Oscar Vega Yachay Tech University Imbabura, Ecuador
December 11, 2016
Dear Portfolio Reader: Hello! How are you? I hope fine. Thanks you so much for taking a few minutes of your time to read my portfolio. My name is Oscar Vega and I‘m a Yachay Tech student who is finishing his last English level in the college. I‘m grateful to all my teachers and all those persons who day after day helped me to improve my abilities as writer and speaker of English. In the next pages you can read three essays, one reflection and one research project that I have wrote during my level 6 English classes. The expectations that I have always had since I started English Program Language until today it remain the same, but some of this have changed a little over time. At the beginning, the reason why I wanted to improve my English level was because there were many really amazing English songs that I loved listening to and I just wanted to understand these without the necessity to read the lyrics. However, since I started to study at college, I have learned many important things and one of these things was there are a lot of value information about scientific and technological advantages inside books, magazines, web pages or research that are published primarily in one language, English. This fact helped me to understand that if someday I became a good researcher and I wanted to share the results of my work and knowledge with others persons around the world I needed to learn to speak and write English in the best way.
As a student I think the most challenging and difficult for me are still the presentation, because I have always felt so nervous when I must talk in public even in front of my own classmates. But, this is only one of many reasons that I have to continue studying and improving my English level because it is really necessary for me and my own education. In my opinion, I think English classes were one of the best places at University where I had the chance to make some good friends and spend funny moments with them because inside of these the teachers prepared activities such as talking and sharing ideas between us or wrote essays. My classmates and me recorded videos and played different kinds of activities which helped us to improve our language and communication. Again thank you very much to the English Program Language, my English teachers and partners. Today each time that I listen to my favorite music or new songs, read an interesting article or search value information and even when I have the opportunity to talk with my teachers or other person who only speak English, I really feel very happy to have the enough ability to understand the meaning of almost every words that I‘m listening to, reading, talking, thinking or sometimes singing. Gratefully,
Oscar Vega
Global ethic could change the world though new institutions and the participation of people around the world. L6-005 Oscar Vega Yachay Tech University September 19, 2016
Do you think global ethics will make the world a better place to live? During the last few years the global ethic has been a key factor between nations and countries because it allows the rebuilding of institutes which are responsible for protecting human rights and the world where we live. And that is true; I think global ethic is a good opportunity and the best way to start to see a change in the world, because with this kind of institution working our social responsibilities increase and people will be more interested because we are the beneficiaries. So, global ethics is an important topic around the world because it allows society to work with more responsibility for a better world. The construction of social citizenship only depends on us. Social citizenship is built through responsibilities and the communication between people around the world because it allows share ideas and thoughts about of how we can live in a better world. Furthermore, if we want to get good results, I think communication and hard work is the best way to get it because the problems are not only of one or two people but of all people who lives around the world. For his reason Brown (2009) argued that this world has changed fundamentally, and the problems we have cannot be solved by one nation and one nation alone. The national interests could solve big problems like poverty or climatic change. Giving people the opportunity of an education, improving their economy or one solution for greenhouse effects are prices which worth paying because it allows us to build a global society where people feel more confident and they can create new links between different countries. So, in my opinion, when people start to see change they are each time more interested in participating in the construction of a better society where the place they live will be a more comfortable place for them, their sons and the next generation. Everybody has a global ethic no matter what religion you believe in. Independently if people are religious or not they always must follow their own values and morals which allow them to think not only in their own interests but also in what other people might need. For
this reason Brown (2009) say that whether it's Jewish or whether it's Muslim or whether it's Hindu, or whether it's Sikh, the same global ethic is at the heart of each of these religions. According to Brown (2009) argued we have got to rebuild our global institutions in a way suitable to the challenges and the problems of this time. Today the challenge is convince to people that we can rebuild a global society with institutions more concerned about the welfares of people and global ethic because at the beginning it could sound impossible. However we must remember what Brown (2009) in ted program say that by tackling the impossible, you make the impossible possible. And this is correct; I think that if in the world there had never been people who continued to believe in their ideas that looked impossible, maybe we would never have survived in the world. Finally, global and citizenship ethics could be built if people around the world support the idea of rebuilding, changing and creating new institutions or programs that establish new ways and new rules of social responsibilities where people can feeling good, participate and contribute with ideas. So, global ethic could be the best ways to start a see a change in the world where we live because at the end we are only ones responsible for living in a good world with the best conditions for us and leave it the same in good conditions for the next generation.
References Brown, G. (2009, July). Gordon Brown: Global ethics vs. national interest [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/gordon_brown_on_global_ethic _vs_national_interest?language=en
Analysis on the ‗Creation of Adam‘ Loachamin Dennis, Suarez Katherine, Vega Oscar English for Academic Purposes II L6 – 005 Yachay Tech University November 16, 2016
Paintings can capture human‘s imagination and inspire some great ideological changes. Art is a expression of feelings and emotions that a painter shapes in a canvas, painting or fresco. According to a contemporary American Painter called George Tooker, ―Painting is an attempt to come to terms with life. There are as many solutions as there are human beings.‖ He expresses that with paintings human beings can better understand what life means; this statement has been shown since the beginning of human life. For example, in the Renaissance a man who helps to understand better life could be Michelangelo Bounarroti that on request paint the fresco called Sistine Chapel with includes the painting ―The creation of Adam.‖ The creation of Adam is a famous and important religious painting in the world which takes some years to be finished by Michelangelo because he tries to explain and represent the union of the human being with God through the combination of different textures, colors and forms in a single painting. The painting named “Creation of Adam” could cause many feelings depending of the ideology of each person. If a religious person looks at the painting at first sight, he is going to interpret that all his ideas and knowledges about the creation of the life in the Earth are correct. But if a person with scientific knowledge‟s looks the painting, he is going to deduct that it as a sample of the human anatomy. Generally, this artistic work in the religious part may cause a sense of curiosity for knowing why did God give Adam the power; God who is the father of everything exists in the Earth´s surface gave a responsibility to Adam who represents humanity. But in the scientific part, in this painting is apparent the knowledge that Michelangelo had about the scientific field called anatomy because the painting clearly represents many parts of the human body. (Poter, R) For example, the dome surrounding God is shape by the human brain and the green cloth is the vertebral artery. (Careaga, 2013). ―The creation of Adam‖ is about the creation of Adam as the first perfect human in the earth who was beautiful, muscular, and strong and for this reason represents the greatness
of God. For one hand, in the paint Adam is completely naked as if he was a newborn sitting on a green surface which represents the earth as his future home. And for another hand, is God surrounded by many cherubs which are on a blue and white surface that represents heaven because according to the religion these kind of divine figures only live in heaven. The most important in this painting is how God tries to join his hand with Adam‘s hand because he wants to give life to Adam and create a relationship between humans, religion and him. Also, it is important remember that this painting was finished after four years of work because during this time Michelangelo had many works that must be done for the Pope. Furthermore, according to Kats (2009) Michelangelo unveiled the work in 1512, he had succeeded in creating a transcendent work of genius, one which continues to inspire millions of pilgrims and tourists in Vatican City each year.
References Careaga, M. (2013, December 19). La anatomía oculta en las obras de Miguel Ángel. Retrieved from: http://culturacolectiva.com/la-anatomia-oculta-en-las-obras-demiguel-angel/ Kats, J. (2009). The Measure of Genius: Michelangelo‟s Sistine Chapel at 500. Smithsonian. Retrieved from: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-measure-of-geniusmichelangelos-sistine-chapel-at-500-123313873/?no-ist Nolan, J. (2005). Interpretation Techniques and Exercises. Retrieved from: http://tienganhdhm.com/Images/file/IntepretationTechniques%20and%20Exercises.pdf Poter, R. A Reflection and Analisys on the „Creation of Adam‟ Sistine Chapel Fresco. Departament of Theology. Retrieved from: http://www.biblicaltheology.com/Research/PorterR04.pdf Writing about Paintings (2013). Visual Rhetoric/Visual Literacy Series. Retrieved from: http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/painting.original.pdf
Language modify feelings and behaviors L6-005 Oscar Vega Yachay Tech University September 13, 2016
What is the language? Why is language important? Language is one of the best characteristics that have human being to communicate with another people and transmit their feelings, ideas and thoughts. Language is a key factor to understand what is happening around people and connect the brain with feelings and ideas which can change the way people think, their morals, their memory, their behaviors and the decisions that we take in the dairy life. Language can increase or decrease the emotional meaning of our memories. Language is commonly used as a tool to communicate with another people and transmit a message in a way that we can understand. But, language is not used only for communication, language can affect the way people remember their memories. According to Sevidy (20014) ―Our childhood languages, learned in the throes of passionate emotion—whose childhood, after all, is not streaked through with an abundance of love, rage, wonder, and punishment?—become infused with deep feeling.‖ So, language can be considered more than one language to express ideas but also feelings and memories in different ways. People make decisions more carefully when they are using their native language. According to the data obtained by Catherine Harrys, people who use their native language think more deeply about their feelings, reasons and intentions before taking an important decision because they could feel better and have good outcomes. But, people can think that with a foreign language we can do the same and just try to understand the situation that we are living. However, some studies has shown that our body feels with a greater emotional intensity when we express ourselves in our native language. For example, according to Sedivy (2014) ―Differences arise between native and foreign tongues because our childhood languages vibrate with greater emotional intensity than do those learned in more academic settings.‖
Language is a key factor when we must think about the decisions that we make because it can modify our ideas, feelings, behaviors and thought that will be reflect in the in the good and bad moments that we live. Furthermore, depending on what language we use, a native or a foreign language, it can increase or decrease the true importance of our messages and communication because in some situations we are possibly more focused understanding the language or feeling this.
References Sedivy, J. (2016). How Morality Changes in a Foreign Language. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. Retrieved from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/howmorality-changes-in-a-foreign-language/
Influence and benefits of listening to or playing music on students Oscar Vega L6-005 Yachay Tech University 06-12-2016
Abstract Today it is very normal to see to people listening to different type of music when they performing an activity because it helps them to carry out all their activities in a better way. Some students have chosen music as a good option to relax and carry out all reasoning and learning activities which they are exposed to constantly. For this important reason the principal objective of this research is to know more about what music influences in the blood of people and understand how it benefits the development of better brain activity. There are many studies within which talk about what could be the best ways of listening to music for retain the information and knowledge in a better way, thinking more carefully for solving different problems or execute multiple task at the same time. All these researches have something in common; their results, which showing music could be considered a positive and good element for the mind and body because it stimulates the brain, relaxes people and creates a more comfortable atmosphere to carry out any activity which requires reasoning and focusing. So, music has become an important element in the daily life.
―Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form‖ Plato (428-348 BCE) Many people think that to study it is necessary to be in an quiet environment without distractions or loud sounds because people try to concentrate, learn and gather lots of information. This process of learning sometimes can be stressful for some students because they have not yet found a good way to fight this stress. However, listening to music can be of the best ways that students have to study because it produce different effects in the brain like releases to perform any kind activities, prepares their brain to carry out reasoning activities, develops math skills by developing their special-temporal reasoning and develops creative and curious thinking. First, listening to music is one of the best ways to relax. Many studies in neuroscience have shown that people who listening to music while performing any activity have a positive effect in their brain because it stimulate the production of a substance called dopamine which is responsible for generating the sense of well-being and fights stress. Ibarrola (2013) said ―Music and emotion share the same brain region, the prefrontal cortex, so music can make us sick or heal. Listening or interpreting helps release the bloodstream adrenaline or morphine generating different states translated abroad as tension and fear or well-being and relaxation." Some researchers recommend listening to instrumental music without lyrics or things like that. In addition, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2012) reported that many surgeons carrying out a task in the laboratory worked more accurately when music that they liked was playing because they felt more relaxed. Second, music prepares the brain to carry out language and reasoning activities. People who have been exposed to many complex sounds have the capacity of discern in a better way languages because they develop the ability to interpret and process the language
through understanding of different sounds created by other languages. National Association for Music Education (2014) reported ―The left side of the brain is better developed with music, and song can help imprint information on young minds‖ And for this reason, listening to music before starting to study helps to stimulates areas of the brain related to the sounds, expressions, vocabulary and interpretation of language. However, Universia Argentina (2014) pointed out the volume of music also plays an important role during the process of information and study because if students don‘t keep the volume low it can alter the quality of information retained and produce negative effects on attention and concentration. Third, music training helps to develop the capacity for spatial-temporal reasoning which is important to acquire important mathematical skills. According to Ruppert (2006) ―Students who take music classes in high school are more likely to score higher on standardized mathematics tests such as the SAT. One explanation is musical training in rhythm emphasizes proportion, patterns and ratios expressed as mathematical relations‖ In other words, music could facilitates the location and distribution of objects in space and develops the ability to build in the brain a reference system with unconventional units to solve problems and task which required measurement of length, capacity, weight and time. Fourth, music contributes to development of a critical and creative thinking. During infancy, brain has billions of neurons which could get lost over time if they are not used. Some brain studies argued students who are involved to any type of art from early ages create different patterns in the brain and neurons which could to work and develop in a better way to think more creatively because these stimulate their imagination and develop positive attitudes to learning and curiosity. National Association for Music Education (2014) argued ―Kids who study the arts can learn to think creatively. This kind of education can help them solve problems by thinking outside the box and realizing that there may be more than one right answer‖ So, if students have the right motivation to study they will learn to look and acquire
information for themselves and each time they could be more prepared to carry out their educational activities in a better way. Now, playing and listening to music have the same positive effects in the brain. Neuroscientists have seen that playing an instrument can activate all the regions of our brain especially the visual, auditory and motor cortex like others exercises but the musical practice strengthens the brain functions and allows us to apply this force to other activities. Anita Collins, in a TED talk argued: Playing to music requires fine motor skills, which are controlled in both hemispheres of the brain. It also combines the linguistic and mathematical precision, in which the left hemisphere is more involved with the novel and creative content that the right excels in. For this reasons, playing music has be found to increase the volume and activity in the brain’s corpus callosum, the bridge between the two hemispheres allowing messages to get across the brain faster and through more diverse routes. This may allow musicians to solve problems more effectively and creatively in both academic and social settings. (TED, 2014) In other words, playing music involves having a higher level of executive brain functions because it combines planning, strategizing and attention to detail to create, preserve and recover ideas or memories more quickly and efficiently. Some studies argue that music can alter the quality of information that brain acquires during the learning process. According to study made by Universia Argentina (2014), this happens because the brain has some conflicts when it tries to perform more than two tasks at the same time. Also, they mentioned that when people listening to music all knowledge acquired can be remembered only in the short term because the brain in this period is more superficial and fragmented. However, Pardo (2014) observed that it is essential and highly
recommended to perform some activities at the same time because the brain can work and manage the information of different ways to integrate knowledge into memory more permanently and with more quality. One example of this is the experiment conducted by Stoet (2013) where he tested the abilities of men and women to perform multitask at the time and concluded women are better than men. Moreover, Ren (2013) conluded ―Still, it is possible that for certain tasks, men might be better at multitasking. It may depend on the nature of the tasks - sequential or simultaneous.‖ What type of music, with or without lyrics, high or low volume are just conditions that can chance according to how comfortable each person feels because music is one of the most important aspects within human brain and body because it could have a deep impact and effect on the control of mood, health, intelligence, memory and language. Furthermore, it is a key tool in the learning process because it plays an important rule on different regions of the brain improving abilities to acquire and process large amounts of necessary information to carry out important learning activities. So, music can be considered as one of the best options to relax and perform any activity in the best way with the best physical, emotional and mental conditions.
References Anayet. (2013, June 25). MUSIC TO IMPROVE MEMORY, CONCENTRATION AND LEARNING. [Blog information]. Retrieved from: http://www.centroanayet.com/blog/terapia-musical/la-musica-como-terapia Campabello, N., De Carlo, M., O‘Neil, J., & Vacek, M. (2002). Music Enhances Learning. Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED471580.pdf Morgan, J. (2013, October 24). Women 'better at multitasking' than men, study finds. BBC NEWS. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24645100 Murphy, A. (20012, September 12). Does Listening to Music While Working Make You Less Productive? Time. Retrieved from: http://ideas.time.com/2012/09/12/does-listeningto-music-while-working-make-you-less-productive/ National Association for Music Education. (2014, July 21). 20 Important Benefits of Music in Our Schools. Retrieved from: http://www.nafme.org/20-important-benefits-of-musicin-our-schools/ Quetescuchen.Effects of music on children's brain. (2014, October 19). Retrieved from: http://quetescuchen.com/efectos-de-la-musica-en-el-cerebro-de-los-ninos/ Ruppert, S. (2006). How the ARTS Benefit Student Achievement. Retrieved from: http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Publications/critical-evidence.pdf Scripp, L. (2002). An overview of research on music and learning. Research Gate. Retrieved from:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lawrence_Scripp/publication/245362946_ An_overview_of_research_on_music_and_learning/links/55e7116d08ae65b6389948b 4.pdf TED. (2014, July 14). Anita Collins: How playing an instrument benefits your brain [Video file] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng
Universia Argentina. (2014, November 14). Dos music favors concentration? Retrieved from: http://noticias.universia.com.py/cultura/noticia/2015/08/11/1129678/musica-favorececoncentracion.html Universia Argentina. (2014, November 14). Music to study: Âżyes or no? Retrieved from: http://noticias.universia.com.ar/en-portada/noticia/2014/11/10/1114739/musica-estudiar.html