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

The School Context in Language Education

Dell Hymes defines the school context as: “The key to understanding language in context is to start not with language but with context... [and then to] systematically relate the two.”

If we do not pay attention to what the school environment involves, we will not be able to understand how the language learning process affects the way children use and acquire it.

The School Context in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

The school context, particularly when teaching and learning a foreign language, involves four crucial aspects:

1. Language Factors in the School Context

Many aspects influence language learning. It is necessary to observe the following in the school environment to ensure the correct acquisition... Continue reading "Optimizing Foreign Language Learning: The School Context" »

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are action verbs that have an object to receive that action. For example, in the sentence "He hit the ball", the direct object ball received the action of the verb hit.

Examples:

• I baked some cookies.
• I rode the bicycle.
• I moved the chair.
• I stitched a quilt.

Intransitive verbs are action verbs, but unlike transitive verbs, they do not have an object receiving the action. For instance, in the sentence "I sang", there are no words after the verb sang.

Examples:

• I laughed.
• I cried.
• The book fell.
• The horse galloped.
• The sun set.

Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary Verbs (also known as helping verbs) are the verbs be, do, have, and will when they are followed by another verb (the main verb) in order to form a question,... Continue reading "Understanding Verbs, Adverbs, and Other Word Classes" »

Invictus: Uniting South Africa Through Rugby

The film Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, tells the story of the South African rugby team, the Springboks, who participated in the Rugby World Cup in 1994.

Set during a time when South Africa faced severe apartheid problems, Nelson Mandela hoped to help the country become more united if everybody supported the rugby team. Matt Damon, portraying the captain of the Springboks, and Morgan Freeman, portraying Nelson Mandela, are prominent in the film and give great performances. Their slogan, "One Team, One Country," successfully unites the black and white populations, and Mandela hopes the situation in the country will improve.

I loved this film and would... Continue reading "Personal Reflections: Film, Friendship, and Consumer Choices" »

Understanding Behaviors to Predict Performance and Enhance Effectiveness

Replacing Intuition with Systematic Study

Attribute causes and effects, draw conclusions based on scientific evidence: provide a means to predict behaviors.

Evidence-Based Management (EBM)

Managerial decisions based on scientific evidence.

Relevant Disciplines

Psychology (human behaviors)
Social Psychology (people's influence on one another in groups)
Sociology (social environment and culture/group behaviors)
Anthropology (study of societies)

Management Functions

Planning (goals, strategy)
Controlling (monitoring)
Organizing (what, who, how)
Leading (motivating, directing)

Mintzberg's Managerial Roles

1. Interpersonal

Figurehead, leader, liaison

2. Informational

Monitor, disseminator, spokesperson

3.

Personality: A Person's Pattern of Thinking, Feeling, and Acting

Type A and Type B Personalities

• Type A: Feel time pressure, easily angered, competitive and ambitious, work hard, more prone to heart disease.
• Type B: Relaxed and easygoing, work steadily, disregard physical or mental stress when they do not achieve.

Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory

Freud believed that libido (psychosexual energy) moves to different parts of the body during different stages of development:

• Oral Stage (0-2 years): Sucking, mouth (drinking, eating, dependence, independence)
• Anal Stage (2 years): Bowel movements (orderly, stubborn/messy, wasteful)
• Phallic Stage (3-5 years): Play with genitals, feel attracted to the opposite parent
• Latent Stage (5 years to adolescence): Suppress

Mastering Tense Shifts in Reported Speech

When converting direct speech into reported (indirect) speech, specific changes occur in verb tenses, modal verbs, and expressions of time and place. This document outlines the essential rules for these conversions.

I. Tense and Modal Verb Changes

The general rule is that the tense shifts one step back into the past.

Present Simple to Past Simple

• Direct: "He is American," she said.
• Reported: She said that he was American.
• Direct: He asked, "Are you busy?"
• Reported: He asked me if I was busy.

Present Continuous to Past Continuous

• Direct: "Dan is living in SF," she said.
• Reported: She said Dan was living in SF.
• Direct: "Why are you working?" they asked.
• Reported: They asked me why I was working.

Present Perfect to

Understanding Personality: Traits and Theories

Big Five Traits:

• Neuroticism: Tendency to experience unpleasant emotions frequently (e.g., depression).
• Extraversion: Tendency to seek stimulation and enjoy the company of others (e.g., warmth, happiness, excitement).
• Agreeableness: Tendency to be compassionate toward others.
• Conscientiousness: Tendency to show self-discipline and strive for achievement and competence.
• Openness to Experience: Enjoyment of new intellectual experiences. (Note: This does not take into account the importance of the situation.)

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis helps to identify clusters and score tests.

Biological Theory

This theory suggests that personality changes according to the environment (reinforcements and punishments)... Continue reading "Understanding Personality: Big Five Traits and Theories" »

Short Answers:

• Dual vs. Cooperative Federalism

  • Dual Federalism:

    • States retain autonomy; federal government yields to states in areas of overlapping responsibility.
    • Established in Hammer v. Dagenhart.
    • Revived in National League of Cities v. Usery, emphasizing state sovereignty, but later overturned by Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority, requiring states to yield to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

  • Cooperative Federalism (Post-1937):

    • Federal government takes precedence in areas of overlapping responsibility.
    • United States v. Darby Lumber Co. upheld Congress's power to regulate employment conditions under the Commerce Clause, overturning Hammer v. Dagenhart.

• Printz v. United States

  • The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Bill)