Education

Topic Task 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:45:00 +0000

Every teaching situation presents its own unique characteristics. I have taught in the Middle East for most of my teaching career. Each country, each school, and I could argue each student has been distinctive and different. Having said that, I believe good teaching practices are good no matter what country, socio-economic background or culture you work in. Myself, I believe that student (self motivation) and teacher attitude can go a long way to defining a good classroom. Because my learning and ultimately how I teach is Western, and my students have been Middle Eastern, there are some things that really are different. The use of the KE-LeGe Table #4 is useful to a certain extent for comparisons or one could argue for analyzing ones teaching methodology and style. As an outsider, trying to analyze a student's role can only be accomplished by analyzing my own experiences and my own class observations because I'm not a student and I didn't experience being a student first hand here in the Middle East. I do however, believe that I am a good observer and I have talked to my own children as well as my own students. From my own perspective Middle Eastern methods of teaching rely heavily on rote memorization. Al-Omari (2008:19) gives a cultural reason for this as, "A good example is rote learning. In some cultures, such as Arabic and Chinese cultures, rote learning is an integral part of the education system, whereas it has become redundant in many Western cultures. In the Arabic world, the ability to recite poetry and the need for leaders to be good orators remains strong." In its own time and space this teaching methodology works. More to the point, my student have been in the system of education for about 12 years. This is a long time in any system. Then my students are moved into a "western" teaching philosophy situation in which their entire thinking process has to adjust if they wish to be successful. Some of my students are able and do this quite well. A majority of my students struggle to cope with opposing methodologies that they have known all their lives. Some of my students do not cope well at all and we both find the situation to be quite stressful.

There are a couple of areas that I think need to be highlighted: group work and critical thinking. One of the most difficult aspects for me as a teacher to deal with has been that my classes wish to discuss and share every answer. If I give an in class assignment, they are always checking with their classmates. At the beginning of my teaching career, I found this behavior extremely annoying and disruptive (only because of my western idea of coming up with the answer on your own). From my students perspective, they would rather check/seek the correct answer before speaking/sharing with the class so they can save themselves (and the class) embarrassment. They see nothing wrong in sharing. I wouldn't either except that their assessments are based on the "western" idea of multiple choice and fill in the blank high stakes testing – not on rote memorization. We are asking our students to analyze, synthesize, create, etc., when for 12 years that is not how they were taught, nor how they learned. Albon (2009) shares her autoethnographical ideas such as, "They (the parents of UAE students) wanted the text books back that they had used in the past and where were the tests for this new curriculum? The parents were also concerned that their daughters where not bringing home text books." These are the exact same concerns my students share with me now. This affects the entire atmosphere of the class. The students question every move you make as if you aren't an authority figure to them unless you are demanding that they memorize and spit out a list of information. My students have a very hard time with the Socrative method of teaching. When asked to analyze, synthesize, or just plain think for themselves, they find this task very difficult. This shapes even how creative they are. When asked to produce a piece of writing from their imagination, they are stymied. Give them a formula and words to use, they could produce a decent essay, but if asked to produce one out of thin air, forget it.

All of this wouldn't be so much of a problem except that my students must show a level of proficiency of English that demonstrates that they are able to function in a college level course at a level of English that is able to perform in that said class. The fact that not just my college, but the entire world is moving toward more online courses and more e-learning in general is good for my students as they thrive in a collaborative environment. E-learning breaks down the cultural barriers that may or may not exist. As Pratt (1999) says when defining the term 'contact zone' to refer to social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other in finding a way forward, "…experiments in transculturation and collaborative work and in the arts of critique, parody, and comparison (including unseemly comparisons between elite and vernacular cultural forms): …ground rules for communication across lines of difference and hierarchy that go beyond politeness but maintain mutual respect; a systematic approach to the all-important concept of cultural mediation."

So how do I move forward now? I try to make a safe place in my class. A place where students are free to discuss any idea they wish. Most of the time the ideas are fairly mundane, and I wouldn't risk my job discussing any idea that I felt could cost me my position. That still leaves a broad base to choose from. My biggest struggle has been just getting my students to make even a first step….thinking for themselves. They really struggle with that concept. But I will carry on because we still give multiple choice exams, and essays that require their opinions.

I believe that the world and ultimately the world of education is getting smaller and larger at the same time and that my students will and would benefit from exposure to more of this 'world'.

Albon, N., & Australian Teacher Education Association, (. (2009). Beyond the Abaya: School Reform in the Middle East. Australian Teacher Education Association,

Al-Omari, J. (2008))

Understanding the Arabic culture. U.K.: How to Books Ltd.

Pratt, M. (1999) Arts of the contact zone.

In Ways of Reading, 5th edition, ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petroksky

New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Topic 3 Identity Task

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 09:21:00 +0000

My own teacher training was unconventional – in that I became a teacher without the formal teacher training usually required for my job, but learned everything I know about ESL teaching from that first job. I didn't “know” what a participle was, not sure I do now, but my mentor taught me how to ‘teach’ grammar. More than that, my first students were from Japan – one of the most unlike American students around.

My students were JAL employees’ children. I had to learn how to pick up on extremely subtle verbal cues, and how to read understanding without looking someone in the eye. It is an extreme example, but it taught me so much about the fundamentals of teaching, so much so, that to this day I still recall some of the advice I received back then more than 25 years ago. From this immersion by fire if you will, I chose to go to the knowledge wasteland. I moved to Gaza, Palestine. Not exactly the knowledge capital of the world. Back then, you couldn't even order books – it wasn’t allowed. If you wanted text books, you brought them with you and copied them. Yes, I know I was breaking copyright laws, but it was the only thing available. When I got an email/internet connection in 1995 it changed my life and primarily, my students’ lives. I became the ‘queen’ of the search. If I didn’t know something, or wanted to explore an idea, I would search for it.

Most of you don’t eve know what this logo stands for….for me it was for freedom….freedom from Internet Explorer (which I still despise), freedom from those who would keep anyone from education. The internet literally opened up the world for me and my students. It would be years before the whole of Gaza became ‘connected’, but for me and mine, we could go anywhere, and know anything. My students were so starved of general information that any and all were consumed voraciously.

This time around I didn't suffer too much culture shock because I was more interested in being assimilated rather than keeping my own identity. I “went native” to coin an American expression. It means to become like the people you are living amongst (if they are different than you.)

When I finally did go back to school to get my “formal” training to be a teacher – I was lucky enough to find a program that fit my idea of what a teacher should be, and not the other way around. I’m not sure what I would have done if it had been the other way around. Which raises the point of what do students do who don’t necessarily agree with the teaching style, manner, or delivery of a course. What are their options? We as teachers strive to incorporate the different learning styles, but cultural differences are a bit trickier in my mind. As I have been reading these articles an idea that I can’t seem to get rid of is….Is there a generic teaching method? A truly one size fits all way/method/style of teaching? And would we want that? Do we want McTeaching?

Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 08:16:00 +0000

For me this is a great metaphor for my life. If you think of how small your feet were when you were young, and compare them with how large and calloused they are now....what a difference. The same could be said for my own knowledge and experience. I took a country (visit) survey - I've been to approximately 40 different countries. I've lived in about six for any length of time. I would hope that gives me a global perspective. My husband jokes that we should be citizens of the world - not of individual countries with arbitrary borders.

When I was young, my favorite shoes were my ballet shoes. I was light, skinny, and agile. I would like to think my mind and understanding of the world were of the same. Some could consider that naivete, but I choose not to.

As a teenager I experimented with what can only be described as army boots that were swapped with high heels or cowboy boots. Again, I believe my mind was trying to hunker down and protect itself from outside influences while at the same time trying to attract the opposite sex. I believe most teenagers are like that - trying to be their own person, but also trying to find their way in this crazy world.

Fast forward to now. I'm a wife, a mother, and even a grandmother, but I refuse to wear "grandma" shoes - the ugly orthopedic ones. I wear fancy sandals, and sports shoes. I even wear an occasional high heel.

How does all this relate to my teaching? I would like to think that I change my shoes to fit my needs - and I change my teaching methods and styles to fit my needs and more importantly to fit my student's needs i.e., what I am able to do or not do (like wear high heels) [or to get my students to study when they don't want to]. I can be practical (sneakers) when I need to like when we are pushing for an exam etc. Or, I can be fun and impractical (high heels) on a special occasion.

I think I need to be as flexible as possible. I need to be able to change shoes - sometimes in the middle of the lesson. I miss my ballet shoes, but I have been known to bust a move in the class room.

For me, I think that I must realize what shoes my students are wearing - flats, heels, vans, high top sneakers - and still be able to get such a diverse group to gel right from the first class.

Occasionally someone will stumble (my middle name should be grace because I fall so much), but it is my job and my pleasure to help pick them up, dust them off and send them on their merry way.

One could argue that in the future we may not need to walk to do anything so we won't need shoes, but I can't see women giving up their Manolo Blahniks anytime soon!

I as a teacher, need to remember that my student wear many shoes and that even if they show up in army boots - they are "my" students and they won't wear them forever!

Candy Crush and/or Life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 07:36:00 +0000

As I mark another year on this planet, I thought I should make a comment about my time here. I also thought I would combine my thoughts with my obsession of the moment – Candy Crush. They are both:
- not easy
- harder as you go along, but just as fun, even more so as you know what to expect
- it takes a bit of luck (but I believe luck is created)
- you always need a little help from friends
- takes planning, fore thought. If you don’t plan ahead, you will get a long, but you won’t progress as far or as fast as possible
- when you combine (meet) the right candy (or people) wonderful things can happen

Candy Crush and Life:
striped candy (can only go in one direction) We all know people who are like this, stiff
double striped (can go vertical, or horizontal, but only one line) People who are a tiny bit flexible, but not good outside their comfort zone
a wrapped candy (this explodes not once but twice) A lot like me – could go off at any time, and then watch out, because once the fuse it lit….
a striped and a wrapped candy – this wipes out three rows vertically, and horizontally. This is when someone is having a really bad day.
two wrapped candy – this is even bigger than the previous one. I call this a nuclear meltdown. Thank goodness this doesn’t happen very often
sprinkled ball – it eliminates one candy color from the board. You can only dream of getting these in quantities. I would like to take out certain people – did I say that out loud?
two sprinkled balls – when you find that special someone it takes out the whole world (board). I have met my sprinkled candy, and he is the best!
jelly – most of the time you must hit the space twice before it disappears. Life can be like that as well, you must keep doing something over and over until you get it right.
sucker – sometimes you must take a sucker (sledge hammer) to life and knock the crap out of something
chocolate – can be very tasty but in the game it takes over and covers all the spaces. Life can be like that sometimes, when things start to take over and you just don’t think you can take back your life and then wham - it's all clear again only to have to fight the damn chocolate again and again. Did I mention that I'm addicted to chocolate now?
bomb – sometimes we just simply run out of move (time). Sometimes we get lucky and get a little more time, sometimes life just explodes all over us. Your just going along minding your own business and then boom, you've exploded if you haven't paid attention.

But I think I have learned that no matter how, or how long you play the game, it’s the point that you’re playing that matters! You need to enjoy every minute – whether you are losing or winning doesn’t matter, you’re here! So go out and have a great day no matter who you are, or where you are! That is my birthday wish for everyone!

End of Semester blues

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 07:17:00 +0000

While waiting for the next class, I was talking with a colleague about how unmotivated our students are at this particular moment in time. If the student is going to pass, they don't need to worry too much as they have been studying all along. If they aren't going to pass, there is nothing they can do at this stage anyway either. So both sets of students are not happy to be here at all. I have nothing new to give them. I have drilled, and drilled, and occasionally thrown in some fun here and there. Either they will pass or they won't. I just need to get through the next couple of days.

On another point, I came up with the idea that our foundation students are looking for a "lego" education. They want us to provide them with little pieces, that they can memorize, put together and use at will, and regurgitate on any given exam. Take for instance the most recent writing exam. Almost down to the student, an entire class wrote, "No one can deny..." While teaching the correct use of opening lines is all well and good, and I have been known to use my own formulaic writing outline, to have an entire class use that one line is astonishing. But I shouldn't be that surprised as the best adjectives they could come up with for an in class game were the ones I had used as examples! For the life of them, they couldn't be creative! Even the nouns were taken from the room they were in.

I have been their teacher for at least two semesters, and for a couple almost three. They still couldn't tell me what a noun was, or an adjective. I know even a native speaker would have a hard time with definition, but when I've been the teacher, and I know what I have taught them? Come on people! I guess I'm suffering from end of the term let down. Or maybe I feel I've let them down somehow because I didn't change the world completely? But I take heart in knowing that there will be another term to start over again. Tomorrow really is another day!

PGCTHE Semester 2 Final Project

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:59:00 +0000

I had a very hard time narrowing down what I wanted to do for this final project. We have studied some very interesting ideas, and read some very interesting articles. My main focus for this semester has been technology and metacognition. I love the idea of flipping a classroom, but don't know how to implement that in a low level Foundations course. Working on that.

So I needed a way to use technology and incorporate my ideas on metacognition. I believe I have found a tool that will help on both fronts. Socrative.

If you aren't familiar with this, you should be. Above all, it is very easy and user friendly. There are just a couple of negatives. The first is that you must set up an instructor account. This allows you to make quizzes, grade them, etc. The second is that you (as the instructor) must "open" the quiz to allow the students to take the quiz on their 'smart' device. Most teachers forget to open the quiz and students get a bit frustrated while they are waiting for the teacher to open it. There is an ipad app for both the student and the teacher. I don't want to give too much away, so please know that most questions will be answered during the quiz. I have already made a quiz based on my studies from semester two. Please feel free to take the Quiz. You will need to enter room 95041. It is very self explanatory. If you aren't able to access the quiz, please feel free to email me directly to 'open' it. I look forward to your comments. Thanks.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:20:00 +0000

While reading chapter 2 and chapter 13 of the assignment, I was struck by some thoughts. The research mentioned no lack of funding for the initial implementation of technology, but sorely lacked in teacher follow through or follow up. I sincerely hope we do not fall into this trap - as we implement ipads here. It also mentioned the idea of design based research as their method of research. I have since done a little research into this method. I have to say I have been doing design-based research all along and didn't know it. I adjust my methods and styles on the fly. I do not wait until the end of the semester or until all the data has been collected to make adjustments in my teaching.
While I understand the arguments for and against this method, I would hope to find a good balance between being part of action research and design-based research.
I think I took from both the idea of reflection. No matter what we do, we must think about the impact our teaching has on our students and how we can improve it.
For my project - using an online quiz web site - I want to do more reflection. Yes, I will be collecting data on the use, engagement by students, etc., I also think I need to reflect on this at a deeper level as well. The reasons I chose this, the impact of this choice on my students, will I use this next semester, etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:33:00 +0000

Thinking about thinking is very time consuming. I am being consumed by writing exams at the moment. Then I read an article about having computers mark writing essays. What an idea. I could sit back while the computer reads this pile for me. Not only that, it would grade it too. But then I continued to read....what a mistake....my little bubble was burst even before I could get it in the air.....

But here’s another view: the fact that a machine can score your essays just as well as your human readers suggests that your human readers aren’t really doing a good job of reading the essays in the first place. It suggests that having the essays you have on your test, and grading them in the way you do, is an utter waste of time, money, and effort. The fact that you’re able to waste this time more cheaply by using a computer doesn’t transform it into a worthwhile activity.
http://www.joannejacobs.com

So dear group, just to throw this out there, do we have to have real live people grade our essays? Another thought was from a teacher who would have his students run their essays through a computer and he would only read those that scored a B or better. He was using the computer for screening purposes only. I am not sure where I am, I only know that I have a pile, and it isn't getting any smaller for all my talking.

Implementation of Technology in the classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:55:00 +0000

This was a difficult assignment. I literally have hundreds of programs and apps on my laptop, iphone, and ipad.

To pick a technology that I wan't very familiar with sounded almost impossible. So I decided to go with something I hadn't already tried before. For various reasons our college hasn't had success with SRS's (student response systems) [clickers, smart phones, laptops, etc.]. So, when I found out about a free web site I jumped at the chance to try it on my own.

A bit of back ground first. I teach Foundation students. They come to us with only minimal skills. I can work with that. What has proven harder is attitude. I try to make my lessons engaging and even entertaining - anyone tried to make the past simple fun? Then you know what I mean. I am teaching level 3 writing. The nature of the course is to pass the CEPA exam at the end. If you are familiar with CEPA then you know it has a lot of grammar - more than is completely necessary, but I digress. I can't just turn on a youtube video and hope my students will understand the grammar. I have to repeat and recycle everything. I myself was getting bored from the lessons and worksheets. Yes, there are some spectacular web sites, but since I don't have a lock down system to monitor the students web surfing, I can't be 100% sure they are on the correct web site and doing what I asked them to do.

I had found a web site that allows a teacher (or anyone) to make a quiz - give it - get results - and the best part - to get a complete print out of who missed what question. All without lengthy registration and up load.

I literally spent 10 minutes or less making a short 10 question quiz. I went to class - had students take it. The best part is because I have a couple of new students - they don't have laptops yet. They were able to access the quiz from their smart phones! I had the entire class engaged - even those without a laptop (or charger, or whatever the excuse is today). They never forget their phones!

I could see immediately which question everyone had missed. We could discuss the answers right then. We could analyze why they hadn't answered correctly. And hopefully through this engagement we could instill the correct answer.

Did I mention that is also shows how much time the spent on the quiz. I believe part of my job is to also give them study skills as well as writing skills. By having this information, and showing the students that they aren't spending the correct amount of time on something, I can hope that this will make them more successful next time. I have used this only a couple of more times. I plan on making many more 'spot check' quizzes.

The implications of this are enormous. Because of the ease and speed - I can make one on my break - between classes - if I see that class later in the day. It can be used for any subject. I could even send the link to a student who is absent. Although for my 'spot check' class that wouldn't be ideal. If I wanted to I could even let the students make their own quizzes and then take each others quiz. To me that is the ultimate use of this technology. To have students fully engaged in their own learning.

I wanted a technology I wasn't familiar with. I wanted something to engage the students more - but not become the focus of the class. This item had to be easy to use. I wanted something useful for the students as well as useful for me. I believe this is using technology and not just from technology.

Pick a Technology for class use

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:44:00 +0000

I think this was one of the hardest assignments I have ever had. To choose just one from the thousands out there, and from the hundreds on my laptop, iphone, and ipad. To narrow down my search, I sought something that I wasn't using currently, but would find useful. That was difficult as I am somewhat of a tech junkie. I stumbled upon an idea. My college has been trying for the past year to use SRS's (student response systems). But due to technical issues, cost, and management changes, we haven't formally implemented anything yet. I found a web site that fits my criteria - must be free/low cost, must be easy to use as a teacher, must be easy to use as a student, must work the first time. You will need to read my next blog to find out what it is! Thanks.

Professional Development - PLN

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:36:00 +0000

I have been very interested in technology since my first computer class back in the mid 80's. I seem to have a knack for understanding and the patience to stick with programming. I didn't, however, go into this field of work. I chose to become a teacher, or rather, teaching chose me. I can remember the early days of list servers - send 'subscribe' to an email address. I thought it was the greatest invention of all time. Information on demand. I have been on some lists for a very long time. I would call myself an info junkie. There is no such thing as information overload...
Having said that it is hard sometimes to reconcile what I have in my head with the realities I am face with in my teaching. I get invites to all these wonderful conferences that are focused on different aspects of teaching (CALL, TALL, theories of language acquisition) from all over the world - but I can't even attend a two day conference in Dubai. Even if I am able to go - implementing these new ideas, techniques, etc. is far beyond ideal. We are surrounded by technology - almost assaulted by it, and one of my best lessons lately was using pieces of colored paper.
I may sound a bit discouraged, but I keep up my spirits with my daily infusion of free apps (for my newly aquired ipad + iphone) and my hero - Larry Ferlazzo. Every day, like clock work, he sends out an email highlighting different aspects of ESL. It could be an article written in a newspaper, a new web site to help teach a certain subject, a new app, - just about anything. But what I love most is his enthusiasm for teaching. His joy comes through his articles. I can only hope to emulate such an attitude. I am off to prepare for my presentation on my favorite apps....got to have faith!

Here’s Another Reasons Why Lectures Are Not The Best Instructional Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:13:00 +0000

Here’s Another Reasons Why Lectures Are Not The Best Instructional Strategy

This was funny - at least it was meant to be.
Enjoy.

Ice Breaker Module 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:21:00 +0000

I am Adria Arafat. The Adria part is my name given to me by my mother – Adrienne. Her name was given to her by my grandfather – Adrian. I, of course, named my daughter wait for it….Adrienna. The Arafat part is from my wonderful husband of almost 30 years, Aiman. Yes, I married a Palestinian named Arafat back when it was one of the most recognizable names in the world. And no we aren’t related. We have four lovely children and two grandchildren. My two oldest live in the U.S. with their children, so I don’t get to see them much. My two youngest are here – one at Sharjah University, and one at Raha International school.

I was born and raised in a very small town in Utah, U.S.A. I had never been east of Denver, and then moved to the Middle East. I have taught ESL in the U.S., Palestine, Oman, Egypt, and most recently UAE.

I was reminded while reading the other postings that I have always been curious. I was always the one my family asked to ‘fix’ things. My father would go for days not knowing what time it was because he could never figure out his digital watch and would wait for me to come home from college and reset it. My parents were founding members of the flashing 12 club (think VCR’s a while back). My father used to say he wasn’t on the information super highway, he was on the information cul-de-sac. I am just the opposite. I can’t get enough of the internet, gadgets, widgets, music, movies, etc. I played with an Ipad at an educational conference, and had to get one the next day.

Having said all that, I am pretty low tech in my class. I try not to use any more than is necessary. The key word is necessary. What do my students have, and what do they need.

I teach foundation English. The key word there is foundation. My students aren’t ready for academic classes yet. It is my job to get them ready. You know the one about you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink? Well, I feel my students are a lot like that. I can lead them down the road, but if they aren’t willing to do the work (I gave a homework assignment – only 1 out of 18 did it) then I must try something different. I won’t give up, but reaching these students is proving very difficult. I try to make my classes interesting, exciting, lively, but at the end of the day, my classes are still the basics. We were supposed to be “reviewing” the present continuous and most of the class acted like they had never seen it before in their life! I ended up ‘teaching’ it.

I would love to “flip” my classroom, but fundamentally I know that this would a)not be practical, b)not be allowed by the powers that be, c)not be accepted by my peers, and mostly d)not be accepted by the students! The students would never watch the videos. Not because they aren’t interesting, but because they just don’t spend any time outside of class doing any school work. I don’t want to become the ‘teacher that shows videos’ just so I don’t have to teach. That isn’t my goal. I want to show videos because they are entertaining, and educational – edutainment.

I have a lot of ideas in my head, it’s the implementation of these that I have problems with. I look forward to the module and reading all of your stories, ideas, and insights.

Students on thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:47:00 +0000

I have come to appreciate “meta-cognitive’ thinking. If we are a full participant in our own learning, we cannot but learn something.

I took this idea to my class room. Specifically, my reading classroom. I haven’t taught reading for a long time, so I needed a refresher course. I stumbled upon “clicking, and clunking.” To some, this may be very old, but for me, it was new.

I have a class of mixed – some coming from level 2 to level 3, and some repeating level 3. For the new ones, the material will be new. For the old ones, the material will have already been done, and done poorly. I needed something that was interesting, but easy. Something they could get their head around, but useful.

I put the students into groups after giving a brief explanation of what they were to do. This was after a class in which I had explained clicking and clunking.

To me, this was magic. I had groups actually talking about the reading with understanding. They were helping each other, but not in a bad way – just giving the answers. They were helping their fellow student to understand!

This was a very small group, and they were higher level than before, but it was a 'teaching' moment.

Thinking on thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:07:00 +0000

It is not enough to "know" anymore. A 21st century student must have a set of skills to succeed in the modern work place. These skills are being able to use technology in such a way as to make one more productive, more creative, ultimately more flexible than others. Technology is a useful to, but as with all tools - is only as good as the user.
I loved that formal assessments "in no way correlate to how productive students will be in the workforce." The key to success is "high productivity.' To me this is because if you are productive it is because you a) understand, b) are able to apply knowledge to new situations, c) adapt this knowledge to fit your situation so of course your productivity will increase. The opposite is also true: if you don't understand, you can't apply, adapt, or produce anything. You are stuck in an endless loop of frustration.
The ideal situation would be to have a class where students are in Krashen's I+1. But we all know the difference between the ideal and reality is as big as the grand canyon. I see my roll as trying to find out where students are, and then trying to help them move forward. This is not always easy or feasible given all the exterior influences and pressures.
But I will try, and maybe that' the key. To keep trying until we figure what works?

Practical Teaching Theory

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:09:00 +0000

We are products of our experiences - I am sure I teach in ways that I was taught. But, I am also sure that I have made conscious choices to not teach how I was taught as well. Whether I put formal labels on it or not, I do have a belief system in how students learn. I have made some assumptions and it is these assumptions and my observations that have shaped and molded my teaching.
I have struggled before to put my teaching theory into a neat category. It didn't work perfectly. I have definite leanings, but I am very eclectic. I use what I need to help students succeed. After obtaining my MEd, I learned that I am a constructivist and a cognitivist. Having said that, I am also a pragmatist. I teach Foundation English. My students need me to help them gain 'fundamentals.' I try to be constructivist in my approaches, but let's face it - foundations is pretty prescriptive.
My biggest push right now is using technology in my classes. I see tech as a way for students to interact with English. I see it as a way for them to construct their own English reality. That's my theory anyway.
I will conclude this thought with a metaphor....Teaching is like a newspaper - it changes everyday within set parameters and I learn something new everyday!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:47:00 +0000

I have another great site to share. I guess I'm in a sharing mood today.
Link: http://www.funzug.com/index.php/informative-zone/a-peacock-in-the-land-of-penguins.html

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:39:00 +0000

My husband sent me this link... Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDVECWcYtjc&feature=player_embedded

This is my hope....

This is my dream....

This is why I teach....

Learning to Drive in Egypt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

I have been driving a vehicle since I was 4 years old. I grew up in rural Utah, USA. I drove my fathers old truck to school. I learned to drive a stick shift before I drove an automatic. In other words I feel comfortable behind the wheel. I moved to Egypt. I got a job teaching in a high school and rode the bus to school every day. The bus was full of screaming children, the seats were to small, and I got there just before school was to start, not to mention the fact that I had to ride on this noise machine for an hour more on the ride home. All in all, not an ideal situation. I got a silver car for my silver wedding anniversary. There was just one problem. This was Egypt. I'm not sure if you've ever visited Egypt, but driving and obeying the rules of driving are unknown there.

I had been out riding with my husband. On the odd occasion, I had even driven to the market area in the gated community where we lived. I had a flash back to high school when my father had gotten into the pick-up truck and said drive. That is basically what my husband said, "This is your car, you need to learn to drive it."

I distinctly remember driving my first time on the ring road by myself. I had to consciously breathe. I was that scared. The ring road in Egypt is that scary! But I did it. I was going to give an English Lesson and didn't want my husband to have to wait for me for two hours. Going back was just as scary as by now it was dark. The cars there flash their headlight too, but some even drive with no lights!

What I remember most is my sense of independence. My sense that I can tackle anything! My sense of accomplishment. I don't want to sound like my husband wasn't supportive. Actually, I couldn't have done it without him, but I was all alone on the road; just me and my car. If I am faced with problems or a task that seems to big, I just remember my little silver car and that road. I can do anything!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:27:00 +0000

I am a foundation English Language instructor. I have been working for HCT for two years, but have been an English teacher for over 25 years. I am American by birth, but have lived in the middle east most of my adult life. A few years ago, I returned to school to get my master's of education. I learned a lot about my profession, but I also learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am a constructivist by nature - I believe students should be heavily involved in their learning. I learned that I am a visual learner, so I have to remember that not all my students are like me. I learned that I can trust my instincts. I have also learned that I love learning - I hope to be a life long student. If I don't learn something new during the day, it was a day wasted. I want to learn more about teaching and learning. I hope that by sharing, we can all accomplish this. Thanks.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:44:00 +0000

I am very excited to be a part of this. I hope to learn, share and grow. Thanks.