End of November 2014

Kia ora kotou,

Happy Teachers Day for you all!

How was your September and October, dear teachers? I do hope that the Listening tips I posted last two months are useful. I was looking forward to hearing from you. Well, you might be very busy to talk about the tips and how successful you are in the attempt of implementing them in the classroom. I am still waiting for your comments and feedback of the post.

This November, I would like to discuss about 'Life Skills for Teachers'. Our first question is what are life skills? Why life skills for teachers? What make them so important for teachers?

First of all open the link I give you here, http://www.macmillanenglish.com/events/life-skills-for-teachers/http://www.macmillanenglish.com/events/life-skills-for-teachers/.  Then, listen to a talk by Emma-Sue Prince (it's on the same page of the link I give you).

You can provide your comments or feedback through our group blog. Let me know if your fellow teachers are interested in joining the group blog. I can invite them. Ask them to provide their correct email address so that I can send them invitation to join our blog.

Happy listening and writing.


Cheers,
Anik

Welcome September 2014

Kia ora,

I am glad to have a chance to write to you again after putting everything off for some time.

In this chance I'd like to share tips to teach Listening skills to students. The tips are based on what I have experienced.

First, be ready with the aims or objectives of your lesson.
You might like to copy the following template I get from Oregon University:

Action Plan

Name:           

Date:                          

 

1)  Course description:

     Name of course:    

     Number of students:

     Age of students:

     Language level of students:

     Amount of time you meet per week:

     Other information:

2)  Describe your project:

3) What are the learning objectives (with measurable outcomes) for this project? (In other words, what will the students be able to do at the end of this project and how will you measure that?)

4)  Why would you like to implement this project?

       

5)  What are the benefits you anticipate from the project?

6)  What challenges do you expect to face from the project?

       

7)  How will you address the challenges described in Question 6?

8)  Describe the steps and timeline (schedule) of implementing your project.

9)  How will you assess the project? (Please provide a detailed plan for assessment and/or a rubric)

Second, make sure that you have the listening material to share.
One of the websites you can turn to is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/

Third, be ready with a hand out of the transcript with some words taken out from it. Note: the words could be words that you think your students need most for their coming lesson or that you think are the academic words they have to learn.

Fourth, check an recheck the MP3 file and the player (tape recorder or computer) so that you won't have problems when playing them.

Five, improvise if you have problems! Technology is not designed to hamper you. It is just a tool. Be innovative and creative! Show your energy to your students! After all, your students and you yourself are the energy of the class. (^_^)

Good luck.

P.S. I attach the transcript as well as the MP3 file for you in your email. You can use the link of the Six-minute BBC(http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/) if you want to have more listening materials. The methods of teaching are up to you. Remember to innovate and create synergy with your students!

COMMENT FOR GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS By: Ratna Nur'aini

                  I agree that teaching and learning using Graphic Organizers are a good way and more effective to be applied in the English class with the four skills of language- listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It will be easier for the learners of SMAN7 who learn listening and speaking, for example when they are given any pictures as any illustration while they are listening the texts or dialogues as well as practicing for speaking in pairs or in groups. Graphics or pictures help them understand and predict the content or the meaning of the texts or dialogues given through compact disk (CD). When the learners are sure with their prediction about the content of text they have heard while confirming to the pictures given, they may have ideas to create some words, phrases or sentences. Then they order those sentences into a short paragraph to form a story in their version using their own words. Finally, the learners are bravely enough to demonstrate orally in front of class or in front of groups if the class are divided into group works.  Then each group is given their chance to retell the texts or show their works orally as a means of practicing speaking. While some other groups are asked to give some comments or may add information related to the text.

                  I also agree that Graphic organizers are effective enough to be used in teaching reading and writing. Something to make the learners easier to understand the reading texts is using any media. The following is a part of the graphic media such as a chart containing some words in a form of synonym, antonym or words as clues. In this case, the learners can learn or increase their vocabularies. At the end of the meeting for each competence, the class will be ended by the writing activities. The learners themselves should find out the genre of the texts given. During the discussion of the texts teachers help them as a facilitator to find out the generic structures of the discussing texts. The class in groups is asked by the teacher to generalize the texts given and answer some questions to make sure whether they have already understood about the texts. Therefore, when they are asked to find the genre of the texts the learners will not find many problems to face. With the help of graphic organizers the learners will be easier to work than before. Finally, they feel more relax and happy to learn English. They do not feel getting any burden when they get some assignment.

The following is the example of the text given to the learners of SMAN7:

Britney Spears-Lutfi Investigated for “Drugging” Spears      Caption: Britney Spears is followed by a frenzy of photographers while shopping at Fred Segal in West Hollywood. Los Angeles, California-15.02.08.      Britney Spears estranged manager Sam Lutfi is under investigation by Los Angeles police over allegations he drugged the troubled star. Lutfi was served a restraining order earlier this month (Feb 2008) and was instructed to keep his distance from the Spears family after Britney’s mother Lynne claimed the manager had admitted he drugged her daughter. According to website TMZ, the allegations are now being investigated by the Major Crimes Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.      Lutfi’s new spokesman Michael Sands tells TMZ.com he is aware of the investigation. Spears had been hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation at Los Angeles UCLA Medical Centre, but was discharged last week (06 Feb 2008) after a seven-day stay.( taken from:LKS Modul Bahasa Inggris semester genap kelas X.Penerbit Hayati Tumbuh Subur)

The examples of activities given to the learners:

a.     Guess the meaning of the words from the text!

1.     Allegation       : ……….             6. Drugged                    : ………. 2.     Discharge       : ……….             7. Claimed                     : ………. 3.     Estranged       : ……….             8. Psychiatric                : ………. 4.     Spokesman    : ……….              9. Restraining order    : ………. 5.     Investigation : ……….             10. Admitted                 : ……….

b.     Complete the table based on the generic structure of the text!

Text Element	Paragraph/Sentences
Newsworthy event	…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………
Background event	…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………..
Source	…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………

c.     Create a short paragraph based on your knowledge to summarize the news by answering the following some leading questions. Elaborate your paragraph!

1.     Who was the doer or the actress that was reported in the news? ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2.     Where was the event occurred? ……………………………………………… 3.     What was the event experienced by the doer or the actress? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4.     What did the manager and the family do toward the doer or the actress? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5.     Who was responsible with the news? …………………………………………………………. 6.     How was the condition of the doer or the actress after having that experience? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

d.     Make your own dialogue related to the NEWS REPORT you have just learned and discussed. Demonstrate it in front of class!

Student A	Student B
1.     Question ………………. 2.     Answer ………………….. Question ………………… 3.     Answer ………………….. Question ……………….. 4.     ………………………………. ………………………………. 5.     ………………………………. ……………………………….	1.     Answer ………………… Question ……………… 2.     Answer ………………… Question ……………… 3.     Answer ……………….. Question …………….. 4.     ……………………………… ………………………………. 5.     ………………………………. ……………………………….

Graphic Organizers by Ratna Nur'aini

 

Teaching and learning writing using graphic organizers is the most effective way to students in thinking and exploring ideas through visual display. The graphic organizers help the students to do more concentrate and focus to improve the topic given to be paragraphs or essays. It makes them easier to organize their ideas within the process of their writing. It acts as a pattern to improve the performance of writing guidance so that teacher can easily control their students’ illustration in creating their essay based on their concept maps. In addition, I do agree that building writing papers using some kind of the types of graphic organizers through visual learning is a very good way of strategy to enhance the ability of writing.

 

I also think that graphic organizers help me to teach writing better. It is shown that teaching writing using graphic organizers is useful enough for me to help students to learn writing as a tool to illustrate their ideas. It is also to visualize and organize information to form a writing product. The graphic organizers learning are also having some benefit to my students about structure and increase their reading comprehension. They are also a costume to use graphic organizers to brainstorm in finding concepts or ideas and organize them to demonstrate to be a better performance. Finally, it gives an impact to the students to grow more confidence to demonstrate their writing papers.

 

Graphic organizers are helpful for the learners to learn the writing process. It can be seen teachers teaching about vocabulary in understanding the reading text or when the teachers introduce the new materials such as genre in a reading text.  For example when the students learn how to write a narrative text, teachers give some words like orientation, complication, resolution, re-orientation, moral value, tell a story, amuse , entertain, etc. Then teachers ask students to think and discuss the materials in a group to create a good short story based on the words given. Because of those words given as starting to compose the paragraph, the students feel that it makes them easy to start creating their work.

CHOMP INTO A GOOD BOOK

         

When this topic came up on the blog, it struck my mind right on its peak. I used to use this method in reading comprehension. but not anymore. Frankly speaking, I can't remember the reason why I stopped using this method. Never mind, then, as I still remember the good times doing it.
         

Graphic organizers may look like simple fill-in-the-blank worksheets, but they are actually so much more. These pieces of paper full of circles, squares and connecting lines help improve students' comprehension and encourage them to think critically. Whether they are used to compare and contrast, analyze relationships, brainstorm, explore concepts or just take notes, graphic organizers help students see their reading and writing instruction in a new way.
         

As the technology always develops, we are dealing with students who are accustomed to visual material. Verbal or linguistic learners tend to perform well in a language arts classroom, but not all students are verbally or linguistically inclined. Graphic organizers help students with different learning styles, particularly logical and visual learners. While reading a story, students can use a graphic organizer to outline the sequence of the story, identify the main traits of a character or chart the conflicts that appear in the text. For example, a graphic organizer may have a box for a character's name in the middle and boxes around the page asking for examples of the character's feelings, thoughts, actions and physical characteristics. This helps students to see the text in a new way -- and through a medium that fits their style of learning.
         

Not only the students, teacher are also having benefit from this technique, as a graphic organizer is a visual display that demonstrates relationships between facts, concepts or ideas. A graphic organizer guides the learner’s thinking as they fill in and build upon a visual map or diagram. So, teachers can deliver the material in a lot more familiar way. To inspire more, here is an example taken online :  http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/PDF/G4-5/45CPartOne.pdf

ENJOY