3 days to go before I depart
I am half way through my packing and keep looking at all the other stuff that still needs to go into my suitcase. Today I am hoping to borrow an Edi role, which is a really high quality digital sound recorder, which I am looking forward to experimenting with in China. Yesterday I bought a disco ball just a small one; I like the idea of using the disco ball to change the look and feel of an environment simply with light, mirrors and movement. I have been learning a little Mandarin by listening to CD’s, which I have really enjoyed which is unusual for me as I find learning languages difficult. However Mandarin is a fascinating sounding language and I feel like I am learning sounds like music rather than words which for me makes it unique.
I play the CD with the speaker behind my chair, close my eyes and relax into imitating the sounds as it travels through my body. This has got me thinking about how we learn and how by making the process more physical can help people engage with it on a deeper level and hopefully retain information for longer. I have just had a look at this website (http://www.learning-styles-online.com/style/physical-bodily-kinesthetic//) I am a physical learner which explains why I don’t like sitting and listening to lectures and talks for long periods of time. I remember a programme on TV, which was a documentary about how a teacher taught a struggling group of kids English by exiting the classroom and working with the children in a park. Both the teacher and the children used more physical movements and gestures in the teacher/learning experience.
To improve my Mandarin I will be going to Mandarin Corner at the Chinese Arts Centre, which starts at 1.30pm this Saturday. This will be an opportunity to speak to people and test out what I have already learnt (http://www.chinese-arts-centre.org/). I hope to continue publishing my blog whilst I am in China twice a week. If I am struggling with Internet access I may have to combine my posts into one long entry.
