Understanding and Preventing Test Anxiety

Understanding and Preventing Test Anxiety Free Online Research Papers Anxiety is a condition that plagues millions of Americans everyday, but how does it affect our children and students? Students suffer everyday from test anxiety which is a type of performance anxiety, a feeling someone might have in a situation were performance is important and there is pressure. Test anxiety is not the same as doing poorly on a test because of distraction or one’s mind being on something else. It is an actual condition. Like all forms of anxiety, test anxiety has many symptoms and signs. Physical signs of test anxiety include perspiration, sweaty palms, headache, upset stomach, rapid heart beat, difficulty breathing, and tense muscles. Students may experience any number of theses signs during a test or exam. All students suffer from some degree of test anxiety, however, when students experience signs like these there is a problem. (Hurley) As all anxiety comes from anticipation, test anxiety is no different; it comes from the anticipation of a test or exam. When the body is under stress it will release adrenaline to prepare it’s self. The adrenaline is what causes physical symptoms such as sweating, increased heart beat, and difficulty breathing. The stress comes from worrying about past performance, how others are doing, or the fear of failure. Focusing on such things fuels the anxiety and leaves no thoughts or mental space for thinking about the test questions. Test anxiety can also be caused by lack of preparation such as cramming, bad time management, not organizing test information, or poor study habits. (University of Buffalo) Test anxiety can become a vicious cycle; the more a student worries or focuses on the bad things the stronger the feeling of anxiety. The person will continue to feel worse and be filled with distracting thoughts and therefore not be able to perform well even though the student may have known the information necessary. There can be many effects of test anxiety such as nervousness or mental blocking University of Buffalo). Nervousness brings difficulty reading and understanding test questions, difficulty organizing thoughts, difficulty remembering key words or concepts for essay questions, and doing poorly on a test when the student knows the material. Mental blocking can be going blank on questions or remembering the correct answer right after the test ends. Sometimes students will study and know the material but because of the anxiety they suffer from they can not perform well, because of nervousness and mental blocking. There are many ways to reduce test anxiety being prepared or anticipating the on set of anxiety will really help as well as asking for help (Kids Health). The following is a collaborated list of preparation to reduce test anxiety. Approach the exam with confidence (Study Guides and Strategies) Learn material thoroughly so that you can still remember it under stress Self test as much as possible Avoid laziness and procrastination Use good time management Avoid cramming and the desire to do so Strive to stay relaxed and concentrate Avoid conversation or talking to those who are next to you or that will speak negatively. Have a healthy lifestyle: get enough sleep, eat well, exercise, and â€Å"down time† Sit in a well lit area of the room with the least distractions Be on time for the test Read test instructions and directions carefully Take slow deep breaths when the test is being passed out and when needed during testing Stay focused on only the exam Avoid day dreaming Make flash cards or outlines to study with Take good notes and review them after every class. The environment that the student studies in is very important to preparing and reducing test anxiety. The noise should be minimized and not distracting. Some students may need some noise while others may need silence. It may be a good idea to not answer the phone while studying to keep distraction done. Good lighting is a must. Seventy five watt bulbs are suggested to be best. It is better to keep the room cool rather then warm. Choose an area that has plenty of space and is not cramped. Your study time may also go smoother if the area is neat and tidy, so take a few minutes and clean up. Study at a desk with a straight back chair so you do not get to comfortable and want to sleep. Have everything you need to study with before you start so there are no distractions, this may include drinks and snacks. (University of Buffalo) Teachers also need to provide an environment that is appropriate for any kind of assessment that they are giving. It may also be necessary for students that suffer from test anxiety to be tested in a different room or be provided other resources and tools to be able to perform adequately. During the test a student can also use different strategies to reduce anxiety. Be sure to read the directions carefully and budget the test taking time. Change positions periodically throughout the test to help keep you relaxed. If you go blank or can not think of an answer skip the question and come back if there is time. When taking an essay test and you can not think of the answer on any of the questions just start writing and it may come to you. Most important do not panic even if other students are turning in their papers; you do not have to finish first. If you start to tense up or get anxious just relax and remember you are in control. Take slow deep breaths, stop and think about the next step and try to stay on task. Try to use positive reinforcement, look at what you have done. Expect some anxiety and use it to your benefit as a driving force. (Study Guides and Strategies) When someone comes aware that they may suffer from test anxiety that person should seek help. Tell your teacher and/or counselor so that special measures can be taken to assure that you can do your best. There are also local resources that may be able to help. Test anxiety is a real condition that needs to treated and addressed. Kubiszyn, Tom and Borich, Gary, Educational Testing and Measurement Classroom Application and Practice 8th Edition, pg. 50-51, 2007. Landsberger, Joe, Dealing with Test Anxiety, Study Guides and Strategies, www.studygs.net/tstprp8.htm, 4-12-07 University of Buffalo, Test Anxiety, http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/stresstestanxiety.shtml, 4-12-07 www.sdc.uwo.ca/learning/mcanx.html, Managing Test Anxiety, 4-12-07 Hurley, Ednalyn K., Understanding and Preventing Test Anxiety www.kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/test_anxiety.html, Test Anxiety, 4-12-07 Research Papers on Understanding and Preventing Test AnxietyStandardized TestingResearch Process Part OnePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementThe Spring and AutumnOpen Architechture a white paperThree Concepts of PsychodynamicThe Project Managment Office SystemHip-Hop is Art

About the U.S. Department of State

About the U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State also referred to as â€Å"the State Department† or simply â€Å"State,† is the executive branch department of the United States federal government primarily responsible for administering U.S. foreign policy and consulting with the President of the United States and Congress on international diplomatic issues and policies. The mission statement of the State Department reads: â€Å"To advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system.† The primary functions of the State Department include: Provide protection and assistance for U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad;Assist U.S. businesses and industries operating in the global marketplace;Coordinate and provide support for international activities of other U.S. agencies, official visits overseas and at home, and other diplomatic efforts;Inform the public about U.S. foreign policy and relations with other countries and provide feedback from the public to administration officials. Similar the foreign ministries in other nations, the State Department conduct international diplomatic relations on the part of the United States by negotiating treaties and other agreements with foreign governments. The State Department also represents the United States in the United Nations. Created in 1789, the State Department was the first executive branch department established after final  ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Headquartered in the Harry S Truman Building in Washington, D.C., the State Department currently operates 294 U.S. embassies around the world and oversees compliance of more than 200 international treaties. As an agency of the president’s Cabinet, the State Department is led by the Secretary of State, as nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Secretary of State is second in the line of presidential succession after the Vice President of the United States. In addition to assisting with the international activities of other U.S. government agencies, the State Department provides many important services to U.S. citizens traveling and living abroad and to foreign citizens trying to visit or immigrate to the United States. In perhaps its most publicly noticeable role the State Department issues U.S. Passports to U.S. citizens allowing them to travel to and return from foreign countries and travel visas to U.S. citizens and non-citizen residents. In addition, the State Department’s Consular Information Program informs the American public of conditions abroad that may affect their safety and security while traveling abroad. Country-specific travel information and global Travel Alerts and Warnings are vital parts of the program. The State Department also oversees all U.S. foreign aid and development programs such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. All activities of the State Department, including foreign assistance programs, representing the U.S. abroad, countering international crime and human trafficking, and all other services and programs are paid for through the foreign affairs component of the annual federal budget as requested by the president and approved by Congress. On average, the total State Department expenditure represents just over 1% of the total federal budget, projected to exceed  $4 trillion in 2017.  Ã‚   Brief History of the State Department On July 27, 1789, President George Washington singled a bill passed by the House of Representatives and Senate on July 21, 1789, creating the Department of Foreign Affairs as the first federal agency created under the new Constitution. A law enacted on September 15, 1789, changed the name of the agency to the Department of State and assigned it oversight of a variety of domestic, rather than foreign issues. For example, the law made the Department of State responsible for running the United States Mint and conducting the decennial U.S. census. During the 19th century, these and most of the Department of State’s other domestic duties were turned over to other federal agencies and departments. Appointed by President Washington on September 29, 1789, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, then serving as Minister to France became the first Secretary of State. Appointed before Washington had taken office, John Jay had been serving in as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and continued to function as de-facto Secretary of State until Jefferson returned from France several months later.

E-Bussines Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

E-Bussines Technologies - Essay Example At the present, more and more companies are making use of the internet to carry out business tasks. Thus, seeing the importance of electronic commerce in today’s business environment Servue Corporation has decided to implement a new online business arrangement. In fact, web based business has transformed the map of the world. Now people can access any product or information by sitting at home using web links. The same simple and automated business technology is now required at the Servue business. In this scenario, this report will discuss some of the important aspects regarding implementation of this new technology. BUSINESS OVERVIEW Servue Corporation is specialized in offering a range of decorated crockery. They have before sold their goods with word of mouth to local customers as well as tourists, by means of their shop window, as well as with mail order from their catalogue or website. From the current business technology point of view the corporation has been making use of early 1990s computerised information system as well as makes use of their website mostly for marketing purposes. However, the current business website is not much dynamic to handle and manage the tasks of the business working through the web. Thus, the online management of business operations turns out to be a problematic job for the business. In this scenario there is need for efficient business and corporate management arrangement. BUSINESS ISSUES Currently, Servue Corporation is running its business using physical stores, email and telephonic order system. Though, the business as well uses products ordering system through phone calls from distant customer. The business is using 90s web based arrangement for capturing orders. However, such business arrangement is not much effective for ecommerce marketplace. Additionally, the business is facing a lot of problems in attracting the customers and targeting the products. The business main concern is to attract whole UK’s com munity towards the business and provide a better opportunity of attracting a wide variety of customer classes. The main issues here are lack of customer loyalty. The current business arrangement is based on a traditional legacy system for managing the orders. So it does not attract a great deal of customers. On the other hand, Servue Corporation has a lot of market contenders those are offering much superior customer support and online shopping capabilities to business customers. ONLINE BUSINESS WEBSITE FOR SERVUE BUSINESS In this section I will present the possible solution for Servue Corporation in order to improve their business productivity and corporate working through the web based channel. Here the main recommendation is about the establishment of web based business platform for possible business development and enhancement. This will be an online automated ordering and retailing system. In addition, business and market studies showed that the expansion rate of the Internet p urchases has been extremely high all through the previous years, as well as in spite of the circumstances of the real world financial disaster that affected the online orders registration, things still look extremely brilliant for the Internet. From this viewpoint, people who encourage a service or product as an element of an Internet trade have plenty

HERITAGE. The Labour Hall (Now - Lighthouse Cinema) in Petone, New Assignment

HERITAGE. The Labour Hall (Now - Lighthouse Cinema) in Petone, New Zealand - Assignment Example The author discussed the building because of its design value and the cultural value. Considering that the building was contracted in those old days, its design value even to the present days has some credibility the reason it is a heritage to the City. It also reflected the cultural value of the community surrounding due to the materials used in construction as well as the design itself (Sadzak, Rizvic, Dalton, and Chalmers 2007).The part of design in the building is the most privileged as the author is interested in the evolvement of the cultural values through the design value as it changes with time in relation to the time of its construction. The lesson learnt from this exercise is that narration of a particular built environment reflects so much on the culture of the surrounding community. The design of construction and the materials used tells more about the cultural values of a community (Sadzak, Rizvic, Dalton, and Chalmers 2007). Therefore, cultural values affect the design value of construction. In future, this experience will help in the designing process where the culture of a particular community goes hand in hand with the design value. Therefore, observation and evaluation is the best step to follow this

Ancient Crete Essay -- History Historical Essays

Ancient Crete First Inhabitants ?Humans are believed to have arrived on the island now known as Crete sometime between 6500-6000 BCE, and the early Neolithic inhabitants may have arrived from Asia Minor.? While these early inhabitants were primitive, they had already adapted some stages of productivity such as possessing domestic animals (?Minoan,? Dilos).? Modern archeological findings date handmade ceramic pottery, which was frequently decorated with incised geometric motifs and made to imitate vessels made of straw, wood, or hide, to this early time period (Koutsoupakis).? Minoan Civilization ?Around 3000 BCE, Crete became the home of the early Minoan civilization, a Bronze Age culture, named after the legendary ruler Minos.? It is uncertain whether the king was an actual person or not, but legends about him were grand and mythical.? Some tales included his pet Minotaur, a flesh-eating monster with the head of bull and the body of a man (?Minoan,? EB).? The arrival of the Minoans began a period of prosperity on the island, and during the subsequent centuries, Crete became the first center of high civilization in that area of the Mediterranean and fascinated the Greeks as a source of myths, legends, and laws. Early Minoans built strong houses of stone and brick that often had a large number of rooms, red plaster walls, and paved courtyards, though evidence suggests the inhabitants may have continued to live in caves for some time as well (?Minoan,? Dilos).? People apparently lived in genos, or clans, and they developed consistent farming, stock raising, shipping, and commerce.? By this time, the Mother Goddess was worshiped as a form of a deity and a sort of cult symbol.? These early inhabitants are well known fo... ...roughout these later historical periods, Crete never flourished and impacted the Mediterranean as it had during the infamous and prosperous Minoan period (Koutsopakis). * For wonderful photos and links about ancient Crete, visit the Dilos Website at www.dilos.com/location/13406. Works Cited Broad, William J., ?Debate erupts anew: Did Thera's explosion doom Minoan Crete International Herald Tribune, October 23, 2003. ?Crete.? Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Koutsoupakis, Spyros. ?A Brief History of Crete.? Linked to WorldHistoryCompass.Com.? http://hep.physics.uch.gr/HistCrete.htm. INTERNET. ?Minoan Civilization.? Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. ?Minoan Civilization? Dilos Website. 2003. www.dilos.com/location/13406. INTERNET. ?The Missing Minoans.? www.historyworld.net. INTERNET.

Power Essay

Power Definition Essay Power is a strong word and really very hard to define, it is a very vast term, but I guess that’s the point of the word isn’t it. Power can be anything from love to death or even electrical power; it’s all about how you view the term on a personal level. Two types of power that are commonly thought about when people are put on the spot and asked the question â€Å"what is Power? † are social/political power and power used in physics.For the obvious reasons that I don’t know too much about physics; this essay will boarder around more of the social and political aspect of power. So the question still stands â€Å"what is power? † On a personal note, to me power is a social/political level in which you can control an influence people. A way I also perceive this same idea of power is that the higher of the level you have the easier it becomes for them to control and influence the public with littler resistance.For example l ook at the president of the United States many people love him and he can almost do anything he wants; though you might say that many people also don’t like him this is because of a comparison, he runs against others for office so there are some contrasting factors. For me I can easily see power in everyday life, although it may not be how I view power when I picture it in my head. A way that I often see on a daily basis is direct control over someone else.Some example of this may include your teacher failing you if you do not do what they ask or a personal and ongoing one for me is my mother threatening to not let me go to see my favorite band in the summer unless I do everything she asks, and believe me the list gets daunting. Often people relate power to symbols, words, phrases or even colours. When I did my power survey some of the answers that I got were lightning bolt, fist, peace sign, and groups of people.The lightning bolt was the most popular ones, I have spoken wit h my classmates and this was a popular one, I think this is a popular choice because it can represent different kinds of power leaving multiple impressions on people. Some political figures can be viewed as very powerful people because they can control mass amounts of people for better or for worse; this includes people like JFK and Hitler. Colour can make a huge impact and difference on people when presenting something this is why on my poster I tried to pay attention of the meaning of the colours while still rying to make it look as good as it does. For myself I view red and black as two very important colours because they both have very strong meanings that have both impacted my life significantly. In conclusion I still believe and proceed to see power as a social and political level that you can use to control or influence people on a positive or negative way. If you are looking to gain more power in your life, or just control and understand what you got going for you I suggest looking into powerful quotes, symbols and colours that can help you find your own impression of power.

The Controversial Role of Lobbyists

The role of lobbyists is controversial in American politics. Lobbyists are hired and paid by special-interest groups, companies, nonprofits, groups of citizens, and even school districts to exert influence over elected officials at all levels of government. They work at the federal level by meeting with members of Congress to introduce legislation and encourage them to vote in ways that benefit their clients. Lobbyists work at the local and state levels as well. Debate Over Their Influence What makes lobbyists so unpopular with the public? Their work comes down to money. Most Americans dont have the funds to spend on trying to influence their members of Congress, so they view special interests and their lobbyists as having an unfair advantage in creating policy that benefits them rather than the common good.   Lobbyists, however, say they simply want to make sure your elected officials hear and understand both sides of an issue before making a decision, as one lobbying firm puts it. There are about 9,500 lobbyists registered at the federal level, which means about 18 lobbyists for  every member of the House of Representatives  and  U.S. Senate.  Together they spend more than $3 billion trying to influence members of Congress every year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C. Who Can Be a Lobbyist? At the federal level, the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 defines who is and who isn’t a lobbyist. States have their own regulations on lobbyists regarding who is allowed to seek to influence the legislative process in their legislatures. At the federal level, a lobbyist is defined by the law as someone who earns at least $3,000 over three months from lobbying activities, has more than one contact they are seeking to influence, and spends more than 20 percent of their time lobbying for a single client over a three-month period. A lobbyist meets all three of those criteria. Critics say the federal regulations arent strict enough and point out that many well-known former lawmakers perform the functions of lobbyists but dont actually follow the regulations. How Can You Spot a Lobbyist? At the federal level, lobbyists and lobbying firms are required to register with the Secretary of the U.S. Senate and the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives within 45 days of making official contact with the president of the United States, vice president, a member of Congress, or certain federal officials. The list of registered lobbyists is a matter of public record. Lobbyists are required to disclose their activities of trying to persuade officials or influence policy decisions at the federal level. They are required to disclose the issues and legislation they attempted to influence, among other details of their activities. Biggest Lobbying Groups Trade associations and special interests often hire their own lobbyists. Some of the most influential lobbying groups in American politics are those that represent the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Realtors, the AARP, and the National Rifle Association. Loopholes in Lobbying Law The Lobbying Disclosure Act has been criticized for containing what some feel is a loophole that allows some lobbyists to avoid having to register with the federal government. For example, a lobbyist who does not work on behalf of a single client for more than 20 percent of their time does not need to register or file disclosures. They would not be considered a lobbyist under the law. The American Bar Association has proposed eliminating the so-called 20 percent rule. Portrayal in the Media Lobbyists have long been painted in a negative light because of their influence over policymakers. In 1869, a newspaper described a Capitol lobbyist this way: â€Å"Winding in and out through the long, devious basement passage, crawling through the corridors, trailing its slimy length from gallery to committee room, at last it lies stretched at full length on the floor of Congress—this dazzling reptile, this huge, scaly serpent of the lobby. The late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia described what he saw as the problem with lobbyists and the practice itself: Special interest groups often wield an influence that is greatly out of proportion to their representation in the general population. This type of lobbying, in other words, is not exactly an equal opportunity activity. One-person, one-vote does not apply when the great body of citizens is under-represented in the halls of Congress compared to the well-financed, highly organized special interest groups, notwithstanding the often plausible objectives of such groups. Lobbying Controversies During the 2012 presidential race, Republican hopeful and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was accused of lobbying but not registering his activities with the government. Gingrich said he did not fall under the legal definition of a lobbyist, even though he did seek to use his considerable influence to sway policymakers.Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty in 2006 to charges of mail fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy in a broad scandal that implicated nearly two dozen people, including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. President Barack Obama came under fire for taking what appeared to be contradictory approaches to lobbyists. When Obama took office after winning the 2008 election, he imposed an informal ban on hiring recent lobbyists in his administration. Obama said later: A lot of folks see the amounts of money that are being spent and the special interests that dominate and the lobbyists that always have access, and they say to themselves, maybe I don’t count. Still, lobbyists were frequent visitors to the Obama White House. And many former lobbyists were given jobs in the Obama administration, including Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Do Lobbyists Do Any Good? Former President John F. Kennedy described the work of lobbyists in a positive light, saying they are expert technicians capable of examining complex and difficult subjects in clear, understandable fashion. Added Kennedy: â€Å"Because our congressional representation is based upon geographical boundaries, the lobbyists who speak for the various economic, commercial and other functional interests of the country serve a useful purpose and have assumed an important role in the legislative process. Kennedys ringing endorsement is just one voice in the ongoing debate about the perhaps undue influence wrought by monied interests. Its a contentious debate, contentious as democracy itself, since lobbyists play such a central role in the forging of policy and expression of varied groups interests.