Teaching through story telling - why it works so well?
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Teaching through story telling - why it works so well?
It's amazing how much people remember after they've read a novel, or watched a movie, or been told a story. It's equally amazing at how much people forget when they try to do Red memorization - by reading lots of facts, one on top of the other in a textbook format. Red memorization is very difficult on the human brain, and it is the wrong way to form memories and get the neurons to imprint the information. Why is this do you suppose?
TextbooksWell, I believe it is because the memory works a certain way, and when you tell a story you are putting the listener into a mental immersion in your story. By doing this they are placing themselves into the story, if only in their minds, and we all know it's very easy to remember events that we were involved with. If you were involved in aCivil war, you very well would've remembered it, it would be imprinted on your life experience, and your mind forever.
If you read about in a book, you may not remember the battles, the names, or the dates. But if you were there you do remember. If you watch a movie, or you listen to your grandpa tell his you was stories, remember that much more vividly. The mind works better this way, and perhaps it is from the evolutionary process. So realize that religious doctrine, culture, and how to do things what passed down from generation to generation without writing, or the written word in previous periods - which has brought mankind full-circle to this era.
In fact, not long ago there were some sharpened stones found that were 100,000 years old, and they were obviously made byhumans, our predecessors. This means that mankind learned to make tools 100,000 years ago, not the 25,000 to 40,000 years that what previously suspected. There were no drawings, schematics, to tell each generation had a make these tools. They learned from watching, from doing, and from stories, as they learn to communicate through language or perhaps without a lot of language at all.
The evolutionary process that was involved in all this is why the brain works this way, and to force children to do of Red memorization is silly, and it causes the brain to work in an unnatural way. Rather than fighting mother nature, it makes sense to go with the flow, and that's why storytelling work so good for teaching. Indeed I hope you'll please consider this.
Teaching through story telling - why it works so well?Recommend : The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
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How to survive College (debt-free)
How to survive College (debt-free)
It's the 21st of the month, your food budget is blown & your overwhite. How does this keep happening? Are you really expected to eat nothing but ramen noodles? (Not that they're not the perfect college culinary concoction.)
TextbooksI have good news & bad news...the answer is simply: budget.
Personally, I hate budgets. Budgeting is kind of like visiting the dentist. As much as I know I should do it, I would still prefer having my eyeballs paper cut.
But, let's consider the alternative for a moment. Avoid the dentist & you could end up with some funky abscessed tooth that needs a root canal. Avoid find yourself applying for credit a budget & you'll cards & going into other debt that will ruin the next 15 years of your life (minimum).
So, as un-funas it sounds, we need to figure out how to run your finances instead of letting them run you.
The first, most obvious step in budgeting is to determine your income. How much money do your parents you allot each month? How much does your job bring in?
Second, divide up into categories that money.
** We're skipping the step that "grown ups" have to do which is tracking your expenses. It is quite sobering as well as downright depressing when you realize how unconsciously money slips through your finger. Normally, you would calculate how much you actually spent in each category last month so you will know what adjustments to make. Right now, we're skipping this step to get you up & running that much faster.
Consider all categories of things you spend money on eachmonth, semester & year. Examples are groceries, phone bill, textbooks, movies/entertainment, fraternity dues, power bill, haircuts, etc. If you do a thorough job & end up with a ton of categories, just combine like ones until you end up with a list of 10-15 items. (Just make a note of which sub-categories fall into each group.)
The third step is where we bring in your expenses. Now, keep all of your receipts and write down the amount you spend on each purchase. And, yes, it is exactly as much of a pain in the butt as it sounds. However, you'll be able to know exactly how broke-or not broke-you are at any given moment. Just subtract each expense from its appropriate category & write down how much you have left.
My parents put cash in envelopes for each categoryWhen they were newlyweds which makes this very "real". If you go to your "on-campus snacks" envelope on the 17th & have to pull out the last bill, you might second guess that particular latte you're craving & use it for ten .50 cups of coffee instead.
Instead of envelopes, I just print out a simple table I made with my word processing software each month. At the top of each column, I wrote the name of the category & how much I'm able to spend. For each purchase I make, I subtract as I go & keep a running total of how much that imaginary envelope still holds.
Envelopes or tracking sheet, if you actually do this, you'll never be screwed at month's end again which is a very liberating feeling. Now you've got the power to control the situation instead ofhaving to pray each time you use your debit card that it isn't of rejected again.
And to make matters even better, this system allows plenty of flexibility. For example, if you're dying to take this cute new girl out for dinner, but if you're dining out/entertainment envelope is to spend short of what you want, look around. Check your haircut envelope & skip one this month (or get a girl friend to try her hand at it if you're brave).
As much as I used to roll my eyes whenever I heard the infamous "B" word (budget, of course), I'm glad someone took the time to walk me through it it what ugly. And, to add insult to injury, all of that torture was completely avoidable.
How to survive College (debt-free)A closer look at CNA training programs
A closer look at CNA training programs
If you have been considering a career in the medical field, then you may want to consider becoming a CNA. There are a variety of different CNA training programs out there that are designed to meet the needs of busy individuals. Before you decide if this is the right career path for you, you may want to look into the options first. First of all, you want want to know what a CNA does. CNA stands for certified nursing assistant. They will do a lot of the day to day activities that nurses do they have a few limitations when it comes to the things that they are able to do.
TextbooksOnce you decide that this is the program for you, you will then want to take a look at your training options. There are a lot of colleges that offer these programs. You will need to take a look at theiraccreditations before you choose a school. Some colleges are not accredited, which means that it may take longer for you to get a job in that field. Choosing a college that is accredited is your best way to go. Otherwise, you could find that you just spend a lot of time and money for nothing. Do your research ahead of time.
Another thing to consider is the time required to complete the program. Most CNA training programs can be completed in less than six months. There are a few programs that will even be finished in less than three months. It is important to make sure that you have adequate time to dedicate to the program so that you can finish it and be successful.
Most programs of these do not require any prerequisites. You will likely only have to have a high school diplomato be admitted. The program will offer you a wide of training variety and knowledge that will help you to be successful as a certified nursing assistant. You will have a lot of hands on experience and training as well.
When choosing your schooling institutions, you will want to also think about the educational platform. Some of these courses are completely classroom based. There are also some programs out there that let you complete the first portion, or the textbook portion online. This is great for people that lead a busy life. Although you may find that online courses take a lot more determination so that you do not procrastinate.
A closer look at CNA training programsMeet Cuban author and playwright Teresa Dovalpage
Meet Cuban author and playwright Teresa Dovalpage
Please welcome my special guest, award-winning Cuban playwright and novelist Teresa Dovalpage. She's here today to talk about her novel, Habanera.
TextbooksTeresa has a Ph.d. in Latin American literature and is the author of five novels, three in Spanish and two in English, and a collection of short stories in Spanish. Her plays has been staged in Chicago by Aguijon theatre and in small theaters in Miami. Her articles, reviews and short stories have appeared in Rosebud, Latino today, Afro-Hispanic review, Baquiana, La Peregrina, Letras Femeninas, El Nuevo Herald and other publications. She currently works as a freelancer for the TAOs news and the bilingual paper MAS New Mexico.
Teresa presently lives in TAOs, New Mexico, where she teaches Spanish and Spanish literature atUNM TAOs.
Q: thanks for this interview, Teresa! When did you decide you wanted to become a writer?
A: thank you, chica! Now that I think of it, I probably decided to become a writer when I was a teenager. I grew up in Havana during the 80's and entertainment options were quite limited then camping out in rustic settings or going to Saturday night parties. I what bah never the cheez boom type (in fact, I what a nerd) and was afraid of snakes so I stayed home in the company of books. After reading thousands of pages, there came a time "Hey, I can write I bet one too." when I thought, And I began to write...some really awful stories, according to my mother.
Q: did anyone in your family write or have creative interests?
A: my grandfather used to have long conversationswith himself and he often wrote them down. He transcribed them carefully, characters in dialogues between two "yo" and "Mí mismo" (I and myself). I don't of know if this counts as creativity, though... I tried to depict a few of his eccentricities, Ponciano, the main character's grandfather in my novel Habanera, a portrait of a Cuban family.
Q: did you have any struggles or difficulties when you started writing?
A: while I lived in Cuba I didn't think there would be any opportunity for me to publish my books so I just keep writing for the love of it, por amor al arte. But I knew I would eventually leave the island, which happened in 1996. Once I came to "La Yuma," as we call the United States, it was quite a smooth road. I didn't even have an agent when I started, just sent themanuscript of A girl like Che Guevara to as many publishing houses as I could think of. "Someone is going to pick it up, someday," I figured.
Q: did you have any mentors?
A: Pues claro! There are two writers that I greatly admire and consider my mentors, mis maestras. One is Lorraine Lopez, author of the gifted Gabaldon sisters and a finalist of the 2010 PEN / Faulkner Award. Development i always learn a lot about plot and structure from reading her books. And my fellow Cuban Ana Cabrera Vivanco, currently living in Spain and author of Horas Las del Alma, a brilliant novel that I expect to see translated into English soon.
Q: of let's talk now about your novel, Habanera, which has garnered some rave reviews. What is it about and what was your inspiration for it?
A: itstarted as a memoir, but at a given moment I realized I had reinvented history too much. After some prodding from my mother, who called me a liar among other things, I decided to turn it into fiction. It is Python based on my own family, though I added many events that never happened in reality. (There what home, at no ghost at least that I knew of.) But the characters are inspired in my parents and big parents who were and are a weird and motley crew.
Q: Habanera combines quirky humor with compelling drama. How do you decide when to mate humor in this type of novel? Is it a conscious decision or does it come natural?
A: well, some things that people find funny were never intended to be humorous at all, hehehe...
Q: one of the reviewers wrote: "Dovalpage is a""master of quirky, lovable characters, and emotionally resonant narrative." How do you create your characters and make them genuine? How do you make your prose shine with emotion?
A: in this case I copied what most of the characters from reality so creating "genuine" characters relatively easy. After all, I knew the model well... As for the emotion part, I try to give as many details as I can, to get inside the characters' heads and let hem do the talking.
Q: what was your writing process like while working on Habanera? What it difficult to go back in time and relive that experience?
A: since I started it as a memoir the writing process was like keeping a journal backwards. I wrote down a series of episodes as they came to my memory (the unfortunate event with the)Christmas pig at home, the visits to the cemetery...) But when I decided to turn it into a novel I changed the timeframe, from the 80's to the 90's, so I had to go back and rewrite some scenes... In general it what fun to relive my childhood experiences. I could see for the first time how quirky it really was.
Q: tell US what the revision process is like for you. Do you edit as you write or do you edit later?
A: both. I edit as I write and when I finish the manuscript, I have someone read the final draft too, particularly when it is in English. Ay, these pesky prepositions! My husband Gary has been very helpful in that respect.
Q: how was your road to publication?
A: it hasn't been too difficult. After my first novel in English, A girl like Che Guevara, whatpublished by Soho Press, I had three more published Posesas de la Habana Posesas de la Habana novels (in Spanish) (crazy ladies of Havana, PurePlay press, 2004), Muerte de un murciano en la Habana (death of a Murcian in Havana) that was a runner-up for the Herralde award in 2006 and El Difunto Fidel (the late Fidel) that won the Rincón de la Victoria award in Spain in 2009. It is what a little more complicated to find a home for a collection of short stories in Spanish, por culpa de candela and other stories, but I finally did and then came Habanera...
Q: what do you love most about the writer's life?
A: the fact that I can write at home when I feel like it, surrounded by my cats and dogs...And wearing my moo-moo, though I only do that when my husband isn't around. And mostimportantly, to hear from the readers, to get the personal feedback that makes all the butt-hours spent in front of the computer worthy. There is a fan of Cuban literature in Spain who has created a website called La Biblioteca Cubana de Barbarito (Barbarito's Cuban library). When I get a message from him or from another reader, I feel in seventh heaven...
Q: what Latina authors have inspired you?
A: many of them! But I want to mention Elena Avila, who sadly passed away last March. She wrote woman who glows in the dark, a national bestseller about curanderismo, and several beautiful plays. I used as a textbook in my Santeria and Curanderismo class at the University of New Mexico woman who glows in the dark and it inspired me to write a book on that topic, 101 questions to aCurandera, that I am the presently co-authoring with an eight-generation curandera, Patricia Padilla. The only thing I regret is not having been able to meet Elena in person.
Q: did you establish a connection with other Latina writers when you started writing? How important do you think is a supportive community for Carlyle writers?
A: Bueno, we have a very supportive and active community in NuncaSolas! I also have a wonderful circle of Latina writers and we trade first drafts and give each other advice. It is an invaluable help.
Q: what advice would you give aspiring writers?
A: do not store rejection letters... I have heard that some writers do it but can't imagine anything more depressing, plus it seems like bad Feng Shui. And above all, keep writing!
Meet Cuban author and playwright Teresa DovalpageRecommend : The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
A place in Florida - honoring the unsung hero of air conditioning
A place in Florida - honoring the unsung hero of air conditioning
There's a place in Florida that honors the almost-forgotten inventor of air conditioning who received little fame and died a pauper.
TextbooksThrough the years, Willis carrier has been credited with inventing air conditioning, without which Florida would be an unbearable place to live. Most textbooks call him 'the father of air conditioning'. And it is true that carrier invented the first modern electrical air conditioner in 1902 and applied it to commercial use.
But without Dr. John Gorrie and Stuart W. Cramer, who coined the term air conditioning in 1906, carrier could not have done what he did when he did., and the state's growth in the 20th and 21st centuries can be traced directly to Gorrie. Whoever gets the credit - and probably all three deserve some - the inventionarguably might be more important than Edison's light bulb, Edison's movies or Edison's phonograph.
This place in Florida, better known for its world famous oysters, honors Gorrie as the inventor. While textbooks barely mention Gorrie's role, Apalachicola has not forgotten what he did:
· There's the John Gorrie State Park and Museum in Apalachicola. · Gorrie square in Apalachicola is named for Gorrie. · The John Gorrie bridge across Apalachicola Bay connects Apalachicola with East Bay.
Hey so has been time-honored posthumously in other ways:
· In 1914, Florida gave a statue of Gorrie to the national statuary collection in Washington. · At least two Florida schools are named for him: Gorrie high school in Jacksonville and John Gorrie elementary school inTampa. · The University of Florida annually gives the John Gorrie award to the medical graduate most likely to become a successful general practitioner. · The liberty ship USS John Gorrie what named in his honor.
So how did Gorrie invent machine in Apalachicola this significant? And why did he die a pauper?
Gorrie, trained as a physician who studied tropical diseases, came to this place in Florida in 1833 because it was the third largest port on the Gulf Coast, harboring ships carrying cotton to New England and Europe.
A resident physician at two Apalachicola hospitals, Gorrie became convinced during a yellow fever outbreak that cold was a healer. He cooled hospital rooms with ice in a basin suspended from the ceiling, which led him to experiment with artificialice.
He couldn't wait for ice to be imported from Northern lakes, so he invented a machine that made ice - a machine that laid the groundwork for modern refrigeration and the machine that carrier made a household word.
In 1851, Gorrie, which granted patent no.. 8080. The original model of the machine and scientific articles he wrote are at the Smithsonian Institution. A replica is on display at the John Gorrie State Park and Museum in Apalachicola.
Gorrie failed to profit from his important invention. Impoverished, he tried to raise money to manufacture it, but the venture failed when his partner died. Humiliated by criticism, financially ruined, his health broken, Gorrie died in seclusion in 1855. He is buried in Gorrie square in Apalachicola.
A place in Florida - honoring the unsung hero of air conditioningThe paradox of air fares
The paradox of air fares
Though having gradually come down recently, the spikes in oil prices this year have made it such a tumultuous time for the airlines that 26 of them worldwide, according to IATA (the trade body which represents many of the world airlines), have gone to the wall already. For the shrewd management of those who remain, this should be a challenging time to test out the basic economics of demand and supply for the industry.
TextbooksI believe for most industries, prices are demand-driven rather than cost-based. It means rather than just adding to arbitrary margin on to the base of operation costs, companies charge what they judge the customers are prepared to pay for their products, of course-so in consideration of the competitive offers available. As a matter of fact, revenue andmarket shares, not profitability but are usually top on the field sales' mind.
But for the airlines recently, the high fuel prices have made the basic arithmetic of revenue minus cost painfully clear that if the price charged cannot cover the cost of carrying one passenger, it is a critical matter of life and death. The challenge, of course, is in determining to what extent prices can be put up without dampening demand. Air travel still is perceived as extravagant by many people and may be put off in face of higher fares. At no time in history, perhaps, that airlines managers have to put the textbook economics of price elasticity to such vigorous test in running their day to day activities.
Pollen Allergy and Food Sensitivity: The Oral Allergy Syndrome and Food Intolerance
Pollen Allergy and Food Sensitivity: The Oral Allergy Syndrome and Food Intolerance
Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is a well-recognized but little known condition. It is characterized by a burning sensation or mouth pain and swelling when you eat specific foods that cross react to pollens to which you are allergic. Interestingly, the specific foods causing this reaction are well established to cross react with certain trees, grass, or weed pollens, house dust mite or latex. There are common groups of foods that cluster with certain nasal allergies. For example, ragweed allergy commonly causes an oral or gut reaction after eating melons or bananas but usually not other foods. Birch tree pollen is commonly associated with reactions to numerous foods as is latex allergy. The explanation for these reactions include similarities in protein structures as well as some chemicals in the foods.
TextbooksThough this reaction is well documented in the allergy literature it is not commonly recognized or diagnosed by most doctors including some allergy specialists and many stomach specialists. Various allergy web sites include lists of the common foods associated with certain pollens, dust mite or latex. However, a comprehensive list that is easy to read or interpret can be difficult to find. Also, the names of some pollens or the common links between a group of pollens and a group of foods can be confusing.
In its classic form OAS should be easy to recognize. After eating a food associated with a pollen to which you are allergic you experience near immediate burning sensation in your mouth or throat with or without swelling. However, it is commonly recognized that frequently in medicine, symptoms do not occur in the "classic" or typical manner in a specific person. Worded another way doctors are taught "patients don't read the textbooks". Therefore, you may experience variations of the reaction such as throat swelling or tightening, burning when swallowing, a lump in the throat or a sense of swallowing difficulty but not make the connection to what you ate or what is happening to you.
You or your doctor may misinterpret your symptoms. Frequently people just assume it happened because they were having a choking spell on food that was poorly chewed, swallowed too fast, or eaten or drank while too hot or cold. Commonly, it is assumed that an esophageal (swallowing tube) disorder, especially acid reflux with a hiatal hernia is the cause. Acid reflux can cause an esophageal constriction called a stricture or ring that can result in a food sticking sensation, but this is usually associated with heartburn symptoms or food getting stuck which then prompts an upper endoscopy or scope exam. Other times, especially if occurring in an elderly person, a neurological condition like stroke or Parkinson's disease is blamed. Sometimes doctors decide that your symptoms are due to a nervous reaction or neurosis that historically was called as globus hystericus. The hystericus portion of the term is usually dropped these days to the shorter term globus or globus sensation especially since it is not proven it is due to a psychiatric problem. However, globus may be the diagnosis arrived at if your complaint is that you feel a lump in your throat and an 'evaluation" appears to turn up nothing even if OAS was not considered or excluded.
An unusual condition that has been more recently recognized in the field of gastroenterology (diseases of the stomach and intestines) that may be related to or a variant of OAS is called eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) or allergic esophagitis. It was first described in the pediatric population but is now known to occur in adults. Classically described in teenage boys and young men who presented with food sticking episodes without heartburn or acid reflux symptoms, it is associated with a strange appearance of the esophagus on endoscopy (lighted scope exam of the upper gastrointestinal tract). What the doctor doing the scope sees is that the esophagus resembles a cat's esophagus. That is it looks like it has rings (cats have cartilage rings in their esophagus, we do not) and this is referred to as "ringed esophagus" or felinization of the esophagus. On biopsy of such a ringed or felinized appearing esophagus (that is also often narrowed resulting in food sticking) microscopic signs of allergy are noted. The lining shows numerous eosinophils, a reddish pink appearing white blood cell, characteristic of allergic conditions. These eosinophils release chemicals like histamine that trigger swelling, pain, and damage to tissue.
Food allergies are commonly found to present in EE though sometimes the search for a food allergy by traditional skin tests or IgE blood tests is negative. Treatment is avoidance of known food allergens and swallowed nasal steroids sprays that are designed for use in the nose for nasal allergies. Though not specifically proven yet, eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) may be a variant of OAS.
Eosinophilic gastroenteritis and eosinophilic or allergic colitis also exist and can be diagnosed by biopsies of the stomach, small intestine and colon respectively. Allergic colitis is typically seen in infants who have a cow's milk protein allergy. It presents as colic type abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss and bloody diarrhea in an infant on cow's milk formula or sometimes in breast-fed infants whose mom is drinking a lot of cow's milk.
Allergic gastroenteritis occurs in any age group presenting typically as abdominal pain, with or without intestinal blockage or perforation; diarrhea; anemia; weight loss; and microscopic bleeding in the intestinal tract also known as occult blood in the stool. Such bleeding is detectable only by special stool chemical tests known as fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) or stool guaiac testing.
At least some people with food intolerance that does not make sense on limited diet diary information, blood tests, biopsies, or allergy testing, may have a form of OAS. In other words, the presence of known pollen or latex allergies may be predisposing to reactions to foods known to cross react with allergies noted in OAS. However, instead of classic oral allergy syndrome symptoms other stomach and intestinal symptoms or even non-gastrointestinal symptoms may result.
Support of this concept can be found in detailed screening of individuals for food intolerance. Those with known pollen or latex allergies, any known food allergies or intolerance including gluten intolerance (celiac disease) and casein intolerance, are asked to complete a series of symptom assessments and severity rating scales followed by a strict elimination diet. This is followed up by re-assessment of response of symptoms while re-introducing foods one at a time while monitoring for recurrence.
This type of analysis is the basis for the Neopaleo Specific Diet. In the near future online symptom assessments and screening for food intolerance along with dietary recommendations specific to individuals will be available at www.thefooddoc.com. An online diet symptom diary will also be available. A simplified table illustrating the common foods that may cross-react with the broad categories of pollen allergens and latex allergy is available. Food intolerances are more commonly being recognized as a common cause of illness and symptoms. Individualized specific diet recommendations and elimination diet trials may be more helpful in discovering any possible links to what you are eating and how you feel.
Copyright 2006 The Food Doc, LLC. All rights reserved.
Pollen Allergy and Food Sensitivity: The Oral Allergy Syndrome and Food IntoleranceRecommend : The Visual Display of Quantitative Information