To Kill A Mocking Bird By Lee Essay Example For Students

To Kill A Mocking Bird By Lee Essay The book To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee. It was published in1960 then it went on to win the Pulitzer prize in 1961 and was later made intoan Academy Award winning film. Harper Lee always considered her book to be asimple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American Literature. There are so many characters in this book that I cant name all of them. Hereare most of the characters. The Finch family contains of Atticus (The head ofthe household), Aunt Alexandra (Atticuss sister), (Jem) Jeremy (The oldest ofAtticuss two children), (Scout) Jean Louise (The youngest of the two . She alsotrys to be a boy by doing boy things). And you cant forget their black maid. We will write a custom essay on To Kill A Mocking Bird By Lee specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Her name is Calpurnia. Miss Rachael is Dills aunt that lives in Maycomb. Dillis a friends with Jem and Scout. According to Scout they are married. (Boo)Arthur Radley is the person that takes Jem back to his house after Jem gets hurtby Bob Ewell. Tom Robinson is a black man that was accused of raping MayellaEwell. Bob Ewell is Mayellas father. He is out for revenge on Atticus for whathe did to him and his daughter. Mayella is Bobs daughter who supposedly gotraped by Tom Robinson. Judge Taylor is the Judge of Maycomb County. Heck Tate isthe county law official. I think the protagonist in the story is Atticus Finchbecause he has the main part and he has the biggest decision to make. Thedecision being whether to defend or not to defend Tom Robinson. To Kill aMockingbird is set in Maycomb County, an imaginary district in Southern Alabama. The time is the early 1930s, the years of the Great Depression when poverty andunemployment were widespread in the United States. The story begins during thesummer when Scout and Jem meet a new playmate named Dill who has come fromMississippi to spend the summer with his Aunt Rachael. Dill is fascinated by theneighborhood gossip about Boo Radley. Egged on by Dill, Jem andScout try to think up ways to lure him out of his house. Soon it is Summer again, and Dill returns for another visit. The childrens plans for making contactwith Boo Radley grew bolder this year, and on Dills last night they decide tosneak up onto the Radley porch and spy on Boo. Jem goes first, but just as hereaches the window, Nathan Radley catches site of them and scares them off witha blast from a shot gun. Jem realizes that Boo is not a monster after all, buthas been playing along with them. Scout does not figure this out until thewinter, on the night that the house of their neighbor burns to the ground. WhileSco ut is standing outside in the cold, someone sneaks up behind her and places ablanket around her. Later, Scout and Jem realize that there was only one personin town who has not already at work fighting the fire and that was Boo. Now thatJem and Scout realize that Boo is basically a kind person, their interest in theRadley family begins to fade. In the meantime, they learn that their father hasbecome the defense lawyer for Tom Robinson, who is charged with raping MayellaEwell. As the trial of Tom Robinson grows nearer, the children become more awareof the strong feeling it has aroused in everyone in Maycomb. One day theirhousekeeper takes Jem and Scout to visit her church, and the children realizefor the first time that the black parishioners are supporting Tom Robinsonswife. Two nights before the trial is to start, a group of men come to the Finchhouse to tell Atticus about threats against Tom Robinsons life. Atticus spendsthe next night camped out at the jail to defend Tom from the mob. Jem, Scout andDill go downtown to check on Atticus and arrive at the same time as a group ofmen, who have come to kill Tom. Scout recognizes one of the men in the group asWalter Cunningham. Her friendliness embarrasses the man so much that he and themob leave. The next day, at the trial, Atticus questions make it clearthat Mayella and her father are lying about the rape. Neverless the jury convicthim because their prejudices prevent them from taking a black mans word againsttwo whites. Atticus is now a hero in the black community of Maycomb, but BobEwell, vows to get Atticus for showing him up as a liar in front ofthe whole town. Tom Robinson has give n up hope and trys to flee the prison, butwhile doing it he gets caught and shot. By the time Halloween comes around, theFinch family has begun to put Toms death behind them. There is a pageantplanned and Scout much to her dismay has been cast as a ham. After the pageantScout decides to walk home still dressed in her bulky costume , with Jem leadingthe way. The cowardly Bob Ewell. seeing an opportunity to get revenge on Atticusthrough his children. He follows the children down a dark street and tries tokill them. In the side. It is none other than Boo Radley, who had seen theattack from his window. Boo stabs Bob Ewell to death, and carries the woundedJem home. The sheriff decides to file a report that Bob fell on his own knifeand died, thus sparing Boo the publicity that would be sure to follow. Scoutnever sees Boo again after that night, but she has learned that he was a goodman all along. She has learned a lesson about understanding and tolerance. Andthrough the sheriffs action she sees that sometimes there can be justice andcompassion in the world. The title of the book, To Kill a Mockingbird is a keyto some themes in the novel. The title is first explained in Chapter 10 at thetime that Jem and Scout have just received air rifles for Christmas. Atticustells his children that it is a sin to shoot a mockingb ird. Later Miss Maudieexplains that Atticus meant that Mockingbirds are harmless creatures who donothing but sing for enjoyment. It is easy to see that themockingbird in this story is Tom Robinson a harmless man who becomesa victim of racial prejudice. Like the mockingbird, Tom has never done wrong toanyone. Even the jurors who sentence him to death have nothing personal againsthim. They find him guilty mostly because they feel that to take the word of ablack man over two whites would threaten the system they live under, the systemof segregation. Tom himself is guilty of nothing but being in the wrong place atthe wrong time.

Introduction to Computing A Review of Google Android OS and Apple iOS Mobile Platforms The WritePass Journal

Introduction to Computing A Review of Google Android OS and Apple iOS Mobile Platforms Abstract Introduction to Computing A Review of Google Android OS and Apple iOS Mobile Platforms ). Both have impressive functionalities and features. And both are capable of growing their systems to even more exciting heights in the future. Since the launch of these two mobile platforms, tech analysts and experts have intensely debated the pros and cons of each. Some advocate for Google Android because of its object-oriented architecture based on Java language and for being open-source (Baliton 2012). On the other hand, supporters of Apple iOS praise its enterprise functionality, especially its security and corporate-friendly features (Berthiaume 2012). With these in mind, this paper aims to investigate the similarities and differences between Google Android and Apple iOS mobile operating system platforms. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the two platforms by providing a comprehensive review based on the following criteria: (a) major features and functionalities; (b) advantages and disadvantages; (c) popularity and market share; and (d) the role of application developers Findings and Analysis In order to meet the primary objective of the paper, comparative analysis was used in reviewing Google Android and Apple iOS mobile platforms. Comparative analysis involves the comparison and contrast of two things (Walk 1998). It involves a side-by-side examination of two objects to determine whether they have a common-ground, equivalence, similarities, or differences (Business Dictionary 2012). The review was conducted based on specific criteria. Below are the results of the analysis. Major features and functionalities of Android OS and iOS mobile platforms In order to achieve an objective review of Android and iOS, the discussions regarding the major features and functionalities of both mobile platforms are analysed based on two major elements: (a) Development Features and (b) Applications. Development Features Android OS mainly uses Java, which is the common programming language used by most developers. As such, developing applications are easier for majority of developers. Moreover, since it is open-source, developers can easily access it and make applications for the Android platform. Java’s flexibility also allows the Android framework to be run on a wide range of hardware, including devices from various manufacturers (Viswanathan 2012; Baliton 2012). On the other hand, iOS uses Apple’s Objective C language. Developers who are familiar with C and C++ will be able to understand it because of similarities in the language. However, because it is proprietary, some developers may find it difficult to use, especially if they are not very proficient in C and C++ (Viswanathan 2012). In terms of application development platforms, Android offers developers open development platforms and allows them to use third party tools for app development.   Android developers are also provided with free development tools and documented libraries. This helps developers to play around with their apps, as well as add more functionality to them. (Viswanathan 2012; Baliton 2012). In contrast, for the iOS, Apple has stricter developer guidelines. Developers are given a fixed set of tools to develop apps and they are not allowed to use third party tools that are not approved by Apple (Viswanathan 2012). Android is highly versatile and allows developers to create dynamic apps for multiple purposes. However, the Android’s multi-tasking ability and its fragmented platform pose some challenges to Android developers. As such, amateur Android developers often have problems in learning, understanding, and mastering the platform. For iOS, on the other hand, Apple provides a more stable, exclusive platform for app development. Apple clearly specifies tools and defines their potential and boundaries to make it easier for developers (Viswanathan 2012). Applications The iOS is being commended by its supporters for its enterprise abilities. iOS supports Microsoft Exchange accounts and ActiveSync, which allows contacts, calendars, and email hosted on existing Exchange servers to be loaded on to any iOS devices. Email attachments (e.g. Excel, PowerPoint, Word) can also be viewed without having to download additional software. Additionally, iOS apps are restricted from accessing data from other apps in order to prevent malicious third-party apps from accessing sensitive information (Berthiaume 2012).   In terms of number and quality of gaming apps, it is undeniable that the iOS has a bigger and better library of available games than Android. However, the downside is that consumers have to pay for iOS apps; while Android users get most of their gaming apps for free (Fox 2012). In terms of mapping/navigational applications, Google Maps puts Android way ahead of Apple maps. However, Android still has a lot of catching up to do with iOS in terms of the quality and availability of other apps. Moreover, although developers have praised the portability of Java environment, issues with hardware fragmentation is a big challenge for most developers. There are many customer complaints about unsupported devices and developers face the daunting task of enabling support for a huge range of mobile devices. Despite these issues, hardware fragmentation also has an advantage. Android’s diversity and portability gives consumers a wide array of mobile devices to choose from depending on their budget and needs (Fox 2012). Market share commanded by Android OS and iOS The latest report from market research company IDC (International Data Corporation) shows that Google’s Android mobile OS accounted for 75% (136 million units) market share of all smart phone handsets shipped during the third quarter of 2012. This figure is almost double the amount from the same period last year. On the other hand, mobile devices using Apple’s iOS only grew by 57% (26.9 million units), representing a very low 15% of the market share (Hof 2012). Moreover, the latest third quarter report from comScore also shows that Android is the top smart phone platform in the US, with 52.5% market share, up by 0.9 percentage points; while Apple’s share is 34.3%, up by 1.9 percentage points (Flosi 2012). Figure 1. Top Smart Phone OS Platforms (comScore Report) Top Smartphone Platforms 3 Month Avg. Ending Sep. 2012 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Jun. 2012 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens    Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers Jun-12 Sep-12 Point Change Total Smartphone Subscribers 100.0% 100.0% N/A Google 51.6% 52.5% 0.9 Apple 32.4% 34.3% 1.9 RIM 10.7% 8.4% -2.3 Microsoft 3.8% 3.6% -0.2 Symbian 0.9% 0.6% -0.3    Advantages and Disadvantages of both Android OS and iOS Despite their immense popularity, both the Android OS and iOS have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are some elements where the Android trumps the iOS; while in other cases, the iOS has the upper hand. The table below summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of both platforms. Google Android OS Apple iOS Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Uses Java language (free, open source) O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Highly fragmented platform à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More stable, exclusive platform for app developers; tools are specified and defined O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Uses proprietary Objective-C language à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Multi-tasking: Android can run on many applications at the same time O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inconsistency and instability in application designs à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Easy to use/navigate; user friendly O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cannot run Flash or Shockwave à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Allows interface and settings customization; more ability to customize O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Less apps than Apple à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unique interface O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lack of customization à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Easy access to applications and free download from Android App Market and O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Applications are free but advertising can be bothersome à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cohesive applications; more number of apps O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Have to pay for apps à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Diverse phone options. Android is available from various smart phone manufacturers. O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not all apps are supported by all Android mobile devices à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tight integration with social networking O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Platform is limited to Apple mobile devices only à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Integrated Google services à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Great music experience; good for music lovers à ¼Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ability to use as a USB storage device Sources: Mobilecon.info, iChips Tech Blog, Viswanathan 2012, Fox 2012 The Role of Application Developers Mobile applications are able to penetrate markets where the PC could not enter. They allow mobile phones to be more personalized and provide more valued added services such as integrated social media networks, games, etc (Aiyedogbon 2012). Developers create these applications; they are the ones who elevated mobile phones to what it is right now. As such, application developers have a very important role to play in the mobile devices industry. As market demand continues to rise for apps to run on mobile platforms, there is a high demand for mobile development talent. Application developers are the backbone of the mobile devices industry. They create the applications which companies leverage as their unique selling points. Without these apps, mobile devices will be limited to the basic functions of calling and texting. It is the application developers who provide added value to mobile devices and as such, their importance in the mobile industry cannot be underestimated. For both the Android and iOS, the role of application developers highly influences the growth of these platforms. Android, with its Java-based environment, is praised by many application developers because it ‘promotes market competition, which safeguards against monopolization of the emerging mobile device markets, and spawns creativity among hardware and software companies’ (Baliton 2012, p.1). This openness of Android encourages developers to create new apps in the future. On the other hand, the very diversity of Android leads to hardware fragmentation and this is a major stumbling block for many developers. Moreover, many experts observe that ‘most developers prefer to develop for iOS first and Android second, if at all’ (Fox 2012, p.1). The main reason for this preference is that iOS developers get paid for development and receive royalties from their apps. This monetary reward is the primary incentive for many application developers’s preference for developing apps for the iOS. Conclusions The Android and iOS have pros and cons when it comes to developing new apps. Android’s strength lies in its use of the Java language; while iOS advantage is its more stable, exclusive platform for developers. Android allows developers more freedom and creativity in developing apps; but the iOS provides better monetary incentives for developers. In terms of applications, iOS is commended for its business features and functionalities; while Android is praised because of its better customization and flexibility, which allows it to be used across various devices (regardless of manufacturer). According to the latest IDC report, Android and iOS account for 90% of the global market share in smart phone operating systems. The two platforms are dominating the smart phone market and are expected to continue their leadership in the business. Google Android leads Apple iOS in terms of units shipped but the release of newer iPhone models are expected to decrease the gap between the two. Both the Google Android OS and Apple iOS have their own advantages and disadvantages. Both are equally strong competitors and together they are expected to rule the mobile platform marketplace in the foreseeable future, on the basis of their quality and features. References Anon. (2012).  Advantages and Disadvantages Android mobile phone. Available: http://mobilecon.info/advantages-and-disadvantages-android-mobile-phone.html. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Baliton, D. (2012).  Android provides the whole answer.  Available: networkworld.com/community/tech-debate-android-ios. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Berthiaume, J. (2012).  iOS the only choice for a modern enterprise. Available: networkworld.com/community/tech-debate-android-ios. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Business Dictionary. (2012).  Comparability Analysis.  Available: businessdictionary.com/definition/comparability-analysis.html. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Dix, J. (2012).  iOS vs. Android in the enterprise.  Available: networkworld.com/community/tech-debate-android-ios. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Flosi, S. (2012).  comScore Reports September 2012 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share.  Available: comscore.com/Insights/Press_Releases/2012/11/comScore_Reports_September_2012_U.S._Mobile_Subscriber_Market_Share. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Fox, J. (2012).  iOS 6 vs. Android Jelly Bean.  Available: ign.com/articles/2012/09/25/ios-6-vs-android-jelly-bean. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Hof, R. (2012).  Googles Android Crushes Apples iOS In Smartphone ShipmentsBut Does It Matter?  Available: forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2012/11/02/googles-android-crushes-apple-in-smartphone-shipments-but-does-it-matter/. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Viswanathan, P. (2012).  Android OS Vs. Apple iOS – Which is Better for Developers?  Available: http://mobiledevices.about.com/od/kindattentiondevelopers/tp/Android-Os-Vs-Apple-Ios-Which-Is-Better-For-Developers.htm. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012. Walk, K. (2012).  How to Write a Comparative Analysis.  Available: fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/CompAnalysis.html. Last accessed 27th Nov 2012.

Response Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Response Paper - Essay Example The author stops in the middle of the woods and is unsure for sure whose land it is but thinks that he or she knows. (One can only assume that the narrator is a ‘he’ since it seems to be written from Frost’s own perspective). The person who owns it will assumedly not see the author stop his horse in the middle of the woods to watch it snow. He indicates that his horse probably thinks it is a bit odd to come to a halt in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of the night. The horse reacts almost as if to question if the author is sure that it is time to be stopping. It is quiet and peaceful as he or she sits there and watches. However, the author has to start back up. He states he has promises to keep and indicates that he has a long journey ahead of him before he or she may go to sleep though it is already in the darkest part of the night. Despite the author’s hesitance to leave the silence and peacefulness of the woods, he still must trudge on through th e snow to get to his destination. This particular poem by Frost appear to be a narrative because it tells the story of a certain event in the form of poetry. The way that this is able to be determined is pretty straightforward as it reads just like a little short story. The author writes it as if they are an eyewitness to what is going on at a particular instant in time. The poem does have a rhyming scheme. It is written as four stanzas that are almost completely identical. Every line is iambic and there are four syllables that are stressed. Within each stanza, the first, second and fourth lines all rhyme. Even though the third line does not rhyme, it sets up the rhyming pattern for the following stanza. The only part of the poem where this pattern is broken is in the last stanza where the first, second and third lines all rhyme and the fourth line is repetitive of the third line stating, â€Å"And miles to go before I sleep.† The mood of the poem is

Division of Time table Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Division of Time table - Essay Example 300 min/wk General Science Biology Chemistry History & Social Studies 750 min/wk 750 min/wk 750 min/wk History Eastern History Western History Arts 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 200 min/wk Music Traditional Music Regional Music Humanities Livelihood 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Home Economics Work Education Entrepreneurship Technology Integrated w/ above 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Computers Internet & Website Design, Computer Game Development Animation Health & Physical Education 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Sports - Swimming Sports - Volleyball Sports - Basketball, Soccer Values 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Values Values Values Explanation of Curriculum According to the U.S. Department of Education (2008), the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is an act to "close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind" It includes important provisions which specifically address mathematics, reading and language arts, and science, at the very least. As such different states have formulated their own academic standards to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. In the Pennsylvania Code (2008), planned instruction for every year for K-2nd grade should include language arts, integrating reading, writing, phonics, spelling, listening, speaking, literature and grammar, and information management, including library skills; mathematics, including problem-solving and computation skills; science and technology education, involving active learning experiences for students; environment and ecology education, involving active learning experiences for students; social studies with civics and government, economics, geography and history; health, safety and physical education, including instruction in concepts and... afety and physical education, including instruction in concepts and skills which affect personal, family and community health and safety, nutrition, the prevention of alcohol, chemical and tobacco abuse, knowledge and practice of lifetime physical activities, personal fitness, basic movement skills and concepts, motor skill development, principles and strategies of movement, and safety practices in physical activity settings; the arts, including active learning experiences in art, music, dance and theatre. Planned instruction for 3rd to 5th grade shall include all the previously stated learning areas for K to 2nd grade, with the addition of instruction about agriculture and agricultural science within the science and technology and environment and ecology learning areas; and the understanding and use of library and other information sources.

The Office Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Office - Essay Example The three levels of organizational culture are observable artifacts, espoused values and basic assumption. The observable artifacts culture level comprises of observation of the behaviour of the employees,dress code, technology level and even the office physical layout. The conduct of the manager Michael is, for example, controversial same to the other employees who are not busy with work. The second criteria of determining organizational culture are the espoused values analysis. It consists of how the values influence the employees behaviour. It includes the attitude of employees. The manager, for example, shows a compromising attitude towards the reception since he is rude to her. The final level is the basic assumptions consisting of vital generalised assumptions made that also determine the culture and behaviour of employees (Khan 45). The manager according to the video clip is failing in creating a high-performance culture at the office. It is because the manager seems to be a joke and takes things casually. He fails in creating control and authority in the office and also lacks leadership qualities to propel the office to high performance. The manager should instead ensure efficient implementation of practices geared towards the achievement of high

Adapting Materials For A Specific Context Education Essay

Adapting Materials For A Specific Context Education Essay Although most people associate language-learning materials with course books, in fact materials encompass a much wider scope. A very general definition would be that materials are anything that teachers and learners use to facilitate learning of a language. As well as course books this could encompass cassettes, videos, dictionaries, grammar books, newspapers, photographs, and much more (Tomlinson 1998). Added to this is the realisation that materials are not simply the mundane apparatus of the language teacher, they are a personification of the aims, values and methods of the particular teaching or learning situation (Hutchinson 1987). Therefore the selection of materials is probably the single most important decision that the language teacher has to make (Hutchinson 1987). With such a broad definition teacher produced materials will obviously play a role. However there are very few teachers who do not use published course materials at some stage in their career and the use of published materials is now more pervasive than ever before with the course book being at the centre (Littlejohn 1998, McDonough Shaw 2003). Although it is convenient to lump both teacher produced materials and commercially sponsored published course materials together there are in fact noteworthy differences pertaining to the circumstances under which they come to be written, produced and distributed. Customarily teacher produced materials are aimed at a more specified local audience, and commercially sponsored materials are for as wide an audience as possible (Dubin Olshtain 1986). Often the sheer time consuming feat of writing your own materials coupled with the reality that many teachers have little or no control over what course book and main materials will be selected leads to most teachers having to live with published materials selected by others (McDonough Shaw 2003). It is rare to find a perfect fit between learner needs and course requirements on the one hand and what the course book contains on the other. Every learning and teaching situation is unique and inimitable (Cunningsworth 1995). For this reason the option open to the teacher is to adapt and develop the materials. However before we can adapt and develop the materials we have to be able to evaluate the materials. Before we can change something we have to be clear about what we are changing (McDonough Shaw 2003). Teachers evaluations of course books and materials usually involves making general impressionistic judgements on materials based upon common assumptions and expectations. Some very common expectations of materials now are that they should achieve impact and have a noticeable effect on learners, help learners feel at ease, help develop learners confidence, and should be perceived by learners as being pertinent and useful. It has become common for materials to be expected to necessitate learners to make discoveries for themselves, expose learners to language in authentic use, entice attention to linguistic features of the input, recycle instruction, and present frequent and abundant exposure to the instructed language features in communicative use (Tomlinson 1998). It is also now highly desired that materials bear in mind that learners differ in learning styles and that learners inclination for a particular learning style is variable depending on what is being learned, where, with who, and for what. It is also hoped materials take into account that learners differ in affective and emotional attitudes (Tomlinson 1998). However a lot of these expectations are things that can mean different things for different groups of learners and teachers. For example achieving impact is variable in different places. What achieves impact in Brazil might not achieve impact in Germany, and what achieves impact in a private language school in Brazil might not achieve impact in a Brazilian high school. Often these expectations and assumptions about what is desirable, and others, such as up to date methodology, being foolproof, and containing realistic language, are all debateable. Is up to date a desirable characteristic in itself (Littlejohn 1998, Tomlinson 1998)? Teachers are also likely to focus less on the programme as a whole in their evaluation and more on whether specific activities and techniques appear to work in the context of a particular lesson (Ellis 1998). This combination of relying on general impressionistic judgements and concern with specific activities and techniques creates a type of micro evaluation that leads to a very eclectic type of adaptation. Rather to ensure a good match between what the course book includes and the requirements of the learning and teaching situation, and to avoid an eclectic approach to evaluation and adaptation teachers need to develop more methodical and potentially informative approaches creating a more in-depth evaluation of materials. (Cunningsworth 1995, Ellis 1998, Littlejohn 1998, Tomlinson 1998,). How do teachers begin a more in depth evaluation of teaching materials? Firstly by understanding that materials are indeed an embodiment of the aims, values and methods of the particular teaching and learning environment teachers can reflect over and analyse their knowledge, understanding and experience of how languages are learnt and should be taught. They can relate this to how near a match there is with the aims and values of the materials. This will lead teachers to be able to clearly state what they actually expect from their materials rather than regurgitating the latest buzzwords in the teaching industry. Teachers are then able to proceed from here and have a basis to analyse what materials contain and aspire to achieve, what materials make learners do while they are learning, how materials assume or even demand the teacher to teach learners in the classroom, and the appropriateness of the materials to the learners needs and interests (Breen Candlin 1987). This will enable us to build our evaluation of materials, and subsequently our adaptation, on the principles built upon our knowledge, understanding and experience of learning and teaching language. This evaluation helps cultivate insights into various views of language and learning and should be done against an environment of knowledge of our learners demands and the potential of the teaching situation (McDonough Shaw 2003). The subsequent stage is gathering as much information as feasible about the spirit and make-up of a course book (Hutchinson 1987). The information gathering of materials begins with what the materials say about themselves by probing the organization of the materials as stated explicitly by the author and publisher on the cover, and in the introduction and contents. Then what is actually presented inside the materials needs a thorough evaluation, and often the contents can be used as a conduit between the external claims and the reality inside (McDonough Shaw 2003). However as well as the importance of information gathering and analysis of the materials, the same is needed of the teaching and learning situation that the materials are required for. This is vital as materials evaluation is essentially a matching process in which the needs and assumptions of particular teaching-learning contexts are matched to available solutions (Hutchinson 1987). The teaching-learning situation and the classroom have a culture of their own. Culture is most commonly used in a very broad way to describe national culture, and there is often a prevailing cultural stimulus that may well be attributable to the wider society, governing for example, the rhythm and movement of classroom groups, and gender segregation. However there are also influences from institutional or professional-academic cultures, which dominate aspects of classroom cultures such as protocols and the formality of certain classroom events which therefore mean we need to be far more precise when we are talking about classroom culture (Holliday 1994). Classes will not have permanent membership, groups meet to carry out restricted and limited activities, the length of history is relatively short, and the culture only exists when the class is in session. Expectations are brought to the class that are built on other, previous classroom experiences (Holliday 1994). This in addition to different personalities and ethics that evolve in different classroom groups makes each classroom contain a unique culture. Cultures of individual classrooms are diffused to new members enabling both teachers and students to be equipped with inferred understandings about what sort of behaviour is acceptable, which they must learn and impart if they are to be fully received into the group. They assert a social force that prevents teachers from replicating their lesson agendas with different classroom groups. These understandings in turn are strengthened by common acceptance by peers (Holliday 1994) Habitually in the field of English language teaching there is frequent discord between the conventional and established interaction of the classroom and the innovation created by new language (Holliday 1994). Many teachers try to stimulate appropriate English teaching with students who are foreign to them, and try to understand their attitudes and ways of doing things, which to the outsider are obscure and unclear. Conversely teachers who are native to countries they work in, and of the same nationality as students they teach are repeatedly endeavouring to decipher methodologies cultivated and developed in the west for ideal teaching-learning situations. Ideal meaning different from the methodologies in their countries and particular teaching-learning situations (Holliday 1994). In some countries and contexts large classes are not necessarily indicative of scarce resources. Large classes might be tolerable where prevailing educational ideologies do not see the role of the teacher as a monitor and overseer of learning, but as a fount and spring of knowledge, which is delivered without any dispensation to students, and which students must exert great effort to attain. This leads to interesting observations in countries where this type of mentality holds sway such as Hollidays (1994) observation in Egypt of a newly graduated junior local lecturer. The local lecturer had undergone numerous hours of training in communicative English language teaching methodology from expatriate personnel and was supposed to be using a course book whose objectives were communicative teaching of pronunciation. The local lecturer was playing what she perceived to be the lecturer role very well. This was built on the basis of the local lecturers conviction that their responsibility s tretched to the extent of presenting the subject matter to their students, not as far as overseeing and administrating learning. Szulc-kurpaska (1992 as cited in Holliday1994) reports an interesting case in Poland of how discontent on the part of students arose pertaining to the degree of informality practised by expatriate lecturers both in and out of the classroom. Students became perplexed and apprehensive over hazy definitions of teacher and student (Holliday 1994). Here we must realise the importance of understanding each unique classroom culture and not trying to enforce an ideal teaching-learning situation in different contexts. What is important is that learning takes place. Unfortunately even taking into consideration that all learners, all teachers and all teaching situations are different, published materials have to treat them as if they were the same, commonly for commercial reasons (Maley 1998). Whether we like it or not any course book will directly or indirectly communicate collections of social and cultural morals and standards that are intrinsic in their make-up. This may be referred to as the hidden curriculum that will bring up issues of sexism, ethnic origin, occupation, age, social class, and disability (Cunningsworth 1995). Whether this is intended or not, it is a reality. Therefore the need to ensure a course book situates its material in the social and cultural contexts that are comprehensible, significant, appropriate and decipherable to learners, in terms of location, social mores and traditions, personal interests of learners, and age group is highly important (Breen Candlin 1987, Cunningsworth 1995). Often this can only be done by e valuation leading to adaptation. Lack of matching the teaching-learning situation to the materials leads to teachers returning from training programmes incapable of instigating what they have learnt, because it does not correspond to the conditions, needs and philosophies of their classrooms, institutions, and communities (Holliday 1994). In fact the materials become a constraint upon teachers sense of what may be appropriate at a given pedagogical moment, and on the autonomy and independence of teachers actions. The reality in the classroom is a trade off between materials, teachers, and learners (Maley 1998). If learners are to judge materials as legitimately offering them the prospect to develop their language knowledge and capabilities, the materials must take account of what learners perceive their needs to be, no matter how various and vague these perceptions may be (Breen Candlin 1987). Therefore information gathering and analysis of materials and the teaching-learning situation although without doubt can be driven by the teacher must include the input and feedback of learners. Especially in situations where the classroom culture is totally alien to the teacher they must be careful not to trample over the already set protocols and behaviours. Although classroom culture is open to large degrees of change, especially in the case of English language education which has supplied an abundance of new methodologies, it is largely conservative. When there is a lack of knowledge of the particular classroom culture, often on the part of the teacher, and a lack of input from the students, change can come that is too abrasive and disturbing. This develops into a crisis that leads to the closing of ranks within the classroom culture (Holliday 1994). Both the information gathering and analysis of the materials and the teaching-learning situation must be based on knowledge, feedb ack, experience, and negotiated learning objectives. This will enable the reduction of wasted time and effort and result in clear pinpointing of the steps which compel attention in the continuous process of evaluation (Bolitho Jolly 1998). The evaluation process is never static, when materials are considered suitable for a particular course after a preliminary evaluation, their ultimate success or failure may only be ascertained after a certain amount of classroom use (McDonough Shaw 2003). Therefore materials whether they are for publication or a teachers next lesson need to be persistently and incessantly evaluated and revised. Ideally materials need to be monitored by authors, other experts not involved in the writing team, and by representative users of the material such as teachers and learners (Tomlinson 1998). A pooled evaluation effort such as this can develop awareness in a number of ways. It obliges teachers to analyse their own presuppositions as to the nature of language and learning. With the almost certain reality that there will be a variance between the various materials that are available for evaluation it forces teachers to establish their priorities, and helps teachers to see materials as an integra l part of the whole teaching and learning situation (Hutchinson 1987). It must be stated that evaluation takes on a wider and more extensive role than merely evaluating to be able to adapt and develop materials by teachers. There is an increased concern for management macro evaluation of programmes and projects, carried out for accountability and developmental purposes and rationales by accumulating information relating to various administrative and curricular aspects and features of the programme. Educational decision makers formulate policy and work out strategies for budgeting and purchasing and therefore teachers do not always have direct involvement. At best they may be invited to make suggestions and comments (Ellis 1998, McDonough Shaw 2003). Such an approach to evaluation is not in concurrence with the perspective that many teachers have about what evaluation involves (Ellis 1998). There is a strong relationship and connection between evaluation and adaptation. Adaptation is a process subsequent to, and dependent on evaluation (McDonough Shaw 2003). Moving from the evaluation of materials and the teaching-learning situation in to the practical aspect of actually adapting the materials teachers will need to consider both external and internal factors. External factors are dynamics such as the characteristics of particular teaching situations, and content, organization, and consistency of the materials being an example of internal factors. To adapt materials is to endeavour to bring together these elements. Just as materials evaluation is a matching process so too is adaptation of materials. A good teacher is persistently striving for congruence and correspondence among materials, methodology, students, and course objectives. The teacher must satisfy the demands of the textbook but in ways that will be satisfying to those who learn from it by matching. Therefore maximising the appropriateness of the teaching materials in the particular teaching-learning context at hand (McDonough Shaw 2003). With evaluation of materials often constructed and fostered upon very impressionistic general judgements, teachers first steps in materials adaptation will also frequently be based on very vague motives and rationales leading to haphazard eclectic adaptation. Teachers will sometimes give the textbook a rest. The songs and games on a wet Friday afternoon are familiar to all teachers. However these dont have to remain part of a chaotic adaptation method. Rather they can be built into teaching in a principled way (Maley 1998). This means returning to our understanding of the underlying principles that evaluation of materials is based upon and subsequently looking at what adapting of materials actually involves. What must be noted is that this doesnt automatically mean adaptation has to continually be a rather formal process, although it often is. Rather, it can also be transitory. A teacher instantly rephrases a textbook elucidation of a language feature and so adapts. A good teacher is constantly adapting whether formally or informally (McDonough Shaw 2003). Therefore adaptation can be quantitative, by altering the amount, or qualitative by altering the methodological nature. This can be done using an assortment of techniques or a single technique applied to different content sections such as leaving out, adding, replacing, and changing. Materials may require adapting because they are not ideal in areas such as methods, language content, subject matter, balance of skills, progression and grading, cultural content, or image (Cunningsworth 1995). All of this must be done within a framework of gauging what materials contain against the requirements of a particular teaching environment and being sensitive to students interests, learning styles and motivation (Cunningsworth 1995, McDonough Shaw 2003). We can add to materials by supplementing them. More is put into them by extending or expanding. Materials are extended when we add more of the same, such as further grammar exercises if the grammar point being studied is difficult. By expanding we actually add to the methodology by moving outside it and developing it in novel directions. Also additions can be made before a language point appears in the framework of the book (McDonough Shaw 2003). Leaving out material is the other side of the same coin from addition. Generally subtracting does not have a significant impact on the overall methodology (McDonough Shaw 2003). Often using other published general course books or our own material for supplementary options is unsuitable. However there are numerous books that focus on skills. These afford a simple option to find exercises at a lower or higher level than the regular course book being used. For example, some general courses do not cover pronunciation as comprehensively or systematically as is necessary. Supplementary pronunciation books can fill in the gap. Usually vocabulary is covered more fully in modern books however there is still scope for supplementary vocabulary learning materials. Most books cover grammar meticulously, but there are still occasions when additional grammar work is needed, or an alternative approach (Cunningsworth 1995). Often the reasons why more pronunciation, vocabulary, or grammar is needed are the particular culture of that institution, managerial influences and teacher perceptions as well as the perceived needs of the students. The teacher has to take consideration of all of these to be successful. In my particular experience of teaching in Saudi Arabia the perceived importance and need for exhaustive grammar teaching, that was an influence of the culture of the institute, students, and the wider academic culture in Saudi Arabia, led me to adapt my teaching materials by supplementing the regular course book with grammar exercises from a well known grammar book (See Appendix 1, 2, 3). As a new teacher presented with the challenge of supplementing just because grammar was needed without any questioning I adapted in an extremely eclectic style without any worthwhile evaluation. A return to teaching will provide me with the opportunity to base my evaluation and adaptation on my understandings of teaching and learning and very importantly the context of the teaching-learning situation. Where we can usually make a noteworthy impression on the materials is by changing or modifying. Teachers can effect internal change in the style or focus of an exercise or other piece of material by rewriting when some of the linguistic content needs amendment. A prime example would be relating activities directly to learners backgrounds and interests (McDonough Shaw 2003). We could take a clearly mechanical, pre-communicative activity such as a drill and utilize the idea behind it by making the interaction more genuine and communicative by personalizing the content whilst keeping focus on structure and using authentic content. The important thing is to learn what students are interested in and build on that, showing that the English lesson is not just about English, but is about all aspects of life (Cunningsworth 1995). Restructuring involves classroom management, as in the case of when materials contain role-play for groups of a certain size and the class is too big. We can use si mplification by rephrasing instructions, explanation, or even the visual layout. Obviously there are repercussions and implications for simplification, such as the possibility that any linguistic change will have corresponding stylistic effects and therefore change the meaning or intention of the original text (McDonough Shaw 2003). As well as adapting by adding, taking away, or modifying we can transform the way the content of the materials is presented. Teachers can reorder by putting parts of a course book in a different order. For example we can adjust the sequence of presentation within a unit, or put units in a different sequence. We may do this in circumstances where the teaching programme is too short to work systematically through the book (McDonough Shaw 2003). Obviously there are patent areas of overlap among the various techniques that can be employed in adaptation. At one end adaptation is a practical activity carried out mainly by teachers to make their work more relevant to learners, however it is directly and indirectly related to a wider array of professional concerns such as administration and management of education. Adapting is one consequence of setting of objectives in a particular educational context and can only be executed effectively if it develops from understanding of possible design features of syllabuses and materials (McDonough Shaw 2003). We must be circumspect of becoming enslaved to course books. Rather course books are best seen as a resource in realizing aims and objectives that have already been fixed in terms of learner needs. They should not determine objectives themselves or become the aims. The concern must be with teaching language and not the textbook. The course book should be at the service of teachers and learners and not their master (Cunningsworth 1995). However we must strike a balance and not fall into dismissing all course books of being devoid of any value. The need to adapt does not necessarily entail that a course book is defective (Tomlinson 1998). We have to realise the entire arena of evaluation and adaptation is about matching between materials and the teaching-learning situation, basing this on our understanding and knowledge of teaching, learning and the context. Therefore the possible and inevitable areas of mismatch often can be dealt with by adaptation rather than abandoning the material s available (Tomlinson 1998). APPENDIX 1 Taken from: Headway, a typical EFL course book. The presentation of the grammar point here is not considered in depth enough and so the need to supplement. APPENDIX 2 Taken from: English Grammar In Use, a popular grammar skills book. Present the same grammar point to students as we studied in course book but with some more detail. APPENDIX 3 Taken from: English Grammar In Use. Present these additional exercises to the students usually by writing questions on the board. The students copy questions and complete with answers.

Developing a Successful Slamball Facility Essay -- GCSE Business Marke

Developing a Successful Slamball Facility I want to bring a multi-purpose Slamball facility to Atlanta’s everyday athletes. I would like to attract college students, weekend warriors, and everyday athletes. Once I have attracted these people to my facility I will begin leagues and televised games. Slamball is a high flying and high intensity game, which comprises elements of basketball and football. The athletic concepts are the same but applied to Slamball in a different manner. There are four players for each team on the court at all times, four separate trampolines on each side of the court, a fenced in court, and plenty of head gear and padding to go around. Slamball is meant to catch the viewer’s eye and give them an unmatched adrenaline rush. Slamball was invented in Los Angeles, California by a man named Mason Gordon in 2002. It is presently being televised by Spike TV, and is produced by Tollins and Robbins of Hollywood, California. Slamball has been a raging success amongst teenagers and the fine athletes around the United States. The facility will include two Slamball courts, one regular basketball court, a concession stand, a trophy room, two weight rooms, one training room, two locker rooms, a walking track, moveable stands for viewing, and offices for the employees. The city of Atlanta is were I plan to spring Slamball. To be more exact I plan to have it inside the perimeter loop. In order for the multi-purpose facility to work it must be centralized within the city. Once the facility is centralized I should be able to attract the morning workers, teenagers, and the fine athletes of Atlanta. The Slamball business plan will detail start up expenses, year one projected earnings, year one projected... ...opment and management team follow these for mentioned steps than Slamball is likely to be a success in Atlanta. Developing and sustaining a business is an ongoing learning experience, and Slamball will make the necessary changes in order to excel. Appendix A. Concepts One Should Know When Building an Innovative Multi-purpose Slamball Facility Table of Contents Phase I 1. Purpose of Slamball 2. What is Slamball 3. History of Slamball 4. Details about the facility 5. Location of Slamball 6. Business plan 7. Investment plans 8. Demographic research 9. Marketing streams 10. Management team 11. Architect 12. Consultant Phase II 1. ADA compliance 2. Storage space/loading dock 3. Maintenance 4. Employees 5. Training and locker rooms 6. Parking 7. Interior/exterior traffic flow 8. Security 9. Sponsors 10. Insurance