Why You Should Use Table Topics in Your Adult Education Classroom

Why You Should Use Table Topics in Your Adult Education Classroom Teachers of adults, whether they are corporate trainers or adult education instructors, know that adults learn differently than children and come to the classroom with lots to talk about. These students have life experience and want meaningful conversation, not superficial chit-chat. When discussion is a big part of your reason for being in the classroom, use Table TopicsTM to break the ice and help people engage. Then you can move easily into your planned topic. There are several different versions of Table TopicsTM, each with 135 questions in a four-inch acrylic cube. Pass the cube around and ask your students to pick a card or two, or sort them in advance, choosing the cards that apply to your lesson plan. Pros Great questions that eliminate superficial chatter and start meaningful conversations.Conversation from just one question can last an hour. It takes a long time to work through one cube.The question cards are made of a sturdy cardboard, so theyll stay nice a long time.There are several versions in different categories.The acrylic cube looks modern, and maybe a bit hip, sitting on your coffee table at home or on your classroom shelf. Cons Each cube costs $25, a little hefty for some wallets.If youre a traveling trainer, the cubes are on the weighty side, two pounds each, but the company does make travel versions. Description Four-inch clear acrylic cube.135 conversation-starting questions.A variety of categories from which to choose. Expert Review I picked up my first box of Table TopicsTM on a whim while shopping in one of those funky little shops you see in the artsy parts of any city. A four-inch clear acrylic cube holds 135 cards, each with a provocative question that is sure to inspire lively conversation. I bought the Original cube. It has questions like: What would you most like to do for someone else if you had the money and time?What fashion trend you followed was very cool then, but now looks ridiculous?If you could have any view from your back porch, what would it be? Tim and I still talk about the conversations that were inspired the first evening we opened the cube. He talked about his most memorable meal at Mothers in New Orleans. Were heading back soon to recreate that experience. Since then, Ive purchased the Gourmet and Spirit cubes. The Gourmet cube is fun if youre a foodie like Tim. Its full of questions like: Do you have a food philosophy?To what degree do you eat local, organic, sustainably grown food?Which cooking shows do you watch? Some people can talk about food forever. This cube is for them. The Spirit cube has more questions that I would consider religious rather than spiritual, so there are some I put back without answering, which is usually against my own personal rules, but there are also some very good ones: What makes something sacred?Is there value in suffering?Would you like to know how and when youll die? The Original cube is clearly my favorite. Its scope is broader and its topics are ones more appropriate for a general group of people, especially those who are strangers. In the classroom, unless youre teaching a specific topic covered by Table TopicsTM, Id go with the Original cube. Be sure to check out the Table Topics ice breaker!

Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Networking - Essay Example Each centre must have knowledgeable personnel to network file transfers and real time-links. At the same time, they must be competent enough to troubleshoot in case of network failure during training proper. The staffs must be headed by the network administrator to ensure "smooth flow" of information in the system. (Midkiff, 2004) As for gears, an 802.11g router (devices needed to connect various computer networks) is recommended than the 802.11b type since it supports faster peer-to-peer computer networking. (Wikipedia b, 2006) Since the company will be handling real-time video streams, it is necessary to invest in fast routers. Switches are also recommended than hubs in the setup that Wannabee Training Group wants to employ. No bandwidth sharing among various communication lines will happen if switches are to be used in the feedback feature between trainers and trainees. The switcher allows direct communication between two people privately, and will not use the traffic of the whole network. (Mitchell, 2006) The merged company must also adopt a uniform set of protocol and application to allow file sharing and video streaming (Wikipedia a, 2006). The application allows file sharing among users in the network, while the protocols provide the language by which the computers in the network will communicate. (Midkiff, 2004) On the two types of network designs, the peer

Contract law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contract law - Essay Example Churton and Silver were able to inform Risk It of the situation, who agreed to amending the loan agreement by postponing the payment of the principal due for 1 year, and waived all interest payables. However, due to financial problems of its own, risk It now wishes to enforce the original loan agreement against Churton and Silver, and the latter refuses citing the limitations on what they may pay and the ill effects full payment would do in damaging their business enterprise. Prior to formulating the legal advice, I would present to Risk It, it is important to first outline the various legal concepts. In the case at bar, there is clearly a contractual obligation, voluntarily undertaken by both parties. Commonly this is considered a bilateral contract, which imposes upon both parties certain obligations that they agreed upon. Here, Risk It agreed to loan the money to Churton and Silver, who in turn agreed to pay the loan based on the agreed terms. Although the facts make no mention as to the manner in which Risk It agreed to amending the terms of payment of the loan as per the difficulty in financial situation of Churton and Silver, there is really no difference as to whether or not the agreement to amend the terms is in writing or not. Despite common sense, contracts can be legally binding even if not reduced into writing, and have the same effect as if it were on paper. Thus, the acts of Risk It in agreeing to change the terms of the loan is binding upon them, and they can no longer renounce that change or deny it otherwise. This is a key concept of contract law, that contracts are formed through an agreement consisting of an offer and acceptance, a valuable consideration, and the intention of the parties to create a contract. Further assuming that all the necessary requisites of a valid contract are also present in the case at bar, there is no need to delve into the complexities of the form, parties' capacity to contract, consent freely given, and legality of the subject matter or purpose of the contract. Seeing as this is a clear contract of loan, all things should be in order. With all that said, it is clear that the only advice I can make to Risk It is for them to follow the amended loan agreement that they had made with Churton and Silver. The changed terms, and waived interest became binding on them from the moment it was made, offered and accepted by the parties. They can no longer renounce or go against that agreement, or they put themselves at risk of legal suit for the remedies due to breach of contractual obligations by Churton and Silver. It is necessary to state that the remedies for breach of contractual obligations include the award of monetary damages by the courts and a petition for specific performance. The former is the assessment of monetary sum to be given by the offending party to compensate for the injury that would be suffered by the breach of contract. This could be a relief sought against Risk It if they try to enforce the original loan agreement instead of the amended one that would inevitably cause great damage and injury to the business enterprise of Churton and Silver.  

Answer two questions Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer two questions - Personal Statement Example Amplification of signals makes them stronger than they are received2. Recent technologies also enable the changing of radio frequency that minimizes confusion of signals. An earth station sends uplinks that are received by a satellite. The satellite in turn amplifies the signal and sends downlinks that reach the earth station with minimal interruption. Positioning of the satellite and the quality of the receiver also determine if the distance between them will distort the signals. If two or more satellites are located near one another, there is a high chance  that the signals being sent to the earth might intersect and send wrong signals. The electromagnetic spectrums through which waves are transmitted are sensitive to blockages by the landscape3. If there are any landscape features blocking the spectrum, the signals might be distorted. The quality of receivers determines the accuracy in which the signal is received and interpreted4. In conclusion, distance affects the sending and receiving of signals. However, the modern technologies in signal transmission have overcome the issue. Use of amplification technology, sensitive receivers, and changing of wave frequency are solutions to overcoming the problems associated with

Adaptation of Psychometric Tools in Bangladesh

Adaptation of Psychometric Tools in Bangladesh Roufun Naher Introduction Measurement refers to a procedure which identifies the value of a quantitative variable through its numerical relationship to another value (Michell, 1990). For example, we want to know the body temperature of a particular person. Suen (1990) says, â€Å"The science of developing educational and psychological tests and measurement procedures has become highly sophisticated and has developed into such a large body of knowledge that it is considered a scientific discipline of enquiry in its own right. This discipline is referred to as psychometrics†. Presently, psychological researchers are intended to conduct cross-cultural researches and they must have reliable and valid instruments conducting those researches. Psychology is a growing field in Bangladesh both for research and practice. A number of psychological researchers of Bangladesh give emphasis on quantitative research which requires standardized instruments to measure behaviors and mental processes. However, the reasonable way to get an instrument can be cross-cultural adaptation whereas development of a new instrument is relatively tricky and time consuming. Meanwhile, many researchers adapted numerous instruments or psychometric tools to measure a range of behaviors and mental processes of human being. The adaptation of psychometric tools differs in the process, study design, sampling technique, sample size, reliability and validity. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to systematically review the adaptation of psychometric tools in Bangladesh, more specifically the adaptation procedure and research methodology. Table 1 shows the review. Sousa Rojjanasrirat (2010) provided a user-friendly guideline for translation, adaptation and validation of instruments or scales for use in cross-cultural health care research. The guideline includes seven steps for the adaptation of psychometric tools. The steps are (1) Forward translation, (2) Comparison of the two translated versions (synthesis I), (3) Blind back-translation, (4) Comparison of two back-translated versions (synthesis II), (5) Pilot testing of the pre-final version, (6) Preliminary psychometric testing of the pre-final version, (7) Full psychometric testing of the pre-final version. Table 1 The Review of the Adaptation of Psychometric Tools in Bangladesh Method of Review The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the quality and utility of psychometric tools adapted in Bangladesh. For conducting this review, the psychological journals published in different public universities were taken for literature review. Then the studies on adaptation of psychometric tools were picked up initially. Finally six original papers on adaptation of psychometric tools which met the criteria of current systematic review were selected from these journals. Among them four papers were selected from ‘The Dhaka University Journal of Psychology’ and two other papers were selected from ‘Jagannath University Journal of Psychology’. Eligible Criteria The papers were basically selected based on the following criteria Has the study been done in the context of Bangladesh? Has it been done on the adaptation of psychometric tools for use in Bangladesh? Whether it is an original study or review? Whether it is published? Results of Review Information about the Reviewed Studies All the selected studies represent the adaptation of psychometric tools for use in Bangladesh. The pervasive developmental disorder assessment scale presented in first study (shown in table 1) contains 40 items and 3 subscales. Similarly, the inventory of interpersonal problems contains 64 items and 8 subscales. The inferiority questionnaire and the Bangla parental power-prestige questionnaire contain 20 and 10 items respectively. The questionnaire on stress in cancer patient contains 23 items and 5 homogenous subscales shown in fifth study of table 1. Finally the Warnick-Ebinburgh mental wellbeing scale is composed of 10 items. The sample size of the reviewed studies ranges between 50 and 232. Only the first study shown in review table followed random sampling technique. On the contrary, other five studies followed convenience and purposive sampling technique. The design of all six studies was cross-sectional survey. The reliability ranges between .72 and .96. In case of validity mo st of the studies followed content and construct validity. Adaptation Process Followed by the Studies Researchers of three studies (such as study number 1, 3, and 5 shown in table 1) among six mentioned that they followed the guidance provided by International Test Commission (ITC). However, the researchers of other studies did not mention that which guideline they followed during adaptation. The first step of adaptation process is forward translation by two different translators. Two translators should have different background for example one translator must have the knowledge of health terminology whereas the second translator must possess cultural and linguistic knowledge (Sousa Rojjanasrirat, 2010). However, no researcher among six mentioned the background of the translators in their papers. In fact, most of the researchers did not even clarify the different phases of adaptation process although the reliabilities of the adapted instruments are relatively high. Moreover, the researchers of all the above studies except study number 6 (shown in review table) did not make contact with the original developers for their consent and proof reading which is considered as an important phase of adaptation of psychometric tools. On the other hand, the blind back translation step needs two translators who are native speaker of the original language from which the instrument was translated in first step. In addition the translators must be chosen form distinct background like the translators of forward translation (Sousa Rojjanasrirat, 2010). It is paradoxical that none of the reviewed studies followed the blind back translation phase strictly. However, the other steps mentioned in introduction part were reasonably followed by the above researchers. That is why the reliabilities of their adapted instruments are relatively satisfactory. Sample size and sampling technique Whether the result of a study can be generalized or not, depends on the sample size as well as the sampling technique by which the sample is drawn. Sousa Rojjanasrirat (2010) suggested using 300 to 500 subjects for the adaptation of psychometric tools. Contrary to that all the researcher of current reviewed studies used less than 300 subjects in their research. Moreover, five out of six studies did not use random sampling. That is only available and interested people were the subjects of these studies. Consequently, Passable generalization may not be possible by these studies. Conclusion Most of the psychological researchers in Bangladesh show interest in quantitative research. Reliable and valid instruments are needed for this type of research. In fact, lots of such instruments or questionnaires have been adapted at different times in Bangladesh. However, after this systematic review it is difficult to say that the researchers could follow standardized adaptation procedure and research methodology to adapt these instruments. Standardized adaptation procedure and research methodology are important because cultural diversity among countries is a gigantic issue of discussion in research world. If the adaptation process of a psychometric tool becomes flawed it will not be able to measure a sample of behavior accurately. Ultimately the field of psychology including mental health practice may suffer as it is sometimes very much dependent on the psychological tests and measurement. The further research on adaptation of psychometric tools in Bangladesh should follow the sta ndardized procedure and research methodology strictly. References Ahmed, F., Uddin, M. K., Islam, M. J. (2011). Preliminery evidences for psychometric  properties of the bangla parental power-prestige questionnaire. Jagannath University   Journal of Psychology, 1, 97-106. Hossain, M. S., Yeasmin, M., Uddin, M. K. (2008), Adaptation of inventory of interpersonal  problems. The Dhaka University Journal of Psychology, 33, 1-10. Haque, S. Das, A. (2007), Adaptation of pervasive developmental disorder assessment scale.  The Dhaka University Journal of Psychology, 31, 11-22. Jerin, M. I., Khatun, M. N., Ahmed, A. (2013), Adaptation on questionnaire on stress in  cancer patient revised. The Dhaka University Journal of Psychology, 37, 23-30. Michell, J. (1990), An Introduction to the Logic of Psychological Measurement. Hillsdale, New  Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum. Rahman, S. T. Imran, M. H. (2013), Bangladeshi adaptation of Warwick-Ebinburgh mental  well-being scale. The Dhaka University Journal of Psychology, 37, 49-60. Sousa, V. S. Rojjanssrirat, W. (2010), Translation, adaptation and validation of instruments or  scales for use in cross-cultural health care research: a clear and user-friendly guideline.   Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 17, 268-274. Suen, H.K. (1990), Principles of Test Theories. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum. Uzzaman, M. A., Islam, A. S. M. A., Haque, M. A. (2011), Adaptation of inferiority  questionnaire. Jagannath University Journal of Psychology, 1, 35-42.

Dynamics of Change in International Relations Essay examples -- Intern

Dynamics of Change in International Relations The Oxford dictionary defines the act of migrating as meaning: â€Å"to move to settle to a new area in order to find work.†1 This seems to be presupposing that the primary motivation of migrants is employment. However, as I will go on to highlight, economic social and political factors in various combinations have always affected the various constant waves of migration throughout history2. I will look at how past and modern flows compare and their effects on global society. There are two main issues around migration: firstly how states can control and regulate migration levels. States are after all sovereign and reserve the right to be able to choose who to allow in and out of its boundaries. The second issue that has come about in the modern era is how to deal with the minority communities that migrants form within host states. This depends on the causes that it perceives the people migrated for and the political, social and economic circumstances of the receiving state itself. If the migrant community has strong links with its previous community in the home state still and actually works to affect political and social affairs over there, perhaps even using the power and protection of the host state, they are known as diasporas. They will be discussed further on. Causes of migration can be divided initially into whether the migration was involuntary, or political due to war, natural disasters, ethnic, persecution, coercion or exploitation, or voluntary. State responses to involuntary migrants are under the ruling of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951. However, all an applicant state is obliged to do is to consider all applications for asylum, not grant them. There is though the clause which states that a host state cannot turn the asylum seeker back to their country of origin if there is evidence their life is in danger. Voluntary migrants on the other hand have no such guarantee as their motives for migration are social or economic, not deemed to be necessary or they are illegal migrants. This definition of illegal depends on the circumstances of the host country and who they choose to allow in according to their laws or not. The mixing of political and economic though would seem to be more inevitable in future as socie... ...ised that monitoring and regulating migration will become almost impossible if the EU enlarges any further. To discourage the right wingers in their country, traditional host states have taken a hard line on migration to maintain social stability. In actuality, it can be argued that by doing so, the governments have undermined the very stability they sought as, people will not stop being persecuted and seeking shelter, whether legal or not14. Works Cited: Sita Bali, ‘Migration and Refugees’ in Brian White, Richard Little, and Michael Smiths (ed.), Issues In Politics (London, Macmillan Press Ltd., 1997) David Held et al., Global Transformations (Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, 2003 S. P. Huntington, â€Å"The Hispanic Challenge†, Foreign Policy, Volume 141 (March/April 2004) p. 30 – 45 A, McKeown, â€Å"Conceptualising Chinese Diasporas, 1842 - 1949†, The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 52, No. 2 (May 1999) p. 306 – 337 Yossi Shain and Aharon Barth â€Å"Diasporas and International Relations Theory†, International Organisation, Vol. 57, (Summer 2003) p. 449 – 479 Compact Oxford English Dictionary [http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/migrate?view=uk] 25th November 2004

Cengage Learning Essay

After taking the survey regarding the climate of my organization, I gained interesting insight into my company’s position in the work/life area. The survey provided by the Work and Family Connection asked twenty questions, in which I enjoyed answering. 1. My manager/supervisor treats my work/life needs with sensitivity. Agree 2. It is usually easy for me to manage the demands of both work and home life. Agree 3. My career path at this company is limited because of the pressure of home life demands. Disagree 4. My job at this company keeps me from maintaining the quality of life I want. Disagree 5. My manager/supervisor is supportive when home life issues interfere with work. Disagree 6. My manager/supervisor focuses on results, rather than the time I am at my desk. Disagree 7. My manager/supervisor has a good understanding of flexible work hour practices. Agree 8. If I requested a flexible work arrangement, my manager/supervisor would support me. Agree 9. My manager/supervisor is often inflexible or insensitive about my personal needs. Disagree 10. I believe my manager treats me with respect. Agree 11. My manager allows me informal flexibility as long as I get the job done. Agree 12. My manager tends to treat us like children. Disagree 13. My manager seldom gives me praise or recognition for the work I do. Disagree 14. My manager seems to care about me as a person. Agree 15. I would recommend this company to others. Agree 16. The work I do is not all that important to this company’s success. Disagree 17. If I could find another job with better pay, I would leave this organization. Disagree 18. If I could find another job where I would be treated with respect, I would take it. Disagree 19. If I could find another job where I could have more flexibility, I would take it. Agree 20. I am totally committed to this company. Agree Since I scored seventeen, I am in the category that states that my organization is supportive and more flexible than most; however, there is room for me to grow (Snell & Bohlander, 2013). This scoring seems highly accurate to me. I do feel as though I have a very supportive and flexible place of employment; however, I feel that there is room for improvement. References Snell, S. , & Bohlander, G. (2013). Managing human resources. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.