Suchergebnisse

This special issue of Small Group Research, entitled Teaching People about Groups, features six articles on the ways in which instructors of group courses (in several disciplines) can creatively teach group concepts and theories. Each article not only describes an actual course, some of which have been taught many times, but also identifies some of the issues that can arise in teaching a groups course. Taken together, the articles represent a valuable resource for anyone who teaches (or plans to teach) a course on small groups.

The current research aims at identifying the linguistic and cultural specific characteristics of teaching Russian as a second language (RSL) in groups of Vietnamese students who are studying at Russian military educational institutions. The research implies the analysis of such linguocultural aspects as social and cultural environment, religion and the chosen professional sphere of the students. The methodology includes linguocultural analysis, as well as empirical and comparative approaches. As a result, it has been established that taking into account linguocultural specific characteristics in teaching RSL enables to adapt the methods which can dramatically increase the effectiveness and efficiency of learning the language. Teaching Russian to Vietnamese military students should imply no clear distinction between lexis and grammar; instead, a complex approach through studying structures proves to be more efficient. Working with the texts related to the military sphere can also motivate students to cover new language material independently. Vietnamese students find it especially difficult to use the already learnt material in spontaneous speech, therefore it is necessary to attain quality in all aspects of language activity. New vocabulary units should be introduced in small portions and added to the familiar material on a step-by-step basis. Consistent, clear and intelligible presentation of the material plays the key role in teaching the Russian language to Vietnamese students. Teachers should refrain from criticism and negative emotions so as not to alienate the students. On the elementary level, learning basic structures by heart until they are used automatically in speech and writing, appears especially efficient. Only after attaining full and clear comprehension of the language material, it is worth moving further to the next stage. Vietnamese students need more time to master the given material, therefore the best strategy is to work through all the difficulties at the current stage instead of later going back to the material that has been covered but not consolidated at the time.

The paper is devoted to the issues of teaching English to Bachelors and Masters studying at the Institute of Law, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, in interdisciplinary context, in particular, teaching languages for special purposes (LSP), professional communication, specialized translation and mediation to law-students studying in multinational groups (CIS, Cyprus, Nigeria, Somalia, Zambia). The States' political and economic contacts have increased the importance of pragmatic competence in foreign languages and the need for fluent English-language experts, contributing to the countries' cooperation in various legal activities. Intercultural education's objectives are to train law-students for professional communication and translation to play the roles of mediators in the process of social interaction of different cultures' representatives. Teaching law-students make good use of adequate legal terminology when translating is crucial for a present-day LSP-teacher. Considering the European experience and Russia's integration into the global multicultural space, it is actual to discuss the linguistic and cultural aspects of professionally oriented communication and mediation from the standpoint of modern didactics. Knowledge of the English language in the professional sphere is considered as one of the common cultural competences; appropriate discipline's completion requires the ability to translate professionally oriented foreign-language texts, to communicate with transcultural contemporaries successfully. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Consultation with partner expert groups (PEGs) is an important step in updating guidance under European chemical legislation concerning nanomaterials. Here, we briefly review the differences between PEGs and the broader use of expert groups in general, and scrutinise the five closed - and one ongoing-nano-specific PEGs to investigate stakeholder composition, level of engagement and the extent to which stakeholder comments resulted in revisions being implemented in ECHA's draft guidance. Thirty-six different stakeholders were identified as having been involved in the closed PEG consultations, and an additional nine are currently involved in an ongoing PEG. For the closed PEG consultations, industry and trade associations (I&Ts) and member or associated member states (MSCAs) were the most represented groups, accounting for 15 and 13 members, respectively, whereas non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and European Union bodies (EUB) accounted for four members each. Interestingly, Academia was not represented. A total of 2700 comments were provided to ECHA's draft guidance updates. Of these, MSCAs, I&Ts, EUB and NGOs accounted for 924, 876, 771 and 126 comments, of which 678, 494, 547 and 70 were adopted by ECHA, respectively. Eight stakeholders did not provide a comment. Even though EGs and PEGs are not fully comparable, we find that they hold many similarities. The nano-specific PEGs are influenced by a few very active stakeholders that have the time, resources and motivation to engage extensively while some stakeholder groups are partly or completely missing. We recommend that ECHA provides funding opportunities for less resourceful stakeholders, in order to minimise the effects of scarce funding on engagement. Furthermore, we recommend broadening the list of accredited stakeholder organisations, thereby allowing for more diversity among stakeholders involved, e.g. Academia, and that ECHA provides a justification for inclusion of the PEG members.

Abstract
Background
Consultation with partner expert groups (PEGs) is an important step in updating guidance under European chemical legislation concerning nanomaterials. Here, we briefly review the differences between PEGs and the broader use of expert groups in general, and scrutinise the five closed - and one ongoing-nano-specific PEGs to investigate stakeholder composition, level of engagement and the extent to which stakeholder comments resulted in revisions being implemented in ECHA's draft guidance.

Results
Thirty-six different stakeholders were identified as having been involved in the closed PEG consultations, and an additional nine are currently involved in an ongoing PEG. For the closed PEG consultations, industry and trade associations (I&Ts) and member or associated member states (MSCAs) were the most represented groups, accounting for 15 and 13 members, respectively, whereas non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and European Union bodies (EUB) accounted for four members each. Interestingly, Academia was not represented. A total of 2700 comments were provided to ECHA's draft guidance updates. Of these, MSCAs, I&Ts, EUB and NGOs accounted for 924, 876, 771 and 126 comments, of which 678, 494, 547 and 70 were adopted by ECHA, respectively. Eight stakeholders did not provide a comment.

Conclusions
Even though EGs and PEGs are not fully comparable, we find that they hold many similarities. The nano-specific PEGs are influenced by a few very active stakeholders that have the time, resources and motivation to engage extensively while some stakeholder groups are partly or completely missing. We recommend that ECHA provides funding opportunities for less resourceful stakeholders, in order to minimise the effects of scarce funding on engagement. Furthermore, we recommend broadening the list of accredited stakeholder organisations, thereby allowing for more diversity among stakeholders involved, e.g. Academia, and that ECHA provides a justification for inclusion of the PEG members.

AbstractThis paper examines a classification system for grouping the Arab countries together based on characteristics most relevant to sustainable development goals (SDGs). It analyzes SDGs in Arab countries with cluster analysis, identifies the most appropriate decomposition of the region for each of the SDGs separately and describes the characteristics of the unique SDG performance groups. The results show that countries move often from a better to a worse group or vice versa, implying that different and SDG-specific subregional groups should be used for work on each individual SDG. Examining the overlap of cluster memberships by countries through a network perspective further identifies the most tightly knit country groups. The implications of findings are relevant for informative monitoring of SDGs on the subregional level, as well as policy recommendation sharing for and between similar countries, and enhancing peer learning capacity.

Since 9/11, counterterrorism policies have been one of the crucial policy issues facing the United States. After the attacks on the United States, counterterrorism in this country transformed. Fifteen years later, counterterrorism is typically organized as a one-size fits all approach. This approach generalizes all terrorist threats, trying to target terrorism as a whole. This thesis explains how this is an improper approach to counterterrorism. Instead, policies should be case-specific and created in regards to the specific characteristics embodied by each terrorist organization. These characteristics include history and ideology, organizational and leadership structure, finances, and tactics and targets. These characteristics have been proven to comprise the composition of a one-of-a-kind terrorist organization. Each group expresses these characteristics differently, even if they share the same geographical location or religious background. Through research utilizing academic journal articles, current events, government publications, and published books, it is discovered how the unique characteristics displayed by Islamic Fundamentalist groups have counterterrorism policy implications. In order to portray this, this thesis analyzed characteristics of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban. Through these case-studies, it was shown how distinct these groups are from one another and how these differences should be accounted for in counterterrorism policies. Once these differences are implemented into individualist counterterrorism policies, the United States can provide effective policies that target specific aspects of each terrorist organization instead of trying to combat terrorism as a whole. ; 2016-12-01 ; B.A. ; College of Sciences, Political Science ; Bachelors ; This record was generated from author submitted information.

The problem of adequate assessment of foreign language proficiency has always been in the focus of investigations dedicated to modern methods and technologies of teaching foreign languages. Recently, more attention has been paid to using alternative assessment methods generated by the teachers of foreign languages themselves and offering the system of multi-directional prolonged criteria based assessment of foreign language competences. It is argued that alternative assessment techniques better correspond to the teaching technologies used by individual teachers, stimulate brain activities, develop creative and logical thinking. This article considers and analyzes one of the models of authentic assessment which is becoming more and more popular – forming an educational portfolio. Examples of this authentic assessment model practical application in teaching business English to the students studying for a Bachelor's degree in tourism and in teaching English for specific purposes to the students studying for a master's degree in jewelry are provided and summarised.