Are Educators Life-Long Learners?

If we, educators, love teaching then, we love learning as the former

implies the latter. As Vicky Loras (@vickyloras) expressed in one of her latest posts "Number three-What do you believe about

learning?- The 30 Goals Challenge", A good teacher is also a good

learner. Vicky has been writing insightful reflections on The 30 Goals Challenge created by Shelly Terrell (@ShellTerrell), both of whom are colleagues and mentors of mine and I feel thankful to them for being so supportive, personally and professionally.

Many times we forget how a student feels when they start learning a new language and it's difficult to gain insight into the language learning process from scratch. Imagine I started learning English when I was 6 years old and even if I can remember my classes, my memory is not so weak, I don't have any idea as to the way I felt in those times. So as to be able to be in my students' shoes, I've decided to start studying French. When I told my students about it, they looked at me in surprise but I guess it's a good way of showing students that it's never too late to learn a language and that teachers can also be learners. The line between teaching and learning is fragile and movable.

Hey, Soul Sister by Train

This is the link to the tasks described in my previous post:

Hey, Soul Sister by Train

I hope your students enjoy the song.

A Song To Welcome My Students

My group classes are about to start and I've prepared a song to

welcome them and to motivate them.

I've chosen: Hey, Soul Sister by the band Train as it offers lots

of possibilities to prepare tasks to develop listening, writing, reading

and speaking skills.

My plan to deal with the song is the following:

1) Introduction of what we're going to do: Name of the song and band.

2) Questions to motivate my students:

Have you heard this song?

If so, do you like it?

If you haven´t, What do you imagine the song is about?

3) I've devised a Glog with information about the band "Train": The Band Train

4) Brainstorming of ideas connected to the phrase "soul sister". There's a link where

the students can read about it: Soul Sister

5) The students watch the video in silence and write ideas that describe what the song is about. After that, they share those ideas in pairs and write a summary of the story.

The video

6) The students watch the video while listening and write words and phrases from the lyrics.

7) Last exercise: listen to the song and insert the missing phrases:

the way you move who's one of my kind be myself now finally

blow your mind I don't want to miss

my heart is bound to beat a single thing you do

that Mr. Mister on the radio the only drug I need

I wouldn't forget you I'm dreaming of I'm so glad

gave my life direction smell of you in every

left side brains

Hey, hey, hey

Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my …………………………………

I knew ………………………, and so I went and let you blow my mind
Your sweet moon beam, the ………………………single dream I dream
I knew when we collided, you're the one I have decided ……………………
Hey soul sister, ain't …………………………, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss ………………………….....tonight
Hey, hey,hey

Just in time, …………………..you have a one-track mind like me
You ……………………………, a game show love connection we can't deny
I'm so obsessed, ……………………………….right out my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna, and I'm always gonna wanna …………………………………

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, ………………….. ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, ………………………….a single thing you do...tonight

The way you can cut a rug, watching you's ………………………………
You're so gangsta, I'm so thug, you're the only one ……………………..
You see, I can …………………………………, in fact there's nothing I can't be
I want the world to see you be with me

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do tonight,
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight
Hey, hey,hey

Tonight

Hey, hey,hey

Tonight

Students can be encouraged to prepare their own glogs connected to the song as a final step.

My Lesson Plan History

After reading the post "What's Your Plan? My First Challenge" by Cecilia Lemos (@CeciELT), one of the members of my PLN I always enjoy sharing and chatting with, I decided to accept the challenge and describe my lesson plan history.

At Teachers' Training College, I was taught to devise plans on sheets of paper that unfolded and I included the step of the lesson, the material needed, the aims, the procedure for each task, the teachers' words, examples, time needed and so on. I remember figuring if I would ever be able to teach without having that large plan on my desk. As time went by and my teaching experience grew, I didn't need to include so much in my plans, which became a list such as:

Monday, September 14th

6th adolescents

· Oral correction of sts.´ homework. Check they've understood the grammar point.

· Introduction of the topic "Travel Broadens the Mind" (pairwork ideas/group discussion)

· Recording of new vocabulary: adventure/cultural/package/get away from it all/a minute's walk away from/stylish shops/leisure facilities/gourmet cuisine, etc.

· Sts. read the article on the book (page 45) in silence and ask questions if necessary.

· Sts. do the comprehension exercises.

· Games to practise the new vocabulary

After I started using technology in my lessons, my plans have changed and some examples are:

• Second Class ( August 21st ): 1) Pronunciation Practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dSY60K486g&feature=youtu.be&a

2) Videos: http://video.about.com/esl/ESL--Question-Words-in-English.htm

3) Conversation: http://esl.about.com/library/media/audio/aconverse.mp3

4) Present Simple and Continuous: PresentSimpleandPresentContinuous.pdf PresentSimple2.pdfPresentContinuous2.pdf PresentContinuous1.pdf

Extra Practice: Video: Listen and repeat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMH3Ne_6Zns

Multiple Choice: http://www.montsemorales.com/gramatica/PresSimpleAffirm1.htm

Present Simple Negative:http://www.montsemorales.com/gramatica/PresSimpNeg1Spt.htm

Complete the sentences:http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/presentsimple/exercise4.swf

Present Continuous: http://www.eflnet.com/grammar/presprog2.php

Introducing a talking point with a song: Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode

I can conclude that the more experience a teacher has, the more confident he/she feels and and the dependence on the lesson plans is reduced. One of the qualities a teacher should develop is adaptability so that he/she can make changes according to factors such as students' interest, their mood, queries and doubts that come about, students' suggestions, etc.

I'd like to thank Cecilia for her inspirational post and the opportunity to reflect on the changes that have been going on in my plans and in my classes.

Do We Take Our Voice For Granted?

Last Saturday morning I attended a seminar on the use of

our voice called "Performing What We Say". It was practical

as the listeners were encouraged to participate, which makes

it memorable.

These are the most relevant ideas discussed in the seminar:

• In our communication process, 7% of our message is expressed with words, 38% with our voice and 55% with our bodies.
• The voice is the sound factory. It's articulated air.
• Before speaking/giving a class it's essential to be relaxed and to stand in the right way. There are many exercises to relax the neck, shoulders and the face muscles.
• Coughing so as to clear our throat is bad for our vocal cords. The correct way of keeping our throat humid is drinking water.
• Our vocal cords are affected by extreme coldness and by extreme heat.
• When we speak, we should vary our tone of voice so as not to bore our audience.
• The features of the voice are: the tone (acute or grave), the pitch, intensity, rythm, duration (length of the phonemes).
• The personality of the voice is determined by the individual's anatomy.
• The most common speech malfunctions are: synaloepha (linking the final vowel of a word to the initial vowel of another word), omitting the pronunciation of some letters, wrong word stress in a statement, use of a monotone, lack of air, dropping the end of statements, nasalization.
• Our bodies confer meaning.

An interesting exercise we did during the meeting was called "the funnel". In groups of three members, we had to stand facing each other at a distance and forming an imaginary triangle. All the triangles crossed each other. We had to tell the other members of our group what we had done the previous weekend and made ourselves audible. The idea was to check the intensity of our voice.

At the end of the seminar, we were given tips on how to speak in public as to body posture, gestures and the most suitable clothes to wear. As a kind of conclusion, we watched a video and some of us made a presentation of the video and others participated in interviews connected to it. Then we commented on all the aspects we had discussed.

All in all, the seminar made me aware of the importance of taking care of my voice and of using it in the most effective way.

Peer-to-Peer Encouragement and Support

My First Certificate Level Students are sitting their Cambridge FCE in the next two weeks and they are studying harder.

When the course started back in March I did my best to make them

aware of the fact that their success depended on them and on their

commitment. I created a wiki space where I've been uploading lots

of material for them to practise in class and at home. from freedigitalphotos.net

It proved really helpful as a kind of "virtual library" and also as a means of communication. My students have made comments, solved doubts and kept in touch with me throughout the whole year.

Yesterday I felt a sense of achievement when a student of mine sent me a list of queries and he told me that it would be a great idea if I uploaded those queries with the replies for his classmates to have the opportunity to read. I thought it was highly thoughtful of him and I felt that was peer-to-peer collaboration. This student was concerned his classmates would have the same doubts he had. I felt proud of him and totally rewarded as to one of my aims was to encourage collaboration and support in the classroom.

After I uploaded this material, that same student wrote a very considerate message for his classmates. It was in Spanish but it made me feel a higher sense of satisfaction. His message was:

"Chicos: tengan en cuenta que las dudas que le envié a Marisa y ella completó son sólo una parte de todo el vocabulario para el speaking, si se fijan al comienzo del libro hay una tabla donde en una columna llamada speaking justamente están todas las pags. y temas del libro para no andar buscando, yo hice una fotocopia de eso y subraye vocabulario en la fotocopia, seran unas 20 pags. de speaking."

The translation of the message is: "Boys and girls: please consider that the doubts I sent to Marisa and which she replied are only a part of all the vocabulary for the speaking paper. If you check at the beginning of the book, you'll find a table which includes a column called speaking and you'll find all the pages and topics of the book. So as not to look up those topics, I made a copy of those pages and underlined the key vocabulary. They must be around 20 pages of speaking."

I'm not sure my students will pass Cambridge First Certificate Exam but I have managed to foster a sense of collaboration and support within the classroom. And that is highly rewarding.

How do you encourage collaboration and support within the classroom? I'd like to know about it.

Meet My PLN (Personal Learning Network) Series: Part 3

As part of this series I've interviewed Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto, a teacher of English currently living in Kitakyushu, Japan. She´s taught English as a second language for a little more than 20 years and she´s a valuable member of my PLN. The following are her replies:

• Why have you decided to start the teaching career?

Barbara: I never actually wanted to be anything except a teacher. Even as a child, when we played school I was ALWAYS the teacher--I'm sure it was quite annoying for my sister and friends. To be perfectly honest, there was a two week period in junior high school when I wanted to be a flight attendant. We'd gone on a field trip to the airport and I thought it would be lovely to have a job where I was paid to travel. Unfortunately, I realized that I'd never reach the minimum height requirement, so I happily returned to wanting to be a teacher.

• In your opinion, what are the advantages of using technology in the classroom?

Barbara: There are times when technology can improve on what you are already doing. For example, having my students write their own alphabet book helps them "own" their learning. Typically, they would make a page for each letter, and add words that begin with that sound. In the past, I would make a copy of the book for each student, and that was the end of the project. This past year, however, I added a technology twist to the project by using Voicethread for their book. Each page was uploaded as a separate slide, and the children recorded their words as comments on that "page". The advantage of using technology was that it allowed other people to collaborate on the project by adding their own words to the letter pages. The volunteers included native and non-native speakers of English from around the world, so that my students understood from a young age that English has many varieties, and that all speakers don't sound like me. A first grade class in the US adopted my students' alphabet book as their project too, and added words. My students were surprised to learn that children in the US were learning the same thing that they were, and impressed with how many words those children knew!

I could download copies of the book for my students, so they could watch and listen at home, and students were able to share the link with friends and grandparents. Since the book is online, other classes can use the alphabet book or continue to add words--it's an ongoing, global collaboration.

In this case, adding technology improved on what I'd be able to do in class without the technology. That made it worth the additional time it took for me to learn how to use the tool, and for my students to use it. Everything has a learning curve, and I have to weigh that cost against the benefits. I only have a finite amount of time with my students, and I want to make the best use of it that I can.

• As you see it, what factors determine that a class has been successfully taught?

Barbara: If my students leave knowing something they didn't know when they arrived at class, if they leave feeling more confident in their skills as language users, if they are happy and excited to return to class the following week--these are my signs that things went well.

• Is there a teaching method you favour? If so, which one?

Barbara: I don't really favor one method over another. I'm more of a "whatever works" kind of teacher. I believe in learning as much as I can about many different methods so that I can pick from among them depending on the needs and personality of each class.

• What technique do you use to correct your students' mistakes?

Barbara: I use a variety of techniques, depending on the age, skill level, and personality of my students. I'll often shadow my students, repeating what they were trying to say (correctly) or I'll do a quick mini-lesson focusing on a mistake that several students have been making. I try to focus on errors that interfere with understanding rather than correcting every mistake. If I focus on a few important corrections each class students stand a better chance of remembering (and changing) than if I try to correct too many things. I also try to use humor in error correction, partly because it makes students laugh and reduces their feeling of being criticized and partly because it makes the correction easier to remember.

• Should technology be present in the students' assessment? In what way?

Barbara: I think it depends on the class, of course. If technology is used throughout the course, then it makes sense to assess students the way they've been taught. However, I think there's a risk that you might end up testing their ability to use the technology more than their understanding of the language. I think it's important to be sure that you're actually testing what you intend to test.

• What is an effective way of assessing students?

Barbara: The most effective way I've found is informal--I keep notes about student progress, problems, areas to strengthen, and preferences. I'm not currently teaching in a formal school setting, so my assessments are simply a way for me to improve my own instruction or to give suggestions to parents who want to include additional enrichment at home. Several of my students have recently decided that they'd like to take a standardized English test that's popular here in Japan (Step Eiken) so we've been including practice for test-taking skills in class. What's interesting is that the test is not really serving as an assessment as much as it is providing another topic for our lessons. I'm looking forward to hearing their feedback about the test after they've taken it.

a final question, What is your recommendation for new teachers?

Connect. Join a teacher's group in your country, go to conferences and attend workshops. Join Twitter and/or online groups for teachers. There are so many fabulous, experienced teachers around that there's no reason to try and figure everything out on your own. Ask questions and ask for help--I can guarantee that there is some teacher somewhere who has been in a situation similar to yours, and you'll discover more support and experienced advice than you could ever imagine! Even after you've finished your formal training, continue to learn as much as you can about methods, philosophies, techniques, and materials so that you can choose what will work best for your students. And finally, (my personal motto!) always try new things :-)

Thank you very much for your time, Barbara! And thanks for sharing your expertise with all us.