Francis King “Making It All Right” Free Essays

The text â€Å"Making it all right† by Francis King is written in a style of fiction. This extract is about how Mary and her husband Bob were admiring their screen, which was picked up in a little junkshop, and how they had it remounted. So at the beginning of the text we see Bob, Mary and Diana friendly speaking about their friend Iris, whom they were going to make a call. We will write a custom essay sample on Francis King â€Å"Making It All Right† or any similar topic only for you Order Now Suddenly their attention was attracted by Diana Lucas, who began to edge a six-panel gold screen out from the wall. And they saw the filth behind it. During this Bob was sitting and staring at the Chinese silk carpet. The author describe him as a big and clumsy chap using such epithet â€Å"clumsy hands†. But Bob wasn’t going to grumble about her and he’s been with her twelve years. And he really appreciated in her the thing that she was a good cook and to show it the author uses the epithet â€Å"a lovely cook†. The clich? â€Å"on a good day† is used to show that they did not care very much about that carpet. After all they decided to call her but they did not know whether would be suitable. Besides she was on her own and seemed â€Å"utterly lost†, this metonymy which describes her in a very bad condition. But then Diana fidgeted with the screen and their attention again was attracted by the beauty of it. To show their admiration the author uses the proverb â€Å"The gold alone is worth a fortune†. And at the end of the text we can see the remembering of that how they picked up it in a small junkshop and how it had been remounted by a little man – a real artist. After that they anyway decided to put through that call. To my mind the idea of the story is that sometimes it is possible to remount thing which are in ghastly condition. How to cite Francis King â€Å"Making It All Right†, Essay examples

English spoke Essay Example For Students

English spoke Essay I questioned the informant to find out about her English language background. I asked questions about her background, including the social and political focus that led to her acquisition of the English language, in order to discover how proficient her English speaking skills are now.  With reference to the motivation for learning English I discovered that this was compulsory in Bengal. For women the ability to speak English is a matter of status which has little practical value due to families maintaining Bengali as the first language at home and in friendships with other Bengalis when making their homes in England. The informant told me that she had never spoken English in Bangladesh; therefore, had she stayed there her English skills would never have been used. Indeed the emphasis was on reading and writing English without the opportunity to develop speaking skills. This non utilization of English continues in England. In addition, since first generation Bengalis have not interacted socially with English speakers, they may lack, for example, understanding of the pragmatics of English. By not engaging in face to face conversation the subtleties of language inflexion, tone, facial gestures are not learned.  My findings on her background were as follows:-  The first generation informant was born in the city of Sylhet in Bangladesh. She does not recall clearly how many lessons she took but she thinks it was 5 lessons per week, over a period of 10 years, since English was compulsory. Her teachers first language was Bengali. She did written comprehension work and writing. Her class was large and consisted of a 100 people and divided into 2 groups of 50. She achieved the equivalent of GCSE English but she never spoke English in Bangladesh, though she did watch English language television. Since moving to Britain in 1982 she has occasionally been required to speak English, for instance whilst attending a doctors appointment or shopping. She relied on her husband speaking for her mainly in consultations with doctors. By asking the questions I hoped to demonstrate that a real grasp of English is wider than the ability simply to say words in English, but involved knowledge of sentence construction, pronunciation, flow of language and body cues.  I decided to question the informant on her favourite food to eat and cook since this would be a familiar topic to a first generation Bengali female. I began with a simple closed question, What is your favourite food? The answer was general, not using precise vocabulary I like meat curry. In order to have a sample of language to study I continued with an open question, How do you cook it?  I hoped the structure of the explanation, the use or misuse of appropriate vocabulary and the pace of sentences, including hesitations and repetitions would demonstrate that lack of use of the spoken word, even by an educated Bengali has an effect on how English is communicated. By comparing this with the explanation in Bengali I hoped to prove that the same patterns of Bengali speech are utilized by first generation Bengalis in their English. Using an audio recorder I recorded the conversations which I then wrote as questions and the answers in the form of a transcript. To test the hypothesis I finally requested the informant to produce a written recipe (Data C). I will analyse this and compare the lexis and grammar to that of Data A, the spoken language. Data B was used as a measure against which spoken and written (Data C) language could be compared. DESCRIPTION OF DATA Three minutes and twenty six seconds of audio-recorded first generation spoken language have been transcribed to examine for lexis, grammar, syntax and phonology. From this I aimed to discover whether there was evidence of basic differences in word selection including knowledge of correct nouns, construction of sentences, and understanding of syntax and complexity of explanations. By comparing the English speech in giving a recipe with the recipe given in Bengali I could determine whether speech patterns were actually based on Bengali. .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf , .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .postImageUrl , .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf , .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf:hover , .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf:visited , .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf:active { border:0!important; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf:active , .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf70580ceea67a3e27fbc3c80254ccacf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Romeo Juliet EssayANALYSIS  DATA A Answers to oral questions in English were recorded then transcribed to provide a sample of spoken Bengali.  1. Grammar  When reading the answers to the first two questions there are obvious variations from accepted English sentence order. The lexis is limited and specific or precise language choices are sacrificed for more general or vague terms e.g. curry and rice, piece, piece. Lack of use of proper nouns or verbs has resulted in losing the ability to recall the word. However, along with this is the adaptation of Bengali syntax into English. Since my informant seems to think in Bengali rather than in English (she appears to be translating word by word without reference to English sentence construction. Further peculiarities are seen in lines 21 and 22. Here the syntactic order has impeded the sense of the instruction. Line 24 has the verb chop at the end of the sentence, resulting from translating directly from Bengali word order. The wrong word order adds the uncertainty to the explanation, yet the interviewee is a recognized competent cook who could demonstrate the making of the dish easily. Confusion between the usage of Bengali word order and English is noticeable in line 7 and this along with inconsistent word choices blurs the sense of meaning of this step of the recipe. 2. Lexis  This lack of precision is evident in the description of yellow powder instead of e.g. egg food colour. Using the verb make to replace becomes reflects her inability to recall principal verbs through her lack of speaking practice. Line 24 (danya), is an example of replacing an unknown English term with a Bengali substitute.  3. Phonology  There are many hesitations and repairs to be noted in this data. Line 3 which demonstrate lack of confidence in using the superlative word form. Her obvious embarrassment leads her to simplify the statement to I like chicken balti. See line 14. The repairs demonstrate her awareness of choosing the wrong word and her struggle to find the more precise paste. Confusion with the order of words in lines 21 and 22 leads to another repair. In data A there are a total of 76 hesitations and pauses which make the content difficult to follow. In line 3 the informant hesitates because of apparently having difficulty in expressing her thought in English. The hesitations and pauses in lines 6 8 appear to be caused by a difficulty in explaining a process she understands well. The use of err gives her mental thinking time as she tries to think of the description of the action or correct name. This lack of fluency prompts me to believe that formal language training does not lead to fluency in the spoken aspect of language.

To Uphold The Law Through The Investigation Of Violations Of Federal E

To uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal criminal law; to protect the U.S. from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities; to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies; and to perform these responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the public and is faithful to the constitution of the U.S.: this is the mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The agency now known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation was founded in 1908 when the Attorney General appointed an unnamed force of Special Agents to be the investigative force of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Before that time, the DOJ had to borrow Agents from the U.S. Secret Service to investigate violations of federal criminal laws within its jurisdiction. In 1909, the Special Agent Force was renamed the Bureau of Investigation, and after a series of name changes, it received its present official name in 1935. During the early period of the FBIs history, its agents investigated violations of mainly bankruptcy frauds, antitrust crime, and neutrality violation. During World War One, the Bureau was given the responsibility of investigating espionage, sabotage, sedition (resistance against lawful authority), and draft violations. The passage of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act in 1919 further broadened the Bureau's jurisdiction. After the passage of Prohibition in 1920, the gangster era began, bringing about a whole new type of crime. Criminals engaged in kidnapping and bank robbery, which were not federal crimes at that time. This changed in 1932 with the passage of a federal kidnapping statute. In 1934, many other federal criminal statutes were passed, and Congress gave Special Agents the authority to make arrests and to carry firearms. The FBIs size and jurisdiction during the second World War increased greatly and included intelligence matters in South America. With the end of that war, and the arrival of the Atomic Age, the FBI began conducting background security investigations for the White House and other government agencies, as well as probes into internal security matters for the executive branch of the government. In the 1960s, civil rights and organized crime became major concerns of the FBI, and counterterrorism, drugs, financial crime, and violent crimes in the 1970s. These are still the major concerns of the FBI, only now it is to a greater extent.. With all of this responsibility, it is logical to say that the FBI is a field-oriented organization. They have nine divisions and four offices at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. These divisions and offices provide direction and support services to 56 field offices and approximately 10,100 Special Agents and 13,700 other employees. Each FBI field office is overseen by a Special Agent in Charge, except for those located in New York City and Washington, D.C. Due to their large size, those offices are each managed by an Assistant Director in Charge. FBI field offices conduct their official business both directly from their headquarters and through approximately 400 satellite offices, known as resident agencies. The FBI also operates specialized field installations: two Regional Computer Support Centers; one in Pocatello, Idaho, and one in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey -- and two Information technology Centers (ITCs); one at Butte, Montana, and one at Savannah, Georgia. The ITCs provide information services to support field investigative and administrative operations. Because they do have so much responsibility, their investigative authority is the broadest of all federal law enforcement agencies. The FBI also stresses long term, complex investigation, emphasize close relations and information sharing with other federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement and intelligence agencies. A significant number of FBI investigations are conducted with other law enforcement agencies or as part of joint task forces. As part of this process, the FBI has divided its investigations into the following programs: Applicant Program Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Applicants Department of justice Candidates FBI Special Agents and Support Applicants and others Civil Rights Program Civil Rights Act of 1964 Discrimination in Housing Equal Credit Opportunity Act Counterterrorism Program Hostage taking Sabotage Attempted of Actual Bombings and others Financial Crime Program Bank Fraud and Embezzlement Environmental Crimes Fraud Against the Government and others Foreign Counterintelligence Programs Espionage Foreign Counterintelligence Matters  Organized Crime/Drug Program Drug Matters Money Laundering Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force Matters and others Violent Crimes and Major Offenders Program Theft of Government Property Crime Aboard Aircraft Kidnapping - Extortion and others These programs cover most everything that the FBI investigates, and some individual cases in a program often receives extensive investigative attention because of their size, potential impact, or sensitivity. Because FBI Special Agents are responsible for handling so many different things, they

The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar

The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar In English grammar, a present tense is a form of the  verb  occurring in the current moment that is represented by either the base form  or the -s  inflection  of  the third-person singular, contrasting with the past and future tenses. The present tense may also refer to an action or event that is ongoing or that takes place at the present moment. However, because the present tense in English can also be used to express a range of other meanings- including references to the past and future events, depending on the context- it is sometimes described as being unmarked for time.   The basic form of the present indicative is commonly  known as the simple present. Other verbal constructions referred to as present include the present progressive  as in are laughing, the present perfect  as in have laughed, and the present perfect progressive  as in have been laughing.   Functions of the Present Tense There are six common ways to use the present tense in English, though the most common function is to designate an action that is occurring at the time of speaking or writing like she lives in the house or to indicate habitual actions like I run every morning, and in some cases may be used to express general truths like time flies, scientific knowledge like light travels, and when referring to texts like Shakespeare says a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II note in the third edition of The Scribner Handbook for Writers that present tense also has some special rules for their usage, especially when indicating future time wherein they must be used with time expressions like we travel to Italy next week and Michael returns in the morning. Many authors and literary scholars have also noticed a recent trend in literary works to be written in the hipper present tense, whereas most works of great literature are written in the past tense. This is because modern literature relies on the use of the present tense to convey a sense of urgency and relevance to the text. The Four Present Tenses There are four unique forms of the present tense that can be used in English grammar: simple present, present progressive, present perfect, and present perfect progressive. The simple present is the most common form, used primarily to express facts and habits, detail the action of scheduled future events and to tell stories in a more compelling and engaging manner than past tense entails. In the present progressive sentences, a linking verb is often attached to the present progressive verb to indicate events that are ongoing in the present, such as I am searching or he is going while the present perfect tense is used to define actions that began in the past but are still ongoing like I have gone or he has searched. Finally, the present perfect progressive form is used to indicate a continuous activity that started in the past and is still ongoing or has recently been completed as in I have been searching or he has been depending on you.

Hyperinflation in Argentina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hyperinflation in Argentina - Essay Example This is explained with relevant data and pictorial graphs in order to bring out a clear understanding of the concept. Hyperinflation in any country is the result of careless monetary policies and the balance of imports and exports, and the mismatch of demand and supply factors. A country that slips into a period of hyperinflation experiences a rough economy in addition to heavy economic downturn and in the end resulting in currency devaluation. According to the banking dictionary Hyperinflation is explained as an "Economic condition characterized by rapidly rising prices of freely traded goods, and declining purchasing power, threatening economic stability and ability to repay External Debt the term usually is applied when consumer prices are rising at rates in excess of 50% per month, particularly in developing countries. While we do have many definitions and perceptions about hyperinflation let us first understand the term Inflation. In an article published by the department of Economics Wilfred Laurier University of Canada, "Inflation is generally defined as a sustained increase in the cost of living. While there exist a myriad of indicators of the cost of living in most countries, inflation is usually thought of in terms of a consumer price index (CPI)." Moreover is further explains inflation as "An understanding of inflation and its causes is vital since continuous increases in some indicator of the cost of living imp lies a concomitant fall in the purchasing power of money. In other words, a given quantity of currency is able to command fewer quantities of goods and services as prices rise."(Pierre 2000) Finally inflation is the rise in the consumer prices and the percentage of this rise if exceeds over 50% a month is hyperinflation. Most of the hyperinflationary conditions have risen across the Globe after the Second World War. Brazil and Argentina had an average monthly increase of 68.6% and 66% respectively. However, economists commonly agree that Germany's economy was the worst affected due to Hyperinflationary conditions during the Second World War. The recent Global financial meltdown has given rise to many questions about hyperinflation across the Globe and how long it would last and whether this would give rise to another Great Depression 2. In an article by Global Research, the International forecaster of Bob Chapman predicted Inflation rates; US at 12.5% ,China 8.5% The Gulf an average of 12% ,Russia at 14%, India at 8%, Indonesia 12%, Brazil at 5%, Chile 8.3%, and Argentina at 23%.(Lendman 2008) The figures are just a global forecast of which Argentina the highest note that Brazil has managed to emerge out of its hyperinflationary condition and is well on the road to recovery. History of Argentina's Inflation: Just to give glimpse of the Argentine Inflation picture. Hyperinflation picture rather news from the Argentine post the average annual inflation rate in Argentina between 1965 and 1989 was 284%, according to a 1992 research paper archived by the National Bureau of Economic Research. According to this

Individual Data Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Data Memo - Essay Example This memo will go into detail on how to develop a marketing plan that would be reliable to use throughout the various platforms of media that will focus on a particular market segment in order to increase Kudler Fine Foods’ customer base. To determine the importance of demographic and psychographic information for a company, it would be necessary to conduct an environmental analysis with reference to the age, education, and disposable income of the people residing in Kudler Fine Foods' geographical area will be conducted. The information derived from the environmental analysis will serve as the starting point of a marketing strategy that focuses on a subculture of the population that have similar socioeconomic status (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, & Best, 2007) to afford the quality of food Kudler Fine Foods offers. The importance of determining the demographics of the population of the target market can be best illustrated with our experience in Encinitas. While Kudler Fine Foods ha s achieved relative success in Encinitas, data found in their demographics shows that would be ill advised to open a location, or spend advertising money 30 miles south in the city of Chula Vista as what the data will show below. Encinitas (2010) Persons between the ages of 18 and 65: 38.8% (Appx.) Bachelor’s degree or higher: 54.3% Per capita income: $48,226 Chula Vista (2010) Persons between the ages of 18 and 65: 45.1% (Appx.) Bachelors degree or higher: 26.4% Per capita income: $24,646 ("Quick Facts", 2012). The above demographic data reveals that while Chula Vista has a larger population between the ages of 18-65, they are less educated and earn wages far below the median income of those living in Encinitas. This tells marketers that they have less disposable income to spend or afford the premium offerings and prices of Kudler Fine Foods line of products. In short, there may be more potential customer in Chula Vista but only few of them can actually afford our products. Psychographic Information This demographic data may be important but is insufficient for Kudler Fine Food to develop an IMC plan that will be effective in marketing our products across a multitude of media formats. To be able to develop an effective IMC, it would necessitate to determine their related lifestyles. This would require a psychographic analysis (in addition to demographic analysis) in regard to what Solomon calls the three variables of activities, interests, and opinions (AIO’s). â€Å"Thus, Kudler Fine Foods can â€Å"boil down† a person’s lifestyle by discovering how he spends his time, what he finds interesting and important, how he views himself and the world around him† (Solomon, 2009, p. 240), and identify a general lifestyle segmentation that Kudler Fine Foods can target accordingly. Psychographic analysis of the market can be done through Kudler Fine Foods’ website where it can conduct direct surveys of current and potential cus tomers for comparison to determine their AIO’s. For example, Kudler's marketers can ask on a scale of one to five, how important are sporting events to you, (activities); how important is your family’s health, (interests); the quality of a product is more important than its price, (opinions). This will allow Kudler Fine Foods to narrow geographic areas and be able to

Teaching English To Children With Learning Disabilities Education Essay

Teaching English To Children With Learning Disabilities Education Essay Introduction The world we are living in is undergoing major changes in a stunningly short amount of time. Everything is moving, everything is changing, including all the central systems upon which all civilized societies of the world work. Education systems around the globe are also in a constant reformation, trying to keep up with the individual and collective needs of the people, with the emergence of new technologies and with the modernity in general. I have decided to approach the issue of the children with learning disabilities, teaching English to them, because although the science and the world have evolved rapidly in the last century, it seems that there are still aspects of the society that are left alone or who are not given sufficient credit, perhaps from ignorance, or perhaps from unknowing what to do. Why children with learning difficulties? Because they represent a special category, which unfortunately is frequently omitted, and children with this condition are often placed in schools where there is no qualified staff to help them grow personally and professionally as they should. For avoiding confusion over what really a learning disability means, in the first chapter of my paper I thought it will be necessary to clarify the concept, by offering the definitions of several specialists. In this same chapter I will try to develop some theoretical concepts, such as the detailed description of the term and of the behavior involved, all of which are essential for understanding a student with Learning Disabilities. In the second chapter I aim to describe the circumstances in which English has become in recent decades the international language, and the importance and necessity of learning a foreign language in the socio-politic and economic actual context, especially for an ex-communist country in developing such the case of Romania is for over twenty years. In the third and final chapter, I will present the various methods and techniques of teaching English as a foreign language available for the children with learning difficulties, offering examples of several worksheets collected with the support of several English teachers. A short inroad to learning disabilities In this first chapter of my paper I want to analyze the issue of learning disabilities based on specialized readings, to make a brief insight into the history of the field research and an analysis of the factors underlying these abnormalities, announcing the features of this problem and some of the ways by which a child with learning difficulties can be traced in time to be helped. Children across the world live their true life adventure once they begin school. For each and every one of them it is a long awaited moment and most are able to perfectly adapt the educational environment. Still, there are some children for whom school proves to be a chore: the children who are faced with learning disabilities (LD). They represent a special category which unfortunately is often overlooked. Historical overview The approach towards children with learning disabilities is not new at all. It exists even from the invention of school, but it was not until the 1960s that it was emphasized. The novelty in this area consists of the higher interest shown lately towards children with such a disability and finding ways throughout they can be helped to overcome the difficulties encountered while studying, or even through their whole lifetime. The man initiating the term was Samuel Kirk (director of the Federal Office of Educations Division of Handicapped Children between 1963 and 1964 and founding director of the Institute for research on Exceptional Children at the University of Illinois) , term which is considered to design a neurological disorder affecting children of normal intelligence, physical intactness, emotional health and average motivation, but who are facing troubles in using certain skills and achieving success at school and in everyday life. Defining the term proved to be a complex process and thus, over time many variants have been proposed by doctors, teachers and other specialists of the field. In the first edition of his research concerning the education of exceptional children in 1962, Kirk provided the following definition: A learning disability refers to a retardation disorder, or delayed development in one or more of the process of speech, language, reading, writing, arithmetic, or other school subject resulting from a psychological handicap caused by a possible cerebral dysfunction and/ or emotional or behavioral disturbances. It is not the result of mental retardation, sensory deprivation, or cultural and instructional factors. (Kirk 263) The definition and the term given by Kirk to design the disorder were immediately embraced by the parents in the first national conference on the subject, hold in the same year because it made it clear that there is a great difference between the mental issue and the learning one. The definition of Kirk also provided a solid foundation for further research and definitions in the field. According to Turkington and Harris most definitions suggest that learning disabilities are permanent, affect a range of language and mathematics functions, and are caused in part from problems within the central nervous system, as stipulated by the Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities, an organization formed by 12 agencies within the federal gouvernment in USA in 1987: Learning disabilities is a generic term that refers to a heterogenous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening skills, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities, or of social skills. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and presumed to be due to the central nervous system dysfunction. Even though a learning disability may occur concomitantly with other handicapping conditions,[], a learning disability is not the direct result of those conditions or influences. (ICLD 222) Nowadays, it seems that the most widely used definition is the one included in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act from 2004 (Flanagan, Alfonso), which unlike most definitions, it refers to a specific learning disability: The term specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological process involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, spell, or do mathematical calculations. Such a term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Such a term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; of mental retardation; of emotional disturbance; or of an environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. (IDEA, 2004, 602.30, Definitions) The number of students who are in such a situation is much higher than one might think. In England for example 2% of the population has a learning disability according to the British Institute of Learning disabilities, which also mentions the fact that the term learning difficulty is preferred to learning disability, because the society we live in is harsh and often the issue of learning difficulties is misinterpreted and identified with mental problems. Although a learning disability can often accompany such a problem, it is not a rule as specified in the definitions given by Kirk or stated in the IDEA. The distinction between the two terms can be seen rather at a cultural level (Americans prefer using disability and Europeans difficulty) rather to the specificity of the problem: Learning disability- is a general term that refers to individuals who find it harder to learn, understand and communicate. Other terms that are used to describe an individuals situation include complex needs or high support needs. Learning difficulty -is often used in educational settings and refers to individuals who have specific problems. Children and young people requiring special education needs are often described as having a learning difficulty. Throughout the world, learning disabilities affect at least 1 in 10 children. But nowadays a learning disability isnt considered anymore a handicap. People have learned to accept those with such conditions, and the personas from the public life had a great contribution. Apart from the classic examples of Albert Einstein who was unable to speak to the age of three, or the great Demostene who was a powerful public speaker in the ancient times, but who in his youth faced serious problems of stammering, there are also modern public figures who acknowledge freely that at a certain moment in their lives have been confronted with such a malady, such as actor Tom Cruise, singer Cher or director Steven Spielberg. Causes of learning disabilities The exact causes leading to these types of disabilities have not been clearly stated by specialists in their research. However, some reference was established for both parents and for teachers I order to use them in diagnosing children with LD. There are several factors that could possibly be blamed for such a disorder. Among these, the most important to remember are: genetic factors, organic factors and environmental factors. Genetic factors Evidence has shown that learning problems run in families. The odds that a child is learning-disabled are much higher when the in the family was previously reported at least one such case. There are maternal factors such as the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco during pregnancy that have negative effects; it is well-known that mothers who smoke during pregnancy for example, are more likely to bear small babies, who are at a higher risk for learning disabilities; poor prenatal medical care and nutrition and prenatal injury or delivery complications can also be responsible. Organic factors Organic factors refer to dysfunctions that may appear in the central nervous system and damage the brain known as Minimal Brain Dysfunctions. Environmental factors There are several factors in the childs environment thought to affect his abilities of learning, such as nutritional deficiencies, inadequate learning experience or environmental toxins such as mercury or dioxins released into the childs body within his first year of life. For example, in economic deprived families there exist the possibility the child is never given the opportunity to go to school, and so he is a stranger to the domain of linguistic and cognitive activities. Unfortunately, such cases are becoming more and more common, especially in poor or developing countries. When it comes to the experience achieved in schools, researchers agree that poor quality teaching in schools may also cause a learning disability. There are cases when the use of inappropriate materials or a teaching style that does not allow the learner enough time to acquire basic skills, moving too fast can contribute to the unsuccessful activity of the student. There are many cases when students are labeled unconsciously by their teachers or peers as being lazy or stupid, but in fact their only problem is that their brains are designed to process information differently. Myrna Orenstein thinks these children are smart but stuck. So far there no treatment has been found to cure this condition, but children can be helped to learn successfully with the appropriate support from both parents but especially from teachers. However, it is necessary for a learning disabled child to be discovered in time. How do we recognize a learning disabled child? Because types of LD vary from child to child, so do the symptoms. Yet, there are some peculiarities in each case which can be very useful to the parents in the process of identifying this disorder, because after all they are usually the ones who first noticed abnormalities in their children. According to Siegel, there are some gestures and moves that a child should be able to do in the first years of life, upon which the pediatricians agree: A one-year-old should be able to reach for objects, roll over, stand with some support, follow objects, laugh, respond to no, and use a crayon. By the age of two, a child should respond to other children, walk, use some words, recognize familiar persons, point, and understand some simple shapes. A three-year-old should be able to move easily and go up stairs, be understood when speaking, use scissors, and draw pictures. By the age of four, a child should be able to catch a ball, copy shapes, count, identify some colors, dress without help, and play appropriate with peers. (Siegel,28) The first signs that parents and educators should be concerned of are: 1. Children often prefer to get isolated, they are shy, insecure, avoid playing with other children or sharing things. 2. The child has difficulties understanding and follows different instructions or memory issues, such as not remembering what he is saying. 3. He/She has difficulty distinguishing the left from the right, in identifying words or has an emphasized tendency to reverse letters, words, or numbers. 4. He/ She lack coordination while walking, in sports or much easier activities such as holding a pencil in the hand or tying his/her shoe lace. 5. Often, the child fails to understand the concept of time, is confused regarding yesterday, today and tomorrow. Obviously, the early the disorder is discovered, the better for the child, because we all know it is better preventing than remediating further effects. But if the child has already entered school without being diagnosed with a LD, then the signs should be more obvious for those surrounding him because he usually draw attention to himself: 1. He/she might get confused and wander homework, school books and other things. 2. The appearance of disruptiveness when in school- some LD children continuously bother, distract or in some way disrupt others-even the entire class. Their behaviour differ- some get engaged in some type of physical contact which disturbs classmates, while others make faces, talk or laugh at inappropriate times.(Blanton 29) 3. The child might have difficulties paying attention or staying focused, in processing, understanding, and expressing information through language.(Siegel 29) 4. He/ She might have trouble copying or getting ideas onto paper. 5. He/ she isnt very skilful, but it is usually creative in his/ her own way, and it is considered to be a constant source of amazement and delight by their teachers. Although at a first view it may seem a minor problem, the misdiagnosing of a LD child, or worse, ignoring his condition can lead to catastrophic effects later in his teenager or adult life. There are statistics which showed that juvenile delinquency can be easily associated with learning issues. Also, the child that is not being properly treated and helped and considered to be a laisser faire at school, may later abuse drugs or alcohol to pass more easily over the issue. When the world is as black as theirs is, anything that will allow a few hours of pleasure is welcomed. Suicide of course, is the ultimate out. But its rare. (Stevens 59) Testing for learning disabilities Many specialists refuse to test preschoolers for such condition, considering that they should first come into contact with the school environment and achieve some sort of results, and only after this basic steps they can further determine if a child needs therapy or not. Others, on the other hand, say otherwise, the statistics showing that a correct and careful testing may have an accuracy of 82% to 95% in determining whether a child aged five or fewer is dealing with LD. On the other hand, those who suffer from severe Attention Deficit Disorder, commonly associated with a specific learning disability can be more easily recognized even before starting kindergarten. Indeed, it is difficult to determine if a child under school age is learning-disabled. What is certainly though is the fact that no learning- disabled child should be ignored and that he should be given the necessary support beginning his early days of school. According to New and Cochran, another important factor standing in the way of the diagnosis of LD in children is the fact that learning problems or developmental delays can be precursors of other cognitive, behavioral, sensory, or developmental disorders, not just a learning disability.(New, Cochran,481) In order to diagnose children with LD there have been conceived a series of achievement tests meant to verify the intellectual and practical skills of the children. An achievement test represents a standardized measure of knowledge, information, or procedural learning which may asses general academic areas such as reading, writing, or mathematics, used by school systems to provide a standard measure of individual student performance, and to provide an aggregated measure of performance that enables school systems to evaluate their effectiveness. Achievement testes are also used as part of the diagnosis assessment of individuals to determine whether they have a learning disability and qualify for special education services. (Turkington and Harris 4) Types of specific learning disabilities There are several types of Learning Disabilities that prevent young students to lead a normal life both at school and outside, which may be related to the organization, storage and subsequent description of the information or knowledge gathered in the classroom. 1. Dyslexia is the first general term used to describe various learning problems. Eventually, these problems were subdivided and categorized to describe different learning disabilities. Because of this matter, Davis and Braun referred to dyslexia as the Mother of Learning Disabilities. Nowadays, the term designs only the disability related to reading. Characteristics of dyslexic students: The main problem of a dyslexic is that he is facing troubles reading words fluently; Dyslexics are more curious than average students; Students may find it easier to think mainly in pictures instead of words; Most dyslexics have a vivid imagination; Dyslexics are highly intuitive. Famous Dyslexics: Hans Christian Andersen, Winston Churchill, Leonardo da Vinci, Jay Leno. 2. Dyscalculia refers to problems of arithmetic and math nature, which are considered to be caused by a visual perceptual deficit. Characteristics of students with dyscalculia: At an early age they have problems organizing things logically, such as separating round objects from square ones; They have difficulties when learning to count or align numbers; They often have problems recognizing printed numbers; They have persistent issues in learning number facts such as multiplication tables or doing even the simplest numerical tasks; They have difficulties dealing with time and money notions. 3. Dysgraphia is the type of learning disability manifested through a writing disorder resulting in illegibility and of which cause is still unknown to this time. Acccording to Maria Chivers, there are two types of dysgraphia: a. Phonological dysgraphia- writing word as a pure sound spelling which is incorrect (especially seen on language learners). b. Visual dysgraphia- writing words, which are correctly spelt apart from some letters being reversed (ex: brink instead of drink). Characteristics of students who are facing dysgraphia: At an early age they avoid writing and drawing; They have trouble shaping the letters; It can be observed an inconsistent spacing between their letters or words; They often mixt cursive and print writing; They pronounce words out loud while writing. 4. Dyspraxia also known as the sensory integration disorder, is specific to students who have problems with motor coordination. Characteristics of students with dyspraxia: Young learners may have problems with picking up small items; during a sport class they may fall over for no apparent reason; They have problems following instructions, reading maps; They can change hand very often when writing because they are confused about whether to use their right or left; They have problems telling the time. 5. Central auditory processing disorder- consists of a difficulty processing and remembering language-related tasks. Characteristics of students: They are unable to take notes in class; They have difficulties in listening instructions and thus doing what they are being asked; They cant concentrate when someone is talking to follow the words in their correct order; They face great troubles when trying to learn a foreign language. 6. Non-verbal learning disorders The students who fall in this category are usually having troubles understanding nonverbal cues as body language or the association of pictures with words. They normally lack coordination, and thus, are being very clumsy. 7. Visual perceptual/ visual motor deficit- students have problems copying accurately, they complain about eye itching, they struggle with cutting things. 8. Language disorders, also referred to as aphasia or dysphasia are described as problems of students who are having troubles understanding and using spoken or written language. Language disorders represent the most common type of learning disabilities. Characteristics of students with a language-based disability: They have troubles expressing their ideas clearly; They may have problems learning the alphabet, new vocabulary and understanding questions; They have difficulties writing from dictation if the teachers lips cannot be seen. All of the above mentioned learning disabilities can be also included in the category of students dealing with memory disorders. Most of the characteristics of these students can be also found among the description of the others disabilities, such as: Inconsistency of the student when learning new information; The inability of them to follow instructions; The inability of delivering a correct message. The difficulty remembering what has been said or asked from them in class. Conclusions Throughout my whole paper I aimed to draw attention on students with learning difficulties, trying to point out the key elements of this condition and what should be considered when dealing with such children. I have tried to address myself especially to future teachers, the young generation, to whom is in their power to change the mentality and traditional methods so widely used in schools at the moment and which unfortunately fail to meet the students needs. To be able to cope with a student with Learning Disabilities, informing and training the parents and teachers is essential in order to provide solutions to specific issues related to the disability, targeting especially the teaching methods, behavior management strategies, as well as elements that can lead to the development of the collaboration between the school and the family, and, if required, the medical community. Along with behavioral intervention strategies, a coherent set of educational methods adapted to the condition are required. Also, it is recommended that this set of interventions and approaches to be backed up by individual and family counseling.   Ã‚   In terms of action principles and solutions for teachers, especially for the beginners, I tried to devote an entire chapter, the final one, because it was actually my goal from the very beginning to help to the development of new techniques , able to bear the special needs of a child with learning difficulties. Works cited Andrews, J. E., Carnine, D. W., Coutinho, M. J., Edgar, E. B., Forness, S. R., Fuchs, L. S., et al.(2000). Bridging the special education divide. Remedial and Special Education, 21, 258-260, 267. Anderson, P. L., Meier-Hedde, R. (2001). Early case reports of dyslexia in the United States and Europe. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34, 9-21. Anonymous. (1966). Minimal brain dysfunction in children:Terminology and identification.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Association for Children with Learning Disabilities. (1986). ACLD definition: Specific learning disabilities. ACLD Newsbriefs, 15-16. Barsch, R. H. (1967). Achieving perceptual-motor efficiency: A space oriented approach to learning.Seattle, WA: Special Child Publications. Lyon, G. R. (1995a). Toward a definition of dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 45, 3-27.