Blog Post #3

The Brain and Second Language Learning

            For many years as a teacher of English as a second language, I have promoted second language learning as brain training.  If the students were receptive to this concept and energetically engaged in our activities, then they found clear and measurable improvement in a short time.  However, many students only wanted to memorize and repeat which does not lead to long term improvement.  Second language students must overcome the powerful formative influence of their first language in order to use a second language effectively.

            One principle of multimedia learning, the collaboration principle put forward by Jonassen, Lee, Yang, and Laffey, is arguably the most important concept in second language learning.  Second language learners need to interact and use language in authentic ways to gain success.

            In the Video 3 post, I played with the coherence, signaling, spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, and redundancy principles where Mayer asserts people learn better from graphics and narration than from graphics, narration, and on-screen text.  The graphics I used had a variety of levels of complexity as did the text.  I am interested in the comments of my classmates on the success of information transmission from these varying complexities. 

            Similarly, the split-attention principle of Ayres & Sweller suggests that sensory overload increases cognitive load and thus increases difficulty and reduces learning.  Again, it will be interesting if this principle has an effect on my classmates as they view this post.

            According to the personalization, voice, and image principles, Mayer asserts that a conversational style is better than a formal style and that the speaker’s image is not helpful.  So, I left my image out and spoke in what I believe to be conversationally.  I hope to have comments as to the impression of viewers of the style of my voice and its relative help or hindrance to information transfer.

            Finally, the multimedia principle of Fletcher and Tobias and if people do learn better from words and pictures than from words alone.  I must say, absolutely.  However, the words and pictures must support and reinforce each other and that is the goal of creating multimedia educational materials.  I doubt I found much success with this video.

            The viewing resources for this module included ideas and issues that I have long worked with.  Both Lukas and Scorsese are excellent case-studies for any aspiring creator of film.  I am also a student of Welles, Huston, Capra, Coppola, Spielberg, and Burns to name a few.

            The materials for this video were appropriated from:

http://www.positscience.com/human-brain/facts-myths/brain-101 - The Brain 101 and Brain Plasticity

http://www.jinmaloo.com/img/age.jpg - Easy or learning chart

http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/05/11/learning-languages-boosts-brain/ - Learning a second language “boosts” brain-power.  People who learned a second language at a younger age were also more likely to have more advanced grey matter than those who learned late.

http://controlmind.info/images/stories/brain-training-exercises.jpg - Exerciser

http://www.braintrainingtipsandtools.com/wp-content/uploads/19_5_orig.jpg - Mystery

            I used a screen capture program and video editing program from NCH that can be found at: http://www.nchsoftware.com/capture/index.html.  I liked the programs and downloaded the whole suite of free software.  There is good control of audio and video but what I like best is the multiple formats that can be brought in or put out.