Week 2 (copied from Livejournal)

Describing a target group in general was not difficult. However, when I tried to apply the ABCD framework to make the description more objective, it was not so easy. The traditional post-soviet education system is known for extremely broad and unfeasible goals and very fuzzy objectives. We had to move to objectives which would be feasible, measurable, realistic and tangible.

In teacher training workshops we helped teachers to formulate specific objectives. However, even experienced teachers have difficulty in writing objectives that meet the above mentioned requirements. The main idea for writing a good objective is thinking ahead for the ways it may be accomplished and measured. There should be a way to measure students’ performance through something you can see, hear or read. When writing objectives we should avoid verbs like ‘understand’, ‘think’, ‘memorize’, and ‘remember’ – they do not provide a possibility to measure and assess.

One of the approaches to formulating an objective is SWBAT, ‘Students will be able to…’ followed by a performance verb like ‘draw’, ‘recite’, ‘dramatize’, ‘use a structure in dialogue’, ‘make a table’, ‘write’, ‘make a poster presentation’, etc. (Onushco, 2002) For example, you may write an objective in the following way: “Students will be able to use the Present Continuous tense in describing an action”. That is why I liked the lists of verbs to be used for writing objectives from “Classifying Objectives” and “How to Write Clear Objectives” articles. They make it clear what is expected from students and are easily assessed.

As for the reference mentioned, it is just one of the sources describing SWBAT, I am not aware of the original author.

References:
1.    Onushco Michael, Jr. 2002. Teaching English Communicatively: Practical Ideas and Suggestions.  Bishkek: Institute of World Languages.

Week 4

Looking into the ways of writing a technology enhanced lesson plan, I got a better picture of what a teacher should think of: standards requirements, performance indicators, learning objectives, the use of appropriate technology, etc.  I found it engaging, but very time consuming in the beginning. They should become easier to formulate when given more time to practice.

Technology itself is very motivating: students cannot part with their mobile devices, and sometimes are more skilled at using technology than their teachers. However, we see more opportunities to turn the students’ use of technology into an educationally useful stream course.

This week project tasks reinforced my understanding of my class needs and my wants in relation to technology use. I went through a few postings of other participants and saw a great number of ways to use technology and integrate it into traditional teaching. I liked the idea of using authentic websites as resources for motivating classes. The tasks my peers provide with their lesson plans give a wide spectrum of ideas for implementing web resources into my curriculum.

Teaching Active Listening

I found it very useful to review some of the basic theories of listening processes. They complement each other and produce a 3D picture of what may go on in one’s head when listening. I remember my experience in a British supermarket when asked at the till: “Any cashback?” I used my first card and had no schematic knowledge related to it. So these words that I understood later not only had no meaning to me, they sounded incomprehensible.

Therefore in my teaching practice I try to use relevant and engaging materials so that to encourage students’ active listening. One of the examples is “Burn Notice” video series experience. The series is about a former spy. It has short episodes with completed stories. All these make it easier for students to understand the language. There’s also a website with lots of things to do after students have watched the film: do quizzes, watch 1-minute “Ask a Spy Tips” or play games using the information from the film. I myself had fun doing those activities.

Mykola Kisil in his Week 3 blog mentions a few things that he learned during this week. I also think that the resourses we have read and looked through help building a more motivating and engaging learning environment.

Social bookmarking that I already knew about turned out a useful thing, especially when I was away from my computer and couldn't access traditional bookmarks. Thanks to Javier I have a great number of new links to go through. I think they may be grouped for easier access, too. 

My blogging experience

In my youth I had a diary. I wrote there things I considred important. It was meant for myself, but somewhere deep I hoped someone would read it in the future and think what interesting ideas I had.

Three years ago I had my first blogging experience. I was at CATEC (Central Asian Teachers of English Conference) and decided to write about the sessions and activities I attended. Here is a link to CATEC 2008 blog. I wanted as many of my colleagues as possible to visit this blog, read about the conference and share their impressions with those who hadn't attended it. However nobody actively commented on the blog, and soon our government forced the main internet providers block the website and we couldn't access livejournal for at least 2 years.

Then I started to think of using a blog for my teaching. There were many things to consider: aims, objectives, feasibility, availability of internet access, level of computer an internet skills of my students... I may have not been ready for it at that time. Probably the time has come for me to take everything into account and implement a teaching blog in my practice. Hope the course I am taking will assist me with it.