YACHAY TECH UNIVERSITY ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM YACHAY TECH, ECUADOR
CONTENTS 1.
PORTOFOLIO LETTER
2.
RESPONSE ESSAY
3.
INTERPRETATION ESSAY
4.
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
5.
FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT ESSAY
6.
THANK YOU LETTER
Kevin Chamorro Yachay Tech University, Residential Blocks I 1-3 Thursday, December 9, 2016 Dear Portfolio Reader,
My name is Kevin Chamorro. Thank you for reading my English Language Portfolio. This is a collection of the work that I have done during the semester at level six English class. My portfolio consists of four essays: two essays made in class, two in home and a final research project that I made during the whole semester. I am very proud of everything I have done during the semester, and I am ready to take all the subjects in English the next semester. When I entered in level 6 this semester, I thought it would be more grammar but it was not like that. I was not have a good vocabulary and grammar but with the course of the semester and consecutives essays I improved these skills. I have always been responsible with all my works; however, my problem is that I use to make all my works the day before the presentation although I have more time to prepare those works. For example, when I made my final research paper, I could see that, if I work with time, step by step is more productive than leaving everything to the last moment. I have learned some skills in level six such as working in group and critical thinking. I learned and developed my skills working in group. For example, the work was divided, so we had less work to do and it is much enjoyed working in-group because you can start learning about other people think and express their ideas. In addition, the works was divided, so we had less work to do and we were finished early. A principal effort or benefit of working in group is that we had the opportunity of getting different points of view and realizing mistakes that we had not taken inti account if we had worked separated. Another important skill that I learned was critical thinking by reading some articles and later to analyzing them in order to develop my own opinion about the author. When I wrote my essays I
learned that I need to write the thesis statement in a specific form because I wrote before the thesis statement in a general form. After some advices from the teacher, I finally understood the reason of why it is important to be specific in an essay. I will never ever forget being specific in written works. I think that my own effort and the help of the teacher Matthew. He is a great professor and he is patient and helped me succeed as an English user. I made my best effort to improve my skills in writing and speaking. I took every advice that the teacher gave me for my essays and presentations, and I tried to improve the next assignments. The next semester I will take all my classes in English again , and I think I am prepared for that challenge because now I can understand well when I listen to native English speakers. So, understanding the explanations of the teacher will not be a problem anymore. In addition, I think I am able to write good reports and any other work because I have practiced writing essays at level six classes. Presentations will not be a problem either, because I have improved my pronunciation and I lost scenic panic. I still need to learn more vocabulary, but that is something that I pretend to learn by reading books that are written in English and reading the lectures of my professors. Thank you again for reading my portfolio. I made my best effort to complete this portfolio, and I hope you enjoy reading it. I am sure that you will agree with me that my progress as an English language user has been considerable.
Sincerely, Kevin Chamorro
Different languages shape the way we see the world Kevin Andrés Chamorro Cupuerán Yachay Tech University September 30, 2016
Different languages shape the way we see the world Nowadays, there are approximately 6000 different languages spoken around the world, where each one determines our behavior and our way of seeing the world. Language is in everything that we do; it is the essence of what makes us human, and this distinguishes us from all the other species. In many cases linguistic researchers and experts talk about the language, and how it expresses the character of the people, the relationship between languages and ways of seeing the world. Lera Boroditsky’s claim that language shapes our thinking and the way we see the world is right because each language is new and different, not only in the grammatical structure, but also in the way it expresses objects, time, space or colors. Lera Boroditsky argues that language shapes our thinking and the way we see the world. In each country there are different cultures where speakers have a different perspective about things and different behaviours. All of this, is for language that we are speaking, because in one language there is a way to understand the things, but in another language there is another way to understand. So, if everyone thought equal, it would be very easy to learn a new language or there would be only language in the world. It is not true and each person is very different from another in the way to express or say things. There are different languages that will form our thoughts in the way we say what we think and what we want to express. Each language is new and different, not only in the grammatical structure. Therefore, we need to develop different abilities in order to learn new vocabulary, new sentence structures and particularly to generate good ideas that are understood correctly. Everyone is different and we do not pay attention to the same things. Then, learn a new language is difficult; not only learn vocabulary. It also requires attention to things that are right in the world to have correct information when we are speaking or
writing something. Thus, when we are learning a new language, we are also acquiring a new way of thinking. (Boroditsky, 2009). Lera Boroditsky collected data around the world. She presents several examples of different ways of perception of language in her article. She talks about how the Kuuk Thaayorre community defines space using cardinal directions terms such as north, south, east, and west instead of right, left, forward, and backward. A person who cannot orientate does not receive a greeting from someone else. So, it allows them to develop the ability to learn to orient themselves in space. Moreover, in the time perception English speakers prefer to talk about duration in terms of length while Spanish and Greek speakers prefer to talk about time in terms of amount. (Boroditsky, 2009).
Language can also influence in basic aspects of time and visual perception. For example, our ability to distinguish colors or the way that we talk about the time. Russians, for example, they make a distinction between different tones of the same color, such as light blue (goluboy) and dark blue (siniy) whereas English speakers do not. So, it makes Russian speakers faster than English speakers in terms of reaction time. Every day we observe different things and we know that gender have the things to describe, but what happens in other languages when we describe the same object? Indeed the description will vary by language. (Boroditsky, 2009).
In conclusion, Lera Boroditsky’s claim is that influences our thinking, shape our perception of the world and how we relate to it. Language should be recognized as anything more than just a means of communication between human beings, because it is the main characteristic that distinguishes us from other species. Language is in everything that we do every day. In the way we speak a language correctly, we realize different things, develop some different skills and understand the world in
different way. Knowing this, we can have a different behavior in our lives according to the language and the culture of the country where we are.
References
Boroditsky, L. (2009, November 06). HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK? Retrieved from Edge: https://www.edge.org/conversation/how-does-ourlanguageshape- the-way- we-think
Beyond Realism Kevin Chamorro, Sandra Cachiguango, JosĂŠ Tacuri, Ariana Rivera Yachay Tech University November 18th, 2016
Beyond realism The painting Acrobatic Engineering by Rob Gonsalves is a combination of shapes, colours and sensations that are distributed in correct proportions and cause different interpretations depending on the point of view of the spectator. The painting is rich in details. In a global way, we can appreciate a landscape formed by lots of natural elements, such as a crescent moon, blue sky, trees, rocks, and a river. We can also recognize artificial elements, like a bridge, a circus, a train and bleachers. Moreover, from left to right, we can notice the transition of a bridge over the river finally composed by acrobats acting on a green scenario. If we focus deeply in the design of the bridge, we can start to notice human forms in its long columns, and as it gets closer, the acrobats’ shapes are more noticeable. This allows us to distinguish characteristics such as yellow, red and blue clothes and their gender. There are little, undetailed spectators watching the acrobatic show. However, if we look deeper into Gonsalves’ work, we begin to find more than just a description. The painter is a Canadian artist inspired by famous old surrealists such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Joan Miró (Pinpple, 2014). He is known as a magical realist because he uses realistic elements from life without deforming it (Pinpple, 2014). Also, he attaches to his artworks symbolic illusions or optical illusions. Even though what you see is not probable to happen, the more you see, the more possibilities you are about to find. According to Gonsalves’ description of his artwork “Acrobatic Engineering”, he defines it as a similitude of balance and precision between the bridge’s stone columns and the acrobats of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Gonsalves, 2016). Maybe, Gonsalves saw one of the real final acts of those acrobats, and he related that to the architecture of a bridge. Therefore, he tries to represent the architectural form of a bridge accompanied by the acrobats. It may mean only a physical similitude, but we can go further in meaning. For us, this painting means that all of us are important to build big things such as the bridge; hence, if we work together like the acrobats, it could be easier to reach a hard to accomplish dream.
The painting causes two main sensations: panic and confusion. The acrobats must have enough balance to be able to maintain the stability of the high columns without staggering, so if someone does something wrong, the columns probably collapse. Consciously, the person who watches the painting feels that panic because failing a goal because of others is sometimes frustrating. In the left side of the painting, there is a circus stage with people observing an act of acrobats, but as the painting moves away to the right, a change can be observed between the acrobats. On the right side, we can see the bridge stage. Acrobats act mimicking the form of a bridge, and then melting with the original structure can cause some confusion when people are looking at this painting, which is a big effect of the optical illusions that Gonsalves uses. Rob Gonsalves' painting titled "Acrobatic Engineering" could be seen as an unbreakable pillar to any big engineering constructions (Gonsalves, 2016). While we are reading the title, the relationship between the engineering design and acrobatics perfectionism comes immediately to our minds, for this reason, it is not strange to relate it with balance and precision as Gonsalves talks in his description. Large constructions like bridges need to be designed with great precision and balance, therefore, the construction is unbreakable. This idea establishes the relationship previously discussed between acrobats and engineering because they also need precision and balance so the act can succeed. In addition, this painting shows coordination and strength so that these (both the construction and the show of the acrobats) cannot collapse. Therefore, the coordination, strength, balance, precision of the acrobats, the same as the bridge allow holding greater things while they are working together. In “Acrobatic Engineering� the stability from the acrobats is interpreted as a good group work that takes place to accomplish a goal. At the moment of analysing the bridge, we note that it is solid, stable, and that each one of its parts is essential to its balance. However, what would happen if one of these components is missing? Will the bridge be capable of supporting the weight of the train, or external factors such as wind or water force? The union of each of the acrobats help out with building the bridge, and working as a team drive them to support efficiently the bridge. The acrobats
rely on the work done by the partners around them. This allows the passage of the train above them, which is the goal that the acrobats try to achieve working in a disciplined way. That goal would be impossible to do without the acrobats’ organization, since the minimum problem would crumble the structure. All of us are important in a group work! Therefore, if we want to reach a goal, we must unite with people who have the same vision, let go of selfishness and be willing to cooperate, so that this goal transforms an illusion into a reality. The concept of “Acrobatic Engineering” by Gonsalves relates the precision and balance of the bridge structure with the acrobats’ coordination; however, we think that this relationship goes deeper because it includes sensations and the importance of group work, which allows accomplishing goals. In other words, analysing the painting, group work helps to create great things and reach any goals that we propose to ourselves, which can cause panic and confusion in the viewers.
References Gonsalves, R. (2016). Marcus Ashley Gallery: Acrobatic Engineering. Retrieved from http://marcusashley.com/artwork/acrobatic-engineering [14-11-16] Pinpple. (2014). An amazing selection of the paintings by Rob Gonsalves: Surrealism in the 21st century. Retrieved by pinpple.com/post/4170 [14-11-16]
Behavior in children for a new language Kevin AndrĂŠs Chamorro CupuerĂĄn Yachay Tech University November 22, 2016
Behavior in children for a new language Nowadays, learning a new language is mandatory in any country around the world, but should all children be taught English at an early age? Children have several skill in the moment to learn new language, because they have an ability called cognitive flexibility that can very good to different activities in the same time and allow us more capacity in the moment to learn a new language. However, what happen with the children when they are learning a new language? What would be the behavior? The behavior of the children can change if they learn a new language because they are not learning just how to communicate in another language, they are learning a new culture and a new life style. According to the article “How Morality Changes in a Foreign Language” authors explain how people cannot express their real feelings, because the way of how they learned the foreign language. Moreover, some languages cannot be translated so people will not understand the real value of those words. For example, comparing the phrase “I love you” in English and Spanish , probably Spanish Speakers will find that “te amo” are strong words and English speakers will find that the phrase is not that strong and important as it is for others( Sedivy,2016). Now learning a new language in foreign countries at an early age could be dangerous, because children at an early age are starting do thought in unreal feelings that they want to tell us. Furthermore, students learn new languages as machines so they are not getting all the characterizes that the language has, creating children without feeling when they are talking the foreign language. Another situation can happen when children learn languages in foreign countries so they are getting the real essence of the culture changing the way how they think and children are learning a new life style at an early age. If to adults is very hard adaptable a new life style. How would be to a kid? So, according with the article learn a new language would be dangerous. People could thought that language does not change the behavior of the children because children are learning how to translate their ideas and feelings with other language. Moreover, that the
essence of the people or children cannot change just, with talking in another language or learning a new language at an early age. The behavior of the children can change if they learn a new language. Children cannot express their feelings because in a language is very different to understand the real meaning of a phrase. Moreover, children would be learning a new language like a robots and would be better that children learn languages in foreign countries so they are getting the essence of the culture and the way of thinking. Finally, learning new language is necessary but not very necessary in children. They could have several problems in a future because they understand the life in another way that is not the correct and understand their feelings in an incorrect form. Our life having a process that is learn new things step by step, to can learn in an excellent form. Children have several skills in the moment to learn new things, but it cannot be altered because could promote several harms in cognitive flexibility in a future.
Reference: (Sedivy,
2016),
“How
Morality
Changes
in
a
Foreign
Language�
www.scientiframerican.com/article/how-morality-changes-in-a-foreign-langugage/.
from:
Cognitive Flexibility and the best way to improve it Kevin AndrĂŠs Chamorro CupuerĂĄn Yachay Tech University December 4, 2016
Abstract The cognitive flexibility has been described as the mental ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts, and to think about multiple concepts simultaneously. It is also the main tool for learning. Moreover, this cognitive skill helps young people to have a faster brain than the old people. At an early age people can learn things faster because of their cognitive flexibility, but seniors could have the same flexibility or even better with the help of different methods to improve it, especially when people learn new language because it is considered as one of the best methods. It is scientifically proven that learning foreign languages can activate different parts of the brain and also apply the eight main cognitive capacities that are attention response inhibition, speed of information processing, cognitive flexibility, multiple simultaneous attention, memory, category formation, and pattern recognition.
Cognitive flexibility and the best way to improve it Nowadays, learning new languages is almost mandatory to have better chances of getting good jobs and better education, but what is happening in young people when they learn a new language? And how learning a new language can affect the cognitive flexibility through time until people get older? Flexible cognition is the ability that each person must switch from one way of thinking to another one in just a couple of seconds. Young brains are considered better than old ones because of their flexibility, but some people have demonstrated that this ability can be improved with practice. Learning new languages can help people to improve their flexibility, better than other methods. Speaking more than one language makes that brain work in different form; scientifically means that different neuronal areas are activated and white matter density of the insulating substance that covers the nerve connections increases. This means that they have a greater cognitive ability because they have more flexible minds with greater capacity of attention and concentration in troubleshooting that that it can be executed at the same time with another activity. (Navarra, Nuria, & Salvador, 2005).Furthermore, in this new era, it is important to know foreign languages to improve the level of education. People at young age can learn faster because of their flexible cognition, but old people can get the same or even better flexibility with the practice of different methods, especially when they learn new languages. However, old people who do not have a very good flexibility can also learn everything, but with a small difference about the time of learning because it will be different on each person depending on their flexible cognition. Cognitive flexibility changes over the years showing the ability of the brain to learn. Learning new languages could help to improve this flexibility, better than other methods. Cognitive flexibility is important because helps people to concentrate on all the activities that they are doing, whether daily or educational. Paying attention is important when people learn and teach and both are basically connected with the cognitive flexibility that a person has. Moreover, the speed of processing and switching information is very important for multiple reasons: Firstly, people
can find faster solutions for their problems. Secondly, people can learn faster any new topic and even learn more than two languages at the same time. Thirdly, people can react faster to any situation and take a good decision. So finally, Cognitive flexibility is a very advantageous ability that the brain has and it is important to keep. Additionally, cognitive flexibility changes throughout life in young adults because of brain maturation and with aging of brain cells and their billions of complex interconnections. Flexible thinking is the skill young people or children use to learn the rules of language. It helps them to know, for example, in English, that the way to put most of the conjugation of past tense verbs is to add "ed" to the end of the word, but flexible thinkers also understand that there are exceptions to these rules. For example, “go” and “went” in its conjugation in the past tense is different, so these children can easily use both rules and all the language exceptions. Cognitive flexibility can change over the years, but some people can keep this flexibility more than others. For example, people that at a young age had better cognitive practice like education, work, or activities that could help their cognitive skills, now they have better cognitive flexibility than others who did not have any cognitive stimulation. According with Emily Underwood “In a recent study involving a large number of people in Scotland who had intelligence tests at age 11 and again 50 years later found that the biggest predictor of cognitive ability at the older age was cognitive ability at age 11” (Underwood, 2014) There are many methods that can be used to improve the cognitive flexibility like activities related with the concentration, memory, reasoning, recognition, among others, but cognitive flexibility can also be improved when people learn a new language because the brain works in a different way than the usual. Scientifically, learning foreign languages can activate different parts of the brain can help the cognitive skills of a person and the nerve connections can last longer by preventing having brain problems. Learning a new language is one of the best methods that can be used to improve the flexibility because all the eight core cognitive capacities are applied: attention, response inhibition, speed of information processing, cognitive flexibility, multiple simultaneous attention, memory, category formation, and pattern recognition.
Older adults who have spoken two or more languages since they were children are faster than people that speak one language at switching information from one idea to another. According to a study conducted at the University Of Kentucky College Of Medicine, when people are getting old, their cognitive flexibility can deteriorate. Some studies show that learning a foreign language from a young age reduces these deficiencies. In an experiment where bilingual people and monolingual people between 60 and 68 years old participated, bilingual people performed faster the activities than the others. Moreover, the same experiment was performed on bilingual and monolingual young adults, where there was no difference. This result suggests that bilingual people use their brains more efficiently than monolingual people. Together, these results suggest that people who know more than one language did not lose their cognitive flexibility and that they even improved more than the others. (Gold, Kim, Johnson, Kryscio, & Smith, 2013) So, studies say that young adults talented in two languages performed better on attention tests and had better concentration than those who spoke only one language, nevertheless of whether they had learned that second language during infancy, childhood or their teen years. The brain can keep the same cognitive flexibility that it had at young age because of the constant practice that people get doing just daily activities as soon as these activities are related with the eight core cognitive capacities. Old people even can have better cognitive flexibility because of the experience and the practice that they have had through years so learning new languages could not the best method to improve their flexibility. For example, comparing a homeless senior person with a ten years old child, the homeless senior will be faster in taking decisions and finding solutions because he or she had enough experience to react fast to different situations than the ten years old child who does not have experience and probably the child will need more time to analyze the situation. The cognitive flexibility is an ability that everybody needs and that is why people must do activities that can maintain the same or improve their flexibility. Learning a new language is not the only method, but is the best one that can help even the life style. Knowing new languages can open a
big door full of opportunities of getting better education, getting better jobs, and getting more income. It is true that some people can have a very good cognitive flexibility without knowing new languages, but it is proven by many experiments that people who know more than one language will have better cognitive flexibility at old ages and according with the Lera Borodotsy's investigation, she says that each language has a different way of thinking and different understanding about the world. For example, in an investigation, she compared Russian and English speakers' ability to discriminate shades of blue. In Russian there is no single word that covers all the colors that English speakers call "blue." Russian makes an obligatory distinction between light blue (goluboy) and dark blue (siniy). Russian speakers are quicker to distinguish two shades of blue that are called by the different names in Russian. For English speakers, all these shades are still designated by the same word, "blue". (Boroditsky, 2011) So now, if people could learn more than one language, those people would have a better understanding capacity and a better world perspective relating in a better way what they want to show and share. Moreover, bilinguals develop cognitive skills that allow them to adapt to changes in tasks they are developing. This is because your brain is constantly choosing the language in which it is expressed, which gives it much more flexibility. It also allows them to concentrate and memorize better. In conclusion, the cognitive flexibility is one of the most important tool for learning. This skill is why animals and people are different and it is important to keep this ability. Moreover, cognitive flexibility benefits old people who have acquired a new language of youth, because they can perform activities faster. In addition, there is a large difference in the cognitive flexibility of older adults who speak a single language, with whom they speak two or more languages. Thus, cognitive flexibility can be improved with different methods, but learning new languages is the most efficient method that forces the brain to keep working and improve skills.
References Boroditsky, L. (2011). How Does Our Language Shape the Way We Think? Edge. Retrieved from: www.edge.org/conversation/lera_boroditsky-how-does-our-language-shapethe-way-we-think.
Gold, B. T., Kim, C., Johnson, N. F., Kryscio, R. J., & Smith, C. D. (2013). Lifelong Bilingualism Maintains Neural Efficiency for Cognitive Control in Aging. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(2), 387-396.
Navarra, J., SebastiĂĄn-GallĂŠs, N., & Soto-Faraco, S. (2005). The Perception of Second Language Sounds in Early Bilinguals: New Evidence from an Implicit Measure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31(5), 912-918.
Underwood, E. (2014). Starting young. Science, 568-571.
CLOSING REMARKS
After completing all levels of the English program, I can say that everything that is done with effort will have its reward. Thank you for reading my portfolio. I hope you have enjoyed and learned something from this work.
Sincerely, Kevin Chamorro