Instructional strategies exam essay Essay

Teachers are constantly challenged to ensure that teaching strategies employed in the classroom are appropriate the learning styles and experiences of the learners. As far as possible instructional strategies should be modified to take into consideration the unique characteristics of individual learners and aim to discover the best way forward when dealing with specific learning styles. Cooperative learning strategies are useful in teaching learners who function best in learning sessions that take into concern their individual needs, interests and abilities as well as provide opportunities for interaction and discussion with and among other learners. Constructivists have long established that learning cannot be separated from real-life experiences as both share a symbiotic relationship (Huang, 2002, p. 28). Bringing real-life situations into the learning environment will facilitate and enhance learning while knowledge, skills and attitudes gained in learning provide opportunities for additional life experiences. Cooperative learning strategies have a great amount of flexibility in the classroom and make it possible for the teacher to effectively match learning style to teaching strategy. Cooperative learning strategies are therefore quite attractive for adult learners as there is a multiplicity of activities and tasks that can be brought into any one learning experience to make learning not only effective but meaningful. These strategies are also useful in ensuring that learners have some amount of freedom and independence, as well as participate actively in their own learning. In a learning session using cooperative learning strategies individuals can be assigned to interest groups at the beginning of the session. Interest groups are individuals who may share either the same background or viewpoint. Interest groups are assigned either based on the particular task to be covered in the lesson or based on previously defined characteristics such as favorite type of food, music, TV shows etcetera. This is simply to ensure that all learners feel a sense of belonging by being able to identify with at least one other person in the group and therefore all will be motivated to actively participate in the lesson. Countless authors have pointed to the merits of using small groups as an effective teaching strategy to ensure participation and involvement (see Slavin, 2000). At the beginning of the lesson students are presented with the objectives and given precise guidelines of what they will be required to do throughout the lesson. Each group, that would have been identified previously, is given a particular aspect of the lesson to report or focus on and even within the group each member is assigned a specific responsibility and, of course, made aware how his/her role fits into the group task and the general lesson. In this way students will be accountable, not only for their own learning but also for the learning of the rest of the members who will be dependent upon him/her to correctly complete what is required. Kounin is famous for stressing this concept of accountability in learning. He also argues that it is essential to maintain the involvement of all students in all aspects of the lesson (as cited in Slavin, 2000, p. 373). Direct instruction often cannot be avoided in delivering lesson content depending on the material to be covered and may be essential in some cases. Thus in this setting direct instruction has its place but is supplemented with other strategies to ensure its effectiveness in meeting lesson objectives. To make a topic more meaningful and of immediate interest to the learners suggestions are gathered as to possible topics to explore, that can be aligned well with the overall curricular goals. By using the direct teaching method the teacher delivers the content to the entire class but each group is at that time paying particular attention to the aspect that is most relevant to the task they had been previously assigned. Visual aids and demonstrations, as appropriate, are used to enhance the impact of the lesson. A PowerPoint ® presentation would be particularly attractive to learners incorporating computer graphics, animation and even sound so that learners are able to interact with the lesson on a variety of levels. An alternative to the direct teacher or a supplemental to it would be to invite an outside speaker to deliver the specified topic. This guest speaker could be someone that the class nominates or someone that has expertise as well as being able to gain the interest and attention of the learners. Using either direct teaching, the PowerPoint ® or the guest speaker the group function is still maintained. At the end of these sessions groups meet to collaborate on completing the task assigned. In completing this task learners use problem solving skills to ensure that objectives are met. Working collaboratively group members have to explore alternatives for solving the problem or accomplishing the task that has been assigned. Included in the discussion is a decision on what aspect of the presentation is relevant or irrelevant to the task they have been assigned and the most appropriate way of organizing their work. They will also have to choose the most appropriate form in which to present their information. Each group is required, whether as a part of the session or in a subsequent session, to present their task to the rest of the class. As a part of the task description the teacher allows each group the flexibility of choosing whatever approach they feel will best be suited to presenting their information to the entire class. Role-play, simulation, demonstration, presentation or any other method could be adopted by the learners based on their individual preference. Alternatively all groups could role-play their particular scenario. Role-playing can be used to develop problem solving skills and to assess how much and how well learning has occurred. There is still a considerable amount of flexibility in that the groups use their own styles and ideas to come up with an appropriate situation to depict the problem they were assigned to. All members of the group will be required to roll-play ensuring that group activities are not manipulated by a specific set of learners and so that some learners do not opt out. Feedback of course, in any learning context is essential. Peer evaluation in this situation is useful. A discussion can ensue after each group role-plays or presents. Other classmates give feedback on the same issues and present possible alternatives to the solution that was taken or discuss why the option taken was the most appropriate for the particular issue at hand. Additionally comments relevant to the lesson could also be made. Learners in the small-group and large-group context are therefore able to cooperatively learn from each other by sharing ideas and making suggestions. Evidently learners are given a lot of independence within the specific guidelines and a lot of self-directed learning takes place. All these are essential for learners to make the most out of learning sessions and are preferable to techniques that are teacher-centered rather than learner-centered. In this way learners are actively participating in learning not just being passive listeners and observers. Throughout the lesson the teacher plays the role of facilitator or guide but the learners are the ones actively involved in the learning experiences and thus they would reap much more benefit. References Huang, H. (2002). Toward constructivism for adult learners in online learning environments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 33(1), 27-37. Slavin, R. E. (2000). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. (6th ed. ). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Disciples Are Created

â€Å"So God created man in his image. † Man was given dominion over all creation and paradise for his sustenance and enjoyment. But to whom much is given, much is likewise asked. The forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge proved to be too difficult for Man to resist. That cost Man the loss of his paradise and banishment from heaven, in complete shame. He had truly fallen. God sent his Only Son to redeem Man. Jesus walked the earth and preached about God. From fishermen to a tax collector, Jesus created his own, chosen set of disciples.He said, â€Å"I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. † He had instructed them to continue His work when He has gone back to the Father. â€Å"Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations. † Jesus died on the cross for Man. Man had sinned but Jesus led Man back to the Father. He had set the example for Man to follow. True discipleship is following God’s example of never giving up on Man’s fallibil ity. It is helping Man to rise from iniquity and taking the righteous path.His followers had betrayed Him like Judas and denied Him like Peter, yet He had it in His heart to forgive. He proclaimed, â€Å"Truly, I say to you, every sin will be forgiven humankind †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Whatever one’s status in life is, he may be made into a disciple. Simon Peter and Andrew were fishermen and Matthew was a tax collector. A disciple made from God’s own image follows His example. God forgave sin against Him. So must the disciple. The positive influence of God’s example to my personal ministry is to accept sinners and give them the second chances they need.

Medea Greek Mythology Essay

When Medea decides to take matters in to her own hands, about punishing the people who have done wrong to her, she is accused of wanting not justice—vengeance. Because I am not a native of neither Corinth nor Colchis, I have my own view about her motives. However, I would agree with the Corinthian Women, Medea is seeking vengeance; not justice. Some people might argue that Medea is seeking justice. When in actuality, Medea wants vengeance. The opposition would say justice took place because the Gods allowed Medea the time to perform her various acts. Although these things happened Medea turned to vengeance when she took it upon herself to kill Creon and his daughter Creusa. Even the chorus, the â€Å"ideal spectators†, implies that Creon is a poor king when, after he banishes Medea, the First Corinthian Woman sympathizes, â€Å"I am of Corinth and I say that Corinth is not well ruled. †(1. 214-216). This quote gives us proof that Medea has some sort of reason to seek revenge on Creon. However she lets her hatred exceed its boundaries and allows herself to take the lives of the King of Corinth and its Princess all because they chose Jason over her. In addition, her actions all prove that she wants Jason to do more than pay for hurting her. She wants him to suffer at the fate of her own children. Her revenge was selfish. Medea involved the two things she knew would hurt Jason the most—her own children. According to the First Corinthian Woman, â€Å"It would be better for you, Medea if the earth opened her jaws and took you down into darkness. But one thing you will not do, for you cannot, you will not hurt your own children, though wrath like plague-boils aches, your mind in a fire-haze bites the purple apples of pain. No blood-lapping beast of the field, she-bear nor lioness, nor the lean wolf-bitch, hurts her own tender whelps; nor the yellow-eyed, seythe-beaked, and storm shouldered eagle that tears the lambs has ever made prey of the fruit of her own tree. †(2. 115-126). Keep in mind that the Corinthian Women are the conscious of Corinth. Through this quote the First Corinthian Women has stated that Medea could not harm her own children. She even gives examples of the most dangerous predators that don’t even harm their own young. This is evidence that Medea went beyond the state of justice; but she went well into the state of vengeance. Medea knew what she was doing and quite frankly she could care less about anything other than what she thought of what was seeking revenge on Jason. In conclusion, vengeance was sought by Medea. She went above the fact of teaching Jason a lesson; she even stated she hated Jason more than she loved her children. Answer this question is what Medea has done entertaining or morally instructive?

Leadership and Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership and Management - Research Paper Example All the complaints, problems and official liabilities of the nursing department have to be sorted by the chief nursing officer. Chief nursing officer must possess appropriate leadership skills because of the challenging demands that exist in working environment on daily basis. There are grave issues that take place in the health facilities like nursing staff deficiencies, human errors, life losses and patient dilemmas. Chief nursing officer has to make sure that the workflow of the health facility remains smooth and sound (Hader, 2011). Chief nursing officers are kind of leaders that are responsible for creating a special kind of patient care culture at the workplace so that the nurses working under him can know the fact that their main duty is to serve the needy patients whole heartedly. If the culture is based on human services and care then there will be really less issues and depleted problems. As a leader the chief nursing officers has to lead the nursing team and set examples. Chief nursing officer is responsible for creating cultures that support acts of courage and bravery in nursing. The American Organization of Nurse Executives has given a code of conduct to develop a good and groomed culture at the health care facilities (American Nurses Association, 2001). ... If the chief nursing officer will not show courage to take necessary and bold action, then there is a huge probability that the health care facility will not remain reliable in the eyes of the masses and overall organizational requirements of the hospital or health care facility will never be achieved. Corley (2002) described the ‘courage to take action’ in a morally declined society and stressful environments like that of any hospital as the most important factor in leading any health care environment. The nurses are normally over worked and inter-departmental conflicts occur on regular basis. CNO should be courageous enough to speak on behalf of the nurses and tell the upper hierarchies about the real needs of patients. Buresh and Gordon (2006) have argued that nurses must feel that the chief nursing officer is really working on their behalf and their voice is getting the appropriate outlet. Courage, conviction, and capacity to work in an adaptive way are the must have qualities of the chief nursing officers Chief nursing officers have the sole responsibility to make sure that patient care standards, clinical requirements and health standards are met at the health facility. He is accountable for any type of problems in the nursing department. Chief nursing officer has the duty to motivate, train and control the nursing staff and inculcate the fact in them that their main duty is to serve the patients. Any type of human error resulting in loss of human life or injury can cause detrimental effects to the health organization or hospital. The chief nursing officer just cannot issue orders and do nothing rather leadership and managerial

Antitrust Practices and Market Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Antitrust Practices and Market Power - Essay Example The antitrust investigation against Google by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) followed complaints from competing search engines. They claimed that Google had monopolized the search business and online advertising, making it difficult for them to compete. Other search engine claimed that Google had made it hard for new entrants to find their way into the markets and industries that Google had already established operations. The Federal Trade Commission, which prohibits unfair methods of competition and deceptive practices (Areeda & Hovenkamp, 2011), came in to investigate Google’s antitrust behavior. Although FTC finally closed the investigation against Google without filling any lawsuits, antitrust behavior comes at a cost to the company. Google had to prove its case that it was not engaging in antitrust practices. This drew company resources into the investigation, resources that could have been directed to other company developments. Most importantly, unfair and illegal business activities often taint company image and consumer loyalty. This could eventually mark a devastating turning point for the company. Investigation into Google’s antitrust behavior was undertaken within the relevant legal framework. The applicable legal provisions included the Sherman Act (1890), Clayton Act (1914), and Federal Trade Commission Act (1914) (Posner, 2001). Under the Sherman Act, Google was investigated for the monopolization claims by other search engines. In the light of Clayton Act, the company’s exclusive dealings were put on the spot. Finally, the FTC Act encompasses unfair and anticompetitive practices for which Google was being investigated. Perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly market structures influence competition differently (Federico, 2009). These market structures determine whether or not there are barriers to entry into any given market

The Importance of the Physician in the Generic and Trade-name Article

The Importance of the Physician in the Generic and Trade-name Prescription Decision - Article Example The time frame and period analyzed in the whole article ranges between 1984 and 1996. This is evident during the introduction of generics in 1984, when all firms that wanted to market, a post-patent expiration generic had to show the efficacy and safety of the drug through tests to the Food and Drug Administration. In the course of time, the Congress implemented the permissive substitution laws in an effort to encourage the use of generic drugs. In addition, the research shows that in 1996, information from IMS America Inc. showed that managed care payments such as private managed care as HMOS AND Medicaid HMOs amounted for over 505 of dollar revenues for pharmaceutical retail sales (Hellerstein, 109). The data sources used in the analysis involve information from a survey of physicians, their patients, and drugs prescribed. In this case, physicians use patient by patient basis to test whether physicians prescribe generics to patients who are not covered by insurance and the effects of state legislation on generic prescription (Hellerstein, 109). The main findings of the whole research show that physicians are important agents in prescription decisions. Therefore, identifying the sources of heterogeneity in behavior across physicians is an integral factor of understanding how the markets for prescription drugs operate. Individuals learn how physicians behavior whenever they have different information and incentives in the areas of specialization. The new information learned from the article indicates that changes are still occurring among physicians through the continued growth of managed care due to increase in market share of generic drugs. At the same time, there probabilities that emphasis on cost containment in Health Maintenance Organizations may cause price differential between a trade name and generic drugs since there are existing negotiations with manufacturers on price discounts.

Soft processor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Soft processor - Research Paper Example This is important because laymen and some scholars often confuse them with each other in terms of their design and functionality. At the end of this paper, I intend to have achieved two main objectives: examine and discuss all aspects of soft core processors, and show a clear distinction (in terms of design and functionality) between soft core and hard core processors. Key words Core processors, soft core processors, hard core processors Introduction A soft processor is a patented core that is based on the Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) logic primitives (Chu 2012, pg. 31). A hard processor, on the other hand, is a patented core that is based developed from dedicated silicon. In this regard, it is built directly onto non-reconfigurable silicon. A real example of a soft-processor is the Xilinx MicroBlaze processor core. This is a 32-bit processor core that is also a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC). It has the following features: Harvard bus architecture Highly configurabl e cache Exceptional handling capacity and two levels of interruption A standardized core connect bus interface manufactured by IBM 3-stage pipeline Thirty-two registers for general purpose This processor can operate at up to 250MHz based on a Virtex-4 (4VLX40-12) component. Between 1000 and 2700 Xilinx LUTs (Look-Up tables) are required for the implementation of a MicroBlaze soft processor, depending on the manner in which the processor is configured. Background FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) An FPGA is an integrated circuit (IC) that is capable of being programmed to perform any logical function. FPGAs usually have many gates (sometimes even millions) which can be interlinked in any configuration required to resemble a logic circuit. Such interconnections are performed entirely using software. This is done by uploading a modified hardware definition for a logic circuit) to an FPGA. The FPGA will subsequently assume the attributes of that logic unit. The logic unit is defined using a HDL (hardware definition language). An FPGA is made up of a complex matrix/assembly of logic cells (Yiannacouras 2005, pg. 36). The FPGA is a general-purpose component that is full of digital logic building units. The two dominant firms in the FPGA industry are Xilinx and Altera. The most primitive building block used in FPGA is known as an LE (Logic Element) by Altera or an LC (Logic Cell) by Xilinx. In both cases, the building block is made up of an LUT for logical purposes and a flip-flop for purposes of storage. Apart from the LE/LC block, FPGAs also include clock management, multiplication blocks, memory, and input/output (I/O). LE/LC is often used in finding system costs. FPGAs offer hardware designers great flexibility. Although pioneer designers primarily employed FPGAs in debugging and prototyping, most commercial end-products now integrate FPGAs. Designers who use FPGAs are able to develop hardware components or entire systems quickly while still balancing the debu gging and prototyping benefits that FPGAs have over application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs (Iniewski 2013, pg. 35). Constant increases in FPGA architectural features, performance, and capacity are allowing more designs to be implemented through FPGAs. To further this, FPGAs costs are declining, enabling designers to integrate FPGAs with 1 million similar gates for less than $13.