congratulations for the blog. It is professional, serious but also informal and pleasant to read as a summer breeze.

I am a non native speaker English teacher and have been teaching for about 25 years.

I will make time to read your blog every week.

Cheers from São Paulo, Brazil.

M.J.

The Allwright article top was great – as was your response to it, Ken. I think that those who support a Dogme way of doing things do need to take those two points of yours seriously (that NNSTs may not feel comfortable teaching without the support of a coursebook, and that material need not be used just because it is there). Good counterpoint though: if it’s there, it tends to get used (but not necessarily used up!) In a funny piece of synchronicity, I just blogged about this in a way (shameless plug coming!) https://teachertrainingunplugged.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/a-different-kind-of-scaffolding-in-elt/ where I do a far less effective job than Allwright does!

And I’m with you on L1 use in the classroom, Ken – as is Penny Ur, by the way, so I feel like I’m now in good company. If you don’t end up boycotting Glasgow, I do hope you can come to hear me bang on about exactly that point (and 6 others) too!

Thanks again!

best,
Laurie

Many thanks,

Oxford University Press ELT

How are you. I am glad to discover your blog through freeeslmaterials.com.

I run englishteachingdaily.com, a portal that offers a summary of latest ELT blog posts from the blogosphere, event updates, articles and more.

This site has been launched on October 7 and in the first 20 days of its launch it received 5500 views,

We would like to reprint your articles on my site. We will give appropriate credit to you for your works and link to your profile and the website.

Kindly have a look at my website at englishteachingdaily.com and let me know if we could work out together.

Thanks,

Tarun Patel

email: tarunjpatel@gmail.com
skype: tarunjpatel

When I did the CELTA, there was a lot of informal discussion of culture issues. Perhaps it depends on where and with whom you study? Given the rise of online teaching, it would seem to be simple for teacher-training courses to include some work on culture, without having to lose another part of the course.

Cheers

Alex

http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-enable-hdmi-video-mirroring-on-iphone-4-ipod-touch-4g-tutorial/

Thanks for the reply and don’t worry about being late. While having this information online would be invaluable, I also understand your point about not wanting to post everything online. When I was posting, I couldn’t really say what I wanted to say either exactly because I had to be careful of who might be reading my posts, and I wasn’t even using my name! It’s really too bad that there isn’t a way around this.

Actually, I would not get bored if you discussed your classes in detail; I wish more people did it because you can read as much as you’d like about the various methods out there, it’s being able to read about, and if possible see, what teachers (experienced and inexperienced) actually do in their classes that really helps in my opinion. And if you can discuss the classes with those teachers all the better.

It’s really interesting that just today I posted a request for information about where I could find online videos of English classes at Japanese universities on one of JALT’s SIG facebook pages in order to try to improve my classes, and then, as if you’re blog was calling me, I came here.

Although I stopped writing about my classes mainly due to time limitations, I think you may have just inspired me to start again in the fall as classes are almost over here.

Thanks Darren!

They love it. Especially Satsuki. He’s such a narcissist. Wonder where he gets that….

Gordon – I went to look at your post after I read your comment and it seems we are thinking along similar lines. It does get hard to keep up, but I find time to put at least a marker or two for each lesson, and then I make time during my quieter days to go back and fill in. Still working ok so far, and increasing my organisation more than any reflective benefit so far, probably.

Andy – Of course you are an expert! I certainly learnt a lot working with you. Now where are my football magazines?

Angela – There is more room for ranting in the staff room than the virtual staffroom. For one, you know who is listening, and you know the shared context. You also understand that a rant is just a part of a fully rounded teacher, as you have also seen your colleague working hard, caring for students and all those other things. We don’t have the same degree of control over our identity online.

Luan – It’s an excellent point. If I consider all the hours I’ve spent reading, writing or thinking about teaching, or watching other people do it, or lesson planning, I would be well over 10,000. I suppose that’s why the rule is meaningless really.

Maybe looking at 10,000 classroom hours is the wrong way to apply it to ELT though. How many hours in your life having you spent communicating both verbally and in writing? Someone who has spent a decade mastering interpersonal interaction and the English language in various forms would surely get a big head start on the classroom hours.

Talking to yourself is I think, quite healthy sometimes. Although I have to say, we do have vitriolic rants quite regularly in our staffroom

I posted about a similar attempt to get my classes under control and reduce my stress levels by keeping a teaching journal (http://bit.ly/iC3DM9). The journal still exists but I’m having trouble keeping it up to date (mostly because of time and having all my classes in very quick succession – thus being exhausted by the end). I would be very interested about any tips you have for keeping such a journal because I certainly don’t want to give up on mine.

Also, your point about the 10,000 hours is an interesting number. It’s got me thinking about how that relates to language learners.

Good luck and let us know how you’re are doing in 2017!

Appreciated this perspective. It’s a helpful reminder.

Cheers,

- Jason

Jon.

Sometimes emphasizing the basics can dramatically improve student performance. Adding videotapes and simple peer review forms can also help students make significant, visible, and meaningful progress on both short (1-3 minute) and longer (5-10 minute) presentations.

Finally, building on Kevin’s list, let me also suggest – for advanced English language learners – another outstanding resource. Giving Academic Presentations has been the foundational text that I use in my advanced oral skills class at USC for the last two years since graduate students and ITAs must give many and varied presentations. Units include formal introductions, object descriptions, term definitions, and problem-solution case studies.
http://www.amazon.com/Academic-Presentations-Michigan-Professional-Purposes/dp/047208884X

http://www.amazon.com/Speaking-Speech-David-Harrington/dp/023072602X
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Speech-Charles-LeBeau-Harrington/dp/1929274491

Last year, the most successful lessons I did with two classes in uni (24-25 students) a few weeks prior to presentations was to:
1) Ask students to individually brainstorm their answers to “What makes a good presentation?” (5 mins)
2) Have students compare their answers in groups of 4-5 (15 mins)
3) Elicit ideas from each group and put up their words on the board (20-25 mins)
4) Add my suggestions (5 mins)
5) Have students group and categorise the ideas on the board (10-15 mins)

The students in both the pre-intermediate and advanced classes came up with over 30 points that covered things that they should do before (e.g. practice) as well as during their presentation (e.g. ‘big voice’), and included both the development of content (e.g. research their topic) and presentation skills (e.g. make good eye contact).

I was genuinely impressed, which I told them, and that made them smile, too, of course. I only needed to augment 2-3 suggestions, such as using mind maps and/or index cards with key words, practicing with a mirror and each other, practicing by actually doing their presentation – not just reading it aloud in their head, and preparing questions to ask the audience just in case the audience had no questions.

I was also pleased that I’d made the decision not to give them a handout with what I’d expected but found that they had essentially generated everything themselves. I think this made a huge difference to the previous year in which I’d given a short 10- to 15-min presentation on what made a good presentation – albeit based on sound information and the notion that I’d be providing a model – then got them to compare their notes and discuss their ideas, etc. Obviously, in hindsight, starting with the students and their current knowledge-base was much more effective than me second guessing or assuming with the risk of telling them what they already knew!

Incidentally, I’d first tried this approach first with JHS 2nd grade(!) who were doing 2-minute speeches, and they came up with the following in a total of 30 mins class time:
- Interesting/Fun
- Easy to understand, (‘Easy English’)
- Voice (big, clear, not too fast/slow)
- Body language/ Gestures
- Eye contact
- Pictures/ Visual aids
- Practice!
I just added the importance of expression/emotion/energy and they that they should prepare for Q&A.

I also then told them that the points on the board would form the criteria for evaluating their presentations. They did peer-to-peer evaluations after the first presentation attempt in one week, then evaluated themselves after the following week’s presentation to a different group of students. I also evaluated both weeks and could see the improvement in almost all the students

I like all the stuff that you’ve covered in your handout. For my own classes, the language that you have above, we included in a lesson where they were initially sharing their research (e.g. According to …) and then signposting, (e.g. First, I’d like to talk about …) was done with visual aids the week before presentation fortnight when students gave one-to-one peer-to-peer feedback based on the evaluation criteria.

Have just posted a link to this interview – and acknowledged it’s source this time! – on the Teaching English facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TeachingEnglish.BritishCouncil

Please feel free to post there directly whenever you have anyhting you’d like to share with us.

Best,

Ann

Over the last couple of weeks, many of my ESOL students here in the UK have been very keen to learn the appropriate language so they can discuss earthquakes and other natural disasters. Partly this is because they know I lived there, but also because many of them come from countries which suffer from earthquakes too. So you are in our thoughts.

Wishing you all a good start to the new academic year.

Hi Darren thanks for your response. I am not so sure it can be managed, jury might still be out i think. Once radiation gets in the water it is very disturbing.

As I type, Japanese television has been explaining which vegetables from which areas have shown elevated levels of radiation, and the Tokyo water supply has been affected at levels potentially harmful to infants. It appears that the government have been as open as possible whilst trying to avoid unecessary panic.

Well yes, that’s right, and so should any half decent government!

My guess is that the situation at the plant hasn’t been managed perfectly, but I’ll say two things. Firstly, this is an unprecedented disaster that has devastated hundreds of kilometres of the Northern coast. In the circumstances, I think just about any other country would have had it even worse. Secondly, I think this obsession with honesty and transparency is naive. Yes, after the event there should be accountability. But sometimes it is more important to keep society functioning than to keep people informed, and I think right now is one of those times.

Mmmm, not so sure about that, if I was living anywhere near there, for myself and my family I would like ALL the facts, it would be very scary, esp. as they have now widened the exclusion zone.

As for the history books issue – I am no expert, and I don’t know how this is related directly.

I think it is directly related. You cannot be media literate if you don’t know all the facts. That’s why I think your useful list is good but imcomplete. A vital thing to ask is what HAS NOT been said, ignored or evaded. Especially in Japan where the level of political engagement seems very low and only one party has pretty much had a grip on power since the war – it’s time to give the ‘sho ga nai’ ethic the heave ho! And teachers can play a part, ensuring their students don’t just ‘believe the hype’ otherwise it can be a nation as a democracy in name only.

I will say that as far as I can tell there are certain outdated ideas attached by some to what constitutes Japanese history education. Certainly, the Japanese collectively haven’t quite faced up to the more shameful aspects of their past, but I’d love you to telll me who has. How are the Australians getting on with correcting the wrongs heaped on their native people, for example?

Not brilliant that is for sure but the Aborigines did finally get an official apology a few years back from the then Rudd Labor Government something that the comfort women and the countries that suffered from Japanese imperialism are still waiting for. Moreover in schools Aborignal rights, women’s rights and multiculturalism can be openly discussed while I am not sure the same is true for Japan either at secondary or tertiary level but I am happy to be corrected on that one.

China, in particular, is often affronted by Japanese reluctance to be as open and contrite about the past as it should be. But in another analysis, it is fairly clear that the Chinese use this kind of righteous nationalist anger to distract from it’s own wrongs.

For sure, but China is a communist dictatorship, Japan is at least nominally a liberal democracy.

Anyway, just throwing a few things out there to think about,

all the best

The big M

I found your article really useful. You demonstrate how important it is to be media-literate, and how media-literacy is a 21st century literature that we need to help our students develop.
Best wishes,

Kieran

Especially when the nuclear issue is not resolved yet and seems it takes many times to solve it, we can not believe what they say as it is.

I think, the world should keep an eye on Japanese government and put pressure to provide real information and resolve it as soon as possible even though it cost a lot…

As for the history books issue – I am no expert, and I don’t know how this is related directly. I will say that as far as I can tell there are certain outdated ideas attached by some to what constitutes Japanese history education. Certainly, the Japanese collectively haven’t quite faced up to the more shameful aspects of their past, but I’d love you to telll me who has. How are the Australians getting on with correcting the wrongs heaped on their native people, for example? China, in particular, is often affronted by Japanese reluctance to be as open and contrite about the past as it should be. But in another analysis, it is fairly clear that the Chinese use this kind of righteous nationalist anger to distract from it’s own wrongs. As this article points out, http://spice.stanford.edu/docs/134 there are a number of textbooks approved for use in Japan. Although the right-wingers managed to get their own champion on the list, it has actually been taken up by almost no one for use.

If you have any feedback on either issue, though, with more information about why you believe what you believe (and why we should listen to you) please come by again. Always good to intearct with new commenters.

What is your evidence that they are not? The corporate world is very powerful in Japan and the relationship with gov’t generally far too close. In Japan too it is not only what is said but what is NOT – i.e. don’t read any High School text books if you want any kind of ‘objective’ history – esp. about issues like comfort women.

The nuclear disaster at Fukushima has been a case study in understanding media bias. The reporting as you point out has been very emotive and doom fueled in more liberal anti-nuclear media circles while business and pro-nuclear lobbies have painted a very different picture, undermining the risks.

I agree that it’s very positive that we now how access to so many more media sources that 20 years ago. Also schools and teachers should do more to help students understand the media and why we are served up different opinions on the same story. Nothing is ever just black or white.

Regards, Jon.

And thanks Sebastian, I have a book of hers on my shelf which I’ve yet to read. Looks like I should get it down. Have you got a reference for the article? I’d like to have a look at it.

I certainly feel that, although I have always considered myself a critical thinker, looking at the media this past week has highlighted that perhaps I haven’t always been. When a story which one has some understanding of hits the international media cycle (as you experienced in relation to Greece and the economic crisis) it is frustrating to see the misrepresentation, and frustrating to realise one has probably been hoodwinked on other stories in the past. So while I stand by my assertion that we have a responsibility to be as well informed as possible, I concede your point that ‘big’ media should take the blame for the lack of well-balanced and intelligent commentary.

As for social networks, I know that the answer to the question I posed is ‘No’. On the odd occasion a contact has revealed themselves to be a racist (for example), I have taken the advice of ‘The Specials’ and dropped them like a hot brick. I suppose that it is useful to read papers like ‘The Daily Mail’ from time to time just to remind yourself what you are up against….

Always good to engage in discussion with you Sara!

Best

Chuck

I fell into that trap as you well know. I saw a link about some people who travelled to Japan wanting to help and assist who were turned away by the UK foreign office due to red tape. You posted on my FB wall that this was inaccurate so I took it down. I consider myself to be an educated adult who usually sees the bias in most texts whether written, visual or otherwise as you know from all the work I do on this topic. The link did come from a trusted source and fits with other accounts I have come across in disaster situations. I accept because it was from the BBC there is every reason to question it but it didn’t automatically strike me as inaccurate. So I posted it on my FB wall as I thought it interesting and relevant.

I feel you are being a little harsh with regard to the agency an individual has over the media structures in society in your reply above. You know the situation in Japan because you have intimate knowledge of the environment and we are very lucky to have your word from the ground there as I say above. So you are less likely to get it wrong. However, all of us, including you, might make such “mistakes” when commenting on environments we are not part of. I felt the same as you in relation to the woeful inaccuracies I saw circulating about Greece and the economic crisis. I commented on links that were IMHO biased but I didn’t reflect that the individual is lacking in critical judgement on texts that seem to be presenting a valid version of the situation. It’s not their fault or at least it is not entirely their fault. The media is a powerful giant as you so rightly point out. I think a different set of scales needs to be applied in how you are apportioning responsibility there.

Of course our social networks reflect (to an extent) who we are. And we are more likely to post things that confirm our own sense of identity and political/social outlook. For me this is obvious. However, what we want to be careful of is too much finger pointing at individuals (not helpful, can lead to people feeling a bit stupid for not knowing better) and going so far in our attempt at neutrality that we actually end up embracing ideas that are reactionary and distasteful to us. I take your point that listening to a variety of ideas is essential in reaching balance, but there is (for me at least) is a very thin dividing line on controversial issues. Depending on whom you mean when you refer to right wing people in your network, I am confident that I do not wish to listen to commentary which is racist or elistist and would have no compunction dropping such ideas from my networks if I encounter them. I don’t need convincing they are wrong. Maybe you can clarify what you mean there as if it were for e.g. the UK independence party or the like, what do you feel you have to learn? But perhaps its not so please enlighten me.

Your guidelines are extremely pertinant and well written. They are an extension of ideas from the areas of critical discourse analysis and critical literacy, as well as critical media studies which have been in circulation for a long time. Reading texts against the grain is encouraged in all these settings. I agree we should be using these ideas in the clasroom and beyond, but I caution that we don’t want to make those who don’t get it right every time feel guilty.

Thanks again for an interesting discussion.

All best

Sara

A couple of points on social media sharing. Facebook in particular has been an incredible help in finding and sharing information during this difficult time. What social media can do is aggregate information and bring us what we need via trusted contacts. However, it may be that we are being fed what we expect – that social media connections tend to be people who confirm what we already believe and support our self-image. A new book called The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser looks worth reading, in that regard. Research certainly suggests that our emotional tendencies are clarified by our social networks http://mashable.com/2011/03/15/is-twitter-dividing-the-happy-from-the-unhappy/
Those people I have dropped from my network for being too right wing. Are they, in fact, just the kind of people I should be listening to?

I feel privileged to have someone I can trust in Japan and hope you will continue to update us.

Sara, Thessaloniki

You’ve made me think about the importance of critical thought in the sharing of media sources online and the choice of media to be used in a classroom. I also recalled a nice higher-level reading activity in which the students compare two or more different news stories on the same subject, like you have in the post. A twist on that is comparing the same story covered in L1 and L2, bringing in an intercultural element.

Best of luck with your situation over in Japan.

Also, I think it would be difficult to prepare teachers since a group of CELTA trainees might go to a variety of different countries and cultures. It’s impossible to prepare each one of them for their specific destination. I think it’s important to make teachers aware of the fact that other countries and cultures have different values and rules to our own and that we should never assume other people think and live the same way as we do. I think this is obvious but it might be a good idea to spell it out for trainees before they start working abroad.

I’m really interested in what Chuck says here. My suspicion is that most teachers have really very little time to even think about their development, when we are snowed under with lessons to plan, work to mark, meetings to attend, CPD sessions to get to, tutorials to log, oh yes and teaching, of course. And I do wonder from time to time how much I am fooling myself, because even the good PLN stuff, while enjoyable, may not be actually having an impact. It’s supportive, yes, but does it actually change what I do in class?
Another v thought-provoking post. Good luck with the PhD, it’ll be great

The advantage we have teaching this course part-time, rather than as an intensive course, is that the trainees do have a longer period of time to reflect on topics such as this one. I don’t think you can ever fully prepare new teachers for a new life overseas, but there are always a small number of the trainees who have already got plans in place to work overseas, and this is just another small part of package that can help. I’ve found that the part of the lesson which always generates the most discussion is the culture shock cycle, rather than e.g. discussions on which body language, appropriate clothing, etc.

I’m glad it’s included on the course but yes, it can only be about awareness-raising, and it is v difficult to assess. In Teaching Practice feedback you can get to grips with this more explicity if somethings comes up in class.

As I said, sorry to be late joining the discussion on this one but I hope this is relevent!

LINK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yhxpve0c-Fvbwrtb8eYMVWfkb1upIkjcG6_crAOzhYw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJPy3uUM

I like the analogy about having the noro-virus and recovering to the way students feel after completing a test. I always wonder what knowledge stays with them learning in this way, and if there is another answer?

Jon.

Tony – thanks. I wish I had been on PLENK10 … not sure how I missed it but I have been following Downes and Siemens for a long time. There is an archive which I am trying to get into.

As for the distinction between motivation and learning, you are probably right… the two are connected and both remain important throughout a career. However, I maintain that there probably is a shift in emphasis, which of the two is more important. Chuck’s comment describes this very well, I think. I am sure he won’t mind me saying that he is a very experienced teacher, and I would suggest that he has more to teach than learn on a PLN (he might not agree, but he is too modest!). That may be why he sometimes feels frustrated – having to pick out the bits of learning becomes more and more difficult. Is it time to give up trying to learn from a PLN? It leads me to think that the ‘Learning’ aspect of the PLN acronym is being misinterpreted. It is the ‘Network’ which learns, not the members themselves.

It’s not a PhD yet, but it might be….

Chuck – always good to see you in real life or online ; D

I understand exactly what you mean, albeit on a smaller scale. I am in the position of being a PLN champion who is not sure what a PLN does. But what can I measure? Job satisfaction comparing PLN / non-PLN using teachers? I can’t be sure, but based on the teachers I know who are not online, I tentatively suggest it is irrelevant. Teacher development in early career teachers? Career longevity? Like so many of the questions it is worth asking, ‘What is the point of a PLN?’ is an absolute bugger to answer properly!!

Thanks again for all your great comments. I suppose these in themselves demonstrate exactly what a PLN can do….

Agree completely that PLEs are a GOOD THING, and are a result of tech, the failure of universities to address changes in learning facilities, Connectivist AND Constructionist approaches, and a desire to decentralize the learning process into a network of people, places, and websites.

You will have heard of Stephen Downes, George Siemens and their MOOCs based in Canada on distributed learning and PLEs. I “attended CCK08 and then recently did PLENK2010. Both extremely interesting, but required a lot of discipline to keep going. I am doing #DS106 on Digital Storytelling with Jim Groom. By far the most intensive, mostly because everybody is posting new stuff all the time.

While at this stage PLNs may be a boon to teacher motivation and work like a constant conference or teacher’s room, I tend to feel that the true value will be in using PLEs to introduce students to autonomous learning. And I think for EFL this will be a tool that resonates with self-motivated learners.

I am really excited about this. I did a pre-conference workshop on PLEs at JALT2010 Nagoya last November. Oddly enough, about half of the 16 people attending were from outside Japan, with significant contingents from Singapore, Taiwan and China. We need to get Japan up to speed on this new development.

Does your MOOC in Florida have a URI?

K

Ryan

“Successful trainees will be able to demonstrate the following on completion of the course:

b. awareness of the learning needs of individuals or groups of learners, and of the motivation of learners in a variety of cultures and environments”

Yes, I think this is beyond the remit of a 4 week course. Particularly the “variety of cultures and environments” part. Most courses are carried out in a mono-lingual environment for a start. Perhaps if you do a course in the UK you may have a multi-lingual group and start to pick up some issues, but only very vague ideas. I think this area is worth spending an hour on as part of the CELTA/Trinity TESOL course but it is not something that can be taught and developed with trainees in any great detail in 4 weeks. This awareness is developed over years of teaching in multiple countries with many different groups and backgrounds of students.

Hope this helps!

Jon.

I also think minimally accepted standards can be a bad thing for less able learners, whose efforts and achievements often don’t get recognised.

What message does a fail grade send to a learner who has worked really hard but whose achievement didn’t tick enough boxes to gain a pass in the alloted time given to complete the course? The wrong one, I would say. Even baby steps deserve recognition if a learner has done their best. Without that, where is the motivation for a learner to continue?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU9pCIujugM

Thanks very much, Darren!