Penn Foster College Essay Example for Free

Penn Foster College Essay We are in diverse world, a world of differences and unique situations. For example, it is the mandate of the Law that children should study and that it should be financed by our parents, for most, in their primary and secondary, and for those born with golden spoons on their mouths, up until their college days or Ph. D. We have different priorities and our human values are made up of the inward and outward factors of the societies we were brought up. We also have different needs, from small things like ice cream, electronic gadgets, to houses and cars. According to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a person has deficiency needs and growth needs. Before he advances to the next level of need, he should have met the previous need. That’s what is happening to us. The people around us such as our parents, relatives, and friends nurtured us. Once the fourth level of need was accomplished (achievement, recognition, or approval), we now aspire for growth. The common growth that can lead us in higher positions in society, with huge paychecks, and luxurious lives, is the growth in education. We could have not known that this growth is priceless until we have engaged in jobs or in the professional world. However, once a person is in the marketplace, he has been wrapped up with some daily concerns, from her work, and, once he gets at home, from the concerns of his family. And though there’s an opportunity of a higher education, it has been covered up with the loads that we have from the concerns above. Like most of us, I also have dreams for the future and my goals are going to be a lot difficult to reach if I have not planned it critically. I made use of the Step Decision Model as my guide. I am fond of teaching kids, yet I didn’t have enough money to pay for the tuition in a university. That is my problem. In addition, my mom is already old and I only earn through peer and personal tutorials. I have the option to stop realizing that education is an infinite learning. Yet, I insist to make a decision. I weighed down my options. The little money I earn can be used to pay my tuition fee and travel expenses or it can help me buy the needs of my family. Finally, I enrolled in a kind of college that I have recently found out to be enjoyable, educational, and very convenient—distance learning. This is an alternative from the kind of education that we get from the four corners of the classroom. Distance learning offers lots of conveniences for me—it makes me save up my money and makes me much available to aide my mother. However, before, I had difficulty in focusing to my subjects due to conflicting schedules. There were times that I prioritized the tutees that I had because it was their exam week and they needed greater time of assistance. There were also instances that I had family gatherings and reunions that I almost forgot to accomplish a certain project. It’s my decision to study so I should be responsible and make the best out of it. If I really want to earn a degree, I should be serious about it even to the littlest things. Conflicting schedules should not interfere with my studies. I now make sure that every time I study, I have a conditioned mind. Also, at first, I thought that I can’t have a quality education unlike those students in the usual college setting, but I was proven wrong. In distance learning the professors consistently interact with their students. And as a learner, I enjoy the benefits of having my mentor’s attention even if he or she is very distant. With that, I have developed the confidence to communicate with people even of higher ranks and they have properly guided me. As part of the human dimension, a balanced life needs a clear or if not a detailed set of priorities. Learning is fun but we should understand that distance learning is not different from any other learning. We should be serious with it. We should be eager to learn and to focus. Proper time management and the passion to pursue our dreams make will make us enjoy our studies while performing other responsibilities to our loved ones and to our works. References: Penn Foster College. Penn Foster Collger Student Testimonials http://www. pennfoster. edu/student_testimonials. html Huitt, W. (2004). Maslows hierarchy of needs. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved [date] from, http://chiron. valdosta. edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow. html

Argument Supporting Gay Marriage Essay -- Homosexual Gay Lesbian Right

Lindsey and Beth, a lesbian couple, have been living together for eleven years. Lindsey conceived two children from a sperm donor. Together, Lindsey and Beth turned their house into a loving home for their two children. One day, on the way home from the grocery store, Lindsey was killed in a tragic car accident. Before Beth could even grasp the situation, the children that she helped raise from birth had been taken away and placed into the care of Lindsey's parents, who never were a part of their lives because they did not accept Lindsey's homosexuality. In addition, the house that Beth and Lindsey lived in for eleven years was taken away from Beth. How did this happen to Beth? Well, if Lindsey and Beth could have been legally married like all heterosexual couples, Beth would have had custody of the children and would have kept the house. They would have received 1,049 protections, benefits and responsibilities that are extended to married couples under federal law (HRC). Lindsey and Beth are one example of same sex couples that live in 99.3 percent of all counties in the United States (HRC). It is estimated that 10 percent or 25 million people in the United States are homosexuals, and by law they do not have the rights that married heterosexuals enjoy. American voters have the power to change the law and prevent the sad story that Beth had to live, by voting "yes" on referendums in support of gay marriage, and "no" on bans of gay marriage. The opening scenario of Lindsey and Beth is a dilemma that is becoming more of a real situation each day. The fact is that people are forming unions regardless of the law. In all fairness, the people involved in these relationships should have the same legal rights as all other American... ...discriminating against gay marriage. But by voting "yes" on referendums in support of gay marriage, and "no" on bans of gay marriage, our society can become one step closer to creating a more fair and just society that supports diversity and accepts people with a different life-style. Works Cited Human Rights Campaign (HRC). 26 Nov 2006. . Moats, David. Civil Wars a Battle for Gay Marriage. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2004. Rauch, Jonathan. Gay Marriage. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2004. Robertson, Donald L. Dr. "Homosexuality and Genetics." 26 Nov 2006. . "U.S. Census Figures Continue To Show National Trend." Human Rights Campaign. 27 June 2006. 26 Nov 2006. eleases/20011/U_S_Census_Figures_Continue_To_Show_National_Trend.htm>.

Curriculum and Material Development

THE TEACHING PROCESS The focus here is on the teaching practices that occur within a program, how these can be characterized, and how quality teaching can be achieved and maintained. a. Teaching Model and Principles This book has emphasized the curriculum as a network of interacting system involving teacher, learners, materials, school, administrator, and curriculum planners, and choices ay one level affect other elements in the system. Thus the choice of a particular curriculum philosophy or ideology implies a particular model of teaching.Roberts (1998, 103) compares two teaching models implicit in many language program: the operative model and the problem problem-solving model: ? Operative is model the teacher is restricted to meeting the requirements of a centralized system, such as the delivery of a textbook as planned, to a set timescale. Such as limited role, limited to that of curriculum transmission, implies training objectives based of mastery of a set of competencies determ ined by the centralized syllabus. ? Problem solver is model a decentralized curriculum gives teachers greater autonomy in making educational decisions.A diversified teacher to able to diagnose problems and adapt materials and design original learning activities. The former can viewed as a teaching model compatible with a mechanistic model of organization design and the latter to the organic model. In language teaching programs, teaching models are often based on particular methods or approaches. For example: †¢ The communicative approach : the focus of teaching is authentic communication; extensive use is made of pair and group activities that involve negotiation of meaning and information sharing.Fluency is a priority. †¢ The cooperative learning model : students work in cooperative learning situations and are encouraged to work together on common task and to coordinate their efforts to complete task. Rewards system in group †¢ The process approach : In writing class es, student take part in activities that develop their understanding of writing as a process. †¢ The whole-language approach : Students are taught to read and write naturally, with a focus on real communication, authentic texts and reading and writing for pleasure.Rather than drawing approach or method, the teaching model in a program in a program may be based on a coherent set of participles that reflect how teaching and learning should be approached. This is the teaching philosophy of the program and serves as the basis for decisions about classroom methodology. Articulating a teaching philosophy in this way can help clarify decision relating to choice of classroom activities, materials, and teacher evaluation.In the case of a teaching model that is based on an existing teaching model such as communicative language teaching, the philosophy and principles of the model are accepted as givens : teachers are expected to be familiar with them and to put the principles into practic e. Teacher teaching in different ways. Even thought two teachers work toward identical goals they may choose different ways of getting there. Teachers bring to teaching their own personal beliefs and principles and these help to account for how they teach.Teachers principles are a product of their experience, their training and their beliefs. Bellows are the example of teacher' principles cited by Breen are: †¢ selectively focus on the form of the language †¢ selectively focus on vocabulary or meaning †¢ enable the learners to use the language †¢ address learners' mental-processing capacities †¢ make the new language familiar and manageable †¢ monitor learner progress and provide feedback †¢ facilitate learner responsibility †¢ manage the lesson and the group b. Maintaining Good Teaching Quality teaching can't simply be assumed to happen.It results from an active, ongoing effort on the part of teachers and administrators to ensure that good te aching practices are being maintained. This involved the establishment of shared commitment to quality teaching and the selection of appropriate measures to bring it about. The following are strategies that address this issue. 1. Monitoring Information needs to be collected regularly on all aspects of the program to find out how teacher are teaching the course, what is working well or proving difficult and what issues teachers need to resolve.Monitoring can take place through formal and informal mechanism such as group meetings, written reports, classroom visit, and student’s evaluations. 2. Observation Regular observation of teachers by other teachers or supervisors can provide positive feedback on teaching as well as help identify areas that might need attention. Observation may, but need not, involve evaluation. Peer observation can also be used to enable teachers to share approaches and teaching strategies. This might include information on how students complete a learnin g activity or the type and frequency or questions the teacher uses.Teacher can also make use of self observation to see what it tells them about their teaching. 3. Identification and resolution of problems Timely identification of problems in a program is essential to ensure that small problems do not develop into bigger ones. Good communication systems can help ensure that problems are brought to the attention of teachers or supervisors for timely resolutions. 4. Shared planning Teachers often work in isolation and do not always have the opportunities to benefit from the collective expertise of their colleagues.One way to avoid this is to build on opportunities for collaborative planning, as when teachers work together in pairs or groups on course planning, material development and lesson planning. During the process of planning, potential problems can often be identified and resolved. 5. Documentation and sharing of good practices A great deal of excellent teaching goes on in scho ols, but much of it is known only to individual teachers or supervisors. Teachers should be encouraged to report on their positive teaching experiences.For example, teacher might write short case accounts of a successful course they taught and share them with other teachers or post them in the Internet. They could write short articles for an in-house newsletter or teacher' magazine. Classes can be video-recorded to provide input to workshops or teaching-training sessions. Meetings or â€Å"mini-conferences† can be arranged in which teachers report on classroom innovations or other activities they wish to share with colleagues. 6. Self-study of the program Self-study involves a study of a program's practices and values as part of the process of self-evaluation and review.It is part of the process of demonstrating a commitment to quality and to long-term goals and professional development. A self-study should be undertaken every three to five years and involves teachers, admini strator, and students in a process of examining all aspect of a schools' operations (Kelly 1988) self-study involves a study of a program's practices and values as part of the process of self-evaluation and review. It is part of the process of demonstrating a commitment to quality and to long-term goals and professional development.A self-study should be undertaken every three to five years and involves teachers, administrator, and students in a process of examining all aspect of a schools' operations (Kelly 1988). c. Evaluating Teaching If a program seeks to provide quality teaching, it is essential that teachers’ performance be regularly reviewed. An appraisal system may have several different purposes: †¢ To reward teachers for good performance †¢ To help identify needs for further training †¢ To reinforce the need for continuous staff development †¢ To help improve teaching †¢ To provide a basis contract renewal and promotion To demonstrate an int erest in teachers’ performance and development The purpose of the appraisal will determine the type of appraisal that is carried out. 1. Developing the appraisal system An appraisal system is likely to have greater credibility if it represents both teachers and administrators views. It should therefore be produced collaboratively and represent all point of view. However, any appraisal system needs to recognize that there is no single correct way conduct of teaching. Teacher have different styles of teaching, and two teachers may conduct their classes very differently yet both be excellent teachers.Therefore, criteria for the complexity of teaching as well as the fact that it is a uniquely individual activity. In language teaching, there are no universally accepted criteria for assessing teacher effectiveness and several different kind of appraisal approaches are used. Criteria are generally established on an institutional basis, drawing on general principles for teacher effec tiveness and factors specific to the type of program in which the teacher work. Murdoch (1997) contains a questionnaire designed to the perceived qualities and competencies of good English teacher, and organized according to three areas. .The focus of appraisal Although appraisal usually involves observation of a teacher teaching one or more classes, the focus of appraisal may include a number of other aspects of a teacher’s work, such as: a. Lesson plans b. Teacher-made classroom materials c. Course outlines and handouts d. Class assignments e. Participation in profession development activities 3. Conducting the appraisal A teaching appraisal may be carried out by a supervisor, a colleague, the teacher himself or herself, or students. Appraisal by a supervisor: supervisor often assume the role of appraiser, though many teacher find that they prefer appraisal to be carried by someone other than a supervisor.The presence of a supervisor in the classroom may inhibit the teacher from performing to his or her best. In addition, if the supervisor is largely an administrator rather than a classroom teacher, he or she may not have a good understanding of the classroom situation, resulting in misperceptions about different aspect of the lesson. In order to provide some consistency to appraisals, checklists are often used. Appraisal by a colleague: peer appraisal is generally less threatening for a teacher than appraisal by a colleague and may result in more constructive feedback. A colleague will often have a better understanding of the difficulties a teacher faces and perhaps be able to suggest useful easy of addressing them. †¢Self-appraisal : teacher themselves are often in a good position to assess their own teacher and self-appraisal is perhaps the threatening form of teacher assessment. Self-appraisal may take a variety of forms : o Lesson reports : The teacher may use structured descriptions of a lesson whit an evaluation of each component. Teaching journal : The teacher keep a regular journal about his or her class, and describe and reflect on different aspects of planning and teaching the course. o Audio/video recording : The teacher may record a number of lesson of his or her class or arrange to have someone else record them, review the recordings, and comment on the strengths or weaknesses of the lesson. o Student appraisal : Student are in a good position to assess the effectiveness of teaching, although the extent to which they are able to do so depends on the type of feedback instrument they are given.Although students often critical, they usually have a good sense of whether a teacher prepares his or her lesson, teacher relevant content, provides lesson that are engaging, relevant and at an appropriate level of difficulty. 4. THE LEARNING PROCESS Learning is not the mirror image of teaching. The extent to which teaching achieves its goals will also dependent on how successfully learners have been considered in the plan ning and delivery process. The following factors may affect how successfully a course is received by learners. .Understanding of the course Understanding of the course very important to ensure the learners understanding to the goals of the course, the reason for the way it is organized and taught, and the approaches to learning they will be encouraged to take. b. View of learning Learners enter a course with their own views of teaching and learning and these may not be identical to those of their teachers. Al Corso and Kalantzis (1985) found that teacher rates the usefulness of ommunicative activities highly, whereas their learners tended to favor more traditional activities such as grammar exercises, copying written material, memorizing, and drill work. Course may assume a variety of different learner roles, such as:†¢ Manager of his or her own learning †¢ Independent learner †¢ Need analyst †¢ Collaborator and team member †¢ Peer tutor c. Learning Style Le arning styles may be an important factor in the success of teaching and may not necessarily reflect those that teachers recommended. In a study of the learning style, Willing found four different learner types such as: Concrete learners These learners preferred learning by games, picture, films and video, taking in pairs, learning through the use of cassettes, and going on excursions †¢ Analytical learners These learners liked studying grammar, studying English books, studying alone, finding their own mistakes, having problems to work on, and learning through reading newspapers †¢ Communicative learnersThis group liked to learn by observing and listening to native speakers, taking to friends in English, watching TV in English, learning English words by hearing them and learning by conversations Authority-oriented learners These students liked the teacher to explain everything, writing everything in a notebook, having their own textbook, learning to read, studying grammar, and learning English words by seeing them d. Motivation Beside of learning style, motivations also important to find out what the learner’s motivations are for taking the course. e. Support Support mechanism provided for learners are another component of course delivery. These include the kinds of feedback learners will get about their learning and opportunities that are provided for faster or slower learners.CONCLUSION In this paper we are discussed about â€Å"providing for effective teaching† which have four factors, which are: ? Institutional factors Institutional factor has correlation about the institution organizational, institutional quality, good internal communication between administrator and the teacher also professional teacher and opportunities for developing teacher's ability. ? Teacher factors Teacher factor discuss about teacher' skill and qualification, the aspect for supporting teacher to do their responsibility. ? Teaching factorsTeaching process is the way to monitoring process teaching-learning based on the model and principle which chosen by its institution, than maintenance when found the error process and also evaluating teaching. ? Learners factors The last factor to achieve quality teaching is learner factor. Learner factor is the way to know what the learner need, how to choose the appropriate learning style, giving motivation and also support to the pupils REFERENCE Jack C. Richards. 2001. Curriculum Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press

How to Write Successful Persuasive Speech

How to Write Successful Persuasive Speech First of all, you need to define a clear idea of your speechs purpose: what you want your audience to make as a result of it. This idea should stay in your mind throughout all the writing. You can draft a beginning that will call to action, asking your listeners to do what you plan them to do. You need to prepare several solid reasons why they must do that. To bring really serious and weighty reasons, we recommend a brainstorming technique. First, you can write down 6-10 reasons and, after you choose the most argumentative one, it is useful to group reasons into three columns and then rank them according to their importance. But the most significant moment for successful persuasive speech is information about your audience. Who are they? Consider their gender, age, education and other factors that may influence the perception of your speech. Now that you know what you want to say, your purpose is to understand how it is better to deliver this information to let your listeners hear and understand your ideas. You may rank the arguments by their importance in one way, but for the audience it can be whole other ranking. In this case you need to re-rank your list to make it more suitable for the listeners. In this way the persuasive speech will be effective. It is also necessary to predict possible reaction or questions and to answer them in your speech before the listeners will ask them. So, you always must be two steps ahead of your audience. One more key point for your success with persuasive speech is using only reliable sources. Figures and facts will bring more weight to your speech. The tips listed above are simple, but extremely effective. Once mastered them, you will become effective speaker.