Every week new resources are equipping me with innumerable strategies to teach ESL/EFL in a very interactive and motivating way. This week I've read an article on "Less Teaching and More Learning" by Susan Gaer. The project based learning is positively an innovative technique to foster learner liberty in teaching and learning. Though it is not a new concept in the university teaching of Bangladesh, it is not much practiced in schools and colleges here. In secondary and intermediate levels (schools and colleges) lecture based authoritative teaching is prevalent though it is said that teaching should be done through communicative language teaching (CLT) approach. I think the scenario will change soon but curricula first need to be changed by the govt. here. In university on the other hand, I'll be able to apply many of the techniques and all the new concepts I have learnt.
It is good to read many of the technology-related changes that many of my coursemates have suggested to implement in their case. As I said before, I am teaching a course named 'Business English' where most of the students are from Business and Engineering schools. For this course I have some plans to implement the following technology-related changes as solutions to many of the present problems in teaching this course.
# as learners are late in submitting the hardcopies of assignment, I'll rather receive softcopies online through emails and send feedback that they will read on emails. This will make a good habit of checking and sending emails and enhance their reading skills.
# Blogs can serve the purpose of interaction among the learners who will get motivated through working at liberty, by reading and sending subject related posts and by talking and consulting about their problems among themselves even before coming to the teacher finally.
# I'll refer to eslflow.com, owl.english.purdue.edu, fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/ etc for specific resources and tell students to use search engines like google.com to find new resources related to their tasks and assignments
# I've planned to set up some online quizzes for make-ups and extra-credits so that students can feel instrumentally motivated and at the same time sit for the tests online.
# Finally I'm greatly motivated to see the rubistar that can generate excellent rubrics for any task and I must create rubrics and lesson plans for all types of assignments and lessons. I have already created a rubric on designing a poster paper on "importance of logo, brand and color in business: especial focus on mineral water in Bangladesh".
If these can be implemented, I think there will be positive changes in my teaching style as well.
As Susan Gaer showed in the article "Less Teaching and More Learning" that her students learned more through project based learning, it may not be always true. In Bangladesh alternative and project based learning is encouraged, but the teachers have not much training. As a result, they still are in the same traditional lecture based teaching zone. But to work as a 'guide on the side' not as a 'sage on the stage", we as teachers need continuous training before applying these techniques. Again training only will not do if the teachers do not practice them in school and later share their reflections with the colleagues. Finally they should be applied on a large scale, even though techniques may vary based on the situation and context.
About the webquests, I'm still in doubt. It seems that webquests are store houses of lessons and resources from where students can collect information and learn even being home. It is excellent but I've confusions about how to make webquests. Hope it will get easier soon.
Above all I'm greatly enjoying the new techniques and strategies that I'm learning every week.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Week 4: Reflections on Skill-building Websites for Reading/Writing Skills and Technology-enhanced Lesson Plans
My joys are a lot as I see that the Webskills course is introducing me to manifold uses of the web resources. Every ween comes with something new and interesting that was in the past quite unexplored by me. I feel like quoting from "On first looking into Chapman's Homer" that 'much have I traveled in the realms of gold, many unknown kingdoms seen' but I was quite blind to this web chapter until Robert (like Chapman)has exposed me to this wide horizon of online resources. This week was a very prolific one. There were three important articles, one on "Lesson plans from the Innovative Technology Center at the University of Tennessee", the second was on "Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction (2000)" and the third was on "Three Extensive Reading Activities for ESL/EFL Students Using E-books (2004)". I read all three and found them interesting. First of all, the technology-enhanced lesson plan appeared to be a very innovative and new technique of teaching in my context. I've tried to prepare one that I've posted in the nicenet. Secondly, I gained knowledge about integrating web pages, e-mail connection and class websites for teaching writing. And finally, I've learned how online resources enable ESL/EFL learners to get access to authentic materials and communicate online where e-books can also be a workable option especially for kids. I've downloaded an e-book on teaching prepositions through pictures for kids and the URL is: http://www.anglianetwork.eu/exercises/juniorE.pdf.
As yet I've not been completely successful in implementing all the strategies in my class due to some constraints such as limited access to the computer lab, very few courses taken this semester etc and above all, I myself am in the learning stage. but from the very beginning of the next semester in January 2012, I am hopeful to use my webskills as one of the most effective tools for enhancing teaching and learning in my university.
There is much to learn from the discussion posts in the nicenet. Every teacher is sending something new every week that requires time to read and store. I'm not sure whether we as teachers can have an easy access to our posts even after we end up getting certificates by successfully completing this course. That is why, I'm saving most of the documents in a private file.
Nice being with you all (my coursemates and instructor). Thank you.
As yet I've not been completely successful in implementing all the strategies in my class due to some constraints such as limited access to the computer lab, very few courses taken this semester etc and above all, I myself am in the learning stage. but from the very beginning of the next semester in January 2012, I am hopeful to use my webskills as one of the most effective tools for enhancing teaching and learning in my university.
There is much to learn from the discussion posts in the nicenet. Every teacher is sending something new every week that requires time to read and store. I'm not sure whether we as teachers can have an easy access to our posts even after we end up getting certificates by successfully completing this course. That is why, I'm saving most of the documents in a private file.
Nice being with you all (my coursemates and instructor). Thank you.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Week-3: Reflections on Skill-building Websites for Oral/Aural Skills and Saving Bookmarks with Delicious
There is no doubt that this web-skills course is day by day equipping me with many wonderful resources that I can employ in my teaching. This week Robert has provided us with three very important articles on listening, employment of CALL in teaching and new perspectives in teaching pronunciation. I've read the last two. In the nicenet discussion, many have talked about RP/BBC English or American English and in case of pronunciation whether native-like accent is the target or not. My opinion is that in case of teaching English we should focus more on the clarity of speech and pronunciation, i.e. speech and pronunciation should be understandable by people from anywhere. I basically talk about the English that aids the global communication.
Let me now talk about this week's activities. I've created a blog on delicious.com and have added some important links. For the project work and task, I'm going through some prior readings that are really bountiful and are enough to clearly guide a teacher to prepare his tasks and projects. But due to the tremendous pressure of script checking of my students and because of getting disconnected from the internet server from time to time without any information, I'm passing a real hard time. No pains, no gains. If this is true, I'm sure if a teacher struggles harder, s/he is sure to gain something valuable for his/her own professional development.
I've surfed some effective lesson plan sites (Speaking lesson plans at One Stop English, Conversation lesson plans at esl.about.com, Communicative lesson plans at ESL-galaxy.com) and found that many of them are really of great use in the class. In addition I liked this website: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/03/17/the-best-sites-to-practice-speaking-english/ for teaching speaking and this website: http://www.real-english.com/reo/1/unit1.html for teaching listening.
All these are opening up a new horizon for working as an online teacher in future. Every week's reading articles, blogposts, discussions, comments, writing and preparing new tasks and project works, weekly reflections and commenting on others' blogs are keeping me always busy. I feel as if I were sometimes in a classroom, often in a computer lab, in a library discussing and gossiping with classmate about preparing assignment. What an amazing experience!
Many thanks to my instructor Robert and also to my classmates.
Let me now talk about this week's activities. I've created a blog on delicious.com and have added some important links. For the project work and task, I'm going through some prior readings that are really bountiful and are enough to clearly guide a teacher to prepare his tasks and projects. But due to the tremendous pressure of script checking of my students and because of getting disconnected from the internet server from time to time without any information, I'm passing a real hard time. No pains, no gains. If this is true, I'm sure if a teacher struggles harder, s/he is sure to gain something valuable for his/her own professional development.
I've surfed some effective lesson plan sites (Speaking lesson plans at One Stop English, Conversation lesson plans at esl.about.com, Communicative lesson plans at ESL-galaxy.com) and found that many of them are really of great use in the class. In addition I liked this website: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/03/17/the-best-sites-to-practice-speaking-english/ for teaching speaking and this website: http://www.real-english.com/reo/1/unit1.html for teaching listening.
All these are opening up a new horizon for working as an online teacher in future. Every week's reading articles, blogposts, discussions, comments, writing and preparing new tasks and project works, weekly reflections and commenting on others' blogs are keeping me always busy. I feel as if I were sometimes in a classroom, often in a computer lab, in a library discussing and gossiping with classmate about preparing assignment. What an amazing experience!
Many thanks to my instructor Robert and also to my classmates.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Webskills, Week-2: Reflections
I am teacher in Bangladesh Agricultuaural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. I teach mostly ESL/EFL foundation courses that include English Reading and Writing Skills, Listening skills and Speaking skills. I also take a course on Business English in a private university in Dhaka. In addition I take part-time classes in a collegiate school and teach English to students of Class ix to xii.
From this webskills course, I've greatly learned how to teach online. I've already instructed my university students to make individual blogs and post comments under the lessons that I publish in my blog. I've told them to comment on others blogs at least once a week and write whether they like the lessons and lectures in class. For the college students, I searched fairy tales and other stories through www.noodletools.com and found some interesting stories with pictures. I learned that there are many other search engines apart from google and advised my learners to search topics using variety of search engines.
I find this webskills course very interesting and challenging. Thanks Robert for your directions and guidelines.
From this webskills course, I've greatly learned how to teach online. I've already instructed my university students to make individual blogs and post comments under the lessons that I publish in my blog. I've told them to comment on others blogs at least once a week and write whether they like the lessons and lectures in class. For the college students, I searched fairy tales and other stories through www.noodletools.com and found some interesting stories with pictures. I learned that there are many other search engines apart from google and advised my learners to search topics using variety of search engines.
I find this webskills course very interesting and challenging. Thanks Robert for your directions and guidelines.
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