Week 5: An impressive week

 I learned a lot this week as we are introduced to Problem Based Learning (PBL) , Alternative Assessment and Rubric, WebQuest and the benefits of implementing them to our ESL classes. Problem Based Learning is a real world-based activity which promotes autonomous learning activity. Here, students are put as the center of learning process while teachers act as ‘coaches and facilitators of inquiry and reflection’. As it departs from a problem-solved learning task and assigns students to working in pairs or groups, it creates and develops students’s awareness of the importance of togetherness and cooperativeness. Susan Gaer’s project samplers are good examples of the application of PBL learning approach. It gives me some thought or ideas about activities that might be relevant for my listening class. I think it would be worthwhile to use PBL approach  for my Intermediate Listening class. I have asked my students to create their own blog on which they may write their reflection of what they have watched and learned. Last night, I searched and studied several listening materials on the internet for them to listen. I was so helped by this URL http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/listening/liindex.htm as it provides me not only the essentials of teaching listening such as goals and techniques for teaching listening, but also sample listening materials which are topically varied.

I also learned new alternative assessment to evaluate learning process:   checklist and rubric. They are  two assessment methods that are very different from the traditional ones that most of the time I used. I learned that both checklist and rubric help both teacher and student evaluate the learning process. Checklists is a measurement which is easy to construct and use. It also aligns closely with tasks. However, it has a weakness as it ‘simply provides an indication of whether a specific criterion, characteristic, or behavior is present’ in the students or class. A rubric, however, gives the teacher information on the students' background knowledge and interests as it provides a measure of quality of performance on the basis of established criteria. Alternative assessment is appropriately used to evaluate or score a wide varieties of elements. I used it last month for assessing teachers’ teaching practice. It is designed to evaluate various aspects of teaching such as pre-teaching, while teaching and post teaching activities, voice, body language, teaching media, and so on. It can be easily used by both the assessors and the peers since it uses checklist boxes for each category and activity. Both assessment can also  be used by student to assesses  to assess their own learning and provide feedback to their peers. I have created my rubric for oral presentation class. It is designed to evaluate my students' ability to describe a place as their listening and speaking project. I like using this rubric for my assessment as it is very easy to follow and the assessment is already there and clearly stated. You can take a look at my rubric from this link http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2378152

 A WebQuest is a new Internet-based learning activity for me. WebQuest is an activity, either individually or in teams, in which students learn as they search for information using the Web. They follow a prescribed format focusing on problem solving and authentic assessment which uses resources available on the World Wide Web. I think WebQuest is a powerful learning tool for us to use since it enhances the learning atmosphere and motivates both teacher and student to involve in the activity.   It also could motivate students to use their creativity and critical thinking in solving a problem. In addition, it develops basic knowledge of research as they lear to to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information.

Week 4: Tough but productive week

This week is really tough but very challenging and amazingly advantageous. The main topic for this week is using technology to enhance reading, writing and vocabulary skills. We did two main things: reading articles about using technology to enhance reading, writing and vacabulary skills and writing a technology-enhanced l
lesson plan.

I read some articles on the related topic.  Krajka’s article ‘Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction' shows that  web is the invaluable source of information, both for teachers and the learners. It informs that 'the advent of the internet and the wide spread of technology create new opportunities for language learning'. Meanwhile Andrea's article  ‘Using Technology to Assist in Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension   describes several possibilities to enhance vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension with the help of technology. This can be used for students of different levels of English background. I will use for my students as well.

I also checked several multi-skills websites that would work for my class but i liked http://www.manythings.org/ at he most as it contains various skills with very interesting materials and has easy-to-follow instructions. Http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/plans/pages/index.aspx is very informative web-skills. It provides daily learning targets for common core state standards, including instructional notes, activity ideas, assessment ideas as well as links to open educational resources aligned to the standards. However, it might be problematic for some who do not yet use Word 2013 as it operates from within Word 2013. I had added my favorite link to RWG links webskills fall 2013 and my delicious.com. And writing an ABCD objective that I could create to go with the web-skills I used is very challenging. The practice helps me more familiar with the ABCD method.

This week   is invaluable as  we are asked to write a  lesson plan with technology . Tips and advice from Sean’s webskills team about “How to Write A Technology Enhanced Lesson Plan" (https://sites.google.com/site/webskillsuo/lesson-plan) and Margo Dill’s article “How to Write an Integrated Lesson Plan”
(http://www.ehow.com/how_2324320_write-integrated-lesson-plan.html) are very informative and useful as it provides a comprehensive information and tips on writing an integrated lesson plan. Using the template prepared by Deborah Healey , from Oregon University, I make a lesson with technology. What is interesting is that making the lesson plan on https://docs.google.com. Here,  the lesson plan can be shared with other people who can give their feedback as “comments”. I was so happy when I finished writing my lesson plan and shared it in the link. You can leave your comment on my lesson plan by checking https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mhqma7ltavik7y8jbtjvq2sxtzzoltrhxk0-lysnvos/edit?usp=sharing.

Week 3. 
This week  I learned  Using Delicious.com to Store Useful Links  and  read some  articles about CALL for listening, speaking, or pronunciation skills. I also have a chance to  take a quick look at some of the lesson plans for both skills.  I read  Lindsey Miller's article about 'Developing Listening Skill with Authentic Materials' which provides me with important  information about the aims and advantages of using real English conversations or speech such as news on radio or TV for the learners. It affirms me that I have been doing a right thing for my intermediate  listening class where students listened to  a real Englih conversation downloaded from YouTube as my listening materials. The article, however, reminds me that I have to be more focused in determining the listening tasks for the students. The second article 'New Perspectives in Teaching Pronunciation', by Maria Busa, also affirms me that using linguistic perspective can help teacher teach pronunciation in a more effective way. In teaching pronunciation or helping student's pronunciation, I often contrast or compare some English sounds with the equivalent Arabic sounds for  English words containing such sound as  [ð] as in the English words 'they, though'.   This technique is very effective, especially for the Muslim students as  they also learn Qoran and Arabic language.

I also have searched and checked several websites which provide me with great ideas about English teaching and lesson plans. One of the best websites, besides the ones I usually use, http://esl.about.com/od/teachingenglish/u/teach.htm. I can see that this would be best for the second language learner to learn listening and speaking. It  is very  a good source for both teachers and  students as there  are different activities to go through.  The URL, the 'English as 2nd Language' , is a good reference and resource to help us understand the basics of being an English teacher and develop our understanding of teaching techniques. It includes step-by-step instructions of writing lesson plans and provides classroom handouts by learner level and topic area. One teaching idea mentioned here is using YouTube for teaching listening. You can check the http://esl.about.com/od/listeninglessonplans/a/youtube.htm. It is appropriate for intermediate students.  I think http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/speaking/teaching-ideas/is a best web for teachers. It provides us with lots of ideas for teaching speaking.

This week I also had a chance to discuss with my students about using web technology for the listening class and use them as audience for my final project. I was so glad finding that the students   were very enthusiastic and so eager to create their own blog and the class blog. I believe that it's a good start! After the class, we took a picture together showing our enthusiasm for the class.

My Intermediate Listening Class

Students of Intermediate Listening class are watching an Oprah Winfrey's talk show downloaded  by a student to be discussed in the classroom.  They will be the audience of my webskills class and my final project.



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 

Week 2: Moving forward

This week I learn about two different things: using different search engines on internet and writing objectives of teaching. Articles about types of search engines and the tips to search web are very valuable since they do not only provide me with important information about different search engines but also help me realized that so far I have used the internet without really pay attention to the types of search engines I used. I nave never really thought of the engine types and the effective method of searching.

Writing articles about teaching objectives and the ABCD Model make me realized my weaknesses in teaching. Although I always write a syllabus for every subject I teach, I , however, never really consider the right terms to use for the cognitive objective. Thinking of applying a technology to my class and writing the teaching objectives using the model is very exciting. I am planning to ask my students to make and use a class blog in my Intermediate Listening class for the rest of this semester. The blog is intended as a media to enhance their learning behavior and improve their listening skills and at the same time develop their writing and speaking ability. The students will use the blog to post a video of their own about different topics. I limit the topics to ones about Minangkabau culture and tradition (food, arts, practices. The students will share their videos on the blog and also present and discuss them in the class. They will learn to use the Google map and create their own map to show where their video are made.

Week 1: Reflection

The first week is very exciting but also challenging. There are lots of information  about the course and how the participants could participate in.  I  used the first three days of this week for observing what is really going on and trying to follow  the instruction. Although  this period is quite hard, especially because I jumped to  building my reflective blog while at the same time signed in to the nicenet, I learned through it.   I found articles about using blog and google map for teaching English are very inspiring. I think I would  use them as well for my listening and writing classes. I believe that  my students will  also be very excited  as I am and find  them very useful for themselves.  I have to work hard to do this as my students are now in their mid-term exam and will have a two weeks mid-term break  after that. How..?
Anyway, I  am glad realizing that I have this blog. Yes, I have started it already. Here I am now, writing for my first post on my reflective blog. Amazing....