M aking change Essays - Joanna Macy, Will, Joanna Macy,

Waking up to make a change People aren?t realizing the destruction to the environment that has been occurring for many years. Why haven?t we realized what was occurring sooner? Now we are barely beginning to wake up and notice the damage of environment that the human population has created. We ignore the issues that surround the globe such as, pollution, water pollution, pesticides and more. More environmental issues have increased overtime and now we are trying to find ways to finally fix it. It is essential to fix these problems quickly so our future generations don?t have to suffer. The advanced technology we have benefits us to improve what is wrong and damaging to the world. In ?To Choose Life?, Joanna Macy and Molly Young state that ?the most remarkable feature of this historical moment in earth is not that we are on the way to destroying the world- we?ve actually been on the way for quite a while. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and to each other? (181). People are a major part in the community and are subjected to the damage occurring and we will finally wake up and notice what needs to be changed. We will learn to take a stand and improve the environmental issues that people ignore or don?t know very much about. The destruction of the globe is not only our faults is begins within the industries, ?The planets body is not only dug up and turned into goods to sell, it is also a ?sink? for the poisonous by-products of our industries? (Macy and Young, 158). We finally choose to wake up and are willing to make a difference for those who will come after us, and it is a symbolic way of ?choosing life? rather than living in a contaminated world. The authors claim that, ?To choose a life means to build a life sustaining society? (Macy and Young, 159). In relation the authors of the story another known activist Lester Brown an environmentalist states, to live a sustaining society doesn?t mean to jeopardize the future generation. He mainly focuses on waking up human kind and discusses the biggest global threats such as population control, energy depletion, recycling and improvements of the environment. He also gives advice for solutions on how to fix these issues. Joanna Macy, Molly Young and Lester Bro wn discuss a lot of the same topics and solutions. The change we are taking on here will be an ecological revolution which is described as ?the great turning.? The community indeed helps by reinforcing destruction with activist groups. Activist groups create action and help societies realize to problems and try to influence the general population to help. Political will and power help the change as well to improvements. This is extremely important because everyone is affected by the environmental issues and the doubt or disbelief makes the situation harder to change. What makes situations like these easier is a community joining as a whole to help change and make a difference. They are many global activist groups for a wide variety of social issues and controversies. Helping improve the environment is more easily said than done because; the population is influenced but the wrong things that are publicized. People often believe what is displayed on media rather than using there own judgment. For example; we are told what products help but in reality never think about where they come from or the effects of them. We are realizing nothing is really working, and why is it that we are barely noticing what is occurring? That is because we are so preoccupied with other things we hardly ever watch the news or read a newspaper. The community is also suffering from psychological repression like fear of pain, despair, our intelligence. The people tended to ignore the fact of the problems occurring so thing got worst and they feared to address the issues of controversies. The reason people feared to address the problems occurring is because they figured someone would miraculously fix their problems but, they were wrong. The author implies, ?We become as power less as

Argumentative Essay with Citations Sample

Argumentative Essay with Citations SampleIf you want to write an argumentative essay that will give you a good and straight forward writing skills, then the following samples are just what you need. They will help you hone your argumentative skills and make sure that you are well versed with the topic you are writing about. Reading through these examples will help you get a good idea on what to use for references and other aids in writing your essay.There are two main types of these samples that are being given, the complete essay and a sample argumentative essay with citations. To ensure that you are familiar with the methods and technique being used in the essay you are writing, I have taken the liberty of giving you an example essay, along with some examples of arguments. By reading these you can help you understand more about the technique being used, as well as gaining a good idea of the topic that you will be covering.This first example is from a debate essay, and this one will show you how to cite and utilize the information that you have in your text. In this essay you will find how to write a reference list, which will help you prepare your reader for the next section. Using the facts and figures provided by the source, you will be able to conclude your argument and inform them of what to expect from your work.The second part of the sample argumentative essay has been written by an expert in the field of literature. In this case, there are some important techniques and rules that you will have to learn before you start writing. By reading through this example, you will be able to know what to look for when you are writing. This essay will also be informative for those that would like to know more about the subject matter and how this works.To conclude this essay, you will be given the question and answer part. The questions are presented and answer them very well byusing your facts and figures from the passage. With this essay, you will be able to prov ide information and this will enable you to make a good argument and create the statement of fact that you are required to have.Writing these essays are not just for people that have a writing talent, but also those that have an interest in writing. A little bit of practice, as well as writing with some confidence, will help you write a good essay that will make you know about the topic you are covering.These samples are just meant to give you an idea of what you can expect from an argumentative essay that will not only be written well, but also backed up by citations and other reference works. The more you practice, the better you will get at the skill, and the better you will get at writing such essays.

cyber ethics essays

cyber ethics essays The article I choose was written by Jennifer Howland and encompasses her familys views to the Recording Industry Association of America lawsuit of 261 people, including teens, elderly, occasional downloaders, and frequent downloaders of music. Mrs. Howland has two daughters whose life is based around the computer. Everything from socializing, to gaming, to music listening. Her daughters share music files with their friends like most teens, but after the lawsuit from RIAA Mr. Howland had to end usage of P2P programs which enabled the girls to share music with their friends. He noted that one of the teens sued had to settle for $2,000, and with one of his daughters off to college soon he has no room for financial missteps. Jennifer then notes that she ordered here children not to download for fear of not getting sued, not because she thought the action its self was wrong. She was telling them that it wasnt the principle thats important, its the consequences themselves. She then raises the issue that the music industry tries to increase our sense of compunction by arguing that downloaders are, in effect, stealing musicians livelihoods. Yet, many artist including David Bowie, and countless smaller band tend to believe that it creates a medium for further exposure. With the smaller band you can sample a song or two, and if you like it find out where they are touring next, or purchases the CD outright. I tend to agree with this style of though. I have downloaded my share of music, mostly music that doesnt have a market in this area just yet, but when I stumble across something new that I like, I look into touring dates, and album info. I believe that this is a great way to increase exposure of bands that get little radio play, or just havent made the leap to being signed by a record label. As far as the bigger bands out there that have Made It what ...

Positive vs. Normative Analysis

Positive vs. Normative Analysis While economics is largely an academic discipline, it is quite common for economists to act as business consultants, media analysts, and advisers on government policy. As a result, its very important to understand when economists are making objective, evidence-based statements about how the world works and when they are making value judgments about what policies should be enacted or what business decisions should be made. Positive Analysis Descriptive, factual statements about the world are referred to as positive statements by economists. The term positive isnt used to imply that economists always convey good news, of course, and economists often make very, well, negative-positive statements. Positive analysis, accordingly, uses scientific principles to arrive at objective, testable conclusions. Normative Analysis On the other hand, economists refer to prescriptive, value-based statements as normative statements. Normative statements usually use factual evidence as support, but they are not by themselves factual. Instead, they incorporate the opinions and underlying morals and standards of those people making the statements. Normative analysis refers to the process of making recommendations about what action should be taken or taking a particular viewpoint on a topic. Examples of Positive vs. Normative The distinction between positive and normative statements is easily shown via examples. The statement: The unemployment rate is currently at 9 percent. is a positive statement, since it conveys factual, testable information about the world. Statements such as: The unemployment rate is too high.The government must take action in order to reduce the unemployment rate. are normative statements, since they include value judgments and are of a prescriptive nature. Its important to understand that, despite the fact that the two normative statements above are intuitively related to the positive statement, they cannot be logically inferred from the objective information provided. (In other words, they dont have to be true given that the unemployment rate is at 9 percent.) How to Effectively Disagree With an Economist People seem to like disagreeing with economists (and, in fact, economists often seem to enjoy disagreeing with one another), so its important to understand the distinction between positive and normative in order to disagree effectively. To disagree with a positive statement, one must bring other facts to the table or question the economists methodology. In order to disagree with the positive statement about unemployment above, for example, one would have to make the case that the unemployment rate isnt actually 9 percent. One could do this either by providing different unemployment data or by performing different calculations on the original data. To disagree with a normative statement, one can either dispute the validity of the positive information used to reach the value judgment or can argue the merits of the normative conclusion itself. This becomes a more murky type of debate  since there is no objective right and wrong when it comes to normative statements. In a perfectly organized world, economists would be pure scientists who perform only positive analysis and exclusively convey factual, scientific conclusions, and policymakers and consultants would take the positive statements and develop normative recommendations. In reality, however, economists often play both of these roles, so its important to be able to distinguish fact from opinion, i.e. positive from normative.

POLLOCK the film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

POLLOCK the film - Essay Example There are a variety of sacrifices made by Pollock’s friends, family, and colleagues. For instance, Pollock’s girlfriend and eventual wife, Lee Krasner, sacrifices her own well being and success in order to support Pollock’s painting. In addition to becoming his manager, Lee also takes care of Pollock when he is diagnosed as neurotic and continually tries to help him with his alcoholism. She essentially supports Pollock financially as well because he is not able to sell any paintings due to his inability to change his paintings for potential clients. Lee even appears to sacrifice motherhood because she knows that she must be there to care for Pollock and his mental health problems, in addition to pushing him to continue his art. Later on, she has to sacrifice her own happiness as she puts up with the affair between Pollock and Ruth Kilgman. Pollock also must make some sacrifices for his art. In the film, the audience sees Pollock struggle to sell his paintings. This is mostly due to the fact that Pollock does not appear to want to modify his paintings according to the tastes of others. Because he refuses to do this, art buyers are not purchasing his paintings. He seems to believe that his art is not as pure, or that he loses some of his artistic integrity if he gives in to the buyer’s desires. He is forced to sacrifice this type of mindset when Life magazine decides to write about him which appears to bother Pollock as he does not seem to want this added attention and seems to believe that he is a phony or a sell out for allowing Life magazine to cover him. Ultimately, he sacrifices his own career and life due to his alcoholism which ends up causing a deadly car cash. Due to the fact that so much pain and struggle surrounded Pollock’s life and career, the question of whether or not it was all worth it floats to the forefront of the discussion. Without the controversy and early death, it is likely that Pollock would not have been as

Ordovician Life in Ohio Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ordovician Life in Ohio - Research Paper Example This essay functions to consider the Ordovician sea life in the state of Ohio. In developing this examination it presents a brief investigation into the geological and general scientific elements related to the Ordovician period and then investigates the sea life that existed during this time. Ordovician Background The Ordovician period is a categorical definition of a period in geologic history. It roughly covers the time between 488 and 443 million years ago and falls within the Paleozoic Era. The period itself was named after a Celtic tribe of the Ordovices and gained its definition in the 19th century. The period itself is recognized as starting during the Cambrian-Ordovician extinction events. In total, the period lasted for approximately 44.6 million years and concluded with the onset of the Ordovician-Silurian extinction event, which distinguishes nearly 60% of marine genera (Moore, Teichert 1978). These dates and distinguishing elements represent slight estimations, as they s hift occasionally with the discovery of new radiometric patterns; the exact time period differs as sources disagree over various data elements. Within the Ordovician period, there are a great many subdivisions, as distinguished by the years in which they occurred. One of the primary concerns of this era is in relation to paleogeography. Paleogeography indicates that during this period sea levels were generally high (Moore and Teichert 1978). Indeed, it’s been noted that the Ordovician period witnessed the As one later considers the Ordovician period in terms of the state of Ohio they will recognize that sea level and continent positioning was drastically different. During this period the southern area continents were part of one whole referred to as Gondwana. In addition to Gondwana there was also the continent of Baltica and Siberia, both which are now parts of present-day northern Europe, but at the time separate entities. In terms of the state of Ohio, the North American c ontent was linked and referred to as Laurentia. There was tremendous geological change during this period, with underwater volcanoes emerging that would go on to form the Appalachian mountain range. Ordovician Life Abundant life emerged during the Cambrian period, and this life carried over to the proceeding Ordovician period. This life evolved and divided into new species many of which existed throughout what would later become the Ohio region. While fossilized sea life has been discovered throughout Ohio, perhaps the most prominent discoveries have come in the southwestern region of the state. It has even jokingly been noted that if one were to remove all of the Ordovician rocks from the Cincinnati area, then the state would once again fall below sea level. While there are a variety of sea life fossils that have been discovered in Ohio, scientists have identified a number as the most prominent. One of the most prominent such sea life fossils in Ohio are bryozoans. It’s been indicated that these animals, â€Å"lived in branching, tree-like colonies or flattened, encrusting masses on shells of other invertebrates. In some areas, bryozoans litter the outcrop. Brachiopods are no less spectacularly abundant than bryozoans and are a favorite of the beginning collector.

Introduction To Teaching And Learning

Introduction To Teaching And Learning 1.1 Analyse the role of initial assessment in the learning and teaching process. Initial assessment should take place before a student commences a course to ensure they are on the right path (Ann Gravells 2007). It is about establishing your learners starting points and is a crucial part of the learning journey. It provides the information needed to decide a learners starting point and is the benchmark from which learners progress and measuring achievements. Doing an initial assessment not only allows the teacher to identify the learners needs, but also helps removes any barriers to learning they may have. Initial assessment should be done with the learner involved, it should be centered on the learner. As Green (2003, pp 5) states: Initial assessment needs to be done with learners rather to them. It should be of benefit to learners and help them feel positive about themselves and their potential to learn The outcomes of initial assessment help to form the individual learning plan (ILP). In fact, it would be difficult to supply all the information needed for an ILP without carrying out a thorough initial assessment. The obvious roles of initial assessment to summarize is to: Agree starting points Identify learning goals Plan routes towards these goals Help learners to feel positive about their potential 1.2 Describe and evaluate different methods of initial assessment for use with learners. Methods of initial assessment vary but it is important that they contain some form of skill/knowledge assessment, which can be validated by the teacher. Methods of initial assessment involve: Observation Interviews Discussions Questions Tests Observation Getting learners to do tasks / exercises to perform a certain skill and observing them lets you see how they are doing. Learners can do presentations about an exercise they have had to do on a topic covered in a lesson, you can observe them doing this and see how well they are doing. Interviews and Discussion Discussing with learners, asking them questions and listening to what they say provides information about how they are and any issues they might have. The interview process could cover things such as: Reasons for applying Previous experience Prior achievements Career aims and aspirations Questions These could be written or oral. If using the same questions for different learners, this could be a problem, as they may pass on the answers. Asking questions can be used to assess knowledge and understanding. Questions should be open which require an answer that demonstrates knowledge. (Ann Gravells 2007). Tests Not all learners are keen on tests; they are seen as very formal methods of assessing learning. A gapped handout can be a useful way of testing knowledge. Learners are presented with information with missing words that they need to fill in. 1.3 Evaluate ways of planning, negotiating and recording appropriate learning goals with learners. As part of initial assessment goals would have been recognised that the learner wants to work towards and achieve. The teacher and the learner would have formally negotiated and agreed upon them. Mager(1984) states: If you dont know where you are going, it is difficult to select a suitable means for getting there A supportive and respectful relationship between learners and the teacher will ensure that realistic goals and targets are agreed, and how their progress will be assessed and recorded (Gravells and Simpson 2008). When targets are being agreed with the learner, these should always be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound). By doing this, everyone is clear about what is to be achieved and why, when, where and how (Gravells and Simpson 2008). Recording the learning goals involves getting the learner involved, getting them to take ownership of them and to agree and negotiate them. All the goals and targets need to be recorded. After doing an initial assessment the information gathered from it allows a teacher to device an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). An ILP provides a record of the 5 stages of RARPA (Recognizing and Recording Progress and Achievement) and allows the learner to reflect on their own learning and achievements. The process of creating an ILP needs to involve the learners. They have to be individual to the learner and embed literacy, language, numeracy and ICT goals. By using regular tutorials and review sessions with the learner, allows the ILP to be updated and amended as needed. 2.6 Identify and evaluate opportunities for learners to provide feedback to inform practice. Reviewing the progress of a learner regularly gives them the opportunity to have a one-to-one with the teacher and gives the learner the opportunity to review where they are up to and to discuss their goals and achievements. Any problems they have can be discussed and evaluated and goals can be amended if needed. Having reviews is an informal way for the learner to give any feedback they may have about how the course is going on a personal level. Learners can be encouraged to give feedback by directly asking them questions. If classes are small and interactive and there is mutual trust and respect on the part of the learners and teacher, then posing questions directly to a class may be feasible. However, there is no scope for anonymity of learner responses and some learners may feel uncomfortable voicing less popular opinions in such a public manner. Learners could give anonymous feedback by means of a questionnaire handout about the course, they would fill it in and put into a box at the end of a lesson. Getting feedback online is a possibility. Learners could email the teacher at particular points in the course with their questions, and some brief comments about what they find useful or arent sure about. Obvious downfalls of using any online method is learners need to have internet access, but if the education establishment has this in place, it doesnt possess any problems. 3.1 Select/adapt, use and justify a range of inclusive learning activities to enthuse and motivate learners, ensuring that curriculum requirements are met. Once schemes of work and lesson plans are devised you need to begin delivering learning. Addressing the diversity of learners by selecting appropriate curriculum and course content is a critical aspect of inclusiveness. Using a mixture of visual, aural and kinaesthetic methods of delivery will help reach all the learning styles of your learners(Ann Gravells, 2007). By using learning activities that use the aforementioned delivery methods you can include all learners learning styles within the class. Remembering that lesson plans will have the courses curriculum learning objectives and outcomes on them we can identify what activities we can use. Some learning activities are: Demonstration Coaching Group exercises Role play By using activities that use a mixture of visual, aural and kinaesthetic methods, we can enthuse all learners. Demonstrations can motivate the learners by getting them to do something practical, for instance, get the learner to put a computer together by actually doing this rather than just discussing about it. The learner would be more enthusiastic and motivated as they are physically doing something; they are not passive, silent learners. Rewarding the student when they have successfully done their activity will motivate them to learn more. Demonstrations can be supported with handouts and other activities to support all learning styles. As Petty states: What the learner does is more important than what the teacher does. Coaching is a one-one or small group activity, which would involve the teacher giving a demonstration, which is then followed by an observation of the learners performance. Using coaching takes into account the needs of the individual. Group exercises could involve members of a group who have a certain skill mixing up with learners who have different skills. This would motivate the learners to work together and gain knowledge from each other and allow inclusive learning to take place. Ginnis(2002) pointed out that learners are more motivated, engaged and open when they have some control over their learning. 3.2 Analyse the strength and limitations of a range of resources, including new and emerging technologies, showing how these resources can be used to promote equality, support diversity and contribute to effective learning. The following are a few resources teachers generally use: OHPs Handouts Information and learning technology(ILT) OHPs have a great strength in the fact they can be used in daylight; you face the class and can therefore more easily control the group, get all the learners involved; it can be used with other aids; material can be prepared before a lesson or as the lesson develops and the material can be stored and used again. Limitations of using OHPs are learners cannot interact with them. They need to be positioned in a classroom so everybody can see the material being presented. If the classroom is large, learners sitting at the back may not be able to see the material clearly. Handouts are useful in the presentation of information or worksheets. Using presentation handouts have the limitation of the fact that learners may take them home and not read them. A handout can be a straightforward record of the teaching that has taken place, evidence indicates that handouts that are solely used in this manner rarely lead to sustained learning. (Armitage et al, 2003). Care must be taken if any learners are dyslexic with the use of colours on the handouts. Gapped handouts are a good way to evaluate if learning has taken place by getting the learners to fill in the missing words. It must be noted that handouts need to promote equality by not using words on them that are gender specific for example, male dominated wording. ILT refers to the use of information and communication technologies to support the core business of your organisation (Gravells and Simpson, 2008). ILT is a term used for the entire computer industry and covers a wide range of technologies. As all learners are individuals with different needs, from different cultural backgrounds, gender, race and different ages the use of ILT promotes equality and supports diversity. E-learning includes the use of electronic learning technologies; as previously mentioned this would include interactive whiteboards and data projectors and virtual learning environments. As each learner has different learning needs, there are different e-learning teaching methods. Some learners may prefer to learn when and where it is convenient for them, this can be achieved by distance learning from home or somewhere else. Learners are able to interact with their teachers and resource materials at a time of their choosing. The obvious limitation is that the learner needs to be self-motivated and may feel they miss out on one-to-one communication with their teacher, they can feel isolated. Using virtual classrooms that duplicates what is found in a real classroom provides teachers and learners to meet virtually; they dont have to be physically in the same room. This is known as asynchronous learning. Learners can engage with each other when it is most convenient for them to do so. They can leave a trail of their postings much like a blog for other learners and the teacher to see. Of course this has its limitations and is open for abuse. Limitations such as the learner could get somebody else to enter the virtual classroom for them; the learner needs to be computer literate and needs access to the internet. The use of audio aids help support diversity, if somebody in the classroom was partially sighted, they would hear the information that is being presented. The teacher could have an induction loop system in the classroom to include learners with a hearing impairment. By providing different environments and a range of resources, effective learning can take place. It is evident that by using a range of resources in teaching, different learning styles can be used which supports equality and diversity. 3.4 Select/adapt, use and justify a range of inclusive resources to promote inclusive learning and teaching. The education establishment should promote inclusive learning for everybody. Having easy access to classrooms by means of having lifts for wheel chair users is an important resource. Classrooms should be laid out in such a way that wheel chair access is easily established. Handouts are a clear way of showing if your learners are actually listening and learning. Consideration must be taken when designing handouts if some of your learners are dyslexic or have sight impairments use different colour paper and use a larger-sized font. You may need to photocopy handouts in order to give out to the class, but you may have run out of the budget allocated to you for photocopying. Instead of photocopying them you could email them to the learners and get them to print them out or you could use the education establishments learning platform such as WebCT and encourage learners to access them here. The use of the internet is a great resource for learning and teaching. Most learners would have access to computers at their place of study and have access to the internet. As we all know, the internet has a wealth of information and is a great learning tool. Teachers can use the internet to find lots of free resources by carrying out a search on their particular subject (Gravells and Simpson, 2008). Most educational establishments have access to library resource facilities; learners would be encouraged to use this to help with their learning and assignments. If there is no library resource you could adapt and use the local public library, which would have books, ICT and other useful resources for your learners. Some educational establishments have expert help available to both learners and those teaching them, responding to them and supporting their learning. These are often referred to as disabilities unit or equality unit and will usually contain personnel trained in identifying and responding to specific learning needs (Race, 2007). Their should be departmental help within the teachers department on such issues as ICT assistance, this could come from technicians to help with ICT equipment or a programme leader who could assist with helping the teaching get up to speed with new ICT equipment such as an interactive board. 4.1 Use and evaluate different communication methods and skills to meet the needs of learners and organisations. Communication is a means of passing on information from one person to another. It is also a manner of expression, for example, your body language, voice and gestures you make (Ann Gravells, 2007). Methods of communication involve: Verbal Non-verbal Written Feedback is a verbal communication skill that identifies clearly that learners are actively listening. Speaking clearly at the right pace is an important verbal communication skill. If some of the learners first language is not English, you need to be careful with use of words they may not be familiar with. Non-verbal communication includes such things as your body language, gestures, and even the way you sit. It is important you dress appropriately, act professionally and confidently, as the learners will observe your dress, manner and attitude. Written communication can be in the forms of a handout, email, computerised presentation to name a few. It can be used to direct the learners to do something such as direct them to a given location. Listening is an important communication skill. You need to be able to listen to what your learners say when giving responses and answering your questions. Not being able to listen to what your learners are saying and answering their questions satisfactory causes communication to break down. Empathy and sympathy are also skills of communication. You can express empathy when you have personally experienced something your learners have gone through. You can sympathise when you havent (Gravells and Simpson, 2008). 4.2 Evaluate own communication skills, identifying ways in which these could be improved including an analysis of how barriers to effective communication might be overcome. During part of my team-teach, I tried to communicate clearly and not use any jargon that could have misunderstood the learners. The information that was presented using the data projector was clear and not cluttered. I asked appropriate questions and listened to the learners responses. I felt I spoke too quickly during the team-teach and should have spoken slightly slower than normal. By speaking slightly slower would give the learners time to take in and assimilate what is being conveyed. When giving handouts, I made sure there werent any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors on them, failing to do this would lead to confusion for the learners. A skill to communicating effectively is to project confidence. Asking the right questions at the right time to get the information we need allows us to communicate effectively. Oral communication must be clear and not heavily accented. It must be accurate, not ambiguous or biased and be expressed in a professional manner. We must be aware of what the learners currently know, no point aiming a lesson at too high a level if the learners arent at that point this would lead to confusion. As Nickerson, (1999, 2001) stated: The curse of knowledge leads us to overestimate what others know. Testing communication prior to use can help overcome communication barriers. Learners may have cultural differences, which may have an impact on their literacy learning. Initial assessment may help here, once you are aware of any issues, you can work on them and communicate in a way that enables learners to interpret what you are conveying. The learners body language can help overcome barriers to communication. By using regular eye contact with all learners you can see the expressions on their faces and this helps identify if there is any communication problem. The learners themselves may have barriers; they may have preoccupations, which lead to lapses in concentration, or they may not understand the terminology being used, they may be colour blind thus handouts need to be adapted for them. Physical factors in the classroom play an important part in effective communication. The classroom layout needs to be correctly laid out in order for the learners to see and hear you, the lighting has to be good, and noise levels to a minimum. Introducing a complex topic can cause communication problems to the learners, to overcome this, you need to break the topic down and present it in logical manner. 6.1 Use regular reflection and feedback from others, including learners, to evaluate and improve own practice, making recommendations for modification as appropriate. Prior to doing the team-teach I had to do a micro-teach session and reflect on it. Having kept a reflective journal it was noted that I had to look at timing issues as I was trying to cram too much information into the session that made me run over time. With this taken on board, the team-teach session was done as to not cram too much information in and to try and get the timings more precise. I feel the information content was better, the timings were a little better, although the team-teach still went over time but I believe that was down more to the questions being asked from my peers. At the end of the team-teach, feedback handouts were given out to my peers, which provided me with an evaluation of the session and allowed me to look at possible modifications for future sessions I plan on doing. All the feedback was positive, everybody stated that they had learnt from the session, that the handouts had been clear, that a variety of teaching styles had been used and the visual aids had been used effectively. Some of my peers had commented on how the session may have been improved upon such as not to make the session too subjective and try not to use own opinions without providing evidence. These have been noted in my reflective journal and will allow me to improve my own practice. As well as using a handout for feedback I informally spoke to some of my peers to help me realise if the delivery of the team-teach had been successful or not. My communication skills need improving to make sure I speak clearly, and a little more loudly and slowly than normal. I have learnt that some of the words used in communicating verbally need to reflect equality and inclusiveness and not be biased in any way. I also need to identify which elements of the minimum core is being addressed, especially the specific ones and to add these to my lesson plans and scheme of work in future.