Teaching
Simple but Effective
I was having a look through some TOEIC lessons about analysing questions I did and found this conversation activity. I thought I would share. So, you give strips of paper out with each of the answers on them. The students (in pairs) must work together to come up with a flowing conversation that uses all the answers. There should also be room for a beginning and ending, too.
Answers:
I am her/his girlfriend/boyfriend.
We were friends.
He was my limousine driver.
She cuts my hair.
We go jogging together.
We were drunk and fell over.
I’m sorry I can’t tell you that.
I was very scared.
I felt embarrassed.
I thought it was a stupid idea.
I thought he was gay.
Good morning.
Of course.
Example conversation:
A: Hello, Rhianna.
B: Good morning.
A: Can I ask you some questions?
B: Of course.
A: Is it true you are Brad Pitt’s very good friend?
B: I am his girlfriend.
A: Wow! I thought you only knew him as friends.
B: We were friends.
A: Ok. So, how about Angelina? Has she done anything?
B: She cuts my hair.
A: How did you feel when you first met Angelina?
B: I was very scared.
A; Really! And how about Brad?
B: I thought he was gay.
A: What happened the first day you met Brad and Angelina?
B: We were drunk and fell over.
A: And your old boyfriend, do you still see him?
B: We go jogging together.
A: Right. Does he still sing?
B: No, he is my limousine driver.
A: Do you still date him?
B: I’m sorry I can’t tell you that.
A: Thank you for your time.
B: Thank you.
Apps, Apps and more Apps (when will it stop!)
I now have a new iPad, and there are many Apps to work with. Also, after speaking to other teachers and using the web to find other useful ones, downloading them, I am presently overloaded with Apps. My endeavour is to find out which Apps suit my teaching style and others that have a real benefit to the students. As a side-note, one major factor is that I have an iPad, but my students are normally used to old computers. So, I just wanted to make a note of some of the Apps I found quite interesting. I did start using iTunes U, but this meant the students need to get an Apple ID. For any student, this would a task, so I would recommend using up Edmodo. This is a great site for uploading class material. I then ventured to NearPod which impressed me after using Prezi, Powerpoint, and Keynote. It is not your usual presentation site because you can add quizzes and polls squeezed into your presentation as you deliver it. It will keep the students busy. It also allows you to give the presentation to the students slide by slide when needed. Once they are signed on and you give them the code for the class, you are ready to go.
I do have many Apps, but the last one (I don’t want to bore you, too much) that I will mention is GoodReader. This one allows you to store all your class material. PDF files can be AirDropped to your students through the iPads. Once they have done this work they can send it back to you. This is great for marking as you can use your fingers (as like a pen) to mark their work and then send back to them. Hey presto no paper!!. Oh yeah, TeacherKit is a great way to remember student names, you take their picture and write their names underneath. You can take attendance with this too. I could go on but as you see from below this is my iPad with many more Apps. Good luck with your iPads if you have them (they are becoming hard to avoid)!
An analysis of the experience of being a teacher
(1205 Words)
I wonder what motivates teachers to start the profession. For sure many reasons make someone begin a career in teaching. Is it pay or job security or is it a fall back option? This being said, initial motivation does not mean that years later the same can be said. The fact of the matter I feel is the evolution of the new teacher into a mature tutor. This is then the professional person who has recognized the true meaning of teaching. This person recognizes their role in helping to shape young minds and impart moral values through education. Teaching has to be a vocation. In part an autobiographical story and analysis, for this piece, I feel that there are many aspects that any teacher has to realize to fulfill true potential.
Certainly, ongoing professional development highlights certain challenges in teaching that a teacher has to face up to. A focal point for me was the realization that students do not really know how to learn. How can any teacher, great as they may think they are, not realize that the students are naive about how to get the most benefit from a lesson? Any teacher has to look at the students’ own learning traits in light of the imperative that they both foster lifelong learners in their classrooms as well as become lifelong learners themselves (Bernard-Powers et al., 2000). The teacher definitely has to play a huge part in a student’s education although every student and the class as a whole have to progress to help the teacher get the most out of them.
Giving and Receiving Feedback, It Will Never Be Easy But It Can Be Better
(633 Words)
I think at times teachers can have a little trouble with receiving and giving feedback. Their feedback skills could be said to need a little practice. I think this is important because as a teacher you will need feedback from your students to tell you if they like your teaching. Also, the students will want feedback on their learning. Each piece of feedback needs a positive, constructive base.
A first reaction, when thinking about feedback, may well be to go on the defensive when it is given. On the defensive, I mean that you are not really listening to the person giving the feedback. The point is feedback is information that can be heard by the receiver as evidenced by the fact that they do not go on the defensive. I agree that feedback has great value but only to us if we can let the feedback in and effectively use it.
There is also ineffective feedback. These are judgmental statements and can upset people. During a reflection, a teacher was told they were talking too much in class but the observer seemed to forget to look at the students who were fine with this talking. Other people said it was a lower level, and the students did not talk much anyway. Would you feel bad for the teacher? Was the observer too opinionated?
Another aspect is getting feedback but not using the experience as a positive move forward. The observer is just making a comment. The teacher needs to ask them such questions as ‘Why’? and ‘What do you think is better?’ For future actions, a teacher should take the time to realize that they could be wrong and that they should take in the information (feedback) that has been given. They should ask for clarification and realize that it is not a battle, and the comment is to help. They should reply with what they think. Thus hopefully getting a discussion going.
Moreover, the information that is given in the feedback can be shut out. Teachers sometimes lack the skills to send and receive feedback. For example, a teacher thought of a lesson plan idea and mentioned it to another teacher. Basically, they were told that the lesson plan was off-target because the lesson was not student-centred thus in the lesson plan the teacher would speak more which they are not supposed to do. The problem was that the teacher had thought about this lesson for a long time and had it planned. Now the first reaction, when they were told it was off-target, was to get a little angry. They felt as though it was an attack against them personally. Maybe they felt as though they were not good enough; their ideas were not good enough. So, they felt a bit sorry for themselves. One idea could be to say, “shall I forget about that lesson plan?’ and if they said ‘yes’, say to them “what do you think then?” or “how can I develop it?” The teacher could have asked why they thought it was off-course and what ideas the teacher should think of. The teacher should have got to the bottom of their thinking as they might think up another lesson plan like this and have the same trouble again.
In conclusion, a teacher’s acceptance of feedback does not mean that they need to always act on it. The feedback should have been encouraging, helpful, and given with clarity. If so, then the teacher needs to consider the feedback, and decide how, if at all, they wish to act upon it. This is strictly their choice, but it is important to bring to mind that the person giving the feedback felt strongly enough that they mentioned it. Let’s face it, how would you react in any given feedback situation?
Explain the Communicative Competence Model of Teaching Grammar
Communicative competence refers to the knowledge and skills required to use language effectively and appropriately in different communicative contexts. Grammar is an important component of communicative competence because it enables learners to construct meaningful and accurate utterances. However, effective communication involves more than grammatical accuracy alone; it also requires an understanding of how language varies according to context, purpose, and the relationship between speakers. For example, the language used when addressing a king or queen is likely to differ considerably from the language used when speaking to a close friend. Therefore, grammar needs to be taught not simply as a set of rules, but as a resource that enables learners to communicate appropriately in a range of social situations. This essay will examine how grammar can be taught through a communicative competence model.
Language is used for a variety of social and communicative purposes, and the appropriateness of an individual’s language can influence how they are perceived by others. Consequently, learners need to understand how grammatical structures operate in both formal and informal contexts. Teaching grammar communicatively allows students to recognise that different grammatical forms may be appropriate depending on the situation, the intended meaning, and the relationship between participants. Rather than learning isolated grammatical rules, learners should be exposed to language in meaningful contexts in which grammatical structures serve a genuine communicative purpose.
A communicative approach also recognises that language is fundamentally social. Individuals use language not only to exchange information but also to express their identity, establish relationships, and respond appropriately to others. For this reason, grammatical structures should be presented within meaningful contexts rather than as decontextualised forms. This approach places greater emphasis on authentic communication and learner-centred teaching. In stronger versions of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), the teacher is expected to adopt a “less dominant role”, while learners are encouraged to become “more responsible managers of their own learning” (Larsen-Freeman, 1986, p. 131). This shift allows learners to take a more active role in developing their communicative abilities.
A further consideration is the tendency for learners to rely on simplified language or memorised chunks of language when communicating. Although learning language in chunks can support fluency, an excessive reliance on fixed expressions may result in learners paying insufficient attention to the grammatical system underlying the language. A communicative competence model therefore aims to establish a balance between fluency and accuracy. Learners should be given opportunities to communicate meaningfully while also being encouraged to notice, understand, and apply grammatical structures. In this way, grammar becomes an integral part of communication rather than an isolated area of language study.
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