The Ritz

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company takes the main situation on the planet inn industry, and it is the best contender inside the market. The advancement of the organization relies upon following the clear procedure and standards created to fulfill the requirements of clients and to react to the employees’ expectations.Advertising We will compose a custom article test on The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, the accents are made on the direction toward clients and their individual and explicit needs, on offering the support of the highest caliber, on the fruitful HR the board, and on the viable administration. In their Application Summary of 1999, the organization expressed the fundamental standards as indicated by which the improvement techniques are worked out. Along these lines, there are Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards which incorporate the company’s philosophy, witticism, three stages of administration, and â€Å"Ritz-Ca rlton Basics† in which the principles of administration are given in detail (Application Summary, 1999). The severe reliance on these measures causes the organization to be one of the best inns on the planet which trademark highlight is the astounding nature of administration. As indicated by the gauges, the workers should make the positive climate which is agreeable for visitors and satisfy all the customers’ wishes (Application Summary, 1999). Demonstrable skill as the fundamental quality of the staff is reflected in the company’s proverb which is â€Å"We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen† (Application Summary, 1999). The employees’ polished methodology ought to be felt in each activity that is the reason a lot of consideration is paid to the decorum, staff’s duty, positive correspondence, and communicating admiration and respect. Additionally, it is emphasizd for the situation concentrate on the company’s advanc ement that the organization has the low representative turnover rate, and the great notoriety relies upon â€Å"a complete worker screening process, critical worker direction and progressing preparing, and a significant level of regard and trust in staff that prompts worker empowerment† (The Ritz-Carlton persona, 2008). Note that the company’s yearly turnover rate is lower than 20%, and these numbers can be talked about as minor for the lodging business round the world (Sucher McManus, 2005). In this way, the referenced fundamentals ensure the company’s progressing accomplishment inside the market.Advertising Looking for paper on business financial aspects? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The nature of administration depends on the preparation programs accommodated workers. Sucher and McManus express that the enrollment procedure in the organization is the created methodology during which HR administrators inspect the candidates’ capacities and give the vital preparing to play out the capacities effectively (Sucher McManus, 2005). The procedure of enrollment is referred to in the organization as the Quality Selection Process. This procedure â€Å"includes a progression of meetings that help to build up a social profile† (The Ritz-Carlton persona, 2008). The procedure is significant so as to pick the people who fit the position better. The following phase of the enrollment procedure is the direction of the workers to the company’s measures and qualities. All the representatives ought to get the preparation declaration in the wake of finishing the preparation program. To offer the astounding support, it is important to understand the yearly preparing accreditation (Application Summary, 1999). Moreover, it is fundamental not exclusively to focus on the customers’ needs yet in addition spur workers to perform better. The directors sort out crafted by workers w ith references to the employees’ rights, prize and acknowledgment, and execution evaluation methodologies. In addition, the opportunities for the vocation movement are emphasizd in the organization. One of the best strategies to invigorate and inspire the representatives is the accentuation on the way that â€Å"employees are likewise enabled to take care of issues and settle on choices that will bring about remarkable client service† (The Ritz-Carlton persona, 2008). The representatives are relied upon to offer the assistance of the most significant level, and the appraisal is acknowledged by the customers’ centered outcomes. The significant angles are the individual customer’s fulfillment and helpful criticism (Application Summary, 1999). Besides, the pioneers give a lot of consideration to the association of the HR the board as the noteworthy angle in offering the subjective assistance. Be that as it may, the Ritz-Carlton Hotels’ notoriety depen ds on the nature of the administration as well as on the compelling authority. Any procedures which are created and actualized in the organization are worked out as indicated by the unmistakable diagram. In this way, the principal stage is the advancement of the methodology plan in which the objectives and tasks are expressed. The following stage can be examined as the arrangement â€Å"do† during which the specific procedure is acknowledged by the fixed focuses. The pioneers and chiefs center around the phase when it is conceivable to check the adequacy of the outcomes and make decisions about the further acknowledgment of the comparative plans. To ensure the most elevated outcomes during the acknowledgment of the following segment or plan, it is imperative to give a lot of consideration to the improvement activities (Application Summary, 1999).Advertising We will compose a custom article test on The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Lear n More The achievement and notoriety of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company altogether relies upon the created norms of administration quality, on the exceptionally prepared faculty, on the successful work of the HR chiefs, on the direction both to the clients and representatives, and on the compelling authority techniques. References Application Summary: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. (1999). Web. Sucher, S. J., McManus, S. E. (2005). The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Web. The Ritz-Carlton persona: Professionalism, elevated standards. (2008). Web. This exposition on The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was composed and presented by client Nadia C. to help you with your own examinations. You are allowed to utilize it for examination and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; be that as it may, you should refer to it in like manner. You can give your paper here.

Gillian Clarke †Neighbours Essay

Gillian Clarke is a Welsh artist whose composing frequently utilizes normal and country settings to investigate bigger subjects and thoughts, especially political thoughts. She draws on the Welsh scene and her experience of sheep-cultivating on the little holding where she lives in West Wales. She has been the National Poet in Wales since 2008. The Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Russia was the site of a gigantic blast in 1986. Radiation from the mishap executed individuals and creatures from the neighborhood, 6 fire fighters who put out the fire after the blast. The impact and spread of the catastrophe can’t be precisely anticipated after an atomic mishap in light of the fact that radioactive particles can be conveyed by the breeze. They can likewise get into the water cycle. The Chernobyl debacle was one of the inspirations for the arrangement of ‘glasnost’, proposed and created by the Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev. Glasnost interprets as ‘openness’ and the approach bolstered the opportunity of data. Gorbachev saw a requirement for transparency since Chernobyl inhabitants were not cleared following the catastrophe because of the Russian administration’s worry to conceal their flaws. The spring was late. We watched the sky and read diagrams for bearing isobars. Flying creatures were late to match. Crows drank from the lamb’s eye. Over Finland little feathered creatures fell; tune thrushes controlling north, smeared marks on light, moving songbirds, songbirds. Wing-beats bombed over fjords, every lung a taste of nerve. Kids were cautioned of their risky magnificence. Milk was spilt in Poland. Each fight The blowback from some old story, a significant piece of unpleasant air from the Ukraine brought by the breeze in its container of distresses. This spring a sheep tastes caesium on a Welsh slope. A kid, lifting her head to drink the downpour takes into her blood the harmed bolt. Presently we are generally neighborly, every little town in Europe twinned to Chernobyl, every heart with the consumed fire fighters, the kid on the Moscow train. In the popular government of the infection and the poison we pause. We watch for spring relocations, one feathered creature coming back with green in its voice. Glasnost. Golau glas. A first break of blue.

How to Practice Kundalini Meditation

How to Practice Kundalini Meditation Meditation Print What Is Kundalini Meditation? By Arlin Cuncic Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of Therapy in Focus: What to Expect from CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder and 7 Weeks to Reduce Anxiety. Learn about our editorial policy Arlin Cuncic Updated on May 29, 2019 More in Self-Improvement Meditation Happiness Stress Management Spirituality Holistic Health Inspiration Brain Health Technology Relationships View All In This Article Table of Contents Expand Origin Purpose Benefits How to Practice Research View All Back To Top As you go through your day, how much of your behavior is on auto-pilot and how much is intentional? If youre like most people, you probably do a lot of things without thinking, and likely react to your environment most of the time rather than being intentional about your thoughts and behaviors. However, if you want to live your life on a higher plane, its important to slow down and smell the roses, so to speak. One way to enter this state of slowing down is to practice meditation. And one specific form of meditation that may be particularly helpful is Kundalini, which means primal energy. Kundalini meditation is a way of channeling your energy and releasing yourself from stress.  Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin Origin of Kundalini Meditation What is the origin of Kundalini meditation? It dates back to the year 1968 when Yogi Bhajan left India to travel to the West with the purpose of teaching others how to practice and spreading awareness of meditative techniques. Up until this point, there had been much secrecy surrounding meditation, and Yogi Bhajan was determined to change that. This was particularly relevant during a period in which there was a transition to an information age, in which people were experiencing great chaos and sometimes pain. Instead of moving through life in a low-level state, meditation was the path to approaching the world with a more positive mindset. While that was true 50 years ago, its also true today. Purpose of Kundalini Meditation Kundalini meditation is part of Kundalini yoga and is meant to move energy through the body. It is thought that energy at the base of the spine (also known as the root chakra) needs to be released through the seven chakras of the body and then out through the crown chakra above the head. This process of releasing energy from the body has the aim of creating a system of communication between the mind and body to relieve mental, physical, and spiritual issues. This system of bringing awareness to the body by connecting with your breath allows you to be present, establish a new rhythm, and communicate with a higher version of yourself. Just like taking a shower each day cleanses your physical body, yogis view Kundalini meditation as a way to cleanse your mind. Its a way to rejuvenate after a stressful day or to manage stress in the moment. It helps to balance your energy and calm your mind so that youre no longer just reacting to the thoughts that you have. In this way, Kundalini meditation is not a set of beliefs or religion; rather, its a system for evoking energy and creating mind-body awareness. Mindfulness Meditation - How Do I Do It? Benefits of Kundalini Meditation What are the benefits of learning to practice Kundalini meditation? They can be summarized as bringing more awareness to your daily life; specifically, this can be seen in any of the following different ways: Helping you to redirect yourself out of stress and into peaceTeaching you the proper way to breathe (into your diaphragm) and expanding your lung capacityAiding concentration and preventing random thoughts from throwing you off balanceEnergizing cognitive functioningCreating awareness of the bodyBreaking your automatic daily routines and bringing you into awarenessChanges to your brain patterns and emotional balanceBringing balance to mind, body, and soulHelping to strengthen your nervous systemBuilding up your creative energy for projects in your life Simple Meditations to Relieve Stress How to Practice Kundalini Meditation How do you actually go about practicing Kundalini mediation? Below are the steps you should follow to begin a very basic practice. Remember that its better to start small with something that you think you can follow through on every day than to begin a practice that feels overwhelming. Even five minutes each day of Kundalini meditation is likely to help you, so dont underestimate the value of even this most basic practice. 1. Choose a Location This should be a spot that you find peaceful and where you are not likely to be bothered. It could be a spot where you gather your favorite things. Keep a bottle of water beside you. 2. Choose What to Wear You should wear loose, comfortable, cotton clothing and potentially a head covering like a cotton shawl. Your clothes should be clean, fresh, and possibly light in color to enhance the feeling of lightness. 3. Choose When to Practice You could practice first thing in the morning if this is when you are least likely to be disturbed. Or, you could practice before bed at night as a way of winding down from your day. Do not meditate afte a big meal, as the blood in your body will be diverted away from your brain at that time. 4. Get into Position Sit on the floor cross-legged or sit in a chair with your weight resting on your feet. Be sure to sit upright with a straight spine. Close your eyes softly so that they are about 90% closed. You can choose to sit on a wool or cotton blanket or put a pillow underneath you for comfort. 5. Choose the Length of Practice This could be anywhere from 3 minutes to 2.5 hours. Some common choices of times are 11 minutes, 15 minutes, 22 minutes, 31 minutes, etc. 6. Choose a Mantra While you breathe, you will be chanting a mantra to help you focus. One good example for beginners is the mantra Sat Nam which means truth is my identity. Chant Sat when you inhale and Nam when you exhale. You can choose to chant out loud, in a loud whisper, or silently in your head. The purpose of chanting is to direct your energy. Actively listen to yourself if you are chanting out loud, or visualize the mantra being written down if you are chanting silently in your head. You can also call on your mantra at other times of the day if you are feeling stressed. The point of a mantra is to break out of old patterns, so the mantra should always reflect the state that you want to be in rather than the one you are in now. 7. Start to Focus on Your Breath Notice your breathing and gradually start to slow it down. Your goal will be for one round of inhaling and exhaling to last about 7 to 8 seconds. Break your inhale and exhale into segments, such that you do short inhales or exhales broken up by pauses. You can do this so that there are four segments of both inhales and exhales during a complete breath. Breath through your nose the entire time. If you feel dizzy at any point, then stop the practice. 8. Feel the Breath Moving As you are practicing your breathing and chanting, focus on how your breath is moving through your body and helping you to feel more relaxed. 9. Finish the Meditation Complete the mediation by inhaling deeply, pushing your palms together or raising your arms in the air, and then relaxing and exhaling. 10. Gradually Increase Your Meditation Gradually, you should find it easier to increase the length of time that you meditate. As you practice, focus on letting thoughts come and go, and watch for a feeling of energy move along your spine and a feeling of euphoria in your body. Research on Kundalini Meditation Overall, research on Kundalini meditation is in its early stages. It has been suggested that Kundalini meditation might be helpful for a variety of mental health conditions including the following: addictiondepressionfatiguegrieflearning disordersphobiassleep disordersanxietyobsessions and compulsions There is some evidence of the effectiveness of this type of meditation specifically for people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (an 8-week intervention led to lower anxiety than a treatment as usual group) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A Word From Verywell If you are interested in learning how to practice Kundalini meditation to improve your mindfulness in daily life, its important that you start making small changes at first. Dont give up if it feels hard to meditate or as though you cannot quiet your mind. Its only with practice that this will become easier. At first, even just two minutes of meditation might feel like a struggle. However, with time and practice, it will be easier to call yourself into a meditative state. And, once you have that ability, it will translate into other areas of your life, making it easier to manage thoughts, emotions, and behaviors rather than just reacting blindly to what happens to you. How Meditation Impacts Your Mind and Body

The Marijuana Policy Project Or Mpp For Short Essay

The Marijuana Policy Project or MPP for short is a special interest group that is solely concerned with the legalization, decriminalization, and regulations of marijuana. Before Marijuana Policy Project was created by Rob Kampia, Chuck Thomas, and Mike Kirshner, they worked for another organization called National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws or NORML for short. The cofounders had trouble with NORML, constantly bickering with their superiors over how they could be more proactive. (MPP)They were eventually fired by the president of NORML and the three of them decided to branch off and make their own interest group. The Marijuana Policy Project was founded in January of 1995 with the sole purpose of ending marijuana prohibition and freeing those arrest for marijuana possession. The group quickly grew to be one of the largest marijuana policy reform group in the United States and the District of Columbia. Marijuana Policy Project has over 32,000 dues-paying members with 30 employees that includes two full time lobbyist. (Wikipedia) The MPP has a total revenue of $1,658,903 with 68% of that going towards program expenses and 7% going towards administrative expenses. (Charity Navigator) The Marijuana Policy Project is not only trying to make marijuana legal in a state level but they are also trying to help in other ways as well. Their vision is â€Å"a nation where marijuana is legally regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and realistic, andShow MoreRelatedEssay about Survey of Marijuna Usage at Texas Christian University561 Words   |  3 PagesMarijuana usage when discussed brings about debate and division no matter the forum. This is a topic that many individuals feel either one or the other about. Very few feelings can be described as â€Å"Middle of the Road†. As students at Texas Christian University we felt that in the time we were in attendance no one had tried to measure how students felt and view Marijuana. This information could be used by organizations such as NORML; it could help them decide whether or not pursuing a NORML chapterRead More Positive Aspects of Medical Marijuana Essay2049 Words   |  9 Pages Marijuana i s the common name for a drug comprised of the leaves and flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant, cannabis sativa, which can be smoked or eaten for unique feelings. The active ingredient of marijuana, known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is concentrated in the flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant. In the USA, the legality of marijuana, found to be medically useful by some, has been a controversial topic for decades (Nahas 1). Today, the 5,000-year medical history of cannabis

William Shakespeare s Julius Caesar Essay - 2414 Words

Christa Kiesling AP Lang Block 1 Mr. Snider 6 Nov. 2016 RA1 William Shakespeare, in his historical play Julius Caesar, makes the characters Brutus and Antony utilize rhetorical strategies in order to win the favour of the Roman people for their own purposes. These two speakers try to convince the audience of different things: where Brutus, who speaks first, was trying to subdue the passions of the mob and use logic to win acceptance for his murderous actions, Antony, who had to follow Brutus, was trying to awaken the passions of the mob and stir up the need for revenge. In addition, Antony had the additional challenge that he was not allowed to speak ill of Brutus and his fellow conspirators. To persuade their audience, the characters manipulate the use of persona to move the audience’s perception of themselves, to establish or reinforce the strengths of their positions, and to undermine each other’s arguments. First, both Brutus and Antony use persuasion by manipulating syntax to make the audience relate to and accept certain personas so that they would see the death of Caesar from each speaker’s point of view. When Brutus addresses the Roman crowd to explain why he and the other conspirators killed Julius Caesar, he states, â€Å"Romans, countrymen, and lovers!† (line 24). He uses parallel structure to emphasize the persona that he wants the people to take on. He puts â€Å"Romans† first in his list because Rome is the most important thing to him, and he wants the people toShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar1082 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Et tu, Brutà ©? Then fall Caesar† (III.i 179). The fatal stabs of the conspirators did not kill the all-mighty Julius Caesar, for the sharp butcher of Brutus pierced his heart and condemned his life to cessation. This dramatic, mood changing affair serves as the pivotal platform in William Shakespeare†™s, Julius Caesar. It is a compelling novel that recounts the unjust murder of Julius Caesar, an ancient Roman general. Oblivious to this conspicuous foreshadowing, Caesar fails to distinguish his trueRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar Essay1833 Words   |  8 Pages INTRODUCTION The seemingly straightforward simplicity of â€Å"Julius Caesar† has made it a perennial favourite for almost 400 years. Despite its simplicity, almost Roman in nature, the play is rich both dramatically and thematically, and every generation since Shakespeare’s time has been able to identify with some political aspect of the play. The Victorians found a stoic, sympathetic character in Brutus and found Caesar unforgivably weak and tyrannical. As we move into the twenty-first century, audiencesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar760 Words   |  4 Pagespeople of Rome. In Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare, Brutus and Antony address the people over Caesar’s dead body. The body is brought to the town square shortly after he was murdered by the Senate. Brutus, one of the murderers, appeals to the people’s fear and patriotism. Antony speaks after and puts doubts of the justification of the murder and plays to the people’s hearts. Brutus addresses the crowd by using his reputation to support his reasons for killing Caesar. He starts his speechRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar804 Words   |  4 Pagesthe phenomenal, as well as tyrannical, Roman rulers throughout history, Julius Caesar is by far the most prominent. This fame is due in no small part to William Shakespeare and his play that bears the same name. However, although Caesar is the play’s namesake, the story’s central focus is on Brutus and Caius Cassius and their plot to assassinate Caesar. When discussing Antony’s fate in Act II scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus argues against what he perceives as the unnecessary and brutalRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar919 Words   |  4 Pageschoices that eventually bring about their demise. At first glance, Caesar may appear to be the tragic hero, when the real tragedy actually lies in Brutus’s story in William Shakespeare s p lay The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. One tray a tragic hero must posses is that they are relatable. The play may be named for Caesar, but the reader simply knows more of Brutus and his motives, which help to make his story a tragedy more so than Caesar s. Brutus’ thoughts, actions, and history are made more apparentRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar1508 Words   |  7 Pages William Shakespeare’s play, â€Å"The Tragedy of Julius Caesar† was mainly based on the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar. â€Å"Julius Caesar† is a play based on rhetoric and politics. Rhetoric is the science of manipulation. Marcus Brutus, a Senate and a beloved friend of Caesar stood as the face among the conspirators leading the assassination of Julius Caesar. Aristotle said, â€Å"A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his downfall†. He defined a tragic hero as someone who is highlyRead MoreThemes Of William Shakespeare s Julius Caesar 2063 Words   |  9 Pages Theme, Mood and Conflict in Julius Caesar Savannah Baine â€Å"Come I to speak at Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me. But Brutus says that he was too ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man .† Mark Antony (Act 3,Scene 2,Line 85). â€Å"Julius Caesar† by William Shakespeare, is a classic play depicting the death of Caesar and the chaos that ensues afterwards. One theme in this play is fate vs. free will, the mood is seriousRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar1721 Words   |  7 Pagesusually stems from their own deep rooted hatred of a person and is often in some way personally benefiting to themselves. However, this is not the case of Brutus in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. Brutus’s plan to murder Julius Caesar does not make him a villainous man but a rather noble one. Despite his plot against Caesar, Brutus’s intentions were always one-hundred percent honorable. The first instance in the play where the reader learns of just how honorable a man Brutus is, is in Act 1, SceneRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar1201 Words   |  5 PagesDellinger English II 4/18/17 Julius Caesar There are many people you may have heard of that lived during 100 B.C.- 10 A.D. in Rome. Some of those people include Marcus Brutus, Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and Julius Caesar. In this paper I will be talking about Julius Caesar. And while doing so I will be talking about his early/personal life, his career, and his assassination. Julius Caesar was born July 12. B.C. as Gaius Julius Caesar, to Aurelia Cotta, and Gaius Julius Caesar. Julius was born with the NeurologicalRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar1119 Words   |  5 PagesOration in Julius Caesar, and Why It Wouldn’t Stand in Court â€Å"Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing. It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different.† – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What does circumstantial evidence have to do with a speech, you may ask? In a manner of speaking, everything, for the evidence maketh the speech. In William Shakespeare’s

Phospholipases Free Essays

A) The hypothesis being tested here is the enhancement in the lipase activity of phospholipase C-?1 via phosphorylation of tyrosine 783.B) To perform the experiment equal concentrations of purified phospholipase-C-?1 were set on incubation with the active kinase domain of FGFR2 and ATP in bovine serum albumin containing buffer. The samples of this reactions were tested for two activities: 1) for lipase activity in the phospholipid vehicles indicated in the figure on left y axis. We will write a custom essay sample on Phospholipases or any similar topic only for you Order Now Secondly the phosphate incorporation in phospholipase-C-?1 was studied, illustrated at right y axis of figure.This was performed to check the phosphorylation of tyrosine and auto inhibition of PLC-? isozymes, 775/783 of PLC-?1 were substitutes at the place of phenylalanine, they could be used individually or together, but in the experiment tyr783 is used individually. Phospholipase activity of resulting mutant after purification was quantified with active domain of FGFR2K (helps in phosphorylation and activation of phospholipase). certain known moles of phosphates were added into purified PLC-?1 in wild type under above mentioned conditions and was observed that phospholipase activity was enhanced 10 times. The mutation of tyr783 completely nullified the kinase stimulated acceleration of phospholipase activity along with reduction in FGFR2K-promoted phosphorylation of PLC-?1. Therefore, phosphorylation of Tyr783 is vital forrelief of auto-inhibition. C) Studies reveal that Tyr-783 was essential for auto inhibition. As discussed above, permanent phosphorylation of tyr-783 will completely nullify the kinase stimulated and FGFR2K stimulated phosphorylation of PLC-?1. lipase activity of PLC-?1 will be enhanced across its limits and over-expression of PLC-?1 can induce malignant transformation. The results could be leading to production of carcinoma cells. It has been found in various studies that activity of PLC-?1 is more in cancerous cells as compared to normal cells. So, permanent phosphorylation tyr783 could be a way leading to malignant cancers. How to cite Phospholipases, Papers

Standardized Testing free essay sample

Are you one of the many students who cram in hours upon hours of studying the night before an exam that has been stressing you out all week? You wake up the next morning nervous and full of anxiety, just to take the same test as everyone else, under the same conditions as everyone else. Sounds fair right? Well I don’t believe it is, and here’s why. Standardized tests were made to test the knowledge of a student over a particular course or subject. The ACT and SAT, for example, are composed of four multiple choice sections usually including math, english, science and reading. Well here’s the funny thing, everyone is different. Some students thrive at written tests where some students fail. Some students are better at presentations where other students are not. Because of the differences in student’s ability to learn and retain information caused by many different teaching methods and criteria covered, standardized testing has become an unreliable way to measure a student’s knowledge and should be replaced by other means such as using e-portfolios or performance based assessment. We will write a custom essay sample on Standardized Testing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Some of the main problems with standardized tests such as the ACT or the SAT include trying to accurately measure a students knowledge over a particular set of subjects and a phenomenon involving teachers called â€Å"teaching the test†. In a 2013 speech to the American Educational Research Association, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said â€Å"State assessments in mathematics and English often fail to capture the full spectrum of what students know and can do,† he said. â€Å"Students, parents, and educators know there is much more to a sound education than picking the right answer on a multiple-choice question† (Evans). I completely agree with Arne Duncan on this matter. On a typical standardized test you have about a twenty five percent chance of getting the answer right. Potentially, you could have a student who does not know the material at all, but could guess right on more than half the answers and get credit for it. Being a student who has taken the ACT more than once, I can honestly say I feel like the ACT was a poor representation of my knowledge over the subjects tested on. Now with the phenomenon called â€Å"teaching the test† which is where teachers center their curricula around state tests, students become subject only to material that will be found on the test. This not only causes teachers to lack creativity within the teaching of the course, but also causes students to become limited to learning test taking skills. Even though standardized testing can be harmful to student’s creativity, there are some alternatives to this problem. One alternative to standardized testing, relating to the SAT and ACT, would be the use of electronic portfolios or e-portfolios. Terrel Rhodes, vice president for quality, curriculum, and assessment at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) says that â€Å"E-portfolios provide a means for collecting assigned work, as well as students accomplishments in non-classroom settings, so that faculty, internship supervisors, and others can assess it and aggregate or disaggregate the results, depending on the purposes of the assessment† (1). Basically e-portfolios would be a collection of student’s individual work throughout the year, organized into a folder that the teacher would have access to at all times. This folder would help the teacher view how each and every student learns and give an overview on how much each student took away from the course, what not to teach in the following years and what to cover more heavily. This alternative is more effective and personal than a standardized multiple choice test because it gives the teacher a chance to personally view how each individual student is progressing throughout the year. In terms of college admissions, if your portfolio was shared with the colleges of your choice, it would allow college admissions to see your progress throughout the year. So instead of just seeing an ACT test score that a student could have potentially guessed on for more than half the answers, they would be able to see a portfolio showing how well equipped and prepared for college the student is. It would be a great way of telling if the student would be a good fit for their program or not. Given the knowledge at hand, I believe e-portfolios would be a great alternative to standardized testing. Another alternative to standardized testing is performance based assessment. â€Å"Performance assessments measure skills such as the ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines, contribute to the work of a group, and develop a plan of action when confronted with a new situation† (Brudali). This differs from standardized testing in the fact that teachers focus more on the process of learning, where standardized testing focuses on the product. Instead of using tests that are multiple choice that require a student to choose the one correct answer, performance based assessment often times uses group projects, hands-on projects, essays and verbal presentations to determine a student’s knowledge and skills over a particular set of subjects. Another advantage to performance assessment is that â€Å"Performance assessments provide teachers with more information about the learning needs of their students and enable them to modify their methods to meet these needs† (Wren). Teachers actually try to assess each and every students learning process and direct the class accordingly, letting students take away more from lectures. Having this type of assessment in high school would benefit students tremendously in college. Having experience with verbal presentations and hands on projects will provide the student a head start with skills you need for college. These skills would be used for interviews, group projects in labs and speeches given throughout the years. Performance based assessment would tremendously benefit and prepare students for college and would be a great alternative to standardized testing. Knowing that there are already proven solutions to standardized testing, let me ask you why you are still taking them? Studies have clearly proven that standardized testing is an inaccurate and unreliable way to display the knowledge of students. Not only that, studies have also proven that different methods such as e-portfolios and the performance based assessments are a more accurate and effective way of displaying a students knowledge over various subjects. So why don’t you take initiative? Join a club like student council, a club where you have a say with what goes on with your school and the decisions being made. Start a petition against standardized testing and let students get involved. Not only that, let your community get involved. Tell your family and friends about the disadvantages of standardized testing and its inability to measure students’ knowledge. There are many ways you can get involved in your school and community to have a say in the decisions being made with problems such as standardized testing. All you have to do is take initiative and act upon it. With all the knowledge at hand, I truly believe standardized testing is a terrible way to reflect a student’s knowledge and there are many alternatives that can be provided in place of it.