The effects of smoking in the human body

The effects of smoking in the human body Hazardous Effects of Smoking on the Human Health Since modern people live and eat satisfactorily, they began to concern themselves more about their health. These days we frequently can see many male adults who are smoking. Moreover, the smoking rate of teenagers and women has lately been getting higher; thus, the problem becomes very serious. Although people know that smoking is bad and harmful, they seem difficult to quit smoking. People might not fully know negative effects of smoking. They must attempt to learn how horribly undermine their health while they are smoking. Once they understand the serious relation between smoking and its effects, then they would be more determined and easier to quit smoking with obtained knowledge for preventing smoking. Then what does smoking actually cause on human health, and how seriously appalling are its effects? Smoking causes various diseases such as chronic bronchitis and various kinds of cancer: lung cancer, larynx cancer, cancer of the esophagus, etc. Tobacco, which people smoke, is a toxic substance, and a main ingredient that causes the toxic is nicotine. This nicotine has a medical action which is similar to toxic substance such as a narcotic. When it is the first time to smoke or when a smoker smokes a lot, it gives various symptoms such as vomiting, giddiness, headaches, etc. by nicotine. Nicotine is very poisonous; therefore, if a humans body absorbs too much nicotine in their blood at once, most of the people die. The most important medical action of nicotine is a mental effect. Nicotine makes smokers feel a sense of mental stability and gives a sedative effect that helps to relieve the tension. Most of all, these medical actions of nicotine cause a habit which makes people smoke continually. The smoke of tobacco includes carbon monoxide; therefore, smokers could be in hypoxia, because the use rate of oxygen by smokers is much lower than the use rate of oxygen by nonsmokers. Smoking makes smokers feel headache, dizziness, and fatigue, makes eyes get flickering, gives a sense of vomiting, makes the heart beat faster, gives an oppressive feeling of the breast, and makes a smoker have difficulty in breathing, and even a state of stupor follows. If these states get worse, it gives a state of unconsciousness and finally makes people die. Smoking does not only give people these states, but it also causes various diseases: coronary heart disease, lung cancer, esophageal carcinoma, oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, kidney cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, et cetera. There is also the addiction of nicotine in tobacco. According to the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States, â€Å"Cigarettes and other forms of tobacco are addicting. Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. The pharmacologic and behavioral processes that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine.† It is obviously true that many smokers are having trouble quitting smoking even though many campaigns for smokers health are still going on. Only the reason why a lot of smokers keep smoking with the determination for quitting smoking is because nicotine gets their bodies addicted to smoking. As long as smokers are exposed to the addiction of nicotine, they would need more cigarettes to suffice for their impulse to smoking. However, people discovered that many of these toxic substances could be useful for medicinal purposes and also gave pleasure when consumed. The modern neuro-physiology has proven that nicotine is more effective when inhaled into the lungs. The smoke is mild enough to be inhaled deeply into the alveoli of the lungs from where it is rapidly absorbed. In addition, it takes about seven seconds for nicotine to be absorbed through the lungs to reach the brain. On the other hand, it takes 14 seconds for nicotine to travel from the arm to brain after an intravenous injection. Nicotine could unlock and combine with receptors throughout the body, thus it could activate other neurotransmitters, namely serotonine and dopamine. The small doses of nicotine could result to a sense of well-being while large doses may cause depression and overdoses may kill. Nicotine is highly addictive, as explained by West and Grunberg (as cited in Goodman, 1993), tobacco smoking could get regular and compulsive a nd the withdrawal syndrome usually accompanies tobacco abstinence. During the 1990s, the US Surgeon General reported that â€Å"smoking represents the most extensively documented cause of disease ever investigated in the history of biomedical research† (as cited in Goodman, 1993, p. 242). Passive smokers or second hand smokers are also affected since they also inhale the smoke. There are several studies linking human genes to nicotine addiction like the the Swedish and Finnish twin registries (Kaprio, Koskenvuo, Sarna, 1981) that support the conclusion of a significant contribution of genetic effects to smoking. Genes are the basic biological units of heredity and the segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) needed to contribute to a function. To make new proteins, the living cell uses the genetic code of the macromolecule DNA, which stores all the information about the sequence of amino acids in the cells proteins. The identity and position of each amino acid in the protein chain is coded by nucleotides on the DNA, called codons. Among the numerous neurochemical effects of nicotine is its initial action on the nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Nicotine produces an increase in the rate of release and turnover of acetylcholine and catecholamines. It has been hypothesized that nicotine enhances the experience of pleasure through its effects on the dopaminergic system, while its ability to reduce anxiety and tension is mediated through stimulation of ACTH and cortisol; nicotines ability to enhance task performance may be due principally to its action on the cholinergic and noradrenergic pathways (Pomerleau Pomerleau, 1984). This only shows that it is possible that gene variants play a role in receptor functioning in one or more of the systems on which nicotine exerts an effect. In a research conducted by Tapper, et al. (as cited in Secko,2005), they discovered that a â€Å"mutation in the ÃŽ ±4 nAChR subunit lowers the threshold of nicotine dependence in mice† (p. 175). The same article implicates that ÃŽ ±4 and ÃŽ ²2 nAChR subunits could affect nicotine dependence. One of the disadvantages of the relationship of gene variance and nicotine addiction is the heterogeneity of human beings. Thus, genetic make-up of every human is different from each other. Also, the genetic influences on different stages of smoking may also not be identical. Thus, researchers have to study well-defined subgroups of smokers with clearly characterized phenotypes to avoid problems of population stratification. The advantages of the new findings regarding the relationship of gene variance and nicotine addiction is that as more genetic variations are discovered that are associated with the addiction, the medical field would be able to better understand how to prevent and treat human addictive disorders. The insights on genetic variance could contribute to more effective strategies to reduce smoking. Moreover, since there is no single medication that is likely to be safe and efficacious for a majority of persons with nicotine dependence, it will be useful to develop gene tics-based methods and other tools to predict therapeutic response in subgroups of nicotine-dependent persons. Female smokers do harm to embryonic health, and smokers cause nonsmokers to inhale indirect smoking, which causes damage similar to smoking, by breathing in the smoke made by smokers. In addition, teenage smoking is very bad, because smoking is more harmful for teenagers, and starting smoking at teenage makes it easier to fall deeper into toxic symptoms of nicotine. Teenage smoking is connected to juvenile delinquency and also is causing serious effects to emotional and social problems. The problem of smoking is this serious; however, as the time goes, the population increases, and as the population increases, the smoking quantity increases. In order to solve this problem, there is one method always suggested: people must stop smoking for themselves and others. Smokers have to know the reason why they smoke, so they could take on other habits or other work instead of smoking. References Goodman, J. (1993). Tobacco in History: The Cultures of Dependence. London and New York: Routledge. Kaprio J, Koskenvuo M, Sarna S. (1981). Cigarette smoking, use of alcohol, and leisure time physical activity among same-sexed adult male twins. In L. Gedda, P. Parise, W. E. Nance (Eds.), Twin Research 3: Part C, Epidemiological and Clinical Studies (pp. 37-46). New York: Liss. McGee, H. (1986) On Food and Cooking. The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. London: HarperCollins. Pomerleau, O. F. Pomerleau C. S. (1984). Neuroregulators and the reinforcement of smoking: towards a biobehavioral explanation. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 8, 503-513. Secko, D. (2005). Craving nicotine: Its in the genes. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 172 (2), 175-176.

Cold War: A Post-Revisioninst View of the Origins :: American America History

Cold War: A Post-Revisioninst View of the Origins There are three main schools of thought that trace the origins of the Cold War. The Orthodox view is that "the intransigence of Leninist ideology, the sinister dynamics of a totalitarian society, and the madness of Stalin" (Doc 1) cause the Cold War. The Revisionists claim that "American policy offered the Russians no real choice...[and] the United States used or deployed its preponderance of power" (Doc 2) and these actions caused the Cold War. The Post-Revisionist position is that the Cold War was initiated both by the United States and the USSR. Through the analysis of documents and other sources, the actual cause of the 'war' lies with both powers. Both powers caused the Cold War because, although the US and the USSR were allied during World War Two, the USSR and US had different ideologies and aims of the war that conflicted after the war was over and the threat that each power imposed on the other. The primary cause of the Cold War is the exceedingly bipolar systems of government that the USSR and the US were administered under. The US had a democracy and had, in April of 1945, just said farewell to one of the most liberal presidents that ever had been elected. By making many social reforms, President Roosevelt pulled the US out of the crippling depression and into on of the most prosperous decades ever. The aims of the US are evident in the 'Atlantic Charter', which was signed by Churchill and Roosevelt in August of 1914. According to the Charter, the US would "seek no aggrandizement.... respect the rights of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live.... bring about the fullest collaboration between all nations.... [and seek] the abandonment of the use of force" (Doc 4). While still early in the war, the 'Atlantic Charter' was later adopted by the United Nations and remains, to this day, one of the cornerstones of the western world. However, the o ther power that emerged still 'intact' after the war, the USSR had a very different way of government and dissimilar aims of the war. The USSR was a communist nation and had Stalin its dictator. "From the Soviet perspective, extending the borders of the USSR and dominating the formerly independent states of eastern Europe would provide security and would be proper compensation for the fearful losses the Soviet people had endured in the war" (p.

Case Study Assignment

1. What is the key HR issue(s) of this case?The key HR issue of this case is not having the policy written or clear. It is important make clear to everyone what the policies are and that they are applied consistently and fairly across the organization. Bruce was not clear on the proper rules of not being able to sell the company product outside. He thought what he was doing wasn’t any different than selling to family and friends, which the other co-worker were doing. HR needs to clearly state to all employees that company products are not for resale, but for employee use only.2. What action should you take with Bruce? Are there grounds to discipline Bruce? Why/why not?I think suspending Bruce from the staff purchase program for a limited time is a good action. There are grounds to discipline Bruce by verbally warning him that selling at the flea market or anywhere else in the future is prohibited. That is the first and only step allowed to take in the current situation. Write down in his file that he was warned about this for future reference. Advise him that if it happens again he will get a one-to-three day suspension from work. Counselling Bruce about his problems at home as well should be taken into consideration as it could affect his work in the future.3. Develop a detailed, comprehensive plan, outlining the HR policies/practices that should be implemented, in order to minimize the company’s risk of another occurrence. Explain the reasons for your recommendations.First, HR must have a written policy in place. The company should create a new written policy confirming that company product is for the direct use of employees only. Referring this in the new employee orientation presentation is not enough. The policy should be included in an employee handbook and  there should be proof in the personnel files that everyone has received a copy with signatures. It should also state that if employees are found reselling company products for personal profits will either be suspended or cut off from the staff purchase program or lead to suspension/termination from work. The company should also state that if the purchase program is found being abused is can be decided that the program will no longer become available for everyone else as well.HR should state and bring awareness that one person’s bad actions could cost everyone else’s benefits with the purchase program and that suspicious activity should be reported immediately. Furthermore, a brief company policy poster should be posted within the work place as a reminder. It should be placed in the back room where it can be easily seen. The employee handbook can be simply forgotten about and posters can help remind and encourage employees to keep following the rules on a daily basis. New and different poster designs should be changed annually so they don’t become out-of-date and stale. This will show that the company takes thoughtful measures to encourage a t rustworthy and responsible staff.Secondly, the company should enforce these new and current policies with a mandatory training seminar annually. The training seminar should help explain the reasons behind these standards and to build a positive spirit of self-discipline. With proper monitoring and guidance, this will show that management is on top of operational standards. Without this, employees will realize management has fallen behind on company values and it creates an increased exposure risk of someone not properly following company rules.These policies, when organized and disseminated in an easily used form, can serve to prevent many misunderstandings between employees and employers about their rights and obligations. Instituting internal controls with the help of the training seminar should help identify wrongdoings within the workplace. This will also follow up with employees to ensure that they are living up to his or her commitments and to reduce the likelihood of having t o take more severe action. The seminar should also gain agreement with the employees that they are continuously responsible for managing his or her actions with company guidelines.The meeting should also acknowledge employees for their good efforts and loyal relationship. Recognizing staff  will inspire them to become long-lasting honest employees. Additionally, the seminar should include fun quick games or quizzes for knowing important company protocols. This will encourage employees to speak up and become involved in the meeting so that it is not a one-way lecture type of discussion. Awarding with prizes such as a free company product package will lighten and not bore the staff. The seminar should be used to refresh employees on company guidelines and to involve them with any questions or concerns.

10 Writing Exercises to Tighten Your Writing

10 Writing Exercises to Tighten Your Writing 10 Writing Exercises to Tighten Your Writing 10 Writing Exercises to Tighten Your Writing By Brittiany Cahoon Writing projects can be like children. You love them dearly, but sometimes they irritate you to the point that you just need a break. Working on something fresh and new can invigorate your mind and give you a new approach to your work. These exercises can work for any genre of writing, fiction and non-fiction alike. 1. Free Association This is probably the most popular writing exercise to get the juices flowing. Pull up a new Word document, take a deep breath and just write whatever comes to mind. Dig as deep as you can into your subconscious and don’t worry about what comes out. Sometimes there’s a mental blockage with something that’s been bothering you, so it helps to write it down and get it out of your system. 2. Think Outside the Box Think of something you’re passionate about, like a hobby or a love interest, and write everything you know about it. Sometimes writing slumps happen and it helps to write about something you love. Even if you just write a paragraph, it’s better to write something that’s not your current project. This will rejuvenate you to re-start on your current project. 3. Sharpen the Saw Something I love to do when I’m stuck is read another author’s work, especially an author who writes in the same style or format as my current project. If you’re writing fantasy, read some Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. If you’re writing a biography, try taking a look at some biographies of your favorite actors or writers. Escaping into someone else’s world for a bit can relax you enough to delve into your own imaginary world again. 4. Use the Musical Muse Writers feel their work, and when you can quite describe what you’re feeling on paper, it can be frustrating. Get out your ipod or computer, put on your earphones and find some songs that appeal to you and the scene or piece you’re working on. Grooveshark.com and Pandora.com are two websites that offer free, instant music streaming to get those juices flowing. 5. Mad Libs Choose one noun, adjective and verb. Make them as random as possible. Write a story using these words in context. You can also do this exercise with a fellow writer and give each other your noun, adjective and verb to see what you both come up with. 6. Eavesdropper This is a wonderful exercise if you struggle to write natural dialogue between your characters. Sit in a public place like a park or at your local college campus and listen to the things people say as they walk by. Take copious notes and share them with other writers. This exercise is also great if you need a laugh. 7. Use Writing Prompts A writing prompt is simply a topic around which you start jotting down ideas. The prompt could be a single word, a short phrase, a complete paragraph or even a picture, with the idea being to give you something to focus upon as you write. You can find examples and resources about on our Writing Prompts 101 article. 8. Person, Place, Event If you’re in the middle of coming up with some new ideas, this exercise can help. Get a piece of paper and a pen and draw two lines down the middle to form three columns. In the first column, list every type of person you can think of, such as the police, firemen, grandparents, your spouse, a princess or whatever comes to mind. Next, think of a variety of places. It can range from the grocery store to Ireland. In the last column, list a time period or famous historical event like the Battle of Gettysburg or the year 1492. Combine a person, place and event and experiment with writing about that particular situation. You can try as many as you like! 9. Research Rendezvous Select a random topic, like the African Bush or squids and look it up on as many reference sites as you can find. Dictionary.com, thesaurus.com, Wikipedia.org and about.com are some research sites you can begin with. Learn as much as you can about this new topic. Keep a file for research notes. 10. A New Point of View Pick a genre or point of view you have never tried before and write a short story with it. If you normally use third-person point of view, switch to first-person. If you normally focus on non-fiction, branch out and write some fiction. If you normally write sappy romances, give action/adventure a try. It’s scary to leave your comfort zone, but you’d be surprised the kind of inspiration you get when you switch perspective. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives 50 Nautical Terms in General UseHow to Treat Names of Groups and Organizations

Investigate the various types of assessment, and how they impact the Design Technology classroom The WritePass Journal

Investigate the various types of assessment, and how they impact the Design Technology classroom Introduction Investigate the various types of assessment, and how they impact the Design Technology classroom IntroductionBibliography]Related Introduction In the essay I explore the contribution that assessment makes towards learning. I investigate the various types of assessment, and what impact they have on the learner, drawing upon my own experience in the Design Technology classroom. In particular, I review the summative and formative ways of assessing and conclude that formative assessment is more beneficial to the learner as they gain new knowledge and skills to inform their learning, with the feedback given through this process. Conversely, summative assessment can sometimes cause problems within the classroom as children try and ‘be the best’. To bring the essay to a close, I discuss ideas for the future regarding assessment in Design Technology and what I think should happen. The term ‘assessment’ â€Å"is how pupils recognise achievement and make progress, and how teachers shape and personalise their teaching.† (QCA, 2009) In the past assessment was â€Å"seen as something distinct from learning;† (Chater, 1984, p4) contrasting this view in a recent review on assessment Daugherty (2002) found it to be: One of the most powerful educational tools for promoting effective learning†¦ the focus needs to be on helping teachers use assessment, as part of teaching and learning, in ways that will raise pupils’ achievement. (Daugherty, 2002) Daugherty, a member of the Assessment Reform Group, is raising a well-founded point, as he is well researched into ‘assessment,’ making government policy but also works closely with teachers and local education authority staff to advance understanding of the roles, purposes and impacts of assessment. Teachers planning should include strategies to ensure that learners understand the goals they are pursuing and the criteria that will be applied in assessing their work. OFSTED reports can often be seen as biased and its independence questioned, being dubbed the â€Å"Governments ‘poodle’ during a Commons committee hearing† (Stewart, 2009) and inspections seen as an â€Å"instrument of state control† forcing teachers to follow politicians’ agendas.† (Shaw, 2009) Nevertheless, this report raises good points to be considered by teachers who strive to use assessment in their teaching, hence the citation. This type of on-going assessment described in the report is known as formative assessment. It is common for assessment to be divided into either formative or summative categories for the purpose of considering different objectives for assessment practices, although they can overlap. Summative assessment is generally carried out at the end of a course or project. In Design Technology, summative assessments are typically used to assign students an end of topic grade. Formative assessment is generally carried out throughout a course or project and is used to aid learning. Summative assessment is the assessment of learning and in Design Technology it provides evidence of student achievement for reporting and accountability purposes.   Its main purpose is to make judgements about performance. An example of this is the norm-referenced tests (NRT), which classifies students. NRTs draw attention to the achievement differences between and among students to produce a dependable rank order of students across a continuum of achievement from high achievers to low achievers (Stiggins, 1994). Schools use this system to place pupils in ability groups, including Gifted and Talented. However, it is argued that â€Å"Assessment should be a powerful tool for learning, not merely a political solution to perceived problems over standards and accountability.† (ATL, 1996) This is reinforcing Daugherty’s idea, as it perceives assessment as a tool, a working progress- formative assessment, not an end product- summative assessment. Formative assessment is Assessment for learning and in Design Technology it helps to inform the teaching and learning process by identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses.   Its main purpose is to gather information. Diagnostic assessment, which helps to identify specific learning strengths and needs, can fall into both categories. It determines learning targets and appropriate teaching and learning strategies to achieve them. This is important because: Many learners have higher-level skills in some areas than in others. Diagnostic assessment happens initially at the beginning of a learning programme and subsequently when the need arises. (QIA, 2008) Therefore; it can be summative, as it results in a grade and the student is placed in an ability group on what they already know. However, this â€Å"information is used to make links to progression routes and prepare for the next steps;† (QIA, 2008) thus becomes formative, as they discover the gaps in their knowledge and learn how to fill these gaps. A type of formative assessment is a criterion-referenced test which determines, â€Å"what test takers can do and what they know, not how they compare to others.† (Anastasi, 1988, p102) Assessment for Learning ensures that pupils understand what they can do, but are also informed how to improve on what they find difficult, and what type of learning process they must take to achieve this. This formative assessment: Forms the direction of future learning and so the requirement of formative assessment is that the feedback given back to the learner helps the learner improve, but more importantly that the learner actually uses that information to improve. (Marshall, 2002, p48) Feedback for learning in Design Technology is vital. The teacher will take pleasure in rewarding students with praises; however, there is more valuable feedback that they should receive, as Black Wiliam found: Pupils look for the ways to obtain the best marks rather than at the needs of their learning which these marks ought to reflect†¦ They spend time and energy looking for clues to the ‘right answer’. (Black Wiliam, 1998) In Design Technology, a subject in which there is seldom a ‘right answer,’ it is essential that â€Å"we focus on promoting learning instead of encouraging students to seek the easiest way to get the best results.† (Branson, 2005, p76) This indicates that the summative assessment is preventing the student reaching their full potential through learning, as they want to be the best in the class; therefore, will rote learn and be ‘taught-to-the-test’ to achieve this top grade. This could mean that student is not learning, but remembering facts for the test, and once the test is over they will not retain much of the knowledge. Nevertheless, the summative results could be used as part of a formative assessment (Black Wiliam, 1998) if the correct feedback was given to them instead of just a grade. This feedback will only be effective if the quality of teacher-pupil interaction is high and provides, â€Å"the stimulus and help for pupils to take active responsibility for their own learning.†(Black Wiliam, 1998) To create effective feedback we must â€Å"teach less and talk about learning more.† (Branson, 2005, p77) This is known as meta-learning which draws upon goals, strategies, effects, feelings and context of learning, each of which has significant personal and social dimensions: Those who are advanced in meta-learning realise that what is learned (the outcome or the result) and how it is learned (the act or the process) are two inseparable aspects of learning. (Watkins, 2001) If students practise these skills they will be able evaluate work successfully, apply their assessment criteria to their work and their peers’ work. Through this greater understanding of their own learning, the students will have the â€Å"ability of the performance† (Marshall, 2002, p57) and be able to apply the knowledge and strategies they have acquired to various contexts, transferring their skills to suit the situation. Good day-to-day indications of students’ progress are tasks and questions that prompt learners to show their knowledge, skills and understanding. What learners say and do is then observed and interpreted, by teacher and peers, and judgements are made about how learning can be improved. These assessment processes are an important part of everyday classroom practice and involve both teachers and learners in reflection when talking about new targets. The questions posed should be open-ended, allowing the student to fully express themselves and ensuring that they will not ‘lose face,’ as there is not a right or wrong answer. If a student finds answering a question difficult, a peer can step in and help, which can have a positive effect on the class as there are â€Å"things that students will take from each other that they won’t take from a teacher.† (Marshall, 2002, p48) In turn, peer assessment helps develop self-assessment which promotes independent l earning, helping children to take increasing responsibility for their own progress. An example of good practice I have seen in an Design Technology classroom is ‘PEN marking’ Positive, Error, Next Time, in which students would pen mark their own work and assess each others work looking for two good aspects about the piece, and an improvement. This way the students are praising each other; therefore, they are not scared to suggest an improvement. Through assessing their peers work, they also find ways to improve their own. This is subjective as it is my own opinion, but does relate to what Marshall’s theory- that they will take from each other that they would not from a teacher, as several ‘wishes’ from the students sounded harsh but I found that in their next piece of work they had tried harder at it. However, the work may also have improved if the teacher had said it, so this theory is not infallible. The OFSTED report states that: Many pupils were still not clear about what their strengths and weaknesses were or how they might improve. (OFSTED, 2009, p14) Assessment for learning states that for effective learning to take place students need to understand what it is they are trying to achieve, and want to achieve it. Understanding and commitment follows when they have a part in deciding goals and identifying criteria for assessing progress. Communicating assessment criteria involves discussing them with the students using terms that they can understand, providing examples of how the criteria can be met in practice and engaging learners in peer and self-assessment.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I think the problem of pupils not being cle ar about their strengths and weaknesses can be solved with the introduction of Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) into schools. The school where I am doing my placement is using the APP process for the first time this year, and so far are finding it successful.   APP is a ‘systematic approach to periodic assessment that provides diagnostic information about individual pupils’ progress and management information about the attainment and progress of groups’. (DfCSF, 2008) A key purpose of APP is to inform and strengthen planning, teaching and learning. This aspect of APP can have a direct and positive impact on raising standards, and can assist in the personalisation of learning. Based on the assessment focuses (AFs) that underpin National Curriculum assessment, the APP approach improves the quality and reliability of teacher assessment. My school have simplified the APP focuses and levels into student speak so they can fully understand the concept and purpose. All students in KS3 are now fully aware that they will have an APP assessment in Design Technology at the end of every half term. The assessment will be based upon the scheme of work studied over the half term. For example the last assessment was to write a character description: the scheme studied being fiction. The Design Technology teacher has an expectation that every individual child should attain two sub-levels a year; the student is also aware of this. Before the student completed the final assessment they assessed a Character Description supplied by the teacher, using the same AF’s that they were going to be assessed on. This allowed the students to see exactly what they had to do to ach ieve a Level 5, as one pupil pointed out that, â€Å"Even though they’ve put their ideas together in order Miss, they haven’t used paragraphs so they can’t get a Level 5 for AF3†. This process of evaluation helps the student progress in their work, as they can see clearly what they have to do to improve. Ultimately, I think that the contribution of assessment has a huge impact on pupils’ learning; with well focused feedback, including thorough marking that identifies clear targets, students can progress and become independent learners, a foundation preparing for their independent life.   I think that APP alongside Assessment for Learning is a good way for the student and the teacher to gauge progress, as the objectives are clear, and the ways to achieve them are made obvious through ‘pupil speak’. This does not mean that I think summative is an incorrect way of assessment, as I echo the thoughts of Black Wiliam (1998) in that if a summative assessment is used to inform the student for progression then it can have a positive effect. When I start NQT year, I hope to be employed in a school that uses APP, and if not I will try and implement it, as I think it benefits students as much as it does the teacher. Bibliography] Anastasi, A. (1988). Psychological Testing. New York, New York: MacMillan Publishing Company Association of Teachers and Lecturers. (1996). Doing our Level Best. Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment, Kings College London. [Online] Available from: www.kcl.ac.uk/education/publications/Black%20Box.pdf [Accessed 20th October 2009] Branson, J. (2005) ‘Assessment, recording and reporting’. In: Goodwyn, A Branson, J. (eds). Teaching English: A Handbook for Primary and Secondary School Teachers. London: Routledge. Chater, P. (1984) Marking Assessment in English. London: Methuen Co Ltd. Daugherty R. (2002) Assessing for learning insides. [Online] 2002. Available from: assessment-reform-group.org/AssessInsides.pdf [Accessed 21st October 2009] DfCSF. (2008) Assessing Pupils Progress (APP) In English. [Online] Aug 2008. Available from: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/16051?uc=force_deep [Accessed 21st October 2009] Marshall, B. (2002) ‘Thinking through Assessment: An Interview with Dylan Wiliam’. English in Education, 36 (3) p47-60. OFSTED. (2009) English at the crossroads. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. QCA. (2005) A national conversation on the future of English. [Online]. 2005. Available from: qcda.gov.uk/libraryAssets/media/qca-05-1835-playback-web.pdf [Accessed 21st October 2009] QCA. (2009) Assessment key principles- National Curriculum. [Online]. June 2009. Available from: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/assessment/Assessment-key-principles/index.aspx?return=/key-stages-3-and-4/assessment/index.aspx   [Accessed: 20th October 2009] QIA. (2008) Initial and diagnostic assessment: a learner- centred process. [Online] 2008. Available from sfl-sw.org.uk/userfiles/files/Initial%2520and%2520Diagnostic%2520assessment%2520a%2520learner-centred%2520process.pdf [Accessed 21st October 2009] Scriven, M. (1991). Evaluation thesaurus. 4th ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Shaw, M. 2009. ‘Ofsted inspections are means of state control’. Times Educational Supplement, 15 March. p.7 Stiggins, R.J. (1994). Student-Centered Classroom Assessment. New York: Merrill. Watkins, C. (2001) ‘Learning about Learning Enhances Performance’ in National School Improvement Network Research Matters 13, London: Institute of Education. William, S. (2009) ‘Ofsted accused of being ministerial poodle over school report cards’. Times Educational Supplement, 10 July. p.33

Non - Naturalism in British Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Non - Naturalism in British Television - Essay Example The paper addresses contemporary television sequences and raises new questions about such issues in adaptation. The importance of the content lies in its attempt to place British television at the centre of late twentieth century British culture and to relate the criticism of television drama to a wider history of aesthetic debates and arguments. The study does not proposes a theory of everything or a new general theory of television, but enlightens with historical and critical analysis of one bit of television, a particular corner of the field of dramatic narrative which has a particular political, cultural and aesthetic efficacy of its own, at the same time, it shares the efficacy of the ‘television’ itself. According to Dennis Potter, a professional writer for television as well as a creative artist, most television ends up offering its viewers a means of orienting themselves towards the generally received notions of ‘reality’. The best naturalist of realist drama, of the Loach-Garnett-Allen school for instance, breaks out of this cosy habit by the vigour, clarity, originality and depth of perceptions of a more comprehensive reality. The best non-naturalist drama, in its very structures disorientates the viewer smack in the middle of the orientation process which television perpetually uses. It disrupts the patterns that are endemic to television, and upsets or exposes the narrative styles of so many of the other allegedly non-fiction programme. It shows â€Å"the frame in the picture when most television is busy showing the picture in the frame†. It is potentially the more valuable of the two approaches. Naturalism and realism have had a history of disagreement since nineteenth century. ‘Non-naturalism’, then is shorthand founded on shorthand. The critic or professional has ever referred to naturalism in television drama as a term of approval, something

Standing in the Shoes of a Renaissance Maste Essay

Standing in the Shoes of a Renaissance Maste - Essay Example The saturation of the object colors also diminishes; the objects color move towards resembling the color of the background, which is mostly light blue. The image illustrates Ariel perspective in various ways. The size of the trees (objects) becomes smaller with increase in distance. Superimposing is also illustrated because the front trees cover the background trees to indicated distance impression. The objects, trees, in between space become more clustered together. The color intensity is great near the viewer; however, it tends to becomes greyer and bluish as the distance increases. Liner perspective has been employed in the painting to form space and distance illusion on the flat surface. In the linear perspective, the artist should imagine the painting as open window for observing the painting work. Straight lines are indicated to represent horizon, and also the visual rays directing the viewer’s eyes to a distance point. In the above painting, the horizontal lines are indicated in the area where the sky seems to meet the ground. The vanishing point in the painting is located near the middle of horizontal line. The vanishing point represents the location where parallel lines that are directed towards horizontal line seem to meet in the distance. Orthogonal lines represents visual rays which enables viewers eyes to see points around edges to vanishing point. These lines are used in the painting to align edges of the hills or ridges. Leonardo Da Vinci was trained during the period of renaissance and eventually turned out to be the master of craft. It was his amazing power of observation and his distinctive skills as an illustrator that helped him to recreate all the different aspects of nature. He is known for adding a special kind of liveliness in his paintings. He was always curious to know the depth of the things and that is what made him observant. He had this constant urge to explain what was in his mind and what he saw in his