ESL Fast

A huge free online English learning resource

For beginners and intermediate learners.

http://www.eslfast.com/

Click on the link above and practice your English.

Brain Awareness Week - Semana de la Neurociencia

"Is there anything as mysterious and intriguing as the human brain? It's at the center of everything we do and everything we've created, and yet we're just beginning to understand how it works."

Source and thanks to: Edutopia. (Amazing collection!)

Video Playlist: A Celebration of the Brain
Watch the player below to see the whole playlist, or view it on YouTube.

1. Seven "Facts" About The Brain That Are Not True (01:51)
   First, let's get rid of some popular misconceptions. Do we really only use 10% of our brains? Buzzfeed debunks seven popular brain myths in less than two minutes, and to a swingin' tune, no less!
2. The Story of the Brain -- Dara O Briain's Science Club (03:16)
   This delightfully animated short is excerpted from a series by BBC Two that aims to explain complex science concepts in an engaging way. I'd watch it for Dara's Irish accent alone, but it's also a wonderful history of human exploration of the brain.
3. Born to Learn (04:56)
   Here's a tour of how your brain changes from infancy to adulthood, making the case for play as the most critical element for learning in childhood and risk-taking as the most essential one for adolescence.
4. Ode to the Brain! (03:42)
   I've long been a fan of Symphony of Science remixes, so I couldn't resist including this piece, which makes Carl Sagan, Jill Bolte Taylor, and Oliver Sacks sing. Want more autotuned mashups? Check out my Five-Minute Film Festival inspired by creator John D. Boswell.
5. How Youth Learn -- Ned's Gr8 8 (06:13)
   While this animated piece strays to the dorky side here and there, it packs in some really useful information about eight conditions that help the teenage brain learn better. Produced by youth voice org What Kids Can Do, which offers more resources on their spinoff site, How Youth Learn.
6. What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains (03:54)
   Epipheo is a maker of excellent explainer videos of all kinds. With the help of author Nicholas Carr, Epipheo bravely delves into a question all of us are wondering about -- exactly what is the Internet doing to our brains?
7. What If We Could Look Inside Human Brains? -- Moran Cerf (03:56)
   TED-Ed just keeps putting out amazing animated lessons. In this one, neuroscience professor Moran Cerf shares insights about the human brain gleaned from epilepsy patients undergoing surgery.

How sugar affects the brain

When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation.

How your brain works

Video 1: Click.

"The size of a small cauliflower, the human brain is the most complex organ in your body. It squeezes out 70,000 thoughts a day. But where does it store information? And how does it generate flights of fancy? Explore the inner workings of your personal ideas Factory."




Video 2: Daniel Wolpert
Why you should listen to him:
Consider your hand. You use it to lift things, to balance yourself, to give and take, to sense the world. It has a range of interacting degrees of freedom, and it interacts with many different objects under a variety of environmental conditions. And for most of us, it all just works. At his lab in the Engineering department at Cambridge, Daniel Wolpert and his team are studying why, looking to understand the computations underlying the brain's sensorimotor control of the body.
As he says, "I believe that to understand movement is to understand the whole brain. And therefore it’s important to remember when you are studying memory, cognition, sensory processing, they’re there for a reason, and that reason is action.”  Movement is the only way we have of interacting with the world, whether foraging for food or attracting a waiter's attention. Indeed, all communication, including speech, sign language, gestures and writing, is mediated via the motor system. Taking this viewpoint, and using computational and robotic techniques as well as virtual reality systems, Wolpert and his team research the purpose of the human brain and the way it determines future actions.

British English vs. American English Pronunciation

 

 

You might be able to recognize a British accent or an American accent… but do you know the details of the pronunciation differences?

 

See more by clicking here.

BC Teacher Trainer Click.

 

Interesting videos for your listening practice.

 

 

LISTENING PRACTICE

Listen to English, the podcast website for people learning English.

The podcasts on this site will help you to improve your English vocabulary and pronunciation and your listening skills. They are quite short (5 or 6 minutes) and delivered in clearly spoken English. Many of them are linked to grammar and vocabulary notes, or to exercises or quizes.

 CLICK.

 

 

Free interactive lessons for ALL LEVELS!

http://www.esolcourses.com/

 

Great web. Thank you!

Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the United Nations

The full text of Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the United Nations

 

CLICK HERE.

Do you find it difficult to understand the difference between the UK and Great Britain?

Click here and watch the video!

English for Summer!

Some resources for learnes:

Britain is Great (CLICK)

Find out what is Great about Great Britain and share your opinions!

This series of twelve videos shows different aspects of the best of Britain. They're not just about the country, though. There are lots of exercises to help you improve your English. 

PRONUNCIATION TIPS!

Having some troubles pronouncing that tricky word? Try this website!

HOWJSAY.COM    
A free online Talking Dictionary of English Pronunciation

BBC LEARNING ENGLISH: THE SOUNDS OF ENGLISH. CLICK.

ENGLISH WITH MUSIC

Enjoy your favourite music while you improve your English!!

CLICK HERE!

READ OR LISTEN!!

FANTASTIC COLLECTION OF AUDIO-BOOKS. LIT2GO.

THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. LISTEN.

. LIT2GO. COLLECTION HERE.

LISTENING practice for the weekend.

CLICK HERE.

Thank you, teacher

Thanks, teachers....

STEVEN PINKER- INTERVIEW

Steven Pinker on The Better Angels of Our Nature: 'reasons to be grateful' - videoMadeleine Bunting puts readers' questions to Harvard professor and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, whose new book, The Better Angels of Our Nature, argues that levels of violence have declined from prehistory to today.



Source: The Guardian.

**UPDATE!! **

You can watch the interview to Steven Pinker by Eduard Punset in Redes.

CLICK. Spanish version.

En contra de lo que se cree habitualmente, nuestros antepasados eran más violentos que nosotros.
En este capítulo de Redes, volvemos a hablar del declive de la violencia con el profesor de psicología de la Universidad de Harvard, Steven Pinker. Junto con él, Eduard Punset analiza las ventajas y desventajas de tener un gobierno mundial, la relación entre la religión y la violencia, el caso particular de los Estados Unidos, la tendencia incipiente en Occidente hacia el vegetarianismo como una manera de evitar el sufrimiento de otras especies además de la nuestra, y el papel de la gestión emocional como una forma de ir a un futuro más pacífico.

You can also watch the ORIGINAL VERSION IN ENGLISH: CLICK

Get good at almost everything you can imagine!

Here's a link to a fantastic website where you can practice LISTENING comprehension while you learn how to do things.

http://www.videojug.com/

One example on tricks and magic:

Halloween -listening activity

Listen to this story and check your own answers!

click

ENGLISH IN 24 ACCENTS

HERE YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC, FUNNY VIDEO...
LISTEN TO HIM ATTEMPTING TO DO 24 DIFFERENT ACCENTS!