593. A summary of a teaching experience

At Centro de Lenguas Modernas, Universidad de Granada, we the students had to present several lectures, to pass C-2. This is the guide plan for my last lecture. – The site of CLM is http://www.clm-granada.com/. I hope anything would be useful.
- I'm grateful to many people.

/ Photo of this post from: proyectotelemaco wikispaces com. Alhambra, in Granada.

CLM presentation

Fernando Díez Gallego

Paper begun on 6 May 2010

Theme: What makes a good teacher of English? My experiences and research on TEFL

1. Self-introduction, and introduction to the presentation.

2. The goal of teaching English: communication, communication, communication.

3. For that goal: help the learners become autonomous learners. Who actually learns English? The learner who wishes to learn. The two protagonists of the class: the teacher and the learner. The successful learner is the one who utilizes learning strategies.

4. Class management: the best discipline? Self-discipline: the learner who wishes to learn L2. Adolescents don’t like rules (normally; but they expect them from you!), and they are building up their personalities (they feel unsure).

5. Importance of grammar and vocabulary: the skeleton of communication. Exercises and drills are important.

6. Plan every class, and you will achieve success in TEFL, more likely.

7. Plan your classes thinking of their real life in the future: implement solving-problem activities, for example, games.

8. About education, some points: treatment of each student, love of benevolence, they need to be listened to, affection. Put in his/her shoes. Remember: you are educating persons. You, above anything else, are an educator.

9. The class: all in L2? The class should be an environment where the language of communication is English. I myself ‘pretend’ I don’t understand L1 in the classes (obviously they know the truth). I ‘act’ as though I wouldn’t be Spanish.

10. The common thing is that you will encounter mixed-ability classes.

11. Create responsibility and roping your students in the conducting of the course: assign them small jobs and a council of three representatives.

12. If you become enthused: you will transmit sense of humour and an optimistic view. If you struggle, day after day, to improve your labour, you will very positively transmit high ideals and the wishing to learn L2. An adult is closely observed by his pupils: whatever you do, whatever you don’t, influence on them. I’d advise you to improve as a person. They rebel against lack of coherence by you, and against hyprocrisy. First educators: their parents.

13. The teacher is the main resource of the class: you need (and you’ll develop) creativity. Teaching is an art. The teacher keeps on learning L2 and also keeps on a lifelong learning techniques of TEFL, and anthropology. Oh, and pshycology!

14. More about creativity: you, teacher, (I would tell you) inoculate the good ‘virus’ of writing compositions. They love listening to and reading stories. I had a nice experience in Jaén: my school issued a magazine in three languages. Realize what their interests are – For example, in many games in my classes I put examples about Real Madrid and Barça (not always...): they ‘take the bait’. Currently my students are boys aged 10 to 14.

15. What is Content-Based Instruction?

16. Have fun. You, teacher, have fun; your pupils, make them have fun. Fun builds up actual learning.

17. No effort = No learning the L2.

18. Steps to take in the process of becoming capable of communicating: words – sentences - conversations.

19. A farther step: presentations.

20. A post from my blog, http://fernandoexperiences.blogspot.com/, with some wise advice from a teacher of teachers, H D Brown – Emeritus Professor at The State University of San Francisco :

Friday, April 30, 2010

340. Are they learning through playing?

[Here was the picture of post # 340; not possible to set on this new post, # 593]

How can a learner actually learn? Read what this scholar put: "You've got to be willing to put in your fair share of effort, and that effort amounts to lot more than just sitting back and listening to some tapes. If you dive into this language with a willingness to try hard, and with a belief that you can actually do it, then you will be successful!" (1) H. D. Brown(1989) A Practical Guide to Language Learning. A Fifteen-Week Program of Strategies for Success. New York: McGraw-Hill. I owe a lot to this expert, for my teaching: he has great ideas: he hits the target, believe me. Photo from ledenav artelista com. Thank you.

Questions to be asked to my colleagues in the classroom, on Tuesday 11 May 2010:

1. What is the main approach to ELL which I apply in my classes?

2. What process can you implement to attain making your students reach the goal of communication: from just knowing words to use L2 in a somewhat fluent way?

3. What is, or are, some principles to manage the discipline in the classroom?

4. What would you do if there is a problem of discipline?

5. Are you a mere teacher-of-Geology who only teaches geology, in English?

6. Compare the subject of History of Spain in their study-programme with the subject of English or French or Portuguese.

7. Who are the main eucators of adolescents (or children)? Why so?

8. Do you think many school failure and discipline/education problems depend on their parents? If affirmative, what would you do to make parents more aware of this unique mission of theirs?

9. What role do creativity and imagination have in the process of learning L2?

10. How to achieve having fun, both the students and the teacher?