|
|
Friday, March 20, 2009
- If a picture is worth a thousand words, a glance at student notebooks is worth... well, not a thousand, but definitely a few reflective pieces altogether.
Do students find the class too easy, too difficult or just right? Do you as a teacher present them with too little new material or more than they can handle at a single session? Are they able to take eligible (readable) notes in class or the board is erased too quickly? How much do they care about this class or subject?
Many of those questions can be answered by just a brief look at students’ notes. The following points may be true indicators of whether things are going well or not quite in class:
- The amount of words translated: if the story you did in class is all covered in translations, it was certainly beyond their capacity; on the other hand, if there are about 5-7 new words for a page, the lesson should have been bang on for their level.
- The medium the students use to record the new information during class: is it a proper notebook or binder where the notes are systematically taken or is it a piece of scrap paper, folded and wrinkled? How are the handouts treated? Are they brought in the next day if you have asked them to (because you didn’t finish it) or you hear a somewhat unsurprising: “Teacher, do you have an extra copy?”
- The quality of their notes: do they look similar to what you have on the board or are they half-finished? Do you give them a few moments to breathe after explaining a new language point, or they’re forced listen and write at the same time, which may be overwhelming for second-language learners?
- The way students take notes to remember new vocabulary: are those translations to their first language or short definitions in English that you’ve provided? The latter will show you that as long as they understand the meaning through examples and definitions, there is no need to care about the exact translations. The student who still insists on translations (and demands them from their classmates) is probably not ready for promotion to the next level.
Your observations should be unnoticeable to your students. They have their own learning style and don’t need to be lectured on the issue of note taking (I’m talking about adult students). But while you go around and check their written work, you’ll be able to collect a lot of valuable feedback on your own teaching.
POSTED BY Olga Galperin AT 1:21 PM
0 Comments
Add Comment
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Thursday, March 05, 2009
- As many other places in Canada, Toronto got its name from an aborigional word. Tkaronto meant ‘where there are trees in water’ refering to wooden poles and structures used to catch fish in (today’s) Lake Simcoe about 4500 years ago. Fastforward to the early 18th century, when the settlement built by the French explorers was named fort Toronto. In 1793 the British took over the fort renaming it as York. Finally, in 1834 the original name was reverted to the city.
-
- Anniversaries and celebrations are great ocassions to expose students to historical and cultural backgrounds of the places they live. The media coverage of the topic is extensive and teeming with stories, timelines and picture galleries.
-
- CityNews Part 1 Part 2 presented its readers with a series of photos showing how Toronto’s sites and skyline have changed over the years. What a perfect chance to review Present Perfect! (e.g.: The electric streetcars have replaced the horse-drawn streetcars)
-
- The following vocabulary is worth clarifying/reviewing when analysing the images of the city:
-
- megacity
municipality
historical plaques
corporate buildings
urban environment
skyline
skyscrapers
high-rise/low-rise buldings
upscale malls/stores/neighborhoods
landmarks
undergo renovations
ethnic enclaves
low-income families
social housing
melting pot
the world within a city
More links to explore Toronto:
http://www.torontohistory.org/ - Toronto historical plaques
http://torontoist.com/69.php - photographs of all 69 Toronto’s subway stations along with an essay outlining the project
http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/ - Toronto neighborhoods
http://www.blogto.com/neighbourhoods/
POSTED BY Olga Galperin AT 10:43 PM
0 Comments
Add Comment
|
|
|
|