tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70608911317659708152024-03-13T03:44:07.732+01:00ESL by AmberSharing resources and teaching tips with ESL teachers in the western world.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-12209545376569351052013-10-14T19:13:00.000+02:002013-10-14T19:16:06.979+02:00BTS Industriel -- Listening exercises & Discussion About ObligationsLast week's lesson went pretty well, so I thought I would give it a little share. Our subject of the day was obligation, so we focused mostly on the phrases, "you must + verb", "you have to" and "you mustn't" or "you can't".<br />
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My second-year BTS students here in France started out by listening to <a href="http://www.esl-lab.com/week/weekrd1.htm" target="_blank">this text</a>, between ESL-Lab's Randall and his daughter. I liked this text because it talks about possibility (can/can't) and obligation (you have to). I prepared this grid to help the students with the listening exercise:<br />
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<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 632px;">
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Monday<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tuesday<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wednesday<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thursday<o:p></o:p></div>
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Friday<o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sunday<o:p></o:p></div>
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The students were asked to listen to the script and write the daughter's obligations and activities in the grid with times, if possible. What is confusing is that the daughter starts off by asking if she can go see the movie on Wednesday so students immediately start to write "Go to the movies" on Wednesday, only to find out that her father says no. As the dad and the daughter discuss what needs to be done and negotiate the daughter's freedom, have your students write as many possibilities as they can hear. Then discuss it as a group, writing down the different obligations and explaining the ones they missed (maybe even listening to the tricky parts again) to give them something to visualize. I also took a moment to point out that they are American, and we know this because they talk about "movies" and "soccer", and not "cinema" and "football". </div>
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Next, we continued with the theme of obligation by looking at some warning signs. </div>
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I started out by asking the class where they could see these kinds of signs. Then, I had the students volunteer to make sentences. For example, where it says, "Danger: no smoking", a student would say something like, "you mustn't smoke at school," or "it's forbidden to smoke in public places." We continued onward practicing the "you mustn't" and "you can't" structures until all signs had been discussed.</div>
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Next, the students listened to <a href="http://www.english-test.net/toeic/listening/safety_regulations_in_a_nature_park.html" target="_blank">this short text </a> about which rules you have to follow when you visit a national park. The woman talks about 4 rules which I had the students write down, and she ends the audio by talking about the consequences. Once students had identified the four rules and the consequences, we moved on to our speaking exercise. </div>
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In groups of three, I gave the students one of the following places: </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>The City Zoo<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>A Textile Factory <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>A Pharmacy <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>The Public Hospital<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>ABC Construction Site<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>GoodFoods Supermarket <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>A Hair Salon <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>A Shopping Mall </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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I asked the groups to prepare ten rules that either employees, customers or visitors (depending on the place) have to follow, and then to think of appropriate consequences. They had about 20 minutes to brainstorm and write their ideas while I walked around and answered questions, and once everybody had finished they presented group by group, sharing their rules and consequences. </div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-90540390813024337072013-10-09T10:00:00.000+02:002013-10-09T10:00:05.315+02:00A First-Lesson Lesson PlanMy go-to first lessons typically involve introductions. It's a useful skill for just about everybody and it gives the teacher the opportunity to get a feel for the class from the very first day. <div>
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With my professional students, we'll usually start with formal introductions and introducing a partner, practicing structures like, "this is so-and-so. He's responsible for..." using key verbs for business people. With my BTS students though, I wanted to do something differently.</div>
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With all of my BTS students, 1st and 2nd years alike, I have them write their name and stick it on their desk to help me learn their names. Every week they automatically get them out, and every week I learn a few more names! (I have about a hundred students...) </div>
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Another classroom management tip is that I'll choose the first volunteer, and once they have given their answer (or whatever I have asked for), I'll let them choose who goes next. This way, it's as if they are "rewarded" for participating, and it motivates more students to volunteer from the get-go because they want to be able to "choose their destiny" in a sense -- they'd rather go first then randomly be picked during the mix. </div>
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Here are my ideas for successful first lessons! </div>
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<b>For my 2nd year students:</b></div>
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A fun start: Two truths and a lie! </div>
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I had each student write a short introduction (hi, my name is, I'm X years old, I live in...) and then end their introduction with two truths and a lie. Then, the class had to react -- "I think X is a lie." When the class finds the lie, the student sits down. This is a nice way to get to know some facts about the class. </div>
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Just because it's the first day doesn't mean we can't get straight to work, so then we did a listening exercise taken from the BBC: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/expressenglish/2011/12/120102_ee_entrepreneurs_page.shtml" target="_blank">Entrepreneurs: BBC English Express</a>. </div>
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Because the text is only a minute long, we could listen to it a number of times before discussing, and then listen again when nobody in the class could answer my general questions. </div>
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I had each student take notes about the four speakers (one narrator and three people being interviewed). Their goal was to be able to summarize what each person said: what do they want to do, and why? </div>
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Then, once everybody had the answers and an overall understanding of the text, I asked them to brainstorm and to write their own response to this question:</div>
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<b>An investor agrees to give you 100k€ to start a business. What is your plan? (Think about the who/what/when/where/why/how). </b></div>
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After 15-20 minutes of writing, I let the students present following the tip given above -- I chose the first one, and then after that they choose whoever they want to go next. For this exercise, I had them stand up in front of the class. Most students only spoke for about 30 seconds, but that is a great start! </div>
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<b>For my 1st year students:</b></div>
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I had them start pretty much the same way: introductions and two truths and a lie. Then, I had them play the game "find somebody who", where they had to ask the right question using "be" or "do" as an auxiliary. When they finished the exercise, we went over it as a class, correcting their sentence structure and learning things about each other. I also took advantage of this opportunity to ask the students (as a group) other questions: When is your birthday? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Where were you born? What other languages can you speak? </div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-32c98679-9912-5cca-daa4-2ae49006e791"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Find someone in the class who:</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Has a birthday in December ________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was born in the same month as you ___________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Likes pizza ______________________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Has a pet ________________________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was born outside this country ______________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Likes listening to rock music ________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wants to travel to Australia _________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Has a sister _____________________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Has no brothers or sisters ___________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doesn’t like tomatos ______________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plays basketball _________________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favorite color is green ____________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Loves English ___________________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 5pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaks another language ___________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com2Roubaix, France50.6927049 3.177846999999928850.6524664 3.0971659999999286 50.7329434 3.258527999999929tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-48892393424843786892013-10-08T15:23:00.000+02:002013-10-08T15:23:39.745+02:00New Lessons: BTS Industriel here in FranceIt may have been a long time since I've posted anything in this blog, but that certainly does not mean that I have stopped planning lessons -- au contraire! <div>
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<div>
At the beginning of September and despite previous promises to myself, I decided to accept a teaching position in a BTS (post-high school, 2-year technical degree) school, training students to become Opticians. They will have to take the BTS Industriel which I found a bit silly, but it makes more sense than taking a commercial BTS degree when only a part of their responsibilities will be commercial and the rest will be quite technical. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
To sum up the program, I'm teaching four kinds of classes: One group of 2nd year students who are apprentices, two groups of 2nd year students who are full-time students, one group of "prepa" students who weren't accepted into the first year but after a year of catch-up courses should be admitted next year, and two groups of first-year, full-time students. </div>
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I only have an hour with my apprentices and my prep-class kids per week. Otherwise my lessons are an hour and a half long. </div>
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I've decided to structure my lessons as follows: </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. Corrections of the previous week's quiz (graded every week -- yes this sucks, but I think it will be truly beneficial for them in the long run to see their mistakes on the board and to participate in mistake correction as a group). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2. A quiz: use last week's vocabulary words in a sentence or correct the mistakes, and this week I'm going to try a listening quiz with multiple choice questions. Again, the idea is to correct the mistakes as a class & continually assess their needs and my methods.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3. Listening practice: For the BTS exam, students will have to listen to a text and be able to sum it up in French (I think). My goal is to have them summarizing texts in English so that when they have to do it in French, it'll be a breeze. I always try to over-prepare my students so that when it comes time for the exam, they'll be more than ready. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
4. A grammar or a vocabulary point. We've already covered vocabulary about school (trainee, apprentice, a graduate, a diploma, etc.) and we've covered adverbs of frequency (1st years) and modal verbs (2nd years). Either I ask them to write or discuss a topic that I give them, and then we do a class brainstorm. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
5. Reading or writing: This is either an article or an excerpt of an article, either followed by a presentation or group work. Normally there is some kind of writing or speaking preparation involved and I try to switch it up every week.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
and finally:</div>
<div>
6. Presenting. This is where they either individually or in pairs/small groups present whatever they have prepared in the previous step (or 2). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
By the time we've made it through all the steps, they've done a little bit of everything -- listening and speaking, reading and writing, and hopefully assimilated a number of new vocabulary words. This method requires a lot of work outside the classroom on their end, but I feel like our time in class is pretty well spent. </div>
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<div>
As the semester progresses, I'll share some of my lesson plans (beyond just my structure) and the links I've found to various listening exercises and articles. My goal as a teacher is to be able to construct well-prepared lesson plans every week and to consistently keep up with my grading in order to have corrections to give them. I also like to take the time to write corrections on their homework rather than just giving them a grade and handing it back. I want them to be able to read over it, think about it, and ask questions if necessary. </div>
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0Roubaix, France50.6927049 3.177846999999928850.6524664 3.0971659999999286 50.7329434 3.258527999999929tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-61913482000068054382013-02-18T12:58:00.002+01:002013-02-18T14:37:55.881+01:00Technology & Innovation: A follow-upLast week's lesson (okay, two weeks ago... last week I was off enjoying a ski vacation in fancy-pants Megeve) focused on using the futures and language of probability using a cool infographic grace à the BBC.<br />
<br />
This week I was at a loss for what to do to follow up with this previous lesson, and then I got it. My professional adult ESL students here in France have been requesting the use of more articles and current events in our lessons, and on the front page of Yahoo! there was an article speculating on what <b><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/disruptions-where-apple-dick-tracy-160041533.html" target="_blank">Apple's next product would be</a>.</b> Because the article uses a lot of useful adjectives and appears to pitch the concept of a wearable computer to mass market, I thought it would be appropriate to use it not only to continue last week's discussion about the future and what is or isn't possible, but also to go back to our lessons about pitches. Which idea convinced you? Which feature do you think is most useful? Do you agree/disagree? What is your opinion? A lot of interesting and thought-provoking conversation followed, pulling out a number of useful vocabulary words.<br />
<br />
Then, to practice comparing and contrasting, we watched the<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSnB06um5r4" target="_blank"> <b>Google glasses project video</b></a><b> </b>on Youtube. We compared the two ideas and practiced talking about which product we preferred, what the similarities and differences were, the risks and the danger, and our overall opinions about the future of smartphone technology.<br />
<br />
Overall, I have to say that this lesson was the perfect transition after the previous lesson's infographic. I'm really happy with the participation I had and with the fluency of my students. These were pre-intermediate and intermediate level students but I plan on doing the exact same lesson with my upper-intermediate and advanced students in the days to come.<br />
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When I'm lesson planning, I always think about what I want my end result to be and what I want my students to be able to "do". I think about my lesson plans in segments of "can-do", ending with a skill that is immediately applicable to the needs of the learner. My next challenge for myself is "what to do next?"<br />
<br />
Any ideas? How would you follow up these two lessons integrating current events, infographics, and videos?Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-19377666689268176692013-02-05T16:36:00.000+01:002013-02-05T16:42:55.831+01:00Infographic lesson plan: Modals, futures & probability <div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PnODwLfs3hs/UREj96dH9wI/AAAAAAAAABw/lStMVm6nOwY/s1600/tomorrows_world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PnODwLfs3hs/UREj96dH9wI/AAAAAAAAABw/lStMVm6nOwY/s1600/tomorrows_world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PnODwLfs3hs/UREj96dH9wI/AAAAAAAAABw/lStMVm6nOwY/s1600/tomorrows_world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PnODwLfs3hs/UREj96dH9wI/AAAAAAAAABw/lStMVm6nOwY/s1600/tomorrows_world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PnODwLfs3hs/UREj96dH9wI/AAAAAAAAABw/lStMVm6nOwY/s1600/tomorrows_world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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On Sunday night as I was browsing for topics for this week's lessons with my professional adult ESL students here in France, I found the following infographic on the BBC website.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PnODwLfs3hs/UREj96dH9wI/AAAAAAAAABw/lStMVm6nOwY/s1600/tomorrows_world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PnODwLfs3hs/UREj96dH9wI/AAAAAAAAABw/lStMVm6nOwY/s640/tomorrows_world.jpg" width="231" /></a><br />
Original can be found <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130102-tomorrows-world" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></b></a><br />
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I absolutely love infographics. I love them even more when they present a topic that I can cover in English class. There are so many possibilities for using the one I've posted here but I'll share my lesson plan with you which reviews modals & futures for talking about probability, likelihood and chance.<br />
<br />
I did a 30-second review of modal verbs and the near future/distant future with my groups because these are topics we previously covered. Then I handed out the infographic and a "cheat sheet" introducing some expressions that I wanted them to try to use during the lesson including degree of probability and chance when giving their opinion.<br />
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After a few seconds, my adults started laughing a little bit to themselves. After everybody had showed some sign of comprehension, I started asking questions.<br />
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"What do you find funnny?"<br />
"What do you find scary?"<br />
"Does anything seem possible/impossible?"<br />
"Do you agree/disagree with ...?"<br />
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And then the discussion started.<br />
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My advantage here that others might not have is that my students are western, and we work at a web agency. These topics are right up their alleys -- a bit sci-fi, a bit nerdy, some inspiring a dream or provoking an emotional reaction -- it was very easy to get them talking about these subjects. If your students work in a different field, you might try a generic Google search for infographics and try to see if something could fit their interests and needs. This one is just a perfect mix of grammar revision, discussion, and new vocabulary -- I was so pleased to find it!<br />
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Here's the "cheat sheet" I handed out to help facilitate the conversation:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span lang="EN-US"><b>Expressions
for talking about likelihood and probability: </b><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In general:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It <u>could</u>
happen/ It <u>might</u> happen <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If it
happens, then…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It’s
possible that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There’s a
chance…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Most likely
(use of adverbs):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It’s
extremely likely that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It’s very
possible that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Least
likely (use of adverbs):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It is
highly unlikely that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It’s nearly
impossible that…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It will
never happen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It could
never happen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It should
never happen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span lang="EN-US"><b>Future
tenses:</b></span></u><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">The near future : Planned &
programmed (Present continuous or “going to”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">I’m going to dance class tomorrow
night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">I’m pitching a proposal to a client
on Thursday afternoon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The distant future: Uncertain,
unplanned (Will)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Maybe I will go to Spain on vacation
this summer, or maybe I won’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">A snap decision: no time to think
(will)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The phone is ringing! Can you help
me? – I’ll get it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">I’m going to drop these boxes. Can
you give me a hand? – I’ll help you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-35586285062490424092013-01-29T10:58:00.003+01:002013-02-05T20:29:51.119+01:00Around the World -- Grammar game Yesterday I posted the rules to my game called "Circle of Death" which is a variation on a drinking game, adapted to a classroom, for a more advanced/confident English speaker. Today I'll post the rules to a modified version that I created to accompany a group of pre-intermediate and intermediate adult ESL learners here in France.<br />
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I call this version "Around the World" and it requires the exact same set up as "Circle of Death".<br />
As always, it's a good idea to have plenty of print outs of the rules for the participants and a full deck of cards <b>with jokers</b>.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Around the
World Grammar Game<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Rules: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sit in a circle, each player draws a card
and completes the corresponding action one at a time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Evens – Questions on the right</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Odds – Questions on the left</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Correct answer = +5 points</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Incorrect answer = - 5 points</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">2's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your right using a “do”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">3's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your left using “to be” .</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">4's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your right using “did”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">5's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your left using “was” or “were”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">6's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your right using the future tense.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">7's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your left using “if”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">8's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question of your choice to the person of your choice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">(Now for some fun..)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">9's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">You
are the rule master. You can make any rule for the table to follow. You get 10
points.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">10's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Stand
up and mime an animal. The first person to guess correctly gets 10 points.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Jacks : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">“Categories”
– Choose a category and each player must say a word in the category. The first
player who can't think of a word in the category loses 10 points. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Queens: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">“7's”
: Going in a circle, each player must count by 7 (7..14..21..etc) and the first
player to make a mistake loses 10 points. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Kings: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">“Truth?”
Ask the player of your choice a truthful question. (+5 for asking correctly and +5 for answering correctly) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Aces: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">The
teacher makes a rule for all of the players to follow. (points vary depending on the rule)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Joker: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">You
can choose to add ten points to your score or to subtract ten points from the
player of your choice. </span></div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-30589526385572436592013-01-28T12:12:00.001+01:002013-02-05T20:29:09.897+01:00Circle Of Death Grammar GameA year ago I was brainstorming ideas that I could use with my professional students in our <b>talk sessions</b>. Sometimes it's not easy to get people talking, especially when it's the middle of the day and they are thinking about whatever needs to get done in the afternoon. I like to use as many games as possible as discussion topics are often monotonous and tiresome.<br />
<br />
I took the idea for this exercise directly from a drinking game, I admit. I created two versions: the upper-intermediate/advanced version, and the pre-intermediate/intermediate version. The version I'm sharing in this post is my upper-intermediate/advanced version.<br />
<br />
To play this game, you need a group (4+) and a traditional deck of 52 cards, <b>jokers included</b>.<br />
The deck is passed from player to player and one at a time, they draw a card. Depending on what they draw, they must complete a task (see list below). They earn and lose points depending on how correct their answers are, and the game can be played indefinitely, as long as you can renew the deck and keep them talking. I use this game during a one-hour long talk session.<br />
<br />
There are two types of tasks: grammar-related and amusing tasks. That keeps it light and fun. And as always, students of all ages love competition -- they will really enjoy giving and taking points from each other.<br />
<br />
I recommend having enough print-outs of this game for every other student so that they can consult the list when they draw their card.<br />
<br />
Without further ado, here are the rules for the Circle of Death Grammar Game for adult learners of ESL, upper-intermediate/advanced level:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Circle of Death
Grammar Game<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Rules: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sit in a circle, each player draws a card
and completes the corresponding action. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Evens – Questions on the right</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Odds – Questions on the left</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Correct answer = +5 points</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Incorrect answer = - 5 points</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">2's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your right using a superlative.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">3's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your left using “ever” .</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">4's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your right using a regular past tense verb of your
choice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">5's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your left using an irregular past tense verb of your
choice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">6's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your right using the future tense.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">7's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question to the person on your left using “would”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">8's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ask a
question of your choice to the person of your choice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">(Now for some fun..)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">9's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">You
become the rule master. You can make any rule for the table to follow. Failure to follow the rule results in the loss of 10 points. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">10's : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Stand
up and mime an animal. The first person to guess correctly gets 10 points.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Jacks : </span></b><span lang="EN-US">“Categories”
– Choose a category and each player must say a word in the category. The first
player who can't think of a word in the category loses 10 points. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Queens: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">“7's”
: Going in a circle, each player must count by 7 (7..14..21..etc) and the first
player to make a mistake loses 10 points. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Kings: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">“Truth?”
Ask the player of your choice a truthful question. +5 for asking and +5 for answering.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Aces: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">The
teacher makes a rule for all of the players to follow. Failure to follow the rule results in the loss of 10 points. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Joker: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">You
can choose to add ten points to your score or to subtract ten points from the
player of your choice. </span></div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-75317581096340027792013-01-15T21:30:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:28:23.433+01:00Business Topics: PitchesOne thing I've observed time and time again working with professionals in France is very often they are lacking the tone of voice communicating emotion and passion when giving presentations or speeches. I have sat through more presentations than I can count that droned on and on, with no accentuation or punctuation. Often these are sales presentations, presenting a bid for tender, pre-sales or answering a RFP, and putting myself in the potential client's shoes makes me want to take a long walk off of a short cliff! Alas, it is my job to push on through these presentations, fix the mistakes, and push them out the door -- in the short term, there isn't very much that I can do. Long-term though, we've got a plan of attack that has been in place since just before December that is very nicely progressing, and that plan is "perfecting the pitch".<br />
<br />
<u>The first step</u>: we talked about the "bones" of a pitch -- what is is? I think the first thing you need to do when working on presentations in a foreign language (okay... and maybe in your native language too...) is to ask yourself <i>why</i>? Why am I taking the time to give this presentation or speech? What is my objective? So with a pitch, we always identify that the objective is to be <b>convincing.</b><br />
<br />
<u>The second step</u>: We brainstorm our jobs and our teams. While brainstorming, we look to answer these questions:<br />
<br />
-- Who are we?<br />
-- Why are we important?<br />
-- How will we be successful?<br />
<br />
<u>The third step</u>: We give three or four arguments supporting any of the strong, positive adjectives we have thrown around when answering the questions. If a student says that their team is amazing, I make them follow it up: <i>because</i>...?<br />
<br />
We practice linking with "because", "thanks to", and regular relative pronouns like "which", "that", and "who" to show a direct path between their statement and the example supporting it.<br />
<br />
<b>The first lesson</b> was spent talking about pitches, brainstorming and presenting their ideas.<br />
<br />
<b>The second lesson </b>was more interactive and less "business-y" :<br />
Students wrote everyday nouns (mostly objects but concepts/ideas are OK depending on how advanced the group was) on little pieces of paper. We mixed all the papers up and students each chose one piece of paper. They took 5-10 minutes to plan a pitch to convince the others in the group of the value of their object.<br />
The audience played the role of an uninformed audience, as if they were hearing about the product for the first time in their lives.<br />
<br />
This was a lot of fun and the exercise could be repeated multiple times over the hour. I like for the students to come up with the nouns on their own because it allows them to use vocabulary that they have learned in class or outside class, to learn words from each other that they might not know before, and to be creative with their ideas.<br />
<br />
<b>The third lesson</b> steered back towards business. I prompted the students to present a new "best practice" to their company, and the other students in the group took the role of a hostile/uninterested or even aggressive audience. This was a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
Here are the prompts I gave:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You want a new desk. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You need a new chair.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You want to
recruit an assistant for your department.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You want to
start a “nap time” policy from 2 to 4 pm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You think
you deserve a raise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You think
the work day should begin later in the morning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You think
lunch time should be shorter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You think
the bosses need to share more of the “wealth”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You think
it’s more efficient to work from home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You think
men and women should have separate open spaces.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You want
the company to open a child care center in the building. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">--You want
the company to open a canteen in the building. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
--You think
the company should move to a “no email” policy. </div>
<br />
<br />
Again, they had about 5-10 minutes to prepare their argument and present to the class. After their pitches, they had to face their difficult audience. As a group we discussed with points in each pitch were strong and valid, and which ones needed to be more expressive, better linked to the argument, etc. I asked each student if they were convinced and if so, by which point? It made for an interesting debrief.<br />
<br />
<b>The fourth lesson</b> on this theme was still about general business topics but dealt more with presenting in general rather than concentrating on a short pitch. Working in pairs, students were faced with a challenging business problem and had to brainstorm solutions. After finding a solution to the difficult subject, they had to practice presenting these by putting forward the most positive aspects possible and speaking optimistically. They were also asked to lead a discussion at the end of their presentation to gauge the degree to which their audience was following.<br />
<br />
Here are the prompts from this lesson:<br />
<br />
1) Your company has just merged with a company
of equal size. All new employees from the merger will be transferred to your
site. You have to present a plan to the existing staff to tell them how you are
going to fit all the new workers in.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Things to think about:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">What can you say to make this sound more
positive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">What can you say to motivate people to get “on
board” with your idea? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2) The current system for filtering incoming
CVs is not working. Qualified potential employees are going unnoticed and the
staff turnover is very high. Anybody can receive a CV and do with it as they
please. Some departments make appointments to meet with applicants when they
have no need to hire somebody. All departments are over budget.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">Things to think about:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
How can you stay positive?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">What solutions can you pitch?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
3) Your company currently has offices in New
York City that manage administrative operations and not production. The Board
of Directors has decided that they will be relocated to your country. There are
30 staff members and only 10 can be relocated. The ten that are relocated will
require training and assistance in their new country and the other 20 staff
members will need an unemployment (severance) package. The Board wants you to
present a report on this idea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">Things to think about: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">How can you stay positive? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-US">What solutions can you pitch? </span></div>
<br />
<b>The fifth lesson</b> hasn't taken place yet but I'm going to test it out next week and see how it goes. The objective of the lesson will be how to put forward a feature of a product. First we will practice the "five-second" pitch where I will give them words, concepts, ideas, places, and they will give me a one-sentence explanation that highlights the value of the given word. For example: Pizza: It's a delicious Italian meal that will fill the whole family's stomachs. Done. We'll do a few rounds of this exercise as a warm up and then move on.<br />
<br />
Next, students will be given every day nouns (this time proposed by me, and not by their peers for simplicity's sake) where they will have to add a feature of their choice and pitch the advantages of their add-on to the group. I will also use a sand timer to make sure that their presentations are short and sweet, focusing on the timing of a pitch and the impact of each word they choose. As always, the goal is to speak positively and simply which isn't always easy when working with groups of experts!<br />
<br />
The final lesson hasn't been outlined yet but it will more than likely be up to the students to pitch a professional subject of their choice to the audience of their choosing. They will have the time that it takes for an elevator to climb the building and the possibility of using whatever they have on them to make their pitch. We will incorporate all aspects of the lessons leading up to this moment and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they'll do.<br />
<br />
My next unit will be about spontaneity and improvisation so stay tuned for more useful speaking exercises!<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-44295078844031974382012-12-18T17:35:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:27:50.248+01:00Why I Quit the BTS JobI think the title says it all. Yesterday, I didn't go back to the difficult job that I've been complaining about for two weeks. I stewed over it all week and all weekend and finally made my decision late Sunday night. I sent out my email on Monday morning announcing my resignation.<br />
<br />
Yesterday when the time came around for me to be "in class" (if we can even call it that), I didn't even feel a hint of regret. There would have only been two reasons to continue: 1) Really, really hard up for cash, or 2) Desperate to work on classroom management.<br />
<br />
I will admit that I have reached a level in my life where I can "pick & choose" the kind of people that I want to work with, but also the kinds of jobs where I can teach in my way. This job was neither one or the other, which is why my resignation included two key points:<br />
<br />
1) I firmly believe in pedagogy -- giving students texts and asking them to memorize vocabulary is <u>not</u>, in any way, shape, or form, a good exercise in pedagogy for language learning. They can read texts at home until they are blue in the face. They shouldn't use class time for reading, translating, and memorization without context or student-perceived of value (finding their own meaning, understanding and importance for what is being instructed). If I can't teach them in my way, in a way that encourages them experiment and assimilate the language, then all (in my opinion), is lost. We are both wasting our time.<br />
<br />
2) I am not a babysitter, nor am I the police. Oh good god, I am so far from my babysitting and policing years that it is not even funny. I now enjoy the luxury of teaching real adults -- people who have personal motivation and investment in what I am teaching. People who respect my work. People who listen. People who try. I do not need to go back to the teenager who hates me just because he hates English. To all of that, I say a big, resounding "bye bye"!<br />
<br />
Onward and upward.<br />
<br />
So what will I do instead? You know I get bored easily -- I've already got other projects.<br />
I will work with some new adult clients AND I will go back to <i>real</i> university. I will teach students who have received a B1 on their BULATS exam and as a reward are put in a "fun class". That's even what the administration has been calling it. When meeting the head of the languages department, he asked me if I thought I would be able to produce a TV show with them and I replied fervently that nothing would make me happier. I'm full of ideas, of creativity, of energy... it should be a positive experience unlike the soul-sucking 3 hours of class I subjected myself to.<br />
<br />
I feel bad for the students who wanted to be there and wanted to work, but at the same time those are the kinds of learners who will go out and do the work on their own. Having me there shouting at their classmates won't help them at all.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to talking about my creative endeavors with my new students and my new professionals at the beginning of January. Here's to hoping 2013 will be another positive year of teaching.<br />
<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-91474446876226903372012-12-14T12:49:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:24:33.499+01:00Adults and Second Conditional <br />
Getting back into the swing of my normal life after my stressful Monday afternoons is always nice. This morning I had a group of my professional students that started out as "true beginners" who are now well on their way to being pre-intermediate learners. Because we had already talked about the <b>simple past</b>, <b>the future</b>, and <b>modal verbs for giving advice/making suggestions</b>, I thought it would be a good idea to head into the conditionals. We talked about the first conditional a few weeks ago and last week we started the second conditional by having the students ask each other what they would do in a variety of student-generated ridiculous situations.<br />
<br />
To bring it back around to professional themes today, I created an exercise where they would have to use both first and second conditional structures for giving each other advice (and refusing advice) to deal with troublesome office situations.<br />
<br />
Here are the scenarios I put together this morning. We only made it through discussing three of them before time was already up! They gave each other good advice and did a good job using the first conditional to reply with a "yes but if I do that, then...will happen" reply.<br />
<br />
Without further ado, a professionals-oriented mash-up of 1st and 2nd conditional tenses for ESL learners in the Western world:<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">1) <span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">My boss is blackmailing my colleague. What would you do?</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 35.4pt;">(But if I do that, then he will … )</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 35.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -18pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"> 2) <span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">I’m working with a client who is completely racist. What would you do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then he will …)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">3) My client said he preferred to work with me “under the table”. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then he will …)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"> 4)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Two co-workers are having an affair. His wife is a friend of mine. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then he will …)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"> 5) </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">I suspect my deskmate is an alcoholic. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then he will …)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">6)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">I discovered bad business practices at my company. I should have a promotion next month. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then will …)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">7)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">I haven’t had a raise (an increase in my salary) in three years but I have a lot of new responsibilities. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"> 8) </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">My colleague is late to work every morning. He should have a promotion next month. Maybe if I tell my boss, I will have the promotion instead. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then …)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"> 9)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">My manager and I don’t get along. I love my job and my team but it is very difficult to work with him. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then …)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"> 10) </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">I think my colleague is secretly working for the competition. What would you do?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span lang="EN-US">(But if I do that, then…) </span></div>
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-19329618186947336122012-12-10T19:09:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:23:52.609+01:00The Difficult Class: My (failed) Plan, la suiteI made it through nearly six slides of the presentation I prepared. It started off well until I got to the group speaking bits. They would turn and talk to each other, but when it came time to share what was said, no such luck and for a variety of different reasons.<br />
<br />
1) "No".<br />
<br />
Why? I asked. Why wouldn't you want to answer an easy question where the answers are written on the board just behind me? A number of replies: This is stupid and it's too easy (so then why aren't you doing it?) I don't feel like it. Yeah, I know how to conjugate that verb, but I can't think of anything. (please remember that the verb in question was "to be" and they had a minute to think about it before I started calling on people).<br />
<br />
2) "I hate English". Well that's not an answer to my question either. Why? "Because I don't understand".<br />
<br />
The students had decided before they had ever even seen my presentation that it was too difficult just because it was in English. My point was that even if everything was only in English, they could still understand because after studying English since 6th grade, they should all have a pretty good understanding of the present simple. They do, they are just painfully argumentative and uninterested in listening to me. Sigh.<br />
<br />
3) "You insult me and I don't like you". Well tough shit, Girl-Who-Has-Never-Been-On-Time. I am the teacher. An answer to the question "why don't you have an example?" after having been given the time to come up with one is not as seen above. Don't blame me for your lack of will to participate.<br />
<br />
After sending out my third offender, I myself decided it was time to leave. I found the director, told him I was through, and that was that. Done.<br />
We had a "heart-to-heart" with the class where everybody aired their grievances.<br />
A number of students (not the trouble-makers, of course) came to apologize to me.<br />
Others came to make their point. "We want this". And I said, "Yes, but if you don't give me XYZ, how can you expect me to think you are capable of doing ABC?" to which they replied, "Okay so we have some soul-searching to do." To which I replied, "Yes, you do. I can't do this alone."<br />
<br />
It's true. The teacher plays a role and the student plays a role. If one person in the equation decides to stop playing their role, then the lesson won't work. A teacher cannot do a student's job and vice versa. It takes two to do the "Learning Tango".<br />
<br />
I'm more or less convinced to keep going with them. I figure we have already come so far and failed so hard that it can't possibly get much worse or more exhausting. There's just a few problems that remain:<br />
<br />
The director wants me to "teach the test" just to "get through this"... meaning, do texts, translate them, look at the vocabulary and call it a day. I told him that was against my teaching principles. I told him there was no pedagogy or practical application of that exercise and that I'd rather give it a go my way. He told me to take the easy route and just do texts.<br />
<br />
I reckon if I continue, I'll try to do a mix. How can we do texts but no speaking exercises? How can we learn vocabulary without learning <i>how to use it?</i><br />
<br />
So we'll see where this goes. For the moment, I have no inspiration, motivation or desire to carry on with these kids but just like last time, maybe a stroke of something will hit me and we can find a way to work together (and maybe it will be less of a fail). I don't know. I'm trying to rebuild the foundation of a building that is in ruin. I've done it before, but I was a different person... not entirely sure I can do it again.<br />
<br />
Ever dealt with a really difficult class?<br />
Was it cultural or just situational?<br />
What did <u>you</u> do to meet the challenge?<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-87353138334037151472012-12-09T19:23:00.002+01:002013-02-05T20:23:06.321+01:00The Difficult Class: My Plan (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
During my son's nap time today, I was struck with an idea: What if I did give the difficult class a second chance? And what if I did it on my terms? I started thinking about other advice I've given my "Padawan": assume they know nothing. When in doubt, teach it anyway. If I were to take my own advice, how would I start? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
First off, I'd start with the fact that they didn't give me anything to go off of last week. Nothing I saw was impressive, lacking effort and motivation. Therefore, if they want to pretend like they haven't been learning English for the last 13 years of their lives and hide behind the excuse "I don't like it" or "I can't", then fine. I'll remove any opportunity for excuses possible, and I'll do it by starting at square one: sentence structure. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I decided that because they are chatty, I need to give them something to concentrate on. Although powerpoint presentations don't fit into the <b>Direct Method</b>, I figured it was a necessary evil and that there was a lot that could be done with one. I decided to open with an introduction about how to build a sentence, then moved into the verb "to be" in the present simple (affirmative/negative) and continued onward with regular verbs in the present simple. I decided it would be necessary to tell a little story and to give myself plenty of room to <b>quiz</b> the students, checking to see if they are listening or not. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On one particular slide I set up something like 16 different animations, starting with "I" and the little man, moving on to "you", then "he/she/it" appear at the same time, then "we", and finally "they". This is the typical order that French people are used to learning things in except they tend to see "you" twice to understand that "you" serves as "tu" and as "vous". I figured that since they have been studying English for the last 13 years of their lives, they ought to know by now that "you" is the only 2nd person subject pronoun in the English language (unless somebody is up for bringing back "thou"? Any takers??)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
On another one of my slides that I added really silly, exaggerated animation to get their attention. First a dog appears, and then the "it" sentences. Next, the woman appears, and the "she" sentences. Finally, the little man appears followed by the "he" sentences. I chose to highlight and underline the "s" at the end of each verb conjugated in the third person present simple because French speakers often drop this letter when speaking. If I emphasize it, I can maybe hope to correct a mistake that has been reinforced in their language since they were little kids. Aie aie aie!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Another slide lead up to their "practical classroom work" -- a slide describing a man named "Bob" who lives a pretty simple life.<br />
The animation on this slide starts with the title and the main character. Then, step by step, his schedule appears. His mother (a secondary character meant to keep their attention) appears with the text about "call mom" followed by Bob's reaction. Then his schedule carries on, task by task, before the slide is complete.<br />
<br />
The slide that immediately follows this one asks the students to write sentences (affirmative/negative) about Bob's schedule and Bob's day using the present simple and reinforcing the third person.<br />
<br />
So that's that. I spent all afternoon completing the powerpoint (roughly 16 slides with three exercises integrated + homework). And so now the question that all teachers should ask when lesson planning: <b>So what? What is the point of this lesson? </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
It's simple, really. This lesson is designed for the students to say "well,...duh!" Of course they already know this stuff. So why am I presenting it like this and going it over in such an obvious way?<br />
<br />
A few reasons.<br />
<br />
1) I'm hoping it will motivate them to make more effort -- to show me that they are better than that so that we can do things that are more interesting. (this is a long shot but stranger things have happened in my teaching experiences..)<br />
<br />
2) I'm hoping to correct some of the silly little mistakes they make from the get-go without having to go back and do that later.<br />
<br />
3) I'm hoping that this will show them that <b>I mean business</b>. I'm coming back and bringing an arsenal. I'm not going to accept students who chit chat or text all through class. I'm not going to simply "pass them on". They are going to have to work and we'll do it on my terms in a structured environment. If they choose to continue acting like babies, then I will teach them like babies. If they decide that we can do things that are more interesting and challenging, then I will give them that. I'll teach them just outside of the <b>zone </b>that they choose to show me. This is the zone that I have identified for the moment, so it's the perfect place to start building.<br />
<br />
and finally 4) when you work on a powerpoint, you can simply stop on a slide to get the class back under control. You know how much time you have left if you need to draw an exercise out or skip over something a bit simpler (in the interest of time). You know exactly where to pick back up the next lesson if you don't make it through the entire presentation.<br />
<br />
So there you have it. My plans for how to tackle the behavior problems and strategically address the language level issue at the same time.<br />
<br />
Wish me luck -- we'll see how this goes!<br />
<br />
<i>(and in French, if you want to wish somebody luck, you say "merde", which literally meanst "shit"!) </i>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-47932771451314114912012-12-04T15:16:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:22:22.033+01:00Upper-intermediate/Advanced Talk SessionAt my "real" job in the web world, I host Talk Sessions twice a week during lunch. The Tuesday group is my upper-intermediate/advanced level, and my Thursday group is my pre-intermediate/intermediate group. Both groups do similar exercises but at their own level which I think is particularly cool from a teacher's perspective because it cuts down on planning time. This is something that I always strive to do -- find one central topic that can be expanded or reduced depending on the level. It was the same strategy I used when teaching little kids and it adapted very nicely to adults.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, I came across some silly riddles on the internet, sort of "Whodunnit?" kind of scenarios. The answers were always the most ridiculous yet obvious scenario imaginable, but before they found the answers/were given the answers, they spent a lot of time talking it out using language for putting forth an idea, making a suggestion, agreeing and disagreeing, and dispelling each other's ideas based on the facts. I found it to be a constructive lesson because we were able to use a wide range of vocabulary and expressions and in the end everybody was laughing. As I've said before, laughter is a key element and because these are "talk" sessions, they are meant to be fun.<br />
<br />
I found them online.. not sure who to credit because variations of them exist everywhere. I'll just make it clear that I didn't invent any of these scenarios, but I did very much enjoy using them.<br />
<br />
Without further ado...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>1. A man
in a lift</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A man lives
on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the elevator to go down to
the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">ground
floor to go to work or to go shopping. When he returns he takes the elevator to
the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">seventh
floor and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. He
hates walking<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">so why does
he do it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>02. A man
walks into a bar</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A man walks
into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water. The barman pulls out a gun
and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">points it
at the man. The man says thank you and leaves. Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>03. Dead
man in a field</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A man is
lying dead in a field. Next to him there is an unopened package. There aren’t
any<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">animals in
the field. How did he die?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>04. Anthony and Cleopatra</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Anthony and
Cleopatra are lying dead on the floor of a villa in Egypt. Nearby is a broken<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">bowl. There
is no mark on either of their bodies and they were not poisoned. How did they<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">die?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>05. A
carrot, some coal and a scarf</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Five pieces
of coal, a carrot and a scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody put them on the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">lawn but
there is a perfectly logical reason why they are there. What is it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>06. Two
sons</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A woman had
two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">year. But
they were not twins. How could this be possible?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>07. A woman pushing a car</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A woman was
pushing her car. She stopped pushing when she reached a hotel and then<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">realized
she was bankrupt. Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>08. Heaven</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A man died
and went to Heaven. He saw thousands of people there all naked and young. He
saw<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">a couple
and he immediately recognized them as Adam and Eve. How did he know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>09. Friday</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A man rode
into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and then left on Friday.
Explain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>10. Manhole covers</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Why is it
better to have round manhole covers than square ones?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>11. Sudden realization</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A man was
walking downstairs in a building when the lights went out. Suddenly he realised
that<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">his wife
had just died. How?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>12. The
blind beggar</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A blind
beggar had a brother who died. What relation was the blind beggar to the
brother who<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">died?
(Brother is not the answer).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>13. Another dead body</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The
dead body of a man was found in the
middle of a burnt forest. He was wearing only<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">swimming
trunks, a snorkel and diving mask. What had happened?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>14. Mystery suicide</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One stormy
night, a person switches on the TV and watches the news. The person leaves the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">room in a
rush, runs up the stairs and turns on the light. Then the person commits
suicide. </span>Why?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-61945217494122168222012-12-03T18:32:00.004+01:002013-02-05T20:21:32.891+01:00A difficult class: classroom managementThis year I've had a young lady from England living with me (henceforth known as "Padawan") who is learning how to be an elementary school teacher. She is working with kids from 1st to 5th grade in two primary schools in predominately Muslim neighborhood of immigrants. She often has discipline issues ranging from kids not listening to kids talking back to kids stabbing each other with scissors. Every time she comes to me with a problem, I feel like I have an answer.<br />
<br />
"Separate the trouble-maker from the rest of the class."<br />
"Put your safety and the children's safety first! Kid stabbing with scissors = out, no question."<br />
"A cool "Simon Says"-style behavior game to get them back on track." (this one REALLY works with little kids, too.)<br />
"Be encoraging. Make them love English. If they love it, they'll listen." (so true.)<br />
<br />
She's been trying different things and gaining confidence in stride. The more confidence you have as a teacher, the better you can handle situations that don't go your way in the classroom. I can see that it's getting better because she comes home looking a little bit happier every day and seems more and more comfortable with the discipline and classroom management aspects of the classroom. She's really adapting well and I'm very proud of her.<br />
<br />
With all of that in mind today, I went off to meet my newest class. Back in May I decided to stop teaching students but six months later here I am, face to face with young adults again. Ironically enough my new students are the same age as my two host daughters and their friends, and the girls and I get along fabulously. I figured it would be a good experience. Here's the background:<br />
<br />
Students are in a two year business school, working and going to school at the same time. This means that if for whatever reason they are thrown out of school, they also lose their job and vice-versa.<br />
<br />
These particular students are in the second year and are considered a "slightly difficult" class. When a director is trying to sell you a class and he calls them slightly difficult, you can read between the lines that the class is actually <i>very</i> difficult. However, I've had difficult classes before and managed them successfully, so that isn't impossible for me.<br />
<br />
In the past what I did to win over my "difficult" classes was take the time to <i>listen</i> to the kids, because they just wanted to talk. I asked them what they wanted to learn, and that's what I taught. I made interactive exercises, brought in topics of interest for discussion, and forged relationships with them. I still get updates from kids in that class and it was four years ago. After the first lesson, I saw that as a challenge for my own personal development and I attacked. In the end, I won.<br />
<br />
This time around, I thought for sure that these kids would be different exactly because they are already in the working world and have different priorities. Unfortunately for me, that wasn't the case at all. In the first five minutes of class, I had already lost them. They were completely gone. They wouldn't listen to a word I said.<br />
<br />
Class continued with constant chatter -- and not just whispers, all out chatter and shouting across the room to friends. There were insults made at other classmates and at me, and more "je n'arrive pas"s and "je ne veux pas" and "je n'ai pas envie" than I have ever heard before (basically "I can't do it" and "I don't want to do it). I would explain an exercise and before I knew it there were kids talking again. When the exercise wasn't done correctly and I tried to ask why, the reply I got was, "well I didn't understand." <b>OF COURSE</b> you didn't understand. <b>YOU WEREN'T LISTENING. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Rule #1 to learning languages:<b> You have to listen. </b><br />
<br />
Rule #2 to learning languages: <b>Don't laugh at each other. </b><br />
<br />
Rule #3 to learning languages: <b>You have to try. You have to make an effort.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
These kids had broken all rules within the first 30 seconds. There was simply no going back. I carried on, trying my best to keep everybody on task and working but they were just too far gone into their pit of "I don't understand", laughing at each other and making jokes about me.<br />
<br />
I ended class ten minutes early as soon as the exercise was finished. There was no way we could work constructively. At the end of class, they thanked me, I put on my coat and took my bag and basically ran for the door.<br />
<br />
To say I'm not proud is an understatement, but I was on the verge of tears like I've never been before. I immediately called the director and informed him of all the problems surrounding this group of students. He was "unaware" that the situation had gotten so bad but insured me that house would be cleaned if I wanted to stay. I'm all for second chances and facing challenges, but wow -- in the space of an hour and a half, I lost all -- not a portion or a part -- but<b> all</b> of my motivation. It was just... horrible.<br />
<br />
So here I sit, knowing that he's going to call me tomorrow expecting an answer. What do I say? What should I do? The teacher in me -- the one that teaches for everybody, for the kids that want to learn -- say that I have to go back. But the expert in me says it's not worth my time or my energy.<br />
<br />
For now, I'm just going to think about it and then I'll see tomorrow and next Monday.<br />
<br />
Right when you think you have all the answers... you get a reminder that you still have so much to learn. As teachers, we just never stop learning. So there ya go.<br />
<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-56248853119349838432012-12-01T15:07:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:20:17.427+01:00Google Translate: A teacher's worst nightmareI don't think I'm alone when I say that I absolutely hate receiving papers to "correct" for students of all ages alike that have been run through Google Translate.<br />
<br />
Just now I was working with somebody and he looked at me and literally questioned out loud, "Oh, we can't say that? Why not?"<br />
To his question, I want to answer, "well, why in the first place?" But I know perfectly why they believe what is on the paper in front of them -- for whatever reason, maybe because Google is so good at giving us the search results we want, people trust it. They expect what they have written to be correct and to actually mean something, because well,... <i>it's Google, ya know?</i><br />
<br />
I've been trying to think about what I can do to keep my students from using these sorts of tools and encouraging them instead to find the words in English to express their ideas. I usually stop all together with whatever document I've been given in it's (what I like to call) "traduced" form. "Traduce" is a franglish mash-up of translate and traduire, and that is exactly what Google Translate gives us. It's not English and it's not French. Once the document is out of the picture, I look at the student and simply ask them what they would like to say. Then we start over, word by word, with grammar and vocabulary that are simply within their reach.<br />
<br />
French is the kind of language that feels the need to take up space. It's wordy with long, looping sentences. Somebody once told me that French was like a painting with long brush strokes, whereas English was like a movie with action, surprise, and suspense in doses. You see that when you look at French and English on paper. The same idea expressed in French that took up a whole page may only take up half a page when written in English. This makes people feel uncomfortable. It makes them feel like they haven't written enough and that they must have missed something. You can't change perspective in a day so I ask them to read, re-read, and if they feel like there is something missing we can always revise. True to form, everything is there, and then I get a look of shock and amazement like, "well that wasn't really hard at all, now."<br />
<br />
Reading is another area that can be problematic. It is a great way to learn new vocabulary words and to see expressions used in context, just as long as all of the new words and expressions are detracting from the story because that's where you get bored. In the same way that it is OK for a translation to only take up half a page, it is also okay for a reader to not run to the dictionary every five minutes to look up words that they don't know in the text. I say if you have to go to the dictionary that often, then what you are reading is too hard. If you have to go to Google Translate, then the student may be over-thinking what they need to write and looking to "take up space".<br />
<br />
Translators and dictionaries can be great tools, but they have to stay just that: tools. They aren't crutches, so breaking the habit of using them to confirm every last detail from the beginning is a great idea. That way, the people you are working with will be able to think on their own and try to find their own meaning in the words. What does it look like? What does it sound like? How is it written, and finally, can I use it on my own?<br />
<br />
How do you handle learning tools in your classroom? What do you think about online translators?<br />
<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com1Roubaix, France50.6927049 3.17784750.672587400000005 3.138365 50.7128224 3.217329tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-81650994578370245492012-11-30T22:40:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:19:47.162+01:00Mad Gabs: Pronunciation and listening practice <br />
Last Thursday I taught what must have been one of my most successful "talk sessions" ever. For my students, a talk session is where a large group (up to 15 people) of a similar level get together to do just that: talk. I facilitate the conversation, I interject questions when things start to go dry, or I orchestrate games or debates. This week with a group of upper-intermediate to advanced students, I decided to take the talk to a new level and concentrate on pronunciation.<br />
<br />
There is a great board game that I remembered playing back in America called "Mad Gabs". Basically you have a card with what looks like nonsense written on it and you have to read it out loud until you figure out what you are saying. To take a really simple example, "Bri Tinys Pears" would be, as you probably guessed, "Britney Spears".<br />
<br />
My objective was to force the students to stop depending on the written words in front of their face and to open their ears. I wanted to put everybody on an equal playing field by getting everybody just outside of their "comfort zone" rather than having one or two students with more confidence guessing all of the answers.<br />
<br />
The way I set the game up was by having students read phrases off of a paper that were written how they sound and not how they should be spelled. Words ran into each other -- "aryagona getta kupa kofy" -- to get them thinking about where we put liasons in speech. Depending on where the native English speaker is from liasons can happen almost anywhere so this is tricky, but making students aware is the first step.<br />
<br />
After everybody had read a phrase and was sufficiently relaxed/prepared, we started the game. I made it into an individual competition rather than a team or partners exercise by having each student read a phrase and the first person to guess it correctly was awarded the point. It took a lot of coaxing -- "you are doing great, repeat it again please" -- to get them into it, but by the end of the hour we were all laughing and they truly couldn't get enough of it. I have already decided that I will try this tomorrow with a slightly lower level of students to test how it will go, and that this will be a game my higher level students will play again in the future.<br />
<br />
<b>Here are the "warm up" phrases that I had the students read: </b><br />
<br />
Shwist Art Nao<br />
Dywanna gedda koghy?<br />
Eyve taleve<br />
Ahye Gonaseim Biforee Gos?<br />
Shizbin Promo Tidd<br />
Shewiz Let<br />
Didjego Winto Theofiz<br />
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<b>And without further ado, the Mad Gabs printables that I found <a href="http://www.wuzzlesandpuzzles.com/madgabs/">here</a>: </b><br />
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Isle of View<br />
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Easel Aid Ease Man<br />
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Eye Pillow Fizz Sigh<br />
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Of Lions Quarrel<br />
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Downed Rink Hand Arrive<br />
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Dew Wino Hue<br />
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Sea Can’t Higher Dove Fit<br />
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Ape Hand Hub Hair<br />
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Pretty Shack Scent<br />
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Dant Sir<br />
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Ail huck each arm<br />
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Brit Knees Peers<br />
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Black Beer Herd<br />
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Bon Knee Ankle Hide<br />
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By Chore Dung<br />
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Abe An An Appeal<br />
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Abe Autumn Lisp Hit<br />
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Abe Ax Tree Tally<br />
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Abe Hum Pen Thin Height<br />
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Ago Tidy Yeah<br />
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Ahems Hand Which<br />
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Ace Date Tough Gay Hoss<br />
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Ace Heck Hunch Ants<br />
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Ace Kits Offer in Hick<br />
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Ace Leap Lesson Height<br />
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Ace Lie Soap Eye<br />
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Ace Nose Dorm<br />
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Ace Pea Ding Tea Kit<br />
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Ache Hand He Eye Pull<br />
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Ache Hick Kin Tub Hut<br />
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Ache How Cue Later<br />
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Ache Leans Hurt<br />
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Ache Off Cores<br />
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Ache Up Puck Off He<br />
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Acre Hill Uh<br />
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Age High Knees West Want<br />
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Aged Who Woe<br />
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Agree Nap Hull<br />
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Backed Ooze Queer Won<br />
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Bagged Who Thief Huge Her<br />
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Baldy Gull<br />
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Aid Are Crank Loud<br />
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Aid Arrive Her Slice Sins<br />
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Aid Hay Huff Ache Asian<br />
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Bee Way Rough Thud Hog<br />
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Bet Relate Thin Heifer<br />
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Aid Inn Hearse Owl Add<br />
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Aim Adder Rough Open Yen<br />
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Monk Ease<br />
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Can Grew<br />
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Cause Mid Ticks Urge Jury<br />
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Aim Hiker Owes Cope<br />
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Aim Honey Bag Care Runt He<br />
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Aim Other Ranch Howled<br />
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Aim Us Key To<br />
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Aim Who Vi<br />
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Stumped as to what they could be? Read them out loud as you'd have your students do until you find the answers! I'll post the answers next time so that you can test how you did.<br />
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This is only a selection of the phrases Wuzzles and Puzzles had available, so feel free to check out their site to get more. To make it more adapted to a particular group you could even go as far as to make your own with key expressions and vocabulary words for their jobs/needs. I could have included something like "Gew Gull Anna Lit Tics" for my favorite web analyst, for example.<br />
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Thinking about giving it a try? Print off the list, cut them apart and let the games begin.<br />
How do you practice pronunciation and listening with your students?<br />
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-31615063181504995942012-11-29T22:35:00.000+01:002013-02-05T20:19:02.074+01:00Pronunciation: Common Mistakes by French SpeakersThe French are famous for their cheezy accent when speaking English. More times than I can count, students have come to me telling me that they want to work on their accents. The hardest phonetic sounds are R's, the "th", and vowels at the beginning of a word.<br />
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"R" is often pronounced like "Air" instead of a pirate's "Arrrrgh" or a tiger's "RrrrrRrrr". I know I must look absolutely ridiculous when I'm teaching but making a pirate scowl or a tiger growl usually gets people laughing, no matter their age.<br />
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The "TH" is just plain and simply ignored. I try to get my adults to put their tongues between their teeth when practicing this sound, but they just feel ridiculous. The more comfortable they are with you the more they'll dare to be embarrassed, but more likely than not, this is a sound I will be repeating for years and years to come -- until classroom teachers finally decide that they'll teach people how to say it correctly while they are still small, and not to say just a simple "T", a "Z" or a "D", as one poor primary school classroom teacher said.<br />
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Vowel sounds at the beginning of a word are tricky because a lot of people will put a mysterious, breathy "h", turning "ate" into "hate" and "apple" into "happle". I've observed this for long enough to have figured out that they just plain and simply don't hear it, which makes it hard to correct it.<br />
So if they can't hear it, then what sense can you evoke to make them aware of the mistake they are making?<br />
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I have my students put their hand under their mouth and practice saying different words with breathy h's and non-breathy h's (think "horse" verses "hour") and then practice saying words that begin with pure vowels (apple, earth, orange, etc.). When they feel their hot breath on their hands, they will realize what a breathy "h" feels like. Then, if they say "hate" instead of "ate", they will plain and simply <i>feel</i> their mistake. This requires practice and repetition, but it's a simple reminder just putting your hand as the teacher under your own mouth to remind them of breathy or non-breathy "h" sounds at the beginning of words.<br />
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What sounds have you mistakenly heard your students making and how did you go about fixing them?<br />
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060891131765970815.post-31106002179561238202012-11-28T14:01:00.001+01:002013-02-05T20:18:17.796+01:00Who Am I? ESL by Amber -- but who <b>is </b>this Amber character?<br />
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In short : American. Mother. Sister. Daughter. Friend. Teacher. Coach. Trainer. Instructor. Translater Interpreter. 26 years old. Lives in Roubaix, France.<br />
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When my fifth year of teaching came to and end and I still had the desire to be a teacher, I realized that in short, I had "made it". The first five years are the make-it-or-break-it years for teachers, especially when you live in a foreign country. Lots of people fall into this job because it's something they can do in their foreign country while they are learning the language or while they are in transition. I am not one of those people. Teaching was a deliberate choice for me, even more so teaching language.<br />
I can proudly say that in my sixth year of teaching, I am a "young veteran" of ESL in France, and that after six years in this country, a year of which I have been teaching independently, I still love teaching, but I love pedagogy even more.<br />
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<b>So I'm a teacher</b>. But who do I teach?<br />
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I teach babies. I teach toddlers and little kids. I teach big kids. I teach adults that think they are big kids but behave like little kids. I teach the serious, the laid-back, the old souls and the young at heart. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, smart or struggling... in short, I just teach.<br />
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I spent a year teaching primary school and a year teaching preschool. I spent four years teaching in a private business school parallel to teaching adults in companies. I've spent the last year specializing in English coaching and training for Web and IT professionals, from back/front end developers to designers, from SEO project managers to web analysts, from the big boss to the secretary -- I've taught them all. My clients at the moment are web agencies full of dynamic individuals who need to use English for their jobs... but that doesn't mean that's all. I go through life with my "teacher hat" on -- if people ask me questions, I answer them. If there's any opportunity to teach somebody something, I take it.<br />
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But how do I do it?<br />
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With a carefully planned schedule and an open heart and mind, that's how! More specifically though, I use the <b>direct method</b>. That means that my learners and I speak English, or the <b>target language</b>, 100% of the time that we are together from the first day of their classes to the last day, whether we are in the classroom or in front of the coffee machine. They learn through <b>speaking</b>, through <b>making mistakes</b>, and being corrected first by their peers, then by me. They learn through <b>prompts</b> which encourage them to speak <b>on their level</b>, about a variety of subjects that have <b>meaning</b> to the student. They speak within their <b>learning zone</b> by building on <b>prior knowledge</b>. We learn together by <b>correcting eachother,</b> <b>asking questions, </b>and <b>motivating each other. </b><br />
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<b>For my students and I, confidence, trust and security are the key elements to creating a positive environment for fostering learning. </b><br />
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Okay. Is that all?<br />
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No. I also <b>teach teachers</b>. I pride myself in my <b>network</b> of education professionals because just like our students, we can also learn from each other! I believe in <b>sharing </b>my experiences and <b>explaining</b> the difficulties I've come up against and how I managed. Most of all, I believe in learning from our mistakes, testing out new ideas and concepts, and <b>encouragement, encouragement, encouragement.</b><br />
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The majority of the adults I work with come to me with excuses -- "sorry for my bad accent!" "Excuse me for my weak vocabulary!" "Oh, this would be easier in French!" -- afraid to make mistakes or be laughed at. In my lessons, we laugh<b> with</b> each other and we learn and grow<b> together</b>.<br />
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But what makes me different?<br />
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I like best practices. I like learning from the people I teach. I want to create a user-friendly, ergonomic method of education. I want to create social learning where different teachers share ideas and can adapt them to whatever audience they may have. I want to promote a method of learning that will encourage and foster open, positive communication.<br />
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So why the blog?<br />
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I'm doing this for two reasons:<br />
1) Every year I meet new teachers. They always have the same issues -- classroom management, not enough direction, boring resources, difficult age levels, misunderstanding of cultural norms. If I can share and encourage others to share their experiences with these issues, then we can all be more efficient and reduce the time it takes to adapt to a new group and get the learning started faster.<br />
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2) Every year I see new (old) resources. The same books and the same lessons over... and over... and over. I haven't found a single textbook that is tailored to my students' needs. I make a lot of my own stuff and I'm sure other teachers do too. Why not share it, why not adapt it, and why not use it? After all, nobody ever said that they wanted to "get rich teaching". We can't make a fortune off of this stuff, so why not "get rich" in <b>experience</b> instead? How can we do that? Well, first of all... <b>by sharing!</b><br />
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So that's why I'm here. I'm here to share, to exchange experiences, and to grow as a teacher, a learner, and a human being. I'm here to give, and maybe to take. To ask you questions, and to answer yours. I'm here to motivate you to find a passion for learning and teaching, and to hopefully contribute something to your life, no matter how small.<br />
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Happy learning, happy discovery, and most of all, <b>happy teaching.</b><br />
<br />
Amber<br />
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251084593209027600noreply@blogger.com0Paris, France48.856614 2.352221948.773036 2.1942934 48.940192 2.5101504