262,459 research outputs found
Parsnips in ELT: stepping out of the comfort zone (Vol. 2)
The PARSNIP is, as many of you will know, a reference to all those topics that are commonly left out of the standard ELT coursebook: Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, -Isms, Pork.
And it is easy to understand why these things are not included - in simple terms coursebooks are written for the largest possible market and therefore can only ever concentrate on the safest common denominator in terms of topics. You might be able to get away with a discussion on the differences between democratic governments and dictatorships in Portugal, but the chances are
you might find it more difficult in Belarus. So if you want to sell a coursebook in both Portugal and Belarus, you have to make sure that the topics are not going to prove overly contentious or possibly lead to the arrest and deportation of the teacher and closing of the school.
The result though, is what Mario Rinvolucri described as ââthe soft, fudgey, sub-journalistic, womanâs magaziney world of EFLese course materialsâ - endless worthy discussions about the environment, the role of technology in life and how to have a healthy lifestyle.
The Parsnips in ELT project is an attempt to provide resources and support for teachers who do want to engage their classes in more meaningful topics and discussions. Or at the very least to do something different! It is however, up to you and your own personal and professional judgment whether you choose to use these lesson plans in your context and with your classes, or even if you choose to read them at all! Inevitably, there will be some lessons that you will feel are inappropriate to use and some that you feel will really get the class engaged in the topic and the discussion
The comfort zone: Reflection on a taken-for-granted model
Reference to the comfort zone model is widespread within outdoor adventure education. It is based on the belief that when placed in a stressful situation people will respond by overcoming their hesitancy and grow. This model is often presented to students prior to activities with a perceived sense of risk and challenge which arouses strong emotional and physical responses to novel tasks (e.g., a ropes course). Students are encouraged to âstretch themselvesâ, to move outside their comfort zone and expand their preconceived limits and by inference learn. This article briefly explores the theories that underpin the comfort zone model and suggests that it is time to rethink how it is used
Comfort zone: Model or metaphor?
The comfort zone model is widespread within adventure education literature. It is based on the belief that when placed in a stressful situation people will respond by overcoming their fear and therefore grow as individuals. This model is often
presented to participants prior to activities with a highly perceived sense of risk and challenge which arouses strong emotional and physical responses to novel tasks (e.g., ropes courses or rock climbing activities). Students are encouraged to think about
âstretching themselvesâ by moving outside their comfort zone, to expand their preconceived limits and by inference learn (and become better people). This paper explores theories from cognitive and social psychology, based on the work of Piaget
and Festinger respectively, that underpin the comfort zone model. The perpetuation of this model which uses risk to promote situations of disequilibrium/dissonance does not find strong support in educational literature. It is therefore suggested that the comfort zone model be reframed as a metaphor, for possible discussion post activity, rather than being used as a model to
underpin programming and pedagogy in adventure education settings
The Comfort Zone
In my bachelorâs thesis âThe Comfort Zoneâ I study the creative process through the lens of the comfort zone. The thesis consists of a written paper and and a production. The written portion acts as a documentation of a creative process, as well as delving into the theory having to do with my research. The production focuses on pattern design.
The structure of this thesis follows the same patterns present in creative processes. The chapters advance from theoretical and conceptual research to the concrete documentation of my pattern design process.
Chapters 1.0 and 2.0 inspect topics relating to beginning and moving through a creative process, while chapter 3.0 focuses solely on the production portion of my thesis. The Comfort Zone as a concept is defined on its own as part of my introduction.
My findings in producing this thesis have included a deeper understanding of the operations present in my own creative process, as well as insight into the positive and negative influence of comfort zones on design work. This study may be relevant to those interested in creative performance and efficiency. This thesis does not attempt to act as an instruction for pattern design, rather its focus is on the background actions that take place during any creative process
The influence of randomly allocated group membership when developing student task work and team work capabilities
This study explores whether randomly assigning group membership enhances the student learning experience. The paper starts with a critical analysis of the approaches to student learning within Higher Education and how these approaches conflict with findings from applied psychology on group behaviour. The study adopts a serendipitous qualitative methodology to explore how changes to assessment requirements can result in a more holistic learning experience. The findings suggest that students perceive the adoption of randomly allocated as an unnecessary risk to their performance within assessment as opposed to an opportunity to enhance their learning. This raises questions regarding the conflict that can exist within education between assessment and learning. The results suggest students operate in a âcomfort zoneâ which can be detrimental to their overall learning experience. Getting students to leave the comfort zone is a particularly stressful situation for both student and educator. Once students leave the comfort zone competencies that have been dormant surface and they are able to utilise and acquire a wider range of skills. Leaving the comfort zone also results in the creation of a critical incidence which can assist the student in developing their reflective capabilities. The results suggest that randomly allocated groups enhance both an individualâs task capabilities and their teamwork capabilities. The paper concludes that the findings have significant implications for those involved in the design of assessment. The paper also provides an interesting commentary on the issues educators face when undertaking education research within a higher educational context
Beyond the Comfort Zone
ASPCA $100K Challenge winners pushed themselves to do mor
Assessing the Zone of Comfort in Stereoscopic Displays using EEG
The conflict between vergence (eye movement) and accommodation (crystalline
lens deformation) occurs in every stereoscopic display. It could cause
important stress outside the "zone of comfort", when stereoscopic effect is too
strong. This conflict has already been studied using questionnaires, during
viewing sessions of several minutes. The present pilot study describes an
experimental protocol which compares two different comfort conditions using
electroencephalography (EEG) over short viewing sequences. Analyses showed
significant differences both in event-related potentials (ERP) and in frequency
bands power. An uncomfortable stereoscopy correlates with a weaker negative
component and a delayed positive component in ERP. It also induces a power
decrease in the alpha band and increases in theta and beta bands. With fast
responses to stimuli, EEG is likely to enable the conception of adaptive
systems, which could tune the stereoscopic experience according to each viewer
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