Learning how the brain works - a new perspective as a teacher

In accordance with James E. Zull, in his book The Art of changing the brain, learning originates in concrete experience, which leads us to the term “experimental learning”. But it is just the beginning, because learning also requires reflection, the development of abstractions and active testing of those abstractions.

According to the author, the learning cycle is divided into four steps: a) concrete experience: one receives direct physical information from the world (vision, hearing, touch, position, smell, taste); b) reflective observation: remembering relevant information, daydreaming and free association, analyzing experiences (it integrates sensory information to create images and meaning); c) abstract hypothesis: generation of abstractions, which requires manipulation of images and language to create new mental arrangements, developing plans for future action, comparing and choosing options, creating symbolic representations and using short-term memory (problem solving and making judgments, organizing actions) and d) active testing: it´s necessary for the learning cycle to be completed. It´s the conversion of ideas into physical action. It includes intellectual activities such as writing, creating relationships, doing experiments and talking in a conversation (Zull).

In our brains, we have the front cortex and the back cortex. So, concrete experiences happen in the sensory cortex (back), reflection involves the back integrative cortex, abstraction, the frontal integrative cortex and active testing, the motor cortex (frontal).

The author states that the four stages of the learning cycle are important. To have the four of them completed is our goal as teachers. I personally identified with the part in which he asks, "Can we teach without anyone learning?". And then he says that we might have had the experience of having tried our best teaching someone, and at the end, we discovered that it didn´t work. Or did it? Just because the learner didn´t get it the way we expected him/her to get it, does it mean that it didn´t work at all? Did he/she learn nothing? We can say that the person learned something, because anything can produce learning. 

I´ve been having this experience this semester, with a student who has a severe grade of learning disability, she has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and APD (Auditory Processing Disorder), all at the same time. She´s a listener student, which means that she can´t be assessed the same way the other students are, even her test is different from the others. What I´ve noticed is that, when I´m able to produce an atmosphere that is conducive to learning, she is able to produce something. Then she answers my questions correctly and participates. She may not respond on the same speed the others do, but she responds in her own way and time. So the student is always able to learn something. As teachers, we should always try to optimize the learning cycle, designing activities that stimulate the senses, reflection, abstraction and action.

Another part of the brain plays a very important role in learning and it´s called the amygdala. According to the author, it makes us recognize a dangerous situation and feel negative emotions, as anxiety and fear. When survival, some kind of reward and pleasure are threatened, the amygdala gets activated (Zull). But how does it relate to the classroom? As a teacher, I must be aware that my learners will be automatically monitoring a given situation in the classroom through their amygdalas, and it´s up to me creating a negative or a positive environment for them. I want my students to learn, but I have to say that not always I´m able to provide an adequate atmosphere to them. Even when I think of activities to do in the classroom, with the best of the intentions, sometimes they don´t turn out the way I wanted them to, and maybe the learning process isn´t completed. I try to, but it´s difficult. But now that I´m aware that this atmosphere has to be created, I try to plan my lesson in a way that they feel more open to learning. I have to teach them in a way they don´t realize that they´re actually learning! This way, things get a little lighter.

According to the author, the front cortex is responsible for solving problems, creating ideas, and transforming those ideas into the symbolic form called language. It is also responsible for what he calls “working memory (short-tem memory)”, that happens when we have to remember a few things for a short period of time, in order to develop ideas or solving problems. He also explains that it is different from “long tem-memory” (Zull). But how can the brain attain information? We have to receive information and immediately create an association with other things, so we can remember that information later on. The brain needs to create a story, because it gets easier to make connections and then, remember something important. The brain likes stories.

As teachers, it´s important that we don´t overload working memory. Teachers have a large number of facts that have been already processed in their brains, but students are only starting in this field; they´re still getting only isolated facts. If we want them to process what we are trying to teach them, we have to limit the number of information they get. We have to "break" the information in to smaller parts. The author says that the conscious rearranging and manipulation of items in working memory is very close to what we call thinking and that´s why the front cortex is usually called the brain´s executive part (Zull).

It is important that the teacher focuses separately on the attending part and the task management part of working memory: attending is just separating the relevant from the irrelevant. Task management is more personal, it depends on the student´s past experiences on his existing neuronal network. That´s why sometimes we have to stand back and give the learner freedom. And that´s the moment when our explanations are often ineffective, because who is learning has to try their own ideas (Zull).

In conclusion, now that I´ve had the opportunity to understand better how the brain works when it comes to learning, my lesson plans have changed for the best. Since the brain attains information through concrete experiences, I try to include activities that provide that to the students, so they can remember that in the future and then make their own connections. Now I know that I have to “fire and wire” my students’ brains, which means that I have to create “sparkles” and make neuronal connections happen inside their heads. 

Source: James E. Zull – The Art of Changing the Brain.

Pronunciation challenges

When it comes to teaching a second language, there are some key factors that must be considered by the teacher. They influence the pronunciation achievement and the processes by which learners master a number of aspects of L2. We are talking about age, personality, sociocultural factors, aptitude, exposure, role of the L1 and attitude/motivation, according to Pamela Rogerson-Revell, author of the book English Phonology and Pronunciation Teaching.

The author says that, according to scientific studies, adults are as capable as children when it comes to the acquisition of a new language. Even though, they usually claim that it´s difficult to learn a second language. The author defends that maybe it´s due to social and linguistic factors and interference of L1, as well as neurological factors. Personality is another factor to be considered, but its level of importance is still unclear. It is more likely that a motivated student will learn more quickly than an unmotivated one. How introverted and extroverted the student is also counts when it comes to learning, in accordance with the author.

Sociocultural factors also play an important role in a L2 student. The accent is a very clear form of showing who we are and where we come from. Therefore, the fact that the student has a strong desire to preserve his/her own cultural identity may reduce his/her motivation to lose the foreign accent, says the author. About the aptitude of the student, the author states that it "hasn´t been proved either, although some teachers refer intuitively to the notion of a ‘good ear’. What may exist is a good phonological short term memory". The exposure to the new language, on the other hand, is a critical factor in pronunciation acquisition. "Conversations with a native speaker, a variety of multimedia channels such as TV, radio, DVD or online chat are crucial for the student’s development and proficiency", points the author. Suter (1976) suggested that the role of L1 would be the most important factor of influence over pronunciation achievement. It’s easy for an L1 English speaker to recognize Spanish or Russian accented English, for example. But it’s also known that teachers are the most important tool that will help neutralize this factor. If the teacher provides the student with the correct models and examples of pronunciation, the students will be able to have an intelligible accent and to communicate well.

In conclusion, the most influential key factor is the student´s attitude and motivation, in my opinion. Of course that all the factors represent an interference in the learning process at some point. They can´t be set aside, but if the student really wants to learn, he/she will make all the effort to achieve his/her goal, which is to communicate in English, regardless all these factors.

Source:  English Phonology and Pronunciation Teaching, Pamela Roger-Revell, Continuum, 2011.

I´m sorry, you said that the ship is "thinking"?

Teaching another language is a challenge. As teachers, we have to deal with the students´ insecurities and difficulties with the new language. The fact that there are some phonemes in English that don’t exist in Portuguese causes a lot of trouble. In my opinion, the [θ] sound is the most difficult one for Brazilian students, as in "think"/"sink", "thank"/"sank" or "three"/"tree". I think that the [ð] is also difficult, because the students usually say "doze" instead of "those" and "dough" instead of "though". The /t/ and /tſ/ are also very confusing for Brazilian students, because they mix "two"/"chew", "tip"/"chip" and "tease"/"cheese", for example.

As a teacher, I always try to correct my students´ pronunciation by saying the words more slowly or exaggerating the sounds. I say "guys, it´s 'THere', not 'dare'. I also try to show them where the sound is produced, the place of articulation. Of course that I don´t tell them the formal names, so I don´t scare them, but I say, for example, "put your tongues between your teeth and say 'thank you'”, or “put your hand on your throat” as in 'how' or 'home', to feel if it vibrates or not. As for intrusive vowels, I write the word on the board and say "pretend that the letter 'e' doesn´t exist", for example, 'lived, closed, loved'. I get my marker and cut the letter "e" off. It has been working so far!

The Phonetics and Phonology course has been very helpful throughout the semester and I believe that the knowledge that´s being acquired will last forever. It´s so important for ESL teachers like me. I believe that the most helpful content so far has been "Brazilian Portuguese Speakers´ Difficulties with American English Consonants". In my opinion, it is so because it applies perfectly to our reality in the classroom. It shows the difficulties that Brazilian students have, how it affects semantics causing communication problems and how we, as teachers, can help them.

Mistakes such as mixing "thank and sank, math and mass, three and tree, through and true, they and day, though and dough, home and Rome, hose and rose, Pam and pan, rum and run, two and chew, tip and chip, ship and chip, shop and chop" are very, very common in all levels and ages. I´m already applying the newly-gained knowledge by pointing the students´ mistakes. Sometimes I exaggerate the word; sometimes I even show the phonetic symbol to help the students understand the difference between one word and the other, and how it may cause trouble in communication. I also tell them that, if they open the dictionary, they will see some symbols that will help them pronounce the word correctly. Then I show the difference between some symbols, for example, [t], [d], [θ], [ð]. 

To conclude, being able to understand the English language better and to pass this understanding on to the students is extremely important. It helps us teachers to comprehend our students´ difficulties better and to help them solve their pronunciation problems, in order to achieve clearer communication.

Cover Letter

This portfolio shows my development as a writing student during this semester. At the beginning of the semester, I thought that writing was easy – after all, I´ve always liked writing. I would just look at the blank sheet of paper in front of me and I would start telling my story.

However, I didn´t know that, in order to produce a well-written essay, there are some specific techniques that have to be observed. Learning how to distinguish an expository, a narrative, a comparative and an argumentative essay, and also that there is a thesis statement and a topic sentence for each one of them was invaluable to me.

Moreover, the essays represented a good writing experience, although I´ve chosen the narrative essay as my favorite. When I read the narrative essay after finishing it, I had the feeling that I was able to really connect to the reader and bring him/her into my reality.

To conclude, the writing abilities that I have acquired during this semester will help me write better as a TDC student. For instance, whenever I need to answer questions on a test, I´ll have the skills to write well. Most importantly, as a teacher, I´ll have the skills to identify my students´ mistakes and give them proper feedback, which will help them write better.

Blended learning is more effective than tradicional learning

Blended learning is more effective than traditional learning

There was a time when going to school meant only sitting at a desk and listening to the teachers talk while they used chalk and a blackboard to explain something to their students. Homework had to be done and written down in a notebook, the one made of paper. The students had to be in the classroom every single day. And this ritual would repeat itself throughout the year. As the decades passed by, a considerable part of this scenery has changed. In some schools, the blackboard is not black anymore; it´s either white or glass, and the teachers don’t have to use chalk anymore; they can use markers. Teachers now have to deal with technology such as stereos, projectors, computers, ipads and all the gadgets that come along with them. Some students, instead of paper notebooks, bring computers to class to take notes on important things. But a real sign that times have changed is that students don’t even have to be in the classroom to study anymore. They can come to class every other week and, when they´re not at school, access the internet in order to do the activities related to their courses. This whole new scenery leads us to an inevitable question. Is blended learning more effective than traditional learning? No, traditional learning is still the best alternative to good education.

The defenders of blended learning state that it has innumerable advantages, such as saving money and time, and that the use of technology functions as a student´s ally. You could save money, for example, not having to commute from your house to school every day, which would also generate savings for the school, because it wouldn’t have to spend money on electricity, water and paper. You could save time because you would have more control over when exactly you would access the course online and how much time you would spend in each activity. 

All these arguments have to be taken into account. However, they´re weak comparing to the advantages that traditional education offers. Traditional learning provides the student with teacher–student time, which is fundamental for a solid education. Life experience and knowledge exchange between teachers and students can´t be given by an online course. It is also known that an effective education is based on the individualization of the instruction. The teacher has to be familiar with his/her students and aware of each one´s needs; know their faces and names well. Also, the sense of accountability is a very important aspect that appears in traditional education. Things work better if you have a teacher asking you what to do each class than if you have only a vague deadline on the internet. Traditional education, therefore, has features that can´t be replaced by blended education.

Besides, being at school also makes the students focus on their activities. Although they might get distracted sometimes while at school, they are still in a study environment, where everything leads to learning. There are specified times to study and breaks, to relax for a while. Being at home, on the other hand, brings many distractions. In addition, being at school brings the student a sense of community, because it shows the individual how to live in society, which he/she won´t acquire studying alone, at home. Learning how to live in society is vital.

Furthermore, technology is essential nowadays, while it may also be a great source of distraction for the students, especially for the younger ones. Let´s take a student who needs to do research on the internet, for instance. He/she might get distracted by opening tons of pages that have absolutely nothing to do with the subject of interest, while looking for the necessary material; not to mention social webs, games and music.

In summary, traditional education still represents the best path to quality education. Teachers have to feel whether the subject that they´re teaching is reaching their students or not and how it is affecting their lives. There isn´t a better way to do that than actually being in the classroom, sharing experiences with the students. The teacher´s figure and presence are strong, invaluable assets for the students, and should never be replaced by computers.