The Benefits of Cooperative Learning for ELL Students

The Benefits of Cooperative Learning for ELL Students The first thing to consider is the fact that cooperative learning is beneficial to all students, regardless of their classification or primary language. In fact, activities where the teacher uses conceptual strategies that promote learning together or group investigation are statistically proven to be superior to instructional design focused on working alone or working in a competitive environment. Essentially, helping each other is better than competing or working alone. Three highly effective conceptual models have been determined to be those cooperative activities which can be labeled as learning together, academic controversy, or group investigation. Basically, if the cooperative learning technique you are using involves one of these three modes, then your lesson should be more effective than students working alone or in a competitive style (Johnson, D., Johnson R., Stanne, 2000). There are many examples of instructional strategies with a learning together style. Numbered Heads Together is one such activity; it is a strategy that promotes discussion, individual accountability, as well as group accountability. It is especially effective for reviewing and integrating subject matter (Numbered Heads Together, 2010). Academic controversy, another effective style of cooperative learning mentioned in the previous paragraph, is essentially informed and educated debate, with one important twist: the students argue both sides of the issue or contentious theory. One example of this type of cooperative learning strategy involves six steps: create the best case for a position on the controversy, present this best case, engage in open discussion, reverse perspectives, synthesize and come to consensus, and prepare a report (Academic Controversy, 2010). The last highly-effective type of cooperative learning noted above in the research is called group investigation. One school district website describes group investigation as an activity where à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦students collaborate to produce a group product for presentation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [in] an open-ended investigationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦structured to promote higher-order thinking skills. (Regina Public Schools, 2003). This type of group activity is probably best known as the very popular WebQuest design where students surf the internet in a guided, but self-directed, group investigation into a topic which ultimately leads to a finalized presentation or product. (Dodge, 2007). There are many more types of cooperative learning possibilities and conceptual categories to consider than learning together, academic controversy, and group investigation, however the conceptual types mentioned above are noted to be especially easy to learn, easy to implement, and easy to maintain once put into use (Johnson et al., 2000). Not only are cooperative learning strategies effective for all learners, but they are especially effective for ELL students specifically. Language learners tend to pick up social language much faster than academic language. ELL students basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) are practiced in a meaningful context in a variety of social settings, but CALP is not normally practiced outside of the classroom. Rather, CALP is the language used in subject area content material; CALP is essential for success in school. While BICS will develop in as little as six months, CALP may take as long as seven years (Haynes, 1998). So we can see that the faster CALP is developed, the sooner our ELL students will succeed in content curricular areas. One way that cooperative learning helps CALP to be developed is through comprehensible input and comprehensible output. ELL students will often fail to understand a lecture, but if they are assisted by classmates it can be made more comprehensible to them. Comprehensive output means that the student has the opportunity to practice at whatever level of English fluency they have attained. CL helps to develop comprehensible input and comprehensible output in several ways. First, small groups make it possible for the teacher or group members to adapt the message to the ELL student. Second, feedback, correction, and checking of comprehension are easier in small groups and are non-judgmental. Also, ELL students have the opportunity to practice their oral language skills, get repetition, and peer assistance related to the current task at hand (Haynes, 1998). Another way that cooperative learning is helpful to ELL students is by lowering their anxiety level so that they feel more at ease and are able to comfortably focus on learning the language. Wang Qiangs work on cooperative learning (Qiang, 2007, as cited in Yang, 2008) shows us that speaking in small groups is natural, because in real life, this is how spontaneous communication occurs. If they speak in front of a large group of people it is usually a more formal situation where they have a prepared speech (Yang, 2009). Furthermore, according to Krashens Affective Filter hypothesis, anxiety is a negative factor in second language acquisition whereby the ELL student will retain less language under stress than in a relaxed state (Schutz, 2007). Since cooperative learning lowers the affective filter (Willis, 2007), it is logical that cooperative learning would make second language learning less threatening and therefore more effective. Consider this powerful quote about neuroimaging of t he anxious brain: In MRI scans of adolescents in states of affective, emotional anxiety, when the amygdala is metabolically hyperactive, the pathways that normally conduct information in and out of the amygdala show greatly reduced activity. Thus, new information is blocked from entering the memory banks (Toga Thompson, 2003, as stated in Willis, 2007). Two early studies done by Pica and Doughty in 1984 and 1985 (as stated in Liang, Mohan, and Early, 1998) compared the efficacy of teacher-fronted classes to small-group interactive classes. They found that in small groups students were able to practice more, receive more feedback, and produce more examples of the target language. This suggests that in small groups the ELL students have more opportunity to work on those specific curricular words, or academic language, that TESL instructors strive to develop. Pica and Doughtys study also found that in group work over 65% of students were engaged in negotiation for meaning versus 45% of the students in teacher-fronted classes. This statistic seems to suggest that ELL students will talk more freely and frequently in group settings about what unfamiliar language terms and structures mean. Thus, CALP is likely developed faster in CL groups than in teacher-fronted classes (Liang et al, 1998). Two interesting handbooks may help teachers improve their ability to foster CALP in the ELL classroom. One is the very popular Calla Handbook and the other is titled Building Academic Language, by Jeff Zweirs. The CALLA handbook: Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach, was written by Anna Uhl Chamot, and was presented in workshop format, by the author, in Wyoming in February of 2007. In her presentation on her popular book, Dr. Chamot stresses several key aspects of the CALLA approach. CALLA instruction is based on educational research and focuses on those language skills needed in school for academic success. Students are encouraged to value their prior knowledge and to relate it to new academic learning, a new culture, and a new language. Students are also tasked with learning to work cooperatively and socially, as well as internalizing learning strategies and applying them to new situations. Teachers are advised to use interesting topics and content which is linked to prior experiences and knowledge as well as presenting content through hands-on, investigative, or cooperative activities (Chamot Robbins, 2007). A book review of Building Academic Language: Essential Practices for Content Classrooms illuminates its value for building CALP in ELL education. This handbook is described as being very practical, full of strategies for the classroom, and focused on academic literacy. Important concepts in the book include using in-depth conversation as a scaffolding technique for building academic language, using metacognition to help students analyze classroom interactions, as well as the use of visual aids to help develop academic thought processes. The book stresses the need to think about the quality of student discourse, as well as the quantity, whereby the style of academic verbal interactions is guided by teaching processes, is modeled by the teacher, and ultimately leads to a deeper academic vocabulary and a deeper comprehension. (Huerta-Macias, 2007). In conclusion, this paper has reviewed and discussed how certain styles of cooperative learning are particularly valuable for all learners, including ELL students. Cooperative learning research and scholarly writings have been reviewed which demonstrate further that CL facilitates second language acquisition, in particular, because it lowers anxiety, makes input and output more comprehensible, and leads to more frequent use of the target language being studied. Finally, two respected TESL handbooks were reviewed for their merits in helping ELL teachers develop CALP.

steve wynn :: essays research papers fc

Steve Wynn’s Nevada   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What better way to set off Nevada’s centennial birthday than with the opening of the world’s most highly anticipated resort. Steve Wynn is set to open the only hotel good enough to put his signature on, Wynn Las Vegas is set to open its doors on April 28th, Elaine Wynn’s birthday. Already fully booked thru July, you will need more than an American Express black card to get a room there before Fall. At a mere $2.6 billion and counting, the classy fifty story bronze beast is home to 2,700 rooms located across from the Fashion Show Mall. Each suite has floor to ceiling windows with views of either the strip, a man made mountain and lake or the championship golf course designed by world renowned Tom Fazio. Among two new exquisite themed theaters, dozens of restaurants, a Maserati and Ferarri dealership, high-end boutiques, a spa and a huge waterfall, it will also feature Steve and Elaine Wynn’s gallery of artwork from their own private coll ection. One of the new showrooms will hopefully be worth its $100 million price tag. It seats 2,000 and is shaped like a globe with water flowing all around the divided sections. Actors will be performing throughout the theatre within forty feet of every seat, which makes for no bad seat in the house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s claim to fame will be what Wynn has been known for in the past, impeccable first class service. Since October of last year close to 110,000 applied on line for a chance to work with such a successful hotelier. So to his advantage he was able to pick and choose only the best, many from his soon to be competitors. Only 9,000 made the final cut. This will be his big comeback since leaving five years ago when he sold the Mirage Resorts to MGM Grand Inc. for $6.4 billion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plans for expanding the mega resort that has yet to open are well under way. A proposed $200 million expansion will add eighteen luxury golf villas, extra parking, another theatre and more casino space. Later as many as 1,400 more rooms will be added which is expected to cost another half a billion dollars by the time its done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a boy Wynn attended military school and would go on to attend one of the best business schools in the country, Wharton at University of Pennsylvania.

Survivor: Philippines – an Analysis Using Communication Theory

â€Å"SURVIVOR: PHILIPPINES†: An Analysis of the CBS Program Using Three Theories of Communication Sally Annabella Communications 307 Dr. Debbie Way November 2012 No one has died. Some have been medevacked. It’s a rough game. The CBS television series Survivor is one of the first ‘reality tv’ shows and is now in its 12th year. It features eighteen contestants striving to â€Å"Outwit, Outplay and Outlast† each other to win one million dollars by the end of the season.While it is important to be in good physical shape (the challenges are just that, physically challenging) it is imperative to have impeccable communication skills. In watching episodes of the current season, Survivor: Philippines, I have noticed: Communication Privacy Management Theory, Message Design Logics, Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Politeness Theory, and Social Exchange Theory. While this paper only requires three theories to be mentioned, I will show that all five are tied togeth er.Each season Survivor is filmed over a period of 39 days on a different remote island. The contestants are divided into two or three tribes that start out competing against each other in challenges for a) rewards such as fishing supplies or an elegant feast and b) the coveted Immunity Idol, a token that means they will have the chance to play another three days. The tribe that does not win the idol will have to go to Tribal Council (an event that happens generally every three days) and risk being voted out of the game, hence no chance of winning the million dollar prize.About half-way through the season, the tribes merge into one, each player now plays for himself, and the remaining challenges are centered around winning Individual Immunity. All of the remaining players now go to Tribal Council and vote out one player. These ousted players now form the Jury, and they will be the ones to ultimately vote at the end of the game (when there are three remaining players) on who will tak e home the million dollars. Communication Privacy Management Theory, as stated by Dainton and Zelley on page 68, has four main principles. The one most applicable in Survivor involves boundaries.A boundary linkage is formed when two or more parties share information (Dainton and Zelley p. 71) with each owner of the information being responsible for its privacy. Inevitably, when one player finds a hidden Immunity Idol, they cannot seem to keep the information to themselves. They feel they must entrust someone else with this extremely private information and this almost certainly is their undoing. Dainton and Zelley show on page 72 that Petronio in 2002 states that boundary turbulence occurs when the rules for privacy management are not clear.This statement implies that boundary turbulence is unintentional. In watching Survivor, I found that boundary turbulence could also be intentional. In one instance, Player A told Player B she would not tell anyone that he (Player B) was in posses sion of a hidden immunity idol, yet she did tell someone else (Player C. ) Player C then confronted Player B, causing boundary turbulence with Player A. In another instance (and a different set of players), Players A and B together found a clue to a hidden immunity idol. They promised each other not to tell anyone else.Player A then told Player C. Player C seized an opportunity to plant the clue in Player B’s possessions, making it appear to Player A that Player B had betrayed her, thus creating boundary turbulence. In Message Design Logics Theory, there are three types of communication, expressive (p. 35), conventional and rhetorical (p. 36). Expressive is a sender-focused pattern of communication, concerned primarily with self-expression. Some players do not seem to have a ? lter and allow their thoughts to spew out, whether it be bene? cial to them or not. Conventional operates by rules.In one episode, others in the group let one player know that he was overstepping the li ne of acceptable behavior when he was snuggling with another particular contestant. They pointed out to him that it appeared to the rest of the group that he was in a strong alliance with her. He subsequently stopped sleeping next to her to show the group his allegiance was not tied to her. The more successful players of Survivor communicate in the rhetorical fashion. These individuals â€Å"view communication as a powerful tool used to create situations and negotiate multiple goals (p. 6). † They pay close attention to what others are communicating in order to be better able to understand their point of view, and therefore what they might be thinking beyond what they are saying. Those who use this type of communication are seeking a balance between their goals and keeping harmony with the receiver(s), even to the point of protecting another? s feelings (such as by not embarrassing them. ) They want to maintain a good working relationship with the other person in the future. Survivor contestants experience on a daily basis Uncertainty Reduction Theory.Dainton and Zelley point out on page 43 that, according to Berger and Calabrese (1975), humans regularly experience uncertainty, we do not like the feeling, and we use communication to reduce our uncertainties. In the game of Survivor, the players are in a constant state of uncertainty. They know that, by design of the game, they and their co-competitors all have the same goal. And only one of them is going to reach it. They go into the game knowing they are going to form friendships and they are going to have to lie and accept being lied to.One player stated that nobody wants to betray anybody else and nobody wants to feel betrayed. Politeness Theory also comes into play. Dainton and Zelley show on page 60 that if someone has more power or prestige than you, you will be more polite to them. This theory also states that if what you have to say may hurt the receiver of the information, you will be more poli te. Survivor is all about who has the power. The players all want to be the one with the power, whether they want to let the other players know or not.To tie it to Message Design Logics, if they are a rhetorical communicator, they will be more polite to the one perceived as having the power. The expressive communicator, however, will not be so aware of the need to be polite. Another theory that needs to be mentioned is Social Exchange Theory. Dainton and Zelley on page 61 show that Thibaut and Kelley in 1959 maintained that humans, by nature, are sel? sh. We determine the relationships we keep or let go by weighing the bene? ts versus the costs of these relationships. In Survivor, the players are continually assessing their relationships with each ther, strategizing which relationships will thrive and which will be detrimental to their ultimate goal of making it all 39 days and to the million dollar prize. The CBS television show Survivor is a wealth of examples of communication the ories in action. A contestant cannot possibly make it to the end and win the prize of one million dollars without being an exceptional communicator. This means not only being able to convey one’s own information (expressive Message Design Logics), but also being able to assess how his/her information is being interpreted (rhetorical Message Design Logics. They also need to be able to read the others that are communicating to them, and determine whether the information being portrayed is truthful or not. While contestants have had to be medevacked for physical issues, they have yet to be involuntarily removed from the game for lack of communication skills. References Dainton, M. , & Zelley, E. D. (2011). Applying communication theory for professional life: A practical introduction (2nd ed. ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Website: CBS Survivor. http://www. cbs. com/shows/survivor/

Kentucky Fried Chicken and global fast-food industry Essay Example

Kentucky Fried Chicken and global fast Kentucky Fried Chicken and global fast-food industry Paper Kentucky Fried Chicken and global fast-food industry Paper KFC is a growing company that always tries to expand its business size, by the year 2000, the number of restaurant established outside US, where KFCs headquarter resided, accounted 50% of its total restaurants. Expansion strategy of KFC followed the classic internationalization strategy, which is characterised by (1) expand first to nearest countries (market) from the KFCs headquarter in US, then (2) as those markets grow, gradually expand into farther markets. This strategy was apparently applied by KFC to maintain the control over its restaurants in another countries while learning, and preparing for further expansion in the future. This strategy apparently has the advantage of ease of control; according to KFC management, the nearer the country of expansion, the easier the control. Although this idea is sounds good to hear, it also implies the weakness of KFC management, the lack of communication ability; because of this weakness, KFC was afraid of losing the control over its subsidiaries and franchises restaurants. However, this fear is not relevant in this internet age; the fast growing capability of internet makes it easier and easier for managers around the world to communicate and thus, control their subordinates in any other parts of the world. Another strategy is to establish new smaller headquarters in the region of expansion; for example one headquarter can be established in Latin America or in Asian to control the subsidiaries in the region. This smaller headquarters are, of course, under the direction of KFCs main headquarter in Kentucky, United States; their primary responsibility is to manage and control both KFCs company-owned and franchise restaurant. This strategy, I believe, will narrowing the width of span control by the KFCs management in the main headquarters, thus in the in will ease the control task conducted. The implementation of the latter strategy must also consider the financial position of the KFC company itself; one time KFC had a difficult periods where it had to closed its restaurants in Brazil because it lacked the cash flow needed to support an expansion program in that market. However, this strategy will show its result in long-term periods, thus, considering this matter and opportunities for expansion, I argue that KFC must first focus its resources to defend its market position in the countries where KFC had already gained superior brand preference such as in some Latin America and Asian counties. Failure to defend its market because of too much focusing in early entry strategy, will expose KFC to the risk that the existing market will slip away, while the new markets are doubt-able successful. The international markets, though attractive, were also exposing some risks, including political risks, economic risks, competitive risks, and behavioural risk; beside those external risks, KFC were also exposed to the internal financial risk since there were some periods where KFC lacked the financial cash flow needed for expansion. A strategy had already launched to counter the behavioural risk (risk implied from control over the franchise operations); in Mexico for example, KFC had eliminated all of its franchises and operated only company-owned restaurants, which enabled it to better control quality, service, and restaurants cleanliness. Unfortunately, there are no further explanation in the case about KFCs strategy to offset the other risks. Therefore, herewith I suggest that some other strategy should also be crafted in order to reduce the risk. For the time sake, I will limit the discussion of my recommendation only on strategy that I believe, in the long run, has the major impact towards KFC business, the competitive risks. This risk includes the risk derived from rivalry among competitors, new market entrants and new product innovations. KFCs main business is to sell chicken, this product was actually already become a traditional dish for some part of the world, and even some culinary expertise, in just a matter of time, will probably invent a new recipe that able to compete the taste of KFC fried chicken and wrote books on it. Consumers will buy the books, and make the fried chicken ala KFC by their own, they will not need to go outside, wait for the queue, and to pay more on something that actually they can make. Therefore there is a big chance that consumer will find out that KFC fried chicken is no longer a special menu. The concept of KFCs original recipe, in my opinion, is only a matter of time before the costumer become bored and leaves the KFC. The key buzzword for overcoming this risk is differentiation and develop a sustainable competitive advantage based on the differentiation. The strategy would have to include product differentiation, KFC should invent a secret recipe that exceeds the taste of any other ordinary chicken and the most important keeping on inventing, to keep up with changing costumer tastes. This strategy requires KFC to pay more focus on its RD division for invention, and marketing as a means of communicating the differentiation, and of course, secure its trade-secret as tight as possible. When the product differentiation does not act as a major source of attractiveness any longer, KFC should move on to another differentiation, the service differentiation, and/or distribution differentiation. For example: provide a service that can bind costumers in a long term relationship, such as establishing KFCs costumer clubs, or even online order-taking; a distribution differentiation can be achieved through, for example distributions via sales agents, such as satay seller in Indonesia; they will fry the chicken directly on costumer order, in front of the costumer itself. To reduce the risk of cannibalism, these agents are hired and managed under one or group of franchise restaurants in one local area.