Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing

Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing Introduction This paper review on the works of previous studies regarding the usage of personal pronouns in research articles (RA). The review will look at the usage of personal pronouns in written corpora in different aspects; first looking at the use of personal pronouns as a whole in the world of academic writing and the differences in usage of personal pronouns among the native speakers of English and of those who uses English as a second language. In recent study, there has been an interest in investigating voice-related issues in the study of student writing (Zhao Llosa, 2008). McCrostie (n.d.) claims on the lack of research done to investigate the use of voice in non-native academic writing and fewer still, had been done on the studies below advanced level. Gender has also been mentioned as an area of study that has slowly gained attention in the study of second language research. Though this had been said, gender receives lack attention in the study of discourse; though many have claim of its importance as a mean and goal of language instruction. Thus, based on the issues above, the objective of this study is to investigate the usage of personal pronouns by male and female Malaysian academic writers. According to Nordquist (2010), personal pronouns are defined as nouns that are used to substitute the person or people who are talked about. Literature Review Personal pronouns There has been extensive research on various features of academic writing and one of frequently looked at feature is the usage of personal pronouns in academic writing. Using personal pronouns in academic writing has been related to writers voice and the writers position in the academic world. Hyland (2001) states that the use of impersonality has been proposed by manuals and textbooks as means of demonstrating scholarly persuasion and allowing writers to speak to readers in an unmediated approach (as cited in Martin, n.d). The usage of personal pronouns in scientific writing sees a development from traditional notion towards recognition of this particular writing style. Martin further comments that writers choice is announcing their presence in the academic field is viewed as a strategy that is increasingly used by writers of the international English speaking community in promoting and gaining accreditation on their claims in research. This is also supported by Cherry (1998) claimi ng on the importance of self-representation in academic discourse and Groom (1993) in his analysis of academic writing indicates the importance of writers textual voice and states that writers should clearly state when they are reporting the voice of an author or stating their own expressions and personal point of views (as cited in Martin, n.d.) Kuo (1999) investigated the use of personal pronouns in scientific journal articles and discusses on how writers are able to reveal on their own perception of their position in the academic field as well as other readers. Kuo further comments on how knowledge presented in article journals with the use of personal pronouns poses a great value towards writers as it allows writers to share personal contributions and seek solidarity with readers as well as others involved in the particular discipline. Hyland (2001) as cited in Martin (n.d.) supports this notion in his research articles across eight different disciplines on the attributions of personal pronouns, reporting a high proportion in the usage of personal pronouns in social sciences and humanities. Hyland concluded in his study that the usage of personal pronouns in scientific texts seems to be a valuable rhetorical strategy which allows writers to construct academic credibility and gain a certain degree of confidence and authori ty (as cited in Martin, n.d.). Tang John (1999) in Martin (n.d.) also mentions the importance on the usage of personal pronouns however suggests that both teachers and students should be aware on the real presence of how personal pronouns are used differently and other alternatives that can be opted towards the traditional method in claiming academic position and authority. The Use of Personal Pronouns among Non-native Speakers Martinez (2005) states on how using personal pronouns are not problematic for native, yet may pose as one on non-native speakers of English. Hyland (2000) conducted a study and revealed that non-native speakers uses personal pronouns in non-controversial contributions however avoid them when stating expressions, argumentations or opinions (as cited in Martinez, 2005). In a study conducted by Petch-Tyson (1998 in Martinez, 20005), it was found that non-native speakers use personal pronouns at a rate of two to four times more than native speakers thus concluded that learners overused first and second personal pronouns in their writing. A different study done by Tang and John (1999) on 27 Singaporean university students showed the frequency of personal pronoun usage where first person pronoun occurred 92 times in all 27 essays which indicates a similar role to Hyland (1999, 2000) and Harwood (2005 as cited in Martinez, 2005). Chang and Swales (1999) had also published a study concerning the attitudes of 37 non-native speaker graduate students studying at English universities regarding the use of personal pronouns in academic writing. From the study, it was found that regardless of their proficiency in the language, the students felt uncomfortable in using personal pronouns in academic writing. These graduate students believe that the use of personal pronouns is much more suitable to be used by senior scholars and states that using them makes academic writing more challenging. It was also found that these students rarely uses personal pronouns when giving opinions or stating the origin of a new idea (Chang and Swales, 1999 as cited in McCrostie, n.d.). McCrostie further commented that regardless of amount of studies focused on published writings, few studies had been done on unpublished writing of non-native speakers thus suggesting that there is a need to have more studies to compare unpublished writings among both native and non-native speakers which can also contribute knowledge to the study. Gender and Personal Pronouns As mentioned previously, very few researches have been conducted in the area of discourse with gender functions as a variable. Past researches focused on linguistic differences between gender and its role in the studies related to informal writing, speech and electronic messaging (Yazdani Samar, 2010). Yazdani and Samar (2010) further stated that gender; as an effective tool in writing has not given much focus on its impact or role in the methodology of teaching writing thus, needs to cater to the arising issues academically. A study done by Yazdani and Samar (2010) on Iran writers revealed that female writers use more personal pronouns compared to males. A study conducted by Armagon et al. (n.d.) also revealed similar findings in their research. Methodology This study adopts a quantitative approach. 10 articles were randomly selected where there is equal distribution among gender (5 males and 5 females). The articles were selected from GEMA Online Journal (Jurnal Pendidikan), the Malaysian Journal of ELT Research (MELTA) and The Open Applied Linguistics Journal. All research articles are from the Social Sciences field. The articles were then analyzed via Lex Tutor. The limitation to this study includes no control over the writers race; thus the variable is not used as a factor in the study. Secondly, the authorship of research articles varies where several articles are written by single writers and few collaborative writers in single articles. Third, the research articles vary in terms of length resulting in imbalanced amount of words and personal pronouns that could be affected by it. Finally, the approaches regarding to the research articles were not taken into consideration. Few research articles were found to have a qualitative appr oach thus relying heavily on interviews or written transcripts thus may affect the outcome of the study. Findings and Discussion The findings obtained from the analysis are presented as following: Research articles written by Malaysian males in frequency: Articles Personal Pronouns Singular Personal Pronouns Plural 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Male 1 (21) it (19) they (2) them Male 2 (13) I (1) me (5) you (44) he (16) him (2) her (3) us (31) we (16) they (6) them Male 3 (26) I (1) you (95) he (15) him (31) it (3) her (7) we (2) us (24) they (11) them Male 4 (4) I (3) she (1) he (1) her (1) him (13) they (11) them Male 5 (41) I (2) me (1) she (10) we (19) they (7) them Total 87 6 234 53 128 Total: Personal Pronouns Singular (327), Personal Pronouns Plural (181) According to the table above, it is found that Malaysian male writers uses more singular personal pronouns compared to plural personal pronouns. Based on results, it is also found that Malaysian academic male writers use more 3rd personal pronouns for both singular and plural categories however the highest frequency among personal pronouns used are 3rd singular personal pronouns with a frequency of 234. Among the personal pronouns used frequently by Malaysian male writers: He HE is very selective towards whom HE directs the venom. (male 2, 2002) In terms of average score, HE is the second highest (male 3, pg. 12) It and the enormous opportunity IT presents to higher education (male 1, pg. 4) engaged in a particular task and how IT will improve their reading skills. (male 3, pg. 2) Him done bad thing to HIM and this made HIM feel bad (male 2, pg. 10) this particular strategy to help HIM comprehend what he is reading. (male 3, pg. 13) They When these students enter university, THEY expect the spoon feeding (male 1, pg. 1) particularly when THEY proceed to tertiary education. (male 3, pg. 2) information elements did THEY instruct learners to find out (male 5, pg. 1) Them , thus prompting THEM to pay more attention to metacognitive reading (male 3, pg. 3) systems of the language that enables THEM to teach effectively. (male 4, pg. 1) Research articles written by Malaysian females in frequency: Articles Personal Pronouns Singular Personal Pronouns Plural 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Female 1 (1) he (1) she (3) we (10) they (1) them Female 2 (16) I (1) me (20) you (2) he (5) her (4) his (3) she (40) it (3) us (15) we (59) they (14) them Female 3 (2) I (10) they (6) them Female 4 (3) I* (2) we (24) they (15) them Female 5 (19) I (2) me (62) you (1) she (14) he (11) her (3) him (5) we (3) us (25) they (6) them Total 40 82 85 31 170 Total: Personal Pronouns Singular (207), Personal Pronouns Plural (201) Based on the table above, Malaysian female academic writers use more plural personal pronouns in writing their research articles. This finding is similar of their male counterparts. The findings also reveal that Malaysian female academic writers use more 3rd plural personal pronouns in academic writing unlike their male counterparts who uses a higher frequency of 3rd singular personal pronouns. Among the personal pronouns used frequently by Malaysian female writers: You What assumptions do YOU think administrators make about attire (female 2, pg. 6) If YOU have the main point (female 5, pg. 8) They real audience for the language task THEY were working on (female 2, pg. 1) THEY can be changed through the learning process such as by using (female 4, 2) THEY generally respond in predictable ways rather than be critical. (female 5, pg. 4) Them being presented with predetermined language structures and then practicing THEM. (female 2, pg. 2) It also requires THEM to state their name in order to enable (female 5, pg. 7) Usage total of Personal Pronouns by males and females Gender Male Female Personal Pronouns Singular 327 207 Personal Pronouns Plural 181 201 Total 508 408 Overall, the findings indicate that Malaysian male academic writers use more personal pronouns than Malaysian female academic writers. The findings obtained are not in line with previous research that was done by Yazdani and Samar (2010) in relation to non-native English speakers. Conclusion and Recommendations The findings had shed new insight on the use of personal pronouns between male and female Malaysian academic writers. In conclusion, there is no significant difference between the general use of personal pronouns among male and female writers. Both male and female writers were found to use more singular personal pronouns. However, there is a difference in terms of the personal pronouns used between male and female writers. Male writers were found to use higher frequency of 3rd singular personal pronouns whereas the female writers were found to use a higher frequency of 3rd plural personal pronouns. The findings have also revealed that male writers use more personal pronouns compared to female writers in the overall analysis. However, as mentioned previously, the findings of this study may be affected by factors listed in the limitation section as this study is based on a small scale range. Therefore, the findings obtained in this study are still questionable thus several recommendations are proposed for future researches interested in the same area of study which are (a) to focus on research articles under the same area of study and approach; (b) to consider the writers race as a variable and (c) to take into consideration of the length of research articles planning to be used in the study. List of Research Articles: Male Writers Subramaniam, G. (2006). Stickability in Online Autonomous Literature Learning Programmes: Strategies for Sustaining Learner Interest and Motivation. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 80-96. Hazidi, H. A. H. (2002). Similar words, Different Meanings: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage Exploration of Cultural Differences. GEMA Online of Language Studies. (2)1. 1-13. Muhammad Kamarul, K., Chew, J., Abdul Rashid, M. (2006). Metacognitive Reading Strategies of Good Malaysian Chinese Learners. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 21-41. Munir, S. (2009). Grammatical Awareness among Primary School English Language Teachers. GEMA Online of Language Studies. 9(1). 35-46. Lim, J. M. H. (2009). Rhetorical Categories and Linguistic Mechanisms in Describing Research Conditions: A Comparative Genre-Based Investigation into Researchers Choices in Education and Applied Linguistics. The Open Applied Linguistics Journal. 2. 67-85. List of Research Articles: Female Writers Ainol, M. Z. Noor Lide, A. K. (2006). Classical and Rasch Analyses Of Dichotomously Scored Reading Comprehension Test Items. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 1-20. Mardziah, H. A. Tan, B. H. (2008). Wired Together: Collaborative Problem-Based Language Learning In an Online Forum. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (4). 54-71. Nor Shidrah, M. D., Nuraihan, M. D. Noor Lide, A. K. (2005). Second Language Writing Anxiety: Cause or Effect? Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. 1-19. Siti Norliana, G. (2008). Learner Background and their Attitudes towards Studying Literature. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (4). 1-17. Tan, K. E. (2006). Writing English Essays within Dominant Discourses in Malaysian Schools. GEMA Online of Language Studies. 21. 23-45.

Anthropomorphized Creativity :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Anthropomorphized Creativity It starts at 2 o'clock in the morning, a blank sheet in front of your eyes and a blank brain behind. Whether for grades, for money, for for glory, for love, or for self respect, you have to put your thoughts down in a coherent form, but you cannot. You beg for the ability to shift out of neutral and get writing, but it doesn't come. And like any human being since we started carving into bone and shaping clay, you start to put in your mind's eye a face to what you are seeking. It has eyes, brows, a nose, and of course, a slight contemptuous smirk. That same tendency that has lead to the fashioning of idols now comes to you. "The secret of creativeness," (Carl Jung's phrase) like the philosopher's stone, is an abstraction that has tempted many great minds into building theoretical structures that try to explain the creative process, and that fail to do so for a majority of creative artists. Jung calls it a "transcendental problem which the psychologist cannot answer but can only describe." In his essay "The Artist" Jung attempts to describe the creative process using the ideas and metaphors of his eponymous theories. These attempt to replace the artist, a living, breathing human being, with abstractions according to which the artist is an "impersonal creative process." While I recently read through his essay "The Artist," and through Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "The Artist of the Beautiful," what came to my mind were those authors whose own creative processes did not fit Hawthorne's and Jung's notions. I can only chalk this up to my contrarian nature and to my choice of authors. Although more likely, it is because of my own idolatry. The author Harlan Ellison doesn't relish being asked about the secret of creativeness, at least so far as it pertains to himself. Questions about it prompt him to give a brief explanation of how he gets his ideas from a mail order business in Schenectady, New York. (They also cause him to change colors all through the spectrum.) His glib response points to the difficulty of describing the creative process in a way that will carry from one artist over to many. The challenge is compounded by the prejudices we have about the human mind in general. Every idea about the human mind is an abstraction that cannot but repel as many people as it attracts.

Founding Fathers of Psychology Essay

These four men that we are about to talk about are some of the, if not the most important people in psychology. One developed psychology as a school of thought and published the first book on the subject which opened the door for another to develop his theories. Years after the book came out another thinker was inspired to look into the human mind and this time with a more scientifically critical mind and approach, there was a common reason people had problem, he just was not positive what. This lead two of his students to move on and one focus on the individual versus what the majority has a problem with and made sure that treatment focused on them. The second looked more in depth into what naturally came into our subconscious and how that affected us and our development. These were the non-official founding fathers of psychology. This man never even practiced medicine yet, after graduating from Harvard he went on to become an influential person in psychology (Stone, 2000). In addition to many other things that William James did to help with the field of psychology, especially the psychological aspects of religion he also dabbled in the use of scientific methods to investigate the mostly untouched spiritual and psychic realm. He was also the first one to fight for psychology to be recognized as a science, everyone after him has him to thank for the distinction as a science (Croce, 2010). The way he fought was just a more unorthodox way of going about it, he did not even like to be called psychologist, in fact he preferred the term philosopher (Goodwin, 2008). He eventually developed a position that would become the foundation for the functional psychologists, this was known as pragmatism. This was based on the belief that a person had control over what they do and life changes those experiences. This lead to a book that would change the way people looked at psychology as something to take seriously, the Principles of Psychology became the first text book type publication on this subject which led to people like Sigmund Freud and others to develop their theories as well. Freud is one of the most famous of them all, when anyone thinks of psychology that has not looking in depth into its history will always think of Freud. Freud was not all the way people portray him either if something seemed to be too damaging for his patient it was stopped (Chessick, 2000). Psychoanalysis is hard on everyone on the situation because it digs deep into what makes a person act the way they do. Freud was said to have a unique approach to his patients for his time frame. He realized that when a person learns something new or experiences something new it does indeed change something about that person, he also knew that the past had something do with it and that there were layers of consciousness to a person that has an effect as well. He made them a part of their therapy and listened to what they wanted out of their therapy instead of dictating to them what they should do with themselves (Frank, 2008). He wanted his patients to be able to be free with themselves and learning their own hindrances that may keep them from doing something that they should be doing with themselves. He wanted them to be their own person and not held back by whatever has brought them to him. Freud himself focused more on assigning a general reason for people to behave the way they did which is what influenced his students to branch out. Alfred Adler joined Freud’s psychoanalytic movement in 1902, but he left the group in 1911 because of persistent disagreements with Freudian theory (Overholser, 2010). This approach that Adler created was called the Individualistic approach this approach focuses solely on the patient and what experiences have shaped them over the course of their life. This is one of the most in depth ways to psychoanalyze people, realizing the perceived flaw in Freud’s theory; he took a look at what made the individual unique and how that changed their human experience. This helps improve the one so that eventually that one will go out into society and become responsible for themselves and each other as good members of it. Adler continued to believe that Freud had made a point by looking back at ones childhood for answers but rather than focusing on the sexual root to the problem, he focused on the feelings that came out of a situation (Lafountain, 2009). For example, if one grew up afraid to take charge of situations because someone else always did it for them, they could have trouble later in life trying to be in charge of themselves or other people. After studying with Freud he went on to focus on how society affects an individual and how that individual functions in society. He believed there were three things a person needed to accomplish in life to be a healthy socially minded person. First is the task of finding how to survive, a job, maintaining ones house, the responsible things. Second is cooperating and being civil as well as respectful to society. Third are intimate relationships, having children, friends, a spouse. All three of these were crucial to being a normally functioning person in society (Lafountain, 2010). Basically a person is unique in nearly all aspects of their life and that needs to be taken into account in each and every case from psychology to teaching because not everyone is going to fit together well. Carl Jung, as with Adler was inspired and influenced by Freud in the early years of his career and as with that came the eventual disagreement and him going his separate way. He redefined some of terms that we are more familiar with today. He gave us the terms; introvert, extrovert, conscious, unconscious, collective unconscious, persona, archetype, and more importantly psyche. These were terms to simplify and classify different processes going on in the brain at any given moment, one of the other more important and less verifiable is the theory of collective unconsciousness, this is the belief that collectively humans have a psychological knowledge that they can draw on that is inherent in our genetic make-up (Carter, 2011). This was closely followed by the archetypes which without collective unconscious as a theory would not be feasible, the archetypes are what those thoughts are made up of in the collective unconscious, something like innate nature that says we are inherently supposed to fear things that would do us harm. Studying this brings out what is instinctual in humans versus what is something that they are aware of doing, much like Freud’s subconscious thought theory. Both agreed that there are things that are in humans that are unconscious and just happen and those needed to be studied and understood as well (Carter, 2010). Jungian followers believed that like Freud dreams had meaning but in Jung’s school this allowed the person analyzing the dreams to free associate the meaning based off of their own knowledge of mythology and life versus what would be from the person who is being analyzed own life. The thought was that collective unconscious would make the analyst come to the correct conclusion based on unconscious thoughts going back and forth between the two. These four individuals shaped psychology as what it is today, they both indirectly and directly influenced each other even when some of them never met and history has diminished their accomplishments. James started it all with the mind of a philosopher who enjoyed the concreteness of what science proved but also the mystery of what it left open. Freud was a philosopher who thought more as a scientist and therefore opened the idea that the brain has hidden information in it that needed to be discovered to learn what makes a person themselves. This led Jung and Adler to take his ideals and expand on them where they agreed and where they disagreed. Without them psychology would not be where it is today and you can see little bits of what they contributed throughout its history. . References  Carter, D. (2011). CARL JUNG IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. Contemporary Review, 293(1703), 441. Chessick, R. D. (2000). Psychoanalysis at the Millennium. American Journal Of Psychotherapy, 54(3), 277. Croce, P. J. (2010). Reaching beyond Uncle William: A century of William James in theory and in life. History Of Psychology, 13(4), 351-377. doi:10. 1037/a0021106 Frank, G. (2008). A response to â€Å"The relevance of Sigmund Freud for the 21st century. â€Å". Psychoanalytic Psychology, 25(2), 375-379. doi:10. 1037/0736-9735. 25. 2. 375 Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Lafountain, R. (2009). Alfred Adler’s Place in the Field of Psychology. Washington, District of Columbia, US: APA Division 1, Society for General Psychology. Overholser, J. C. (2010). Psychotherapy that strives to encourage social interest: A simulated interview with Alfred Adler. Journal Of Psychotherapy Integration, 20(4), 347-363. doi:10. 1037/a0022033 Stone, A. A. (2000). Images in psychiatry: William James, 1842-1910. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(10), 1583-1583. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/220496188? accountid=35812.

Communication †According to Ability Essay

Whether CLT should be considered an approach or a methodology is a more abstract debate and here I want to deal with its more practical aspects. In fact, it is those very elements, and the name itself, which have been used to challenge the future relevance of CLT. Firstly, the label implies a focus on communication and some might argue that this method can’t be employed genuinely with low levels as there is no authentic communication, due to a limited vocabulary and restricted range of functions. Initially, many of a learner’s utterances are very formulaic. As an aside, consider just what percentage of our own English expressions are unique, and how often we rely on a set phrase; just because it is delivered unselfconsciously and with natural intonation does not make it original. The aim is that the length and complexity of exchanges, and confident delivery, will grow with the student’s language ability. With the emphasis on communication, there is also the implication that spoken exchanges should be authentic and meaningful; detractors claim that the artificial nature of classroom–based (i.e. teacher – created) interactions makes CLT an oxymoron. Nevertheless, a proficient teacher will provide a context so that class interactions are realistic and meaningful but with the support needed to assist students to generate the target language. We need to consider that producing language is a skill and when we learn a skill we practise in improvised settings. For example, before a nurse gives a real injection, they have punctured many a piece of fruit to hone their technique. Accuracy as Well as Fluency It might also be argued that the extent of some of the structures or functions may never be used in real life. One example is adjective order; I have given students an exercise where they have to produce a phrase with a string of adjectives, such as â€Å"a strong, orange, Norwegian, canvas tent.† This is very unnatural, as most times we only combine two or three adjectives. The other example is directions – we have students follow a map and negotiate exhaustive directions which suggest maze-like complexity. In reality, most of us probably are only involved in a three-phase set of directions. In fact, what we are doing with these exercises is exposing students to patterns which they can later activate. This focus on accuracy versus fluency is one of the issues not often considered in a discussion of CLT. The teacher decides to pay attention to one or other end of this band, depending on the type of lesson, or the stage of a particular lesson, and accuracy is their choice if they want to deal with students getting things right, take an opportunity for correction, or gauge the success of their teaching, for example. Freer speaking involves more choice, therefore more ambiguity, and less teacher intervention. While CLT implies the lessons are more student-centred, this does not mean they are un-structured. The teacher does have a very important role in the process, and that is setting up activities so that communication actually happens. There is a lot of preparation; accuracy practice is the bridge to a fluency activity. By implication, CLT involves equipping students with vocabulary, structures and functions, as well as strategies, to enable them to interact successfully. The reference to strategies introduces the matter of grammatical versus communicative competence. If we view the two as mutually exclusive, then we are likely to champion one over the other, in terms of approach, curriculum or whatever else determines and defines our classroom teaching. In fact, Canale and Swain’s model of communicative competence, referred to by Guangwei Hu, includes four sub-categories, namely grammatical, sociolinguistic discourse and strategic. They consider someone competent in English should demonstrate both rules of grammar and use. Promoting Learning This returns us to the consideration of who we are teaching, and why. Are our students aiming to learn or acquire English? Do they need to know lexical items and linguistic rules as a means of passing an exam, or do they want to be able to interact in English? For those inclined to maintain the dichotomy between learning and acquisition, and who argue that our primary focus is learners, CLT still has relevance. It is timely to review an early definition of CLT. According to Richards and Rodgers, in Guangwei Hu, CLT is basically about promoting learning. Then again, Mark Lowe suggests that we follow Halliday’s lead and drop the distinction between learning and acquisition, and refer to language mastery instead. After all, if the students master the language, they will certainly be able to perform better in exams, if that is their goal. In addition, those who do see a purpose beyond classroom-related English will be better equipped for using the language socially. Motivation One of the constant discussions in all my teacher training groups was how to motivate students. This suggests that the focus on passing the exam was not always enough. Motivation relates to engaging students but also includes confidence building. If there is a climate of trust and support in the classroom, then students are more likely to contribute. One way of developing this is to allow pair-checking of answers before open-class checking occurs. Another way is to include an opportunity for students to discuss a topic in small groups before there is any expectation that they speak in front of the whole class. Evelyn Doman suggests that â€Å"The need for ongoing negotiation during interaction increases the learners’ overt participation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It is this involvement we need to harness and build on. Sometimes the participation is hardly what we would define as ‘negotiation’, but merely a contribution. For a few students, just uttering a word or a phrase can be an achievement. Indeed, some of the teachers in the training sessions said this was the goal they set for their more reticent pupils. And I have had students who, after writing their first note or e-mail in English, expressed their pride at being able to do so. If teachers consider an activity to be irrelevant or not engaging enough, there are many other tasks which may be more appropriate, such as surveys, using a stimulus picture and prompt questions (Who†¦ Where†¦ When†¦What†¦), or a series of pictures which need to be sequenced before a story is discussed. In this respect, CLT addresses another area which constantly challenges teachers, the mixed-ability class. When the lesson progresses to a freer-speaking activity, students can contribute according to their ability and confidence, although I acknowledge both need to be stretched. So there is a challenge for the more capable students, while those with an average ability still feel their effort is valid. This compares with the less creative opportunities offered by some textbooks, where students read a dialogue, perhaps doing a substitution activity, for example. A basic responsibility is considering and responding to the needs of our students, so if the course book is inadequate we need to employ the following steps: select, adapt, reject and supplement. Moreover, because each class we teach has its own characteristics and needs, CLT will vary each time we employ it. Conclusion Too often, a ‘new’ approach appears to completely dismiss the previous one. This is not always the intention, but probably more a result of the enthusiasm of practitioners exploring and implementing fresh activities or opportunities. Also, throughout the CLT debate, there seem to be dichotomies which are employed to argue for its irrelevance. It is evident that CLT has gathered a range of characteristics, perhaps more through misunderstanding or by association, but it is actually not as incompatible with other valued practices as it is sometimes made to appear.

The most common fears and their reasons

The most common fears and their reasons Every day is a day of decision-making. From the smallest decision of what to wear, to more important decisions at work, and, on some occasions, some really big decisions, we try to weigh alternatives and make the best one. We decide on college majors; we buy cars and homes; we make huge decisions about career choices and relationships. But what happens when we cannot make decisions or we make poor choices because we are afraid. While the reasons for our fear may differ, one thing psychologists tell us is true. Fear can become so debilitating that we are just stuck we cant act at all. And that of itself is actually a decision a decision to do nothing. And those decisions to do nothing heavily affect our lives. Here are 4 of the most common fears and their impact. Fear of Failure You have been very comfortable in your job and you do it well. All of a sudden an opportunity comes up for quite a promotion, and your boss thinks you are the perfect candidate. You are flattered, but then the fear grips you. This new position means supervising lots of people; there are more responsibilities and new things to learn; you will be blamed if things go wrong. Now you have the weekend to make a decision, and you are thrown into anxiety and panic attacks. Monday morning comes, and you turn down the promotion, feeling a great sense of relief. Fear of failure can impact all aspects of our lives, and it keeps us from taking up new challenges that mean personal and professional growth. Fear of Criticism or Disapproval This fear is a direct result of low self-esteem, because it means that we fail to make decisions based upon our own desires and goals. We worry instead about what others may say or think. You are in college and studying pre-med. You come from a family of doctors, and it is just a given that this will be your career choice too. You have been groomed for this for years. But now, you really hate pre-med and you have begun a love affair with computer science, taking as many elective courses in the field as possible. You want to change your major but you know how your parents and relatives will react, and you do not want to disappoint them. So, you stick it out and ultimately enter a field for which you do not have real passion. You then lead a life of wondering if you might have been the next Bill Gates of Steve Jobs. Fear of Change/Risk We all have our comfort zones, and they are nice secure places. We really want to stay in them, but often life tries to push us out of those zones and into new unchartered territory. You have a comfortable job with an adequate income. You are truly talented in web design and have done an outstanding job creating the websites for some friends. A colleague approaches you and thinks that two of you could start your own web design business and make a killing. He already has several clients lined up and just needs you as the creative arm of the business. Suddenly you are faced with making a huge change a change that will really pull you out of your comfort zone. You have a mortgage and maybe a car payment. You might have to go into your savings for a while. You just cannot do it, and you have to tell your colleague no. Several years later, that colleague and his partner are highly successful, setting their own schedules and having fun in their work. You are still in your 9-5 comfort zon e, trying to tell yourself that you made the right choices while looking upon them with envy. Fear of Success Yes, thats right. This is a mindset that says, Once I reach the goals that I have told everyone about, what do I do next? Can I move to the next level without failing? Fear of success is really fear of failure, and what it does is keep us from achieving the current goals we have set. Its just so much easier to keep saying we are working on them and never actually get there. Others will admire us they will applaud our perseverance. And well gladly take all of that praise, and keep plugging along. And, we never have to make the next life decision where do we go next? Fear stunts our growth. Whether it is the fear of moving into a new relationships, the fear of a new job, the fear of taking risks to follow our dreams, or the fear of dis-pleasing others, we end up living, as Thoreau used to call them, lives of quiet desperation, always wondering what could have been had we not be afraid. So, if you have fears that are holding you back, identify them and face them head on. Then get some help with them. Overcoming fear is a process, but it can be done.

Langston Hughes Biography

Langston Hughes Biography Langston Hughes was a human rights activist and a playwright who constantly led the revolution change against the segregation of the Negro in America. He is considered one of the most influential agitators for change in the social order in the history of activism in America. The poem highlights the plight of the Negro in the USA.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Langston Hughes Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Resilience From the poem, Hughes outlines the virtue of resilience. Resilience refers to the quality of resuming to your original form irrespective of how much you are pressed with issues. The racial segregation in America is a social phenomenon that no one would like to experience, it should elicit bad memories in any individual, but the persona simply says,† †¦.he laughs.† He seems to be unaffected by the racial discrimination that he is being subjected to, he simply dismisses it, ev en though we all know that such occurrences would make an individual bulge and assume a combatant attitude.(Rhynes 62) Patriotism Conventionally, anyone who gets treated wrongfully in an environment will be conditioned to deeply loathe such environment. A student battered in any high school will hate anything to do with high schools, despite the sub human treatment he gets from the fellow countrymen; he is still patriotic enough to proclaim his love for the same nation. In the last line, he claims authoritatively that â€Å"†¦I too am America.† He loves his country despite the ill treatment he is invariantly subjected to.Advertising Looking for essay on biography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hopefulness Perhaps, this is the most outstanding value that Hughes wanted to portray in his poem. In my opinion, it forms the primary trait of the persona. The author wanted to illuminate a ray of hope to the vic tims of racial segregation. He outlines this throughout the poem. When he says that he eats and grows strong, the value of hope is portrayed, he is not easily broken disheartened, he looks forward for change, and so he says, â€Å"†¦Tomorrow, i will be at the table.† A hopeful person quotes the future, while a hopeless person drowns in disillusionment. (Rhynes 102) The persona however, looks forward for the brighter tomorrow. From the tone of the poem, it is very obvious that the future that he is waiting for will be much better than the present time. (Rhynes 11) He argues that his tormentors â€Å"will see how beautiful I am.† Use of â€Å"will† infers to a future tense meaning the persona is still keeping hope alive of better tomorrow. (Rhynes 64) The calmness he portrays in the poem is due to his hope for a free America. (Rhynes 66) Patience The persona is a very tolerant person. He is not belligerent at all, even though it is obvious that he is subjecte d to surly conditions that undermine human dignity, he remains friendly to them, no wonder he says that â€Å"I laugh.† He also waits patiently for the outcomes of the future when he will be stronger and even â€Å"more beautiful.† Calmness and Tactfulness One would expect opposition from the persona to counter the oppressors, but he avoided the confrontation and instead remained calm. (Rhynes 33) He says that when sent to the kitchen, â€Å"he ate well†, he didn’t confront anybody but planned by eating well and â€Å"growing strong.† Eventually, he says that he’ll no longer be told to â€Å"eat in the kitchen,†Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Langston Hughes Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rhynes, Martha E.I, too, sing America: the story of Langston Hughes. Greensboro, N.C.: Morgan Reynolds, 2002. Print.

Cute Love Quotes

Cute Love Quotes Love quotes can be both romantic and sad. However, the ones that always make me smile are the cute love quotes. These charming quotes never fail to grab my attention. Use the following cute love quotes to bring a smile to the face of your beloved and show how much you care. American ProverbYou have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a handsome prince.TalmudWhere love is, no room is too small.Jean-Francois de la HarpeWe never forget those who make us blush.AnonymousYou know when you have found your prince because you not only have a smile on your face but in your heart as well.​Joseph BarthMarriage is our last, best chance to grow up.Joanne WoodwardSexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now thats a real treat.Erich SegalTrue love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.Pearl BaileyWhat the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.Mark TwainAfter all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her.Lisa HoffmanLove is like pi: natural, irrational, and very important.AnonymousLove is when you wake up thinking of no one else but, that person!Robert FulghumWhen we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness and call it love true love.J. D. SalingerThats the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if theyre not much to look at, or even if theyre sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are.Zora Neale HurstonLove, I find, is like singing. Everybody can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.Sacha GuitryI am in favor of preserving the French habit of kissing the hands of ladies. After all, one must start somewhere.Guy de MaupassantA legal kiss is never as good as a stolen one.Michael LeunigLove one another and you will be happy. Its as simple and as difficult as that.