Feedback Strategies from a Student's Perspective
This classroom research project examines the effectiveness of formative feedback strategies in discussion classes. Formative feedback is a form of feedback where students identify their language problem and are given a chance to practice their weakness (Tuttle and Tuttle, 2012). In other words, formative feedback quickly “fixes” behaviors. The aim of this project was to understand student’s perceptions after receiving formative feedback. Students responded to a questionnaire that asked them to evaluate the feedback they had received and whether they could use the feedback in future activities. While over 90% of the students stated that formative feedback was helpful, less than 60% of the students reported that it was the most helpful activity
Teaching Language in Context
ion Abstract nouns are usually compared to concrete nouns such as table, flower, and pencil— things we can see and touch. There are certain abstract nouns that have a function similar to nominalisation in that they can be used to capture a stretch of surrounding text, compacting it into a single term. Abstract nouns such as problem, idea, fact, concept, issue, result, process, cause, and reason are often used in this way. These are sometimes referred to as ‘shell nouns’, ‘catch-all nouns’ or ‘summarising nouns’. While their dictionary meaning can be defined in a general way, their specific meaning can only really be interpreted in relation to the surrounding text. If I refer to an issue, for example, I would need to clarify the nature of the issue by referring to the particular context. In the problem-solution Geography report above, for example, the author has written: The issue at this location is that when the river is in full flow during the wet season, the outer bank erodes at a greater rate. Having specified the meaning (underlined above) of issue in this context, the author can now move on and simply use the term issue rather than continually restating when the river is in full flow during the wet season, the outer bank erodes at a greater rate. 10_DER_TLC2_03686_TXT_LAY.indd 309 11/06/16 3:01 PM 310 PART 2: Learning about Language Such terms can be used to create cohesion in texts. In this case, for example, issue can be used to constantly refer to the matter outlined, e.g.: The issue at this location is that when the river is in full flow during the wet season, the outer bank erodes at a greater rate. This issue has caused concern ... The issue with the river bank ... We can see from this example that such abstract nouns can be used as cohesive devices, constantly referring back and forth to the point in the text where the issue has been elaborated. Designer Note: Typesetter, three arrows need to be added to this text. Please see the attached file.
High-frequency hearing thresholds: effects of age, occupational ultrasound and noise exposure
AbstractPurpose
It has been suggested that high-frequency audiometry (HFA) could represent a useful preventive measure in exposed workers. The aim was to investigate the effects of age, ultrasound and noise on high-frequency hearing thresholds.MethodsWe tested 24 industrial ultrasound-exposed subjects, 113 industrial noise-exposed subjects and 148 non-exposed subjects. Each subject was tested with both conventional-frequency (0.125–8 kHz) and high-frequency (9–18 kHz) audiometry.ResultsThe hearing threshold at high frequency deteriorated as a function of age, especially in subjects more than 30 years old. The ultrasound-exposed subjects had significantly higher hearing thresholds than the non-exposed ones at the high frequencies, being greatest from 10 to 14 kHz. This hearing loss was already significantly evident in subjects with exposure <5 years and increased with years of exposure and advancing age. The noise exposure group had significantly higher hearing thresholds than the non-exposed group at the conventional frequencies 4 and 6 kHz and at the high frequency of 14 kHz. After stratification for age, there was a significant difference between the two groups at 9–10 and 14–15 kHz only for those under 30 years of age.ConclusionMultivariate analysis indicated that age was the primary predictor, and noise and ultrasound exposure the secondary predictors of hearing thresholds in the high-frequency range. The results suggest that HFA could be useful in the early diagnosis of noise-induced hearing loss in younger groups of workers (under 30 years of age).
