The train rattled past, the same train that clanged along the track in my childhood, 50+ years ago. The noise comforted me. From what kind of loneliness I'm not sure.
Wednesday, 4 November 2020
Reflections on the bridge Timaru
The train rattled past, the same train that clanged along the track in my childhood, 50+ years ago. The noise comforted me. From what kind of loneliness I'm not sure.
Thursday, 22 November 2018
The brainwaves of students who are enjoying their class and their companions will begin to sync during the class time. This EEG evidence shows us how important human contact is to us, even when we are not aware of it. This led me to
Wenn man Studierende aus dem Lehrsaal nimmt, entfernt man gleichzeitig auch viele Vorteile und Annehmlichkeiten. Diese Vorteile Stärken normalerweise die Motivation, Einstellung und Zielstrebigkeit unbewusst.
Deshalb muss man beim E-Learning eine Atmosphäre schaffen um den Studierenden ein ähnlich gutes Umfeld wie im Lehrsaal zu gewährleisten.
Deshalb nehmen die Servicemitarbeiter auf der Kommunikationsebene eine signifikante Rolle ein.
Für diese Umsetzung ist es von großer Vorteil, wenn die Studierenden und vor allem deren Probleme oder Angelegenheiten mit Freundlichkeit, Verständnis aufrichtig aufgefasst und bearbeitet werden.
Bei dem Prüfungssystem (was dahinter stecht) sollte das Hauptaugenmerk auf Rucksichtsnahme und dem Willen den Studierenden zu unterstützten, gerichtet sein.
Zusätzlich sollte die Benotung transparent und nachvollziehbar sein.
Verlängerung von Abgaben von bspw. Blogs, Videos und Essays sollten leicht ersichtlich und erreichbar sein. Rubrics machen ein gutes Beispiel davon.
Sue Sullivan 2018
Sue Sullivan 2018
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
List of blogs 2016
List of nine blogs 2016
(Mindlab Applied Practice PG)
1. Should we use brainwave headsets to inform our assessment of students?
2. Global trends: preparing for the future
3. Using social online networks in teaching
4. Changes in my practice :Evaluate the impact of issues on your practice and plan for the future.
5. my interdisciplinary map
By Date
Saturday, 13 August 2016
Should we use brainwave headsets to inform our assessment of students?
Sunday, 3 July 2016
Global trends: preparing for the future
July
July
Changes in my practice :Evaluate the impact of issues on your practice and plan for the future.
July
my interdisciplinary map
Saturday, 2 July 2016
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
How I teach speechstream
How I teach speechstream
Speechstream is an exercise to try and trick the brain into using its childhood learning systems - for adults. Many of my adult ESOL students cannot hear fluent English. By taking little chunks of incomprehensible speech and repeating them, I try to make the brain reopen those processes it used for the mother tongue.
The outcome of speechstream is better listening. It does not intend to give better speaking although this can be one of the results. It does not, during the first part of the exercise, aim at comprehension.
The outcome of speechstream is better listening. It does not intend to give better speaking although this can be one of the results. It does not, during the first part of the exercise, aim at comprehension.
Speechstream is challenging work. Students become enthusiastic supporters of the exercise once they begin to hear the progress they are making. They say things like, I can hear television speakers much better now! I can watch movies and I'm picking up much more than before.
Speechstream work is divided into two parts: Language uptake and Resolving
1. LANGUAGE UPTAKE
The main part of the work is the first part.Its like mouth gym.
Its purpose is language uptake.
One condition is absolutely essential for speechstream to succeed -
- COMPLETE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
and
- students have to agree to try to NOT think about the possible words, not try to"solve" the problem.
Speechstream is about focusing on the sounds, repeating them accurately and intensely, using plenty of muscle movement and trusting the process. The procedural language network works on the material of speech which is below our conscious awareness. It can create a database of sound for the new language.
2. RESOLVING THE GLEEP
After students have mastered the articulation of this group of sounds, which might mean ten or fifteen minutes work, we can move on to trying to work out what the words are. This is a group process and discovery of the words is always interesting for the adult learner. Once the students are consciously thinking about words, talking about words, the brain is no longer absorbing the characteristics and details of the speech stream.
Instead in this second stage the conscious normal learning brain is at work and students are able to talk about and later remember their discussions. This is the declarative language network.
- procedural memory (a subconscious automatic network)
and
- declarative memory (the conscious thinking brain)
Children can learn many other languages automatically because their procedural system is active and will develop a reliable fast accurate database for each of their other languages.
That is why it is essential for students in the first part of speechstream exercises, the language uptake part, that not even one word is understood and not even thinking about a word is happening.
If a gleep is understood by a student (you can usually tell from their eyes) then the student should sit that practice out. If a student speaks what they think is the answer, then that gleep is finished. It cannot be used to activate language uptake if it is already understood. The teacher has to choose another gleep.
The first part of the speechstream exercise is the not understood part. This is the language uptake time which I believe allows the brain to build up a new sound system for the new language instead of trying to use the old automatic sound system acquired for the mother tongue. It is for this reason that speechstream work must not have understanding as any part of the first stage: because we do not want to activate the mother tongue database and we want to provide material for a new database build around the speech signal of the new language.
HELPING STUDENTS
TO BE CONTINUED. Copyright © 2017
smesullivan All Rights Reserved
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
Saturday, 13 August 2016
Should we use brainwave headsets to inform our assessment of students?
You
are a committed and qualified ESOL Teacher and I know your sensitivity to and
concern for students well-being and cultures being respected.
Can
I ask you for your response to the following situation:
Brainwave
measuring headsets track beat, gamma, theta and other waves harmlessly and, for
the student, sit comfortably on their head much like headphones for listening to
music.
Do
you think that such a headset would be intrusive or culturally offensive or
seen to be controlling? Is the head too sensitive or - in some cultures,
sacred - an area for a teacher to be adjusting a headset there?
http://emotiv.com/product/emotiv-epoc-14-channel-mobile-eeg/
http://emotiv.com/product/emotiv-epoc-14-channel-mobile-eeg/
One
of the ways of dealing with that may be to have information sessions where
adults and students can move around the room touching the headsets trying them
on and monitoring themselves (e.g. De Nisco, 2016).
There are numerous programs for use with the bci headsets such as watching different coloured brainwaves react while you concentrate hard or laugh and talk.
For example, this youtube clip shows a young man playing around with a Neurosky headset and one of the programs that go with it. https://youtu.be/ZnX0aysPFqQ
There are numerous programs to use with bci headsets.
Flight by thought: this is a Neurosky headset. I am flying a drone by concentrating!! It was sitting on the desk and by focusing my mind on it I managed to get it to take off and fly. You can see they're usually not really intimidating and can be great fun. However there's another issue.
PART
2 of my question:
These
headsets can provide data on the resting-state of an individual's brain, when
they just sit with their eyes closed for a few minutes.
If
for example I had such a headset and put it, one by one, on my students, the
results I would garner would include a
very powerful indicator of who would learn a second language
quickly. The research literature is very clear on this.
(e.g.Buchweitz, 2013; Mamiya et al, 2016; Prat et al, 2016).
This
is because the brain waves that are being read reflect the structure of the
brain. That structure is formed by genetic factors. And by environmental factors
like experience. It may seem like a bad thing to know someone is slow in
picking up languages, yet that knowledge would also allow us to develop helpful
interventions (e.g. DeNisco, 2016).
One
of the main interventions that improves brain connectivity and structure is the
learning of a second language. Hence if the brain waves are saying 'slow rate
of learning', the prognosis is not necessarily 'slow'. Because learning a
second language will help that individual brain become more efficient and thus
improve its resting-state indices in the future.
So
one can ask,
How are these results to be used ?
When is it appropriate to gather them ?
In the future our learning about our learning will increasingly be informed by technological devices that will support and potentially redefine assessment as depicted by the SAMr model. With bci headsets we stand at a new point in language assessment - shall we use these new devices to assess our students and inform our teaching? They will doubtless only become more inexpensive and more powerful. Perhaps we need to start thinking about this question now.
How are these results to be used ?
When is it appropriate to gather them ?
In the future our learning about our learning will increasingly be informed by technological devices that will support and potentially redefine assessment as depicted by the SAMr model. With bci headsets we stand at a new point in language assessment - shall we use these new devices to assess our students and inform our teaching? They will doubtless only become more inexpensive and more powerful. Perhaps we need to start thinking about this question now.
http://www.elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Teacher-inquiry/SAMR-model
To
reiterate:
Subjective
elements of testing: Our
normal behavioural testing gives results for reading comprehension, listening
skills, knowledge of grammar and so on.These results are in current use yet they have many
subjective elements and in particular do not really indicate the whole scope of the language
learning process, the varied skill sets of the student and therefore the student's real "level". (Linck et
al, 2013). It is difficult to assess a process as many-sided as language -
"such a complex cognitive task such as language learning". (Weiss
& Mueller, 2012).
Brain wave readouts from the bci headsets are objective. And they tell us something about the cognitive abilities of the individual at that point in time. They can inform us accurately about the individual's rate of learning a second language. They do not tell us about the quality of knowledge or the future development of the individual in their attitudes or experiences.
Brain wave readouts from the bci headsets are objective. And they tell us something about the cognitive abilities of the individual at that point in time. They can inform us accurately about the individual's rate of learning a second language. They do not tell us about the quality of knowledge or the future development of the individual in their attitudes or experiences.
Although these indices are reliable (Badcock et al, 2013) and will for instance repeat in zygotic twins (Prat, 2016), they are not fixed. The three network-level characteristics of the brain which relate to high-level language achievers, as well as general cognitive ability, are efficiency - how well the brain uses or needs to use its resources, synchronization - the degree of efficient connectivity between different networks in the brain and adaptability - how well the cortical system changes to meet different demands. It is important for educators to note that these three characteristics are "genetically based but experientially modifiable". This is discussed by Prat et al in Resting-state qEEG predicts rate of second language learning in adults (2016) .
So the learning of a second language can be the vehicle by which the brain develops enhanced structure for that same language learning. That development in structure also translates to better cerebral resources for other cognitive tasks. Perhaps that could be seen as an encouragement to use the headset devices available to inform our assessment of ESOL students more fully. Yet there may still be hesitations about using bci headsets.
What
is your opinion on that?
Your
reply will be perused with interest and gratitude.
Thanks
Sue
Sullivan
Christchurch,
N.Z.
References
Badcock,N.A.,
Mousikou, P., Mahajan, Y., de Lissa, P., Thie, J., McArthur
G.(2013.) Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG gaming system for
measuring research quality auditory ERPs. Peer Journal 1 :e38
Becker, T.M., Prat, C.S. & Stocco, A. (2016). A network-level analysis of
cognitive flexibility reveals a differential influence of the anterior
cingulate cortex in bilinguals versus monolingual. Neuropsychologia, May. 85,
62-73. DOI: 10.1016.
Buchweitz,
A., & Prat, C. (2013). The bilingual brain: Flexibility and control in
the human cortex. Physics of life reviews, 10(4), 428-443.
Buchweitz,
A., & Prat, C. S. (2013). Pushing the boundaries of language in
the bilingual brain: A reply to commentary on The bilingual brain: Flexibility
and control in the human cortex. Physics of Life Reviews,10(4), 454-456.
DeNisco, A. (2016). Study of brain waves could
answer how learning occurs. District Administration, May. http://www.districtadministration.com/article/study-brain-waves-could-answer-how-learning-occurs Linck, J. A., Hughes, M. M., Campbell, S. G.,
Silbert, N. H., Tare, M., Jackson, S. R., Smith, B. K., Bunting, M. F. and
Doughty, C. J. (2013), Hi-LAB: A New Measure of Aptitude for High-Level
Language Proficiency. Language Learning, 63: 530–566.
Prat,C.S., Yamasaki, B.L., Kluender, R.A. & Stocco, A. (2016) Resting-state qEEG predicts
rate of second language learning in adults. Brain and Language. Jun-Jul;
157-158:44-50. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.04.007.
Shohamy,
E. (2000). The relationship between language testing and second language
acquisition, revisited. System, 28(4):541-553.
Weiss, S., Mueller, H.M. (2012). Too Many betas do not
Spoil the Broth: The Role of Beta Brain Oscillations in Language Processing. Front Psychol. 2012
Jun 25;3:201. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00201.
Should we use brainwave headsets to inform our assessment of students?
You
are a committed and qualified ESOL Teacher and I know your sensitivity to and
concern for students well-being and cultures being respected.
Can
I ask you for your response to the following situation:
Brainwave
measuring headsets track beat, gamma, theta and other waves harmlessly and, for
the student, sit comfortably on their head much like headphones for listening to
music.
Do
you think that such a headset would be intrusive or culturally offensive or
seen to be controlling? Is the head too sensitive or - in some cultures,
sacred - an area for a teacher to be adjusting a headset there?
http://emotiv.com/product/emotiv-epoc-14-channel-mobile-eeg/
http://emotiv.com/product/emotiv-epoc-14-channel-mobile-eeg/
One
of the ways of dealing with that may be to have information sessions where
adults and students can move around the room touching the headsets trying them
on and monitoring themselves (e.g. De Nisco, 2016).
There are numerous programs for use with the bci headsets such as watching different coloured brainwaves react while you concentrate hard or laugh and talk.
For example, this youtube clip shows a young man playing around with a Neurosky headset and one of the programs that go with it. https://youtu.be/ZnX0aysPFqQ
There are numerous programs to use with bci headsets.
Flight by thought: this is a Neurosky headset. I am flying a drone by concentrating!! It was sitting on the desk and by focusing my mind on it I managed to get it to take off and fly. You can see they're usually not really intimidating and can be great fun. However there's another issue.
PART
2 of my question:
These
headsets can provide data on the resting-state of an individual's brain, when
they just sit with their eyes closed for a few minutes.
If
for example I had such a headset and put it, one by one, on my students, the
results I would garner would include a
very powerful indicator of who would learn a second language
quickly. The research literature is very clear on this.
(e.g.Buchweitz, 2013; Mamiya et al, 2016; Prat et al, 2016).
This
is because the brain waves that are being read reflect the structure of the
brain. That structure is formed by genetic factors. And by environmental factors
like experience. It may seem like a bad thing to know someone is slow in
picking up languages, yet that knowledge would also allow us to develop helpful
interventions (e.g. DeNisco, 2016).
One
of the main interventions that improves brain connectivity and structure is the
learning of a second language. Hence if the brain waves are saying 'slow rate
of learning', the prognosis is not necessarily 'slow'. Because learning a
second language will help that individual brain become more efficient and thus
improve its resting-state indices in the future.
So
one can ask,
How are these results to be used ?
When is it appropriate to gather them ?
In the future our learning about our learning will increasingly be informed by technological devices that will support and potentially redefine assessment as depicted by the SAMr model. With bci headsets we stand at a new point in language assessment - shall we use these new devices to assess our students and inform our teaching? They will doubtless only become more inexpensive and more powerful. Perhaps we need to start thinking about this question now.
How are these results to be used ?
When is it appropriate to gather them ?
In the future our learning about our learning will increasingly be informed by technological devices that will support and potentially redefine assessment as depicted by the SAMr model. With bci headsets we stand at a new point in language assessment - shall we use these new devices to assess our students and inform our teaching? They will doubtless only become more inexpensive and more powerful. Perhaps we need to start thinking about this question now.
http://www.elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Teacher-inquiry/SAMR-model
To
reiterate:
Subjective
elements of testing: Our
normal behavioural testing gives results for reading comprehension, listening
skills, knowledge of grammar and so on.These results are in current use yet they have many
subjective elements and in particular do not really indicate the whole scope of the language
learning process, the varied skill sets of the student and therefore the student's real "level". (Linck et
al, 2013). It is difficult to assess a process as many-sided as language -
"such a complex cognitive task such as language learning". (Weiss
& Mueller, 2012).
Brain wave readouts from the bci headsets are objective. And they tell us something about the cognitive abilities of the individual at that point in time. They can inform us accurately about the individual's rate of learning a second language. They do not tell us about the quality of knowledge or the future development of the individual in their attitudes or experiences.
Brain wave readouts from the bci headsets are objective. And they tell us something about the cognitive abilities of the individual at that point in time. They can inform us accurately about the individual's rate of learning a second language. They do not tell us about the quality of knowledge or the future development of the individual in their attitudes or experiences.
Although these indices are reliable (Badcock et al, 2013) and will for instance repeat in zygotic twins (Prat, 2016), they are not fixed. The three network-level characteristics of the brain which relate to high-level language achievers, as well as general cognitive ability, are efficiency - how well the brain uses or needs to use its resources, synchronization - the degree of efficient connectivity between different networks in the brain and adaptability - how well the cortical system changes to meet different demands. It is important for educators to note that these three characteristics are "genetically based but experientially modifiable". This is discussed by Prat et al in Resting-state qEEG predicts rate of second language learning in adults (2016) .
So the learning of a second language can be the vehicle by which the brain develops enhanced structure for that same language learning. That development in structure also translates to better cerebral resources for other cognitive tasks. Perhaps that could be seen as an encouragement to use the headset devices available to inform our assessment of ESOL students more fully. Yet there may still be hesitations about using bci headsets.
What
is your opinion on that?
Your
reply will be perused with interest and gratitude.
Thanks
Sue
Sullivan
Christchurch,
N.Z.
References
Badcock,N.A.,
Mousikou, P., Mahajan, Y., de Lissa, P., Thie, J., McArthur
G.(2013.) Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG gaming system for
measuring research quality auditory ERPs. Peer Journal 1 :e38
Becker, T.M., Prat, C.S. & Stocco, A. (2016). A network-level analysis of
cognitive flexibility reveals a differential influence of the anterior
cingulate cortex in bilinguals versus monolingual. Neuropsychologia, May. 85,
62-73. DOI: 10.1016.
Buchweitz,
A., & Prat, C. (2013). The bilingual brain: Flexibility and control in
the human cortex. Physics of life reviews, 10(4), 428-443.
Buchweitz,
A., & Prat, C. S. (2013). Pushing the boundaries of language in
the bilingual brain: A reply to commentary on The bilingual brain: Flexibility
and control in the human cortex. Physics of Life Reviews,10(4), 454-456.
DeNisco, A. (2016). Study of brain waves could
answer how learning occurs. District Administration, May. http://www.districtadministration.com/article/study-brain-waves-could-answer-how-learning-occurs Linck, J. A., Hughes, M. M., Campbell, S. G.,
Silbert, N. H., Tare, M., Jackson, S. R., Smith, B. K., Bunting, M. F. and
Doughty, C. J. (2013), Hi-LAB: A New Measure of Aptitude for High-Level
Language Proficiency. Language Learning, 63: 530–566.
Prat,C.S., Yamasaki, B.L., Kluender, R.A. & Stocco, A. (2016) Resting-state qEEG predicts
rate of second language learning in adults. Brain and Language. Jun-Jul;
157-158:44-50. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.04.007.
Shohamy,
E. (2000). The relationship between language testing and second language
acquisition, revisited. System, 28(4):541-553.
Weiss, S., Mueller, H.M. (2012). Too Many betas do not
Spoil the Broth: The Role of Beta Brain Oscillations in Language Processing. Front Psychol. 2012
Jun 25;3:201. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00201.
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