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THE BASIS OF LEARNING
The immense diversity of written languages and speech indicates that there is no end to the ways in which humans can convey concepts from one to another. The English language is just one of them. On the island of Gomera for instance, a whistling language evolved for communicating over long distances.
The process of written communication requires the recognition and then the transformation of completely unrelated squiggles, i.e. written words, into recognisable mental images. Take the word apple for instance which looks nothing like an apple. It can be hand written in different styles or printed in a huge variety of fonts each of which must be interpreted if the word is to be understood.
apple, Apple, apple, apple, apple, apple, apple, apple, APPLE, apple, apple , apple, apple, apple, apple, Apple, apple, apple, apple, apple, apple, apple.
There are about 1500 languages in use throughout the world.
appel, æble, manzana, pomme, apfel, mela, maçã, omena, cazh, äpple, alma, sagar, jabuka, õun, epli, úll, tuffieha, eple, mãr, afal, I-apula, pàm, äporo, tunda la kizungu.
Many languages are written in symbols that are completely different from those of the English alphabet.
In Urdu, a language used in Pakistan, the word for apple, seib, (pronounced saybe in English) is made up of three symbols which are joined together as and read from right to left. Japanese texts are also read from right to left which means that the front cover of a Japanese or Urdu book would be the back cover if it was published in English.
In Japan the word for apple (RINGO) is written in three different ways.
One is based on Katakana syllables
One is based on Liragana syllables
And one based on Chinese characters.
The same words are commonly written in a vertical configuration, the columns being read from right to left.
Added to these written words are the sounds for apple in different languages, each of which can be spoken in different accents. Thus, the options open to us for conveying from one to another the concept of a single familiar object such as an apple, are virtually infinite.
The pathways by which these remarkable processes affect our consciousness involve the establishment of immensely complex neurological processes in the brain. They take time to establish and are dependent on memory. That is the basis of learning.
Once one mental pathway has been established it is much easier to develop others. We have already seen that there are an amazing number of ways of expressing the concept of an apple. The brain can search these out. If one doesn’t work it will find alternatives, when given the appropriate stimulus. The role parents and teachers is to provide that stimulation.
It is important to recognise that a learning process that works for one child may not work for another. It is up to teacher to find what works best. This is obviously important for students who do not respond readily to standard classroom methods. In this book we shall explore these alternatives and reveal how they can be applied to help children of all abilities learn English more quickly.
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