"Does knowledge of grammar improve a child's ability to write?"

English in Education 2003-2004 Assignment One: "Does knowledge of grammar improve a child's ability to write?" Introduction The question whether knowledge of grammar improves a child in his or her ability to write English has been a rather controversial issue with many academics discussing and debating the topic at hand. The aim of this paper is to discuss the above question in light of academic research considering the various arguments for and against the assumption of whether grammar is instrumental in raising standards of written English. In order to address the issues at hand this paper has been structured under the following points: * History * Issues pertaining to the essay question * Questions which need addressing History Before discussing the essay question it would seem appropriate at this point to narrate a brief history of English grammar in English schools. The sole aim of this is merely to benefit the lay-man and set the scene for discussion. Until the 1960's the vast majority of schools in England, and at that other parts of the traditional English speaking world such as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, taught grammar in schools 1. Deemed by some academics as pointless it was found that by 1980 the tradition of teaching grammar had disappeared in state funded comprehensive schools. In the 1960's many reports were published which stated

  • Word count: 2929
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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"Examine the ways in which teachers attitudes can affect the educational achievement of pupils"

"Examine the ways in which teachers attitudes can affect the educational achievement of pupils" Class, gender and ethnicity make a considerable difference to the educational achievement of pupils. Teachers attitudes can perpetuate these and therefore make a difference to the educational qualifications and grades pupils achieve. The idea of equality of opportunity has been conformed since 1944 when the education act was introduced. We have to understand it is inevitable that some pupils achieve more then others, this is in terms of the individual. However the point is whether there is a justifiable reason into why the educational performance of one group in our society can be superior to that of another? Weather this be due to Intelligence, social strata, education, area, social class, gender, ethnic group or teaching this can all have a perpetual effect on the educational achievement of a pupil. Sociologists such as Douglas, Boudon, Bourdieu, Becker and Bernstein have come up with evidence to prove in several ways that these facts can have an over all affect on performance. The sort of perspective this question is coming from is a functualist perspective. Functionalists believe in the different parts played by individual societies or social institutions, in this case the school environment. Functionalists believe in identity and the way we feel about ourselves, how people's

  • Word count: 1098
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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I am going to explore the personal and organisational factors that influence my teaching practice .I intend to do this by examining any factors I have picked up on that affect my planning and delivery and any challenges that may arise when referring stud

KERRY SHORT TS1302 I am going to explore the personal and organisational factors that influence my teaching practice .I intend to do this by examining any factors I have picked up on that affect my planning and delivery and any challenges that may arise when referring students to the extra services available to offer them extra support. At school my geography teacher set out each individual table 1 metre apart from each other, all facing the front, he would give out the handbook and literally read from the relevant pages as we took notes. I found this teaching method boring as I could have done it myself at home. There was no group work or learner structured lessons at all. I became tired with the lessons and I would switch off half way through. I conclude that if I cannot formally lead a structured lesson which actively develops my learners then my knowledge on the subject matter is irrelevant. I need to lead well at a pace suitable to my students; I must share the lesson aims and objectives to ensure the class understands the relevance of the topic and how it fits into the framework, which will in turn motivate them to complete the learning process. Rogers (2001) states, `unless you are motivated you will not and cannot learn.' Also organisational factors can influence my teaching practice. Organisational cultures are a collection of beliefs and attitudes shared by an

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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SAUSSURE'S THEORY AND ITS EFECT

Assignment Title: Saussure's theory and its effects Saussure's theory and its effects In this essay, first, I will outline the main principle of Saussure's theory of linguistics and explain what made him 'the father of Modern Linguistic'. At that point, I would like to draw attention to Saussure's linguistic theory which gives a systematic picture of what is a language, what the elementary principles and units that make it an independent system are. Secondly, I will describe how conception of language simplifies the approach to learning/teaching as a foreign language and how it strengthens an analytic method of studying. At the beginning of the twentieth century Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) became unsatisfied with the way, linguistics was studied. He thought that historical linguistics; that analysed language across the time, and comparative Linguistics; that studied differences and similarities among languages, were not focusing on the real nature of language. Therefore, he has brought a new approach to the science of language parallel to his contemporaries Emil Durkheim in sociology and Sigmund Freud in psychology. As Saussure refused to accept the theory of language itself as a reflection of thought, he believed in the autonomy of language and was not happy with any nomenclature; the linguistic- philosophical theory that considered language as naming process. He

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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7LLS504 " Managing the learning environment " Learning outcome 1

7LLS504 - Managing the learning environment - Learning outcome 1 Managing the learning environment for both small and large groups. The learning environment facilitates learning so is of vital importance to be able to accommodate large and small groups. Clearly this can depend on the size of the classroom, as to the physical space there is as a students comfort is one of their basic needs, so making the best of the space provided is a good place to start - room arrangement. Ensuring that there is enough room for a large group to be able to move about when group activities are taking place so that the student feels they can express themselves freely. Good lesson planning can also assist in managing the environment for both small and large groups as this will ensure there is a range of activities to make certain that the students differing rates of learning are met - differentiation. A large group of learners I have found will require more activities and opportunities to work in smaller groups and also it is important to mix the groups up using a variety of methods such as which month they were born this can be used initially but dividing them by experience and ability can have a better outcome in facilitating learning. Smaller group work will mean that the learning is not tutor centred that they are learning from their peers. With a large group of learners it can be a

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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1: Will give a brief introduction to Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.Section 2: Will highlight the common characteristics of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.Section 3: Will discuss ways how to deal with

Introduction From day to day, the call for inclusive education is becoming louder and louder. According to the National Disability Survey, carried out in 2003, there are 518 students with special educational needs who are attending "normal schools". Note that this static is based on those students aged between 3 and 16, who are registered with the National Commission Persons with Disability. The term inclusive education refers to an educational philosophy, which promotes the right and the need of those students with special educational needs to be integrated and educated in "regular classrooms". Students with special educational needs can be categorized under different forms of impairments. This assignment will specifically focus on emotional and behavioral disorders. It will attempt to investigate its characteristics and to discuss the appropriate inclusive arrangements needed to help those students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The above topics will be discussed as follows: Section 1: Will give a brief introduction to Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Section 2: Will highlight the common characteristics of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Section 3: Will discuss ways how to deal with students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Emotional and Behavioral Disorder. From time to time, every child faces emotional difficulties. Feelings

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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2b Assessment of Learning

Assessment of Learning Assessment does matter. It matters to students whose awards are defined by the outcomes of the assessment process; it matters to those who employ the graduates of degree and diploma programmes; it matters to those who do the assessing. Ensuring that assessment is fair, accurate and comprehensive - and yet manageable for those doing it-is a major challenge. It is a challenge, which has been grappled by many.... Despite the fact there is a considerable body of international research about assessment and related issues, we experiment largely in the ignorance of the way others have effected positive change, and we have limited opportunity to learn from the lessons of others. (Brown S and Glasner A, Race 2001) The Learner Group The group consists of nine learners, four are male and five are female. The group are all learners with moderate learning difficulties and are from white backgrounds. This is a group of school leavers, aged 16-19 yrs old on a full-time course working towards the Edexcel Skills for Working Life Entry-Level qualification. Many of the learners in this group have not previously attended mainstream schools, for a variety of reasons. Including disabilities such as dyslexia or deafness and many have behavioural problems that contribute to a low attention span. Course learners are completing In order to describe the assessment of

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning sector Unit 1, question 3

(3) Discuss issues of equality and diversity and ways to promote inclusion with your learners. Not all learners have developed skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. There may also be physical and language barriers, as well as personal, social and cultural factors affecting literacy and numeracy. Inclusive learning involves identifying the learner's specific and additional needs, providing resources and appropriate support, meeting their preferred learning styles and giving them access to fair assessment. Students have a range of different learning needs and are members of diverse communities. Including them all involves taking a consistent approach and anticipating the unexpected. Teachers should have a strategy for delivering equal opportunities and diversity policies. Involving the whole institution and incorporating regular reflection and review of action plans and methods that actively involve all students. Teachers should assume that there are disabled students on their course and talk to the students about what is best for them. Researching on-line or seek advice from the institution's disability support staff. Course content/module information could be provided in advance with specific aims and learning outcomes so that the student is more aware of what will be involved. As well as this, new terminology, glossary terms and the teacher's expectations or instructions

  • Word count: 338
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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Short report of Graphic interpretation

Graphic interpretation Study the graph below which shows Heart Attacks Per Year in USA. Write a short report describing the graph. Heart Attacks per year, USA (000s) The bar chart shows the estimated numbers of men and women who have had heart attacks in 2006 in the United Stated of America (USA) according to the various age groups. From the bar chart, the numbers of men who have had heart attacks show an upward trend. The lowest number of men who have had heart attacks for age-group of 29 to 44 is 123 thousand. The number increases obviously in age-group of 45 to 64 which is 424 thousand. Moreover, the number slightly increases some more until 440 thousand for age of 65 and onward. Meanwhile, the numbers of women who have had heart attacks show a steadily increasing. For age-group of 29 to 44, only 3 thousand women have had heart attacks. Then, it rises to 136 thousand for age of 45 to 64. Finally, the number continuously rises until 374 thousand which is the highest estimated number for women in 65 years old and onward. The heart attacks frequently happen in the men are probably due to their bad habits such as preferring smoking and drinking alcohol. Overall, the numbers for both the men and women increase from 29 to 65 years old and onward. It is because some of them may have stress, unhealthy diet and even hereditary heart disease which can trigger off heart

  • Word count: 296
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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Reflective Report On Group Project

. Introduction The Purpose of this project was to fulfil the research brief assigned by the client. This consisted of a study into the feasibility of an online referencing service and research into possible features and successful ideas. Both the group and the client were allocated at random, which posed potential behavioural issues within the group and towards the client. Despite any issues the group had to carry out research into the graduate recruitment and referencing procedures. Although the brief was relatively clear it covered a wide range of investigative areas and a large amount of both primary and secondary research. This report will go on to discuss the dynamics within the group, how the client relationship was managed and the various issues that arised when carrying out the primary and secondary research using academic models for support and analysis. 2. Methodology For the purpose of this project both secondary and primary research was carried out to provide a greater range of results. The details of which are described and analysed below. 3. Secondary Research After speaking with the client it became clear that no prior research had been done into the project. The idea was based on the client's personal experience in assisting student employment and the assumption that most employers with financial positions available would require a five year reference

  • Word count: 6555
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Education and Teaching
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