Experiences of a teacher of English

The teacher trainer/coach taught me a useful game to practice grammar and word order, and it's very simple, "You take one student out of the classroom, and tell him or her a sentence, without the rest of the classmates listening to it. Then, you get another student out of the room, and the first student says the message to the second one. The first one goes into the room and a third student comes out. The second says the sentence to the third kid, and so on. This game is called 'Broken telephone .'" A Scottish castle. diariogrumpywolf net

The teacher trainer/coach told me, "Stevick, a nut at learning languages, in his book, Learning Foreign Languages. Seven Who Achieved it and What Worked for Them , said that a woman learned Norwegian by means of her own learning strategies. One of these was intuition . When two teachers were talking between them in the classroom, she grasped what they were saying. Teachers often talk to each other about topics that have to do with learning and logistics. Also the gestures and face expressions helped her to understand more." boeing com. Notice the wings of this 747; I think this is a prototype, with the wings folded in order to be more adaptable to flying, and take the best of the airflow which the jetliner has got to fly through, so as to sustain the plane better. Stevick's book was published in 1989.

Here I attach a comment I made to a post of the website of The British Council - BBC. I hope it were any interesting to you. Fernando M Díez... An atmosphere of success Submitted on 27 August, 2009 - 20:27 Hello, FairyAnna and everybody, First just to say that the topic of my doctoral thesis is (was) Success in learning English as a foreign language. Yet, I did not accomplish composing it. To be honest, I left the doctorado and changed the stuff of the thesis into a, say, more for everyday teaching, more practical, not that theoretical. And.. the book has not been published yet (ever?). All in all, you can see the stuff of the book on my blog, in progress, obviously. I'll let you know if many visitors... Anyway. So, I'm going to say something briefly. Currently I teach several groups of kids, aged 10 to 13. The classes are rather informal, nevertheless serious for we point to a target, which is... success, at speaking, at least. 2 class-periods per week. Th...

The teacher trainer/coach told me, “The student is the protagonist of his or her process of learning. Ok. Do not scold them. I mean: Do not be like their foe. Do not think: They are my enemies, who want to boycott my class-period. Chasten them as the ultimate source. I mean, count on your students, do not count against your students. That way, each student will struggle to improve his or her homework, say. Otherwise, this student will view the subject of English as a rock, a nasty one, which is stunning and crushing upon him. However, do not be an illusion-puppet: the students are a bit rascal and tend to avoid working their homework. Some, some of them. Be cautious. Anyways: ultimately they are free to do whatsoever they want. See ye!” The Great Dictator (1940), starring and maybe directing also Charles Chaplin. legalmoviesdownloads com. You know, Eugenio, whether the director was himself?

I just realized that one of my labels says "plannig". I tried to correct the mistake within the layouts and such things inside my blogger, but I gave up. So far, the label appears on 35 posts. I did not achieve to change the mistake by using the tools of my blogger. Sorry. Anyway, if someone wants to view all the entries with that label, he can click on that very label as it appears on the list of labels. Excuse me, but from now I will keep on using the label as "plannig" but meaning "planning". All in all, it's a minor flaw. tecnotemas com. The car is a Ferrari, as you can make out. Chwa, I think this snapshot was taken in your country.

Here I have copied and pasted something I wrote May 4, 2009. I have made some minor stylistic changes. A person who wants, who wishes to learn a language , and he has the firm resolution to do it, will learn, for granted. It’s a mixture of effective willing plus likes. You love what you know. You know more and more, and this fact makes you love learning, carrying on learning. You are continuously learning, from there and from here. All the time. Every day. You pick up one word here, one other word there. That’s the person who really learns. The point is that one person learns/acquires a language for communication. And communication is between two persons. One person helps, serves the other one. Always the other . www elmundo es. Berlin Wall, around 1989.

The teacher trainer/coach told me, "You, teacher, think all the time in English. Even when not communicating with anybody else. It is possible. Yet it needs training, to get longer and longer thinking in that language. A friend of mine, born Spanish but based in the US, made me amazed when at the beginning of a new day, right after the rise time, in a summer program of English in Marbella, he entrusted me of some small jobs I had to do for later. He did so in English. And the remaining of the day, he addressed me in Spanish, for I am that nationality. Conclusion: after having lived in the States for some quite number of years, he plainly thought in English. His friends, other teachers at that program, assured me he sounded full American, no streak Spanish at all."

alayos com Fernando Infante: thanks for your artistic backup to my pictures! I also owe the pics to a lot of websites. Here you have a comment I made for the British Council - BBC website. Worthy to pay a visit to, and more than one visit. Just in case it helps you with your everyday labor. I know you keep your enthusiasm when teaching. Fernando M Díez... Teaching philosophy Submitted on 19 August, 2009 - 20:24 Hello, I'm sorry. I want to reply to your philosophy of teaching. The bit of the problem is that right now I can't see your name: I'm at a computer of a friend of mine, dating circa 1800 ;) I agree with your philosophy of teaching: awesome! That hits the nail on the head. I subscribe what you say. I just wanted to support your philosophy: carry on that way. I'd like to write for longer, but now it's tough, and very hot here in marvellous Granada (Spain). Hope to write at some time, as well to let our colleagues know about your philosophy. Know what? My own ph...

The teacher trainer/coach told me, "Remember to sometimes set some work or a task for your students, working in groups. I think I told you about some advantages of working as a group. However, there exists a possible problem: imagine one member of the team is working for himself, for his sake, not cooperating with his classmates. Can we only hinder from this problem if working as a whole the class-group? In this latter case everyone can say something, whilst the other members of this big group listen attentively. Other students can contribute with further ideas."

blogs cope es The teacher trainer/coach told me, "The best strategy for your students to acquire English is... just letting them work on whatsoever they think more appropriate for them at that moment: let 'em decide on their own. They may be young, very young, though. A young student, with not capability for very abstract ideas, is not able to decide on what strategy to use. Adults can! Adults also can learn a language! To sum up, let that young student, aged 10 or 11, 12, find his own pathway to success in learning English."

On this post I release a comment I made to an entry written by a teacher of English, Olwyn Alexander. That entry was published on the website of The British Council - BBC. I hope my comment might help you. The picture shows a game of cricket. I mean it for Spanish visitors to my blog. The photo thanks to taiyak wordpress com Fernando M Díez... Learning in groups Submitted on 21 August, 2009 - 11:05 Hello, Olwyn Alexander, I have attended classes of English myself, as a learner, at Centro de Lenguas Modernas, an institution of Universidad de Granada, Spain. We used to work in groups, quite often. The teacher was an experienced one, a kind British lady. I'll just refer to one point. We were adults, with a professional interest in learning and practising general English. I'm a teacher of English myself. The fact of working in groups was useful, because each member of the team - teams of two or three - might have a different answer when working out exercises of the course book. As ...

I copied and pasted a comment I posted on the website of Teaching English British Council - BBC Fernando M Díez... Teaching beginners Submitted on 18 October, 2009 - 16:55 Hello, Martina Kliem, Monicabb Sian Gourlay, Katie-Leck, I have read your comments. They hit on so a frequent problem... or challenge. Thank you. I'll briefly tell about my experience. I also teach in Spain. I'm Spanish myself. Although my students can be beginners, I "only" understand and speak English. They do know it. They are also inside the dough. English, all the class-period round. My students are false-beginners. First premise: it's sound for them to hear stuff in English, so as to touch the texture of the language. Also: I add loads of gesturing, face expressions, acting out, smiling, speed-changing, intonation. You, teacher, must enjoy classes. (Don't get me wrong. I'm not showing off, by boasting big). Currently, a significant part of the class-period is games. So, the proce...

This is also taken from my book. Picture from takomasoccer org Apéndice 2 Se trata del script para el listening del examen del Apéndice 1. Tomado de www.happynews.com/living/space/jupiter-information-kids.htm Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is the biggest planet in our solar system. Jupiter is so big, that it could fit more than 1,300 Earths inside! Unlike Earth, which has solid ground for us to walk on, Jupiter is a big ball of gas. In its center, scientists think their may be a very thick, very hot, liquid soup. This soup could reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. No one knows for sure what is at Jupiter's core, because the planet can't support life. The pressure is so strong on Jupiter, that anything entering its atmosphere would be crushed immediately, including a spaceship.

On this entry I post some stuff from my book on TEFL. Picture from yohandry wordpress com . This entry was outfitted on Sunday, October 18, 2009, but published Nonday. Apéndice 1 Este examen lo he inventado para la parte de apéndices: no lo he puesto a ningún grupo concreto de alumnos. Aunque sí se parece a otros reales. Se trata de que veas un ejemplo de test con preguntas prácticas, teniendo en cuenta que la L 2 que aprenden los chicos es precisamente para comunicarse entre personas, también en un examen. Unit 5 test 2 ESO November 15, 2008 1 st Evaluation Read through the questions before answering. As always you can answer on a separate sheet. 1. Which planet of our solar system is blistering hot, and why. 2. What does the name UFO stand for? 3. How would you say in English: Todos los planetas de nuestro sistema solar orbitan (dan vueltas, describen órbitas) alrededor del sol. Plutón también, pero se lo considera sólo como un planetoide. 4 . What’s your mom doing right now? Why ...

I just saw a piece of the news on television, about a demonstration, in Madrid, pro-life, a pro-life demonstration. Just great, man. I mean, the people gathered to say a big yes to life. In a festive mood. Many families. Cheerful families. Some representatives of organizations said they keep on offering positive alternatives to the women whose having a pregnancy is a problem, whose having a baby inside seems a problem, a dead alley, a cul-de-sac. And these people say No. There's light at the end of your tunnel. Bear with me. Save the baby. We'll see what we can do. And you, mom, will get happier with that positive solution. Definite so. I also want to say one point. We teachers have a positive, a beautiful responsiblity of giving values to our students. West World is decaying, is dying!: think of young people with no values which they can stand on. No points of reference. A nonsense life, at the extreme edge. A life what sense? Why am I here for? Of course, taking into account...

The teacher trainer told me, "You teacher are not necessarily obliged to follow, and set as work, each activity of Unit 4 in your coursebook, from the first activity to the last one within that unit. Bear in mind that the coursebook is an aid. So far, up to today, I have suggested a lot of activities you and your students can do, putting the coursebook aside for a while." robotsnob com

The teacher trainer told us today, "I know a good game. For any level. The students have got to finish, to complete a sentence said by their teacher. It makes them focus their attention, if carried out with a suspense climax. It makes them get ready to shoot. Examples: 'The airplane had to do an emergency landing onto a speedway full of cars, and...', 'Kathleen has not studied for her exam of English today, so...', 'It was very dark, at night, in the jail. The guard opened a cell of a very dangerous criminal and...'" Why this picture? To set a scenario of possible intervention, of suspense. I do not mean any political streak between countries. British police, cyberterrorism blogspot com .

Me alegra tu comentario, Eugenio. Lo escribo en una entrada nueva, porque mi contestación así lo merece; aparte de que cuando intento publicar un comentario, el ordenador me pide unos requisitos en los que siempre fallo. Efectivamente la foto de Iñigo de Montoya es una fiel representación de mí: bravura, tenacidad, audacia, valentía, arrojo, honor español, etc. Adjunto otra foto en esta entrada que también me retrata, en cierto modo. Gracias de nuevo, y un abrazo, Eugenio. Fuera de bromas, y como sé que te encantan las películas, y sabes mucho, te adjunto a ti, y a los miles de lectores de mi blog, una foto del mismísimo Humphrey Bogart, en una película de 1941, como bien sabes: El halcón maltés . Ah, gracias a flixster com

The teacher trainer told veteran teacher Shean, "Yesterday I had a class with some students with a low level of English. Even one of them had showed cognitive problems lately. I was worried the class-period would not turn out well. However, when one student said a correct answer or reply, I gently praised him; tired I felt though, and this fact made me feel better. Also, for my surprise, the student with cognitive flaws got into the center of the target, and I also praised him, with a smile and some words of comfort. Anyway, what I mean is that the result of the class-period had worked better than my previous expectations. Why better? Because of affection and considering the students as better as I had foreseen. And the students themselves got out of the classroom a bit more satisfied." Soy Iñigo Montoya, tú mataste a mi padre, prepárate a morir . From The Princess Bride movie. Thanks to nationallampoon com .

The teacher trainer told us, "Mrs. M. J. A. taught me how to utilize visual aids in the classes. Even more when the kids are younger: from months of age to 12, 13, 14 approximately. Very young learners are not capable to understand abstract ideas, or grammar forms. From 6 of Primary, I mean, since the students are 11 or 12 they can begin to understand grammar patterns. In any case, it's sensible to bring visual aids to the classroom. And exploit those visual aids. Speak about the pictures. First, it's sensible for you to speak quite a lot of things about the picture or poster. And repeat what you said. And they listen, and get stuck to the picture because of your emphasis, repetition, good humor and enthusiasm. Put fun in your class-periods. And afterwards, after your output to your students, ask them basic questions to them. Perhaps the answers will be one word. Ok! Ask the same question to another student, for him or her to say again what the first student said. And for ...

Hello, Asnan Rifai, I tried to get to the site you told me, but my potato-computer does not let me open that site. I will try later. Also, thank you, for inviting me to submit or cooperate with that site. I would appreciate you telling me some more about your site, or the site you cooperate with. As well, thanks for letting me know that my blog might get more traffic. Sounds great. Best wishes. Fernando Granada (South Spain) Alberta, a lake in that area (Canada). fondosparalinus com

The teacher trainer told us, "The coursebook must serve communication. It is not just a book with exercises to fill in. Utilize the grammar and vocabulary stuff of the unit you are working these days for communication. It's ok to do exercises, but the goal is to facilitate communication, facilitate your students say messages with that grammar and vocabulary. Well, understanding what to do in an exercise is also performance of communication.However, don't get stuck merely to filling in the exercises. The coursebook is an instrument, not the goal in itself. Following the coursebook is one part of the time assigned to your subject in the week plan of all the subjects, but proceed into using the coursebook as a means for communication. For example: use the photographs in the unit to speak about them, both you and the students. A photo or a text. If they say just one word: ok. If they understand what you said: ok too." bo kalipedia com

The teacher coach said to one other teacher, “ I do know you are prudent and cautious. So far, I told you many tips and techniques for your classes, ok. My experience and research, which I have explained to you, is with single-sex schools. It is essential that the individual tutorials be one male student with a male teacher, and the same in the case of females. This is my advice. As well, class-periods are very communicative, friendly btween you and your students, and among the students, you all make up a fist when working together. Some years ago, I taught a class-group of adult learners. Some of them were married, I mean, one spouse of the marriage couple was a student in my classes. And I could see growing very close relationships among them in the classroom. They were so close to one another. I got a bit worried. Well, nothing bad necessarily could arouse in their relationships, but, like I told you, I got a bit concerned about these relationships and spending too many hours close ...

The teacher coach said, "As you know, spelling is a remarkable skill the students ought to master, since it is well known that spelling and pronounciation of English words don't go parallel, so commonly. Even, even, native speakers, well, some of them make a lot of mistakes in this skill. Our students must know the alphabet in English. Revise it in class, as a game. Then, second, write words that come to your mind, also words with 'difficult' spelling. Competition among them is very well accepted. Summing up, one student has to spell one word you wrote on the BB. Vowels are especially confusing for them, above all 'a', 'e', 'i', at least in Spanish. Do you remember pirate Raleigh; ah, this family name could be written in near 20 different ways! I read it in Johnson, Paul (1997) A History of the American People." High Noon , 1952. It's curious, because this movie is entitled Solo ante el peligro , in Spanish; a classic western. Gary Coo...

Old veteran Shean listened to the teacher coach, "You have to teach your students, or make them learn on their own, practice, get aware about how to understand, to grasp the meaning of a conversation or an oral text. Each student utilizes varied strategies: words which are similar to ones of L1, already known words, peering in the gestures and expressions of the body and face (eye-contact is significant and is ELOQUENT to understand), picking up words, figuring out, taking into account what the topic was, possible clues by the teacher, etc."

Veteran old Shean listened to what the teacher coach told him, "Repetition and practice. Repetition and practice. If you wish to learn a language, you have to revise the new words you have read when doing that exercise. Retain one new word at least. In 1,000,000 years you will have learned 1,000,000 new words ;-) Make a mental photograph of it. Two days, on another day, three weeks later... And practice. It has to do with repetition and revision. Use the word into a sentence, writing the sentence, or saying it mentally. Use it, use it. Put the word into your conversations. If you are the teacher and have learned a new word, you may use it at the class-period, with your students. One day a student told me that he was satisfied, because those two months he had learned new words. I got joyful. I did not expect this satisfying point for the kid and also for myself." Have a peek at the picture. Each kid has a different mood or expression: thank you, www krestakingphotography com f...

I have always been interested in the origins of language. A "modern" stem or family, you may know, is Indo-European, which some scholars date it some 8, or 10,000 years old. This family comprises now-existing languages so varied as English, Gaelic, Italian, Swedish, Bulgarian, Polish, Czech, Russian, Ukrainian, Kurdish, Afghan, Greek, etc., just to say some. In addition there are some scholars who state that language was an evolution from sorts of shouts, sounds, babbling or mumbling, warning, asking for help to do something, or to make something. Conclusion, a group work, in order to hunt animals, to chop some flesh, to make any tool. Some scientists put it that it was women who invented it, when remaining at the camp, or cave, and interacting among them. Or maybe more likely, the origin comprises both women and men. Thank you, amypeterman com .

The teacher coach told Shean, "Yah, you're right. Companionship and friendship are essential, not just something tangential. Quite often, when I taught that small group, in a rather informal class-periods, one or another kid started on someone else, and teased him, or small insulted him. I stopped the class. Expecting they realize the wrong. I think nevertheless this point should be dealt with, longer, in the individual tutorials. Definitely. We taught... we tried the kids learn how to treat a friend. Going to the root... Well, first premise: being polite with one another is ok, but ultimately the root is in charity, love. Remember the First Commandment. The point is there. Otherwise, you teacher, up and leave. I mean regarding this matter of relationship." You know who, the players, are? First to be said, it's Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls, a popular game between them. Albeit one more encounter is new and different: you hope your team beat it. (NB: game = match). T...

The teacher trainer told us, "So far we said a lot of aids and tips for the teacher, ye know? What about the learners themselves? We've also talked about them. Now one more thing with regard to the learner. When communicating: he or she has to say his, her message, his contribution to the class-period. That person should have massive intake of vocab and grammar forms (expressions in English). When speaking in the class-period that person uses that storage, he retrieves the material so far learned and kept. Practice is essential. More and more, that student will be able to say more things. Some students try to speak, say, more slowly, a bit slowly, so as to construct the expressions. However, one learner told me a few days ago that his trend is to speak fast, he thinks he does have not enough time to get the right expressions, which he actually knows." An impressive view of the cockpit of a concorde. From flickr com .

A simple game is making volunteers to come to the whiteboard and let them try to write the longest word they can, each student by turns. As simple as that. You know well that the film is Ben Hur (1959). Thank you, news bbc co uk .