Designing lesson tasks and materials

TASKS AND MATERIALS DESIGNED Willis ( 1996 ) has proposed a elaborate model for forming lessons which involves the phases of pre-task, undertaking and linguistic communication focal point. In the first phase, the instructor introduces the subject and pupils are involved in a communicative undertaking that will assist them remember words and phrases and brainstorm thoughts that might be utile in executing the chief undertaking. What follows is what Willis calls the ‘task cycle’ in which scholars perform the existent undertaking, in braces or groups. Then, they prepare a study and show their findings to the category. As Manolopoulou-Sergi references, â€Å"after that is their attending directed towards specific characteristics of linguistic communication signifier† ( Manolopoulou-Sergi et al. , 2004:171 ) . In add-on, as Carless observesâ€Å"the post-task stage can besides lend to reminding students†¦that while the undertaking may hold been gratifying, there were serious larning purposes underpinning it†( Carless, 2007:604 ) . The three adapted undertakings follow the aforesaid undertaking construction proposed by Willis. Undertaking 1 ( see Appendix II ) focuses on developing reading, listening, speech production and composing accomplishments utilizing communicative teaching method in a series of undertakings taking to steer pupils in developing the accomplishments necessary to form an original travel path. The subject is derived from the text edition ‘On Screen’ but everything else has been changed. More specifically, the pre-task or ‘warm-up’ activity attempts to trip content scheme, pulling on students’ bing cognition ( see Appendix II ) . The existent undertaking is a saber saw reading undertaking which serves both as an reliable input and it is besides an illustration of the mark undertaking pupils are so asked to make. In finishing the mark undertaking, pupils need to entree Google maps and follow the finish described in the reading text. Therefore, scholars will go more familiar with some tourer sites in Athens, every bit good as let the usage of engineering in a purposeful manner as they may be asked to make in existent life. Furthermore, pupils in groups of 2 or 3 are asked to develop a twenty-four hours path in their country for a friend abroad taking into consideration his/her likes and disfavors ( see Appendix II ) . Giving pupils the chance to seek on a different country will ask ‘coaction and interaction’in order to successfully finish the undertaking ( information spread ) . In add-on, though this undertaking pupils will develop travel related vocabulary. Students are so asked to show their paths in forepart of the category which will actuate them to make well-designed and interesting paths. Finally, in the post-phase, the instructor leads a treatment on the completed undertaking ( the presentation ) which will unite a linguistic communication focal point every bit good as acknowledging of import information from the publi shed article that should hold been included in the students’ presentation. What follows is a repeat of the schemes of a well-designed presentation/speech ( mentioning to a old unit ) and an existent presentation of the published article, therefore, giving scholars the chance to pattern the process and linguistic communication of a presentation one time more. Traveling on to Task 2, as a pre-task pupils are asked to bring forth a text ( see Appendix II ) through quickwriting. The undertaking is contextualized by supplying a intent and audience. Students are so encouraged to compare their quickwritings with another schoolmate and make up one's mind on a intent for composing. Therefore, pupils are asked to reflect on their Hagiographas and assist them develop schemes required in cognition transforming. In the task-cycle pupils are foremost introduced to a gap-filling activity which may non be an open-ended, procedure oriented activity or may non supply for specific written results, but will prosecute scholars in originative and synergistic ( with the speech production activity at the terminal ) state of affairss bring forthing thoughts for the existent authorship and giving scholars a feeling of success. Then, what follows is a 2nd bill of exchange and a alteration of it where pupils have the opportunity to measure their equals at a non-fin al phase with the aid of specific rating points. Through this, pupils are encouraged to portion ( verbal studies ) among themselves and assist them understand what goes in the writer’s and reader’s head and what schemes to utilize in order to acquire intending through a text ( metacognitive scheme ) . Furthermore, the following and concluding phase involves linguistic communication consciousness exercisings which are designed with the lone intent to bring forth more thoughts before pupils start composing their concluding bill of exchanges ( see Appendix II ) . Overall, this undertaking and the three phase intervention of composing a text is to let pupils to command, modify and farther develop their merchandise. Geting started can be hard and therefore, in the 3rd undertaking the instructor foremost introduces the subject and encourages scholars to brainstorm thoughts with the usage of wordlists ( see Appendix II ) . Then, in the task-cycle pupils are divided into groups sharing thoughts on a problem-solving activity where they have to come up with a text utilizing specific words and phrases given by the instructor. This collaborative authorship is particularly valuable as it involves other accomplishments as good ( e.g. talking ) . In add-on, this problem-solving activity will advance dialogue of significance andâ€Å"push scholars to prosecute in checking and clear uping as they go along†( Skehan, 2002:291 ) . Once each group has completed the text, they will be encouraged to show it in category and the remainder of the pupils to notice on it, therefore paying attending on signifier by holding the chance to ‘become teachers’ . Finally, in the last phase there is a liste ning activity in which pupils are asked to place specific words from the wordlist and so make full in the spreads of the paragraphs ( see Appendix II ) . The post-task stage is a opportunity to concentrate on linguistic communication and as Carless saysâ€Å"it is important to take the kids see the connexion between the undertaking they have merely done and some linguistic communication work†( Carless, 2007:601 ) . Scaling AND SEQUENCING CRITERIA Rating and sequencing of undertakings is so a major challenge for instructors and task-based course of study interior decorators. Therefore, a figure of theoretical accounts and standards for rating and sequencing undertakings have been developed. Two of the most popular models for the sequencing of undertakings are Skehan’s ( 1996 ) and Robinson’s ( 2001 ) . Although the procedure of rating and sequencing undertakings seems arbitrary and harmonizing to teachers’ judgement, I have chosen Robinson’s model to place ‘task complexity’ and later usage for the scaling of my undertakings. The ground for taking Robinson is as Steenkamp et Al. specifies â€Å"Robinson conducted research to find the function of undertaking sequencing in learners’ production† ( Steenkamp et al. , 2011:13 ) and I am covering with a productive country, that of authorship. Robinson distinguishes three factors that influence the complexness of a undertaking viz. â€Å"cognitively defined undertaking complexness, scholars perceptual experience of undertaking trouble and the synergistic conditions under which undertakings are performed† ( Robinson, 2001b:27 ) . Task trouble and undertaking conditions are factors that might act upon methodological analysis and the determinations instructors will be asked to do for successful undertaking completion, but as they deal largely with learners’ affectional sensitivity and ability factors they can non be manipulated beforehand. In contrast, as Robinson states â€Å"undertaking complexness is the exclusive footing of pedagogic undertaking sequence† ( Robinson, 2007 in Steenkamp et al. , 2011:18 ) , and it has to make with the undertaking itself. Therefore, it can be manipulated and predicted in progress. Furthermore, Robinson claims that â€Å"the greater the cognitive demands of a undertaking , the more they engage cognitive resources ( attending and memory ) an so are likely to concentrate attending on input and end product which will hold public presentation effects† ( Manolopoulou-Sergi et al. , 2004:176-177 ) . Along these lines, I focused on the factors that influence cognitive complexness such as  ± individual undertaking,  ± prior cognition,  ± planning clip,  ± there and now,  ± concluding and more ( see Appendix III ) . In peculiar, the undertakings presented in the old subdivision are sequenced this manner chiefly because I want scholars to set about activities which become progressively demanding, i.e. traveling from comprehension-based activities ( saber saw reading/ Task 1/ see Appendix II ) to controlled production activities and exercisings ( pros and cons of nomadic phones/ Task 2/ see Appendix II ) and eventually to activities affecting reliable communicating and interaction ( carnival/ Task 3/ see Appendix II ) . Additionally, undertakings with closed results ( Task 1 ) should be presented before more open-ended undertakings ( Task 3 ) as they will be easier to carry through and participants can direct their effects more purposefully as there is merely one correct re ply ( see Appendix IV B ) . Furthermore, undertakings affecting duologues should continue those affecting soliloquies every bit good as describing speeches/ presentations that might be extremely complex for scholars and need truth and eloquence to be accomplished. All three undertakings include consciousness-raising activities ( listening or reading transcripts of comparing, see Appendix II ) so as to â€Å"diminish the cognitive burden of the chief undertaking which comes afterwards. Therefore, scholars can be induced to remember conventional cognition they already have which is relevant to the undertaking they will make† ( Manolopoulou-Sergi et al. , 2004:180 ) . Similarly, the undertakings require mention largely to events go oning now as the attending is drawn on learners’ eloquence although much more cognitively demanding mention to events go oning elsewhere in clip and infinite could be added.â€Å"There is flexibleness in timing and grouping, with alternate functions being assigned to pupils at different times, and groups being rearranged in different ways, to supply more chances for students to ordain different roles† ,( Carless, 2002:394 ) . Another factor taken into history in sequencing undertakings is one manner or two manner constellation of information. â€Å"In a one-way constellation, all of the information related to the undertaking is given to one scholar who must pass on it to the other. In a bipartisan constellation the information is related to the undertaking is distributed among all of the scholars who must portion and incorporate it. In this respect, one manner undertakings promote less dialogue of intendi ng than two-way undertakings which affects the complexness of the tasks†( Ahmadi, 2014:338 ) , and hence should continue bipartisan undertakings. Finally, clip force per unit area put on pupils ( which will overload students’ attending ) and the support they have from their instructor or other scholars ( more support will perchance ease the undertaking ) are taken into history. Gradually increasing the complexness of undertakings is of import as it â€Å"may motivate scholars to look for more and more aid in the input, go toing to facilitative signifiers made salient by teacher intercession† ( Manolopoulou-Sergi et al. , 2004:178 ) . However, what is more of import for me is to increase the complexness of pedagogic demands in order to bit by bit come close the complexness of the existent universe.

Boz

Boz "Boz" Charles John Huffam Dickens was not only a great writer, but "the most popular novelist in the [19th] century, and one of the greatest humanists that England has produced." (Murray, Brian. Charles Dickens, p. 15) Charles Dickens' greatness was expressed throughout his life in his works and in the reputation he gained while writing.Charles Dickens was born on Friday February 7, 1812 in a small area known as New Town or Mile End, just on the outskirts of Portsmouth, England. His father, John Dickens, worked in the Naval Pay Office. It was not until 1821 when Charles received his first formal education. He was able to do so because they moved next to a church in which the minister's son kept a school not far away. After only a year in school, Charles was moved back to London after his father had accumulated a large debt. Charles was not sent back to school.English: Catherine Dickens

A Vampire’s Kiss Essays

A Vampire’s Kiss Essays A Vampire’s Kiss Paper A Vampire’s Kiss Paper â€Å"If you could live forever, what do you live for? † This is the tagline of the latest and box-office vampire movie, Twilight. Revolving around the life of an awkward 17-yr old girl, Twilight is a film about the new life and the inconceivable love Bella Swan found. Pressed to live with her father in Forks, Washington after her mother remarried, Bella came to know a secret kept away from humansthe true existence of vampires. In her first day at Forks High School she became an instant celebrity, what with her damsel-in-distress nature and pale yet stunning beauty. Not only had she been the center of attention but Bella had also got contact with the beautiful god-like Cullens. And as she gets to know the Cullens more, especially the irresistible mind-reading Edward Cullen, her life was put more into danger. It seemed it’s not only humans that found her very appealing, but her scent was mouth-watering to vampires too; thus she became the object fought for by the Cullens and the nomads James, Victoria, and Laurent. A classic battle between good and evil, this time portrayed as a clash involving the vampires that vowed to drink only animals’ blood and those who yearn for humans’ blood, Twilight presents heart-pounding scenes as the fight between James and Edward for Bella’s life ensues. In the end, Edward’s love for Bella conquered all and they went to intimately dance at the school ball. A movie that would make you wish you were a teenage girl, Kenneth Turan of the New York Times believes Twilight succeeds in capturing the essence of the book from where it was adapted. Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, is not exactly a great literary stylist but she has come up with one heck of a romantic concept. (http://movies. nytimes. com/2008/11/21/movies/21twil. html) And that is exactly what is shown in the motion picture; the scheme of how love could cross the boundaries of life and death just to be with the one you love most. There are several things that made this film a big hit. One, it got a good plot and a problem that matches that of the Oscar-winning â€Å"Ghost. † While there had been more than handful vampire movies from then until now, Twilight had still made its marked, the newest Dracula now known by the name Edward Cullen. Two, it’s brought to life by a playwright, Melissa Rosenberg, and a director, Catherine Hardwicke, with astounding reverence. Hardwicke particularly, as Turan says, â€Å".. whose entire career has been built on the veneration of young adults, Hardwicke has connected so intensely to the Meyer novel that its hard to imagine anyone else making a better version. † (http://movies. nytimes. com/2008/11/21/movies/21twil. html) And lastly it was acted out by actors, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as Bella and Edward, who put their heart out to their roles. Turan even compared it to Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor when they did Camille for George Cukor. On the whole, the movie had been a watchful. Not only were the scenes gorgeously produced but the casting, as well as how the roles and the lines were delivered was outstanding. The movie review, made by Kenneth Turan, only made me realize more how wonderful Twilight has been made, despite the fact that it was a low-budget film. It’s a great movie, indeed a motion picture to be talked for years to come. I like it not just because Robert Pattinson was a handsome Edward or I wish that I was Kristen Stewart but also because it touched my inner feminine persona. Every woman and every girl wishes for a knight-in-shining-armor to come and sweep them off their feet. Even when a girl or a woman shows a very strong character, deep inside she is wishing for a prince that would show her the true meaning of love, and how it really feels to love and be loved. Twilight is a movie that captures that essence and for that truth, Twilight, for me, gains two thumbs up. Turan, Kenneth. â€Å"Twilight. † The New York Times. 6 April 2009. http://movies. nytimes. com/2008/11/21/movies/21twil. html [Turan, Kenneth. â€Å"The Love That Dare Not Bare Its Fangs. † New York Times. 21 November 2008. ]

Parson, the birth of modern politics ( U.S. History to 1865 ) Essay - 1

Parson, the birth of modern politics ( U.S. History to 1865 ) - Essay Example Historians have argued that Andrew Jackson was a person who showed people what it meant to be in a political arena. Some of the actions may have been positive while others negative, but he managed to enter the books of history about what politics really involves; honor, ethics, democracy, conflicts, racism and liberation. Lynn Hudson Parson argues about how modern politics came to exist. In the 1828 presidential election, Andrew Jackson, who was a Major General, contested against John Quincy Adams and this election was what was viewed to be one that will be remembers through history. It was viewed as the first truly democratic presidential election which implemented campaign tactics (Parsons, 99). In that presidential election, Andrew Jackson, a hot-tempered and whose education was not perfect showed his supporters that he was a man of the people, genuine of his word and this made him make history after defeating an aristocrat whose education and political experience matched no other. The election led to the coordination of media, fund-raising, rallies be organized, polling of opinion, use of campaigns and research on opposition in order to gain an upper hand at the elections. In The Birth of Modern Politics, Parsons goes on to bring out Andrew as a man who made a historical achievement. Parson goes on to say how the contest brought out a national debate that involved incitements against each other in terms of culture, social life and the economic values of people. Those whose intentions were pure and had an interest in community development were pitted against those who believed that the only way communities would grow stronger is not by them standing together, but as individuals with the freedom to ensure that their own interests were satisfied above others. Despite the difference in backgrounds between Andrew and Quincy, they had the same values at heart, and

Nursing and assessment on preparing our aged care facility for Essay

Nursing and assessment on preparing our aged care facility for accreditation - Essay Example These specialties are specifically made in order to provide a specific type of care that these demographics can and will require. These specialties also mean that in order for facilities to be allowed to provide care for certain demographics, they will need to be certified. This paper focuses on healthcare for the elderly population provided by our institution. In the past, our elderly healthcare institution has had difficulty in getting certified in 3.9: Choice and decision making for the elderly demographic. This paper’s purpose and main focus is to provide key information and important feed back on this particular issue in order to prepare the institution and its staff for 3.9: Choice and decision making certification. First, this paper will provide background information on certain topics pertaining to the elderly demographic, as well as provide nursing assessment for an elderly person. After this, the paper will detail some key features specifically pertaining to the area that the institution needs improvement on. This will be noted in order to help the institution’s nurse practitioners to better understand the concept of choice and decision making. The paper will present this information as: What is aging and what is the aging process? Assessment of an aged person. What is consumer participation? What does it entail? Barriers that hinder or impact the facility’s ability to meet standard 3.9: Choice and decision making. How to break through the mentioned barriers and how a quality framework can be used to show improvement. Conclusion What is aging and what are the common aging symptoms? Aging is a natural process that happens very commonly. According to the medical dictionary, â€Å"Human beings reach a peak of growth and development around the time of their mid 20s. Aging is the normal transition time after that flurry of activity.† The dictionary entry goes on to tell us that during this later half of life, the body becomes mo re prone to wear and tear, as well as be more susceptible to illness. (The free dictionary, 2012) This gives us a good basis as to what we can expect an aged person to be affected with, as well as what he or she may be experiencing. This also tells us about what to expect in terms of interactions with them. The process by which a person ages differs for each individual. Each person can age in a slightly different manner from everyone else, but there are general descriptions or processes about aging that is common amongst everyone. According to universe-review.ca, the aging process happens all over the body. The pace may be different for each individual but everyone ages. (2012). Here are some of common aging signs mentioned in the article: Weakening of connective tissue in the bladder, making it harder to store urine Loss of weight between ages 55-75 due to loss of lean muscle mass Bones become brittle Gradual loss of brain tissue In women, decrease in the size of breasts due to dec rease in the size of mammary glands Gradual loss of the ability to hear higher frequencies Skin wrinkles Hair thins and grays out Decrease in hormone output The body’s immune system becomes weaker Slower metabolism Decreased ability to smell Slower mental and physical response Women go through menopause Decreased sense of taste What is consumer participation? What does it entail? This section is dedicated to understanding what consumer participation is, why it is important in relation to the paper’s end goal of preparing the institution for accreditation, and how it can be applied to the day-to-day situation of the nursing care practitioners. According to http://asetts.vacau.com, in essence, consumer participation entails getting the patient involved in choosing what he feels would be

Care of Patient with Rigth Hip replacement surgery(postop to Essay

Care of Patient with Rigth Hip replacement surgery(postop to discharge) - Essay Example Mobilization out of bed depends on the surgeon and may start on first day. Bed exercises such as quadriceps contraction and ankle exercises are encouraged for enhanced circulation. Routine chest physiotherapy1 is given to prevent chest complications. The procedures on the second day of operation include walking to the bathroom with the help of a walker. The patient should be gradually ambulated to walk with crutches and taught special maneuvers to ease daily activities like climbing stairs. Following hip operations, the catheter should remain in situ for two days and the patient is well advised to use bedpan for his elimination needs. These post operative procedures may limit your activities, are rather inconvenient and may feel troublesome. After surgery, Surgeons and nurses do several things to reduce the risk of blood clots forming in the veins of the patients legs. If they do form, this can lead to increased swelling in the legs. If the clots break loose they may travel to the patients' lungs and interfere with breathing. To avoid such complications, before the surgery, the nurse will apply elastic stockings to help prevent blood from pooling in the patients' legs. The surgical team may place the patient on either aspirin or Coumadin to thin blood to reduce the risk of clot formation.

Society and Culture Essay Example for Free

Society and Culture Essay It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting there just like all of you listening to the same sort of speeches from the year 12’s last year, thinking, what are these people talking about? PIP’s? Major works? Hello! I just started year 11; I don’t need to be thinking about this now, its ages away. Let me tell you this, standing here with only about 5 months to go until my PIP, my major work for society and culture is due, that ages away creeps up on you very quickly. You’re probably thinking, â€Å"5 months, what is this girl going on about, 5 months is almost half a year! Are you serious! That’s more than enough time to do an assignment. You could easily do it a week before it’s due. What is she stressing about?† If you learn only one thing from my speech make sure it’s this- That 5 months in â€Å"PIP† time is not ages away. With 5 months to go you should have already chosen your topic, have formulated your focus question and be starting to implement the methodologies you have chosen, or at least be starting to think about the methodologies you want to use. You should definitely not think that you could start writing your PIP with only a week to go. As you probably already know PIP stands for Personal Interest Project. So it would make sense to choose a topic that you’re personally interested in. You’ve got to think that ideally, you’re going to be researching the same topic for a little under a year so it’s got to be something that’s going to maintain your interest as well as relating to Society and Culture in some way. The topic I chose for my PIP is Mental Illness, and my Focus question is â€Å"Is the mental illness Bipolar, attributable to the influences of nature or nurture?† Specifically I’m focusing my research on 4 adults and seeing if I can come to some conclusion about what Bipolar disorder is attributed to generally. Many different things inspired me to choose this topic, but probably the most major influence was the fact that my mum had Bipolar disorder, my Nan has bipolar and so does my Great Grandma. Bipolar used to be something that really scared me; partly because of the stigma society generally places on mental illness, and also because of the fact that there is such a strong genetic history of bipolar in females in my family, so there is an increased chance that I may get Bipolar at some point in my life. I decided to focus on this topic, as I knew it would be something that would maintain my interest for the duration of the project, and I also thought that it would be a very good experience for me, as instead of being afraid of mental illness it would empower me with information. I believe it will also help me to determine if I am at such a great risk of developing a Bipolar due to the genetic â€Å"nature† factors, or if developing Bipolar is more attributable to â€Å"nurture† factors, in relation to the way someone has grown up and what environments they have been subject to. Another attribution for my choice of topic was that I felt I had excellent links and access to information relating to this topic, within my micro world. My Aunt works for Pioneer Clubhouse, a rehabilitation centre for people with mental illness, and one of our family friends used to work in the public sector and has friends with Bipolar, that advise the health minister on issues relating to mental illness. Because of these links it is much easier to obtain information and implement my methodologies. I assume by this stage of year 11 you all know what a methodology is, but in simple terms, methodologies are ways of finding out information. Creating a successful PIP and choosing an appropriate methodology or methodologies go hand in hand. Methodologies play a major role in your PIP but it is really important that you understand, in relation to your PIP in general, you need to allow for flexibility. Sometimes the methodologies or the topic you choose wont work out, and you may need to choose new ones or modify your original choice. The PIP is supposed to be a major learning experience, designed to move you closer towards social and cultural literacy, so naturally there will be learning from mistakes and changes made along the way. It’s important that you’re aware of this. I have decided to use interview as the primary methodology for my PIP. Specifically I intend to undertake an extensive interview process with the 4 individuals I am focusing my research on. I also wish to interview several people that interact regularly with the selected four. I feel that using interviews, as my primary research methodolog y will prove to be highly successful for my PIP. As finding out weather Bipolar is attributable to nature or nurture involves more than just getting a one-word or short answer, which is usually what would be normally obtained from Quantitative research methodologies, such as questionnaires or statistical analysis. It is highly suggested that you include secondary research within your PIP to support the primary research you’ve collected. This finding and interpreting of secondary research is also classified as a methodology, it’s called Content Analysis, and this is also one of the methodologies that I will be using. I have already looked at many books, websites and pamphlets and obtained some very useful information from them. I also intend to watch some videos on Bipolar and I aim to collect some more information from websites and books. I’ve decided to use this methodology not only because it is highly suggested that you use it, but also because I believe that it is really important to get other people’s opinions that have researched the same topic, in order to support and explain to a greater extent the research that you have gathered. Another methodology I intend to use is Participant Observation. I will do this by spending the day at Pioneer Clubhouse, the rehabilitation centre for people with mental illness that I was talking about before. Through doing this I hope to observe my participants interacting in certain daily situations, and I hope to be able to comment on whether there are any differences to reactions of those not suffering with Bipolar disorder, which could give insight into the ‘nurture’ influence of the disorder. Use of this method will also allow a different perspective to interview, as I will be able to see behaviours first hand, which I think will be very valuable to my research. The type of methodologies you will choose will highly relate to the type of research you are doing. My research is definitely far more Qualitative than Quantitative due to the fact that I am focusing my research on people’s experiences. In simple terms Qualitative research relies upon open-ended questions, and types of methodologies that usually require interpretation of people’s personal opinions. Quantitative research is more straightforward research that can easily be compared to other data, as it does not require interpretation of people’s personal opinions. It involves interpretation of statistics and numbers and clear opinions of usually a large number of people. It is estimated that 10% of Australians have Bipolar, which is a very high percentage when you think that over 20 million people live here. That’s about 2 million people who have either had or have Bipolar Disorder. Yet it is generally seen by most within our society as such a taboo subject. This is part of the reason why I didn’t choose Quantitative methodologies such as questionnaires, surveys, or statistical analysis, because I felt that many people wouldn’t give true, unbiased opinions. So far the research I have conducted has proved quite successful. I am continually conducting content analysis and have been since late last year. I have collected quite a lot of information and visited many libraries’ including the Macquarie University library, the State library of Queensland and the University of New South Wales Library. I know it’s starting to sound like you have to turn into a major nerd once you hit year 12 Society and Culture, but it’s really not like that. You start doing all these nerdaliscious things because you’re interested in the topic you’re researching. It’s your PERSONAL Interest Project, an assignment on something that you want to do, so you actually want to put an effort in and want to do well. I have also given a speech at Pioneer Clubhouse’s weekly staff and members meeting, introducing my PIP and myself, and proposing their involvement. I also spoke at the meeting about the possibility of conducting interviews with several of them. I received a very positive response from them all and also obtained several members consent to interview them. I intend to conduct these interviews in the upcoming school holidays along with my participant observation. I have also written a rough draft of questions I intend to ask during the interviews, and I aim to have a final copy of questions finished by the start of the holidays. My topic is an extremely sensitive one and it is vitally important that I treat the participants of my research with the upmost respect and not just as research tools. My aim is to discuss my finalized interview questions with a mental health professional in order to ensure that I am asking appropriate questions and conducting ethical research, which is a very important part of social research. Furthermore I have also begun writing a letter to the Health Minister, consulting him about his opinions on my topic. I have also written several emails to various organizations supporting people with Mental Illness, consulting them about my topic and requesting any information they would be able to forward. This has proved extremely helpful, as I have received some fantastic information from these organizations. It is extremely important to try and remain as unbiased as possible whilst conducting your research, in order to produce a reliable and proper report at the end of your research. Although it is definitely good to formulate an opinion about your topic and express how passionate you are about it, it is also essential that you try not to impose this opinion on those you are collecting information from. I expect to find that the causes of Bipolar will be attributable to both nature and nurture influences, and I feel that my research will support this hypothesis. My reasoning behind expecting to come to this conclusion stems from the fact that if someone has a predisposition to a certain disease or disorder therefore nature factors. It does not necessarily mean that they will acquire that disease or disorder; unless they subject themselves to particular environments hence nurture factors. Take heart disease for example. A person may have a predisposition to heart disease but if they eat healthily and exercise then they have a chance of not acquiring the condition. They do however; have a higher risk of acquiring the disease than someone who doesn’t have a predisposition to heart disease. I believe the same principle applies to Bipolar Disorder, and hypothesise that my findings will support this way of thinking. The PIP gives you a lot of freedom to choose a topic on something that your interested in, but there is one vital piece of criteria that you need to factor in when choosing your topic, and that is that it needs to relate to Society and Culture through the concepts. My topic relates to Society and Culture through several concepts, including, the concept of Time – as both nature and nurture factors are highly influenced by time. It also refers to the concept of Socialization. This refers to the ways you learn to become an accepted member of society via agents such as peers, family, community groups and the media. These things relate greatly to the nurture side of the argument, hence relate to my topic. My topic also relates to the following concepts for the same reasons – Media, Values, Tradition, Influence, and Institutions. Other concepts my topic relates to include: Environment – as the person’s environment and the experiences they are subject to highly relate to the nurture component of my PIP. Family is also another concept that relates to my PIP for the same reasons. Gender is also a concept that relates to my PIP in respect to the nature part of my focus question. So right now your probably all thinking â€Å"blah blah, what is this stupid girl doing, why am I sitting here listening to these stupid speeches, wasting my time, again, I’m only in year 11, is this really necessary?† Well the aim of my speech today wasn’t to bore you. My aim today was to inspire you guys, get you all to start thinking about your PIP’s, because it’s really not that far away. Year 11 goes so fast and before you know it your half way through year 12 giving this same speech, thinking â€Å"I really should get a move on with my PIP.† The PIP is a major part of your work in year 12; it’s worth 30% of your external mark for Society and Culture, which means that your HSC exam is only worth 70% so you need to put a lot of effort into your PIP. The last but probably most important piece of information I will give you today, is that you need to successfully manage your time whilst researching your PIP, because it really does slip away so quickly. My advice to you is, in term 4, your first term of year 12, when you first receive information on the PIP, make up a realistic timeline of how you want to conduct your research and complete your PIP. Set a date for when you want to have your topic chosen by, a date for when you’re first going to think about your methodologies, and a date for when you intend to implement them. It’s also a good idea to factor in some time every week that you solely devote to your PIP. You really need to use your time wisely, because you think â€Å"oh yeah, no worries I have a whole year to do this, I’m not going to start now† but then time slips away so fast and you wish you had that extra time back. By no means am I going to lie to you, the PIP is a lot of hard work. But it definitely gives a sense of satisfaction when you’re actually out there researching something independently; using all the skills you’ve learnt. It makes you feel as though school is actually useful and the things your learning can actually be implemented into real life situations. You get to research and report on something that you’re personally interested in, something that actually matters to you, which absolutely makes it worthwhile putting in all the effort and time the PIP demands. Although it’s a lot of work, it’s definitely something to look forward to. It’s school work, but surprisingly its fun. So start thinking now because it’s just around the corner!