Activity 3.1 for Psycho-pedagogical Theories of Education

I was not able to upload my Presentation to the board nor was it able to upload in a PDF format. So, I opted to place it here and share the link with you all.

It is not the best presentation ever since I have limited time, and I am way behind.

Maria Montessori

• Maria Montessori was born on the 31st August 1870 in the town of Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father, Alessandro, was an accountant in the civil service, and her mother, Renilde Stoppani, was well educated and had a passion for reading.
• Maria was given entry to the University of Rome in 1890, becoming one of the first women in medical school in Italy. Despite facing many obstacles due to her gender, Maria qualified as a doctor in July 1896.
• At the age of twenty-eight Maria began advocating her controversial theory that the lack of support for mentally and developmentally disabled children was the cause of their delinquency. The notion of social reform became a strong theme throughout Maria’s life, whether it was for gender roles, or advocacy for children.
• In 1901 Maria began her own studies of educational philosophy and anthropology, lecturing and teaching students. From 1904-1908 she was a lecturer at the Pedagogic School of the University of Rome. This period saw a rapid development of Rome, but the speculative nature of the market led to bankruptcies and ghetto districts. One such area was San Lorenzo, where its children were left to run amok at home as their parents worked. In an attempt to provide the children with activities during the day to fend of the destruction of property, Maria was offered the opportunity to introduce her materials and practice to ‘normal’ children.  There, in 1907, she opened the first Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) bringing some of the educational materials she had developed at the Orthophrenic School.
• Maria put many different activities and other materials into the children’s environment but kept only those that engaged them. What she came to realize was that children who were placed in an environment where activities were designed to support their natural development had the power to educate themselves. By 1909 Maria gave her first training course in her new approach to around 100 students. Her notes from this period provided the material for her first book published that same year in Italy, appearing in translation in the United States in 1912 as The Montessori Method, and later translated into 20 languages.

Teacher’s role

• The Montessori teacher, called “directress”, observes each child, his/her needs, capabilities and interests, and offers him/her opportunities to work intelligently and with a concrete purpose, to service the care of him/herself and of the small community in the classroom.
• The directress’ final objective is to intervene the minimum possible as the child progresses in his/her development.
• The directress allows the child to act, want and think for him/herself, helping him/her to develop confidence and inner discipline. The Montessori directress doesn’t give awards or punishments. Each child finds inner satisfaction that emerges from his/her personal work.
• When the child, based on his/her evolutionary development, is ready for a lesson, the directress introduces the use of new materials and presents activities individually or to a reduced group. With older children, the directress helps each child make a list of objectives at the beginning of the week and then the child administers his/her time during the week in order to achieve them. It is not the directress but the child him/herself who is responsible for his/her own learning and development.

Student’s role

• The prepared environment offers the child opportunities to commit to interesting and freely chosen work, which brings out long periods of concentration that should not be interrupted. Freedom develops within clear limits, and this allows children to live in harmony with others in the small society they belong to in the classroom.
• Children work with concrete materials that were scientifically designed, which provide them the keys to explore our world and develop basic cognitive abilities. The materials are designed to allow the child to recognize the error by him/herself and become responsible for his/her own learning.
• As mentioned in the teacher’s role, it is the child’s responsibility to meet the goal/objective written in the beginning of the week.

Classroom relevance

• The Montessori Method is characterized by providing a prepared environment: tidy, pleasing in appearance, simple and real, where each element exists for a reason in order to help in the development of the child. A Montessori classroom integrates children of mixed ages that are grouped in periods of 3 years. This promotes socialization, respect and solidarity among them naturally.
• The Montessori education covers all periods in education, from birth to 18 years old, providing a integrated curriculum.
• Montessori materials were scientifically designed in an experimental context within the classroom, paying special attention to children’s interests based on the evolutionary stage they were going through and with the belief that manipulating concrete objects helps the development of knowledge and abstract thinking.
• These materials allow children to investigate and explore in a personal and independent way. They make repetition possible, and this promotes concentration. They have the quality of “isolating the difficulties”, which means each one of these materials introduces a unique variable, only one new concept, isolating it and leaving the other concepts without modification. These materials have a “control of error”: the material itself will show the child if he/she used it correctly. This way, children know that errors are part of the learning process; they teach children to establish a positive attitude towards them, making children responsible for their own learning and helping them to develop self-confidence.

Evaluation function

1.First of all, there should be some kind of chart, list, or schematic indicating what work has been completed by the child. To make it even more useful, you can indicate whether or not a child has been shown how to do the work, actually done it themselves, or even mastered it (or all three, if indicated).

2.The second part of the evaluation can include the child’s own work; samples of written work, creative writing, drawing, art projects, and even photographs of the child’s work can be included. (I’ll be authoring a separate post on assembling a child’s work portfolio soon).

3.The third part of the assessment should include a written portion that summarizes the child’s progress as observed by the teacher. Observation notes can be included to support the conclusions. It’s helpful to briefly mention the general characteristics of a Montessori child and how this particular child is moving ahead in each area.

Eight characteristics of the authentic Montessori experience:

• Independence
• Confidence
• Self-discipline
• Intrinsic motivation
• Ability to handle external authority
• Academic achievement
• Spiritual awareness
• Responsible citizenship

Conclusion

After reading the book ‘The Montessori Method’ I have come to the conclusion that this is what my daughter needs. Yes, studying and conducting research have convinced me to enroll my kiddo to one of these schools. Fortunately there is a Montessori school in Torreon. I agree with Abraham Maslow on the needs a human has; Erick Erickson’s contribution to education, psychoanalysis, and his many books, Carol Roger’s thought that a theoretical stance needed to be formulated that gives structure to the process of enhancing students’ growth through interpersonal facilitation. Yes, I agree with all of this. However, I felt that the Montessori method was more humanistic.

References:

• Montessori, M., George, A., & Holmes, H. (1912). The Montessori method (2nd ed.). New York: FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY.

Digital book: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/montessori/method/method.html

• The Montessori Method. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.fundacionmontessori.org/the-montessori-method.htm
• Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori | Montessori Australia Foundation. (2019). Retrieved from https://montessori.org.au/biography-dr-maria-montessori
• How to Evaluate the Progress of a Montessori Child -. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.blog.montessoriforeveryone.com/how-to-evaluate-the-progress-of-a-montessori-child.html

Planning

What is planning? The following Infographic is an assignment I need to turn in.

1.2 Learning Activity. What is Planning? : General Basis and the Educational Field

Didactic Planning

UNIVES.com.mx

Bobby Cisneros

Principles of Language Learning – Learning Styles and Motivation

Nowadays, learning English has become a necessity for many people – business men, engineers, computer programmers, hotel and restaurant industry, the medical industry, just to name a few. This is exactly what I try to let my young learners know. So, English teacher are in great demand. Have you noticed the great amount of English schools your city have? You can even find more and more online English teachers and schools. Mexico has a school named http://theonlineteaching.com. It does not matter if you teach online or in a classroom, you must learn to motivate your students and be aware of their learning styles. And, that is exactly what we are going to see today.

Motivation and learning styles go hand in hand. You will not be able to motivate your students if you can’t figure out what learning style they are. If the student is kinesthetic and you want to present audio based classes, you will bore him/ to death. So, our lesson plans need to be balanced.

Learning Styles

Dr Richard Felder and Barbara Soloman came up with a model of learning styles in the 80s.  You can learn more about Felder here. According to this model a person can be mainly one of these types of learners:

• Sensory
• Intuitive
• Visual
• Verbal
• Active
• Reflective
• Sequential
• Global

Sensory Learners – if you rely too much on sensing, you can tend to prefer what is familiar, and concentrate on facts you know instead of being innovative and adapting to new situations. Seek out opportunities to learn theoretical information and then bring in facts to support or negate these theories.

Intuitive Learners – if you rely too much on intuition you risk missing important details, which can lead to poor decision-making and problem solving. Force yourself to learn facts or memorize data that will help you defend or criticize a theory or procedure you are working with. You may need to slow down and look at detail you would otherwise typically skim.

Visual Learners – if you concentrate more on pictorial or graphical information than on words, you put yourself at a distinct disadvantage because verbal and written information is still the main preferred choice for delivery of information. Practice your note taking and seek out opportunities to explain information to others using words.

Verbal Learners – when information is presented in diagrams, sketches, flow charts, and so on, it is designed to be understood quickly. If you can develop your skills in this area you can significantly reduce time spent learning and absorbing information. Look for opportunities to learn through audio-visual presentations (such as CD-ROM and Webcasts.) When making notes, group information according to concepts and then create visual links with arrows going to and from them. Take every opportunity you can to create charts and tables and diagrams.

Active Learners – if you act before you think you are apt to make hasty and potentially ill-informed judgments. You need to concentrate on summarizing situations, and taking time to sit by yourself to digest information you have been given before jumping in and discussing it with others.

Reflective Learners – if you think too much you risk doing nothing. There comes a time when a decision has to be made or an action taken. Involve yourself in group decision-making whenever possible and try to apply the information you have in as practical a manner as possible.

Sequential Learners – when you break things down into small components you are often able to dive right into problem solving. This seems to be advantageous but can often be unproductive. Force yourself to slow down and understand why you are doing something and how it is connected to the overall purpose or objective. Ask yourself how your actions are going to help you in the long run. If you can’t think of a practical application for what you are doing then stop and do some more “big picture” thinking.

Global Learners – if grasping the big picture is easy for you, then you can be at risk of wanting to run before you can walk. You see what is needed but may not take the time to learn how best to accomplish it. Take the time to ask for explanations, and force yourself to complete all problem-solving steps before coming to a conclusion or making a decision. If you can’t explain what you have done and why, then you may have missed critical details.

It’s important to observe your students in a classroom or listen well to your online students in order to figure out their learning style or combination of styles – sensory/intuitive or active/reflective, etc. Learning this about your students, you will be ale to motivate them. How?

Motivation

It is difficult to teach a lesson if our students are not motivated enough. There are two types of motivation: Intrinsic motivation and Extrinsic motivation. According to the Hubspot blog – “When you’re intrinsically motivated, your behavior is motivated by your internal desire to do something for its own sake — for example, your personal enjoyment of an activity, or your desire to learn a skill because you’re eager to learn.” And, “When you’re extrinsically motivated, your behavior is motivated by an external factor pushing you to do something in hopes of earning a reward — or avoiding a less-than-positive outcome.” Both of these motivations can be used in the classroom.

It seems to be easier if we use Extrinsic motivation since we can punish or reward our students – “Juanito, finish, or you won’t go to recess” or “Great job Anita, let me give you a sticker. Bring your notebook.” Now, this is for younger learners in a classroom. What about online? Give them a huge smile, clap, then give them a thumbs up saying “Excellent job!” or a Buzzer sound if they get something incorrect.

Intrinsic motivation is a bit harder since you really need to know your students. However, it is not impossible to use. Can anyone tell me of an English class that does not like to play games? Well, maybe adults (but they do, don’t let them fool you by acting all mature and serious). When we have a good plan which have our students play an education fun game, students are willing to participate (shy or not) in order to have fun.

In conclusion

Our students will greatly appreciate the effort we give when investigating about learning styles and ways to motivate them. You can notice it when they run up to you to give you a hug and say thank you. It has happened to me. A student came up to me and said, “Thank you for not giving up on me. I have a great job thanks to the fact that  can speak English.” He now works as an international chef in a very luxurious restaurant. The perk here is, he gives my family and me free meals. I try to pay but the cashier will not accept the money. This is just one anecdote of many.

 

 

References:

Learning StylesUnderstanding Learning Preferences. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/mnemlsty.html

Bernazzani, S. (2019). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: What’s the Difference?. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation

 

 

“Interaction in the English Learning Classroom”

Well here we go. My first blog post for 

When it comes to learning a new language, it should come in the natural order of learning. We discussed in class, “how do babies learn how to speak?” We answered this with an essay on The 5 Stages of Second Language Acquisition.

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We as kids we learned how to speak at home; playing with mom and dad, watching cartoons, imitating the people around us. We learned our first language by having fun. However, if we want to learn a second language, is it a good idea to learn it in a controlled environment with strict rules and hardly any fun? I don’t think so. So then, why do so many language teachers do so. That is why the need for research and collaboration of other experienced ESL/EFL teachers.

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Interaction in the classroom

The different types of interaction in the classroom are: teacher-class; teacher-student; student-student. Teacher-class – The teacher speaks most of the time during this type. The teacher should do this for no more than 25% of the time. However, it is very important since the teacher needs to give some instructions and clarifications if needed. This form also promotes respect. By asking the student to raise their hands to speak or calling student randomly the teacher teaches the students that when someone else is speaking, they should let them have their say without interruption as their voices are as equal as that of anyone else. The other form of interaction student-student. This one allows the student to learn and understand how to work with partners. It develops and improves the skills of team work. It improves peer relationship. By encouraging students in the classroom to work together they learn the importance of working cohesively with others. The final one is teacher-student. This form is also important. Students feel heard and creates a bond between the teacher and the student. Sometimes students are a bit shy or victims of bullying and refrain from participating in a group, well, their champion will jump in and help that student out.

I am sure you can find many ways and explanations to the use of these different classroom interactions. But, what bout activities? What activities can wet think of to use these kinds of interactions?

teacher-class

• reading and asking students questions
• watching a video and asking students questions
• explaining a grammar point and asking students questions to check for understanding
• ___________________________________
• ___________________________________

teacher-student

• asking the student how did the baseball game go
• asking the student specific questions about the topic or task
• helping the student write
• ___________________________________
• ___________________________________

student-student

• role-playing
• interviews
• accomplishing a project as a team or pair (writing a story, preparing a shopping list, etc.)
• ___________________________________
• ___________________________________

The blank lines are for your opinion. I am sure my classmates have so many activities up their sleeves. In Mexico we need to go to these monthly meetings called CTE (Consejo Tecnico Escolar). During these meetings you get to work alongside teachers from other schools. I like how we all get together and give each other ideas on how to teach a topic or subject. Writing in blogs and sharing the link with our fellow classmates serve the same purpose as CTEs. Oh, and it makes it easier for our teachers to check our work; all they have to store are links and not have so many archives of our work . hehehe.

 

 

References:

*image from: Jane D. Hill and Cynthia L. Björk. (????). Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners Participant’s Workbook. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108053/chapters/The-Stages-of-Second-Language-Acquisition.aspx

**Image from:  laokokok. (2008). Classroom Of The 60s And 70s. Retrieved from https://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/classroom-of-the-60s-and-70s/

 

Changing the path

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I have changed schools and career.

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I am in my second trimester (a year divided into three parts) towards earning a BA as a English Language Teacher. I have been teaching English as a foreign language since 2009. However, I have learned a great deal when it comes to the history of the language, pedagogical thoughts, pedagogical legacies, such as Piaget, Vigotsky, Skinner, etc., and more. Not to mention how the Spanish language works. But, why is this important?

The students I am focusing on, at the moment, are Mexican students. I live in Mexico and am not planing on moving from here for quite a while. IF I decide to teach other students, like Chinese, Japanese, etc., I will do it online. That is how I was introduced into this career.

My next post has to be on a certain topic: “Interaction in the English Learning Classroom”. But where exactly am I studying? The school is UNIVES – Universidad Virtual de Estudios Superiores. As mentioned above, the name of the career is:

Which means: English Language Teacher Bachelors degree. The truth is, this school has been a blessing in my life: online, dedicated teachers (so far), very flexible and understanding, challenging, but most important, we learn to teach. I like how we don’t spend a lot of time on irrelevant subjects – pure pedagogy and teaching techniques; everything you need to know to teach ENGLISH.

Well, it’s time to get started and start my next post on this blog. I hope to blog more often.

 

ON line University life

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Am I excited!! Today, I have started the orientation process at UoPeople.edu.!

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I wrote the opening statments with exclamation marks, well, for obvious reasons. I’m elated.  In approximately 4 years I will have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

I understand if some of you say “big deal” with a sarcastic tone. However, it IS a big deal for a person like me. I really don’t earn a lot of money as an EFL teacher. In fact, we are the lowest paid teachers in Mexico. We strugle from pay check to pay check to make ends meet.

Anyways, I was searching the net for free education. I encountered many MOOCs. What the hell is that? Massive Open Online Courses. As mentioned before, I taught English online. That meant: I need good computer gear, a good connection, good habits (worked from home), etc. When my Laptop or PC crashed, that meant calling the tech. Do you know how much they chargee JUST to ‘see’ the computer? So, I decided to become my own tech and repair my own computer equipment. I achived that goal online and for free. Now that means saving on repairs.

An opportunity arose to work in a classroom for “Secretaria de Educacion Publica”, Mexico teaching children. Very low pay, no benefits, just lots of work. I had the idea that it could mean an open door for a teaching job. Wake up, Bobby! You need a BA degree… My bubble burst. I decided to look for schools online to help me with that. There was a problem, tough; Spanich is not my first language. I still struggle understanding when people speak fast. What am I going to do? So I dug deeper into the net. Actually, I didn’t need to dig deep at all. I encountered UoPeople.

At first I thought, “There must be a catch. It’s too good to be true. But, What do I have to lose? I’m going to apply.” I was asked 60 dollars. I pulled out my wallet and saw moths fly out and heard crickets playing thier violins; everything but money. I sent an email explaining my financial situation, and surprise! “Don’t worry, we will pay that for you.” I still thought it was a dream. I asked my wife to read the email to me. We both were overjoyed.

And, now I’m here expressing my feeling through a blog I had ignored for quite a while. Now, I will go from being an online teacher to becoming an online student. This time, though, in a university many people have doubts on.

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The investigation

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When I read a book, I don’t believe everything it says until I investigate the author. Who is he/she? How did the auther back up the information written? How many books has he/she written? etc. I did the same to the University. I looked it up. I read reviews, comments, blogs, etc. Not all were possitive. However, the people that wrote negative reviews on the school came out to be ‘nobodies’. The positive comments and reviews were written by satisfied students. Guess, who won? The positives. Now, I’m not going to write the links down. It’s up to you if you want to investigate or not. Like I tell my students, You learn more when you find out things on your own instead of having an educator tell you everything. “You learn to read so you can read to learn.”

People, don’t be afraid to try this school out. You have nothing to lose, and like many mamas and grandmas say, “You’ll never now unless you try”.

I will continue writing about my experience here until I graduate.

For UoPeople personnel: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I promise to give it my best. Whenever I feel I can’t continue on, I will reread this post.

See you!!

How can we help our SS be more fluent?

To answer this question we have to analize our ss. What do they think of the Language? Do they think there are short cuts to being fluent? Well, the truth is NOPE! no short cuts – sorry :(. There are tips we can let our ss know. In this post I am going to discuss 10 that I found in my research.

Tip 1 – Accept the language as it is.

Yes, English has too many rules and exceptions. Sometimes you can find patterns in English grammar, but other times English doesn’t make sense at all. For example, why are “read” (reed) and “read” (red) the same word, but pronounced differently depending on whether you’re speaking in the past or present tense? ( don’t try to answer this); why is “mice” the plural of “mouse”, but “houses” is the plural of “house”?; When do we use “make” and when do we use “do”? It’s easy to get stuck on learning how to speak English properly, if you try to find a reason for everything. English can be strange and unexplainable, so instead the best thing to do is just memorize the strange exceptions and move on. Say it how it is without asking ‘why’.

Tip 2 – Practice, practice, and practice.

Studying English for an hour once a week isn’t usually enough to make any real progress. The best way to quickly improve your English is to spend at least a few minutes practicing every day. Try to repeat things you say in English (in your mind). Immerse yourself as much as possible every time you study, and challenge yourself to listen to, read, and even say things in English that you think might be too difficult for you. If you want to speak English fluently, you need to make it an essential part of your everyday life. It is just like running or Tae Kwon Do.

Tip 3 – Don’t think like a Student

Stop thinking of yourself as someone who is learning English, and start thinking of yourself as someone who speaks English. It’s a small change, but it will make you feel more confident and help you to use the English you already know more effectively.

This also means you need to start thinking in English. If you want to say the word “tabel” in English, for example, right now you probably think of the word in your native language first, and then try to think of the correct word in English. Instead, try imagining a picture of a table, and then just think the English word “table”. Real fluency happens when you stop mentally translating conversations.

Tip 4 – Answers are IN the question

Listen carefully when someone asks you a question in English and you’ll answer perfectly every time. English questions are like mirrors:

Does she…?  Yes, she does.

Can you…?  Yes, I can.

Have you…?  Yes, I have

What is your phone number?  My phone number is…

 

If someone asks you a question and you’re not sure how to answer, start by thinking about the words used in the question.  The person has already said most of the words you need to make your answer. Instead of just memorizing English grammar, start to look for patterns like this one. There are a lot of simple ways to “cheat” and make it easier to remember the right words. BUT, it is very important you make YOUR own petterns – what ever is easier for you to remember.

Tip 5 – Listen, listen, and listen

When most students listen to a native English-speaker, they focus on understanding what all the words mean. This is definitely important, but there is a lot more you can learn from listening. Try listening not just to what the words mean, but to how the person says them. Notice which words the person links together in a sentence, or when they say “ya” instead of “you”, “hafta” instead of “have to”, “wanna” instead of “want to”, etc. Try to remember these details the next time you speak and your English will begin to sound more natural.

Easier said than done, right? When you listen to native English speakers, it can be hard to understand every single word that is spoken. They might use many words you don’t know, talk too fast, or have a strong accent (Japanese speaking English, British acent, Spanglish).

A great way to practice your listening is by watching videos of people having conversations or participating in your online classes in The Online Teaching (www.facebook/theonlineteaching).  The more you listen to authentic English, the better you will understand how to speak English naturally.

Tip 6 – again!!! Practice, practice, practice NEW vocabulary words.

When you hear or read a new word, don’t just repeat it; Write it down in you vocabulary notebook (Try to have a note book ONLY for vocabulary). When you write it down, look up the definition and example sentences. Once you do that try to create your OWN sentences. Explain that word to a friend or colleague and try to use it in your conversations for a few days. If you do all of this, trust me, you won’t forget. Your vocabulary bank will start to grow.

Tip 7 – Learn Phrases

Speaking English fluently means being able to express your thoughts, feelings and ideas. Your goal is to speak English in full sentences, so why not learn it in full sentences? You’ll find that English is more useful in your everyday life if you study whole phrases, rather than just vocabulary and verbs. Start by thinking about phrases that you use frequently in your native language, and then learn how to say them in English. In your vocabulary notebook, try to write down idioms and phrasel verbs to include those whole sentneces that are useful to you.

Tip 8 – It is not just grammar

The key to learning a language is finding a balance between studying grammar and practicing speaking. Speaking English fluently isn’t the same as knowing perfect English grammar – even native English-speakers make grammar mistakes! Fluency is about being able to communicate, have a great flow, use pauses correctly and have the correct intonation. That’s why sometimes it’s important to put the grammar textbook away, so you can go out and practice those writing, reading, listening and speaking skills in the real world like at work.

Tip 9 – Mistakes happen

Sometimes it can be difficult to put all those rules and words together into a simple sentence. Don’t let the fear of saying something wrong stop you from speaking at all – as mentioned in tip 8 even native English-speakers make mistakes. Even if you think you’re making a mistake, keep speaking anyway. Most of the time, people will understand what you’re trying to say, even if you make a mistake. Plus, the more you speak, the easier it gets, and the more quickly the right words will come to mind.

Final tip – Everyone will teach you something

You don’t have to only learn English from textbooks and teachers – anyone who speaks English can help you practice. Imagine how you would feel if someone asked you, in your native language, how to pronounce something? Would you be angry? No! You’d probably be happy to help, just like most English-speakers are happy to help you. If you know any English-speakers, whether it’s a friend or co-worker, take advantage of the opportunity to practice and learn from them.

Well teachers, these tips are just a suggestion I found, as mentioned, during my research. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to comment.

Have your tools ready

Before teaching

http://www.speedtest.net This website is very popular when it comes to verifying if you have the adequate speed to teach online. UM, about one hour before your fisrt class begins, why don’t you check your speed?

Checking your speed is one thing; checking your connection is another. To do so you must check pings. How? Let us go through the steps one by one:

You will hold the windows key and then R at the same time. A box that says RUN or EJECUTAR will apear. Type in it CMD then press enter or click on ACCEPT.

A black box should apear. In that box you will type: ping http://www.google.com -t  make sure you key in the correct spaces – ping(1 space)www.google.com(1space)-t. Packets will start to be sent.

If your speed is too low or you loose too many packets, you need to call your Internet Service Provider (ISP). You want to have the best connection possible so SS can hear and see you and vice versa.

Now this is before you start teaching. Now let us look at DURING teaching.

While teaching

I am assuming you have already previewed what the lesson is going to be about.

Two important sites to have on hand are https://translate.google.com/hl=en&tab=TT  and  http://www.ldoceonline.com; These two tools are very handy. Sometimes you can not define a word – we are not walking dictionary, or we are caught off guard – so you can just type it in really quick and there you have it, the deffinition. Sometime you don’t remember how to say a word in a different language: translate it! Do anything to make our SS happy. The goal is for them to feel like they have learned something; and they should learn.

Have your IT, booking, schedlures, boss, supervisor, anyone who you need to communicate with in a form of ‘messanger’ just in case you have any connection, sound, IT problems. We use mostly Whatsapp.

If you feel like you are not to good at a certain grammar point, look up a website that explains it: ex. englishclub, perfect-english, etc… The web is full of sites and pages.

Have your lesson on PDF open so you can be previewing it as the class progresses. This will help you keep in mind what point is next making the lesson flow smoothly.

Other tools

Other tools you have for work is your comuter, your desk, and your chair. In my case I use a standing desk since I have back problems and I can’t sit for too long. If you are sitting read the following article from webmd:

Good sitting posture at your workstation means your shoulders are relaxed, your feet are flat on the floor, and you can sit up straight to do your work. Guidelines include:

• A chair that helps you keep your normal spinal curvature. A supportive chair:
  • Is adjustable, so that you can set the height to rest your feet flat on the floor. Keep your feet supported on the floor or on a footrest to reduce pressure on your lower back. Some people like to sit in a slightly reclined position because it puts less stress on the back, although this may increase stress on the shoulders and neck when reaching for items.
  • Supports your lower back.
  • Has adjustable armrests that allow your elbows to stay close to your sides. If you are not comfortable with armrests, move them out of your way. It is still important to keep your arms close to your sides even if you choose not to use armrests.
  • Has a breathable, padded seat.
  • Rolls on five wheels for easy movement without tipping.
• A computer keyboard and keyboard tray that allow comfortable typing or keying.
  • Your keyboard should be at a height that allows your elbows to be bent about 90 degrees and close to your sides.
  • Many keyboards and keyboard trays have wrist supports to help keep your wrists in a neutral, almost straight position. But wrist pads are just there for brief rests. They are actually not meant to be used while you are typing. But some people find the pads helpful even when they are using their keyboard or mouse. When you type or use your mouse, try raising your forearms a little so your wrists are in a neutral position and your arms and hands can move freely. If you have arm rests on your chair, you may be able to adjust them so your forearms are parallel to the floor and your wrists are neutral. Your wrist is in a neutral position when the thumb is in line with the forearm and the wrist is bent slightly back, such as when your arm is hanging at your side. You may want to alternate between resting your wrists on the pads and raising them up. If you use a wrist pad, it’s best to rest your palm or the heel of your hand on the support, rather than your wrist.
  • The tilt of the keyboard can be adjusted. Some people find in more comfortable if the keyboard is flat or tilted slightly down at the top. Try different tilt angles to see what is most comfortable for you.

Standing position

The following information was taken out from this link:  https://open.buffer.com/healthiest-way-to-work-standing-sitting/ 

Stand while you work: How to find the right standing desk

Perhaps the most obvious (and increasingly popular) idea of how to stand and move more at work is to convert your workstation with a standing desk. If you’re curious to try this for yourself, all the best advice is to start small and cheap. And take things slow.

Small and cheap is the best way to start because you don’t want to pay big bucks for something you don’t like and therefore might not enjoy using. High-end standing desks can cost over $1,000. Therefore, it’s best to give a standing workstation a trial before you commit to a steep price tag.

First things first, posture is essential no matter what desk you use. Here’s a helpful graphic from Wired about the appropriate height, distances, and angles for a standing desk.

• Monitor should be 20-28 inches away from your eyes with the screen at a 20-degree tilt
• Table height should be at or slightly below elbow height
• Elbows at a 90-degree angle to the keyboard
• Eyes looking slightly down to the monitor

 

You’ll notice that this type of setup gets a little difficult with a laptop because the keyboard and screen would be on the same level. If you plan on a standing desk for your laptop, it might be best to invest in a standalone keyboard and mouse so that you can adjust your screen and peripherals to the ideal height.

Drinks

It is better to have a warmer drink rather than a cold drink. Singers try to have something COLD at hand because they strain thier voices a lot. We, on the other hand, do not need that. Warm fluids like coffee or tea can ease out vocal cords and we can pronounce words in such a way that SS can understand us well.

• What do you do to prepare?
• Do you have any other tips?

 

 

 

What makes a good teacher?

The following information was taken out from the book “How to Teach English” by Jeremy Harmer. He is one of my favorite English teaching author.  It is the first chapter: How to be a good teacher. The folowing questions are made:

• What makes a good teacher?
• How should teachers talk to students
• How shoudl tachers give instructions?
• Who should talk in class?
• What are the best kinds of lessons?
• How important is it to follow a pre-arranged plan?

I pasted the first 6 pages of the book in jpeg format. I hope you can read it clearly. I am not too tech savvy.

 

 

 

Reading

 

My first tip is: READ. Yes, read about anything and everything (an informal phrase that means don’t be partial). Remember you are you are teaching adults and children to speak a different language. If you are teaching a doctor, do you know medical terminology? If you are teaching a police officer, do you know the language used in that field? Most likely we don’t. But, if you read on those subject, you will be able to answer students questions and they will have confidence in you.

Teaching is not just about grammar, pronouncing words correctly, listening comprehension, etc. We must help our students build thier vocabulary. How can we do so if we ourselves have a limited vocabulary bank?

I went online and searched for all kinds of books: Business English, Sociology, Psychology, Engineering, technology, geography, etc. (most of them are free) You get the point. I have books on mathematics, computer science, biology, theology, economics, well just about anything. If I want to teach children, I have books for them too; magazines about video games, videos of WWE matches, Barbie, Peppa,etc.

Knowledge is life, so don’t limit yourself. READ!!!

I have bought and downloaded books on Teaching English since I am an ESL teacher. Learning about the newest methodologies, psychoneurolinguistics, different approches, all of these topics will also help you grow professionaly. Personal growth is a must.

  Which one do you want to be?