Theories used when setting up a new business Essay Example for Free

Theories used when setting up a new business Essay When setting up a new business many business theories have to be considered and thought about. To enable a successful business set up, many features must be pre planned and thought over carefully. These features are such as:   Business plan   Cash flow forecast   Break-even figure   Entrepreneur skills Business reasons why set up the business?   Success how will they succeed in the market?   Finance where will it come from?   Government how can they help?   Setting up how will they set up the business? Who will run the business? All of the above 10 business theories are vital and must be considered and thought out carefully in order for business success. Businesss that start up without consideration of the above are less likely to survive in their market than those who are set up properly with all the above theories planned and worked out. The listed theories will need to be developed and will each contain high levels of detail. It is therefore necessary for me to know exactly what information will be required for when applying these theories to my business proposal planning. Theories Explained: Business Plan: The business for which I am planning and making a proposal for will need a business plan. This will state the company name, where it will be (planned to be) situated, its aims and objectives, what type of business it will be and other important information about the company. Cash Flow Forecast: The business will also need this document which will state a general figure of the estimated figures of the amount of money that will be needed to be spent for various matters for a given time period. This is so that it can be seen when cash will be short so that appropriate loans can be taken. Break-Even: The business will require funding and money invested into it before it can begin trading/operating. For this money to be redeemed the amount spent/invested firstly has to be gained back in the form of revenue. The break even point is when the total amount of revenue equals the total amount of money spent. After this point, the revenue will be profit. Entrepreneur Skills: The entrepreneur creates the business idea, and then hires others to carry out the activity. The may also wish to invest some of their personnel money in hope to gain profit out of the business after establishment. They will need skills to ensure that they make the right plans, and hire the right people/organizations to help them. Any wrong actions taken can lead to failure of the business. Reasons to set up: There has to be some reasons as to why a business should be started. Many people start business because they want to be their own boss, they want full control over everything, they want a fresh start, and they have enough experience and want to run their own business. Success: Before setting up the business, a strategy must be available to help keep the business stable and in the market. Once this is ensured the businessperson needs to make a strategy to help the business succeed in its aims and objectives. Its aims are most likely to be: to survive, break-even, make profit, gain/increase market share etc. Finance: Before the business can start operating it needs some finance. Money will be required to establish the business as well as keep it going. Finance will be required to buy stock, advertise the business, hire staff etc. Also if the business wishes to be a limited company, then the procedure also costs. Usually a bank loan or personnel investment by the businessperson is used however shareholders can also invest into the business. It is vital to know how much money is required to establish the business and keeps it going for a certain period of time so that adequate loans/investments can take place. Government: Sometimes the government can also provide support for a new business. The government may get involved for one of 3 reasons; to control areas of high business congestion, encourage firms to locate in high unemployment areas, or to attract foreign business to UK. The government does this with various schemes such as enterprise zones where taxes are exempt (for a given period) in order to attract business into the area. Setting Up: Before setting up the business the businessperson needs to know and decide how they are going to set up the business. Therefore, they would need a business idea, business plan etc. When setting up they can then either decide to set up on their own by taking a loan or investing their personnel money, or setting up the business with a partner. Running the Business: The businessperson must also understand what is required for running a business. He must have adequate staff, enough money to buy stock and pay staff, enough stock to sell, business/product advertising etc. The businessperson must have enough resources (Land, Labour and Capital) to meet all the above needs to keep the business running smoothly.

Use of Language in Waiting for Lefty Essay Example for Free

Use of Language in Waiting for Lefty Essay Clifford Odet used a wide range of language techniques to convey the differences between the different characters, the relationships between the different characters, and the attitudes of individual characters. The language that the characters use in the play tells us about their personal details, such a what class they belong to and whether they were educated or not. From looking at the character of Joe we see that he is of working class and not particularly well educated. We know this as he uses a great deal of colloquialism in his speech, pulluckas. Also by looking at the language used in the text we see how Odets has tried to convey to the actors how to say certain line. For example the character Joe again, says, helluva. In Standard English this would be written as, hell of a. Odets however has written it like this so that the actor knows exactly how to read the line. The words are supposed to be rushed and squashed together, again another sign of Joes working class status. Another reason why Odets has chosen to use language like the above is to add an essence of realism to his play. He wanted to make sure that real people (working classes) could relate to the message that he was conveying in his play so therefore he needed to speak their language. Use of such language would have been good to get the audience on a characters side and round to their way of thinking. It would have made the working class audience at home with the characters. Odets also liked to use Similes. Fatt was just but one character that spoke a lot of rhetoric language. E. g. out like lions and in like lambs. Such phrases gave the audience things to think about and gave a contrast to the colloquialism also used. It also showed which characters where better educated than others and therefore were less likely to be working class. Odets also favoured the use of colours in his language. At one point in the play Fatt says, red and yellow makes a dirty colour boys. The red, referring to communists and the yellow referring to cowards. This use of colours in the language added to the texture of the piece. It allowed the audience to think more deeply about what was actually being said without being to taxing on their brains. The use of racist language also shows us the ignorant attitudes of many people back in the 1920s. It is also only the rich, upper class, pompous characters that the audience are supposed to unlike, that use racist language. Perhaps in Clifford Odets cries for a more equal society he was also quietly calling for the liberation and equal rights of blacks and Jews. In conclusion I think that the colloquial language that Odets used ensured a popular contemporary audience whilst the rhetoric language allowed for a more educated audience member to break down underlying meanings behind the text. I have found Odets use of language both appropriate and well thought out in this play.

Roles of Windows Server 2012

Roles of Windows Server 2012 Margaret Webb Edition Idea for High level feature-comparison Licensing Model Memory Limits Foundation Costs-efficient all around server Essential server functionality without virtualization rights Server (Limited to 15 users) 32 GB Ram Essentials Environments in small companies Essential server functionality without virtualization rights Server (Limited to 25 users) 64 GB ram Standard Non-virtualized or lightly virtualized environments All features, with two virtual instances Processor + CAL* 4 TB Ram Datacenter Highly-virtualized private cloud management All features are unlimited virtual instances Processor + CAL* 4 TB Ram #2 A private cloud facilitating arrangement, otherwise called an interior or undertaking cloud, lives on organizations intranet or facilitated server farm where the greater part of your information is secured behind a firewall. Public cloud facilitating arrangement. Your information is put away in the suppliers server farm and the supplier is in charge of the administration and upkeep of the server farm. This kind of cloud condition is speaking to many organizations since it decreases lead times in testing and sending new items. Nonetheless, the downside is that many organizations feel security could need with an open cloud. Despite the fact that you dont control the security of an open cloud, the greater part of your information stays isolate from others and security breaks of open mists are uncommon. VDI stands for Virtual desktop infrastructure which has a desktop working framework on a concentrated server in a server farm. VDI is a minor departure from the customer server registering model, some of the time alluded to as server-based processing. 1) Pooled assets: This implies we manage assets at a total level as opposed to at the level of individual servers. The cloud uncovered a pool of limit with regards to use by administrations that require the limit, and this deliberation decouples the virtualized workloads from the physical framework, permitting dynamic workload arrangement and autonomous foundation administration. 2) Self-Service: In the cloud demonstrate, benefit purchasers can utilize a self-benefit involvement, regularly an electronic entrance, to get to the limit they have been assigned, self-arrangement workloads from standing up a solitary VM to sending a perplexing administration, and deal with the life cycle of those workloads. 3) Elasticity: Cloud Elasticity implies that the framework can bolster the changing needs of the association, sending new administrations as required, distributing more assets to administrations that experience overwhelming burden or de-allotting assets to spare power when the heap is light. With cross-cloud administration, workloads can likewise move amongst private and open mists, giving additional limit, geo-scale reach, or different qualities as required. 4) Usage Based: In the cloud show, clients are charged or if nothing else get educated on their cloud asset utilization in light of their genuine asset utilization #3 Resilient File System (ReFS), codenamed Protogon, is a Microsoft exclusive record framework presented with Windows Server 2012 with the goal of turning into the people to come document framework after NTFS. The reason you would utilize it is helps you store and ensure information, paying little mind to the dependability of the basic equipment and programming stack. This limits the cost of capacity and lessens capital uses for organizations. You can convey a Windows Server 2012 R2 document server connected to an only a cluster of plates (JBOD) stockpiling setup with Serial ATA (SATA) or Serially Attached SCSI (SAS) drives. Also, the arrangement could incorporate failover grouping where the client sends a scale-out, two-hub record server bunch with Storage Spaces, where the group utilizes a mutual JBOD stockpiling design with SAS drives #4 Server Roles: !) Active Directory Certificate Services 2) Active Directory Domain Services The primary Windows Server 2012/R2 part that I would introduce on a server for a small assembling organization is the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) part. The reason I would introduce this part on small assembling organizations server is because it permits the Windows Server 2012/R2 go about as a space controller. This is valuable for the assembling organization since it handles confirmation and approval for every one of the workers that are in a Windows area condition. The second Windows Server 2012/R2 part Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) gives adjustable administrations to issuing and overseeing endorsements in programming security frameworks that utilization open key advances. For foundation data about open key cryptography and the advantages of having an open key framework (PKI), You can utilize AD CS to make at least one affirmation specialists (CA) to get testament demands, check the data in the solicitations and the character of the requester, issue endorsements, renounce declarations, and distribute authentication denial information. #5 Server Core establishments require around 4 GB less space than a Server with a GUI establishment. By utilizing Server Core establishments on virtual machines, you can accomplish a huge space funds by not storing the GUI records on the virtual machines plate. Servers frequently have nearly a lot of memory and complex plate clusters, both of which can set aside a lot of opportunity to instate at startup. Since Server Core establishments limit the quantity of restarts required for updates, the recurrence at which plate clusters and memory must be re-introduced is lessened. Certain server applications have conditions on specific Windows administrations, libraries, applications, and records that are not accessible in Server Core establishments, but rather the manager needs to exploit the decreased requirement for refreshing commonplace of Server Core establishments. The Minimal Server Interface offers extra similarity while as yet keeping up a diminished framework impression (however to a lesser degree than a Server Core establishment). Highlights on Demand can be utilized to diminish the impression for your virtual machine organizations by evacuating parts and components that will never be sent in your virtual machines. Contingent upon the parts and elements utilized as a part of your virtual machines, it is conceivable to lessen the size by more than 1 GB. Diminished adjusting, Since Server Core introduces just what is required for a reasonable DHCP, File, DNS, Media Services, and Active Directory server, less adjusting is required. Decreased administration, since less is introduced on a Server Core-based server, less administration is required. Decreased assault surface Since there is less running on the server, there is less assault surface. Less plate space required Server Core requires around 3.4GB to introduce. More noteworthy solidness. Since a Server Core establishment has less running procedures and administrations than a Full establishment, the general dependability of Server Core is more noteworthy. Less things can turn out badly, and less settings can be designed mistakenly. Disentangled administration. Since there are less things to oversee on a Server Core establishment, its less demanding to arrange and bolster a Server Core establishment than a Full one-once you get the hang of it.

Negative Effects of Media Violence on Society Essay -- Media Argumenta

Negative Effects of Media Violence on Society    Given the importance of social learning in contributing to violent behavior, we should pay careful attention to the kinds of role models we provide to one another. A powerful source of role models is located in almost every home: the television. Television is the source of more knowledge in the past several decades than any other type of knowledge distributor, such as books and news papers. It is by far the most influential invention of the twentieth century and has established more role models than radio or magazines combined. But to some the role models that are established through the media and television are not upstanding citizens like Ronald Reagan or Larry King, but instead psycopath murderers and serial killers such as David Koresh, Timmothy McVeigh and Charles Manson. Not only are people mesmerized by the media attention that these types of people receive but they are also taken away by the movies that portray the bad guys as tough fighters who can kill people w ith the snap of a finger. Stars such as Steven Segall, Juan Claude Van Damme, and Sylvester Stallone have done as much to the rise in violence because of the media exposure as the actual killers and murderers. "Violence seems to be something everybody feels they can recognize when they see it, yet it is difficult to define unambiguously. Many different definitions are now in use, and there is much disagreement about them.(Wober 41)" Violence is at an all time high because of the sales and publicity that it receives from the public. One of the biggest problems in this day and age is the violence in the media and on television. The media has taken the first amendment to an all new level b... ...ogress and Implications for the Eighties Vol. 1: Technical Reviews. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1982 4. National Institute of Mental Health. Television and behavior: Ten Years of Scientific Progress and Implications for the Eighties Vol. 2: Technical Reviews. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1982 5. Pearl, David. Violence and Aggresion: Television at the Crossroads. Society, Vol. 21, No. 6, 1984 6. Rowland, Willard D. The Politics of TV Violence. Beverly Hills, CA:Sage Publications, 1983 7. United States Government. Violence on Television. Report. House of Represenatives. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977. 8. Van der Voort, Tom H. Chidren and TV Violence: Perception and Experience. Swets and Zeitlinger, 1982. 9. Wurtzel, Alan. Television Violence and Aggresive Behavior. Et Cetera, June, 1977.

Naslunds Novel, Ahabs Wife and Melvilles Moby Dick :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Challenging Writing as a Male Tradition in Naslund's Novel, Ahab's Wife and Melville's Moby Dick In Sena Jeter Naslund's novel Ahab's Wife, there is repetitive reference to "the chaos of the waves (40);" Naslund uses these images of turbulent water in contrast to the precise and patterned nature of stitched quilts. She equates the process of "writing a book" to the "posture of sewing (70)." She asserts "when one stitches, the mind travels...And books, like quilts, are made one word at a time, one stitch at a time (70)." The consequences of making this type of connection within a literary narrative authored by a woman writer are penetrative to the fundamental assumptions about the creation of literature. I put forth, then, the theory that Naslund knowingly mocks the concept that writing, particularly writing to make literature, is primarily a male tradition, the prevailing thought during Una's existence as a fictional character. Naslund derives Una from Moby-Dick, takes a peripheral character in a major novel about a man's "war upon the deep (18)," a novel she knows has been marked a classic and has endured beyond its time period, and compels the shadow-figure of the male's narrative into the prominent voice of a female's narrative. What is produced by the male becomes a reproduction by the female. In effect, tradition is usurped, inversed, and woman dominates the text, a text birthed by Melville, a hugely lauded male author. Therefore, man author exchanges positions with woman, becomes impregnated by a story, tells the story, brings the story into existence. The woman author takes the story and retells it, reclaiming it as her own, brings a new story into existence. She overshadows the object of fiction previously created and through intertextuality connects herself to the expanse of literature. She blatantly utilizes the man's text to her own literary advantages, and discovers an act of erecting a me morial for women through "one word at a time." The "stitching" of "one word at a time" in direct opposition to the journey of man's mind which "travels...with ax and oxen through the wilderness (70)" explicitly undermines Ahab's journey, his "war upon the deep," whether or not Una is aware of the disruptive quality of her stream of consciousness. Una suggests that "writing a book...which men

charant Creon as the Main Character of Antigone Essay -- Antigone ess

Creon as the Main Character of Antigone    Throughout the Greek play Antigone by Sophocles, there exists a dispute as to who should receive the designation of main character. Antigone, the daughter of the cursed King Oedipus, as well as Creon, stately king of Thebes, both appear as the key figures in this historic play. I believe that Creon, king of Thebes, should be considered the main character in this work of Greek theater. Three points can be used to make this argument: Creon suffers greatly, he learns a lesson, and is a tragic hero. Creon, like all main characters in Greek drama, suffers many losses and undergoes emotional pain and anguish. A target of the curse on the House of Oedipus by relation, Creon was already a victim of fate. His destiny has already been predetermined by the curse on the house of Oedipus, so he must either undergo suffering, death, or even both. He loses his future daughter-in-law, Antigone, by initiating her death, his son through suicide, and his wife by suicide as well. Antigone broke a decree of Creon's: not to bury the traitor Polynices. The sister of Polynices, she breaks this new law because she knows that in order to please the gods she must so the right thing and bury Polynices. When she does Creon sentences her to death by sealing her in a cave. After realizing that he has made a critical error, he and his followers unseal the rocky tomb to find that Antigone has taken her own life. Creon's son, Haemon, the to-be husband of Antigone, rushes into the cave in mourning. He attempt s an attack on Creon, but fails to connect with his sword thrust, and in anger and remorse kills himself with his weapon beside his dead love. Creon, overwhelmed with anguish, returns to the castle. But ... ...Gods have attempted to evade their fate, but have never been able to do so. Creon is affected by fate through the curse of Oedipus. The Chorus recites: The stress of a Fate is hard; Nor wealth, nor warfare, nor ward, Nor black ships cleaving the sea Can resist her, or flee. (35). Despite the fact that the play's name stands as Antigone, I believe that Creon should be recognized as the central character in this play. He lives longer, has more lines, stands in the middle of many moral arguments, and doesn't pull a disappearing act in the middle of the play. Provided with this knowledge, maybe a reader will read the play Antigone with a new prospective, and look at the story from both point-of-views. Not placing Antigone as the 'good-guy', and Creon as the 'bad-guy', but thinking of the pair as good people fighting for the right in conflicting situations.   

Assessment Of For And As Learning Essay

Assessment of learning refers to strategies designed to confirm what students know, demonstrate whether or not they have met curriculum outcomes or the goals of their individualized programs, or to certify proficiency and make decisions about students’ future programs or placements. It is designed to provide evidence of achievement to parents, other educators, the students themselves, and sometimes to outside groups (e. g. , employers, other educational institutions). Assessment of learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or symbols about how well students are learning. It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will affect students’ futures. It is important, then, that the underlying logic and measurement of assessment of learning be credible and defensible. Teachers’ Roles in Assessment of Learning Because the consequences of assessment of learning are often far-reaching and affect students seriously, teachers have the responsibility of reporting student learning accurately and fairly, based on evidence obtained from a variety of contexts and applications. Effective assessment of learning requires that teachers provide  ?a rationale for undertaking a particular assessment of learning at a particular point in time ?clear descriptions of the intended learning ?processes that make it possible for students to demonstrate their competence and skill ?a range of alternative mechanisms for assessing the same outcomes ?public and defensible reference points for making judgments ? Transparent approaches to interpretation ?descriptions of the assessment process ?strategies for recourse in the event of disagreement about the decisions With the help of their teachers, students can look forward to assessment of learning tasks as  occasions to show their competence, as well as the depth and breadth of their learning. ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Assessment for learning focuses on engaging students in classroom assessment in support of their own learning and informing teachers about what to do next to help students to progress. Assessment for learning is assessment for improvement not assessment for accountability as can be the case with summative assessments (Stiggins, 2002). The keys to Assessment for Learning (AFL) is to use a variety of assessment tools and methods in order to provide ongoing evidence to students, teachers and parents that demonstrates how  well each student is mastering the identified outcomes. This evidence is used to provide descriptive feedback to the students and to enable the teacher to differentiate the instruction to meet the needs of individual students or groups. ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING VS. ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING Gregory, Cameron, and Davies (1997) outline some distinct differences between Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning. Educators are using these terms to help distinguish between the teacher’s role as a learning coach versus the teacher’s role of judging the extent of a student’s achievement in relation to an established standard. This assessment is considered summative and is done at the end. 1. Assessment for learning is the big deal, while assessment of learning is the done deal. 2. Assessment for learning is formative, while assessment of learning is summative. 3. Assessment for learning is supportive, while assessment of learning measures. 4. Assessment for learning uses descriptions, while assessment of learning uses scores. 5. Assessment for learning happens day by day, moment by moment, while assessment of learning happens at the end. The assertion is that neither one is better than the other, but both need to be used within a  students learning so that the student is able to understand not only the work that is being asked of them, but also how their own learning occurs. Assessment for learning is intended to be both diagnostic and formative to help students improve their learning. Four critical questions that the teacher must ask when planning for assessment for learning: WHY AM I ASSESSING? If the intent of assessment is to enhance student learning teachers use assessment for learning to uncover what students believe to be true and to learn more about the connections students are making, their prior knowledge, preconceptions, gaps, and learning styles. This information is used to inform and differntiate instruction to build on what students already know and to challenge students when their are problems inhibiting progression to the next stages of learning. Teachers use this information to provide their students with descriptive feedback that will further their learning and not as a sumamtive assessment or to report a grade. WHAT AM I ASSESSING? Assessment for learning requires ongoing assessment of the outcomes that comprise the intended learning. In most cases these are the curriculum outcomes. Teachers create assessments that will  expose students’ thinking and skills in relation to the intended learning, and the common preconceptions. WHAT ASSESSMENT METHOD SHOULD I USE? When planning assessment for learning, the teacher must think about what assessment is designed to expose, and must decide which assessment approaches are most likely to give detailed information about what each student is thinking and learning. The methods need to incorporate a variety of ways for students to demonstrate their learning. For example, having students complete tasks orally or through visual representation allow those who are struggling  with reading or writing to demonstrate their learning. HOW CAN I USE THE INFORMA%ON? The information collected in assessment for learning is used to report to the student and by offering descriptive, on time feedback and to provide the teacher with information to allow for changes in instruction for individual students or groups of students. ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING Assessment as learning occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and  how to use assessment for new learning. Assessment as learning: ?encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning ?requires students to ask questions about their learning ?involves teachers and students creating learning goals to encourage growth and development ?provides ways for students to use formal and informal feedback and self-assessment to help them understand the next steps in learning ?encourages peer assessment, self-assessment and reflection. ROLES This assessment model supports the view of today’s learners as actively involved in the learning process. Students are educated on the purpose of assignments and the outcomes they are trying to achieve. Hence the teacher and the student both have critical roles in understanding learning outcomes and modifying learning in Assessment as Learning. Teacher Ensuring assessment methods are appropriate and the purpose is clear to students ensures quality and fair assessment practices as per the Principles for Fair Student Assessment in Canada (1993). Beyond choosing the learning outcomes to be covered, the activities to follow and the assessment methods, in Assessment as Learning, the teacher engages the students in this process. In Assessment as Learning, the teacher is a guide, â€Å"Giving them [students] the tools to undertake their own learning wisely and well. † (WNCP, p. 42) Students learn to monitor their own learning and make adaptations as required. In addition to monitoring learning and guiding instruction through assessment for learning, the teacher is assessing the students’ ability to assess themselves as they learn how to assess their own learning. Teachers can follow the following model in order to practice Assessment as Learning in their classroom: (adapted from WNCP, p. 42-43) 1. Discuss the learning outcomes with the students. 2. Create criteria with the students for the various tasks that need to be completed and/or skills that need to be learned or mastered 3. Provide feedback to students as they learn and ask them guiding questions to help them monitor their own learning 4. Help them set goals to extend or support their learning as needed in order to meet or fully meet the expectations 5. Provide reference points and examples for the learning outcomes Teachers are also responsible for ensuring that students have a learning environment in which they feel comfortable and safe to learn as well as have ample time to practise what is being  taught. Student Beyond completing the tasks assigned to them by their teacher, students move from the passive learner to an active owner of their own learning. Initially, with teacher guidance and tools, students learn to monitor if they have understood the learning outcome being explored and the metacognitive process. Once the metacognitive skills have been acquired, students can independently adjust their learning accordingly and demonstrate the â€Å"self-reflection, self- monitoring and self-adjustment. † (WNCP, 2006, p. 85) Extensive and relevant modeling in the questions below can help students reach this point: 1. What is the purpose of learning these concepts and skills? 2. What do I know about this topic? 3. What strategies do I know that will help me learn this? 4. Am I understanding these concepts? 5. What are the criteria for improving my work? 6. Have I accomplished the goals I set for myself? What is self-assessment? According to Boud (1995), all assessment including self-assessment comprises two main elements: making decisions about the standards of performance expected and then making judgments about the quality of the performance in relation to these standards. When self-assessment is introduced, it should ideally involve students in both of these aspects. Andrade and Du (2007) provide a helpful definition of self-assessment that focuses on the formative learning that it can promote: Self-assessment is a process of formative assessment during which students reflect on and evaluate the quality of their work and their learning, judge the degree to which they reflect explicitly stated goals or criteria, identify strengths and weaknesses in their work, and revise accordingly (2007, p. 160). EXAMPLES OF SELF-ASSESSMENT Self-assessment can take many forms, including: ?writing conferences ?discussion (whole-class or small-group) ?reflection logs ?weekly self-evaluations ?self-assessment checklists and inventories ?teacher-student interviews These types of self-assessment share a common theme: they ask students to review their work to determine what they have learned and what areas of confusion still exist. Although each method differs slightly, all should include enough time for students to consider thoughtfully and evaluate their progress. When students understand the criteria for good work before they begin a literacy activity, they are more likely to meet those criteria. The key to this understanding is to make the criteria clear. As students evaluate their work, you may want them to set up their own criteria for good work. Help them with the clarity of their criteria as they assess their own work. Students’ observations and reflections can also provide valuable feedback for refining your instructional plan. As your students answer questions about their learning and the strategies they use, think about their responses to find out what they are really learning and to see if they are learning what you are teaching them. K-W-L (KNOW, WANT TO KNOW, LEARNED) CHART. K-W-L (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students through a text. Students begin by brainstorming everything they Know about a topic. This information is recorded in the K column of a K-W-L chart. Students then generate a list of questions about what they Want to Know about the topic. These questions are listed in the W column of the chart. During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart. Purpose The K-W-L strategy serves several purposes: Elicits students’ prior knowledge of the topic of the text. ?Sets a purpose for reading. ?Helps students to monitor their comprehension. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Donna Ogle asserts that KWL helps students become better readers of expository text and helps teachers to be more interactive in their teaching (Ogle, 1987). KWL charts help students to be active thinkers while they read (Carr & Ogle, 1987), giving them specific things to look for and having them reflect on what they learned when they are finished reading. In learning, metacognition involves the active monitoring and conscious control and regulation  of cognitive processes. It involves thinking about thinking, self-awareness, and self-regulation (Flavell, 1979). The metacognitive strategy of self-questioning is used to ensure that students comprehend the text. When students set their own purposes for reading, they are more motivated and active as readers. Each student has a schema, or a framework for how they view the world. Accessing a student’s prior knowledge is the first step in integrating new concepts into their existing schema. KWL charts help activate background knowledge and provide an opportunity for students to set their own learning objectives.