Embodied learning: Why at school the mind needs the body

Despite all methodological efforts made in the last three decades, Western instruction grounds on traditional principles. Most educational programs follow theories that are mentalistic, i.e., they separate the mind from the body. At school, learners sit, watch, listen, and write. The aim of this paper is to present embodied learning as an alternative to mentalistic education. Similarly, this paper wants to describe embodied learning from a neuroscientific perspective. After a brief historical overview, I will review studies highlighting the behavioral effectiveness of embodied instruction in second language learning, mathematics and spatial thinking. On this base, I will discuss some of the brain mechanisms driving embodied learning and describe its advantages, clearly pleading in favor of instructional practice that reunites body and mind

A bizarre virtual trainer outperforms a human trainer in foreign language word learning

In this study, the effects that a human trainer and a pedagogical virtual agent have on the memory for words in a foreign language (L2) were investigated. In a recent study on L2 word learning, Bergmann and Macedonia (2013) cued participants to memorize novel words both audiovisually and by performing additional gestures. The gestures were performed by both a human and a virtual trainer. In some of the tests, the virtual agent had a greater positive influence on memory performance than the human trainer. In order to determine why the agent was a better trainer than the human, 18 naive subjects were invited to rate the gestures performed by both trainers. Furthermore, participants were asked to evaluate their perception of the human and the agent. It was hypothesized that the gestures performed by the agent would be more peculiar than those by the human and possibly attract greater attention. It was also hypothesized that the agent’s personality might be more appealing than that of the human. The results showed that the agent’s gestures were perceived as less natural than those of the human. This might have triggered greater attention and/ or more emotional involvement of the participants. The perception of both trainers as “personalities” did not differ, with the exception of a few traits for which the human trainer was considered to be better. Altogether, because of the peculiar gestures it made and because of its looks, the agent may have been perceived as bizarre. Therefore, he might have induced the bizarreness effect in the memory for words

Brief multisensory training enhances second language vocabulary acquisition in both high and low performers

Research in the field of vocabulary acquisition has demonstrated that enriching novel words with sensorimotor information enhances memory outcome compared to reading. However, it has been asserted that enrichment might exceed the cognitive load of low performers and therefore be detrimental to them. Here, in a brief training, thirty-two subjects learned thirty novel items of a foreign language according to three conditions: (1) reading, (2) reading and listening, (3) reading and listening and watching an actress performing a gesture semantically related to the words. Conditions (2) and (3) enriched the baseline (1) with multisensory information. Memory performance was assessed through written tests immediately after learning. Results indicate that both high and low performers benefit from enrichment. The significant interaction between group and method in one of the tests shows that low performers learn better through enrichment than by only reading the words. Implications for education are discussed

Exploring the neural representation of novel words learned through enactment in a word recognition task

Vocabulary learning in a second language is enhanced if learners enrich the learning experience with self-performed iconic gestures. This learning strategy is called enactment. Here we explore how enacted words are functionally represented in the brain and which brain regions contribute to enhance retention. After an enactment training lasting 4 days, participants performed a word recognition task in the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanner. Data analysis suggests the participation of different and partially intertwined networks that are engaged in higher cognitive processes, i.e., enhanced attention and word recognition. Also, an experience-related network seems to map word representation. Besides core language regions, this latter network includes sensory and motor cortices, the basal ganglia, and the cerebellum. On the basis of its complexity and the involvement of the motor system, this sensorimotor network might explain superior retention for enactment

Intelligent virtual agents as language trainers facilitate multilingualism

In this paper we introduce a new generation of language trainers: intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) with human appearance and the capability to teach foreign language vocabulary. We report results from studies that we have conducted with Billie, an IVA employed as a vocabulary trainer, as well as research findings on the acceptance of the agent as a trainer by adults and children. The results show that Billie can train humans as well as a human teacher can and that both adults and children accept the IVA as a trainer. The advantages of IVAs are multiple. First, their teaching methods can be based on neuropsychological research findings concerning memory and learning practice. Second, virtual teachers can provide individualized training. Third, they coach users during training, are always supportive, and motivate learners to train. Fourth, agents will reside in the user's mobile devices and thus be at the user's disposal everywhere and anytime. Agents in apps will make foreign language training accessible to anybody at low cost. This will enable people around the world, including physically, financially, and geographically disadvantaged persons, to learn a foreign language and help to facilitate multilingualism

Imitation of a pedagogical agent’s gestures enhances memory for words in second language

Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters in computer-based learning environments. PAs can train humans in various domains. Here, a PA cues subjects to learn vocabulary items through enactment, i.e., to perform an illustrative gesture while learning a word. It is well known that enactment impacts memory. Also, imitation is a natural mechanism driving learning. Combining both enactment and imitation could improve memory even more. In a within-subjects study, 44 school children learned 45 vocabulary items according to three conditions: an audio-visual baseline, an observation condition (participants watched the PA during enactment) and an imitation condition (participants imitated the PA’s gestures). We documented learning progress by cued recall tests. Over four days, we found that, compared to the baseline and to mere observation, imitation of enactment significantly enhanced memory for words in the foreign language

Enhancing Cloud-based Servers by GPU/CPU Virtualization Management

[[abstract]]This paper proposes to add the multithreaded Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) to some virtual machines (VMs) in the existing cloud-based VM groups. To handle the multidimensional or multithreaded computing that a CPU cannot process quickly by a GPU that has hundreds of Arithmetic Logic Units (ALUs), and to regulate the time for initiating physical servers by real-time thermal migration, our proposed scheme can enhance the system performance and reduce the energy consumption of long-term computing. Four major techniques in this paper include: (1) GPU virtualization, (2) Hypervisor for GPU, (3) Thermal migration implementation, and (4) Estimation of multithreaded tasks. In no matter quantum mechanics, astronomy, fluid mechanics, or atmospheric simulation and prediction, a GPU suits not only parallel multithreaded computing for its tens of times performance than a CPU, but also multidimensional array operations for its excellent efficiency. Therefore, how to distribute the computing performance of CPUs and GPUs appropriately becomes a significant issue. In general cloud computing applications, it is rarely seen that GPUs can outperform CPUs. Furthermore, for groups of virtual servers, many tasks actually can be completed by CPUs without the support of GPUs. Thus, it is a waste of resources to implement GPUs to all physical servers. For this reason, by integrating with the migration characteristic of VMs, our proposed scheme can estimate whether to compute tasks by physical machines with GPUs or not. In estimating tasks, we use Amdahl’s law to estimate the overall performance include communication delays, Synchronization over head and me possible additional burden.[[conferencetype]]國際[[conferencedate]]20121212~20121214[[iscallforpapers]]Y[[conferencelocation]]Hualien, Taiwa

Romány Wolfganga Koeppena: angažovaná literatura a experimentální próza

Tato diplomová práce se zabývá poválečnou románovou trilogií německého spisovatele Wolfganga Koeppena (1906-1996): Tauben im Gras (1951), Das Treibhaus (1953) a Der Tod in Rom (1954). V první části podává práce nástin politicko-kulturního vývoje Německa v letech 1945-1965, s hlavním důrazem na padesátá léta. V této době prožívá země hospodářský zázrak a Němcům se vrací ztracené sebevědomí. Zároveň se ovšem ukazuje, že vize zcela nového počátku ztroskotala a Adenauerova konzervativní politika navrací Německo do vyježděných kolejí předválečného období. Od naléhavých politických otázek roku 1945 se zájem Němců obrací po výtce k zajištění vlastního blahobytu, měšťáckého pohodlí. Hrůzy války se zdají být zapomenuty a namísto prožitku "kolektivní viny" přichází "kolektivní ztráta paměti". Tato zásadní proměna nezůstala nepovšimnuta. Kriticky ji reflektovali zejména mladí spisovatelé sdružení kolem Skupiny 47. Mimo jejich řady a de facto na okraji dobového literárního dění vyslovuje svůj hlasitý protest proti poválečnému směřování německé společnosti také Wolfgang Koeppen. V následující části, která tvoří vlastní jádro celé práce, jsou postupně analyzovány zmíněné romány v kontextu doby svého vzniku i celku autorova díla. Leitmotivem všech tří románů jsou přitom pocity vykořeněnosti a bezvýsledného tápání lidí...This dissertation discusses the post-war trilogy of the German writer Wolfgang Koeppen (1906-1996): Tauben im Gras (1951), Das Treibhaus (1953) and Der Tod in Rom (1954). The first part of this paper gives a political-cultural concise of the years 1945-1965, with an emphasis on the fifties. At that time Germany goes through the process of the economic-mirage and according to this the Germans get back their lost self-assurance. By the same mail is increasingly obvious, that the vision of a complete beginning failed and that the conservative policy of Adenauer follows the beaten track of the pre-war period. From urgent political questions of the year 1945 the German interest turns over to security their own prosperity, middleclass comfort. The horrors of war seem to be forgotten and instead of the "collective guilt" comes the "collective amnesia". This fundamental change didn't stay unnoticed. A critical reflection happend mainly through the young authors united in the Gruppe 47. Beside their line and on the edge of the contemporary literary events Wolfgang Koeppen delivers his loud protest against the post-war development of the German society. In the following part, which sets up the crux of the whole paper, is given an analysis of the individual novels in the context of the time of their appearance and the...Ústav germánských studiíInstitute of Germanic StudiesFaculty of ArtsFilozofická fakult

Grasping Virtual Objects Benefits Lower Aptitude Learners’ Acquisition of Foreign Language Vocabulary

Acknowledgements Special thanks go to the Ars Electronica Centre, Linz, and to co-workers who aided in the study implementation, particularly Christoph Kremer, Erika Mondria, and the staff of the Future Lab. Supported by the Johannes Kepler Open Access Publishing Fund. Funding Open access funding provided by Johannes Kepler University Linz.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Gesture based word (re)acquisition with a virtual agent in augmented reality: A preliminary study

From an evolutionary perspective, language and gesture belong together as a system, serving communication on both an abstract and a physical level. In aphasia, when language is impaired, patients make use of gestures. Laboratory research has provided evidence that gesture can support aphasia rehabilitation, or more specifically, anomia rehabilitation. Here, we test an anomia gesture-based rehabilitation scenario with a virtual trainer (VT) in augmented reality (AR) as a therapy simulation. Thirty German-speaking participants were trained on 27 biand three-syllabic words of Vimmi, an artificial language. Each Vimmi word was paired to a function word in German. The participants were divided into two Groups of 15 and 15 persons. Group A learned word pairs by observing the gestures performed by the VT and additionally imitating them. Group B learned 27 word-pairs by observing the VT standing still and listening to them. Participants were trained singularly for 3 days, alternating one day of training with one day of rest for memory consolidation. Word retention was assessed immediately after each training session by means of free and cued recall tests administered electronically. Group A and Group B did not differ in word retention. When subdividing participants in high and low performers, interactions showed that high performers benefitted more from gesture-based training than low performers. The data in this preliminary study do not speak in favour of VTs as possible tools in gesture-based AR language rehabilitation. Technology might have, in this case, detrimental effects on word learning