Relationship between assessment and students’ learning

Assessment is a critical aspect of teaching and learning process which aim at collecting, interpreting and analyzing the regarding students’ performance. The quality of learning is determined by the quality of assessment practices in the classroom. There are many purposes of assessment that focus on the different dimensions of educational development, however, the most dominant purposes of assessment are improving students’ learning and develop accountability measures for learning at classroom and school levels. For effective assessment, using appropriate assessment strategies is significant. There are number of that can be employed to enhance students’ learning outcome but teacher rely on only a few strategies which alone cannot promote meaningful learning. Therefore, a clear understanding andskills of using a variety of assessment strategies for learning is pivotal in classroom. It is fundamental teachers to understand the relationship between assessment and learning. Moreover, students need be engaged in their own learning in a challenging but enabling environment. The assessment practices and strategies must encourage developing linkage of theory and real life. Assessment is meant to contribute in students learning and thus need to be integrated in daily teaching and learning process in the classroom

The Paratext/Metatext Continuum: Walter Benjamin’s “The Translator’s Task” As a Paratext That Is Also a Metatext Within a Network of Nested Textual Manifestations

Paratexts have been defined as liminal devices that mediate a text to readers, such as titles, forewords, prefaces, etc. However, there’s an inherent open-endedness to their role since they often act as important commentaries on the text, and influence its reception in fundamental ways, thus blurring the distinction between paratexts and critical essays, what Gérard Genette terms “metatexts” (2001: 270). Accordingly, Walter Benjamin’s iconic “The Translator’s Task” is analyzed as a paratext that is also a metatext, along with an essay by Steven Rendall, his most authoritative contemporary translator into English, to show how the interplay between source texts, translated texts, paratexts, and metatexts produces a phenomenological network of nested textual layers, and that absolutist boundaries between paratexts and metatexts create various ambiguities and contradictions that obscure the fact that there is a continuum between these important manifestations of textuality

Impact of Higher Education on Economic Growth of Pakistan

This paper investigates the returns of higher education on economic growth of Pakistan from 1972 to 2008 through the application of Cobb-Douglas production function. The prime objective of the study is to identify and establish a link between the higher education and economic growth of Pakistan. For this purpose the impact of higher education enrollment on economic growth is analyzed. An attempt is made, in this study, to analyze the educational trends, the strategies and challenges for higher educational and its role in overall development in the country. Furthermore, the study also delves that a well educated labor force appears to significantly affluence the economic growth. The research also provides some implications for the policy purpose to develop higher education so as to curb the use of expatriate manpower in different sectors of the economy.Education: Economic Growth: Cobb Douglas PF

Assessment of knowledge & practice of contraceptives in females of reproductive age group at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract Objectives: To assess the knowledge & practice of contraceptives in females of reproductive age group.Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive. Place and Duration of Study: OPD of Fauji Foundation Hospital from February 2008 – September 2008.Subjects and Method: 339 Females of age b/w of 15 – 49 years attending OPD of Fauji Foundation Hospital were included in study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data.Results: Eighty eight percent of the females in our study sample were familiar with one or more methods of contraception (72.7%were familiar with combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), 60.7% were aware of intra uterine contraceptive device (IUCD) &76% knew about condoms) whereas 12% showed ignorance. 64.6% of the study population was contraceptive users & 35.4% were not using any method of contraception. Regarding preferred method of contraception 34.6% of females said they are using COCP, about 21.8% females said their tubes had been liagated whereas 26.9%& 16.7% were using IUCD & Condoms respectively. Almost 46%of our study population said that contraceptive method they were using was suggested by their husbands, 44 % said by health professional .Only 10 % of the study population were using a method of their own choice.Conclusion: The present study concludes that there is a gap between knowledge (88%) and use (64.6%) of contraceptives among females of reproductive age group. Another important inference drawn from the study is that men should be made equal targets of such programs in since 46% females in our study population were using method of contraceptive suggested by their husban

Making the Connection: Impact of School Leadership, Social Mobilization and Community Involvement on School Performance

It is a common perception that performance of any organization depends on the vision of its leadership; this is leadership that enables the organization to make a difference. In Pakistan, school leadership is criticized that it has not been trained to meet the challenges of 21st  century. Governments have launched different policies and plans to generate the awareness among the mass about their role in school education and make it clear that leadership’s social mobilization and community involvement is necessary to achieve the desired goals for best survival in the present era. To involve the community in school management, concept of school management committees (SMCs) was introduced but the main obstacle to greater success remains the lack of acceptance and comprehension of the concept at both the community as well as school level (National Education Policy, 2009). Government of the Punjab also conducts workshops and trainings for school leaders to train them for social mobilization in the community and to involve community effectively in the school management to accelerate the performance of the school. The objectives of the study were to explore the contribution of school leadership, social mobilization and community involvement towards school performance and to find the best predictor of school performance. The sample for the study was the school headmasters/principals who have SMCs and have been trained by Government of the Punjab in social mobilization and to work with community and school. A self-developed questionnaire was used for the study to explore the best predictor among school leadership, social mobilization and community involvement of school performance. Multiple regressions were applied and it was found that community involvement was the best predictor of school performance

Making the Connection: Impact of School Leadership, Social Mobilization and Community Involvement on School Performance

It is a common perception that performance of any organization depends on the vision of its leadership; this is leadership that enables the organization to make a difference. In Pakistan, school leadership is criticized that it has not been trained to meet the challenges of 21st  century. Governments have launched different policies and plans to generate the awareness among the mass about their role in school education and make it clear that leadership’s social mobilization and community involvement is necessary to achieve the desired goals for best survival in the present era. To involve the community in school management, concept of school management committees (SMCs) was introduced but the main obstacle to greater success remains the lack of acceptance and comprehension of the concept at both the community as well as school level (National Education Policy, 2009). Government of the Punjab also conducts workshops and trainings for school leaders to train them for social mobilization in the community and to involve community effectively in the school management to accelerate the performance of the school. The objectives of the study were to explore the contribution of school leadership, social mobilization and community involvement towards school performance and to find the best predictor of school performance. The sample for the study was the school headmasters/principals who have SMCs and have been trained by Government of the Punjab in social mobilization and to work with community and school. A self-developed questionnaire was used for the study to explore the best predictor among school leadership, social mobilization and community involvement of school performance. Multiple regressions were applied and it was found that community involvement was the best predictor of school performance

Portfolio: A professional development and learning tool for teachers

Professional development of teachers is considered a source to enhance teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. To meet this purpose teacher education institutions use a variety of ways for teachers’ development programs. Mostly these ways and strategies are used in short and long programs where teachers are provided opportunities to learn knowledge and skills outside classroom and schools. The purpose of these courses is to enhance the teachers’ capacity and improve students’ learning outcomes. However, most of these learning and strategies are limited to the training centers and teachers face challenges while implementing the learning in their respective schools. Teachers generally consider the professional development centers and training centers as the only source of professional learning. They ignore the importance of workplace learning and experiential learning (Kolb, 1981) which is possible through reflection on their own practices.This study focused on the role of portfolios for professional learning of the course participants in a module of master programme in a private university. The study was conducted using the qualitative mode of research and was carried out at private sector university of Pakistan with six course participants from different contexts and three faculty members. Interviews and portfolios of six course participants were the major source of data. As a result of qualitative data analysis, the study has generated some findings related to the role of portfolios as a professional development/learning tool for teachers. One of the significant roles was documentation of teachers’ learning over a period of time, which is generally not documented by the teachers. The process leads the teachers to continuous reflection on their beliefs and practices. This continuous reflection provides opportunities for teachers to learn from their own experiences and construct their knowledge and understanding

Delirium management in critically ill patients

Delirium among critically ill patients is common. Presence of delirium imparts a poorer prognosis to patients, including longer ICU and hospital length of stay, increased risk of institutionalization, higher health related costs, and elevated mortality. Even with such grave consequences, the rates of delirium diagnosis are dire. The importance of early recognition through validated tools and appropriate management of this life-threatening condition cannot be over emphasized. This article provides an overview of delirium pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management with a focus on critically ill patients