A little about how power point lessons are created for the purpose of learning a foreign language through communicative approach.
1. Lessons are established on communicative tasks and activities as a major component of the core materials: real life scenarios, role-plays, communicative reinforcement exercises, creatively designed group/pair tasks, games, etc.
2. Grammar tables and detailed grammar explanations are avoided in this form. These may be included in PPs, but only as a brief reference, a reminder or an illustration of the introduced grammar pattern.
3. Materials are created and generally focused on speaking and listening skills. Speaking skills are absolutely a number one priority. Listening skills closely follow. Reading should be included in a proportionately lesser degree. Writing activities are limited on homework assignments and occasional activities during the class. The priority of language skills in creating core materials are in the following order: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Presenting vs Practice
While I am enjoying having and taking classes integrated with technology, I wonder how Presenting a class can be vs practicing the learning.
Students usually come to class to broaden their scope of knowledge. This has been the basis of education and as far as I remember we have always told our kids; "School is fun and it is a place to learn new things".
I also do believe in Learning for Living and Living for Learning. The thing that makes me worried these days is how much learning an instructor can put into a class.
It is true that we do a lot of work, preparing for the next day class; and the fact that "the more prepared we are the less work in class is needed", but sometimes I feel individuals take this to their own advantage.
What percentage of a class can be put into Presenting and what's the balance for Practice. Now, this Practice can be anything from problem-solving topics to outcome products like essays, reports or just the solution.
When a teacher puts only 10-20% of class time on Presenting the material, the idea, the lesson and the problem; and the 80-90% of the rest to Practice, I don't think the outcome would be that wonderful.
Students especially the younger kids can be driven away with distractions, talking to each other on other topics than the issue, and wandering around aimlessly; while the teacher thinks they are working on the project!
They might not be even learning anything, because in fact nothing has been presented. Giving just a few examples and reading a copy of an article, or even opening a power point slide and skimming through the body! can not be as effective as going into the detail and heart of the lesson.
Meanwhile, if the presenting and practice style becomes too repetitive, students will be bored with what they know of the process of the lesson plan already. They won't thus take it seriously, and just do the four SSCC to pass the class or even kill the time!
ACTS must always be accompanied with innovation and irregulated expectations. That way a goal oriented instructor can be sure of the success of his/her work. We can not only count on our prepared work outside the class, then coming in and asking the kids to work on the papers. They need to hear us, they need to know that we know or not, they can go online at home and get all the info on their own timing and their own more sophisticated scholarly computers!
Students usually come to class to broaden their scope of knowledge. This has been the basis of education and as far as I remember we have always told our kids; "School is fun and it is a place to learn new things".
I also do believe in Learning for Living and Living for Learning. The thing that makes me worried these days is how much learning an instructor can put into a class.
It is true that we do a lot of work, preparing for the next day class; and the fact that "the more prepared we are the less work in class is needed", but sometimes I feel individuals take this to their own advantage.
What percentage of a class can be put into Presenting and what's the balance for Practice. Now, this Practice can be anything from problem-solving topics to outcome products like essays, reports or just the solution.
When a teacher puts only 10-20% of class time on Presenting the material, the idea, the lesson and the problem; and the 80-90% of the rest to Practice, I don't think the outcome would be that wonderful.
Students especially the younger kids can be driven away with distractions, talking to each other on other topics than the issue, and wandering around aimlessly; while the teacher thinks they are working on the project!
They might not be even learning anything, because in fact nothing has been presented. Giving just a few examples and reading a copy of an article, or even opening a power point slide and skimming through the body! can not be as effective as going into the detail and heart of the lesson.
Meanwhile, if the presenting and practice style becomes too repetitive, students will be bored with what they know of the process of the lesson plan already. They won't thus take it seriously, and just do the four SSCC to pass the class or even kill the time!
ACTS must always be accompanied with innovation and irregulated expectations. That way a goal oriented instructor can be sure of the success of his/her work. We can not only count on our prepared work outside the class, then coming in and asking the kids to work on the papers. They need to hear us, they need to know that we know or not, they can go online at home and get all the info on their own timing and their own more sophisticated scholarly computers!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Graphics and teaching a language
Nothing works better than pictures when teaching languages. I have tried and experimented this many times and every time the result has been better with the better usage of related photos.
Graphics speak thousands times better than explanations.
Whether it is a basic level teaching simple vocabulary or advanced levels and teaching idioms and conceptual contexts, it always works the best.
Recently, I had been given a project to work on language teaching curriculum without being given clear instructions on our do's and don'ts. I decided to first go with explaining the grammar and using drills on power point files since the target learners were professional adults. But the more we went on, the more bored the students turned and even some disappeared from the class.
The learners were working adults coming home having the class online for two hours. I saw it of no use explaining the grammar to ones who were already tired from routine day time work. So I packed up everything and changed all the files, replacing them with more detailed photos and graphics, which not only were funny but also explanatory bythemselves. In class we started talking about the photos. From basic levels to higher advanced going through the detail on the photo. Not only their language proficiency turned out with better results but also there were more participation in class in the fields of Talking, Describing, Communicating, Analyzing and even debating.
I have been using many more means of direct form of language learning by multimedia, internet, graphics, and real hand on daily topics for many years now.
No grammar is taught separately and no more drill repetition is required in these classes.Every single topic is accesible and profound in meaning and usage. Classes are real, and the learners learn what they live and they live what they learn.
Graphics speak thousands times better than explanations.
Whether it is a basic level teaching simple vocabulary or advanced levels and teaching idioms and conceptual contexts, it always works the best.
Recently, I had been given a project to work on language teaching curriculum without being given clear instructions on our do's and don'ts. I decided to first go with explaining the grammar and using drills on power point files since the target learners were professional adults. But the more we went on, the more bored the students turned and even some disappeared from the class.
The learners were working adults coming home having the class online for two hours. I saw it of no use explaining the grammar to ones who were already tired from routine day time work. So I packed up everything and changed all the files, replacing them with more detailed photos and graphics, which not only were funny but also explanatory bythemselves. In class we started talking about the photos. From basic levels to higher advanced going through the detail on the photo. Not only their language proficiency turned out with better results but also there were more participation in class in the fields of Talking, Describing, Communicating, Analyzing and even debating.
I have been using many more means of direct form of language learning by multimedia, internet, graphics, and real hand on daily topics for many years now.
No grammar is taught separately and no more drill repetition is required in these classes.Every single topic is accesible and profound in meaning and usage. Classes are real, and the learners learn what they live and they live what they learn.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Database lesson plan design
The more I come to our class the more I happen to like it. I just wish every other teacher could as well implement the lesson plans to his/her curricula the way our instructor does.
It also depends I think, on what subject one is teaching. For me, teaching ESOL, sometimes it seems hard to apply all we study into my own classes, though I really wish I could.
One thing I can use of Database lesson plans, would be the one with Student made source. In which students ( usually the first sessions of the school year ) are required to make a database on Excel with their classmates info on their: name, gender,age, origin,and more related topics later on.
ESOL students start going around gathering information about their new friends, getting to know each other and of course using the target language. The objective would be learning to communicate in a real life situation when one is encountered with strangers or wants to pass on his/her info to others.After getting to know everybody in class, they enter the info to the program ( which was already set up by the teacher and were given a few examples on how to work with it ), and start sorting and organizing the data into knowing their classmates better. What age group, what main originality, what more gender and the rest. They could also include their address , telephone numbers, email address, in order to have a contact list data for future use. Students usually like moving around and gathering information if they are given the role of a police officer, detective and/or ordinary citizens or even ETs! ( UFOs!). The more the teacher makes the situation real the better the learning result would be. In multilingual classes this would result even better because they do not and can not speak their first language and they have no other choice than using their TL (English here) and thus the practice would be more productive.
It also depends I think, on what subject one is teaching. For me, teaching ESOL, sometimes it seems hard to apply all we study into my own classes, though I really wish I could.
One thing I can use of Database lesson plans, would be the one with Student made source. In which students ( usually the first sessions of the school year ) are required to make a database on Excel with their classmates info on their: name, gender,age, origin,and more related topics later on.
ESOL students start going around gathering information about their new friends, getting to know each other and of course using the target language. The objective would be learning to communicate in a real life situation when one is encountered with strangers or wants to pass on his/her info to others.After getting to know everybody in class, they enter the info to the program ( which was already set up by the teacher and were given a few examples on how to work with it ), and start sorting and organizing the data into knowing their classmates better. What age group, what main originality, what more gender and the rest. They could also include their address , telephone numbers, email address, in order to have a contact list data for future use. Students usually like moving around and gathering information if they are given the role of a police officer, detective and/or ordinary citizens or even ETs! ( UFOs!). The more the teacher makes the situation real the better the learning result would be. In multilingual classes this would result even better because they do not and can not speak their first language and they have no other choice than using their TL (English here) and thus the practice would be more productive.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Reader's Theater
Last week we discussed another approach on motivating the students to read on more effectively.
Usually the Net Gener ( the word used in Grown up digital by Don Tapscott for the young generation using high tech devices as their daily necessities) pick what they want to read, when they want to read and how they want to read. Classes can not be the traditional ways any more with the teacher centered and passive students. Students can find what they want on the vast more resources on education on their high tech iphones or netbooks. So that mediocre teacher has to do a lot, to satisfy the students and their peers as for coming to class and staying of course in class.
Reader's theater is sth I found very interesting designing for my classes. The traditional way delivered in classes was asking the students to give a lecture or summary of what they had read or asking them reading comprehension questions afterward.
But now, it is more of the same path as presenting authentic problem, in a way, at this time students deliver what they have read, in a more practical outcome; it can be a Role play, play on the stage, game show, TV comercial, Interview or simply Reader's theater.
Depending on the level of the students , this can be done in a various ways. The beauty of this designing is that the learners enjoy more and are thus more participating in the activity.
Like every other design there are some cons to this as well. Examples are not being able to cover every detail of the book in class, or explaining in case learners have faced some questions, or if the national/international exams on those particular readings go on to detail asking for standard testings. It might not either be a good idea for Reading activities that aim pronunciation skills.
But, for sure its pros outrun its cons. Whether the teacher wants the students to be more active, tak part in the reading, Be motivated to read with comprehnsion, generalize, compare or contrast, analyze, debate and what's more, overcome their being shy in social communications, This could be an amazing way to design a reading activity in class.
Usually the Net Gener ( the word used in Grown up digital by Don Tapscott for the young generation using high tech devices as their daily necessities) pick what they want to read, when they want to read and how they want to read. Classes can not be the traditional ways any more with the teacher centered and passive students. Students can find what they want on the vast more resources on education on their high tech iphones or netbooks. So that mediocre teacher has to do a lot, to satisfy the students and their peers as for coming to class and staying of course in class.
Reader's theater is sth I found very interesting designing for my classes. The traditional way delivered in classes was asking the students to give a lecture or summary of what they had read or asking them reading comprehension questions afterward.
But now, it is more of the same path as presenting authentic problem, in a way, at this time students deliver what they have read, in a more practical outcome; it can be a Role play, play on the stage, game show, TV comercial, Interview or simply Reader's theater.
Depending on the level of the students , this can be done in a various ways. The beauty of this designing is that the learners enjoy more and are thus more participating in the activity.
Like every other design there are some cons to this as well. Examples are not being able to cover every detail of the book in class, or explaining in case learners have faced some questions, or if the national/international exams on those particular readings go on to detail asking for standard testings. It might not either be a good idea for Reading activities that aim pronunciation skills.
But, for sure its pros outrun its cons. Whether the teacher wants the students to be more active, tak part in the reading, Be motivated to read with comprehnsion, generalize, compare or contrast, analyze, debate and what's more, overcome their being shy in social communications, This could be an amazing way to design a reading activity in class.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
ACTS
There are four considerations in the design of instruction with databases. This was what we discussed in class last week as one of the tools in teaching. ACTS accounts for An Authentic problem, Clear outcome/product, Thinking skills and Software skills.
Every teacher, designing a lesson plan for class had better follow these steps.
Many of us might not yet have noticed this, or even we might have followed all these considerations while teaching without knowing it, but Being aware of the process brings out more success both for teachers and learners.
When a topic is introduced in class, it should have been pre thought of it as an authentic problem, and more importantly a real life touching problem. Learners respond better to real life situations rather than just telling them this is your assignment and you have to do it to pass the course. Many of us have seen it in movies that those teachers dealing with the real problem of students, can bring a better and even sometimes astonishing educational results in their schools.
It is also important to ask the students to perform,show or report what they have done. Not just giving them more tasks or homework but making them responsible for what they have done and what impact they have had in their society after solving the problem. Be it a fund raising, helping the members of the community, choosing a president or just their experiments in the rain forest, it can all be delivered as to show who I am in my civilization.
Teachers are also required to clearly analyze students' cognitive thinking skills . Giving samples and guiding them through out the thinking process.
Llast but not the least, the software used for bringing a solution to that problem should also be introduced well. Working with that particular software should also be well explained. Taking the students just to the computer lab and asking them to work on the software, would be never sufficient and of course we are to be blamed if we see them playing games. Giving full instruction and acting as a meta cognitive guides help students to walk on the right path, work toward finding the solution and thus a better self satisfaction and confidence by the end of the day.
We are not just teachers teachers, we are architects, we are builders, we are creators and yes, we are designers.
Every teacher, designing a lesson plan for class had better follow these steps.
Many of us might not yet have noticed this, or even we might have followed all these considerations while teaching without knowing it, but Being aware of the process brings out more success both for teachers and learners.
When a topic is introduced in class, it should have been pre thought of it as an authentic problem, and more importantly a real life touching problem. Learners respond better to real life situations rather than just telling them this is your assignment and you have to do it to pass the course. Many of us have seen it in movies that those teachers dealing with the real problem of students, can bring a better and even sometimes astonishing educational results in their schools.
It is also important to ask the students to perform,show or report what they have done. Not just giving them more tasks or homework but making them responsible for what they have done and what impact they have had in their society after solving the problem. Be it a fund raising, helping the members of the community, choosing a president or just their experiments in the rain forest, it can all be delivered as to show who I am in my civilization.
Teachers are also required to clearly analyze students' cognitive thinking skills . Giving samples and guiding them through out the thinking process.
Llast but not the least, the software used for bringing a solution to that problem should also be introduced well. Working with that particular software should also be well explained. Taking the students just to the computer lab and asking them to work on the software, would be never sufficient and of course we are to be blamed if we see them playing games. Giving full instruction and acting as a meta cognitive guides help students to walk on the right path, work toward finding the solution and thus a better self satisfaction and confidence by the end of the day.
We are not just teachers teachers, we are architects, we are builders, we are creators and yes, we are designers.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
To be a student or a Teacher
It is amazing how different a task acts when you look at it from two opposite directions.
A lesson plan might seem very easy to handle when you are a teacher and everything looks just fine; you even get sometimes frustrated why students can't work on the activities that you have designed so well and in so long! ; but on the other hand if you were the student and the same activities were being asked, you might have been stuck with it too.
Now, how is this?
In general when we design lessons, we rarely put ourselves in their shoes, and we just want to get the curriculum passed over and done!
Last week in our class we were working on two different tasks of " The big four and database activities on the Perfect President". At first everything seemed to be very easy, I was even thinking what a wonderful idea on teaching some of the topics in my ESOL classes, but as time went by, I saw some hidden points that I was not sure of as a student. The good thing was that the instructor and her assistant were always around helping us with any problems. So I thought to myself, The more detailed and simplified tasks you put into your lessons when designing them, the easier it gets to be for students to understand and thus fulfill the activity.
Examples of this when designing your lessons would be; Introducing and preparing the students well enough before the start of the activity, giving simple and clear instructions, having some sample works, dividing the task into three different levels of easy, medium and challenging for students with different levels of learning, making it as real as life situation and everyday activities so the students see the point in learning the activity and of course following the four steps of SSCC, which is Searching, Sorting, Creating and Communicating.
The better we design our classes the better the outcome would be and the more productive educational results we would have :)
A lesson plan might seem very easy to handle when you are a teacher and everything looks just fine; you even get sometimes frustrated why students can't work on the activities that you have designed so well and in so long! ; but on the other hand if you were the student and the same activities were being asked, you might have been stuck with it too.
Now, how is this?
In general when we design lessons, we rarely put ourselves in their shoes, and we just want to get the curriculum passed over and done!
Last week in our class we were working on two different tasks of " The big four and database activities on the Perfect President". At first everything seemed to be very easy, I was even thinking what a wonderful idea on teaching some of the topics in my ESOL classes, but as time went by, I saw some hidden points that I was not sure of as a student. The good thing was that the instructor and her assistant were always around helping us with any problems. So I thought to myself, The more detailed and simplified tasks you put into your lessons when designing them, the easier it gets to be for students to understand and thus fulfill the activity.
Examples of this when designing your lessons would be; Introducing and preparing the students well enough before the start of the activity, giving simple and clear instructions, having some sample works, dividing the task into three different levels of easy, medium and challenging for students with different levels of learning, making it as real as life situation and everyday activities so the students see the point in learning the activity and of course following the four steps of SSCC, which is Searching, Sorting, Creating and Communicating.
The better we design our classes the better the outcome would be and the more productive educational results we would have :)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Communicative Role
"Samuel F.B.Morse one of the inventors of the electric telegraph believed he had discovered a practical way of using [electromagnetism] as a means of communication and interchange of thought in written language, irrespective of distance and time save that required for manipulation, and that it would ultimately become a daily instrumentality in domestic as well as public life." from the Victorian Internet written by Tom Standage.
All language training classes have different objectives. whether for business or just conversation, travel abroad or professional training all undergo a primitive goal and that's communication.
Designing a communicative class in a language lab requires thoughtful considerations.
One can attempt in piling the lesson plan with too many activities that by the end of the class it is just a paper and pen task centered individually rather than having any communication in groups.
As an ESOL teacher for quite many years I have found that the more prepared you are knowing your students the better you can develop lesson plans designed for that specific students even in a multi-level or multi-cultured and what's more multi task oriented classes!
Just recently in my Distance learning ( Online ) classes of language training we had introductory classes of getting to know each other and defining our goals of learning the desired language.
The outcome was lessons specifically designed for that group of students meeting their needs with communicative needs.
Examples of this was removing any Translation activity from the lesson plans and getting students more involved in conveying their thought into TL ( Target Language ) within their limit.
Another example was omitting any One language task activity. That is all the activities were circled around the communication into two languages. Rather than just having " write the meaning of these words in your own language" we asked the students to come up with their own sentences or phrases at the time of need of an exemplified situation.
This is not to say that we are going to remove all that has done so far in learning a language but the farther we see the use of language in the international arena proves how important it is to transfer one's message into communicating with others.
All language training classes have different objectives. whether for business or just conversation, travel abroad or professional training all undergo a primitive goal and that's communication.
Designing a communicative class in a language lab requires thoughtful considerations.
One can attempt in piling the lesson plan with too many activities that by the end of the class it is just a paper and pen task centered individually rather than having any communication in groups.
As an ESOL teacher for quite many years I have found that the more prepared you are knowing your students the better you can develop lesson plans designed for that specific students even in a multi-level or multi-cultured and what's more multi task oriented classes!
Just recently in my Distance learning ( Online ) classes of language training we had introductory classes of getting to know each other and defining our goals of learning the desired language.
The outcome was lessons specifically designed for that group of students meeting their needs with communicative needs.
Examples of this was removing any Translation activity from the lesson plans and getting students more involved in conveying their thought into TL ( Target Language ) within their limit.
Another example was omitting any One language task activity. That is all the activities were circled around the communication into two languages. Rather than just having " write the meaning of these words in your own language" we asked the students to come up with their own sentences or phrases at the time of need of an exemplified situation.
This is not to say that we are going to remove all that has done so far in learning a language but the farther we see the use of language in the international arena proves how important it is to transfer one's message into communicating with others.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Virtual Classrooms
The Direct Method system of language instruction teaches through the active involvement of the learner in speaking and listening exercises in everyday situations with real world applications.
This can be refined as a method for language training. The instructor begins speaking the target language immediately in the virtual classroom developing vocabulary , communicating and thus building fluency.
The classroom is designed in a way that brings one on one interaction between teacher and student and there they are all the elements and technological tools to be used in a class. Blackboard with variety of writing tools and the option to share web browsers, power points and word documents all in one virtual classroom can help both the learner and trainer to access a high standard learning system.
I will go more on details about this kind of class in my coming posts.
This can be refined as a method for language training. The instructor begins speaking the target language immediately in the virtual classroom developing vocabulary , communicating and thus building fluency.
The classroom is designed in a way that brings one on one interaction between teacher and student and there they are all the elements and technological tools to be used in a class. Blackboard with variety of writing tools and the option to share web browsers, power points and word documents all in one virtual classroom can help both the learner and trainer to access a high standard learning system.
I will go more on details about this kind of class in my coming posts.
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