GUTS' staff have put together a commercial for the very first time...
We hope you will enjoy and more importantly, join GUTS!
-- Vivian
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
CE et Moi
你好 everyone…this is Michael O’Connor, the Conversational English External Relations Specialist over at GUTS. Today I’ll be blogging about some of my experiences with international students in CE.
My major itself has been shaped by my experiences with CE. I am majoring in International Studies and East Asian Studies, so the countries that captivate my interest the most are China, Japan, Taiwan, and the Koreas. This has not always been the case! For the first two years of college I found Europe much more enticing and focused my studies there. That all changed once I joined CE (although I still need to visit Ireland!). My first partner was in the summer. She was a girl from South Korea and she introduced me to Korean food and some cultural differences that she noticed between Americans and Koreans. I became much more aware of "little" things like body language, eye contact, and how horribly fast I spoke English, slurring all my words together. My friends still remark to me that they are amazed I tutor English when even they cannot understand me sometimes...
My conversational partner my junior year was from Japan and helping her practice her English was my first prolonged (one year) experience working with an international student. From her my knowledge of Japan expanded exponentially, moving beyond commonly known-about things like Nintendo (which I love) and sushi (which I also love). By the end of the year, I knew that I had an interest in visiting Japan and learning Japanese (which is sadly still TBA). Today, my former conversation partner and I are still in contact—writing letters (that’s right, with stamps and all—the old fashioned way) to each other about where our lives are heading. As a wee child I regarded Japan as a mysterious and near-mythical place and I knew very little about it beyond my avid interest towards things like Nintendo and Godzilla (or Pokemon cards with Japanese on them). Now that I have friends there and have actually visited Japan (albeit only for five days) I have a much more realistic and less nerdy interest in Japan...eh actually it's still pretty nerdy.
Japan:
My “conversion” to Asia was fully completed that summer, when I went to China to teach English to children in a cram school. There I spent a significant amount of my free time studying Mandarin. I found it much more engaging than French (the language I had previously studied) although I wasn't really sure why. It was just fun and different. Upon my return to Wisconsin and my studies, I received a new CE partner--a grad student from China. My new partner, although a student in physics, was very interested in international politics and was eager to talk me about China. He and his wife are also qualified to be Chinese teachers, so I was able to consult them with questions about Mandarin (which I had frequently). Over time, meeting with him and his wife multiplied my interest in China (and the love of its food). One year ago I looked at spicy food with disdain but now I love it (minus the heartburn)! Although I had left China thinking that the foreign language I truly wanted to learn was yet to be found, by the end of the year with my Chinese tutee Mandarin was back on my plate.
Me in China:
As another consequence, I took (and still am taking) many more China-oriented classes in History, Political Science, & Sociology. Lastly, French has become a thing of the past (desolé, mes amis français) and I am now enrolled in Chinese. One of my favorite hobbies has become annoying my American friends by speaking to them in Chinese and annoying my Chinese friends by constantly berating them with questions about Mandarin.
In this new year, I have gone full circle. My new tutee is from South Korea again and now that I am much more interested in East Asia I look forward to learning as much about it as I did for Japan and China.
w00t,
Until next time.
-Michael
My major itself has been shaped by my experiences with CE. I am majoring in International Studies and East Asian Studies, so the countries that captivate my interest the most are China, Japan, Taiwan, and the Koreas. This has not always been the case! For the first two years of college I found Europe much more enticing and focused my studies there. That all changed once I joined CE (although I still need to visit Ireland!). My first partner was in the summer. She was a girl from South Korea and she introduced me to Korean food and some cultural differences that she noticed between Americans and Koreans. I became much more aware of "little" things like body language, eye contact, and how horribly fast I spoke English, slurring all my words together. My friends still remark to me that they are amazed I tutor English when even they cannot understand me sometimes...
My conversational partner my junior year was from Japan and helping her practice her English was my first prolonged (one year) experience working with an international student. From her my knowledge of Japan expanded exponentially, moving beyond commonly known-about things like Nintendo (which I love) and sushi (which I also love). By the end of the year, I knew that I had an interest in visiting Japan and learning Japanese (which is sadly still TBA). Today, my former conversation partner and I are still in contact—writing letters (that’s right, with stamps and all—the old fashioned way) to each other about where our lives are heading. As a wee child I regarded Japan as a mysterious and near-mythical place and I knew very little about it beyond my avid interest towards things like Nintendo and Godzilla (or Pokemon cards with Japanese on them). Now that I have friends there and have actually visited Japan (albeit only for five days) I have a much more realistic and less nerdy interest in Japan...eh actually it's still pretty nerdy.
Japan:
My “conversion” to Asia was fully completed that summer, when I went to China to teach English to children in a cram school. There I spent a significant amount of my free time studying Mandarin. I found it much more engaging than French (the language I had previously studied) although I wasn't really sure why. It was just fun and different. Upon my return to Wisconsin and my studies, I received a new CE partner--a grad student from China. My new partner, although a student in physics, was very interested in international politics and was eager to talk me about China. He and his wife are also qualified to be Chinese teachers, so I was able to consult them with questions about Mandarin (which I had frequently). Over time, meeting with him and his wife multiplied my interest in China (and the love of its food). One year ago I looked at spicy food with disdain but now I love it (minus the heartburn)! Although I had left China thinking that the foreign language I truly wanted to learn was yet to be found, by the end of the year with my Chinese tutee Mandarin was back on my plate.
Me in China:
As another consequence, I took (and still am taking) many more China-oriented classes in History, Political Science, & Sociology. Lastly, French has become a thing of the past (desolé, mes amis français) and I am now enrolled in Chinese. One of my favorite hobbies has become annoying my American friends by speaking to them in Chinese and annoying my Chinese friends by constantly berating them with questions about Mandarin.
In this new year, I have gone full circle. My new tutee is from South Korea again and now that I am much more interested in East Asia I look forward to learning as much about it as I did for Japan and China.
w00t,
Until next time.
-Michael
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Pen from the future
When I picture the year 2050 I see flying cars, houses that self clean, and robots that make dinner. However, there seems to be a little piece of the future that has landed right here in 2009...the smart pen. This pen has been on the market for two years, and combines many forms of technology into one innovative tool that can assist with note-taking. The experience of seeing this incredible tool at work cannot compare to a written description of it, but nonetheless I will try my best to do it justice. When using this pen students have to write on specially made notebooks that appear to be any old spiral notebook. However, at the bottom of the page there is a sort of tool bar that has a record, stop, play, jump, bookmark and other buttons. When a student sits down in class to take notes he or she would press the record button on the bottom of the page of notes and simply start writing in ink with the pen on the notebook page. When the student has completed taking notes for the lecture that smartpen enables he or she to return to any point in the text that they wrote, touch the text with the pen, and the voice recording aspect of the pen will sync to the point in the professor's lecture when the student wrote that word. The notes and lecture can also be uploaded to the computer. More information can be found about the smartpen at livescribe.com. This futuristic tool is very difficult to conceive without seeing it in action so the Study and Learning Skills specialist at McBurney are now doing demonstrations of the smartpen. If you think this would be something that would help with your note-taking capabilities feel free to make an appointment with a Study and Learning Skills Specialist by calling the McBurney Center at 608-263-2741 or stopping by the office at 1305 Linden Drive.
-- Abby
Friday, September 25, 2009
Are you coming down with flu?
Many of GUTS tutors and tutees have flu-like symptom. If you are not feeling well, the most important things are sleep, fluids, and fever control. Get as much rest as possible. Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, juice, and herbal tea. Even if you feel nauseated or have no appetite, keep your fluids up so you don’t get dehydrated. Use pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, as directed, to control your fever and body aches.
Influenza and other flu-like illnesses can make you feel very sick for three to five days. Even after the worst of your symptoms are over, you may not feel like yourself for a week or more, so take it easy.
By the way, do you know what is the right way to sneeze? If you don't have tissue near you, you should...
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Get smarter and study will be easier!
Here are 12 hacks that will amp up your brainpower
1: Distract Yourself
Desperate to memorize a crucial fact? The trick is to distract yourself by studying stuff that's slightly different from whatever you're trying to learn. Your brain will then work harder to permanently store the original information. It's a tricky concept, but here's an example: In 2007, researchers asked UCLA students to try to memorize a set of 48 word pairs (country: Russia, fruit: lemon, flower: lily, etc.). After studying the list, some students then had to sit through a slide show and view closely related material (flower: rose). Guess what? The distracted students performed better on subsequent recall tests. "Distraction forces you to engage in processing," says Benjamin Storm, a UCLA researcher who oversaw the study. Hey, up in the sky — is that a blimp?
2: Caffeinate With Care
Coffee, yerba maté, Red Bull — there's a caffeinated beverage for every demographic. And no wonder: Caffeine ju
mp-starts the body and sharpens the mind. But studies suggest that we Yanks are doing it wrong. For optimal brain gain, regular tea breaks, as favored in the UK, are more effective than a 20-ounce French roast sucked down at Starbucks in lieu of breakfast.
Throughout the day, your noodle fills up with adenosine, a chemical thought to cause mental fatigue. Caffeine blocks the brain's adenosine receptors, countering the chemical's dulling effects. To maximize alertness and minimize jitters, keep those receptors covered with frequent small doses — like a mug of low-caf tea or half a cup of joe — rather than a onetime blast. Test subjects reported that periodic small shots made them feel clearheaded and calm, both of which enhance mental performance. Even better, add a lump of sugar or have a carbohydrate-rich snack at the same time for an extra cognitive kick. It seems that glucose and caffeine together do more to enhance cognition than either does alone.
3: Choose Impressive Information
4. Think Positive
Learning new things actually strengthens your brain — especially when you believe you can learn new things. It's a virtuous circle: When you think you're getting smarter, you study
harder, making more nerve-cell connections, which in turn makes you ... smarter. This effect shows up consistently among experimental subjects, from seventh graders to college students to businesspeople. According to studies carried out by Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck and others, volunteers with a so-called growth mindset about learning ("persist in the face of setbacks") have more brain plasticity. In other words, their noggins are more adaptable. They exhibit increases in cognitive performance compared with those who have a so-called fixed mindset ("get defensive or give up easily"). "Many people believe they have a fixed level of intelligence, and that's that," Dweck says. "The cure is to change the mindset."
5: Do the Right Drugs
Get to know what does the drug do as well as its side effect.
6: Juice Your IQ Score
7: Know Your Brain
8: Don't Panic
If you're fleeing a cave bear, it's good to be stressed — you'll run faster. If you're stepping onto the set with Alex Trebek, that same anxiety will put your brain in jeopardy. While a little nervousness can boost cognitive performance, periods of intense stress essentially turn us into Neanderthals: The amygdala, known as the fear center, one of the most primitive brain regions, overrides the prefrontal cortex, which handles working memory and executive function. "When those deep brain areas are active, they shanghai your cortical neurons," says psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, author of CrazyBusy. "Your IQ plummets. Your creativity, your sense of humor — all of that disappears. You're stupid." How to quiet your inner caveman? By slowing and synchronizing your pulse and respiration, thus sending a message to your brain that everything is cool. Yoga or power napping could do the trick. Or try the StressEraser, a biofeedback device that suggests a target breathing rate to help you calm down. That should help you nail that Daily Double.
9: Embrace chaos
One way to learn Better: Mix yourself up. That's advice from Robert Bjork, chair of UCLA's psychology department and a leading expert in memory and learning. Volunteers in his experiments exhibited superior recall when they learned information in randomly ordered chunks. For example, he asked subjects in one group to memorize five-letter sequences on a computer keyboard. First they learned one sequence, then moved on to the second, and then the third. Compare that to a second group of volunteers, who practiced the five-letter combos in a random order. When tested, the random group had much better recall — something to remember when you sit down to memorize stolen-base success rates before your next fantasy baseball draft.
10: Get Visual
Aerobic Training
12: Slow Down
1: Distract Yourself
Desperate to memorize a crucial fact? The trick is to distract yourself by studying stuff that's slightly different from whatever you're trying to learn. Your brain will then work harder to permanently store the original information. It's a tricky concept, but here's an example: In 2007, researchers asked UCLA students to try to memorize a set of 48 word pairs (country: Russia, fruit: lemon, flower: lily, etc.). After studying the list, some students then had to sit through a slide show and view closely related material (flower: rose). Guess what? The distracted students performed better on subsequent recall tests. "Distraction forces you to engage in processing," says Benjamin Storm, a UCLA researcher who oversaw the study. Hey, up in the sky — is that a blimp?
2: Caffeinate With Care
Coffee, yerba maté, Red Bull — there's a caffeinated beverage for every demographic. And no wonder: Caffeine ju
mp-starts the body and sharpens the mind. But studies suggest that we Yanks are doing it wrong. For optimal brain gain, regular tea breaks, as favored in the UK, are more effective than a 20-ounce French roast sucked down at Starbucks in lieu of breakfast.Throughout the day, your noodle fills up with adenosine, a chemical thought to cause mental fatigue. Caffeine blocks the brain's adenosine receptors, countering the chemical's dulling effects. To maximize alertness and minimize jitters, keep those receptors covered with frequent small doses — like a mug of low-caf tea or half a cup of joe — rather than a onetime blast. Test subjects reported that periodic small shots made them feel clearheaded and calm, both of which enhance mental performance. Even better, add a lump of sugar or have a carbohydrate-rich snack at the same time for an extra cognitive kick. It seems that glucose and caffeine together do more to enhance cognition than either does alone.
3: Choose Impressive Information
4. Think Positive
Learning new things actually strengthens your brain — especially when you believe you can learn new things. It's a virtuous circle: When you think you're getting smarter, you study
harder, making more nerve-cell connections, which in turn makes you ... smarter. This effect shows up consistently among experimental subjects, from seventh graders to college students to businesspeople. According to studies carried out by Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck and others, volunteers with a so-called growth mindset about learning ("persist in the face of setbacks") have more brain plasticity. In other words, their noggins are more adaptable. They exhibit increases in cognitive performance compared with those who have a so-called fixed mindset ("get defensive or give up easily"). "Many people believe they have a fixed level of intelligence, and that's that," Dweck says. "The cure is to change the mindset."5: Do the Right Drugs
Get to know what does the drug do as well as its side effect.
6: Juice Your IQ Score
7: Know Your Brain
8: Don't Panic
If you're fleeing a cave bear, it's good to be stressed — you'll run faster. If you're stepping onto the set with Alex Trebek, that same anxiety will put your brain in jeopardy. While a little nervousness can boost cognitive performance, periods of intense stress essentially turn us into Neanderthals: The amygdala, known as the fear center, one of the most primitive brain regions, overrides the prefrontal cortex, which handles working memory and executive function. "When those deep brain areas are active, they shanghai your cortical neurons," says psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, author of CrazyBusy. "Your IQ plummets. Your creativity, your sense of humor — all of that disappears. You're stupid." How to quiet your inner caveman? By slowing and synchronizing your pulse and respiration, thus sending a message to your brain that everything is cool. Yoga or power napping could do the trick. Or try the StressEraser, a biofeedback device that suggests a target breathing rate to help you calm down. That should help you nail that Daily Double.
9: Embrace chaos
One way to learn Better: Mix yourself up. That's advice from Robert Bjork, chair of UCLA's psychology department and a leading expert in memory and learning. Volunteers in his experiments exhibited superior recall when they learned information in randomly ordered chunks. For example, he asked subjects in one group to memorize five-letter sequences on a computer keyboard. First they learned one sequence, then moved on to the second, and then the third. Compare that to a second group of volunteers, who practiced the five-letter combos in a random order. When tested, the random group had much better recall — something to remember when you sit down to memorize stolen-base success rates before your next fantasy baseball draft.
10: Get Visual
Images help you to rember things better!
11: Exercise Wisely
Can exercise make you think better? In some cases, yes. Here's what works best.
Aerobic Training
Don't cut that PE class! In 2006, Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois used MRIs to prove that aerobic exercise builds gray and white matter in the brains of older adults. Later studies found that more aerobically fit grade-schoolers also perform better on cognitive tests
Impact on intelligence: Strong
Lifting Weights
When weight lifters talk about getting huge, they aren't referring to their hippocampus. Researchers have found only the most tenuous link between heavy resistance training and improved cognitive function. Got that, meathead?
When weight lifters talk about getting huge, they aren't referring to their hippocampus. Researchers have found only the most tenuous link between heavy resistance training and improved cognitive function. Got that, meathead?
Impact on intelligence: Negligible
Yoga
When facing a stressful situation or even a scary email, people often hold their breath. Yoga can break that habit. Under pressure, "most people breathe incorrectly," says Frank Lawlis, a fellow of the American Psychological Association and author of The IQ Answer. The result: more stress and less oxygen to your brain. "So the first thing that goes is your memory."
Impact on intelligence: Possibly strong
Studying on the StairMaster
A spinning class may rev up your mental muscle, but that doesn't mean you should study while huffing and puffing on the StairMaster. Research shows you'll just confuse yourself. "It's like doing something while you're driving," says Charles Hillman, a kinesiology professor at the University of Illinois. In other words, you won't do either task well.
Impact on intelligence: Negligible
12: Slow Down
It should take you two and a half seconds to read this sentence. Any faster and you won't absorb its meaning. The motor response of the retina, and the time it takes the image of a word to travel from the macula to the thalamus to the visual cortex for processing, limits the eye to about 500 words a minute. (That's peak efficiency; the average college student can expect a rate about half that.)
"There is no such thing as speed reading," says Keith Rayner a cognitive psychologist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. "Not if your definition of reading is comprehending text." Studies show that fast readers fare worse than slower ones when questioned about the text. So, to get smarter, slow down. It's even OK
"There is no such thing as speed reading," says Keith Rayner a cognitive psychologist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. "Not if your definition of reading is comprehending text." Studies show that fast readers fare worse than slower ones when questioned about the text. So, to get smarter, slow down. It's even OKTuesday, September 22, 2009
GUTS Academic Match Program
AM has recently started matching for a variety of courses. We currently have only 52 unmatched tutees, and have been able to successfully match 25 tutoring groups! Chemistry tutors for all levels are still needed, as always, and Math tutors would be great as well! So far, it sounds like all of our tutors are doing a great job, and the groups are all running smoothly. Keep up the good work guys!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
ISS Fun Events!
Hungry for some conversational English opportunities!? Check out these events with ISS!
LGBT Social: S’mores and More
Friday, September 18, 6:30PM- 8:30PM
Picnic Point, Fire Circle #2
Does an evening spent relaxing with nature walks, a bonfire by the lake, good company, guitar music, and a chance to roast hotdogs and s’mores sound good to you? Then join this inclusive ISS social event for all LGBTQ international students, friends and allies of LGBTQ students. (What are s’mores, you ask? Come and find out!)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Navigating Transportation Options in Madison
Thursday, September 24, 6:30PM- 8PM
MSC Lounge, Red Gym and Armory
Welcome to the wonderful world of transportation. Have you ever wondered how to take a bus to the airport, get to West Towne Mall, or visit wonderful places in Madison you’ve read about? Don’t stay home when you’d rather be out! Come learn about how you can gain regular access to a car or buy an inexpensive bicycle. We’ll cover bus routes, car programs, and much more in this lively, interactive session.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
GUTS is ready for the Fall 09 Semester!
GUTS is ready for the Fall 09 Semester.
Starting this semester, We have extended the office hours to accommodate the increasing needs of our service.
Here are our new office hours:
Monday 11am - 5pm
Tuesday 11am - 9pm
Wednesday 11am - 9pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 1pm
Starting this semester, We have extended the office hours to accommodate the increasing needs of our service.
Here are our new office hours:
Monday 11am - 5pm
Tuesday 11am - 9pm
Wednesday 11am - 9pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 1pm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
