Experiences of a teacher of English

  Today I would like to point out a couple of points that may help you out, mainly if you are a teacher, like I am.  You know, a lot has been said about the student’s motivation in class, and that’s fine, for our lessons don’t need to bore our dear students and a whole herd of cows alike.  However, if for example a kid in class achieves to solve a math problem, or to write an essay in English (say, his target language), about a given topic, well, he will get perfectly content. There may be nothing better than the student would strive to do things fine, and learn a lot of things from his teacher.  Effort and struggling may also be paramount in class, and alike at home with their homework. I mean, the school and the classroom are not theme parks, as Gregorio Luri says.  Second thing today. I’d also like to pinpoint the use of books, paper ones. Miguel Ángel Martínez-González stands up for the use of paper books instead of a lot of screens. On this blog I’ve said s...

  If you are placed in the northern earth hemisphere, you may be on vacation. Maybe not. Anyway, today I wanted to say that our students must be, at any level we may be teaching, the protagonists of their own learning. No protagonists, no significant learning.  I saw it last school year: I’m thinking of a particular student who has significantly improved his English – I teach English to adults.  Why so? Why has he lifted off a great deal at English language learning? Because he has strived hard to learn it… and he is like a strong and powerful engine that does a lot on his own.  When I say that our students have to be protagonists, in no way do I mean that we teachers have to come down to foolishly create an atmosphere where they do just what they feel like doing by looking down their teacher. No. The teacher is the teacher and his or her students are right there as students and learners.  Perhaps if we teach a modern language we have to read through Rebecca Oxf...

  Many of us English language teachers are non-native speakers… and we have to provide with a lot of that language to our students. And we perhaps are life-long learners of English. It is my case.  To learn a foreign or second language you have to practice the four language skills plus learn grammar plus vocabulary.   One way of approaching one of those language skills – reading – is by reading graded readers and full-version books.  Now I’m telling you how I proceed lately with reading, in case it may help you.  At present I’m reading a novel, which brings language you can hear on the street. I enjoy reading it. And that’s quite important.  As well and on top of that I would say that I study the pages I read: I have gotten accustomed to focus and pay close attention to the few pages I read each time.  I attentively read the lines and kind of mentally collect a lot of interesting expressions and ways to say things in English. I like it.  Then, aft...

  We foreign or second language teachers may wish there should be peace and communication amongst people.  Also we try hard there should be communication and immersion in the target language in the classroom.  And I am a language learner myself, and I will always be a learner myself. And thus I can help my students learn that target language, namely English.  Something I do to learn more and more lexis or vocabulary is intensive reading books. Next lesson with my students I will show them the notebook where I register and keep the words I’m learning, in case that may help them out.  You know, it’s like a diary or journal. Some time in the evening every day I write down one or two… or five words, expressions or idioms I have learned today: words and terms that have attracted my attention, from the classes, or from the Internet, or from the book I’m reading now.  I write for example a sentence where a nice word showed up in the book I’m reading, maybe with so...

Want to learn a language? A foreign or second one?  From all what seen by me and others I could now tell you some tips that might help you or your students learn that language.  It’s obvious but think of dedicating some minutes every single day, for longer if you can.  On these latter days I’ve learned such words as headway, fretting, overstrain, Mussulman, trader, hangout, commuting, to bog down, betrothed, don’t go overboard, née, pinnace … You know what I do? I write down those words and revise them often and think of sentences by utilizing those words… all that works to get them into memory so that I’ll later retrieve them when I need them.  As well I try to use them in real life: if you use them, you can remember them, otherwise, no memory of them or hardly any...  Alike you could directly study from a dictionary.  Carrying on with tips to learn a language: you have to practice the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Plus vocabulary...

Many people need to learn a foreign or second language. For their work for example or perhaps they want to get a new job. And it’s our mission as teachers to facilitate that. Now amid these special circumstances of the Covid-19 crisis.  Lately I've told you my readers that reading books however the format may be a stupendous way of learning and acquiring that tongue.  Not only is reading good for learning: we have to practice listening, speaking and writing. But reading is so great and it comes to the same plate: it actually helps a lot, also as Stephen Krashen puts it.  I do it and I have done it over many years and I can assure you that you learn a great deal.  I’m reading a Jules Verne’s novel, in a complete and unabridged version. It’s okay. Each learner has his or her own unique way of affording learning a language, even the same person changes and shifts ways of learning along his or her career as a learner.  I read a couple of pages and then go back to fo...

We are still at the beginning of a new academic year. And it’s good we teachers and our students alike be enthused. Even now that we are going through this Covid-19 crisis.  Anyway, what I’m saying on this post may affect any time around the school year.  I teach English. Currently to adults. And I do know that students can learn the language, but also they can acquire it, i.e. learn it subconsciously.  We learners of English also acquire the tongue if exposed to it at a level we can understand, better if the texts are a bit above our level. This is, finely tuned at a level which is a bit above us.  The scholar who explained all this theory is well-known, Stephen D. Krashen (Chicago, 1941).  He also said that if the learner reads books freely, he will acquire a lot of the target language.  It’s also my experience: I’ve learned a lot of English through reading, and keep on doing so.  Presently I read Jules Verne’s Five Weeks in a Balloon . In an unabrid...

Every teacher in principle wants his or her students would learn, right? Yep, it’s so, I would say.  Sometimes in the classroom or on remote teaching we teachers might be focusing on our teaching, but up to what extent do we track our students are actually learning? I know most of you operate that way and are concerned about your students’ learning.  Okay, in my career as a teacher I have encountered mainly two scholars who have made nice emphasis on learning strategies, applied to learning a language. Those writers are H. D. Brown and Rebecca Oxford.  We teachers should learn about learning strategies, thus we could help our students more fully.  Learning strategies are operations employed by the learner to aid the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information. ... They are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations. Those words appear on...

To be a teacher? It’s so great – it may be tough, though. But I retain that being a teacher is great. You have some students with you in the classroom, and firstly some families you have to attend to, properly. All this is pretty human and humane.  That teacher eventually gets interested in his or her students’ progress and learning and becoming great citizens.  I say with Aristotle that we teachers have to love our dear students with benevolence love, which as you know or may know is seeking what’s good for those students.  That teacher does not confine to plan his or her lessons, yet that person tries hard to think of each student and his or her progress, as much as possible, or at least that teacher thinks, when planning the lessons, what those learners do need most, at such and such circumstances.  Even Carlos Cardona in his Ética del quehacer educativo states that there should be certain friendship between the teacher and the students. These latter ones permit ...

If you’re learning or teaching a second or foreign language, you should remember that any language has four skills to practice: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, ok?  Today I would like to say something about reading. Reading is so great. The language learner has to read intensely and massively, and that counts toward a lot of learning that tongue, whatever that tongue is.  I personally read a book at least some brief minutes a day. I try and enjoy it. Reading is great, as I said.  When reading you’re thinking in that target language.  I come across some new words and enjoy learning them.  I use the dictionary rather little – I’m learning English, by the way.  I read a couple of pages each time or so, and then I come back to what I’ve read and then randomly I pay attention and focus on some words and idioms and take like a mental picture. Memory is something you can train and it's elastic, like chewing gum... In that way I can tell you that I’ve le...

We teachers do know that our dear students have to learn how to study, how to read with attention in order to memorize some concepts and relate them to one another.  This way of studying entails some mental processes. And we teachers may be experts at this point.  For that reason we should also dedicate some daily time to study ourselves. Also because we teachers have to recycle our knowledge and aptitudes. We are capable, likely, to help our dear students. We as adults have some special ways to study which can illustrate our students’ ways of studying.  For example we can plan our daily studying. And thus we can teach our students how to plan this point.  Also we know how to read for the gist.  Also we know how to read and take in the main points and try to memorize them.  Also we know ourselves and can deduce that at that or that specific times we’re more capable to memorize.  Also we know how to relate our previous knowl...

Communication in the classes of a second language is necessary and essential. Of course. But by no means do I say that grammar and memory are not necessary. They are, indeed.  And our young learners, our students, are capable of understanding grammar and of memorizing for example the English irregular verbs.  Grammar is like the skeleton of language and useful for communication in that language. And some sane memorizing new vocabulary words can be a language-learning booster.  Thus both communication and firstly studying grammar and memorizing can be genial path-mates.  I have traveled through grammar and memory in my learning English to achieve some communication for example when right now I’m composing this post.  So let’s dedicate some time to grammar and its memorizing in the classroom. In a sane comprehensive way and combined with communication and practice. And all this in a peaceful and joyful way. Have a nice day. --- In my case, my ...

Memory. It is a great value for learning.  I can assure you it is kind of elastic and susceptible of being trained, even when you’re rather old. Even it can prevent from Alzheimer. Or other similar diseases.  When you practice your memory, you can get a big one.  I notice all this concerning vocabulary. And memory is necessary for learning a language. I’m an English language teacher and learner too. I’ve read massively and intensely through years. And my memory has become greater.  And thus I realize that when writing these posts some useful words come up to mind while writing. I have created a tank of vocabulary. And everybody or close to that can achieve the same goal.  Also I can answer to most of the questions my students ask me about lexis. I can cope with those questions so far.  Something I often do is that I have some book being read, at least from time to time. Should I be reading always? Maybe. I have other stuff to re...

  Reading is something great for learning a language. Not enough but great anyway. We have to cultivate the other language skills: listening (oh listening, how much I have to improve here!), speaking and writing. Reading: you can do it you alone, on your own. When reading fiction or nonfiction you will encounter new words: a nice chance to learn them or some of them… Try and guess the meaning of the new words, from the context, but also use a dictionary, maybe an online one. Focus on those new words and try and guess their meaning from context, as I said. It is actual guessing but with some foundation, a somehow firm one: the context. While reading you’re learning and acquiring too: some words will get stuck in memory, in an aware way and mode. You’ll be piling up new words! And you’re thinking in English! (Remember English is my target language). That language will be like a second one, part of your nature! Each book means a firm step forward. As well try and learn...

  My senior students – retired people – tell me sometimes they’re losing memory, up to what extent is this? What I have clear in mind is that I make them train their memory, by repeating exercises they do, like remembering points from past worksheets I hand them out: they’ve got to recall their topics, their vocabulary, the main ideas, their summaries. This may be a plausible possible solution, up to some extent. A nice activity we do in the classroom – actually the center library – is defining and saying the meaning of words from those worksheets. It is an activity where they’ve got to remember notions and ideas, and manage their communicative oral competence. By the way this exercise may be carried out is various ways. For your real students. For example they’ve got to define words by using a given word, or if they have some more communicative competences and resources they could have to define words WITHOUT a given word, which by far is much more difficult. Thus ...

  We foreign or second language learners (and teachers too!) like to learn new words – tentatively! Also our students have to learn new words, to have more resources and “weapons” to communicate with native speakers as well as in the classroom, is that so? Okay then, in order to learn a new word we can enhance our memory by using that word. If you use the word, more likely you’ll be able to retrieve that word for its using in conversations, debate forums, etc. Thus our students and we teachers-learners will use the new word or words into a context, a meaningful one. In that way we’ll remember those new words we’re learning. If there’s usage, there’s remembering. No usage, no remembering – maybe. Also we learners can play with the new words: like writing sentences with them, and that’s something many students of mine tell me they do. Also some students think of the word over and over, or they revise the word mentally from time to time, kind of that. Or writing two colu...

  Some days ago an adult student of mine, after a lesson, asked me how we teachers could remember and recall our students’ names, even at the beginning of the school year, which isn’t the case anyway. I told him it is an ability that in some sense we teachers have. It is practice, the practice of remembering our students’ names, characteristics and traits, as many class-groups have passed through our hands throughout years. However also it is because of the affection we have to each of our students: you can recall the names of those people you value in some way or another. As well I’ve noticed that memory, up to some extent, is like an elastic ability you can train. A teacher once told me that she could remember many target language words because she had expanded her memory because of many times trying to learn new words and terms. She had acquired kind of a photographic memory. And any teacher could acquire that kind of memory, if he or she practiced the process of lea...

  On post # 2901 and # 2915 I’ve written about how to learn vocabulary of a second or a foreign language, okay. And I said that the best he can do can be learning a single word each day or a few words per day. Today I wanted to tell you that another way to learn and acquire and memorize vocab is for the non-native teacher to read massively too, for instance a novel or a non-fiction book, a web site, an e-book, etc. In that way he will also feel the texture of English (it’s my case), will learn words in an unaware way – for later retrieval –, will face up with a long text to be thought in English (or whatever the language is)!, will become more able to speak in fluent English (or French or…), and will have more fun and more feeling he’s learning a new language. As well he’ll learn language linkers (like conjunctions), which are like the articulations of the language, as if this latter one would be a body. Alike he’ll be immersed in a task he shares with his d...

  On post # 2901 I wrote that something sound the non-native language teacher can do is to learn one single word per day. But learning more words per day can also be sound and clever, always if the words are: not many, gotten stuck into memory by “taking a picture” of those words, and finally by using them or doing any useful memory activity with them. If you use them, likely you will remember them, you will be able to actually use them when they’re necessary for such or such an occasion! Your memory will increase and augment! Something I’ve noticed is that pretty often come to my mind some words I had read and learned previously, even not being aware of the process of learning and acquiring them. The main and principal point is the teacher should be open to learn new vocabulary. In that way he will learn rather a vast lexis plus he will receive and feel a nice emotion of being able to become a good learner of a language, like English in my case, as you know. You ...

We teachers of English or other languages should foster a meaningful teaching for our dear students.  The topics we treat about should also concern our students and their world and interests.  Even the sentences we have them make up for example should be concerning their likes and interests. We won’t confine to a repetitive learning, although there are things they have to repeat so as to learn them, like the irregular verbs... Even then the sentences and usage the students will make will be related to their world. This doesn’t mean we won’t open up windows to other topics that can be new for them, and so enrich their knowledge and experiences. Let's try a balanced teaching. / Photo from: bigstock-Little-Girl-Playing-The-Piano nocamels com