Creating an E-Health System

Creating an E-Health System Infrastructure of the E-Health ABSTRACT This project is based on the e-health which provides medical advice, latest news on diseases general information, registration of patient, patient records maintaining ,telephone helpline, health news by e-mail, patient health observation, list of hospitals searching for particular hospital and doctor, before and after comparisons, providing health demos. Providing tips for health and food. The main aim is to provide full detail information and support regarding any disease to patient. It is the medium between a doctor and a patient. The main goal of the project is to give User friendly features. It is a web application which shows and helps patients to collect most of the information about Hospitality and Medical Services. It can used by the patients to view the list of doctors available in their cities and take appointments of doctors with the help of this site. The site will include different articles from famous doctors through e-mail facility. There will be online help for and counseling etc†¦ patients through e-mail facility. It is maintained by an administrator. User accounts for patients. The data is well protected for personal use and makes the data processing very fast. Receive emails from doctors and specialists about diseases, preventive measures and general awareness. User should be able to search the records for doctors, patients and related medication information, tips for the health and diet along with the user record. Unique platform to maintain transparency and accuracy along with formatted order with proper maintenance of data records. Health information technology plays an important role in supporting decision making, health care delivery system , and management of health services. Many socio-technical factors affect physicians adoption and implementation of health information systems. Place to post ads. As it is a web-enabled project low cost and time of project deployment and maintenance. Chapter 1 1. INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT In the present e health is maintained through the storing the information into a single system and then using the search engines to search the data which user wants to. In the current scenario maintaining the search engines and maintaining the data costs a lot and can be feasible if data is in huge volumes. It cannot be feasible for small volumes of data. Data management is enough and it will be a best feasible solution if the data is stored in records and fetched through the simple forms. It will provides medical advice, latest news on diseases general information, registration of patient, patient records maintaining ,telephone helpline, health news by e-mail, patient health observation, list of hospitals searching for particular hospital and doctor, before and after comparisons, providing health demos. Providing tips for health and food. It is the medium between a doctor and a patient. The main goal of the project is to give User friendly features. It is a web application which shows and helps patients to collect most of the information about Hospitality and Medical Services. It can be used by the patients to view the list of doctors available in their cities and take appointments of doctors with the help of this site. The site will include different articles from famous doctors through e-mail facility. In current system displays pages in continuously but it is very lengthy and very difficult to the user to search what he needed for user easiness here we provide + a nd buttons before that heading if he want to see items on that particular pages he can click + button and see the sub items. Finally we will provide 3 dropdown links problem name, hospital name, doctor name and by selecting them we want to give e-mail confirmation regarding appointment. And the patient information also viewed by the doctor and telephone number is used for tele-medication. Objectives:- Objectives of this project is to provide the simple web based forms to User with simple interactive forms to maintain transparency, accuracy and simply effective in maintaining the data over recent past years. Here user can register, enter patient related data along with the options to maintain or update the user own records where all those records can be maintained in the database. User can be able to search the records for doctors, patients and related medication information, tips for the health and diet along with the user record. There is no or unique platform to maintain transparency and accuracy along with formatted order with proper maintenance of data records. Data management is very conventional and complicated manner. No existing mechanism to handle this situation in the present market. Just this causing wasting unnecessarily time and cost. In the present e health is maintained through the storing the information into a single system and then using the search engines to search the data which user wants to. In the current scenario maintaining the search engines and maintaining the data costs a lot and can be feasible if data is in huge volumes. It cannot be feasible for small volumes of data. Data management is enough and it will be a best feasible solution if the data is stored in records and fetched through the simple forms. As I am using small forms and a simple data base, following SDLC phases. Before this in the primary research I have done with gathering overall objective of my research topic E health. As a secondary research I have collected the sample data to use, creating the functional flows, best ways to implement this. Chapter 2 EXISTING SYSTEM Existing system refers to the system that is being followed till now. Presently all the health functionalities or services are completed manually. That is if a patient want to consult a doctor he can visit their till his chance called or call-up and take appointment in office hours. To know any general information about any epidemics or diseases that causes panic among the people if not rightly informed on right time. This makes the person very difficult. Out Patient and In Patient tickets are distributed directly. The main disadvantage is that there will be lot of difficulty for the patient. So, all these procedures will be a time consuming one. Draw backs of existing system: Difficult for patients Time consuming. To avoid all these limitations and make the working more accurately the system needs to be online. PROPOSED SYSTEM The aim of proposed system is to develop a system of improved facilities. The proposed system can overcome all the limitations of the existing system. The system provides data accuracy and save disc space. The existing system has several disadvantages and many more difficulties to work well. The proposed system tries to eliminate or reduce these difficulties up to some extent. The proposed system will help the user to consume time. The system requires very low system resources and the system will work only in internet connection. In the existing system displays pages in continuously but it is very lengthy and very difficult to the user to search what he needed for user easiness here this application will provide + and buttons before that heading if he want to see items on that particular pages he can click + button and see the sub-items in Treeview form. In existing system/site he shows time that is not updated continuously but in our application we have implemented timely updates for every second. Finally we have provided 3 dropdown links problem name, hospital name, doctor name and by selecting them system will to give e mail confirmation regarding appointment. And the patient information also viewed by the doctor and telephone number is used for tele-medication. Advantages of Proposed System : The system is very simple in design and to implement. The system requires very low system resources and the system will work in almost all configurations. It has got following features This website will provide online help for patients and counseling / advices for specialists. This website helps all the users to view the list of doctors available in their cities User is provided the option of monitoring the records that he enter earlier and also he can see the required records with the multiplicity of options provided by him. From each part of the project the user is provided with the links all the way through framing so that he can go from one option of the project to other as per the necessity. This is bound to be easy and very friendly as per the user is concerned. That is, we can say that the project is user friendly which is one of the major concerns of any good project. This website will help take appointments of doctors for the users. In the existing system displays pages in continuously but it is very lengthy and very difficult to the user to search what he needed for user easiness here this application will provide + and buttons before that heading if he want to see items on that particular pages he can click + button and see the sub-items in Treeview form. Chapter 3 3. FEASIBILITY STUDY Feasibility study is about the viability of a system. The proposed system has to be examined for its technical, economical and operational feasibility. This system for posting news and working the website was inspected with all these aspects in mind. 3.1.1 Technical Feasibility It is the process of assessing the development internet websites ability to construct a proposed system. Test is made to see whether reliable hardware and software, technical resources capable of meeting the needs of a proposed system can be acquired or developed by webpage in the required time. In this process, since Dot.Net is used for developing the simple internet application, its seemed to be very feasible. While accessing the technical feasibility, the various issues that are considered are system performance, system interfaces, development processes, risks, failure immunity and security. This system is proven to be technically feasible. 3.1.2 Economic Feasibility It is a process of identifying the airfare search benefits with a development project. This project is found to be economically feasible since security is the need of the time. The search benefit analysis is made considering the intricacies such as time to considerations, get more details, effectiveness, and maintainable design. 3.1.3 Operational Feasibility Operational feasibility study is a must, because it ensures that the project implemented in the web pages works the feasibility should be high. The operational feasibility of this project is very high as it automates document control and web interface, which is easy and friendly for the user to use it. 3.2. SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT 3.2.1 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Processor : Pentium-IV or higher Hard Memory : 20GB or higher Monitor : 1024 * 768 Resolutions Ram : 1GB 3.2.2 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Front End : ASP.Net Back End : Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Operating System : Windows XP Language : C#.Net Framework : .Net 2.0 3.2.3 CLIENT SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Browsers : IE 7 or above, Firefox 2 or above Flash Player : 8 or above Monitor Resolution : 1024*768 Resolution 3.3 ASP. NET ASP.NET it is a part of the .NET Framework and also a new platform from Microsoft for creating applications that are highly distributed across the Internet. Highly distributed means the components of the application, as well as the data, may reside anywhere on the Internet rather than all being contained inside the one software program somewhere. Each part of an application can be referred and accessed by using a standard procedure. ASP.NET is the part that provides the features easily tie up all this capability together for coherent web-based applications. It is a programming framework, but there is a primary difference between this and traditional ASP it uses Common Language Runtime (CLR) capable of running compiled code on a web server to deploy powerful wed-based applications. ASP.NET still use HTTP to communicate to the browser and back, but it can brings added functionality that makes the communication process much richer. If any files have the appropriate extension or contain code then the server routes those files to ASP.NET for processing prior to sending them out to the client. The script or code is then processed and the appropriate content is generated for transmission back to the browser/client because the processing takes place before the results are delivered to the user and also all manner of functionality can be built-in such as database access, component usage and the ordinary programmatic functionality available with scripting languages. ASP.NET applications can be coded by using the plain text edited such as notepad, although this is not the most proficient method to use. Developing of all the other resources that might be required for a particular ASP.NET application, particularly for the user interface, may involve range of particular tools including image-editing programs and HTML editors. 1. ASP.NET also enables you to separate HTML design from the data retrieval mechanism. Therefore changing the HTML deign does not affect the program that retrieve data from the databases. Similarly, server-side scripting ensures that changing data sources does not require a change in HTML documents. 2. ASP.NET has a number of advance features that help you develop robust web applications. The advance features of ASP.NET are based on the .NET Framework. 3.3.1 ASP.NET in .NET Framework ASP.NET, which is the .NET version of ASP, is built on Microsoft .NET Framework. Microsoft introduced the .NET Framework to help developers create globally distributed software with Internet functionality and interoperability.ASP.NET application include WEB Forms, configuration files and XML, web service files. ASP.NET has a number of advance features that help you develop robust web applications. The advance features of ASP.NET are based on the .NET Framework. 3.3.2 FEATURES OF ASP.NET 1. Compiled Code Code written in ASP.NET is compiled and not interpreted. It makes ASP.NET applications much faster to execute than other server- side scripts that are interpreted such as scripts written in a previous ASP. 2. Enriched Tool Support The ASP.NET Framework is provided with a rich toolbox and designer in VS.NET IDE.Some of the features of this powerful tools are drag-and-drop server controls and automatic deployment. 3. Power and Flexibility The ASP.NET applications are based on the Common Language Runtime (CLR). 4. Simplicity ASP.NET enables you to build user interfaces that separates application logic from the presentation content. In addition, CLR simplify the application development by using managed code services, such as garbage collection and automatic reference counting. 5. Manageability The ASP.NET allow you to manage Web applications by storing the configuration information in an XML file . You can also open the XML file in the visual Studio .NET IDE. 6. Scalability ASP.NET has been designed with scalability and it has some features that helps you to improve performance in a multiprocessor environment. 7. Security ASP.NET has a options for implementing security and restricting the user access to a web application. All these options are cond within the same configuration file. 3.3.3 ASP.NET Architecture ASP.NET is based on the fundamental architecture of the .NET Framework. Visual Studio provides a standardized way to combine the various features of this Architecture. Architechture of Asp.Net Architecture is explained form bottom to top in the following discussion. At the bottom of the Architecture is Common Language Runtime(CLR) .NET Framework CLR resides on the top of the operating system services. The common language runtime masses and executes the code that targets the runtime. This code called as managed code. The runtime gives an example that is ability for cross language integration. .NET Framework provides set of class libraries. These classes include in base classes, like input ,output and networking classes . The ADO.NET is Microsofts ActiveX Data Object (ADO) model for .NET Framework. The 4th layer of the framework consists two types of applications they are Windows application model and in parallel Web application model. The Web application model presents ASP.NET it includes Web services and Web forms. ASP.NET comes with built-in control Web Forms which are responsible for generating the user interface(UI). One of the important themes of .NET is association and interoperability between different programming languages. In order to achieve this certain rules must be laid and all the languages must be following these rules. In other words we dont have languages to running around their own extensions and their own new data types. CLS is the collection of the rules and constraints that every language (that seeks to achieve .NET compatibility) should follow. In general the CLR and the .NET Frameworks are designed in such a way that the code has been written in one language we cannot badly used by another language. Hence ASP.NET can be coded in any of the .NET compatible languages whether it is VB.NET, C#(C SHARP), Managed C++ or JavaScript.NET. 3.4 C#.Net C# (C-Sharp) is one of the object-oriented programming languages developed by Microsoft. C# is a modern, object-oriented language it enables programmers to quickly build a wide range of applications for the new Microsoft .NET. Which provides tools and services that are fully exploited in both computing and communications? C# original called codename is Cool† being released as a beta in 2000. After that Microsoft released different version of language including the latest release of C# 2.0. Some of the basic features of the C# programming language they are namespaces, type-safe variables, multi-dimensional arrays, jagged arrays, operator overloading, indexers, delegates, versioning, attributes and overriding. C# also have two types of parameters they are pass by reference and pass by value and also have xml based documentation with some special comment tags, Integration with COM components are developed using Visual Studio 2005. 3.4.1 FEATURES OF C# v There are no pointers used in C#. v In C# Unsafe operations are not allowed like direct memory manipulation. v In C# we dont use â€Å":† or -> operators. v C# based on the current trend it is very powerful and simple for construct robust applications. v C# includes built in support to turn any component into a web service that can be invoked over the Internet from any application running on any platform. v C# supports encapsulation, polymorphism and interfaces. v In C# we cannot convert double to a Boolean. v C# supports the COM and windows based applications. 3.4.2 SQL Server SQL Structured query language. 3.4.2.1 INTRODUCTION TO SQL SERVER: To create a database that determines the name of the user (who creates the database) and database size. Then all file groups are used to store it and retrieve it. Before creating a database we must follow these steps: * Take Permission to create a database defaults to members of the system administrator and Database Creator has some fixed server roles, although they can grant permissions to other users. * User who creates their own database becomes owner of the database. * We can create maximum of 32,767 databases on a server. * Name of the database must be follows rules for identifiers. Three types of files are used to store a database:  · Primary files Primary files contain the startup information for the database. It can also used for stores the data. one primary file allocated to one database.  · Secondary files Secondary files hold all the data that data is not fit into the primary data file. In Databases primary file cannot hold all the data in that situation we use secondary file. Some databases have large data files so we need to use secondary files or some databases may use secondary files on separate disk drives to spread the data into multiple disks.  · Transaction log Log files are used to hold the log information and to recover the database. Each database contains one log file although there may be more than one log file. Minimum size the log file is 512 kilobytes (KB). It specifies a maximum size to which the file is permitted to grow. This prevents the file is growing data is added until the disk space is exhausted. To specify a maximum size of file we used to write MAXSIZE parameter. CREATING DATABASE PLAN: The first step of the database creation is creating a plan that serves both guide to be used for database implementation and functional specification for the database after that it has been implemented. Detailed database design is dictated by the complexity and size of the database application as well as the user population. Database can vary nature and complexity as well as planning of application. Single person can easily design and use a database or it can be large or complex for example, bank can handle many of transactions at a time. In planning database we use these basic steps: 1. First we need to gather all information. 2. Objects identified. 3. Object model. 4. Types of information for objects. 5. Relationships between the objects. 3.5 SYSTEM DESIGN 3.5.1 DATABASE DESIGN Database is a collection of interrelated data that data we stored with minimum redundancy to serve for many users quickly and competently. General objective of database design is to make the data access easy, inexpensive and flexible to the user. Database design is used to define and then specify the structure of business used in the client/server system. A business object is nothing but information that is visible to the users of the system. The database must be normalized one. Data Normalization The entities along with their attributes can be stored in many different ways into a set of tables. The methods of arranging these attributes are called normal forms. The theory behind the arrangement of attributes into table is known as normalization theory. It helps in, * Minimization of duplication data. * Providing flexibility to support different functional requirements. * Enabling the model to be translated to database design. All relations in a relational database are required to satisfy the following condition, every value in a relation each attribute value is atomic so far as system is concerned. Advantages of normalization are: * Helps in reduction in the complexity of maintaining data integrity by removing the redundant data. * It reduces inconsistency of data First normal form: * Eliminate the repeating fields. * Creates a row for each occurrence of a repeated field * Allows exploitation of column functions Second Normal Form: The second normal form has the characteristics of the first normal form and all the attributes must fully be dependent on the primary key. Input Design: Input design is process of converting the user-oriented inputs to the computer-based format. Goal of the designing input data is to make automation as easy and easily finds errors as possible. Provides good input design for the application easy data input and selected features are adopted. There is some basic requirements of the input design such as user friendliness, consistent format and give right message for interactive dialogue and it also helps the user at right time are also considered for development of the project. Following points are consider while designing the input: * Data to input? * Medium to use? * How data is arranged or coded? * Input provides dialogue to the users. * To detect the errors we need validation for data items and transactions. * when Methods for performing input validation and steps to follow when errors occur. Minimize the number of input actions required from user. This can be accomplished by using the mouse to select from predefined set of inputs. In application the user can select the options by using the mouse. The user is allowed to choose priority, mode of transport using predefined set of values. Maintain consistency between information display and data input. The visual characteristics of the display (e.g. text size, color etc) should be carried over to the input domain. In this project the status information are represented by different colors. Allow the user to customize input. An expert user might decide to create customer commands or dispense with some types of warning messages and action verification. Output Design: When designing output, systems analyst must accomplish the following: * Determine what information to present * Decide whether to display, print the information and select the output medium * Arrange the presentation of information in an acceptable format * Decide how to distribute the output to intended recipient Accomplishing the general activities listed above will require specific decisions, such as whether to use preprinted forms when preparing reports and documents, how many line to plan on printed page, or whether to user graphics and color. The output design is specified on layout forms, sheets that describe the location characteristics (such as length and type), and format of the column headings and pagination Table Name: Login This table stores the details about the login .User login table contains the fields username and password. Field Name Data Type Description User Name Text User Name Password Text User Name Table Name: Admin Registration This table stores the details about the admin .Admin registration table contains the fields username and password. Field Name Data Type Description User Name Text User Name Password Text User Name Table Name: User Registration This table stores the details about the user registration. The User Registration table contains the fields. Field Name Data Type Description Name Text User Name Age Integer Age Gender Text Gender Address Text Address Phone no Long Phone Number User Name Long User Name Password Long Password Table Name: Doctor Registration This table stores the details about the doctor registration. The Doctor Registration table contains the fields. Field Name Data Type Description Dr name Text Doctor Name Gender Text Gender Dept Text Department Consultation time Integer Consultation Time Address Text Address Contact no Long Contact Number Emergency no Long Emergency Number Consult fee Long Consultation fees Date Date/Time Date Consultation day Text Consultation Day Tot pat Double Total Patient 3.6 DATA FLOW DIAGRAM: Data flow oriented techniques advocate that the major data items handled by a system must be first identified and then the processing required on these data items to produce the desired outputs should be determined. The DFD (also called as bubble chart) is a simple graphical formalism that can be used to represent a system in terms of input data to the system, various processing carried out on these data, and the output generated by the system. It was introduced by De Macro (1978), Gene and Sarson (1979).The primitive symbols used for constructing DFDs are: Symbols used in DFD: A circle represents a process. A rectangle represents external entity A square defines source of the system data. An arrow will identify the dataflow. Double line with one end closed indicates data store 3.6.1CONTEXT DIAGRAM: 3.6.1.1Level 1 DFD Administrator: 3.6.1.2 Level 1 DFD User 3.6.1.3 Level 2 DFD User: 3.6.1.4 Level 2 DFD Admin: 3.8 SYSTEM TESTING: Testing is a process to show the correctness of the program. Testing is needed to show completeness, t improve the quality of the software and to provide the maintenance aid. Some testing standards are therefore necessary reduce the testing costs and operation time. Testing software extends throughout the coding phase and it signify the ultimate review of the design ,configuration and coding. Based on the way the software reacts to these testing, we can decide whether the configuration that has been built is study or not. All components of an application are tested, as the failure to do so many results in a series of bugs after the software is put to use. Testing involves * Unit testing * Integration testing * Acceptance testing The first level of test is unit testing. The purpose of unit testing is to ensure that each program is fully tested. The second step is integration testing. In this individual program units or programs are integrated and tested as a complete system to ensure that the software requirements are met. Acceptance Testing involves planning and the execution of various types of tests in order to demonstrate that the implemented software system satisfies the requirements. Finally our project meets the requirements after going through all the levels of testing. Chapter 4 4.IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE 4.1System Implementation: Implementation includes all those activities that take place to convert from the old system to the new system. The new system may be totally new, replacing an existing system. Proper implementation is essential to provide a reliable system to meet the organization requirements. Sometimes successful implementation may not guarantee any improvement in the organization using the new system. The implementation phase includes the following tasks: * Careful planning. * Investigation of the system and constraints. * Design of methods to achive the change over phase. * Training of staff in the change over phase. * Evaluation of change over. The method of implementation and time scale to be adapted is found out initially.Next,the system is tested properly and at the same time the users were trained in the new environment. In Infrastructure of the E-Health implementation process is successfully implemented the system by satisfying all the aspects of the user. All the procedure are designed to minimise the users resistance to change and make a attitude for f

Improving Speaking Skills Essay

This article examines the different circumstances under which infant and adult learners develop speaking skills. We will see the facilities or difficulties in both cases in order to focus on the real possibilities of adults to develop a high level of speaking proficiency. We will see what the role of the teacher is in order to improve the learners’ skills, the features of oral communication that need to be improved and which strategies can be used to overcome the difficulties. Key words: speaking skills, adult learning, oral communication, teaching strategies. Resumen Este articulo analiza las diferentes circunstancias en las que ninos y adultos desarrollan las destrezas orales. Veremos las facilidades y dificultades en ambos casos para asi centrarnos en las posibilidades reales que tienen los adultos de alcanzar un alto nivel de competencia oral. Veremos tambien cual es el papel del profesor en este contexto, para mejorar las capacidades de los alumnos, y ver cuales son los elementos de la comunicacion oral que hay que mejorar y que estrategias se pueden aplicar para superar las dificultades. Palabras clave: destrezas orales, aprendizaje de adultos, comunicacion verbal, estrategias de ensenanza. If we think of the period in our lives when we learned to speak our first language, and the moment in which we started to make huge efforts to speak our second/foreign language we find significant differences. In the former case, we may have fond memories of what our parents told us; and in the latter, it suddenly becomes a frustrating experience that seems to bring imperfect results. For adults, learning to speak a new language is in many cases far from satisfactory simply because they feel they need to cope with many different aspects at one time, and that seems to be impossible in real conversations. I wonder if it is possible to acquire a high level of speaking proficiency in adults; I wonder if it is possible to make adult learners improve their speaking skills, and the most important thing for teachers: how? The first question we have to consider in order to reach a conclusion is whether learning at infancy is different from learning at adulthood; which are the circumstances that differentiate them and if those onditions inevitably lead to obvious and hopeless results. Only bearing in mind what we can expect of a particular type of learner, we can focus on how to improve their speaking skills. It is obvious that there are marked differences between children learners and adult learners and that they cannot acquire the second language under the same circumstances. Consequently, the results will be also different. Concerning children and the early age at which they learn to speak, we can say that they enjoy certain advantages that make them outstanding learners. They have surprising linguistic abilities due to optimal moment in which they find themselves for language learning, this is to say, at this moment their brain is characterized by a certain plasticity that allows some abilities to develop with ease during a period of time, after which it becomes really difficult for these abilities to be developed (Fleta, 2006: 53), or using 86 Improving Speaking Skills Betsabe Navarro Romero Encuentro, 18, pp. 86-90 Klein’s words ‘between the age of two and puberty the human brain shows the plasticity which allows a child to acquire his first language’ (Klein, 1986: 9). Therefore, children are special learners for their natural and innate abilities to acquire a language. According to Fleta, one of these special abilities is ‘filtering sophisticated information about language properties from birth’ (Fleta, 2006: 49), in other words, children have an enormous ability to integrate difficult information in an easy and unconscious way from the beginning of their development. They are able to acquire and integrate complex data without being aware of it, whereas other learners, at other ages, would find it arduous to achieve. Moreover, apart from this special gift children have for assimilating difficult information, we can mention some of their other qualities, such as their capacity for perceiving and imitating sounds. Some studies have showed that ‘young infants are especially sensitive to acoustic changes at the phonetic boundaries between categories’ (Kuhl, 2004: 832). Also, children are especially good at predicting syllable chunks: ‘infants are sensitive to the sequential probabilities between adjacent syllables’ (Kuhl, 2004: 834) which makes children with a surprising instinct as far as language knowledge is concerned . Finally, students also acquire the ability of ordering words within a sentence (grammar rules) unconsciously: ‘there is some evidence that young children can detect non-adjacencies such as those required to learn grammar’ (Kuhl, 2004: 836). All in all, we can say that children learn the language without being aware of it when they ‘are exposed to the right kind of auditory information’ (Kuhl, 2004: 836), this is, children learn the language through communication and interaction and thanks to that they acquire all the abilities they can potentially develop. On the other hand, concerning adults we observe how difficult is that they can acquire certain native sounds; their pronunciation will be, on many occasions, foreign-like which is due to their difficulty in distinguishing and producing some sounds after the so called ‘critical period’. In that respect, some authors claim that adult learners cannot acquire a phonological development (Lightbown and Spada, 2006: 69). However, other researchers defend the opposite. Wolfgang Klein, in his book Second Language Acquisition (1986) stated that ‘the apparent facility with which children learn a second language is often attributed to biological factors, but an alternative explanation might be that, unlike adults, children have no need to fear the loss of their social identity’ (Klein, 1986: 6). Authors such as Klein argue that phonological facilities of children are not bound to biological reasons, but to psychological ones. In that respect, adults feel attached to their native identities, to their original social identities, which is what prevent them from achieving perfection in L2 pronunciation. Klein confirmed that ‘suitably motivated adults are capable of mastering to perfection the pronunciation of the most exotic languages’ (Klein, 1986: 10). Therefore, we conclude that although the cases of adults speaking a second language without any accent are not very common, this does not mean that it is impossible to acquire a native-like pronunciation. Also, besides phonological issues, we can talk about the capacity of adults to acquire any other kind of linguistic faculties, more related to structural relations (UG). In that sense, there are authors that doubt the validity of Lenneberg’s Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) by assuring that even adults have access to the well known Universal Grammar. While Lenneberg claimed that only before puberty learners had UG available, authors such as S. W. Felix defended by evidence that adult L2 learners also benefit from the UG principles: ‘If child and adult learners use different modules for the purpose of language acquisition, then we would expect adult learners to be unable to attain grammatical knowledge that arises only through the mediation of UG. If, in contrast, adults do attain this type of knowledge, then, we have reason to believe that UG continues to be active even after puberty’ (Felix, 1988: 279). Therefore, we can conclude that adults are also able to master a proficient use of the second/foreign language, not only in grammatical issues but also in phonological ones, which makes us believe that we can improve adult learners’ speaking skills. 87 Improving Speaking Skills Betsabe Navarro Romero Encuentro, 18, pp. 86-90 Once we know that adults can be biologically and psychologically prepared to have a native-like proficiency in the second language, we should move on to the second language teaching context in order to achieve our aim of improving adult learners’ skills. In that respect, we should reflect on the teachers’ role in this situation and what they can do to be successful with their learners. Teachers therefore need to analyse the students’ needs, face their problems and find fruitful solutions that help them develop their speaking abilities. S. Pit Corder, in his chapter called ‘Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching’, in Introducing Applied Linguistics (1973) defended the important role of linguists who identify the problems of the learners and find solutions for them. Corder added that specialists’ role is to formulate the appropriate questions in order to define problems that need to be faced. Using his words, ‘the formulation of the questions, the identification of the problems and the specification of their nature presupposes linguistic theory. The nature of the problem is defined by the theory which is applied to it. The solution to a problem is only as good as the theory which has been used to solve it’ (Corder, 1973: 138). In this direction he said that in language teaching there are two appropriate questions teachers should make: what to teach and how to teach, ‘these are the problems of content and method, or, using an industrial analogy, the problem of product and process design respectively’ (Corder, 1973: 139). Therefore, if teachers wish to know how to improve speaking skills, what they need to ask themselves first is what they are going to teach, and how. On the one hand, let us consider the first question: what. If we need to improve speaking skills we need to know which skills or which features learners need to develop. In that respect, there are several authors that stated different goals or different dimensions that speakers needed to achieve. Goodwin, for instance, established several goals for a proper pronunciation. She called them ‘functional intelligibility, functional communicability, increased self-confidence, and speech-monitoring abilities’ (Goodwin, 2001: 118). She argued that learners should be able to speak an intelligible foreign language, that is to say, listeners need to understand the learner’s message without huge efforts; learners also need to be successful in a ‘specific communicative situation’ (Goodwin, 2001: 118); they need to ‘gain confidence in their ability to speak and be understood’ (Goodwin, 2001: 118); and finally, they need to monitor and control their own production by paying attention to their own speech. Goodwin specified those abilities that learners need to acquire through certain linguistic features that can be practiced: Intonation, rhythm, reduced speech, linking words, consonants and vowel sounds, word stress, etc. These are concrete speaking aspects in which learners should be trained in order to improve their speaking skills. Similarly, other authors such as Anne Lazaraton suggest that oral communication is based on four dimensions or competences: grammatical competence (phonology, vocabulary, word and sentence formation†¦); sociolinguistic competence (rules for interaction, social meanings); discourse competence (cohesion and how sentences are liked together); and finally, strategic competence (compensatory strategies to use in difficult situations), (Lazaraton, 2001: 104). According to Lazaraton learners should develop all these abilities to acquire a high oral level of the foreign language, but she adds that in recent years, with the influence of the communicative approach, more importance is given to fluency, trying to achieve a balance with the traditional accuracy. Moreover, apart from what pedagogically and theoretically should be taught, many researchers are presently analysing real problems that learners face: ‘fluent speech contains reduced forms, such as contractions, vowel reduction, and elision, where learners do not get sufficient practice’ (Lazaraton, 2001: 103); use of slang and idioms in speech since students tend to sound ‘bookish’ (Lazaraton, 2001: 103), stress, rhythm, intonation, lack of active vocabulary, lack of interaction pattern rules†¦ 88 Improving Speaking Skills Betsabe Navarro Romero Encuentro, 18, pp. 86-90 Once speaking goals have been determined, next step consists of questioning how they are going to be achieved. For designing a concrete methodology teachers need to adopt a theoretical perspective, they need to reflect on the linguistic approach that will be used in their teaching. Many authors, following the up-todate trend of the Communicative approach, defend the interactive role of speaking and promote its teaching from a communicative perspective stressing meaning and context. In Goodwin’s words: ‘In â€Å"Teaching Pronunciation† the goal of instruction is threefold: to enable our learners to understand and be understood, to build their confidence in entering communicative situations, and to enable them to monitor their speech’ (Goodwin, 2001: 131), also ‘pronunciation is never an end in itself but a means of negotiating meaning in discourse, embedded in specific sociocultural and interpersonal contexts’ (Goodwin,2001: 117). If we think of how this theoretical background will be applied in real teaching, we find that in traditional classes they focused speaking practice on the production of single and isolated sounds, whereas within the communicative approach, ‘the focus shifted to fluency rather than accuracy, encouraging an almost exclusive emphasis on suprasegmentals’ (Goodwin, 2001: 117). There is the key word, when communication is the main goal linguistic practice turns into longer structures, at the suprasegmental level; therefore, the training on individual sounds makes way for macro structures that affect interaction directly. The second part of how to teach, moves away from theory to approach real problems and their solutions. Several authors have stated that when learners face problems in speaking they need practical and concrete solutions to know how to behave and respond in order to overcome those difficulties. Mariani, in his article ‘Developing Strategic Competence: Towards Autonomy in Oral Interaction’, recalls L1 strategies that native speakers use when they encounter communication problems, and suggests teaching those strategies to L2 learners: ‘just think of how often, in L1 communication, we cannot find the words to say something and have to adjust our message, or to ask our interlocutor to help us, or to use synonyms or general words to make ourselves understood’ (Mariani, 1994: 1). Mariani classifies those strategies according to the speakers’ behaviour: learners can either avoid certain messages because they don’t feel confident with their speaking skills (‘reduction strategies’), or make the most out of their knowledge and modify their message bearing in mind their weaknesses and strengths (‘achievement strategies’: borrowing, foreignizing, translating†¦(Mariani, 1994: 3). The author praises the latter by saying that achievement strategies are a very interesting way of developing learners’ language domain. Speakers who opt for this option make huge efforts to transmit a message by playing with the language to the extreme, which only brings beneficial consequences. In the second or foreign language classroom context, teachers should train learners to use and practice the different strategies that can help them face difficult situations. The only way of training students in this direction is by means of a bank of activities in which they become aware of the different possibilities that they can put into practice. Authors such as Goodwin or Lazaraton offer a varied list of exercises to be used in class: poems, rhymes, dialogues, monologues, role plays, debates, interviews, simulations, drama scenes, discussions, conversations†¦ Therefore, coming back to the initial question proposed above, I think it is absolutely feasible to teach adults strategies to improve their speaking skills. Of course, that objective depends on many different factors that will affect the degree of acquisition, let us think of age, motivation, or even the context in which the language is learned: ESL versus EFL. In that respect, learners in a second language context will have numberless occasions to practice the language and that will undoubtedly influence their skills development. With reference to the foreign language context, authors such as Lazaraton admitted the difficulties learners 89 Improving Speaking Skills Betsabe Navarro Romero Encuentro, 18, pp. 86-90 ormally face: ‘homogeneous EFL classes, where all students speak the same first language and English is not used outside the classroom, present certain additional challenges for the teacher’ (Lazaraton, 2001: 110). As she said, teachers have considerable limitations in EFL classes such as lack of opportunities to use the language, lack of motivation in the learners, the number of students in the class, curriculum re strictions†¦(Lazaraton, 2001: 110), but there are solutions and strategies, as the ones previously mentioned, that should be put into practice. Mariani, in his article mentioned above, also makes a reflection on whether communication strategies should be teachable or not. He states the pros and cons by saying that training students on specific strategies can provide them with certain limitations and consequently hamper fluent communication: ‘we can hardly force them into a straightjacket of pre-selected strategies. Most of us would agree that we should encourage spontaneity, creativity and originality in language use’ (Mariani, 1994: 7). However, on the other hand, he argues that if learners become aware of the different strategies they can flexibly use, they will finally integrate them either consciously or unconsciously, which will stretch their possibilities for communication. To sum up, as teachers can, and should, improve learners’ speaking skills and communication strategies, the only thing they need to do is to plan their teaching around two main questions: what they want to teach, which specific speaking features they want to develop in their learners; and how they want to do it.

Inspector Calls Essay

Imagine tasks – you must use language that shows the character and reflect the character’s perspective at the time. Try to pin point where in the text you are being asked to comment on. Try to explain your responses in as much detail as possible and try to comment on the effect of specific words on the reader / audience. Don’t forget to comment on stage directions, body language and reported clauses wherever possible. Timing and planning. Do both please (plan points, find quotes, consider paragraphing for all longer tasks) Summary Act 1- The Birlings have just finished a dinner celebrating Sheila’s engagement to Gerald Croft, (the son of one of Arthur Birling’s business rivals). Arthur Birling makes a speech giving his views on the world and then Gerald, Birling and Eric have a chat about current affairs. Their evening is interrupted by the Inspector, who tells them that a young woman (Eva Smith) has died at the Infirmary after swallowing disinfectant. Arthur is the first to be interrogated and he admits that he sacked Eva as punishment for he having been on strike. Arthur Birling’s ruthless business sense is clear here as he fails to see he has done anything wrong and that his sole duty is to â€Å"keep labour costs down†. The Inspector says that it is not just Arthur who is responsible for Eva and begins to interrogate Sheila  who recalls having a shop girl sacked from Milwards department store. She is horrified and embarrassed that her vanity and jealousy contributed to the girl’s death. The Inspector mentions that after this, Eva changed her name to Daisy Renton, which shocks Gerald. He admits to Sheila that he too knew the girl and she guesses that he had an affair. Act 2- Gerald explains how he came across ‘Daisy’ and helped her out, giving her money and accommodation. He had an affair with her, which he ended after the summer. Sheila gives her ring back to Gerald, but says she respects his honesty. He leaves for a walk. The Inspector then begins to question Mrs Birling, who runs the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation for women in distress. He reminds her of a meeting she chaired two weeks previous. She recalls that she used her influence to refuse assistance to ‘Eva’, who came giving the name â€Å"Mrs Birling† and was pregnant. ‘Eva’ said that the father was from a higher class and a drinker who had offered her marriage, which she had refused, feeling him too immature. She also said that he had offered her stolen money. Mrs Birling is adamant that she did the right thing and is not responsible for Eva’s death and that the man who got her pregnant is. Sheila realises it is Eric and tries to silence her mother but it is too late. Act 3- Eric explains how he met Sheila in a bar and slept with her. He continued to sleep with her, even though he admits that he â€Å"wasn’t in love with her or anything.† He says that she refused to marry him when she found out she was pregnant and she treated him â€Å"as if (he) were a kid.† He stole money from his father’s office and when she found out, she refused to see him. Sheila tells Eric that their mother turned ‘Eva’ away and Eric accuses her of â€Å"killing them both†. The Inspector makes a speech about their shared responsibility for ‘Eva’s’ death and Arthur Birling offers â€Å"thousands† of pounds to atone for the family. The Inspector leaves. The Birlings bicker amongst themselves and Mrs Birling and Arthur begin to question whether he was a real Inspector. Gerald returns with the news that the Inspector wasn’t really an Inspector and rings the hospital that report that no girl has been admitted. Arthur is relieved that it was a â€Å"hoax† but Eric and Sheila see  that it changes nothing. The play ends with Arthur Birling answering a telephone call. It says that a girl has been rushed to hospital after swallowing disinfectant and an Inspector is coming round to talk to them. Key Quotes Setting â€Å"large suburban house†, â€Å"heavily comfortable, but not cosy or homelike† The maid is removing â€Å"champagne glasses, dessert plates† and replacing them with â€Å"decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes† They are all dressed in â€Å"evening dress of the period† Arthur Birling â€Å"rather portentous†, â€Å"rather provincial in his speech† To Gerald: â€Å"You’re just the kind of son in law I wanted. Your father and | have been friendly rivals in business for some time..† â€Å"I’m talking as a hard headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn’t a chance of war.† On the Titanic: â€Å"absolutely unsinkable† â€Å"There’s a fair chance I might find my way onto the next Honours List.† â€Å"a man has to make his own way – has to look after himself† â€Å"The way some of these cranks talk and write now, you’d think everybody has to took after everybody else†¦. Community and all that nonsense† â€Å"I can’t accept any responsibility† â€Å"It’s my duty to keep labour costs down† On sacking Eva: â€Å"She had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go† â€Å"If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth† â€Å"I was quite justified† â€Å"The press might easily take it up† â€Å"Most of this is bound to come out. There will be a public scandal.† Mrs (Sybil) Birling â€Å"a rather cold woman and her husband’s social superior† â€Å"I don’t suppose for a moment we can understand why that girl committed suicide. Girls of that  class – â€Å" â€Å"I did nothing I’m ashamed of. I consider I did my duty† â€Å"I accept no blame at all† Sheila Birling â€Å"pretty†, â€Å"very pleased with life and rather excited† On getting Eva sacked: â€Å" I felt rotten about it at the time, and now I feel a lot worse† To Gerald about the Inspector: â€Å"Why – you fool – he knows. O f couse he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet.† â€Å"I know I’m to blame – and I’m desperately sorry† â€Å"We really must stop these silly pretences†. â€Å"He (the Inspector) is giving us the rope, so that we hang ourselves.† (Sarcastically, to Gerald about Eva) â€Å"You were the wonderful fairy prince. You must have adored it Gerald† On Gerald’s confession: â€Å"In some odd way, I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before†¦.You and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here.† To her father: â€Å"I remember what he said, how he looked and what it made me feel. Fire and blood and anguish. And it frightens me the way you talk and I can’t listen to any more of it.† Eric Birling â€Å"not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive† On Arthur sacking Eva â€Å"I call it tough luck† On the night he met Eva: â€Å"I’m not very clear about it, but afterwards she told me she didn’t want me to go in, but that – well, I was in that state where a chap easily turns nasty – and I threatened to make a row.† â€Å"I wasn’t in love with her or anything. But she was pretty, and a good sport.† â€Å"I hate these fat old tarts I see around the town. The ones I see your (Birling’s) respectable friends with.† â€Å"In a way, she treated me like a kid.† (To Birling): â€Å"You’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble.† Gerald Croft â€Å"attractive†, â€Å"rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy, well bred young man-about-town† (On Eva) â€Å"She was pretty and warm hearted – and  intensely grateful† Inspector Goole â€Å"creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness† â€Å"speaks carefully, weightily and looks hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking† â€Å"What happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide. A chain of events.† Looking at the dead body: â€Å"A nice promising life there, I thought, and a nasty mess somebody’s made of it† â€Å"One line of enquiry at a time† (Gerald: â€Å"we’re respectable citizens, not criminals† Inspector: â€Å"Sometimes there isn’t as much difference as you think. Often ,if it was left to me, I wouldn’t know where to draw the line.† â€Å"You see, we have to share something. And if there’s nothing else, we have to share our guilt.† â€Å"Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges.† â€Å"this girl killed herself, and died a horrible death. But each of you helped kill her. Remember that. Never forget it.† â€Å"But remember this. One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all entwined with our lives. We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.† Background / Cultural Context John Priestley was born in Bradford born in 1894 and died in 1984. He served as a soldier in WW1 and was a socialist – he believed that the British ‘community’ (people living together) should not be dominated by the rich and powerful (capitalists) Priestley wanted the poor to have a stronger place within the community The play is set before the war. Themes Social responsibility / community / accountability Family / Deception (lies) / Guilt / Abuse of power / Rich vs poor Responsibility Sin and morality Possible questions / Revision tasks 1What impression of the Birling family does the writer want the audience to have in the opening scene? 2 â€Å"We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.† In Act 1, how does the writer try to get this message across to the audience? 3. How is the theme of social awareness explored through different characters? 4. How does Sheila’s reaction to key events create tension in the play? 5. To what extent do you feel sympathy towards Mrs Birling? 6. To what extent do you feel sympathy for Eric? 7. What do you think is the importance of Eva Smith to the play as a whole? 8. You are Inspector Goole before your visit to the Birlings. You write in your notebook: what you plan to do during the visit; why you are doing it; and what you expect to happen. 9. How does the presentation of Arthur Birling, before the arrival of the Inspector, add to the dramatic impact of the whole play? 10. You are Sheila and you have kept a diary. Write two of the entries – one  for the day when you got Eva Smith sacked from Milwards, and one for the night on which the play takes place. 11. What changes occur in the relationship between Sheila and Gerald? 12. Describe the way in which the Birling family begin to believe that the Inspector is not a genuine policeman. 13. The action of the play takes place on just one evening, and in just one room of the Birling house. What do you think the play gains, or loses, as a result? 14. Explore the theme of deception in the play? 15. How is the idea of sin explored in the play? 16. Is An inspector Calls a play about morality? 17. ‘In the play, it becomes clear that the responsibility is shared amongst the characters.’ How far do you agree with this statement? 18. â€Å"By the end of the play, lessons have been learnt.† Explore this statement in regards to the play. 19. Discuss the role of Inspector Goole in the play. 20. â€Å"The responsibility lies with the older generation.† Discuss.

Product Adoption and Innovation Diffusion Free Essay Example, 1500 words

In the literature of buyer behavior theories, a distinction is made, at least implicitly between the buying behaviors of organizations and consumers. The distinction stems primarily from the assumption that while consumers act as willful individuals when they buy products while organizations act as a rational group and make purchases . The intentionally made subtle distinction between buying and purchasing essentially evinces at the attitude of envisioning individual consumers as idiosyncratic and organizations as a group of professional decision makers in the process of transactions. Because of such differentiation, a bifurcation has been observed in the process of buyer behavior related to theoretical development. Although beneficial for the purpose of teaching and planning, according to the author, such divergence has prevented the development of theoretical structures that act as generic to both forms of buyer behavior. Although traditionally consumers are distinguished from organizations particularly in case of buying behavior due to the implicit understanding that while the consumer as an individual decision maker tends to be whimsical and responsive to sudden bursts of irrationality, organizations do not and professional organizational behavior is bound to be rational as it is the result of joint decision making in the presence of constraints like set objectives and priorities which prevent irrational and indulgent choices, the author argues against such distinctions pointing out the individual buyer although does not have to abide by constraints faced by professional organizations, has to make choices always being constrained by being a part of another organization society. We will write a custom essay sample on Product Adoption and Innovation Diffusion or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page