Ted Talks about Words

I was introduced to Ted Talks some months ago, by a colleague who showed me a talk about 3D printing.  During the talk, a 3D printer was shown to produce a human kidney.  The kidney was not functional, of course – but it was undeniably a kidney, able to be touched and viewed and examined. There was even discourse about how it could be made viable.  What an amazing idea!  

The Ted Talks website is full of similarly intriguing information.  And it’s usually entertaining, too. Here are some playlists concerning words, language and story.

Reflective Reflection

The Kolb Learning Cycle identifies four stages of experiential learning.  The theory posits that the cycle can be entered at any stage, but that all four stages must be observed, in sequence, for learning to be successful.

I recently used the mind-mapping tool available here to reflect on the question of reflective learning.  In doing so, I realised that it is not only a useful resource for the teacher, in presenting information clearly and simply to a group, but also that students could employ the tool to boost their own reflective learning in the classroom.  Wouldn’t it aid Kolb’s ‘reflective observation’ stage if, following a lesson, students created from memory a mind-map of the information they could recall?     

And incidentally haven’t I, in creating this blog post, embarked on a little reflective or experiential learning of my own?  I have encountered new technological tools, I have experimented with their functions, and I have put my learning into practice.  The act of considering reflective learning has in turn brought about an instance of reflective learning – isn’t that a neat demonstration of Kolb’s theory!

click to make me bigger

'Is Britain Happy?'

Is There a Correlation Between Happiness and Our Ability to Learn?

On October 23rd, the Tonight programme broadcast an episode titled ‘Is Britain Happy?’  In it, reference was made to the National Wellbeing Project, launched by David Cameron in 2010.  

A transcript of Cameron’s speech regarding this project can be read here.

Here is a snippet of his introduction:

“[T]oday the government is asking the Office of National Statistics to devise a new way of measuring wellbeing in Britain. And so from April next year, we’ll start measuring our progress as a country, not just by how our economy is growing, but by how our lives are improving; not just by our standard of living, but by our quality of life.”

Interestingly, the Tonight programme detailed how classes on wellbeing are now being taught in some schools.  The thesis that happy people are more resilient was explored through simple tests, such as timing how long participants could hold their hand in a bucket of ice and then drawing a comparison between their self-assessed levels of happiness and their performance.  It was found that those who attributed themselves higher levels of happiness consistently managed to hold their hand in the ice bucket for longer than those who were less happy.  The effect of these findings on learning is interesting as they imply that happy students would perform better in exams than unhappy students.

Is it the place of the teacher then to ensure, or attempt to ensure, the happiness of their students? Should their role extend this far?

In his speech, Cameron addressed the issue of whether it is the place of the government to ensure its people’s happiness thus:

“Now, of course, you can’t legislate for fulfilment or satisfaction, but I do believe that government has the power to help improve wellbeing, and I’m not alone in that belief. What’s interesting about this whole argument is now how many countries, economists, people and experts are joining in [...] The contention is that just as we can create the climate for business to thrive - by cutting taxes, slashing red tape and so on - so we can create a climate in this country that is more family-friendly and more conducive to the good life. That’s why I reject the criticism that government policy simply has no role in this area. To those who say that all this sounds like a distraction from the serious business of government, I would say that finding out what will really improve lives and acting on it is actually the serious business of government.”

Of course, teachers cannot involve themselves directly in the lives of each of their students.  But perhaps it would be prudent for all teachers to keep their students’ contentment in mind when assessing their performance; perhaps an individual’s happiness should be considered equally as important as their reading or mathematical ability.  It’s a thought-provoking question.

Words and Wordle

Being a self-confessed technophobe, I find the best way to improve my own IT skills is to use technology in conjunction with things I enjoy: design, music, or art, for example.  I was recently introduced to Wordle, which creates ‘word clouds’ from text you provide, and I think it a fun and useful resource for learners; in particular visual learners.  It might be used to introduce new subjects or vocab, to encourage learners to identify their favourite words or passages from a text, or as a mind-mapping device.

In the ‘word cloud’ below, I have included some of my favourite books and authors:

Because I am so interested in words, I often find that there are certain sequences of words – found in poems or novels or speeches – that stick in my mind.  One such sequence can be found in the speech made by Elizabeth I in 1588, to inspire her troops at Tilbury Camp to defend the country against the threat of the Spanish Armada.

Here is a Wordle of that famous speech:

And here is a transcript of the speech, in modern English:

“My loving people, 

We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. 

I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm: to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. 

I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.”

The following sentence in particular is such an exciting and empowering sentiment for a female to voice, that I frequently find myself rereading it.

“I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm […]”

More information about this speech can be found on the British Library website.

Microsoft and Me

Is Microsoft Word Our Newest English Language Teacher?

Microsoft and me … Or is it ‘I’?  ‘Me’?  I spend vast chunks of my life staring at Microsoft Word documents.  For years now I have composed university essays and letters and fiction and job applications between its pre-set margins.  It is convenient, after all.  I type far faster than I write by hand.  A dictionary and a thesaurus wait, just one click away, to offer me friendly advice. 

But what effect, if any, has this convenience had on my grammatical ability?  What effect does it have on a student’s?

If, for example, in a moment of woeful neglect we claim that a building has three stories, will Word suggest that perhaps that building consists instead of storeys?  And if it does not, will we manage independently to spot the error?

And what about that last sentence (and this one, in fact)?  Should it have begun with an ‘and’?  Perhaps a primary school teacher or a parent, raising their eyebrows at the perceived grammatical faux pas, once warned you never to start a sentence with a conjunction.  In fact, the Oxford dictionary tells us that it is “not grammatically incorrect to do so”, in moderation.  But do we understand this, or is our knowledge based – assumptively – solely on Microsoft Word’s decision not to flag it up for our attention?      

I’ve begun this post with a series of negative propositions.  But, equally, I might have shaped it positively from the off. 

I might have argued that, were we to mistake a ‘begun’ for a ‘began’ or a ‘began’ for a ‘begun’, for example, Word would alert us by decorating it with a helpful, wobbly blue line; that if we, straining perhaps towards a word we were unsure of, suggested let’s say that ‘unnecessary’ was spelt with an ‘s’ in place of the ‘c’, Word would assist us by underscoring the blunder in red.  In doing so, then, is Microsoft Word now acting as another kind of teacher?  And if it is, are its methods adequate?  Do we learn by having these mistakes detected for us, or do we, in expectation of the appearance of that useful, undulating line, grow lazy?  Does the use of technology such as Microsoft Word help or hinder our understanding of the English language?  

It would depend, I suppose, on the way in which we learn.

If we learn visually, it is possible Word’s kindly squiggle is enough to keep our English language skills up to scratch.  For the auditory or kinaesthetic learner, however, additional information would most likely be required to solidify the learning.  After all, Microsoft Word cannot ask the auditory learner to memorise and recite poetry.  Microsoft Word cannot ask the kinaesthetic learner to act out a verb.

Bass and Vaughan, 1974, claim that ‘Learning is a relatively permanent change in an individual’s behaviour resulting from practice or experience’.  Perhaps then the only way to test Word’s ability to produce a relatively permanent change is to shut down our computers and pick up a pen.  Perhaps, from time to time, we should all challenge our knowledge with a blank piece of paper.

Introducing Me

“I like words.  I like fat, buttery words … solemn, angular, creaky words … suave ‘V’ words … I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words … sullen, crabbed, scowling words … I like elegant, flowery words ... [and] sniggly, chuckling words … May I have a few with you?”

(Robert Pirosh) 

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by words – their shape, their sound, their meaning, their origin, their beauty – and so I have always thrown myself into books.  I am excited by their possibilities.  I am charmed by their ability to jump through time or across borders.  I love the physical feel of a book, even the smell of the paper. 

It seemed an obvious choice then to study for a BA in English with Creative Writing (1^st class honours), followed by an MA in Creative Writing (distinction), and now for a PGCE PCET. 

When I am not reading or writing, I love to ski, to draw, to play music, to watch tennis, and to ride horses.  I live with two pretty gangster cats called Matt and Louie.  Here they are, proving themselves to be ruthless killers: