Expression of the week #9

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Meaning: In difficulty, faced with a choice between two unsatisfactory options.
Example: I suddenly found myself caught between a rock and a hard place and didn't know what to do.
In Portuguese: estar entre a cruz e a espada.
Synonym: between the devil and the deep blue sea.

source: thefreedictionary.com

The power of question for classroom management!

Dr. Maryellen Weimer, discusses the value of good questions to promote productive discussions. Below is an excerpt from her book Classroom Communication: Collected Readings for Effective Discussion and Questioning:

"To realize the potential of a good question, we can’t forget that the power of a question to promote thinking happens in the interstice between the question and the answer—in that quiet space between the asking and answering. Most of us are in such a hurry that that space is short—typically  less than 5 seconds, according to research."

5 seconds? It sounds like no time at all but for a teacher it can be the result of a smart decision, that is to say, the right question at the right moment. Seemingly casual questions can be a very powerful way of unobtrusively refocusing an off-task student. See below a technique showing how to use questions to refocus off-task students:

You gently approach one or more student but pay no attention to their

off-task behaviour. You simply ask a gently redirective question: ‘How’s it going? Do you need any help? etc; e.g  ‘Sylvia, do you need me to check how you’re doing so far?’  

You then leave the refocused student with an expectation of continued compliance:‘I’ll pop back in a minute and see how far you’ve got’

Very simple in theory but in practice it is not all plain sailing! Teachers tend to pay attention only to the disruptive behavior leading to a stressful classroom environment. As a teacher I can tell you it works marvels but it requires focus to your attitude and practice.What about trying it on your next lesson?

Expression of the week # 8

" Nobody wants to be a good-for-nothing"

This expression in Portuguese means "ser um zero a esquerda". It can be used as noun or adjective. See examples below:

Jane is a nice girl but I dislike that good-for-nothing brother of hers. (adjective)

Paul will never get a job. He is a good-for-nothing. (noun)


source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary.

Digital Camera Hunt

 

This game may require students to leave the classroom depending on how you set it up, But I do suggest it be done outside the classroom. It can be used as warm-up or even as a transition activity to introduce new vocabulary but FUN IS A SURE THING IN THIS ACTIVITY!!!
 
Procedures:
Make a list of things students must take photos of. Then put your students into teams, each with their own camera (my students used their mobiles!) and have them go out and take the photos. The team that comes back first with all the photos is the winner. It is important to mention that they must not use Portuguese to get the things they need and reinforce that everything must be done outside the classroom. I also advise teachers to rafle the lists so that students do not complain about the difficulty level.
 
Some ideas for lists are:

• someone angry, white car, pink eraser, pencil sharpener,  a living animal/insect
• someone worried, silver car, yellow pair of scissors, stapler, a living animal/insect
• someone wearing a blue t-shirt, red car, mechanic pencil, 15 paper clips, a living animal/insect.

If you happen to use this activity in your lesson, please post a comment so that other teachers feel more triggered to have a try!

What do your pupils need to know about Pronunciation? + Cool Activity!!!

Pronunciation involves far more than individual sounds. Word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and word linking all influence the sound of spoken English, not to mention the way we often slur words and phrases together in casual speech. English pronunciation involves too many complexities for learners to strive for a complete elimination of accent, but improving pronunciation will boost self esteem, facilitate communication, and possibly lead to a better job or a least more respect in the workplace. Effective communication is of greatest importance, so choose first to work on problems that significantly hinder communication and let the rest go. Remember that your students also need to learn strategies for dealing with misunderstandings, since native pronunciation is for most an unrealistic goal. One nice activity to raise awareness of pronunciation  for high intermediate/advanced student is described below:

Objective: to raise students awareness about vowel sounds and practice them.

Procedures: write on separate pieces of paper the names below and distribute among your students. Tell them that for the time being, they have the name written on the paper and you are going to call out the roll call.

Jan Bird     Jan Baird

Jan Burt     Jan Beard

Jon Bird     Jon Baird

Jon Burt     Jon Beard

Jen Bird     Jen Baird

Jen Burt     Jen Beard

What problems might your students have with this activity? Why do you think they might have these problems? And what aspect of pronunciation does this activity target?

If you indicated that learners of English might have problems discriminating among many of these names, then you are correct. This may be an issue if students don’t share the same sound differences in their first language.

And if you indicated that this activity targets the pronunciation of individual sounds, especially vowels, then you are also correct. As this activity shows, ever so slight differences in sounds can completely alter what the student understands. Much of your work as a teacher with pronunciation will come from the fact that your students, in their experience with their native language(s), have acquired the skill of overlooking differences which they must pay attention to in the language you are teaching them. This activity can call your student's attention to pronunciation in a fun way and it can  provide you with the chance of showing them that what really matters in communication is how intelligeable you are!!!

references:

Cunningham Florez, MaryAnn. "Improving Adult ESL Learners' Pronunciation Skills." December 1998. National Center for ESL Literacy Education. 22 Apr. 2004. <http://www.cal.org/ncle/digests/Pronun.htm>

Expression of the week #7

Do you know how to say "Nascido em berço de ouro"? Well, here it goes: Born with a silver spoon in your mouth!!!

Definition by thefreedictionary.com: If you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you are born into a rich family.

source: Speaker Patrick Jackson at Oxford University Press meeting! Listening and learning!!!!

15 Things to remember about Behavior Management

15 Things to remember about Behavior Management:

 

1) Praise the action or decision, not the child
2) Provide positive recognition when good choices are made
3) If what you are doing is not working, change what you are doing
4) Never give sanctions in anger
5) Don't ignore inappropriate behaviour
6) Only give consequences when you are sure of what happened
7) You can accept a child while not accepting inappropriate behaviour
8) Never threaten what you are not prepared to carry out
9) We never learn resilience without facing frustrations
10) Our expectations will often determine a child's behaviour
11) Be patient with childish irresponsibilities but never with defiance and rebellion
12) What children say about how they feel is not necessarily so
13) After consequences are given out treat the child as if nothing has happened
14) Be authoritative not authoritarian
15) Watch your emotions, children are good at reading body language

source: BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT POCKET BOOK. Hook, Peter & Vass, Andy

Link to book preview: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Behaviour-Management-Pocketbook-Teachers-Pocketbooks/dp/1903776597#reader_1903776597