Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation Pattern Essay Example for Free

Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation Pattern Essay It is ironic that Kapil Sibal declared at 125th Birth Anniversary celebrations of great Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan that exam-centric education system would have to go. One wonders what Ramanujan himself would say – â€Å"Mr. Minister, even I am a product of exam centric education system†? Kapil Sibal says he would like to replace the current system with a child-centric one. Now that is a very interesting term. So how does the minister define the term? Expressing his determination to do away with rote learning and the â€Å"archaic† examination-oriented system, he said: â€Å"We are endeavouring to reform this with emphasis on skill development and unlocking the creative talent within the child. † The Ministry’s decision to do away with examinations at the end of the year, replacing them with a Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation (CCE) system in a bid to de-stress children, was a step in that direction. [Link] Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation has its benefits. It has to be, however, said that CCE will not de-stress the children all by itself. Students are under stress due to the range of competition. Imagine a candidate appearing for IIT JEE during +2. He faces at least 7 lakh others across the country. Imagine what goes on in the family, forget the candidate! Every IIT graduate has a story to tell as to how many sacrifices the complete family makes for success at the exam! CCE has its benefits and can de-stress the students but in an autonomous organization with tight controls within the organization. For example, some engineering colleges at graduate level and almost all of them at post-graudate level use it to the maximum benefit of both students and professors. The system is a success at these places because of the autonomy. JNTU implemented CCE in engineering colleges affiliated to it. It had limited impact and yet, it couldn’t do away with the final exam. The final exam had to cover 80% of the total score. CCE makes sense when the number of institutions involved is less. Another important factor that influences the impact of CCE is the physical proximity of affiliated institutions. Otherwise fraud and cheating would happen as the case is with JNTU’s example. Understanding the issue JNTU faced several issues with implementing CCE is more than 100 colleges in AP affiliated to it at the time of introduction of the system. They started with 80% external evaluation in the form of final comprehensive exam and 20% internal evaluation across the semester via 5 exams conducted by the instructor. Due to lack of feedback mechanism between students and the governing body – JNTU, the system led to several problems. There were cases of cheating and fraud. JNTU wanted to solve this problem by making internal evaluation â€Å"not so internal† through online objective evaluation. For this, an internal evaluation question bank was created through suggestions from all its professors, assistant professors, associate professors across the affiliated institutes. The online evaluation software would throw random questions on the screen to be answered in stipulated amount of time. This system again failed at several institutions due to infrastructure issues but the major problem was again cheating and fraud. The issue is quite clear – large educational bodies with centralized governing body cannot use CCE effectively. Effective use of CCE can happen with decentralized model. JNTU understood this and divided colleges between JNTU Hyderabad, JNTU Kakinada and JNTU Ananthapur. The division was purely based on physical proximity of the institute to the governing body. This system still faces the issues that it had initially. It will continue to face them. Take another example. IITs. For evaluating graduate students, IITs dont have a common examination across all the IITs! Even BITS Pilani which has its campuses in Pilani, Dubai, Goa and Hyderabad doesnt use CCE across all four via a common evaluation body. Closed loop within each campus is used. In fact in all these institutes, swift justice in case of any fraud/cheating via committees within the institutes ensures better evaluation, without hindering the process of education. The key phrase – â€Å"checks and balances†. One then wonders why such a tight loop cannot be framed within the schools or a set of schools within close physical proximity! What is happening now? In our current system of school education, we have CBSE at national level and as competing bodies we have State Education Boards. Schools are allowed to choose one of the bodies. The chosen body not just dictates syllabi but also evaluates students in a final examination with a common exam held on a common date at all affiliated schools. So by design CCE is missing. Private schools, so far bridged this gap by having internal evaluation which does not affect scoring at final exam but will only help students to be ready for the final evaluation. Government schools on the other hand, have been busy serving meals at noon to children rather than conducting classes regularly. All government education bodies across India have a common goal – syllabus. Core of the problem lies in this – skill development has never been the area of interest of these bodies. Skill development was and still is the school’s responsibility to compete with other schools. Students who make it top notch institutes across India via JEE, AIEEE, BITSAT etc. , generally have a set of skills in some area or the other. But it has to be understood that they do not make it there due to those skills. They acquire those skills at school, due to their own enthusiasm and sometimes due to the school’s stress on extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. Fortunately or unfortunately, skill development is not due to the governing body. Some exceptions do exist in places like Kerala though! In terms of the system of education, both geography and demography have a huge role to play. Before CCE Implementation†¦. Sibal’s megalomania and grandiose plans lack substance just because of one of his very fundamental assertion – centralization. For a country of the size of India, with such a large population, centralization of education is a disaster to start with. Decentralizing and allowing that little freedom to schools would be a very important step. Such a decentralization process must be addressed before CCE can be implemented. If we are supposed to get anything useful from implementation of CCE, what Governments at class X, +1, +2 level in Government Schools needs to Allow more freedom to schools to collaborate and spool resources – they are already in severe resource crunch. Leaving out examinations completely would be a recipe for disaster. As it is, drop out rates in Class X, +1, +2 across states like AP is too high. Any hasty introduction of CCE without first correcting some fundamental flaws in organizing schools would only bring about faster drop out rates at these levels. CCE is already available in an abstract way in private schools. Several aided and government schools tried to emulate it to see marginal success. But the issue remains. CCE it self will not reduce stress on students. In conclusion, CCE would make sense only with a proper mechanism to address drop-out rates at class X, +1, +2 levels across government schools in India. Acts proposed by Sibal like RTE only make it worse as they attack Private schools which have a decent CCE model already in place. Bottom line – leave private institutions alone. If possible allow them a % share of total evaluation points/score. Don’t scrap examinations, even if you introduce grading. Meanwhile, ensure Government and Aided school improve standards w. r. t infrastructure and faculty. Form conglomerates of schools within a certain radius and allow them to frame, organize and evaluate their students through proper resource spooling.

the history and background of teaching homophones

the history and background of teaching homophones Introduction: Grammar teaching in schools is usually approached from a rule learning perspective and this leads to lessons that are boring. In the past, the teaching method that was adopted was mainly teacher-centered and this lead to the â€Å"drill and kill† type lessons, especially when it came to language and grammar. There is a common misconception that all learning should be serious in nature and that if one is having fun while learning, it is actually not learning (Lee, 1995). In fact, â€Å"many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers have argued that games are not just time-filling activities but have a great educational value† (Uberman, 1998). Most language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct forms (Lee, 1986). There are many advantages of using different techniques such as games, pictures, group work etc. in the classroom. These techniques can lower anxiety which makes the acquisition of input more likely and in a relaxed learning atmosphere learners remember things faster and better (Uberman, 1998). They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings (Uberman, 1998). Different techniques are an excellent way to break the usual routine of the classroom (Lee, 1995). In this essay different techniques to teaching language structure and/or vocabulary will be explored. To illustrate how these different techniques can be used examples will be given. The language structure which will be focused on in this essay is homophones. Homophones are words which sound the same but are spelt differently and have different meanings (homo = same, phone = sound). Due to this it is a language structure that many learners misuse and misunderstand. Homophones can be taught in a number of fun and exciting ways. This essay will explain how to teach homophones to a grade three class over four 45 minute lessons. Each lesson will act as a follow up of the previous lesson. This will be the introductory lesson to homophones. The purpose of this lesson is to introduce homophones to the learners in a fun way that will keep the learners interested. This lesson involves group work. Group work is good technique as it involves the learners themselves and all learners participate, giving everyone an equal opportunity to aid in their and their peers learning experience. In this lesson the teacher acts as a facilitator which means that learners are not merely given the answers but need to find them for themselves. The teacher will introduce the lesson by handing out a flash card to each learner in the class. These will be handed out upside down so learners cannot see what word they have received. Once all the learners have a card the teacher will ask learners to look at their word. The teacher will then ask learners to find the person in the class that has the same sounding word but that word means something else (i.e. homophone). This activity will be noisy but the teacher must keep it as controlled as possible. Once the learners have found their homophone partner learners must sit on the mat with their partner. The teacher will check that learners are partnered right and if not they must keep looking. A time limit of five minutes should be kept in order to keep control. Once all learners have found their partners and are settled on the mat the teacher will call one pair up at a time. The learners will show their words to the class and say them out load so they can hear they sound the same. T he learners will then be asked to give the meaning of their word so they can see that even though the two words sound the same they have different meanings. This activity can be done with bigger classes by adding pictures to the word pairs. This will mean that four learners will need to find each other. For example: the word son/sun and a picture of a young boy with a parent and the sun in the sky. To conclude this lesson the teacher will explain that in each group/pair the words that they have matched up are called homophones and this will be explained to the learners. This lesson will make use of pictures as a technique. â€Å"Pictures are versatile and useful resources for teaching aspects of grammar that require a structure-meaning match† (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988). Pictures add fun and enjoyment and make the understanding more solid as learners can see the actual object being discussed. To introduce the lesson the teacher will recap what a homophone is. The teacher will show a blown up picture to the class. This can be a picture of the beach, for example, where a lot of activity is taking place. Some examples of this could be a picture of a bear on a beach ball and a bare child. The homophones in the picture will not be obvious to the learners which will pique their interest and make them think. The teacher will then ask the learners to draw up a table listing the different homophones they can find. A time limit can be placed in order to create a little competition for the stronger learners. Once learners have completed this, the teacher can go through some of the answers the learners came up with. After the answers have been discussed, a worksheet will be handed to each learner which they will need to complete. See appendix 1. This lesson will make use of stories as a technique. â€Å"Stories are traditional in almost all cultures †¦ [which] provides a realistic context for presenting grammar points and holds and focuses students attention in a way no other techniques can† (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988). Learners are inclined to listen to stories more inventively and therefore remember the story and knowledge learnt long after the lesson has ended (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988). The teacher begins the lesson by reading the story from appendix two to the learners. The teacher will then handout the worksheet to the learners (appendix 3). The teacher will then read the story with the learners again while the learners follow. The learners will then be given a few minutes to read the story again by themselves. Once the learners have read the story they must follow the instructions on the worksheet. The second part of the worksheet requires learners to continue the story some of the homophones provided. Learners â€Å"are marvelous storytellers† (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988) and this creativity should be encouraged. As a homework activity, appendix 4 will be used. This will consolidate what was done in the lesson. Due to the fact that this is the last lesson on homophones for the week it will be more of a relaxed lesson as games as a technique will be used. Games â€Å"enable learners to acquire new experiences †¦ which are not always possible during a typical lesson† (Uberman, 1998). It has been said that games are â€Å"a good way of practising language, for they provide a model of what learners will use the language for in real life in the future† (Uberman, 1998). The game that will be played is called â€Å"Homophone Hop†. This game has been taken from Primary Resources (2010). This is how the game works: In pairs or small groups learners work their way around a board using a dice and counters. When they land on the star squares they have to pick up a homophone card. One of the other children will read out the card which will say, for example, â€Å"Which spelling is required for ‘their in this sentence? ‘The children rushed to get their coats? Move an extra 5 spaces if you got it right†. The child must identify the correct homophone by spelling it aloud to their partner. If they get it correct, they will move 5 spaces. If they do not, they stay where they are. The object of the game is to reach the finish line first. This game is a great way to consolidate all the homophone knowledge that was learnt during the week. It gives learners a chance to have use the knowledge that they have dealt with and can use it in real life terms. Conclusion: As seen from the above activities there are many different ways to teach homophones. This therefore means that other language structures and/or grammar can also be taught using these different techniques. By using these techniques, lessons will not be boring and learners will be more interested in learning new things. Language is very complex and often not an easy concept to get across. If teachers plan ahead and take the time to think of new ways to teach language, they will find there are many reasons to why language teaching does not have to be from a rule learning perspective, but rather from a interesting, and appealing perspective.

The Destructive Power of Peer Pressure Essay examples -- Peer Pressure

Peer pressure: influence from members of one's peer group. Peer pressure is an incredibly widespread issue in today’s society, and can have many significant and long lasting effects. Peer pressure is an issue that can be found in many places, with many varying degrees, but often happens for the same reasons. Peer pressure can cause drug and alcohol addictions, being caught shoplifting, failing exams, and other problems. It has many causes, with many contributing factors, but is most prevalent during the teenage years, as teens look beyond the guidance of their parents, and seek answers from their peers. Peer pressure most commonly occurs at parties, where parental supervision is minimal, however indirect peer pressure can be experienced anywhere. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the topic, as well as the causes and related effects. The report will cover the types of peer pressure, who is affected, who are the offenders, why do they offend, where does it happen, what can happen, how can it be solved, and why it is so hard to control. Peer pressure is a very widespread issue, manifesting itself in two main forms, direct and indirect. While direct peer pressure is more forceful, and harder to combat, it is also less prevalent than indirect peer pressure. In some instances both forms of peer pressure can be found in the same situation. Direct peer pressure is pressure exerted when directly asked or told to do something, and is more forceful, harder to deflect, and often requires a response or excuse. Direct peer pressure generally involves things such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and decisions regarding sex. This form of peer pressure can have many significantly life changing long-term effects. I... ...(2013). Peer Pressure. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Peer_Pressure_104.aspx [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013]. Ianrpubs.unl.edu (2013). Publication: Friendships, Peer Influence and Peer Pressure During the Teen Years. [online] Retrieved from: http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=837 [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013]. Sitemaker.umich.edu (2013). UM.SiteMaker: Message. [online] Retrieved from: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.darnell/peer_pressurehttp://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.darnell/peer_pressure [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013]. Stewart, G., Larsen, A. and Wynne, E. (1989). Peer pressure. New York: Crestwood House. Us.reachout.com (2013). Peer pressure : The Facts : ReachOut.com USA. [online] Retrieved from: http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/peer-pressure [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013].

Soliloquy Essay - Famous Soliloquies in Shakespeares Hamlet

The Famous Soliloquies in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay goes into the Who, the How and the Why of Hamlet’s famous soliloquies in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.    Samuel Taylor Coleridge comments on the hero’s first soliloquy:    Few have seen a celebrated waterfall without feeling something akin to disappointment : it is only subsequently that the image comes back full into the mind, and brings with it a train of grand or beautiful associations. Hamlet feels this; his senses are in a state of trance, and he looks upon external things as hieroglyphics. His soliloquy -    "O! that this too too solid flesh would melt," &c.    springs from that craving after the indefinite - for that which is not - which most easily besets men of genius; and the self-delusion common to this temper of mind is finely exemplified in the character which Hamlet gives of himself :-    "It cannot be But I am chicken liver'd, and lack gall To make oppression bitter."    He mistakes the seeing his chains for the breaking them, delays action till action is of no use, and dies the victim of mere circumstance and accident. (345)    Gunnar Boklund in â€Å"Judgment in Hamlet† expresses his interpretation of the hero’s situation in the first soliloquy:    Let us then first clarify Hamlet’s initial situation, as it is presented to us in the first great soliloquy â€Å"O, that this too too solid flesh would melt.† It is a statement that is unusually easy to understand. The death of his father has shaken Hamlet so profoundly that he refuses to accept it as natural, and he takes the same attitude to the remarriage of his mother, which to us would seem to belong to a different category. If this is what goes ... ...Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The World of Hamlet.† Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Maher, Mary Z.. â€Å"An Actor Works at Connecting with His Audience.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from Modern Hamlets and Their Soliloquies. Iowa City: University of Iowa P., 1992. p.71-72.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.   

Modern Day Hero VS. Anglo-Saxon Hero :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Modern Day Hero VS. Anglo-Saxon Hero During the Anglo-Saxon period, people worshiped Hero's. Here are a couple of ways how a modern day hero can be compared to one in the past. Nolan Ryan will be my choice of a classic modern day hero. One of the firsts of a hero's characteristic is that he performs "Outstanding Deeds". On page thirty-five in Beowulf "Higlac's brave follower tearing out his hand of the monster, his hatred rose higher but his power has gone." So to me that could be called an outstanding deed. Now Nolan Ryan is not a War hero but a baseball player. He was forty-five at the time and he had thrown 5,511 strikeouts, witch is a record that will not be broken anytime soon. Another way to be called a hero is to give great speeches. On page 31 of Beowulf "Hail Hrothagi............." Beowulf is very good at this but on the other hand Nolan Ryan is a very humble man. So he never really gave speeches. The third characteristic of a hero is to boast about his feats. Beowulf does a good job of boasting in this next line in Beowulf on page 31, "And I am stronger than anyone in the world." To me that is a very big boast on Beowulf's part. Now for Nolan Ryan he is a very modest man and never had any reason to boast about anything, his numbers did the talking for him. Now the last of the of characteristics that is that he descended from Royalty. Now on page 31 in Beowulf, "Higlac is my cousin and my King." Now on the other hand Nolan Ryan's position in baseball had nothing to do with his family. He was noting more than a country boy from Alvin, Texas. Now all of those were characteristic of an Anglo-Saxon hero that are very different from those of a modern day hero. The first of them is if the Public eye likes the hero to be humble and have good sportsmanship. Nolan Ryan never went around taunting his opponents or talking about how good he is. But on the other hand Beowulf talked very highly of himself. I don't think the public would have liked that very much about him. Another characteristic of a modern day hero is his appearance. Nolan was a good-looking guy. He did wrangler jeans ads. He also did TV commercials for Advil.

Gmos and Organic Food Essay

Why spend more money on organic food? Why are GMO products lasting longer? These are commonly asked questions which will be explained. By the definition of GMO products, they encompass alimentary products grown from seeds that have been genetically altered. Organic products are those that are grown under the traditional way, without any intervention of Bio-engineering, and also without the usage of chemicals, known as pesticides. The Author, Michael Pollan in both, â€Å"Omnivore’s Dilemma† and â€Å"In Defense of Food† makes an extensive and detailed analyzation of the production of food now days. The big corporations (farms) are now known as manufacturing factories; where practically all the elements of their production process are strictly controlled. This highly technological system reduces the nutritional value of their products and in many cases their flavor as well, but it guarantees high volumes and longer shelf life of the products. An example of a food that would be known as a GMO would be tomatoes, which would be less healthy and again it wouldn’t taste the same as an organic one. Organic products are grown by small farmers according to old farming techniques. These products do not need the addition of micronutrients like GMOs; they maintain all the nutritional values and the original taste. Unfortunately, small farmers can not satisfy the demand that the market needs, let alone, the prices are higher. For example, if you were to sell organic tomatoes, you would have to need to sell them locally. If a company such as organic valley were to be ship organic products from California to New York, with them having shorter expiration date, they would end up going bad. It would be hard for everyone to have the budget to buy and eat organic food; even expensive restaurants don’t use organic food. So, what is better? Feeding a large growing population with GMO products; or to go back to square one, and run the risk of not having enough supply and have the prices skyrocket. At the end of the day, people will eat more GMO food for not everyone has money to buy organic food.

Discussion Questions

DQ1: Please describe the kinds of evidence that a plaintiff can present in order to establish a negligent act. In a negligence suit, the plaintiff has the burden of proving that the defendant did not act as a reasonable person would have acted under the circumstances. The court will instruct the jury as to the standard of conduct required of the defendant. For example, a defendant sued for negligent driving is judged according to how a reasonable person would have driven in the same circumstances.A plaintiff has a variety of means of proving that a defendant did not act as the hypothetical reasonable person would have acted. The plaintiff can show that the defendant violated a statute designed to protect against the type of injury that occurred to the plaintiff. Also, a plaintiff might introduce expert witnesses, evidence of a customary practice, or circumstantial evidence. DQ2. Research one court case addressing Health Care Law that corresponds to the material in this seminar's read ing and write a 1-2 paragraph summary of the case.Please be sure to include the case name in your reference listing and the source of your information. The case that I chose to write on came from our textbook, but I did some additional research online and found more information on this particular case. The case involves a mother and father who filed a wrongful death suit against their OB/GYN’s for the wrongful death of their unborn son. Initially, the court found in favor of the physicians, but after an appeal process to the U. S. Supreme Court of Appeals, they were granted a judgment in their favor. Tara Reese went to the Fort Worth Osteopathic Medical Center emergency room in her seventh month of pregnancy, complaining of a racing pulse and dizziness. Doctors determined that she had a high pulse rate and high blood pressure and sent her to the labor and delivery room for further observation. On multiple occasions through the course of the evening, doctors monitored the hear t tones of the fetus, which were often difficult to detect. The following morning the doctors confirmed that the fetus would be stillborn.Tara and her husband, Donnie Reese, brought suit against Fort Worth Osteopathic Hospital, Osteopathic Family Medicine Clinics, Craig Smith, D. O. , Roberta Beals, D. O. , Reid Culton, D. O. , and John Chapman, D. O. (health care providers), for negligence, gross negligence, and vicarious liability, seeking damages under the wrongful death and survival statutes and for personal injuries to Tara Reese. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of all health care providers. The Reeses appealed all claims except that against Dr.Chapman. The court of appeals affirmed the summary judgment disposing of Donnie Reeses individual bystander claim, but reversed the remainder of the summary judgment, remanding the case to the trial court. The health care providers petitioned this Court for review, arguing that the court of appeals incorrectly held that the Reeses could assert wrongful death and survival actions and that Tara Reese could assert her own individual claim. Donnie Reese did not appeal the adverse judgment against his individual claim. (Phillips, 2003) Essentially, this case has a lot of grey area that borders on the hot topic of abortion and whether a fetus is considered alive and entitled to all the rights before it is born. Another issue I found with this case is that you are going to find the same types of cases across the U. S. with different outcomes depending on the state in which the trial was held. References Phillips, T. U. S. Supreme Court of Appeals, the Second District of Texas. (2003). Reese v. fort worth osteopathic hospital inc. (02-1061). Retrieved from THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS website: http://www. supreme. courts. state. tx. us/historical