Learning English: An ‘Illogical’ Language .

In my previous blog, I wrote about English Language and the ‘immigration’ of many words and how some changes in pronunciation, were due mainly to accents. And, I didn’t even mention the difference in accents within the UK, from the North of Scotland, down through Yorkshire, to the west country and Cornwall. Then there’s the Irish in the extreme west, across to the Cockneys in the East! Many ‘accents’ reside even with the UK, let alone across its history of colonialism. What I want to return to, was my having to teach Malaysian students how to pronounce English ‘correctly’ when speaking, and the work I did with Robert Lam, on our popular courses “Effective Spoken English” (See last blog). The real challenge occurred when we looked at the spelling!

There are the words that sound the same, but are spelt differently and have different meanings. Here are just a few examples: whether, weather and wether (a castrated sheep) or boy vs buoy or died vs dyed, and practice vs practise. Then there is: said vs led or bed (so why isn’t said spelt ‘sed’) or sneeze vs teeze, tea vs tee or laid vs played, or staid vs stayed, or peace vs piece. There is heal vs heel, no vs know or wear vs where and meat or meet. Again, the examples can go and on! I could continue with many examples, which would appear that someone had conspired to ensure learning English would be difficult. 

When I worked for QANTAS, many people would want to spell it Quantas, not realizing it was from the initials of; Queensland And Northern Territories Airways

 At that time my daily priorities would be determined by the telexes I received. And the costs of telexes depended on their length, so words needed to be abbreviated, so a telex dictionary was given to me. Some of the telex abbreviated words still remain today (like ‘pax’ for passenger), except now it means people. Would, could or should were spelt – wld, cld, or shd – but now we spell in them as wud, cud or shud, due to SMS. Please was pls or thanks was tks, but today we say tq or adding on ‘very much’, it is tqvm. In this new world of instant messaging, we try to shorten many words even more, like ‘n’ for and, or ‘cu’ for see you, or the confusing one like ‘LOL’. Is it lots of ‘love’ or ‘laughter’?.

And here, we are only talking about spelling and pronunciation, not grammar. The illogic of the English Language can be further amplified when we use singular or plural words. Most English plurals are recognizable when we put an ‘S’ at the end. As with the last word in the previous sentence, ‘words’. OK! But how about, ‘staff ‘, or ‘personnel’ – no – ‘s’, but can still be plural! Then we have ‘one child’ but no childs – only children (and not childrens). The ‘s’ only comes in when we insert an apostrophe. For example, a child’s shoes or children’s shoes, but with ‘child’s’ it only the shoes of one child, whereas ‘children’s’ shoes would be the shoes of more than one child. There are of course many examples, but I just wanted to illustrate how difficult it can be to also learn correct grammar, and perhaps more frustrating to teach it.

As I am a more an ‘auditory’ learner, I feel blessed that I just picked up both the correct BBC English pronunciation and grammar, merely by the sound. Even though I am ‘English’, I just learned to be able to say ‘It sounds correct or not’. If asked why, I can’t tell you the rules, I almost intuitively say, “it sounds right (or not) to me”. And by the way, even though my wife would often say she is married to an Englishman, I am only 25% English! I happen to also have 25% Welsh, 25% Scottish and 25% Spanish blood in me. And yet, I do not speak with any of those last 3 accents, only the ‘English’ one. So I should forgive my wife for calling me English – or more specifically ‘S.W. London or Surrey’ English – tainted slightly with having lived also in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia! Perhaps I can call my accent “Commonwealth Salad.”

So what type of English will future generations speak or will children still learn to spell and write? Will we learn to speak and pronounce in one way? Or will we still spell and speak in many diverse ways?

  

Learning English: Accents and Migration.

Learning English: Accents and Migration.

I am ‘English’,  (or more correctly – British). I grew up learning to speak English and acquired a hybrid accent of BBC and the Queen’s English. Luckily my parents spoke excellent English – with the same accent and I picked up correct grammar by ear, rather than from classes at school.

It was only when I migrated to New Zealand at the age 19 that I experienced weird looks from people, who thought I was too ‘posh’. But a bigger shock came when I went for an audition for a newsreader‘s job at the NZBC. They said, sorry, but you sound more like Prince Charles than the local Kiwis (not the bird)! I was told that the listeners would focus more on the sound of my Queen’s English accent, than on the news I was reading. Immediately I tried to mellow my accent so I could pass off as a ‘Pakeha’ (white New Zealander).

Later, I moved to Australia, and then found many Australians sounded more like the Cockneys from central London, so I had to fight hard to regain a more ‘BBC’ English way of speaking. But I had by now become fascinated by how accents occur. There are now dictionaries of Cockney rhyming slang and ‘strine’ (Australian slang).

It seems when we are young, we are more  adaptable, and we can adopt the accents of those around us. But once older, and having adopted an accent, it becomes harder to change. Two well known adult Germans, Peter Drucker and Henry Kissinger, who spoke with a strong German accent, did not lose their accent upon moving to live in the USA. But Henry’s younger brother, who moved with him, quickly acquired an American accent.

 For me, I had just passed the ‘age of influence’, so never really lost my ‘BBC’ accent. But it did soften and mellow and was less easy for people to pick exactly where I came from originally. Often I am taken for a South African, but not a Malaysian, where I have spent more than my life. But some word sounds   have changed a bit. (years  became – ‘yerz’ – rather than ‘yiers’).

But, back to learning English and its lack of logic. When I set up a consultancy business in Malaysia – called CREDO, many pronounced it as CRAYDO. rather than CREEDO.  I teamed up with a TV newsreader who’s  whose name was Robert Lam. He spoke more like a BBC newsreaders and we established a training course called ‘Effective Spoken English’. This really was a course on pronunciation, rather than building vocabulary or improving grammar, and I was often asked to speak to trainees on the English Language. I used to tell them there is no pure English – as it is an amalgam of Saxon, French and German words together with many Roman (Latinized) words – a sort of migration of several languages that had converged,  like ‘menu’ or ‘flambe’ (French) words and Latin, like ‘egocentric’ or ‘information’.

A lot of legal terms came from Latin and terms like, i.e. or e.g. or etc. are from the Latin Language. Long Latin words introduced by the Romans contrasted to the Anglo, like “defence vs fortification” or “shock vs mortification”. Most long words – ending in ‘ion’ came from Latin. Winston Churchill was a great promoter of using shorter words for better understanding (“seek to express rather than impress”). For example, make vs manufacture, proof vs verification, expand vs elucidate, car vs automobile, kill vs exterminate, talk or speak vs communicate and the list could go on and on.

Look at how many English words that migrated to North America and were changed, as if to deliberately confuse us even more. Schedule is pronounced skedule, so the American would ask why school is not spelt shule or skool! And programme became program, or colour became color.  Of course there is the famous line from a song; “you say tomayto and I say tomarto and I say potayto and you say potarto”. Americans will pronounce glass like gas or lass, unlike the English, where glass is pronounced glarss, or kick ass vs kick arse (an ass is a donkey!). So no wonder English is difficult to learn. The ass has an arse. So which do I kick? It’s difference in spelling, as well as accent. So, where’s the logic of the English Language? And to coin an American phrase, “there ain’t one”!

So it Is any wonder our trainees were having great difficulty with pronunciation, let alone spelling, just as I also experienced difficulties when people spoke to me in ‘Manglish or Singlish’ when I first came to Asia. Or like the problems I had with “Strine” in Australia.  And now to further complicate things (or simplify, if you are Gen Y) there is the use of SMS lingo. But let’s leave that for another blog.

Learning Maths: Using the Asian Way

Having left school, decades ago, with not very good grades in maths, I wonder whether I would have been better, from using the magic of the Asian way. But that's long before we started comparing GCE scores between the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore and more recently China. In those days as long as we passed English, Maths and Science 'O' levels and had three 'A' levels of any discipline (I did art, biology and geography) we would enter any Commonwealth University. 

Leap forward more than 50 years, it's a different story. So is that why the UK government is providing £41million for the funding for primary schools interested in pursuing the Asian methods of teaching maths. The UK department for education says the mastery methods involve students learning as a whole class, supported by high quality text books. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualize abstract concepts, numbers and symbols. 700 teachers are to be changed to support maths mastery in schools. Later, hubs of 35 school-led centres of excellence in maths teaching will expand the concept. Students who are poor in maths will benefit from specialist teachers help and quality text books.

 As a right 'brainer' with good artistic and visual spatial ability, I wish this system would have been in place in my primary school. I had to have private tuition in maths, to be able to get into a good secondary school and pass the common entrance exam. In those days we were ashamed to admit we needed private tuition. Now, in places like Malaysia and Hong Kong, almost all students enroll in private tuition, provided their parents can afford it. It has become a lucrative and thriving industry. Even school teachers take up tuition part- time, in order to supplement the relatively low salaries paid in Malaysian government schools. By contrast, Singapore teachers are paid better, and in the UK, senior teachers and school principals are paid very well. And, in general, class sizes are smaller in the UK. 

But despite this, professional school teacher’s training and development is still vital for their increase in expertise. It is also important to promote the use of initiatives to attract bright and enthusiastic teachers. In the UK, teaching is still considered a noble profession, leading to a good career. In fact, the number of maths teachers recruited is at an all-time high. Bursaries and scholarships for post graduate teachers in maths who need a 2.2 basic degree can receive up to UKP25,000. 

What worries me, is that many effective accelerated learning techniques are yet to enter into the mainstream teacher education syllabus. Admittedly we do now find that Gardner's multiple intelligences model is becoming more widely recognized, as well the use of learning styles assessment among students. But these preferred styles of learning at primary school, can differ slightly after puberty, due to the maturation of the corpus callosum (that massive web of nerve fibres that  connect the two hemispheres of the brain).

Once students are in secondary school, their abilities to speed up the iteration between our left and right brain, can greatly enhance several aspects of learning, such as abstract conceptual thinking. Also the translation of Chinese language,  which is, symbolic, graphic and visual, into English. Or, the integration of 60 beat music and learning maths concepts and how the two brain hemispheres work in harmony, rather than conflict. Therefore learning styles introduced before and after puberty may differ. But alas, many teachers use the same interpretation of learning style preferences for all ages.

However, some believe that learning styles alone is not the magic bullet, and other factors are also important. These include previously learned knowledge, the motivation to lean or the complexity of the skills, as well as the learning environment. Then there is the pace or pressure and stress of the learning, or how much fun there is in the process. In other words, is the environment conducive and are we enjoying the process with a positive perception, that the outcomes will be beneficial and rewarding.

How many of the above factors are considered in the learning design and the teaching of maths in the Asian methods. I would like to refer you to an excellent article by Peter Kline (author of the Everyday Genius) that appears in a recent issue of the International Journal of Inter-Disciplinary Learning. This can be downloaded from the Cambridge Global Learning (UK) website:www.cambridgegl.co.uk. Peter tells a great story on teaching algebra, which was my worst nightmare in ‘O’ level maths. I wish he had been my maths teacher back then. Or, would I have faired better using the Asian methods. Who knows!

Cultural Differences in Learning: Are the Best Teaching Methods Chinese or British?

This is my fourth and final blog in the 4 weekly quartet on the experiment  to apply 4 weeks  of Chinese teaching methods in a class of fifty, 13 – 14 year old British students in a UK school. So which was the best method?

At the end of ‘term’ comparative exams, between the experimental 50 British students, and the remainder of students who had been following the normal British routine  - the Chinese methods won overall. Here were the results in averages:

METHODS USED	MATHS SCORE	MANDARIN SCORES	SCIENCES SCORES
Chinese	67.74%	46.0%	58.33%
British	54.84%	36.6%	6.00%
Differences	12.9	9.4	52.33

So clearly, the Chinese method proved to win out in the end. However, some  factors need to be considered. The average classroom contact hours were twice as long (12 vs 6 hrs per day). Classroom size of 50 students was large compared to average British numbers (20 – 25 students). Initially, only a small number if British students adapted well to the rigor and discipline, and they may have done well academically, anyway. It took the Chinese teachers 2 – 3 weeks to ‘win over’ the remainder of kids, who were really resisting the Chinese methods, giving up easily. Had the experiment continued, they may all have adapted, and actually done even better.

A British teacher observed that students are grouped according to ability, and his philosophy is that learning must be fun and students must enjoy classes. The respect earned by British teachers is that, with smaller classes, and this philosophy, students come to view a teacher more as facilitator and coach. The teacher focuses more on the personality of students and helping them discover their potential holistically and independently. Students are encouraged to think critically and have individual opinions. 

The Chinese teachers in this said they would like to get more respect, although towards the end, they did. When the results came out, the students were actually elated, and hugged the Chinese teachers. Their strict discipline paid off in the end. Also, comparing the long hours of formal classroom teaching and then review of learning in groups,  plus 3 – 4 hours homework (up to 16 hours in total per day) the results should be better anyway. 

Overall, the comparison was probably not fair as the other British students only put in 50% of the hours. But herein lies the big differences in a system, not just a culture! The population of China is immense, so the competition and family pressure to excel, is far greater. The same pressure is on teachers, so school pride is nearly as strong as national pride.

This, is again where British kids have it much more easy and probably enjoy school much more. If I were to compare my own school experience, while I didn’t excel academically until well after school, I have great memories of a rich and holistic learning, with freedom of expression (eg: through debating, acting, art and classes on comparative philosophies) as well as many other subjects of choice and a wide range of co-curricula activities.

After morning classes, every afternoon, I had a choice to swim, shoot, play squash, tennis or fives and rugby. I could box, fence, play chess, do rowing and even play billiards. I could join the cadet force, scouts, air or sea scouts and go camping, hiking, mountain climbing, kayaking or sailing.

So, I am not sure I would want to trade in all that choice, for the rigour of the Chinese education system. But then, I am not Chinese! I’m British. Look forward to your comments.

Cultural Differences in Learning : “The Chinese Experiment in the UK”.

In the last two blogs, I have been outlining the series of 4 weekly BBC Documentaries on an experiment where 5 Chinese teachers used their approach to teaching, on a class of 50 British 13 – 14 year old students in a Hampshire secondary school in the UK.

The Chinese claimed that the main problem with the British children, was Attitude. They didn’t see education as a right or a privilege and many didn’t tend to take it seriously. In fact, few children in the UK go onto University. Their ‘right’ was more an individual human right, to behave how they want.

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There was an incident, where one student brought a kettle into the classroom, and made a cup of tea. As the Chinese teacher was mostly in the front, she didn’t notice this, until the student accidently spilt some tea.  The teacher of course was mad and tried to discipline the student, but to little avail, as many other kids giggled and tended to feel for him.

The ultimate in Chinese discipline, is to report to the parents any ‘serious’ misbehaviour. So the mother came to the school and met the teacher. However, she sided with her son, and said that as a human, he has rights! She said her son was thirsty and had a ‘right’ to consume  tea if he wanted. She had even given him the kettle to take to school! There was an innuendo that the Chinese don’t enjoy freedom and human rights.

Eventually as behaviour continued to be uncontrollable by the Chinese teachers, the school principal had to be consulted. He said there was a need for a ‘Behaviour Management’ intervention. He spoke sternly to the class, and said there would be consequences for any misbehaviour. He said the students should face the front and not talk to each other while the teachers were talking.

He suggested the teacher use the ‘silence’ technique, where they stop teaching when students chat among themselves or play around, saying they would only continue, once they stopped and paid attention. But would that work on students who mostly don’t seem to care, and are bored and tired, and find it difficult to learn in response to the Chinese ‘Teacher Centred’  method.

It is worth noting that student and teachers are from one ethnicity in China. In the UK they are often more ethnically diverse in Urban settings, with both teachers and students coming from India, Pakistan, Jamaica, some African and Middle Eastern cultures, and even a few Chinese (but mainly from Hongkong). Most become acculturated and integrated into the British culture and many students might have been born in the UK, although their parents may be immigrants.

The question, at this point in the experiment is, will the UK students adapt to the Chinese way of learning, and how will the Chinese teachers cope? I will examine this in my next blog, as the experiment continues. 

How culture Influences Learning (Part 2)

In my last blog, I discussed the insights into cultural differences that influence both teachers and students, when they each have to adapt cross-culturally. I have been following the BBC documentary on an experiment where 5 Chinese Teachers came to a British School for one month. The school selected fifty, 13 – 14 year old British students, with parental consent, to experience a month of the Chinese  teachers introducing their styles and techniques into the British classroom.

When teaching the British kids, the Chinese teachers put them in a class of 50 and tried using their own methods. Initially the students were rowdy, joking, laughing and talking throughout classes. They said this was because they found the teacher centred approach very boring, and were not used to sitting still for so long in a big class of students and such a long day. They often teased each other, were cheeky and didn’t take the lessons seriously. They also  have a short attention span, thus needing, variety which they got from having fun and from being chatty and cheeky.

When the mid-term test results came out, they ranked poorly in maths. Some students had to visit their own maths teachers to get some tuition. He concluded that the Chinese students learn the ‘what’, but not the ‘how’ or the ‘why’. They memorize the correct answers to test questions, but most Chinese students will not understand the reasons for the ‘what’. They do not acquire critical thinking skills! On the other hand, the British kids do acquire these skills, constantly questioning each other, checking on the internet, questioning the teacher and doing a lot of project based learning.

In China, students are taught to love and respect the country and its leadership. Also respecting parents and teachers Social education is taught to instill values, Confucianism ethics and pride in education and learning. Most children are a sole child in the family, and with the large population, education in fiercely competitive. If children don’t do well at school this brings great shame upon the parents and the school. Chinese culture is very hierarchical and collectivistic.

So there are significant socio-cultural differences between the Chinese and British norms and values in education and teaching methods. The experiment continues in this Hampshire school with big challenges for both teachers and students to overcome. It will be interesting to learn of the end outcomes!

What the might be some of the main cultural factors at play, in general, in teaching and learning.

  

The Chinese System

The British System

-          More Rigorous Academically -          Students Respect Teachers/Elders -          Culture More Collectivistic -          Hierarchical/Authoritative -          Students Respect Wisdom & Experience -          Strict Rule Based -          Less Individual Freedom -          More Nationalistic (Pride) -          Shame Driven (External Locus of Control) -          Rote Learning and Memorizing -          Larger Classes (50+)

-          More Holistic & Diverse -          Students Respect Facilitation -          Culture More Individualistic -          Egalitarian/Democratic -          Problem-Project Based Learning -          More free expression -          More Individual Freedom -          Less Nationalistic -          Guilt Driven (Internal Locus of Control) -          Critical & Creative Thinking -          Smaller classes (20 – 25)

How Culture Influences Learning:

Are you better at rote learning or critical thinking?

The other day I watched a BBC documentary, where some Chinese school teachers spent a month, teaching a class of 13 to 14 year British students, in a English High School.  It was very interesting to see the challenges faced by both teachers and students.

In China, the teachers had larger classes of 50 or more students, contrasted to smaller classes in the UK of 20 to 25 students. The teachers stand up front, and talk and write on a white board with the students reading and repeating over and over again and taking a lot of notes. They are memorizing the concepts or facts, and discipline is very strict. Teachers call out No talking! Pay attention! repeatedly. Something they do not need to do back in China. 

In the British school, the teachers often put students in small groups and encourage them to discuss problems, do projects and understand the underlying concepts or facts. British students question teachers and each other, exploring and interacting with the teacher – who moves from group to group. Critical thinking is encouraged.

Now when it comes to covering the syllabus and getting high test scores – the Chinese are way ahead (almost 3 years in maths!)  But to get the British students to ‘pay attention, not talk or not ask questions’, that was a big challenge for both the students, adapting – and the teachers instilling discipline.

The Chinese school day is 12 hours, from 7am to 7pm, with 3 – 4 hours of homework after school. The day starts with the whole school day doing calisthenics.

In the UK experiment – the class comprised 50 British students. They also did the morning exercise to music  - and actually liked it. Lunch is around 11.30am and another meal at 4.00pm. By the time, they finished at 7pm, they are very tired as they are not used to such a long day of classes.  

The Chinese teachers tended to be quite ‘authoritarian’ and expect children to pay attention, listen carefully and take notes. Chinese students do not chat among themselves or ask question of the teachers. The teacher is highly respected. Values are patience, persistence, perseverance and practice. However they do periodically break into pairs to check and share their learning. But it’s mostly rote learning and memorizing. PE is a mandatory subject in China, so students who fail this, cannot go onto University.

The British culture is more individualistic and democratic. The concept of collective shame hardly exists. The whole approach to education is more holistic with equal emphasis on all topics, sports and extra curricula activities. Science, maths or language excellence is no more important than with other subjects, like art, history, geography, cooking or sport etc. It is the right of teenagers to explore and develop their own talent potential. To choose to study what they want. Pride is more in individual achievement, rather than in the family, country, school or nation. (Self actualization).

As this experiment was over one month, I shall continue the ‘story’ in my next blog, but welcome your insights into cultural differences in teaching and learning. Happy Reading.

Are you easily distracted? (Some tips for improving your attention and focus).

             In my previous blogs – I have written more on ways to stimulate the learning brain – where I  wrote on how brain nutrition, sleep and exercise can enhance learning.

            I touched on attention and focus, but only briefly. For this week’s  blog, I want to expand on this. Last weekend, when teaching on a part time MBA course, I was intrigued about why one student in particular, always finished any quiz, short test or leadership a case, consistently faster than the other students. Yes, he is more introverted and has a strong preference to use his ‘left’ brain more. The language comprehension was equal, but he was the only male student.

            Was this a gender difference thing? Or, was it how he had been groomed and trained to think? Or was it his natural preference to use his left brain more – at least in class?

            Putting aside for a moment these factors, there are some factors related to improving our attention and focus especially while studying.

            Dopamine, the excitement stimulus hormone, which is produced in the amygdala and a part of our emotional brain plays a role. Dopamine greatly aids information processing and memory, but needs some emotional stimuli. Learning that can be attached or associated with strong emotions will invariably be remembered, stronger and longer! However, emotional arousal focuses attention more on the ‘gist’ of the learning, rather than the detail. So ‘meaning’ comes before detail, which is actually important. Memory is enhanced when we connect concepts and related associations to emotions logically, not randomly. We will understand up to 40% more when each concept is logical. Then the details can be filled in more meaningfully. An emotional connection also further strengthens recall.

One myth concerns multi-tasking. The brain cannot multi task, if it is to be very efficient. Think of sitting at your computer/smart phone and an alert comes up “You’ve got mail”. Your attention is stimulated. Now providing you read and answer it, without interruption, you will complete the task 50% faster. Once any other part of the brain gets distracted or tries to do something else, your full attention on what you are doing is dissipated. Eg: answering your email. It is not that you cannot answer the phone, but your mind wanders and when it returns, you will say “now where was I?”

That’s why, when our right brain listens to baroque type music, it is not bored, and allows our conscious left to focus attention. This music induces ‘Alpha’ Learning. Even when we are aroused and absorbed, our brain can usually only focus for around 10 minutes. It’s the right non conscious self that is easily distracted, and the conscious self has to be the prompted. It needs to be constantly brought back on track. Anything that keeps emotional arousal high, will help keep you on track. And that’s where the appropriate type of music can be played.

Now back to my sole male student in my MBA Class. I think both gender, an introverted personality and training can all predispose towards your ability to singularly focus. Of course, in addition is your motivation and interest in the subject, and your aspiration to learn about a topic and get a good grade.

            Perhaps he may even be more studious, as he doesn’t want to ‘loose face’ among his female peers. So there are many variables that could explain his predisposition and I am not concluding that it is any one factor, but a combination – so both nurture and nature are at play!

              For later blogs, I want to write about gender differences in learning, as well as the role of music in learning. But meanwhile, understand your personality, your learning  and thinking style preferences and perhaps use some of the above tips, when you find your mind wandering! Control distraction, don’t let them control you.                      

How exercise can enhance our learning

Oops – I am behind on my blogs! Trying to do one each week – so there will be two this week, to catch up!

            This one is on exercise and the learning brain. The brain loves movement, but like many aspects of learning, or preferred learning styles. We each have different levels of needs, so what is the optimal level for most?

            

            I often ponder about the brains of people like Stephen Hawkins, or other people who are physically immobilized yet still able to learn and produce wonderful thoughts or brilliant ideas. Does the brain compensate for their physical disability? As the motor cortex may not be so active, can a greater blood supply energize other parts of the brain?  Similar to blind people whose visual cortex is inactive, yet their other senses can strengthen. Or a paraplegic who has lost the use of their lower limbs, who gain greater strength in their arms and shoulders. Two things seem to be happening here.

            

           First is neurogenesis, or the new growth in brain cells in the parts of the brain that needs to be more energised. The second is what psychologists call the ‘compensatory complex’, where some types of behaviour, strengthens, to compensate for other behaviours like skills, in which we may be weaker.

           

            Nevertheless, for many of us, we may feel more mentally energised and able to focus our attention better, for a period of time after some exercise.  For me personally, I feel better after 20 minutes of Yoga exercises, stretching, breathing deeply and after a 30 minute brisk walk, or a 20 minute swim. And the other day I had a 45 minute work out on the trampoline, which is said to produce a greater cardio-vascular benefit than most other aerobic exercises. Just 10 minutes on the trampoline, can produce the same benefit as a 30 minute walk. And yes, I felt highly envigorated and mentally alert, for several hours after that work out.

       

            Research into the effects of movement on the brain and learning is one of these principles that I describe in Chapter 10 of my book on the ‘The Leadership Brain’   What are some of these facts?

       

            Exercise increases blood circulation and blood brings oxygen and glucose to the brain. It stimulates the release of proteins that keep neurons firing and connecting. Aerobic exercise for 20 minutes, 3 times a week is optimal, but some movement, like walking, throughout the learning day helps. Some experts say 10,000 steps a day is ideal! Others advocate some brain movement every 20 minutes together with some stretching and deep breathing to boost oxygen to the brain” (Dennison, and Dennison, 1986). Those who exercise outperform others in, attention, reasoning, problem solving and improved long term memory. More recently the best form of aerobic exercise is HITT (High Intensity Interval Training). Eg: Run as fast as you can for 1 minute, then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat this for 5 times. Sitting still too much can shorten your life!

       

           So, other than people like Steve Hawkins, and many paraplegics, the next time you feel mentally fatigue assuming you have had sufficient sleep and eaten some brain rich food (see blog 3) try some exercise! Healthy and Happy Learning!

A Good Nights Sleep - A long life of learning and memory

Do you get a good night’s sleep? My last blog was on nutrition, brain and learning, and my breakfast recipe. This blog will still feature learning, but more specifically the effects of sleep, or sleep deprivation – on learning and memory. It features research done on student’s ability to focus, pay attention in class, study and get better test results and how sleep affects all these.

So, what time did you sleep last night?  Or perhaps, only after midnight - today. And of course, did you sleep well, and what time did you wake up. In doing a survey among my students – it’s very mixed – but the majority get less than the recommended 7 – 8 hours that sleep researchers recommend! When I discuss the benefits  of 7 – 8 hours of sleep, on their ability to study, focus and recall, especially before exams – the ‘wake up’!

From my recent book on the ‘Leadership Brain’, in my final chapter, the ‘Learning Leader’, I outline some of the research on sleep and learning.

Learning Principle:  Sleep Well, Learn Well.

The brain itself doesn’t sleep, but the brain works differently, yet still hard, while we sleep. Those who get around 8 hrs ± per night  have been found to  out perform others on cognitive tests (including exams) by 3 to 1, especially procedural tasks. During sleep we process much of our memories, 

consolidating what we learned that day. Loss of sleep interferes with attention, judgment, working memory, logical reasoning, movement dexterity and even mood. In fact, we need to sleep in order to learn.

Sleep loss means mind loss or brain drain! Sleep deprivation also weakens our immune system, and over many years, our brains are more likely to succumb to dementia (memory loss). You hear people say “I’m getting old, so I’m losing my memory,” but this need not be so, as there are many 80 and 90 year olds who still have excellent memory. They should say, “I’ll get enough sleep so my memory will be good”.

So maybe now, I can persuade you, especially if you are a student, to get enough sleep. As we age, we may feel we can do with less sleep, but if we believe in life long learning – a strong immune system, and preventing dementia, your sleep is your investment in brain longevity.

Personally, I work backwards. If I have to get up for example, at 7.00am, then I try to hit the pillow by 11pm, so as to get my 8 hours of sleep. I awake refreshed and do not feel tired in the middle of the afternoon. Of course, what we eat and how much we exercise, are other factors. So for my next blog, we will explore the benefits of exercise, on the brain and learning.

What we eat affects our learning and memory

What we eat affects our learning and memory

Last week I met up with a former post graduate student and was most impressed that he remembered my diet that we had discussed many years back. He asked if I was still having the same breakfast diet that I shared with him in UK, where I had  the honour of also presenting him a scroll for his Master’s degree.  He recalled it to the letter and had been following the same recipe for years! He says it provided both energy and nutrition for the start of the day. It saved him time, as he could ‘drink’ it on the way to work.

It also gave him the stamina he needed to regularly, jog several kilometres every morning. He also embarks on a quarterly or half marathon on weekends.

It’s not so much that we still share the same breakfast menu, but that he remembered a lecture that I gave on nutrition, attention, learning and memory – and the statement “that we become what we eat”. The fact that brain diseases like dementia can slowly develop over 20 years. New research shows that our mental energy, ability to focus and pay attention – all can be affected by nutrition, exercise and sleep!

For this blog, let me focus now more on diet & nutrition, and for a later blog we will look at exercise and sleep. In my recent book “The Leadership Brain”, I include a chapter on the ‘Learning Leader’ and  present 9 principles to help learners learn more and faster. The Principle on learning and diet for this blog include foods to consume that help our attention, memory  and recall.

So what nutrients should we include in our diet? We know that glucose in critical to brain energy as the brain utilizes more glucose than, any other part of the body. But glucose is converted from the sugars we consume and fructose (fruit sugar) is more efficient.  Best sources for this are fruits like bananas, (also high potassium) apples, dates, raisins, berries, papaya – but not too much – as it might overwork the liver which metabolizes fructose. Glucose also comes from sucrose or starchy sugars, which comes from carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates in corn, potatoes, or whole grains are slower in conversion to glucose, but also important.  

Other ‘micronutrients’ important for the learning brain, are:  mono-unsaturated fatty acids – like Omega 3, EFA’s, DHA/EPA – from fish or krill oil, tree nuts (almonds and walnuts), some seeds, like sunflower seeds, and primrose oil. Potassium (Bananas, Pistachio nuts) carries oxygen to the brain, whereas Magnesium (Pumpkin and Sesame seeds) helps prevent dementia, as also does Vitamin E (Almonds and Hazelnuts).  Also, micronutrients, like lutein, (spinach, eggs, citrus fruits) or flavenols (tea, wine, broccoli) are helpful. Caffeine (20mg or 2 strong coffees) is not only a stimulant, but also enhances memory. However, we need to drink our coffee about one hour after our learning, and not at night time, if we want a good night’s sleep!

Various minerals and trace elements are also critical. These include: Calcium, Iodine, Thyroid  hormone, Iron, Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium and anti-oxidants. Sources for some of these include potatoes, spinach, orange, apricots and prunes and cashew nuts. Thus, if we consume some of these nutrients, regularly, we will improve our memory, well into old age. However this all needs serious dietary planning!

From the various foods listed in my breakfast, you can see that there are complex carbohydrates, protein, fibre, and a several vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids.

As we are creatures of habit, it is perhaps more on whether we follow healthy habits, rather than the opposite. So what is my breakfast habit that has not changed much over the last 10 years? I of course have to share with you this healthy (but maybe boring recipe) But I do have some variations, depending on the ‘fruits that are seasonal’, as well as less expensive. So here it is! Try it out for a few weeks, and let me know how you feel. My student tried it years ago – and never gave up!

RECIPE –MY DAILY BREAKFAST

Ingredients Basic Homemade Muesli Miix (for 2 to 3 weeks) -        Rolled Organic Oats (500g) -          Wheat bran (100 grams – 1 packet) -          Oat Bran (100 grams – 1 packet) optional -          Raisins (200 grams – 1 packet) -          Mixed of chopped nuts and seeds (300 gm) Mix and keep in a large airtight glass jar. Ingredients for daily mix 1 cup of Muesli mix 2 cups of selected fresh mix fruits* 1 small cup of yogurt 1 raw egg 1 cup of water (can be replaced with Dark grape juice – if it is too bland or not sweet enough for you).  Instructions: BLEND for 40 – 60 seconds, and ‘VOILA’  Breakfast is ready! * I select fruits depending on season and availability – a dark red apple with, or a banana, riped papaya or pineapple. I also use  5 – 6 wild figs which grows outside my house but you need it to boil them first.

'Soft' Sciences ignored in our education system.

Arts or Science education? Which path should young people follow? Why do students seem to prefer an ‘Arts’ stream to follow, over ‘Science’?  Why has Exxon Mobil donated over USD110 million to the ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths’ (STEM) study initiatives in Malaysia this year, bringing the total contribution of USD 600 thousand (RM2.4 million) since 2010?

As reported in the media this week, they say “As a company which depends on technology as its life-blood, Exxon Mobile understands the need to support and promote an interest in STEM, among young people, wherever we operate”.   As their Chairman went on to add – “we rely heavily on Scientific, Engineers, and Researchers to find, develop and produce the much-needed oil and natural gas resources in a safe, reliable and efficient way while at the same time minimizing environmental impacts.”

As the primary sponsor of the National Science Challenge, Exxon Mobil contributed funding for the Academy of Sciences Malaysia for this annual challenge.

But how will such contributions stimulate the young to follow a science stream, when perceptions are that an ‘Arts Stream’ is so much easier?  Perhaps a future workforce, to become skilled in STEM, will help the economy with its technological challenges.

Should we encourage children from young to embrace technology more? When we give our 5 or 6 -year olds an IPAD? Is this a good way?  They may grow up to be tech savvy but become less socially adept – lacking the development of socio-emotional and interpersonal skills. Is this a healthy balance? What should this balance entail?

On another note – science  the ‘social sciences’ which incorporates the behavioural sciences of sociology, psychology and such related areas of understanding how our culture, personality, gender or generational differences influence individual and group behaviours. All so essential for teamwork and leadership. For example, engineers may become excellent in planning, design and project management, but once they have to hire, motivate and lead a diverse team of generation Y people, of different ethnicities, gender and personality types, they may not do as well.  

Should not the STEM initiative include under ‘science’, both the ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ skills? After all – Neuroscience, Biology, Brain Physiology, and why we each develop different personalities may be equally important to know. Even engineers need to understand their own cultural and personality traits or preferences, and what drives them to excel in different areas. Not all engineers may be interested in developing these ‘soft’ skills – but eventually, they may find themselves having to be a team player, or even a leader, counsellor, coach or mentor. I feel science studies should be more ‘wholistic’ and include Biology, Sociology, Psychology and the growing discipline of Neuroscience, all of which need a fundamental knowledge of  chemistry and maths. If we were to develop a science school curricula that was more wholistic and use ‘project based learning’ that incorporates all the above – then student’s may suddenly become much more interested and motivated to embrace a more ‘meaningful’ approach to science. What I call a pragmatic approach to life-skills development. A more ‘whole brained’ approach to learning – where both logic and our emotions are better understood and where, nature, aesthetics,and beauty can also be appreciated. What we might call a more ‘enriched’ learning environment.

So these are some ideas for my ‘maiden’ blog. I look forward to your ideas and insights  and shared wisdom. I am also editing a new book on ‘learning’, inspired by the several provocative articles published  in the International Journal of Inter-Disciplinary Learning (IJIL). You can check this out in the  Cambridge Global Learning, UK – website:www.cambridgegl.co.uk