Analysis of Theoretical Framework Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Theoretical Framework Essay The dissertation by Constance L. Pearson focuses on the issue of reading comprehension and the barriers associated with reading comprehension. Pearson identifies a variety of factors that impact reading comprehension. The motivation level of the reader, the reader’s reading level, the level of the content, and the reader’s interest significantly impact an individual’s comprehension ability. (Pearson, 1987). Pearson argues there is a direct relationship between schema and reading comprehension. Schema refers to the background knowledge on a specific topic or idea an individual has, it is all the ideas someone has related to a particular word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson claims graphic organizers are an effective tool for measuring and teaching background knowledge, â€Å"reading comprehension appears to be enhanced by the use of advanced organizers (Pearson, 1987). Teaching methodologies and the popular research concerning reading comprehension has changed significantly over the decades. Reading comprehension was initially believed to be a process activated by the text alone. The new popular research indicates reading comprehension is complex and influenced by many variables (Pearson, 1987). The research indicates students need some background knowledge or basic understanding of the topic beforehand to fully comprehend the subject matter. The student’s level of prior knowledge significantly impacts reading comprehension. Pearson uses the term schema to refer to this background information or prior knowledge the reader posses beforehand, â€Å"Schema is all the ideas someone has related to a word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson points to the study of Social Studies to demonstrate this point. The study of Social Studies and History is a continuous story covering a wide range of issues and topics, many of which require the reader to have substantial background knowledge to fully comprehend the subject or connect the various pieces of History. For example, it would be extremely difficult for students to analyze the causes and effects of WWI and WWII without any background information on globalization. In order to improve student’s reading comprehension it is essential to ensure students have the necessary background information to be fully comprehend the selection. The dissertation discusses the use of advanced organizers as a tool to help readers connect information,  specifically prior knowledge to newly learned information. Background knowledge or schema has a greater impact on reading comprehension than any other single factor. The theory was introduced in the 1970s and attempts to explain the learning process (Pearson, 1987). Schema refers to the entire collection of information a person has on a specific topic. It describes the collection of thoughts, ideas, images, and beliefs that are automatically triggered when a student is introduced to a particular topic or issue. The greater the students collection of background information or the more prior knowledge the reader possesses on an issue or topic the greater that students level of comprehension when exposed to new materials related to those topics or issues (Turner, 1988). Students often times simply lack the essential background knowledge or schemata to fully comprehend the information (Pearson, 1987). As a result teachers must structure their lessons to provide students with the necessary background knowledge to fully comprehend the subject matter being taught. Teacher must focus on content and then comprehension will improve, â€Å"if teachers focus on helping students understand the content, comprehension skills acquisition will occur almost incidentally† (Pearson, 1987). Expecting students to comprehend a topic or issue they know nothing about is a poor example of responsible teaching. It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students the necessary information to make informed and reasonable decisions. Pearson argues the advanced organizer is the solution to the reading comprehension problem. The best advanced organizers are teacher created. High quality commercial graphic organizers are not readily available. They are often limited or poorly matched for the topic or lesson at hand and many are outdated as educational research continues to improve. Pearson identifies three types of advances organizers, the verbal organizer, the anticipation guide, and the graphic overview advance organizer. The verbal organizer is the simplest of the three and a reliable tool for introducing new information. The organizer introduces students to new information my associating or linking it with prior knowledge. The verbal organizer has proven an effective tool for increasing reading comprehension (Vacca   Vacca, 1986). The anticipation guide requires students to think about the information before hand by answering a series of true and false questions related to the topic. Students rely on their prior knowledge to answer the questions, then make the necessary changes as they read the selection and learn new information. The guided reading activities that often accompany new content are a perfect example of this. The graphic overview organizer is possibly the most popular of the three and has received a great deal of attention. It is well suited for the visual and tactile learner. The graphic overview organizer focuses on content and key terms. The graphic overview organizer uses pictorial images to connect key terms to the main ideas presented in the text. Pearson provided a good amount of information supporting the effectiveness of the pictorial organizer, the graphic overview organizer proved particularly effective in increasing reading comprehension among students with low levels of prior knowledge (Pearson, 1987). The dissertation was informative and interesting; it helped me to understand a number of issues related to reading comprehension. It clearly explained the huge push for the use of graphic organizers across my district over the last few years. As a Social Studies teacher I will examine more closely how I present information to students. I often take for granted their prior knowledge and then find myself wondering why some are struggling comprehending the main ideas. As Pearson pointed out successfully comprehension of Social Studies curriculum requires the essential background knowledge. The main argument of the dissertation is there is a direct relationship between a student’s level of comprehension of a topic and the student’s prior knowledge in relationship to that subject. Students struggle with new information because they lack the required schema to fully comprehend the subject matter at hand. The use of advanced organizers helps students develop their background knowledge. The more the student knows about the topic, the better the student will be able to understand that topic. Pearson claims increasing a student’s schema will improve the students reading comprehension ability and it is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students with the background information to fully comprehend the topic.

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams Essay -- A Streetcar Na

Street Car Named Desire A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams in 1947, has been called the best play ever written by an American. The geological setting of the play, New Orleans, creates a remarkably blended mood of decadence, nostalgia, and sensuality. The plot of the play comes about through the conflict between a man and his sister-in-law who comes to live at his house with he and his wife. Stanley Kowalski immediately captures the attention of the audience through Williams' excellent portrayal of the intensely strong willed character. The portrayal of Stanley Kowalski plays a major role in the success of the play. Williams forms Stanley into an extremely masculine character who will always have his way or no way at all and makes his opinions very clear to those around him. This profound masculinity places Stanley in direct opposition to Blanche DuBois. "The high-minded yet oddly fragile Blanche takes an immediate dislike to the loutish, working-class Stanley, while Stanley immediately recognizes Blanche for what she has become: a woman who finds consolation in indiscriminate sex and alcohol." (Authors & Artists, 165). This clashing forms the conflict which eventually roots itself deeply into the plot of the play. Stanley represents the symbol of the New South. Stanley's aggressiveness leads to his ease in taking total control over a situation. This characteristic also allows Stanley to completely secure the respect of all the men who associate with him, however, his aggression also shines a light upon a very destr uctive side of his character. In many ways, Stanley's brutality leads to the major conflict between Blanche and himself. "And look at yourself! Take a look at that worn out Mardi Gras outfit, rented for fifty cents from some rag picker! And with that crazy crown on! What queen do you think you are?" (Williams, 127). Stanley becomes very blunt in his contempt and aggression towards Blanche. Another view into the excessive aggression of Stanley appears in the third scene. In this scene, Williams provides a look at a very negative side of Stanley. Stanley physically assaults his wife, Stella, after she returns to the house during his poker game. "How anyone could find Stella Kowalski's comatose endurance of Stanley healthy or whole-hearted is, indeed, a subject for wonder." (Drama Criticism, 401). Stanley also shows his vi... ...own here. Stella, Stella!" (Williams, 59). Stanley also appears to fight Blanche for the purpose of saving his life with the woman he loves. "When Blanche threatens Stanley's marriage by cajoling her sister to abandon her husband, Stanley brandishes Blanche's weaknesses for all to see in an effort to preserve his home and family." (Authors & Artists, 165-66). These characteristics show the loving and caring side of Stanley as well as offering a contrasting view to his dark, brutal side. Tennessee Williams creates a brilliant play in A Streetcar Named Desire, featuring an amazing and complex character in Stanley Kowalski. The reader must constantly reevaluate the character of Stanley Kowalski as he presents many questions to the reader throughout the play. During the play, as the conflict develops between Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski, the audience must constantly consider which character portrays the villain and which portrays the victim. "Ultimately, however, Stanley prevails. He has gotten rid of Blanche, who has lost everything, and as we see in the closing lines of the play, he is able to soothe Stella's grief, and their life goes on." (Masterplots, 6316).

Compare the ways the poems/poet present injustice Essay

The two poems I have chosen are Limbo by Edward Kamau Brathuaite and Nothing’s Changed by Tatamkhula Afrika. This poem tells the story of slavery in a rhyming, rhythmic dance. It is either Heaven or Hell, so if you’re in limbo you are in between. It is about the actions of the dance, and the history of a people which is being enacted. Going down and under the limbo stick is likened to the slaves’ going down into the hold of the ship, which carries them into slavery. Nothing’s Changed is about the destruction of district 6, where people of all colours and beliefs lived together. However after the apartheid it was declared a ‘whites-only’ area. I chose these 2 poems as they are both injustice and tell in 2 different scenarios. Three techniques I chose to compare are structure, imagery and juxtaposition The structure for Limbo is that there are no punctuation until the last sentence where there is a full stop to end it. This is because it is symbolic to the slaves’ continuous suffering. Also something that is very effective and which is not recognised quickly is that the poem begins with a capital letter, to show the journey has begun and ends with a full stop to show the journey has ended. This is a great technique used to show injustice. Nothing’s changed structure is the poem is set out in six stanzas, each of eight fairly short lines. The title and the last line of poem are the same. The poet is trying to emphasise the same old District Six he returns to still hasn’t changed. He is saying even though that the apartheid has ended in reality it still very much exists. Yes the signs have gone but he feels there are still the same attitudes, social divisions and tensions. The way he has written give you a clear understanding so in a way it shows injustice is in the poem. Imagery presents injustice in the poem, it says â€Å"limbo like me† so either join me in the dance or I am in limbo. This gives you imagery. Also â€Å"Long dark deck is the silence in front of me† â€Å"stick is the whip/ and the dark deck is slavery† gives you imagery to. It shows they are on a boat so there must be water around and it is silent. The word slavery makes you think of an image. Also you picture a boat full of slaves on the water going somewhere and it is full of silence. Nothing Changed is ‘I press my nose, to the clear panes, know, before I see them.’ You can picture the poet pressing his nose onto the window and he can see that the place was once theirs but now it belongs to white people. It’s like there is a barrier that blocks his path into going there. This definitely presents injustice as he is not able to go there because of his colour. Both these poems give vivid pictures when you read them. Juxtaposition also presents injustice in both these poems. In Limbo there is good and bad, as in heaven and hell in the poem. It first starts sad and then happy so â€Å"stick is the whip and the dark deck is slavery† then later on â€Å"up up up up / and the music is saving† â€Å"The drum stick knock / and the darkness is over me† it is like the bad has gone and the good is here, everyone can be happy. In Nothing’s Changed it shows black and white people, being separate. â€Å"new, up-market, haute cuisine, guard at the gatepost, whites only inn† then to â€Å"Down the road, working man’s cafe sells bunny chows. Comparing the 2different stores the rich one for white only and the poor to black people.

The Black College And University Tour This Year - 974 Words

Turn your dreams into reality is the motto that guides me every day in life. It would be an honor to receive the Greater Grand Rapids Jack and Jill College Tour Scholarship award to attend the Historical Black College University tour this year. I believe education is the key that opens up many doors and opportunities. Like my mentor always tell me â€Å"education increases your value in life, because the more you know the more you can apply, and the more you apply the more you will obtain.† Attending the HBCU tour will not only open my eyes to the opportunities and culture of our people, but I believe it will inspire me to push beyond all obstacles by gaining self-awareness of my identity as a Black Man in America, allow me to see more successful people in higher learning institutions that looks like me, but also provide me with an experience that I would love to continue one day by attending and earning an degree from a HBCU. Going to college has always been a dream of mines that I will turn into reality. I have always wanted to further my education beyond high school. A college degree is required for the career I want to pursue. I plan to study Sociology to become a Social Worker, because I truly value and am passionate about helping people. Social workers engage and discuss with clients about the things going on in their lives and try their best to provide their clients with helpful advice to make things better for them. As an aspiring social worker, I want to work withShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Action And Its Impact On Education985 Words   |  4 PagesHistorically, people of color have had little to no success when applying to universities until recently. 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