From Euroasia

Hi everyone,

This seems to be an exciting jump-start for a course. I am thrilled to share my ideas and hear different perspectives of how people learn and acquire knowledge and understanding. As a psycholinguist by nature I am more inclined to see how people gain knowledge and express their understanding through verbal and non-verbal communication.

I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan - in the heart of Central Asia where a lot of non-verbal communication is used and decisions are made without a word uttered. I work with kids who learn in three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English. I work in an environment where limited knowledge is encouraged as more of it is threatening. I work with teachers who love their job but fear to lose it if they speak up. I live in an environment where the novo rich manipulates and harasses simple minded people with their money.

I live a country only seen through "Borat's eyes" but possesses wonderful nature, a rich nomadic culture and a generous hospitality. As I sink deeper into this culture, I realise that people find ways to learn.... ways that may be completely different from what we as westerners are used to.