So as the course is drawing to a close and I am trying to get the last bits and pieces together for my portfolio it seems like the right time to reflect on how I feel that the course has affected my teaching.
I feel that I have become more confident at identifying foci for my teaching. Instead of just from material I can now identify students' needs and draw content from material. In teaching EFL I had a more grammar focused approach. After completing the CELTA and starting to teach ESOL I started to use a more communicative approach. I feel that I lost too much of the emphasis on language in doing this and that I am now finding a more useful balance. I feel much more confident in my teaching and I have become more professional.
I have increased my theoretical knowledge greatly. I have a much better idea of what is effective teaching and how the skills and language can be taught. This has in turn helped me create teaching materials which I have been able to share with colleagues. However I definitely feel that the course has also been very good at highlighting areas where I need to read further to improve my knowledge.
I feel that working with a full time contract as opposed to through an agency has allowed me to develop as a teacher. The first obvious point is that the college required me to take this course and funded me to do so. Secondly I have had more time in one place during which I have been able to develop materials. I am part of a very tight team who support each other and contribute their expertise.
I have also been able to use the technical resources which the college has and been able to develop interactive content for my classes. These have mainly been materials for the college's interactive whiteboards (SMARTboards) - see http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2006
I've also produced exercises which students can use individually in class and outside through the college's VLE - see http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2045
One area where I still need to improve is in making sure of the reasons behind the stages in my lessons. This is where further study will be very useful - I need to build up a reserve of techniques, supported by theory for different skills and elements of language.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Tutorials...
I had another tutorial today on the course. It was feedback on the lesson that I taught yesterday. There were some good points, I appear to be more conscious of my own language and errors that I might make and I managed to correct myself. I've cut down on walking all over the room as well, which is a positive step.
Now I need to look at language development in the observation which I have next week. I sometimes find this a bit difficult - possibly because my teaching has been 'influenced' by using the DFES produced 'Skills for Life materials which seem to believe that form is just something that happens....
I've got time to work on it so I should be able to get it sorted out....
Now I need to look at language development in the observation which I have next week. I sometimes find this a bit difficult - possibly because my teaching has been 'influenced' by using the DFES produced 'Skills for Life materials which seem to believe that form is just something that happens....
I've got time to work on it so I should be able to get it sorted out....
Found on the web
Doing some research, I found this description of today's learners (esp. with relation to technology, I think that it seems pretty accurate. That's not just for the students, I feel I can identify with a number of the things that it says... have a look:
Frand's 10 characteristics of an information age mindset learner summarised from Frand V L - The Information-Age Mindset. Educause review September/October 200. Vol 35 No. 5.
Computers aren't technology If you can remember the first time that you used a piece of technology, eg the Internet, then it is technology. For me I can't remember the first time that I used a phone, it is not technology for me. For our students, using a PC is not technology, it is just part of life.
Internet better than TV For the first time, since television was introduced, the number of hours that young people spend watching TV has been reduced and replaced with time online. Students are now using the Internet for everything especially socialising and often believe that everything is available on the Internet.
Reality no longer real Through photography, we began to believe what we saw. However, with digital manipulation of images, hoax emails etc. can we believe what we see? How accurate is the information online.
Doing rather than knowing In the past, the shelf life of information would be decades, if not centuries. Now, due to technology, it is measured in months and, sometimes, years. This changes students' attitudes and perceptions of information. Doing and results are seen as more important than knowing information which will be out of date in a few years or even months.
Nintendo over logic The quickest way to win a Nintendo game is to try and try again. Trial and error. If there is a problem, the PC can be rebooted. Students use this approach to learning which contrasts vividly with the more traditional, rule-based approach to solving problems. We need to consider the benefits and disadvantages to ensure that we can meet all learning styles through our use of technology in education.
Multitasking as a way of life Most students are comfortable listening to music, answering an email, talking on the phone and surfing the web simultaneously. Learning with technology will just be one activity that our students will be engaging with. How will this affect the way we present information?
Typing rather than handwriting Most students are more familiar with the keyboard than pens. The digital word can be manipulated easier than paper and re-used and recycled.
Staying connected Students want to stay in touch - wherever, whenever. They have phones, PDAs and bleepers. For learning this means these students do not need or want to be constrained by the physical location of education.
Zero tolerance for delays Our students have grown up in a 24 x 7 culture, customer-service culture. They are used to immediacy. Emails allow students to contact tutors but imply an expected short response time.
Consumer/creator blurring The web has made it easier to create information and make it available. It has also made it easier to access information. For many students, there is now a blurring of creator, user and owner of information.
Found at www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/effective-use-of-VLEs/intro-to-VLEs/introtovle-student/frands-10-char
Frand's 10 characteristics of an information age mindset learner summarised from Frand V L - The Information-Age Mindset. Educause review September/October 200. Vol 35 No. 5.
Computers aren't technology If you can remember the first time that you used a piece of technology, eg the Internet, then it is technology. For me I can't remember the first time that I used a phone, it is not technology for me. For our students, using a PC is not technology, it is just part of life.
Internet better than TV For the first time, since television was introduced, the number of hours that young people spend watching TV has been reduced and replaced with time online. Students are now using the Internet for everything especially socialising and often believe that everything is available on the Internet.
Reality no longer real Through photography, we began to believe what we saw. However, with digital manipulation of images, hoax emails etc. can we believe what we see? How accurate is the information online.
Doing rather than knowing In the past, the shelf life of information would be decades, if not centuries. Now, due to technology, it is measured in months and, sometimes, years. This changes students' attitudes and perceptions of information. Doing and results are seen as more important than knowing information which will be out of date in a few years or even months.
Nintendo over logic The quickest way to win a Nintendo game is to try and try again. Trial and error. If there is a problem, the PC can be rebooted. Students use this approach to learning which contrasts vividly with the more traditional, rule-based approach to solving problems. We need to consider the benefits and disadvantages to ensure that we can meet all learning styles through our use of technology in education.
Multitasking as a way of life Most students are comfortable listening to music, answering an email, talking on the phone and surfing the web simultaneously. Learning with technology will just be one activity that our students will be engaging with. How will this affect the way we present information?
Typing rather than handwriting Most students are more familiar with the keyboard than pens. The digital word can be manipulated easier than paper and re-used and recycled.
Staying connected Students want to stay in touch - wherever, whenever. They have phones, PDAs and bleepers. For learning this means these students do not need or want to be constrained by the physical location of education.
Zero tolerance for delays Our students have grown up in a 24 x 7 culture, customer-service culture. They are used to immediacy. Emails allow students to contact tutors but imply an expected short response time.
Consumer/creator blurring The web has made it easier to create information and make it available. It has also made it easier to access information. For many students, there is now a blurring of creator, user and owner of information.
Found at www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/effective-use-of-VLEs/intro-to-VLEs/introtovle-student/frands-10-char
Sunday, 3 June 2007
SMART notebook....
Another Half-term break over... I got some time to make some more adaptations of Skills for Life materials for the Interactive whiteboards at College. I personally think that it is a very useful resource for teaching ESOL. It allows for stronger visual presentation than printed materials. Students are then able to have a deeper interaction with these visuals than just having them on the pages of their notes. The ability to 'launch' the sound files from the board allows students to feel more in control of the lessons, and gives an alternative to the 'teacher as authority' model. I have produced some drag and drop spelling templates which help learners recognise letter patterns and gives them the opportunity to re-arrange letter to correct any mistakes or errors.
There are also benefits from the admin side of things - these material are relatively easy to use during classes. Also, while they take time to produce, once they're done - they're done and can be shared and re-used. They can also be posted and downloaded from the internet. There are a number of sites which offer Smart Notebook lessons for the primary and secondary sectors - especially in the UK and the US. However I have found little so far for FE sector ESOL. For this reason I have followed the Skills for Life materials. Despite their failings they are very widely used both in the college where I work and in ESOL classes in general, this means that they should be at least adaptable for other people to use. I have made them available (and findable!) to members of staff where I work and I have also posted them at www.talent.ac.uk, which is the best site for finding UK ESOL materials that I have yet found.
The materials can be found at the following locations:
E1 U.6 Neighbourhood - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1946
E1 U.7 Homes - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1945
E1 U.8 Friends and Family - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1967
E1 U.9 Shopping 2 - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2006
E1 U.10 Going to Work - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2027
E2 U.7 Changes - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2028
All these materials are very much work-in-progress I hope that through the talent website people can give me some feedback on these materials and I can then incorporate this into the materials which I have compiled and in a new sets which I try to make. So far I am pleased with the materials that I have managed to produce - It was a nice ego boost to see that some of the above materials come out as the first result in Google when you search for smart notebook esol (at the time of writing). However this is probably more a reflection of the scarcity of these resources, at least in easy to find locations than the quality of the resources. Computer technology takes a lot of the need to re-invent the wheel in teaching, websites such as talent allow people to build on each others knowledge and take things further - so we can start to invent the car, not just the wheels. This is especially true where there is a certain amount of national standardisation i.e. with the DFES' ESOL Core Curriculum.
I have noticed my progress in making these materials as I have learnt more about the SMART notebook software which I use. The spelling template which I have used in the later material I have made for E1 would be appropriate for all units. I need to work more on how to make content relevant for classes at levels above E1 - they seem to require more thought to put together. The latest feature which I have been able to use is linking pages to objects in order to automatically give feedback to students - this can increase engagement with the materials and I should extend this to other materials.
There are still areas which I feel I need to work on in order to improve my practice. I should be more diligent at creating files in class (possibly using templates) and saving them at the end to build up a base of vocabulary, difficulties, explanations etc - this should be fairly easy to do on a blank smart notebook page - or with a simple template, then I need to remember to 'tidy' these files up and keep them in an organised fashion - I think that's going to be my September resolution this year. I've just been looking at the new version of the smart notebook software and it has a few more functions which could be useful for this - by allowing more than one page to be displayed at a time. I also need to find more ways that the students can have access to the materials through the college VLE. As the program will import PowerPoint files, it might be better to use powerpoint as it is a much more widely used application.
Also I found these articles out in the big WWW which might be interesting:
http://www.evaluation.icttestbed.org.uk/files/fe21_access_a-level.pdf
http://www.evaluation.icttestbed.org.uk/files/fe10_plumbing.pdf
There are also benefits from the admin side of things - these material are relatively easy to use during classes. Also, while they take time to produce, once they're done - they're done and can be shared and re-used. They can also be posted and downloaded from the internet. There are a number of sites which offer Smart Notebook lessons for the primary and secondary sectors - especially in the UK and the US. However I have found little so far for FE sector ESOL. For this reason I have followed the Skills for Life materials. Despite their failings they are very widely used both in the college where I work and in ESOL classes in general, this means that they should be at least adaptable for other people to use. I have made them available (and findable!) to members of staff where I work and I have also posted them at www.talent.ac.uk, which is the best site for finding UK ESOL materials that I have yet found.
The materials can be found at the following locations:
E1 U.6 Neighbourhood - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1946
E1 U.7 Homes - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1945
E1 U.8 Friends and Family - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1967
E1 U.9 Shopping 2 - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2006
E1 U.10 Going to Work - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2027
E2 U.7 Changes - http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=2028
All these materials are very much work-in-progress I hope that through the talent website people can give me some feedback on these materials and I can then incorporate this into the materials which I have compiled and in a new sets which I try to make. So far I am pleased with the materials that I have managed to produce - It was a nice ego boost to see that some of the above materials come out as the first result in Google when you search for smart notebook esol (at the time of writing). However this is probably more a reflection of the scarcity of these resources, at least in easy to find locations than the quality of the resources. Computer technology takes a lot of the need to re-invent the wheel in teaching, websites such as talent allow people to build on each others knowledge and take things further - so we can start to invent the car, not just the wheels. This is especially true where there is a certain amount of national standardisation i.e. with the DFES' ESOL Core Curriculum.
I have noticed my progress in making these materials as I have learnt more about the SMART notebook software which I use. The spelling template which I have used in the later material I have made for E1 would be appropriate for all units. I need to work more on how to make content relevant for classes at levels above E1 - they seem to require more thought to put together. The latest feature which I have been able to use is linking pages to objects in order to automatically give feedback to students - this can increase engagement with the materials and I should extend this to other materials.
There are still areas which I feel I need to work on in order to improve my practice. I should be more diligent at creating files in class (possibly using templates) and saving them at the end to build up a base of vocabulary, difficulties, explanations etc - this should be fairly easy to do on a blank smart notebook page - or with a simple template, then I need to remember to 'tidy' these files up and keep them in an organised fashion - I think that's going to be my September resolution this year. I've just been looking at the new version of the smart notebook software and it has a few more functions which could be useful for this - by allowing more than one page to be displayed at a time. I also need to find more ways that the students can have access to the materials through the college VLE. As the program will import PowerPoint files, it might be better to use powerpoint as it is a much more widely used application.
Also I found these articles out in the big WWW which might be interesting:
http://www.evaluation.icttestbed.org.uk/files/fe21_access_a-level.pdf
http://www.evaluation.icttestbed.org.uk/files/fe10_plumbing.pdf
Saturday, 26 May 2007
Writing
I'm glad half-term's come around - I need a break... too many assignments and things in May - on top of that there was the OFSTED inspection. Now I just need to get the final bits together for my portfolio, that's the biggest task at the moment.
I finally managed to get a decent writing lesson with my Evening class this week... I think the secret is to have lots of separate writing tasks that students can complete independently. Then you just sit there marking them as they come in... seems to work well. I feel confident that all the students should be able to pass their exams.
I finally managed to get a decent writing lesson with my Evening class this week... I think the secret is to have lots of separate writing tasks that students can complete independently. Then you just sit there marking them as they come in... seems to work well. I feel confident that all the students should be able to pass their exams.
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
I've been playing with Slideshows this week.... I'm not convinced how useful they are - but they look snazzy
The only question is if sticking that up on moodle will actually help my students....
I think my e-ILPs are going well - it's a shame that the group I'm teaching is E1, because they don't really have the confidence to really take ownership of them - it'd be great if they commented on them and we established another channel of dialogue - that can be another goal for next year. Until October last year I didn't really know what Moodle was, so I'm still learning - next term I'll be able to hit the ground running.
INSPECTION OVER!!!!!!!!!!! We survived.... working 'til 4am putting together lesson plans, and for what? They didn't even look at us... oh well, the college came out with everything we wanted. We're officially grade 2 (except, ahem, ESOL is only grade 3 - that's something to look at.). The only problem is that now everything seems like a bit of an anticlimax.... we've still got to go on until July!
As for the course.... well it's getting serious two resubmits and another essay due in for next Tuesday - sounds like it'll be a long weekend - I keep promising myself that I'll get everything finished earlier - and then I just don't get it done. I've been working til 4am on almost all of the assignments so far. I'm dreading the thought of the portfolio... it sounds scary... I've got most of the stuff - it's all documentation that I put together for the inspection, it's just a case of chasing it up and sorting it out. The lessons plans are a bit daunting - but I'll make it somehow.
As for the teaching - now we're just making sure that all the course is covered and that the students are ready for whatever they might get thrown at them by the exams.
Anyway, I ought to go now, it's getting late.... 'til the next time.
The only question is if sticking that up on moodle will actually help my students....
I think my e-ILPs are going well - it's a shame that the group I'm teaching is E1, because they don't really have the confidence to really take ownership of them - it'd be great if they commented on them and we established another channel of dialogue - that can be another goal for next year. Until October last year I didn't really know what Moodle was, so I'm still learning - next term I'll be able to hit the ground running.
INSPECTION OVER!!!!!!!!!!! We survived.... working 'til 4am putting together lesson plans, and for what? They didn't even look at us... oh well, the college came out with everything we wanted. We're officially grade 2 (except, ahem, ESOL is only grade 3 - that's something to look at.). The only problem is that now everything seems like a bit of an anticlimax.... we've still got to go on until July!
As for the course.... well it's getting serious two resubmits and another essay due in for next Tuesday - sounds like it'll be a long weekend - I keep promising myself that I'll get everything finished earlier - and then I just don't get it done. I've been working til 4am on almost all of the assignments so far. I'm dreading the thought of the portfolio... it sounds scary... I've got most of the stuff - it's all documentation that I put together for the inspection, it's just a case of chasing it up and sorting it out. The lessons plans are a bit daunting - but I'll make it somehow.
As for the teaching - now we're just making sure that all the course is covered and that the students are ready for whatever they might get thrown at them by the exams.
Anyway, I ought to go now, it's getting late.... 'til the next time.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
March
This was never meant to become a monthly thing.... but it seems to be becoming one. Oh well... time to get on with the writing.
First thing this month is that I've posted some materials on www.talent.ac.uk (or http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1946 and http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1945 to be more precise) I've been meaning to do it for ages but I needed to sort out some concerns that I've had about copyright... it's all Skills for Life stuff just tweaked for interactive whiteboards and powerpoint - so it's not like I wrote them or anything - it's just very useful. It is visually stronger than just using printed notes and allows for some kinaesthetic work to break up long lessons. Having the sound files embedded as MP3s is so much easier than having to faff about with tapes as well...
What I hadn't realised is how much easier it makes it for me to recap what I had covered in a previous lesson - I can easily show the content covered and play the recordings again for students to get further practice (also good for students with v.flaky attendance!). The only problem is that they take a while to produce.... hopefully by the end of this year I'll have a full set of files for E1 (though the first few need a lot of tweaking).
This month I have also been trying to implement a more student centred approach to my teaching and trying to identify individual targets for students, but in a practical way. It seems to be working - I'm still at the learner training stage of the trial at the moment.
Basically the approach I'm taking follows these steps:
Today we had a session on the course about teaching the writing process (and other approaches) It was interesting and there was some stuff that I can work on there - especially with my E1s, I've done some similar stuff using the computer, but I should try some on paper.
The other session was on the lexical approach - This had some pointers which I should be able to include in my teaching:
First thing this month is that I've posted some materials on www.talent.ac.uk (or http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1946 and http://www.talent.ac.uk/dsearch_details.asp?DocumentID=1945 to be more precise) I've been meaning to do it for ages but I needed to sort out some concerns that I've had about copyright... it's all Skills for Life stuff just tweaked for interactive whiteboards and powerpoint - so it's not like I wrote them or anything - it's just very useful. It is visually stronger than just using printed notes and allows for some kinaesthetic work to break up long lessons. Having the sound files embedded as MP3s is so much easier than having to faff about with tapes as well...
What I hadn't realised is how much easier it makes it for me to recap what I had covered in a previous lesson - I can easily show the content covered and play the recordings again for students to get further practice (also good for students with v.flaky attendance!). The only problem is that they take a while to produce.... hopefully by the end of this year I'll have a full set of files for E1 (though the first few need a lot of tweaking).
This month I have also been trying to implement a more student centred approach to my teaching and trying to identify individual targets for students, but in a practical way. It seems to be working - I'm still at the learner training stage of the trial at the moment.
Basically the approach I'm taking follows these steps:
- Ask students to identify interests/relevant areas from the front page of each Sfl unit.
- I identify SMART(ish) targets for each student for the unit and discuss this with the students.
- From these targets I extract the component skills ie. The ESOL Curriculum references.
- I compile a list of skills that are relevant to the targets of each student.
- Lessons are planned to include at least one skill from each student's target.
- An end of unit test is compiled to test each student's target.
Today we had a session on the course about teaching the writing process (and other approaches) It was interesting and there was some stuff that I can work on there - especially with my E1s, I've done some similar stuff using the computer, but I should try some on paper.
The other session was on the lexical approach - This had some pointers which I should be able to include in my teaching:
- Always give contexts for words presented.
- Give extra collocations for words presented.
- Train students to look for collocations in texts.
- Train students to record new vocab with its collocates.
- Use authentic materials where possible.
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