Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts
Mental Math Dependant On Language, Researchers Find
Mental Math Dependant On Language, Researchers Find
ScienceDaily (2001-10-16) -- The language most bilingual people use to mentally solve math problems isn't necessarily their native language or even the language that is most prevalent in their environment. Psychological research shows it's the language in which they were first taught math - a finding with educational implications, especially for areas with high concentrations of bilingual persons.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/10/011015060024.htm#
Comment (later)
maths, math, language, bilingual, native language,
Learning Disabilities Associated With Language Problems Later In Life
*- A MUST READ ARTICLE - *
Learning Disabilities Associated With Language Problems Later In Life
ScienceDaily (2008-02-13) -- Individuals with a neurodegenerative condition affecting language appear more likely to have had a history of learning disabilities than those with other types of dementia or with no cognitive problems, according to a new article.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211172618.htm#
*Comment *
The more we learn about how we function, especially brain related functions, the less need we have for value judgement words such as good, bad, and in this case lazy, incompetent, ignorant, thick and so on. I think this article shows us why.
On a more political note, maybe all those school league tables so beloved by government in Britain and elsewhere, may now be put to good use by identifying the special needs of those at the bottom of the list rather than bestowing excessive privileges to those at the top. This does not mean those conform to the system should not be rewarded, but that the top group are not the only group who deserve our attention. As a society we just cannot afford to abandon part of our members.
Finally, this research shows once again that language is more than just words and grammar, but that language is more important than we care to think.
Lawrence
language, medical, learning, learning disabilities, neurological, mental, league tables, education, dementia,
Read it again, Jeong
Read it again, Jeong
Country:
South Korea
Source:
English Newspaper Vital for Mastering TOEIC
Jul 11, 2006
By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
(http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200607/kt2006070620010052910.htm)
Copyright@ KoreaTimes.co.kr
>LINK HERE<
Story:
Mr Jeong Sang-ho is my hero. Not because he has perfect scores for 14 TOEIC tests, nor because he is an English teacher like me but because he know how to learn English.
Jeong’s secret is reading newspapers and magazines because they have up to date common use English. Memorising grammar does not help. Enjoying what you’re doing does help.
Facts:
- 14 TOEIC tests with perfect score.
- Jeong is an English teacher, 31 years old.
Language Issues:
- English works through our sub-conscious memories. Trying to memorise grammar does not help, because it is a vocabulary based language and not a rules based language.
- With English, you either know it or you don’t. There are very few opportunities to deduce structure or meaning from rules.
-Reading
Comments:
- Enjoying what you are doing when learning English, or any other language, it is so important that boring books and teachers should be banned from meeting students.
- If you want to learn English you just have to read.
- Find time to read.
Bottom-Line:
If you are not reading, your are not learning.
Country:
South Korea
Source:
English Newspaper Vital for Mastering TOEIC
Jul 11, 2006
By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
(http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200607/kt2006070620010052910.htm)
Copyright@ KoreaTimes.co.kr
>LINK HERE<
Story:
Mr Jeong Sang-ho is my hero. Not because he has perfect scores for 14 TOEIC tests, nor because he is an English teacher like me but because he know how to learn English.
Jeong’s secret is reading newspapers and magazines because they have up to date common use English. Memorising grammar does not help. Enjoying what you’re doing does help.
Facts:
- 14 TOEIC tests with perfect score.
- Jeong is an English teacher, 31 years old.
Language Issues:
- English works through our sub-conscious memories. Trying to memorise grammar does not help, because it is a vocabulary based language and not a rules based language.
- With English, you either know it or you don’t. There are very few opportunities to deduce structure or meaning from rules.
-
Comments:
- Enjoying what you are doing when learning English, or any other language, it is so important that boring books and teachers should be banned from meeting students.
- If you want to learn English you just have to read.
- Find time to read.
Bottom-Line:
If you are not reading, your are not learning.
Illiteracy__A healthcare issue
Illiteracy__A healthcare issue
Country:
USA
Source:
The Silent Epidemic — The Health Effects of Illiteracy
Erin N. Marcus , M.D.
Copyright © 2006 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.
n engl j med 355;4 www.nejm.orgJuly 27, 2006
Downloaded from www.nejm.org onJuly 31, 2006 .
For personal use only. No other uses without permission.
>Click to Link<
(You might need to register with the NEJM for access)
= THIS IS A MUST READ ARTICLE =
Story :
Part A
A patient reported to a clinic for a tune up, but had not taken his cardiac or diabetes medication. The patient was then instructed by the new physician on how to take the medication using simple English. The patient agreed to take the medication, but when reporting again the patient had irregular records for his diabetes. The student who saw him first suspected that the patient was illiterate.
Part B
Patients with reading problems my avoid outpatient doctors because of the paperwork and reading involved. A&E departments are user-friendly for illiterate patients because others do the necessary paper work. Shame and guilt might be associated with illiteracy and people are reluctant to mention their problem.
The relationship between illiteracy and health is still unclear, but illiterate people are more likely to report ill health. Doctors using simple and jargon free language might not be enough.
Part C
Routine screen for illiteracy might create problems for the health care sector: takes too long, embarrasses people and might stigmatise patients. An in an era of “Pay for Performance” model, illiterate people might be excluded or not given the right attention they need.
Facts:
- 14% of adults in theUSA
SEE ARTICLE for details and more statistics.
Language Issues:
- Is there a fundamental difference between spoken language and written language for the human mind?
- Could it be that spoken language is the minimum language skills one needs to survive? Does this hold true in a society that depends on reading skills like ours?
- Can a human being survive in a society without any language skills at all and unaided by anyone? Is this the same situation for immigrants in a country where they do not speak the local language?
- What are the differences between an illiterate person and an immigrant who does not speak/read the local language?
Comments:
- One of the issues which this article identifies is that there are no solutions that have been fully tested, i.e. scientifically confirmed, presumably to medical standards, although some studies do identify one possible solution or another. Maybe the problem is not one of science, as such, but judgement and common sense might be more useful in these situations.
- just because some solutions cannot be tested scientifically it does not mean that the solution is not valid or the right solution. For example, healthcare budgets are not arrived by scientific testing nor value judgments about what is the right thing to do.
- who is responsible for illiteracy in our society? Society itself for stigmatising it and maybe prevent people from discussing their problem? Or the individual for not fully preparing themselves to live and function in our society?
Bottom-Line:
Can we afford illiteracy today?
Country:
Source:
The Silent Epidemic — The Health Effects of Illiteracy
Copyright © 2006 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.
n engl j med 355;4 www.nejm.org
Downloaded from www.nejm.org on
For personal use only. No other uses without permission.
>Click to Link<
(You might need to register with the NEJM for access)
= THIS IS A MUST READ ARTICLE =
Part A
A patient reported to a clinic for a tune up, but had not taken his cardiac or diabetes medication. The patient was then instructed by the new physician on how to take the medication using simple English. The patient agreed to take the medication, but when reporting again the patient had irregular records for his diabetes. The student who saw him first suspected that the patient was illiterate.
Part B
Patients with reading problems my avoid outpatient doctors because of the paperwork and reading involved. A&E departments are user-friendly for illiterate patients because others do the necessary paper work. Shame and guilt might be associated with illiteracy and people are reluctant to mention their problem.
The relationship between illiteracy and health is still unclear, but illiterate people are more likely to report ill health. Doctors using simple and jargon free language might not be enough.
Part C
Routine screen for illiteracy might create problems for the health care sector: takes too long, embarrasses people and might stigmatise patients. An in an era of “Pay for Performance” model, illiterate people might be excluded or not given the right attention they need.
Facts:
- 14% of adults in the
SEE ARTICLE for details and more statistics.
Language Issues:
- Is there a fundamental difference between spoken language and written language for the human mind?
- Could it be that spoken language is the minimum language skills one needs to survive? Does this hold true in a society that depends on reading skills like ours?
- Can a human being survive in a society without any language skills at all and unaided by anyone? Is this the same situation for immigrants in a country where they do not speak the local language?
- What are the differences between an illiterate person and an immigrant who does not speak/read the local language?
Comments:
- One of the issues which this article identifies is that there are no solutions that have been fully tested, i.e. scientifically confirmed, presumably to medical standards, although some studies do identify one possible solution or another. Maybe the problem is not one of science, as such, but judgement and common sense might be more useful in these situations.
- just because some solutions cannot be tested scientifically it does not mean that the solution is not valid or the right solution. For example, healthcare budgets are not arrived by scientific testing nor value judgments about what is the right thing to do.
- who is responsible for illiteracy in our society? Society itself for stigmatising it and maybe prevent people from discussing their problem? Or the individual for not fully preparing themselves to live and function in our society?
Bottom-Line:
Can we afford illiteracy today?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)