Grammar Vocabulary Journal - Unit 1

 

Grammar Vocabulary Journal

Conditional Sentences

• ·         Zero/Real Conditional – The first phrase always causes the second; a general truth.

If you don’t brush your teeth, you get cavities.

• ·         First Conditional – Situation in which the outcome is likely.

If you rest, you will feel better.

• ·         Second Conditional – Outcomes that are completely unrealistic.

If I inherited a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

• ·         Third Conditional – Present circumstances could have been different.

If you had told me you needed a ride, I would have left earlier.

Prescriptivism – Rules of correct usage.

Descriptivism – Analyzes the actual language used by speakers.

Gerunds - A gerund is a verb that uses the present participle of a verb (the -ing form) but acts as a noun. 

Units 1-5

 Understanding who we are and who we will teach is the basic first step in preparing to teach English as an additional language. As teachers, we need to be aware of who we are as individuals. What is our own relationship with English? Is it our native language, or do we come to English from another background? Do we associate English with “English Culture,” or is it more of an international language for business, transportation, research, etc.? How does our cultural background affect how we see ourselves and how we relate to and teach English? As a native English speaker, I saw myself as being ideally suited to teaching English due to my “English Culture.” While it may be true that some aspects of English language are more easily understood by someone in the “English Culture,” I realize that that does not give me exclusive right to the language or English idioms. As a native English speaker who thought I had an advantage in teaching because of my native English-speaking ability, I also know many native English speakers lack a significant amount of understanding of English language. Continued assessment of my own relationship with the English language will allow me to be aware of who I am as an individual and a teacher.

Understanding who our students are is equally important before starting any teaching. Important factors such as age and proficiency level, goals and reasons for learning English, and personality and culture all play a part in how we will teach English. Children and adults are different in intellectual development, attention span, and sensory input. Students proficiency level also affects our approach to teaching. Beginning level students are generally more dependent on the teacher, have lower cognitive association with the language, and require a more direct or concrete approach to teaching than higher level students.

With these factors in mind I look forward to learning more about how to teach every group.

Unit 10 – Looking to the Future

 

Looking to the Past

This course has taught me that there is a lot more to teaching than I thought. Previously I would find material to teach and I would teach it. I realize now, how much more complex teaching is if you wish to be effective and relevant.

My conception of the role of the student has changed. The need to let the students decide, at least to some degree, what they want to learn and the role of significant interaction of the students with each other and with the teacher to enhance their learning experience.

As a teacher, I can enhance the learning experience by enabling student interaction. As a teacher, I can be more than a Controller or Director of the class or course. I can be a Guide, a Manager, or a Facilitator allowing for a more interactive environment. Focusing less on Display questions and more on Referential questions to facilitate open-ended discussion and interaction between the students will enhance the students learning experience. Scheduling less Manipulative tasks and supporting Communicative tasks gives more power to the students to control their own learning experience. Even the classroom organization is important as part of the learning environment. By allowing for small group work or pairs can set a positive climate for learning. Small groups allow for a more secure space for students to express themselves and feel free to make mistakes in the process of learning. Small groups also enable more practice time for students as they can practice, correct, and assess each other in their groups.

Looking to the Future

I look forward to improving my abilities as a teacher to enhance the students learning experience. By growing as a teacher, I can fulfill my goals and the goals of my students.

Short-Term Goals

• Try to learn how to use one new technology each semester (4 months).
• Grow my PLN network.
• Attend more TESL courses.

Long-Term Goals

• Become involved in the local ESL association.
• Attend an ESL conference and maybe even present.

Working on Growth - Unit 10

I revisited my PLN and realized I could use some personal interaction. I love flying solo, but that is not necessarily conducive to learning and growth.

My Classroom - Unit 7

 Due to my health conditions, I see my classroom as a Virtual Classroom (especially during Covid-19).

I see myself as a Teacher, and a person, as friendly, respectful, and light-hearted. I want my classroom to be a place Students can experiment with the English Language, feel free to express ideas and opinions, and expect constructive, friendly, and respectful feedback. As the Teacher I plan to be organized and ready to facilitate learning in an effective and efficient way using various technologies to enhance the learning experience.

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Planning

 Think of 10 questions about the lesson that you should answer while planning for it.

We have started the list below, so please add to it.

1. What will learners be able to do at the end of the lesson?
2. What do they already know about the topic?
3. Are there cultural implications regarding the topic?
4. How do you organize pair and group work?
5. How much time do you give for pair or group work?
6. What materials do I need?
7. Are the activities able to be performed by every student?
8. Are the activities culturally appropriate?
9. How much time is needed for each activity?
10. What are the possible difficulties with each activity?

Reflections on Five Teaching Principles from Brown & Lee (2015)

 Gouin's Series Method - I found the concept of teaching using a series of sentences in the Second Language intriguing. Repeating words from sentence to sentence to emphasize them and draw attention to specific words has potential at least as a task as part of a lesson plan.

Community Language Learning - CLL to me seems almost contradictory to the initial premise of being Learner focused. There seems to be too much emphasis on the Teacher being the only person in the class that is working. The Learners are simply repeating random phrases and sentences which the Teacher is translating. No one needs to understand the Second Language sentence because it has already been said in the L1 of the Learners.

Content-Based Language Teaching - CBLT being focused on the Learners' interest and needs appears to be a constructive form of L2 teaching. Although a little broad and vague in Brown and Lee (2015), CBLT should encourage motivation to learn by being learner focused.

Immersion - The immersion model of L2 learning is a strong approach especially for children. I believe this approach may be more difficult for adult learners to acclimate to. 

Corpus-Based Teaching - With such a multitude of possibilities, CBT promises to be very useful in L2 teaching. 

 Acquisition and noticing in Second Language Acquisition

Classroom activities that promote language noticing	Classroom activities that promote language acquisition
·         informal chat at the beginning of the lesson ·         showing part of a film on DVD ·         listening to a song ·         oral fluency practice with role plays	·         concept checking the meaning of new vocabulary items ·         grammar gap-fill practice tasks ·         grammar-analysis tasks ·         controlled oral language practice dialogues

The Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Story

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