with the core writing skills , there are also exposed to the importance of sub-skills in their learning such as: I Manipulating the script of the language: handwriting, spelling and punctuation. II Expressing grammatical [syntactic and morphological] relationships at the sentence level III Expressing information or knowledge in writing: explicitly implicitly IV Enrichment of Vocabulary PART B 4.0 Objectives of the 7-hour remedial programme The main aim in introducing and implementing the remedial programme particularly in the aspect of writing skills is to mainly: to develop competencies in writing skills among learners to move from a teacher-centered didactic model to a student-centered constructivist model to acquire the ability to write in a more clear, concise and acceptable manner 5.0 Instructional Design : Using the ADDIE Model to Build Writing Competency Among Remedial Learners Table 2.0 ADDIEs Model 5.1 Framework The generic term for the five-phase instructional design model consisting of Analysis,Design,Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.   Each step has an outcome that feeds into the next step in the sequence.   There are probably over 100+ different variations of the generic ADDIE model. Instructional design aim for a learner -centered rather than a traditional teacher-centered approach to instruction, so that effective learning can take place. This means that every component of the instruction is governed by the learning outcomes, which have been determined after a thorough analysis of the learners needs. This phases sometimes overlap and can be interrelated; however they provide a dynamic, flexible guideline for developing effective and efficient instruction. Figure 3.0 Instructional Design: Using the ADDIE Model 5.2 ADDIES Theory The ADDIE instruction model for this desin is outlined by Smith and Ragan(1995) in their book entitiled Instructional design. The focus is n 5 points Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. From this theory the analysis has proved that there was a need to conduct remedial programme for the elementary low scorers where an opportunty was given to learn and develop basic essay writing skills. 6.0 Remedial Education Programme In Malaysia, the importance of remedial education gained attention in the 1960s. Results of a pilot project in nine schools between 1967 and 1970 showed a need for remedial education, especially for pupils in rural areas. This paved the way for remedial education programmes in primary schools. The pioneers in the field attended a two-year intensive course on remedial education in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, a national series of seminars and workshops on remedial teaching were organized. With the exception of small schools or under-enrolled schools, every school is allocated one remedial education teacher. At the school level, a Remedial Education Committee is formed, comprising the headmaster, remedial education teacher, class teacher, subject teacher, resource centre coordinator, and other teachers as members. The introduction of a new curriculum for primary schools in 1983 implied a return to the basics in education. The ultimate goal was to ensure that no pupil is illiterate by the year 2000. The implementation of the remedial education programme for children in Primary 1-3 is to ensure that they master the 3Rs. Children who have been recommended for remedial education are required to attend remedial classes. As of 1999, 54,000 primary school children have undergone the intervention programme. In addition to improving and enhancing teacher development, the Malaysian government also works towards improving the curriculum at school to meet the changing needs of the economy. During the Fourth Malaysia Plan, the primary school curriculum was revised with the aim of providing and establishing a firm education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. This led to the development of a new curriculum emphasizing the 3Rs. Studies looking at the returns to education in Malaysia have found positive results in those who have had some form of formal education, thereby providing support to the government guidelines on the primary curriculum which emphasizes the acquisition of basic skills.Education in Malaysia , changing very rapidly responding to the emerging focus of lifelong learning; the growing emphasis on learning; as opposed to reaching and the development of the new delivery systems 6.1 The Educational, Philosophical and Psychological foundation Elementary education shall aim to develop the spiritual, moral, mental and physical capabilities of the child, provide him with experiences in the democratic way of life, and inculcate ideas and attitude necessary for enlightened, patriotic, upright and useful citizenship. To achieve these objectives, elementary education curriculum shall provide for the: inculcation of spiritual and civic values and the development of a good citizen based on an abiding faith in God and genuine love of country; training of the young citizen in his rights, duties and responsibilities in a democratic society for active participation, in a progressive and productive home and community life; development of basic understanding about Malaysian culture, the desirable tradition and virtues of our people as essential requisites in attaining national consciousness and solidarity; teaching of basic health knowledge and the formation of desirable health habits and practices; development of functional literacy in English as basic tools for further learning; and acquisition of fundamental knowledge, attitudes, habits, and skills in science, civics, culture, history, geography, mathematics, arts, and home economics and livelihood education and their intelligent application in appropriate life situations. The Elementary Basic Education Curriculum focuses on the tool learning areas for an adequate development of competencies for learning how to learn.    The goal of Instructional design is to support the cognitive processes that result in learning (McGriff). The expected outcome of instructional design is to provide knowledge and skills to people. The three major learning theories are Constructivism, Behaviorism, and Cognitive. Instructional Design is based on constructivist principles. Instructional design is associated with instructional systems development (Leshin et al, 1992). An Instructional System is the arrangement of resources and procedures to promote learning (Berger and Kam). 6.2 Programme Design: ADDIE Model ADDIE is a general-purpose model, which can be used to create instructional products and program design. ADDIE is the acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate and summarizes the five steps in the Instructional Design process. The instructional designer makes decisions critical to ensuring the effectiveness of the educational experience in each phase of the process. In accordance with the process improvement model, the five phases are a loop, with the improvement of learning outcomes as the goal. Dick and Carey and Kemp (Kemp, et .al, 1998) expanded the ADDIE Model into nine elements. The Dick and Carey Model uses a Reductionist approach in breaking instruction down into smaller segments targeting sub skills. The learner is required to master of sub skills, which are aggregated to achieve overall skill mastery and learned behavior. It provides a systematic approach to curriculum and program design. Teaching is essentially a philosophical endeavor and therefore educational activity can be conceived within the context of a philosophy or worldview. The curricukum refelects the art and craft of teaching. Educational technology can provide diversity of thinking regarding curriculum and instruction which would be curriculum theorizing. 6.2.1 Analysis Basically the nature of the students whom the remedial programme to be conducted are students who learn English Language as a second language. They are originally from Chinese speaking families with a minimum exposure to English Language. Due to the expectation of the school and the educational needs in adhering English as one of the core subjects in school these students are required to have in depth knowledge and skill in it. All of them have been educated in the Chinese primary school education system. Based on the final semester examination results 15 students are selected to undergo remedial programme as they fall in the border line cases .The students acquire poor writing skills, while being able to construct sentences fairly well, they seem to have great difficulty in organizing and developing their ideas into the form of an essay that has an introduction, body and conclusion. In order to promote these students to the next level that is the pre-intermediate phase from their origin elementary level the English Language Department found it vital for them to attend a 7-hour remedial programme in order to find solution to this situation. All of them need to further develop their writing skills in term of cohesion and coherence; time and practice. 6.2.2 Design The main design goal for our programme would be on the cognitive strategies of being able to develop an idea for writing since all of them com e from a very similar background and have basic sentence writing skills. Besides the development of language in the mechanics of sentence construction such as syntax, grammar, structure, etc given priority. R.Gagne(1965) divided learning into 5 categories: Verbal or declarative knowledge, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes and psychomotor skills. The learning goals are also in connection to these categories to try to put educational value behind our goals. At the same time the goal also reflects competences outlines by Benjamin Bloom (Bloom,1956). These include: Knowledge, Conprehension , Application, Analysis, Synthesis an Evaluation. These give our goals validity whereby competencies are incorporated in bringing about concrete task for learners that we assign in order to achieve their goals. Hence in the evaluation phase, we can use this aspect to find out the validity and the accomplishment of the learners in implementing the programme. Learning Goals and Type of Learning OBJECTIVE STANDARD GAGNES DOMAIN BLOOMS TAXANOMY Learners will identify an essay topic and 3 sub-topics Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Cognitive strategies Synthesis Learners will be able to write a 3 paragraph essay with an introduction, 2 sub topics to include their opinions, ideas and conclusion Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Declaration Knowledge Intellectual Skills Synthesis Evaluation Application Learners will be able to use the library and Handouts to research printed information on their topics Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Procedural knowledge (declaration knowledge) Knowledge Learners will be able to use proper mechanics of grammar syntax Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Intellectual Skills Application Learners will be able to present their topics in class Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Declaration knowledge Comprehension Table 3.0 Learning Goals and Type of Learning 6.2.3 Development In order to establish a approachable remedial programme for the elementary learners , we English teachers have developed a remedial programme which will undertake a 7 hour learning process. The teachers from the same level have brainstormed and come up with a course content for the 7-hour teaching and learning programme. The teachers from the same teaching level are the best person to create the lesson as they deal with the same competency level of students all the time and are considered experts in their area. Besides this, they will be able to make he printed and computer materials and added step of getting the right content for the level. On top of that since they have already been teaching in the same scope so they will be undoubtedly familiar in the process of teaching and guiding the learners in order to make the remedial programme a success. 6.2.3.(1) Procedure The remedial programme would be in the English medium since the main objective is to improve writing skills among elementary learners. The programme consists of 6 regular sessions and followed by a review and a test day. Each hour is scheduled to be conducted for 60 minutes ***Details on the whole programme given on Part D 6.2.4 Implementation Further to the development to the development the teachers would be equipped with intact course content for he programme. The module would be prepared in balance with the time frame allotted for the programme. Any teacher who is selected for this task should be ready to undertake the teaching process based on the scheme that has been prepared. Al l 15 students will be instructed to attend the programme for 7 hours. These are the various aspect of implementation emphasized in the learning process: Approaches Discovery and guided discovery- instructional techniques Observation-modeling examples by teachers Guided participation cooperation of teachers and learners in a task Strategy instruction Direct Explanation Self Instruction Training Dyadic Instruction Table 4.0 Learning Process Implementation 6.2.5 Evaluation The evaluation phase consists of two parts: formative and summative. Formative evaluation is present in each stage of the ADDIE process. Summative evaluation consists of tests designed for domain specific criterion-related referenced items and providing opportunities for feedback from the users. Primarily the evaluation is done in two parts. The first phase will be the evaluation of student work based on the objectives in the Learning goals and type of learning listed above. Students will be rated by their teacher based on the A,B,C,F criteria set by the English Department. An A is excellent work, B is average, and C will mean student needs improvement. An F would mean that student failed the writing assessment with below 60% of mark. Students will be evaluated at each stage of the course. The department will use this evaluation in order to find out how they might need to modify the programme in the future. A summative evaluation will be conducted as outlined by Smith and Ragan(1999,p.352). Those authors explain that in order to evaluate the effectiveness, appeal, and efficiency of instruction, a collection, analysis and summary of data on students ia essential. In our designed programme an exam is built to access students of their mastery on the abilities taught during the programme.Students are to show their capabilities in their understanding and knowledge taught to them by completing the set of homework targeted to them. Students will be graded on from 1 to 5 for their abilities in each of the following sections: Student name Student able to choose a topic n sub-topics Student able to use handouts information Student able to complete the essay Score dated from 1 to 5 1 : poor 2 : Able to understand the writing concept with some guidance 3 : Able to complete the task with help and support 4 : Able to understand the concept and complete the task individually A pre-test and post-test can measure how well learners achieved the learning objectives. However, it usually takes more time and effort to measure things such as whether the learners will use their training. This evaluation phase can extend for months. Upon completion of the programme the students feedback will be collected to further gauge the success of the programme. Questions are also answered on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is low and 5 is high. The standard questions constructed are as below: Were you satisfied with the content of this course? Were you able to understand the teachers explanation? Were you able to put into practice elements that you learnt? Did you fond the course interesting? On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your general feeling about the course? PART C 7.0 REVIEWERS COMMENTS Below is the summary of the feedback received from two of the Senior Teachers from the English Language Department of Hin Hua High School regarding the 7hour remedial programme on writing skills. Reviewer 1: Mdm Annaletchumy Reviewer 2: Ms Sastina The strengths and weaknesses of the newly developed Remedial Programme for Elementary Students Strengths 1. Learning by actively participating in group discussion 2. Encouraging students to construct their own ideas and knowledge of the topic 3. Student-centered rather than teacher or subject-centered 4. Teaching aid contributed to students visualization on the topic given 5. Suitable to students development level 6. Group work enables students to self express, to be self-confident and self- awareness 7. Encourage teacher to develop students creative thinking abilities 8. Emphasizing the concept of group work and peer evaluation where no student Is left behind 9. Encouraging the co-operation among students and teacher positively 10. Enables student to have a positive mindset in creative writing Weaknesses 1. Unsuitability of activities for crowded room 2. Lack of materials used as aid for pre-writing task 3. Lack of teachers evaluation on the first phase of writing 4. Certain task may take more time than the planned time 5. Peer evaluation on writing inappropriate approach for elementary learners 8.0 Summary of Review Summarized below are some of the accomplishments and challenges I personally went through in construction the remedial programme: 8.1 Strengths 8.1.1 Improved students attitude and motivation Students are mentally prepared to participate in the programme because students agree to a particular pace, workload, and learning environment from the beginning. 8.1.2 Creating Learning Communities: Classes function as teach communities both teacher and their students benefit in both social and academic areas from working with each other over a entire programme. 8.1.3 Eliminating Stigma of Dependency: The concept group work and peer evaluation removed the stigma of being too dependent on the teacher Writing materials. 8.2 Weaknesses 8.2.1 Students participation Some learners will not contribute in due to the lack of interest o

The New Addiction :: essays research papers

The New Addiction Ten years ago 330,000 Americans underwent plastic surgery. This year that number has increased to over 6 million, of which 335,000 are under the age of 18 (So you want a famous face). The increase in numbers of plastic surgeries could be attributed and/or directly proportionate to the increase in extreme makeover shows. According to Charles Cooley, â€Å"a person’s sense of self is derived from the perceptions of others.† We will use Charles Cooly’s looking-glass-self theory to argue that mass media has created a social mirror for millions of women, the consequence of which is a â€Å"cosmetic surgery addiction†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cooly’s looking-glass-self is defined as â€Å"a self-concept based on our perception of others judgments of us† (Sociology pg 97). In the year 2000 more than 6.3 million women chose to have cosmetic plastic surgery, which could be a direct result from people watching TV programs such as â€Å"Extreme Makeover†, â€Å"Swan†, and â€Å"Nip/Tuck† (â€Å"Less is Really More† Paul Lorenc.. Newsweek). These kinds of shows, combined with the seemingly flawless beauty of Hollywood stars, forms the social mirror by which society judges itself. Under these circumstances certain people begin to see themselves as wanting and not good enough. The answer to their feelings of unattractiveness is fulfilled by plastic surgery more often than not, and when their problem is not fixed by one surgery another is done until an addiction begins to form. In the year 2003, 4.3 million patients undergoing plastic surgery were returning patients (pl asticsurgery.org).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We feel Cooly’s theory of the looking-glass-self illustrates why society is addicted to plastic surgery, and why this addiction is due to the media. We believe that the media project images of people that are unrealistic and these images are what we feel we should look like.