439. Understand the messages!



One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “Stevick, in his book published in 1989, about learners of languages who had success, writes about intuition when understanding a new language.

Intuition is very helpful and it’s a process every learner utilizes in order to understand both oral and written language. A learner uses some intuition when for example listening to two native speakers. The learner recognizes some already learned words and expressions, and he or she also utilizes action, gestures, facial expressions, movements, intonation, body language, and in this way he or she may either understand words in L2, or the bulk of the conversation.

I personally think the learner more likely grasps words or sentences, and then, constructs the gist of the conversation. Think of a movie for example, where the characters use all those factors of communication. Tell your students about intuition, so as each of them would become more aware of his or her learning style.

Oh, and if in the classroom you play the same scene they’ll understand more and more, and they will become more motivated.” / Photo: chief-ten-bears blogspot com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3678. What to Do to Have Nice Discussions in Class

  I’m an English language teacher. And I consider that my dear students would speak in that language is the main goal, don’t you think so?  They often say sentences in class, if they are at a low level of mastering English. My higher-level ones intervene for longer and we hold nice discussions in class. Definitely I have to have them all of my students would contribute to the class for longer than mere sentences. I must have them speak for rather long.  Some years they have prepared oral presentations to speak for some minutes … or the whole lesson sometimes.  Definitely also it’s not the same to say just sentences than to have some conversations or some discussions.  Lately more than before this current school year I can observe that the textbooks we’re utilizing help out a lot.  By the way, I teach adults and when I ask them, well, I try and ask tactfully, because obviously they have their privacy.  Moreover if we wish we would have discussions in cl...
Read more

3679. If You Still Have Disruptive Problems in Class with Your Students. Some Ideas

  One issue every teacher thinks of from time to time, or perhaps often because that teacher may have that kind of problem, above all if he or she is beginning their career as a teacher, is how to manage classroom behavior.  Today I’m trying to say something, apart from what I’ve written so far on quite many posts. You may find more under the tag or label management of the class .  The main point I think is important is to have the clear idea that both the teacher and his or her students are in the classroom to work, as said in plain English. They come to the schoolroom to work. The students to learn, to learn by working, and their dear teacher to teach them and help them become full and honorable persons.  So the main concern of their teacher ought not to be classroom management, but how to have those dear people to work and learn.  Nevertheless if some problem comes up in class, some behavior problem I mean, that teacher might say or show something, depending ...
Read more

1454. Bullying

Image
Teacher B said to teacher A, “Bullying. In a school of the south of Spain where I worked for some unforgettable years we used to cut off any nuance among the students, when a few of them for example started on and teased one specific kid.  We on one side called the victim kid to talk with him and also called his parents – his tutor did this latter thing. The idea was to have the kid relax and retrieve information from him about the bullying actions he had suffered.  On the other side we summoned the suspected authors of the bullying, also to talk with them. We asked them some questions to learn about what could have disturbed the kid victim.  We then, on following days, invigilated the play ground in a more focused way.  Plus in those students’ classes we spoke about friendship and comradeship.  Close to all the other classmates did know about these actions of bullying. Even the authors could receive some kind of punishment (more hours...
Read more

3049. Femininity as Something Essential

Image
  Women are important at school, because they’re important at home, for education, and also they’re important at society, at any level. In case women are rotten, society is rotten. They’re so important. And at boys schools they’re important, at least as cooks and lady cleaners, and as admins alike. Because they provide a role which is indispensable. And it is something indispensable because they’re indispensable at education, together with dads. I’m referring to their special features and qualities as women: femininity is indispensable at education, at home, at schools, at society. At any social association – I’m aware of the redundancy – they also are indispensable. And their absence is something to be noticed. Something we cannot stand. On the other way round, if they’re present, all is easier – because of that also they’re indispensable at kindergarten, while at upper grades men can teach children and teens – think of single-sex education for example. But men can t...
Read more

2571. Whatever You Teach Is Great!

Image
Some school subjects may be more humane or they are educative because we’re treating deep insights of a person, and they’re more humanistic.  But what when we teach math or chemistry: aren’t those subjects educative?  Definitely they are: we are educating people and help them mature. These ideas are taken from philosopher Carlos Cardona. / Photo from: Student math teaching cols columbusstate edu
Read more