Using Realia for learning vocabulary/grammar

It is unrealistic to bring real objects into your classroom for every single word that you wish to teach and some words will lend themselves better than others to using realia. Remember, realia can be used indirectly as a tool for teaching grammar; for example, items of food and drink are perfect for teaching uncountable and countable nouns.

Using Realia in the Classroom

You probably haven't heard of Realia before, but it can be an invaluable addition to your teaching toolbox. Find out what it is and how to use it here.

What is Realia?

If you’re thinking the word ‘realia’ sounds vaguely Latin, then you’d be correct. In the TEFL classroom, the word realia means using real items found in everyday life as an aid to teaching English. Using realia helps to make English lessons memorable by creating a link between the objects and the word or phrase they represent. So how and why should teachers use realia in the classroom?

The advantages of using Realia

As English teachers, the use of realia is only limited by your imagination. It is possible to use realia to teach almost any subject. Using realia stimulates the mind, and is one way of encouraging creativity by involving the senses. Realia saves time, as recognition of an object is immediate and so cuts out the need for lengthy explanations and drawing funny pictures on the board. Elicitation becomes much easier and holding up the object with a raised eyebrow will usually result in the desired word being spoken.
Realia breathes life into new vocabulary, and the chances of your students remembering the new words you have taught them increases. Take the word biscuit: the probability of remembering it becomes much higher after experiencing the taste, touch and smell of the object! Realia doesn't have to be limited to food or drink. Timetables, tickets, newspapers, clothes... in fact any object you can think of can be used as a teaching aid.

Won’t I look silly bringing teabags into the lesson if I’m teaching adults?

No! Adults are usually very receptive to realia, and find this approach unusual and refreshing. Bringing realia into your lessons is a great icebreaker, and serves as a useful tool to prompt conversation. It also takes some of the attention and pressure off you by concentrating the students' minds on the object and word in question.
Many adults have had bad experiences of learning English at school, and often remember their English lessons as being dull and repetitive. Using realia and other visual aids will generate interest and help create an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Realia for young learners

If you are going to teach English to young children, realia is a must. Young children are at the perfect age to learn a language and as visual learners, you should try to tap into their natural creativity. Bring in fruit, vegetables and lots of toys. Children love to role-play and enjoy playing games, so ask them to move animals onto tables, under tables, or around the farmyard. Make up simple stories using toy animals or puppets, and children will enjoy their English lessons, and be motivated to learn.

Using Realia for learning vocabulary/grammar

It is unrealistic to bring real objects into your classroom for every single word that you wish to teach and some words will lend themselves better than others to using realia. Remember, realia can be used indirectly as a tool for teaching grammar; for example, items of food and drink are perfect for teaching uncountable and countable nouns.

Using Realia in Role-play

Don’t stop at using realia to learn vocabulary or grammar. Use objects in role-plays to make the situation more realistic. This could be something as simple as a mobile phone or your train tickets. Using realia is only limited by your imagination: here are some ideas on how to use realia in your lessons.

• Use your country’s flag and a map to show students where you live and to help them learn the names of foreign countries
• Stage a fashion show after learning the vocabulary for items of clothing
• Utilise toys such as plastic animals and toy cars in games for young learners
• Bring in items such as biscuits and plastic cups to practise ordering drinks
• Timetables, tickets and pedestrian maps of London are great for practising role-play scenarios such as asking for directions, or buying tickets
• Teaching business English? Use mobile phones to create telephone conversations, practise giving numbers, arranging meetings, or discussing a new product

What is Cooperative Learning?

We search on cooperative learning is overwhelmingly positive, and the cooperative approaches are appropriate for all curriculum areas. The more complex the outcomes (higher-order processing of information, problem solving, social skills and attitudes), the greater are the effects. “ Bruce Joyce

What is Cooperative Learning?
Cooperative learning may be broadly defined as any classroom learning situation in which students of all levels of performance work together in structured groups toward a shared or common goal. According to Johnson, Johnson and Holubc, (1994): "Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups through which students work together to maximize their own and each others learning. " In classrooms where collaboration is practiced, students pursue learning in groups of varying size: negotiating, initiating, planning and evaluating together. Rather than working as individuals in competition with every other individual in the classroom, students are given the responsibility of creating a learning community where all students Participate in significant and meaningful ways. Cooperative learning requires that students work together to achieve goals which they could not achieve individually.

How do students benefit from working in Cooperative Learning?
Students that are involved in cooperative learning achieve many social and academic benefits. Cooperative classrooms are classes where students group together to accomplish significant cooperative tasks. They are classrooms where students are likely to attain higher levels of achievement, to increase time on task, to build cross-ethnic friendships, to experience enhanced self-esteem, to build life-long interaction and communication skills, and to master the habits of mind (critical, creative and self-regulated) needed to function as productive members of society.

Why use Cooperative Learning?
Teachers who employ cooperative learning methods promote learning because these collaborative experiences engage students in an interactive approach to processing information, resulting in greater retention of subject matter, improved attitudes toward learning, and enhanced interpersonal relations among group members.

What is the teacher's role?
Initially, the teacher carefully designs meaningful tasks that require active participation of each student in the group toward a common end. At the beginning of a cooperative lesson, the teacher's role, often in cooperation with the class, is that of "task setter." As groups work on tasks, the teacher acts as a facilitator/coach moving from group to group to monitor the learning process. The teacher also provides students with on-going feedback and assessment of the group's progress.

How many different types of Cooperative Learning models are there?
A variety of formal cooperative learning models have been developed, such as JIG-SAW, CO-OP, LEARNING TOGETHER, and GROUP INVESTIGATION. In addition, a number of specific cooperative learning designs, such as think-pair-share, peer response groups for writing, paired problem solving for
mathematics, reciprocal teaching in reading, group experiments in science, and discussion circles in social studies have been successfully applied in the classroom. The selection of a particular model or design is influenced by the desired outcomes for instruction, the subject area, and the social skills of the students.

source :http://www.pgcps.org

What Is Microteaching?

Why microteach?

Microteaching is organized practice teaching. The goal is to give instructors confidence, support, and feedback by letting them try out among friends and colleagues a short slice of what they plan to do with their students. Ideally, microteaching sessions take place before the first day of class, and are videotaped for review individually with an experienced teaching consultant. Microteaching is a quick, efficient, proven, and fun way to help teachers get off to a strong start.

Online document: TFs talk about microteaching.

How to microteach.

As many as six teachers from the same or similar courses can participate in a single microteaching session. Course heads, a few experienced instructors, and a Bok Center staff member are usually invited to serve as facilitators. While one person takes his or her turn as teacher, everyone else plays the roles of students. It is the job of these pretend pupils to ask and answer questions realistically. It is the job of the pretend teacher to involve his or her "class" actively in this way.

Such a scenario typically runs for five to ten minutes. When finished, the person conducting the class has a moment or two to react to his or her own teaching. Then everyone else joins in to discuss what they saw that they especially liked. Finally, the group may mention just a few things that the practice teacher might try doing differently in the future.

Like all Bok Center tapes, videos of these sessions are for the benefit of those taped and will not be seen by anyone else without the explicit permission of the practice teacher. Session tapes can even be erased immediately if the practice teacher wishes. Nearly everyone, however, finds it extremely helpful to make an appointment to view and discuss their tape together with a Bok Center consultant.

What to prepare.

Most course heads provide microteachers with scenarios to prepare in advance. If not, think of a few minutes of material that you especially would like to make sure your students understand by the end of your next class. As always, you should not only plan out how to treat the subject matter, but also give some thought to how you are going to present yourself, manage the class, and involve the students. There are, of course, many different ways of teaching a given lesson well. That is why participants find that, along with what they learn from their own experience practice teaching, they can also pick up many helpful ideas from observing fellow microteachers.

Ideas For School Fund Raising

Artikel-bahasainggris.blogspot.com - With umpteen numbers of fundraising ideas available, you do need to choose the most suitable one which suits your fundraising purpose

You could even approach ex-students, members of the parent teacher association to plan and chip for the required cause. With dedicated involvement of students, the fundraising drive gains further momentum.

The most popular ones being bake sales, cookie dough sales, organizing discos and parties. You could even organize car wash drives or make young students sell chocolates in the neighbourhood. Even parents of the children could chip in with their valuable efforts by selling chocolates amongst their office colleagues and friends. Well, the entire process of a fund raiser works like a chain and once it gets accepted, the fundraising is truly set to become a grand success.

You can even plan an online fundraiser. Planning and setting up an online fundraiser is relatively economical and quick to set up. By pooling in suitable talent, you can easily set up a fund raising website and invite people to visit the website all the same.

Whichever method, you opt for a fundraiser you do need to proceed in a well planned manner. You are required to first plan and chalk out the basic plan of the fundraising campaign. You also need to set target on how many funds you need to raise. This stage includes preparing a list of potential people who would be willing to contribute for a social cause. You do need to plan out how you are going to introduce the topic and request for their contribution. The request and the formal note of thank you should be well drafted and rehearsed a couple of times by the volunteers who are going to move around for raising funds. If young children are going to be involved in the fundraising campaign, it makes sense to brief them thoroughly about the cause and how to approach potential people. You should also make it a point to brief and inform their parents about their participation in the fundraising drive. You could brief them through email or by a telephonic conversation or even meet them personally whichever is convenient to both the parties.

Fundraising and the ability to organize and manage it successfully requires proper skills and planning. In the initial stages though this may seem pretty tough but as you progress to organizing many fundraisers, they will seem quite easy and feasible to organize.

There is no dearth of ideas for school fund raising, it is simply necessary to choose the right one and implement it in the right manner to raise as many funds as possible for your purpose.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/education/article_2114.shtml

Useful Information On A Homeschool Curriculum

Artikel-bahasainggris.blogspot.com - Are you thinking doing home schooling for your children? You need to consider the homeschool curriculum that is offered by the school. See if it has the program and values that you want your children to have. Discover here more information home studying.

As we all know, homeschool curriculum is a non-formal approach to education. There are many private schools that offer such kind of system. The course requirement may be different from public schools, but they still offer the course necessary to meet state graduation requirements.

Parents may have been skeptic about home schooling programs but recently, their opinions toward it have improved. With its numerous advantages, the decision whether to enroll their children in private school or under home school curriculum is tougher.

Among the benefits, you should consider the following:

Secure environment for their kids because they do not have to go out. They can study and learn their lesson at home or private home schools.

The home school curriculum packages are usually offered with home school books. This is beneficial to you because they no longer have to spend time looking for the suggested books of the school.

Home education is a recognized form of education. Any certificate or diploma which a student would receive from a homeschool institution will and is accepted in the society.

You can save money from the transportation costs. A homeschool student doesn’t have to travel from their house to the school, thus, you would no longer have the transportation cost.

Other interesting subjects are offered in the package.

Pretest reviews are given to the students. With these, both you and students will know what to expect. Moreover, students would have the chance to go back to his notes and improve.

Homeschool curriculums are offered according to the school. Some may offer integrate bible study or religion, some may include culture study, and Linguistic and practical skills. All of these are offered together with other academic subjects.

According to homeschool curriculum review, the best school program is a balanced one. It should contain the most important academic subjects such as Math, Social Studies, Science, and Language. Aside from that, it should also offer subjects that could improve a person’s skills and values.

Accordingly, a Christian program usually proposes different courses from that of a private school. In a Christian school, aside from the required academic subjects, religious studies are also incorporated.

What courses are offered in a private school? In this type of school, subjects vary according to the school’s program. Some may add a little extra and some may not.

Some private schools follow a program with some religious studies. Some are purely academics. Likewise, some may offer additional skills and some may not.

Those that include religious understanding in their program believe that it is the best approach to shape someone’s values and personality. Those who do not are maybe relying on the parents or simply believe that academics and religion should not be taught together.

So which approach is the best? Though online homeschool reviews and resources choose one from the other, this decision is still entirely dependent on your judgment. Just keep in mind, balance should always be present.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/education/article_2098.shtml

The Speaking Exam

Posted on Desember 17, 2007 by Mr Frans Cleophas

The speaking exam or interview could be described as the easiest part of the IELTS exam. Unlike many other examinations, there is only you and one examiner. The exam has been designed to create the opportunity for you to speak. The topics are related to your and your opinions.

The interview lasts about 12 minutes and there are three stages.

In the first stage you are asked some general questions about yourself, your family or your job.
In the second stage you make a short presentation on a topic such as a teacher you liked, an important festival, or a great day in your life.
The final part is a short discussion on a related topic. For example, if your presentation was on festivals, then the examiner will ask you about the importance of festivals in modern day life and attitudes to them in your grandparent’s day. You may be asked whether you think traditions are being lost in the modern world.

Some pointers for the speaking exam:

The only advice is to try and speak as much as you can and do your best! Your speaking test is based on your accuracy, fluency, range of vocabulary, pronunciation and appropriate use of language.

The speaking test is designed to become more challenging as it progresses. The early stages allow you time to settle down and relax before you have an opportunity to show off your range of language.

Do not sound rehearsed in the first stage. The examiner will notice this and change to a different topic.
Try to avoid yes / no answers and include some details.

Use the one-minute preparation time to make notes before you speak. You can look at the card and use these ideas to guide you through the presentation.

The presentation gives you a chance to show off the range of tenses you can use and also to use some interesting vocabulary.

In the final part you also have a chance to show off your spoken language skills. You need to answer the questions as fully and fluently as possible and give reasons for your opinions.

If you make a mistake and you notice it then go back and correct yourself – this is what native speakers do!
Pronunciation and intonation are important in this exam. It is generally true that you can make a grammar mistake and people will generally understand you, but if you cannot pronounce clearly then the communication breaks down. If your intonation is flat and you don’t sound interested then the person who is listening to you will think you are not!!

sumber : http://kursusinggris.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/the-speaking-exam/

TEXT TYPES (Rhetorical Development)

•          STAGING/GIVING MOVES TO GENRE
(EACH GENRE HAS ITS FUNCTION / SOCIAL PURPOSE

•          EACH GENRE HAS ITS TEXT/GENERIC STRUCTURE

•          EACH GENRE USES DIFFERENT LANGUAGE FEATURES / LEXICOGRAMMAR POINTS

N A R A T I V E

•          IT IS USED TO ENTERTAIN, that is to gain and hold the reader’s interest in a story.

•          TO TEACH and TO INFORM writer’s reflections on experience.

•         IT CAN BE IMAGINARY or FACTUAL (fairy tales, mysteries, fables, romances, adventures stories, myths and legends), or it can be complicated event that leads to a crises that finally find a solution

Generic structure: N A R A T I V E

ORIENTATION

                - introduces participants/character (who)

                - sets the scene (when & where)

COMPLICATION

                - Development of a Crises: a crisis arises, something happened

                  unexpectedly

RESOLUTION

                - Solution of the crisis: for better or for worse

RE-ORIENTATION

                - closing to the narrative (optional)

                - coda: changes of characters, lesson taken from the story

LANGUAGE FEATURES OF NARRATIVE

•          Certain nouns are as pronoun of person, animal, certain thing in a story. E.g.. Stepsister, house work.

•          Adjectives that form noun phrases, for example : long black air, two red apples, etc.

•          Time connectives and conjunction to arrange the events, for example: then, before that, soon, etc.

•          Adverb and adverbial phrase to point the  place of event, for example: here, in the mountain, happily ever after.

•          Action verbs are past tense: stayed, climbed, etc.

•          Saying verbs that refer to what the human participants said, told, promised; and thinking verbs indicating thought, perception or feeling of the characters in a story, for example: felt, thought, understood

•          Dialog often included and the tenses change according to the circumstances

Example and Generic Structure

•          Orientation

                Once upon the time the live a little girl named snow White.

•          Complication; Development of the crises

                One day she heard her uncle and aunt talking About leaving Snow White in the castle because They both wanted to go to American and they Didn’t have enough money to take Snow White.

•          Resolution of the crises

                Snow White did not want her uncle and Aunt to do this so she decided it would be best if she ran away. The next morning she ran away into the woods

•          Complication; Development of the crises

                Then she saw this little cottage. She knocked but no one answered so she went inside and fell asleep

•          Resolution of the crises

                Mean while, she seven dwarfs were coming home from work They went inside. There they found Snow White sleeping. Then Snow White woke up She saw the dwarfs said, “What is your name? Snow White said, “My name is Snow White” And, one of the dwarfs, said, “If you wish, You my live here with us. Snow White said, “Oh could I? Thank you.” Then Snow White told the dwarfs the hole story and snow white and the 7 dwarfs lived happily ever after.

DESCRIPTION

It is used to describe a particular thing/object, place, or person.

    For example: My cat, My bike, My favorite room in the house, The Wildest Amazon River, My favorite actor.

Generic Structure of DESCRIPTION

Ø  IDENTIFICATION

                : identifies phenomenon to be described

Ø  DESCRIPTION

                : describes parts ( physical appearance), qualities, general attitude, characteristics

LANGUAGE FEATURES

•          Use certain noun: teacher, house, my cat.

•          Use of simple present tense

•          Use of attributive and epithets (e.g. adjectives)

•          Detail noun phrase to give information about subject, for example: it was a large open rowboat, a sweet young lady, etc.

•          Vary of adjectives to describe, number, classify for example: two strong legs, sharp white fang, etc.

•          Relating verb to give information about subject such as: my mom is really cool, it has very thick fur, etc.

•         Thinking verb and feeling verbs to express writer’s view about subject, such as: Police believe that suspect is armed, I think it is a clever animal, etc          

•          Action verbs, like: Our new puppy bites our shoes, etc.

•          Adverbial to give additional information about behaviour, for example: fast.

•          Figurative language, for example simile, metaphor; John is white as chalk.

Example and Generic Structure

•          Subject

        Macquarie University is one of the largest Universities in Australia. This year, in 2004, it celebrates its 40^th anniversary.

•          Description

        The university is located at the north Ryde Greenbelt, Sydney, where the New South

Wales government sets aside 135 hectares for the institution. In 1964, Macquarie area was a surrounding have evolved beyond recognition. The North Ryde District has grown in a district of intensive occupation anchored by a vibrant and growing university.

        Blessed with a fortune location and room to breath, Macquire can be proud of that careful planning that retains and enrich the university’s most attractive natural features. A pleasing balance between buildings and plating is evident across the campus.

This emphasis on the importance of landscape has created images of Macquire as a place that members of the University are most likely to pleasurably recollect.

        One of the highlights of the ;landscape is the Mars Creek Zone. It emprises landscaped creek sides and valley floor, a grass amphitheatre, and artificial lake … surrounded by rocks and pebbles, native plants and eucalypts.

Today, a railway station is under construction. In three years 1 time, Macquirie will be the only university in Australia with a railway station on site. Macquirie is polsed to be the most readily accessible in Sydney region by rail and motorway, yet retaining its beautiful site