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This time we are going to work with some useful Internet tools(quizzes on youthink.com, a video, a listening and a reading), which are intended to help students to get a better understanding of the topics and they also have a big chance to reinforce some skills in the target language. That is why, we have prepared 3 quizzes which contain 12 questions each, and they are designed for three different age levels: kids, teens and adults.
To continue, we will describe what each quiz is based on and then we will give you an idea on how to develop each of them.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE QUIZZES
These are multiple choice quizzes constituted by 12 statements with three possible options each. You have to go to the different links and then based on that, you have to choose the most appropriated answer. If you cannot open the links from here, you can Google them. At the end of each quiz you can check your score and see how accurate you were in your answers.
FIRST QUIZ
1)-This is an amazing quiz for kids and it is based on a very nice story narrated by a kid who wanted to eat a cake his mother had baked. At night, he makes the decision to go for it, and he tiptoes toward the kitchen fearing to wake up his parents just to discover out that his sister has eaten the cake.
2)-The first thing you must do is to watch the video and pay close attention to single details to answer the quiz in a correct way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL6xzw7kKN8
3)-After watching it, go to: http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?action=go_detail&sub_action=take&obj_id=208422&filter=my_qs&f_cat_id=-1&time_span=all
SECOND QUIZ
1)-This quiz is for teenagers and it is based on a reading about the smell of a book. It says that each smells remembers us something and that everything has a different smell. The author says that his favorite smell is of a book’s, and he also describes some books he has bought because his favorite hobby is reading.
2)-Go to the following link to read the article:
http://www.topics-mag.com/edition19/smells/book.htm
3)-After that, go to this link to carry out the quizz.
http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?action=go_detail&sub_action=take&obj_id=208153&filter=my_qs&f_cat_id=-1&time_span=all
THIRD QUIZ
1)-This quiz is for adults, and it is based on a listening about “the ideal woman.” We can listen to the opinions of two friends who have different points of views about the ideal woman. There is one man who seems to be possessive and perceives a woman as a slave, and the other who describes a woman with wonderful feelings and emotions.
2)-listen to the conversation on:
http://www.esl-lab.com/ideal/idealrd1.htm
3) Go to the following link to carry out the quiz:http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?action=go_detail&sub_action=take&obj_id=208414&filter=my_qs&f_cat_id=-1&time_span=all
It is important to say that some of the statements need your critical thinking because you cannot find the exactly answers in the audio.
CONCLUSION
This activity has been meaningful for us because most of the time students and teachers are accustomed to the traditional quizzes based on paper, but with these tools we can change the methodology, and it can benefit our pupils and the teacher. As you can see, by using these methodologies, we have access to most of students’ skills. We are sure that students will enjoy the experience of taking online quizzes and little by little they will get practice on the use of Internet tools.
martes, 21 de febrero de 2012
jueves, 9 de febrero de 2012
My first class
Well, I´m gonna talk about my first class at the university. It was in Advanced English II with teacher Giovanni Blanco. To be honest, that day I was very nervous because some of the students were my classmates, but at the end it was an advantage for me.
I started my class with a beautiful quote, and some students helped me to read and analyze it. Then, I developed the warm up activity. For me it was incredible because students were exiting to participate. It was a group spelling activity, so we were shouting to confuse the person at the front. The problem was that we were making such as noise that it made me feel that the teacher next door was going to arrive to say that they were in classes. Fortunately, it didn’t happen.
The topic of the class was adjectives and word order, so I studied a lot to be prepared to whatever unexpected question. I really like that when teaching advance students, we have to investigate and read to be ready. It is incredible that I studied that topic in grammar, but I didn’t learn it, and now I manage it very well.
During the class, some students asked me about the topic, and I was happy to answer them. Then, I gave them a series of sentences, which they had to organize, and when I saw that all the groups did it correctly, I felt as a good teacher jaja. At the end, we share the answers, and I congratulated them because of their effort.
Also it is important to mention that the teacher gave me the feedback at the end of the class. He gave me some recommendations that for sure will benefit my work as a teacher.
miércoles, 8 de febrero de 2012
My computer and Internet skills
Though the introduction of technology in our Educational system,
the use of computers and Internet skills have become essential in the development of our classes.
Technology as a friend of our work, can help us to do our job in less time,
innovate our activities and classes.
The thing is that we have two types of teachers.
First, the ones that don´t care about learning how to manipulate a computer
or how to use Internet tools. Those teachers prefer to continue
using the old methods in which the teacher spent the whole class
just talking and talking without noticing that some students were not paying attention.
There is another type of teachers that have little knowledge about computers,
but they don´t want to improve it.
The thing is that everyday new sources, pages etc, are appearing,
so we have to be up dated.
This type of teachers just use the common resources as the e-mail account, messenger etc,
believing that they are the only things students need to use.
For those many reasons, I want to tell you why you must
develop your computer skills even if you don´t like.
As you already know, nowadays kids, teens and also adults tend to be attracted
by computers and Internet tools, so I teacher must take this information
as an allied that can help to keep students on the road.
A teacher has to investigate what type of electronical sources,
pages and groups his/her students are interested in,
so that she/he can use those sources with the purpose of introducing
students to knowledge by using their own methods.
This means that if they don´t want to go in the way you go,
you must change your direction.
Remember that the best way to learn
is by doing something that you like.
Due to these factors, a teacher must polish his/her computer skills,
so that he/she can be introduced to other´s way of learning.
Another important thing is that you must try to innovate
your classes as much as you can because
it will give them a sense of freshness.
Remember that every student has to spend years in the learning process,
and to be exposed to the same techniques all the time can be boring.
That is why you must innovate your lessons and activities.
Imagine that you are going to have a 2 minutes presentation,
but your students don´t feel comfortable when talking in front of many people,
so you can change the methodology by telling them that
they will do it by recording their voice in voxopop.
That change in you lesson could help many students to start
improving their speaking skills because they know
that they have to be well prepared.
In this case, the teacher has a big responsability because he/she must know
about the different options to develop a single activity.
Also a teacher must improve his/her computer and Internet skills
because when using technology, students can find different difficulties,
and they expect the teacher to solve them.
Imagine that you ask your students to look for information
and then cite the sources, but after a complete homework
you find out that a student has problems and that he/she cannot find
the web side used to get the information.
The student feels bad because it was hard to do the activity.
In this case, you must have general knowledge that makes you remember
that every computer has an application, in Internet, that tells you about
the last visited pages, so that you can find what the page used by the student was.
This means that a teacher must know in order to teach students
because it could be strange that a student tells you how to do everything.
YOU CANNOT TEACH WHAT YOU DON´T KNOW,
SO, LETS PRACTICE IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY.
the use of computers and Internet skills have become essential in the development of our classes.
Technology as a friend of our work, can help us to do our job in less time,
innovate our activities and classes.
The thing is that we have two types of teachers.
First, the ones that don´t care about learning how to manipulate a computer
or how to use Internet tools. Those teachers prefer to continue
using the old methods in which the teacher spent the whole class
just talking and talking without noticing that some students were not paying attention.
There is another type of teachers that have little knowledge about computers,
but they don´t want to improve it.
The thing is that everyday new sources, pages etc, are appearing,
so we have to be up dated.
This type of teachers just use the common resources as the e-mail account, messenger etc,
believing that they are the only things students need to use.
For those many reasons, I want to tell you why you must
develop your computer skills even if you don´t like.
As you already know, nowadays kids, teens and also adults tend to be attracted
by computers and Internet tools, so I teacher must take this information
as an allied that can help to keep students on the road.
A teacher has to investigate what type of electronical sources,
pages and groups his/her students are interested in,
so that she/he can use those sources with the purpose of introducing
students to knowledge by using their own methods.
This means that if they don´t want to go in the way you go,
you must change your direction.
Remember that the best way to learn
is by doing something that you like.
Due to these factors, a teacher must polish his/her computer skills,
so that he/she can be introduced to other´s way of learning.
Another important thing is that you must try to innovate
your classes as much as you can because
it will give them a sense of freshness.
Remember that every student has to spend years in the learning process,
and to be exposed to the same techniques all the time can be boring.
That is why you must innovate your lessons and activities.
Imagine that you are going to have a 2 minutes presentation,
but your students don´t feel comfortable when talking in front of many people,
so you can change the methodology by telling them that
they will do it by recording their voice in voxopop.
That change in you lesson could help many students to start
improving their speaking skills because they know
that they have to be well prepared.
In this case, the teacher has a big responsability because he/she must know
about the different options to develop a single activity.
Also a teacher must improve his/her computer and Internet skills
because when using technology, students can find different difficulties,
and they expect the teacher to solve them.
Imagine that you ask your students to look for information
and then cite the sources, but after a complete homework
you find out that a student has problems and that he/she cannot find
the web side used to get the information.
The student feels bad because it was hard to do the activity.
In this case, you must have general knowledge that makes you remember
that every computer has an application, in Internet, that tells you about
the last visited pages, so that you can find what the page used by the student was.
This means that a teacher must know in order to teach students
because it could be strange that a student tells you how to do everything.
YOU CANNOT TEACH WHAT YOU DON´T KNOW,
SO, LETS PRACTICE IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY.
martes, 23 de noviembre de 2010
domingo, 7 de noviembre de 2010
Teaching large classes.
This video is really nice because it gives you many information about how to overcome many of the problems when teaching. The video was developed with children, but I think you can adapt it to teach teens or adults.
There are 3 things that we have to take into consideration and they are:
Pedagogical planning, classroom learning system and students behavors.
These factors are important if you want to work in a sucessful way with your large class.
1-Pedagogical planning:
This is one of the most important things in a class, and of course in large classes.
Something that called my attention is the diagnostic test that you must do at the begginig of a level, topic, class etc. This is a nice tool that can help you to know the way you are going to prepare the material for your classes. Remember that you have to plan every thing you will do because if you do that, you can be prepared to face problems that will come when teaching. Also a teacher has to be very creative, and for example if at the beggining of a term the teacher doesn´t know the names of students, it is useful to write their names in little name cards.
2-Classroom learning systems:
Well, I think this is very important too because if you have a physically organized classroom, it is possible that your students learn better. Also,when you have students´materials in the classroom, it can motivate students to work harder.
But in this point there is something that is kind of impossible in our country; it is that students have to have enough space for them to be capable to move their bodies. Unfortunately in our country we don´t have that, and some students have to receive their classes in very small rooms.
Another nice activity that I could see is the “self check and peer check work”. This is amazing if you want your students to feel as a real part of the class and as if their opinions are really relevant for the teacher. When you have large groups this can be nice for you because you learn that a large class is not always a difficult think; you learn that you can make your students help you, and they will be happy to develop your activities.
3- Students behavor.
This is something that is difficult in our country because there are a lot of problems especially with teens, but I could see something nice in the video, and that is that you don´t have to think that misbehaving students are stupids. Every person´s behavor represents what they are living, if they have problems etc, so a teacher has to think in it and try to help students.
I think that if all teachers have that idea clear, our society would be different, and we might avoid the kind of problems that we have nowadays like: students trying to kill themselves.
But a teacher also has to know how to apply every role in the classroom as an authority, teacher, friend, parent etc. In this way a teacher has to show confidence, but also respect because your students are going to treat you in the way you treat them.
This video is really nice because it gives you many information about how to overcome many of the problems when teaching. The video was developed with children, but I think you can adapt it to teach teens or adults.
There are 3 things that we have to take into consideration and they are:
Pedagogical planning, classroom learning system and students behavors.
These factors are important if you want to work in a sucessful way with your large class.
1-Pedagogical planning:
This is one of the most important things in a class, and of course in large classes.
Something that called my attention is the diagnostic test that you must do at the begginig of a level, topic, class etc. This is a nice tool that can help you to know the way you are going to prepare the material for your classes. Remember that you have to plan every thing you will do because if you do that, you can be prepared to face problems that will come when teaching. Also a teacher has to be very creative, and for example if at the beggining of a term the teacher doesn´t know the names of students, it is useful to write their names in little name cards.
2-Classroom learning systems:
Well, I think this is very important too because if you have a physically organized classroom, it is possible that your students learn better. Also,when you have students´materials in the classroom, it can motivate students to work harder.
But in this point there is something that is kind of impossible in our country; it is that students have to have enough space for them to be capable to move their bodies. Unfortunately in our country we don´t have that, and some students have to receive their classes in very small rooms.
Another nice activity that I could see is the “self check and peer check work”. This is amazing if you want your students to feel as a real part of the class and as if their opinions are really relevant for the teacher. When you have large groups this can be nice for you because you learn that a large class is not always a difficult think; you learn that you can make your students help you, and they will be happy to develop your activities.
3- Students behavor.
This is something that is difficult in our country because there are a lot of problems especially with teens, but I could see something nice in the video, and that is that you don´t have to think that misbehaving students are stupids. Every person´s behavor represents what they are living, if they have problems etc, so a teacher has to think in it and try to help students.
I think that if all teachers have that idea clear, our society would be different, and we might avoid the kind of problems that we have nowadays like: students trying to kill themselves.
But a teacher also has to know how to apply every role in the classroom as an authority, teacher, friend, parent etc. In this way a teacher has to show confidence, but also respect because your students are going to treat you in the way you treat them.
jueves, 4 de noviembre de 2010
HELLO EVERYONE. Today I want to share what I think about the use of Internet tools in English classes. To do that I will answer some questions...
1- What is your feeling toward using Internet tools with your EFL students?
Well, I feel that Internet tools are one of the best tools that a teacher and a student can have to conquer their objectives; this is because Internet offers you many resources that you can not find with other tools. For example, a teacher from another country could invent a technique to teach children or teens, and this technique could be useful for a Salvadorean teacher. In this way you can share your knowledge and learn about others´,so Internet tools are very important because they can help you to teach English as a Foreign Language in a easier and effective way.
2- How didi you feel the last time you were working with Internet tools?
Saturday, Nov 29,2010
To be honest, I have to say that it was nice when I was trying to enter and explore new things, but the problem was when I did not find what to do. I faced many problems trying to enter to a page, but the worst was when I saw a classmate watching a video, and I couldn´t do it.
After trying many times, I could sign on a page, and I felt very happy. Also, I realized the importance of a teacher in motivating students to investigate, try new things and look for new resources in order to learn as much as possible.
3- Can you see any importance in using Internet tools with EFL students?
Of course. As I said before, Internet is an excellent resource to teach EFL because you teach the language in a way that you make your students feel like if they were studying their own language. When you are learning in your native language, you feel identied because you understand what you do. The same happens when you use nice tools like Internet. You can apply activities that are used to make students feel comfortable with the language and help them to develop their abilities.
4-Would this use meet any intelligence we had studied so far?
I think that the intelligence that you develop the most is the Interpersonal Intelligence because remember that those kind of people like to socializate. When you use Internet tools you have the chance to have many friends by the different sides like the blog, wiki, facebook, e-mail, voxpop etc.You can study and share many things with your friends and classmates; also, this helps students to feel their learning more active and interesting. But, you also use the visual intelligence, logical intelligence etc.
Well, I am waiting for your comments . GOD BLESS YOU.
1- What is your feeling toward using Internet tools with your EFL students?
Well, I feel that Internet tools are one of the best tools that a teacher and a student can have to conquer their objectives; this is because Internet offers you many resources that you can not find with other tools. For example, a teacher from another country could invent a technique to teach children or teens, and this technique could be useful for a Salvadorean teacher. In this way you can share your knowledge and learn about others´,so Internet tools are very important because they can help you to teach English as a Foreign Language in a easier and effective way.
2- How didi you feel the last time you were working with Internet tools?
Saturday, Nov 29,2010
To be honest, I have to say that it was nice when I was trying to enter and explore new things, but the problem was when I did not find what to do. I faced many problems trying to enter to a page, but the worst was when I saw a classmate watching a video, and I couldn´t do it.
After trying many times, I could sign on a page, and I felt very happy. Also, I realized the importance of a teacher in motivating students to investigate, try new things and look for new resources in order to learn as much as possible.
3- Can you see any importance in using Internet tools with EFL students?
Of course. As I said before, Internet is an excellent resource to teach EFL because you teach the language in a way that you make your students feel like if they were studying their own language. When you are learning in your native language, you feel identied because you understand what you do. The same happens when you use nice tools like Internet. You can apply activities that are used to make students feel comfortable with the language and help them to develop their abilities.
4-Would this use meet any intelligence we had studied so far?
I think that the intelligence that you develop the most is the Interpersonal Intelligence because remember that those kind of people like to socializate. When you use Internet tools you have the chance to have many friends by the different sides like the blog, wiki, facebook, e-mail, voxpop etc.You can study and share many things with your friends and classmates; also, this helps students to feel their learning more active and interesting. But, you also use the visual intelligence, logical intelligence etc.
Well, I am waiting for your comments . GOD BLESS YOU.
lunes, 25 de octubre de 2010
Contextualizing Language
Well this topic is kind of new for me, but I can see that it is very interesting in order to make the teaching process more effective. When you use contextualization, you involve many things at the same time because you teach relevant things for the students and things that they want to know or talk about. It is important to have an idea of their likes, desires and things that are valuable for each student, for example something that is important for a teen like talking about girls and boyfriends, it is not important when you are teaching to kinder garden students.
In this way the teacher has a big responsability because you have not only to teach the topics that are assigned for the level you are teaching, but also you have to make it nice and dynamic for your students. In this process you have to consider their capacities, the environment and the social expectancies.
In the video I could see that students were motivated to participate. They did things that were relevant for their level eg. Children like to move their bodies and sing; teens like to make dramas or presentations like those they have in the real life e.g. talk about drugs, sports, hobbies etc.
I think that this kind of teaching is acceptable in our society because we know that we live in a world in which we have to communicate with others and interchange opinions, and as in this type of teaching students learn as a team (it can be in groups or pairs), it becomes easier for teachers to have succes in their objetives.
Well this topic is kind of new for me, but I can see that it is very interesting in order to make the teaching process more effective. When you use contextualization, you involve many things at the same time because you teach relevant things for the students and things that they want to know or talk about. It is important to have an idea of their likes, desires and things that are valuable for each student, for example something that is important for a teen like talking about girls and boyfriends, it is not important when you are teaching to kinder garden students.
In this way the teacher has a big responsability because you have not only to teach the topics that are assigned for the level you are teaching, but also you have to make it nice and dynamic for your students. In this process you have to consider their capacities, the environment and the social expectancies.
In the video I could see that students were motivated to participate. They did things that were relevant for their level eg. Children like to move their bodies and sing; teens like to make dramas or presentations like those they have in the real life e.g. talk about drugs, sports, hobbies etc.
I think that this kind of teaching is acceptable in our society because we know that we live in a world in which we have to communicate with others and interchange opinions, and as in this type of teaching students learn as a team (it can be in groups or pairs), it becomes easier for teachers to have succes in their objetives.
But, there is something that we have to take into consideration, and it is that teachers that develop this method have to be very creative, transmit that they also enjoy what they do because there are some teachers that don´t enjoy their job, and they don´t pay so much attention to students´ necesities. Specially in our country I think that if we want to use this method as a way to teach students according to their needs, we have to train teachers because most of them would not be prepared enough to teach around contextualization language.
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