Self-Study English Development Exercises

Interesting article about Learning by Manfred Spitzer was introduced.  Thank you, dear Alston.

I’m convinced again and again that you go into your work  with all seriousness, attention and devotion.

All your lessons are well structured, interesting, challenging and quite complicated ( for me ;)

Nothing is left for me  than quitely read and learn all stuff your provide to us and watch the answers of other students involved into the discussion. :)

Glad having you as an English teacher. 

Sinderella, very good information which I hope students will use to learn English.  Thanks! 

Morteza- Good to hear from you again!

Saeed- Hello, welcome aboard!

Jakarl- Thanks for the information, no site has it all!

hi

They are great my tutor.

thanks alot

Learning by Manfred Spitzer

Learning: The Human Brain and the School for Life, by Manfred Spitzer.

1) The human brain is designed to learn, and it learns all the time.

The human brain is designed to learn, and continues learning throughout our lives. Our brain is constantly forming connections between neurons, or strengthening existing connections, or creating new neurons, in order to deal with the information it receives.

The brain learns best when the input is meaningful and interesting. The brain also prefers new information. Tests have shown that learning takes place best when the information is relevant, and when the information is new and challenging.

Learning is not limited to schools. Learning takes place everywhere and at all times, and throughout our lives. Research has shown that we continue to create new neurons and retain neural plasticity into old age.

Learning is an energy intensive activity.The brain burns over 20% of the calories consumed by the body.


2) The brain controls what it is going learn.

The brain does most of its learning on its own. With the right input, the brain is quite capable of creating the necessary labels and rules required to organize the information it has received and stored.

It is not always necessary, and is sometimes counterproductive, to teach rules explicitly. It is often more effective to let the brain develop its own rules, from the observation of the information received. We all learn to speak our own language and yet most of us are unable to provide rules to explain how the language works. We just know how to speak our language.

We learn better from examples and than from rules. We learn better from stories and episodes than from facts. We develop the”know how”  of how to do many things, but we “know” far less about why. We learn more from observing others, than from explanations, and exhortations.

The brain can prioritize, managing easy input before dealing with more difficult input. Children are exposed to a full range of language content, but focus first on the simpler structures and words they need and can use. They learn more difficult words and grammatical structures later, when they are ready.

3) Attentiveness, Enjoyment and Motivation: The three key factors in learning.

Spitzer describes, in detail, experiments which show how three factors are decisive in learning outcomes.

1) Attentiveness: This refers to both general alertness, and the ability to focus on specific details.
2) Enjoyment: The emotional state of the learner influences the performance of the brain.
3) Motivation: Motivation is a decisive factor in learning.

To Spitzer, schools should focus on these three elements. The best teachers are the ones who can create conditions of attentiveness, enjoyment and motivation. The teacher’s academic knowledge of the subject may be of less importance.

Spitzer feels that schools are where young children learn not to like learning. He challenges schools to stop demotivating learners.

4) When we learn, we change

Learning causes a change in who we are. Children are not afraid to change. Young children moving to a new country usually learn the language of their new friends without any hesitation or resistance.

Older learners have a stronger vested interested in their own identity, and in what they already know. This is one reason why adult language learners can have difficulty learning a new language.

Adult learners need to feel comfortable. A friendly community of learners and teachers can form a social support system for adult learners, helping them confront and accept the change that learning brings.

 LingQ, as a learning system and learning community, is very much in line with these insights from Spitzer’s book.

The 25 Most Commonly Misspelled Words Presented by the Business Writing Center,
training business writers since 1997

The Center offers other free online tests at this link: Online Tests,

The 25 Most Commonly Misspelled Words is a list that has circulated among American businesses for decades. Two words have variant spellings for companies using British English spelling. Those two words are repeated at the end of the list of 25 words asking for the British spellings.

Business writers can avoid the problem of having supervisors, colleagues, and editors mark words as being misspelled by using the spellings preferred in their countries.

Two words also have variants that appear in dictionaries. However, business writers have clear preferences for one of the spellings and expect to see that spelling in business documents. We want you to know the preferred spellings so you avoid criticism.

Select the correct or preferred spelling in each of the following questions to test your spelling of the most commonly misspelled words.

1. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) acomodate
b) accomodate
c) acommodate
d) accommodate
e) Don’t Know

2. Which of the following spellings is preferred in American English?

a) acknowledgment
b) acknowledgement
c) acknowlegment
d) acknowlegement
e) Don’t Know

3. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) arguement
b) argument
c) arguemant
d) arguemint
e) Don’t Know

4. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) comitment
b) comitmment
c) commitment
d) comitmant
e) Don’t Know

5. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) consensus
b) concensus
c) consencus
d) consenssus
e) Don’t Know

6. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) deductible
b) deductable
c) deductuble
d) deductabel
e) Don’t Know

7. Which of the following spellings is always preferred in American English and preferred as an adjective in British English? (“He has insulin-____ diabetes.”)

a) dependant
b) depindant
c) dependent
d) dependunt
e) Don’t Know

8. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) embarras
b) embaras
c) embarass
d) embarrass
e) Don’t Know

9. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) existance
b) existence
c) existanse
d) existanc
e) Don’t Know

10. Which of the following spellings is correct for a page at the beginning of a book?

a) foreward
b) forword
c) forworde
d) foreword
e) Don’t Know

11. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) harass
b) haras
c) harrass
d) herrass
e) Don’t Know

12. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) inadvertant
b) inadvartant
c) inadvartent
d) inadvertent
e) Don’t Know

13. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) indispensabel
b) indispensible
c) indispensable
d) indespensible
e) Don’t Know

14. Which of the following spellings is preferred in American English?

a) judgement
b) judgment
c) judgemant
d) judgmant
e) Don’t Know

15. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) liason
b) liasson
c) liasone
d) liaison
e) Don’t Know

16. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) license
b) lisense
c) licens
d) lisence
e) Don’t Know

17. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) occassion
b) ocassion
c) occasion
d) ocasion
e) Don’t Know

18. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) occurrence
b) ocurrance
c) occurrance
d) occurance
e) Don’t Know

19. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) perserverance
b) persaverence
c) perserverence
d) perseverance
e) Don’t Know

20. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) prerogative
b) perogative
c) perogitive
d) preragitive
e) Don’t Know

21. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) privelege
b) privilege
c) privlege
d) privelige
e) Don’t Know

22. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) procede
b) proceede
c) proced
d) proceed
e) Don’t Know

23. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) seperate
b) separete
c) separate
d) seperat
e) Don’t Know

24. Which of the following spellings is PREFERRED?

a) supersede
b) supercede
c) superceed
d) suparseed
e) Don’t Know

25. Which of the following spellings is correct?

a) withhold
b) withhuld
c) withold
d) withhald
e) Don’t Know

26. Which of the following spellings is preferred in British English?

a) acknowledgment
b) acknowledgement
c) acknowlegment
d) acknowlegement
e) Don’t Know

27. Which of the following spellings is preferred in British English other than in legal documents?

a) judgement
b) judgment
c) judgemant
d) judgmant
e) Don’t Know

100 Most Frequently Used English Words:

The        at          there     some         down

Of          be         use        her            day

And        this        an         would         did

A           have      each       make         get

To         from      which       like           come

In         or          she         him           made

You       one        do          into           may

That      had        how        time          part

It          by          their       has           my         

He        word        if           look          than

Was      but         will         two            first

For        not         up          more        water

On        what        other     write         been

Are        all          about     go            call

As         were       out         see          who

With      we          many     number     oil

His        when       then      no            its

They      your       them     way           now

I           can         these    could         find

Is          said        so        people       long

CatchR,

No, that resource isn’t a pre-requisite for my lessons, only an addition to help.

My lessons are informal and written for beginners and others.

Lesya,

Continue and identify the ones that was incorrect, then learn the correct answers.

I followed the link. It’s a good site, I will visit it from time to time. It is a pity, the site a bit complicated for my skills in the English language. I took a test. I have chosen the “Middle School”. The score is 20 004 – Crank. 

Yes I know it, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t read your lessons,right? :)

Please look on the left side of the web page, it allows you to select the grade level from Elementary through High School.

This is big project for advanced learner or at least intermediet learner, I hardly catch it, but thanks teacher I’ve gained some knowledge from it.

Vocabulary Resource Link:

Thanks Gigi, may 2012 be your year of success!

Happy New Year , Englishteacher. :)

Wish you a great happiness throughout this new year, too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I HOPE 2012 WILL BE THE YEAR THAT YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS!

Confusing Words and Homonyms Quiz 3B

1. Choose the correct sentence.

A)Dmitri always chooses a perfect cite for camping.

B)Dmitri always chooses a perfect site for camping.

C)Dmitri always chooses a perfect sight for camping.

2. Choose the correct sentence.

A)Every time I open my mouth, my jaw cliques.

B)Every time I open my mouth, my jaw clicks.

3. Choose the correct sentence.

A)It’s important that you learn to accept compliments gracefully.

B)It’s important that you learn to accept complements gracefully.

4. Choose the correct sentence.

A)Ivana would never agree to live in the dessert because of the heat.

B)Ivana would never agree to live in the desert because of the heat.

5. Choose the correct sentence.

A)Many cities in the Midwest are struggling with an epidemic of elicit drug use by their citizens.

B)Many cities in the Midwest are struggling with an epidemic of illicit drug use by their citizens.

6. Choose the correct sentence.

A)Agnes paid my fare when she boarded the bus.

B)Agnes paid my fair when she boarded the bus.

7. Choose the correct sentence.

A)As soon as winter starts, the flu virus spreads.

B)As soon as winter starts, the flue virus spreads.

C)As soon as winter starts, the flew virus spreads.

8. Choose the correct sentence.

A)Rashida’s horse has a beautiful coat.

B)Rashida’s hoarse has a beautiful coat.

9. Choose the correct sentence.

A)There are many products available for lightning your hair.

B)There are many products available for lightening your hair.

10. Choose the correct sentence.

A)Every time I come to your house, I loose my car keys!

B)Every time I come to your house, I lose my car keys!

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I’m delighted you were helped, thanks!

really nice and helpful, you are really TEACHER