Miss Anisah's Teaching Learning Process

Jingle LIA

2014-10-08T20:48:00.000+07:00

Sudah tau kan, Lembaga Bahasa yang kita cintai ini juga mempunyai Jingle! Musik dan Liriknya cukup menarik.

untuk lebih jelas semenarik apakah Jingle LIA ini, langsung saja tonton video kreasi saya ini:

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Lyrics:

Hey You! Come Out and Run

Let's have some fun in the rising sun

Let's! let's Learn Together

And be Happier

Hey Friends! it's Really time

To break the line, to make it fine

Move! Go! To the right place!

And then, be The BEST!

LIA, The Excellent Place,

The real window to Open the world

LIA, where we can fly

on cloud so high, To reach the sky

The Leading Learning Institution in Indonesia

Dedicated to Quality Education

LIA!!

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Untuk Menikmati Video Jingle Lia yang dilengkapi dengan Lyrics -> Silahkan Liat Disini

bagi yang ingin menikmati Jingle ini dalam format MP3, langsung saja Download!

Peer Pressure

2013-04-30T18:29:00.000+07:00

Teen peer pressure is the influence of a teen's social group has on him or her. Peer pressure is a part of life for everyone, but it can be an especially strong influence during the teen years when peers are very important to a teen's identity. This means that teens need to learn to handle peer pressure, and to recognize when it is positive and when it is negative.

As adolescents enter the teen years, they usually begin to focus more on their peers or friends. The desire to fit in with peers can be a very strong influence on teens. Peers influence most aspects of a teen's life, including how teens dress, what music they listen to, and what kind of activities they are involved in. Peer pressure can be direct or indirect, but it is almost always present. Learning to handle peer pressure helps a teen mature and learn positive ways to get along with others.

Peer pressure is not always bad. Good friends can encourage teens to do well in school, get involved in positive activities, volunteer, eat healthy foods, and avoid drugs, alcohol, and other risky activities. Friends also help teens learn good social skills and better ways to communicate and work out problems, and give teens good advice.

Even pressure to do good things can be bad for teens, however, if they don't learn to say no when they need to. For instance, a teen may need to say no to going to a movie if he or she has homework that needs to be done. Always going along with what others want can cause a teen to have lower self esteem, and to give up things that are important to him or her.

Negative peer pressure is when teens feel pressured to do something they know is wrong, such as smoking, drinking, doing drugs, or stealing, or something they don't want to do such as cutting class or having sex. Teens may be tempted to give in to negative peer pressure because they want to be liked or fit in, they are afraid of being made fun of, or they want to try something other teens are doing. Negative peer pressure will remain a part of a teen's life into adulthood, which is why it is important for teens to learn how to deal with it.

Some things a teen can do to handle peer pressure include:

1. Decide before you get into situation what your values and standards are.

2. Choose good friends who share your values. Good friends use positive peer pressure to help you be your best self.

3. Avoid situations where people are doing things you don't want to do.

4. Think about your reasons for doing things: Are they good reasons? Are you being true to yourself and your values? Think about what the consequences will be of your decisions and actions, such as if an activity might harm your health or get you into trouble.

5. Practice ways to say no - come up with excuses if necessary, such as that you don't want to get in trouble, damage your body or mind, or risk blowing your involvement in sports or academics.

6. Talk to your parents or a trusted adult about the kinds of peer pressure you face and listen to their advice.

7. With your parents or another trusted adult, come up with a code word you can use to let the adult know that you need help getting out of a bad situation but can't talk about it.

Remember that if just one teen stands up against peer pressure, usually others will join him or her, and learning to handle peer pressure gives teens more confidence and maturity.

Keledai pun, katanya, Takkan Jatuh ke Lubang yang Sama

2013-04-22T23:14:00.005+07:00

Hari ini, lihat berita di TV ada sekolah di NTT yang batal menyelenggarakan UN hari pertama. Alasannya sederhana, soal UN belum tiba. Apa yang mau dikerjakan klau soalnya saja tidak ada. Di belahan lain Indonesia tercinta, ada siswa SMP yang mendapat soal UN untuk SMK, ada soal yang tak lengkap yang mengharuskan pengawas memfotokopi soal UN. Saya hanya geleng-geleng kepala karena baru seminggu lalu masalah seperti ini terjadi. Apa tidak ada yang bisa dipelajari dari
kesalahan-kesalahan minggu lalu? Belum lagi dana yang tidak sedikit yag telah dialokasikan untuk penyelenggaraan UN? Apa tidak ada pertanggungjawabannya? (pertanggungjawaban berupa laporan pasti ada dan terperinci, tapi pertanggungjawaban moral telah menghabiskan dana yang besar tanpa hasil yang memenuhi standar?)

Berita selanjutnya menampilkan Bapak Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, M. Nuh, mengemukakan dengan percaya diri tinggi bahwa UN untuk tingkat SMP diadakan serentak di seluruh pelosok Indonesia. Saya………tidak tahu lagi harus apa. Bersungut-sungut pun tak ada gunanya. Didengar pun tidak.

Akhirnya kembali saya melakukan aktivitas sebelum menonton berita di TV, menyiapkan rencana pengajaran sambil mencari-cari permainan edukatif di internet. Tapi rupanya berita tersebut cukup menyita pikiran saya. Baru kemarin menulis tentang hancur leburnya prosesi UN tingkat SMA yang juga saya publish hari ini. Saya pikir akan banyak berita bagus untuk ditulis tentang UN tingkat SMP minggu ini. Rupanya hari pertama sudah menyisakan aib. Jadilah saya luangkan waktu sejenak untuk menumpahkan uneg-uneg lewat tulisan ini.

Berikut cuplikan wawancara (berdasarkan ingatan saya) dengan Bapak M. Nuh sekitar tanggal 16-19 April lalu:

Wartawan : “Pak, bagaimana nie pelaksanaan UN tingkat SMP?”

Pak M. Nuh : “Oh, iya, sudah kita distribusikan. 100% sudah selesai. Terakhir tadi pesawat sekitar jam 1 sudah berangkat untuk distribusi soal.”

Wartawan : “Terus, tanggung jawab Bapak terkait pelaksanaan UN kemarin gimana Pak?”

Pak M. Nuh : “Maksudnya?”

Wartawan : “Iya, gimana pertanggung jawaban Bapak? Apa siap munur gitu Pak?”

Pak M. Nuh : “Oh, kalau mundur kan ya tinggal mundur (sambil melangkah mundur dan tertawa). Gampang kan?”

Oh Tuhan……. Kenapa seperti ini Menteri yang seharusnya bertanggungjawab, malu, dan meminta maaf atas apa yang terjadi bersikap? Apa karena begitu groginya beliau seperti itu? Bukankah kalau merasa bersalah sudah sepantasnya bersikap lebih santun, bijak, dan berempati atas apa yang dirasakan siswa-siswa yang mengikuti UN?

Saya bukan pengajar di sekolah formal. Tak begitu megerti lah saya dengan langkah-langkah penyelenggaraan UN. Tapi saya rasa orang yang tak pernah mengecap pendidikan di bangku sekolah pun tahu ada masalah besar dalam UN 2013. Kira- kira langkah apa yang akan diambil Bapak Presiden untuk memperbaiki kesalahan anak buahnya yang masih saja santai-santai (setidaknya sikap ini yang ditunjukkan selama wawancara) padahal sudah ketahuan tidak becus bekerja? Mudah-mudahan Allah membantunya agar lebih bijak (dan bukan hanya prihatin atas apa yang terjadi) dan adil dalam mengambil keputusan pasca UN 2013 nanti. Aamiiiin

Adjectives - Comparison

2013-04-22T19:25:00.000+07:00

We use -er/-est with the following adjectives:

1) Adjectives with one syllable

positive	comparative	superlative
clean	cleaner	cleanest
new	newer	newest
cheap	cheaper	cheapest

2) Adjectives with two syllables and the following endings:

2 - 1) Adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y

positive	comparative	superlative
dirty	dirtier	dirtiest
easy	easier	easiest
happy	happier	happiest
pretty	prettier	prettiest

2 - 2) Adjectives with two syllables, ending in -er

positive	comparative	superlative
clever	cleverer	cleverest

2 - 3) Adjectives with two syllables, ending in -le

positive	comparative	superlative
simple	simpler	simplest

2 - 4) Adjectives with two syllables, ending in -ow

positive	comparative	superlative
narrow	narrower	narrowest

3) Spelling of the adjectives using the endings -er/-est

positive	comparative	superlative	comment
large	larger	largest	leave out the silent -e
big	bigger	biggest	Double the consonant after short vowel
sad	sadder	saddest	Double the consonant after short vowel
dirty	dirtier	dirtiest	Change -y to -i (consonant before -y)
shy	shyer	shyest	Here -y is not changed to -i. (although consonant before -y)

B - Comparison with more - most

positive	comparative	superlative
difficult	more difficult	(the) most difficult

all adjectives with more than one syllable (except some adjectives with two syllables - see

2 - 1 to 2 - 4)

C - Irregular adjectives

positive	comparative	superlative	comment
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
much	more	most	uncountable nouns
many	more	most	countable nouns
little	less	least
little	smaller	smallest

D - Special adjectives

Some adjectives have two possible forms of comparison (-er/est and more/most).

positive	comparative	superlative
clever	cleverer / more clever	cleverest / most clever
common	commoner / more common	commonest / most common
likely	likelier / more likely	likeliest / most likely
pleasant	pleasanter / more pleasant	pleasantest / most pleasant
polite	politer / more polite	politest / most polite
quiet	quieter / more quiet	quietest / most quiet
simple	simpler / more simple	simplest / most simple
stupid	stupider / more stupid	stupidest / most stupid
subtle	subtler / more subtle	subtlest / most subtle
sure	surer / more sure	surest / most sure

E - Difference in meaning with adjectives:

positive	comparative	superlative	comment
far	farther	farthest	distance
far	further	furthest	distance or time
late	later	latest
	latter	x
	x	last
old	older	oldest	people and things
old

Ada Apa dengan UN???

2013-04-22T15:39:00.001+07:00

Belajar semaksimal mungkin, waktu dan materinya. Dari pagi hingga malam hari. Semua buku yang berkaitan dilahapnya hingga titik darah penghabisan. Inilah penggambaran kegiatan para siswa menjelang Ujian Nasional. Di hari-hari yang dijadwalkan,

UN pun dilaksanakan. Pagi-pagi sekali para siswa meninggalkan rumah untuk pergi ke sekolah. Tak lupa meminta doa restu dari orang tua sebagai suplemen. Di gerbang sekolah, suasana mendebarkan sekaligus mencekam karena akan menghadapi ujian penentu kelulusan pun ditambah dengan kengerian saat melihat aparatur berseragam pemerintah berjaga-jaga. Setelah prosesi sakral UN berakhir, tibalah saat-saat mendebarkan penuh harap bercampur cemas. Tak lama, pengumuman kelulusan yang ditunggu-tunggu pun dibaca. Ada yang membaca dengan senangnya, ada juga yang membaca dengan berderai air mata. Perhelatan euforia kelulusan dimulai dengan mencoret-coret seragam sekolah, berpesta pora bersama teman-teman, mabuk-mabukan, hingga seks bebas. Di sisi lain, ketidaklulusan menyisakan kesedihan yang mendalam, malu yang memuncak ditandai dengan tangisan, aksi protes, sampai bunuh diri. INIKAH PENDIDIKAN????

Pelaksanaan UN yang telah dilakukan untuk tingkat SMA menyisakan banyak sekali pertanyaan tentang sistem pendidikan di negara kita Indonesia tercinta. Mulai dari pelaksanaan yang tertunda di 11 provinsi hingga lembar jawaban komputer yang difotokopi. Banyak protes dilakukan terkait carut-marutnya pelaksanaan UN. Sebagian meminta keulusan 100% dengan alasan ketidakbecusan pemerintah. Sebagian lainnya meminta Menteri Pendidikan mengundurkan diri dari jabatannya sebagai konsekuensi dari kelalaiannya dalam mengatur perhelatan UN. Ada juga yang meminta UN ditiadakan. Pertanyaan yang kemudian muncul adalah; Apakah UN hingga melibatkan aparat militer negara? Seberapa pentingkah UN hingga harus menelan nyawa anak-anak harapan bangsa? Mengapa para siswa menerima perlakuan layaknya pesakitan dan bukannya dihargai atas usaha mereka dan diberi kepercayaan? Dimana soal-soal UN yang pada jadwalnya ditunggu hingga berjam-jam? UN…OHH…UN!!!

Kami sebagai pemerintah kan harus menyediakan pendidikan untuk rakyat. Layak tak layak kita tinjau sambil berjalan. Seiring waktu kita juga akan menemukan formula yang tepat untuk kemudian digunakan sebagai sistem pendidikan di negara kita. Dulu, setiap siswa SMA akan dinyatakan lulus-lulus saja asalkan tidak bermasalah kronis baik dari segi administrasi maupun akademis. Namun kemudian, kok sepertinya ada yang salah. Kita semakin tertinggal dengan bangsa-bangsa lain. Yuk kita ganti sistemnya. Kita coba UAN ya (dimulai tahun 2003 dengan standar nilai kelulusan 3.0). UAN itu Ujian Akhir Nasional. Lalu kami selalu berusaha memperbaiki sistem yang ada hingga lahirlah UN seperti yang sekarang ini. Masalah penyelenggaraannya yang morat-marit, tak ada hubungannya dengan sistem pendidikan. Itu kan cuma kesalahan dalam pendistribusian soal. Tak ada kaitannya langsung dengan sistem pendidikan.

Begitulah kira-kira gambaran carut-marut, morat-marit, serta babak belurnya penyelenggaaraan UN April 2013. Banyaknya tuntutan rakyat menggambarkan ketidakpuasan atas kinerja pemerintah. Di sisi lain, pemerintah yang seharusnya menjadi wakil rakyat dalam pembuatan dan pelaksanaan kebijakan dalam rangka mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa terkesan berkelit dan berbelit. Berkelit dalam hal mengakui kesalahan yang sangat fatal. Serta berbelit dalam meminta maaf dan mencari penyelesaian.

Cerita di atas hanyalah curahan hati seorang guru yang biasa saja, yang melakukan hal-hal yang biasa-biasa saja setiap harinya, tetapi memiliki mimpi yang luar biasa untuk bangsa ini. Mimpi, ya, hanya mimpi yang luar biasa bahwa bangsanya suatu saat akan memiliki harga diri, etika moral yang terpuji, maju, dan disegani. Sayalah pemimpi tersebut, dan saya mengajak siapa pun untuk bermimpi bersama. Rasanya kok kalau kita fokus pada apa yang ada, mencari-cari kesalahan dan orang-orang untuk dipersalahkan, semua masalah di negeri ini tidak akan pernah selesai. Saya yakin bahwa karakter sebuah bangsa ditentukan oleh sistem pendidikan yang digunakan. Lalu mengapa kita memakai metode “coba-coba” untuk hal sekrusial dan seserius ini? Kalau saya salah menilai mohon dikoreksi. Sekali lagi saya hanyalah guru biasa dengan mimpi luar biasa.

Eureka Moments

2012-11-30T01:52:00.000+07:00

Obviously learning doesn’t happen in an instant but I can certainly think of some Eureka moments in my own development in a foreign language. Obviously when you start out it can be easier to notice these moments where you suddenly gain the ability to talk in the past or in the future but it doesn’t have to stop there.
There have also been moments when I suddenly realised that a phrase I learnt right at the start is actually a passive construction or the difference between two similar words suddenly becomes clear.

Of course, I didn’t always use the language perfectly afterwards and so I was still “learning” and I didn’t suddenly learn the language I was actually being exposed and laying the foundation to have that moment but I wonder about the power of these Eureka moments.

Perhaps there is something very comforting about having a moment of sudden realisation that you just “got” something and and can do something new.

Is it possible to create moments like this so that Students can grasp hold of knowledge more? I’m not sure but here are a couple of things I’m wondering.

Dale Coulter recently talked about the difference between his planned grammar point and emergent grammar point and commented that the emergent lesson appeared to have “Stuck with the students” more than the planned lesson (they were the same grammar point) Perhaps in an Emergent situation the grammar is seen more as a eureka moment? When you have a guided discovery lessons then the language is all around the student from the start (in the text or listening) where as in an emerging moment there might be a “I don’t know how to do this…” type moment which might help students to appreciate the language? (this is all just wondering aloud)

On the other hand in a guided discovery moment I’ve certainly had students ask “what is…” so it is possible that the Eureka moment happens in the situation as well (in fact perhaps it happened at home when the student looked through the coursebook in advance of the next lesson. Who knows) Basically this is a long ponder but I do have some questions for you, fellow teachers

1. Have you ever seen/experienced Eureka moments?

2. When do they seem to happen?

3. Can we, teachers, help facilitate them?

4. Do they help learning?

English Language Teaching Terms, Abbreviations and Acronyms

2012-11-30T01:50:00.001+07:00

ACTFL	American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
ARELS	Association of Recognised English Language Services
BASELT	British Association of State English Language Teaching
BC	British Council
CALL	computer assisted language learning
CEELT	Cambridge Examination in English for Language Teachers
CELTA	Certificate in English Language Teaching for Adults (replaces CTEFLA)
CILT	Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research
CTEFLA	Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language to Adults (replaced by CELTA)
DELTA	Diploma in English Language Teaching for Adults (replaces DTEFLA)
DOS	director of studies
DTEFLA	Diploma in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language to Adults (replaced by DELTA)
EAP	English for academic purposes
ECIS	European Council of International Schools
EFL	English as a foreign language
ELICOS	English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (Australian)
ELT	English language training or teaching
EMT	English mother tongue
ESL	English as a second language
ESOL	English for speakers of other languages
ESP	English for specific purposes
IATEFL	International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language
IELTS	International English Language Testing System
JALT	Japan Association for Language Teaching
JET	Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme
L1	first language
L2	second language
LCCIEB	London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board
NATESOL	National Association of Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages
ODA	Overseas Development Agency
PGCE	Post Graduate Certificate in Education (UK teaching qualification necessary for state sector)
RSA	The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (UK)
TEFL	teaching (of) English as a foreign language
TESL	teaching (of) English as a second language
TESOL	a) teaching (of) English to speakers of other languages b) Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
TOEFL	Test of English as a Foreign Language
TOEIC	Test of English for International Communication
UCLES	University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate
USIA	United States Information Agency
VSO	Voluntary Service Overseas

How to be Successful Language Learners

2012-11-30T01:46:00.000+07:00

1. Leave English behind.

2. Make yourself understood with nonverbal communication.

3. Teach in full sentences; teach in conversations.

4. Aim for real communication in your language of heritage.

5. Language is also culture.

6-Focus on listening and speaking, rather than writing and grammatical analysis.

7. Activities for master and apprentice to do together.

8. Audio and videotaping.

9. How to be an active learner.

10. Be sensitive to each other's needs; be patient and proud of each other and yourselves!

This is a set of pointers for master-apprentice teams, or people who might want to be master-apprentice teams for their language of heritage.

1. Leave English behind. During the 20 hours per week that masters and apprentices will be working together (or however many hours you commit yourselves to), aim for communicating only in your language; try not to use English at all. At first there will be difficulties because the apprentice will not be able to understand or communicate. You can enhance communication with mime (gestures and actions and facial expressions), objects and pictures, context, and rephrasing what you are trying to talk about (see 2).

(a) Basic questions.Early on as an apprentice, you should learn how to ask things in your language. You should learn how to ask 'What is this?" and 'What is that?" (Remember, in most languages there will be lots of different words that translate into English as "that" or "this," depending on how far away something is or what kind of thing it is.) Or ask, 'How do you say X"? (If you were trying to learn Spanish, and wanted to know the word for table, the sentence would be "¿Cómo se dice 'table' en español?" In Karuk one can say simply, "piipi 'table'?") Other questions to learn might be, "What are you doing?" or "What am I (or what is he) doing?" Or maybe, "Tell me a story." (But see also point 5.)

(b) Reminding each other.Another important thing for the apprentice to learn early is how to communicate the idea: "Now say that in our language" Whenever one of you says something in English, it would be a good custom for the other to ask for it to be resaid in your language.

(c) If you lapse into English, get right back into your language. Think of English as a habit you are tying to break. Some of us have gone to weight-loss programs where the staff says, "If you go off program and binge, don't think of yourself as awful, don't decide you can't do it and give up; just put it behind you and get back on the program again." Do the same for your language.

2. Make yourself understood with nonverbal communication.

(a) Actions. At the workshop, Nancy Richardson and Terry Supahan demonstrated the enormous value of acting out what you are trying to say. If you are the teacher, your apprentice will understand better; if you are the apprentice, you can help your teacher understand what you are trying to communicate even when you don't know the words. More importantly, research suggests that we learn much better if we learn words embedded in actions.

Examples: Think about a basketry lesson. As Nancy Richardson demonstrates, she is able to teach not only words for basketry materials, but also action words, commands like "Sit down" and "Pick up the sticks," and words like "under" and "over" making us learn by doing the actions. Or if you don't know the word for a man swimming, for instance, perform the actions of a person swimming in order to get your teacher to understand what you are asking. Teachers can also mold apprentice actions to get them to understand; when Steve Thorne was teaching us the Hindi gesture for "come here," he went over to the person he was working with and took his arm and actually brought him over, to show what it was he wanted the person to do.

(b) Gestures and facial expressions. Point to things you are talking about, do facial expressions that illustrate what you are talking about. Remember that the appropriate gesture for something differs from language to language, and gestures themselves can be what you try to teach in a language lesson. In Karuk, for example, it is impolite to point with the finger---one points with the whole hand, palm up. In Havasupai, one points with pursed lips instead.

(c) Pictures and objects. If you have the things around you that you are talking about, you can use them to help convey your meaning. Use books and magazines and talk about what you see in them.
At the training workshop, Matt and Agnes Vera told us of one thing they do, which is to watch TV with the sound turned off, and just talk in Yowlumni about what is going on.

3. Teach in full sentences; teach in conversations.Even though often you will be trying to teach or learn specific words, the real lesson comes by embedding the words in sentences and conversations that are in your language.

Example: If you are trying to teach the word for door, don't just say "door," and don't use English to translate the word or explain it. Instead, speaking always in your language, say things like, "This is a door." Ask, "Where is the door?" Say, "Now I am going to open the door. Now I'll close the door. I'm knocking on the door." Tell the apprentice, "Open the door." "Close the door." Extend communication further using gestures to help in your communication say, "It's hot in here! Let's open the door." Or tell the apprentice, "Go out the door." Then say, "Now, close the door." Then, "Now, knock on the door." When s/he knocks, say, "Come in!"

It is very important for the apprentice to hear a word or sentence many times before s/he learns to recognize it, and then to say it. Through varied sentences, including commands, along with the physical activities elicited by the commands, the apprentice hears a given word (in this case "door") many times in different contexts, and will be able to pick out that word in the future when s/he hears it, and later on be able to use it in his or her own speech. The teams should remember the adage used by language teachers that comprehension precedes production -in other words, an apprentice should focus on learning to recognize and understand the words and sentences. Being able to actually say the words and sentences will naturally follow.

4. Aim for real communication in your language of heritage. Aim at doing every thing in your language. Once the apprentice can do some basic communication, don't start your sessions by saying in English, 'What shall we do today?" Say it in your language. If you need a break, say, "Let's have some coffee" in your language, not in English. If you know how to greet each other in your language, never do it in English. As we advised at the workshop, if you get sick and tired of each other, get angry in your language, not English. Don't think of your language as something you do just during lessons, but as the language of communication between you two always, and with other people too who know the language or are trying to learn it. Someday, even if the house caught fire, maybe you would be so accustomed to speaking your language that you would yell "Fire!" in your language of heritage! Is this going too far? Well, it's something to think about, anyway

5. Language is also culture. Your language is not just a translation from English, Learning your language of heritage also means learning about all kinds of customs, values, and appropriate ways of behaving.

Examples: I mentioned using gestures to communicate; learn how to do gestures in your culture of heritage.

We said above that the apprentice should learn how to ask various questions, such as "What's this?" or "What are you doing?" Such questions may actually be impolite in your language of heritage, and you may need to learn a polite way to get your point across. While storytelling is a good activity for language teaching and learning, it is probably the case that many stories are not supposed to be told in the summertime. Learn about the stories and the restrictions governing them.

A great deal of vocabulary is embedded in traditional ways of life. Doing traditional activities such as participating in ceremonies, or traditional food-gathering, or making or using objects such as traditional houses, tools, weapons, or cooking utensils will be important for language learning. In some cases, the master and apprentice may not know how to do these things; in that case, maybe you can go to someone else together for help. Or maybe no one knows these things anymore; in that case, reading some of the old ethnographies might be useful, to learn about both vocabulary and traditional cultural practices.

6-Focus on listening and speaking, rather than writing and grammatical analysis. Writing and grammar have important uses, but you don't need to focus on these to learn to speak a language. Language learning in classrooms is sometimes only about writing and grammar, but people almost never learn how to speak a language fluently when writing and grammar are the focus. So we urge you to focus on listening and speaking.

You don't have to know
	what a relative clause is
		to use one.

Remember these points:

(a) The apprentice can learn the grammar of the language unconsciously, simply by hearing it and using it. That is how children learn grammar, and despite what we have been told in the past, adults can still learn new languages the way children learn their first language. You don't have to know what a relative clause is to use one.

(b) Although writing things down is a nice crutch for reviewing words, you only really learn them by hearing them and saying them many times. A team needs to make sure that vocabulary items are used in conversation over and over for a long period of time; that is the way they will be learned.

(c) One bad thing about writing is that it makes pronunciation suffer. A better memory aid is to have the words and sentences you are trying to learn recorded on tape by the teacher (see 8).

(d) Writing also tends to make us insert English too much into the learning process, because we are likely to write English translations beside the words and sentences in the language of heritage. Communities who have long used writing as part of language learning in the schools report that when the children write in the language of heritage, it is quite changed and much more like English.

However, this is not to say that you should give up all writing and grammatical analysis. Grammatical analysis may in the long run be very useful; languages might have a lot of special constructions and affixes that are hard to learn, and one might want to study these seriously and consciously. Also, many communities already have writing systems, and becoming competent in your language might include competency in reading and writing. Writing a language, so long as it is not always tied to an English translation, might be something you want to develop as a new form of language use for your community. You might want to use writing to record old stories, or write letters to each other, or begin a new art form of poetry. But just remember that to learn how to speak a language fluently, writing and grammar are not as important as just listening and talking, talking and listening.

7. Activities for master and apprentice to do together. One question people always ask is, "What do we do to learn/teach the language when we are together?" Here are some of the most important things you can do.

Maybe you'd rather relax
	and watch a baseball game
		or the World Cup on TV.
Just turn the sound down
	and be your own announcers.

(a) Live your daily life together. Don't think of this time together as outside of your normal patterns of living. Do you have to do the laundry? Do it, and talk about what you are doing in your language. Do you want to go gambling? Do it, but only use your language. Do you want to fix your car, go to the store, plant a garden, paint your house, cook supper? Do it in your language. Would you like to take a drive or a walk? Maybe you'd rather relax and watch a baseball game or the World Cup on TV. just turn the sound down and be your own announcers.

(b) Do traditional activities. (See 5.)

(c) Play-act.This might be hard for some because it might seem too childish; but think of yourselves as children, for they are the best language learners in the world. Put yourselves into pretend situations and try to use the language to ad them out. Play with hand-puppets and act out a traditional story. This sort of activity is easiest for those masters and apprentices who are involved in children's language programs as well; you can always justify these childlike activities by saying to yourselves, 'Well, we're really just doing this to prepare a lesson for the kids!"

Examples: Ray and Melodie made a Hupa language video of a waitress and customer in a restaurant. At the training workshop, Sylvia and Claude gave a performance in Mojave of eating together. Terry Supahan tells and acts out the story of the theft of fire in Karuk to his schoolchildren; Sarah Supahan tells "The Three Bears."

(d) Planned lessons.You can also plan out lessons together on a more formal basis. Think of sets of vocabulary words you would like to teach or learn. Bring pictures or objects to work with. Remember to always embed a lesson in real sentences and communication. For example, if you are going to teach the body parts, teach them as a series of commands or questions. "This is my head." "This is my shoulder." 'This is my knee." "Is this my knee?"

(e) Visit other speakers together. Try to get together in groups as much as possible. This is relatively easy for communities with more than one master-apprentice team. The masters can talk to each other, which will be a relief to them-it will be the one time when they can communicate freely and expect the other to understand. By listening, the apprentices will get good exposure to the language. Most of the other activities mentioned above could also be done by the group as a whole.

(f) Teach what you learn.As the apprentice, one way to increase your own language use is to teach what you have learned to someone else. Teach it to your child, or to an interested relative or friend. Many of you are already teaching in schools or in summer programs or evening classes; apply what you learn to those classes.

(g) Have "immersion gatherings." Some tribes run immersion camps, where kids or families come together in a nice place and all activities are conducted in the language. If your community doesn't do that and you don't want to plan something so extensive yourself, you could just have get-togethers, where all the master-apprentice teams, and perhaps other speakers and interested people, could come together for a potluck supper or an overnight trip somewhere. If you want to find out more about immersion camps and how to plan them, Nancy Richardson, Terry Supahan, Ray Baldy and other Hupas, and Matt and Agnes Vera are among those who have conducted them.

... one way to increase your own language use
	is to teach what you have learned
		to someone else.

8. Audio and videotaping. These can be a very important aid in language learning.

(a) If the elder that you work with finds it objectionable to repeat things often, you can get added practice from tapes. Even if the elder will repeat words often, you will probably still want added practice.

(b) The master can tape all kinds of things, including stories and songs, that the apprentice can listen to, and that the two of you can go over together for added vocabulary, grammar, etc.

Martha Mach suggests that one way to make a practice tape would be to record the elder repeating a word or sentence UP to ten times, leaving a gap of several seconds between each repetition. Then when the apprentice plays the tape, s/he can repeat the item during the gaps.

(c) You might need to drive a lot; you can play audio tapes on your car stereo if you have one, or perhaps on a Walkman when you are driving or walking or just doing chores.

(d) Video can also be used to make practice tapes, with the added advantage that all the gestures and action we have been talking about above can be recorded.

(e) Audio or video can be used to make more formal lessons to teach to classes. (The Hupa videotape mentioned earlier is a good example.)

(f) In the long run, the audio and videotapes you make will be extremely valuable to your family and community as a record of the language as it was spoken by the elders. Label your tapes well, and store them safely. Make copies for safekeeping. Keep in mind that someday you may want to deposit them in a community archive, museum, library, or university, for posterity.

9. How to be an active learner. The master does not always have to take charge of deciding what, how, and when to teach. The master is the expert who knows the language and a vast store of cultural knowledge that goes with it, but in many cases the apprentice may know more about teaching. The apprentice should feel free to guide his or her own learning experience as much as suits the relationship and the situation. As the apprentice, you can guide the teaching by asking the master questions about the language, by suggesting what sort of activity you might do on a given day, by setting up play-acting situations, or asking the master to tell you things like what s/he has been doing, tell a story, etc. Your master may have a lot of ideas too, but may need to be encouraged and drawn out. As an active learner, you can also focus on trying to understand what the master thinks is important to do. Which one of you guides the learning the most will depend on the particular team; but aim for making the learning experience a true partnership.

... keep in mind that
	anything the master wants to teach
		is of great value,
			even if it is not
				what you had in mind
					at the moment.

10. Be sensitive to each other's needs; be patient and proud of each other and yourselves! Personalities and cultural differences will play a big role in how you develop as a team. There may be a "generation gap" between the two of you, as Martha Macri pointed out in the training workshop. Coming to understand each other and respect each other's philosophy, values, and needs is an important part of your partnership. Also, remember that language teaching and learning are bound to produce frustration along the way for both members of the team. If you get frustrated, do something to relieve the tension- talk it out, or change the activity, or take a break.

The master needs to keep in mind that language learning is a slow process, and needs to be patient when the apprentice doesn't learn something as fast as the master thinks s/he should. Being overly critical or teasing someone when they make a mistake will discourage the apprentice from using the language. Learn to correct without being judgmental. When your apprentice says a sentence, it may have lots of errors and it may sound terrible to you; but be proud of the effort he or she is making to learn. Correct errors by simply repeating the sentence correctly. Think of a mother interacting with her toddler: the toddler might say, "Daddy goed in car!" and the mother would respond, "Yes, Daddy went to town in the car!" She is correcting errors, extending the sentence further to increase the child's learning, and expressing pride in her child's language use, all at once.

The apprentice needs to keep in mind that anything the master wants to teach is of great value, even if it is not what you had in mind at the moment. Also learn what things the master gets frustrated about in the language teaching Process and try to find ways to relieve the situation.

If you start to get discouraged, remember that you are doing the best you can, and you deserve to be proud. You are making a heroic commitment to a wonderful cause, by working together to bring your language back from the brink of death.

The Troublesome Slippers

2012-11-30T01:30:00.002+07:00

Abukashan was a wealthy merchant, notorious for his stingy nature. He had a pair of slippers that were famous in town because they were completely worn out. The slippers had outlived their lives but Abukashan simply refused to buy a new pair.

One day he went to a public bath, visited by all the rich and famous people. He left his slippers outside and went into the shower. A few minutes later a judge entered the bath leaving his new and shining slippers outside. When Abukashan came out of the bath, he could not find his slippers, but saw a pair of new slippers instead. He thought, some friend of mine must have left these as a gift for me. So Abukashan wore the new slippers and went about his business.

Meanwhile, when the judge came out of the bath, he found his slippers missing. His attendant said "Sir I can’t find your slippers, but here are Abukashan’s. He must have taken your slippers."

When Abukashan was found, wearing the Judge’s slippers, he was brought to court. Abukashan tried to explain his side of the story, but nobody believed him. The judge imposed a heavy fine on Abukashan in light of his great wealth and stingy nature. So he paid the fine, took his old slippers back, and went home.

Abukashan was angry with his slippers for causing him so much trouble. So he threw them out of his window into the river below. Unfortunately, the slippers got caught in a fisherman’s net, who was fishing nearby. The old, worn out slippers damaged the net. Naturally, the poor fisherman was angry and he threw the slippers back into Abukashan’s house. The slippers flew through an open window, dashed against some valuable crystal displayed in the house, and in a moment, Abukashan lost his favorite expensive vase.

Now Abukashan was really very upset with his slippers. He knew he had to get rid of them immediately. So he went to a nearby pond and threw the slippers in. But as luck would have it, the slippers logged themselves in a pipe that supplied water, and blocked the supply. When the water supply people finally found what was blocking the pipes, they recognized Abukashan’s famous slippers. So, once again, he was produced in court. And, again, a very heavy fine was imposed on him.

A rather unhappy Abukashan looked with disgust at his slippers. Throwing they away just didn’t seem to be working. He decided he would burn them instead. So he picked up the wet slippers and put them out on the roof of his house for drying. As they were drying, the neighbors’ cat saw them and started playing with them. Just then, a women carrying a heavy load on her head was walking by Abukashan’s house. As the cat was playing with the slipper, it fell off the roof and landed on the head of the passing woman. Unfortunately the woman was pregnant and had to rush to the hospital. Once again Abukashan was produced in court and once again a very heavy fine was imposed.

This time Abukashan decided to bury his slippers. So he came home and immediately started digging a hole in his backyard. A neighbor saw Abukashan digging and thought that he must be burying a treasure. According to the law of that land, citizens were required to notify the government and pay a tax on all treasures. The neighbor informed the government and once again Abukashan was produced in court.

By now the Judge was quite fed up of Abukashan, so he imposed an even heavier fine. Abukashan was now in tears and pleaded to the judge, "Sir, I am tired of my slippers. I have lost all my wealth just trying to get rid of them. Please take my slippers and me into custody. At least that should prevent the slippers from getting me into more trouble."

The judge was a kind-hearted man, and he could understand Abukashan’s troubles. He said "As we go through life we acquire different things and positions in life. We should thank god for showering them on us. But at the same time we should not get attached to them. We must realize that just as good things come, they must go. We should welcome them and enjoy them, when they come. And when it is time for them to go, we should not hold on to them. We must learn to give up our old shoes at the right time".

Whatever Happens, Happens for the Best...

2012-11-30T01:24:00.002+07:00

Once upon a time there was an old man called Sthira, who lived alone in a village. He would go about his business alone, even in his old age. He was a nice, friendly man who was liked by all the people in the village. They would often come over to the old man’s house and express their sympathy that his only son had gone so far away to study. They wondered aloud if his son would ever return. To all their concern, Sthira would always thank them and say, "Whatever happens, happens for the good."

One day, the old man’s son returned to the village. The entire village was very happy for Sthira, and streams of villagers came over to congratulate him. Like always, the old man was polite. He thanked all of them for coming over and said, "Whatever happens, happens for the good."

Barely a few days had passed, when one day, Sthira’s son fell off a horse’s back and broke his leg. Once again the entire village came over to Sthira’s house to express their concern. And once again the old man thanked them for their sympathy and said, "Whatever happens, happens for the good." Some of the villagers were surprised to hear this and wondered what good could there possibly be in a broken leg.

A few days later, a small army of the local king came to the village and recruited all able-bodied young men into the army. When they came to Sthira’s house they found his son with a broken leg. So they left him behind. Once again, all the villagers came to the old man’s house to congratulate him for his good luck. And like always, the old man thanked them for their concern and said, "Whatever happens, happens for the good."

By: Ajay Jaiman; Illustrations by Amarjeet Malik

Tenali Rama and the Jinx

2012-11-30T00:54:00.004+07:00

Clown, jester, poet…Tenali Rama, minister in the court of the ruler of Vijaynagar, Krishnadeva Rai (reign: 1509-30), was a lot of things. Stories, about Tenali Rama and his practical jokes on everyone around him including distinguished fellow poets and the emperor himself, abound in south India.

His fame spread beyond Vijaynagar (present-day Andhra Pradesh), to areas that come in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka today. Tenali Rama was also a great scholar of several languages that included Marathi, Tamil and Kannada.

It was well known in the town of Vijaynagar that anyone unfortunate enough to look at a man called Ramaya first thing in the morning, would not be able to have food that day. That was why no one in Vijaynagar liked encountering Ramaya in the morning, if they could help it.

King Krishnadeva Rai, too, came to know of this and wanted to try it out on himself.

He called Ramaya to the palace and made him stay the night in a room adjacent to his bedchamber. The next morning, the first thing he did after waking up, was to take a look at Ramaya.

After finishing a few important duties in the durbar or court, the king went to the dining hall to eat. The food arrived piping hot. The king had hardly picked up the first morsel when he caught sight of a fly in the food. He left the table in disgust. And when the food was prepared for him the second time, he found that he had lost his appetite.

King Krishnadeva Rai could not eat anything at all that day, as a result.

The king was convinced that Ramaya was really jinxed. An angry king ordered that Ramaya be hanged.

In those days the king's word was law. The soldiers had no option but to take Ramaya to the gallows. While on their way to the gallows, they met Tenali Rama. He heard the story from the condemned man and then whispered something in Ramaya's ears. Ramaya nodded before being whisked away.

When the soldiers asked Ramaya about his last wish, he told them he wanted to convey a message to the king. He also requested that he be hanged only after hearing of the king's response.

"Tell the king while it may be true that anyone who sees my face first thing in the morning does not get anything to eat that day, it's also true that if anyone sees the king's face first thing in the morning, as I did, he has to lose his life. So who's the greater jinx - the king or I?" said Ramaya.

On hearing the message, the king was stunned. Then he felt ashamed. He ordered the execution to be stopped, called Ramaya over and offered him gifts. He also asked Ramaya not to say anything about the incident to the public. He was sure that the people of Vijaynagar wouldn't take well to the idea of having a jinxed person for a ruler.

Qui Jun and the Arrogant Monk

2012-11-30T00:51:00.003+07:00

There once lived a monk called Shan, in a village in China. He had earned a great name for himself. But he was very arrogant.

Qui Jun heard of his arrogance and wanted to teach the monk a lesson. He went to meet Shan who neither greeted him nor acknowledged his presence.

Just then a servant of the monk came with a message: "The son of an army officer is here to see you."
The monk said, "I will go and greet him."

Shan welcomed the son of the army officer with respect.
After the army officer's son had departed Qui Jun asked Shan the reason for his double-faced behaviour. "Why is it that you greeted the army officer's son so respectfully, yet behaved so arrogantly towards me?"
Shan the Monk had a quick reply: "Please don't get me wrong. For me greeting meansnot greeting and not greeting means greeting."
Qui Jun understood the monk's mischief and hit him hard on his head with his stick.
"According to your logic, beating you means not beating and not beating you means beating. Therefore, I have to give you a beating," said Qui Jun.
Shan immediately realised the folly of his actions and started showing respect to everyone he met, irrespective of their status.
By N.C. Ramaa; Illustration by Sudheer Nath

What Makes a Great Teacher?

2012-11-30T00:30:00.003+07:00

Teachers from the Exploratorium's Teacher Institute examine the "String Thing" they built (Photo: Wikipedia

Some teachers regularly lift students' test scores, while others leave their students with below-average results year after year.

This can happen right next door to each other; same grade, same building. Results from dozens of studies point to the same most significant factor - a good teacher is the single greatest influence on a student's chance of success.

Among the factors that do not predict a teacher's ability? "A graduate-school degree, a high score on the SAT, an extroverted personality, politeness, confidence, warmth, enthusiasm and having passed the teacher-certification exam on the first try," sites Elizabeth Green, writer for The New York Times.

"Parents have always worried about where to send their children to school; but the school, statistically speaking, does not matter as much as which adult stands in front of their children," said Amanda Ripley, reporting on the statistical findings of Teach for America.

Teach for America data suggests two major traits that link all good teachers: setting big goals for their students and continually looking for ways to improve their teaching. "Great teachers constantly reevaluate what they are doing," Ripley said.

A teacher needs to be constantly re-evaluating and paying attention to what is working for their students because every classroom is different. This takes patience and dedication, and a love for teaching, to do it right. Teacher Marie F. Hassett asserts, "Good teachers routinely think about and reflect on their classes, their students, their methods, and their materials."

"Another trait seemed to matter even more," Ripley says. Teachers who scored high in "life satisfaction" based on assessment tests were 43 percent more likely to perform well in the classroom. No surprise here, a happier person is usually the better teacher.

Doug Lemov, teacher, principal, founder and consultant for the charter school network Uncommon Schools in New York, has a different approach when thinking about good teaching.

Lemov, who conducted his own research and published a "Taxonomy of Effective Teaching Practices," believes that what often looks like "natural-born genius" is actually "deliberate technique in disguise." He suggests that good teaching is not purely instinctive, but that good teachers can be made through acquiring knowledge of pedagogical techniques.

"Lemov's view is that getting students to pay attention is not only crucial but also a skill as specialized, intricate and learnable as playing guitar," Green explains.

In a study conducted by German researchers in 2010, Baumert and his colleagues tested 194 high school math teachers and found that although content knowledge is essential, teachers who possessed strong pedagogical knowledge as well as knowledge of mathematics were the most effective.

What about passion, and talent?

Author, educator, and activist Parker Palmer argues that good teaching isn't about technique. After many conversations with students about what makes a good teacher, Palmer says, "All of them describe people who have had some sort of connective capacity, who connect themselves to their students, their students to each other, and everyone to the subject being studied."

"Good teaching often has less to do with our knowledge and skills than with our attitude towards our students, our subject, and our work," says teacher Teacher Marie F. Hassett.

To add to the debate I asked my colleagues for their input on what makes a good teacher, and these are the traits we came up with here at 360 Education Solutions:

Making it fun

Using different teaching styles, a hands-on approach, and being adaptive are all markings of a good teacher. Good teachers have to stay in tune and up-to-date on educational standards, while also keeping their students involved by making it fun and including activities in their lessons.

If a teacher can keep their students engaged and constantly make things a discussion, they are doing well. A good teacher should challenge their students to think creatively, and influence them by being creative with how they teach.

Being invested

A good teacher is invested in the subject and their students. It is important to know the subject material well but also to understand how the students might understand or misunderstand it, and to be aware of them and what they need.

Getting to know your students on a personal level - such as what is going on in their lives - is important not only for connection but to understand what they need as a student. Elementary school teachers and even high school teachers are often required to play the role of both teacher and parent.

Preparing students for 'battle'

One colleague gave me a very descriptive example of how he sees a great teacher. Their job is to give their students "the sword and the shield," he explained, "so they can go into battle." Because when they complete their challenges, it's empowering, he says, and when they've done it themselves, they can claim ownership over it.

"Good teachers are the ones that don't give you the answer ... they open the door for you but let you walk through it," he says. "And the reason I'm saying this is because the stuff in my life that's important happened because of teachers and mentors like this."

Being tough

Nobody likes a teacher who is mean, spiteful or who over-punishes. But one co-worker likes a tough teacher because they challenge him. "It seems like the teachers everyone hates for giving the most work and not letting you get off easy end up being the ones you learn the most from," he said.

Other qualities we recalled about our favorite teachers:

• Relate-ability
• Have respect for their students
• Have enthusiasm
• Present new perspectives
• Care about their students and what they teach
• Are wiling to go the extra mile

Most importantly, good teachers are the ones that have the patience to give their students the attention they deserve, and are dedicated to helping them go further than anyone else thought possible.

"Good teaching is not a static state, but a constant process," Hassett concludes. "We have new opportunities to become better teachers every day; good teachers are the ones who seize more opportunities than they miss."

Remember: good teaching means students' success but this success cannot solely be judged based on test scores. Also, a student's success is not only dependent on a good teacher but on their own motivation as well.

A good teacher can only "show them the door," the student must walk through.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janel_N_Spencer
http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Makes-a-Great-Teacher?&id=7338705

The Palm Reader

2012-11-30T00:26:00.006+07:00

Hari Prasad was the most sought-after man in the marketplace. A palmist rumoured to be the best in the area, he lived-off people's hands as he was believed to possess superior qualities of prediction. All he had to do was stare at the faint little criss-crossing lines on someone's palm for a little while and bingo, the client would listen astounded, as the palmist laid his life history bare before him.

The client would return home somewhat dazed by what he thought were the amazing powers of the astrologer. Few realised that Hari Prasad had actually said very little that was not a generalisation. Later it might strike some that they had been taken for a ride. But by then it was too late, they had already paid him his fees.

It was hard to believe Hari Prasad could lie. He had the look of someone very grave and authoritative. So people still queued up to have their palms examined and hear a few surprisingly accurate observations about their life - to be followed by a whole lot of nonsense. This was courtesy a few discreet enquiries made during the palm-reading session.

One day, in the middle of one such session, the neighbour's boy came running to Hari Prasad's shop: "Chacha (uncle), come home immediately. Someone broke into your house and stole all the valuables," he said.

At this, Hari Prasad leapt to his feet and began to run very fast. As he ran home, everyone in the vicinity watched him with surprise.

"Hey, he should not be running so fast," said someone, "surely he knew this was going to happen."

"How on earth could he have known that?" asked another person. "Do you think the thief served him a special notice that he was going to be robbed?"

"No," said the first man. "But how could Hari Prasad, the man who foretells everyone else's fortune, not have foreseen his own? And that too, a theft in his own house?"

Seven Tips for English Learners

2012-11-29T13:05:00.001+07:00

	Seven tips for English learners

Many people think you need to live in a foreign country, have a close foreign friend, or spend long nights with your head buried in a boring grammar book, to master English…In fact, you can become a very successful learner of English if you follow some basic rules.

1. Relax and enjoy speaking
When you use English, don’t worry about making mistakes. The chances are you will always make small mistakes when speaking a foreign language. The important thing is to learn from the errors you make. Babies don’t learn to walk without falling over a lot!
2. Learn about how you learn
Recent research has shown that many of us have a preferred way of learning. If you are a visual learner, you can link language to pictures and images. Watch films with subtitles, try to visualise yourself in imaginary situations speaking English, fix words with pictures in your mind If you have an auditory style, you have a ‘good ear’ for language and should listen to as much music as possible and watch movies in English. If you have an analytic style, then spend time studying grammar and comparing Vietnamese with English. A learner with an interactive style needs to spend as much time as possible speaking with others, discussing language and generally working in a team. A really good learner spends time on all these styles. Yet it is a sad fact that all over the world, many people are still taught in a traditional style that favours analytic and auditory learners.
3. Learn memory techniques
There are plenty of books on how to improve your memory. It is a skill that the successful learners I know take very seriously.
4. Immerse yourself
I once visited the home of a Spanish student who was actually quite a successful businessman. His house was littered with those small pieces of yellow paper called post-it notes! Every time he went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, to the bathroom to shave or used the remote control to change channel, he looked at those words. Again and again and again. Once the word was fixed in his mind, he put the paper into a file that he looked through at the end of the week. This way, he learnt 10 words a day, seven days a week. Read, listen and speak English at every opportunity! The best musicians and football players practise their skill over and over. The skill of communicating in a foreign language is the same.
5. Get Connected
I recently met someone who three times a week leaves her small village outside Hanoi, travels 1 hour on a motorbike and when she arrives at her destination, speaks in English for two hours to her friends in Britain, Australia and the US. Her destination? An Internet Café with voice chat facilities in the nearest small town. When I met her, she had never spoken to a foreigner face to face before, but after only two months of practising, she could hold a conversation with me in English.
The Internet has brought so many benefits to language learners. You can find great sites for practising grammar, vocabulary, listening, pronunciation and now, most importantly of all, speaking.
6. Learn Vocabulary systematically
Remember that learning English is not just about learning grammar. When we speak, we express most of our ideas through our choice of vocabulary, through collocations and fixed expressions. Think carefully about how you organise your notebook, don’t just write a long list of new words! Try to divide your notebook into sections. Here are some ideas…
subject pages; shopping, holidays, money verbs and nouns that go together; do your homework; make a cake expressions which use common words; overweight, to get over something, over the moon phrasal verbs; to grow up, to tell off, to look after fixed expressions; on the other hand, in my opinion, by the way idioms; once in a blue moon, to be over the moon, out of the blue expressions with prepositions; at night, at the weekend, in March, in 1988
Finally….
7. Get motivated: don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.
In London, I had a Thai friend who was attending university there, studying fashion design. Her English was excellent. She told me that when she was fifteen she decided that it was her dream to study fashion in the UK. She found out what IELTS score she needed and started studying right away. When she was nineteen and old enough to go, she was ready. Her early start was a smart move: when she returned to Thailand after a year, some of her friends were still studying English, waiting to go abroad to study. She is now fluent, well qualified and walked into a great job!

(By Tim Hood – British Council)

Improve your Learning Skills

2012-11-29T13:04:00.002+07:00

My most important piece of advice is: "Do something (anything). If you don't do anything, you won't get anywhere. Make it your hobby, not a chore, but above all have fun!"

Don't be in too much of a hurry. You're setting off on a long journey and there'll be delays and frustrations along the way. Sometimes you'll be in the fast lane and other times you'll be stuck in traffic, but there will also be lots of interesting things and interesting people along the way. Take your time to really enjoy the experience.

There are many ways to improve your level of English, but only you can find the right way for you. Here are a few tips that might help:

Learning is a skill and it can be improved.

Your path to learning effectively is through knowing

yourself
your capacity to learn
processes you have successfully used in the past
your interest, and knowledge of what you wish to learn

Motivate yourself

If you are not motivated to learn English you will become frustrated and give up. Ask yourself the following questions, and be honest:-

Why do you need to learn/improve English?
Where will you need to use English?
What skills do you need to learn/improve? (Reading/Writing/Listening/Speaking)
How soon do you need to see results?
How much time can you afford to devote to learning English.
How much money can you afford to devote to learning English.
Do you have a plan or learning strategy?

Set yourself achievable goals

You know how much time you can dedicate to learning English, but a short time each day will produce better, longer-term results than a full day on the weekend and then nothing for two weeks.

Joining a short intensive course could produce better results than joining a course that takes place once a week for six months.

Here are some goals you could set yourself:-

Join an English course - a virtual one or a real one (and attend regularly).
Do your homework.
Read a book or a comic every month.
Learn a new word every day.
Visit an English speaking forum every day.
Read a news article on the net every day.
Do 10 minutes listening practice every day.
Watch an English film at least once a month.
Follow a soap, comedy or radio or TV drama.

A good way to meet your goals is to establish a system of rewards and punishments.

Decide on a reward you will give yourself for fulfilling your goals for a month.

A bottle of your favourite drink
A meal out / or a nice meal at home
A new outfit
A manicure or massage

Understanding how you learn best may also help you.

There are different ways to learn. Find out what kind of learner you are in order to better understand how to learn more effectively.

Remembering Our Students' Names; N as in: Names

2012-11-29T11:58:00.003+07:00

How many of us say for ourselves that we’re bad at remembering names? I’ve done it a couple of times. Try looking at it as a self-fulfilling prophecy: If we say we’re bad at something, we stop trying and become bad at it. Therefore tip number one: Change what you say into “It’s demanding, but I’m doing my best.”

Here are other tricks I’ve found useful:

2. Whenever you first hear a student’s name – repeat it after them.

3. Visualise the spelling of the new name.

4. Use nametags or name-tents (folded cardboard which stands on the table).

5. Make a seating chart for each of your classes and insist on students respecting it.

6. Use students’ names frequently.

7. Give the students’ assignments back yourself: You’ll be able to connect the name with the work and a face.

8. Some students write their names on the covers of their books – use them as reminders.

9. As ice-breakers play name games. They could associate adjectives to names: Awesome Alice, Merry Margaret, Dilligent Dora. ;) or names to characters: Dora the Explorer, Alice in Wonderland… Margaret… Thatcher? (there’s a movie out now…; D)

10. If you can’t remember a name – apologize and ask: It’s a bit embarrassing, but the whole experience might make you remember better.