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Narratological Analysis of Cache, 2008.
This paper presents a narratological analysis of the film "Cache", by writer and director Michael Haneke.
1,219 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer studies the film 'Cache', by writer and director Michael Haneke, through a narratological analysis. The writer first provides a definition and analysis of narratology. The writer then notes that 'Cache' is a complex and ambiguous drama that readily makes itself available to narratological analysis due to its deceptively "simple" visual presentation and story structure, which in fact disguises a profoundly inventive underlying narrative approach reminiscent of Antonioni in its lack of closure and refusal to manipulate or pander to audience expectations. The writer concludes that Cache also plays with the ambiguity between the hermeneutic code and the proairetic code. The writer maintains that by allowing these two codes to interplay without well-defined closure, Haneke is able to provide his audience with an active role in the decipherment of the film's "text," a task which can continue long after the film has ended.
From the Paper
"The opening fade-in to what appears to be a simple long-shot of the house front, held for an interminable amount of time, is in fact revealed to be a videotape of the house front being watched on their television by Georges and Anne. This identical shot, or shots very nearly identical to it, is repeated several times throughout the film. Other shots which appear at first to be ordinary omniscient narrator shots (such as Georges' first visit to Majid's apartment), turn out, when repeated minutes later in another context, to have been in fact point-of-view shots taken from the position of the mysterious voyeur's hidden video camera."
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Contemporary Mass Media, 2008.
This paper discusses the issue of contemporary mass media and looks at who defines reality today.
3,412 words (approx. 13.6 pages), 11 sources, APA, $ 96.95
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Abstract
In this article the writer examines the influence the mass media exerts on the individual's perception of the world. This is done from the standpoint of social constructionism, a theory heavily influenced by Postmodernist thought. The paper posits that language is our basis for interpreting the world and because language is the product of a social process, the 'reality' we perceive is nothing more than a collective construct. Consequently, the writer maintains that whoever controls the transmission of language and the ideas and information it conveys shapes reality. Today much of this transmission is done by the mass media. The writer concludes that today the role of the mass media and the educational system in socialization is growing as the traditional family structure so instrumental in this process for thousands of years wanes.
From the Paper
"Whenever we read, listen or watch one of the mass media, in other words, we become part of somebody else's agenda, a means to some outside entity's ends. So, at a profound level, we should be continuingly asking ourselves: do we do so willingly or unwittingly? Yet it is a question many rarely pose and fewer answer. Are we too busy, too complascent, or too indifferent to? Or are we simply too trusting? The aura of autheticity surrounding what we read, hear and see in the mass media may very well be lulling us into an uncritical acceptance of the messages imparted."
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How Children Learn Language, 2007.
A review of a book on the language of infants and toddlers by Roberta Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, entitled "How Babies Talk: The Magic and Mystery of Language in the First Three Years of Life".
994 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the book "How Babies Talk: The Magic and Mystery of Language in the First Three Years of Life" by Roberta Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsch-Pasek." It explains that the book is geared toward parents with infants who are interested in tracking how their children learn language. The paper looks at a portion of this book which is devoted to "experiments" that parents can do with their children. This also paper examines the style in which the book is written, the language used and the use of humour. Overall the writer was not impressed with this book and feels that it adds very little to the study of language development.
Outline:
Overview
In Utero
Tactile Learning
Babbling and Other Things
Toddlers
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The authors of this book, Roberta Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, claim that the fetus is being prepared to hear "the contours of our voice and the cadences of speech without ever hearing words the way that we do" (13). The words that the fetus hears, the authors state, is like the swimming pool game of guessing words spoken underwater.It is possible to hear the syllables and pitch of those words, but in most cases the words are indistinct at best. Using an experiment that monitored fetal heart rate, which declines initially before rising again when the fetus is exposed to a new experience, researchers found that babies can even differentiate between new sounds even in the uterus (14-15). Other experiments revealed that the fetus could determine differences in music and in poetry as well."
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The California English Language Development Test, 2008.
This paper is a review of the literature on the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) and student achievement when learning English as a second language.
1,580 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 14 sources, APA, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) is used as a means of evaluating language proficiency among students learning English as a second language to identify students who are learning English as a second language. The author points out that the CELDT also is used to monitor the performance of these students at regular intervals and to reclassify students from limited English proficiency to fluent English proficiency. The paper stresses that CELDT is a monitoring system, not a pedagogical approach; therefore, its use will never directly improve or diminish the scores of second language learners. The paper concludes that administrators and educators may have unwittingly created a setting in which the CELDT is given more credibility than it deserves in terms of its significance as a testing apparatus.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
CELDT in Application
Implications
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The test was used for the first time in 2001, suggesting that data pertaining to its use is insufficient to judge long-term outcomes based on the use of the test. The CELDT was developed by the professional for-profit test organization, "CTB-McGraw Hill" and is "designed to assess English learners in grades 1 through 12 on reading, writing, comprehension, and oral English along a continuum of five levels, from Beginning (1) to Advanced (5)" The test has been praised in California by educators and administrators who were forced to rely on a variety of different tests but now can evaluate a student's performance even when he or she has moved from one school to another."
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Children and Language, 2006.
A review of Paul Bloom's book, "How Children Learn the Meanings of Words", on language acquisition in children.
1,045 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
In this book review of "How Children Learn the Meanings of Words", author Paul Bloom's theory of language acquisition in small children is explained. The paper discusses the primary theory called the "theory of mind," which is also called naive psychology. The paper explains that the book presents this theory on language acquisition through descriptions of research, presented in a clear and largely conversational manner. The writer of the review recommends this book to both students and to parents interested in helping their children acquire language.
Outline:
Theory of Mind
Fast Mapping
Objects and Concepts
Context Learning
About this Book
Conclusion
From the Paper
"This book describes the process of language acquisition through syntactic cues that are present in the child's environment. Such a process is not just a part of language acquisition, but is also part of other forms of reasoning as well. The capacity to learn language in such a way belongs to human beings alone. Although other mammals are capable of communicating in what could be considered to be a limited language, only humans have the capability to acquire abstract concepts."
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Second Language Acquisition, 2007.
This paper evaluates Marcel Danesi's "Adesso! A Functional Introduction to Italian, Second Edition" as a second language acquisition (SLA) textbook.
1,593 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 52.95
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Abstract
This paper examines Marcel Danesi's "Adesso! A Functional Introduction to Italian, Second Edition" in light of current theories in second language acquisition (SLA). The paper also analyzes how the text would function in a general classroom context. The paper relates that if "Adesso!" is evaluated in terms of meeting its stated objectives and in terms of the current theoretical models regarding SLA, then it clearly passes evaluation as a useful classroom textbook. The paper concludes that it can be highly recommended as a textbook for teaching Italian.
Outline:
Introduction
Organization Based on Interesting Topics and Cultural Contexts
Provide Activities for Students to Talk in Open-Ended Exercises
Inputs, Strategies and Tasks
Grammar and Vocabulary
The Question of Culture
Comparison of English and Italian Languages and Cultures
Opportunities for Further Exploration and Assessment
Cumulative Evaluation and Recommendation
From the Paper
"The organization of chapters and themes around their frequency of usage in everyday Italian speech is, admittedly, a rather arbitrary way of designing a text. After all, it is unclear how Danesi has determined what situations will be most frequent or functional. This being said, the range of everyday situations explored in the text is diverse and there is a level of progression through the text with succeeding chapters building upon, and referencing, previous ones."
"The text does contain some dialogues that allow students to converse with each other. These are sometimes open-ended, comprising of "interviews" in which one student may ask another student questions with no fixed answers (Danesi 82)."
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Language Arts Education, 2007.
This paper discusses the development of a philosophy of language arts education for grades 7-12.
2,800 words (approx. 11.2 pages), 12 sources, APA, $ 83.95
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Abstract
This paper owes to different formal and individual explorations of language arts approaches and methods including work towards a language arts portfolio, an exercise helping to recognize the vast range of materials available to Canadian teachers, at large, in relation to their adopted philosophies of teaching. The writer maintains that a guiding study that has promoted much thought on the overall goals of language arts instruction has been Think Literacy Success, a Government of Ontario report on approaches to promoting literacy at the Grades 7 to 12 levels which emphasizes gaps in abilities and opportunities, student groups especially at risk, and the overall role of language arts in seeing that students are prepared to communicate well in society. The writer notes that it seems important to think through the environment in which one will teach with central Canada offering unique challenges of diversity less pronounced in regions beyond the main cities. In the same spirit, The writer discusses that teachers serving isolated impoverished or otherwise limited communities of less heterogeneity need to find approaches to an overall ideal of instilling interest and skill.
Outline:
Introduction
Portfolio Tasks
Reflection on Professional Development
Mechanics of Portfolio and Teaching Development
Bottom Up Model of Reading
Professional Development Goals
Future Activities
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper
"Various course and seminar offerings now exist that are geared to language arts teachers. In addition, there is an ever-growing literature of research on the subjects of literacy, factors impeding literacy and language development, curriculum design and teaching pedagogy. However, one needs to aim to for practical experience which should be diverse. For example, attending classes for second language learners in a Board of Education setting is different from tutoring adult learners in basic literacy having been involved in the criminal justice system. When watching very experienced language arts teachers at work one sees the results of perhaps many years given to students of different kinds, in perhaps several school systems, and more than one country. Teachers can appreciate to varying degrees what colleagues educated elsewhere can impart, especially those having served abroad and perhaps in educational systems requiring English-medium instruction for students of diverse first languages. Education does seem a profession in which the teacher is forever meeting individuals from whom learning is possible. The same can be said of students, and what is suddenly discovered in some in terms of a hidden ability, another language spoken, or the ability to illustrate written work."
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NLD and ESL Students, 2007.
This paper explores reading in students with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) and language barriers.
4,528 words (approx. 18.1 pages), 18 sources, APA, $ 118.95
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Abstract
The paper refers to a 10 year-old Grade V student, "Kalum", who understands considerable English with good verbal expression but experiences much difficulty in mastering reading. The paper explores nonverbal learning disabilities and the challenges it presents to the teacher. The paper discusses research that shows how many teachers fail to note learning disabilities in students who study in a non-first language. The paper also shows the ease with which learning disabilities and other conditions affecting children can be misdiagnosed. The paper concludes that as long as the student's confidence and motivation can be ensured, NLD does not seem such a grave diagnosis, presenting more of a test of the teacher's dedication than an indication of a student's educational future.
Outline:
Exploring Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
Helpful Research on Young ESL and Immigrant Students
Culminating Activities
Determining a Student Biography
Adjusting Reading Exercises and Classroom Skills
Behavioral Cues
Elaboration - Sharing with Professionals
Observations and Further Questions
Self Reflection
Sharing with Experienced Language Teachers
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper
"Students with NLD often show high verbal skills, have little difficulty with spelling but are weak in reading comprehension. They often have short concentration spans and struggle with the visual aspect of reading. NLD is associated with malfunction of the brain's right hemisphere as can also mean difficulties in mathematics, organizing and planning tasks, and spatial and motor abilities. NLD students often present anxiety, their way of socializing can be abrupt, or they stand to close to others. Combined with verbal ability and frequent outspokenness, NLD students are apt to be misdiagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome or ADHD, or dyslexia, on account of often impaired word recognition and weak handwriting. For over 30 years, research on NLD has helped teachers, psychologists and parents to fathom a range of often small symptoms that can usually be counteracted. The challenge for the teacher is one of instilling helpful habits, often through much repetition and correction, while maintaining the student's self-confidence. (Rourke:1995:13-16, Elkind:1973, Krippner & Herald:1964) This non-alarmist approach was also stressed by Goldstein on compensatory ways of coping with NLD while providing early literacy skills, and in the Canadian as opposed to American context. (2000)"
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Comparative Grammar Guidelines: Split Infinitive, 2007.
This paper contrasts the definition of the grammatical term 'split infinitive' as presented in "Webster's Dictionary of English Usage", "The Guide to Canadian Language Usage" and "A Dictionary of Modern English Usage".
895 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, by analyzing the similar and contrasting definitions of the use of the split infinitive, the reader can realize how different guides use different objectives to impart a meaning to various grammatical terms. The author points out that, in discussing the split infinitive, the "Webster Guide" makes a faulty assumption that popular literature and various theorists have defined the syntactical usage with a far wider meaning. The paper concludes that the definitions of the split infinitive as a misnomer appear logically and grammatically adequate in the "Webster Guide"; while the "Canadian Guide" provides a more detailed explanation of usage within certain styles of speech and writing. The paper includes several quotations.
From the Paper
"In this manner, the term is being nullified since it does not really represent a technical "splitting" of the infinitive within a technical usage format. The appurtenant aspect of the infinitive provides a grammatical explanation of why the "Webster Guide" does not agree that the term is valid in language other than slang. However, the "Guide to Canadian English Usage" tends to propose that, although a split infinitive may not be a correct form of writing, it can still be seen as a definitive explanation for syntactical alignment of these words within a social and standardized written context:"
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Human Language, 2007.
This paper discusses human language and speech.
1,169 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
In this article the writer notes that speech as a phenomenon is only characteristic of humans. The introduction of speech and language is an event that cannot be compared to anything in human history. The writer points out that speech and language opened the door for easy and clear communication, thus enabling the distribution of knowledge, feelings and experiences among individual humans. The writer discusses that language plays an important role not only on the broad level of human race as a whole, but also on the level of every individual in the human race. It is not a static phenomenon. The writer notes that language changes within societies we live in but also the individuals within the societies change the language as they move from one environment to another and as they gather new experiences and knowledge. The writer concludes that language is not only a medium of communication. It also has deep significance for the cultural and social identity of an individual.
From the Paper
"The foundation of language and speech is of course in our physiological ability to express ourselves vocally. However, even though every one of us has this ability, we cannot start expressing ourselves verbally using spoken language from the moment we are born. We rather learn to speak, we learn to use the language in everyday life much like the humans did at some point in history. However, today we learn to speak with the help of our closest environment which is most often family. The first words or "vocal signs" we learn to use are often tied to the need for sharing our desires in the way most part of environment can understand and interpret. Simply by replacing mute, gesticulate "signs" of pointing, making faces or dancing, or "signs" of crying and grunting; with the "verbal sign" "angry" humans manage to establish contact with their broader environment."
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