Understanding the Principles and Practises of Assessment Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Principles and Practises of Assessment Essay Assessment is the process of measuring the achievement of learners. It is an obvious way of checking that learning has taken place and is a good way of measuring the learner’s knowledge and practical skills that they have learnt. It is important for the assessor to initially establish whether the learner has any specific learning needs so that they can prepare to support the learner in whichever way they feel necessary. Learning and development are closely connected. The learner needs guidance in order to understand what it is they are required to learn, also to check that they are on track and also ways in which they can improve. This is generally where formative assessment comes into play. Formative assessment is used whilst learners are developing their skills and can also be useful throughout their course. It gives the assessor the opportunity to provide the learner with constructive feedback which they can use to improve their future performances. It also allows the learner to build on their strengths and learn from mistakes by listening to the assessor’s feedback, preparing them for summative assessment. Summative assessment is used when the students are up to a standard where they can carry out an assessment without any support or guidance. This should be up to industry standards and completed to commercial timing. By this stage there should be very few, if any areas for improvement and the learner must have a very strong underpinning knowledge of the subject. (AC 1.2) Define the key concepts and principles of assessment It is vital that assessment has to be fair, consistent and valid to ensure all learners have an equal chance of receiving a fair assessment. An assessor should not be swayed to give a learner an easier assessment because they favour them or on grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs; the assessment process should be the same for every learner and purely judged on their knowledge, skill and competence within their subject area. There may be occasions where the assessment process has to be adapted to suit learners’ individual needs; however this still should eventually lead to the same outcome. In order for an assessment to be fair the assessor should clearly identify to the learner what outcomes are being assessed so that there is no area for confusion between the learner and assessor. Assessors should take guidance from the awarding body that they work alongside for the assessment criteria, for example in my area of work; I have to abide by the criteri a that is set out by VTCT. To ensure that the evidence is sufficient the learner should successfully cover all of the criteria set out by the awarding body and by the industry in which they are working. The most reliable way to ensure that an assessment is valid and reliable is for the assessor to observe a student first hand. This is the clearest way for the assessor to be sure that the student possesses the knowledge that is shown in their work and that it has not been copied from another source. This evidence should also be current, so therefore the assessor would need to have witnessed this within a reasonable timeframe as things change so frequently. It is important for assessors to ensure that they are up to date with current trends and changes within their industry and all assessors are required to keep up to date with continual professional development. It is also vital that all assessors are assessing to the same standard, this is usually monitored and updated during team standardisation meetings whic h should be carried out regularly. (AC 1.3) Explain the responsibilities of the assessor An assessor should firstly fully understand the standards and requirements they are working to. This means that all assessors should be fully qualified to the required standard within their industry and should regularly attend team standardisation meetings to ensure they are assessing to the same standards as other assessors.

Sue and Arabella in Thomas Hardys Jude the Obscure Essay -- Thomas Ha

Sue and Arabella in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy's diary contains an entry that explains how he will show the world something it needs to be shown in a story about a poor, struggling young man who has to deal with ultimate failure (Howe 132). This brief description of a story has turned into Hardy's phenomenal Jude the Obscure. Jude is emotionally torn between the two main women in the novel, Sue and Arabella, because each woman can only partially satisfy his urges. The stark difference in emotion, conversation, and sexual appetite make Sue and Arabella polar opposites in Hardy's Jude the Obscure. Jude is ripped between the pure sexuality of Arabella and the pure intellect of Sue (Draper 252). Ronald P. Draper writes that Jude is sexually more comfortable with Arabella so, in this sense, she is Jude?s true partner (252). ?Arabella represents the classical entrapment by sex: the entrapment of an ?innocent? sensual man by a hard, needy, shackling woman? (Hardwick 69). Bernard D. N. Grebanier goes even farther, saying that Arabella with stop at nothing to get Jude (713). Sue is a complicated mesh of sexual aversion and the power of female intellect (Hardwick 68). As Elizabeth Hardwick puts it, Sue ?thinks and that is her mystery? (67). Sue has radical ideas, especially for a woman, and it is commonplace for her to question society and it?s problems (Hardwick 68). Sue, to Jude?s dismay, also dismisses much of religion (Hardwick 68). The sacred act of marriage is questioned in Jude the Obscure (Saldivar 192). Marriage is seen as an institution open to criticism that is violated by need, chance, and the choices made by the characters (Hardwick 68). For Sue, violations in wholeness and freedom are agoni... ... K. Hall & Company, 1990. 243-254. Grebanier, Bernard D. N. The Essentials of English Literature. Volume Two. New York: Barron?s Educational Series, Incorporated, 1948. Hardwick, Elizabeth. ?Sue and Arabella.? The Genius of Thomas Hardy. Margaret Drabble. New York: George Weidenfeld and Nicolson Limited, 1976. 67-73. Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. Howe, Irving. Masters of World Literature: Thomas Hardy. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1967. Saldivar, Ramon. ?Jude the Obscure: Redaing and the Spirit of the Law.? Modern Critical Views: Thomas Hardy.Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 191-205. Weinstein, Philip M. The Spirit Unappeased and Peregrine?: Jude the Obscure.? Critical Essays on Thomas Hardy: The Novels. Dale Kramer. New York: G. K. Hall & Company, 1990. 228-243. Sue and Arabella in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure Essay -- Thomas Ha Sue and Arabella in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy's diary contains an entry that explains how he will show the world something it needs to be shown in a story about a poor, struggling young man who has to deal with ultimate failure (Howe 132). This brief description of a story has turned into Hardy's phenomenal Jude the Obscure. Jude is emotionally torn between the two main women in the novel, Sue and Arabella, because each woman can only partially satisfy his urges. The stark difference in emotion, conversation, and sexual appetite make Sue and Arabella polar opposites in Hardy's Jude the Obscure. Jude is ripped between the pure sexuality of Arabella and the pure intellect of Sue (Draper 252). Ronald P. Draper writes that Jude is sexually more comfortable with Arabella so, in this sense, she is Jude?s true partner (252). ?Arabella represents the classical entrapment by sex: the entrapment of an ?innocent? sensual man by a hard, needy, shackling woman? (Hardwick 69). Bernard D. N. Grebanier goes even farther, saying that Arabella with stop at nothing to get Jude (713). Sue is a complicated mesh of sexual aversion and the power of female intellect (Hardwick 68). As Elizabeth Hardwick puts it, Sue ?thinks and that is her mystery? (67). Sue has radical ideas, especially for a woman, and it is commonplace for her to question society and it?s problems (Hardwick 68). Sue, to Jude?s dismay, also dismisses much of religion (Hardwick 68). The sacred act of marriage is questioned in Jude the Obscure (Saldivar 192). Marriage is seen as an institution open to criticism that is violated by need, chance, and the choices made by the characters (Hardwick 68). For Sue, violations in wholeness and freedom are agoni... ... K. Hall & Company, 1990. 243-254. Grebanier, Bernard D. N. The Essentials of English Literature. Volume Two. New York: Barron?s Educational Series, Incorporated, 1948. Hardwick, Elizabeth. ?Sue and Arabella.? The Genius of Thomas Hardy. Margaret Drabble. New York: George Weidenfeld and Nicolson Limited, 1976. 67-73. Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. Howe, Irving. Masters of World Literature: Thomas Hardy. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1967. Saldivar, Ramon. ?Jude the Obscure: Redaing and the Spirit of the Law.? Modern Critical Views: Thomas Hardy.Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 191-205. Weinstein, Philip M. The Spirit Unappeased and Peregrine?: Jude the Obscure.? Critical Essays on Thomas Hardy: The Novels. Dale Kramer. New York: G. K. Hall & Company, 1990. 228-243.

Comparing and contrasting Essay

One of the best methods to help us clarify our thoughts about a character, an event, a poem, a story—nearly anything—is to compare and contrast. (To compare can mean to find similarities and differences. Coupled with contrast, however, to compare means to point out similarities, while to contrast means to point out differences.) Many of us, feeling weighted down by cares, have happened to see someone coping with a much greater burden or handicap—and suddenly our problems become insignificant in comparison. Seeing how our situation relates to another’s, we have gained perspective. The only way to have that perspective is by viewing things in relation to one another—by comparing and contrasting. Considering two characters, for example, can help us think more effectively about each. (Authors frequently invite such comparison by including a character foil in a story—a character who serves to emphasize the attributes of another character because t he two are so different.) Let’s consider, specifically, Rainsford, the protagonist of Richard Connell’s story â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game,† and the unnamed protagonist in Jack London’s â€Å"To Build A Fire.† How are the two men comparable? Each confronts a life-threatening situation. Rainsford is chased by the fanatical Zaroff, and London’s protagonist combats the extreme cold of theYukon. Each fights down panic and acts swiftly and decisively. Rainsford sets traps for his pursuers and finally tricks Zaroff; the man in theYukon quickly builds a fire after his feet are soaked. Each denies the suggestion of an acquaintance: Rainsford tells Whitney that hunted creatures have no feelings, and London’s protagonist ignores the old-timer’s advice. And each man learns, as a result of his ordeal, that he has been wrong. On the other hand, the men are different in several ways. London’s protagonist does not have sufficient foresight to realize, in the first place, that he shouldn’t be out alone in such cold, and second, that he shouldn’t build his fire under a tree. He fails to overcome the crisis that he brings on himself, and as a result, he dies. Rainsford, however, falls  into his ordeal quite by chance, by tumbling from the ship. He refuses to sacrifice his principles to extricate himself from the crisis: he tells Zaroff that hunting men is murder pure and simple. Once he realizes the game he must play, he plays it with great cunning, and he triumphs. As illustrated in the two preceding paragraphs, there are two ways to write a paragraph of comparison or contrast. As in the first of the paragraphs, we can shuttle back and forth: A is similar to or different from B in one respect; A is to B in a second respect; A is to B in a third respect; and so on. On the other hand, as in the second of the paragraphs, we can write in a block about one of the items under consideration (A) and then about the other (B). Neither way is better, though the shuttle method is a bit more demanding since it requires that we have matching statements about the pair under consideration. Even if we use the block method, we should try to list corresponding details in the same order in both parts of the paragraph; we also need to be sure to provide a link between our discussion of A and B. In any case, a well-organized comparison, whether focusing on literature or something else, is a powerful way to illuminate both the items that we are considering. –An Addendum to Jim Stover’s Discussion about Comparisons (Bob Fulton) Sometimes it is helpful to indicate to your reader what you feel is more significant, the similarities you have discovered between the two things you are comparing or their differences. Consider now two other fictional characters, Goodman Brown from Hawthorne’s story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and the narrator from Poe’s story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart.† After you have listed as many similarities and differences as you can in preparing to write a comparison paragraph between these two characters, you may decide that the differences you have found are far less significant or interesting than the similarities. Because you are developing a comparison, you are obliged to acknowledge that there are, indeed, differences between Goodman Brown and Poe’s narrator. (If you were to focus exclusively on the similarities these characters share, your reader might suppose that you had entirely overlooked their differences and that, as a consequence, your essay or paragraph must  be flawed and therefore without merit.) But you also want to make clear to the reader your sense that the similarities outweigh the differences. What’s the solution? Here is a suggestion. Start your paragraph with a topic sentence: Although there are striking differences between Goodman Brown, the central character of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† and the narrator of Edgar Allen Poe’s story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† the similarities between these two figures suggest a central point about protagonists in nineteenth-century American fiction: they tend to isolate themselves from others through their obsessive behaviors. Then go on to introduce differences: At first inspection, Goodman Brown and Poe’s narrator appear to be quite unlike each other. The narrative â€Å"I† of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is a crazed murderer with no apparent friends or acquaintances other than the old man he kills and butchers. Goodman Brown, by contrast, is a member of the community, married, with children, and, at his worst, a silent grouch. Murder never crosses his mind. The narrative â€Å"I† of Poe’s story seems eager to share the fact of his murderous crime with the police who come to his apartment, whereas Goodman Brown has no desire to tell anyone in his village what he thought he saw and did on the night he ventured into the woods. Now get to the central issue, how these two characters share very important similarities: Nevertheless, these two characters are twin brothers at heart. Each is desperately concerned with sin and evil. Poe’s narrative â€Å"I† cannot resist the pull which draws him to the old man’s bedroom. He cannot resist the urge to illuminate â€Å"the vulture eye.† Likewise, Goodman Brown will not put off his journey into the woods, even though his wife of three months begs him to remain at home. He must press on to face wickedness itself. The behavior of each is absolutely determined by this concern to uncover the  mystery of evil and deal with it. And this obsession isolates Poe’s narrative â€Å"I† and Hawthorne’s Goodman Brown from their fellow creatures. In their obsessive behavior these characters are linked with other figures in nineteenth-century American fiction—Captain Ahab, for instance, in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, Bartelby in Melville’s â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener,† Natty Bumppo in James F enimore Cooper’s â€Å"Leatherstocking† novels, and Arthur Dimmesdale in Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. If you were to write an essay comparing these two stories, the topic sentence I have written for the paragraph above would serve as your thesis statement for the comparison essay. Put your thesis statement at the top of your introductory paragraph—that’s right, the thesis statement is your first sentence—then go on to write a topic sentence for each of the paragraphs in the body of your essay. These topic sentences become the second, third, fourth, etc., sentences of your introductory paragraph In the last sentence of the introduction, sow a seed for the final paragraph of your essay, a â€Å"so-what?† paragraph. This paragraph IS NOT A CONCLUSION. Instead, it answers the question â€Å"So what?† Imagine someone asking you to explain why you wrote the comparison you did. Your response is to put your analysis in a context. Using the above example, I might say: â€Å"In their obsessive behavior these characters are linked with other figures in ninete enth-century American fiction—Captain Ahab, for instance, in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, Bartelby in Melville’s â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener,† Natty Bumppo in James Fenimore Cooper’s â€Å"Leatherstocking† novels, and Arthur Dimmesdale in Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter.† To avoid repetition, when you write the body paragraphs, paraphrase the topic sentences which you have already placed in your introduction to avoid repeating them verbatim in the body of your essay. Each of these paraphrased topic sentences should govern what goes into their paragraphs in the body of the paper. Likewise, when you come to the â€Å"so-what?† paragraph, paraphrase the seed sentence you wrote at the end of your introductory paragraph. This paraphrase of the seed sentence is the focus of your essay’s final paragraph, the paragraph which answers the question â€Å"So what?† You should not be surprised if this final paragraph is longer and more  detailed than any of the body paragraphs. After all, it is meant to open up for your reader a wider perspective than the body of your essay can provide.

The Emigration Of Australia During World War II - 1034 Words

The Hungarians who migrated after World War II were refugees who came to Australia looking for a better life and in doing so significantly contributed to the country by not only offering their culture to the development of Australia’s multiculturalism but by also contributing to the academic and artistic life of Australia. The main reason for Hungarian immigration to Australia was the Hungarian Revolution that followed the disaster of World War II. In Australia the Hungarians quickly proved their dedication to making the most of their new life in Australia and in doing so, contributed to the development of Australian society. The Hungarian migrants who came to Australia after World War II were mainly refugees following the Hungarian†¦show more content†¦Naturally many Hungarians fled during the revolution and so 200 000 fled to Western Europe to escape persecution. Australia, along with more than ten other countries, reached out to the Hungarian refugees and offered settlement assistance to approximately 14 000 refugees (History Learning Site, n.d). Another factor that influenced Hungarian refugees’ immigrationt to Australia was that Australia was the furthest country away from the Soviet Union that were able to escape to because of their desperation. The Hungarian refugees came to Australia during the end of the policy of assimilation and so when they arrived in Australia they were warmly greeted, as shown in this photograph. Society was welcoming to the migrants and were supportive of them because of Hungary’s current situation. The Hungarian migrants had a relatively smooth integration into Australia and they were highly accepting of the Australian culture because of the amount of support they had received from the government and society. However some Australians were still racist towards the Hungarians and isolated them in the work place. When the migrants arrived they were offered two yearlong work contracts in chosen jobs. This was done by the government to quickly turn their new recruits into working, taxpaying citizens of Australia. Unfortunately, there were