I Teach, so I Am

Clutter and Niches: Claymore: Half-Human, Half-Monster

2010-08-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

Clutter and Niches: Claymore: Half-Human, Half-Monster

GREAT READ-ALOUD BOOKS

2010-05-10T01:57:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I wish to pass on to the next generation, it's reading for fun or having fun by reading. Here's a gem I found:
FOR MOMS, TEACHERS, STUDENT-TEACHERS and READING ENTHUSIASTS, give a warm round of applause to the generous genius behind GREAT BOOKS TO READ ALOUD.

Gallon, Litre, and Pint

2010-05-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

Math meant daily puzzles we come across with. For some adults, this could still be baffling. I believe it's not necessary to memorize, it's always accessible in books, anyway. Yet, why not keep in mind what is as peanut as gallon, litre and pint? Try it and never refer to textbook next time for basic conversion:

1 litre is approximately 2 pints.

1 gallon is approximately 4 1/2 litre.

1 gallon is approximately 8 pints.

These are not for math majors nor engineering students. Just a quick clue when the need for instant conversion arise.

Reference: Kenneth's worksheet in Math.

Karim's Queries

2010-05-08T18:38:00.001-07:00

Q: If you were the driver, who would you choose between your mom and dad to sit next to you?

A: I'd have my mom sit on my dad's lap so they could both sit next to me.

Karim: Good thinking. Now, if you are to choose between your boyfriend and your mom, who would you want to sit next to you?

A:My boyfriend.

Karim yelled. Teasing:

Q: How could you choose your boyfriend over your mom? I wouldn't do that!

A: I'm sure my dad's going to pick her up.

Children are fond of conditional questions. And they love reasonings beyond the usual. Perhaps if a kid asked you those queries, you'd be able to give more creative answers. As for me, those were instant thoughts I managed to pull- reasoning came next. Try to think of more out-of-the-box responses. Or next time, challenge them with your own mind-boggling queries.

Overgeneralization

2010-05-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Come on. We are all probably guilty of overgeneralizing. It's a human brain mechanism, a system of processing things we sense and perceive. An instance,

"In India, the caste system is still prevalent, as with the rest of Asian countries (see wiki). But I wouldn't forget how shocked my colleague was upon learning that the word 'kabayan' is not a class in a society. Funnier still, that a Pakistan national would call me 'kabayan'."

I came to know later on that they thought of the word 'kabayan' as a societal label as per the talk I had with two Pakistanis. So I clarified, 'kabayan' translates 'we belong to the same country.' I prayed they'd undertand, but I only got blank stares.

Cultural misunderstanding is frustrating at times. If only I could speak the languages they know, I might be able to explain things easily. Yet, I believe the Babel linguistic chaos has a good effect: diversity. It's just something we have to live with.

Adieu. (I'm late for work.haha)

I've been meaning to write a story on this two months ago, I didn't have the time. I'll look for more instances like these and put them together. May I find the time to fulfill this promise..hehe

My Relationship Code

2010-04-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

1. Discuss a problem only with someone who can help.
2. Silence and smile speak enough for new acquaintances.
3. Give five minutes to any speaker,then decide to continue listening or not.
4. Sow much, expect less.
5. Say no to gossip, either by word or gesture.
6. Forget not a friend's & a family member's birthday. Make sure to make good memories on this day.
7. Just use "I love you" when you mean it.
8. Listening is gold. Be selective.
9. Shatter no one's ego. Punch moderately.
10. Hostility and affection are just for special someones.
11. Never hasten to speak one's mind.
12. Reserve long narratives to thy journal, praises and sentiments to thy God.
13. Modify, add, or lessen the statements in this code as I please.

Mist

2010-04-25T01:40:00.000-07:00

Why,you know what tomorrow holds for you?
Aren't we like mist that appears a little while?
Vanishing without notice, alas, not a warn!
Would we know if we'll have any good fortune?

Of penury in store for us, have we a tad clue?

How foolish it is to brag of the next days,
Pointless still to feel uneasy of what's ahead!
Wearing out thy souls of things yet undone?
Nor brooding over gloom and doom 'not of now'?

Isn't it rather better to depend on grace,
Humble oneself and patiently wait,
Don't you trust that our Maker suffice,
When in darkness, would he deny thy light?

TEACHING JENNIFER

2008-12-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

Uncaging Potentials

2008-12-08T02:25:00.001-08:00

It was Cher who told me: "You were just jaded by the online companies you've worked for, they caged your potentials and made you too lazy to think and innovate."

It might be a little exaggerated. An overstatement. But that's how I want to understand what she meant by her remark. I was shocked to hear from a total stranger that I haven't been thinking like a real teacher for a long time.

She did not leave me wondering what flaws I need to brush up on. If you are a teacher, you can benefit from this teaching to-do list:

* As what educators and books say, OBJECTIVES are the most important part of the lesson. Unfortunately, many teachers fail to identify their objectives before teaching. The material does not dictate the objectives, but the teacher's understanding of the important points in the text would determine the objectives. It is a tough decision-making activity. Online companies' lack of adequate English curriculum worsens the teacher's burden. ( I will not tackle this here, as my goal is to share my knowledge on how to make a lesson plan.)

* Secondly, if you are to teach, you must have TEACHING POINTS. Any general English lesson plan has at least one teaching point. But where do we really get this? You must be aware of MACRO and MICRO skills learners need to learn.MACRO SKILLS involve listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and my professor added THINKING. As for the MICRO SKILLS, the sub-skills of the major ones previously stated. An effective teaching points include a skill focus and a harmonious integration of other skills at the same time.

* Now, you are ready to explore possible activities for motivation, lesson springboard, comprehension boosters and assessment/evaluation. Though you can adapt or design varied activities for your class, its crucial to remember that customizing your lesson to your client is a must. If you are using a textbook material, an online newspaper or any material with English contents, see to it that your student can relate to it. Based on the theory of Constructivism, if someone doesn't know anything about a subject, use scaffolds. You may either activate the student's prior knowledge about the topic, or divert the lesson in a form related to the learner's direct environment.

The mastery of the art of questioning remains the most sought-after ability of a teacher. Yet nowadays, the teachers' role has been changed from transmitters of knowledge to facilitators of learning. Modern and informed teachers must take this challenge to improve student's learning.

A NOTE ON Get Off: A Phrasal Verb Sample Discussion

2008-12-05T23:52:00.000-08:00

Get off = escape punishment
Get off - Leave a bus, train, etc.
Get off - Finish, leave work
Get off - Start a journey
Get off - Manage to fire a gun
Get off - Stop talking on the phone

That's just an example of a phrasal verb's shades of meaning. Confusing?

Again, we go back discussing the importance of context. Always see this as a part of a whole, not something that exists on its own.

Remember sentences that might be associated or constructed using the particular phrasal verb.

He GOT OFF on a technicality and left the court a free man.
We GOT OFF the bus and walked to my house.
I like to GET OFF early on Fridays.
We need to GET OFF early to avoid the rush hour traffic.
She GOT OFF a few shots before she was arrested.
Let me know when he GETS OFF the phone as I need to make a call.

Source: http://www.usingenglish.com

Resolving Polysemy Complexity

2008-12-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

Defined by dictionary.com as “diversity of meanings“, Polysemes give second language learners of English a complete headache. To illustrate the polysemous nature of English, let’s pick two words in English and explore the different shades of meaning represented by all its polysemes:

Dictionary compilers wonder how many definitions to include in their word collection- an absolute semantic challenge. How will learners overcome this problem? What does it mean to know a word? How extensive should our knowledge of a word to consider our vocabulary wide?

AJ Hoge of Effortless English Online course suggested useful rules in learning English. First of these rules is “Learn Phrases”. Not individual words but phrases. Research by Dr. James Asher proves that learning with phrases is 4-5 times faster than studying individual words. 4-5 Times Faster.

Also, students who learn phrases have much better grammar. So, let’s follow this rule: “Always Study and Review Phrases, Not Individual Words.” Never study a single, individual word. Never.

When you find a new word, always write down The Phrase it is in. Always. When you review, always review all of the phrase,.. not the word. When you write, write in phrases.

This post has the same context as one in aspiring linguist's blog.

Teaching Reflections

2008-07-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

If you've considered teaching English seriously, you might want to keep notes of moment to moment experience with your client. Every student is different, which requires a teacher to diversify.

I notice that each student has a unique topic of interest:
1. Relationship. She happens to be the most advanced student I have so she is not after achievement but the satisfaction that she will improve the way she expresses her feelings and thoughts about her relationship with other people, primarily her family. For her, I need to come up with common and novel sentences for her to copy and learn by heart.

2. Troubleshooting. Some of my students like to be puzzled so they usually desire to solve problems for me. I just have to think which detailed problems to throw them: computer software and hardware troubles, financial difficulty, lifestyle and so on.

3. Detailed Method of Study. Some professionals know their study habits very well so they trust their own method best. They would suggest materials and way of handling them. This for me is the simplest class to handle.

More subjects and methods to see. I will see to it I update this post regularly.

Power English

2008-07-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

I recently receive an email from one of my intermediate level students regarding her preferred mode of instruction. With much appreciation and great anticipation, I quickly scanned her mail. It was so detailed, and the book for the class was picked with careful thought: Power English by Natasha Cooper.

This book comes in series. I'm not quite sure whether this book is available or not in the Philippines. If anyone of you got a copy of this, let me know where you bought it.

Teaching Business English Course

2008-06-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a post for a long time because of my new professional journey. This new path leads to the present challenge of maintaining efficiency and quality teaching of Business English Course.

Businessmen are the busiest people in the world. Engineers are no less busy. My new clients are from Hyundai Construction Company, one of the four most popular construction companies in South Korea. Instruction time lasts for 10 to 15 minutes and courses offered are either free talking Class or Let's Talk Business reference book.

Do you struggle balancing time management and quality instruction? Can 10 minutes really make a difference in their ability to speak English? My answer is: IT DEPENDS.

In this kind of teaching and learning environment, student effort is highly needed. Chatting versus guided discussion is one of the main controversy. How can you find the perfect mix of developing fluency at the same time, improving their strategic competence in English?

This is how I do it, I'll be glad to see more suggestions and improvisations from you:
1. Directly ask the student's discussion preference. Some would choose to follow a curriculum (i.e. book) while others would want free form using articles from known newspapers like The Korea Times, Time Mag Online, etc. Always make sure they have enough time to prepare for your class. Send materials in advance.

2. Make the student think using thought-provoking questions. Once you mastered the art of questioning, all other problems about teaching are easier to manage. This is indeed the area every teacher should be very a master of.

3. Rapport building is an abused term in online teaching. Not just in every teacher's mouth but also in their practice. Yet, teaching is not entirely rapport. It just acts like an oil that smoothen two colliding beings - human. Small talk in layman's term. In short, it won't suffice and it can never substitute to a real learning experience.

4. Empower student's reading skills and enhance their writing skills simultaneously. Remember that English skills are interrelated so an improvement in one area helps other areas, too. Have them read leveled articles, the ones that suit their level or a notch higher than their level. More so, encourage them to write about something they are passionate about.

SO far, the above mentioned four tips are the most essential considerations if you aim for quality and good time management in a very short class.

Customizing ESL Topics

2008-05-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

If you're teaching English Conversation, then you must have heard of Free-talking topics. How do you simply choose which one fits your student's interest and proficiency level? It's not always fruitful to ask them as some students are either reluctant or simply clueless as to what they want to talk about. It might be difficult to find initiative in them (yet, if they suggest a topic, no need to read this post further.)

I was luckily assigned to teach a young advanced student, whose at the peak of puberty, so he is still short-tempered despite his quite mature English ability. I would say he is highly opinionated and very knowledgeable about so many things around him. We even joked once that he must be the next Einstein, and he kept saying he will make a story entitled, "The Story of the Young Prodigy."

How would you design lessons for unusually gifted students? I have been giving him several assessment, none of them disproved his talent. Now, if a teacher is not a gifted child of the universe, how is she supposed to choose topics for this class?

This will be my new action research project. As soon as I proved my instructional designs and plans effective, I will share with you all of my insights. For now, I am leaving you the option to experiment on your own students. Plan your lessons, execute them and record your class observation. Nothing beats reflective teaching.

Be a Picky Eater

2008-04-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

"Eating" is much the same way as "reading". Some people tend to be meticulous in selecting their food, while others eat "whatever is on the table." What kind of appetite do you have? What kind of reading material best suit your taste?

It has been proven by researchers that reading shapes one's speaking proficiency. What you repeatedly see in print goes to into your head and automatically becomes part of your language cabinets (brain's acquisition device for langauge). So what texts deserve your attention? What books do you need to ponder on?

Suggested lists are welcome!

Let's break the Lengthy Articles

2008-04-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

Meet Joo-Eun, my video class student.

You too can learn English enjoyably!

Online English Class Details

2008-03-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last updated this blog. For this post, I hope to orient you, readers, as to how this site will be of use to you.

If you are learning English as a foreign or second language, I'm here to serve you. This site has several links that you can click to serve your purposes. Whether you want to enhance your proficiency level in English conversation, reading, listening or writing, this site has always something fresh to suit your need.

You can communicate with me through skype messenger. You just need to download the program and presto, we can talk right away! My skype ID is teacherissa. Add me up as one of your contacts.

Details about the virtual class can be discussed through this mode. Textbook, Skill focus and tuition fee and mode of payment are some areas we will finalize.