Week 4 Reflexion!!! Sharing with a great group of teachers around the world.

Another amazing week, isn´t it?

Technology is a great tool once again. I read and commented on my  friends´project tasks and it was really interesting to know about their teaching issues. However, there is not a problem without any solving. My project task is based on students which ages range between 14 and 16 years old. They do not know about studying with technology; they just know about engines such as: GOOGLE or using their messenger and facebook.

It would be a pleasure for me to take them into a real technological world. Make them see ESL is beyond books and a classroom, as I already mentioned it before in one of my posts. The easiest way to do it is taking them into a cyber cafe nearby the school, rent all the available computers and sit them in front  in order to start teaching  English from another perspective and develop the four skills. I am really sure they will love this interesting technique, because they love computers and playing video games. The fact is not only playing, but also learning by doing or learning by playing. They will discover that studying ESL with internet is as interesting as using their facebook every day. 

Remember that MOTIVATION IS THE FIRST STEP TO HAVE GREAT STUDENTS!!!

Pictures of my outdoor activity "An unforgettable Experience"

This is Andrew and I... He is really tall (LAL)

His name is Williams, He speaks English really good! All his friends were listening to him talking to Andrew.

This is the Native speaker "Andrew" talking to my students.

This is my group of students, having great moments together and Speaking English.

Reflexion for week three!!! CALL, NEW WEBSITES AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING EFL!!!

Hello everyone!!! Good evening from Venezuela!

 It is still a very rich week, full of interesting readings, links, teaching experiences and more and more technology day by day. Now we know delicious.com. I never thought we could have a web page for saving our links, which I consider a wondeful tool for everybody and can make a teacher be more  orginized with his/ her teaching process. Just clicking on the link you need to use for and there it is, all the information you need right in your hands.

After reading Lindsay Miller´s text, I did realize that Teaching English is not only giving some grammar to the students, asking them to practise with an choral repetition and asking them to do researches and  bring that information to classes. We have to develop the four English skills (Reading, writing, listening and speaking) due to fact that this is the most important step in the teaching and  learning process.

NOTE: All my teaching experiences are based on a lesson plan first of all and after studying my students needs, as well. I want to talk about myself and the activities I do regarding these skills. If I want to develop WRITING, I ask them to write simple sentences and make them feel confident with what they are writing about, I do dictations but most of the students do not like them. I try to dictate interesting sentences, or at least, words, if we are studying some specific vocabulary. It´s important to take into account the student´s English level and ages.

For READING, I usually use songs and their lyrics. Most of students do love English songs, soft rock, pop, among others. They work under the syndrome of imitation. They try to imitate the singers pronunciation, but they do not have any idea of what they are singing about. In this order of ideas, we discover new words, new expressions and they learn how to pronounce under their own likes. Not only songs, but also Choosing interesting readings according to their interest. For instance: I got a thirty-five students section at the university. They study Industrial safety. I ask them to bring a text about what they are studying, safety equipments, implements, a supervisor labour, etc. They  feel really interested in that and they have to read it aloud in front of their classmates. They would feel ashamed, but after they finish the task, they feel very proud after some applauses. They discover this skill by themselves.

For LISTENING, I usually work with movies, videos and tv programs in English. That is why I identified myself a lot with Lindsay Miller´s text. For movies, I use the technique of watching the movie with sound off and the images, then sound on and no images, images and subtitles in English. It is a very funny activity where students feel they are part of the movie and they are as native as the characters when undestanding. Another activity is listening to some English songs as in the previews paragraph but with a different strategy. I write a list of words in the board. Most of them are related to the lyrics of the song. While listening to it, they have to circle all the words they hear from the song and then we start debating about how many words they could listen to and their meanings if they do not know any of them.

For SPEAKING, there are thousand of activities. but I´m going to mention just one. They know I´m  Spanish speaker, but I pretend to be an american person in class,  NO SPANISH AT ALL. They get close to me just to ask for the meaning of a word or any permission to go to the bathroom. If they ask it correctly, then I answer them, if not, I do not talk or even pay attention to them. They like it because they have to use their dictionaries or previews classes to communicate with me and also see it as a challenge.  

Regarding CALL, there are millions of meaningful activities for students at different levels, for all the skills and needs. I already used some web pages to find some interesting games and songs, grammar activities, quizes etc. Their links are:    http://www.agendaweb.org/     http://www.isabelperez.com/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ They really work and students love them, specially the one for children. They will be also in my delicious page.

OUTDOOR acitivies are really helpful and good, this is because the students are in their own living context, real life and see this activity as one of the most interesting ones because they do love going out and sharing among friends. I want to share my experience with you. I already did it and I got great results. Last year, I was teaching an intermediate group of fifteen students in "The Language College". As a final oral exam, we decided to go out for lunch and they had to speak English while the trip. People looked strangly at us, but we never cared. After ordering for some hamburgers (Burger King), four tall, handsome american boys got into the restaurant. My students were in shock (LAL). They said: TEACHER!!! LOOK AT THEM, THE ARE NOT FROM VENEZUELA, ARE THEY?, TEACHER, CAN YOU SPEAK ENGLISH WITH THEM? (LAL)

After some minutes, I went straight to one of them and said: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?

Yes, of course!!!!

My name is Teacher Maria, nice to meet you. But I need some help from you! ( EVERYBODY WAS LOOKING AT ME IN THE RESTAURANT). I´m here with  group of fifteen English student teenagers and I´d like you to go there and start asking some questions. This is part of their oral evaluation. WOULD  YOU MIND, PLEASE? and all my students were really scared because they have never faced with native speakers along their English course.

They were very pleased and happy because they could communicate with an american person for the fisrt time. After meeting the boy, HE WAS A FAMOUSE BASEBALL PLAYER FROM ASTROS DE HOUSTON  WHO WAS IN VENEZUELA PLAYING FOR A VENEZUELAN BASEBALL TEAM. HE LIVES IN BOSTON, but I do not remember his full name, Just Andrew. We took pictures and were the center of attraction in the restaurant. My students felt very proud of themselves, in fact, there was a girl who was really lazy for speaking and since the boy was handsome, she forced herself to speak and said: I LOVE THE COLOR OF YOUR EYES DARLING (LAL) " I felt very ashamed as a teacher"

 But everything was great! unforgattable moments!!

I hope you like and share my teaching experiences!!! thank you very much!

INCREDIBLE TEACHING PROCESS IN VENEZUELA. I CAN´T REALLY STAND IT!!!

Best greetings to all my colleagues. First of all, let me congratulate all of you for doing a great job for this two weeks. I´m very happy because week two is coming to the end and all results have been really good. 

 "I CAN´T REALLY STAND IT" may be a  rude expression to be used when writing about something we are disappointed with. Sorry if it is this way. I sat on my chair and started to think about what to write in this week blog. I said: YES, I´LL WRITE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL TASKS AND READINGS ROBERT SENT TO US!!! but suddenly I remembered the unbelievable situation I´m living in the high school right now.

We are at the begining of a new school year and we ( teachers of all subjects ) were told about teaching in "COMPONENTS". We have about five components: language, endogenous, science and some others I do not remember right now. For instance, English and Spanish teachers have to work and plan togheter; the same contents, almost the same activities, evaluations, etc. The problem is not planning, the thing is that if the school has lack of spanish teachers, English ones have to substitute them and it´s become an OBLIGATION now. We are ENGLISH TEACHERS and our duty is to grow this language in every student. Our university degree says ENGLISH TEACHER no SPANISH TEACHERS. This is our mother tongue  but I think we  are not prepared for that. I do teach spanish to one of my students in the company. He´s from Brazil and he needs to learn spanish. I´m prepared for that. But there are already teachers in some schools who are complaining about this new change in our educational system. 

We need to plan together. The same contents, activities and evaluations. Due to the fact that I need to do so, I feel limits in my teaching process. If the Spanish T wants to talk about "communication" in the first content, then I have to do same but in English. If I want to talk about the parts of the body and create a dynamic game  or any other activity and the spanish T doesn´t agree because it doesn´t match with her activities, then I CAN´T DO IT!!! noooooooooooooooooooo I caaaaan´t stand it!!! 

Most of those English T who simultaniously work teaching spanish are not prepared enough and it means that the students´learning process is not going to be succesful because the teachers are not well prepared. It´s not only happening with English and Spanish; Social studies T have to work with subjects such as Geography, History, Art and Family education. A math teacher has to work with Math, Physics, Chemestry  and Biology!!! CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THAT LESSON PLAN IS GOING TO BE???

That´s the education our " Government " wants for venezuelan students. and WHAT ABOUT ME?? I just try to relax and do my best in the classroom. I´m not following the rules because I simply do not agree. I´m going to work together with the spanish teacher, but I won´t do the same she will do.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND ME!!!

What does teaching English as a foreing language mean?

Good evening to all colleagues!!!

I am very interested in a common topic that is being disscused by many teachers now a days, EDUCATION IN VENEZUELA. I Studied in a forming teaching University. We are tought about how to use new techniques in the classroom, how to use technology, how to work with many other resources at different levels, etc and It´s really hard studying education without being at the schools yet! What´s the result?, after you graduate as an " English Teacher" you have many expectatives on how your students are going to be, what their needs are and what you are going to teach taking those needs into account.

Most of teachers plan their classes, create wonderful teaching environments and look forward to motivate their students. If you are a Public High School teacher in Venezuela, this is not your reality; this is a dream. Not only teachers, but also students even count with available and good computers, no Cd players, no video beams, No extra material such as paints, posters, updated english books, etc. So, It tends to be a little bit difficult and unconfortable for teachers.

We learn great activities, when, how and where to apply them, we attend to excellent workshops and conferences along our career development and then, we you go to the classroom, you are lack of resources and you loose a little bit of that extrinsic motivation. According to  Carol Bainbridge "Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual. The motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These rewards provide satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide" . In this order of ideas, we do not care about money or grades, but on the quality of students we, as teachers, are forming. Motivation in the classroom is the key to success and it must begin with teachers, if not, we won´t be able to accomplish our goals.

Now, it is not only that teachers cannot use technology as we may want.. as a very useful and easier resource for leaning a second language, but also the lack of respect students have towards us. Now a days, they have all facilities to study and pass their subjects. The activities cannot be demanding at all, they MUST be EASY. If you ask them to draw a "Mental Map" about their lives, they do not take it to the class or do not even bring the materials for it. Later, they complain because the activity was VERY DIFFICULT and the teacher speaks ENGLISH in the classroom. Minutes later, the head of the department goes to the classroom and complain at me saying: MARY! REMEMBER THEIR LEARNING PROCESS HAS TO BE VERY EASY, THEY HAVE TO UNDESTAND YOU, SO COULD YOU ASSING ANY OTHER EASIER ACTIVITY THAN THE MENTAL AND DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH, PLEASE?

Come on teachers, It´s a reflexion!!! We are very smart professors and we want to make our classes interesting for the Ss but we can´t because of the lack of resources. I do not mean I cannot create other activities or apply new techniques, but that won´t be anough. In spite of the fact we use our imagination and become creative and loving teachers, we have a very high wall at the end of the hall!!! we have limits for teaching in most of venezuela public high schools.  Why may I not speak English in my class??? Am I not an English Teacher?? Why the heads have to complain at me because of speaking and teaching a second language??

I love my job in Private Institutes, universities and also companies. I´ve got all motivation for working there and I am able to use technology in a bif field. Use the tools I´m getting through this online course and take them to the right way for their English studies. Make them see that we do not only need a book with plenty of lessons, that we do not  need papers, sissors, glue, crayons and a book to study. WE, AS ENGLISH TEACHERS MUST MAKE THEM SEE BEYOND  a book. WHY NOT DOING THE SAME AT SCHOOLS WITHOUT LIMITATIONS??

I need some help!!! Thank you very much!!

TEACHING EXPERIENCE!!!

Hello everyone!!! First of all I´d like to thank  prof Robert Elliot for giving us this important and unforgettable opportunity, which is being part of this great online course for teachers. I could open my blog and I´m very happy because of that, due to the fact that I had some problems with it and It did not want to open a couple of days ago. I wrote "Teaching Experience" as a main title because It is one of the most interesting topics I am going to write about in the next days. Also, I welcome all of you to read my lines and share all different comments, opinions and ideas you can have. 

This is a short note just to saying Hello and Thanking for  being sharing with me through this wonderful free service!!!!

Kisses for you all!!