Search results matching tags 'communication' and 'methodology'

1087. When are kids capable of understanding abstract concepts?

Anonymous — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:05:00 GMT

Teacher A said to teacher B, “It’s ok to approach a communicative way of the class of English but if you wanna reinforce grammar or use it for clarification, you should know that kids of ‘6º Primaria’ (k6?) are the ones – if they’re smart enough – to start to understand and comprehend abstract concepts like subject or the agent of the action, predicate, or verb, or adjective as something that provides some extra information, which is complementary, to the noun (noun!, yes, also this).

Their age is 11 or 12 years.” / Photo from: chip-travel blogspot com. hong-kong skyline

949. People talk

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:02:00 GMT

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “We’ve been talking a lot about teaching and learning English in this blog – which can be applied to any other modern language.

Have you ever thought that language is something between two people – at least.

I guess it’s sound to focus on this point now. Two people at least, ok, but, what about a person that is reading? The answer is so simple, as many of you may have thought of: that person is reading what someone has written: two people again.

How can a person learn English, or even acquire it, on his own? He can learn a lot on his own, but coming to the head, that person will need at least one person who talk with. And in the clasroom obviously there’re many You’s to talk with.

Any person needs a You with whom to talk to, in other terms – I mean, a person cannot live with anybody else, as a principle, tentatively.

You and I as teachers of modern languages should think of all this, I would say.” / Photo from: simplebeachay72 blogspot com. average people talk about things

939. The planning to follow

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:34:00 GMT

I have planned a sequence of pieces of communication to implement along the course I teach to adult learners, most of them already retired. They’re excellent learners. They wish to learn English for example for their trips abroad.

The sequence is: words – phrases – sentences – conversations and presentations.

The basis for the material we use is on worksheets with short stories and meaningful-for-them sentences.

As you can see, the approach I follow in my classes is communicative (mainly). One example: I ask them a question and they respond with a phrase: “What does the man help himself with, to stroll?” And the students will answer, “With a stick”. / Photo from: centennialofflight gov. instructor and students studying map. civilian training school

931. Just my daily conducting

Anonymous — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 12:23:00 GMT

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “The teacher must know his students, but also he must know himself: how am I doing? Are my students really learning? How am I working lately?

20^th century philosopher and writer Jean Guitton (1901-1999), one of the best minds in that century, used to say that intellectual work, and teaching is, should begin by self-knowledge.

What are my strong points?, for example, can a teacher ask him or herself. What’s my style of teaching like? What can I learn from my colleagues of the faculty or department? How were today’s classes? Am I doing my best? Are my students actually learning and acquiring English? Is really there communication in English in my classes?

Draw your conclusions, be brave, and try to take a single resolution for next classes.” / Photo from: farmer driving tractor. library of congress

924. Trying to set each thing in its right place

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:11:00 GMT

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Currently I teach adult students. They’re retired people. The course has two hours per week. The atmosphere is one of nice rapport.

I teach them useful expressions for their trips to other countries. They registered in the program just because they wished. And also because they need English. Each two or three weeks I hand them out worksheets with useful expressions, stories, etc.

I’ve tried all the class be in English, but they told me the level is too high and they don’t understand. Thus, in those circumstances I’m using L1, namely Spanish. If I used only English in the classes, I would need a long time to explain things little by little. Furthermore their levels of English are so varied, from low to general intermediate.

I would like there be total immersion, but – don’t get me wrong – I have to use our L1 too. For next week’s classes I’m going to re-consider whether it’s okay to use L1 or I should invent any sort of class in which only English be spoken, by me. But so what about their contributions? It’s natural for them to translate into Spanish often, when I ask them about the meaning of something. Sometimes I ask them to try and say that now in English.” / Photo from: thisoldhouse com. woman hanging a framed picture on the wall

918. Asking for help

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:29:00 GMT

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “One way of making the students communicate in the target language has to do with the functional methodology. The teacher has to provoke saying something in English, the target language.

The teacher describes in the first language a situation, a realistic one, where the student has to use English to communicate about what this latter one needs, or wishes, or demands, protests, shows gratitude, just says a statement, etc. For example, ‘María, ¿cómo expresarías en inglés la necesidad de que tienes que cambiar los pañales al bebé, en el aeropuerto?’, which is ‘María, how would you show the necessity you have to change your baby’s diaper?’. And the student could say, ‘Excuse me sir, where can I change my baby’s diaper?’

Like you see, I used translation: sometimes it is necessary and helpful, but use it not too much.” / Photo from: chagrinvalley times com. By Joan Demirjian us. police officer on duty

597. People are awesome / One objective per class

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 08:02:00 GMT

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One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Plan one objective for next class, I’d tell you, only one. Perhaps two. I’m referring for example to one grammar objective, like present perfect. The point is that your students ought to realize that present perfect is something related to our ordinary life. To realize that it’s something meaningful. You can present the grammar pattern with vivid examples, talking slowly, with the board, repeating, with some acting out, a stroke of humor, making them repeat as a chorus or individually, asking them.

You can peek ‘Verbal tenses’ in this blog to further view this way of conducting. Remember to assist your statements in present perfect with writing examples on the board. Bear in mind that present perfect can refer to for example our experience, and also to things you have really done in your life, and which ones your students may know, or may understand you have done because they are obvious.” / Photo from: xinhuanet com. Beijing 2008

593. A summary of a teaching experience

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:03:00 GMT

Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} At Centro de Lenguas Modernas, Universidad de Granada, we the students had to present several lectures, to pass C-2. This is the guide plan for my last lecture. – The site of CLM is http://www.clm-granada.com. I hope anything would be useful.
- I'm grateful to many people.

/ Photo of this post from: proyectotelemaco wikispaces com. Alhambra, in Granada.

CLM presentation

Fernando Díez Gallego

Paper begun on 6 May 2010

Theme: What makes a good teacher of English? My experiences and research on TEFL

1. Self-introduction, and introduction to the presentation.

2. The goal of teaching English: communication, communication, communication.

3. For that goal: help the learners become autonomous learners. Who actually learns English? The learner who wishes to learn. The two protagonists of the class: the teacher and the learner. The successful learner is the one who utilizes learning strategies.

4. Class management: the best discipline? Self-discipline: the learner who wishes to learn L2. Adolescents don’t like rules (normally; but they expect them from you!), and they are building up their personalities (they feel unsure).

5. Importance of grammar and vocabulary: the skeleton of communication. Exercises and drills are important.

6. Plan every class, and you will achieve success in TEFL, more likely.

7. Plan your classes thinking of their real life in the future: implement solving-problem activities, for example, games.

8. About education, some points: treatment of each student, love of benevolence, they need to be listened to, affection. Put in his/her shoes. Remember: you are educating persons. You, above anything else, are an educator.

9. The class: all in L2? The class should be an environment where the language of communication is English. I myself ‘pretend’ I don’t understand L1 in the classes (obviously they know the truth). I ‘act’ as though I wouldn’t be Spanish.

10. The common thing is that you will encounter mixed-ability classes.

11. Create responsibility and roping your students in the conducting of the course: assign them small jobs and a council of three representatives.

12. If you become enthused: you will transmit sense of humour and an optimistic view. If you struggle, day after day, to improve your labour, you will very positively transmit high ideals and the wishing to learn L2. An adult is closely observed by his pupils: whatever you do, whatever you don’t, influence on them. I’d advise you to improve as a person. They rebel against lack of coherence by you, and against hyprocrisy. First educators: their parents.

13. The teacher is the main resource of the class: you need (and you’ll develop) creativity. Teaching is an art. The teacher keeps on learning L2 and also keeps on a lifelong learning techniques of TEFL, and anthropology. Oh, and pshycology!

14. More about creativity: you, teacher, (I would tell you) inoculate the good ‘virus’ of writing compositions. They love listening to and reading stories. I had a nice experience in Jaén: my school issued a magazine in three languages. Realize what their interests are – For example, in many games in my classes I put examples about Real Madrid and Barça (not always...): they ‘take the bait’. Currently my students are boys aged 10 to 14.

15. What is Content-Based Instruction?

16. Have fun. You, teacher, have fun; your pupils, make them have fun. Fun builds up actual learning.

17. No effort = No learning the L2.

18. Steps to take in the process of becoming capable of communicating: words – sentences - conversations.

19. A farther step: presentations.

20. A post from my blog, http://fernandoexperiences.blogspot.com, with some wise advice from a teacher of teachers, H D Brown – Emeritus Professor at The State University of San Francisco :

Friday, April 30, 2010

340. Are they learning through playing?

[Here was the picture of post # 340; not possible to set on this new post, # 593]

How can a learner actually learn? Read what this scholar put: "You've got to be willing to put in your fair share of effort, and that effort amounts to lot more than just sitting back and listening to some tapes. If you dive into this language with a willingness to try hard, and with a belief that you can actually do it, then you will be successful!" (1) H. D. Brown(1989) A Practical Guide to Language Learning. A Fifteen-Week Program of Strategies for Success. New York: McGraw-Hill. I owe a lot to this expert, for my teaching: he has great ideas: he hits the target, believe me. Photo from ledenav artelista com. Thank you.

Questions to be asked to my colleagues in the classroom, on Tuesday 11 May 2010:

1. What is the main approach to ELL which I apply in my classes?

2. What process can you implement to attain making your students reach the goal of communication: from just knowing words to use L2 in a somewhat fluent way?

3. What is, or are, some principles to manage the discipline in the classroom?

4. What would you do if there is a problem of discipline?

5. Are you a mere teacher-of-Geology who only teaches geology, in English?

6. Compare the subject of History of Spain in their study-programme with the subject of English or French or Portuguese.

7. Who are the main eucators of adolescents (or children)? Why so?

8. Do you think many school failure and discipline/education problems depend on their parents? If affirmative, what would you do to make parents more aware of this unique mission of theirs?

9. What role do creativity and imagination have in the process of learning L2?

10. How to achieve having fun, both the students and the teacher?

561. A fine overview

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:42:00 GMT

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “You told me that you must follow and fulfill the general lines of the department of English to plan your academic-year syllabus. I’d say, when planning it consider that it has to be realistic, with your real students in mind, but also with high expectations and achievements, practical, with objectives of authentic communication, with the grammar and vocabulary (abundant) necessary as an instrument for that communication. Check the syllabus you’ll have programmed, for example when you begin a new unit, and self-evaluate your own achievements concerning that syllabus; being flexible but demanding with yourself.” / Photo from: www newzonfire com

555. Follow his track

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 07:24:00 GMT

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “One way to foster real communication in English in the class is letting the student talk. I mean, you asked a student something or you prompted for a reply. Ok, don’t break off the thread of communication: get interested in what he or she said. Now you reply to him or her, deepening into this real and human communication – give him more prompts to talk a bit more about the matter. Set a dialogue. If a classmate of his says something to the first student, in L1, asked this second student to repeat that in English, however he can.” / Photo from: canoing_at_Winfield_Scott buckandnelson com