Hello Everyone,
Well we're back, after a long long holiday. School started back in September and we're nearly in November and this will be the FIRST entry of the academic year!!! No problem, better late than never.I'd like to set the tone this year by offering suggestions to help you to become a better language learner.
Learning a language is quite different from learning other things. On the one hand, it's a "knowledge" subject. You may learn grammar (including some grammatical terminology: adverbs, prepositions, phrasal verbs, and so on). You'll need to learn vocabulary, rules of usage, etc. On the other hand, it's a "skills" subject in that you'll need to be able to DO something: read and listen as well as speak and write.
One can easily argue that this "skills" aspect far outweighs the "knowledge" aspect, after all, many people go for an entire lifetime without even learning to read and write let alone grammar rules, and yet are capable of communicating all their wants and needs. That is an extreme case, but it exemplifies the power of "doing" OVER the power of "knowing."
One of my favourite stories is about a former student, Catarina. If you asked her to contrast the use of the present perfect and past simple...she wouldn't have a clue. Her colleagues could contrast the two easily. Give them an exercise and Catarina would consistently get over 90% right, while her classmates would only get 40 something percent!!! You tell me, who the better language learner was!!!
Keep that in mind when you're revising your grammar rules. Next time, more on learning strategies. Have a great week, Fernando
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Sorry!
First of all I'd like to apologize for taking so long-I've just been procrastinating! Anyway, here I am!
A lot has been said about education recently, especially on the news. I think that after the publishing of that video on YouTube, people became a bit more aware of what is happening in schools.
Anyway, this triggered a long discussion about education on the CAFLI blog. I agree with most of what was said-everyone made some interesting points. I don't have much to add, I just think that if you enjoy teaching and you do the best you can, then you still feel rewarded at the end of the day, no matter how you are viewed by society. However, a little appreciation is always welcome!
A lot has been said about education recently, especially on the news. I think that after the publishing of that video on YouTube, people became a bit more aware of what is happening in schools.
Anyway, this triggered a long discussion about education on the CAFLI blog. I agree with most of what was said-everyone made some interesting points. I don't have much to add, I just think that if you enjoy teaching and you do the best you can, then you still feel rewarded at the end of the day, no matter how you are viewed by society. However, a little appreciation is always welcome!
Monday, May 19, 2008
My Opinion?
Well... before starting to express my opinion about education, I want to thank Dee for the pictures. Love them!!!
As to children and teacher's fault, I really think we shouldn't blame neither teachers nor children for this mess that education has become, but society itself. Not because we undervalue children, but because we undervalue our capacity to deal with progress. Let's face it: we are not ready to educate neither our children nor ourselves to succeed in the jungle this world has turned in. Globalization is here and I don't see our society on that train. We still the same selfish, "let's wait until the others to do it" society. That way we can't be blamed for ANYTHING!
Think about this: If we aren't able to learn how to deal with a new multicultural and technological world, how will we be able to pass that knowledge to our children? If we are not able to impose rules to ourselves how are we expecting children to have them? If we, in our egocentric world don't respect the others, how do we expect our children to do it? A practical example: who is teaching who about reciclyng? Watch the add on TV and I think you'll get to the same conclusion I did.
Moreover, it's not a child's fault if he/she wasn't taught to repect teachers (like Terry's parents were). But it's not the parents' fault if the company they work to don't have kindergardens integrated, nor schools nearby which would allow them to spend more time with the kids and teach them how to behave at school or help them with homework. I take 1H00 to 1H30 to get home from work. I have to take 3 buses. Iamgine that I had a child? I'm sure he/she would suffer.
And teachers? Are they the ones to blame for all the constant changes in the educational system? I don't think so.
To conclude: Instead of blaming whoever, why don't we start thinkink about what each one of us can actually do to change things. "one small step for man...."
Well... before starting to express my opinion about education, I want to thank Dee for the pictures. Love them!!!
As to children and teacher's fault, I really think we shouldn't blame neither teachers nor children for this mess that education has become, but society itself. Not because we undervalue children, but because we undervalue our capacity to deal with progress. Let's face it: we are not ready to educate neither our children nor ourselves to succeed in the jungle this world has turned in. Globalization is here and I don't see our society on that train. We still the same selfish, "let's wait until the others to do it" society. That way we can't be blamed for ANYTHING!
Think about this: If we aren't able to learn how to deal with a new multicultural and technological world, how will we be able to pass that knowledge to our children? If we are not able to impose rules to ourselves how are we expecting children to have them? If we, in our egocentric world don't respect the others, how do we expect our children to do it? A practical example: who is teaching who about reciclyng? Watch the add on TV and I think you'll get to the same conclusion I did.
Moreover, it's not a child's fault if he/she wasn't taught to repect teachers (like Terry's parents were). But it's not the parents' fault if the company they work to don't have kindergardens integrated, nor schools nearby which would allow them to spend more time with the kids and teach them how to behave at school or help them with homework. I take 1H00 to 1H30 to get home from work. I have to take 3 buses. Iamgine that I had a child? I'm sure he/she would suffer.
And teachers? Are they the ones to blame for all the constant changes in the educational system? I don't think so.
To conclude: Instead of blaming whoever, why don't we start thinkink about what each one of us can actually do to change things. "one small step for man...."
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Why Teachers Are Undervalued--An Opinion
We've been talking about why society undervalues teachers--who were once the custodians of truth. This is a discussion that has been grabbing headlines lately as teachers complain that no one loves them anymore and everyone is out to get them. Is this really the issue however?
Firstly, I think teachers are undervalued mainly because children are undervalued. Perhaps you're thinking children have never been so highly valued in history, after all, there's even a United Nations charter on the rights of the child (which the US has yet to ratify). Nevertheless, I think the IDEAL of the child is highly cherished--their innocence, their need for support and guidance, their almost pet-like unconditional love. However, the REALITY of the child is not--let's face it, they're noisy, messy, mischievous and at times downright inconvenient! Teachers have to deal with both aspects of childhood. While they spend much of their time with the reality of children, society sees them spending all of their time with the ideal of children.
Added to this society sees any small privilege that teachers appear to have with suspicion and resentment. If teachers have, say, an afternoon off, it's some kind of unwarranted break. Never mind, that they may have loads of papers to mark, lessons to plan and map out, or they may even need that respite from dealing with the reality of children multiplied exponentially by such factors as peer pressure and group think! After all, what other profession deals with 20 - 30 clients/customers/patients at a time, day after day, hour after hour, year after year? Each one with different needs, hopes, fears, problems, etc., etc.
I may be way off base in my statement, but let's face it, if we, as a society, truly valued children--the REALITY of children, then surely we'd value teachers. Besides parents, they are the ones who deal most directly with our children. They are the ones who, after parents, mold them most. In so doing they mold the future.
Firstly, I think teachers are undervalued mainly because children are undervalued. Perhaps you're thinking children have never been so highly valued in history, after all, there's even a United Nations charter on the rights of the child (which the US has yet to ratify). Nevertheless, I think the IDEAL of the child is highly cherished--their innocence, their need for support and guidance, their almost pet-like unconditional love. However, the REALITY of the child is not--let's face it, they're noisy, messy, mischievous and at times downright inconvenient! Teachers have to deal with both aspects of childhood. While they spend much of their time with the reality of children, society sees them spending all of their time with the ideal of children.
Added to this society sees any small privilege that teachers appear to have with suspicion and resentment. If teachers have, say, an afternoon off, it's some kind of unwarranted break. Never mind, that they may have loads of papers to mark, lessons to plan and map out, or they may even need that respite from dealing with the reality of children multiplied exponentially by such factors as peer pressure and group think! After all, what other profession deals with 20 - 30 clients/customers/patients at a time, day after day, hour after hour, year after year? Each one with different needs, hopes, fears, problems, etc., etc.
I may be way off base in my statement, but let's face it, if we, as a society, truly valued children--the REALITY of children, then surely we'd value teachers. Besides parents, they are the ones who deal most directly with our children. They are the ones who, after parents, mold them most. In so doing they mold the future.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Art of Teaching
Hi everybody. Well, I guess it's my turn! I hesitated a bit because I wasn't sure what I wanted to post here. Anyway, while surfing through the net I found some interesting quotes on teaching. Honestly, when reading some I thought "Wow! I better straighten up!" I felt awkward and started wondering if I was truly aware of the complexity that involves teaching. I guess it's a never ending story. Reading some of the quotes made me want to be a better teacher so it did have a great impact on me. Whether you agree with them or not, you can always leave a comment. =)
"Professors known as outstanding lecturers do two things; they use a simple plan and many examples. " W. McKeachie
"The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "aparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough proplem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. " K. Patricia Cross
"Professors known as outstanding lecturers do two things; they use a simple plan and many examples. " W. McKeachie
"The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "aparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough proplem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. " K. Patricia Cross
"Teachers who cannot keep students involved and excited for several hours in the classroom should not be there." John Roueche
"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theatre." Gail Godwin
"The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. "A. Bronson Alcott
"It's not what is poured into a student that counts, but what is planted." Linda Conway
"It's not what is poured into a student that counts, but what is planted." Linda Conway
"I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework. Lily Tomlin
"What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches." Karl Menninger
"Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means. " Albert Einstein
"If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. " Donald D. Quinn
"Ye great teachers: listen to what you say!" Goethe
"Students ratings collected a year apart from the same students correlated significantly, though the later ratings tended to rate the teacher as less effective than those collected at the end of the course. " John Centra
"Only some 12% of a national sample of almost 400,000 teachers received less then average ratings from students." John Centra
Jenny
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Ok, so I'm finally writing in the CAFLI blog-sorry it took me sooo long!
I agree with Magu about the Cafli website... it would be an excellent future project and this way our students and future students could find out more about the school.
Anyway, I would also like to see some spring fête photos - I forgot my camera that day...
I agree with Magu about the Cafli website... it would be an excellent future project and this way our students and future students could find out more about the school.
Anyway, I would also like to see some spring fête photos - I forgot my camera that day...
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