Monday, September 28, 2009

Integrative Communication

Hello everybody from Teresina!!!
Could you answer some of these questions about your English Course?

  • What disciplines do you have?
  • What is your favorite subject?
  • What activities types do you have in your course?
  • Are you already teaching?Do you like it?
  • What is your plans for the future?

Thanks very much!
And send me your questions too.......

Dani

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Methods



Last class, I presented the following terms:

Learning Strategy





Studying strategies, also called learner strategies, are ways of learning. Good learners use these strategies to make their learning more efficient.

I)(in language learning) a way in which a learner attempts to work out the meanings and uses of words, grammatical rules, and other aspects of a language, for example by the use o GENERALIZATON and INFERENCING.
In first Language learning, a child may not pay attention to grammatical words in a sentence, but in trying to understand a sentence may use the learning strategy that the first mentioned noun in a sentence refers to the person or thing performing an action. The child may then think that the sentence The boy was chased by the dog means the same thing as The boy chased the dog.


II) (in second language learning, studying, reading etc)intentional behavior thoughts that learners make use of during learning in order to better help them understand, learn or remember new information. These may include focusing on certain aspects of new information, analyzing and organizing information during learning to increase comprehension, evaluating learning when it is completed to see if further action is needed. Learning strategies may be applied to simple tasks such as learning a list of new words, or more complex tasks involving language comprehension and production. The effectiveness of second language learning is thought to be improved by teaching learners more effective learning strategies.
Learning strategies refer to methods that students use to learn. This ranges from techniques for improved memory to better studying or test-taking strategies. For example, the method of loci is a classic memory improvement technique; it involves making associations between facts to be remembered and particular locations. In order to remember something, you simply visualize places and the associated facts.
There are two main types of learning strategies, the first are strategies for planning how to learn, and secondly strategies for learning.
Recording yourself: record yourself speaking, either on your own, or with other people. Later you can review the recording, listen for problems such as saying "Um" too much, and research anything that you didn't know how to say.
Repetition: You can repeat a word out loud or silently to practice pronunciation. Be careful to listen to a model to make sure that you pronunciation is correct.



Comprehensible input





Hypothesis, developed by Stephen Krashen. This theory was originally called the Input Hypothesis.
Input language which contains linguistic items that are slightly beyond the learner’s present linguistic competence.
According to Krashen, we acquire language only when we receive comprehensible input (CI). This hypothesis claims that we move from i to i+1 by understanding input that contains i+1. In this equation, i represents previously acquired linguistic competence and extra-linguistic knowledge. Extra-linguistic knowledge includes our knowledge of the world and of the situation- that is, the context. The +1 represents new knowledge or language structures that we should be ready to acquire.
According to Krashen's theory of language acquisition, giving learners this kind of input helps them acquire language naturally, rather than learn it consciously.
Examples
The teacher selects a reading text for upper-intermediate level learners that is from a lower advanced level course book. Based on what the teacher knows about the learners, the teacher believes that this will give them 'comprehensible input' to help them acquire more language.
In the classroom
Trying to understand language slightly above their level encourages learners to use natural learning strategies such as guessing words from context and inferring meaning. As the example suggests, a teacher needs to know the level of the learners very well in order to select comprehensible input, and in a large class of mixed ability, different learners will need different texts.


By:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/strategy.html
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/knowledge-wiki/comprehensible-input
http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf/Grad%20Students/Definitions%20of%20Spelling%20Terms.pdf

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Basic deconstruction questions (class activity)





The Boxer
(Simon and Garfunkel)

I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises.
All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest, hmmmm

When I left my home and my family, I's no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin' scared, laying low,
Seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go,
Looking for the places only they would know.

Li la li...

Asking only workman's wages, I come lookin' for a job,
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores on 7th Avenue.
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there.

La la la...

now the years are rolling by me, they are -[rockin evenly]-
i am older than i once was
and younger than i'll be that's not unusual.
no it isnt strange after changes upon changes we are more or less the same
after changes we are more or less the same

Li la li...


And I'm laying out my winter clothes and wishing I was gone,
goin' home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleedin' me, leadin' me,
goin' home.

In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
'Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.


Li la li...

Characters:
Family

Strangers

Whores

Ragged people


1) Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it?Why?
This song is about a poor boy who wants to improve life in another country. He faced many difficulties but never gave up their dreams. He paid for it, because he was responsible for his actions, he believed in an illusion.


2) Who is the "target audience"? What are the clues (words, images, sounds, etc.)?
Poor boys who want to change their lives (to make money in another country). The clues are: poor boy, strangers, fighter, comfort etc.

3) What "tools of persuasion" are used?
Despite the failures, we must never give up.


4) What part of the story is not being told?
We do not know why he left home, how long he was away from home, where he worked etc.


5) About the chorus...
The chorus of the song remind us the word lie.

Methods Label

Main features of the methods:

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Methodologies (O' Grady)


The last classes, we studied the methodologies: Grammar Translation Method, Direct Method, Audiolingual Method and Communicative Language Teaching Methods. We also saw the differences and similarities between these methods, analyzing the pros and cons of each.
Some of these methodologies are very outdated and unfortunately they are still used today. Such as the Grammar Translation, which only emphasizes reading, writing, translation and grammar rules (not developing speech).
After studying these methods, it became clear that there isn’t a perfect method/approach. Often, to prepare a lesson, teachers need to use a little of each approach or method. It is normal!
As teachers, we can not elect a method as being the best, first we need to know their problems and find solutions.