FROM OULU
Hello everyone! My name is María and I´m one of the members of this group, some of you may know me but some of you may not because I haven't gone to class this year. But here's some information about me:
I chose to come to Finland for two reasons:
1.
There aren't any destinations in an English speaking country for
Erasmus exchange students in the Faculty of Education of Málaga.
2. As I couldn't go to any of these countries, I felt the best destination was Finland because of its educational system.
And
right now I don't regret my decision, even though all the paper work
and problems that I had to solve before coming and after I arrived here.
So I encourage you to go abroad as exchange students, there are many
ways: Erasmus, ISEP, Convocatoria Unica...
Here
in Oulu I got the chance to do some school practices as part of my
Learning Agreement, and I can't be more happy, it's a new experience see
how the school is design, how the children behave there, and how the
teachers work.
I'm learning a lot with this experience
in both aspects, professional and personal, and I think this is one of
the best experiences of my life.
In this link you can see 10 of the main points why Finland has one of
the best educational system -if not the best- in the world:
And a video in which Pasi Sahlberg, who is Director General of
CIMO (Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation) in Helsinki, Finland. He has
global expertise in educational reforms, training teachers, coaching schools
and advising policy-makers. He has worked as teacher, teacher-educator, policy
advisor and director in Finland and served the World Bank (Washington, DC) and
the European Commission (Torino, Italy) as education expert. His fields of
interest include educational change, school improvement, cooperative learning
and international education policy. His forthcoming book is titled
"Finnish Lessons: What can the world learn about educational change in
Finland". He has PhD from the University of Jyväskylä and is Adjunct
Professor at the Universities of Helsinki and Oulu. He tells some important issues about education in Finland:
What
do you think about it? Did you know something about Finnish educational
system before reading that? What do you think are the main differences
between Spain's educational system and Finland's?
If you want to ask me anything here I am to help you in all I can.
Kind regards and see you in December!
Real English
English's lessons are liable to restrict and close down communication; the teacher dominates and the learners have limited opportunities to practise using the language themselves.
Here, we've got some examples:
"This is a pencil."
Looking at teacher's shoes: "Are they white or red?"
In the real word does not happen like this; isolated words.
To reduce doesn't mean to simplify.
Consequently, "What can you say about a pencil?"
Wednesday, October, 10, 2012
We have just found this picture, it seems what's happening in many classes. What do thing about it? What's your opinion?
Monday, October, 22, 2012:
In today’s class we have done the exercise modelled by the teacher last week. We had to work in groups; one of us had to describe a picture and the other ones had to draw it.
After that, our teacher talked us about the theory of multiple intelligences and, referred to this, we would like to stand out this sentence: "Not everybody learn by the same way".
Howard Gardner's work about multiple intelligences has had a profound impact on thinking and practicing in education.
In the picture above we can see the eight multiples intelligences and some examples to understand it.
He has questioned the idea that intelligence is a single entity and also challenged the cognitive development work of Piaget.
He has questioned the idea that intelligence is a single entity and also challenged the cognitive development work of Piaget.
We have found this page where you can see different ideas which takes into account the multiples intelligences. This kind of activities help us to think about the own characteristics of students in the teaching-learning process.
http://www.epd86.org/tech/aurora/bierdeman/activities.html
At first, we have seen an exercise called "hall of mirror" we have done a previous listening filling the gaps that were empty and I think this is a very complete activity to us because it could make us reflect about the difficulties of the exercies and how pupils feel. Then we had more knoledge about the topic and we could have thought about how we can change it adapting it to children to have a higher level and the one that have a level down. And then we have done the same but with another exersice. Doing this process with two exercises has been good because we were more experiment in the second exercise, and we had more ideas to adapt the level to all the children situation.
In the practical sesion we have made comments or we have given our opinions about another blogs. That can make us think how we can improve our blog, different alternative that our classmate offer us about education, what do they like about our blog and our best or worst things, differents perspectives and ideas of a didactic programmation.
We have to change our minds as students and start to think as teachers.
How can we learn? If we practice.
Write here anything you wanted to say but couldn't. This was a task suggested in order to think about how we had carried out the activity proposed before. But... there is a double sense.
"How to say: Odio los plátanos"
I've been teaching you: I like, but... what's about I hate?
This is a simple way of knowing in what children are interested. And not only with that activity; the comparision (for to us appreciate different ways of evaluating), put a tick on the line to evaluate the speaking task (in order to think the relationship between entertaiment and learning)
In the second part, we're speaking about giving instructions. Here, the summary:
Wednesday, October, 23, 2012:
In the class of today we have seen how to make learning different for children. You can't give the same exercise to everybody because they have differents level of learning.
At first, we have seen an exercise called "hall of mirror" we have done a previous listening filling the gaps that were empty and I think this is a very complete activity to us because it could make us reflect about the difficulties of the exercies and how pupils feel. Then we had more knoledge about the topic and we could have thought about how we can change it adapting it to children to have a higher level and the one that have a level down. And then we have done the same but with another exersice. Doing this process with two exercises has been good because we were more experiment in the second exercise, and we had more ideas to adapt the level to all the children situation.
In the practical sesion we have made comments or we have given our opinions about another blogs. That can make us think how we can improve our blog, different alternative that our classmate offer us about education, what do they like about our blog and our best or worst things, differents perspectives and ideas of a didactic programmation.
Friday, October, 26, 2012:
How can we learn? If we practice.
Write here anything you wanted to say but couldn't. This was a task suggested in order to think about how we had carried out the activity proposed before. But... there is a double sense.
"How to say: Odio los plátanos"
I've been teaching you: I like, but... what's about I hate?
This is a simple way of knowing in what children are interested. And not only with that activity; the comparision (for to us appreciate different ways of evaluating), put a tick on the line to evaluate the speaking task (in order to think the relationship between entertaiment and learning)
In the second part, we're speaking about giving instructions. Here, the summary:
Less is more!
Monday, October, 29, 2012:
"There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been not societies that have not tell stories."
As you already know, the class of today has treated the topic: "Stories and storytelling".
The use of stories in the classroom encourage the motivation of children because they are willing to listen, to read or talk about stories, also is important to highlight that stories are filled with meaning and finally, stories generate communication and opportunities for language development.
However, the use of stories is not isolited, it has conecction with the paralinguistic and extralinguistic strategies and with scaffolding too! It is a way to carry out and put in practise the theory.
But, have you ever been to a storytelling class? Now it is not the time of complaint, is just the time to put it into practise, is your turn as a teacher to promote lecture in children and we think that this could be the best of the tools.
In this link you will find some resources and suggestions about storytelling in a class. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dbelling/artnsprimary.html
2. Using flashcards, the teacher can show the whole class a picture of something and at the same time makes a sound. For example: the teacher shows the picture of a car, and makes the sound of the car “bruuuummm”, and then children would have to do the same. This activity must be done several times until the students know the meaning of each picture.
3. The teacher will choose a volunteer, and this one will have to put his hand in a bag and feel the object that’s inside and has to tell the teacher what´s inside.
4. To practice the pronunciation, you can use a cassette, and the students would have to repeat several times the words that are said in the cassette.
As you already know, the class of today has treated the topic: "Stories and storytelling".
The use of stories in the classroom encourage the motivation of children because they are willing to listen, to read or talk about stories, also is important to highlight that stories are filled with meaning and finally, stories generate communication and opportunities for language development.
However, the use of stories is not isolited, it has conecction with the paralinguistic and extralinguistic strategies and with scaffolding too! It is a way to carry out and put in practise the theory.
But, have you ever been to a storytelling class? Now it is not the time of complaint, is just the time to put it into practise, is your turn as a teacher to promote lecture in children and we think that this could be the best of the tools.
In this link you will find some resources and suggestions about storytelling in a class. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dbelling/artnsprimary.html
Wednesday, October, 31, 2012:
Learning vocabulary
There are
different ways of teaching and learning vocabulary to a group of children. Here
are some interesting, fun and effective ways of teaching vocabulary.
1.
The
teacher gives instructions to a child telling them to point out the picture of
the word the teacher just said. For example:
-teacher: touch the train. ( and the child would have to touch the picture of
the train)2. Using flashcards, the teacher can show the whole class a picture of something and at the same time makes a sound. For example: the teacher shows the picture of a car, and makes the sound of the car “bruuuummm”, and then children would have to do the same. This activity must be done several times until the students know the meaning of each picture.
3. The teacher will choose a volunteer, and this one will have to put his hand in a bag and feel the object that’s inside and has to tell the teacher what´s inside.
4. To practice the pronunciation, you can use a cassette, and the students would have to repeat several times the words that are said in the cassette.
Monday, November, 5, 2012:
We would like to share with you these questions aswered for the subject Management, planning and assessment of the foreign language.
Which elements does the RUBRIC introduce in the learning process?
Our group thinks that the rubric introduces which encourage being creative, original, constant and also to think and write opinions using the competence of learning to learn.
How does it help the students/pupils?
Likewise, you can be more independent and autonomous thanks to items that enable you how to assess yourself.
Why it is good for the teacher?
We can also add that the rubric makes you to be impartial and objective without taking into account previous marks of other students that maybe can affect you to evaluate the next one.
Can you think of advantages and disadvantages?
On the one hand, some of the advantages could be that the items are very well organised and you just have to follow a model in order to be objective.
On the other hand, some of the drawbacks could be that not always you can follow a model because you need to express your opinion and the rubric limits you making you stress out. Some tasks are very subjective because you must take into account the effort of the child or other matters, to use the rubric and you can't follow the steps that they suggest you.
Friday, November, 9, 2012:
Here, some reflections we would like to share with you about the lesson planing:
- You never know what’s going to happen; be flexible. If the lesson changes its direction, accept it and improve it!
- The objectives must be clear.
- Beginnings and endings are important too.
- Progression: where I am, where I want to get, work backwards.
- What’s about the level of learning?You have to know your learners. Easier is a negative aspect. It's better overestimate than underestimate. Therefore, the recommendation is go to the higher one, although you refresh your knowledge, you may get bored.
- Reflect; take notes of your lesson plan; you won't commit the same mistakes again.
- Why do we need homework? Not all the students are expected to learn all in the class. This is a good time to look for more things and make them think about the new things they’ve learnt.
Saturday, November, 10 , 2012:
In our days we are evaluating more the pros and cons of using books in EFL classes. We have to be conscious that books are useful as guide but we can’t use it following it letter by letter. Books could help us as teacher and can help learner to develop a lot of skills if we use it properly, but we must do a good lesson planning. The coursebooks is related to the Bloom’s taxonomy, to the critical thinking, to the fifth skills, etc. And it guides you to what to do in you class but it mustn’t be the centre of your classes.
What do you think about it??
In order to be sure that all students are succesful in learning, it is imperative that assessment techniques be varied and fit all types of learners. The vary types of assessment that are introduced give us ideas for us to put them into practice at some point in the future. However, there is only one that I would like to stand out; the video has caused us the interest of doing the assessment in pairs. The teacher pretends to gives the children the opportunity to assess each other. We have realized of all the advantages, as we said before, it has, so we don't understand why it is so disuse. Maybe it needs a great effort and work by the teacher but we think it is worthy.
We have been looking the importance of speaking and oral interaction in our classes, but we can work this area with visual aids as flashcards.
Traditionally when teacher used to work with flashcard they showed the tittle they were working on.
But we have seen the importance of link the new word we want to teach to the children, with a context, helping us by PEPP method.
It's also very important to elicit the language from learners, related to the new vocabulary we have just teach to pupils.
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It's also essential to mark up that's it's essential to the teacher to say their message clear, and repeat the words s/he is teaching lots of times.
We are going to talk in general terms without distinguish errors or mistakes.
On the one hand, advantages of making mistakes are that children are testing in the target language fearless and they inform the teacher without realizing in which level of the learning progress they are. So, the teacher will discover what is necessary to repeat, to explain again or to practise more.
We must take in account many characteristics before correcting a child as: is the first time that the child has participated in the class? is a common mistake? There are some cases where it is not suggested to correct, for example: in the first intervention of a child, when in a sentence are more than one mistakes-you just correct one-, or other special cases.
There are many ways to correct that can be disimulated as gestures, expressions, sounds... and this will be grateful for students just because it is not an humilliation in front of the class. There are many techniques and strategies that can help teachers.
Children mostly accept better the correction by their own students than from a teacher. It is a good influence because they work the interpersonal intelligence at the same time that they are improving their communicative competence.
What do you think about it??
Monday, November, 12, 2012
Here you are some ideas about today’s class.
As our teacher show us, the best way of teaching is use a standard model embedded in a discourse context, avoiding talk with nonsense. We need to exposure to the children to a lot of language before make them to speak. And, we shouldn’t forget establish the meaning of the language with visual information as flashcards, pictures, games, action songs etc.
Before the learners start to speak it is capital being sure they understand the meaning of the task and the key vocabulary.
Obviously, if you make an oral activity, keep it oral.
In the next page we can find some attractive flashcards, with them we can work in the classroom as Elvira did with us.
Sunday, 18, November 2012:
the way assessment for learning was delivered in the video
Due to the fact that they work in pairs, they
assess each other at the same time that they are working, so that the
assessment is daily. This assessment is
more valuated by the pupils than teacher’s evaluation because they used to be
more willing to pay attention to an equal. In order to help them to do that,
the teacher offers worksheets with assessment criteria for the students to have
a guideline, so she plays a role as a monitor. Consequently, they’re always reflecting about
their learning and suggesting targets to improve their abilities.
However, there's not only peer-assessment, also indivuadilly. As part of assessment for learning the teacher encourages the children to assess their own work through a different ways that will be mention after - have they achieved the lesson objectives? Are they happy with their work, or could they do better?
However, there's not only peer-assessment, also indivuadilly. As part of assessment for learning the teacher encourages the children to assess their own work through a different ways that will be mention after - have they achieved the lesson objectives? Are they happy with their work, or could they do better?
Another way to assess as the video
says is to do a pre-evaluation for the learners to compare their original ideas
with the new ones at the end of the lesson, because of that, the teacher
introduces the objectives at the beginning of the lesson and explain them at
the end.
Likewise, the children have to
justify every single thing they do. This is a good chance to increase the
cognitive challenge and make them to think about what they’re learning and how
because they will achieve more when they know they’re learning. They must be
conscious of their process of learning.
the benefits this strategy had for the pupils in the lesson
- The children are more motivated; they feel
confident and the atmosphere of the class is very comfortable.
-
The attention is personalized because the
teacher attends each student while they are working in the classroom.
-
Increase student’s responsibility and autonomy
-
Strive for a more advanced and deeper
understanding of the subject matter, skills and processes
-
Lift the role and status of the student from
passive learner to active leaner and assessor (this also encourages a deeper
approach to learning)
-
Involve students in critical reflection
-
Develop in students a better understanding of
their own subjectivity and judgment.
-
Provides more relevant feedback to students as
it is generated by their peers.
-
Encourages students to reflect on their role
and contribution to the process of the group
-
They can analyze the language they are using
-
They can do their best
any planning or resources that had been prepared by the teacher,
One of the plans is that the teacher introduces first
the objectives to the students. In order to
do that, he/she suggests a pre-evaluation used in order to activate the
previous knowledge as well as to cover the new one they need depending on what
they’re going to do. At the end, the
learners will compare their original ideas with the new ones.
The lesson planning also includes the personal attention as well
as the interaction with the whole class because they are free to ask.
Resources:
o The "smiley faces" help to reinforce the self-assessment. At the end of each lesson, the children can choose one. If they are happy with their work, the smile one; if they aren't sure, the straight line one and if they feel they need improvement the wiggly line one.
o
Put the thumb up
and down depending on if they feel that they have achieved the targets proposed
or they need to check again what they’ve learnt.
o Worksheets
with self-assessment criteria
o A
soft toy: when the teacher throws a child the soft toy, he/she has to answer a
question aloud referred to what they’re learning about for the pupil to
reflect.
what ideas or thoughts the video has provoked for your own lessons
In order to be sure that all students are succesful in learning, it is imperative that assessment techniques be varied and fit all types of learners. The vary types of assessment that are introduced give us ideas for us to put them into practice at some point in the future. However, there is only one that I would like to stand out; the video has caused us the interest of doing the assessment in pairs. The teacher pretends to gives the children the opportunity to assess each other. We have realized of all the advantages, as we said before, it has, so we don't understand why it is so disuse. Maybe it needs a great effort and work by the teacher but we think it is worthy.
In addition, for us it’s very
curious also how so small children can evaluate since they are really little,
how their learning and their process.
Monday, November, 19, 2012:
We are going to show a video where we can see some students following a
TPR method guided by his teacher. In the video, they explain what the TPR is
and how they put it into practise. However, this
doesn't mean we need to be agree with everything it says. The video explains
that children need to hear a CD and she doesn't explain that, in this
case, TPR could link to some situation.
Wednesday, November, 24, 2012:
We have been looking the importance of speaking and oral interaction in our classes, but we can work this area with visual aids as flashcards.
Traditionally when teacher used to work with flashcard they showed the tittle they were working on.
But we have seen the importance of link the new word we want to teach to the children, with a context, helping us by PEPP method.
It's also very important to elicit the language from learners, related to the new vocabulary we have just teach to pupils.
Thursday, November, 21, 2012:
Yesterday we saw in class some ideas about errors and mistakes. How do we must correct children? How can we deal with mistakes?We are going to talk in general terms without distinguish errors or mistakes.
On the one hand, advantages of making mistakes are that children are testing in the target language fearless and they inform the teacher without realizing in which level of the learning progress they are. So, the teacher will discover what is necessary to repeat, to explain again or to practise more.
We must take in account many characteristics before correcting a child as: is the first time that the child has participated in the class? is a common mistake? There are some cases where it is not suggested to correct, for example: in the first intervention of a child, when in a sentence are more than one mistakes-you just correct one-, or other special cases.
There are many ways to correct that can be disimulated as gestures, expressions, sounds... and this will be grateful for students just because it is not an humilliation in front of the class. There are many techniques and strategies that can help teachers.
Children mostly accept better the correction by their own students than from a teacher. It is a good influence because they work the interpersonal intelligence at the same time that they are improving their communicative competence.
Definitively, we don't correct a mistake, we correct a person.
Friday, November, 30, 2012:
Cooperative learning is an approach to organizing classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences. It was what we did in our last lesson; we worked in groups to complete tasks collectively towards academic goals (asking one another information, evaluating one another's ideas, monitoring one another's work...)
Likewise, in order to put in practice this method, we saw some effective praise guidelines and a few thing to know about classroom management about I want to stand out one statement:
"While good classroom arrangement is not a guarantee of good behaviour, poor planing in this area can create conditions that lead to problems."
Furthermore, we saw the relevance of the assessment, not only for English lesson, but also for each subject.
It has got a lot of benefits... so use it!
Monday, December, 3, 2012:
These days we have watching the Bloom’s taxonomy. In Bloom’s taxonomy there is a pyramid like that:
When you arrive to one of the top levels it means that you have got the others levels and we have been watching book activities like this:
In activities like this they are just working on remember, and this is what books are plenty of this kind of activities. So if we want to develop the others areas we have to look for activities adequate for the context and that we are working the highest skills.
There is no statutory requirement to teach a Foreign Language at Key Stages 1 and 2. The following guidelines are non-statutory and aimed at those primary schools that are teaching or planning to teach a foreign language.
The guidelines are designed for used with pupils in Years 5 and 6. They may be adapted for use with other year groups in primary schools.
While much of the programme of the study for foreign languages at the Key Stages 3 and 4 can be applied in primary schools, the following aspects are particulary relevant and have been suitably adapted.
Knowledge, skills and understanding
Understanding and using the foreign language
1. In the early stages of language learning pupils might be taught:
a. how to use and respond to the foreing language
b. how to listen carrefully in order to discrimate sounds, identify meaning and develop auditory awareness
c. correct pronunciation and intonation
d. how to ask and answer questions
e. techniques for memorising words, phrases, shorts extracts
f. how to use context and clues to interpret meaning
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g. how to make use of their knowledge of English or another language in learning the foreign language.
2. Puplis can be taught about other cultures and countries by:
a. working with authentic materials including some from ICT-based sources
b. considering their own culture and comparing it with other
c. considering the experiences of other people
3. In order to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding further, pupils might also be taught:
a. the interrelationship of sound and writing
b. simple aspects of grammar and how to apply them
c. how to iniciate conversations
d. how to use dictionaries and other reference materials
e. how to communicate with each other in the foreing language in pairs and groups and with their teacher
f. how to use teir knowledge of the language creatively and imaginatively
g. how to use foreign langauge for real purpose
Explanatory notes and cross-curriculum references
Learning another language presents opportunities for the reinforcement of knowledge, skills and understanding developed in other curriculum areas.
These opportunities can be exploited through:
-aspects of English such as Speaking and listening skills, knowledge and understanding of grammatical structures and sentence construction
-aspects of mathematics such as counting, calculations, money, the time and the date
-songs, alphabet, poems, rhymes and stories in other languages
-international or multicultural work, for example celebration of festivals, storytellings
-using ICT, for example e-mail with schools abroad, materials from the internet and satellite television
-geographical and historical work relating to other countries
Considerations
When planning to introduce a modern foreign language, schools need to consider:
-the aims and objectives for teaching a modern foreign language
-the choice of modern foreign language
-the age at which the language is to be introduced
-the availability of siutable trainers teachers
-the amount and frequency of teaching time, including the number of week taught in the school year
-continuity and progression from class to class and from primary to secondary school
Friday, December, 7, 2012:
How to promote speaking in Foreign Languages (FL)
There is no statutory requirement to teach a Foreign Language at Key Stages 1 and 2. The following guidelines are non-statutory and aimed at those primary schools that are teaching or planning to teach a foreign language.
The guidelines are designed for used with pupils in Years 5 and 6. They may be adapted for use with other year groups in primary schools.
While much of the programme of the study for foreign languages at the Key Stages 3 and 4 can be applied in primary schools, the following aspects are particulary relevant and have been suitably adapted.
Knowledge, skills and understanding
Understanding and using the foreign language
1. In the early stages of language learning pupils might be taught:
a. how to use and respond to the foreing language
b. how to listen carrefully in order to discrimate sounds, identify meaning and develop auditory awareness
c. correct pronunciation and intonation
d. how to ask and answer questions
e. techniques for memorising words, phrases, shorts extracts
f. how to use context and clues to interpret meaning
2. Puplis can be taught about other cultures and countries by:
a. working with authentic materials including some from ICT-based sources
b. considering their own culture and comparing it with other
c. considering the experiences of other people
3. In order to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding further, pupils might also be taught:
a. the interrelationship of sound and writingb. simple aspects of grammar and how to apply them
c. how to iniciate conversations
d. how to use dictionaries and other reference materials
e. how to communicate with each other in the foreing language in pairs and groups and with their teacher
f. how to use teir knowledge of the language creatively and imaginatively
g. how to use foreign langauge for real purpose
Explanatory notes and cross-curriculum references
Learning another language presents opportunities for the reinforcement of knowledge, skills and understanding developed in other curriculum areas.
These opportunities can be exploited through:
-aspects of English such as Speaking and listening skills, knowledge and understanding of grammatical structures and sentence construction
-aspects of mathematics such as counting, calculations, money, the time and the date
-songs, alphabet, poems, rhymes and stories in other languages
-international or multicultural work, for example celebration of festivals, storytellings
-using ICT, for example e-mail with schools abroad, materials from the internet and satellite television
-geographical and historical work relating to other countries
Considerations
When planning to introduce a modern foreign language, schools need to consider:
-the aims and objectives for teaching a modern foreign language
-the choice of modern foreign language
-the age at which the language is to be introduced
-the availability of siutable trainers teachers
-the amount and frequency of teaching time, including the number of week taught in the school year
-continuity and progression from class to class and from primary to secondary school
Wednesday, December, 12, 2012:
Today we have been talking about an interesting
topic, it is: READING.
One of the main objectives in primary school is
children learn to read. On the one hand, it seems that parents, teachers and
adults in general are obsessed with the learning of reading. On the other hand,
it is a learning that will influent the rest of the process of learning in the
future. We read to get information, we read everywhere and every time and we
are not conscious of that.
Apart from the reading strategies seen in class
such as: make connections to yourself, ask yourself questions about it, determine
importance of the details, infer and predict like a detective, visualize
pictures synthesize the meaning and some fix up strategies for example, use a
dictionary, re-read, underline… We have learned about something really relevant
for our formation, it is: how do we teach to read? Comparing with how we have
been teaching to read, we have realized that there are many mistakes in the
methods and also there are differences between the process of learning in
England and Spain. Spanish teachers teach to read with the syllabic method and
in contrast, English teachers teach by the phonic method.
Which one is the best method? What do you think
about that? How can we improve the skill of reading in our children?
Sunday, December, 16, 2012:
We will
like to show you one example of a document of STRATEGY INVENTORY FOR LANGUAGE
LEARNING (SILL), thinking for students of English as a second or foreign
language.
As you can
see, the questions are the same as Elvira show us and they can help us to know
which strategies we use learning a second Language.
http://richarddpetty.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/sill-english.pdf
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Monday, December, 17, 2012:
Today I want to talk to you about portfolios!
It's becoming very famous. In fact, we are doing one in our degree, but what we have to look for is about pupils portfolios.
In this page we can see what they do and the definition of portfolio: http://edavenue.homestead.com/portfolio.html
Usually, what the books call portfolio is to review an activity that they have been doing and some questions referred to if the pupil likes it and what have been the aspect that he/ she liked the most, but they are Yes/No questions, or very shorts questions without lot of reflection.
Here I leave another link were explain better what portfolio is involving the book view, based of the reflection, and a create view: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/rips/rip0804.pdf
Friday, December, 22, 2012:
Despite the
growing interest in and acknowledgment among the EFL teaching profession of the
importance and benefits of developing context for the children to reflect on
aspects of the learning process, many teachers are still reluctant to it, but
we can assume that the more informed and aware learners are about language and
language learning, the more effective they will be at managing their own
learning. However, the knowledge can be
taught and evaluated trough a lot of forms. In consequence, this summary also emphasizes
the relevance of recognizing the heterogeneity of styles and, as result, the
need of creating experiences that imply opportunities in order to attend to the
individual differences.
Thursday, January, 10, 2013:
A mind mapping is a graphical technique for visualizing connections between several ideas or pieces of information. Each idea or fact is written down and then linked by lines or curves to its major or minor (or following or previous) idea or fact, thus creating a web of relationships.
Mind maps are very useful to learn new vocabulary, because it helps learners to remember them what they know, if they have to acquire a new concept they can help themselves by an image to memorize the concept better. Mind map can be useful also to help children who has difficulties, because we can elaborate more the mind map for them.
I have elaborated a mind map as an example what can help as an example, as I said you can add images to help the pupils to learn the new vocabulary.
Teaching vocabulary doesn't consist on letting you know the meaning of the word, a list with translations. For communicative purposes, vocabulary implies also to acquire the form, collocation, grammar, connotation and appropriateness of the lexical items.
And there are so many ways to do it:
Friday, January, 11, 2013:
Teaching vocabulary doesn't consist on letting you know the meaning of the word, a list with translations. For communicative purposes, vocabulary implies also to acquire the form, collocation, grammar, connotation and appropriateness of the lexical items.
And there are so many ways to do it:
- Write sentences
- Mental or physical images
- Pracitising the words deliverately
- Relate them to a synonym or antonym
- Vocabulary notebooks:
- Logical connections between the mother tongue and the FL...
- Mind maps
- Even a story!
So, take these more humanistic techniques account because learners remember word better if they have some personal significance or emotional connection.
Very interesting entry, thanks! Marina :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything you have posted. Teaching real English should involve teaching how to express ourselves and not to be limited by books or by teachers that only want to teach what they think it is enough, and it is not.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Congratulations! Your blog is really well organized and it has many interesting sections. Alba E.