The Secret Code Of Learning

Our body language can reveal more about what we know than our verbal language

Frederic Mishkin, who’s been a professor at Columbia Business School for almost 30 years, is good at solving problems and expressing ideas. Whether he’s standing in front of a lecture hall or engaged in a casual conversation, he’s a blur of motion, his hands waving, pointing, jabbing the air. “I talk with my hands,” he says. “I always have.” When he was in graduate school, in fact, one of his professors was so exasperated by this constant gesticulating that he made the young economist sit on his hands whenever he visited the professor’s office.

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Putting English language before literature

What keeps you motivated? The realisation that my learners appreciate my efforts, even though, generally, they are not yet where I want them to be in terms of English acquisition and use.

Best teaching moment? When a group of 17- to 18-year-old learners, who had been passive, began to participate in my lessons after some motivational work. The group had joined my class from other schools and they felt they were being overshadowed by longer-term students. It was small talk that really worked wonders and three of them even opted to join our higher-level class.

And worst? After I had given what I thought were clear instructions for a written class activity, I went out for a moment. When I came back, a student just burst into tears and said, "Sir, I don't know what I am supposed to do."

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Record Number of Oregon English Language Learners Meet State Standards

Learning English as a second language is no easy feat for many young students.

But the Oregon Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives results released Tuesday show a record number of students statewide improved their English language skills.

That's even with higher benchmarks set by the state.

The group includes students at 4J, Bethel and Springfield.

4J has about 550 English Language Learners -- students who speak English as a second language -- and Bethel has 200 students.

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About 27,000 Ukrainian police officers to learn English by Euro 2012

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry is planning to teach about 27,000 police officers English by the start of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship, the ministry's media liaisons office has told the Ukraine 2012 Information Center.

A total of 13,930 police officers will learn English in the regions hosting the Euro 2012 tournament, and 12,890 people will learn English in other regions.

Law enforcers are currently learning English in the ministry's higher educational establishments via three-month courses, as well as on the basis of civilian educational institutions in the regions, through in-service training, and individually.

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