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Old School Pronunciation Tip!

7/7/2016

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Hi Team,
 
I hope you are having a great day. In this post we are going old school. Now when I say “old school,” I mean Sesame Street old school.

(Check out the Cookie Monster as he breaks the word down Sesame Street style)
You might be wondering why I shared this clip – after all, Cookie Monster’s tip seems pretty obvious. Break things down for our learners. That’s not new.

True, it’s not new. But I shared this clip because although I keep saying that we must develop our skills and knowledge in order to better help our students, this does not mean that we always need to be looking for modern approaches to teaching. Sometimes it means that we need to look to the past and draw from the selection of traditional teaching methods that still provide a huge benefit to the classroom and the learning experience (of course it helps to understand which methods are effective and which ones are not).

To be honest with you, I was reintroduced to this old school approach to teaching pronunciation by my research assistant Tisha after watching her teach a class of 16 Korean middle school students. Her approach involved the above method of teaching pronunciation, but with a little twist. Instead of having the students remain in their seats she divided the students into two groups (or three/four – depending on how many sections the word or phrase was broken up into) and have each group stand at opposite sides of the classroom. The group on the left would say the first part of the word (and then the group on the right would repeat it) before taking a step towards the group on the opposite side of the room. After that the group on the right would say their part (with the first group repeating it) and then take a step towards the first group. Once both groups met in the middle all of the students would say the word. If Tisha deemed the pronunciation to be correct then they would get merit points (based on how many steps it took them and how many attempts) and then repeat the process with the next word. If they mispronounced the word they would need to repeat the process.

The trick was keeping the activity fun. The teacher really needed to pay attention and have fun with the students and set challenges. One way Tisha did this was by telling the students that they could get bonus “points” if they completed the word in less than three steps (it was funny watching the students try to take HUGE steps), or if they made an error they would need to do extra homework (this was said in a joking manner). This homework threat resulted in the children taking smaller steps to have more practice time.

The kids loved it and I hope you love it too.

Have a great day,
 
Josh

Keeping English Real!
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Building Great Teacher-Student Relationships (Part 2)

7/2/2016

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Welcome to another blog post.
 
In this post I am going to be continuing my discussion on the importance of the teacher-student relationship.
 
As you already know, the teacher–student relationship is one of the most important relationships that a person will ever experience in their life.
 
With this in mind, and in honor of the teacher-student relationship, I have decided to do another post on the topic. After all, I think something this important deserves more than just a few lines.

​In this post I am going to list ten ideas related to building positive relationships with your students. I believe that by implementing these tips (and the tips mentioned in my previous post on this topic) you will be able to create classroom environments that are able to meet your students' developmental, emotional and academic needs.
 
(My post would not be complete without a cute little video.)
Josh’s (Bonus) Tips for Developing Great Teacher-Student Relationships

1. Care: All too often it seems teachers just don’t care. Don’t be that person! Care for your learners.

2. Listen: Listen to your students. They can teach us teachers a thing or two.

3: Be patient: Sometimes your learner just won’t pick up what you’re puttin’ down (check me out with the slang - I am so hip). Be patient. Learning a language (or any subject) takes time. Don’t make the student feel stupid or inferior by applying pressure - just be patient.

4: Be genuine: Building a positive and valuable relationship requires you to be genuine.

5. Be interested: Take an interest in your students. You do not always need to focus on grammar and vocabulary (or math and science etc.). Take the time to learn about your students. Be interested in them as people, not just as students.

6. Be interesting: No one likes a boring teacher. It is so much easier to form bonds with your students if you or your classes are interesting.

7. Encourage inclusivity: Our classrooms must encourage collaboration and sharing between all parties – parents, teachers, and students. They also must be places where all students are included in a supportive, judgment free, and productive way. This inclusive environment will ultimately promote a sense of belonging and result in increased levels of trust between all parties.

8. Be generous with your time: I know it can be hard to give a student your time when you have been teaching for four hours straight and need a coffee (or a sandwich), but this is the time to step up to the plate and care (see tip one). The simple act of spending a few minutes with a student who needs you can have a huge impact on your student’s life (especially if you deal with younger learners or teenagers).

9. Be sensitive to the individual learner: Teachers should try to understand each of their learners’ individual needs and backgrounds. Doing this really shows you care for each student on a personal level.
​
10. Be awesome: Try to go above and beyond the call of duty (boom – a cliché for you) for your students. You can do this by following the above nine tips and then combining it with whatever it is that makes you a great teacher and a great person. For me, I try to make people smile. For you, maybe you like to get out in the playground and kick the ball with the students, or help the student who forgot his lunch, or even just offer your students a warm welcome each day. Whatever it is - just be awesome.
 
Wow – ten tips, several idioms, one slang phrase, and a cliché. This is a post for the ages.
 
In closing I would like to say that I am sure that if you implement these tips (along with the tips I provided you with here) you will find your job more rewarding, feel more connected to your students, and provide an even more positive learning environment than you do already.
 
Have a great day,
 
Josh

Keep English Real! 
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Reflecting To Become A Professional Teacher

7/1/2016

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Hi, 

I have just finished reading a very interesting article on teacher development, professionalism, and the skills teachers need to possess to be highly effective in their jobs (reference can be found at the bottom of the post).
 
In the article the author lists ten core skills or areas of expertise that need to be considered in relation to becoming an effective and professional language teacher. These skills or areas of expertise include: language proficiency, content knowledge, teaching skills, contextual knowledge, language teacher identity, learner-focused teaching, specialized cognitive skills, theorizing from practice, joining a community of practice, and professionalism. (Richards, 2010, p.101)
 
In today’s post I encourage you to read the article and take stock of the skills and attributes you already possess as a teacher and think about ways you can become even more awesome. (I already think you are awesome because you are reading a blog on a website all about being a better teacher – so that’s AWESOME!)
 
(Before starting please check out this teacher. She needs to read this blog.)
​ In relation to professionalism and growth Richards lists eleven questions for teachers to reflect upon concerning their own teaching practices, values, and philosophies. These questions have been listed below for you to mull over.
 
Professionalism – Eleven Things To Think About

1. What kind of teacher am I?
2. What am I trying to achieve for myself and for my learners?
3. What are my strengths and limitations as a language teacher?
4. How do my students and colleagues view me?
5. How and why do I teach the way I do? (For some ideas on theory as it relates to second language learning and teaching check out my lecture.)
6. How have I developed as a teacher since I started teaching?
7. What are the gaps in my knowledge? (To help you fill any knowledge gaps you can view my free lectures here.)
8. What role do I play in my school and is my role fulfilling?
9. What is my philosophy of teaching and how does it influence my teaching? 
10. What is my relationship with my colleagues and how productive is it?
11. How can I mentor less experienced teachers?
 
I hope this list inspired you to think about ways you can improve and grow as a teacher.
 
Thanks for reading and have a great day,
 
Josh
Keep English Real!
 
Reference:
Richards, J. (2010) Competence and Performance in Language Teaching RELC journal 41(2) pp. 101–122
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    Josh's ESL Blog

    Josh' blog about teaching ESL/EFL in Seoul, South Korea.

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