It this reflection, I would like to write some of my thoughts on using blogging in the ESL classroom. I think that now aday, using blog becomes a big thing and it is very popular for all of us in the technology area. In the fact that, using blog bring us many advantages and benefits for our daily life. Blog is not only an online journal that we can come to express and continuously update our own thoughts, words, feelings and ideas through software, but also is a place where we can post our photos, personal image and audio that we would like to share with our friends and colleagues .
Furthermore, blog is as an interactive forum for us to join and give our own comment and discussion that we are most interested in, and it is, especially, useful for our leaning and teaching a new language and ESL setting. For example, during our CALL course with Prof. Jeff, he ask us to create our own blog that we will come to write and post on our daily reflection about the course. This is very interesting and useful task that we have never done before during my study because this help us write on our daily thoughts about the lesson, difficulties as well as the challenges that we meet during the course. We also have chance to speak out on our feeling about the course what is most benefits of the CALL course and what is should be improved for the next course.
In my own thought, I like to use blog and I find this is very interesting to use it in our ESL setting. I think that I got many benefits from this course. The first things I will do after returning my teaching job is I will ask my student to create their own blog and class blog as well. This will be helpful for them to express their feelings, comments on their daily lesson or any other problem related to their lessons by using different manner of speech. That will not just only for fun and relax but also will encourage them to practice their writing skill in English.
Thứ Sáu, 13 tháng 11, 2009
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 11, 2009
My seventh reflection
Today is the eighth day of this course, we continue will our ongoing tasks and assignment. But in this reflection I want to write a little on my thoughts about the advantages of using computer on the ESL settings.I think that It is useful to use computer and technology on the ESL classroom because it brings the student and teachers many benefits for some reason following:Computer can improve the student's achievement in learning. Using computer is not facilitate teachers in preparing their lesson more attractive and interesting but also can offer more resources and experience that student can not find from the books or library.
More over, using the computer in a guided yet independent way helped many students. The quicker students tended to delve more deeply in research on their subject than on a traditional written assignment. Students, especially those who traditionally had difficulty completing assignments, did work online and the partial results - having emails of material they could put together for a paper and presentation, spurred them onto completion.
However, in order to using technology and computer more effectively in ESL setting, the teachers need to be trained correctly on how to use and apply it on their teaching job.In the fact that, In Vietnam the teachers do not train much a bout this skills when they study at University and they sometime do not not know how to use it in their job.
I hope that our computer skills will be more and more improve after finish this course.
More over, using the computer in a guided yet independent way helped many students. The quicker students tended to delve more deeply in research on their subject than on a traditional written assignment. Students, especially those who traditionally had difficulty completing assignments, did work online and the partial results - having emails of material they could put together for a paper and presentation, spurred them onto completion.
However, in order to using technology and computer more effectively in ESL setting, the teachers need to be trained correctly on how to use and apply it on their teaching job.In the fact that, In Vietnam the teachers do not train much a bout this skills when they study at University and they sometime do not not know how to use it in their job.
I hope that our computer skills will be more and more improve after finish this course.
Improving reading speed_additional review
One problem that many learners face when they get to a certain level is how to increase their reading speed. As the texts become longer and more complex, learners find it takes them longer and longer to read. Readers usually get stuck at a certain speed, often between 120 and 200 words per minute, and even lower if they are trying to understand everything in the text. Evidently, we need to discourage the latter, especially when trying to get them to read more quickly.
My main reason for trying to increase their reading speed is part of their exam preparation. I have a group of post-FCE students hoping to sit the CAE exam in June. These students are used to reading and answering questions in a timed situation from all their FCE practice but at CAE level the texts are quite a bit longer than at FCE and they therefore need to learn to read more quickly. After doing a quick timing of their reading yesterday, we discovered that they have reading speeds of between 150 - 250 words per minute. However, before I gave them comprehension questions to answer I let them re-read the text. The second time, they paid more attention to what they were reading, but did not take any longer than the first time. I did not let them look at the text to find the answers to the questions, so they had to understand the main ideas of the text without seeing the questions first. They managed to get 100% comprehension of the text in this way, although perhaps the questions were slightly easy for their level.
We will be regularly doing this kind of reading task, using authentic materials, and recording their reading speeds and level of comprehension, to see how their reading and comprehension improves. I have given them tables in which to record their speed and comprehension. We will also be doing plenty of exam tasks, although in this case the procedure will be different. For exam tasks, they will need to quickly read the text to get a general idea, and the look at the questions before re-reading it. They will need more practice in skimming and scanning in order to perfect these skills, and complete the CAE reading paper in the time allocated.
Before beginning this reading program me, I had my students decide what were some of the DOs and DON'Ts of reading. The DOs included: Skimming and scanning; using context to understand new words; look for topic phrases in each paragraph; read chunks. The DONT's: regress (look back at what you have already read); read word by word; point at the words; say or mouth the words; use a dictionary while reading.
Some simple exercises to help increase reading speed, even with lower levels are:
• Giving students a cataloge or telephone directory or similar and having them search for specific information (scanning)
• Giving them a short text and having them read it several times in one or two minutes.
• Providing students with a template to enforce forward reading and preventing regression.
• Allowing students one minute to read as much of a text as they can, repeating several times. They have to read more each time they read.
Hopefully, with all this practice, reading will come much easier to the learners and will not seem such a cumbersome
My main reason for trying to increase their reading speed is part of their exam preparation. I have a group of post-FCE students hoping to sit the CAE exam in June. These students are used to reading and answering questions in a timed situation from all their FCE practice but at CAE level the texts are quite a bit longer than at FCE and they therefore need to learn to read more quickly. After doing a quick timing of their reading yesterday, we discovered that they have reading speeds of between 150 - 250 words per minute. However, before I gave them comprehension questions to answer I let them re-read the text. The second time, they paid more attention to what they were reading, but did not take any longer than the first time. I did not let them look at the text to find the answers to the questions, so they had to understand the main ideas of the text without seeing the questions first. They managed to get 100% comprehension of the text in this way, although perhaps the questions were slightly easy for their level.
We will be regularly doing this kind of reading task, using authentic materials, and recording their reading speeds and level of comprehension, to see how their reading and comprehension improves. I have given them tables in which to record their speed and comprehension. We will also be doing plenty of exam tasks, although in this case the procedure will be different. For exam tasks, they will need to quickly read the text to get a general idea, and the look at the questions before re-reading it. They will need more practice in skimming and scanning in order to perfect these skills, and complete the CAE reading paper in the time allocated.
Before beginning this reading program me, I had my students decide what were some of the DOs and DON'Ts of reading. The DOs included: Skimming and scanning; using context to understand new words; look for topic phrases in each paragraph; read chunks. The DONT's: regress (look back at what you have already read); read word by word; point at the words; say or mouth the words; use a dictionary while reading.
Some simple exercises to help increase reading speed, even with lower levels are:
• Giving students a cataloge or telephone directory or similar and having them search for specific information (scanning)
• Giving them a short text and having them read it several times in one or two minutes.
• Providing students with a template to enforce forward reading and preventing regression.
• Allowing students one minute to read as much of a text as they can, repeating several times. They have to read more each time they read.
Hopefully, with all this practice, reading will come much easier to the learners and will not seem such a cumbersome
25 Best ESL/EFL Teacher Resources
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25 Best ESL/EFL Teacher Resources
View more presentations from Maricel Pinzon.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 11, 2009
My sixth Reflection
I feel very interesting to start the second week with Prof. Jeff. His humorousness make our worries run away. We all are very interesting with the link to online karaoke and other sites and resource for using music and song to teach English for our students at school.
Our second week focus on the aspects of CAll that we find most interesting and useful for our teaching and learning.We also need to complete the Week 2 questionnaire with some of very interesting information such as: what are the most interesting or useful sites you have been seen on my online explorations. I very like this question because I can share of my idea on what is my most interesting site and why?
I also like the next question on what is the topic I am the most interested in focusing on during week 2. In this question, I can share on what my most interested topic and why?
I hope that, our capacity of using internet on teaching and learning English will be much improve after two week.
Our second week focus on the aspects of CAll that we find most interesting and useful for our teaching and learning.We also need to complete the Week 2 questionnaire with some of very interesting information such as: what are the most interesting or useful sites you have been seen on my online explorations. I very like this question because I can share of my idea on what is my most interesting site and why?
I also like the next question on what is the topic I am the most interested in focusing on during week 2. In this question, I can share on what my most interested topic and why?
I hope that, our capacity of using internet on teaching and learning English will be much improve after two week.
My firth reflection
Because of my terrible illness so I have a lot of overdue tasks and assignment from last week. Luckily, I have completed all of them this weekend and share them on my blog.
It is not easy for me to do all of these tasks. It took me a while to read and understand how to use these tools or create my own audio. It also make me very interesting to use this tool to make my own audio to record my voice to introduce something about my self. I very like this tool and find it very useful for my teaching job. The other tools that I very much like is the booking mask where I can keep and sharing many useful and interesting site that I often use on my teaching and learning English such as: British Council Learning English, ASian EFL journal, bbc.co.uk...
I very much enjoy the the first week with Prof. Jeff. Thank you very much for your help!
It is not easy for me to do all of these tasks. It took me a while to read and understand how to use these tools or create my own audio. It also make me very interesting to use this tool to make my own audio to record my voice to introduce something about my self. I very like this tool and find it very useful for my teaching job. The other tools that I very much like is the booking mask where I can keep and sharing many useful and interesting site that I often use on my teaching and learning English such as: British Council Learning English, ASian EFL journal, bbc.co.uk...
I very much enjoy the the first week with Prof. Jeff. Thank you very much for your help!
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