Dear all!
I can't believe we finished this 10 week online course. It has been a great challenge but also an excellent opportunity to learn, share and develop ourselves professionally. During this course we learned a lot of valuable teaching methods and strategies that I strongly believe to achieve a fundamental change on my teaching way.
But what do I consider a good teaching strategy?
An effective strategy is one that develops in students a willingness and an ability to reflect on what they have read or given new to class. Language can be used to maintain power but it can also be used to challenge power.
Some of very useful tech tools I shall use to increase students motivation and participation in class are ranging from Web Quests to PBL and Power Point presentation. Using the relevant materials materials can encourage in the students a competitive spirit in the face of language difficulties.
Overall, we believe that such a combination of modern tech tools with students' knowledge will help accomplish one of the education goals - widen the students horizons and leading them towards learner autonomy.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
English teachers are known for asking a lot of questions. One of these questions we ask ourselves every day is: "Did my students benefit from what happened in class today?" However, if the answer is "no" most of us try to determine how best to remedy the situation. We are engaged in this questioning process throughout our career because we feel responsible for effectiveness of our teaching.We are always eager to look for the best language teaching method that will provide our students with the English language skills they need.
During the whole course we have been learning how to to implement techno tools with English lesson, thus making it not only intriguing to students but also desirable for them. This week the challenge was to create the on-line course and use a variety of activities such as quizzes, crosswords, board games, puzzle makers extensive reading, spelling,listening, videos, films, biographies etc.
That was an entirely encyclopedia knowledge given to us with the main aim how to make use of it and involve or awake our students' interest.
Creating a blog page for my own students, personally, I intend to highly motivate them and provide students with an amazing, manageable and effective program of studying and enhancing their English.
Regards
Stela
During the whole course we have been learning how to to implement techno tools with English lesson, thus making it not only intriguing to students but also desirable for them. This week the challenge was to create the on-line course and use a variety of activities such as quizzes, crosswords, board games, puzzle makers extensive reading, spelling,listening, videos, films, biographies etc.
That was an entirely encyclopedia knowledge given to us with the main aim how to make use of it and involve or awake our students' interest.
Creating a blog page for my own students, personally, I intend to highly motivate them and provide students with an amazing, manageable and effective program of studying and enhancing their English.
Regards
Stela
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Learner Autonomy
As we read in Samuel's writing it is crucial for an English teacher to help his/her students to develop their autonomy, should try several activities in the classroom and can adopt learner training/awareness activities accompanied with the textbook.
One of these activities is Brainstorming. The technique referred to as brainstorming is used when you want students, working together, to generate ideas on a specific topic. As such, it can be a useful and enriching tool in English speaking classroom and a means of showing students that they are collectively capable of generating far more ideas to improve their learning process than they believed. This in turn, leads to an increase in their autonomy of learning and self-responsibility.
I believe, however, that different techniques including the ones that can be applied with or without the latest technology can be used successfully to enrich the classroom and promote learner autonomy.
One of these techniques Brainstorming can be useful in a wide range of areas as a device to help students identify their over-all classroom dynamics. Most importantly, it improves the quality of student participation, student production in class and increase their own autonomy.
Here are some explicit defines from Wikipedia. I thought to share with you as they seem really interesting:
Principles of learner autonomy could be:
• Autonomy means moving the focus from teaching to learning.
• Autonomy affords maximum possible influence to the learners.
• Autonomy encourages and needs peer support and cooperation.
• Autonomy means making use of self/peer assessment.
• Autonomy requires and ensures 100% differentiation.
• Autonomy can only be practised with student logbooks which are a documentation of learning and a tool of reflection.
• The role of the teacher as supporting scaffolding and creating room for the development of autonomy is very demanding and very important.
• Autonomy means empowering students, yet the classroom can be restrictive, so are the rules of chess or tennis, but the use of technology can take students outside of the strictures of the classroom, and the students can take the outside world into the classroom.
One of these activities is Brainstorming. The technique referred to as brainstorming is used when you want students, working together, to generate ideas on a specific topic. As such, it can be a useful and enriching tool in English speaking classroom and a means of showing students that they are collectively capable of generating far more ideas to improve their learning process than they believed. This in turn, leads to an increase in their autonomy of learning and self-responsibility.
I believe, however, that different techniques including the ones that can be applied with or without the latest technology can be used successfully to enrich the classroom and promote learner autonomy.
One of these techniques Brainstorming can be useful in a wide range of areas as a device to help students identify their over-all classroom dynamics. Most importantly, it improves the quality of student participation, student production in class and increase their own autonomy.
Here are some explicit defines from Wikipedia. I thought to share with you as they seem really interesting:
Principles of learner autonomy could be:
• Autonomy means moving the focus from teaching to learning.
• Autonomy affords maximum possible influence to the learners.
• Autonomy encourages and needs peer support and cooperation.
• Autonomy means making use of self/peer assessment.
• Autonomy requires and ensures 100% differentiation.
• Autonomy can only be practised with student logbooks which are a documentation of learning and a tool of reflection.
• The role of the teacher as supporting scaffolding and creating room for the development of autonomy is very demanding and very important.
• Autonomy means empowering students, yet the classroom can be restrictive, so are the rules of chess or tennis, but the use of technology can take students outside of the strictures of the classroom, and the students can take the outside world into the classroom.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Another interesting week with different ideas, thoughts, how to make use of techno tools or Internet resources. Nobody can deny that the teaching profession faces similar problems in most countries. Teachers are so busy fulfilling their teaching responsibilities that they do not have time to question or control enlarge classes. In addition, many teachers are so focused on teaching that they do not have time to notice if their students are learning.
We can not forget that change begins with each one of us, and one of the first things we need to modify is our routinized way of teaching. To accomplish this we need to stop in our daily journey and reflect consciously on our job. But one thing is sure. Teachers can break their routine and take control of those gigantic classes. How?
All of us, are aware of the latesttechnology beginning from e mails, blogs, Web Quest and the magic tool (as one of colleagues has mentioned) PowerPoint. We only need to put into implementation our imagination as well to combine different activities with these powerful tools.
Activities that can exploit Internet resource take many forms. The Web Quest is an activity that can be fruitful exploited. It helps students develop academic skills such as paraphrasing, summarizing, organizing, analyzing and problem solving.Through extensive reading students acquire the vocabulary related to a topic of their discipline.
Images taken from Finding, Evaluating and Integrating from Web Sites.
All in all I strongly believe that using the latest technology tools not only make your English lesson more fascinating, get enrich, involve a major part of students, make the lesson more "meaningful and purposeful",, students gain confidence in their own abilities, creativity, enjoy the work, but above all lessen their anxiety and avoid discouraging them. Presenting their works with Web Quests, as well as PowerPoint English lesson really becomes " a priceless germ" on students' hand.
We can not forget that change begins with each one of us, and one of the first things we need to modify is our routinized way of teaching. To accomplish this we need to stop in our daily journey and reflect consciously on our job. But one thing is sure. Teachers can break their routine and take control of those gigantic classes. How?
All of us, are aware of the latest
Activities that can exploit Internet resource take many forms. The Web Quest is an activity that can be fruitful exploited. It helps students develop academic skills such as paraphrasing, summarizing, organizing, analyzing and problem solving.Through extensive reading students acquire the vocabulary related to a topic of their discipline.
Images taken from Finding, Evaluating and Integrating from Web Sites.
All in all I strongly believe that using the latest technology tools not only make your English lesson more fascinating, get enrich, involve a major part of students, make the lesson more "meaningful and purposeful",, students gain confidence in their own abilities, creativity, enjoy the work, but above all lessen their anxiety and avoid discouraging them. Presenting their works with Web Quests, as well as PowerPoint English lesson really becomes " a priceless germ" on students' hand.
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