#Articles
#brain_A #languages_A #learning_A #researches_A

Why is it so hard to learn a new language?

The brain lives in a state of constant flux. It repeatedly adjusts itself to enhance our mental performance while juggling millions of incoming signals. While that adaptability keeps us cogent, however, scientists say it's precisely what makes it so difficult for adults to learn new languages.

Brain cell activity can be divided into two categories — plasticity and stability. Plasticity refers to the brain's ability to change. As we gain new information, we form new connections between neurons. Stability is the opposite; it allows the brain to hold on to things we've already learned, to make those connections stick.

Younger children have a high level of "neural plasticity." Forming new neural connections is useful for kids because they need to learn tons of new information and discern what's important enough to hold on to. But as we get older, the brain's ability to make new connections naturally decreases.

"The brain starts to prioritize stability," explained Matt Leonard, assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California at San Francisco. "We basically want to hang on to the important stuff that we've spent the last decade or more learning."

When learning a new language, humans rely on plasticity, according to new research. That's why kids can often pick up multiple languages with little effort, while adults tend to struggle to get a few Duolingo lessons down.

To understand how the brain might pick up a foreign lexicon, UCSF neuroscientists studied the brain activity of 10 English-speaking epileptic patients while the subjects(those patients) learned Mandarin. These volunteers already had electrodes in their brain due to their condition and consented to extend the devices' data to the project, offering a unique opportunity for researchers to directly study the human brain as it learns.

Upon completing analysis of the subjects' brain data, Leonard and fellow researchers found that "knobs" of neurons — within the region of the brain known as the speech cortex — were active during the learning process. That means some neurons didn't participate.

"There are these different sorts of groups of neurons, some of which seem to be really willing to change with learning and others that are more resistant," Leonard said.

"The best way to learn a new language, whether you're a kid or an adult, is to be immersed in it," Leonard said, "to be around native speakers as much as possible."

He also stresses that during any learning process, there will be ups and downs. In fact, brain activity data of the study subjects indicated large variations in learning success.

"There might just be time periods where the stability neurons just kind of went out and they might just say, 'Look, we need to slow this down and not change things too much right now,'" Leonard explained.

"If you're in the process of learning," Leonard said, "and you start to feel like, 'I'm like not getting this, I'm starting to lose what I'm supposed to be paying attention to,' and your motivation goes down, you're actually not going to do as well."

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#News
#coronaviruse_N #education_N #school_N #students_N

First Day at School Delayed for 140 Million Children Around the World Due to COVID-19

For an estimated eight million of these students, the wait for their first day of in-person learning has been over a year and counting, as they live in places where schools have been closed throughout the pandemic.

"The first day of school is a landmark moment in a child's life — setting them off on a life-changing path of personal learning and growth. Most of us can remember countless minor details - what clothes we wore, our teacher's name, who we sat next to. But for millions of children, that important day has been indefinitely postponed," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. 

In 2020, schools globally were fully closed for an average of 79 teaching days. However, for 168 million students after the pandemic began, schools were shuttered for nearly the entire year. Even now, many children are facing an unprecedented second year of disruption to their education.

In India, most schools have remained closed, affecting over 247 million children, for 15 months since March 2020. The closure reportedly resulted in huge learning loss.

There are also reports of rise in cases of child labour and child marriages. Children's ability to read, write and do basic mathematics has suffered. In addition to the digital divide, studies have suggested that remote learning is difficult for children in many places.

Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, the representative of UNICEF India said, "Safe re-opening of schools for all children, especially for the youngest is a priority. Children have faced a severe learning loss and cannot afford any more disruptions to their learning, their mental wellbeing, or to the many other school-based services on which they depend." 

"Working together with parents, schools are needed to be made safe to bring all children back, including those most vulnerable and at risk of dropping out." As per the UNICEF representative, despite the worldwide attempts, 29% primary students could not participate in remote learning.

The World Bank estimates a loss of $10 trillion in earnings over time for the entire generation of students unless mitigation measures are implemented. UNICEF has called for the reopening of schools for in-person learning as soon as possible.

Published Sep 01, 2021
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#Stories
#The_Happy_Prince

by Oscar Wilde

Previous chapter

The Happy Prince

Chapter II

All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. “Where shall I put up?” he said; “I hope the town has made preparations.”

Then he saw the statue on the tall column.
“I will put up there,” he cried; “it is a fine position, with plenty of fresh air.” So he alighted just between the feet of the Happy Prince.

“I have a golden bedroom,” he said softly to himself as he looked round, and he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head under his wing a large drop of water fell on him. “What a curious thing!” he cried; “there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clear and bright, and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe is really dreadful. The Reed used to like the rain, but that was merely her selfishness.”

Then another drop fell.
“What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?” he said; “I must look for a good chimney-pot,” and he determined to fly away.

But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw — Ah! what did he saw!?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.

“Who are you?” he said.

“I am the Happy Prince.”

“Why are you weeping then?” asked the Swallow; “you have quite drenched me.”

“When I was alive and had a human heart,” answered the statue, “I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.”

“What! is he not solid gold?” said the Swallow to himself. He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

“Far away,” continued the statue in a low musical voice, “far away in a little street there is a poor house. One of the windows is open, and through it I can see a woman seated at a table. Her face is thin and worn, and she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle, for she is a seamstress. She is embroidering flowers on a satin gown for the loveliest of the Queen’s maids-of-honour to wear at the next Court-ball. In a bed in the corner of the room her little boy is lying ill. He has a fever, and is asking for oranges. His mother has nothing to give him but river water, so he is crying. Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, will you not bring her the ruby out of my sword-hilt? My feet are fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move.”

“I am waited for in Egypt,” said the Swallow.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stay with me for one night, and be my messenger? The boy is so thirsty, and the mother so sad.”

“I don’t think I like boys,” answered the Swallow. “Last summer, when I was staying on the river, there were two rude boys, the miller’s sons, who were always throwing stones at me. They never hit me, of course; we swallows fly far too well for that, and besides, I come of a family famous for its agility; but still, it was a mark of disrespect.”

But the Happy Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow was sorry. “It is very cold here,” he said; “but I will stay with you for one night, and be your messenger.”

“Thank you, little Swallow,” said the Prince.

#Articles

#Steve_Jobs_A #Apple_A #business_A #passion_A #self_development_A

Steve Jobs Summed Up Apple's Entire Strategy Using Just 6 Bullet Points

On October 24, 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs sent a very important email.

It contained the agenda for the company's upcoming retreat, a top secret and super exclusive offsite management meeting that was reserved for 100 of Apple's most influential employees.

Jobs's agenda point consists of these six major bullet points: Who are we?; What do we do?; Post PC era; 2011: Holy War with Google; 2011: Year of the Cloud; 2015: New Campus.

Let's break each of them down.

1/5. Be intentional

Jobs knew well how easy it is to fall from the top. Apple had experienced huge success in the past, only to lose itself in a flurry of products and initiatives.

To keep history from repeating itself, Jobs knew Apple needed to continually question who it was and what it did. It had to clearly identify company leadership, values, and focus - and make sure to align its goals with its desired culture and purpose.

Takeaway: Your company will change as time goes on. Keep questioning yourself, and make those changes intentional, not accidental.

2/5. Identify your strengths

The next bullet point, "Post PC era," did two important things. First, it early identified the consumer shift of purchasing more mobile devices. Just as important, though, it highlighted Apple's strength in this nascent market.

The key for future success, as Jobs outlined, would be to leverage this shift through continued improvement of mobile devices, communication, apps, and cloud services.

Takeaway:Identify what your company does well in the context of the overall market. And double down on doing those things better.

3/5. Learn from competitors

The next bullet point encapsulated Jobs's view of the competition: 2011: Holy War with Google. While it was true that the iPhone and iPad were revolutionary, Google had begun to surpass Apple in some ways - and Jobs knew it. Later in the agenda, he highlighted how Google's Android operating system excelled at deeply integrating Google's cloud services, admitting that Android was "way ahead of Apple" in cloud services for contacts, calendar, and mail.

The goal, then?
"Catch up to Android where we are behind...and leapfrog them."

Takeaway: Focus on your strengths, but ignore your weaknesses at your own peril.

4/5. Focus on one big thing

Jobs next clearly establishes the single most important priority for 2011, which he terms "the year of the cloud." Apple "invented" the digital hub concept, writes Jobs, by using the PC as a hub for digital assets like contacts, calendars, photos, music, and videos. But the digital hub was shifting from the PC to the cloud, and Apple had to move fast.

"Google and Microsoft are further along on the technology," he wrote, "We need to tie all of our products together, so we further lock customers into our ecosystem."

Identifying and executing on this priority was pivotal in helping shape Apple's strategy, and in helping the company keep up with - and even surpass its competitors.

Takeaway:There are one thing that should be your top priority. Figure it out, and make sure you're working on it.

5/5. Look to the future

Jobs's final bullet point is 2015: New Campus. Of course, this was a reference to what eventually became "Apple Park," the company's 175-acre campus and futuristic office complex that now serves as the its corporate headquarters. This was one of the final projects pitched by Jobs, a workplace that would embody the spirit of Apple and inspire employees to continue to "think different."

Takeaway:Focus on the here and now. But always plan for the future.

?Source

#Stories
#The_Happy_Prince

by Oscar Wilde

The Happy Prince

Chapter I

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.

He was very much admired indeed. “He is as beautiful as a weathercock” remarked one of the Town Councillors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic tastes; “only not quite so useful,” he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not.

“Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?” asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon. “The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.”

“I am glad there is someone in the world who is quite happy,” muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

“He looks just like an angel,” said the Charity Children as they came out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks and their clean white pinafores pinafores.
“How do you know?” said the Mathematical Master, “you have never seen one.”

“Ah! but we have, in our dreams,” answered the children; and the Mathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did not approve of children dreaming.

One night there flew over the city a little Swallow. His friends had gone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind, for he was in love with the most beautiful Reed. He had met her early in the spring as he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth, and had been so attracted by her slender waist that he had stopped to talk to her.

“Shall I love you?” said the Swallow, who liked to come to the point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples. This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the summer.

“It is a ridiculous attachment,” twittered the other Swallows; “she has no money, and far too many relations”; and indeed the river was quite full of Reeds. Then, when the autumn came they all flew away.

After they had gone he felt lonely, and began to tire of his lady-love. “She has no conversation,” he said, “and I am afraid that she is a coquette, for she is always flirting with the wind.” And certainly, whenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most graceful curtseys. “I admit that she is domestic,” he continued, “but I love travelling, and my wife, consequently, should love travelling also.”

“Will you come away with me?” he said finally to her; but the Reed shook her head, she was so attached to her home.

“You have been trifling with me,” he cried. “I am off to the Pyramids. Good-bye!” and he flew away.