A Vocabulary Lesson With Teeth In It

This has been a season for dentistry. At my regular teeth-cleaning appointment the technician found a cavity, necessitating another appointment for a filling.  Then my son lost one of his remaining bridges so that there was no more putting it off -- time for an overall evaluation and major restructuring plan.

His dental surgery is finally complete.  He's adapting bit by bit to temporary dentures so that around September the clinic will make permanent ones.  Meanwhile, I've spent a lot of time playing chauffeur and waiting in dental offices.  Of course that has inspired a new Color Vowel Vocabulary Warm-Up Chart for an ESL lesson about all things dental.  Here's the vocabulary list so far:

Well, it's a start.

Stress and DeStressing

 If I want to do a blog post in February I'd better start writing!

At the beginning of February, it became apparent that this month would be dedicated to encouraging my son with his search for a new dental clinic, getting an evaluation and plan, faciltating appointments, then finally (today) chauffeuring him to dental surgery.  And, indeed, all of that happened, including the chauffeuring.  However, he could have driven himself home because the surgery got postponed for another month (long story).  

So now I have a freezer and fridge full of ice cream, protein shakes, jello, and puddings.  Plus hot/cold bead ice-packs which can go in the microwave to become hot packs when needed.  They'll keep.

As of now, my main project is to de-stress. 

Which reminded me that when I left-off teaching I was trying to develop more and better material to practice word, syllable and sentence stress.  I especially needed more dialogs with sentence stress to convey meaning and informal vocabulary with more use of the schwa (de-stress!) for better understanding of Americans when they speak.  De-stressing even further, I need to write more practice conversations using elisions.  What are the most common English words involving elisions?  As usual, I have started my own list.

I have found three super videos from Oxford Online English to help me with ideas.

The Schwa /ə/ Sound - How to Pronounce the Schwa - How to Improve English Pronunciation --This video is slightly less than 16 minutes long and covers word, phrase and sentence, all three.

Sentence Stress in English Pronunciation  -- This video is just over 13 minutes and covers content words vs grammar words.  It doesn't cover the schwa but offers good examples of intonation. Sample conversations show how stress conveys meaning.

Syllables and Word Stress - English Pronunciation Lesson -- This 14 minute video covers the main, most often-encountered rules.  At the very end it mentions the schwa.

So, the month of March will be dedicated to stressing and de-stressing, in more ways than one.

New Year's Resolutions

Finally - A New Phrasal Verb Poem

Back in the summer of 2023 I was planning to write at least one more "down" poem to get across the down-metaphor feeling.  Unfortunately "up" is quite inspiring while "down" isn't.  

But finally, thinking about the new year 2025, the theme came to me.  Using the new AIs which greatly speed up verb-list searches, I completed this verse all in one day.

New Year's Resolutions
(Featuring phrasal verbs using "down")

I'll quit looking down on my in-laws,
And stop putting down all their dreams.
I'll cut down on so many cookies,
And chocolates and fancy ice creams.

I'll break down my goals into tasks,
Using steps that I know I can do,
Then lay down a schedule to do them
And not shut it down 'till I'm through.

I'll write down appointments and notes,
And calm down when talking to Dad.
I'll slow down when riding my Harley,
And turn down my amps -- but I'm sad!

'Cause writing this list is a let down.
It boils down to no fun at all.
Let's chow down on barbecued wings,
Drink beer, boogie down, and play ball.

A New Year -- Another New Book

 Here's a book review I posted on Amazon recently.

I am currently plowing through Dr. Iain McGilchrist's "The Matter With Things" but read something else from time to time to give my brain a break. Having seen a review of "Blink", I realized the reporter, Gladwell, and the Oxford neuroscientist were addressing many of the same phenomena; so this was my most recent "time out". 

For those who read parts of Gladwell thinking, "This couldn't possibly be true", read McGilchrist and you'll realize that "Oh, yes, it certainly could!" If you find Gladwell lacking in depth, try "The Matter..." which offers 1,333 densely packed pages explaining the functioning of the brain's left hemisphere (mostly conscious) and right hemisphere (mostly unconscious) plus the consequences for individuals and society in the way the brain is used. 

I really enjoyed "Blink's" stories because Gladwell looks for optimum ways to deal with practical, everyday situations. Focusing on a broader picture, McGilchrist feels that our Western world is less happy and effective, today, due to our culture's inflated use of the brain's left hemisphere. 

I would love to see a conversation between these, two, authors! Or, perhaps, Gladwell the journalist could interview McGilchrist the scientist. One can only wish.

A New Year -- A New Link

 I found a study that McGilchrist would love.  Well, he probably knows about it.  Here's "Hand Matters: Left-Hand Gestures Enhance Metaphor Explanation".

Now, this has great implications for teaching phrasal verbs, probably the most diffcult segment of the English language to teach, because they are all metaphors!

There are two ways that gestures enhance understanding.  The article says "(a) gestures express information valuable for the listener, and thus play an important role in how people communicate ... and (b) gestures can influence cognitive processing of the speakers themselves and determine the contents of their thoughts and speech...."

There's a big challenge I face in writing a dialog with "stage direction" for the hand gestures.  Gestures vary from culture to culture except for pointing and grabbing. And even those do have slilght variations.

Hmmm.

A New Year -- A New Idea

McGilchrist mentions that two of our most basic instincts are to point and to grasp.  

Even animals point.  The dog paws at the door to say, "I need to go out!"  Or he nudges his empty water bowl with his nose to say, "You've let it get empty. Do something!"  My cat points with her eyes.  She sits in front of her food bowl, looking at it meaningfullly, then looks at me, then back to the bowl, which means, "Feed me now, human!"

As homo sapiens, we can combine those actions wirh appropriate words to help embed a new vocabulary in memory.   Below is a sample dialog I wrote in my head while sitting in the hospital.  The scene is acted out standing in front of a table covered with objects or pictures of objects lined up against the wall.

Marcella: (Looking at objects and pointing.) Is that the new ultapip I've heard  about?  

        I've always wanted one!
Jason: (Also pointing.)  That small, yellow thing? Yes, that's an ultapip.  

        It's free so take it.
Marcella: (Grabbing the object.)  Great. I've got an ultapip! 
Jason: (Making a grabbing gesture.) Well done!

In most people language is processed in the left hemisphere. Body movement on the left is usually processed on the right and vice versa. But it's more complicated than that. In any case, to encourage mobilization and coordinization of all parts of the brain, do the pointing and grabbing with your dominant hand, then repeat it with the other hand. 

This dialog would work to teach a new noun.  Unfortunately, students have more difficulty memorizing verbs.  I'll have to try a group of action pictures using gerunds.

A New Year -- A New Book

 And hopefully a new class to teach soon!  I've updated my resume and actually sent it out to one job posting.

Meanwhile, I'm completing some "remdial" reading.  Shortly before my son landed in the ER I had ordered Iain McGilchrist's 2-volume work, "The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World".  It says a lot about how the left and right hemispheres work with a lot of implications for effective learning (and teaching).  

I finished most of Volume 1 while sitting in the hospital watching my son sleep on and off.  When he was awake he hallucinated and I spent my time trying to bring him back to earth.  Then while he napped I'd read more about what creative realities your brain comes up with when only part of it is working.  When reading, from time to time I'd glance up at him, now slumbering, and think, "Yep, that's right on!  So true!  You're not kidding!"

More to follow.