MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE. Making this diploma, I had the most learning experience of my life. I was waiting for something like this, a new world of teaching and learning that help me to improve my language and my skills. Maybe it wasn´t easy, I had a lot of obstacles in the road but I have to say that it worth every single day. This is my report of my learning experience, I hope you agree with me and please send me your comments about it. CULTURAL LEARNING AWARENESS
The most effective way to focus students to learn and study other language or culture, is showing them the differences between other places and our country, like clothes, pageants, food, music, architecture, traditions. The reading sites and graphics are a very good option to get students attention to the English language, like the British and American history; how the same language has changed, even though they have the same beginning. United States education is centered; oral discussion is highly encouraged, for Americans talking and interaction is quite important. In Mexico, we encourage reading and writing skills rather than oral discussions.
It´s important that students notice that we aren´t all the same, similarities and differences are both important, there are multiple ways to reach the same goal, you just need to focus on skills, knowledge, needs and resources. READING TEACHING STRATEGIES. In the reading teaching strategies I consider an excellent tool 100 FREE SHORT ENGLISH STORIES FOR ESL LEARNERS. The site doesn´t have images but you really don´t need them. You had to choose and read a short story of the site, and then you had to answer exercises A, B and C. I like it because the readings contain cultural elements, at the end of each reading you can find vocabulary, crosswords, yes/ No questions, WH questions, Open questions, ask questions and Dictate. You can practice almost all the language skills. The activities involve grammar and reading comprehension. This kind of readings could be understandable for any grade student, may be lower students couldn´t understand the whole story but they could understand what the story is talking about. LISTENING TEACHING STRATEGIES. On my point of view, the most difficult assignment in the listening teaching strategies I learned, Reading for teaching intonation: Ted Power: English language learning and teaching. Teaching English Intonation and stress patterns. These sites have a lot of information to assimilate in one or two studying lessons. The text length is quite long. The size letter is too small and is very tired for reading; it has many definitions on the text. British council BBC: Teaching English; it is less long than the previous one but it´s still extensive and tired.
None of these sites include a practicing part, and even if you read all the information, it needs some practice in the site and an evaluation part too. YOU TUBE 5 videos are also very extensive to watch and assimilate the whole information without practicing. It could have been easier if we select the clearest, simple and straight to the point information of these text and video selection, in order to choose those ones that clarify the subject. This kind of grammar practice could be better if the sites include practicing exercises and checking to correct the mistakes and improve our reading skills.
SPEAKING TEACHING STRATEGIES. The most useful tool of Speaking teaching strategies; was Voice threat site. This is a site where you can speak and record your speech about certain images, selected for you or for your teacher. There are a lot of learning strategies to implement in this site. First, you look at an image; then, record your speech about what you have been asked for; after that, you can hear other people pronunciation about the same image, in order to share information and knowledge you didn´t know yet. You can describe, make hypothesis or express any kind of ideas that come through your mind. As a student, is a very good option to improve and develop speaking and listening skills at the same time. As a teacher, is a innovating tool, making students try to express their ideas and thoughts about an image, they can repeat it as much as they want, and hear what they recorded and what other students recorded; giving them new vocabulary and phrases. Voice threat could be used in any grade students, since lower levels to the highest; it depends on the kind of assignment you give them. They could simply describe, make future plans, and talk about past events or any other task. WRITING TEACHING STRATEGIES. The writing module was excellent in many ways. There were activities were you just need to give the type of words to complete a tale or a poem, and through your contribution it was taking sense and you could check if it was what you were trying to express or share. I could develop the ability to notice my grammar mistakes, my weaknesses in word order writing, I could express my ideas, feelings and thoughts. I had the opportunity to read about my peer’s experiences and learn how I could express myself in a better way. It was a very good strategy for us like students to be aware of our weaknesses and improve our writing style, at the beginning it was kind of difficult because I don´t use to write that type of tasks. I´m used to write planning and texts about a topic, and most of the times is from the text book, magazines or newspapers in the language. This is the first time that I had to write about my ideas, opinions, feelings or thoughts in the language and shared with someone else for checking.
For me, the main strategies used in the module were the tall tale site, it was a funny strategy because you just write some words and the site help you to get the whole idea for your tale, correcting a piece of writing on Education World site is other excellent strategy to check grammar, punctuation, orthography, capital letters, commas, etc… And the quizzes of Skills wise site is also excellent to practice and check grammar mistakes for ourselves, is interesting, complete and meaningful for students and teachers. NEW TEACHING STRATEGIES. st
The strategies I observed in the previous modules are all related with the habits to be a 21 . century educator. You don´t need a classroom to learn English or pass on information or knowledge; you just need the desire to discover new tools for teaching and pursue on new learning you weren´t aware of. Every single habit is related with the other, because the use of technology is adapting, being visionary, taking risks, learning, collaborating in order to communicate something that models your behavior in life, making you successful and leader. The richness of sites like the comic strip, the quizzes, and the ETTC´S site with the book maker, the Wacky Web Tales, the excellent site of the photo peach, the BBC site, and movie clips has given me a lot of resources to innovate in my practice.
ABOUT ICT TOOLS. In the use of ICT TOOLS, I selected the writing module because you can find many tools in this module and I found three of them very useful. The first tool I chose is WACKY WEB TALES; it has a lot of different ways to complete a poem. This site could help me to make my students notice the differences between words, adjectives, verbs, etc… It´s excellent to be aware about types of nouns. The second one, it´s SKILLSWISE site, because this site has explanations, worksheets, games and quizzes about grammar, listening, reading, writing, etc… You just need to be aware of your weaknesses and go for it. This site was in two or three modules, in different types of tasks and that´s the reason I believe this site is so appropriate for my students; is very understandable, the instructions are clear and easy for them to follow. And the third one is MOVIE SEGMENTS TO ASSES GRAMMAR GOALS, because it has three of the four skills: listening, reading and writing. Each segment has exercises about it, exercises about a specific grammar point. DESCRIBING ICT TOOLS. The WACKY WEB TALES is a site where you have to select a title of the left side of the page and that is a form to complete in order to create a poem. This poem has a particular ways to be written; you just need to write certain words, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, etc… to complete a poem and the site shows you how it ends up. I selected because it could help me to make my students notice and reflect the differences between words, adjectives, verbs and others.
The second tool, the SKILLSWISE site was selected because includes grammar, listening, reading, writing, etc… and you can get the explanation, worksheets, games and quizzes to evaluate your learning. This site is understandable, simple and clear to follow, so students could work by themselves and learn through the tools of the site. This is my favorite site. The third tool, the MOVIE SEGMENTS TO ASSES GRAMMAR GOALS, is very useful because it´s fun and interesting. You just need to select a segment of a movie from the site; each one includes a grammar point to practice with exercises, students need to watch the segment in order to answer the exercises. Student could practice and learn some more about the use of vocabulary, adjectives, nouns, verbs, etc…. LESSON PLANNING. My lesson planning is almost like Madeline Hunter´s lesson plan; it´s an easy procedure to students follow, and become aware of the kind of assignments they have to realize in order to get a good grade. We plan our lesson depending on the context, subject, program, grade, and resources of our school. Maybe most of us might have a little difference but at the end of the day we must develop some competences in the students. My secondary students centered their goals on a good grade rather than on their new learning. I like to start on what they already know because sometimes they didn´t realize they know it. Statement of objectives is very important for my students. They must know where they are going to and what they have to do in class or homework; as clear as could be. Checking for understanding, give you the tips to know if they feel confident or if they are confused with the task; when you watch their faces and expressions and see doubt on them, you need to review a little more, try to give them the confident on their knowledge and capacity to learn. Guide the first practice is so important because students need a model to follow and examples to understand. You are just guiding, like if they were babies walking for the first time until they can do it by themselves. Independent practice gives you the opportunity to check if they get the new knowledge or if you need to give more time and practice to the same subject. MY FINAL REFLECTION Most teachers have lost their motivations and desires in their professions, maybe because is too hard keep trying and trying everyday; this is the point where we must look for new tools, roads, options, and ideas to improve and innovate in our practice. We must keep studying and learning every day, finding new goals and challenges to win, this new century is running very fast and we must try to reach it with all the resources, our dreams and desire to learn some more every day.