Tag Archives: professional development

Joking Matters

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I’ve spent the weekend reading the Heidegger and a Hippo walk through those Pearly Gates, the sequel to the amazing Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar. Amazing books that combine commentary with jokes.

As I’m reading, I was thinking of how jokes so well inform us teachers. So many times, jokes have framed so well, important questions that I’ve needed to ask myself so that I could be a better teach. Koestler in his Act of Creation defines jokes and especially puns as the “epitome of intelligence” and when the world that is the mind opens up and understanding results. We learn from a joke so well because it kind of short circuits our brain through two clashing ideas. Out of those two opposites is created something new – our understanding.

So today, I’m asking fellow teachers to tell a joke that really says something to them about either language, teaching or learning. A few words in explanation of the joke welcomed. Here’s my own offering from today’s reading.

Three elderly men visit a doctor for a memory test. The doctor asks the first man, “What’s 3 x 3?”
The man says, “285!”
Worried, the doctor asks the next man, “What’s 3 x 3?”
The next says, “Uh, Monday?”
Even more concerned, the doctor motions to the third man. “Well, what do you say? What’s 3 x 3?”
“Nine!” the third man replies.
“Excellent”, the doctor exclaims. “Tell me, how did you get that answer?”
“Oh that was easy” the man says, “I just subtracted 285 from Monday”.

What this speaks to me:

Language is so so so personal. We all have our internal logic and how we order it and arrive at its “meaning” and structure. We call this an interlanguage in second language learning. A language all our own, our own way of organizing the “sound and fury”.  Teachers have to consider this and also consider the other side of this – just maybe the student had a lucky guess!  We have to sometimes look beyond the answer and at something more important, how students arrived at the answer and higher up Bloom’s into process and analysis.

Further, this jokes speaks to the fact that students needn’t know how they know what they know. Language is acquired very unconsciously and the student may indeed be perfectly competent in retelling a story using the simple past but be totally unable to explain how they formed the right  /ed/ endings.

One last joke to share but no explanation given – I’ll let you tell us what it might mean. 

A man and woman enroll in a Chinese language course.

Their instructor begins the first lesson by asking them , “Are you planning on traveling to China?”

They explain, “No, we just adopted a baby Chinese girl. When she gets older and begins speaking, we want to be able to understand what she is saying.”

Teachers Talking About Teaching

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I just finished up my school year, sending off a new group of teachers into the possibility that is teaching / education.

This year in my course, my students did some reflective journal writing using my book Zen And The Act Of Teaching.  I spent many happy afternoons reading their amazing entries about their lives in the trenches (while watching sports – got to be honest!).  I was truly inspired and proud of these groups of young teachers- each bringing to the profession,  their own kind of reflectiveness, sincerity and thoughtfulness.

I asked some teachers to share their reflections and share with other teachers their writings. To my surprise, many stepped out and we’re willing to share.  So here it is – a slim volume of their reflective writings on many topics contained in the book.  I hope you enjoy dipping into this now and then.  My BIG thanks to all my former students!

Download and read the Zen Reflective Journal PDF ebook. Also get a POD hard copy, see below.

Gus the Bus (Driver)

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GUS the BUS (Driver) full screen
I want to thank those readers who’ve written asking me about when I’ll be blogging again. Honored.

I haven’t been blogging for several reasons; marking students’  work (Philosophies of Education), my work with EnglishCentral (stay tuned for major developments) and  just needing a break. But mostly haven’t been writing because of the loss of the greatest teacher I’ve ever known – bar none. Doug “Gus The Bus” Worth.

It’s been a tough year – lost my coach/teacher/mentor Mr. Z. and that threw me a curve ball. Very unexpected. But the loss of Mr. Worth was more than just a personal loss or a loss for my family (who were close to him), it was a hole blown into our whole community. At his funeral, you could feel that emptiness.

Doug’s greatness as a teacher was of many parts. Let me list them, they are a model all us teachers should follow:

1. Praise.  He knew how to praise well. Always made you feel special.I wrote about him several years ago in this regard.

2. The Art of the Personal. He listened to you. You knew he cared. He’d send notes, stop you on the street, give you photos and clippings of your achievements.

3. Memory.He knew everyone, called all students by name and never forgot a thing. He’d pull up details about you that even you had forgotten.

4. Success. Doug taught all students but made sure the lowest of us mastered the basics. His legendary “hints” about tests got us all prepared and learning. He fostered success, never tried to put up barriers to achievement or use tests as a “trick”.

5. Being Human. Doug was never afraid to be himself or not be himself, whatever it took to get the students motivated. His jokes and stories beginning lessons are legendary. So too his funny walk, his chalk antics, his now iconic expressions. The video above shows Doug at his finest – a 1983 assembly at our high school, New Liskeard Secondary School. He plays the role of “Gus the Bus (Driver)” . If you watch, you’ll get to know why he touched the lives of so many.

6. Community and Service. This is the most important and what I want to highlight for all teachers. We are part of a wider community, it is here where what we do in the classroom begins to grow. Doug was so active in the community, a light, a beacon. He leaves us with a calling, a calling to create community through our day to day acts. To not be a 9-5 teacher but a teacher in heart, wherever, whenever.  That our small town is left with such a big hole now, speaks volumes of how Doug made “education” something beyond the 4 walls of school.

I’m glad I got to visit Doug just before his passing. He still had that twinkle in his eye, a saintliness. I’ll remember it always and pay homage to him by doing more to foster community and take my own teaching out of the confines of the institution and into life.

I haven’t been on skis for years. I’m heading out for a little ski in memory of Doug – he loved “the boards” and being out there in the wild.

Letter to Self

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I just got home after an absolutely stunning fall day with my preservice teachers class – Education and Schooling.

This year, I’m again using an old trick I learned from the amazing Benjamin Zander. I’m getting them to write letters to themselves. They write a letter to themselves, saying why they got an A in the class. They write about who they will be after a year in class. I give them an envelope and stamp and then collect the letters which I’ll post in May, at the end of Teacher’s College.

I’ll let Benjamin Zander explain fully (like only he can) in this video excerpt.


Find more videos like this on EFL CLASSROOM 2.0

I am doing this for many reasons and not just for the surprise and joy of getting a “real” letter! I think it will foster and nurture a level of reflection but also, it will help tamper down the competitive demons that seem to plague both teaching and especially “becoming a teacher”.

The students seal their letters and I won’t be reading them. This is for themselves only and they are the only ones to be surprised or disappointed by the letter they’ll receive. We get what we put in ….

I’m writing this blog post because I also, in the vein of being a teacher that “participates” with students and practices his own constructivist principles, wrote a letter. I wasn’t intending to share it on this blog. However, I left my folder with lesson notes/plan and the letter at home. I couldn’t read it to my students. So alas,this compromise. Find the letter to myself below, for student reading but might be of interest to any and all teachers. Please forgive the length!

May 02, 2012

Dear class,

I deserved my A because I gave it my best shot.

What I mean is that given whatever our circumstances as teachers, we really have that as our yardstick and measure. I don’t agree a lot with the current mantra of “weed out the bad teachers”. There are no good or bad teachers – we are all adrift in the wind of our own circumstances and the only heights, the only bar we need climb over is that – we did our best.

This year I challenged myself in several ways and that’s why I got an A.

One. I asked my students to be responsible for their own learning and to be their own engine and light. I challenged them with the task of taking the curriculum provided and learning it of their own volition, curiosity and need. It was tough at the beginning but with time, students saw the classroom as a place of inquiry and thought, where their battle was only with themselves. And they grew more responsible and receptive of that freedom I gave them.

I deserved my A for avoiding teaching by numbers and allowing teachers to grow into their own teaching skins, boots, beliefs.

I got an A because I came prepared to my classes. Sometimes less, sometimes more – but that’s life. My best was done.

I got an A because I think I modeled a type of teacher we might want in our schools and profession. One constantly engaged in professional development, transparent and sharing ideas and resources. There is no finish line.

I deserved my A because I learned from my students and didn’t just teach them. When one teaches, two learn.

Lastly, I got an A because despite the dark, wretched winters here, I kept seeing the cup half full. Kept the class thinking and positive. Kept engaged and engaging knowledge. Kept being happy to come to class and have a place to be a teacher. It was never a chore but an honor.

It’s been a great year. I’ve developed so much. Like a tree, I have one more circle added and that will forever embrace and mark me.

Sincerely,

Your teacher, David

If you liked this post, you may enjoy, “Reflective Now, Reflective Then”

The main reason for P.D.

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This morning spent some time reading and thinking about professional development for teachers. It’s an important issue – especially these days with the public demanding we root out “bad” teachers and set up systems of evaluating teachers.

Most good educational systems ask teachers to (even demand by law) engage in some form of professional development. This can take many forms but is usually formal and involves conferences, additional qualification courses, workshops, online engagement (twitter, blogs, collaboration), staff meetings etc…. Constant through all this is some level of reflection on practice.

I think all of this is great but we also should ask ourselves the rationale for this. Why do we do these things as teachers? The most obvious answer I hear is that it increases our skills as teachers. And I guess that is a good thing but I really think there is a deeper and more important purpose to formal or informal (just thinking about your classes, self learning, talking to peers/friends) PD.

I think we MUST engage in professional development because it allows us to see the value of ourselves.

Learning is such an invisible and slow act. We don’t see the results of our hard work instantly like a carpenter, a sales clerk, a plumber. There is no immediate effect to our “cause”. It can be disheartening to work day in and day out and feel you aren’t getting anywhere, not see any tangible returns. When a plumber fixes the toilet, they see the immediate result that it now flushes well and a family will be able to safely “do their number 2″. When a teacher teaches the reasons behind the second world war – it is almost impossible to see if students “got it” nor if it will have any effect on their “being” and actions as a human being. It is an invisible art we are engaged in, for the most part. We can’t see our work’s value (beyond a pay check and other tangible perks).

We need a way to keep intouch with our work’s true value. I think professional development can do that.

PD brings us into a wider community. It keeps us in touch with our worth, keeps us knowing we are worthy and making a difference in a very big way. It teaches that our “slow” is also “so powerful” and important to society.

So I want teachers undertaking PD to think of this some time. See PD not just as skill development but as a way of celebrating and understanding our larger value to our world tomorrow.

Keeping going …..

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Slide6Today, went out for a nice bike ride with “my old man”. He’s almost 70 and he kicked my butt! Truly. I’ll admit I’m not in great shape anymore but watching my dad, “power in” the last 20 k of our ride, me lagging behind – gave me pause. The guy just doesn’t age and “keeps going”. I hope I’ll be so lucky. But as a metaphor, it got me thinking about what it takes to stay teaching, as I huffed and puffed along (and to be honest, he had a nice $1,000+ racing bike, I had a few hundred dollar mountain bike – but still).

A while back, I wrote about “teaching endurance”, reflecting on the commitment it takes as a teacher to “keep going” and stay in the game. Today, I am due for some more directed reflection and maybe it’ll help some teachers.

Teaching isn’t easy. Here in Canada between 35 to 45% of new teachers leave the profession permanently by their fifth year. It is higher in the States. I think IMMENSELY higher in EFL, given  the very transient teacher and “tourist” teacher body that fills our ranks.

There are many outside factors that lead to teachers “giving up” despite liking the job (and I’ll admit, some give up after discovering they aren’t cut out for the job which probably is good, all things considered). Outside factors include; poor salaries, poor benefits, poor schools and quality of schools, low professional status, little professional development or teacher training / support, government policies and supply and demand side factors. These factors, the teachers themselves have little control over. Think of them as the “fixed costs” of teaching. But what about those things a teacher can control? What can they do to better their chances of not being a teacher turnover statistic?

Here are a few of my suggestions based on my own years teaching and I like to think, “longevity” and passion.

1. Find the school that suits you.

Yes, money counts but it isn’t everything. When looking for a job,  find a school that supports “how” you teach, your own teaching style. Most teachers are unhappy because they end up teaching in a way that doesn’t suit their beliefs about teaching or learning. Go for the money at your own peril!

2. Switch it up, now and then.

Might be contradictory but every few years, a teacher needs a change. Throw yourself into a new teaching environment, change it up. It takes courage but if you want to stay in the game, you almost have to. Teaching kindie? Why not take a few years teaching adults and regain that old energy?

3. Make friends on staff.

This is crucial. If you don’t like the people you spend hours upon hours around, you won’t survive. You’ll burn out quicker than a faulty lightbulb. You need people on staff that you gel with, that you respect and return the respect. Do you have that?

4. Set Goals.

I’m avoiding the cliched, “professional development” because that is a real broad term. If you set goals for your own teacher development, you’ll benefit and it might include traditional forms of PD like conferences, online PLNs (personal learning networks), peer workshops, courses etc… However, the goals might just be something personal like, “using more games in class” or “relating to students on a more personal level”. Each year, I set a new goal for myself. This year, my goal is to “walk the talk”, meaning actually teach students online. I’d always been telling teachers about this but now I want to do it, experience it and test those waters. And it is working out. Not easy but it keeps me invigorated.

5. Use your downtime well.

You have to “have a life” as we say in the staffroom. And I don’t mean just your family/kids. I mean, a teacher to survive needs a place for themselves, for their own “recharging”. Teaching is very, very, very people intensive. It is heavy on one’s psyche. So teachers need to find their own outlet, for their own sake. It will keep all things running smoothly. For me, it is my bike these days.

There you go – a few remarks about things that might help you, the teacher, stay in the game and survive.  What can you add?

Interested in what other teachers say? This Education Week article has some great comments!

A Teacher’s Invisible Knowledge and Skill

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wondergirls
Let me start with a question. Which of the girls above speaks the most fluent English? Can you put them in order from best to worst fluency?

Now that you’ve done that – note that these are the “Wondergirls”, a Korean girlband phenom. They are being interviewed in America. Watch the first 50 seconds and pause the video (below). Then, check the order again.

Now, watch the rest of the interview (or if not interested, at least some of it) and check your answer. How did you do?

I started with this exercise because it is an excellent example of “teaching skill”. Experienced teachers have a vast amount of “tacit” knowledge that they apply in the classroom. What you see is not all that there is. Experienced teachers can read the body language, the facial expressions, the eyes of their students and assess understanding. For the most part.

This talent of discerning the invisible (which much of language is), is like the sailor looking at the sea and sensing a hidden reef in the distance. Teachers do this all the time and it is something that really can’t be taught, it just comes in time, with time – more so, less so depending on the individual. I swear sometimes I got so good at it – I didn’t even need to give a student a placement test! I’d just say a few sentences, look in their eyes and say – Class 1 or Class 2 or Class 3. Have you ever experienced this.

So when you see a skilled teacher – don’t judge her/him by their cover. There is a lot to it and it is wonderful!

Interested in Korean cultural content for teaching languages? Check out my youtube channel, this post or this post on music.

The #1 …. (EFL Prof. Development site)

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Number One** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

The British Council’s – Teaching English

Last week I wrote about the #1 Professional Development site for ESL. This week, the focus is EFL.

I’m a big fan of  the power of “Teaching Voices”, the development that comes when teachers share their own stories and experiences. My graduate course in curriculum development used Cambridge’s and Grave’s own “Designing Language Courses” specifically because it had teacher’s “voices”.

Teaching English does a great job with this.  I’ve enjoyed many guest teachers through the years and find this is one of its main strengths. Check out the ongoing guest blog series. Hit the “Talk” button.

Other things they do well (but browse around – these are only my own personal likes;

1. The Teaching Knowledge Database.  I know of several more complete glossaries but none as well done in terms of knowledge and examples.

2. The Training Area - free workshops for practicing teachers.

3. “Think” articles – a kind of hodgepodge of a lot on the site.

A few negatives. Their lesson plans are a little too detailed and specific imho. I also don’t like the very proprietary nature of the site that really doesn’t allow a lot of embedding or sharing of content. Grrrrrr.

Finally – I’ll recommend two things I built for EFL Prof. Development.

1. Teacher inclass videos and all my presentations for teacher training

2.  TESOL modules and articles I collected for each.

ELT Chat – great professional development

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twitter-chat-treeI would like to highlight ELT Chat – a twitter chat that happens every Wed. at 12 and 21 hr. GMT. (check the World Clock).

Vote below on the topic for this week!

What happens is that great educators offer tips and thoughts on the chat topic. Using the twitter hashtag #eltchat the talks can be wide ranging and a bit chaotic at first. But let yourself get used to it and there is a lot of dense professional development that can occur. Try it, I’m sure you’ll like it.

If you do miss a session, the handy summaries provided by participants are very useful. Here’s an example of one on teaching pronunciation.

Teaching is ….

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This is an abridged version of my closing graduation speech I recently gave (and blogged about) where I work. Words to those entering the teaching profession. Something more heartfelt and personal.

Sorry for the bad audio but I did this in one take and without any notes…. just thoughts in my head.


FULL SCREEN


Here are a few photos (I’m horrible about taking photos!)

Guest Posts….

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teachingvillageI’m a true blue believer in “sharing”. Not just resources but also our own teaching ideas and experience. We all have something to share and add to the benefit of the wider community. Praxis > informed action or as I see it, “walking the talk” is especially important.

In that vein, I’ve supported from the start, Barbara Sakamoto’s collaborative blog, Teaching Village. Please see my 3 guest posts there, all on good teaching practices.

An old dog and new tricks: Part 1 – about the need to develop professionally. Part 2 on the use of repetition in lesson planning and delivery.

The Small Things Count – some micro teaching skills explained.

Thank you Barbara for your wonderful initiative. Let’s have more guest blog posts and I urge all educators to post up a guest blog on EFL Classroom 2.0 . We have thousands of visitors each day that really would benefit from your teaching thoughts and sharing….

Presentations to help new teachers

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I have many presentations both on our Professional Development page, on our Practice Page and on our Teacher Training page — which provide many tips and pointers regarding teaching language.

Here are the main ones in video that might benefit those newer teachers starting to teach this coming school year. Get them directly by clicking “Professional Development” in our Video Search Cloud.

educational technology.ppt

How God made “the teacher”.

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It isn’t easy being a teacher, is it? So much we have to do and be capable of – almost takes super human ability.

However there is one quality that truly sets a great teacher apart. Watch this presentation and find out what I think that is…. it is an imaginary conversation between God and an Angel – discussing the new creation, the teacher..

Find more presentations like this on our new Inspiration page on EFL Classroom 2.0 . Enjoy and share, I put a lot of effort into this and others. Editing and creating.

Teaching Struggles – Some Medicine.

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I have the honor and privilege of quite often giving end of year, end of course, graduation and other speeches to teachers. I take it seriously and usually end with a story. Stories work well and inspire. One of the ones I’ve used most often is this one – MAKE A DIFFERENCE. But I have a number of personal anecdotes and also folktales. You can read many others in the thread I’ve been keeping – Stories to Inspire and Teach….

However, last week I was confronted with the task of giving a speech to a group that had heard many of my stories before….. so I pulled a story that has been around the internet – out of my hat. Today, It is originally a self-help story about life but it applies to teaching. So I remixed and made it teacher friendly. I hope it inspires someone!

Here’s the Flash full screen version.

David

Reflective Teaching Practices in ELT

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I recently attended Kotesol’s National Conference. It was themed upon “Reflection and Prof. Development”.

I had a great time (thanks to all who attended my own following day workshops!) and sat in on some excellent lectures/presentations. But the highlight was the opening plenary by Dr. Thomas Farrell. I was taken with his very practical focus and its obvious from the get go that he’s been a “real” classroom teacher for years and understands things from the feet first. Further, I was really impressed by his “emotion”. Like that wonderful and classic video of Ken Robinson, speaking so eloquently and with humor, Tom really engaged the audience with story, humor and anecdote. He connected with people and it was this, rather than any empirical knowledge that really won me over.

He’s written a great book on the subject, “Reflective Language Teaching, from Research to Practice”. I’ve added a nice review of this wonderful book by none other than the esteemed Andrew Finch, a guy who really “gets it”. Find a Cambridge book note here. Find or purchase the book, in our Bookstore, under Member’s books. A necessary read. Read Dr. Farrell’s beliefs in brief, HERE.

This book is also a classic

I really believe that the heart of a “good” teacher is being reflective. And not necessarily as we always think, alone in a room, pondering existence. No, just thinking the lesson through, engaging in conversation with peers, asking students for their thoughts, being brave enough to confront ourselves truthfully and honestly.

Let’s face it – we teach a lot of hours in our lifetime. It befits all of us to put some thought into how we can do it better. I think that this is a natural phenomena, this “want of the better” – as much as sex, food, freedom. Maslow would have put it on his hierachy if he’d of been where I’ve been! Like learning, wanting to do better, is a natural state but doesn’t happen because of the given environment. So to me, it is all about creating the right environment for oneself. Dr. Farrell talks about this, “situational” side of reflectiveness and I really think we should emphasize it. Put yourself in a state and a situation from where you CAN be better, get better, as a teacher.

Part of reflectiveness is what we do here each day, the hundreds and many days, thousands, who visit EFL Classroom 2.0. We are putting ourselves in a place where we might get better, become better teachers. Last weekend at the conference, sitting and listening to Tom, I experienced the same thing. Thanks for your contributions to ELT Thomas, you’ve made a difference!

 

An open source TEFL Certificate. Possible?

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I’ve been working hard on something that has been “pregnant” for several years – a teacher training (TEFL) certificate. As many will know, I really want “quality” when it comes to teaching, I really want content and the profit model put in its proper place when it comes to education. We have so many new teachers entering the profession and I think it a damn crime that so many companies “prey” upon these teachers. I disagree that you have to “pay” X amount to get to know how to teach. My own many years of experience tells me one great fact behind the whole “teacher training” business. The most important thing is a mentor, a good situation, support and envirnoment in those first few months…..

Further to this, the online degrees as created just don’t cut it. They are basically very simplistic. Fill in the blanks, do a quiz and then get your diploma (oh yeah, pay $200-1,000 dollars please!). The main ingredient is missing and one which makes all professional development effective – mentorship/leadership. Experienced teachers leading, supporting and bringing new teachers into a community. There is missing, a social support system for training new EFL / ESL teachers.

Cochran-Smith (1999) writes,

” ….the most promising ways of learning about teaching across the professional lifespan are based on inquiry within communities rather than training for individuals.”

So, to that end, I’m busy. Check out the very beginnings of our teacher training page. I talked of this kind of open source course about 2 years ago and it has continued on and off as just that – talk. So finally I want to do something about it. Some one has to pick up the reins and get the horse to some water!

What I envision is this,

1. A public catalogue of open source information about teaching (videos / ppts / articles / webpages) with both Required and Suggested readings. [this I've already created and will further refine, using the Univ. of Oregon's public - "Shaping the Way we teach" videos / modules. I've deleted links, added many , refined the modules and tried to bring this dead but well intentioned program to life]

2. Create quizzes for each module. Create brief assignments for each module.

3. Start a blackboard or moodle where those wanting to do the course can register. Anyone can do the course free but if you want mentorship and a certificate, you will have to pay after the 3rd module. ANYONE can register and do the module, readings, quizzes for free. The amount paid will be minimal — the whole idea is to pay a minimal amount to ensure that teachers take pride in their work/effort.

4. All teachers beyond assignments, will do an online tutorial and send video/audio of how they would teach given the presented material. This would be recorded and assessed by mentors.

5. Those who sign up to the course will be assigned a “mentor” who will mark their assignments and give feedback. These will be master teachers who have years of EFL experience. Mentors will be paid.

6. Get a certificate (name of the certificate to be forthcoming)

7. Possibly in the future the certificate would be accepted as credits to graduate courses, given its completeness.

I’d love to know your thoughts about this model. Will it work, what ways might it work better ? etc…. What it does try to accomplish is to avoid the “blind leading the blind” which is too often the case in TEFL. Even in teacher training, the trainers many times have little experience and aren’t really the best candidates. Online, we can avoid this and harness the power of our profession.

I’m also looking for great articles, videos , necessary reading that you feel a beginning teacher should read, take in. Please post here anything of note. I’ve put up all my preferred links but will be changing and refining them in the future…learning never stops, even for the teacher :)

I envision a start date in August. Slow but sure. Everything is Always Under Construction. We are a work of art, not a thing of stone!

David

Teaching Tips from the Trenches

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I recently got a barage of requests for “advice”. I really am honored and EVERY time try my best to give the most and most apt advice I possibly can given all the variables involved.

This got me thinking and of course, “out popped a powerpoint”! I thought I’d record my thoughts in some fashion, to help all those new teachers continually entering our great profession. Also, to give a second sober thought and second wind to all those who are already in the trenches…

We might also benefit from reminding ourselves of H.D. Brown’s 10 Commandments for English teachers and students. They compliment each other and this chart I put together shows them side by side. On the left for teachers – on the right for learners.

Teacher’s Version                         Learner’s Version

1 Lower inhibitions                               Fear not!
2 Encourage risk-taking                       Dive in
3 Build self-confidence                         Believe in yourself
4 Develop intrinsic motivation              Seize the day
5 Engage in cooperative learning           Love thy neighbour
6 Use right-brain processes                  Get the BIG picture
7 Promote ambiguity tolerance             Cope with the chaos
8 Practice intuition                               Go with your hunches
9 Process error feedback                      Make mistakes work FOR you
10 Set personal goals                           Set your own goals

Brown, H. D. (2000) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. New York: Longman.

Please let me know what you agree, disagree with…. It is really between the pages that we learn!

David

Top 5 Warning Signs the Teacher isn’t yet a Teacher

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I know I’ll take a lot of flak for this and I know it isn’t the standard way to go when talking about “teaching” (the standard approach being to talk about what is “good” teaching), however, during my years of helping teachers, I’ve come upon some warning signs that set off alarm bells and signal A) the teacher really isn’t fit for teaching B) the teacher has potential but really needs some “basic training”.

Our profession is unusual. We are experts (us native speakers), we all have scored 100% on our final thesis and have a PhD in English. We are curriculum masters and know our subjects better than any professor of engineering, math, better than any medical specialist. All this without studying a thing!!! BUT, this does not make us a good teacher. It is a start but the proof is not in the pudding but the eating.

The Top 5 Warning Signs of “bad” teaching”.

#1 The photocopier is overheating!!!

Many insecure and weak teachers fill their classrooms with pieces of paper. Instead of “teaching” and communication, they substitute a “thing” — thinking this will represent teaching and learning and students will have confidence they’ve learned because they have “paper”.

English language acquisition is not about acquiring words on paper! It is about acquiring the tools to convey meaning in said language. Do not think that books/paper/things = language learning. In fact, after class, most of this paper goes in the bin, the dustbin of history…..

#2 Playing “word” games

Word games (scrabble, hangman, word searches, matching exercises, bingo) can supplement the language teaching but are not a means of acquiring language. If a teacher is using these for their lesson, they are ineffectively using class time and haven’t yet acquired any idea of the what/how of communicative teaching methodology. If you ask a teacher for an activity or teaching idea and they give you something that is about “playing with words” – tell them that you’ll save it for Sunday morning and your coffee and morning newspaper. Language does not = words! Language is much more than words and fully is about conveying meaning between two or more principles….Let this be the engine of your classroom, not guessing words.

#3 No preclass chatting or post class chatting

Teachers that know how to form a solid and functional classroom environment, come to class early and engage in student casual conversation. This is a great time to get to know your students more (for designing lessons, assessment) and for creating a supportive social atmosphere in class. Same with those 10 min right after class. Teachers who think a lesson is X o’clock to Y o’clock are not taking their work seriously nor comfortable with it.

#4 Too much teacher focus / directing.

Alarm bells should be roaring if a teacher is spending too much time talking, especially in front of the class. Students do need input, in the form of speech but they also need a variety of speech input (video, audio, other classmates). Also, Comprehensible Output, is much needed especially in the EFL classroom and it is crucial teachers give the students a lot of time to practice speaking. Teachers who spend a lot of time chatting up the class, who are not pacing the lesson properly and never directing the lesson towards the lesson objective — need some “basic training”. Too much time by the teacher at the front of the class, waving a piece of chalk is another warning sign. Teachers need to monitor and move around the classroom. Anxious, skittish, nervous behavior by the teacher in the form of focusing attention on themselves, is a no no. The best teacher is often an invisible teacher….

#5 Too friendly

From my years of teaching, a big warning sign goes off if a teacher is too friendly. How can that be, you say? Well, it is a fine line and a balancing act but good teaching is about sticking to the objective of that day. It is about professionalism and organization. Teachers that are constantly chatting with students, going off on tangents during class etc….. have really crossed a line. A line that should be outside of class. There is plenty of time for that outside of the classroom and I applaud it. But inside, it is our job to teach an objective and use skilled means for the students to acquire and practice that.

Agree or disagree? These warning signs are something to digest…….