Saturday, January 25, 2020

Language Teacher Response

Language Teacher Response Teachers questioning Strategies in EFL classrooms 1) What type of questions does the teacher use? 2 Is there a predominance of any particular type(s)? 3) What modification techniques does s/he employ when questions are not understood? 4) How much L2 production do questions generate from the learners? Questioning is considered by researchers as one of the commonly used strategies in language classrooms. Questions are a very important aspect of classroom talk and teachers talk is largely made up of questioning (Tsui 1995). Educational studies on language classrooms have focused on the effect of teacher questions on learners production of the target language and on the types of learner response (Tsui 1995). Teachers questions are a means of engaging learners attention, encouraging verbal responses, and assessing learners progress (Chaudron 1988). Tsui (1995) has elaborated the functions of questions as a source of checking students understanding, to confirm if they have gained the knowledge imparted, to focus their attention, make them involved in the lesson, to take the lesson forward and some teachers ask questions to maintain discipline in the classroom and especially in language classroom questions serve the purpose of making students practice a certain language item and to use the target language for communication. Questioning can either assist target language production or result in meaningful content-related responses by learners (Chaudron 1988). Ellis (1994) gives more emphasis on questioning as a way of keeping control over the classroom discourse. Long (1981) argues that questioning probably facilitates interaction by establishing the topic and who is likely to speak next (Chaudron 1988). Questions provide learners with the opportunity to speak the language and generate a series of follow up conversation among learners as well as helping teacher to check comprehension (Brown 1994).But on the other hand Chaudron (1988) is of the opinion that the nature of questions may strictly limit the possibilities for the students to respond at length. According to Tsui (1995) in majority of the ESL classrooms main part of classroom interaction is created by the teacher posing questions and these can be nearly 70 percent of the classroom talk. But Chaudron (1988) attributes only 20 t0 40 percent classroom talk to questioning. Johnston (1990) observed a total of 522 questions of different types in three hours of language class. Similarly, Long and Sato (1983) observed a total of 938 questions in six ESL lessons (Ellis 1994). Types of Questions The type of questions that the teacher asks affects the kind of response that the students produce (Tsui 1995) Much of the work on questions has centered on developing taxonomies to describe the different types (Ellis, 1994:587). There are so many different types of questions that it is difficult to decide on different categories (Richards and Lockhart 1996, Ellis 1994). However, Tsui (1995) argues that various types of questions are based on the factors such as their cognitive demand and their effect on students. Closed and Open Question Closed and Open-ended questions are distinguished by an early study on L1 classrooms (Barnes 1969 cited in Chaudron 1988). In the earliest classification Barnes (1969; 1976) Closed questions have a short and fixed answer (Barnes 1969). The questions that begin with where, who, when and what are considered factual questions (Barnes 1969 cited in Tsui 1995) having closed and usually brief set of responses (Chaudron 1988). For example Where were you born? (Chaudron 1988) Open questions begin with why and how and are classified having longer response therefore the length and nature of the expected response is left open (Chaudron 1988). They can be referred as general information questions (cf. Naiman et al. 1978; Bialystok et al. 1978 cited in Chaudron 1988). For example What did you do on trip? (Chaudron 1988) Questions that seek for reason (how? and why?) can be both open and close, much of the distinction is made by Barens (1969) between these two types of reasoning questioning (Ellis 1994). Closed reasoning-type questions are the ones that allow one acceptable answer where as open are framed to allow a number of different acceptable responses. However, Barens also points out that many questions have the appearance of being open, but, in fact, when the teachers response to a students answer is examined, turn out to be closed; he calls these pseudo-questions'( Ellis 1994). Long and Satos Taxonomy (1983) The taxonomy which will be used in this research paper is given by Long and Sato (1983) which is based on Kearsleys (1976) framework of question types (Ellis 1994). Long and Sato (1983) made necessary changes in Kearsleys (1976) taxonomy of question types according to their study of ESL teachers questions (Ellis 1994). This taxonomy cited by Ellis (1994) is as follows: Echoic Comprehension checks e.g., All right?; OK?; Does everyone understand polite? Clarification requests e.g., What do you mean?; I dont understand; What? Confirmation checks e.g., S: Carefully. T: Carefully?; Did you say he? Epistemic Referential e.g. Why didnt you do your homework? Display e.g. Whats the opposite of up in English? Expressive e.g. Its interesting the different pronunciations we have now, but isnt it? Rhetorical: e.g. Why did I do that? Because I This framework of questions is based on two main question types, echoic questions and epistemic questions with seven sub-categories. Echoic questions seek for repetition of an utterance or confirm that it has been understood by the listener whereas epistemic questions obtain information from the learners (Ellis 1994). The sub-categories include comprehension checks, clarification requests and confirmation checks under echoic questions and referential, display, expressive, and rhetorical are the sub-categories of epistemic questions (Ellis 1994). Display and Referential Questions Taxonomies by Koivukari (1987) and Hakansson and Lindberg (1988) Questioning Behavior Questions and learner production Modification of questions According to Richards and Lockhart (1996) questioning can be used to allow the learners to keep participating in the discourse and even modify it so that the language used becomes more comprehensible and personally relevant. Wait Time Socio-Cultural Contest

Friday, January 17, 2020

Contingency Theory of Leadership Essay

At my workplace we have sales goals that we have to meet and part of my job is to ensure that the staff is achieving their goals and if they are falling behind, I help them find ways to better their selling skills and recognize opportunities. In the table below, categorize different leadership approaches that could be used in the work environment you have described. Provide different suggestions for each of the four approaches to leadership. Directive approachSupportive approach The company has weekly product knowledge training so that the employees know about the products that they are selling. The employees are also rewarded incentives that relate directly to their goals and are aware of their job duties (Jones, 2007) and new procedures shared in our weekly meetings. The individual goals also relate to work schedules the full time employees goals are higher than the part-time employees. The supportive approach to leadership of this group the management is open and very approachable (Jones, 2007). The management also has goals to meet and are always willing to offer advice and additional training to employees. They also meet with employees individually and find out what motivates that specific employee because everyone is different. Participative approachAchievement-oriented approach The employees participate in creating individual goals for themselves (Jones, 2007) and for the branch. They create in-branch promotions and try to make sales fun. Employee suggestions for improvement are put into action and employees are commended for their work ethics and participation with branch promotions. The goals that are set for the employees are realistic, not outrageous (Jones, 2007). By observing the amount of branch traffic, and amount of customers that do not currently have a specific product we can set goals that are achievable.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Odyssey And Inferno - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 979 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/07/05 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Dante's Inferno Essay Odyssey Essay Did you like this example? After perusing the sagas The Odyssey by Homer and The Divine ComedyInferno by Dante Alighieri, it is obvious how extraordinary these two stories are. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is battling to achieve his home, which he didnt see for a long time. The subject for his story is one mans craving to go home. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Odyssey And Inferno" essay for you Create order In Inferno, Dante the character is battling among great and abhorrence, which is the topic of the story. The character investigates inside and out the Christian damnation and paradise, including the transitional Purgatory. It is through his experience that he throws his faithfulness to God and great. Numerous contrasts between these two stories are obvious when looking at epic qualities, epic traditions, and furthermore contrasting the diverse religious foundations of the periods in which these accounts were composed. Epic qualities incorporate a saint, superhuman bravery, a tremendous setting, and otherworldly powers. In Homers The Odyssey, the principle character Odysseus is a war saint voyaging home. He faces mind boggling difficulties amid his arrival which incorporate, yet are not restricted to, being thrown on an island, engaging Poseidon and the oceans, battling turncoat suitors, and recovering his home. The setting for his story includes his voyage from the island and over the oceans until the point that he achieves his home. Odysseus likewise voyages to the black market to visit the apparitions, or shades, for direction. All through Odysseus adventure, he is supported and tested by the extraordinary forces of various divine beings. In Dantes Inferno, the legend of the story is Dante. Dante, the character, is a man who was ousted from his home in light of his political convictions and battles with the decision among great and shrewdness. His valor comes as mankind; he faces the test that all people battle with. His fearlessness is tried by his movements through the nine rings of hellfire. Dante expresses, therefore look carefully; youll see such things/as would deprive my speech of all belief (1873). In contrast to Odysseus, Dantes mettle does exclude incredible physical accomplishments. Dante displays bravery in testing his own internal quality. The huge setting incorporates damnation in Inferno, as well as Purgatory and paradise are additionally visited in The Divine Comedy. With respect to otherworldly powers, Dante the character meets numerous shades and is lead through hellfire by the perished ar tist Virgil. When pursuing an epic, there are numerous traditions that the authors would utilize. In Dantes Inferno, these traditions are not as apparent as in Homers The Odyssey. For instance, one epic tradition is a long formal discourse by the fundamental character. In Homers The Odyssey, Odysseus utilized weapons as well as words when battling the suitors that attacked his home in his nonattendance. You yellow dogs, you thought Id never make it home from the land of Troy. You took my house to plunder, twisted my maids to serve your beds. You dared bid for my wife while I was still alive (495). In Dantes Inferno, Dante the character does not give any paramount talks, in any event none as fabulous as those composed by Homer. One essential contrast among Inferno and The Odyssey is the religious contrasts of the time. In old Greece, when Homer composed his epic, the religious conviction was polytheism. There existed distinctive divine beings for various parts of nature, human or common. These incorporate a divine force of war, a lord of affection, a lord of the oceans, etc. In Odysseus voyage, the goddess Athena helps him. Likewise, the god Poseidon challenges Odysseus as the aftereffect of a past resentment. Homer composed of Poseidon, Only the god who laps the land in water, /Poseidon, bears the fighter an old grudge/since he poked out the eye of Polyphemos (227). These divine beings impact the lives of the general population on earth. At the point when Dante composed Inferno, the world was moving toward a Christian larger part, much like it is today. Dante recognizes that the polytheistic convictions of the past were, in his time, thought to be a transgression against God. Dantes story best mirrors this by taking note of critical past figures, for example, the artist Virgil or the saint Odysseus, as being in damnation for their non-Christian ways. Despite the fact that there are numerous contrasts between the two legends, Dantes Inferno and Homers The Odyssey contain some essential similitudes. One, the two men each long for a lady whom they cherished previously. The motivation behind Odysseus adventure was to rejoin his significant other Penelope. For Dante, he ached for his affection Beatrice whom he reunites with not in Inferno but rather later in The Divine Comedy. A second imperative similitude is that the two men look for direction from the individuals who lived before them. Odysseus goes to the black market where he approaches his mom for news of his significant other: Still with her child indeed she is, poor heart, /still in your palace hall. Forlorn her nights/and days go by, her life used up in weeping (351). In Inferno, Dante the character is lead by the artist Virgil, a man whose work Dante the essayist respected. While in heck, Dante not just tries to gain from the heathens there, however he likewise gains from Vi rgil. Virgil shows Dante the character about the heathens and the revival. Dante expressed, remember now your science, /which says that when a thing has more perfection, /so much greater is its pain or pleasure (1854). Although altogether different in nature, the two sagas can be charming for a cutting edge gathering of people. The Odyssey is a tale about battling against divine beings and oozing valor in a legends activities. The story is composed with unimaginable words that charm groups of onlookers, even today. Inferno was composed with extraordinary knowledge to the human battle among great and abhorrence. That battle goes on even in the present current society.