Search results matching tags 'discipline' and 'grammar and vocabulary'

524. I need them concentrated

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:55:00 GMT

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “One trick to keep your students calm when the class is making a mess and you can’t control it, although you’ve tried hard? Quite often reading and writing exercises and activities force them to be quiet and focused. Oh think of an example. Make a dictation. I can assure you they’ll get quiet and focused on your phrases. Moreover in this way the students are practicing, say, grammar, listening, vocabulary, spelling, neat writing, engaging their mind...” / Photo from: topic2 choir northchristian org - Thank you, hdmiklos, and welcome to our blog.

346. Shhhhhhhh! He is very concentrated

Anonymous — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:26:00 GMT

Here is an oral presentation on TEFL. I hope it would be any helpful for you. Picture from the website of institutosantamarta.

CLM presentation

Fernando Díez Gallego

Begun on 6 May 2010

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

Self-introduction, and introduction to the presentation.

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

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.

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).

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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 like 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.

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 phsycology!

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.

What is CBI?

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

No effort = No learning the L2.

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

A farther step: presentations.

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:

"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.

343. Pulling the carriage close together

Anonymous — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:19:00 GMT

Here is a list of key points one headteacher presented to the staff of teachers, for a summer course of English. Picture from www loscaboshorses com. The following document draws the big picture of the course.

Issue #4. Logistics. Written May 5, 2010.

Please give me the general method, program, syllabus that you are going to implement in the summer camp. We have 11 days of classes, 2 hours each day. So, in total 22 hours (classes)! It is an intensive course. Think how to “fill” that large amount of time.

Please program activities (in general), variety for the classes, how to avoid boredom, how to make your students get satisfied.

Take as much initiative as you wish, regarding the program or syllabus. Feel free. Anyway, I would tell you to set as the main goal: speaking. I mean, they should notice they are actually learning, they aren’t wasting both time and money, they participate many times per class. Avoid them saying they know more English than their teacher! It’s not worth to go to the camp! Puuuf! – I big trust you guys. And at your disosal! Ask and suggest to me whatever you want!

Tentatively there will be 5 groups: Advanced for NN, second (following NN’s level) for NNN, third for NNNN, fourth for NNNNN. And if there is a group of kids who have an exam of English in September, I myself will take this group in charge. If there are very few students this latter case, I’ll make individual interviews.

Discipline. They will put you to the test. Most of you have experience at teaching, and this is a great point in favor. Make the students continuously work, work, rope each of them into the class-period. You may set a few rules at the beginning of the course, and... be coherent with those rules. You may stop talking to the class whenever two kids are chattering between them: the important thing is precisly you are speaking. Listen to them, with sincere concern, whenever they want to tell you something. Keep cool, don’t lose your temper: serenity. Avoid them getting bored, and leaning on their desk, drowsy, instead of sitting up right. Don’t be afraid to tell them to sit nice. Praise one student when he says an answer correctly. In your class-groups you will have mixed-ability groups: avoid also the more advanced students get bored, and the poorer-achievement students feel absolutely lost because they understand nothing.

Plan the grammar you are going to teach. Better said, the grammar you are going to work on with them, because classes are interactive. Answer their questions.

Program the semantic fields of vocabulary you are going to study in the class. They have to learn and use many words.

Bring to the camp real interesting topics and materials for the classes, like texts. These past years there was a copier at the secretary-office.

On http://fernandoexperiences.blogspot.com you have a label column with one label that contains more than 100 games.

Discipline has a lot to do with tidiness of the classroom: neat rows of desks at the beginning and the end of one day-classes, no papers on the floor.

I’d advise you to speak all the time in English. In this way we create a special environment like a place where English is the only language for communication. As an example, if any helpful for you, guys, in my classes of winter I “pretend” I don’t understand Spanish. My students are aged 10 to 14 years.

As much fun as possible, with order. You must, you as teachers, you must have fun in the classes.