My Beautiful Broken Brain is a 2014 documentary film about the life of 34-year-old Lotje Sodderland after she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke as a result of a congenital vascular malformation in November 2011, initially experiencing aphasia, the complete loss of her ability to read, write, or speak coherently.
The film starts with a recap of the intracerebral hemorrhage (stroke) and subsequent emergency brain surgery on her parietal and temporal lobes, and follows the life of its protagonist, London resident Lotje Sodderland, in the year that followed, documenting the progress of her recovery and the major setbacks she experienced.
Lotje covers some of the daily challenges that she experienced after sustaining injury to her brain through the stroke, not just with dysphasia and apraxia while communicating through expressive verbal language, reading and writing, but also the memory deficits, confusion, cognitive processing and sensory perception changes, over-sensitivity to noise and the sensations of overwhelm, fatigue, frustration, and at times discouragement about future considering the changes in her life.
The valuable support provided by her family and friends during this journey of recovery was featured prominently in this documentary. Through extensive in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation that included occupational therapy, speech therapy, visits with both a psychologist and psychiatrist, she makes a profound recovery, despite the post-seizure regression she experienced following the experimental transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments.
Lotje began recording video-selfies just a few days after the stroke, while still in the hospital. Large parts of the film consist of material filmed by herself on her iPhone. This together with various sequences showing the world from her point-of-view at that time, including for example visual misperceptions (hallucinations), produce a rather personal storytelling style.
David Lynch became an executive producer of the film.
No copyright infringements intended, uploaded for educational use, all copyrights belong to; Directed by Sophie Robinson, Lotje Sodderland. Produced by Sophie Robinson Distributed by Netflix Release date: November 21, 2014 (IDFA) Running time: 84 minutes Country: United Kingdom Language: English
Peer Teaching is by no means a new concept. Dating back to the days of Aristotle, this form of education relies on students teaching each other. Used in schools since the early 19th century, this technique has students who have mastered a particular subject instruct their often younger novice peers until they, too, become well versed into the topic or acquire some particular abilities.
Nowhere, however, is this methodology most popular than in some universities, where advanced students are encouraged to take teaching assistant jobs, instructing earlier courses in courses they have already taken.
Newer methodologies, however, take a different approach. One example is Learning Cells. This technique involves pairing same-year students into groups, and letting them assist each other in the discovery and learning of a particular topic with minimum input from the teacher.
The goal of this methodology is for students to embark on a joint quest, giving them the chance to research together, to help answer each other’s questions, and to debate and analyze topics together.
Peer Teaching then, is no single methodology. In fact, researchers have identified more than ten different – and quite diverse – models, in which students teach each other. And it makes sense, as this form of education encompasses a series of advantages that make it extremely effective to help learners acquire knowledge and garner new abilities:
For starters, Peer Teaching allows students to get more individualized lessons. Whether it is by a student-teacher assistant helping a professor carry out their lessons or tutoring small groups within a class, or by having other same-level students to help research topics and come up with answers, this methodology (or rather, range of methodologies) can be really effective to make sure students get answers to their questions, and get a deeper understanding of the topics at hand.
By having another student teach them (or assist them with their learning) students are also more prone to ask questions, and be more open about their learning process, as they don’t have to face the pressure of interacting with a teacher, or fear getting a lower grade.
Additionally, it is a way to promote active learning, as answering a fellow student’s question requires learners to research topics by themselves and go out to find more answers. Also, the need to organize knowledge in a way that makes it easy to transmit it to others is a very effective way to reinforce learning.
Finally, this form of learning enhances social and communication skills, fosters collaboration, increases confidence, provides self-learning tools, and engages students.
On institutions where resources are scarce, this form of learning can also help cut costs, and increase teaching staff without actually hiring new professors.
Is language necessary for communication to take place?
Who is communicating with Lilly?
The video is one you will remember fondly on many a rainy day to come…
How a second language is acquired; whether English, French, Yu’pik, or Mapudungun is what the second language learner needs to know; whether in the USA, Canada, Singapore, China, Chile or any other location worldwide, we all need to find relevant answers to know why some learners are more successful than others.
The book introduces in a warm, friendly, first-person, engaging fashion a range of fundamental concepts – such as SLA in adults and children, in formal and informal learning contexts, and in diverse sociocultural settings – and takes (in the tradition of Gass & Selinker) an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging students to consider SLA from linguistic, psychological, and social perspectives.”
“Written by an experienced teacher and author of 100 books, from a practical perspective.
This book is for new teachers, experienced teachers, parents of English Language Learners worldwide, English Language Learners, and students from all disciplines with a need to know how students learn English in actual day to day practice.
This book provides an actionable answer to the question of “How Do Students Learn English?” In this book, the discovery method is applied to case studies and actual experience, in reality.
If encountering the topic for the first time, this is a clear and practical introduction to experiential Second Language Acquisition (SLA). It shows actual students and teachers grappling with SLA issues in an interdisciplinary manner. To do this, we “stand on the shoulders of giants” like Wittgenstein, Gass & Selinker.
Storytelling becomes the medium to illustrate SLA in action, without being heavy on explanation. This is an inductive, discovery approach to deep learning about SLA in action.
This book is primarily intended for students writing an undergraduate or BA thesis, and who may be unsure about what they need to do in order to start and finish writing their thesis. As a handbook, it gives the Big Picture, telling the historical background about scientific research, the learning by researching pedagogical paradigm, and how thesis writing became ingrained into higher education world-wide.
It is also a useful reference for researchers, thesis supervisors, academic research instructors, academic writing teachers, and students new to academic writing, especially English Language Learners. While the ways in which we research and compose papers and theses may change constantly, from year to year, from university to university, and from country to country, the fundamentals remain the same.
Writers need to have a strong research question, construct an evidence-based argument, cite their sources, and structure their work in a logical way. This book provides you with the tools to do these four things successfully.
Doing original student research and writing your thesis or research paper should start long before you begin your thesis seminar at the end of your professional education program. However, even under ideal circumstances, there will be problems you need to overcome.
Maybe it’s your own procrastination, maybe the writing isn’t happening the way you hoped it would, maybe you don’t have an ideal thesis supervisor, maybe your writing skills are not at the level it needs to be, maybe you are writing in a second or foreign language, or worse: maybe you have lost confidence in yourself…
Whatever the case may be, this book will get you back on track to finish your BA or Master’s Thesis. This book wil provide you with motivation, aid, comfort, and self-confidence once again.
It has many helpful hints and timely tips.
If you are already writing your research article or your thesis, this book will be useful in keeping you focused on finishing your writing in a timely manner.
It provides background information about what original research is, what we mean by the scientific method, where and when research and learning became a reciprocal process, and how it helps to develop the human capital of a nation.
The information in this book is tried and tested. I used it to write my BA Thesis, and will use it again to write my MA Thesis.
The motivating concepts in this book was also used with undergraduate English Pedagogy students at Universidad Andrés Bello in 2008-2009 and MA students at Universidad Santiago de Chile (USACH) in September, 2009.
Those students went on to successfully write their thesis and are now living testimony to the transformative nature of the concepts you will find within the pages of this book.
Thomas Baker is the Past-President of TESOL Chile (2010-2011). He is the Co-Founder and Co-Organiser of EdCamp Santiago 2012 & Edcamp Chile 2013, free, participant-driven, democratic, conversation based professional development for teachers, by teachers. EdCamp Santiago 2012 was held at Universidad Mayor in Santiago.
Thomas is also a past member of the Advisory Board for the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL), where he also serves as the HETL Ambassador for Chile. The source and inspiration for his writing comes from his family, his wife Gabriela, and his son, Thomas Jerome Baker, Jr.
For many people, reading has been difficult this last year – but a breakthrough is always possible. Guardian readers describe the books that drew them in…
Hot Water Music by Charles Bukowski
‘Reading about the hope in others’ hopeless lives kept me going’ Bukowski’s often seedy stories are a wonderful break from normality. I don’t know how I’d have got through lockdown without them. Being sheltered this past year for medical reasons was one of the loneliest times of my life. I don’t have a family nearby; I’m gay and on my own. My friends were the baristas, pub landlords and restaurant owners of my area. Most of them are gone. There were times when I didn’t think I would make it, but then I’d read a story by Bukowski about the hope in the hopeless lives of other people, and it kept me going. Gary Comenas, 65, writer, London
‘I absolutely adored reading from her disdainful perspective.’ Photograph: Publicity image
Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller
‘It reignited my love for books’ I picked it up primarily, I confess, because of its beautiful cover; it was part of the Penguin Ink collection, and features an illustration from a wonderful tattoo artist. It tells the story of an affair between a fortysomething art teacher and her 15-year-old student, from the perspective of Barbara, a bitter veteran teacher at the same school. I absolutely adored reading from her disdainful perspective. While not a typical thriller, it was a thrilling read and reignited my love for books. Kirsty, 23, bartender and recent geography graduate, Manchester
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
‘I finished it in a weekend’ After I finished my English degree, it took me five years to finish a book for pleasure again. I had depression and anxiety, and couldn’t concentrate; I would only read a line before all the words seemed to run together. One day, I picked up The Sense of an Ending. It’s a short book, which helped, but more than anything I was invested in the characters and their stories. I finished it in a weekend, which was proof I could still enjoy books. Sinéad Hanrahan, 33, librarian, Ireland
‘It was so gripping that I read it in two sittings.’
Auē by Becky Manawatu
‘It pulled me out of the pandemic reading slump’ The story is told from the first-person perspectives of nine-year-old Arama and 17-year-old Taukiri, whose parents have died. But through the third-person narration of Jade, with help from a ghost, we come to understand the bigger story, one of gangs, violence and, perhaps, history bound to repeat itself. It was so gripping that I read it in two sittings. Rachel J Fenton, 45, charity shop worker and writer, Aotearoa (New Zealand)
The Crow Road by Iain Banks
‘Now I read almost every night’ I hadn’t read for pleasure in years, although I was an avid reader as a child. I had simply stopped making time to read for myself. A friend gave me their copy of The Crow Road, and I devoured it. I hadn’t read anything like it before; the use of language and the classic mystery running through. I felt like the characters were my peers. Now I read almost every night. Emily Venables, 34, photography lecturer, Isle of Wight
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
‘The characters are fantastic.’
‘The first book in ages to pull me in’ I have been reading quite a bit during lockdown, but have found it hard to focus. Hamnet is the first book in ages to pull me in whenever I have a few minutes. The characters are fantastic, along with the bold descriptions of really difficult subjects, such as domestic violence, family tensions, childbirth and death. It is set in the 1500s, but never feels out of reach. Ruth Bone, 42, environmental sector worker, Andover
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
‘It’s been the best aspect of lockdown by far’ Last year was a whirlwind for me, as I was helping out with Imperial College London’s Covid response team. But I did manage to get through White Teeth. What I loved about the book was its focus on the immigrant experience in Britain. Samad is initially so buoyed up by the opportunity of Britain, but becomes progressively bitter about the everyday reality. I finished this in about a week last June, and have kept up the pace since. It’s been the best aspect of lockdown by far. Josh D’Aeth, 26, PhD student in infectious disease epidemiology, London
Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny by Nile Rodgers
‘It’s funny, moving and eloquent.’
‘It gave me back something I’d lost’ After we adopted our child, my reading time was lost. My nightly routine was the battle of the bedtime, which could take hours. After many long nights waiting in my daughter’s room for her to go to sleep, I downloaded the Kindle app and started reading. I’ve always loved Nile Rodgers’ music, so I chose his autobiography. It’s funny, moving and eloquent. It saved my sanity in so many ways, and gave me back something I’d lost. I felt like a much nicer person as I could now face those evening vigils without resentment. Emma Gedge, 56, works in information compliance, Norwich
Homeland Elegies and others by Ayad Akhtar
‘I could finish one in a day while dreaming I was in a theatre’ When the pandemic began, I wrestled with whether I should reread a classic or try something new. Since my academic work pertains to how the world changed after 9/11, I decided to try something old and new: Ayad Akhtar’s Homeland Elegies, which traverses time from young Trump to 9/11 to President Trump. I then bought three of his plays about capitalism: Disgraced, The Invisible Hand, and Junk. It was the plays that got me back into reading voraciously; I could finish one in a day while dreaming I was in a theatre, sitting in an audience, watching real actors, in a world changed again. Christopher Michaelson, 52, ethics professor, Minnesota
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
‘I laughed, cried, tutted – and reread the whole thing in two days.’
‘It reminded me of reading when I was a kid’ I often go through phases of not having read for long stretches, followed by bouts of panic and shame. This was until I came across a copy of Pride and Prejudice. I laughed, cried, tutted, and reread the whole thing in two days. It reminded me of when I was a kid reading classics and feeling like I’d become part of a secret grownups’ club. I’m now gobbling through novels again, which is a relief. Emily Dominey, 24, master’s student, Edinburgh
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
‘Whatever I’m reading has to be engaging and immediate’ With current teaching demands, whatever I’m reading has to be engaging and immediate – like Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. Now, you may be expecting “page-turners” – an appalling phrase – to be nominated, and I admit this is not a plot-driven novel. But the real joy was its humour. And I don’t mean smug, intellectual comedy. I mean actual jokes. On every page. It reminded me that reading can be fun as well as worthy self-improvement. Paula Stones, 39, English teacher, London
Eversince I learned to enjoy the pleasure of reading, I have immersed myself in books. I am the kind of reader that when I start reading, I lose myself in the book completely. There is an experience of magical transportation to different places and friendships with wonderful people.
When I have to stop reading, it takes me a while to remember where I am. Or who I am…
If there is one thing that defines me, it’s my ability to get lost, to lose touch with my surroundings, as I enter into the world of the book.
This ability is not special. I believe everyone can lose themselves in this way.
If what we read entertains us, speaks to us, or makes us aware of the human condition, then it is literature.
How to best teach literature? I share my knowledge about teaching literature, gained from 20 years teaching experience.
This book is intended for students of English Language and Literature Teaching. New and experienced teachers will find it a useful resource also.
Informed by theory and practice, it explores current approaches of teaching close reading of complex texts. It is applicable to instructional settings from middle school to university.
It promotes integrated teaching of the four skills.
Critical literacy is promoted for engaging with and interpreting literary and informational texts. Readers will have opportunities to engage with poetry, fiction, and informational texts.
At the University of Michigan, a genre-based approach is used to teach academic writing (hereafter AW) (Swales and Feak, 1994, 2004) for graduate, nonnative students and undergraduate students (Feak, 2007).
According to Paltridge, its basic premise is that language is “functional … through language we get things done” (pg 1, 2004). Students are encouraged to engage with texts to discover functional language use at the whole text level.
Thus, the conventions of a particular genre are acquired. This is considered to be crucial for students writing in a second language (Johns, 1990).
There are, however, few (if any) published accounts of a genre-based approach and a process-writing approach being integrated and used with English Pedagogy students in Chile.
This article presents an account of an integrated, genre-based/process-writing experience in the Chilean context.
https://amzn.to/3uGOzzS This book is primarily intended for students writing an undergraduate or BA thesis, and who may be unsure about what they need to do in order to start and finish writing their thesis.
As a handbook, it gives the Big Picture, telling the historical background about scientific research, the learning by researching pedagogical paradigm, and how thesis writing became ingrained into higher education world-wide.
It is also a useful reference for researchers, thesis supervisors, academic research instructors, academic writing teachers, and students new to academic writing, especially English Language Learners.
While the ways in which we research and compose papers and theses may change constantly, from year to year, from university to university, and from country to country, the fundamentals remain the same.
Writers need to have a strong research question, construct an evidence-based argument, cite their sources, and structure their work in a logical way.
This book provides you with the tools to do these four things successfully.
Citation: Contreras-Soto, A., Véliz-Campos, M., & Véliz, L. (2019). Portfolios as a Strategy to Lower English Language Test Anxiety: The Case of Chile. International Journal of Instruction, 12(1), 181-198.https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12112a
Received: 31/07/2018
Revision: 26/09/2018
Accepted: 30/09/2018
Online First: 26/10/2018
Portfolios as a Strategy to Lower English Language Test Anxiety: The Case of Chile
Language tests are widely used in education as the primary mode of assessing students’ learning. These, however, more often than not, generate high levels of anxiety in students, which, in turn, obscures the observed learning behaviours.
The present study aimed to determine whether or not 6th graders’ levels of test anxiety could be reduced through the use of a writing portfolios strategy. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, our study used one-group non-randomised pre-and post-test surveys along with a focus group interview.
The pre-test survey was administered on 26 students in order to determine the initial levels of test anxiety. This was followed by a four-week writing portfolios intervention.
Upon completion of the intervention procedure, the post-test survey was administered to find out the potential impact of the use of writing portfolios on the reduction of test anxiety levels.
Through the use of descriptive statistics and a paired t-test, the test data revealed that writing portfolios contribute to the lowering of students’ test-related anxiety.
Furthermore, the analysis of the focus group interview data showed that learners gained greater levels of confidence.
Keywords:
test anxiety, portfolios, writing portfolios, assessment in EFL, language testing in Chile
Motivation plays a critical role in L2 language learning and has proven to be a strong predictor of success in learning a foreign language (Biedroń & Pawlak, 2016).
The Second Language Motivational Self System (L2MSS) is one of the most prominent theories developed by Dörnyei (2009), which has been studied in relation to different variables affecting language learning motivation.
The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between L2MSS components, international posture, and socioeconomic status among university students.
The participants of this study were 134 non-English major university students.
The results suggest that the ideal L2 self, and the L2 learning experience are related to international posture insert a comma after posture whereas the L2 learning experience is a stronger predictor of students’ motivated behavior.
Future research should investigate the development of future selves in instructed language learning contexts conducive to enhancing and increasing motivation to learn English.
![Second Language Acquisition: Language, Culture & Identity, for English Language Learners Worldwide - ELL / ESL / EAL / EFL by [Thomas Jerome Baker]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51TkQJAWzjL.jpg)
![How To Teach Literature: The Role of Close Reading In Teaching English Language Learners To Read Complex Texts by [Thomas Jerome Baker]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aK08j+hgL.jpg)
THOMAS JEROME BAKER .![Research and Thesis Handbook: Helpful Hints & Timely Tips by [Thomas Jerome Baker]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41jG5FwQlGL.jpg)
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