Multicultural Classroom Essay Example for Free

Multicultural Classroom Essay Teacher’s self assessment about his level of consciousness and awareness of other races, religion and cultures helps him a lot in planning the class room activity effectively. Talking about the crucial role of teachers in creating a multicultural class room, Betty Wilson highlights the importance of teachers learning of new cultures. She says: I think its very important for teachers to know their own cultures very well and study their own cultures, because then they begin to become more reflective listeners. They look at other peoples cultures in a different light, and they begin to see the similarities and differences in their cultures. It becomes a journey in a classroom of learning, because by the teacher sharing their own culture, then the students are more open to that. (Wilson, 2000) As Betty Wilson, the director of multicultural education at Oak Park School, rightly points out learning other cultures will be an enriching experience This demands not only learning new things and cultivating new habits but also unlearning old habits and beliefs. A resource center rich in solutions for the teachers solves many of the dilemmas of the teacher of multi-cultural class room. Sharing the experiences of other faculty members across the university or other institutions will be immensely useful for solving many of the issues in the day to day activities in the class room. Creating opportunities for knowing other cultures about their history and present situation and problems should be made a part of academic curricula. Planning on campus or off campus events teachers and their assistant will have a better understanding of the needs of young people who are members of different cultures. A multi-cultural celebration day is a wonderful idea for all the students who come from different cultures to express themselves freely and to recognize and understand the importance of other cultures. Setting up a bulletin board that gives equal importance to all the five different cultures without hurting the feelings of others is major step in announcing the multi-cultural festival. The board provides ample space for exhibiting the important or representative symbols all the cultures that are present in the class room. Assigning the work to the students to create their own poster expressing their cultural values and symbols encourages all the students and involves every student in the work. Monitoring their work without any interference in their creative expression is a delicate task and it should be dealt with very sensitively. Giving clear instructions in advance will solve many delicate issues. For example, informing the students clearly the place of their poster on the bulletin board following an objective method like the alphabetical order avoids scope for conflict. In fact, to create multicultural class room is a continuous process. It does not end with a multicultural festival. It requires careful planning and meticulous execution over a period of time to establish strongly a base for multicultural class room environment. It will not happen in a day or a semester. It is a demanding work for life long involving learning and unlearning. Creating a healthy multicultural class room is not just the work of the class teacher only. It needs active participation of every teaching and non teaching staff member of the institution. The support and leadership of the authorities who run the institution and the participation of all the departments are the foundation on which the edifice of a multicultural class room can be built. Of course, the process is bound to have certain occasional failures and setbacks but the process should be an ongoing one. It requires a lot of determination, time, effort and money and the investment of all these are worth building a multicultural world for a happy and healthy coexistence. It calls for a long-term investment, an investment in our own growth and change as well as in our students and in the university and society of which they and we will continue to be a part. (Mark Chesler, 2003) References Chesler Mark (2003) Teaching Well in the Diverse/Multicultural Classroom http://www.eduplace.com/science/profdev/articles/scott.html

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14 billion. That’s how many pounds of garbage are thrown into the ocean every year. 46%. That’s the amount of lakes that we can’t use for recreational activities in America because they are too polluted. 7 billion. That’s the number of people who can do something about it. Hi my name is Francisco Zepeda and I’m from Spalding County. My presentation is on how to reduce your impact on the Earth, but before you can REDUCE your impact on the earth, you must first know HOW you’re impacting the Earth. Pollution is one way to negatively impact the Earth, but what is pollution? Defined literally it is the presence or introduction of a substance that has harmful or poisonous effects. The main types of pollution are air, water, land, noise, and light. Air pollution is a serious problem. It occurs when there are harmful amounts of gases, dust, fumes, or odors in the atmosphere. The main source is man. It has been of concern for a lo ng time, as far back as the Roman Empire where they called the dark clouds of pollution above them gravioris caeli, however air pollution has gotten increasingly worse. It can easily travel because there is nothing to stop it in the air. It takes just 5 days for China’s pollution to reach us and affect our weather. Automobiles that use gasoline and fossil fuel-burning power plants alone make up 90% of the air pollution in the United States. The number of people estimated to die from air pollution anually is over 50,000. Air pollution can can also cause global warming. Water pollution can be defined as any chemical, physical, or biological change in water that has a negative effect on any living organism that uses it. There are two types of water pollution, non-point source and point s... ...ture. When reducing your impact on the Earth, most of it is very affordable and some requires nothing but participation on your part. To reduce air pollution you need to conserve energy so turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room. Just about every electronic that comes with a remote is not really off you turn it off, but in a low power mode, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to use the remote! For these appliances it is better to unplug them when not in use. Plant deciduous trees around your home so they will provide shade during the summer, but allow heat from the sun to radiate into your home during the winter giving your heating system and air conditioner a break. Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, and aluminum cans. A lot of energy is used in making these products and you can conserve a lot of energy by recycling them reduce production emissions.

The Dilemma of IELTS Test Takers at Preparatory Programs in the UAE: A Call for Lexical-Structural Syllabus Design

————————————————- Doctorate of Education Theoretical Perspectives on Materials and Syllabus Design in TESOL  (DED609) Title: The Dilemma of IELTS Test Takers at Preparatory Programmes in the UAE: A Call for Lexical-Structural Syllabus Design. By: Mohammed A. Molhim Module tutor: Dr. Yasmin yildiz No. of words 000 words Essay Outline * Introduction * Conceptual Framework * IELTS Marking Rubrics: Lexical Resources & Grammatical Range * Lexical Syllabus * Structural Syllabus Selection of Lexical and Grammatical Items in Lexical-structural Syllabus: * Structural Syllabus: Drawbacks * The Structural Syllabus and Grammar Teaching * Suggested Steps to design a Lexical-Structural Syllabus * Conclusion Introduction Standardized test preparation courses such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in preparatory programmes at government and private universities in the United Arab Emirates (The UAE) prepare students to meet their exit score requirement.Curriculum planning has been driven towards these tests. Some research studies (Read and Hayes, 2003) warned against that type of curriculum in that it is restricted to those areas that are to be tested with no balance or integrated skills course design. Curriculum designers therefore depend heavily on materials geared to practice for the required exam. Moreover, Alderson and Hamp-Lyons (1996) argue that these type of curriculum are characterised by ‘teaching to the test’ and even text-book slaves.On the other hand, this essay will argue that designing and implementing curriculum that is supported by materials that reflect and meet the test question types and objectives can be beneficial to students preparing for standardised tests in the UAE. This paper will be outlined as follows: After introducing the conceptual framework of the essay, it will highlight the IELTS’ mark ing criteria of ‘Lexical Resource’ and ‘Grammatical Range’ in the hope to establish the argument that half of the IELTs marking criteria is based on lexical and grammatical items.Then, the type of lexical and structural syllabus that can be proposed to meet students’ needs in enhancing the aspect of English Language accuracy will be described. Some practical guidelines will then be provided for designing a lexical-structural syllabus. Conceptual Framework This essay falls within the conceptual framework of critical theory and critical pedagogy.From a social reconstructionism perspective, critical theory and critical pedagogy call for critically re-addressing status quo issues in education. Paolo Freire (1972), a critical theorist, believes that in most education systems there exists a hidden curriculum that underlines the status quo supported by the dominant culture and thus repressing minority subcultures. Curriculum planning should undergo a consta nt progressive change due to the progressive nature of the country and educational systems in the UAE.Curriculum change at the level of preparatory programmes is an inseparable part of this change since it is observed that research has provided enough evidence see published annually (IELTS, 2011) that in the UAE and other Arab countries where the majority of students and IELTS test takers struggle to reach a level of proficiency matching score band 5. 0 that enables them to proceed to their major.This judgment is supported by professional and formal data provided in Table 1 below which is adapted from the IELTS Annual Review of 2011. These records include a comparison of IELTS results by mother tongue candidates and by country of origin for the many countries using the IELTS tests. Table 1. Mean band score for the most frequent countries or regions of origin Country: The UAE| Listening| Reading| Writing| Speaking| Overall | Academic Module| 4. 9| 4. 8| 4. 7| 5. 4| 5. 0| General Modu le| 4. 3| 3. 5| 4. 3| 4. 9| 4. 3|It is shocking to learn that the UAE with all of its progressive trends in economy and education, coupled with billions of dollars supporting the educational system where ministries of Higher education and Education receive about 22 % of the total budget in the UAE (Ministry of Finance, 2011), is ranked at the bottom of the ranking list in IELTS scores (See Appendix A). This inexplicable fact urgently calls for critical pedagogy in education and in curriculum design in order to problematise the issue and arrive at proper and sustainable solutions.This is why this essay adopts a critical pedagogical approach. Within critical pedagogy paradigm, â€Å"curriculum perspective emphasizes the roles schools and learners can and should play in addressing social injustices and inequality. Curriculum development is not seen as a neutral process. † (Richards, 2001: 118). Similarly, Freire (1972) and Apple (1986) contend that schools do not present equal o pportunities so learners and teachers must be engaged to address important social and personal problems and seek learners’ empowerment.Morris (1995:10), furthermore, argues â€Å"Social injustices and inequality would be central issues in the curriculum. † Accordingly, curriculum designers in the UAE should study at the context in which learners are taught and start to constantly problematise current issues in order to improve their designs. In Applied linguistics, Pennycook (2001: 5) asserts that applied linguistics from a critical pedagogy perspective â€Å"is always concerned how the classroom, text, or conversation is related to broader social cultural and political relations,†.This paper is intended to problematise the issue of curriculum design in the UAE contest in that it seeks to establish that solid elements of lexical-structural syllabus can lead to a better success rate in IELTS. IELTS Marking Rubrics: Lexical Resources & Grammatical Range While ampl e IELTS research studies in university environments is available (see research reports in IELTS. org), there appears to be less research on the impact of Speaking and Writing assessment criteria or IELTS band descriptors on syllabus design.IELTS measures both test candidates’ abilities to produce different sentence structures, and the range and appropriateness of vocabulary. Consequently, lexical resources and grammatical range are regarded as significant constituents of the speaking and writing assessment, since they determine the level of vocabulary and grammar in speaking and writing the test candidates use. Test candidates are rated using detailed descriptors in IELTS. In the Speaking test, these describe spoken performance according to four different criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical resources, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.In the Writing test, the descriptors assess candidates in terms of: Task achievement or response, Coherence and cohesion, Lexical Resources, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy (IELTS handbook, 2004: 18-23). It is clear from the speaking and writing assessment criteria that lexical resources and grammatical range constitute half of the assessment. They describe test takers’ level in grammar and vocabulary in the speaking and writing modules in detail. They should therefore occupy a big part of any curriculum design for IELTs preparation syllabus.Accordingly, this essay argues that a balanced lexical-structural syllabus can help in meeting the course objectives and students’ needs of any IELTS preparation course. Lexical Syllabus: Empowering students’ Lexical Resources in IELTS Historically, syllabuses were not lexical but structural. With the advent of the Communicative Approach, new ideas in syllabus design have been introduced with a focus on functions. In 1990, when Willis wrote The Lexical Syllabus, a large amount of attention to the Lexical syllabus surfaced. Willis (1990, P. v i)) identified three major aspects for lexis in lexical syllabus.First, the language to be learned should be somehow graded to make it easier for the learners to understand. Second, the language should be selected carefully without random exposure. Thirdly, the language syllabus should be itemised Over the past thirty years the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), however, has not emphasized direct instruction of vocabulary or grammar (Laufer 2006). CLT should therefore be regarded as inappropriate for IELTS preparation exam courses and more explicit instruction of lexis and grammar could help students achieve their desired score in IELTS.In fact, according to Zahar, Cobb and Spada (2001), three periods of direct English instruction every week would lead to the incidental learning of only 70 new words a year. Therefore, acquisition of vocabulary through reading must be supplemented by direct instruction, which can be supported by incorporating a lexical syllabus. In addition, the lexical syllabus can make academic English vocabulary needed in IELTS more learnable to lower-level learners.There is also a well established connection between vocabulary knowledge and successful academic reading (Corson 1997; Nation 2001:144-149). Thus, the significance of incorporating lexical syllabus is significantly clear for large-scale high-stakes tests such as IELTS that assess the range of vocabulary exhibited in a student’s writing and speaking (See Appendix A). It should be admitted that producing satisfactory IELTS writing and speaking responses is not achieved by just learning individual vocabulary and grammatical structures.However, lexical items can lead to further enhancing students overall proficiency in IELTS. Some research ((Laufer, 2005; Nation 2001) has proven that lexical resources are the basis for comprehending grammar and lexical meanings. It is also the most important predictor of writing production (Read, 2002) and reading comprehension (Beck et. a l. 1987:147). In the IELTS speaking test, a similar lexical diversity would also be needed as suggested by Read (2005) who found that diverse lexical resources with some sophistication are rated higher.Regarding the adequate vocabulary range for academic success in international standardised tests, researchers (Laufer, 1992; Nation, 2001) argued that students, depending on the genre, need about 3,000 words in order for them to be able to read ungraded academic text and that the minimum word family level is the 3,000 word level needed for reading an unsimplified text. For IELTS reading texts, about 4,000 word families might be needed, 2,000 of General Service List (GSL) and about 570 words from the Academic Word List (AWL) (Coxhead, 1998) and about 1,000 technical words, proper nouns and low frequency vocabulary (Nation, 2001:147).Accordingly, commercially-produced syllabi such as Headway do not provide the wide range of lexical resources needed by the students (Horst, 2005; Lee, 200 7) in order for them to develop their lexis repertoire and to hence get the score required to pass IELTS. Moreover, there is enough suggestive research evidence (See Beaton, Grunederg and Ellis, 1995 – in Nation, 2001) that would indicate that the more vocabulary range manifested in speaking, the higher the score a student would get in writing.This shows that direct learning is in fact both effective and efficient and that the AWL can provide a reasonable target vocabulary for IELTS preparation courses and syllabi. In terms of the relation of grammar and vocabulary, David Wilkins (cited in Lewis, 2000: 8) noted that â€Å"Without grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed†. This statement brings to focus the significance of incorporating lexical with a grammatical element when designing a syllabus aiming at enhancing students’ structural language system and accuracy and hence achieving a higher score in IELTS.The following section will shed some light on the significance of developing students’ accuracy through grammatical structures in structural syllabi. Structural Syllabus: Revisiting grammatical syllabus The structural syllabus comprises of a group of grammatical items that are selected and graded according to simplicity and complexity (Nunan, 1988). A structural-lexical syllabus’ principle objective is to help the learners acquire the grammatical structures and vocabulary of the language they are learning.The grammatical structures are usually presented in a certain sequence, for example, present followed by past, or in contrasting pairs, for example, simple present versus simple past (Long and Crookes, 1993). Wilkins (1976) describes this type of syllabus design approach as synthetic in which the various parts of language are separately taught and there is a â€Å"gradual accumulation of the parts until the whole structure of the language has been built up†. (p. 2) Wilkins suggests language is structured into smaller items and units in a structural syllabus and then it is presented discretely.Wilkins argues that this exposes learners to particular samples of language in which one grammatical feature dominates each lesson in the syllabus. This is mainly based on the hypothesis that grammatical and lexical rules are learned in an additive process, by which learners gain complete mastery of each item before a new one is taught (Nunan, 1988). It is hence the learner's task to re-synthesize the grammatical and lexical items that have been presented in a separate way (Wilkins, 1976). An important question raised here is the set of criteria teachers used to select which lexical and grammatical were to be used in the structural syllabus.This will be reviewed in the following sections. Selection of Lexical and Grammatical Items in Lexical-structural Syllabus: Mackey (1965) takes the stance that the lexical items in a structural syllabus are to be selected on the basis of criteria of frequency, coverage, availability, and learnability (White 1988:49-50). In the 1990s, the lexical approach in teaching and learning started to gain formal prominence among many researchers (Willis, 1990; Willis, 1996). As proposed by the lexical approach, a target reservoir of vocabulary is suggested to be learned at a specific level (Willis, 1990; Willis, 1996).These target vocabulary are derived from old corpus analysis of written and spoken English, but this could be regarded now as old-fashioned with the advancement of computerized corpus. However, one view, suggested by Richards (2001:154) is that lexical syllabuses were among the early types of syllabuses to be designed in language teaching. Regarding grammar structure, Mackey also (1965) proposes four criteria for the selection grammatical structures: simplicity, regularity, frequency, and contrastive difficulty.The last item, contrastive difficulty, means that learning some items at an early stage should rese mble the same item acquired in L1 (cited in Wilkins 1976: 6). These views of language selection have been challenged (e. g. , Ellis 2001). due to its lack of empirical experiments. Thus to determining the level of complexity, simplicity, regularity, etc. is almost entirely based on language teachers and syllabus designers’ common sense judgments. This dilemma, addressed in the following section, is one of the major shortcomings of the structural syllabus.Structural Syllabus: Drawbacks A number of limitations have been identified with the structural syllabus. The first shortcoming is drawn from Corder's (1967) â€Å"built-in syllabus† concept in which learners’ acquisition of different grammatical items is based on a natural order. This notion is supported by many researchers (for example, Hyltenstam and Pienemann, 1985). Within the framework of a built-in syllabus, grammatical complexity of a structure is not the reason for the difficulty of learning a structure of a language item.For instance, a common example of Arab Learners’ frequent mistakes is the acquisition of third person â€Å"s† morpheme (Hajjaj, 1999). Even though an average teacher can explain this item very well to Arabic learners, it always poses a challenge to them, which means difficulty or simplicity of language structure doesn’t always guarantee proper learning. This should be taken into serious consideration when designing a lexical-grammatical syllabus for IELTS preparation courses and thus adding meaningful activities that make the structures more memorable and relevant to learners’ needs and levels.The second main negative aspect of the structural syllabus is its lack of language functions. The structural syllabus is a reliable tool for assisting language learners to perfect common grammar rules. However, in terms of sociolinguistics, structural syllabus can prepare learners to be grammatically competent but communicatively incompetent (Jo hnson, 1982). A learner who replies ‘Yes, I do. ’ to ‘Do you mind if I open the window? ’ is a typical example of a learner whose command of English grammar might be ideal yet they are not capable of producing socially appropriate utterances.In other words, the structural syllabus helps learners produce instances of language usage rather than language use (Widdowson, 1978). Accordingly, syllabus designers who consider implementing lexical-structural syllabus need to promote both usage and use in order to avoid turning the language introduced into something meaningless. Socially contextualised and relevant language items introduced appropriately within interactive technique can bridge the gap between use and usage and make grammar teachable and learnable. This will be discussed in the following section. The Structural Syllabus and Grammar TeachingBefore advocating a lexical-grammatical syllabus, it is necessary to first establish the significance of explicit grammar teaching and learning. One debate in second language pedagogy has been about the teachability of grammar. Some scholars have argued against teaching grammar since it leads to only minimal achievement in the acquisition of linguistic competence in English (Krashen, 1982; Krashen and Terrel, 1983; Prabhu, 1987). Others have contended that explicitly teaching formal grammar plays a significant role in the development of the L2 learners' interlanguage system (Rutherford, 1987; Ellis, 1990, 1993).This paper supports the grammarians’ arguments in favor of formal grammar instruction that enhances IELTS’ UAE students and test takers’ accuracy. The first argument is based on studies on the emergence of immersion programs in Canada where many English L1 students study French and thus have been immersed in meaning- focused input in French (Swain, 1985; Swain and Lapkin, 1995). The results of research studies revealed that the majority of students have developed na tive-like receptive skills, but their productive ones are still far from native-like norms.This has therefore suggested that meaning-focused input instruction, which is devoid of any formal grammar teaching, is more likely to result in fossilization. The second argument defending formal grammar instruction derives from research (e. g. , Felix, 1985; White, 1987; Schachter, 1989) that suggests that adult L2 learners cannot have full access to the same acquisition resources as children with L1 do. This makes positive evidence such as formal instruction and corrective feedback.White (1987:105) finds that French learners of English as a second language tend to make sentences like ‘John drank slowly his coffee’ (John buvait lentement son cafe). These types of sentences are grammatically incorrect in English, but acceptable in their language. Those learners receiving positive evidence cannot notice that there are certain rules for adverb position within a sentence in English unless they are taught so by formal grammar instruction, which implies that lexical-structural syllabus can play a decisive role in some formal aspects of L2 learning and thus in IELTs preparation courses.The third argument has been proposed by Ellis (1990, 1993) who argues that formal grammar instruction develops explicit awareness of grammatical elements which hence helps learners acquire implicit knowledge. Ellis believes that the explicit knowledge of grammar instruction facilitates learning in three methods (1993:98). First, it encourages them to monitor their language before and after production. Terrell (1991:61) observes that â€Å"monitoring can apparently interact with acquisition, resulting in learners acquiring their own output† which shows the importance of monitoring in formal language instruction.Second, explicit teaching and learning support the factor of noticing certain elements in the input. Therefore, † if learners know that plural nouns have an â₠¬â€s, they are more likely to notice the —s on the ends of nouns they hear or read in input and also more likely to associate the —s morpheme with the meaning more than one†. (Ellis,1993:98). This example illustrates how specific features of grammar are best learned explicitly.Third, formal and explicit grammar knowledge assists learners in noticing some gaps in their language production. Thus if, for instance, Arab learners learn that verbs take an –s in the third person singular form, they are more likely to notice the gap when adding the third person singular –s or not, which leads to more accurate production later as they produce similar structures. Furthermore, Celce-Murica (1991: 467-468) suggests that formal lexical and grammar teaching can enhance meaning and social function.For instance, drawing attention to the different spatial denotation of the prepositions in and on the learner will â€Å"find it useful to know quite explicitly that à ¢â‚¬Ëœin’ favors the placement of objects in three-dimensional containers and ‘on’ favors the placement of objects on two-dimensional flat surfaces† if provided with formal instruction. Second, in an example of grammar enhancing social functions, Celee-Murcia discusses that learners need to be aware of the different modal auxiliaries uses in polite requests such as the difference between â€Å"Can you open the door? and â€Å"Could you open the door? â€Å". Celce-Murcia and Hilles (1988:4) believe that learners need to study grammar because many of them are to take part in international tests such as IELTS and that â€Å"Typically, a major component of such exams is grammar. Therefore, to give these students an incomplete grounding in grammar, regardless of one's conviction about teaching it, is to do them a great disservice. Students have to know and apply the rules of English grammar in order to do well on such tests. A relatively recent argument pro posed by Ellis (2001) argues that it is a mistake to suppose that learning foreign languages in schools is entirely to promote communication among speakers of different languages. Learning foreign languages has a more valuable end, i. e. promoting intellectual growth. (Ellis 2001:172) thus views learning a foreign language as a means to develop cognitive abilities and that grammar contains knowledge that contributes to learners’ cognitive skills.If one considers all the arguments discussed earlier in this essay claiming that formal teaching of lexical and grammatical items should be an indivisible part of any English classes, structural-lexical syllabus seems indispensible for students preparing for international examination such as IELTS and TOEFL. This is, however, only my conviction within my teaching context and does not entail that curriculum designers and teachers are to revert to old traditional language teaching methodologies such as grammar-translation method. I elie ve that adopting a merely lexical and/or structural syllabus has not survived in language education because they overemphasized the aspect of grammar teaching through many tedious structural drills. I believe that it is unfair to judge that grammar and lexical instruction should be eliminated simply because of insufficiencies of audio-lingual or grammar-translation methods. A well-balanced lexical-structural syllabus can be safely employed, especially in IELTS preparation courses, provided that it is supplemented by motivating and communicative tasksSuggested steps to design a Lexical-Structural Syllabus According to Stern (1983:339-340), there are major differences between English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL). Accordingly, EFL and ESL students are positioned in different learning conditions. ESL students learn Target Language (TL) in a more supportive setting in that they are more exposed to TL in its natural environment EFL. Considering needs and motivation, ESL students are more required and motivated to communicate with foreigners than EFL students.Thus, ESL students learning needs are definitely not centered on one factor or need. As previously discussed, the majority of Arab students in the UAE are EFL learners who study English in order to pass national exams, such as IELTS. This educational structure of teaching applies in the EFL environment in the UAE. Based on my observations and experience, I found that students in Emirati high schools are also required to learn specific discrete items such as vocabulary and grammatical items without any exposure to communicative tasks that enable them to use these items meaningfully.Unfortunately, only those who wish to pursue their higher education strive to master the grammatical and vocabulary items of their course books in order for them to achieve the required score of the university entrance exams. When taking these conditions into serious consideration, I have come to r ealize the reason why lexical and grammar instruction can, and perhaps should, be an essential component of any curriculum in the Emirati EFL educational system in schools, and this can be possible through the lexical-structural syllabus proposed in this essay.It is argued that (Richards, 2001) old and traditional language teaching methods did not succeed not because they adhered to a structural or lexical syllabus but because the implementation process was too mechanical through dull drills of discrete language items. I believe that a well-designed lexical-structural syllabus proposed in this essay can survive through two types of tasks: consciousness-raising and communicative tasks. Consciousness-raising activities can develop explicit knowledge and communicative tasks improve the implicit knowledge of lexical and grammatical structures (Ellis, 2001).As defined by Ellis (1993:109), consciousness-raising is â€Å"a deliberate attempt on the part of the teacher to make the learners aware of specific features of the L2†. The following task in Table 2 (Ellis, 2001:173) is a straightforward sample of a consciousness-raising (CR) activity that is designed to help learners be conscious of the difference between the prepositions ‘for’ and ‘since’. Table 2. An Example of a CR Problem-solving Task: 1. Here is some information about when three people joined the company they now work for and how long they have been working there.Name Date Joined Length of Time Ms Regan 1945 45 yrs Mr Bush 1970 20 yrs Ms Thatcher 1989 9 mths Mr Baker 1990 (Feb) 10 days 2. Study these sentences about these people. When is â€Å"for† used and when is â€Å"since† used? a. Ms Regan has been working for her company for most of her life. b. Mr Bush has been working for his company since 1970. c. Ms Thatcher has been working for her company for 9 months. . Mr Baker has been working for his company since February. 3. Which of the following sentence s are ungrammatical? Why? a. Ms Regan has been working for her company for 1945. b. Mr Bush has been working for his company for 20 years. c. Ms Thatcher has been working for her company since 1989. d. Mr Baker has been working for his company since 10 days. 4. Try and make up a rule to explain when â€Å"for† and â€Å"since† are used. 5. Make up one sentence about when you started to learn English and one sentence about how long you have been studying English.Use â€Å"for† and â€Å"since†. | It is my argument that if this exercise is supported by a communicative task where learners interact in pairs or with the classroom teacher it would enable them to internalise the target structure and use it in real-life communication. Designing a lexical-structural based syllabus is not a very hard task. There are many resources based on well-established research that can help syllabus designers build up their course (Lewis, 1997a,1997b). This essay offers some s uggestions on how to build a lexical-structural activities and syllabus.First, syllabus designers need to settle a relevant set of structures, vocabulary and different types of collocations (Lewis,1997a) and organise them according to their increasing complexity, starting from simple structures to complex ones. Second, syllabus designers should choose categories of vocabulary items to be learned and sequence the categories according to situational and functional characteristics such as vocabulary related topics such as environment, health, internet, education and so on since IELTS module is commonly based on globally social topics.Third, syllabus designers should integrate the group of vocabulary and structures together into learning objectives to base the units of lexical-structural syllabus. Although this essay advocates the implementation of a lexical-structural syllabus in IELTS preparation course at preparatory programmes in the UAE, it is necessary to admit that an eclectic an d multi-focus syllabus which includes a wide range of components, specifically vocabulary, structures introduced through functions and, situations can allow for a two-sided approach.This can emphasise the importance of systematically learning specific vocabulary and structures and building up linguistic knowledge, and at the same time it can focus on meeting immediate language communicative needs and sociolinguistic and pragmatic competence. Conclusion In my essay, I only propose that lexical-structural syllabus can safely be employed in EFL settings, particularly in the UAE. Previously, it was argued that the majority of EFL students in the UAE must score reasonably high in their university entrance English exams. This condition requires them to learn many grammatical and lexical structures.It is my suggestion that a lexical-structural syllabus can efficiently serve this purpose. Nevertheless, this argument should not be interpreted as a call for a return to old approaches such as the grammar-translation method. What I have attempted to proposed in this essay is two-fold. First, designing a well-balanced external syllabus that adequately matches the learners’ internal syllabus and second, empowering this potential syllabus with innovative learning ideas and tasks discussed earlier, such as consciousness-raising and communicative tasks.I hope my recommendations will breathe fresh life into the body of the proposed lexical-structural syllabus. References Apple, L. 1986. Teachers and texts. New York: Routlege and Kegan Paul. Beck, I. L. , McKeown, M. G. , and Omanson, R. C. (1987). The effects and uses of diverse vocabulary instructional techniques. In M. McKeown and Curtis, M. E. (eds. ) (1987). The Nature of Vocabulary Acquisition. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: 147 – 163. Celce-Murcia, M. (1991). Grammar pedagogy in second and foreign language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 25, 45a-480. Celce-Murcia, M. , and Hilles, S. (1988). Techniques and resource s in teaching grammar.Oxford: Oxford University Press. Corder, S. P. (1967). The significance of learners' errors. IRAL, 5, 161-169. Corson, D. 1997. The learning and use of academic English words. Language Learning, 47 (4), 671 718. Coxhead, A. (1998). An Academic Word List. Occasional Publication Number 18, LALS, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Dixon, R. J. (1977). Modern American English: Book 2. New Edition. New York: Regents Publishing Company, Inc. Ellis, R. (1990). Instructed second language acquisition. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Ellis, R. (1993). The structural syllabus and second language acquisition. TESOT Quarterly, 27, 91113.Ellis, R. (2001). Grammar teaching-practice or consciousness-raising? In J. C. Richards, and W. A. Renandya (Eds. ), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice (pp. I 67-174). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. English Language Services. (1964). English 900. New York: Collier Macmillan. Felix, S. (1985). Mor e evidence on competing cognitive systems. Second Language Research, 1, 47-72. Freire, P. 1972. Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder. Hajjaj, A. (1999). Arab students` writing mistakes: Renewing the issue. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, University of Jordan, 26. : 621-633. Horst, M. (2005). Learning L2 vocabulary through extensive reading: A measurement study. Canadian Modern Language Review, 61, 355–382. Hyltenstam, K. , and Pienemann, M. (Eds. ). (1985). Modelling and assessing second language acquisition. Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters. IELTS. (2007). IELTS Handbook 2007. Cambridge: USLES. Retrieved on 15/12/2012 from: < http://www. ielts. org/pdf/IELTS_Handbook_2007. pdf>. IELTS. (2011). IELTS Test taker performance 2011. Cambridge: USLES. Accessed 15/12/2012 from .Johnson, K. (1982). Communicative syllabus design and methodology. Oxford. Oxford University Press Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford : Pergamon. Krashen, S. , and Ten-el, T. (1983). The natural approach: language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon. Laufer, B. (2006). Comparing focus on form and focus on forms in second-language vocabulary learning. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 63 (1), 149-166. Laufer, B. (1992). How much lexis is necessary for comprehension? In P. Arnaud and H. Bejoint (eds. ) Vocabulary and Applied Linguistics. Macmillan; London. Lee, S-Y. 2007). Revelations from three consecutive studies on extensive reading. RELC Journal, 38, 150–170. Lewis, M. (1997a). Implementing the lexical approach: Putting theory into practice. Hove, England: Language Teaching Publications. Lewis, M. (1997b). Pedagogical implications of the lexical approach. In J. Coady & T. Huckin (Eds. ),  Second language vocabulary acquisition: A rationale for pedagogy  (pp. 255-270). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Long, M. , and Crookes, G. (1993). Units of analysis in syllabus design: The case for task. In G. Crookes, and S. M. Gass (Eds. ), Tasks in a pedagogical context (pp. 9-54).Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters. Mackey, W. F. (1965). Language teaching analysis. London: Longman. Ministry of Finance, 2011. Budget Report. Accessed 15/12/2012 . Morris, P. (1995). The Hong Kong curriculum. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nunan, D. (1988). Syllabus design. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pennycook, A. (2001). Critical Applied Lingistics: A Critical Introduction. Mahwah, New Jersey and London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Pienemann, M. (1985). Learnability and syllabus construction. In K. Hyltenstam, and M. Pienemann (Eds. ), Modelling and assessing second language acquisition. Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters. Prabhu, N. S. (1987). Second language pedagogy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read, J. (2002). Assessing Vocabulary. Cambridge: Cambridge Universi ty Press. Read, J. (2005). Applying lexical statistics to the IELTS speaking test. Research Notes, May, 2005. Richards,  J. C. (2000). Curriculum development in language teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press. Rutherford, W. (1987). Second language grammar: Teaching and learning.London: Longman. Schachter, J. (1989). Testing a proposed universal. In S. Gass and J. Schachter (Eds. ), Linguistic perspectives on second language acquisition (pp. 73-88). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Soars, J. , and Soars, L. (1991). Headway: Pre- Intermediate. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stern, H. H. (1983). Fundamental concepts of language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. In S. Gass and C. Madden (Eds. ), Input in Second language acquisition (pp. 235-253). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.Swain, M. and Lapkin, S. (1995). Problems in output and the cogni tive processes they generate: a step towards second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 16, 371-91. Terrell, T. D. (1991). The role of grammar instruction in a communicative approach. Modern Language Journal, 75, 52-63. Van Patten, B. (1992). Second language acquisition research and foreign language teaching, Part I. ADFL Bulletin, 23, 52-55. White, L. (1987). Against comprehensible input: The input hypothesis and the development of second language competence. Applied Linguistics, 8, 95- 110. White, R. V. (1988). The ELT curriculum. Design, innovation and management.Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Widdowson, H. G. (1978). Teaching language as communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wilkins, D. (1976). Notional syllabuses. Oxford:Oxford University Press. Willis, D. (1990). The lexical syllabus: A new approach to language teaching. London: Collins. Willis. J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Oxford: Longman. Yalden, J. (1983). The communicative syllabus: Evolution, de sign and implementation. Oxford: Pergamon. Zahar, R. , Cobb, T. and Spada, N. 2001. Acquiring vocabulary through reading: Effects of frequency and contextual richness. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 57 (4), 541-572.Appendix A (Adapted from www. ielts. org) IELTS | Researchers – Test taker performance 2011 Band score information Place of Origin These figures show the mean overall and individual band scores achieved by 2011 Academic and General Training candidates from the top 40 places of origin. Mean band score for the most frequent countries or regions of origin (Academic) Academic| Listening| Reading| Writing| Speaking| OVERALL| Bangladesh| 5. 9| 5. 6| 5. 6| 5. 9| 5. 8| Brazil| 6. 8| 6. 9| 6. 2| 6. 9| 6. 7| China (People's Republic)| 5. 8| 5. 9| 5. 2| 5. 3| 5. 6| Colombia| 6. 2| 6. 4| 5. 7| 6. 4| 6. 2| Cyprus| 6. 4| 5. 9| 5. 7| 6. | 6. 1| Egypt| 6. 3| 6. 1| 5. 8| 6. 3| 6. 2| France| 6. 9| 6. 9| 6. 3| 6. 8| 6. 8| Germany| 7. 0| 6. 6| 6. 4| 7. 2| 6. 8| Ghana| 4. 8| 4. 3 | 5. 7| 6. 5| 5. 4| Hong Kong| 6. 7| 6. 4| 5. 9| 6. 2| 6. 4| India| 6. 4| 5. 6| 5. 8| 6. 2| 6. 1| Indonesia| 6. 6| 6. 3| 5. 9| 6. 3| 6. 4| Iran| 5. 8| 5. 4| 5. 8| 6. 3| 5. 9| Iraq| 5. 7| 5. 2| 5. 4| 6. 2| 5. 7| Italy| 6. 2| 6. 1| 5. 8| 6. 4| 6. 2| Japan| 6. 0| 5. 6| 5. 5| 5. 8| 5. 8| Jordan| 5. 9| 5. 5| 5. 5| 6. 3| 5. 9| Kenya| 6. 7| 6. 1| 6. 6| 7. 2| 6. 7| Korea, South| 6. 2| 6. 1| 5. 4| 5. 7| 5. 9| Kuwait| 5. 3| 4. 9| 4. 8| 5. 6| 5. 2| Libya| 5. 2| 5. 1| 5. 1| 5. 8| 5. 4| Malaysia| 7. | 7. 0| 6. 2| 6. 6| 6. 9| Mexico| 6. 7| 6. 8| 5. 9| 6. 5| 6. 6| Nepal| 6. 3| 5. 8| 5. 7| 6. 0| 6. 0| Nigeria| 6. 1| 6. 0| 6. 2| 7. 0| 6. 4| Oman| 5. 3| 5. 1| 5. 0| 5. 7| 5. 4| Pakistan| 5. 8| 5. 5| 5. 6| 6. 0| 5. 8| Philippines| 7. 0| 6. 6| 6. 2| 6. 8| 6. 7| Qatar| 4. 8| 4. 6| 4. 5| 5. 3| 4. 9| Romania| 7. 2| 7. 0| 6. 2| 6. 8| 6. 9| Russia| 6. 6| 6. 6| 5. 9| 6. 6| 6. 5| Saudi Arabia| 4. 9| 4. 8| 4. 7| 5. 6| 5. 1| Spain| 6. 7| 6. 9| 6. 0| 6. 5| 6. 6| Sri Lanka| 6. 6| 6. 0| 5. 9| 6. 5| 6. 3| Sudan| 5. 9| 5. 7| 5. 5| 6. 2| 5. 9| Taiwan| 5. 9| 6. 0| 5. 5| 5. 9| 5. 9| Thailand| 5. 9| 5. 9| 5. 3| 5. 7| 5. 8| Turkey| 6. 0| 5. | 5. 3| 5. 8| 5. 8| United Arab Emirates| 4. 9| 4. 8| 4. 7| 5. 4| 5. 0| Uzbekistan| 5. 7| 5. 6| 5. 0| 5. 5| 5. 5| Vietnam| 5. 9| 6. 1| 5. 6| 5. 7| 5. 9| Mean band score for the most frequent countries or regions of origin (General Training) General Training| Listening| Reading| Writing| Speaking| OVERALL| Bangladesh| 6. 1| 5. 4| 5. 8| 6. 2| 5. 9| Brazil| 6. 4| 6. 3| 6. 1| 6. 7| 6. 4| China (People's Republic)| 6. 3| 6. 0| 5. 7| 5. 8| 6. 0| Colombia| 5. 7| 5. 7| 5. 6| 6. 0| 5. 8| Egypt| 6. 3| 5. 9| 5. 9| 6. 4| 6. 2| France| 6. 9| 6. 8| 6. 3| 6. 8| 6. 8| Germany| 6. 9| 6. 6| 6. 4| 7. 1| 6. 8| Hong Kong SAR| 6. 7| 6. 4| 5. | 6. 2| 6. 4| India| 6. 3| 5. 7| 5. 8| 6. 2| 6. 1| Indonesia| 6. 7| 6. 2| 5. 9| 6. 3| 6. 3| Iran| 5. 7| 5. 4| 5. 8| 6. 3| 5. 9| Iraq| 5. 7| 5. 3| 5. 5| 6. 3| 5. 8| Italy| 6. 2| 6. 3| 5. 8| 6. 4| 6. 2| Japan| 6| 5. 6| 5. 5| 5. 9| 5. 8| Jordan| 6| 5 . 6| 5. 5| 6. 3| 5. 9| Kenya| 6. 8| 6. 4| 6. 7| 7. 3| 6. 9| Korea, South| 5. 8| 5. 4| 5. 3| 5. 4| 5. 5| Lebanon| 6. 3| 5. 7| 5. 9| 6. 6| 6. 2| Malaysia| 7. 3| 6. 9| 6. 5| 7. 0| 7. 0| Mauritius| 6. 5| 5. 9| 6. 2| 6. 7| 6. 4| Mexico| 6. 3| 6. 3| 6. 0| 6. 6| 6. 3| Nepal| 6. 3| 5. 6| 5. 9| 6. 2| 6. 1| Nigeria| 5. 9| 5. 9| 6. 6| 7. 1| 6. 4| Pakistan| 6. 2| 5. 5| 6. 0| 6. 4| 6. 1|Philippines| 6. 2| 5. 7| 5. 9| 6. 3| 6. 1| Romania| 6. 5| 6. 3| 5. 9| 6. 2| 6. 3| Russia| 6. 4| 6. 3| 6. 0| 6. 4| 6. 3| Saudi Arabia| 4. 6| 3. 8| 4. 4| 5. 0| 4. 5| Singapore| 7. 7| 7. 3| 6. 9| 7. 5| 7. 4| South Africa| 7. 4| 7. 0| 7. 3| 8. 4| 7. 6| Sri Lanka| 6. 3| 5. 7| 5. 8| 6. 3| 6. 1| Taiwan| 6. 3| 5. 8| 5. 8| 6. 2| 6. 1| Thailand| 5. 6| 5. 2| 5. 3| 5. 6| 5. 5| Turkey| 5. 8| 5. 5| 5. 5| 5. 8| 5. 7| Ukraine| 5. 8| 5. 6| 5. 5| 6. 0| 5. 8| United Arab Emirates| 4. 3| 3. 5| 4. 3| 4. 9| 4. 3| United States of America| 8. 0| 7. 6| 7. 7| 8. 6| 8. 0| Venezuela| 6. 3| 6. 3| 6. 1| 6. 4| 6. 3| Vietnam| 5. 8| 5. 6| 5. 7| 5. 7| 5. 8|

What is HIV/AIDS - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2672 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: AIDS (HIV) Essay Did you like this example? Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome affects the lives of 1.7 million new people each year, one of the most notable being Freddie Mercury. Freddie Mercury was the front man and singer of the British band Queen from 1971 until 1991. He was born the fifth of September 1946 in Zanzibar and moved to Middlesex, England when he was just 17 years old with his family. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "What is HIV/AIDS?" essay for you Create order He had previously been in two bands before 1971 when the band Queen, which is the most famous band Mercury was in. Ever the energetic and eccentric person, he could captivate audiences with his stage persona. Queens success could be contributed to Mercurys four octave vocal range, his stage persona, and the unique music that was created by the entire band. Queen would continue to reach record numbers on the radio charts in England and other parts of the UK and the US. As the band continued to progress and grow, they did more events including Live Aid in 1985. Live Aid was a huge international rock concert located in Wembley stadium in London, which was opened with Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The Live Aid rock concert was meant to raise funds for famine relief in Africa, and, by the end of the concert, raised $127 million. Headliners included: David Bowie, Mick Jagger, U2, Queen, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Elton John, and Phil Collins, and many more were included in this session. Live Aid premiered live at 2 locations: the Wembley stadium in London and in the JFK stadium in Philadelphia and was also broadcasted in 11 other different countries on July 13th, 1985. It is unconfirmed that between this time and 1987 when Freddie Mercury was diagnosed with HIV whom contracted it from his second partner, Jim Hutton. Mercury kept this diagnosis from the public until the day before he died from pneumonia as a complication due to AIDS. He waited to reveal his diagnosis from the pubic in order to protect those closest to him. What is this terrible disease that affects approximately 36.9 million people worldwide in 2017 alone? What is HIV/AIDS?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which breaks down ones immune system, making it easier to become ill. Since the virus breaks down ones immune System, its a lot harder to fight off any form of infection that comes into ones body. HIV destroys CD4 cells (also known as T cells) in the body which helps fight off infections. AIDS, on the other hand, stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome which is a deadlier form of the HIV infection. It could take up to 10 years for a person not seeking treatment for HIV to turn the virus into AIDS. The difference between HIV and AIDS is, in order for the virus to be AIDS an infected persons DC4 cells have to be dangerously low. HIV is one of the first steps of AIDS. HIV only turns into AIDS when one gets dangerous superinfections or have a very low (Whats the number?) of CD 4 cells. Its the most dangerous stage of HIV and will ultimately lead to death after some time if infected and not treated.   Not ev ery person with HIV with get AIDS and its not always easy to see the symptoms of HIV or AIDS either. Contraction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Planned Parenthood 2018, HIV can affect anybody- about 1,000,000 people in the US are living with HIV, and more than 41,000 new infections happen every year (3) This virus that affects the immune system can be incredibly easy to catch just like any other sexually transmitted infections or STIs. There are several bodily fluids that carry the HIV virus including semen, vaginal fluids, blood, and breast milk. HIV can be spread though unprotected anal, vaginal, or oral sex. Microfiber tears in the body, sores and mucous membranes then transfer the virus between people. Pregnant mothers can transfer the virus to their children during pregnancy and childbirth or through breastfeeding their child after that.   People who share needles, whether for recreational use or other, can transfer infected blood to those who are uninfected. Even if someone tries to clean a needle with bleach, infected blood can still survive and pass into the next person who uses the needle. There is never a safe way or entirely fool proof way to share needles.   Symptoms The first signs of HIV can be easily confused with the common cold. According to HIV.gov 2017, a government website dedicated to spreading information and awareness about this infection, About 40% to 90% of people have flu-like symptoms within 2-4 weeks after HIV infection. Early infection is defined as HIV infection in the past six months (recent) and includes acute (very recent) infections (3) The symptoms found during this time are: fever chills rash night sweats muscle aches, sore throat fatigue swollen lymph nodes and mouth ulcers. These symptoms can last as long as an average cold, from a few days to several weeks. Some people with the virus go months or even years sometimes without seeing any symptoms. People who are in the first stage of HIV infection can easily pass it on to others through unprotected sexual acts, childbirth, or needles. They are at an incredibly high infection rate because the virus is multiplying extremely quickly in their bodies. After the early stage of HIV infection, it moves into the clinical latency stage also known as the chronic HIV infection. During this time, some flu like symptoms may continue but the most notable symptoms that occurs in some people is the persistent swelling of lymph nodes. HIV remains in the body for up to 10 years at this stage if there is no antiretroviral therapy occurring. Following the clinical latency stage, the HIV virus may progress into AIDS. This is the most dangerous stage of HIV infection because the has nearly destroyed the immune system making th e body more susceptible to opportunistic infections. Symptoms of AIDS include: rapid weight loss recurring fever or profuse night sweats extreme and unexplained tiredness prolonged swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck diarrhea that lasts for more than a week sores of the mouth, anus, or genitals pneumonia red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids memory loss, depression, and other neurologic disorders Treatment options and Prevention   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The only way to know for certain if one has an STI or HIV is to get tested at a clinic. Many people opt to get tested at Planned Parenthood or at another kind of health center. According to Sanjana 2018, the Linkages Global Projects main goal is to extend the ability of government key population organizations because HIV prevalence among key populations in much higher than among general population. The author also notes that transgender individuals are 49 times at risk, men who partake in sex with another man are 19 times higher, sex workers are 12 times more likely to catch HIV, and those who inject drugs are 28 times higher. The key populations are at an increased risk of HIV infection because of many things: stigma and discrimination prevent service uptake and limit the quality of provision, biological pathways- needle use, anal sex, alcohol/ substance abuse, violence and fear/ unequal power/ negotiation skills, etc. Education is incredibly important w hen it comes to HIV/ AIDS. If people are taught from a young age that safer sex is something that should be introduced and kept with, then maybe that will enable conversations to start in other parts of life. People shouldnt be afraid to talk about sex because it is normal. This is what Sanjanas organization is trying to do. Sanjana expressed two key services, prevalent in detecting and working through HIV/AIDS testing and diagnosis Wheres Your Bottle? and Closet Comfort, that are used to help normalize talking about HIV that also helps with testing in the countries Sanjanas organization are focused in. She works on the Linkages Global Project which is active in 30 countries all throughout the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. They work with 150 local partners including FHI 360, the University of North Carolina, Intrahealth and PACT which is available as a teaching resource found on the University of Scranton campus. Media representation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Medias representation of any event or illness can either help or hinder the publics reaction of the item. In the 1980s, HIV/AIDS became an epidemic and information released to the public by the media was incredibly incorrect and harmful. According to MacIsaac 2017, most notably, in the first two decades of the epidemic, the media indicated that HIV/AIDS was a gay disease because the virus struck the gay communities of New York and Los Angeles first (1.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To this day, two beloved musicals represent the small amount of information known at the time. RENT tells the story of a group of New Yorkers struggling in the beginning of the 1990s with work, love, and the effects still lingering of the AIDS epidemic on their community. The musical focuses on: Mark; an aspiring film director, Roger; an HIV-positive musician, Benny, former roommate and now landlord of Mark and Roger, Tom Collins, a well-known professor who is in love with Angel and Angel, a possibly genderfluid dancer who is slowly dying of AIDS. By the end of the musical, Collins HIV has evolved into AIDS, Angel dies from complications due to AIDS and Mimi and Roger are still fighting their diagnosis with the medication, azidothymidine (AZT), provided to them. While the representation of RENT is not perfect, it helped to create a discussion that was very much needed and still is to this day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Falsettos, on the other hand, is based on a Jewish family based in New York near the end of the 1981 through the 1980s. Marvin, a gay man, lives a near perfect life with a caring wife, Trina, and son, Jason but their perfect life is completely rattled when Marvin breaks off the marriage and leaves Trina for a man named Whizzer. Trina becomes involved and eventually marries the family psychiatrist, Mendel, while their son, Jason, is stuck in the middle. As the show progresses, two new lesbian neighbors, Charlotte and Cordelia, move in and Marvins partner, Whizzer, is diagnosed with AIDS which brings the whole family together after they put their differences aside. The story brings together so many different people who have their own thing going on, to support Whizzer through his illness. At the end of the show, Whizzer dies but rthe audience isnt sure if there are complications due to his diagnosis of AIDS or if he dies from something unrelated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Between the two shows, RENT shows the perspective of life that is harsh and cold. There are small glimmers of hope that are exhibited only to be snuffed out. Fan favorite, Angel, dies without consultation and is used as a plot device as fuel to progress the plot and have the other characters exhibit a change of behavior. With Angels death, one couple goes closer together while Roger and Mimi are driven further apart. Falsettos, on the other hand, is lighter hearted and has been explained as what some people wanted when diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS. A personal interview with Edmonds 2018, an HIV positive sailor, explained that when I was diagnosed with HIV after high school, my family treated me as a pariah. We used to be very open with each other, but it took me getting worse for them to treat me like their son again (Edmonds.) Falsettos has the scenes where the family is brought back together that really makes a difference in many people. I bought my family tickets to see Falsettos when I came back mainland after being stationed for six months when I moved into the next stage of my HIV diagnosis. I dont know if the show helped but it certainly made me feel better (Edmonds.) He related his own personal story with a show that has been influential on many. Meanings This topic is incredibly important to many people Ive interacted with over the years. Ive met many people who lost loved ones to during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. When the AIDS crisis developed, those in power such as Ronald Regan and George H.W. Bush didnt do enough for the research of the disease. As I was researching this topic two separate pictures, one of David Wonjnarowicz and the other of Duane Kearns Puryear, kept popping up in my newsfeeds. The first photo was a picture of Wonjnarowiczs back with the words, If I die of AIDS- forget burial- just drop my body on the steps of the F.D.A. painted on the back of a leather jacket with a pink triangle, a usual sign to signal someone who is gay. The second photo depicted a young man possibly in his early to late 20s with dark curly hair wearing a white SWA sweatshirt. He is holding a sign with the writing saying, My name is Duane Kearns Puryear. I was born on December 20, 1964. I was diagnosed with AIDS on September 7, 1987 at 4:4 5 pm. I was 22 years old. Sometimes, it makes me very sad. I made this panel myself. If you are reading it, I am dead   These two photos have worried me, surely the government would have done something to help those who are affected? It turns out that the government didnt bother trying to help those people. Due to the governments ignorance, the world lost an entire generation of LGBT people who could have made a difference in this world. Now a days, teenagers dont know a lot about HIV/AIDS. According to Farid-ul-Hasnain 2009, access and exposure to appropriate HIV/AIDS information and discussing it with others has the potential positively to impact knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and sexual practices. Still, youth populations are poorly informed in Pakistan due to limited access to information about sexual and reproductive health matters, as both parents and the school system are reluctant to fulfil this obligation due to the sensitivity of the subject (Farid-ul-Hasnain. 5.) Even now, there is a lot of information out there on the internet. Many people dont know how to access it, discuss it, and have a mature conversation about it. I never had a discussion with someone about things like STIs and sex when I was younger; the conversation was always deemed too inappropriate for someone my age.   Everything that Ive learned about HIV/AIDS, I have learned on my own. Ive learned from talking to people and doing research. My interest into Freddie Mercurys life and watching many documentaries about him over the years, lead me to possibly wanting to work with who are affected by this virus. Those people who are affected by HIV/AIDS find them to be a death sentence. Those people believe that they are unworthy of love, or that there not worth people sticking around for. It is our job as future counselors to be there for people who have received this life sentence. We are there to inform and talk to them to let them know they are not alone in their struggles. Approximately 1,000,000 people in the United States are affected by HIV/AIDS; that is an approximate 1,000,000 people who needs someone there for them. Initializing a conversation with someone could be all that person needs to succeed in their diagnosis of HIV/AIDS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It takes a lot to adjust to a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. Just because HIV/AIDS is a serious diagnosis, doesnt mean that it needs to be a death sentence for those affected. People who are affected have to change their whole way of life and thinking in order to stay afloat in those difficult times. Symptoms can begin as if a flu that lasts from a few days to several weeks. HIV can only be spread by unprotected oral, virginal and anal sex, sharing needles or through childbirth. Testing is incredibly important, and one can get tested in any sex clinic, or Planned Parenthood. Remembering that undetectable equals untransmutable is incredibly important, which means if those who are doing the testing cannot find anything, then youre most likely clean.