In this course, you are embarking on an exciting journey into action research. To begin you need to identify and describe the general idea that will be your area of focus. No matter what your current or future role is in early childhood education, action research is a framework you can use to take action to create positive change for young children. If you are a teacher, you may be interested in improving behavior or learning in your classroom. If you are the director of a childcare center, you may be interested in determining effective professional development models for your staff and teachers to improve family and community involvement. If you are a regional administrator for a childcare center or preschool, you may be interested in which centers or classrooms are most effectively differentiating learning experiences for children with disabilities. If you are a home daycare owner, you may be interested in finding ways to improve indoor and outdoor environments to foster play and creativity in young children in your care. Depending on your current or future role in early childhood education, you could focus on working with young children, families of young children, or Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers/staff. These are all examples of how action research could make a positive difference in any setting or organization to support learning and developmentally appropriate practices for young children. The opportunities for making a positive difference in any ECE role are endless.Your idea should be directly related to a situation that you would like to change or improve upon in your own classroom or organization. If you are currently not working in an early childhood education setting, you may use a contrived situation based on previous experience, articles you have read, or challenges you are aware of in the field that align with your career goals and interests. You may also draw inspiration from resources or articles that you have read or learned from in your previous MAECEL courses, your bachelor’s degree program, or in your professional studies and experiences. If you have other ideas for a population to work with, be sure to contact your instructor to get feedback and advice. Your area of focus should involve teaching and/or learning in early childhood education, be within your locus of control, be something you are passionate about, and be something you would like to change or improve. In this discussion, you will generate your preliminary ideas for your area of focus and research question(s). Your work in this discussion will also be a foundation for your Week One Assignment.*Note: If you are not currently working in ECE, you can choose a topic based on past experience or a contrived topic that you anticipate in a future role or position in ECE.To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapter 3 of the Mills (2014) textbook, as well as the Davis (2015) and Stremmel (2007). These sources will support your understanding of how to determine your area of focus and research questions, as well as how others in the field of early childhood education utilize action research to seek practical solutions. Additionally, read Chapter 5 of the Sagor (2000) ebook to support the development of your research question. In your post, respond to both Part 1 and Part 2 prompts below.Stremmel, A. J. (2007). The value of teacher research: Nurturing professional and personal growth through inquiry. (Links to an external site.) Voices of Practitioners. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally…Davis, K. (2015). Determining the impact of individual goal setting aligned with standards on kindergarten students’ math proficiency (Links to an external site.) [PDF file]. Journal of Teacher Action Research. Retrieved fromhttp://www.practicalteacherresearch.com/uploads/5/6/2/4/56249715/davis_47-62.pdfPart 1: Example Action Research StudyAfter reading the Davis (2015) action research study, explain how this study aligns with the overall purpose of action research. Briefly describe the problem the researcher was trying to solve and the population influenced by the action research.Part 2: Your Preliminary Area of FocusContextDescribe your current professional role and setting. If you are not working in early childhood education at this time, you can use a previous or future role that aligns with your career goals and interests.Explanation of ProblemState the problem or situation that led to this interest or why you want to pursue this topic, including trends in education or educational research.PopulationBriefly describe the population of children (or teachers, staff, families, etc.) that would be the focus of your study.Purpose StatementIn one sentence, state the purpose of your action research study.Preliminary Research Question(s)What do you wonder? What do you hope to answer? Draft a research question that seeks to explore the problem you discussed above.Locus of ControlExplain how the problem and the questions you want to answer are within your locus of control. If you are using a past experience or contrived topic because you are not currently working in ECE, please explain locus of control as related to your previous position or anticipated future position.

Objective: To develop an understanding of the importance cultural values  play in human communication. Culture is a very general word for a collective set of values, behaviors, traditions, and symbols held by a group of people. Cultural theorist Geert Hoefstede stated, “Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values.” In other words, culture is the glue that holds people together.
Resources: Cultures express meaning via written, oral, non-verbal, and symbolic means and with specific terminology, dress, historical artwork, gestures, heroes/villains, and views of ultimate reality. When people from different cultures attempt to communicate, the results can be humorous, frustrating, enlightening, and sometimes tragic. Many local and global problems between people have their roots in cultural miscommunication, due to differences in fundamental values. For this assignment, please review the following textbook concepts: Variations in Communication Style, Cultural Variations in Nonverbal Behavior, and Intercultural communication Building Blocks and Barriers. In addition, also review Trompenaar’s 7 Dimensions (Values) of Culture available in the Module 2 folder. There are two slideshows; one is a full description of the values, and another is a quick one with mostly pictures. Look at both. Trompenaar’s systemization of cultural values is especially useful in business interactions, but also in our day-to-day encounters with people from different cultures and co-cultures.

Instructions: Find someone who is of a culture (or co-culture) different from your own who would be interesting to speak with and conduct an interview with them. While informal, make this a planned interview. Please do not simply think back to someone you met in the past from a different culture. Specifically plan your interview questions so your paper will have better structure and content. Your interview questions are part of your grade, so please ensure that you write well-composed questions.

For the purpose of our class, understand that culture is not limited to ethnic or geographic background. Most any formal group that shares traditions, symbols, and values can be considered a co-culture. For example, any branch of the US Armed Services is a well-defined co-culture; members of the Marine Corps, Navy, Army, and Coast Guard share very specific traditions, dress, and jargon. While you are certainly welcome to interview someone from another country, you can also interview someone from the US, but from a co-culture different than your own.

Ask the individual about their culture, values, traditions, hierarchy, roles (including gender roles), terminology, etc., and include these in your essay. Please discuss at least 3 of the seven cultural dimensions (values) listed and explained in the visual on Trompenaar’s 7 Dimensions of Culture available below. Ask questions of your interview subject that speak to these values and provide specific examples of these values from their culture. Take good notes because after the interview you are going to organize what you learned into an essay. (If they consent to you recording the interview, record it on your phone or another technology.) Have fun with this interview!

Requirements: The Cultural Interview Essay should have 3 clear sections: intro with thesis, body, and conclusion. Please use proper APA format and submit a minimum content of 2 pages to a maximum of 3 pages. Reference sources from outside the course textbook are not required but may be used and may help your grade if cited properly. View this YouTube video that demonstrates how to set up your paper for APA format, APA 6th Edition Paper Format, and this APA Sample Paper.

Grading: Your submission will be graded on the thoroughness of the interview and should meet these basic requirements:
Summary/overview of the interviewee’s background and culture
Offer specific examples from the individual’s culture that include distinct verbal and/or nonverbal language, personal space (proxemics), cultural traditions and symbols, and high context vs. low context (offer examples).
From the slideshow on Trompenaar’s 7 Dimensions of Culture, state and explain at least 3 of those values (explain your understanding of each value, and examples from your interviewee’s cultural background).
Control length, grammar, style, and APE format requirements. The essay needs to be Times New Roman font (12 pt.), double-spaced with 1-inch margins.
Inclusion of your interview guide for review. (You can add this as Page 4 in your essay.)
Helpful outline for your essay:
Paragraph 1: Introduction to essay and description of your interviewee’s cultural background(s)
Paragraph 2, 3, and 4: examples of your interviewee’s perceptions of cultural verbal (high-context vs. low-context, for example) and nonverbal language quirks, cultural traditions and symbols (if any), and examples of at least three of Trompenaar’s 7 Dimensions of Culture as understood by your interviewee.
Paragraph 5: Concluding thoughts about what you learned and how it broadened/changed/enlightened your perception of culture.

The professor asked me to write about an object that means something to me, so I wrote about my car (GMC) and I attached it here. The document named “GMC”.The first thing I need you to do is: 1. Paper one: What Makes Something Meaningful? 600-word minimum. See the attached document named “222” for the requirements. Basically, I need you to improve to document “GMC” to meet the requirements in “222”.Using the information and mimicking the writing style “simple language”.Describe a key image/object that connects with your story, and you can even include a photograph or drawing to go along with your description if you like.Describe a specific moment and help your readers to be there with you to see what you saw, hear what you heard, etc.Include commentary/analysis on why your chosen object is meaningful to you.Do not use any references in this paper. _______________________The second thing I need you to do is:2. Paper: Making Meaning: 800-word minimumUse the paper you edited in part 1 (Paper1) to write this part. See the attached document named “3” for the requirements. Use only the one reference: https://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/pdf/2012/238407.pdf (how to eat a guava). You may quote from it. Describe an object/image in detail. Use sense details throughout that allow readers to “be there” with you (i.e. red wheelbarrows, white chickens). Provide answers to readers’ who, what, when, where, why, and how questions. Include some commentary about meaning and significance. Include some reflection that uses “How to Eat a Guava” to help you analyze your story and your writing choices. Write a true revision that makes improvements throughout the paper and not just in one or two places. Do your best to go over your essay carefully before you turn it in to reduce spelling and grammar mistakes.__________________3. Paper 3: Read Like a Writer. 800 words minimum See the attached document named “5” for the requirements. Unit
One––Storytelling, Analysis, and Commentary:In the first
unit, you described a meaningful object and a key moment from your experience
that you associate with that object. In the process, you played around with the
image you generated, experimented with storytelling and description, got
feedback from full class discussions of selected student papers, from guided
peer review, and then from me before completing your formal essay, which included
reflection on your writing process in response to Emeralda Santiago’s “How to
Eat a Guava.”. Along the way, you learned something about how to think about
readers (audience), how to describe, to tell a story, how to ask questions
(inquiry) based on what you and your classmates have written, how to analyze
and comment on the experience you described in order to make meaning from your
story, and how to use a course reading to help you reflect on your story and
your writing.Unit
Two––Interpretation, Analysis, and Synthesis: You began
our second unit with Assignment 4 by interpreting and analyzing Mike Bunn’s
“How to Read Like a Writer” and explaining what you noticed about it
to an audience that has not read the piece. Next, you applied Bunn’s ideas to Santiago’s
piece, showing your readers what you noticed about her “writerly choices.” For
Assignment 5, revise and expand your essay by 1.) providing more details and
context from Bunn to strengthen your interpretation and 2.) developing
and expanding your reading of Santiago’s writing strategies and 3.) connecting
to another course reading to explore issues about writers, the choices they
make, and why they make them.Please do not use any references except for the provided above. -___________________4. Paper 4: Revising, Editing, and Publishing. At least 1,200 words.See the attached document named “FFF” for the requirements. This will be a reflective essay that uses Santiago and at least one other course reading to help you comment on what you have learned from them about writing and to help you comment on the way you wrote your story for Assignment 3 and perhaps how you would do some things differently now.I have a clear purpose or question or message or thesis
statement in my essay, and I stated it as simply as possible early in my
essay.
I have written an
introduction that will make my readers curious enough to want to read
more.
Whenever I made a
claim about what one of the authors says, I provided evidence from the
text for my readers so that they will see why I said what I said about the
reading..
I provided
context/background information for all quotations and paraphrases by
telling my readers the story behind each quote and by providing the key
details and examples my readers will need to help them have a good
understanding of those passages and of why the author is saying those
things.
I provided signal phrases and
page citations (MLA in-text citations with signaling) for all quotations
and paraphrases and I included the author’s full name plus their
credentials (and/or the article title) when citing my sources for the
first time, (For example, say researcher Mike Bunn, author Esmeralda
Santiago, novelist Jamaica Kincaid, student Arquely Burgos, cartoonist and
author Lynda Barry.)Please do not use any references except for the provided above.

“Two heads are better than one” is generally true and helps us get stronger outcomes than we might get alone. Although the title to this discussion is Making a Sales Presentation, this assignment will only cover two specific sections in a meeting: uncovering need/budget/decision-making process and the closing question. Those two sections are where most deals are lost. For example, if you find out that the person you are meeting with isn’t the only decision-maker, if you proceed with the presentation you will likely be told, “Let me talk it over with my partner and we’ll get back to you.” Hint: If you do a good job in discovery, all the pressure of the closing question will be on the buyer (not you) where it belongs, because you will already know the outcome (yes).Scenario for this DiscussionYou are a salesperson for website building business, Awesome Design Media Inc. Although you have a full range of marketing services including SEO, branding, videography, print media, mobile apps, and more, your prospect is a small B2B firm with $400,000 annual sales that sells Window Cleaning commercial services (no residential) in northeast Atlanta called Window Shine. It has been in business for three years and still has the original website that was built by a friend of the owner as a start-up business. The owner, Chad Reynolds, is a decisive, direct, no BS guy (think Eagle from your Communications discussion) and has grown tired of his old website and feels he may be losing business to competitors because of it. He has a young energetic Marketing Director that he hired, Valerie Martin, who left an ad agency that she worked with for five years right out of college, and she is the one who prompted Chad to look into this. She is high energy, impulsive, creative (think Parrot from your Communications discussion) and is eager to get started on many marketing initiatives, but has decided this is the one that their brand can be built around and needs to be the first to update. You have been speaking with Chad and he and Valerie both connected with you on LinkedIn so you found out more about them and their backgrounds from your internet search. Both of them will be in the meeting.You are at a first-time meeting at their place of business in Suwanee, GA. They have a small interior conference room, comfortable, with a table that seats eight, and a big screen TV with video and presentation capabilities. They agreed to meet for an hour at your request. Your company has never made a website for a commercial window cleaning business but you do have several similar sized clients in your portfolio to use as examples of your past work and results. You have run some preliminary numbers and feel a new website can easily garner another $100,000 in sales for Window Shine in the first year due to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and exciting landing pages. After you sit down with them, you quickly build rapport and ask them to mutually agree on the agenda for today. They agree the conversation will stick to website/SEO initial setup only, think an hour is long enough but are flexible if you need to extend to 1.5 hours, they have questions about you and your company, what kind of services to expect, and how it will be updated. You have questions about their needs, budget, and how they make decisions so you can determine if they are a good fit for Awesome Design Media or not. They both said they could tell you “no” if you said something they felt wasn’t a good fit, and were okay if you told them you didn’t think you were a good fit, but they also agreed that if they did feel it was a good fit, they were prepared to commit after a presentation today. They both understand that a contract can be signed on an agreed upon budget before any design work begins.Post ABased on what you know, write down questions you will ask regarding the NEED, BUDGET, and DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. I do NOT want you to make a full sales presentation. Before you make a presentation, you need to know IF you need to make a presentation by UNCOVERING those three important areas. Do not start with rapport building questions, you are past that and now you are ready to get down to business.1. List the questions, in order, that you would ask.These can be specific questions as well as open-ended questions about what you need to make the presentation. Think in terms of 7-8 questions on the need, 2-3 on budget, and 2-3 on decision-making process.(So to repeat, you are in the middle of your meeting. Do not list questions on rapport building, and do not make a presentation yet. This is pure discovery time.)2. Now here’s the scenario: Assume you have gathered the answers to your questions in part 1. You make a brilliant full presentation and have identified/met objections and done a scale approach to a trial close and he was a 9 (out of 10). Chad looks anguished, and is giving buying signals that he is ready to do something to solve the problem. In fact, that worry you had after explaining that his budget would need to be $12,000 – $15,000 is no longer a concern. Valerie has assured Chad that is what it will take for this to meet their expectations. You are now ready to close. What one question will you use to close the deal?

In your RWS 305W class this semester you have read and discussed four texts concerning observations of the labor market in general and the workplace in particular. These readings, intended to provide sociocultural filters through which the work place can be viewed and evaluated, include the following:“The “Three Jobs of the Future,” by Robert Reich (in the course reader available from the Aztec bookstore)“The Big Earners and the Big Losers,” by Tyler Cowen (in the course reader available from the Aztec bookstore)“Serving in Florida,” by Barbara Ehrenreich (in the course reader available from the Aztec bookstore)“Class in America—2012,” by Gregory Mantsios (in the course reader available from the Aztec bookstore)Instructions1. Read “The Three Jobs of the Future,” by Robert Reich.2. Write an analysis of Reich’s chapter, making sure you cover all the following questions, although not necessarily in the order they appear here.Introduce Reich and title of his chapter. Describe briefly what the chapter is about and explain Reich’s purpose in writing it.What is Reich’s main claim—stated in your own words? What reasons does he give to support this claim?Who is Reich’s audience?What does Reich want the audience to do or feel as a result of reading this chapter (for example: change their minds/opinions, vote in a certain way, broaden their understanding of a subject, give money to a cause, take some other action?)Explain the rhetorical situation/context/larger discussion of Reich’s topic: the diversity and changing nature of the global labor market and its influence on the American work place. What are the key concerns regarding this issue? Use the other chapters you have read in class to help you understand the context of this topic as you explain each of the other authors’ claims, the supporting ideas they use to develop their arguments, and how their arguments relate to Reich’s arguments.Identify at least two (2) rhetorical techniques/strategies/appeals Reich uses to persuade his intended audience. Provide examples from his chapter and explain why he uses these strategies. Does he more heavily rely on one type of technique over others? Why does he do this?3. In the second part of your rhetorical analysis paper evaluate the extent to which all four of these readings have influenced your views about the diversity and changing nature of the global labor market and its influence on the American work place. Evaluate the credibility and sufficiency of the evidence used to support each argument as you address the following questions:How have your views changed as a result of reading these chapters?Which argument(s) most influenced your views?Do not simply talk about how you feel about the American labor market. You must explain your views in reference to how they have been influenced by the arguments and information in the readings.Assignment SpecificationsLength: The paper should be 4-6 pages, double-spacedDue Date: Refer to the class assignment shcdule for submission dateFormat: Follow MLA guidelines for line spacing, margins, headers, page numbering, and documentation of sources. Your paper must be typed using a font no larger than 12 point.Audience: Your peers, instructor, and other college-educated readersPurpose: Analysis/argumentKey 305W Outcomes Met with This AssignmentStudents will:Analyze the details of a wide variety of writing situations (textual elements such as tone, evidence, organizational patterns, diction, even visuals) according to the author’s purpose as well as the audience’s needs and tastesRespond effectively in writing to issues and arguments raised in a variety of disciplinary, popular, and professional texts and/or contextsActively read texts using a variety of reading strategies such as annotation, visual organizers, questioning, and discussionIdentify how a writer uses rhetorical strategies in various genres of writingInterpret, analyze, and evaluate demanding textsApply critical thinking skills and reading strategies to evaluate their own writing and the writing of fellow studentsReflect on their own progress as a working writer in relation to critical thinking and reading strategiesDevelop flexible strategies for creating, revising, and editing textsCritique their own and others’ textsWrite with an awareness of audience and purposeIdentify how discourse communities employ particular strategies for conveying, researching, evaluating, and presenting informationAnalyze and choose the appropriate conventions for a range of audience expectationsIntegrate a variety of appropriate sources into their writings in a way that accurately reflects the writer’s meaning and purposeDocument sources appropriatelySustain reasonable correctness in grammar and mechanics to perform well in a variety of writing contexts and professional settingsWork collaboratively and cooperatively to achieve defined goalsRespect the diverse points of view that characterize our multi-cultural classroom communityCritically analyze a variety of texts produced for public and individual readersParticipate confidently in public discussion on issues of importance to the workplace and the communityAddress issues in writingRubric