Heart Essays (3329 words) - Charles Marlow, Kurtz, Heart Of Darkness

Heart Of Darkness By Conrad Author: Joseph Conrad Setting: The storyteller, Charlie Marlow, sits on the deck of the Nellie recanting his journey to the Congo and his perception and encounter with Kurtz and Kurtz's intended. Plot: The telling of a remarkable horror tale to the inner darkness of man, Kurtz/Marlow, and the center of the earth, the Congo. Charlie Marlow gives the accounts of the double journey to the passengers on the deck of the Nellie as she is held still by the tides. Key Characters Charlie Marlow "Deviant" [narrator (Conrad) to the reader 1] We are given a visual picture of a ship, the Nellie, going out to sea on the Thames. The narrator describes the Director of Companies, like a pilot; the lawyer, by his possessions; an accountant, by his action of bringing out dominoes. But when the narrator describes Marlow he distinguishes him with a name and a physical description. The narrator seems to idolize this man, Marlow. Just the same way Marlow idolizes Kurtz. Marlow is physical posture symbolizes Buddha. Marlow is different from the rest of the passengers. Quote: 'He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and, with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outwards, resembled an idol.' "Architect" [narrator (Conrad) to the reader 3] The reader has been told of the Nellie going down the Thames to the center of the earth, but the ship has stalled or held back by the tides. This makes the passengers prisoners of the tale that is about to unfold from Marlow's lips. This compares with Rime of the Ancient Mariner, in that the mariner mesmerized the wedding guest with his inner journey on the outer seas. Charlie Marlow is inspired by the darkness of the surrounding ships of war to recant his journey to the Congo. The narrator says that most seamen have simply stories, but not Marlow. Marlow's tales are like the way a Russian nesting doll works, open the doll and there is another doll inside. The meaning and the characters are in the surrounding layers of the intended destination, Kurtz and the Congo. This gives us the structure of Marlow's story telling-his legacy. Quote: 'But Marlow was not typical (if his propensity to spin yarns be expected), and to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale...' "Visionary" [Marlow to passengers of the Nellie 3] The narrator is telling of the past travelers of the Thames 'the dark "interlopers" of Eastern trade, and the commissioned "generals" of East India fleets'. Fortune seekers and conquerors of times before are related to the ivory trading and powering over the natives of the Congo. The sun is setting the reference of the coming of a dark tainted journey. Speaking of the Thames, Marlow calls it only one of the dark places. He is giving an introduction to his tale of the Congo. The vision of the Thames as one of the dark places is that in the end the dark shadow of Kurtz still follows him even to Kurtz's intended's place through the lie of Kurtz's last words, her name. Quote: '"And this also," said Marlow suddenly, "has been one of the dark places of the earth."' "Loner" [narrator to reader 3] Marlow has just spoken about the Thames-one of the places of darkness. Just as the ancient mariner was destined to take his fateful journey alone so is Marlow. Marlow journeys into himself and wanders the sea unlike the other seamen who have land bound homes. Quote: 'He was the only man of us who still "followed the sea."' "Rebel" [narrator to the reader 4] Marlow is telling the passengers to comprehend the journey of a young Rome conquer garbed in only a toga pushing inland to the savagery of the center. Parallel to Marlow's journey to the Congo armed with only his good moral intentions of bettering the natives. Marlow is preaching to the passengers, but is in a meditative position. His English dress and Buddha demeanor conflict in a rebellious state of contrast with their perspective norms. Quote: 'he had the pose of a Buddha preaching in European clothes and without a lotus flower' "Avant-garde" [Marlow to the passengers of the Nellie 6] Marlow since his youth wanted to explore the uncharted land of the Congo. When younger the map had nothing on it, but now there was the snake of the river that had charmed him. Conrad is paralleled with Marlow in his dream to be

The Ethical Implications of Embryonic Stem Cell Research essays

The Ethical Implications of Embryonic Stem Cell Research essays Technology seemingly never stops growing and changing. And why should it? Just as every human being changes with experience and age, so then do our creations. Unfortunately, it is in our collective nature as humans to be afraid of change. Change inevitably raises moral questions within us, removing us from the simplistic routine of daily life and placing us in the uncomfortable realm of controversy. When big changes happen, its as if a fellow human has just died it makes us re-evaluate our lives and the effect that such an event will have on them. Such is the case with embryonic stem cell research. Stem cell research, in and of itself, is not a new technology. Scientists and doctors have used adult stem cells for treatments on various blood diseases for years. No one is hurt in such a situation, and the Hippocratic oath is preserved. The issue of embryonic stem cell research is different, though. Embryonic stem cells are the very basis of human tissue, and therefore can replace almost any functional tissue in the human body, whereas adult stem cells are already grown and therefore cannot be given other tasks. Scientists remove the stem cells from embryonic tissue known as blastocysts, and as a result the embryo dies (Latham). Thus, the controversy - is this blastocyst, which, if allowed to continue growing, will become a normal human baby if in vitro fertilization is used, human at this point? If so, what is the difference between killing an embryo and killing a normal human? Not as simple an issue as it at first seemed, eh? Perhaps youre already noting the similarities between this and that other issue of playing God at birth, abortion. As such, theres two definite positions at play here, with the requisite grays in the middle too. Complicated and somewhat vague conjecture regarding exactly when humans get souls has arisen, as well as the basic questions. Is the child a li...

Delinquency Deterrence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Delinquency Deterrence - Essay Example Additionally, a juvenile cannot risk committing a crime with the knowledge of certain severe punishment on such crimes. Ideally, it is more effective to punish a juvenile upon committing a crime, as this will deter delinquency in the future, as they will have leant a lesson. Most importantly, the threat of punishment to juvenile delinquency allows officers to reach out to such criminals in their schools and allow the judges to commit them to severe penalties. The courts have indeed offered tougher punishment for crime thus instilling fear to potential juvenile criminals and hence driving crime down. Therefore, the certainty and severity of punishment deters juvenile delinquency. General deterrence refers to the impact of the threat of legal punishment on delinquency in the public. For example, the perception that there is certainty to the enforcement of traffic laws and violation attracts severe penalties is an example of general deterrence. In addition, a â€Å"Tow-Away Zone" sign is also an example of general deterrence (European Road Safety Observatory, 2007). Specific deterrence refers to the impact of the actual legal punishment on convicted law violators. Such deterrence emanates from life experiences with detection, prosecution, and punishment of legal violators. A good example is the experience of a stricter sentence on lesser crimes (European Road Safety Observatory, 2007). There are various situational crime prevention strategies. They include reducing the opportunities for criminals to commit crime, making the commitment of crime seem harder, less rewarding, and riskier. In addition, changing a criminal’s perception that they can get away with crime, improving surveillance, and deflecting potential offenders from potential crime areas are situational crime prevention strategies (University of Cambridge, 2012). As such, I believe that general deterrence and effective

Transformational Leadership According to Bennis and Nanus Research Paper

Transformational Leadership According to Bennis and Nanus - Research Paper Example In 1985, Bennis and Nanus conducted a research on transformational leadership. Their research resulted in fresh and significant findings on what transformational leadership is (McKee, Driscoll, Kelloway, & Kelley, 2011). This research paper gives a critical analysis and research-based discussion on what transformational leadership is in accordance to the postulates of the study by Bennis and Nanus. The paper will specifically focus on transformational leadership within health care systems and the management of health care professionals. Bennis and Nanus Research on Transformational Leadership Bennis and Nanus noticed that corporations used quantifiable criteria to judge and evaluate their leaders and executives. These criteria included the technical competence of an executive, conceptual skills, people skills, track record, character, judgment and taste. In accordance to Bennis and Nanus, leadership competencies cannot be quantified (Trofino, 2008). In this regard, they conducted a r esearch in large corporations and organizations that were undergoing significant transformation. This is due to the fact that positive transformation is equated to good leadership (Simola, Barling, & Turner, 2012). Through their research, Bennis and Nanus revealed that in addition to the aforementioned criteria of judging effectiveness in a leader, there were additional attributes among transformational leaders. These characteristics contributed to the effectiveness of transformational leaders in motivating change within the organizations which they led (Salter, Green, Duncan, Berre, & Torti, 2010). Four main leadership attributes were identified among leaders in transforming organizations as described below. According to the investigation of Bennis and Nanus, the first and major attribute of leaders within transforming organizations is vision (McKee, Driscoll, Kelloway, & Kelley, 2011). Transformational leaders are visionaries. This means that they have a clear and specific vision. These leaders, therefore, had a picture of the state of their organization at a specified future date. In this regard, transformational leaders are motivated by the need to drive the organization to the envisioned state (Nazari & Emami, 2012). These leaders realize that it is through their employees or followers that the vision can be achieved and, as a result, they communicate clearly what goals they must work to achieve (Thompson, 2012). In health care delivery systems, transformational leadership is, therefore, an approach or style to leadership which motivates healthcare professionals towards achievement of a specified vision. For example, transformational leaders within health care organizations would envision the growth of the health system that will entail the application of modern technologies in care. In this regard, the transformational leaders will ensure that the culture of care providers is changed so that they will accept the implemented technologies. This includes th eir willingness to attend training programs that will equip them with skills and knowledge of applying technology in care. More specifically,

Literary paper discussing the writing style, and influince on american Essay

Literary paper discussing the writing style, and influince on american literature of Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example Additionally, the level of focus will be provided with regards to the reinterpretation of Hemingway’s flawed hero and the profound impacts that this type of three imagination and rediscovery of the main character not only influenced upon Hemingway’s work but also has helped to redefine the way in which many other forms of American culture are expressed in exhibited to the audience. As a function of this level of analysis, it is the hope of this author that the contributions of Ernest Hemingway will be more thoroughly understood and the legacy which he has bequeathed to American literature and culture can be more fully appreciated. Firstly, in order to understand minimalism, one must look to the way in which Hemingway so oftentimes sought to represent complex human emotions or occurrences within their most basic understandings. Whereas many other renowned authors had for years attempted to express their thoughts and beliefs to the reader in terms of flowery and overly ve rbose prose, Hemingway instead opted for a basic/simplistic approach that sought to integrate the key idea with the reader in as few words as possible. This level of literary person this was not merely a simple literary technique; rather, it helped to express a profound level of emotional tenseness and also underscored the importance of level to which his prolific use of imagery and symbolism were able to convey additional meanings beyond that which the actual definitions of the words employed could. Said one scholar with regards to Hemingway’s minimalism, â€Å"Hemingway said prose is architecture and the Baroque age is over. Flaubert said close to the same thing, that words are like stones with which one builds a wall. One should be mindful of careless writers whose words have no moorings and are too slippery† (Liu 597). This lack of reliance upon a level of word complexity forced the reader to draw a further level of inference based upon the nuances of the character s that were represented and pay close and special attention to what ever aspects of imagery may represent further understood and in within the story. In such a way, rather than seeking to utilize complex language in tandem with imagery and scenery to affect a stated goal, Hemingway provided a new paradigm in which the use of warning language was reduced to the extent and obvious point in which the reader realized that the minimalism belied a more important complexity of surrounding elements that must be paid attention to. Although it cannot be argued that Ernest Hemingway somehow defined the tragic hero, it must be understood how he reanimated a uniquely American/post World War I interpretation of this hero. In nearly every single one of Hemingway’s works, the hero is something of an existential one. Drawing upon the inspiration of the philosophy and impacts of the time, Hemingway invariably represented these individuals within his stories invariably as deeply scarred individ uals that exhibit psychological ones of posts romance and past experience with relation to violence (Brogan 122). This representation of the hero was undoubtedly affected due to the fact

Teaching Experiences And Observations From School Placements Education Essay

Teaching Experiences And Observations From School Placements Education Essay Part 1 As described by Learning Teaching Scotland (LTS), the Assessment is for Learning programme is made up of three forms of assessment; Assessment as Learning, which involves learning about how to learn Assessment for Learning which involves continuously using assessment to support classroom learning and teaching in order for pupils to progress effectively and is a formative approach, and Assessment of Learning (AoL) which involves assessing pupils at the end of a topic or course to find out what learning has or has not taken place. It is a summative approach which ultimately uses grading to provide data and make judgements about the learner and the school. LTS represent these forms of assessment as a triangle which also shows the relationship between the curriculum, learning and teaching and assessment. AfL represents a change in the traditional model of school assessment, which previously has been the idea that the only desirable outcome form education was the achievement of top grades (summative assessment). Modern approaches such as AfL aims to encourage pupils to learn in a deep, constructivist manner (Cohen et al., 2004, p300) and not merely surface learning which occurs when teaching to the test (Bryce, 2009 Lecture ). The Assessment is for Learning programme is essentially trying to get teachers to do less AoL and more AfL (Bryce, 2011 Lecture). LTS have based this idea upon the work of Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam. They documented their research on formative assessment in Inside the Black Box (London: Kings College, 1998). In this paper, the authors describe formative assessment as: activities undertaken by teachers and by their students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged (Pe 8) From this it can be understood that formative assessment involves the teacher and the pupil interpreting their teaching and learning and providing feedback to one another. This feedback is then used as an indication as to how to proceed with the lesson or how to improve on previous work and learning. Therefore, assessment is not just about how well the pupils DID, it is about how they ARE doing and how to improve further. I will now discuss examples from my own teaching experiences and observations from my placement school where AfL and successful teaching approaches were very much embedded into the lessons of all year groups. During both placements, I observed several teachers sharing the learning objectives with the class using the We Are Learning To method. I observed that this method was commonly used with S1 and S2 classes and less frequently S3 upwards. I implemented this method into all my classes, from 1st to 4th year, and although this method does not appear to be an effective assessment tool as the outcomes are being introduced before any teaching has taken place, by referring to the outcomes during and at the end of the lesson ensures that both teacher and pupil are clear that the learning journey is on the right track (Simpson, 2006, p64). Therefore, teachers are challenged to constantly assess whether the pupils have learnt the intended objectives. By referring to the objectives at the end and asking pupils to what they felt they had achieved or learnt helped me to assess whether the objectives I had written up were in fact achievable, whether the lesson activities helped to meet the objective s or were too numerous, as I had been over optimistic in what I aimed to achieve in a lesson. Reflection and evaluating my teaching is vital to ensure that appropriate and effective learning is taking place at all times. Kerry (2004) supports this idea: Master teachers share learning outcomes to assess whether the learning journey is on the right track and whether it is on target to reach its destination (p100) By referring to the objectives at the end of the lesson, also helped me to gauge the learning of my pupils and check for areas of difficulty because in my experience pupils who understood the lesson could relate this to the learning objective and likewise, pupils who did not understand key areas could relate this to the outcome they could not meet. Asking for pupil feedback not only allowed me to assess their learning but helped me with planning for the next lesson and its starter, because in some cases I had to go over certain key points again. An example of this was where pupils fed back to me that they did not understand what the term niche meant. This was a learning objective, thus next lesson, I went over the term again, and provided further examples but also asked them to carry out a matching exercise requiring to match the niche with the organism. When I got feedback from the class again they were all able to successfully state the definition of niche. I would revisit the LOs at the end of the lesson, followed by a question and answer session involving all pupils, however, I didnt always have as much time as I needed for the QA, so I used a method I observed other teachers use, which was request feedback from the class by asking them to write down anything they were unsure about or did not understand as well as what they had learnt, on a post-it-note and stick it on the board before leaving. Other forms of effective feedback I observed included the thumbs method in which thumbs were raised if pupils were happy with the work; thumbs were halfway showing slight concern and thumbs were fully down if the pupil was struggling. By asking the entire class to do this the teacher was able to evaluate the progress of the whole class and if there were problems they were dealt with then, during that lesson. I also observed the use of and used myself mini whiteboards as a method of whole class evaluation. I found it invaluable, not just for a change in pupil activity but as a useful assessment tool and also an effective method of getting the whole class to answer as opposed to a dominate few. During this placement, I carried out formative marking of homework with all my classes, using comments only. Ian smith (2003) states: Marks with comments do not enable students to improve, yet comments on their own do This suggests that when pupils are presented with both marks and comments pupils will focus solely on the marks regardless of whether the mark was good or poor, thus ignoring the information that will help them improve. Black and Harrison (2004) suggest that the type of feedback provided must be beneficial to pupils and enable them to move forward thus the 2 stars and a wish method was used to highlight areas that where the pupils had done (positive reinforcement) and any area that could be improved upon and how this could be improved upon (next steps and targets). Although I told the classes to read their feedback or answer any questions I had left, when I took the jotters in to mark the next piece of homework, not all the pupils had completed the previous works questions or found the answers to questions they had missed out. I think one of the reasons for this is that when I handed back the jotters, most pupils put them away, I should have given the pupils time in class to read the comments and if they had any questions they had the opportunity to ask. Part 2 In this section, I will first discuss the conflict between formative assessment (AfL) and summative assessment (AoL). I will then discuss how grades can be used constructively within schools based upon observations and school experience. Summative assessment and the giving of grades have always had a dominant role in the education system, particularly in the upper school. In fact, such assessment has been derogatively termed Assessment is for Grades (Bryce, 2008, pg 581) indicating as mentioned in section one, that there is a common view that the only worthwhile outcome of school is good grades. This contrasts greatly with the view of Black and Wiliam who wish to move away from grades and use the formative approach of comments only feedback. The authors state in Inside the Black Box (London: Kings College, 1998) that the giving of marks and the grading functions are over emphasised, while the giving of useful advice and the learning function are under-emphasised. The educational research and literature have shown the benefits of formative assessment, such as promoting deeper learning for all pupils through good quality interactions and feedback on how best to improve. This is not the case however, when grades and summative assessment is used. Wiliam (2008) argues that when pupils do a piece of work, the teacher marks it and if that piece of work gets an A, the pupil gets to keep that grade A even if they subsequently forget everything they ever knew about that topic. The effect of this attitude and teachers only teaching to the test encourages a very shallow approach to the curriculum where teachers and students skate across the surface and everyone feels good because of the grade achieved, however, the pupil does not accumulate any knowledge. This type of pupil attitude was seen frequently on placement from 1st years having sat their end of topic to tests, to 3rd years having sat their Unit 1 NAB. There were some pupils in each of these classes and the first thing they did was look at their mark and sighed with relief because they had passed. This was particularly evident in the 2 3rd year classes who had just sat their NABs. I found some pupils were happy with the pass and did not care about where they went wrong because they passed. It is this mentality of the grade is what is important that must be changed. Using a formative approach gets pupils to take responsibility for their learning and to want to better their knowledge as opposed to just scrape by. Wiliam (1998) has defended the use of comments marking and interestingly though, pupils who just sat a test, NAB or their 4th year prelim, because only grades were given back to pupils, most enquired as to why certain marks were not given, or what exactly was wrong with the answer they wrote down. This highlighted to me, the importance of comments, because there will be some pupils who rely on the feedback to improve, but the challenge is to get all pupils to want to learn how to improve. Additionally, I also observed grades and final marks de-motivate pupils. Once pupils got their results, they immediately compared marks with each other. For those pupils who had failed their NAB or test, instant disappointment and this is another problem with summative assessment. Low ability pupils and pupils who frequently receive low marks expect and face constant disappointment when they get their results back. Pupils, who have often experienced failure, will not expose themselves to any further failure. Therefore, they do not possess the will to succeed and do well, consequently affecting their progress in school (Kyriacou, 2001). Furthermore, summative assessments are not wholly reliable as I believe them to be a snapshot of how students performed on the day in an exam or test and does not fully reflect overall student progress and performance. The grades achieved are over-interpreted by parents too who, from observations made whilst sitting in on parents evening, solely focus on the grade as opposed to pupil development. Parents of S2 pupils were consistently asking what level their child would be sitting in 3rd and 4th year and in some cases argued that Intermediate 1 was not appropriate and they wanted their child to sit intermediate 2, even though the pupils in question were happy to be sitting Int 1 because they struggled with science. Schools are constantly being compared with each other in league tables, and the media and the government can easily make their comparisons and produce literature based on summative assessment forms. This is more difficult to do with other forms of assessment. Summative assessments can produce data which is relied upon by employers and other educational institutes to see what skills pupils have developed; thus showing that grades and results will be an integral part of the school system. Although I think that there are problems with grading, mainly the effect on pupil attitude and motivation, I do not believe summative assessments should be abolished. AfL promotes the development of learning I think after the hard work in classes where pupils have recognised their strengths and weaknesses and tried to improve, they should have the right to gain a recognised qualification. Despite the negative views on grading and summative assessment I believe it can be used constructively and in a formative role to promote wider and deeper learning. Whilst on placement I observed an innovative approach to going through prelims with senior classes. The teacher I observed used an approach which I imitated with one of my own classes. The teacher asked the pupils to work in pairs and on the mini whiteboards create a marking scheme for section A (multiple choice). Effectively, the pupils were re-doing the prelim, but they had the opportunity to discuss and learn from one another before marking their efforts using the marking scheme. The next lesson the teacher split the class into groups. Each table had a set of questions from section B of the prelim and they had to work together to create another marking scheme for the specific questions, before rotating round to the next table and working through those questions. Once pupils had completed all the questions, the teacher went through the answers, and groups marked their efforts. When I questioned the class, they all told me they knew where they had gone wrong in the prelim and they knew what mistakes not to make again. The peer support helped them feel more confident as they discussed how they interpreted the questions as well as compared methods and answers. Typically with a test or prelim, the teacher would go through each question and give the answers, but this simply bores and de-motivates the pupils. However, this class teacher had turned a summative assessment into a real active learning opportunity for the pupils. There is clearly some overlap between the 2 forms of assessment as it is AfL which will, in effect, help pupils to achieve better grades when AoL takes place. Thus, finding a balance between the approaches, mainly using summative assessment formatively, can be an effective tool for developing successful learners. Part 3a Within section 3a I shall identify some of the positive features of the Standard Grade and Intermediate courses, as well as indicate the differences in assessment structure between the 2 courses. Standard Grades (SG) replaced Ordinary Grades in the 1980s after the school leaving age was raised to 16. It was felt that Ordinary grades were only suitable for 30% of the school population, thus SGs were proposed to help meet the needs of those pupils now required to stay in school (Bryce, 2008). Simpson (2006) states: The introduction of Standard Grades led to a much bigger proportion of the cohort than previously, gaining qualifications and in a wider range of subjects. This shows that SGs fulfilled their intended purpose, providing a course that was achievable for all. One reason for this is the advantage of having three SG levels, thus accommodating all levels of ability. More able pupils can be pushed, whilst less able pupils have material they can cope with but also have an opportunity to achieve the higher of the two levels, since SG candidates are represented at two levels, Credit/General or General/Foundation, thus providing a good motivator. This aspect contrasts greatly with Intermediate courses, since pupils doing Intermediate 1/2 are all the same level, and this can lead to classes with a wide range of abilities. This was evident in my placement school, where S3 and S4 pupils sat Intermediate courses. The mixed level of ability was diverse and also caused concern since any pupil who was not coping could not simply be placed down a level because the Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 courses were very different in Biology. Thus, teachers had to determine what was best for the pupil whether it was a case of maturity, or risk pupils being put in Intermediate 1, and them having to catch up a years worth of work. Furthermore, SGs are always taught over 2 years. Thus providing both teachers and pupils enough time to fully comprehend the topic and focus more on learning rather than assessment. Schools which run SG courses mean that the Intermediate courses are taught over one year and as seen in my first placement school, there is added pressure for the teacher to get through the required material, thus learning and teaching opportunities may missed due to time constraints. Additionally, there is more chance of teachers teaching to the test. In my second placement however, as the Intermediate 2 courses ran the same length as SG courses, I observed that the extra time was highly beneficial and likewise, allowed for more creative and active lessons, as well as AfL approaches. The assessment of the 2 courses is very different also. SGs are externally assessed, although some subjects like English require a portfolio which contributes to the grade. Intermediate courses however, are both internally and externally assessed, and are very similar in structure to Higher Still, thus enabling continuity when pupils move on. Pupils are required to sit National Assessment Banks (NAB) at the end of every section in the course. This can be stressful for pupils as they are sitting several Intermediates, so will have to sit several NABs and can have the feeling of being NABd to death (Bryce, 2011). Teachers also have an increased workload and paperwork with quality marking of the NABs. The increase in assessment in Intermediates can also de-motivate pupils should they fail, but also because NABs are pitched at level C so depending on their mark they may feel apprehensive about the exams. However, there is an opportunity to re-assess pupils, since NABs can be re-sat. In additional to differences in internal assessment, the external assessment of both courses are very different and distinct advantages. As mentioned, the SG candidates have the opportunity to sit two levels, thus aim for the higher of the two, however, this means that SG pupils will be sitting at least 16 exams. This can cause a lot of pressure for pupils. Whereas, for Intermediate courses there is only 1 exam per subject, thus this can encourage pupils to do the best that they can as it is one opportunity. With SG, pupils have a safety net with the lower level; however, Intermediate pupils dont have that. Instead if pupils do fail, they will have their NABs recognised by the SQA. The last difference in terms of assessment is the grading of each course. Intermediate grading system of A-C has no limit for pupils, where as SG grading system is 1-7 and pupils sitting General/Foundation are limited in their possible grade, as the highest they can achieve is a 3. Part 3b At the moment pupils taking 8 SGs currently sit more than 20 hours of examinations, which exceed most universities Honours diet of examinations (Souter, 2008, pg 445). Thus, the argument that current school pupils are being over-assessed is well understood. A CfE aims to address this issue with the proposed National 4 and National 5 qualifications. The focus on these assessments is to promote greater breadth and depth of learning, including a greater focus on the secure development of skills and knowledge (LTS, 2011) Although CfE has been implemented officially in schools this year, with the current S1; these new qualifications will not be sat until session 2013/14. National 4 is based at SCQF level 4 and will replace Intermediate 1 and general level SG, whilst National 5 is based at SCQF level 5 and will replace Intermediate 2 and credit level SG. However, the main development of these new qualifications is that national 4 will be internally assessed by schools Teachers will continually assess pupils through coursework and at the end of the course, pupils will be awarded either a pass or a fail. National 5 on the other hand will be both internally assessed by the school, but also externally assessed by the SQA at the end of the course. For pupils, the National 4 strategy will ease the pressure and stress which accumulates with exams. However, for teachers and schools alike, there will be a definite increase in the workload for both all qualifications, not only in marking but by creating assessments. All internal assessments must be valid in that the tests must assess what is supposed to be tested and is a fair representation of pupils knowledge, skills and abilities. Assessments must also be reliable in that they must be consistent in marking and of standards. (Cohen et al., 2004, pg 331335). Currently, 13,500 of the 58,500 (23%) total school population leave school with qualifications at the time pupils will have sat their National 4 level assessment. Therefore, although by no means a majority, this number of pupils will leave school at this time without ever having sat an externally assessed exam. As well as this, the government will have to provide sufficient and adequate information on the new qualifications for both employers and parents. With just a pass or fail, employers may not rely on the National 4 and will need further evidence to show how well pupils actually did. School reports or portfolios of coursework and assessments for pupils may need to be provided; again this will add to the ever-increasing workload of teachers. Furthermore, parents will need to be both fully onboard with the new qualifications and understand their purpose. Intermediates have been in place in school for several years, yet during parents evening I observed many parents still seeking clarification as to what these qualifications actually are and asking for comparisons compared to O Grades and GCSEs. Thus information for parents is vital, not only so that they are aware of the changes that their children will face but also so that they too can support them at home. Regular feedback and reports of pupil progress will have to be given to parents, throughout National 4 and 5 courses. Although the new proposals will reduce the assessment burdens for pupils considerably and provide opportunities for deeper more meaningful learning, I believe that teachers will need to be properly supported throughout the introduction of these qualifications. Thus, they can then focus on creating effective learning and teaching experiences which will develop the skills and abilities of all their pupils, so that they can leave school as effective contributors, successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. Word Count: 3,873

Are People Unwise to Pursue Love Even When They Know It Will Cause Them Pain? Essay

Love is an important aspect of life, as it is a powerful bond of closeness, trust and understanding. History, literature and science are filled with examples of people aspiring after their love when consequences can be seen easily. These historical figures achieved great height and are remembered by people. Loss and pain are inevitable, and they are worth it when love, whether of a person , a cause or a country, is pursued. Facing pain is not unwise but rather heroic. Love can be sudden attraction that could pull people in, even when they know this love will not last and is forbidden. Marie Curie was a passionate physicist and chemist who is famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity, as she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her husband was also an instructor at the school of physics and chemistry; it was their mutual interest in natural sciences that drew them together. However only after eleven years of marriage, Pierre was killed in a road accident, leaving Marie devastated by his death. After five years of his death, in 1911 it was revealed to the public that she was having an affair with physicist Paul Langevin, who was already a married man and a former student of Pierre’s. After the news broke, the Swedish Academy of Sciences even banned her from receiving her Nobel Prize. Marie challenged the Academy and attended the ceremony and this perhaps was her most courageous act. If then she had retreated, her career would have been over. She did not fear and staunchly believed that eventually her reputation and honor would be restored. Marie Curie, knowing the consequences of what her love might lead her to, decided to pursue it publicly, knowing it will risk her entire career. We can certainly not call her love unwise. It is a passionate love and it is to be remembered for ever. Even though pain of loss is an unavoidable consequence of love, it should not stop people from being in love. Life is followed by opposites: if we gain success then we also must be ready to lose something we possess. If we have good morals, then they will be ultimately challenged by corrupt forces. However these negative forces should not be a reason to stop us from reaching our goal and cherish every moment of love we can pursue. Recently I have received heartbreaking news from a relative saying his friend’s partner passed away from a fatal car accident. The woman clearly loved the man a lot, even after he was gone she suffered mental depression for several weeks. But the times they were together were the most prized moments of his life. They had a wonderful journey in life together, and even though they are forever apart, he can keep the thought of his wife in mind to gather courage and overcome difficulties in life. This shows determination and also shows that love is never unwise to pursue as long as it is true love. There is no doubt that a life pursuing love is greater than one that is blend. Love is a natural emotion that every living creature experiences. It will only be selfish and an act against way of life to deny the wonderful experience of closeness, peace, and happiness that everyone is meant to have. History, literature and life itself bear witness to that idea every day.

Htc Introduction Essay

HTC quickly emerged on the smartphone scene with the remarkable success of The Sense, one of its first models, and broke many industry sales records. People were asking, â€Å"Who is HTC? † Our research indicates that HTC’s rapid rise to success was because of innovation and technological capabilities. Even though the HTC brand was not widely recognized, its smartphones were generating interest. In our primary research, we discovered that some people owned an HTC phone but did not know that HTC was the manufacturer. Obviously, brand awareness was relatively low. For HTC to stay relevant in the hypercompetitive smartphone industry, it needs serious revamping of its marketing plan. With smartphone market penetration increasing to more than 20 percent in the past five years and reaching 46. 8 percent in Q3 2011, HTC has tremendous opportunities to establish a solid market position. After examining the market conditions and current HTC performance in the U. S. , our team proposes that HTC position itself as a technological leader by targeting consumers ages 18 to 34. This promising segment has potential sales of $2. 5 million. We analyzed the industry and examined external factors that could impact HTC’s bottom line. This analysis gave us crucial insight into the smartphone market. We also analyzed the competitive environment that includes Apple, Motorola, and RIM (Blackberry). HTC, which has a positive reputation on the merits of its technology, needs to boldly differentiate itself in the marketplace. Through market analysis, we discovered that HTC has a strong market size, market potential, and distinct target markets. We recommend that HTC take specific steps through segmenting, targeting, and positioning to execute its marketing plan. We are confident that our plan can increase HTC’s market share by 2 percent each year. By the end of 2012, our marketing objective is to reach a 24 percent market share of the smartphone industry, which equals 18. 7 million HTC customers. The plan includes recommendations and precautions at distribution channels so that HTC differentiates itself from the other brands. We developed a budget for the marketing plan and devised procedures to monitor each effort in order to reach our projected market share increase. We are confident that our marketing plan can take HTC from an emerging brand to a dominant market leader.

Its a mans world Essay

Its a mans world Essay Its a mans world Essay It’s a Man’s World Men and women have had a dialogue with each other since the beginning of time. By looking at the Population of the World today we have no problem communicating to some degree, but how do these rules change once you have clocked in for the day? I don’t believe the workplace creates a breakdown of how we talk to each other anymore but it depends on who you ask that question to. Would an older person agree with me or would the younger generation say ‘I can’t believe it use to be that way’. Although there is some disconnect with how men and women communicate in general, I believe the gap has been shortened due to men and women fulfilling roles that weren’t previously their responsibility. In the past thing were a whole lot different from these days. Women were more of the caretakers of the family. Men took care of the financial needs and occasionally doing the dirty work while women attended to more of the household needs . This was normal in my household because my mother didn’t work until I was about ten. I remember when I was younger me and my twin sister helping with chores around the house while my mother would watch her favorite soap at that time â€Å"Days of our Lives†. I thought that my mother’s job was to keep up with us, not understanding that my father’s sacrifice of military service is what allowed my mother the opportunity. With homes today consisting of a single parent that is usually the woman, it’s no wonder why women have accepted the challenge and now outnumber men altogether in the workforce. Now that women are in more leadership roles than before, communication has improved immensely between the sexes. Communication is key to maintaining any relationship. How a Coach is perceived by their team could be the difference between a win or a loss. Great relationships can understand the other party even if what’s being said isn’t in the f orm of words. It can be a certain look or a different tone in how something is being answered. Maybe a movement when a person is replying. These nonverbal cues often take time to understand for men because we are so mechanical. When we hear a statement or sometimes even an opinion we go into our toolbox and start handing tools out so we can tell you how to fix the problem. This drives women crazy because most of the time the answer isn’t what their looking for, it’s that what’s being said is heard and that we can identify with what’s going on. This is very tough for some men to master because we are taught to be fearless and not to show any emotion, although it’s what fuels women so she will tell you how things make her feel instead of asking how do I fix

Impact of Heart Disease essays

Impact of Heart Disease essays There are many types of heart disease. About 25% of all Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease. The major types of heart disease are atherosclerosis, coronary, rheumatic, congenital, myocarditis, angina and arrhythmia. Heart disease can arise from congenital defects, infection, narrowing of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure, or disturbances. The first stages of heart disease are lesions and cracks forming in the blood vessel walls normally at the points of highest pressure or stress (near the heart). The second stage is the body trying to repair itself by depositing fatty substances (cholesterol, lipoproteins) inside the blood vessels to fill the cracks. Over time, without the proper body nutrient, vitamin C, to help keep the blood vessel walls from cracking and requiring constant repair, these fatty substances can begin to build up and clog the blood vessels causing stroke and heart attack (Mamas Health, no date) There are a number of factors that increase the risk that someone will suffer from cardio vascular disease (CVD). These include: age, smoking, gender, being overweight, heredity/race, physical inactivity, abnormal blood fat (lipid) levels, eating an unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, drinking too much alcohol, diabetes, and leading a stressful life. The risk factors add together to increase your risk of CVD the greater the number of risk factors that you have, the greater your risk of having CVD. Some risk factors can be modified, while others cannot. While you cannot control risk factors such as your age, gender and heredity, for example, you can modify other risk factors, such as your weight and activity levels. Doing something about the risk factors that you can change will reduce the impact of the ones that you cannot change. You may need medicines to help you to control some risk factors (e.g. blood pressure, diabetes). ...

Statistic homework Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Statistic homework - Case Study Example e year 2005, this report analyses the variables with the aim of understanding relationship between the indicators and financial success of the products. This section analyses the data and focus is first made to descriptive statistics using tabular and graphical approaches. Analysis of possible relationship between the indicators and total gross sales is then done. The table and the graph shows that most of products opening weekend gross sales (70 percent) earn below $ 10 million in opening weekend gross sales. Ninety five percent of the products earn below $ 40 million gross sale in the opening weekend and the higher values can be considered outliers. The descriptive statistics show that a majority of the products (73 percent) earns total gross revenue of less that $ 40 million. Ninety four percent earns below $ 120 million and higher earnings, can be considerd outliers because of the small percentage. Fifty percent of the products have less than 400 theater appearences while 29 percent have more than 2000 appearences. This suggest a sparce distribution of number of theaters, though with a majority having less number of theters (less than 400). The following table and graph of the number of times that a product stayed in the top 60 show that the highest percentage of the products (38 percent) appeared less than five times. Fifty-seven percent of the products appeared in the top sixty between five and 20 times and only five percent of the product appeared more 20 times or more. Opening gross sales, total gross sales, and number of weeks that a product takes in the top 60 have similar distribution and this suggests their possible association. Simple paired relationships are also evident between total gross sales and both opening weekend gross sales and number of weeks in the top 60, but not between total gross sales and number of theaters. Simple regression analysis confirms this and shows that opening weekend gross sales and number of times in the top 60 are

Cytotoxic chemotherapytprinciples and care Essay

Cytotoxic chemotherapytprinciples and care - Essay Example leads to DNA strand breakage and cell death. This drug produces severe nausea and vomiting and requires extensive premedication to prevent these. Vincristine is a plant alkaloid that binds to tubulin within the cancer cell and causes cell death (Solal-Celigny, P.et al., 1998), and this is also potentially emetogenic.Tom presented with an 18-month history of weight loss, sense of general malaise, decreased appetite, and a lump in the side of the neck and was diagnosed to be having NHL. Tom was diagnosed to be HIV positive. A whole body computerized tomographic (CT) scan revealed presence of disease both above and below the diaphragm. Tom had involvement of lungs with bilateral upper lobe cavitations and centrilobular nodules and involvement of liver indicated by multiple metastatic hypointense lesions in the liver. Tom appeared to be suffering a lot. He had weight loss, anorexia, diarrhoea, and malaise. The initial blood tests indicated his fitness to undergo chemotherapy. I was present as an observer when Tom attended the day unit for his pre chemotherapy assessment; my ward sister went through the details of Tom's intended treatment with him and discussed the possible side effects. It was at this point Tom disclosed his main fear, which was nausea as a result of chemotherapy; he was concerned about the effect of chemotherapy over the baseline anorexia induced by the antiviral drugs for HIV disease. All the drugs that have been prescribed to him, except vincristine can potentially lead to nausea, specially cyclophosphamide can generate nausea from 18 to 24 hours following the administration. Prednisolone also leads to bloating symptoms and nausea. On the baseline, he was...American Journal Of Clinical Oncology; 17(6): pp. 522-526. Coates, A., Abraham, S., Kaye, S.B. et al., (1983). On the Receiving End- Patient Perception on the Side Effects of Cancer Chemotherapy, European Journal of Cancer and Clinical Oncology; 19: pp. 203-208. de Boer-Dennert M., de Wit R., and Schmitz, P.I., et al., (1997). Patient perceptions of the side-effects of chemotherapy: the influence of 5HT3 antagonists. British Journal of Cancer 1997;76: pp.1055-1061 Little, R.F., Yarchoan, R ., and Wilson, W.H., (2000). Systemic Chemotherapy For HIV-Associated Lymphoma In The Era Of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, Current Opinions On Oncology; 12(5): pp. 438-444. Molassiotis, A., Yung, H.P., Yam, B.M., Chan, F.Y. and Mok, T.S. (2002). The Effectiveness Of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Training In Managing Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea And Vomiting In Chinese Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Support Care Cancer; 10(3): pp. 237-246. Morrow, G.R.(1984). Methodology in behavioral and psychosocial cancer research: the assessment of nausea and vomiting: past problems,current issues, and suggestions for future research.Cancer;53(suppl 10):pp. 2267-2280. Portlock, C. S., Qin, J., Schaindlin, P., Roistacher, N., Myers, J., Filippa, D. , Louie, D., Zelenetz, A. D., O'Brien, J. P., Moskowitz, C. , Norton, L., Yahalom, J. , Straus, D. J., and Bertino, J. R., (2004).