Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Reflective Teacher


Reflective teaching means looking at what you do in the classroom, thinking about why you do it, and thinking about if it works - a process of self-observation and self-evaluation. By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching. 

Why it is important
Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today."
However, without more time spent focusing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the louder students. Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing our thoughts and observations, as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.
If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was successful.
If the students didn't understand a language point we introduced we need to think about what we did and why it may have been unclear.
If students are misbehaving - what were they doing, when and why?
Once you have some information recorded about what goes on in your classroom, what do you do?

Think
You may have noticed patterns occurring in your teaching through your observation. You may also have noticed things that you were previously unaware of. You may have been surprised by some of your students' feedback. You may already have ideas for changes to implement.

Talk
Just by talking about what you have discovered - to a supportive colleague or even a friend - you may be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things differently.
If you have colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching using reflection as a tool, you can meet to discuss issues. Discussion can be based around scenarios from your own classes.
Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs (for example, pairwork is a valuable activity in the language class or lexis is more important than grammar) you can discuss which ones you agree or disagree with, and which ones are reflected in your own teaching giving evidence from your self-observation.

Read
You may decide that you need to find out more about a certain area. There are plenty of websites for teachers of English now where you can find useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also magazines for teachers where you can find articles on a wide range of topics. Or if you have access to a library or bookshop, there are plenty of books for English language teachers.

Ask
Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other teachers. Or if you have a local teachers' association or other opportunities for in-service training, ask for a session on an area that interests you.

Source: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/reflective-teaching-exploring-our-own-classroom-practice 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Prudential: Project Listen

Please go to http://projectlisten.com.my/Written_story.php?name=R.Malar  and read my story.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

6th. International English Language Teaching Conference (iELT-Con) 2013 

Conference 

17th   to  19th April 2013 
Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia 

Website: http://eltcon.webs.com/ 
Contact person: denise quah 

An international gathering of ELT professionals in a conference that strives not to dazzle you with numbers but rather a warm cosy environment for professional development and social networking. 

Organized by: Penang English Language Learning & Teaching Association(PELLTA) 
Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 31st January 2013 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Reading Strategies


Reading and Word-Attack Strategies

Reading is not just pronouncing words—it requires understanding. Most experienced readers use a variety of strategies to understand text. Research has shown that teachers can, and should, teach these strategies to beginning readers. The following strategies can help students understand any text in any subject.  

Make PredictionsPredictions encourage active reading and keep students interested, whether or not the predictions are correct. Incorrect predictions can signal a misunderstanding that needs to be revisited. Instruct students:
  • Look at the pictures, table of contents, chapter headings, maps, diagrams, and features. What subjects are in the book?
  • Write down predictions about the text. During reading, look for words or phrases from those predictions.
  • While reading, revise the predictions or make new ones. 
VisualizeMany students think visually, using shapes, spatial relationships, movement, and colors, and can benefit greatly from this strategy. Instruct students:
  • Imagine a fiction story taking place as if it were a movie. Imagine the characters' features. Picture the plot in time and space.
  • Imagine processes and explanations happening visually. Use nouns, verbs, and adjectives to create pictures, diagrams, or other mental images.
  • Use graphic organizers to lay out information. Make sketches or diagrams on scrap paper. 
Ask and Answer QuestionsHaving students form their own questions helps them recognize confusion and encourages active learning. Instruct students:
  • Before reading, think about the subject based on the title, chapter heads, and visual information. Make note of anything you are curious about.
  • While reading, pause and write down any questions. Be sure to ask questions if there is confusion.
  • Look for the answers while reading. Pause and write down the answers.
  • Were all the questions answered? Could the answers come from other sources? 
Retell and SummarizeRelating the text in students' own words clears up language issues. Retelling challenges them to aim for complete retention. Summarization allows students to discriminate between main ideas and minor details. Instruct students:
  • During reading, note the main ideas or events. Put a check mark in the book or write a note to point out a main idea.
  • At the ends of chapters or sections, review the information or story. Note main ideas or events and the details that support them.
  • After reading, retell or summarize the text. Focus on the important points, and support them with relevant details.
  • Refer to the book to check the retelling or summarization. 
Connect the Text to Life Experiences, Other Texts, or Prior KnowledgeConnecting a text to students' experiences and knowledge helps students personalize the information. It also helps students remember information when they link it to their lives. Instruct students:
  • Is the subject familiar? Do the characters resemble familiar people? Have you learned about the concept from school, home, or other experiences?
  • Is the style or genre familiar? Does it resemble other texts? Television shows, movies, and games can be considered "texts."
  • Write down similarities between the current text and experiences, knowledge, or other texts.
Word-Attack StrategiesWord-attack strategies help students decode, pronounce, and understand unfamiliar words. They help students attack words piece by piece or from a different angle. Model and instruct students:
Use Picture Clues
  • Look at the picture.
  • Are there people, objects, or actions in the picture that might make sense in the sentence?
Sound Out the Word
  • Start with the first letter, and say each letter-sound out loud.
  • Blend the sounds together and try to say the word. Does the word make sense in the sentence?
Look for Chunks in the Word
  • Look for familiar letter chunks. They may be sound/symbols, prefixes, suffixes, endings, whole words, or base words.
  • Read each chunk by itself. Then blend the chunks together and sound out the word. Does that word make sense in the sentence?
Connect to a Word You Know
  • Think of a word that looks like the unfamiliar word.
  • Compare the familiar word to the unfamiliar word. Decide if the familiar word is a chunk or form of the unfamiliar word.
  • Use the known word in the sentence to see if it makes sense. If so, the meanings of the two words are close enough for understanding.
Reread the Sentence
  • Read the sentence more than once.
  • Think about what word might make sense in the sentence. Try the word and see if the sentence makes sense.
Keep Reading
  • Read past the unfamiliar word and look for clues.
  • If the word is repeated, compare the second sentence to the first. What word might make sense in both?
Use Prior Knowledge
  • Think about what you know about the subject of the book, paragraph, or sentence.
  • Do you know anything that might make sense in the sentence? Read the sentence with the word to see if it makes sense.