Year 4
Number
88
November 22nd 2002
4400 SHARERS are reading this issue of SHARE this week
__________________________________________________________
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single
candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never
decreases by being SHARED
__________________________________________________________
Dear SHARERS,
What was your week
like? Ours was simply great. I mean Marina´s and mine. (Martin is still a bit
concerned about a couple subjects at school and Sebas is working hard so that he
does not have be concerned at all).
As for Marina and I, with the academic year drawing to an end, we have started
our long chain of “institutional meetings” to evaluate what our teaching was
like. These “institutional meetings” take place in the kitchen at home, normally
while Marina cooks or after dinner (Marina wants to add: “when you do not go to
sleep at the table!”). We are both quite happy with the results of the courses
we taught this year ( I know we still have to wait for the final exams and all
that but…) and we still feel there are a number of things we should be doing to
improve the quality of our teaching next year. Money is a big concern : we (like
everybody else) have to work long hours which reduces our lecture preparation
time ( reading, revising, preparing a power point presentation or two)
considerably (Research? Are you serious? We do what we can in our own spare
time__ believe us: it´s not much). But all in all we are very happy about our
jobs…to start with, we are two of the blessed few who can feel a great passion
for what they do. And that is saying much, these days.
Love
Omar and
Marina
In SHARE 88
1.-
Promoting L2 Vocabulary Learning.
2.-
Our brain´s response to humour.
3.-
News from the British Council: Literary Awards.
4.-
My List.
5.-
International Business, Language & Technology
Conference.
6.-
Who´s Hu?
7.-
NLP Newsletter for Teachers and Head teachers.
8.-
Interpretación Simultánea.
9.-
Dedicación Exclusiva en la Universidad
10.-
>From a Dancer´s Heart.
11.-
Congresses in Spain.
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1.- PROMOTING
L2 VOCABULARY LEARNING
Our dear SHARER Maria de los Ángeles Valdez from Asunción, Paraguay wants
to SHARE this interesting article with all of us:
The Word Wall Approach:
Promoting L2 Vocabulary Learning
by Kevin Eyraud, Gillian Giles, Susan Koenig, and Fredericka L.
Stoller
Vocabulary is central to language and of critical importance to the
typical language learner" (Zimmerman 1997:5). Our second language (L2) students
would be the first ones to tell us that a curriculum-wide commitment to
vocabulary enrichment assists them in developing their language abilities.
Fortunately for students and instructors, most vocabulary growth takes place
through incidental learning, that is, through exposure to comprehensible
language in reading, listening, discussions, bulletin board displays, videos,
and so forth. Reading has been singled out as the primary means, and the most
reliable way, to promote incidental vocabulary learning (Stahl 1999). In fact,
Nagy and Herman (1985, 1987) claim that teachers should promote reading because
it leads to greater vocabulary growth than any program of explicit instruction.
The recognition of the importance of incidental learning does not
preclude, however, the exploration of ways in which vocabulary learning can be
enhanced through direct teaching (Carter 1998). L2 students, even if they are
avid readers with many reading materials at their fingertips, appreciate and
benefit from explicit vocabulary instruction. Through a range of instructional
activities, language students can actively and consciously expand their
vocabulary knowledge. Meaningful instruction should of course include the
explicit teaching of word meanings and discussions about words and their
prefixes, suffixes, and roots. But it should also include dictionary exercises,
word family activities, semantic mapping, semantic feature analyses, word
associations, synonym and antonym activities, cognate awareness exercises,
practice with lexical sets, classification activities, and strategy
instruction.1 Although classroom instruction of these types cannot account for
all the words students need to learn, it is well documented that direct
instruction promotes vocabulary development (Carter 1998, Nation 1990, Stahl
1999).
In this article, we outline three principles which can guide teachers in
planning for explicit vocabulary instruction. We describe a vocabulary immersion
approach, Green's (1993) Word Wall, which provides teachers with a versatile
mechanism for promoting vocabulary growth in their classrooms. We then give an
account of the adaptations that we made to Green's original approach to meet the
needs of our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students. We conclude with a
discussion of the initial problems encountered using the Word Wall and our
solutions, presented as a set of teacher
guidelines.
Principles for explicit vocabulary
instruction
Research that has focused on vocabulary learning can guide teachers in
planning explicit vocabulary instruction. For the purposes of this article, we
focus on three research findings of particular relevance to language classroom
settings. First, research has demonstrated that vocabulary learning requires
multiple exposures to new lexical items in various discourse contexts. Multiple
exposures, of varying intensities and in diverse contexts, are said to gradually
lead to a large recognition vocabulary (see Grabe and Stoller 1997). Some
researchers claim that a minimum of 10 to 12 exposures is needed for learners to
begin to see the range of meanings and uses for new lexical items (Coady 1997;
Paribakht and Wesche 1997). Duquette and Painchaud (1996:163) assert that
"lexical competence is progressively constructed by the repeated occurrence of a
word within a variety of new contexts." Claims such as these suggest that
teachers should consider the ways in which they systematically recycle important
vocabulary in the classroom.
Second, research has revealed that elaborated vocabulary learning occurs
when students make meaningful connections between new and already familiar
words. Instructional approaches that juxtapose new and known words (through, for
example, semantic mapping and semantic feature analysis) allow students to use
known words in new contexts, with new nuances, new meanings, and new
collocations and to use new words with practical associations. This expanded
sense of new and known words allows for faster processing of semantically
related words.
Third, research has shown that context can be a powerful influence on
students' vocabulary growth (Stahl 1999). But learning words from context is a
long-term process during which word meanings are slowly accumulated through
exposure and learning. By means of explicit instruction, language teachers can
"compress that process so that students can learn more words in a shorter period
of time" (Stahl 1999:14). Key here is the need to focus instructional attention
on words that students have encountered in rich contexts (usually through
reading), rather than from decontextualized word
lists.
The Word Wall approach, expanded upon in the remainder of this article,
easily accommodates the three principles of vocabulary learning that were just
introduced. As will become evident, the Word Wall provides opportunities for
multiple exposures to lexical items; it encourages students to make connections
between new and known words; and it can be used in response to meaningful
contexts or to build relevant context around new words. Equally important, the
Word Wall promotes active student involvement, a key to effective learning in
general.
The Word Wall approach
The Word Wall approach (Green 1993) was originally designed to challenge
and motivate high-achieving as well as reluctant first language students (in
elementary and secondary classrooms) to develop vocabulary learning skills and
to internalize new vocabulary. Using a set of six word-filled wall panels, each
with a different background color corresponding to a different curricular
objective (e.g., phonic elements, word form classes, grammatical forms, or
spelling patterns), Green literally surrounded his students with words. The
ever-present "walls of words" became an integral part of his classroom. Each
panel included lexical items selected from vocabulary lists corresponding to
classroom readers and lists of high-frequency English words. The walls of words
were not used as the only instructional tool for vocabulary development in his
classroom, Green also integrated them into various classroom lessons,
accommodating individual, pair, small group, and whole class instruction.
Students consulted the Word Wall as a thesaurus and spell-check during writing
assignments; they used it as a resource during language development lessons, and
they often turned to the Word Wall for rainy-day lunch and recess activities.
Specific lessons and competitive games were devised around the Word Wall to
encourage the development of vocabulary learning strategies and to build
students' vocabularies through explicit instruction, implicit learning, multiple
exposures, and opportunities for making meaningful connections among words. The
repetition and recycling made possible by using the Word Wall approach, and the
possibility for students to see, touch, hear, say, and write the words, resulted
in greater vocabulary retention and an enthusiasm for learning
vocabulary.
Adapting Green's Word Wall for various instructional
settings
Green's Word Wall approach can be adapted for a range of L2 instructional
settings without sacrificing its commitment to vocabulary development. The
flexibility of the approach makes it easily adaptable for settings where space
considerations, curricular priorities, student motivation, and student needs may
require changes in procedure.
Adaptations in five areas are worth pointing out. First, Green used
multiple walls, devoting each one to a particular language objective. Limited
classroom wall space may determine how the basic approach is realized in other
instructional settings. In our intensive English program, we used one full wall
of our classroom for the Word Wall, placing paper word strips on the carpeted
wall with small pieces of self-adhesive Velcro. In other classrooms, an unused
blackboard, the space above a chalkboard, a bulletin board, sheets of butcher
paper, or portable poster boardmay be most useful for teachers who do not have
exclusive use of a classroom. The poster board could serve as the background for
lexical items. Regardless of how words are actually displayed, what is important
is that words be added gradually and remain easily visible to all students
(Moore, Moore, Cunningham, and Cunningham
1994).
Second, Green's use of colors to distinguish one Word Wall from another
can also be adapted for diverse classroom settings. Each of Green's walls had a
different background color, each color corresponding to a separate language
goal; for example, words on the blue panel highlighted certain spelling
conventions, and words on the orange panel depicted certain phonics rules. If
only one wall is available, individual lexical items, rather than the wall
itself, can be color coded. Depending on curricular goals and student needs, the
colors used might correspond to specific word classes, such as green for nouns,
blue for verbs, orange for adjectives, and yellow for adverbs. Colors could also
correspond to different thematic units, for example, violet for words first
encountered in a unit (or chapter) on pollution and red for words encountered in
a unit on endangered species. Colors might also be used to identify the
curricular component in which the new lexical item was first introduced, like
tan for words encountered in a reading class and pink for words introduced in a
listening class. We implemented the latter approach, using separate colors for
lexical items first encountered in our core content-based course (pink), reading
lab (green), video course (yellow), and TOEFL preparation course (blue). These
color designations triggered associations in our students' minds about the place
and time they first encountered the word, thereby facilitating word recognition
and use.
A third adaptation to Green's approach relates to the types of exercises
used with the Word Wall lexicon. The use of phonics and an emphasis on spelling
patterns may not be appropriate for all instructional settings. Thus, teachers
will need to devise activities that meet the vocabulary learning needs of their
own students. For example, some teachers may want to focus on synonyms and
antonyms, word order, collocations, and semantic groupings to reinforce
vocabulary building and introduce students to vocabulary learning strategies.
(More specific suggestions for Word Wall use are included in the next section of
this article.)
The fourth adaptation deals with choice of lexical items for the Word
Wall. Green selected words from formal word lists and then placed them on his
various Word Wall panels. Lexical items can also be selected directly from the
"texts" that students are exposed to in class, interpreted broadly to mean all
sources of content information including readings, videos, charts and graphs,
lectures, and so forth. In our opinion, lexical items that students have
encountered (or are going to encounter) in real texts, for authentic
communicative purposes, are the best candidates for the Word Wall. The
contextualized exposure and realization that the word is important are likely to
assist students in learning the vocabulary item and connecting it to other words
encountered in other texts and on the Word
Wall.
Furthermore, there is no need to restrict selection decisions to the
teacher alone. In fact, involving students actively in lexical item selection
(the fifth adaptation) has many benefits. When students are given the chance to
select words for the Word Wall, they often develop a sense of ownership toward
the Word Wall and its contents. The act of selecting a Word Wall entry often
leads to multiple exposures to the word as a result of deliberate
decision-making and negotiations with
classmates.
Word Wall activities that promote vocabulary
learning
Teachers can devise any number of explicit instructional activities and
games to make use of the Word Wall itself and the lexical items placed on the
Word Wall. Curricular priorities and student needs will determine, in large
part, the nature of the activities integrated into the classroom. It can be
assumed that students will make reference to the Word Wall at other times, on
their own, when editing their written work, when engaged in problem-solving
activities, when reading, and so forth. The incidental learning that takes place
as a result of the ever-present Word Wall is likely to contribute to students'
vocabulary learning.
We describe here a small sampling of Word Wall activities that can be
integrated into L2 instruction to promote vocabulary learning and to support
language skills development. Some of these activities require very little class
time, whereas others can become part of more substantive lessons. What is
important to remember is that each encounter with a word from the Word Wall and
its meaning will contribute to students' growing understanding of a word and the
many contexts in which it can be used. For ease of presentation, we have divided
the sample activities below into three categories based on their primary focus:
explicit vocabulary building, reading and writing, and speaking and
listening.
Explicit vocabulary building
activities
The Word Wall can be used for explicit vocabulary building in numerous
ways. The activities described below represent a fraction of the options that
teachers have to assist students in developing their vocabulary. Many
traditional vocabulary-building activities can be adapted and used with the Word
Wall.
Word clustering. The creative movement and reorganization of lexical
items on the Word Wall will help students make connections between new and known
items as well as semantically related words. Examples of creative groupings
include clusters of topically related lexical items, pairs of logically linked
adjectives and nouns, pairs of synonyms and antonyms, groups of words from the
same word class, semantic groupings, and lexical linkages that are simply
playful.
Multiple meaning awareness activities. Students can be asked to find Word
Wall items with more than one meaning (e.g., spring refers to a season of the
year, the action of moving quickly, a small body of water, and an object similar
to a coil). In pairs or groups, students can be asked to write sentences that
demonstrate the different meanings of the word or to write
definitions.
Vocabulary expansion. The teacher identifies a useful word, which is
likely to be unfamiliar to most students, that is repeated throughout a reading
passage. The teacher defines the word and then puts it on the Word Wall.
Students scan the reading passage for the word and highlight it throughout the
passage. The class then discusses other contexts in which the word might
appear.
Word part exercise. After teaching students about word parts (e.g.,
contra-, mis-, dec-, multi-, -tion, -ly), the teacher directs students to find
words on the Word Wall that have identifiable word parts. The teacher asks
questions to determine if students can define the words using their knowledge of
word parts.
Matching. After distributing Word Wall entries to all students in class,
students circulate to find classmates who have synonyms, antonyms, or words in
the same word class. As a possible variation, half of the students can be given
strips with definitions of Word Wall items, and the other half can be given the
actual words. Students circulate to match words and
definitions.
Finding synonyms or antonyms. The teacher generates a set of sentences
with synonyms or antonyms of Word Wall entries underlined. Students must replace
the underlined word with its counterpart from the Word
Wall.
Crossword puzzles. Using lexical items from the Word Wall, the teacher
creates a crossword puzzle. Definitions can be used as clues, or sentences with
blanks can be used if context clues lead students to the solution. (Teacher
preparation time is reduced if crossword puzzle software is
available.)
Reading and writing activities
Vocabulary building is often associated with reading and writing
instruction. The sample activities described below illustrate three ways in
which teachers can integrate the Word Wall into reading and writing
instruction.
Cloze passage. The teacher (or students) creates a cloze passage with
blanks for Word Wall items. Students attempt to fill in the blanks with
appropriate words from the Word Wall.
Free writes/speed writes. Students can be asked to write for a certain
length of time, incorporating a designated number of lexical items from the Word
Wall into their writing. The teacher may assign a topic or leave it open. As a
variation, teachers can ask students to incorporate Word Wall items into poetry
writing, class newspaper articles, or other written
assignments.
Journal entry. Students pick a lexical item from the Word Wall and write
a journal entry about it. For example, a student can pick the word compassion
and write an entry about a compassionate
acquaintance.
Speaking and listening activities
New vocabulary items can easily be integrated into speaking and listening
activities to promote vocabulary growth through meaningful use and recycling.
The Word Wall activities described below depict some of the options that
teachers can choose from.
Descriptions. Students describe a classmate or classroom object by using
Word Wall items. Students can play a game in which they use five words from the
Word Wall to describe something or someone in the room while other students try
to identify the person or item being described.
Guessing game. In pairs, one student describes a Word Wall entry (i.e.,
how it is used or its definition) and the student's partner tries to match the
clue with a Word Wall item.
Story telling. The whole class tells a story. The teacher models the
process by starting the story, including several Word Wall items in the
introduction, and pointing to the words on the Word Wall when they are used. A
student volunteer builds upon the story line until a designated number of Word
Wall entries has been used, and then the story is continued by other
students.
Twenty questions. The teacher chooses a word from the Word Wall, and the
students guess it by asking the teacher up to 20 yes-or
no-questions.
Word Wall Jeopardy. The teacher chooses various words from the Word Wall
and places them in categories, such as nouns, adjectives, or content words. Then
the teacher supplies definitions to students in "Jeopardy" game-show fashion.
Teams of students try to identify the appropriate Word Wall match. The group
with the highest number of points wins.
Suggested guidelines for Word Wall
use
During our initial attempts at integrating a Word Wall into our EAP
curriculum, we encountered some minor stumbling blocks. We list the most
noteworthy problems and follow that with guidelines that can facilitate the
integration of the Word Wall concept into other L2
classrooms.
1. Too many lexical items were placed on the Word Wall during our first
semester using the Word Wall. There was simply not enough time to recycle all
the Word Wall items into classroom activities so that the words could be
retained. Consequently, many items placed on the Word Wall were never revisited
or recycled. Thus, at the end of the first semester, many of the Word Wall items
were still fairly unfamiliar to students.
2. When students began to select words for the Word Wall, they sometimes
chose uncommon or infrequently used words, thereby placing words on the Wall
that would have little value for them.
3. Words were placed on the Word Wall uncreatively, most often in orderly
horizontal and vertical lines.
4. Initially we restricted Word Wall choices to single words rather than
common phrases, idioms, phrasal verbs, or fixed expressions, severely limiting
student exposure to other relevant and useful
vocabulary.
In response to these problems, we generated a list of guidelines that
assisted us in using the Word Wall more effectively during the second semester.
We offer the following eight suggestions to help L2 teachers use the Word Wall
with ease.
1. Whether lexical items are selected by teachers or students, three
criteria need to be met before words are placed on the Wall: The Word Wall
entries must be useful to the students, usable by the students, and frequently
used by native speakers. Without establishing such criteria, students (and
occasionally teachers) might select lexical items that are infrequently used or
archaic. Teachers should be able to reject words that do not fall into these
categories. To remind students of these criteria, teachers might want to place a
small, but conspicuous flyer on the Word Wall.
2. Lexical items that stem from contextualized exposure, rather than a
decontextualized word list, are the best candidates for the Word Wall. Posting
words that students need to understand to comprehend a reading, a chart or
graph, a video, a lecture, a bulletin board display, or a guest speaker is an
effective Word Wall strategy.
3. Teachers should consider how many words that they want on the Word
Wall at any given time and over the course of a term. At the beginning of any
term, the Word Wall will be empty. Over time, as students encounter more new
words as a result of exposure to new texts, new lexical items will be chosen for
Word Wall placement. In some settings, teachers may choose to rotate words,
dating all entries and keeping them on the Wall for a few weeks or for the
duration of a specific instructional unit. In other settings, students can vote
on the words they want to keep up or take down. Some sort of procedure needs to
be established to maintain the flow of words on and off the Word Wall. What is
critical, however, is the need to keep entries on the Wall long enough to ensure
that students have multiple encounters with the words and opportunities to make
connections between new and old entries.
4. Word Wall selections need not be confined to single words. Phrases,
idioms, fixed expressions, and phrasal verbs should be included if deemed
important for the students.
5. Word Wall items should be placed creatively (e.g., in semantic
groupings) rather than in straight, orderly rows on the Word Wall. Teachers and
students alike should be willing to move Word Wall entries around on the Wall.
Fixed placements limit the usefulness and versatility of the Wall for
instructional purposes. Activities that encourage students to move words about
reinforce multiple usages and collocations.
6. As emphasized by Green (1993:10), the Word Wall is most effective when
it is "a regular and predictable part of classroom activities." It should
therefore become a physical presence in the classroom early in the term and a
standard instructional tool shortly thereafter.
7. A variety of instructional activities that recycle and review Word
Wall items should be devised for classroom use. The physical placement of
lexical items on the Word Wall is just the beginning. The Word Wall entries
should be incorporated into subsequent speaking, listening, reading, writing,
and grammar activities.
8. Depending on student age, maturity, and language proficiency, teachers
must decide how to introduce the Word Wall concept. Simply involving students
with the ever-present Wall so they develop a noticeable degree of comfort with
many lexical items on the Wall can serve as an adequate introduction in some
settings. More explicit commentary on vocabulary learning strategies might be
appropriate in other classrooms.
Conclusion
The importance of vocabulary for L2 students requires that teachers
solidify their commitment to vocabulary building. Teachers can stimulate
students' vocabulary growth and retention by rethinking instructional priorities
and taking the following steps. First, teachers should make a point of immersing
their students in a vocabulary-rich environment to promote the incidental
learning of vocabulary. Second, they should increase the amount of reading
assigned to their students, because reading is likely to have the greatest
impact on students' vocabulary knowledge. Third, they should set aside time for
explicit vocabulary instruction that not only teaches word meanings but also
provides opportunities for (a) systematic recycling of lexical items in a range
of meaningful contexts, (b) connections between new and known lexical items, and
(c) active student involvement. The Word Wall approach, as originally conceived
and in various adapted renditions, helps students build their vocabulary and
vocabulary-learning strategies. The versatility of the approach makes it
attractive for teachers in a range of instructional settings. In all cases, the
Word Wall can assist students in building their vocabulary, thereby improving
their language proficiency and ability to function in the target
language.
References
Allen, V. 1983. Techniques in teaching vocabulary. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Carter, R. 1998. Vocabulary: Applied linguistic perspectives (2nd ed.).
New York: Routledge.
Coady, J. 1997. L2 vocabulary acquisition through extensive reading. In
Second language vocabulary acquisition, pp. 225-237. Eds. J. Coady and T.
Huckin. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Duquette, L., and G. Painchaud. 1996. A comparison of vocabulary
acquisition in audio and video contexts. The Canadian Modern Language Review/La
Revue Canadienne des Langues Vivantes, 53, 1, pp.
143-171.
Gairns, R., and S. Redman. 1986. Working with words: A guide to teaching
and learning vocabulary. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Grabe, W., and F. Stoller. 1997. Reading and vocabulary development in a
second language: A case study. In Second language vocabulary acquisition, pp.
98-122. Eds. J. Coady and T. Huckin. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Green, J. 1993. The Word Wall: Teaching vocabulary through immersion.
Ontario, Canada: Pippin Publishing Limited.
McCarthy, M. 1990. Vocabulary. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Moore, D., S. Moore, P. Cunningham, and J. Cunningham. 1994. Developing
readers and writers in the content areas: K-12 (2nd ed.). White Plains, New
York: Longman.
Morgan, J., and M. Rinvolucri. 1986. Vocabulary. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Nagy, W., and P. Herman. 1985. Incidental vs. instructional approaches to
increasing reading vocabulary. Educational Perspectives, 23, pp.
16-21.
---. 1987. Breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge: Implications for
acquisition and instruction. In The nature of vocabulary acquisition, pp. 19-35.
Eds. M. McKeown and M. Curtis. Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Nation, P. 1990. Teaching and learning vocabulary. New York: Newbury
House.
---.
1994. New ways in teaching vocabulary. Alexandria,
VA: TESOL.
Nation, P. and J. Newton. 1997. Teaching vocabulary. In Second language
vocabulary acquisition, pp. 238-254. Eds. J. Coady and T. Huckin. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Paribakht, S., and M. Wesche. 1997. Vocabulary enrichment activities and
reading for meaning in second language vocabulary acquisition. In Second
language vocabulary acquisition, pp. 238-254. Eds. J. Coady and T. Huckin. New
York: Cambridge University Press.
Stahl, S. A. 1999. Vocabulary development. Cambridge, MA: Brookline
Books.
Taylor, L. 1990. Teaching and learning vocabulary. New York: Prentice
Hall.
Zimmerman, C. B. 1997. Historical trends in second language vocabulary
instruction. In Second language vocabulary acquisition, pp. 5-19. Eds. J. Coady
and T. Huckin. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Kevin Eyraud is an instructor in the English Language Testing and
Training Program (ELTTP) at American University, Cairo,
Egypt.
Gillian Giles is an instructor at Komaki English Teaching Center, Komaki,
Japan.
Susan Koenig teaches at South Callaway High School, Missouri, United
States.
Fredricka L. Stoller is an associate professor in the MA-TESL and applied
linguistics programs at Northern Arizona University, Arizona, United States.
© 2000, Forum – Vol 38 No 3, July - September
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2.- OUR BRAIN´S RESPONSE TO HUMOUR
The
following is a reproduction from an article published in "CyberCowGrrl"
<duc@edu-cyberpg.com last
Monday, November 18, 2002
The Brain's Funny Bone: Seinfeld, The Simpsons spark same nerve
circuits
by John Travis
Neuroscientists-normally a reserved group-were laughing at William M.
Kelley's presentation. He wasn't upset, however. The researcher had just shown
the scientists a clip from the sitcom Seinfeld to illustrate how his group
investigates the brain's response to humor.
With the aid of Jerry Seinfeld and his friends, as well as the animated
characters of the cartoon The Simpsons, Kelley and his colleagues have found
that different brain regions spark with activity when a person gets a joke
versus when he or she reacts to it.
"Humor is a significant part of what makes us unique as human beings,"
says Kelley, a neuroscientist at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. He presented
his group's brain-imaging data last week at the Society for Neuroscience meeting
in Orlando, Fla.
Despite humor's appeal, few researchers have studied its neural basis.
Last year, a British group described the brain activity of people listening to
real jokes and puns and to nonsense versions.
Seeking a more natural study of humor, Kelley's group initially had a
dozen or so self-professed fans of Seinfeld watch an episode-the one in which
George seeks a baldness remedy from China. Meanwhile, a magnetic resonance
imaging machine continuously scanned their brains for nerve-cell activity.
Ultimately, the scientists analyzed the data for the few seconds before
and after each joke, as indicated by the show's laugh
track.
As a participant viewed something funny, regions of the brain's left
hemisphere-the posterior temporal cortex and inferior frontal cortex-initially
crackled with activity. Neuroscientists have previously associated these regions
with resolving ambiguities, says Kelley.
A few seconds later, presumably as the person responded to the humor,
brain regions called the insula and amygdala became active across both
hemispheres of the brain. The insula plays a role in emotional sensations, while
researchers usually link the amygdala to memory processing. "You tend to recall
the funny bits" of a sitcom, notes Kelley.
Studying the brain's response to humor is a challenge, and Kelley's
effort is innovative, says Ralph Adolphs of the University of Iowa College of
Medicine in Iowa City. "It seems that actually watching a full-length episode
[of a sitcom] is going to elicit humor in a more realistic, intense fashion than
if you just read or hear a punch line in a lab," says
Adolphs.
Concerned that the laugh track on Seinfeld influenced study volunteers'
reactions, Kelley and his colleagues repeated their experiment with an episode
of The Simpsons, which doesn't use recorded laughs. "We observed a
near-identical pattern of [brain] activation," says
Kelley.
References:
Kelley, W.M., et al. 2002. The neural funny bone: Dissociating cognitive
and affective components of humor. Society for Neuroscience 32nd Annual Meeting.
Nov. 2-7. Orlando, Fla.
Further Readings:
Goel, V., and R.J. Dolan. 2001. The functional anatomy of humor:
Segregating cognitive and affective components. Nature Neuroscience 4
(March):237-238. Abstract.
Sources:
Ralph Adolphs - University of Iowa College of Medicine - Department of
Neurology
William M. Kelley - Dartmouth College - Department of Psychology and
Brain Sciences
From Science News, Vol. 162, No. 20, Nov. 16, 2002, p.
308.
© CyberCowGrrl
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3.- NEWS FROM THE BRITISH COUNCIL :
LITERARY AWARDS
Our dear SHARER Mary Godward, Information Services Manager - The British
Council
sends us this information:
Man Booker prize for Fiction 2002
The shortlist for this prestigious literary prize was announced in
September and included:
Life
of Pi by
Yann Martel - Canongate 1841952451 £12.99
Pi and his family, who own a zoo, decide to emigrate from India. On the way, tragedy strikes and the ship
is sunk. Pi finds himself in a life
boat with a hyena, a zebra, a tiger and an orangutan. He manages to keep his
wits as the food chain establishes itself.
Family
matters by
Rohinton Mistry - Faber 0571194273 £16.99
This story centres on a 79-year-old Parsi widower named Nariman who lives
with his stepson and stepdaughter.
Nariman's wife died many years before, leaving behind the two children
from her first marriage and the daughter, Roxanna, they had
together.
Unless by
Carol Shields - Fourth Estate 0007137702 £16.99
All her life Reta Winters has enjoyed the useful monotony of happiness
with a loving family and growing success as a writer. Then her eldest daughter suddenly
withdraws from the world to sit on a street corner, uncommunicative but for a
sign around her neck bearing one word,
"Goodness".
The
story of Lucy Gault by
William Trevor - Viking 0670913421 £16.99
Captain Gault has decided that his family must leave Lahardane. They are, after all, Protestants living
in the big house in rural Cork, and the country is in turmoil. It is 1921. But eight-year-old Lucy can't bear to
leave the seashore, the old house, the woods - so she hatches a
plan.
Fingersmith by
Sarah Waters - Virago 1860498825 £12.99
Set in a den of thieves in 1860's London, this novel focuses on Susan, a
pickpocket, who is persuaded by her cohorts to pose as a lady's maid and
infiltrate the household of Maud, a young heiress in possession of a large
inheritance.
Dirt
music by
Tim Winton - Picador 0330490249 £15.99
Georgie Jutland is a mess.
At 40, with her career in ruins, she finds herself stranded in White
Point with a fisherman she doesn't love and two kids whose dead mother she can
never replace. Then a dangerous
element enters her life - Luther Fox.
Their unlikely alliance is set in Western
Australia.
And the winner is...
Yann Martel, the 39-year-old Canadian novelist, shipwrecked the
expectations of pundits and publishers to win the £50,000 Man Booker Prize for
Fiction. His eccentric and entrancing third novel, 'Life of Pi', beat fancied
contenders such as Sarah Waters and William Trevor to secure a narrow
victory.
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/news/story.jsp?story=345114
For further information, please see
http://books.guardian.co.uk/bookerprize2002/0,12350,777184,00.html
http://bookerprize.co.uk/
The Booker Prize and US writers
Booker Prize officials have decided against opening up the award to
writers outside of Britain, the Commonwealth and Ireland. The announcement ends
months of speculation that US writers might become eligible for Britain's most
prestigious literary award. However, Booker dministrator Martyn Goff confirmed
that organisers were considering setting up a separate lifetime achievement
award open to all nationalities, provided the work was published in English.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2489109.stm
Mary Godward
Information Services Manager - The British Council
Marcelo T de Alvear 590 - 4to - C1058AAF Buenos Aires
Tel: +54 (011) 43119814/7519 - Fax: Extension/Interno 141
E-mail:
mary.godward@britishcouncil.org.ar
http://www.britishcouncil.org.ar
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.- MY LIST
Our dear SHARER Susan Hillyard sends us this message
which she says is “something which should touch everybody and that they can
share with lots of others”. Thank you for your contribution,
Susan!
I have a list of folks I know......all written in a book,
and every now and then......I go and take a look.
That is when I realize these names......they are a part,
not of the book they're written in......but taken from the heart.
For each name stands for someone......who has crossed my path sometime,
and in that meeting they have become......the reason and the rhyme.
Although it sounds fantastic......for me to make this claim,
I really am composed......of each remembered name.
Although you're not aware......of any special link,
just knowing you, has shaped my life......more than you could think.
So please don't think my greeting......as just a mere routine,
your name was not......forgotten in between.
For when I send a greeting......that is addressed to you,
it is because you're on the list......of folks I'm indebted to.
So whether I have known you......for many days or few,
in some ways you have a part......in shaping things I do.
I am but a total......of many folks I've met,
you are a friend I would prefer......never to forget.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.- INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, LANGUAGE
& TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
Our dear SHARER Alicia Barbitta
barbitta@adinet.com.uy from Uruguay sends us this information:
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, LANGUAGE & TECHNOLOGY: NEW SYNERGIES, NEW
TIMES
CIBER 2003 Language Conference)
April 2 - 5, 2003
Miami, FL
SUBMISSIONS DUE 1/31/03
The 2003 CIBER Languages Conference will concentrate on 3 content areas:
1) Language, Communication and Culture: This area focuses on the use and
teaching of language, communication, as well as culture for business and the
professions. Topics are myriad, but include for example: new course design and
development, different ways of teaching
business
language, communication blunders, cross-cultural studies, case studies,
interdisciplinary programs, study abroad programs, internships, grant writing,
strategic partnerships, among others.
2) Technology as a Tool: In the last few years, technological tools have
exploded on the learning scene, and have direct impact on all aspects of
language delivery. Topics here are diverse, but might include the use of the
Internet 2 (I2), e-business, distance learning, and Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) and how these new technologies help or hinder
learning.
(3) International Business and Emerging Issues: As the professions become
more “international" in focus and borders disappear, new issues emerge. These
include a resurgence of less commonly taught languages, the relationship of
e-commerce and foreign languages, how 9/11 has altered our collective headsets
regarding languages, the recruitment of students, partnerships with other
institutions, among other topics.
Although Languages dominate the conference, technology as an enabling
force will be highlighted, as will the focus on emerging issues in International
Business and the professions.
Paper Presentations: Each
paper chosen for presentation should be a 15-20 minute presentation, distilled
from the paper submission. Ideally the papers will not exceed 40 pages in
length, and the Chairperson of the
session will inform each presenter in advance as to the session format. Audience
interaction is stressed here. The format can be Power Point-driven, or with
handouts.
Symposia or Panels: Each symposium or panel chosen will be either 90 or
120 minutes in duration. The final half hour should ideally be for audience
interaction. As you frame your
symposium submission, please cast it for wide audience appeal, which might
include speakers from
different institutions, and controversial
topics.
Pre-Conference Workshops: Workshops lasting all day, or for a duration of
several hours are welcome at the Pre-Conference. Here the focus is on intensive
training on topics, skills and program development. For example, a day long
session could be devoted to developing and
teaching a business language course, where the participants are given
materials and through a very hands-on approach, deal with common start-up
issues.
For
more information please contact: Florida International University CIBER Phone:
305-348-1740 l Fax:
305-348-1789E-mail: ciber@fiu.edu
and
Visit
us at http://www.fiu.edu/~ciber
Hosted by Florida International University Center for
International
Business Education and Research, and cosponsored by multiple CIBERs
nationwide.
---------------------------------------------------------------
6.- WHO´S
HU?
One of our founding SHARERS and godmother Elida Messina sends this
tongue-in-cheek contribution:
Playwright Jim Sherman wrote this today after Hu Jintao was named chief
of the Communist Party in China.
HU'S ON FIRST
By James Sherman
(We take you now to the Oval Office.)
George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's
happening?
Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of
China.
George: Great. Lay it on me.
Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.
George: That's what I want to know.
Condi: That's what I'm telling you.
George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of
China?
Condi: Yes.
George: I mean the fellow's name.
Condi: Hu.
George: The guy in China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The new leader of China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The Chinaman!
Condi: Hu is leading China.
George: Now whaddya' asking me for?
Condi: I'm telling you Hu is leading
China.
George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading
China?
Condi: That's the man's name.
George: That's who's name?
Condi: Yes.
George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of
China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the Middle
East.
Condi: That's correct.
George: Then who is in China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir is in China?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Then who is?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China.
Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the
phone.
Condi: Kofi?
George: No, thanks.
Condi: You want Kofi?
George: No.
Condi: You don't want Kofi.
George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And
then get me the U.N.
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi?
George: Milk! Will you please make the
call?
Condi: And call who?
George: Who is the guy at the U.N?
Condi: Hu is the guy in China.
George: Will you stay out of China?!
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the
U.N.
Condi: Kofi.
George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the
phone.
(Condi picks up the phone.)
Condi: Rice, here.
George: Rice? Good idea. And a couple of egg rolls, too. Maybe we should
send some to the guy in China. And the Middle East. Can you get Chinese food in
the Middle East?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.- NLP NEWSLETTER FOR TEACHERS AND HEAD
TEACHERS
Our
dear SHARER Iliana Grazziano writes to us:
Newsletter
de PNL para Docentes, Directores y Rectores de Institutos y Asociaciones
Afines
American Forum y C&C tienen el agrado de anunciar el inicio de la
Newsletter de PNL (Programación Neurolingüística) especialmente dirigida a
docentes, directores y rectores de institutos y asociaciones
afines.
Resulta altamente eficaz en todo proceso de aprendizaje-enseñanza incluir
las habilidades y herramientas que aporta la PNL para lograr objetivos tales
como:
generar rapport "naturalmente" con la mayor cantidad de alumnos
posible
ponerse en el lugar del alumno, averiguando cuál es su proceso de
pensamiento para el aprendizaje
ayudarlos a recordar vocabulario y/o fijar estructuras a través de
Submodalidades y Accesos Oculares
desafiar creencias que nuestros alumnos puedan tener, por ejemplo: soy
malo para los idiomas; no tengo tiempo para hacer la tarea; no sirvo para
redactar en forma clara, etc.
estrategias para mantener y motivar la
atención
El próximo mes, hablaremos sobre los Principios de la PNL, base para
generar cambios en nosotros - en los pensamientos, acciones y emociones que
intervienen en cada proceso - para la obtención de resultados distintos o nuevas
experiencias.
Para
suscribirse a este envío y/o obtener información acerca de nuestros cursos para
docentes, contactarse con American Forum: comunicacion@american-forum.com
o en los teléfonos 4326-2695 / 7955. Website:
www.american-forum.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.-
INTERPRETACIÓN SIMULTÁNEA
Our dear SHARERS at McDonough announce:
Curso de Verano 2003 de Interpretación
Simultánea
El programa de los cursos que McDonough ha diseñado apunta a que cada
alumno desarrolle las técnicas y la práctica de la interpretación, trabajando en
cabinas individuales con los más modernos equipos de interpretación simultánea
disponibles en el mercado. Muchos graduados de universidades o de cursos de
interpretación simultánea buscan nuestros cursos como un posgrado de
actualización y exposición laboral.
McDonough brinda:
Práctica de interpretación simultánea de las últimas conferencias del
mercado
Los temas más actuales del mercado: Telecomunicaciones, networking,
electricidad, management, ingeniería, delitos cibernéticos, entre muchos otros.
Seguimiento individualizado del alumno
Carga horaria de 6 horas semanales
Práctica de relay
Grabación autónoma y centralizada
Laboratorio de 11 Cabinas de interpretación
Consolas de audio y micrófonos profesionales
Sistema de proyección de transparencias y Proyección de datos
Equipos de sonido infrarrojos para conferencias
Micrófonos inalámbricos UHF
Para
todos los cursos se tomarán los exámenes de ingreso durante el mes de noviembre.
Las vacantes son limitadas ya que hay sólo 11 cabinas por curso. Para mayor
información: www.mcdonoughsrl.com.
El Centro de capacitación McDonough está ubicado en Sarmiento 983, piso
11, Capital.
Informes e inscripción 2003Tel/fax: 4325-3101 (Líneas
Rotativas)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.- DEDICACIÓN
EXCLUSIVA EN LA UNIVERSIDAD
The following is a reproduction of an article published in TEKNE Digital
- Edición Nº 9 - Octubre 2002
Como característica del Sistema de Educación Superior del País, solamente
el 14 % de los profesores
argentinos tiene dedicación exclusiva en la
Universidad
Un profesor que da sus clases, está disponible durante el día en la
universidad y se dedica a investigar en su área es una rara avis en la educación
superior Argentina. Aquí, la mayoría de los docentes universitarios completa un
sueldo razonable sumando horas de clase aquí y allá y agregando trabajo en el
ámbito privado.
Únicamente el 14% de los docentes de las universidades nacionales posee
dedicación exclusiva, es decir que sólo 14.930 de los 113.408 profesores tienen
la universidad como único trabajo y cumplen en ella 40 horas semanales de
docencia e investigación, con la imposibilidad teórica de realizar tareas
rentadas fuera de esa institución.
La gran mayoría, el 63%, tiene dedicación simple -10 horas semanales de
clase- y el 22% restante, semiexclusiva -20 horas semanales de docencia con
opción de investigación-.
Aunque se acepta que en toda carrera es saludable una proporción de
docentes que provengan del mundo profesional, la escasez de académicos que
promuevan la investigación y estén disponibles para seguir de cerca a los
estudiantes termina resintiendo la calidad de la
enseñanza.
Razones económicas
Las causas de la baja proporción de docentes full time son, en buena
medida, económicas: sostener un cuerpo de académicos supone, aun con sueldos
bajos, un gasto imposible de afrontar para las universidades más grandes, con
una matrícula que se multiplica y fondos que se
restringen.
En la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), por ejemplo, donde sólo el 11%
de los docentes es full time, un profesor titular con máxima antigüedad y
dedicación exclusiva puede aspirar a unos $ 1800 por mes, con un piso inicial de
$ 600. Los que tienen dedicación semiexclusiva ven variar su sueldo entre $ 300
y $ 600, y la dedicación simple va de $ 60 a $ 200. Un 30% de los 22.370
profesores de la UBA, en tanto, da clases sin
cobrar.
"Diez cargos simples equivalen a uno exclusivo, pero alcanzan a muchos
más alumnos. Las universidades con muchos estudiantes optan por multiplicar las
dedicaciones simples porque es más barato", resumió a LA NACIÓN Daniel Ricci,
secretario general del gremio docente de la
UBA.
"El modelo de dedicación exclusiva es deseable, pero hay que ser realista
y ver hasta dónde nuestro sistema puede sostener su ampliación", dijo Ana García
de Fanelli, investigadora del Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad (Cedes).
"En carreras que concentran la matrícula, como Contador Público, Derecho y
Medicina, si se quiere tener una estructura de docentes exclusivos hay que pagar
salarios de mercado, para que un contador, un abogado o un médico elija la
universidad como única actividad", dijo.
Por eso, las ciencias básicas y biológicas tienen mayor cantidad de
docentes full time. "En estas disciplinas el mundo académico es la inserción
laboral más frecuente y atractiva, y son carreras donde el número de estudiantes
no creció y en algunos casos disminuyó", dijo
Fanelli.
Una mirada más cercana al sistema universitario revela heterogeneidad.
Hay universidades públicas con una alta proporción de profesores full time, como
las de Quilmes (80%), General Sarmiento (60%), San Luis (46%), Río Cuarto (42%),
Tucumán (32%) y de la Patagonia Austral (28%).
Se trata, en general, de universidades de creación más reciente, con
menos alumnos, mayor presupuesto por estudiante y que instalaron otro esquema
docente casi desde su creación. En las universidades más grandes, reformar el
esquema salarial -que desde 1992 elabora cada universidad en forma autónoma- es
difícil, operativamente y por cuestiones
políticas.
Así, la Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (UNQ) cuenta con 140 docentes
investigadores con dedicación exclusiva, concursados, que ganan entre $ 1200 y $
3000 mensuales, más plus por formación académica, actividades de gestión,
antecedentes personales y los resultados de las evaluaciones que cada dos años
deben pasar.
"El resto de los profesores son contratados para dar clases en cada
semestre o año, en áreas más profesionales", dijo el vicerrector de Relaciones
Institucionales, Mario Greco.
Casos en las privadas
En el ámbito privado, en tanto, se reproducen las variaciones. En la
Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA) hay un 15% de docentes con dedicación
exclusiva (entre 25 a 45 horas por semana), de un total de 1700 profesores. Los
planes son aumentar este número hasta llegar al 25% de dedicaciones exclusivas
en 2006, dijo el vicerrector Ernesto Parselis.
Otras universidades privadas, sin pretensiones de masividad, basan su
organización en los profesores full time. Una es la Universidad Torcuato Di
Tella (UTDT), con 1200 alumnos y 49 profesores investigadores, muchos de ellos
repatriados de universidades extranjeras y seleccionados rigurosamente por sus
antecedentes académicos. El plantel docente se completa con 31 profesores
visitantes que llegan del exterior durante una parte del año y 160 con
dedicación parcial.
"La enseñanza universitaria de punta requiere que una parte de los
docentes sean investigadores, para actualizar los contenidos y para que los
estudiantes experimenten la ciencia como una actividad dinámica", dijo el
vicerrector Horacio Spector, al sostener que "el profesor full time eleva la
calidad de los docentes con dedicación parcial". Para los profesores hay
atractivos innegables: los docentes full time de la UTDT cobran entre $ 55.000 y
$ 80.000 por año y pueden hacer consultorías o trabajos
profesionales.
Pero no basta con aumentar los docentes full time. "Hay ciertas
condiciones que deben acompañar para lograr buenos resultados: los alumnos
también deben ser full time, hay que ofrecerles becas para que puedan serlo y
debe haber recursos para hacer investigación", concluyó
Fanelli.
Extraído de La Nación (14/09/2002)
© TEKNE Digital – FRA UTN
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.- FROM A DANCER´S HEART
Our
dear SHARER Maria del Carmen Pibermus sens us all this poem she has written.
Says
she: “This poem can be improved...
what cannot be improved is the motive ... 'cause it has the RIGHT
MOTIVE...
Hugs and butterflies, in
Jesus, The Christ
Mariah
". From a dancer's heart "
...for Him
I dance
.................................................
because He gave me
the petition of my heart
... I was just 4
and my Quest had began
so little... so sad ... so blind.
.........................................................
wrong doors
dark paths
inner void
days and nights
where's the Light ?
.....................................
Until I stopped
weary I was ...
cried out to Him
and He came in:
" I am Who I am,
Bread, Door, Life"
....................
because only Him
completes me,
...I dance
because He loved me first
and He is my first love
...I dance
And dance, and dance and dance ...
With Him, now
I dance
because the sun shines ...
and the sun shines
because He shone first...
.......................................
and will shine for ever...
(c) Maria del C. Pibernus
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.- CONGRESSES
IN SPAIN
Two dear SHARERS send us information about forthcoming events in
Spain:
From: Eva Águila
Martínez<evaaguila@hotmail.com>
Subject: 6th Symposium on
Psycholinguistics, Barcelona Spain
Dear colleagues,
It is a pleasure for us to announce the 6th Symposium on
Psycholinguistics,which will take place in Barcelona, 27th - 29th
March.
Information is now available at:
http://www.ub.es/pbasic/psicoling
(pages in English will be available
soon)
We want to remind you that the deadline for registering posters is the
30th Nov.
We hope see you in Barcelona.
Yours,
The Organizing Committee
-----------------------------------
Dear colleagues,
This is to inform you of TESOL-SPAIN's forthcoming Conference to be held
at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
(Spain).
More
information can be found at : http://www.tesol-spain.org/seminar2003/index.html
Regards,
Carmen Pinilla
Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
mapipa@idm.upv.es
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today
we will say goodbye with a quotation that our dear SHARER Damián Stenopoulos
from Rosario sent us:
"Knowledge is gained by learning; trust by doubt; skill by practice; love
by love."
Thomas Szasz
HAVE
A WONDERFUL WEEK!
Omar
and Marina.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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