Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Baccalaureate

Bronfenbrenner: Social/Bio Ecological NO STAGES

The Russian Nesting Doll

Used in the classroom and everyday life

Ignores the roles of cognition and is hard to back up with research

Microsystem:

The people and objects in an individual's immediate environment

Mesosystem:

Connections between microsystems

Exosystem:

Social settings that a person may not experience firsthand but that still influence development

Macrosystem:

Consists of cultural values, laws, customs, and resources

Connected to Piaget

Piaget: Cognitive STAGES

Jaffa Cakes, water beaker, coins

Underestimating children abilities, impact of culture

Sensorimotor:

Birth to 2 years, during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities

Preoperational:

2 to 7... Continue reading "Developmental Theories: A Comparison of Bronfenbrenner, Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, and Kohlberg" »

How does Chimamanda define 'the single story'?

She defines 'the single story' as the tendency to reduce individuals or groups to a single narrative or perspective, often based on stereotypes, preconceived notions, or limited information. A single story shows a group of people as one thing and only one thing over and over again until that is what they become.

Name four 'single stories' that she discusses in this talk

Chimamanda's roommate who had a single story of Africa. She had a single story of catastrophe. In this single story, Africans weren't similar to her at all. She just felt pity for them. She stereotyped Chimamanda as a woman who shouldn't know how to speak English, listened to tribal music, and not well-known authors...

Chimamanda's... Continue reading "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of Single Stories" »

Core Concepts in Organic Chemistry

Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions

SN1 Reaction: Unimolecular Substitution

SN1 stands for Substitution Nucleophilic Unimolecular reaction. It proceeds in two steps:

1. Slow Step: Dissociation of the substrate to form a carbocation intermediate.
2. Fast Step: The carbocation combines with the attacking nucleophile.

Characteristics of SN1 reactions:

• More stable carbocation leads to a faster reaction.
• Favored by polar solvents.
• Mostly given by tertiary alkyl halides.
• Occurs with racemization.
• Follows 1st-order kinetics: Rate = k[R-X].

SN2 Reaction: Bimolecular Substitution

SN2 stands for Substitution Nucleophilic Bimolecular reaction. It proceeds in a single step, which is the rate-determining step.

Characteristics of SN2 reactions:... Continue reading "Essential Concepts in Organic Chemistry: Reactions and Mechanisms" »

Causes and Consequences of the German Mark Hyperinflation

Why did the German Mark inflate so rapidly?

The German Mark inflated so rapidly primarily due to the immense cost of the war against France. Germany was forced to borrow significant amounts of money, leading to a loss of financial control and subsequent hyperinflation.

Why did France demand that Germany repay their debt in foreign currency?

France demanded that Germany repay its debt in foreign currency because the French populace was upset following the conflict. Consequently, France, with the help of its allies, set terms of surrender requiring Germany to make payments totaling billions in dollars.

Understanding Monetary Value and Economic Lessons

What is one lesson that can be learned from

Introduction to Giardia duodenalis

• Giardia duodenalis is also known as Giardia lamblia and Giardia intestinalis.
• It is a flagellated unicellular eukaryotic microorganism that colonizes and reproduces in the small intestine.
• It commonly causes a gastrointestinal condition known as Giardiasis.

Classification of Giardia duodenalis

• There are five species of Giardia, of which G. intestinalis infects humans and other mammals.
• G. duodenalis can further be differentiated into seven genotypes (A to G), of which genotypes A and B usually infect humans.

History and Global Distribution of Giardiasis

• It is one of the earliest protozoan parasites to have been

Binge-Watching Effects

During lockdowns, binge-watching served as a distraction from negativity and filled excessive spare time, becoming a coping mechanism for overthinking.

However, excessive binge-watching can lead to mental health issues like insomnia and anxiety. Humans are social creatures, and compulsive binge-watching combined with social media overuse can cause loneliness and depression.

While occasional TV watching is relaxing, daily marathons risk addiction and social withdrawal. The negative effects often outweigh stress relief. It's crucial to find a balance in TV consumption.

Pollution's Impact on Wildlife

Introduction

This report examines pollution's effects on local wildlife and proposes improvements and regulations to protect the... Continue reading "Binge-Watching and Pollution: Impacts on Mental and Environmental Health" »

Boston Housing Data Analysis

library(mlbench)
install.packages("dplyr")
library(dplyr)
library(ggplot2)
library(reshape2)
data("BostonHousing")
housing <- BostonHousing
str(housing)

housing %>%   ggplot(aes(x = medv)) +
  stat_density() +
  labs(x = "Median Value ($1000s)", y = "Density", title = "Density Plot of Median Value House Price in Boston") +
  theme_minimal()

summary(housing$medv)

housing %>%   select(c(crim, rm, age, rad, tax, lstat, medv)) %>%   melt( id.vars = "medv") %>%   ggplot(aes(x = value, y = medv, colour = variable)) +
  geom_point(alpha = 0.7) +
  stat_smooth(aes(colour = "black")) +
  facet_wrap(~variable, scales = "free", ncol = 2) +
  labs(x = "Variable Value", y = "Median House Price ($1000s)") +
  theme_minimal(

DIVIDEND POLICY

Factors Influencing Dividend Decisions

Rate of Asset Expansion

Companies planning significant expansion may retain earnings to finance growth, avoiding the cost and time involved in raising new capital.

Profit Rate

A company's profitability directly impacts its ability to pay dividends. Higher profits lead to more available cash for distribution to shareholders.

Earnings Stability

Companies with stable earnings are more likely to consistently pay dividends compared to those with volatile earnings.

Access to Capital Markets

Easy access to capital markets allows companies to raise funds for expansion without retaining earnings, providing flexibility in dividend policy.

Control and Ownership

Management may retain earnings to maintain control... Continue reading "Understanding Dividend Policies: Factors, Models, and Strategies" »

Guided dictation is an effective way to assess the skill of writing. It challenges students' listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling abilities. The process encourages active engagement and provides immediate feedback, enhancing writing proficiency. Moreover, guided dictation promotes language acquisition by exposing learners to authentic spoken language. Collaborative learning can be assessed effectively through peer evaluation, promoting self-reflection and fairness. Formative assessment aims to inform and guide teaching and learning, while summative assessment measures overall mastery. Continuous assessment provides ongoing feedback and supports learning throughout the process. TEFL benefits from informal assessments, promoting... Continue reading "Effective Assessment Methods for Writing Skills: Guided Dictation and Collaborative Learning" »

Productivity

Productivity is the measure of output relative to the inputs used to create it.

Productivity Formulas

General Productivity: Quantity of Output / Quantity of Input

Labour Productivity: Output over a Given Period / Number of Employees

Production Methods

Lean Production

Lean production encompasses techniques used to minimize waste and maximize efficiency. This can involve reducing product development time and accelerating time to market.

Kaizen

Kaizen, a Japanese term meaning "continuous improvement", emphasizes eliminating waste to enhance efficiency.

Just-In-Time (JIT)

Just-In-Time (JIT) is a production method that aims to minimize or eliminate the need for finished goods inventory. Supplies arrive precisely when needed for production.

Production