How To Write An Essay Essays - International Baccalaureate, Essay

How To Write An Essay 1 Approaching the Essay As a student you will almost certainly have to produce essays during your course. Some will be written during term time and contribute to course work assessment, others will be answers to questions set in formal examinations. An essay is usually defined as a continuous piece of writing ranging in length from at least 500 words to about 5,000 words for a special or extended essay. But this booklet is not just about 'writing' essays, it's about the various stages you need to consider when producing an essay and about the ways in which producing an essay helps you to learn. The time given to each of these stages will of course vary according to the conditions surrounding any particular essay. Let's look at the first stage -which is approaching the essay. Why write essays? If we understand the value of doing something, it usually helps to make us feel more positive and confident about the task. So what is the value of writing an essay? Here are some ideas - you might think of more. It forces you to organize your own thinking and develop your own point of view on issues. In one sense, writing is the crucial step which helps you get to grips with new ideas and new experiences. Without that step, it's very difficult or impossible to know how much you've really understood. Expressing yourself - ideas, new information, or whatever, in written form, really is a life skill -which you will need in almost every area of work. Essay writing gives you practice and develops that skill. If it's a term time essay, you can see it as giving you practice for writing under exam conditions. And don't forget that the essay provides very useful revision material. Lastly, it gives you a chance to get feedback from your tutor about their assessment of how much you've understood and how well you are able to communicate this. With your tutor's help, you can identify areas of strength and weakness so you know where to concentrate your energies next time. So, approach your essay positively. It can be a very valuable learning opportunity. Course conventions? Of course, you must also check out any particular requirements your course or department might have for that particular essay. How long should it be? Should it be presented in a particular way -typed, for example? If you know the answers to these questions, it will help you to feel more confident about the task. Written versus spoken One last point in this preliminary stage is to remember that there is a difference between written and spoken communication. You must select your words more carefully and make your meaning absolutely clear. Remember you won't be beside your reader to explain any difficult or obscure points. It's more important too, to have a sequence of logical steps so that your reader can follow your train of thought. Any emphasis has to be conveyed through vocabulary, sentence rhythm or punctuation. And because your reader can go at his own pace, even go back, if necessary, writing can be much more concentrated than speech. All this has been about the general framework in which you approach your essay. Now we'll go to the next stage which is to examine the task. 2 What is the Question? Understanding the question You need to examine the precise wording of the question, in order to decide exactly what you are being asked to do. You will also need to consider the assumptions behind the question and the implications that arise from the question's statement or assumptions. Does the topic require general treatment or specific reference to certain aspects? Are your own experiences and opinions worth expressing - or should you refer only to the knowledge of others? Key words It is often useful at this stage to underline what you think are the key words in the way in which the question is worded. Look for the vital words or phrases which will determine the style and structure of the answer you will write. A list of the key directive words frequently found in essay titles is given below and this might help you understand what is being asked of you in an assignment. Some terms frequently used in essay questions: Compare Look for similarities and differences between; perhaps reach a conclusion

Use Conditional Probability to Calculate Intersections

Use Conditional Probability to Calculate Intersections The conditional probability of an event is the probability that an event A occurs given that another event B has already occurred. This type of probability is calculated by restricting the sample space that we’re working with to only the set B. The formula for conditional probability can be rewritten using some basic algebra. Instead of the formula: P(A | B) P(A ∠© B) /P( B ), we multiply both sides by P( B ) and obtain the equivalent formula: P(A | B) x P( B) P(A ∠© B). We can then use this formula to find the probability that two events occur by using the conditional probability. Use of Formula This version of the formula is most useful when we know the conditional probability of A given B as well as the probability of the event B. If this is the case, then we can calculate the probability of the intersection of A given B by simply multiplying two other probabilities. The probability of the intersection of two events is an important number because it is the probability that both events occur. Examples For our first example, suppose that we know the following values for probabilities: P(A | B) 0.8 and P( B ) 0.5. The probability P(A ∠© B) 0.8 x 0.5 0.4. While the above example shows how the formula works, it may not be the most illuminating as to how useful the above formula is. So we will consider another example. There is a high school with 400 students, of which 120 are male and 280 are female. Of the males, 60% are currently enrolled in a mathematics course. Of the females, 80% are currently enrolled in a mathematics course. What is the probability that a randomly selected student is a female who is enrolled in a mathematics course? Here we let F denote the event â€Å"Selected student is a female† and M the event â€Å"Selected student is enrolled in a mathematics course.† We need to determine the probability of the intersection of these two events, or P(M ∠© F). The above formula shows us that P(M ∠© F) P( M|F ) x P( F ). The probability that a female is selected is P( F ) 280/400 70%. The conditional probability that the student selected is enrolled in a mathematics course, given that a female has been selected is P( M|F ) 80%. We multiply these probabilities together and see that we have an 80% x 70% 56% probability of selecting a female student who is enrolled in a mathematics course. Test for Independence The above formula relating conditional probability and the probability of intersection gives us an easy way to tell if we are dealing with two independent events. Since events A and B are independent if P(A | B) P( A ), it follows from the above formula that events A and B are independent if and only if: P( A ) x P( B ) P(A ∠© B) So if we know that P( A ) 0.5, P( B ) 0.6 and P(A ∠© B) 0.2, without knowing anything else we can determine that these events are not independent. We know this because P( A ) x P( B ) 0.5 x 0.6 0.3.   This is not the probability of the intersection of A and B.

Management - Managing People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management - Managing People - Essay Example It is said that the existence of motivators at the place of work account for the motivation of employees however their absence did not bring about any dissatisfaction. Some of the principle motivators recognized in this regard are responsibility, recognition, promotion, achievement etc (Mullins, 2010, p.265). The efficiency that the organization has gained over the years along with the attainment of Six Sigma has been responsible for acting as a motivating force behind their job performance. The organization has been able to attain great management excellence and efficiency. This is demonstrated through the fact that their error rate diminished dramatically which have been responsible for the attainment of great operational excellence. ... This relates to the high achievement needs of people as proposed by McClelland. The high need for achievement among the workers drives them to even negotiate with traffic on bicycles or foot at rapid pace to deliver to the required destinations as per their commitment. McClelland has perceived the achievement motive as most crucial for attainment of success and growth (Mullins, 2010, p.267). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs As per the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the workers involved in the service demonstrate the need for self actualization which the highest order need in the hierarchy of needs in the theory. The Mumbai dabbawalahs represent the fact that the basic needs in the hierarchy have been satisfied and they have moved up to the higher order needs. The basic needs like physiological needs, security needs and social needs have already been attained and would not be able to provide any more motivation. The theory does not intend to provide an explanation of mot ivation in the place of work. However, a number of managerial theorists have adopted it. The theory has suggested that employees would always tend to acquire more from their employers. When they would be satisfied with the subsistence needs they would try to obtain the security needs which would be followed by the need to fulfil social needs and would ultimately result in fulfilling the self actualization need. The workers are now trying to seek the need for self actualization which is done by maintaining such efficiency and performance which is comparable to some of the leading corporations in the world (Mullins, 2010, p.260). Alderfer’s modified need hierarchy model The Alderfer’s modified need hierarchy also applies in this case.

Space Shuttle Challenger Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Space Shuttle Challenger - Research Paper Example Around 73 seconds after the flight of the space shuttle it was seen that it exploded in the sky. The loss was terrible to a country that was looking for the success of the space shuttle. The space shuttle had seven astronauts who were killed instantly after the explosion. A teacher known as Christi McAuliffe was also in the crew members and she also died in the explosion. The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion occurred because of several reasons and was not associated to a single problem. Even after 25 years of the explosion the people of America have not forgotten the incident and it is still remembered all over. The National Aeronautics Space Association has taken several steps to ensure that such an accident does not occur again. This essay would further revolve around the Space Shuttle Challenger and would provide information regarding it (Travers et al 2011). History The concept of Space shuttle originated in the 1960s when Apollo was being built by the authorities. Ever since t he genesis of the shuttle project the authorities tried to build a space shuttle which could be used again for future missions. Initially the space shuttle challenger was known as STA-099 and worked as a test vehicle but soon it was to be converted into a space bound shuttle. In 1979 the National Aeronautics Space Association gave the contract of converting STA-099 into an orbiter OV-099. It was in that very year that the process began and was completed soon enough without going into much hassle. OV-099 was known as the Challenger and reached the grounds of Kennedy Space Center in 1982. The word ‘Challenger’ was given to the shuttle because of the success of a research naval vessel known as HMS Challenger. Similarly the name of the lunar module of Apollo 17 was also Challenger. The Space Shuttle underwent many tests before finally going on the mission in 1986 which changed the course of history. It launched almost 21 missions from the year of 1982 to 1986 and all of the se missions were successful except for the last one (Presidential Commission 1986; NASA, Space Shuttle Overview 2011). Mission The Space Shuttle Challenger was go on a mission called STS-51L which had several targets to be achieved. The mission of the space shuttle was to deploy a satellite known as TDRS-B. The mission included a program known as Comet Halley Active Monitoring Program (CHAMP) along with a video program known as the Teacher in space program. The program teacher in space had become very popular amongst the masses as a teacher was also included in the group of astronauts leaving in the challenger. Fluid dynamics experiment was also planned by the astronauts, which had to be broadcasted by the teacher. The teacher was entitled to provide two lectures to the students so that they could know more about life in space. It was believed that the program by the teacher would help to create an interest amongst the students and this would be a revolution in the arena of educatio n (NASA, Mission Archives 2011). Crew Members The mission 51-L consisted of around seven astronauts who unfortunately were not able to complete their task because of mishaps. Francis Scobee was the commander of the space shuttle and had previous experience of flying the shuttle on the 41-C mission. Michael Smith was selected as the captain of the shuttle and this was his first experience on a space shuttle. Colonel Ellison Onizuka played the role of a test engineer and had prior experience in space shuttle

ECH125 T5CulturalInstructionalStrategies Essay Example for Free

ECH125 T5CulturalInstructionalStrategies Essay Perdew Maria SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MARIA IS AN OUTGOING, HAPPY SECOND-GRADER WITH STRONG LITERACY SKILLS; IN FACT, SHE IS BILINGUAL, SPANISH/ENGLISH. HER FAVORITE PART OF SCHOOL IS READING AND WRITING STORIES. SHE ALSO ENJOYS MATH. SHE IS VERY ACTIVE AND ENJOYS RECESS AND CREATING DANCE STEPS IN PE. SHE IS SENSITIVE AND CAN GET HER FEELINGS HURT EASILY. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ?CULTURAL USE THE READING AND WRITING LOVE AND HAVE READING AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS/ACTIVITIES IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH. ?INSTRUCTIONAL INTRODUCE MORE COMPLEX READING LEVELS, WORK ONE ON ONE WITH HER TO BEGIN WRITING STORY SUMMARIES AND IDENTIFYING THE MAIN IDEA. RESULTS OF MENTOR TEACHER DISCUSSIONS: WE DISCUSSED THE IMPORTANCE OR REALLY HORNING IN ON STUDENT’S STRENGTHS TO PUSH HER TO ENSURE THE STUDENT IS LEARNING SOMETHING NEW. Ashley SIX-YEAR-OLD ASHLEY IS THE YOUNGEST OF FIVE CHILDREN. SHE IS VERY SHY AND CLINGS TO HER OLDER SISTER EACH DAY WHEN SHE BRINGS HER INTO THE FIRST GRADE CLASSROOM. ASHLEY IS CURIOUS; HER FAVORITE PART OF SCHOOL IS DOING SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS. SHE READS AT A PRIMER LEVEL, BUT ENJOYS HAVING PEOPLE READ TO HER. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ?CULTURAL INTRODUCE STRATEGIES FOR HER TO FOCUS IN ON HER CURIOSITY AND BLOSSOM THROUGH HER LOVE FOR SCIENCE. ?INSTRUCTIONAL TURN FOCUS TO SIGHT WORDS AT HER LEVEL AND START WORKING ON GETTING HER INTO A TITLE READING GROUP SO SHE CAN GET THE EXTRA WORK IN READING. RESULTS OF MENTOR TEACHER DISCUSSIONS: WE TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTIFY WHEN A CHILD NEEDS EXTRA WORK SUCH AND A TITLE READING GROUP AND ABOUT HOW EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE IN A OUTSIDE READING GROUP THEY STILL NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE CLASSROOM READINGS ASÂ  WELL. Xavier XAVIER IS A KINDERGARTENER WHO REALLY ENJOYS SPORTS, PARTICULARLY BASEBALL. HE HAS LOW LITERACY SKILLS. HE IS VERY SOCIAL AND ENJOYS INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER CHILDREN DURING RECESS, CLASS ACTIVITIES, AND AT THE COMPUTER. HE IS A HANDS-ON LEARNER, CONFIDENT, AND A RISK-TAKER. CULTURAL (ANTI-BIAS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ?CULTURAL USE HIS INTERESTS IN SPORTS AND COMPUTERS TO HELP KEEP HIM INTERESTED IN READING. ?INSTRUCTIONAL BUILD ON HIS CONFIDENCE AND HAVE HIM LEAD OTHERS STUDENTS WHEN Â © 2014. GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Exploring the Value of Canonical Literature and Its Role in Modern Educ

Exploring the Value of Canonical Literature and Its Role in Modern Education The English curriculum within most modern high schools seems to be comprised of two main portions. The first of these is the grammatical component, which seeks to help students better understand the structure and function of language. This aspect, although considered tedious by many students, certainly has immense value. Communication within the bounds of the English language is governed by a multitude of grammatical rules. Any student who wishes to communicate effectively must possess at least a basic understanding of these standards. The grammatical component, however, does not stand alone in the high school English classroom. It typically is accompanied by a literature section. This aspect of the curriculum focuses on the study of written works. In most secondary education settings, the literature studied falls into the realm of what is commonly referred to as â€Å"the classics.† In essence, these books are part of a canon of literary works that has been collected and passed down through the years. Having stood the test of time, they are considered by many to be â€Å"the best of the best† (Dixon 4). Most of the literature in the canon is like a fine wine in that it seems to have gotten better (or at least become more highly regarded) with age. These books typically are written by authors whose names have become legendary: Dickens, Twain, Shakespeare, Bronte, etc. Although the canon does feature a few 20th century writers such as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Wright, there is an undeniably heavy emphasis placed on authors who died centuries ago. Aside from a few notable exceptions, the works of the canon also tend to be f... ... classics and make it personally relevant. If this is done, the canon then becomes an invaluable tool for increasing knowledge and building understanding. WORKS CITED Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters In High School English. New York: Columbia University, 2000. Dixon, James G. Transcending Difference: The Place of the Classics in the Curriculum of the ‘90s. Diss. Grove City College, 1991. Funderstanding. 9 Nov. 2003. . Jain, Saranga. Literature in Education: Contemporary Texts Versus the Classics. Diss. The Pennsylvania State University, 1998. Literacy Matters. 8 Nov. 2003. . Whitehead, Alfred North. â€Å"The Place of Classics In Education.† The Aims of Education and Other Essays. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929. 93-115.

Red Bull and Reaction Times Essay

Introduction Substances that humans intake in food or drink contain various chemicals that affect the normal bodily functions of the consumer. Stimulants are drugs which when absorbed into the body raises physiological or nervous activity. The Red Bull Energy Drink is a stimulant, which contains psychoactive ingredients such as taurine, glucuronolactone and caffeine. Sportsmen and people requiring large amounts of energy or mental stimulation consume Red Bull because the beverage claims to â€Å"increase concentration and reaction speed†. Due to Red Bull’s claim, and its increasing popularity amongst teenagers in my grade, I wanted to test if the drink did actually affect the consumer psychoactively, and to how significant an extent. To test the claim, I decided to assess 20 subjects in their psychomotor performance (reaction time/concentration) both at a normal bodily function state, and then under the influence of the chemical stimulant Red Bull. Such a test would involve many variables that had to be kept constant. Hence, this test involved 20 male subjects aged 18 to 19 years of age, who were informed beforehand of the assessment procedure. These subjects were given instructions to have at least 8 hours of sleep the night before the experiment, and were told to be present for the assessment on an empty stomach. These subjects were also not allowed to consume any other food or drink substances during the window period of testing, and the entire experiment was conducted on the same day in a 3 hour window (8:30am to 11:30am). Each subject was to consume 250ml of water (experiment control) and 250 of Red Bull. Also, to allow the substances to absorb into the body of the consumer, reaction tests were conducted only 45 minutes after consumption of the substance. Such variables were important to have been kept in order to ensure that no other environmental factors or other chemicals being absorbed into the body will affect the experiment. The reaction speed assessment is conducted electronically. Each assessment consists of the subject concentrating on a yellow spot on the screen, which will turn red. Upon changing colour, the subject has to click using a provided mouse as fast as possible, and the reaction time is calculated electronically. Each assessment consists of 5 trials. A 2 sample t-test will be used to assess the if there is a significant difference between the reaction time of the subjects under the influence of water, versus under the influence of Red Bull. Research Question Is there a significant difference between the reaction speed of 18-19 year old males under the influence of water and under the influence of Red Bull Energy Drink? Hypothesis I believe that the reaction speed of the subjects under the influence of Red Bull Energy Drink is shorter than under the influence of water. Considering how consumers drink Red Bull to boost themselves when feeling lethargic, or having difficulties focusing, Red Bull must have a significant effect on the body’s psychoactivity. I also believe that an increase in the chemical stimulants (taurine, glucuronolactone and caffine) as well as high sugar levels will cause an increase in psychoactivity within the consumer’s body due to the nature of the chemical stimulants. (A sample sign-up form can be found on the following page.) Pre-Experiment Procedure: 2. Measure 250ml of water and pour it into the large cup. 3. Repeat step 2 20 times. This is to prepare the initial control for the subjects to consume. 4. Give a cup to each subject. Subjects consume the 250ml of water at about 2 minute intervals from each other. Start the stopwatch once the first subject has begun drinking. 5. Prepare a computer terminal with the reaction test given in the following link below. Instructions on how to conduct the test are provided on-site. You may need a computer lab to carry out the test. Each test involves five trials. http://www.steriley.com/speed/ 6. When 45 minutes has passed, allocate the first subject to the computer. Instruct him/her to carry out the test. Assist any volunteer who may require extra help. 7. When the subject has completed the test, collect the results into a table. Allocate the next subject to begin the test. This step should be completed in exactly 2 minutes. 8. Repeat steps 3-7 once more, but instead give each subject a can of Red Bull instead of water. Investigate How Red Bull Energy Drink Affects The Reaction Time of 18-19 Year Old Human Males. (Sign-up sheet) Details: Venue: St Josephs Institution International Date: 11 June 2011 Time: 8:30am – 11:30am (please be punctual) Instructions (read carefully before signing up): * Volunteers must be male and between the ages of 18 and 19.* * Volunteers must receive 8 hours of sleep before the experiment day. * Volunteers must not have consumed any food or drinks at least 3 hours before the experiment. * Volunteers are not to consume any food or drink during the experiment period. * Volunteers are not allowed to do any strenuous activities during the experiment period. This includes running, and other forms of exercise. Std. Dev:| 0.033| 0.019| Graph showing mean reaction times of 20 males, ages 18-19 under influence of water and of Red Bull: From the graph, we can already infer that there is quite a large difference between the reaction times of the subjects under the influence of Red Bull as compared to water. The t-test to follow will show if this difference shown on the graph is a significant difference or not. T-test: I will now use a t-test to prove whether there is a significant difference between the reaction times of an 18-19 year old male under the influence of water or Red bull. Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference between the reaction times of an 18-19 year old male under the influence of either water or Red Bull Energy Drink. Alternate Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant difference between the reaction times of an 18-19 year old male under the influence of Red Bull Energy Drink as compared to water. Working: For this experiment, the degrees of freedom is calculated to be: 20+20-2=38. The t-value as provided by the GDC is 6.2966 or 6.30 corrected to 3 significant figures. The p-value as provided by the table is 1.684 (at 40 d.f) with a confidence level of 95%. 6.30>1.684, ∠´t>p. The value of t is larger than p. The P-value as calculated by the GDC is 2.232737 x 10 -7 or 0.000000223 (3.s.f.) P