Dido:
You can sleep forever
But still you will be tired
You can stay as cold as stone
But still you won't find peace
With you I feel I'm the meek leading the blind
With you I feel I'm just spending wasting time
I've been waiting
I'm still waiting
I've been waiting
I've been waiting
I've been waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm with you (with you)
Its always one step too far
One step too far
You can walk too far
But still you won't be found
You can look down on the world
But still you won't find love
You won't find love
Maxi Jazz:
Only with mellow
Are you thin enough to slide through.
If the sun or the moon should give way to doubt,
They would immediately go out.
One swallow don't make a summer,
But tomorrow has to start somewhere.
Only with mellow
Are you thin enough to slide through.
Only with mellow
Are you thin enough to slide through.
Don't Let nothing ride you
Only with mellow
Are you thin enough to slide through.
Don't Let nothing ride you
One swallow don't make a summer.
Dido:
I've been waiting
I'm still waiting
I've been waiting
I've been waiting
I've been waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm with you (with you)
It's always one step too far
One step too far
sábado, 8 de noviembre de 2008
Dido Ft. Faithless - One step too far
viernes, 7 de noviembre de 2008
the real Flying Saucer
cuando veo juguetes como este pienso en lo que se hace no comercialmente con ellos
decrecimiento exponencial
La curva del olvido ilustra la pérdida de retentiva con el tiempo. Un concepto relacionado es la intensidad del recuerdo, que indica cuánto se mantiene un contenido en el cerebro. Cuanto más intenso sea un recuerdo, más tiempo se mantiene. Un gráfico típico de la curva del olvido muestra que normalmente en unos días o semanas se olvida sólo la mitad de lo que hemos aprendido, a no ser que lo repasemos.
leer rostros (o mejor leo tus labios?)
The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) Manual is a detailed, technical guide that explains how to categorize facial behaviors based on the muscles that produce them, i.e., how muscular action is related to facial appearances. It illustrates appearance changes of the face using written descriptions, still images, and digital video examples. Behavioral scientists, CG animators, computer scientists interested in pattern recognition programs, and other technicians and scientists use FACS in their professional work when they need to know the exact movements that the face can perform, and what muscles produce them. Working through the exercises of the FACS Manual may also enable greater awareness of and sensitivity to subtle facial behaviors that could be useful for psychotherapists, interviewers, and other practitioners who must penetrate deeply into interpersonal communications.
FACS is a training manual, not necessarily easy reading, with lessons for detecting, performing, and categorizing facial movements. The manual does not discuss what the facial appearances described mean, except briefly in the Investigator's Guide. The FACS Manual enables the practitioner to recognize the elements of facial behavior that combine to create meaningful communications; FACS teaches the "alphabet" but leaves the considerable issue of semantics to other works. The FACS Investigator's Guide explains in general how to use FACS in scientific research, how it compares to other facial measurements, and what its psychometric properties are.
FACS is a training manual, not necessarily easy reading, with lessons for detecting, performing, and categorizing facial movements. The manual does not discuss what the facial appearances described mean, except briefly in the Investigator's Guide. The FACS Manual enables the practitioner to recognize the elements of facial behavior that combine to create meaningful communications; FACS teaches the "alphabet" but leaves the considerable issue of semantics to other works. The FACS Investigator's Guide explains in general how to use FACS in scientific research, how it compares to other facial measurements, and what its psychometric properties are.
Out Of Place ARTifacts
Se denominan "Ooparts" a los objetos arqueológicos, paleontológicos, arquitectónicos, artísticos o cartográficos que representarían una anomalía o paradoja de anacronismo prospectivo y de prolepsis en la continuidad lineal de la historia-geografía y que, sin embargo, existen cuando no deberían existir. El término es una abreviación de "Out Of Place Artifacts", concepto creado por el zoólogo norteamericano Ivan T. Sanderson, y que en el español equivale a "artefacto fuera de lugar" o "fuera de contexto".
Alleged OOParts
Artifacts alleged to come from recognized cultures, recovered in unexpected places
The Kensington Runestone, purported to be a 14th century Norse artifact found in Minnesota.
The Spirit Pond runestones, claimed, like the Kensington runestone, to be from the 11th or 14th century, found in Maine.
The Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca head, a terracotta head found in Mexico that some say is of Roman origin.
The Fuente Magna, discovered in Bolivia. Ceramic bowl with writing in alleged Sumerian cuneiform.
The Saqqara Bird in Egypt, discovered in a tomb, claimed to be a 7-inch model of a flying machine.
Artifacts allegedly produced by unknown cultures or societies
The Baghdad Battery, dating from between 250 BC and AD 250.
The Baigong Pipes, unexplained pipes found in a cave in China.
The Coso artifact, a lump of rock or clay containing a spark plug from the 1920s, though it allegedly took thousands of years to form.
The Crystal skulls claimed to have been found at Lubaantun, in Yucatan and in Belize.
The Dorchester Pot, a Victorian-era candlestick found in Massachusetts, apparently alleged to pre-date European settlement in the Americas.
The Dendera Lamps, representations of lotus flowers engraved into a relief in a temple dedicated to Hathor, Egyptian Goddess of the Milky Way, and alleged by some to actually represent electrical lamps.
The Iron Man (Eiserne Mann), dating to the 13th century.
The Lake Winnipesaukee mystery stone
The Wolfsegg Iron, a cubical block of metal in coal found in Austria.
Artifacts alleged to predate humanity
The Acambaro figures, from Acámbaro, Mexico, some of which are in the apparent form of dinosaurs.
The Ica stones, Peru, allegedly depicting anachronistic images such as dinosaurs and modern medical procedures.
The Kingoodie hammer, Scotland, purportedly an iron nail dated from 460 to 360 million years ago.
The Klerksdorp Spheres, South Africa, dated 2.8 billion years ago – their regular shapes lead to claims that they were artificially created.
A mortar and pestle (or molcajete) set discovered in Table Mountain (near Jamestown, California), in a gravel deposit which a documentary version of Forbidden Archaeology claimed to be 55 million years old; this claim has since been discredited.
Validated cases
The Maine Penny found in Blue Hill, Maine. An 11th century Norse coin found in an American Indian shell midden. Over 20,000 objects were found over a 15-year period at the Goddard site in Blue Hill. The sole OOPArt was the coin. One hypothesis is that it may have been brought to the site from a Viking settlement in Newfoundland by seagoing Native Americans.
The Iron pillar in India, dating around to AD 423.
The Antikythera mechanism, a geared device manufactured ca. 100 BC, believed to be an orrery for predicting the motion of the sun, moon and planets.
Tablets and artifacts discovered in Glozel, France in the 1920s and '30s, some of which were inscribed with an unknown, undeciphered alphabet.
the ending
I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time. For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout Camp, watching falling stars. And yellow leaves, from the maple trees that lined our street. Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper. And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird. And Janie... and Janie. And... Carolyn. I guess I could be really pissed off about what happened to me, but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday.
Savant Drawings
Eidetic memory, photographic memory, or total recall is the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme accuracy and in abundant volume. The word eidetic (pronounced /аɪˈdɛtɪk/) means related to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall of visual images, and comes from the Greek word είδος (eidos), which means "form". Eidetic memory can have a very different meaning for memory experts who use the picture elicitation method to detect it. Eidetic memory as observed in children is typified by the ability of an individual to study an image for approximately 30 seconds, and maintain a nearly perfect photographic memory of that image for a short time once it has been removed--indeed such eidetikers claim to "see" the image on the blank canvas as vividly and in as perfect detail as if it were still there.
Although many adults have demonstrated extraordinary memory abilities, it was previously unknown whether true eidetic memory can persist into adulthood. While many artists and composers such as Claude Monet and Mozart are commonly thought to have had eidetic memory, it is possible that their memories simply became highly trained in their respective fields of art, as they each devoted large portions of their waking hours towards the improvement of their abilities.
es bueno poder olvidar
Hyperthymesia or hyperthymestic syndrome is a condition where the affected individual has a superior autobiographical memory. As first described in the Neurocase article "A case of unusual autobiographical remembering," the two defining characteristics of hyperthymesia are "1) the person spends an abnormally large amount of time thinking about his or her personal past, and 2) the person has an extraordinary capacity to recall specific events from their personal past".
Absolute pitch
Why didn’t you memorize it the first time you looked it up!?! It’s because that word didn’t really mean anything to you (or at least not to your brain).
use headphones, close ur eyes: Virtual Barber Shop
Holophonic recording, also known as holophony or holophonic sound, is an audio recording technique which operates on a similar principle to holography, except it applies these principles to sound and audio recording. It is related to the technique of wave field synthesis whereby sound is sampled over an area by the use of a multiplicity of arranged microphones, usually arranged in a sphere, enabling the recreation of the shape of the sound wavefront as well as its direction. It is derived from the Huygens' Principle, which conveys the idea that an acoustical field within a volume can be expressed as an integral. It has some similarities with higher order Ambisonics. The result has been reported to be realistic and life-like three dimensional sounding audio recordings which have been said to exceed the realism of stereo sound.)
(This is not to be confused with Holophonics designed by Argentine researcher Hugo Zuccarelli which is a form of binaural recording, and extrapolates from only two recording microphones.)
holofonia
A mirror neuron is a neuron which fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another (especially conspecific) animal. Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behavior of another animal, as though the observer were itself acting. These neurons have been directly observed in primates, and are believed to exist in humans and in some birds. In humans, brain activity consistent with mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex and the inferior parietal cortex.
Some scientists consider mirror neurons one of the most important findings of neuroscience in the last decade. Among them is V.S. Ramachandran, who believes they might be very important in imitation and language acquisition. However, despite the popularity of this field, to date no plausible neural or computational models have been put forward to describe how mirror neuron activity supports cognitive functions such as imitation.
Furthermore, it is generally accepted that no single neurons can be responsible for the phenomenon. Rather, a whole network of neurons (neuronal assembly) is activated when an action is observed.
Some scientists consider mirror neurons one of the most important findings of neuroscience in the last decade. Among them is V.S. Ramachandran, who believes they might be very important in imitation and language acquisition. However, despite the popularity of this field, to date no plausible neural or computational models have been put forward to describe how mirror neuron activity supports cognitive functions such as imitation.
Furthermore, it is generally accepted that no single neurons can be responsible for the phenomenon. Rather, a whole network of neurons (neuronal assembly) is activated when an action is observed.
criminal investigative analysis
Offender profiling is a behavioral and investigative tool that helps investigators to profile unknown criminal subjects or offenders. (Psychological profiling is not the same as offender profiling and the two should not be confused.) Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling, behavioral profiling or criminal investigative analysis.
pareidolia
La apofenia es la experiencia consistente en ver patrones, conexiones o ambos en sucesos aleatorios o datos sin sentido. El término fue acuñado en 1959 por Klaus Conrad, quien lo definió como «visión sin motivos de conexiones» acompañada de «experiencias concretas de dar sentido anormalmente a lo que no lo tiene».
apofenia, fenómeno psicológico limítrofe entre la psicosis y la creatividad, que consiste en la unión cerebral de dos elementos sin un aparente patrón común.
Synesthesia is a neurologically-based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. In one common form of synesthesia, known as grapheme → color synesthesia or color-graphemic synesthesia, letters or numbers are perceived as inherently colored, while in ordinal linguistic personification, numbers, days of the week and months of the year evoke personalities. In spatial-sequence, or number form synesthesia, numbers, months of the year, and/or days of the week elicit precise locations in space (for example, 1980 may be "farther away" than 1990), or may have a (three-dimensional) view of a year as a map (clockwise or counterclockwise). Yet another recently identified type, visual motion → sound synesthesia, involves hearing sounds in response to visual motion and flicker.
She was nice. Nice is good
How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.
Imogen Heap - Just For Now
(Just for now) (x6)
It's that time of year,
Leave all our hopelessnesses aside (if just for a little while)
Tears stop right here,
I know we've all had a bumpy ride (I’m secretly on your side)
How did you know?
It's what I always wanted,
You can never have too many of these
Will ya quit kicking me under the table?
I'm trying, will somebody make her shut up about it?
Can we settle down please?
It's that time of year,
Leave all our hopelessnesses aside (if just for a little while)
Tears stop right here,
I know we've all had a bumpy ride (I’m secretly on your side)
Bite your tongue
Deep breaths
Count to ten
Nod your head
(sniff sniff)
I think something is burning,
Now you've ruined the whole thing
Muffle the smoke alarm
Whoever put on this music
Had better quick, sharp, remove it
Pour me another
Oh, don't wag your finger at me
It's that time of year,
Leave all our hopelessnesses aside (if just for a little while)
Tears stop right here,
I know we've all had a bumpy ride (I’m secretly on your side)
Will ya get me outta her, Get me outta here, Get me outta here (repeats til end)
Just for now
Just for now (repeats)
Zain Bhikha - Our World
curioso sentimiento me generaba esta cancion las primeras 10 veces que la oi.
porque se va el sentimiento? porque cambia? porque muere? porque se aleja?
a veces me siento como leonard shelby
I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different...
y a veces como teddy gammell
Homo, rerum, quas dicit, servus et earum, quas tacet, dominus est
esclavo de lo que dice...
...dueño de lo que calla
Theo Jansen - Kinetic Sculptor
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. The term kinetic sculpture refers to a class of art made primarily from the late 1950s through 1960s. Kinetic art was first recorded by the sculptors Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner in their Realist Manifesto issued as part of a manifesto of constructivism in 1920 in Moscow. "Bicycle Wheel," of 1913, by Marcel Duchamp, is said to be the first kinetic sculpture.
viernes, 17 de octubre de 2008
Josephine Corholm - Close to You
Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Just like me (Just like me)
They long to be
Close to you.
Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Hahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Lahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
A walk on the ramshackle Caminito del Rey, El Chorro Spain
El Caminito del Rey es un paso peatonal de 3 km, cerca de Málaga. Algunos de sus tramos se encuentran a 100 metros de altura y apenas llegan al metro de ancho. El sendero fue construido en 1901 pero hace tiempo que está en desuso y ha quedado como lugar de peregrinación de escaladores. A finales de los 90, y tras varios accidentes mortales se cerraron los accesos. La multa por acceder actualmente al desfiladero es de 6.000 €.
Natalie Imbruglia - Wrong Impression
Calling out, calling out
Haven't you wondered
Why I'm always alone
When you're in my dreams
Calling out, calling out
Haven't you wondered
Why you're finding it hard
Just looking at me
I want you
But I want you to understand
I need you
I love you
Didn't want to leave you
With the wrong impression
Didn't want to leave you
With my last confession
(Yeah) Of love
Wasn't trying to pull you
In the wrong direction
All I wanna do is try to
Make a connection
(Yeah) Of love
(Yeah, yeah ooh)
Falling out, falling out
Have you ever wondered
If this was ever more
Than a crazy idea
Falling out, falling out
Have you ever wondered
What we could've been
If you'd only let me in
I want you
But I want you to understand
I miss you
I love you
Didn't want to leave you
With the wrong impression
Didn't want to leave you
With my last confession
(Yeah) Of love
Wasn't trying to pull you
In the wrong direction
All I wanna do is try to
Make a connection
(Yeah)Of love
Have you ever wondered
(Yeah, yeah...ooh)
I need you
I love you
Didn't want to leave you
With the wrong impression
Didn't want to leave you
With my last confession
(Yeah) Of love
Wasn't trying to pull you
In the wrong direction
All I wanna do is try to
Make a connection
(Yeah) Of love
I didn't want to leave you
With the wrong impression
Didn't want to leave you
With my last confession
(Yeah) Of love
Wasn't trying to pull you
In the wrong direction
All I wanna do is try to
Make a connection
(Yeah) Of love
I didn't want to leave you there (I'm calling out)
Wasn't trying to pull you
In the wrong direction - but I'm calling out (Yeah, yeah)
Wasn't trying to pull you
In the wrong direction - but I'm falling out (Yeah...)
Accelerated language learning
Accelerated Language Learning was developed based on the research and theories of Georgi Lozanov`s suggestopedia. The term is now associated with diverse methods in education that target accelerate learning. The term "accelerated learning" is a very broad term encompassing diverse techniques, methodologies and approaches to teaching and to learning. Some methods which would generally be considered to fall under the title of accelerated learning would be: mind maps, Brain Gym or Edu-Kinesthetics, concert texts, reading to music, applied multiple intelligences theory, various memory techniques, the use of music to influence the emotional and mental state of learners, state setting in a broader sense, the use of songs to aid learning, pattern spotting, the implementation of chunking, suggestopedia, Neuro-linguistic programming, the use of drama, suspension of disbelief and others.
Applications
In terms of the teaching and learning of foreign languages specifically, accelerated learning can really come into its own. It has been and is being put to good use by language teachers across the world. An accelerated learning language lesson could vary from the traditional language lesson in a number of ways:
(1) The learning environment may be seen as being of prime importance - a great deal of attention will be focused on the use of colour, the temperature in the room(s), the positioning of furniture, background music, smells, textures and so on. Also, posters and displays may have been carefully selected with the aim of helping students to absorb vocabulary and ideas subconsciously. Posters containing vocabulary for a unit which may not be introduced for a few weeks may be present in order to gradually familiarize students with the vocabulary in advance.
(2) State setting may be important - this is done partly through the learning environment (see number 1), but also through the use of body language by the teacher, the type of music used throughout the lesson - this might change depending on the mood/atmosphere the teacher wishes to create at any given time, the tone of voice employed at any given time by the teacher, the use of colour in presentational materials and so on. The emphasis is likely to be on making the student feel comfortable, relaxed and free from anxiety and stress.
(3) Mnemonics may be frequently used to help students retain and recall lists of vocabulary. Instead of relying on vocabulary lists, flash cards and repetition drills, the accelerated learning language teacher will often employ these creative techniques when first introducing a new topic. Students may be encouraged to use their imaginations to link items of vocabulary to parts of their body or to locations in the classroom (Loci). This injects a sense of fun and usually promotes a more relaxed and free-flowing learning environment.
(4) Over-stimulation: whereas in many language classrooms, the teacher is wary of throwing too much at the student at once, the accelerated learning language teacher may bombard the student with material knowing that the human brain can often assimilate around 80% more information than we assume. Using longer texts, dramatisations and the like (often carefully supported with the English meaning along one side) allows students of varying levels of ability to take what is useful for them at that stage of their learning. This approach also allows for more opportunities to expose students to the rhythm and pronunciation of the new language.
(5) Pattern spotting and learning in broad strokes: often accelerated learning language teachers will introduce broad concepts to their students, enabling them to learn a great deal in a short amount of time. For example, if a beginner learning Spanish is told that thousands of nouns which end in 'tion' in English can easily be changed to Spanish by changing the 'tion' ending to 'ción', the student immediately has access to thousands of words and can gain confidence by producing these words independent of the teacher or learning resources.
(6) Theory of multiple intelligences application: MI Theory (proposed by Howard Gardener) asserts that there are 8 types of intelligence: interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic and naturalist. In the traditional classroom environment, the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences are often over represented. Accelerated learning attempts to redress this imbalance by including activities which allow for the activation of the other intelligences such as: games which involve movement, use of colour on worksheets/mind maps etc, use of songs, raps and music, manipulation of objects (word cards, realia etc.) and so on.
(7) The use of Chunking: chunking lessons into shorter periods takes full advantage of the attention cycle of the human brain. We are most likely to retain information presented at the beginning and end of a session; therefore if a lesson is divided into smaller chunks, we are creating more beginnings and endings and so increasing the amount of information retained.
(8) Objective setting: this practice is very wide-spread in education now and is also a vital aspect of any accelerated learning lesson. The student must understand clearly what he/she is going to learn in any particular lesson and how this is going to happen. There is then a predefined goal to work towards and a higher sense of achievement at the end of the lesson (particularly if the lesson objectives are listed on the board and can be ticked off as the lesson proceeds). What's In It For Me (W.I.I.F.M) is a key phrase to remind teachers that students want to know how what they are going to learn is relevant to them and their day-to-day experiences.
Applications
In terms of the teaching and learning of foreign languages specifically, accelerated learning can really come into its own. It has been and is being put to good use by language teachers across the world. An accelerated learning language lesson could vary from the traditional language lesson in a number of ways:
(1) The learning environment may be seen as being of prime importance - a great deal of attention will be focused on the use of colour, the temperature in the room(s), the positioning of furniture, background music, smells, textures and so on. Also, posters and displays may have been carefully selected with the aim of helping students to absorb vocabulary and ideas subconsciously. Posters containing vocabulary for a unit which may not be introduced for a few weeks may be present in order to gradually familiarize students with the vocabulary in advance.
(2) State setting may be important - this is done partly through the learning environment (see number 1), but also through the use of body language by the teacher, the type of music used throughout the lesson - this might change depending on the mood/atmosphere the teacher wishes to create at any given time, the tone of voice employed at any given time by the teacher, the use of colour in presentational materials and so on. The emphasis is likely to be on making the student feel comfortable, relaxed and free from anxiety and stress.
(3) Mnemonics may be frequently used to help students retain and recall lists of vocabulary. Instead of relying on vocabulary lists, flash cards and repetition drills, the accelerated learning language teacher will often employ these creative techniques when first introducing a new topic. Students may be encouraged to use their imaginations to link items of vocabulary to parts of their body or to locations in the classroom (Loci). This injects a sense of fun and usually promotes a more relaxed and free-flowing learning environment.
(4) Over-stimulation: whereas in many language classrooms, the teacher is wary of throwing too much at the student at once, the accelerated learning language teacher may bombard the student with material knowing that the human brain can often assimilate around 80% more information than we assume. Using longer texts, dramatisations and the like (often carefully supported with the English meaning along one side) allows students of varying levels of ability to take what is useful for them at that stage of their learning. This approach also allows for more opportunities to expose students to the rhythm and pronunciation of the new language.
(5) Pattern spotting and learning in broad strokes: often accelerated learning language teachers will introduce broad concepts to their students, enabling them to learn a great deal in a short amount of time. For example, if a beginner learning Spanish is told that thousands of nouns which end in 'tion' in English can easily be changed to Spanish by changing the 'tion' ending to 'ción', the student immediately has access to thousands of words and can gain confidence by producing these words independent of the teacher or learning resources.
(6) Theory of multiple intelligences application: MI Theory (proposed by Howard Gardener) asserts that there are 8 types of intelligence: interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic and naturalist. In the traditional classroom environment, the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences are often over represented. Accelerated learning attempts to redress this imbalance by including activities which allow for the activation of the other intelligences such as: games which involve movement, use of colour on worksheets/mind maps etc, use of songs, raps and music, manipulation of objects (word cards, realia etc.) and so on.
(7) The use of Chunking: chunking lessons into shorter periods takes full advantage of the attention cycle of the human brain. We are most likely to retain information presented at the beginning and end of a session; therefore if a lesson is divided into smaller chunks, we are creating more beginnings and endings and so increasing the amount of information retained.
(8) Objective setting: this practice is very wide-spread in education now and is also a vital aspect of any accelerated learning lesson. The student must understand clearly what he/she is going to learn in any particular lesson and how this is going to happen. There is then a predefined goal to work towards and a higher sense of achievement at the end of the lesson (particularly if the lesson objectives are listed on the board and can be ticked off as the lesson proceeds). What's In It For Me (W.I.I.F.M) is a key phrase to remind teachers that students want to know how what they are going to learn is relevant to them and their day-to-day experiences.
Interhemispheric foreign language learning
Interhemispheric foreign language learning is a method activating both sides of the brain. It is entirely based on recent brain research, specially on the discovery of the mirror neurons.
1.What is "interhemispheric learning"?
2.What is "interhemispheric second language learning
3.How does it work?
4.The crucial factor: The behavior of the language teacher
5.The empirical studies
1. Interhemispheric second language learning is a form of learning that activates both hemispheres of the brain , based specially on the discovery of the mirror neurons by Rizzolatti. It could be applied to many types of learning, but so far has been scientifically applied only to second language teaching and second language learning. Traditional second language learning, which focuses on learning vocabulary and grammar and using textbooks, mainly activates the left hemisphere. Interhemispheric learning, however, also stimulates the right hemisphere and enhances interaction between both hemispheres.
2. Interhemispheric foreign language learning is based on recent results of brain research (Rizzolatti 2003)on mirror neurons. That research shows that gestures and all nonverbal communication activate Brodmann 44 and 45, responsible for language (Broca) as sign language not only activates the right hemisphere of the brain responsible for gestures, but also the left hemisphere, responsible for language. The research on mirror neurons show also that mental imagining gestures activates the right hemisphere of the brain, just as actually carrying out these gestures. Thoses results are used now for second language teaching and learning.
3. Interhemispheric second language learning is based on repeating vocabulary using a sequential variation of techniques (Macedonia, 2004) requiring active participation. It usually involves four phases. It begins with emotional intonation, gesturing and sign language (Mc Guire 1997) while speaking and rhythmical speech. This is followed by learning in a state of relaxation, with mental visualization. Subsequently, it involves a phase during which students work in pairs, asking each other about the vocabulary learned and helping each other. Finally, traditional teaching using textbooks is resumed, while integrating elements of interhemispheric learning such as speaking aloud, using gestures, writing sketches and practicing role-playing.
Interhemispheric second language learning is not a set of fixed procedures, but is open to complementary techniques such as mnemonics. It must be adapted by the teacher according to the age and the interests of his or her students.
4. As in the case of any new learning technique, a crucial factor for the success of interhemispheric learning is the suggestopedic suggestopedia behavior and attitude of the teacher on the verbal and specially on the non verbal level. The students must value the new techniques and respect the professional skill of the teacher. Otherwise, no good results as described below will be possible.
5. Interhemispheric learning is said to enhance and accelerate (accelerated language learning)performance. It seems that so far there have only been a few empirical studies of the effectiveness of interhemispheric foreign language learning.("psychopedia" Baur 1991) The most recent study (Schiffler 2002) involved experiments in Germany with classes learning French as a third language. In six classes the students translated more than 60 new words in French after an interhemispheric learning period of 45 minutes: In another experiment with a learning period of one hour, the students translated more than 80 new words with a context from German into French.(Schiffler 2003)
1.What is "interhemispheric learning"?
2.What is "interhemispheric second language learning
3.How does it work?
4.The crucial factor: The behavior of the language teacher
5.The empirical studies
1. Interhemispheric second language learning is a form of learning that activates both hemispheres of the brain , based specially on the discovery of the mirror neurons by Rizzolatti. It could be applied to many types of learning, but so far has been scientifically applied only to second language teaching and second language learning. Traditional second language learning, which focuses on learning vocabulary and grammar and using textbooks, mainly activates the left hemisphere. Interhemispheric learning, however, also stimulates the right hemisphere and enhances interaction between both hemispheres.
2. Interhemispheric foreign language learning is based on recent results of brain research (Rizzolatti 2003)on mirror neurons. That research shows that gestures and all nonverbal communication activate Brodmann 44 and 45, responsible for language (Broca) as sign language not only activates the right hemisphere of the brain responsible for gestures, but also the left hemisphere, responsible for language. The research on mirror neurons show also that mental imagining gestures activates the right hemisphere of the brain, just as actually carrying out these gestures. Thoses results are used now for second language teaching and learning.
3. Interhemispheric second language learning is based on repeating vocabulary using a sequential variation of techniques (Macedonia, 2004) requiring active participation. It usually involves four phases. It begins with emotional intonation, gesturing and sign language (Mc Guire 1997) while speaking and rhythmical speech. This is followed by learning in a state of relaxation, with mental visualization. Subsequently, it involves a phase during which students work in pairs, asking each other about the vocabulary learned and helping each other. Finally, traditional teaching using textbooks is resumed, while integrating elements of interhemispheric learning such as speaking aloud, using gestures, writing sketches and practicing role-playing.
Interhemispheric second language learning is not a set of fixed procedures, but is open to complementary techniques such as mnemonics. It must be adapted by the teacher according to the age and the interests of his or her students.
4. As in the case of any new learning technique, a crucial factor for the success of interhemispheric learning is the suggestopedic suggestopedia behavior and attitude of the teacher on the verbal and specially on the non verbal level. The students must value the new techniques and respect the professional skill of the teacher. Otherwise, no good results as described below will be possible.
5. Interhemispheric learning is said to enhance and accelerate (accelerated language learning)performance. It seems that so far there have only been a few empirical studies of the effectiveness of interhemispheric foreign language learning.("psychopedia" Baur 1991) The most recent study (Schiffler 2002) involved experiments in Germany with classes learning French as a third language. In six classes the students translated more than 60 new words in French after an interhemispheric learning period of 45 minutes: In another experiment with a learning period of one hour, the students translated more than 80 new words with a context from German into French.(Schiffler 2003)
Gary Jules - Mad World
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world mad world
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world ... mad world
Enlarging your world
Mad world
Thomas theorem
The Thomas theorem is a theory of sociology which was formulated by W. I. Thomas (1863–1947) in the year 1928:
“ If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences. ”
In 1923, Thomas stated more precisely that—particularly within common social worlds, any definition of the situation will influence the present. Not only that, but—following a series of definitions in which an individual is involved—such a definition also "gradually [influences] a whole life-policy and the personality of the individual himself". Consequently, Thomas stressed societal problems such as intimacy, family, or education as fundamental to the role of the situation when detecting a social world "in which subjective impressions can be projected on to life and thereby become real to projectors."
Classical examples
If many people in one place follow the false rumour that their bank has gone bankrupt, and all of them go to the bank to withdraw their money, the bank will become bankrupt in reality, even though the crisis began simply as a rumour.
The 1973 oil crisis resulted in the so-called "toilet paper panic." The rumour of an expected shortage in toilet paper—resulting from a decline in the importation of oil—led to people stockpiling supplies of toilet paper. This caused a shortage, which seemed to validate the rumour.
The Beauty Contest Theory, developed by John Maynard Keynes, justifies why the share price does not necessarily develop according to rational expectations. He acts on the assumption that many investors make their decisions not according to their own economic evaluation of the value—for example of a share, but by predicting the estimates of other market participants.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive method to excite neurons in the brain: weak electric currents are induced in the tissue by rapidly changing magnetic fields (electromagnetic induction). This way, brain activity can be triggered with minimal discomfort, and the functionality of the circuitry and connectivity of the brain can be studied.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is known as rTMS and can produce longer lasting changes. Numerous small-scale pilot studies have shown it could be a treatment tool for various neurological conditions (e.g. migraine, stroke, Parkinsons Disease, dystonia, tinnitus) and psychiatric conditions (e.g. major depression, auditory hallucinations).
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is known as rTMS and can produce longer lasting changes. Numerous small-scale pilot studies have shown it could be a treatment tool for various neurological conditions (e.g. migraine, stroke, Parkinsons Disease, dystonia, tinnitus) and psychiatric conditions (e.g. major depression, auditory hallucinations).
Propaedeutic value of Esperanto (valor "preparatorio" del esperanto)
The propaedeutic value of Esperanto is the benefit that using Esperanto as an introduction to foreign language study has on the teaching of subsequent foreign languages. Several studies, such as that of Helmar Frank at the University of Paderborn and the San Marino International Academy of Sciences, have concluded that one year of Esperanto in school, which produces an ability equivalent to what the average pupil reaches with European national languages after six to seven years of study, improves the ability of the pupil to learn a target language when compared to pupils who spent the entire time learning the target language. In other words, studying Esperanto for one year and then, say, French for three results in greater proficiency in French than studying French for four years. This effect was first described by Antoni Grabowski in 1908.
Many schools used to teach children the recorder, not to produce a nation of recorder players, but as a preparation for learning other instruments. [We teach] Esperanto, not to produce a nation of Esperanto-speakers, but as a preparation for learning other languages.
this is for you pc: Erasure - Love to Hate you
Trojan.Win32.Autoit.a
Aliases
Trojan.Win32.Autoit.a (Kaspersky Lab) is also known as: DiabloCheat (McAfee), Trojan Horse (Symantec), Trojan:AutoIt/SillyTroj* (RAV), TROJ_AUTOIT.A (Trend Micro), Win32:Trojan-gen. (ALWIL), Trojan.AutoItroj.A (SOFTWIN), Trojan Horse.AP (Panda), Win32/Autoit.B (Eset)
Im crazy flowing over with ideas
A thousand ways to woo a lover so sincere
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers up and down my spine
For every casanova that appears
My sense of hesitation disappears
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers up and down my spine
And the lovers that you sent for me
Didnt come with any satisfaction guarantee
So I return them to the sender
And the note attached will read
How I love to hate you
I love to hate you
I love to hate you
I love to hate you
Oh you really still expect me to believe
Every single letter I receive
Sorry you what a shameful situation
Sending shivers up and down my spine
Oh I like to read of murder mystery
I like to know the killer isnt me
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers make me quiver
Feel it sliver up and down my spine
Trojan.Win32.Autoit.a (Kaspersky Lab) is also known as: DiabloCheat (McAfee), Trojan Horse (Symantec), Trojan:AutoIt/SillyTroj* (RAV), TROJ_AUTOIT.A (Trend Micro), Win32:Trojan-gen. (ALWIL), Trojan.AutoItroj.A (SOFTWIN), Trojan Horse.AP (Panda), Win32/Autoit.B (Eset)
Im crazy flowing over with ideas
A thousand ways to woo a lover so sincere
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers up and down my spine
For every casanova that appears
My sense of hesitation disappears
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers up and down my spine
And the lovers that you sent for me
Didnt come with any satisfaction guarantee
So I return them to the sender
And the note attached will read
How I love to hate you
I love to hate you
I love to hate you
I love to hate you
Oh you really still expect me to believe
Every single letter I receive
Sorry you what a shameful situation
Sending shivers up and down my spine
Oh I like to read of murder mystery
I like to know the killer isnt me
Love and hate what a beautiful combination
Sending shivers make me quiver
Feel it sliver up and down my spine
Sapir–Whorf hypothesis
In linguistics, the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis (SWH) (also known as the "linguistic relativity hypothesis") postulates a systematic relationship between the grammatical categories of the language a person speaks and how that person both understands the world and behaves in it. Although known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, it was an underlying axiom of linguist and anthropologist Edward Sapir and his colleague and student Benjamin Whorf.
The hypothesis postulates that a particular language's nature influences the habitual thought of its speakers: that different language patterns yield different patterns of thought. This idea challenges the possibility of perfectly representing the world with language, because it implies that the mechanisms of any language condition the thoughts of its speaker community. The hypothesis emerges in strong and weak formulations.
The hypothesis postulates that a particular language's nature influences the habitual thought of its speakers: that different language patterns yield different patterns of thought. This idea challenges the possibility of perfectly representing the world with language, because it implies that the mechanisms of any language condition the thoughts of its speaker community. The hypothesis emerges in strong and weak formulations.
Josephine Corholm & Ashley Slater - If I Apologised
If I apologised
it wouldn't make it all unhappen
wouldn't make the darkness go away
If I apologised
it wouldn't mean I was forgiven
wouldn't mean you wanted me to stay
But
it's a dream
when you seem
to be walking into the sun
we're on first
unrehearsed
and we still don't know what we've done
so we don't say anything.
If I apologised
I don't suppose you'd even notice
even though I'd whisper it inside
If I apologised
we could be the perfect couple
Well we could, but only in my mind
but
if you ask
for the mask
then we're stumbling on through the dark
But we wait
it's too late
And we only had to be asked
so we don't say anything.
It couldn't hurt to try it
It couldn't hurt too much to try
It's there beyond the quiet
it couldn't hurt too much to fly...
miércoles, 8 de octubre de 2008
Jem - 24 Hours
Been given 24 hours to tie up loose ends to make amendsHis eyes said it all I started to fall and the silence deafenedHead spinning round no time to sit down just wanted to run and run and runBe careful they say don't wish life away, now I've one dayAnd I can't believeHow I've been wasting my timeIn 24 hours they'll be laying flowers on my life, it's over tonightI'm not messing no I need your blessingand your promise to live freeplease do it for meIs there a heaven a hell and will I come back who can tellNow I can see what matters to me it's as clear as crystalThe places I've beenthe people I've seenplans that I made start to fadeThe sun's setting gold thought I would grow old, it wasn't to beAnd I can't believeHow I've been wasting my timeIn 18 hours they'll belaying flowers on my life, it's over tonightI'm not messing no Ineed your blessingand your promise to live freeplease do it for meIn 13 hours they'll belaying flowers on my life, it's over tonightI'm not messing no Ineed your blessingand your promise to live freePlease do it for meI'm not alone, I sense it, I sense itAll that I said, I meant it, I meant itAnd I can't believeHow much I've wasted my timeIn just 8 hours they'll belaying flowers on my life, it's over tonightI'm not messing no Ineed your blessingand your promise to live freeplease do it for meIn just 1 hour they'll belaying flowers on my life, it's over tonightI'm not messing no Ineed your blessingand your promise to live freeplease do it for me
lunes, 6 de octubre de 2008
Total Physical Response
Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method developed by Dr. James J. Asher, a professor emeritus of psychology at San José State University, to aid learning second languages. The method relies on the assumption that when learning a second or additional language, that language is internalized through a process of codebreaking similar to first language development and that the process allows for a long period of listening and developing comprehension prior to production. Students respond to commands that require physical movement. TPR is primarily intended for ESL/EAL teacher, although the method is used in teaching other languages as well.
Blaine Ray, a Spanish language teacher, added stories to Asher's methods to help students acquire non-physical language creating the foundation of the method known as Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) built on Stephen Krashen's theories of language acquisition. The method became popular in the 1970's and attracted the attention or allegiance of some teachers, but it has not received generalized support from mainstream educators.
According to Asher, TPR is based on the premise that the human brain has a biological program for acquiring any natural language on earth - including the sign language of the deaf. The process is visible when we observe how infants internalize their first language.
It looks to the way that children learn their native language. Communication between parents and their children combines both verbal and physical aspects. The child responds physically to the speech of their parent. The responses of the child are in turn positively reinforced by the speech of the parent. For many months the child absorbs the language without being able to speak. It is during this period that the internalization and codebreaking occurs. After this stage the child is able to reproduce the language spontaneously. With TPR the language teacher tries to mimic this process in class.
In the classroom the teacher and students take on roles similar to that of the parent and child respectively. Students must respond physically to the words of the teacher. The activity may be a simple game such as Simon Says or may involve more complex grammar and more detailed scenarios.
TPR can be used to practice and teach various things. It is well suited to teaching classroom language and other vocabulary connected with actions. It can be used to teach imperatives and various tenses and aspects. It is also useful for story-telling.
Because of its participatory approach, TPR may also be a useful alternative teaching strategy for students with dyslexia or related learning disabilities, who typically experience difficulty learning foreign languages with traditional classroom instruction.
According to its proponents, it has a number of advantages: Students will enjoy getting up out of their chairs and moving around. Simple TPR activities do not require a great deal of preparation on the part of the teacher. TPR is aptitude-free, working well with a mixed ability class, and with students having various disabilities. It is good for kinæsthetic learners who need to be active in the class. Class size need not be a problem, and it works effectively for children and adults.
However, it is recognized that TPR is most useful for beginners, though it can be used at higher levels where preparation becomes an issue for the teacher. It does not give students the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way. Further, it is easy to overuse TPR-- "Any novelty, if carried on too long, will trigger adaptation." It can be a challenge for shy students. Additionally, the nature of TPR places an unnaturally heavy emphasis on the use of the imperative mood, that is to say commands such as "sit down" and "stand up". These features are of limited utility to the learner, and can lead to a learner appearing rude when attempting to use his new language.
Blaine Ray, a Spanish language teacher, added stories to Asher's methods to help students acquire non-physical language creating the foundation of the method known as Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) built on Stephen Krashen's theories of language acquisition. The method became popular in the 1970's and attracted the attention or allegiance of some teachers, but it has not received generalized support from mainstream educators.
According to Asher, TPR is based on the premise that the human brain has a biological program for acquiring any natural language on earth - including the sign language of the deaf. The process is visible when we observe how infants internalize their first language.
It looks to the way that children learn their native language. Communication between parents and their children combines both verbal and physical aspects. The child responds physically to the speech of their parent. The responses of the child are in turn positively reinforced by the speech of the parent. For many months the child absorbs the language without being able to speak. It is during this period that the internalization and codebreaking occurs. After this stage the child is able to reproduce the language spontaneously. With TPR the language teacher tries to mimic this process in class.
In the classroom the teacher and students take on roles similar to that of the parent and child respectively. Students must respond physically to the words of the teacher. The activity may be a simple game such as Simon Says or may involve more complex grammar and more detailed scenarios.
TPR can be used to practice and teach various things. It is well suited to teaching classroom language and other vocabulary connected with actions. It can be used to teach imperatives and various tenses and aspects. It is also useful for story-telling.
Because of its participatory approach, TPR may also be a useful alternative teaching strategy for students with dyslexia or related learning disabilities, who typically experience difficulty learning foreign languages with traditional classroom instruction.
According to its proponents, it has a number of advantages: Students will enjoy getting up out of their chairs and moving around. Simple TPR activities do not require a great deal of preparation on the part of the teacher. TPR is aptitude-free, working well with a mixed ability class, and with students having various disabilities. It is good for kinæsthetic learners who need to be active in the class. Class size need not be a problem, and it works effectively for children and adults.
However, it is recognized that TPR is most useful for beginners, though it can be used at higher levels where preparation becomes an issue for the teacher. It does not give students the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way. Further, it is easy to overuse TPR-- "Any novelty, if carried on too long, will trigger adaptation." It can be a challenge for shy students. Additionally, the nature of TPR places an unnaturally heavy emphasis on the use of the imperative mood, that is to say commands such as "sit down" and "stand up". These features are of limited utility to the learner, and can lead to a learner appearing rude when attempting to use his new language.
Comprehension approach
Comprehension approach
The comprehension approach is an umbrella term which refers to several methodologies of language learning that emphasise understanding of language rather than speaking. This is in contrast to the better-known communicative approach, under which learning is thought to emerge through language production, i.e. a focus on speech and writing.
The comprehension approach is most strongly associated with the linguists Harris Winitz, Stephen Krashen, Tracy D. Terrell and James J. Asher. The comprehension-based methodology mostly commonly found in classrooms is Asher's Total Physical Response approach; Krashen and Terrell's Natural Approach has not been widely applied.
The comprehension approach is based on theories of linguistics, specifically Krashen's theories of second language acquisition, and is also inspired by research on second language acquisition in children, particularly the silent period phenomenon in which many young learners initially tend towards minimal speaking. In contrast, the communicative approach is largely a product of research in language education.
Winitz founded the International Linguistics Corporation in 1976 to supply comprehension-based materials known as The Learnables; several positive articles have been published testing these picturebooks with their accompanying audio recordings, mostly with Winitz as co-author.
The comprehension approach is an umbrella term which refers to several methodologies of language learning that emphasise understanding of language rather than speaking. This is in contrast to the better-known communicative approach, under which learning is thought to emerge through language production, i.e. a focus on speech and writing.
The comprehension approach is most strongly associated with the linguists Harris Winitz, Stephen Krashen, Tracy D. Terrell and James J. Asher. The comprehension-based methodology mostly commonly found in classrooms is Asher's Total Physical Response approach; Krashen and Terrell's Natural Approach has not been widely applied.
The comprehension approach is based on theories of linguistics, specifically Krashen's theories of second language acquisition, and is also inspired by research on second language acquisition in children, particularly the silent period phenomenon in which many young learners initially tend towards minimal speaking. In contrast, the communicative approach is largely a product of research in language education.
Winitz founded the International Linguistics Corporation in 1976 to supply comprehension-based materials known as The Learnables; several positive articles have been published testing these picturebooks with their accompanying audio recordings, mostly with Winitz as co-author.
dang!!!
Communicative language teaching
Communicative language teaching (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. Despite a number of criticisms , it continues to be popular, particularly in Europe, where constructivist views on language learning and education in general dominate academic discourse.
In recent years, Task-based language learning (TBLL), also known as task-based language teaching (TBLT) or task-based instruction (TBI), has grown steadily in popularity. TBLL is a further refinement of the CLT approach, emphasizing the successful completion of tasks as both the organizing feature and the basis for assessment of language instruction.
Language immersion
Language immersion puts students in a situation where they must use a foreign language, whether or not they know it. This creates fluency, but not accuracy of usage. French-language immersion programs are common in Canada in the provincial school systems, as part of the drive towards bilingualism.
Minimalist/methodist
Paul Rowe's minimalist/methodist approach. This new approach is underpinned with Paul Nation's three actions of successful ESL teachers. Initially it was written specifically for unqualified, inexperienced people teaching in EFL situations. However, experienced language teachers are also responding positively to its simplicity. Language items are usually provided using flashcards. There is a focus on language-in-context and multi-functional practices.
Directed practice
Directed practice has students repeat phrases. This method is used by U.S. diplomatic courses. It can quickly provide a phrasebook-type knowledge of the language. Within these limits, the student's usage is accurate and precise. However the student's choice of what to say is not flexible.
Learning by teaching (LdL)
Learning by teaching is a widespread method in Germany, developed by Jean-Pol Martin. The students take the teacher's role and teach their peers.
Silent Way
The Silent Way is a discovery learning approach, invented by Caleb Gattegno in the 50s. It is often considered to be one of the humanistic approaches. It is called The Silent Way because the teacher is usually silent, leaving room for the students to talk and explore the language.
Pimsleur method
Pimsleur language learning system is based on the research of and model programs developed by American language teacher Paul Pimsleur. It involves recorded 30 minute lessons to be done daily, with each lesson typically featuring a dialog, revision, and new material. Students are asked to translate phrases into the target language, and occasionally to respond in the target language to lines spoken in the target language. The instruction starts in the student's language but gradually changes to the target language. Several all-audio programs now exist to teach various languages using the Pimsleur Method. The syllabus is the same in all languages.
Michel Thomas Method
Michel Thomas Method is an audio-based teaching system developed by Michel Thomas, a language teacher in the USA. It was originally done in person, although since his death it is done via recorded lessons. The instruction is done entirely in the student's own language, although the student's responses are always expected to be in the target language. The method focuses on constructing long sentences with correct grammar and building student confidence. There is no listening practice, and there is no reading or writing. The syllabus is ordered around the easiest and most useful features of the language, and as such is different for each language.
Communicative language teaching (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. Despite a number of criticisms , it continues to be popular, particularly in Europe, where constructivist views on language learning and education in general dominate academic discourse.
In recent years, Task-based language learning (TBLL), also known as task-based language teaching (TBLT) or task-based instruction (TBI), has grown steadily in popularity. TBLL is a further refinement of the CLT approach, emphasizing the successful completion of tasks as both the organizing feature and the basis for assessment of language instruction.
Language immersion
Language immersion puts students in a situation where they must use a foreign language, whether or not they know it. This creates fluency, but not accuracy of usage. French-language immersion programs are common in Canada in the provincial school systems, as part of the drive towards bilingualism.
Minimalist/methodist
Paul Rowe's minimalist/methodist approach. This new approach is underpinned with Paul Nation's three actions of successful ESL teachers. Initially it was written specifically for unqualified, inexperienced people teaching in EFL situations. However, experienced language teachers are also responding positively to its simplicity. Language items are usually provided using flashcards. There is a focus on language-in-context and multi-functional practices.
Directed practice
Directed practice has students repeat phrases. This method is used by U.S. diplomatic courses. It can quickly provide a phrasebook-type knowledge of the language. Within these limits, the student's usage is accurate and precise. However the student's choice of what to say is not flexible.
Learning by teaching (LdL)
Learning by teaching is a widespread method in Germany, developed by Jean-Pol Martin. The students take the teacher's role and teach their peers.
Silent Way
The Silent Way is a discovery learning approach, invented by Caleb Gattegno in the 50s. It is often considered to be one of the humanistic approaches. It is called The Silent Way because the teacher is usually silent, leaving room for the students to talk and explore the language.
Pimsleur method
Pimsleur language learning system is based on the research of and model programs developed by American language teacher Paul Pimsleur. It involves recorded 30 minute lessons to be done daily, with each lesson typically featuring a dialog, revision, and new material. Students are asked to translate phrases into the target language, and occasionally to respond in the target language to lines spoken in the target language. The instruction starts in the student's language but gradually changes to the target language. Several all-audio programs now exist to teach various languages using the Pimsleur Method. The syllabus is the same in all languages.
Michel Thomas Method
Michel Thomas Method is an audio-based teaching system developed by Michel Thomas, a language teacher in the USA. It was originally done in person, although since his death it is done via recorded lessons. The instruction is done entirely in the student's own language, although the student's responses are always expected to be in the target language. The method focuses on constructing long sentences with correct grammar and building student confidence. There is no listening practice, and there is no reading or writing. The syllabus is ordered around the easiest and most useful features of the language, and as such is different for each language.
Proprioceptive language learning method
The Proprioceptive language learning method (commonly called the Feedback training method) emphasizes simultaneous development of cognitive, motor, neurological, and hearing as all being part of a comprehensive language learning process. Lesson development is as concerned with the training of the motor and neurological functions of speech as it is with cognitive (memory) functions. It further emphasizes that training of each part of the speech process must be simultaneous. The Proprioceptive Method, therefore, emphasizes spoken language training, and is primarily used by those wanting to perfect their speaking ability in a target language.
The Proprioceptive Method virtually stands alone as a Second Language Acquisition (SLA) method in that it bases its methodology on a speech pathology model. It stresses that mere knowledge (in the form of vocabulary and grammar memory) is not the sole requirement for spoken language fluency, but that the mind receives real-time feedback from both hearing and neurological receptors of the mouth and related organs in order to constantly regulate the store of vocabulary and grammar memory in the mind during speech.
For optimum effectiveness, it maintains that each of the components of second language acquisition must be encountered simultaneously. It therefore advocates that all memory functions, all motor functions and their neurological receptors, and all feedback from both the mouth and ears must occur at exactly the same moment in time of the instruction. Thus, according to the Proprioceptive Method, all student participation must be done at full speaking volume. Further, in order to train memory, after initial acquaintance with the sentences being repeated, all verbal language drills must be done as a response to the narrated sentences which the student must repeat (or answer) entirely apart from reading a text.
The Proprioceptive Method virtually stands alone as a Second Language Acquisition (SLA) method in that it bases its methodology on a speech pathology model. It stresses that mere knowledge (in the form of vocabulary and grammar memory) is not the sole requirement for spoken language fluency, but that the mind receives real-time feedback from both hearing and neurological receptors of the mouth and related organs in order to constantly regulate the store of vocabulary and grammar memory in the mind during speech.
For optimum effectiveness, it maintains that each of the components of second language acquisition must be encountered simultaneously. It therefore advocates that all memory functions, all motor functions and their neurological receptors, and all feedback from both the mouth and ears must occur at exactly the same moment in time of the instruction. Thus, according to the Proprioceptive Method, all student participation must be done at full speaking volume. Further, in order to train memory, after initial acquaintance with the sentences being repeated, all verbal language drills must be done as a response to the narrated sentences which the student must repeat (or answer) entirely apart from reading a text.
The audio-lingual method
The audio-lingual method was developed due to the U.S.'s entry into World War II. The government suddenly needed people who could carry on conversations fluently in a variety of languages such as German, French, Italian, Chinese, Malay, etc., and could work as interpreters, code-room assistants, and translators. However, since foreign language instruction in that country was heavily focused on reading instruction, no textbooks, other materials or courses existed at the time, so new methods and materials had to be devised. The Army Specialized Training Program created intensive programs based on the techniques Leonard Bloomfield and other linguists devised for Native American languages, where students interacted intensively with native speakers and a linguist in guided conversations designed to decode its basic grammar and learn the vocabulary. This "informant method" had great success with its small class sizes and motivated learners.
The Army Specialized Training Program only lasted a few years, but it gained a lot of attention from the popular press and the academic community. Charles Fries set up the first English Language Institute at the University of Michigan, to train English as a second or foreign language teachers. Similar programs were created later at Georgetown University, University of Texas among others based on the methods and techniques used by the military. The developing method had much in common with the British oral approach although the two developed independently. The main difference was the developing audio-lingual methods allegiance to structural linguistics, focusing on grammar and contrastive analysis to find differences between the student's native language and the target language in order to prepare specific materials to address potential problems. These materials strongly emphasized drill as a way to avoid or eliminate these problems.
This first version of the method was originally called the oral method, the aural-oral method or the structural approach. The audio-lingual method truly began to take shape near the end of the 1950s, this time due government pressure resulting from the space race. Courses and techniques were redesigned to add insights from behaviorist psychology to the structural linguistics and constructive analysis already being used. Under this method, students listen to or view recordings of language models acting in situations. Students practice with a variety of drills, and the instructor emphasizes the use of the target language at all times. The idea is that by reinforcing 'correct' behaviors, students will make them into habits.
Due to weaknesses in performance, and more importantly because of Noam Chomsky's theoretical attack on language learning as a set of habits, audio-lingual methods are rarely the primary method of instruction today. However, elements of the method still survive in many textbooks.
The Army Specialized Training Program only lasted a few years, but it gained a lot of attention from the popular press and the academic community. Charles Fries set up the first English Language Institute at the University of Michigan, to train English as a second or foreign language teachers. Similar programs were created later at Georgetown University, University of Texas among others based on the methods and techniques used by the military. The developing method had much in common with the British oral approach although the two developed independently. The main difference was the developing audio-lingual methods allegiance to structural linguistics, focusing on grammar and contrastive analysis to find differences between the student's native language and the target language in order to prepare specific materials to address potential problems. These materials strongly emphasized drill as a way to avoid or eliminate these problems.
This first version of the method was originally called the oral method, the aural-oral method or the structural approach. The audio-lingual method truly began to take shape near the end of the 1950s, this time due government pressure resulting from the space race. Courses and techniques were redesigned to add insights from behaviorist psychology to the structural linguistics and constructive analysis already being used. Under this method, students listen to or view recordings of language models acting in situations. Students practice with a variety of drills, and the instructor emphasizes the use of the target language at all times. The idea is that by reinforcing 'correct' behaviors, students will make them into habits.
Due to weaknesses in performance, and more importantly because of Noam Chomsky's theoretical attack on language learning as a set of habits, audio-lingual methods are rarely the primary method of instruction today. However, elements of the method still survive in many textbooks.
The oral approach/Situational language teaching
This approach was developed from the 1930s to the 1960s by British applied linguists such as Harold Palmer and A.S. Hornsby. They were familiar with the Direct method as well as the work of 19th century applied linguists such as Otto Jesperson and Daniel Jones but attempted to develop a scientifically-founded approach to teaching English than was evidence by the Direct Method.
A number of large-scale investigations about language learning and the increased emphasis on reading skills in the 1920s led to the notion of "vocabulary control". It was discovered that languages have a core basic vocabulary of about 2,000 words that occurred frequently in written texts, and it was assumed that mastery of these would greatly aid reading comprehension. Parallel to this was the notion of "grammar control", emphasizing the sentence patterns most-commonly found in spoken conversation. Such patterns were incorporated into dictionaries and handbooks for students. The principle difference between the oral approach and the direct method was that methods devise under this approach would have theoretical principles guiding the selection of content, gradation of difficulty of exercises and the presentation of such material and exercises. The main proposed benefit was that such theoretically-based organization of content would result in a less-confusing sequence of learning events with better contextualization of the vocabulary and grammatical patterns presented. Last but not least, all language points were to be presented in "situations". Emphasis on this point led to the approach's second name. Such learning in situ would lead to students' acquiring good habits to be repeated in their corresponding situations. Teaching methods stress PPP (presentation (introduction of new material in context), practice (a controlled practice phase) and production (activities designed for less-controlled practice)).
Although this approach is all but unknown among language teachers today, elements of it have had long lasting effects on language teaching, being the basis of many widely-used English as a Second/Foreign Language textbooks as late as the 1980s and elements of it still appear in current texts. Many of the structural elements of this approach were called into question in the 1960s, causing modifications of this method that lead to Communicative language teaching. However, its emphasis on oral practice, grammar and sentence patterns still finds widespread support among language teachers and remains popular in countries where foreign language syllbuses are still heavily based on grammar.
A number of large-scale investigations about language learning and the increased emphasis on reading skills in the 1920s led to the notion of "vocabulary control". It was discovered that languages have a core basic vocabulary of about 2,000 words that occurred frequently in written texts, and it was assumed that mastery of these would greatly aid reading comprehension. Parallel to this was the notion of "grammar control", emphasizing the sentence patterns most-commonly found in spoken conversation. Such patterns were incorporated into dictionaries and handbooks for students. The principle difference between the oral approach and the direct method was that methods devise under this approach would have theoretical principles guiding the selection of content, gradation of difficulty of exercises and the presentation of such material and exercises. The main proposed benefit was that such theoretically-based organization of content would result in a less-confusing sequence of learning events with better contextualization of the vocabulary and grammatical patterns presented. Last but not least, all language points were to be presented in "situations". Emphasis on this point led to the approach's second name. Such learning in situ would lead to students' acquiring good habits to be repeated in their corresponding situations. Teaching methods stress PPP (presentation (introduction of new material in context), practice (a controlled practice phase) and production (activities designed for less-controlled practice)).
Although this approach is all but unknown among language teachers today, elements of it have had long lasting effects on language teaching, being the basis of many widely-used English as a Second/Foreign Language textbooks as late as the 1980s and elements of it still appear in current texts. Many of the structural elements of this approach were called into question in the 1960s, causing modifications of this method that lead to Communicative language teaching. However, its emphasis on oral practice, grammar and sentence patterns still finds widespread support among language teachers and remains popular in countries where foreign language syllbuses are still heavily based on grammar.
The series method
In the 19th century, Francois Gouin went to Hamburg to learn German. Based on his experience as a Latin teacher, he thought the best way to do this would be memorize a German grammar book and a table of its 248 irregular verbs. However, when he went to the academy to test his new language skills, he was disappointed to find out that he could not understand anything. Trying again, he similarly memorized the 800 root words of the language as well as re-memorizing the grammar and verb forms. However, the results were the same. During this time, he had isolated himself from people around him, so he tried to learn by listening, imitating and conversing with the Germans around him, but found that his carefully-constructed sentences often caused native German speakers to laugh. Again he tried a more classical approach, translation, and even memorizing the entire dictionary but had no better luck.
When he returned home, he found that his three-year-old nephew had learned to speak French. He noticed the boy was very curious and upon his first visit to a mill, he wanted to see everything and be told the name of everything. After digesting the experience silently, he then reenacted his experiences in play, talking about what he learned to whoever would listen or to himself. Gouin decided that language learning was a matter of transforming perceptions into conceptions, using language to represent what one experiences. Language is not an arbitrary set of conventions but a way of thinking and representing the world to oneself. It is not a conditioning process, but one in which the learner actively organizes his perceptions into linguistics concepts.
Variation of direct method
The series method is a variety of the direct method in that experiences are directly connected to the target language. Gouin felt that such direct "translation" of experience into words, makes for a "living language". Gouin also noticed that children organize concepts in succession of time, relating a sequence of concepts in the same order. Gouin's method is based on arranging concepts in series. Gouin suggested that students learn a language more quickly and retain it better if it is presented through a chronological sequence of events. Students learn sentences based on an action such as leaving a house in the order in which such would be performed. Gouin found that if the series of sentences are shuffled, their memorization becomes nearly impossible. For this, Gouin preceded psycholinguistic theory of the 20th century. He found that people will memorize events in a logical sequence, even if they are not presented in that order. He also discovered a second insight into memory called "incubation". Linguistic concepts take time to settle in the memory. The learner must use the new concepts frequently after presentation, either by thinking or by speaking, in order to master them. His last crucial observation was that language was learned in sentences with the verb as the most crucial component. Gouin would write a series in two columns: one with the complete sentences and the other with only the verb. With only the verb elements visible, he would have students recite the sequence of actions in full sentences of no more than twenty-five sentences. Another exercise involved having the teacher solicit a sequence of sentences by basically ask him/her what s/he would do next. While Gouin believed that language was rule-governed, he did not believe it should be explicitly taught.
His course was organized on elements of human society and the natural world. He estimated that a language could be learned with 800 to 900 hours of instruction over a series of 4000 exercises and no homework. The idea was that each of the exercises would force the student to think about the vocabulary in terms of its relationship with the natural world. While there is evidence that the method can work extremely well, it has some serious flaws. One of which is the teaching of subjective language, where the students must make judgements about what is experienced in the world (e.g. "bad" and "good") as such do not relate easily to one single common experience. However, the real weakness is that the method is entirely based on one experience of a three-year-old. Gouin did not observe the child's earlier language development such as naming (where only nouns are learned) or the role that stories have in human language development. What distinguishes the series method from the direct method is that vocabulary must be learned by translation from the native language, at least in the beginning.
When he returned home, he found that his three-year-old nephew had learned to speak French. He noticed the boy was very curious and upon his first visit to a mill, he wanted to see everything and be told the name of everything. After digesting the experience silently, he then reenacted his experiences in play, talking about what he learned to whoever would listen or to himself. Gouin decided that language learning was a matter of transforming perceptions into conceptions, using language to represent what one experiences. Language is not an arbitrary set of conventions but a way of thinking and representing the world to oneself. It is not a conditioning process, but one in which the learner actively organizes his perceptions into linguistics concepts.
Variation of direct method
The series method is a variety of the direct method in that experiences are directly connected to the target language. Gouin felt that such direct "translation" of experience into words, makes for a "living language". Gouin also noticed that children organize concepts in succession of time, relating a sequence of concepts in the same order. Gouin's method is based on arranging concepts in series. Gouin suggested that students learn a language more quickly and retain it better if it is presented through a chronological sequence of events. Students learn sentences based on an action such as leaving a house in the order in which such would be performed. Gouin found that if the series of sentences are shuffled, their memorization becomes nearly impossible. For this, Gouin preceded psycholinguistic theory of the 20th century. He found that people will memorize events in a logical sequence, even if they are not presented in that order. He also discovered a second insight into memory called "incubation". Linguistic concepts take time to settle in the memory. The learner must use the new concepts frequently after presentation, either by thinking or by speaking, in order to master them. His last crucial observation was that language was learned in sentences with the verb as the most crucial component. Gouin would write a series in two columns: one with the complete sentences and the other with only the verb. With only the verb elements visible, he would have students recite the sequence of actions in full sentences of no more than twenty-five sentences. Another exercise involved having the teacher solicit a sequence of sentences by basically ask him/her what s/he would do next. While Gouin believed that language was rule-governed, he did not believe it should be explicitly taught.
His course was organized on elements of human society and the natural world. He estimated that a language could be learned with 800 to 900 hours of instruction over a series of 4000 exercises and no homework. The idea was that each of the exercises would force the student to think about the vocabulary in terms of its relationship with the natural world. While there is evidence that the method can work extremely well, it has some serious flaws. One of which is the teaching of subjective language, where the students must make judgements about what is experienced in the world (e.g. "bad" and "good") as such do not relate easily to one single common experience. However, the real weakness is that the method is entirely based on one experience of a three-year-old. Gouin did not observe the child's earlier language development such as naming (where only nouns are learned) or the role that stories have in human language development. What distinguishes the series method from the direct method is that vocabulary must be learned by translation from the native language, at least in the beginning.
Warrant (Jani Lane) - I Saw Red
Ooh, it must be magicHow inside your eyes, I see my destinyAnd every time we kiss, I feel youBreathe your love so deep inside of meIf the moon and stars should fallThey'd be easy to replaceI would lift you up to heavenAnd you would take their place(Chorus): And I saw red when I opened up the doorI saw red, my heart just spilled onto the floorAnd I didn't need to see his face...Cause I saw yoursI saw red and then I closed the doorAnd I don't think I'm gonna love you anymoreAnd every day I wake upI thank God that you are still a part of meWe've opened up the door to itSo many people never find the keyAnd if the sun should ever fail to send its lightWe would burn a thousand candlesAnd make everything alrightChorusI've been hurt, I've been blindI'm not sure that I'll be fineI never thought it would end this wayCause I saw red when I opened up the doorI saw red, my heart just spilled onto the floorAnd I didn't need to see his faceOh, I saw yoursI saw red and then I closed the doorAnd I don't think I'm gonna love you anymore...Yeah... ooh, it must be magic...
viernes, 26 de septiembre de 2008
The direct method
The direct method, sometimes also called natural method, is a method that refrains from using the learners' native language and just uses the target language. It was established in Germany and France around 1900 and are best represented by the methods devised by Berlitz and de Sauzé although neither claim originality and has been re-invented under other names. The direct method operates on the idea that second language learning must be an imitation of first language learning, as this is the natural way humans learn any language - a child never relies on another language to learn its first language, and thus the mother tongue is not necessary to learn a foreign language. This method places great stress on correct pronunciation and the target language from outset. It advocates teaching of oral skills at the expense of every traditional aim of language teaching. Such methods rely on directly representing an experience into a linguistic construct rather than relying on abstractions like mimicry, translation and memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary.
According to this method, printed language and text must be kept away from second language learner for as long as possible, just as a first language learner does not use printed word until he has good grasp of speech. Learning of writing and spelling should be delayed until after the printed word has been introduced, and grammar and translation should also be avoided because this would involve the application of the learner's first language. All above items must be avoided because they hinder the acquisition of a good oral proficiency.
The method relies on a step-by-step progression based on question-and-answer sessions which begin with naming common objects such as doors, pencils, floors, etc. It provides a motivating start as the learner begins using a foreign language almost immediately. Lessons progress to verb forms and other grammatical structures with the goal of learning about thirty new words per lesson.
......................................................
The direct method, sometimes also called natural method, is a method for teaching foreign languages that refrains from using the learners' native language and just uses the target language. It was established in Germany and France around 1900. Characteristic features of the direct method are
.teaching vocabulary through pantomiming, realia and other visuals
.teaching grammar by using an inductive approach (i.e. having learners find out rules through the presentation of adequate linguistic forms in the target language)
.centrality of spoken language (including a native-like pronunciation)
.focus on question-answer patterns
.teacher-centeredness
Classroom instructions are conducted exclusively in the target language. Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught. (The language is made real.) Oral communication skills are built up in a carefully graded progression organized around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small, intensive classes. Grammar is taught inductively. New teaching points are introduced orally. Concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures; abstract vocabulary is taught by association of ideas. Both speech and listening comprehensions are taught. Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized.
The direct method was an answer to the dissatisfaction with the grammar translation method, which teaches students in grammar and vocabulary through direct translations and thus focusses on the written language.
There was an attempt to set up such conditions as would imitate the mother tongue acquisition. For this reason the beginnings of these attempts were marked as The Natural methods. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Sauveur and Franke wrote psychological rootes regarding the associations made between the word and its meaning. They proposed that in language teaching we should move within the target-language system and this was the first stimulus for the rise of The Direct method.
Later on, Sweet recognized the limits of The Direct method and he proposed a substantial change in methodology, and for this reason there was an introduction of the audio-lingual method.
According to this method, printed language and text must be kept away from second language learner for as long as possible, just as a first language learner does not use printed word until he has good grasp of speech. Learning of writing and spelling should be delayed until after the printed word has been introduced, and grammar and translation should also be avoided because this would involve the application of the learner's first language. All above items must be avoided because they hinder the acquisition of a good oral proficiency.
The method relies on a step-by-step progression based on question-and-answer sessions which begin with naming common objects such as doors, pencils, floors, etc. It provides a motivating start as the learner begins using a foreign language almost immediately. Lessons progress to verb forms and other grammatical structures with the goal of learning about thirty new words per lesson.
......................................................
The direct method, sometimes also called natural method, is a method for teaching foreign languages that refrains from using the learners' native language and just uses the target language. It was established in Germany and France around 1900. Characteristic features of the direct method are
.teaching vocabulary through pantomiming, realia and other visuals
.teaching grammar by using an inductive approach (i.e. having learners find out rules through the presentation of adequate linguistic forms in the target language)
.centrality of spoken language (including a native-like pronunciation)
.focus on question-answer patterns
.teacher-centeredness
Classroom instructions are conducted exclusively in the target language. Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught. (The language is made real.) Oral communication skills are built up in a carefully graded progression organized around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small, intensive classes. Grammar is taught inductively. New teaching points are introduced orally. Concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures; abstract vocabulary is taught by association of ideas. Both speech and listening comprehensions are taught. Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized.
The direct method was an answer to the dissatisfaction with the grammar translation method, which teaches students in grammar and vocabulary through direct translations and thus focusses on the written language.
There was an attempt to set up such conditions as would imitate the mother tongue acquisition. For this reason the beginnings of these attempts were marked as The Natural methods. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Sauveur and Franke wrote psychological rootes regarding the associations made between the word and its meaning. They proposed that in language teaching we should move within the target-language system and this was the first stimulus for the rise of The Direct method.
Later on, Sweet recognized the limits of The Direct method and he proposed a substantial change in methodology, and for this reason there was an introduction of the audio-lingual method.
Life of Brian - ROMANES EUNT DOMUS
CENTURION: What's this, then? 'Romanes Eunt Domus'? 'People called Romanes they go the house'?
BRIAN: It-- it says, 'Romans, go home'.
CENTURION: No, it doesn't. What's Latin for 'Roman'? Come on!
BRIAN: Aah!
CENTURION: Come on!
BRIAN: 'R-- Romanus'?
CENTURION: Goes like...?
BRIAN: 'Annus'?
CENTURION: Vocative plural of 'annus' is...?
BRIAN: Eh. 'Anni'?
CENTURION: 'Romani'. 'Eunt'? What is 'eunt'?
BRIAN: 'Go'. Let--
CENTURION: Conjugate the verb 'to go'.
BRIAN: Uh. 'Ire'. Uh, 'eo'. 'Is'. 'It'. 'Imus'. 'Itis'. 'Eunt'.
CENTURION: So 'eunt' is...?
BRIAN: Ah, huh, third person plural, uh, present indicative. Uh, 'they go'.
CENTURION: But 'Romans, go home' is an order, so you must use the...?
BRIAN: The... imperative!
CENTURION: Which is...?
BRIAN: Umm! Oh. Oh. Um, 'i'. 'I'!
CENTURION: How many Romans?
BRIAN: Ah! 'I'-- Plural. Plural. 'Ite'. 'Ite'.
CENTURION: 'Ite'.
BRIAN: Ah. Eh.
CENTURION: 'Domus'?
BRIAN: Eh.
CENTURION: Nominative?
BRIAN: Oh.
CENTURION: 'Go home'? This is motion towards. Isn't it, boy?
BRIAN: Ah. Ah, dative, sir! Ahh! No, not dative! Not the dative, sir! No! Ah! Oh, the... accusative! Accusative! Ah! 'Domum', sir! 'Ad domum'! Ah! Oooh! Ah!
CENTURION: Except that 'domus' takes the...?
BRIAN: The locative, sir!
CENTURION: Which is...?!
BRIAN: 'Domum'.
CENTURION: 'Domum'.
BRIAN: Aaah! Ah.
CENTURION: 'Um'. Understand?
BRIAN: Yes, sir.
CENTURION: Now, write it out a hundred times.
BRIAN: Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Hail Caesar, sir.
CENTURION: Hail Caesar. If it's not done by sunrise, I'll cut your balls off.
BRIAN: Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Hail Caesar and everything, sir! Oh. Mmm!Finished!
ROMAN SOLDIER STIG: Right. Now don't do it again.
[CENTURIONS chase BRIAN]
MAN: Hey! Bloody Romans.
The grammar translation method
The grammar translation method instructs students in grammar, and provides vocabulary with direct translations to memorize. It was the predominant method in Europe in the 19th century. Most instructors now acknowledge that this method is ineffective by itself. It is now most commonly used in the traditional instruction of the classical languages.
At school, the teaching of grammar consists of a process of training in the rules of a language which must make it possible to all the students to correctly express their opinion, to understand the remarks which are addressed to them and to analyze the texts which they read. The objective is that by the time they leave college, the pupil controls the tools of the language which are the vocabulary, grammar and the orthography, to be able to read, understand and write texts in various contexts. The teaching of grammar examines the texts, and develops awareness that language constitutes a system which can be analyzed. This knowledge is acquired gradually, by traversing the facts of language and the syntactic mechanisms, going from simplest to the most complex. The exercises according to the program of the course must untiringly be practised to allow the assimilation of the rules stated in the course. That supposes that the teacher corrects the exercises. The pupil can follow his progress in practicing the language by comparing his results. Thus can he adapt the grammatical rules and control little by little the internal logic of the syntactic system. The grammatical analysis of sentences constitutes the objective of the teaching of grammar at the school. Its practice makes it possible to recognize a text as a coherent whole and conditions the training of a foreign language. Grammatical terminology serves this objective. Grammar makes it possible for each one to understand how the mother tongue functions, in order to give him the capacity to communicate its thought.
..............................................................
In applied linguistics, the grammar translation method is a foreign language teaching method derived from the classical (sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin. The method requires students to translate whole texts word for word and memorize numerous grammatical rules and exceptions as well as enormous vocabulary lists. The goal of this method is to be able to read and translate literary masterpieces and classics.
Throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, the education system was formed primarily around a concept called faculty psychology. In brief, this theory dictated that the body and mind were separate and the mind consisted of three parts: the will, emotion, and intellect. It was believed that the intellect could be sharpened enough to eventually control the will and emotions. The way to do this was through learning classical literature of the Greeks and Romans, as well as mathematics. Additionally, an adult with such an education was considered mentally prepared for the world and its challenges. In the 19th century, modern languages and literatures begin to appear in schools. It was believed that teaching modern languages was not useful for the development of mental discipline and thus they were left out of the curriculum. As a result, textbooks were essentially copied for the modern language classroom. In America, the basic foundations of this method were used in most high school and college foreign language classrooms and were eventually replaced by the audiolingual method among others.
Classes were conducted in the native language. A chapter in a typical textbook of this method would begin with a massive bilingual vocabulary list. Grammar points would come directly from the texts and be presented contextually in the textbook, to be explained elaborately by the instructor. Grammar thus provided the rules for assembling words into sentences. Tedious translation and grammar drills would be used to exercise and strengthen the knowledge without much attention to content. Sentences would be deconstructed and translated. Eventually, entire texts would be translated from the target language into the native language and tests would often ask students to replicate classical texts in the target language. Very little attention was placed on pronunciation or any communicative aspects of the language. The skill exercised was reading, and then only in the context of translation.
The method by definition has a very limited scope of objectives. Because speaking or any kind of spontaneous creative output was missing from the curriculum, students would often fail at speaking or even letter writing in the target language. A noteworthy quote describing the effect of this method comes from Bahlsen, who was a student of Plötz, a major proponent of this method in the 19th century. In commenting about writing letters or speaking he said he would be overcome with "a veritable forest of paragraphs, and an impenetrable thicket of grammatical rules." Later, theorists such as Vietor, Passy, Berlitz, and Jespersen began to talk about what a new kind of foreign language instruction needed, shedding light on what the grammar translation was missing. They supported teaching the language, not about the language, and teaching in the target language, emphasizing speech as well as text. Through grammar translation, students lacked an active role in the classroom, often correcting their own work and strictly following the textbook.
The grammar translation method stayed in schools until the 1960s, when a complete foreign language pedagogy evaluation was taking place. In the meantime, teachers experimented with approaches like the direct method in post-war and Depression era classrooms, but without much structure to follow. The trusty grammar translation method set the pace for many classrooms for many decades.
At school, the teaching of grammar consists of a process of training in the rules of a language which must make it possible to all the students to correctly express their opinion, to understand the remarks which are addressed to them and to analyze the texts which they read. The objective is that by the time they leave college, the pupil controls the tools of the language which are the vocabulary, grammar and the orthography, to be able to read, understand and write texts in various contexts. The teaching of grammar examines the texts, and develops awareness that language constitutes a system which can be analyzed. This knowledge is acquired gradually, by traversing the facts of language and the syntactic mechanisms, going from simplest to the most complex. The exercises according to the program of the course must untiringly be practised to allow the assimilation of the rules stated in the course. That supposes that the teacher corrects the exercises. The pupil can follow his progress in practicing the language by comparing his results. Thus can he adapt the grammatical rules and control little by little the internal logic of the syntactic system. The grammatical analysis of sentences constitutes the objective of the teaching of grammar at the school. Its practice makes it possible to recognize a text as a coherent whole and conditions the training of a foreign language. Grammatical terminology serves this objective. Grammar makes it possible for each one to understand how the mother tongue functions, in order to give him the capacity to communicate its thought.
..............................................................
In applied linguistics, the grammar translation method is a foreign language teaching method derived from the classical (sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin. The method requires students to translate whole texts word for word and memorize numerous grammatical rules and exceptions as well as enormous vocabulary lists. The goal of this method is to be able to read and translate literary masterpieces and classics.
Throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, the education system was formed primarily around a concept called faculty psychology. In brief, this theory dictated that the body and mind were separate and the mind consisted of three parts: the will, emotion, and intellect. It was believed that the intellect could be sharpened enough to eventually control the will and emotions. The way to do this was through learning classical literature of the Greeks and Romans, as well as mathematics. Additionally, an adult with such an education was considered mentally prepared for the world and its challenges. In the 19th century, modern languages and literatures begin to appear in schools. It was believed that teaching modern languages was not useful for the development of mental discipline and thus they were left out of the curriculum. As a result, textbooks were essentially copied for the modern language classroom. In America, the basic foundations of this method were used in most high school and college foreign language classrooms and were eventually replaced by the audiolingual method among others.
Classes were conducted in the native language. A chapter in a typical textbook of this method would begin with a massive bilingual vocabulary list. Grammar points would come directly from the texts and be presented contextually in the textbook, to be explained elaborately by the instructor. Grammar thus provided the rules for assembling words into sentences. Tedious translation and grammar drills would be used to exercise and strengthen the knowledge without much attention to content. Sentences would be deconstructed and translated. Eventually, entire texts would be translated from the target language into the native language and tests would often ask students to replicate classical texts in the target language. Very little attention was placed on pronunciation or any communicative aspects of the language. The skill exercised was reading, and then only in the context of translation.
The method by definition has a very limited scope of objectives. Because speaking or any kind of spontaneous creative output was missing from the curriculum, students would often fail at speaking or even letter writing in the target language. A noteworthy quote describing the effect of this method comes from Bahlsen, who was a student of Plötz, a major proponent of this method in the 19th century. In commenting about writing letters or speaking he said he would be overcome with "a veritable forest of paragraphs, and an impenetrable thicket of grammatical rules." Later, theorists such as Vietor, Passy, Berlitz, and Jespersen began to talk about what a new kind of foreign language instruction needed, shedding light on what the grammar translation was missing. They supported teaching the language, not about the language, and teaching in the target language, emphasizing speech as well as text. Through grammar translation, students lacked an active role in the classroom, often correcting their own work and strictly following the textbook.
The grammar translation method stayed in schools until the 1960s, when a complete foreign language pedagogy evaluation was taking place. In the meantime, teachers experimented with approaches like the direct method in post-war and Depression era classrooms, but without much structure to follow. The trusty grammar translation method set the pace for many classrooms for many decades.
Seven Rules - A.J. Hoge (Effortless English)
Always Study and Review Phrases, Not Individual Words
you must change the way you study English. Your first action is to stop studying English words. What? Stop studying English words. That's right, do not memorize words. Native speakers do not learn English by remembering single words. Native speakers learn phrases. Phrases are GROUPS of words that naturally go together.
Research by Dr. James Asher proves that learning with phrases is 4-5 times faster than studying individual words. Also, students who learn phrases have much better grammar.
Never study a single, individual word.
When you find a new word, always write down The Phrase it is in. When you review, always review all of the phrase,.. not the word. Collect phrases. Your speaking and grammar will improve 4-5 times faster. Never again study a single word. Never write a single word in your notebook, always write the complete phrase. Learn Phrases Only.
tiene sentido. el contexto suele ser lo que le da el significado a la palabra (por algo en el diccionario se suelen incluir ejemplos de uso)
Don't Study Grammar
Stop studying grammar. Right now. Stop. Put away your grammar books and textbooks. Grammar rules teach you to think about English, you want to speak automatically-- without thinking!
creo que la mayor parte del tiempo nos complicamos sin necesidad. la gramatica esta bien para ciertas cosas. los tecnicismos tienen su uso y su lugar. la gramatica es necesaria, lo innecesario es complicarnos la vida con ella. en teoria aprender gramatica (estructura del idioma -reglas) nos debiera garantizar un rapido dominio del idioma. creo que depende para que usos especificos queremos aprender otro idioma. por dar un ejemplo claro de la "relatividad practica de la gramatica" (:P) podriamos observar la forma en que usamos nuestro idioma natal sin necesidad de ser doctos en temas de gramatica. al dia de hoy no recuerdo los extraños tecnicismos para usos sencillos de nuestra lengua. admito que estos tecnicismos son necesarios en ciertos campos y especializaciones, mas implicito esta que son "casos especiales" y no la norma. el comun de los hispanoparlantes no maneja un alto dominio en estos temas, y en realidad no necesita tenerlo tampoco.
The Most Important Rule: Listen First
You must listen to UNDERSTANDABLE English. You must listen to English EVERYDAY. Don't read textbooks. Listen to English. Its simple. That is the key to your English success. Stop reading textbooks. Start listening everyday. Learn With Your Ears, Not Your Eyes. In most schools, you learn English with your eyes. You read textbooks. You study grammar rules. Spend most of your study time listening- that is the key to great speaking.
escuchar, escuchar, escuchar. acostumbrar el oido.
Slow, Deep Learning Is Best
The secret to speaking easily is to learn every word & phrase DEEPLY. Its not enough to know a definition. Its not enough to remember for a test. You must put the word deep into your brain.To speak English easily, you must repeat each lesson many times. How do you learn deeply? Easy- just repeat all lessons or listening many times. For example, if you have an audio book, listen to the first chapter 30 times before you go to the second chapter. You could listen to the first chapter 3 times each day, for 10 days.
tal vez esto vaya un tanto en contra de los "supermetodos" rapidos de aprendizaje de idiomas. no es que no se pueda aprender rapido. esto me recuerda a aquello que dice: "apresurate lentamente". se cuidadoso con los metodos que te prometen el dominio en corto tiempo. la mayoria de estos metodos son basura. es buscar obtener "algo por nada" y resultar obteniendo "nada por algo".
Use Point Of View Mini-Stories
"How can I learn English grammar if I don'tstudy English grammar rules?"
You must learn grammar by listening to real English. The best way is to listen to the same story... told in different times (points of view): Past, Perfect, Present, Future. How do you do this? Easy! Find a story or article in the present tense. Then ask your native speaker tutor to write it again in the Past, with Perfect tenses, and in the Future. Finally, ask him to read and record these stories for you. Then you can listen to stories with many different kinds of grammar. You don't need to know the grammar rules. Just listen to the Point of View stories and you will improve grammar automatically! You can also find Point of View lessons and use them to learn grammar automatically.
tan sencillo y logico que hasta pereza me da comentarlo.
Use Only Real English Lessons & Materials
Something is wrong with the schools you went to, and the textbooks you used. English textbooks and audio tapes are horrible. You never learned REAL English. You learned TEXTBOOK English. To learn real English, you must listen to English that native speakers listen to. You must watch what they watch. You must read what they read. How do you learn Real English? It's easy. Stop using textbooks. Instead, listen only to real English movies, TV shows, audio books, audio articles, stories, and talk radio shows. Use real English materials.
el unico problema que veo aqui es el no encontrar textos acordes a nuestro nivel. otro es el de encontrarnos de frente con jerga al mejor estilo de la musica rap... a pesar de los peros, estoy de acuerdo con aquello de diferenciar el idioma de la vida real al idioma de los libros de enseñanza del idioma. al final tendremos que enfrentarnos a la vida real, asi que es mejor ir preparandonos :P.
Listen and Answer, not Listen and Repeat
Most English CDs use "listen and repeat". The speaker says something in English, and you repeat exactly what they said. This method is a failure. "listen and repeat" is not enough-- when you repeat, you only copy the speaker. But when you hear a question and you ANSWER it-- you must think in English.
esto me recuerda un tanto al metodo pimsleur. supongo que recordamos mejor lo que "creamos".
you must change the way you study English. Your first action is to stop studying English words. What? Stop studying English words. That's right, do not memorize words. Native speakers do not learn English by remembering single words. Native speakers learn phrases. Phrases are GROUPS of words that naturally go together.
Research by Dr. James Asher proves that learning with phrases is 4-5 times faster than studying individual words. Also, students who learn phrases have much better grammar.
Never study a single, individual word.
When you find a new word, always write down The Phrase it is in. When you review, always review all of the phrase,.. not the word. Collect phrases. Your speaking and grammar will improve 4-5 times faster. Never again study a single word. Never write a single word in your notebook, always write the complete phrase. Learn Phrases Only.
tiene sentido. el contexto suele ser lo que le da el significado a la palabra (por algo en el diccionario se suelen incluir ejemplos de uso)
Don't Study Grammar
Stop studying grammar. Right now. Stop. Put away your grammar books and textbooks. Grammar rules teach you to think about English, you want to speak automatically-- without thinking!
creo que la mayor parte del tiempo nos complicamos sin necesidad. la gramatica esta bien para ciertas cosas. los tecnicismos tienen su uso y su lugar. la gramatica es necesaria, lo innecesario es complicarnos la vida con ella. en teoria aprender gramatica (estructura del idioma -reglas) nos debiera garantizar un rapido dominio del idioma. creo que depende para que usos especificos queremos aprender otro idioma. por dar un ejemplo claro de la "relatividad practica de la gramatica" (:P) podriamos observar la forma en que usamos nuestro idioma natal sin necesidad de ser doctos en temas de gramatica. al dia de hoy no recuerdo los extraños tecnicismos para usos sencillos de nuestra lengua. admito que estos tecnicismos son necesarios en ciertos campos y especializaciones, mas implicito esta que son "casos especiales" y no la norma. el comun de los hispanoparlantes no maneja un alto dominio en estos temas, y en realidad no necesita tenerlo tampoco.
The Most Important Rule: Listen First
You must listen to UNDERSTANDABLE English. You must listen to English EVERYDAY. Don't read textbooks. Listen to English. Its simple. That is the key to your English success. Stop reading textbooks. Start listening everyday. Learn With Your Ears, Not Your Eyes. In most schools, you learn English with your eyes. You read textbooks. You study grammar rules. Spend most of your study time listening- that is the key to great speaking.
escuchar, escuchar, escuchar. acostumbrar el oido.
Slow, Deep Learning Is Best
The secret to speaking easily is to learn every word & phrase DEEPLY. Its not enough to know a definition. Its not enough to remember for a test. You must put the word deep into your brain.To speak English easily, you must repeat each lesson many times. How do you learn deeply? Easy- just repeat all lessons or listening many times. For example, if you have an audio book, listen to the first chapter 30 times before you go to the second chapter. You could listen to the first chapter 3 times each day, for 10 days.
tal vez esto vaya un tanto en contra de los "supermetodos" rapidos de aprendizaje de idiomas. no es que no se pueda aprender rapido. esto me recuerda a aquello que dice: "apresurate lentamente". se cuidadoso con los metodos que te prometen el dominio en corto tiempo. la mayoria de estos metodos son basura. es buscar obtener "algo por nada" y resultar obteniendo "nada por algo".
Use Point Of View Mini-Stories
"How can I learn English grammar if I don'tstudy English grammar rules?"
You must learn grammar by listening to real English. The best way is to listen to the same story... told in different times (points of view): Past, Perfect, Present, Future. How do you do this? Easy! Find a story or article in the present tense. Then ask your native speaker tutor to write it again in the Past, with Perfect tenses, and in the Future. Finally, ask him to read and record these stories for you. Then you can listen to stories with many different kinds of grammar. You don't need to know the grammar rules. Just listen to the Point of View stories and you will improve grammar automatically! You can also find Point of View lessons and use them to learn grammar automatically.
tan sencillo y logico que hasta pereza me da comentarlo.
Use Only Real English Lessons & Materials
Something is wrong with the schools you went to, and the textbooks you used. English textbooks and audio tapes are horrible. You never learned REAL English. You learned TEXTBOOK English. To learn real English, you must listen to English that native speakers listen to. You must watch what they watch. You must read what they read. How do you learn Real English? It's easy. Stop using textbooks. Instead, listen only to real English movies, TV shows, audio books, audio articles, stories, and talk radio shows. Use real English materials.
el unico problema que veo aqui es el no encontrar textos acordes a nuestro nivel. otro es el de encontrarnos de frente con jerga al mejor estilo de la musica rap... a pesar de los peros, estoy de acuerdo con aquello de diferenciar el idioma de la vida real al idioma de los libros de enseñanza del idioma. al final tendremos que enfrentarnos a la vida real, asi que es mejor ir preparandonos :P.
Listen and Answer, not Listen and Repeat
Most English CDs use "listen and repeat". The speaker says something in English, and you repeat exactly what they said. This method is a failure. "listen and repeat" is not enough-- when you repeat, you only copy the speaker. But when you hear a question and you ANSWER it-- you must think in English.
esto me recuerda un tanto al metodo pimsleur. supongo que recordamos mejor lo que "creamos".
jueves, 25 de septiembre de 2008
lunes, 22 de septiembre de 2008
Spaced repetition
When you have memorised something, you need to review that material, otherwise you will forget it. However, as you probably know from experience, it is much more effective to space out these revisions over the course over several days, rather than cramming all the revisions in a single session. This is what is called the spacing effect.
During the past 120 years, there has been considerable research into these aspects of human memory (by e.g. Ebbinghaus, Mace, Leitner and Wozniak). Based on the work of these people, it was shown that in order to get the best results, the intervals between revisions of the same information should gradually increase. This allows you to focus on things you still haven't mastered, while not wasting time on information you remember very well.
It is clear that a computer program can be very valuable in assisting you in this process, by keeping track of how difficult you find an card and by doing the scheduling of the revisions.
During the past 120 years, there has been considerable research into these aspects of human memory (by e.g. Ebbinghaus, Mace, Leitner and Wozniak). Based on the work of these people, it was shown that in order to get the best results, the intervals between revisions of the same information should gradually increase. This allows you to focus on things you still haven't mastered, while not wasting time on information you remember very well.
It is clear that a computer program can be very valuable in assisting you in this process, by keeping track of how difficult you find an card and by doing the scheduling of the revisions.
methods of teaching foreign languages
The grammar translation method
The direct method
The series method
The oral approach/Situational language teaching
The audio-lingual method
Communicative language teaching
Language immersion
Minimalist/methodist
Directed practice
Learning by teaching (LdL)
Proprioceptive language learning method
Silent Way
The direct method
The series method
The oral approach/Situational language teaching
The audio-lingual method
Communicative language teaching
Language immersion
Minimalist/methodist
Directed practice
Learning by teaching (LdL)
Proprioceptive language learning method
Silent Way
metodo callan
Método Callan en 5 puntos
95% de conversación
La mayoría de la clase es la conversación entre el profesor y los estudiantes. Por eso aprender es con el Método es rápido, interesante y entretenido.
Pregunta respuesta
El formato de la lección pregunta-respuesta te asegura involucrarte activamente en el uso del idioma al máximo.
Rapidez
El Método Callan consiga que el alumno hable, se concentre y no traduzca o piense en su propia lengua debido a que el profesor habla a una velocidad superior a la de una conversación normal.
Correción
Con el Método el estudiante está obligado a escuchar y también a hablar, porque le están haciendo preguntas todo el tiempo, le corrigen y no dejan de continuar si no pronuncia una frase correctamente.
Todo aspecto de la lengua
El conocimiento de una regla de gramática es menos importante que su aplicación. Este conocimiento se aprende por repetición de frases gramaticalmente correctas. Hay que recordar que se aprende su propio idioma sin saber gramática.
Debido a la naturaleza única del método hablarás en inglés durante toda la lección. Esto es muy importante, ya que la única manera de aprender a hablar un idioma es hablándolo. Por eso casí no hace falta estudiar en casa o por su cuenta.
otro metodo rapido pero no tan milagroso como los de los infomerciales (televentas y demas :P)
tal vez me quede con el lojban
esperanto, ido o interlingua?
que tan real es el valor propedeutico de estas lenguas auxiliares?
en realidad pueden acelerar la adquisicion de otro lenguaje?
solo funcionara con lenguas occidentales?
que tan real es el valor propedeutico de estas lenguas auxiliares?
en realidad pueden acelerar la adquisicion de otro lenguaje?
solo funcionara con lenguas occidentales?
false friends and false cognates
False friends are pairs of words in two languages or dialects (or letters in two alphabets) that look and/or sound similar, but differ in meaning.
False cognates, by contrast, are similar words in different languages that appear to have a common historical linguistic origin (regardless of meaning) but actually do not.
False cognates, by contrast, are similar words in different languages that appear to have a common historical linguistic origin (regardless of meaning) but actually do not.
rote learning
Rote learning is a learning technique which avoids understanding of a subject and instead focuses on memorization. The major practice involved in rote learning is learning by repetition. The idea is that one will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the more one repeats it.
Rote learning is widely used in the mastery of foundational knowledge. Examples include, phonics in reading, the periodic table in chemistry, multiplication tables in mathematics, anatomy in medicine, cases or statutes in law, basic formulas in any science, etc. Rote learning, by definition, eschews comprehension, however, and consequently, it is an ineffective tool in mastering any complex subject at an advanced level. However, rote learning is still useful in passing exams. If exam papers are not well designed, it is possible for someone with good memorization techniques to pass the test without any meaningful comprehension of the subject. However, learning the context of a particular topic can make the subject more memorable.
Rote learning is sometimes disparaged with the derogative terms parrot fashion, regurgitation, cramming, or mugging because one who engages in rote learning may give the wrong impression of having understood what they have written or said. It is strongly discouraged by many new curriculum standards. For example, science and mathematics standards in the United States specifically emphasize the importance of deep understanding (deep structure) over the mere recall of facts, which is seen to be less important, although advocates of traditional education have criticized the new standards as slighting learning basic facts and elementary arithmetic, and replacing content with process-based skills.
"When calculators can do multidigit long division in a microsecond, graph complicated functions at the push of a button, and instantaneously calculate derivatives and integrals, serious questions arise about what is important in the mathematics curriculum and what it means to learn mathematics. More than ever, mathematics must include the mastery of concepts instead of mere memorization and the following of procedures. More than ever, school mathematics must include an understanding of how to use technology to arrive meaningfully at solutions to problems instead of endless attention to increasingly outdated computational tedium." -National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Commonsense Facts to Clear the Air
A December 2006 study of Tennessee State achievement analyzed scores in math, science, reading and social studies of about 4000 middle school students over three years. Students were divided on the basis of whether or not they had hands-on trained teachers. This study found increased scores in science, social studies and math for students who had a hands-on science trained teacher for at least one year.
Eugène Ionesco commented upon rote learning in his play "The Lesson":
Professor: [...] unless you can comprehend the primary elements, how do you expect to be able to calculate mentally [...] how much, for example, are three billion seven hundred fifty-five million nine hundred ninety-eight thousand two hundred fifty one, multiplied by five billion one hundred sixty-two million three hundred and three thousand five hundred and eight? Pupil [very quickly]: That makes nineteen quintillion three hundred eighty-nine quadrillion six hundred and two trillion nine hundred forty-seven billion one hundred seventy-nine million one hundred sixty-four thousand five hundred and eight ... [...] Professor [Stupefied]: But how did you know that, if you don't know the principles of aritmetical reasoning? Pupil: It's easy. Not being able to rely on my reasoning, I've memorized all the products of all possible multiplications.
However, with some material rote learning is the only way to learn it in a timely manner; for example, when learning the Greek alphabet or the vocabulary of a foreign language. Similarly, when learning the conjugation of foreign irregular verbs, the morphology is often too subtle to be learned explicitly in a short time. However, as in the alphabet example, learning where the alphabet came from helps one to grasp the concept of it and therefore memorize it. (Native speakers and speakers with a lot of experience usually get an intuitive grasp of those subtle rules and are able to conjugate even irregular verbs that they have never heard before.)
The source transmission could be auditory or visual, and is usually in the form of short bits such as rhyming phrases (but rhyming is not a prerequisite), rather than chunks of text large enough to make lengthy paragraphs. Brevity is not always the case with rote learning. For example, many Americans can recite their National Anthem, or even the much more lengthy Preamble to the United States Constitution. Their ability to do so can be attributed, at least in some part, to having been assimilated by rote learning. The repeated stimulus of hearing it recited in public, on TV, at a sporting event, etc. has caused the mere sound of the phrasing of the words and inflections to be "written", as if hammer-to-stone, into the long-term memory. Memorization is not learning. Rote learning is considered bad for children, because it can create bad studying habits at an early age.
Rather than viewing rote memorization as something opposed to understanding, it can be viewed in a complementary role. As the left hand is to the right so is the memory to the understanding and reason. Memorized facts serve as the grist in the mill of the understanding which can be recalled and processed or combined for new unique conclusions when needed. Any theory of learning that tries to oppose these two faculties to one another will suffer a great handicap.
Rote learning is widely used in the mastery of foundational knowledge. Examples include, phonics in reading, the periodic table in chemistry, multiplication tables in mathematics, anatomy in medicine, cases or statutes in law, basic formulas in any science, etc. Rote learning, by definition, eschews comprehension, however, and consequently, it is an ineffective tool in mastering any complex subject at an advanced level. However, rote learning is still useful in passing exams. If exam papers are not well designed, it is possible for someone with good memorization techniques to pass the test without any meaningful comprehension of the subject. However, learning the context of a particular topic can make the subject more memorable.
Rote learning is sometimes disparaged with the derogative terms parrot fashion, regurgitation, cramming, or mugging because one who engages in rote learning may give the wrong impression of having understood what they have written or said. It is strongly discouraged by many new curriculum standards. For example, science and mathematics standards in the United States specifically emphasize the importance of deep understanding (deep structure) over the mere recall of facts, which is seen to be less important, although advocates of traditional education have criticized the new standards as slighting learning basic facts and elementary arithmetic, and replacing content with process-based skills.
"When calculators can do multidigit long division in a microsecond, graph complicated functions at the push of a button, and instantaneously calculate derivatives and integrals, serious questions arise about what is important in the mathematics curriculum and what it means to learn mathematics. More than ever, mathematics must include the mastery of concepts instead of mere memorization and the following of procedures. More than ever, school mathematics must include an understanding of how to use technology to arrive meaningfully at solutions to problems instead of endless attention to increasingly outdated computational tedium." -National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Commonsense Facts to Clear the Air
A December 2006 study of Tennessee State achievement analyzed scores in math, science, reading and social studies of about 4000 middle school students over three years. Students were divided on the basis of whether or not they had hands-on trained teachers. This study found increased scores in science, social studies and math for students who had a hands-on science trained teacher for at least one year.
Eugène Ionesco commented upon rote learning in his play "The Lesson":
Professor: [...] unless you can comprehend the primary elements, how do you expect to be able to calculate mentally [...] how much, for example, are three billion seven hundred fifty-five million nine hundred ninety-eight thousand two hundred fifty one, multiplied by five billion one hundred sixty-two million three hundred and three thousand five hundred and eight? Pupil [very quickly]: That makes nineteen quintillion three hundred eighty-nine quadrillion six hundred and two trillion nine hundred forty-seven billion one hundred seventy-nine million one hundred sixty-four thousand five hundred and eight ... [...] Professor [Stupefied]: But how did you know that, if you don't know the principles of aritmetical reasoning? Pupil: It's easy. Not being able to rely on my reasoning, I've memorized all the products of all possible multiplications.
However, with some material rote learning is the only way to learn it in a timely manner; for example, when learning the Greek alphabet or the vocabulary of a foreign language. Similarly, when learning the conjugation of foreign irregular verbs, the morphology is often too subtle to be learned explicitly in a short time. However, as in the alphabet example, learning where the alphabet came from helps one to grasp the concept of it and therefore memorize it. (Native speakers and speakers with a lot of experience usually get an intuitive grasp of those subtle rules and are able to conjugate even irregular verbs that they have never heard before.)
The source transmission could be auditory or visual, and is usually in the form of short bits such as rhyming phrases (but rhyming is not a prerequisite), rather than chunks of text large enough to make lengthy paragraphs. Brevity is not always the case with rote learning. For example, many Americans can recite their National Anthem, or even the much more lengthy Preamble to the United States Constitution. Their ability to do so can be attributed, at least in some part, to having been assimilated by rote learning. The repeated stimulus of hearing it recited in public, on TV, at a sporting event, etc. has caused the mere sound of the phrasing of the words and inflections to be "written", as if hammer-to-stone, into the long-term memory. Memorization is not learning. Rote learning is considered bad for children, because it can create bad studying habits at an early age.
Rather than viewing rote memorization as something opposed to understanding, it can be viewed in a complementary role. As the left hand is to the right so is the memory to the understanding and reason. Memorized facts serve as the grist in the mill of the understanding which can be recalled and processed or combined for new unique conclusions when needed. Any theory of learning that tries to oppose these two faculties to one another will suffer a great handicap.
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